Two Birth Stories for One Baby Boy

Guest Blogger Sara Saylor reflects on her adopted son's two birth stories today on his third birthday.

My son has two birth stories. One took place in a small village in Ethiopia. The other happened 8,324 miles away in Dallas, Texas.

Buturo was born in rural Ethiopia. As I listen to my friends talk about prenatal care, doulas and birthing plans, I think about my son’s first mother. I’ve tried to imagine the day he was born. I think of her pushing him into the world as the sun streamed through her thatched roof. Who was with her? A sister? A midwife? What did she think when she held his little, slippery body for the first time? What did she hope for him when she gave him the name Buturo, which means hard worker? Did she picture him becoming a farmer like his father? I can’t imagine she ever thought he’d grow up half a world away.

Around the same time Buturo took his first breath, my husband and I gave birth to our adoption plan. We had been through two painful miscarriages. It had rocked us to the core. Although I underwent numerous invasive tests to try to figure out why my body had failed me, there wasn’t a magic answer, no certain explanation. Maybe it was a clotting disorder. Maybe it was just bad luck. There was no reason not to try again, but we just couldn’t. It had been too hard, too heartbreaking. So we decided to adopt. The outcome seemed more certain. Eventually we’d become parents even if it took awhile.

So in January 2008, two mothers a world apart, held this new child in their hearts. She likely dreamed of a good life for him. And I dreamed of being there for a child who needed me. Buturo is celebrating his his third birthday today at our home in Ann Arbor, and we will not only celebrate his birthday, but we will also light a candle to honor the woman who gave him life.

Lamaze Staff Members Represented at UofM's Breastfeeding Support Team

By Cara Genisio, LCCE

Earlier this month I was fortunate to attend a meeting with the Breastfeeding Support Team at the University of Michigan Hospital. The BST is a group of labor and postpartum nurses with additional training in breastfeeding; they work to provide support to breastfeeding mothers and their newborns during the time that the moms and babies are at the hospital after birth.

Moira Tannenbaum, one of our Breastfeeding class instructors, attended the meeting with me, and we were both proud to represent the Lamaze Family Center and to speak for the prenatal educators in our community. Attending the meeting definitely strengthened my pride in what the LFCAA does to provide a supportive space for nursing moms, both before and after their babies are born.

All of us moms—and I include myself, as a nursing mom of a four-month-old boy—know how vital emotional and social support are to successful breastfeeding. The feeling that we can breastfeed safely and confidently in public; the feeling that our families and health care providers understand the patterns and rhythms of normal newborn breastfeeding; the knowledge that there are resources in our community should we encounter some bumps in the road—all of these things contribute to a strong foundation, a dependable surface to stand on and hold us up despite the inevitable challenges that we face in our personal breastfeeding journeys.

Program for our auction now online!

There is still time to join Lamaze Family Center for our 2011 FUNdraising kick-off event with our (first annual) Sweets, Treats & Silent Auction on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 7:30pm - 10:00pm at Zingerman's Bakehouse!

Come support Lamaze and the many local businesses, services and artists who have donated great items to our 2011 kick-off event. We are featuring items and services from over 60 local businesses. Come shop local, get a head start on your holiday gifts, and support a great organization!

Here is a sneak peek of just some of the great items available this Saturday:

* Zingerman's Baking Class
* Photography packages by Cheryl Hall, Draugalis, Edda Pacifico and Michelle Massey Barnes
* Whole Foods Gift Basket
* Britax Car Seat donated by The Little Seedling
* Four Big Chill Big House tickets for the UofM vs. MSU game on December 11th
* Buffalo Sabres team jersey signed by Ryan Miller, US Olympic Silver Medalist

Tickets are still available on our website or at the door.

Please join us for a great night out: wine, coffee and desserts by Zingerman's included. The event is being hosted in the Zingerman's Bakehouse CAKE! room at 3711 Plaza Drive, in between the Bakehouse and the Creamery near the Ann Arbor Airport.

View the complete program or buy your tickets today!

