So, I haven’t written much in a while and I have a pretty good excuse. This Earth Day  at 6:05 pm, we had our third child, Hazel Alice Lev McDaniel.

Hazel’s birth was a bit different than her sisters- my water actually broke, we spent more than 1 hour in the hospital before I began pushing, etc…but what was the coolest thing of all was what my father-in-law called it after hearing my birthstory, I got to be a true Earth Mama in labor.

I was able to get through contractions and into the final stage of labor drug free and thus (despite INSANE pain) able to control my muscles and body fully through pushing.  When the urge came and my body was ready to bring the baby into the world, I pushed once and she started to come, I pushed again and they told me her head was out. And then the coolest nurse,Angie, offered me the most amazing opportunity:  She told me to sit up and then she put my hands under the baby’s arm pits and told me to push and pull the baby out….so I did. I sat up, I put my hands under her arms and pushed and pulled her out and it was AMAZING. I got to pull her into the world!! And then everyone in the delivery room asked, “ what did you have?” And I looked and I said, “We had a girl!”… Now that’s putting the natural into natural childbirth! It was pretty amazing.

Our first few weeks have been quite lovely- Hazel is calm and delicious.  Our other girls are wide eyed and excited and once again, I’m struggling with my diaper selection. (See a WAY earlier post).  Nature Baby Care diapers are NOT great for newborns. Period. So, I’m embracing a compromise: Huggies Pure and Natural .  Though I have done some work with clients that have contributed to the making of this product, I don’t have all of the facts about the green-ness of this product but it seems to be doing the trick of assuaging some of my green guilt as I toss a zillion diapers a week, making me feel like I’m caring for my baby with fewer chemicals and emissions in the production of the diaper, and performing what I need in a diaper -absorption and blow-out protection. So, my green blindspots are in full force, I admit it…

I should have some more time to write on this blog during my maternity leave… we’ll see.

I suspect some (the few of you out there) readers might find great irony in the fact that I write about/work in a field that facilitates the work of  getting greener and yet I have brought yet another person to this very crowded planet. I believe (or at least tell myself) that I’m bringing little people to this world who I can impart my values and morals to so that they can be stewards of the planet, contributors to their community and catalysts for good.