5.06.2010

Int'l Doula Month - Giveaway #7

Emily, the owner of Lullaby Slings, has a shop full of Mei Tai, Ring, and doll slings. In addition, she has burp clothes and baby scale slings and has donated a beautiful Midwifery Baby Scale Sling/Hammock for our Doula Month Giveaway. This prize would be perfect for a doula who is aspiring to be a midwife, a midwife apprentice, or a doula who attends homebirths on a regular basis!

Weigh those babies in style! This mini sling (approximately 22" x 42") is made of soft flannel, double seamed to strong aluminum rings. It can be used with standard midwifery spring scales.

This sling is made of flannel printed with baby jungle animals and can be seen in picture on her etsy store!

Emily, like so many SBO's, started their business based on a need or personal experience. I enjoyed reading her answers to my interview questions and hope that you enjoy learning more about her as well!
My name is Emily, and I'm 28 years old. My husband and I have been married for seven years, and in that time we've been blessed with three little boys (ages 5, 3, and 1). Before starting a family I was a high school choral conductor, and I keep my toes in that world through volunteer directing of student and alumni groups. I enjoy reading, gardening, sewing, and creating messes in the kitchen. Giving birth to my children has given me a great interest in childbirth education and birth advocacy. I am almost finished with my training for doula certification, and am loving serving women through their labors and births.

My first son was a challenging baby. He needed to be held nearly constantly, often even while sleeping. Babywearing was a life saver for me! I used a variety of different carriers and eventually decided to start sewing my own versions of my favorites. I realized that I could help other moms by sewing slings when a friend of mine asked if she could buy the one I was wearing! It gives me great joy to create beautiful slings, especially knowing how much ease they can bring to a new mother's life.

...I don't remember where the quote originally comes from, but I love the idea that a doula is the person who is there to "mother the mother". Childbearing is such hard work, so intense, so beautiful, and so full of emotions. I think that a doula is there to walk alongside the mother, loving her, assisting her as she needs and wants, while she finds her path through labor.

In general, I think that birth practices currently standard in the U.S. make it very difficult for a mother to have a simple, self-directed, and safe birth. This is particularly true in hospitals, where standard "protocol" is one-size-fits-all, often regardless of the specific needs or wishes of the mother. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule (and I am glad of it!) but generally it is hard to be a woman in labor in a U.S. hospital.

I am grateful that (in most states) we have the choice for homebirth available to us. I am also grateful for the doulas who work to help women who choose hospital births (for many and varied reasons) to have a better experience there.

In the future, I hope to see more midwifery, more home births, more free-standing birth centers, and far fewer cesareans. (I can dream, right?) :)
What makes your heart skip a beat, hold your breath, or sigh with happiness:
Jonathan's freckles, Thomas' smile, and Josiah's sweetness when he lays his head on my shoulder before bedtime.
If you had to choose one item that you sell, what is your favorite and why:
A batik ring sling. I love the batik fabrics and ring slings are what started me on this endeavor in the first place. They're easy, versatile, and the one thing that I tell all new mothers they absolutely MUST have for the baby. :)
Emily invites everyone to visit her at Laundry and Lullabies - a blog that chronicles the adventures of parenting little boys, with a variety of notes on birth, nutrition, faith, gardening, and frugality thrown in for good measure!

Thanks again Emily!

RULES FOR ENTERING:

Remember, EACH OF THESE count as one entry. You have to complete the first entry to be able to be able to have the other entries counted. To have them counted as one entry each, they must each be fulfilled with their own, separate, comment. Be sure that your comment contains your email either in the body of the message, or through your profile.
  • For your initial entry, you must visit her etsy store, then come back and let me know which is your favorite item and why in a comment.
  • For an additional entry, post a link to this giveaway on your FB OR create your own blog post regarding this giveaway, with a link to this post, then comment with a link back to your blog post/FB post.. Then, copy and paste a link to that in a comment here on my blog.
  • For an additional entry, visit her blog, then let me know which post you enjoyed and why in a comment here on my blog.
  • If you took advantage of the Early Bird Entries, you can add any/all of your Early Bird entries to this giveaway by commenting with the words "EB Entry".
Entries will be closed on May 29th, at midnight, and the drawing will occur on May 31st, at noon.

