#55 Isaac Vaughn OL/DL-Palmdale High School-2013 Football Highlights

This my youngest son.  Who played just an awesome senior year.

Palmdale High School A'Cappella 2013 - See dat Babe and Hallelujah Chorus

Some of the songs from my son's choir concert.

WestJet Christmas Miracle: real-time giving

▶ UnBreaking Birth - YouTube

▶ UnBreaking Birth - YouTube

This is such a powerful video.

Brain Scans Show The Real Impact Love Has On A Child's Brain - Underground Health

Brain Scans Show The Real Impact Love Has On A Child's Brain - Underground Health

When babies’ cries bring food or comfort, they are strengthening the neuronal pathways that help them learn how to get their needs met, both physically and emotionally. But babies who do not get responses to their cries, and babies whose cries are met with abuse, learn different lessons.

5 Ways To Treat A Fever Naturally | The Mommypotamus | organic SAHM sharing her family stories and recipes

5 Ways To Treat A Fever Naturally | The Mommypotamus | organic SAHM sharing her family stories and recipes

Counting baby toes, pennies and the number of times Micah says “sooopooon” (spoon) in a day – all good stuff! But when it comes to my kids health math rarely factors in. Why? I watch them, not the numbers. This is especially true with fevers.
I’m not alone, either. According to Dr. Hannah Chow-Johnson – pediatrician at Loyola University Health System and assistant professor of pediatrics at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine – numbers may not be as significant as we tend to think.

The Promise. (Trailer) Dangers of routine breast screening program

The Promise. (Trailer) Dangers of routine breast screening program

EpiPens for All - NYTimes.com

EpiPens for All - NYTimes.com

 Just a few months after she died, “Amarria’s Law” was in place; the law requires Virginia schools to stock epinephrine and allows school authorities to give it to children without a prescription, and indemnifies those who administer it in a life-threatening situation. There is now an opportunity for similar legislation to be enacted nationally, in the form of the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, and I urge lawmakers to pass it. The House approved the bill in July, and it is likely to go before the Senate this fall.

Breastfeeding Boosts Smarts as Babies Grow, Study Finds - Bloomberg

Breastfeeding Boosts Smarts as Babies Grow, Study Finds - Bloomberg

Breastfed kids are smarter, according to a Harvard University study that found the longer babies are nursed, the greater their intelligence.
The research, which followed more than 1,000 women and their babies, found that each additional month a child was breastfed resulted in better language skills at 3 years old and intelligence at age 7, compared with babies not breastfed. The findings are published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

The Breast Milk Cure - NYTimes.com

If only more women realized the importance of breastfeeding.

 What if nutritionists came up with a miracle cure for childhood malnutrition? A protein-rich substance that doesn’t require refrigeration? One that is free and is available even in remote towns like this one in Niger where babies routinely die of hunger-related causes?

The Breast Milk Cure - NYTimes.com

Embarrassed || Spoken Word by Hollie McNish - YouTube

Embarrassed || Spoken Word by Hollie McNish - YouTube

I Will Not Nurse You Forever | Nurshable

I Will Not Nurse You Forever | Nurshable

 The commitment that I’ve made to you is life-long. There is no hard start, no hard ending, no fading away of obligation. There is no “weaning” that I plan on doing. There is you. There is your quest for independence. There are the needs that drive your little body and that will fade and change with time. And there is me. My job is simply to be here and meet your needs as you have them. I need neither to push you away nor hold onto you, as you will peel off or cling close according to your needs.

Midwifery Care Now An Option At St. John's Health Center | Santa Monica Mirror

Midwifery Care Now An Option At St. John's Health Center | Santa Monica Mirror

 In addition to her 30 years of experience and 2,500-plus births, certified nurse-midwife Deborah Frank has one more achievement to add to her already impressive resume. Frank has become the first nurse-midwife to be granted “admitting privileges” at Saint John’s Health Center, giving expectant mothers the choice of midwifery care in a hospital setting.

Alanna Vaughn ~ 2013 Spring Piano Recital

My daugher is so talented!

The Alpha Parent: The Emperor Moth’s Secret: What It Can Teach Us ab...

The Alpha Parent: The Emperor Moth’s Secret: What It Can Teach Us ab...: I want to share with you a fascinating and empowering story of nature. You are about to discover the emperor moth’s secret... On...

Rescuing drowning children: How to know when someone is in trouble in the water. - Slate Magazine

Rescuing drowning children: How to know when someone is in trouble in the water. - Slate Magazine

 The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. “We’re fine; what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not 10 feet away, their 9-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”

Captain Victoria Ann Castro Pinckney Tribute

Victoria was friends with my daughter Alexa and the daughter of a good friend Michelle.

