Meeting Tonight!!

Sorry for posting this so late!

Come join us for a little Q&A.

Tonight at 6 pm at the MS Breastfeeding Clinic.

Hope to see y'all there!

Upcoming Meeting: Infant Massage

Join us Thursday (tomorrow) morning, 10 am, at the

Ridgeland Library.

Jamie Roth will be teaching us all about

Infant Massage.

 

This is applicable to both infants and older children. Who doesn't like a massage?! If you want to practice on your child please bring a blanket and some oil or lotion. If you don't have a little one to practice on you can bring a doll.

Schedule Change!

Due to a scheduling conflict at the library, our morning meeting will be moved to

Friday, October 14 @ 10 am.

It will be in our usual location at the Ridgeland Library.

Hope to see y'all there!

Upcoming Meeting: Playful Parenting

Join us Thursday evening, 6 pm

at the Mississippi Breastfeeding Clinic.

Alyssa Hasson will be discussing ways and reasons to 

Parent Playfully.

Come join us!

Upcoming Meeting

Join us 

10 am, Thursday, September 1

at the Ridgeland Library

for

Baby Sign Language

Amanda Jones, a certified baby sign language instructor, will be leading the session!

As always our Attachment Parenting meetings are free to the public.

Meeting Notes: Feeding With Love And Respect

Meeting Notes from August 18th 

Feed with Love and Respect

Feed with Love and Respect is one of API’s 8 principles of parenting.

Thursday evening we got together and shared tips for feeding with love and respect. It was a very inspiring meeting, and I think everyone left hungry!

*If you are a member of our Facebook page check out our sidebar to find healthy recipes shared by other AP parents. Feel free to add one of your own!

Here are a few easy, healthy food ideas that were mentioned:

 ~Hard boiled eggs
 ~Edamame
 ~Green peas
 ~Frozen corn
 ~Mix Frozen berries and/or sliced frozen bananas with fresh kale or spinach in the food processor to create a quick & tasty treat.
 ~Beans seem to be one of the favorite finger foods for little ones. Roll the beans in brown rice cereal and they are easier to pick up for the young toddler.
 ~Green smoothies are a great way to add the vegetables into your family’s diet. You can make them by blending leafy greens into your regular smoothie.
 ~Add pureed greens to your pasta sauce (red or Alfredo) for green spaghetti
 ~Providing healthy dip options (such as hummus or a "raw food" dip) with vegetables to encourage a selective eater to try a new veggie
 ~Make extras and freeze them to save yourself some time later in the week

Helpful Hints for making your own baby food:

~ Using your fork to mash up soft well cooked vegetables
~ Beaba Babycook- steamer and food processor in one
~The Baby Bullet – small food processor/great for baby food (check out the baby bullet infomercial
online…I’m a sucker for a good infomercial gadget! I want one now)
~ Babies R us has a great selection of food containers you can use to store homemade frozen baby food
~ Dr. Sears also has some excellent tips on making baby food.
~We also discussed baby led solids.

Book Suggestions:

~Simply in Season authors Mary Beth Lind, Cathleen Hockman-Wert
~Ani's Raw Food Kitchen author Ani Phyo
~Ani's Raw Food Desserts author Ani Phyo
~Feeding the Whole Family- Recipes for Babies, Young Children, and their Parents by Cynthia Lair

More insight & great ideas

~Involve your toddler in the meal making process to get them excited about mealtime & boost their self
confidence as well. Learning Towers or similar products are great way for your child to safely interact with you in the kitchen.
~Allow grazing on healthy snacks throughout the day. A refrigerator snack bin is a great way to allow older children to make their own healthy snack choices.
~When you are sleep deprived it’s hard to remember the small things like brushing your teeth or
remembering to take time for yourself to eat. Setting an alarm on your phone might be a helpful way to
remember these things.
~Local farmer's produce markets makes shopping for healthy food more personal.