Authentic Buffalo Sabres jersey signed by Ryan Miller featured at Lamaze event on Dec. 4

Among other great items available at our Silent Auction this Saturday, Dec. 4, we are featuring an authentic Buffalo Sabres team jersey signed by Ryan Miller, current Buffalo Sabres goaltender, 2010 Vezina Trophy winner as best NHL goalie, former Michigan State Spartan & Hobey Baker Award winner, 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist, and Olympic Tournament MVP.

Live auction bidding starts at 8:45pm. In addition, we have over 50 other great products and services from local businesses in our silent auction, which begins at 7:30pm and ends at 10pm.

To purchase tickets for Sweets, Treats & Silent Auction, click here.

Celebrating National Adoption Month: Toddler Group Valuable Experience for Mom and Son

Our first guest blogger is Sara Saylor, an Ann Arbor mom who's son, Turo, was born in Ethiopia. In this blog, she explains the benefits for both she and her son when they participated in Lamaze's Toddler Play Group.

When we joined our toddler class at Lamaze, my son, Turo, had only been home from Ethiopia for three months. He was trying to adjust to his new surroundings, new language and new family. I was trying to figure out how to parent a toddler. The warm, supportive environment we found at Lamaze helped us as we navigated our new lives as mother and son.

For Turo, the toddler class was a great space for him to explore and interact with other little ones. At first, Turo would zoom around the room without much purpose. He’d try something and move on to the next spot. But as he grew familiar with the routine, he began to feel comfortable playing and engaging with other kids. Once he realized this was a regular thing, he looked forward to going and would ask about class whenever we drove near the building.

I enjoyed the class because it gave me a chance to interact with other moms. Having a 21-month old who was born in another country, I worried about his development, attachment and language. It was reassuring to be in the company of other mothers who had been at this for at least a year and half longer than I. I appreciated their knowledge and experience as I bungled through those early months. I soon realized, however, that they had many of the same questions about their toddlers as I did. It was a bit of a relief to discover that motherhood can be challenging whether you’ve given birth or adopted your child. And as a stay at home mom, I looked forward to having other grown-ups to talk to during the day.

Six months later, Turo still looks at the little album his teacher gave him at “graduation.” As we look at the photos, I can’t help but think back to those early, unsure days and am grateful we were able to access the services of the Lamaze Family Center.

Tickets are on sale for our Dec. 4 event!

Looking for a fun night out away from the kids? Would wine and Zingerman's pastries entice you to hire a babysitter? We'd love to see you at our (first annual) Sweets, Treats & Silent Auction on Saturday, Dec. 4. Tickets are now available on our website for $25/person, which is a bargain for a night out, and the event is being hosted in the Zingerman's Bakehouse CAKE! room at 3711 Plaza Drive (in between the Bakehouse and the Creamery near the Ann Arbor Airport).

A sample of our auction items is available on our site and the full program will be posted the week of the event.

If you have a product or service that you would like to donate to the Silent Auction, email Jodie. We would love to feature more local businesses in helping you promote your products/services and help raise funds for our programs, like our Miscarriage and Newborn Loss Support Group, teen childbirth, and scholarship childbirth program.

Sex & Intimacy After Baby: Mom's Night Out on Nov. 16 at The Quarter

We're excited about a new class we are offering in January called "Sex & Intimacy After Baby: Making It Matter For Moms." Any mom who has had a baby (even if it has been 5 years or more) can relate to the topics that we'll cover, like work/life balance, body image and self-esteem and the inevitable changes to your relationship that comes when baby arrives.

Sex therapist Kelly Grocoff, MSW, (pictured at right) will lead this five-week class as a companion to the book "Sex Matters for Women," by Sallie Foley, MSW; Sally A. Kope, MSW and Dennis P. Sugrue, PhD.

As an incentive to learn more about this class, and hear Kelly speak about this provocative and important topic, we're offering a special Mom's Night Out on Tuesday, November 16 at The Quarter Bistro in Ann Arbor.

Come enjoy a complimentary wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres from 6:30-8:30 at The Quarter; Kelly will speak at 7:15pm and talk about common concerns and changes.

The event is free, but advance registration is required, so email Meredith now to reserve your spot for this fun night out!