Tribute this Saturday for Air Force Capt. killed in plane crash | The Antelope Valley Times

Tribute this Saturday for Air Force Capt. killed in plane crash | The Antelope Valley Times

Victoria attended grade school, junior and high school with my daughter Alexa and they were good friends.  I am good friends with her mother, Michelle.  It breaks my heart that she is gone. 

No Greater Gift Than Being a Mother

ACOG - Study Finds Adverse Effects of Pitocin in Newborns

ACOG - Study Finds Adverse Effects of Pitocin in Newborns

 Researchers found that induction and augmentation of labor with oxytocin was an independent risk factor for unexpected admission to the NICU lasting more than 24 hours for full-term infants. Augmentation also correlated with Apgar scores of fewer than seven at five minutes. The Apgar is a test that evaluates a newborn’s physical condition at one and five minutes after birth based on appearance (skin coloration), pulse (heart rate), grimace response (medically known as “reflex irritability”), activity and muscle tone, and respiration (breathing rate and effort). A baby who scores eight and above is generally considered to be in good health.

Fairchild Airmen killed in Kyrgyzstan crash identified | Spokane/E. WA - KXLY.com

Fairchild Airmen killed in Kyrgyzstan crash identified | Spokane/E. WA - KXLY.com

 Victoria was a wonderful young woman.  She went to grade school, junior high and high school with my daughter Alexa.  Her sister Samantha was friends with my son Oliver and I am friends with her mother Michelle.  So sad that her son will grow up without his mother, but I know he will know her as Michelle, Larry, Nichol and Samantha and her husband will make sure he knows what a wonderful, talented and giving woman his mom was.  It was a pleasure knowing you.

Walt Disney: Water Babies Silly Simphonies

My oldest use to not go to bed until she watched this. . .

An Exam With Poor Results - NYTimes.com

An Exam With Poor Results - NYTimes.com

 Moreover, the exam sometimes reveals benign conditions that lead to follow-up procedures, including surgery, that do not improve a woman’s health but instead cause anxiety, lost time from work, potential complications and unnecessary costs.

Why women should embrace a ‘good enough’ life - The Washington Post

Why women should embrace a ‘good enough’ life - The Washington Post

 In my years as a journalist, I have written and spoken a great deal about women’s lives and struggles, and wrote a book about the conflicts facing successful female professionals. But today, 16 years into life as a working mother and 23 years into a marriage, I’ve come to question many of the truths I once held dear. The woman I wanted to be at 22 is not the woman I wanted to be at 38 — not even close — and she is certainly not who I am now at 55.

Fukushima fallout sickens U.S. babies

Fukushima fallout sickens U.S. babies

 Scary? You bet. But information is power. If you have a baby born in March or April 2011 and you live on the Pacific Coast of the U.S. (or other Pacific countries), ask your pediatrician to test your child for congenital hypothyroidism -- and anything else he or she believes could have been caused by radiation.

Safety Benefits Of Rear Facing | CarSeat.se

Safety Benefits Of Rear Facing | CarSeat.se

 How much safer is rear facing?  Research has shown rear facing to be 500% safer up to two years of age.  Do benefits disappear after that?  Not at all.  Rear facing is always safer, even for adults like you and me.  Benefits decrease with age as our children develop fragile head, neck and spine.  Rear facing at ages 3 or 4 still offer large benefits which the Swedes have shown in real life.

Food cravings engineered by industry - Health - CBC News

Food cravings engineered by industry - Health - CBC News

 "I was totally surprised," he said. "I spent time with the top scientists at the largest companies in this country and it's amazing how much math and science and regression analysis and energy they put into finding the very perfect amount of salt, sugar and fat in their products that will send us over the moon, and will send their products flying off the shelves and have us buy more, eat more and …make more money for them."

ACOG - Vaginal Delivery Recommended Over Maternal-Request Cesarean

ACOG - Vaginal Delivery Recommended Over Maternal-Request Cesarean

 Cesareans involve risks and require longer hospital stays than uncomplicated vaginal births. Women face the risk of bladder and bowel injuries during cesarean surgery, as well as serious complications in future pregnancies. Placental problems, uterine rupture, and emergency hysterectomy are all risks that increase with each subsequent cesarean. Compared with vaginal births, planned cesareans have a lower risk of excessive bleeding during birth and the need for blood transfusions.

You Won't Regret It

Born at Home by the Nielsens Photography & Cinema Chic

Considering a Vasectomy? Hold The Scissors and Read This First

Considering a Vasectomy? Hold The Scissors and Read This First

 Studies reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association, financed by the National Institutes of Health and conducted by a team headed by Dr. Edward Giovannucci from the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University in Boston, suggest that men who had a vasectomy more than 20 years earlier faced up to an 89 percent greater risk of prostate cancer than men who had not had a vasectomy. The studies also found that the more time that had passed since a vasectomy, the greater was the risk of developing prostate cancer.