The super food Quinoa was mentioned to be a favorite go to food for vegetarians or just a yummy super
food to check out!
“Here in the U.S., quinoa has been discovered as a nutritious asset and enjoyed culinary popularity within
only the last few years. Here’s why…”
Eat one cup of quinoa (a single serving size), and you’ll consume:
~220 calories (70 percent carbs, 15 percent fat, 15 percent protein)
~40 grams of carbohydrates (13 percent daily value)
~8 grams of protein (16 percent of daily value)
~3.5 grams of fat (5 percent daily value with no saturated fat)
~A glycemic load (blood sugar spike) of only 18 out of 250
~5 grams of fiber (20 percent of daily value)
~20 percent of daily value of folate (various forms of Vitamin B)
~30 percent of magnesium daily value (beneficial for people with migraine headaches); 28 percent
daily value of phosphorous; iron (15 percent); copper (18 percent); and manganese (almost 60
percent)
“Quinoa is stocked with life-sustaining nutrients all across the board, including all eight essential amino
acids. There are other highly beneficial compounds, vitamins and minerals in this food that the Incas
reverently called "chisaya mama" (mother of all grains).
Vegetarians would do well to incorporate quinoa into their diet often. It’s difficult for vegetarians to get all
eight essential amino acids and an adequate source of protein from one food source. Usually, vegetarians
and vegans need to combine foods like beans and rice to acquire all the essential amino acids, the
building blocks of protein.” www.mnn.com (Mother Nature Network)

Upcoming Meeting

Join us Thursday, August 18,
6 pm @ the MS Breastfeeding Clinic.

We'll be talking about Feeding With Love and Respect.

If you are able, please bring two recipes to share with the group, 

(either 2 vegetarian or 1 vegetarian and 1 meat).

Thanks so much!

We look forward to seeing y'all there.

Meeting Notes: Birth Preparation

Insights and topics discussed in our meeting on preparing for birth:

~Search out caregivers that you feel comfortable with and that have positive energy.

~Review your birth plan with your doctor or midwife early on during one of your visits so that they are familiar with your needs.

~If you are planning a hospital birth, find the Pro Natural Birth nurses at your hospital and make the request that they be your nurses.

~Doulas can have an incredible, positive impact on your birth experience and outcome whether you  plan to birth at home or in a hospital.

~Wherever you birth. It’s a good idea to provide a basket of goodies cookies, chocolate, etc. as a gift for the doctor, nurses, doula, and/ or midwife.

~ It was mentioned that Baptist and St. Dominics allow you to get in the tub during the birthing process prior to your water breaking. (the tub being a regular size bathroom tub/not a birthing pool)

~ We discussed the documentary “The Business of Being Born”. It’s available to view on Netflix.

~ Free birth plans are available from www.earthmammaangelbaby.com

 ~ Suggested Reading List:

“Ina May's Guide to Childbirth” author Ina May Gaskin
“The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth” author Henci Goer
“Your Best Birth” author Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein

~Check out Amanda's latest blog post for a fun recap of our meeting!

Further helpful resources and articles:

• www.yourwaterbirth.com
• www.doulaireland.com. 
• www.preciousarrows.com (a source for an inexpensive birthing pool)
• In His Hands Birth Supplies
• Dr. Sears' 7 Tips for Better Bonding
• Blood Stem Cell Banking
• The Fear Tension Pain Cycle
• Newborns and the Hep B Vaccine
• The Third Stage of Labor
• For anyone looking to have a VBAC (at home or in the hospital) we highly recommend International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN). For information on our local ICAN chapter contact icanofjacksonms@gmail.com 
• Doula Index
• MS Friends of Midwives  

Can y'all think of anything that we left out? We'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Meeting

Join us tomorrow morning as we discuss Preparing for Birth!

Thursday, 10 am

in the meeting room of the Ridgeland Library

 

Meeting Tonight!!

Come join us as we discuss "Balance" 

6pm at The Mississippi Breastfeeding Clinic in Madison!!

July Meetings

Morning meeting: Tomorrow! July 7th @ 10 AM at the meeting room in the Ridgeland Library

Evening meeting: July 21st @ 6pm at Mississippi Breastfeeding Clinic in Madison


Times and locations for AP playdates and Mom's Night Out are posted to our Facebook Page.

Next Meeting, Coming up!

Date: Thursday, July 7

Time: 10:00am

Location: Ridgeland Library meeting room

Topics: Co-sleeping and Dealing with "Momma Anger"

Next Meeting, Coming up!

Date: Thursday, June 16

Time: 6:00pm

Location: Mississippi Breastfeeding Medicine Clinic waiting room (Thanks again, Dr. Saenz!)

Topic: AP Jeopardy (overall review of Attachment Parenting)

If you have been wondering what Attachment Parenting is all about, this is the meeting for you. We are going to use a fun game to review what AP is (and what it's not) and hopefully we'll have some time for open discussion at the end. This is my last meeting to lead, so I hope everyone who has participated so far will be able to come so I can hug your neck!

