My first award

I was so surprised when I was scrolling through the blog of Louisa, a Northwest midwife whose blog I have loved and admired for a good while now--and she had "tagged" me with the honor of a Thinking Blogger Award. on her July 28 2007 entry. Whoa-- I was floored.

I am almost positive that it was for the post I wrote called What About Dad, which chronicled some reallife things partners could do to help with breastfeeding. Thank you so much, Louisa!

This blog has sprung up out of my heart's true necessity to speak upon the subjects of birth and breastfeeding in the way that I speak only at home, to my husband, and a few special girlfriends.

I started blogging last winter, on what was meant to be a simple homeschooling blog, but my "here and there" little snippets about breastfeeding and co-sleeping soon gave way to my thoughts and opinions on homebirth and then an entry about my first c-section got me such befuddled things in the comment section, that I realized this huge realm that is my thoughts on birth could never be contained and restrained into some side-note type of stuff on the lighthearted family blog, and thus all four blogs were born, but this, Breast and Belly, was and is my pet project, no doubt.

Now it is my turn to tag five bloggers whose writings really make me think. I follow quite a good deal of midwife and doula blogs now, and they are all fantastically important and wildly different. But no matter how popular she is, there is still no avoiding nominating, for what is probably her six-hundredth time,

Navelgazing Midwife. she makes me think, think and rethink. Which is no easy task. This is what I believe to be at the heart of this whole Thinking Blogger thing, anyhow. What's she gonna say next? How many smiles will she bring to my face? How many tears to my heart? How many sassy chuckles to my lips? She kicks ass, plain and simple.

LaborPayne. This amazing mama is a former Labor and Delivery nurse, and the mother of 9. Her blog is very professional and informative. She also has awakened me to many new ways of looking at things, and I respect her a great deal.

Louisa herself-- I have no idea if tag-backs are allowed, but whatever. She is such a beautiful writer, and I feel a very strong connection to the way she says stuff. She is extremely intelligent, is the only way I can put it. Her blog definately makes me think, and I look forward to her adventures and her thoughts as though we were old friends.

Hospital Birth Debate--- this is one I follow almost daily. Like the award says, it makes me think. Think about things in a new way. It is a good solid read for me, and the journalistic approach is one that I need sometimes. I feel myself siting up taller and feeling more strong and vocal when I read this blog.

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And last, only because I don't want you to click the link to her and never return, is the incendiary, incredulously righteously amazing most kick ass Mama I have ever had the privledge to read, Dark Daughta. This blog reminds of of my days reading zines like Bust and Hip Mama when they still were printed on newsstock and hand stapled, running red faced in searing tears out of my women's studies courses in college, too pissed off to remain indoors with my brain blown up in front of all those strangers, burning my sick diary from my depraved three years with my first real boyfriend in the garbage can outside of Meijers, blasting Bikini Kill, smoking cloves, writing on my body, questioning everything they ever told me, being 17 18 19 20 years old and realizing it was all lies and then starting anew as a wise woman. Stuff like that. She is a fierce, fierce human and her writings are not for the faint of heart. This is why to not nominate her for a Thinking Blogger Award would be rediculous. She will certainly make you think.

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At first I couldnt pick five and now I feel SO bad leaving off all of the other bloggers I adore. To hell with it, I gotta put my SageFemme, and make it six. She has been a part of my conciousness since 2005, she was there for me as Pamamidwife on MDC (Mothering.com's online community) all through my pregnancy with Charlie, and hers is my ultimate "check first" blog. she really, truly, says it better than well, everytime.

So, if I ever move out to the northwest, ill come and hang out with all the groovin midwives up there.

Until then, kudos! Keep writing! and thank you