Are Plastic Food Containers Too Toxic to Reuse? - The Green Life

Are Plastic Food Containers Too Toxic to Reuse? - The Green Life

 If you do reuse plastic containers, follow the Environmental Working Group’s advice, and only use #1, 2, 4, or 5, although one study shows that higher temperatures can cause the release of the heavy metal antimony from #1, PET.

Dirty pacifier? Bacteria, mold, fungi and other bacterial growth found in test of baby pacifiers

Dirty pacifier? Bacteria, mold, fungi and other bacterial growth found in test of baby pacifiers

 "We know that it takes two weeks for this pacifier to become so contaminated that you can't decontaminate it by putting it in the dishwasher or putting it in boiling water," said Glass. "By two weeks, what has happened is the microorganisms, the germs, have formed a complex structure called a biofilm. It's rather impervious to chlorox, baking soda, to boiling."

Read more: http://www.wcpo.com//dpp/news/health/healthy_living/Dirty-pacifier-Bacteria-mold-fungi-and-other-bacterial-growth-found-in-test-of-baby-pacifiers##ixzz2LeNrJxxk

How to Make Hand Sanitizer with All Natural Products — The Greenbacks Gal

How to Make Hand Sanitizer with All Natural Products — The Greenbacks Gal

This hand sanitizer recipe will not only leave your hands feeling cleaner, they’ll feel softer, too!
It contains four ingredients which each have properties that make it fantastic for our skin. Witch hazel is an astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal; aloe vera gel is naturally moisturizing;  lavender essential oil has antibacterial, antiseptic and antimicrobial properties; and vitamin E keeps the product stable and is one of the best vitamins for our skin.

Mother-Baby Sleep Experts Offer Tips for Soothing Crying Babies, Giving Exhausted Mothers Alternatives to Crying It Out

Mother-Baby Sleep Experts Offer Tips for Soothing Crying Babies, Giving Exhausted Mothers Alternatives to Crying It Out

 The reason for this is that babies have immature nervous systems and need others to help them regulate their emotions. When adults hear babies crying and respond, babies develop the tools, both physiologically and emotionally, to calm themselves. Leaving babies to cry increases babies’ stress levels and often keeps them awake longer. It does not guide them emotionally or physically toward the goal of regulating their own distress and response.

What You Don't Know About Episiotomies Can Hurt You - NYTimes.com

What You Don't Know About Episiotomies Can Hurt You - NYTimes.com

 The reason for the episiotomy’s popularity in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, when my brothers and I were born, was that doctors believed that a clean downward cut on the laboring woman’s perineum was safer for the baby and better for the mother than letting a woman’s perineum tear during pushing. A straight cut was easier to stitch than a jagged tear, and doctors argued that a woman would feel less postpartum pain and have fewer future problems with pelvic-floor complications (like urinary incontinence).

The Invisible Work of Women « Embodied Birth

The Invisible Work of Women « Embodied Birth

Let us celebrate ourselves.  Let us celebrate each other.  When we do this, we will come to live in a society where the invisible is visible.
http://embodiedbirth.com (http://s.tt/1yZJ1)

Vicks Vapo Rub Bad for Babies and Young Children; Can Cause Breathing Problems - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Vicks Vapo Rub Bad for Babies and Young Children; Can Cause Breathing Problems - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

 Vicks Vapo Rub is said to cause breathing problems in babies. Vicks Vapo Rub contains ingredients that "can be irritants, causing the body to produce more mucus to protect the airway," according to a doctor who has been doing studies on the product. In a study released by the Wake Forest University of Medicine (in North Carolina), pediatricians warn that the ingredients of Vicks Vapo Rub could turn out to be harmful for young children and babies. The reason for this is that it can cause severe respiratory distress when applied.

To Hat or Not to Hat, That is the Strange Conundrum | Spirit of Ilithyia

To Hat or Not to Hat, That is the Strange Conundrum | Spirit of Ilithyia

 Have you heard the phrase, “Stop hatting, chatting and patting?”  I first heard the phrase from California midwife, Carla Hartley, who has studied during her thirty year midwifery career, the affects that interventive third stage practices have on both mother and newborn.  There are multi-faceted layers behind why hatting, chatting and patting are disruptive to the mother-baby dyad, but they all encompass the importance of giving mom and baby uninterrupted time to participate in the physiological process of bonding immediately following the birth.