If you haven't come to a meeting yet, please come and join us. If you would like to come and listen, but aren't sure you are "AP enough" then rest assured that you are in good company, as everyone participating in the group so far is on a different part of their parenting journey, and you are welcome right where you are. Please feel free to take what you need from the meetings and leave the rest... like a buffet: no need to gorge yourself until you get sick; some of the "food" may look strange to you, just eat what looks good today and maybe try something else some other time...or not!

AP is an empathetic, compassionate, intentional parenting "style" that encompasses a set of eight principles:

(1) Prepare for pregnancy, birth, and parenting
(2) Feed with love and respect
(3) Respond with sensitivity
(4) Use nurturing touch
(5) Ensure safe sleep, physically and emotionally
(6) Provide consistent, loving care
(7) Practice positive discipline
(8) Strive for balance in your personal and family life

"Attachment Parenting" is an umbrella term, and each principle within the "umbrella" of AP can look quite different for individual families. AP prescribes no particular formulas for raising babies and children. It encourages you to listen to your instincts and to do what they tell you to do. It seems that parents who are doing things instinctually tend toward some of the same behaviors; these behaviors are categorized into these eight general principles and described in more detail within each. The principles have been studied and found to have positive effects on children (and the adults they grow into) and families. All eight have been shown to increase attachment and can be demonstrated in the lab via the "Strange Situation Test" as developed by one of the first attachment researchers, Mary Ainsworth. Sometimes our natural instincts can be skewed by our "nurture" or upbringing, and our brain synapses are connected in such a way that certain things may seem to come "naturally" but, when observed closely, the behavior is just a repetition of what you have previously experienced; this is a phenomenon that happens to everyone. Whether you had well-intentioned, loving parents or whether you might have had cruel, abusive parents, or anywhere in between, the tendency is to repeat what was done to you unless you think about it and make your mind up to change something you don't like. AP encourages you, through the "prepare for parenting" principle, to reflect on your own experiences and to distinguish between instinctual feelings/actions and the tendency to repeat the only thing you know, based on past experience. People who practice attachment parenting find themselves on an ever learning, ever growing adventure, and are oftentimes grateful to realize that they are not "grown up" just yet either and that they, along with their children, are exploring the world and learning how to best experience it with the people around them.

Join us! We are nothing if not a fun, eclectic crew, and we *might* have started a revolution :) Come and be part of the ripple effect of compassion, and maybe together we can effect positive change on the world.

Enrichment Meeting this Wednesday!

Date: Wednesday, June 8

Time: 6:00pm

Location: Franz home (FB or email for directions, ashleyfranz@gmail.com)

Topic: Christianity and AP -- Is there really a conflict?

If you are interested in discussing religious, specifically Christian, objections to AP, this is THE meeting for you. You may feel conflicted by a spiritual belief you have based on Biblical scripture, or you may feel that your parenting methods are in line with your spiritual beliefs but you are meeting conflict with family or friends over the subject. This is a place where you can bring your concerns to be explored and processed; there is no agenda to prove or disprove any theory, as this would have already been done if it was possible. We welcome you to come and openly, honestly, lay out your fears and longings before your God and this group, and hopefully go home with some food for thought that you can use to ultimately make your own decision about what you believe and make peace with yourself, if you are in conflict. Can not WAIT for this one! See you there!

Next meeting set for June 16

Date: June 16

Time: 6:00 pm

Location: Mississippi Breastfeeding Medicine Clinic in Madison

Topic: AP Jeopardy (This will be a fun way to give information to people wondering what AP is all about and allow AP veterans the chance to win a Maya Wrap!)

Everyone was so talkative today and we were having such great discussion, that we didn't get around to playing the game, so I thought we could play it at our next evening meeting. If anyone else has additional meeting topic requests, please let me know and I will make sure we talk about those first. We can always put the game off; I want to be sure everyones most immediate needs are met at meetings. Can't wait to meet up again on the 16th!

Meeting Tomorrow!

Just a reminder that the next meeting will be tomorrow, June 2 at 10am at Madeline's house. Email or FB me for directions or questions.

The topic will be open discussion on general AP specifics and a game of AP Jeopardy (with a prize!).

One mom's vision for the "Day Village" inspired by TCC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olihDqEehno&feature=related

1993 interview with Jean Liedloff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmnrTBFu6hg&feature=related

Next Meeting, Coming up!

The next meeting will be a morning meeting.