Happy entering!!!

27 comments:

Mama V said...

What a fantastic giveaway. Emily is fantastic, too!

Well, obviously that weigh-sling is my favorite item from her etsy shop! But I'm also a sling junky and wear my babies everywhere, so those lovely handmade mei tei's are great, too.

vajasigmon@gmail.com

Mama V said...

Whoops, that last one (about my son's crazy sense of direction in confusing places) came from: vajasigmon@gmail.com

Thanks!

Mama V said...

What a fun blog, Emily!

I enjoyed "Back Seat Driver" from August 26, 2007. We don't own a car, but can totally relate. We live in a dense urban area and ride the subway/bus or walk. When we first moved here, I would easily get turned around. But my son, who had a fierce sense of direction, always knew where we were and would often point the way. Sometimes I'd just ask him which way home was, and he knew! ;)

WJ said...

I'm definitely planning on being a baby-wearer and a terrific hand-made ring-sling would be a great first present! However, I would like to also get a scale for a particularly great midwife in training I know... :)

Katelyn said...

My favorite would have to also be the weigh sling! What a beautiful shop!

katelyndemidowphotography (at) yahoo (dot) com

Grass Roots Doula said...

I've visited Lullaby Slings. I really like the baby scale sling/hammock. :)

carriehjensen@gmail.com

Grass Roots Doula said...

I posted a link to your blog on my FB page and blog. http://motherandchilddoulacare.blogspot.com THANKS!

Grass Roots Doula said...

and finally...Emily's blog is so cute. I liked so many of the posts but I could really relate to This Counts As Exercise...
carriehjensen@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

My fave in her store is the mei tai!
hisjennifer@ yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I checked out her blog and totally relate to "I think this counts as excercise" ;)

Hisjennifer@ yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

linked on facebook :)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=775160533&ref=profile

hisjennifer@yahoo.com

Valerie said...

I am loving the scale! I would love to give this to our midwives as a gift for giving us the most amazing pregnancy and birth experience a set of first time parents could ask for!
I love the mei tai! I have a back pack sling, a ring sling and a wrap sling but I would love to try a mei tai for when my little girly gets older!
I love all the pictures of her babies and home and family! And the September 23, 2009 post on the Monty Python hospital sketch! :o) My husband and I love that movie!!!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=70805276

Anonymous said...

My favorite item was the gorgeous blue Mei Tai. I have great memories of my Mei Tai from when my son was little. I have a bum shoulder, so regular ring slings make it hurt. The Mei Tai was perfect. Once, I went bowling with him asleep on my back. :-)

k. emvee said...

I think the baby scale/hammock was the best item in her store, but I particularly loved the adorable jungle animal print. As a doula and midwifery student, I can see getting a lot of use out of an item like this!

k. emvee said...

And I don't know if you're able to view my Facebook page, but I did add a link: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10401842&ref=profile

k. emvee said...

And on Emily's blog, the best post is hands down the one titled "Evidence" with the pictures of her boys doing naughty things. What amazing escapades kids get themselves into, and how incredible that her kids decided (or was it an "accident?" :-) to capture this on film for posterity.

Anonymous said...

I love the Etsy store--that blue Mei Tai is lovely! I love seeing well-made slings and carriers by mamas who actually use them!

Anonymous said...

Not sure you'll be able to see this on my profile, but I posted on FB!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=539420222&ref=profile

Anonymous said...

My favorite blog post is "so much for dusting"...sounds like something that would have happened in my class earlier in the fall! It's the thought that counts, right?!

Paula said...

The black ring swing is great. It looks really classy and has gorgeous red accents ! The babe looks so comfy !

knitty gritty mama said...

I love the mei tai! That has been my go-to carrier since my babies were teeny tiny. I still use it for my toddler!

knitty gritty mama said...

http://laundryandlullabies.blogspot.com/2010/05/consequences.html

i like this blog post! this if often how i spend my mornings. and it makes me feel a little mrs. piggle wigglish when i enforce consequences this way!

TopHat said...

Her mei tais have a really cool design! I love mei tais and I don't think I've seen any like that before.

hrfarley at gmail dot com

Avital said...

My favourite item on her Etsy store is her scale slings. I have a friend who is a student midwife, and I would love to give her one of these.

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