Babies in Business Solutions on Vimeo

Babies in Business Solutions on Vimeo

Kids Raising Kids

Kids Raising Kids

These are some amazing parents.  The mom just happens to be the baby from my very first childbirth student.

Was the Whooping Cough Epidemic Caused By Unvaccinated Kids? - Holistic Squid

Was the Whooping Cough Epidemic Caused By Unvaccinated Kids? - Holistic Squid

 Eighty-one percent of 2010 California pertussis cases under the age of 18 were fully vaccinated children; and in a pertussis outbreak in Texas, the CDC statistics show that 81.5 percent of cases were fully vaccinated.

Bathing & Moisturizing | National Eczema Association

Bathing & Moisturizing | National Eczema Association

What are the characteristics of dry skin?

When your skin is dry, it is not because it lacks grease or oil, but because it fails to retain water. For this reason, a good daily skin care regimen focuses on the basics of bathing and moisturizing.

Many Pelvic Exams Are Medically Unjustified - hcp.obgyn.net

Many Pelvic Exams Are Medically Unjustified - hcp.obgyn.net

The updated guidelines for preventive care by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the US Preventive Services Task Force, and the American Cancer Society state that annual Pap tests are not needed for most women. ACOG also has recommended that the bimanual examination should not be part of a routine well-woman examination until age 21.² Despite these recommendations, about 87% of the physicians surveyed said they would perform this examination on 18-year-old healthy women. Physicians also said they perform the examination to reassure patients, to meet patient expectations, and to ensure “adequate compensation for routine gynecological care.”1,

Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research suggests

Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research suggests

 "Breast-feeding infants, responsiveness to crying, almost constant touch and having multiple adult caregivers are some of the nurturing ancestral parenting practices that are shown to positively impact the developing brain, which not only shapes personality, but also helps physical health and moral development," says Narvaez.

What nurses need to know about birth plans | Scrubs – The Leading Lifestyle Nursing Magazine Featuring Inspirational and Informational Nursing Articles

What nurses need to know about birth plans | Scrubs – The Leading Lifestyle Nursing Magazine Featuring Inspirational and Informational Nursing Articles

 “Remember that this is the most important day/event in the lives of the parents-to-be, and not to lose sight of this,” says Whitehead. “As people working around labor, birth and new babies every day, it’s very easy for us to become desensitized to the experience.”
When the parents-to-be walk in, treat them like this is THEIR special, big day! Because it is.

Why Antibiotics Today Could Threaten Your Life Tomorrow

Why Antibiotics Today Could Threaten Your Life Tomorrow

 Contrary to the opinion of the conventional medical establishment, there is no free lunch when it comes to antibiotics. Doctors for the most part are still handing out prescriptions like candy to their patients despite the continuing and growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

Love, Light, Laughter and Chocolate - One Mom's Journey: Be with me. Just for today.

 Please secure your furniture.

Love, Light, Laughter and Chocolate - One Mom's Journey: Be with me. Just for today.: For once, I'm at a loss for words.  Maybe not so much at a loss, but there are so many things I want to say that I just don't know where or ...

The gluten made her do it: How going gluten free saved my daughter's mental health - Anchorage Press: Anchorage Press News

The gluten made her do it: How going gluten free saved my daughter's mental health - Anchorage Press: Anchorage Press News

 It wasn’t always like this. After my boy-girl twins were born, I often received compliments on how happy my babies seemed. After about eight months of age, my son stayed the same chill little guy. But in my daughter, I saw a change. At first I thought she must have a slightly more volatile temperament, and that it was only now beginning to show. But after she was a year old, it became apparent that I was dealing with something a little more serious. The slightest thing could set my daughter off—or nothing at all. And when she got upset, it wasn’t like a normal toddler getting upset. She was hysterical. It was like someone had lit her on fire. She screamed, and kept screaming, as though in mortal agony, for as long as two hours at a time.

Is the Medical Community Failing Breastfeeding Moms? | TIME.com

Is the Medical Community Failing Breastfeeding Moms? | TIME.com

 No one argues that breast is best, but the truth is that breast-feeding is very difficult for many women, and for some, medical problems make it almost impossible without intervention. With the recent bans on giveaways of formula samples in some hospitals, it’s all the more important that the medical community have the tools and knowledge to help mothers breastfeed—or to figure out why they can’t. Until doctors and nurses are properly trained to help, women like Kelly will experience all of the pressure to breastfeed, with none of the support to figure out how.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/02/is-the-medical-community-failing-breastfeeding-moms/#ixzz2Gqd4w6Zs

Dad Delivers Breech Baby on Side of Highway With Toddler in Backseat (VIDEO) | The Stir

Dad Delivers Breech Baby on Side of Highway With Toddler in Backseat (VIDEO) | The Stir

Birth happens.