Date: Thursday, June 2

Time: 10am-Noon

Place: Madeline's home (email or facebook me or Madeline for directions) ashleyfranz@gmail.com

Topic: Open discussion on general AP topics including those on the March 10 post that have not been covered in a meeting yet-- Come with questions and comments! And ALSO... if I can get it finished this week... we can play the game I'm working on creating... AP Jeopardy! Study up, because there will be a prize... maybe even a GOOD prize!!

Meeting Tonight!

Just a reminder that our next AP meeting is tonight at my house at 6:00. I am making spaghetti, so feel free to come hungry!

We will be mostly talking about the benefits of babywearing and I will demonstrate how to use all the different kinds of slings. It should be great fun! Can't wait to see all of you there!

If you haven't been to a meeting before, but are curious about babywearing/slings or Attachment Parenting, this would be a great meeting to start with! Welcome, welcome! Come on and join us!

Meeting This Thursday!

Date: Thursday, May 19

Time: 6:00pm

Place: my house (email me for directions ashleyfranz@gmail.com)

Topic: Babywearing!!! (Bring your slings!)

Meeting Tonight!

Meeting Tonight, Thursday April 21

location: Mississippi Breastfeeding Clinic in Madison (Thanks Dr. Saenz!)

time: 6:00

topics:

Nonviolent Communication

"The ability to keep observation and evaluation separate is the highest form of human intelligence." ~Jiddhu Krishnamurti

and Handling Criticism/AP in a Non-AP World

"Me, I adopt the Cheerfully Obtuse attitude. I completely misunderstand what they're saying; the implied criticisms go right ... over ... my head. Sometimes, if I'm feeling froggy, I get confused and ask them to explain themselves. I generally follow this with a bemused smile and a polite comment that implies that I had no idea people still thought the earth was flat. Oh, sure, it's a little passive-aggressive. But since I acquired a toddler, I really don't have the energy for the more confrontational approach that I would have taken in my feckless youth." ~Pamela Williams-Smith, co-leader of API of Tallahassee, FL

Next Meeting, Coming Up!

Thursday, April 21, 6:00pm
Location: MS Breastfeeding Clinic in Madison
Topics: Dealing with Criticism (of your parenting choices), and NVC (Non-violent Communication, aka Compassionate Communication)

Many people who choose to parent with an AP frame of mind unfortunately encounter frequent criticism, sometimes very harsh, from strangers and even friends and family. This meeting will be about dealing with this in a loving, non-defensive way. We will be talking about how to use NVC in our responses to others who may question or criticize our "methods."

Meeting Tomorrow!

A [Gershoff, 2002] meta-analysis on the use of corporal punishment done at Columbia University indicates that parental corporal punishment is associated with the following undesirable behaviors and experiences:

~Decreased moral internalization

~Increased child aggression

~Increased child delinquent and antisocial behavior

~Decreased quality of relationship between parent and child

~Decreased child mental health

~Increased risk of being a victim of physical abuse

~Increased adult aggression

~Increased adult criminal and antisocial behavior

~Decreased adult mental health

~Increased risk of abusing own child or spouse

Corporal punishment was associated with only one desirable behavior: increased immediate compliance.

"The universal and chronic use of corporal punishment and its potentially harmful effects on children is the best-kept secret of American child psychology" (Straus, Beating the Devil Out of Them, 10).

If you are interested in breaking the cycle, this meeting is for you. Come get help and be supported!

Tomorrow, 10am @ The Play Place

Next Meeting, Time and Place

Thursday, April 7

10:00am @ The Play Place in Madison/Ridgeland on Hwy 51

Topics: "The Great Divide": Choosing AP when others begin baby training

Positive Discipline: How we can apply it TODAY, and "See one, Teach one, Do one"

Upcoming Meetings

Thursday, April 7, 10:00am
Location: TBA
Topics: "The Great Divide" (Choosing AP when others begin baby training), and Positive Discipline (Creative alternatives for punitive punishments for 2-4 year olds)

Thursday, April 21, 6:00pm
Location: MS Breastfeeding Clinic in Madison
Topics: Dealing with Criticism (of your parenting choices), and NVC (Non-violent Communication, aka Compassionate Communication)

Thursday, May 5, 10:00am
Location: TBA
Topics: Babywearing (including a sling "petting zoo" and demos) and Infant Massage (including a demo by Massage Therapist and Reiki Master, Jamie Roth--thanks Jamie!)

Meeting Tonight!

I am so excited about our first meeting tonight! This has been a LONG TIME coming for MS!

6:00 at the MS Breastfeeding Clinic in Madison

Several people have asked 2 things since the word has started spreading about the group:

(1) Are children allowed? --Everyone is allowed to make their own decisions about readiness to separate. So, YES, children are welcome. That being said, I will personally be leaving 1-2 of my older children with my husband and bringing my nursing baby. Because this particular meeting is in Dr. Saenz's waiting room, I don't feel like my rambunctious boys will be able to entertain themselves the whole time without my intervening alot, and they were quite disruptive last week when I took them to the LLL meeting. So, if you have a husband or someone who would be willing to keep more active children who might be disruptive, great. If you, like me, don't always have a husband/spouse home from work yet or you don't want to pay a babysitter just to attend the meeting, etc, you are more than welcome to bring them and give it a go. Of course, we don't expect young children to sit still for an hour, but we also expect them to not destroy Dr. Saenz's waiting room or fight with the other children as well. It is completely up to you. We do ask that if discipline is needed, that only positive discipline be used and never any physical or punitive punishment. I am hoping to end up with a location in a church nursery or open gym of some kind, where the children have more freedom to play and mess around with the stuff they see, so that we, in turn, may have more meaningful/less distracted conversation.

(2) What is attachment/AP? This is what we are talking about at tonight's meeting. You can visit attachmentparenting.org to read about it OR just visit the group to learn more!

Must-watch!

Dr. Sears is going head-to-head tomorrow at noon with Dr. Weissbluth, author of a very popular sleep training book, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child"

Watch if you can, and we will discuss it on Thursday night!

Babies' sleeping issues

First meeting, coming up!

Thursday, March 17

6:00pm

@ the MS Breastfeeding Clinic in Madison

Topics to be discussed:

~What is Attachment?

~What is Attachment Parenting?

~How did we get here? (The history of AP and our own journies to AP)

~AP Principle #1: Preparation for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting: The importance of parenting "on purpose"

Some of the upcoming topics to be discussed:

~Feeding with Love and Respect: How breastfeeding (or bottle "nursing") on cue creates healthy eating habits for life (p.s. Can you over-feed a breastfeeding baby?)

~Responding with Sensitivity & Using Nurturing Touch: How practicing these two principles make for a happy traveler and easy transitions from car to bed when asleep

~Practicing Positive Discipline: Labeling, Praise, and Expectations-- The natural human response and how this information applies to parenting

~Using Nurturing Touch: Saving $$ on baby gear "essentials" while increasing attachment

~Responding with Sensitivity: "Self-Soothing"-- Is this really the goal?

~Practicing Positive Discipline: Can this principle be reconciled with Christianity or are the two mutually exclusive? Can a person practicing AP be a Christian and vice versa? Where is the disconnect, and how can we bridge the divide?

~"Everything changes when you have a baby": Whether you are a new parent or changing your approach to parenting, AP is a lifestyle change; how have you made the adjustment and how is it currently going?

~Permissive parenting, over-indulgence, and AP: What is the difference? Is AP "child-centered" or is it the opposite?

~Practicing Positive Discipline: Do as I say, not as I do? Total obedience? What is the goal here? What is the significance of Modeling?

~"Control issues": From eating to sleeping to pottying to discipline...who is in control? And who should be?

~Freedom: How has AP set you free? How can we use AP principles to give and receive more freedom?

~Joy: How has AP contributed to your joy and to the joy of your children and your spouse?

~Practicing Positive Discipline: Creative solutions to avoid punitive punishments

~Feeding with Love and Respect: Breastfeeding beyond one year

~Practicing Safe Sleep: The benefits of co-sleeping

~Feeding with Love and Respect: Getting the right start

~Practicing Safe Sleep: "Musical Beds"-- Figuring out what works best for your family and keeping the flame alive between you and your spouse

~Healing the regret: We have all made what we perceive to be parenting "mistakes"; How can we forgive ourselves and begin healing/helping our child heal? Is repeating parenting mistakes with subsequent children, in order to be fair to the older child, a good idea?

~Feeding with Love and Respect: Weaning-- whether from the breast, the bottle, the pacifier, the fingers, etc-- What is the gentlest way to go about it?

~Using Nurturing Touch: The Art of Babywearing

~Finding Balance and Boundaries: Remembering to take time to care for yourself and avoiding parent "burn-out"

~Finding Balance and Boundaries: Is it okay to say "No"?

.........And Many More to come!

This group is open to anyone and everyone who is curious about AP, but the discussion will mostly be specifically geared toward those already practicing the principles of Attachment Parenting. Welcome! Come one, come all, and let's start talking about quite possibly the most important issues of our lives--how we love and nurture our children!