WanderMama

So my family of four: Nadya (4), Nikolai (7), Max and Kristyn are headed off for another adventure!  Destination: Granada, Nicaragua.

After 3 years in the US, following a year in Southeast Asia, we are getting ready to take the plunge again.

Now the answers to the questions I have heard many times already:

Why Nicaragua?  Primarily because it’s safe, cheap and Spanish speaking.  We want our already bi-lingual kids (Max is Russian, I am fluent) to learn Espanol and we have found a wonderful school.

Where will you live?  Granada: a sweet, walkable, city of 100,000 on a lake.  We have just put a deposit on a lovely-looking house: 3 beds, 3 baths, and a house cleaning 3x per week!

Will you work?  If you mean get paid: no.  Max is on unpaid leave and I will continue to work for free for my beloved non-profit CleanBirth.org.

How do you pay for that? Live cheaply in the US and there.  We don’t have a house, we drive cheap cars, I don’t buy stuff.  We save and save before our year-long escapades. Undoubtedly  the credit cards with play a role, though this time a much smaller one.

So what will we DO if not work? Is that really a question?  We’ll do everything.  Be with the kids, be with each other, learn Spanish, learn salsa,  and some work sure, but mostly we’ll just LIVE in a new, different place.

That’s it for now.  If you have any more questions — feel free to ask.

Stay tuned for more information as our departure draws nearer!

I am so thankful to Laotian Mama for her post My Christmas Wish is Clean Birth Kits in Laos.

She is helping my Christmas wish of supplying Clean Birth Kits to women in Laos come true.

A project that I have started to help pregnant women in Laos (www.CleanBirth.org), has landed me once again in Bangkok.  I love this place!  This city will forever be a place where Nadya toddled around the park and Nikolai had a favorite temple. Where Max and I spent “date nights” at roof-top bars or cruising the Chao Phraya River.

Now, back here and alone, I’m checking out the city anew.  At first, I felt regret: that we didn’t get to stay longer; that I’ll never have that moment when the kids were so small.  But yesterday, cruising the river, I felt nothing but exhilaration.  How wonderful that my work is bringing me back to a place I know and love and that I will get to bring them back here too!

So what’s new for kids: the IBIS Riverfront is a kick-ass Bangkok budget hotel with kids place to stay.  For $40 a night you get a clean room, access to the large swimming pool overlooking Bangkok’s beautiful Chao Phraya River, and there’s a playground.  There is a shuttle to the BTS Skytrain and you can walk to a boat that takes you across the river.  From there catch the Chao Praya Express Boat up (fun for all ages!) river to Wat Po, Wat Arun, the Grand Palace, Kho San Rd.  Don’t forget to stop at the Shangri La for a drink or tea.  Great views!

In other news, Benjakriti Park, in the shadow of Emporium (BTS Phrom Pong) where we once played everyday, has a new play structure at long last.  Such a lovely park — and relative rarity in Bangkok.

The malls are back up and running.  Check out the food court at Zen 7th Floor (Central World ,BTS Chit Lom) for a relative swanky but kid friendly food court experience.  Much less crazy than Siam.  Emporium also has a great food court, cheaper than Zen, and overlooking the Benjakriti Park.

So in summary, en route to Phuket please give Bangkok as couple of days.  Fun for the whole family!

As you all know, I am a prenatal yoga teacher in New Haven, CT.  I was happy to see this article showing how beneficial yoga can be for pregnant women.

Prenatal yoga may help women cope with depression

Photo : University of Michigan Health System

It is estimated that about one in five pregnant women experience major depression, and now new research has suggested that yoga maybe beneficial for pregnant women.

Researchers  say that the study is the first to provide evidence that mindfulness yoga may be an effective alternative to pharmaceutical treatment for pregnant women showing signs of depression.

The findings were published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

Women who showed signs of depression and who were between 12-26 weeks pregnant participated in 10-week 90-minute mindfulness yoga sessions that focused on poses for the pregnant body, as well as support in the awareness of how their bodies were changing to help their babies grow.

Researchers found that the women who participated saw mentionable reduction in depressive symptoms and a stronger attachment to their babies in the womb.

During pregnancy, hormones rage and depression and anxiety have become a serious health concern. A variety of factors contribute to women experiencing persistent irritability, feelings of being overwhelmed and inability to cope with stress.

If the aforementioned symptoms are left untreated to, health risks, for both the mom and baby, can include poor weight gain, preeclampsia, premature labor and trouble bonding with the new baby.

Lead author Maria Muzik said developing feasible alternatives for treatment is critical.

“Unfortunately, few women suffering from perinatal health disorders receive treatment, exposing them and their child to the negative impact of psychiatric illness during one of the most vulnerable times,” Muzik said.

Previous studies show that many pregnant women are reluctant to take antidepressants, although proven to effectively treat these mood disorders, out of concern for their infant’s safety.

Evidence suggests women are more comfortable with nontraditional treatments, including herbal medicine, relaxation techniques and mind-body work.

Yoga continues to grow in popularity but in the United States, many classes concentrate on yoga as “exercise,” omitting the practice of being fully present in the moment and aware, authors say.

Meanwhile, mindfulness yoga – which combines meditative focus with physical poses – has proven to be a powerful method to fight stress and boost energy.

Read more at http://www.counselheal.com/articles/2470/20120808/yoga-reduces-depression-in-pregnant-women-boosts-maternal-bonding.htm#m60YG7Qw7Krw9xyG.99

So the visit to Russia has come and gone for this year.  The kids did great.  They hit the ground running, immediately playing with babushka’s dogs and cousins.  They went camping 5 hours outside Moscow, and despite cool temps and copious  mosquitos, they were troopers.  The new dacha brought the delight of a nearby, cooold stream where they played and swam.  They got quality time with both grandparents, both aunts and their cousin. They feel very much loved and part of the family.  They identify strongly with being Russian. I kept asking Max, from the States, “how’s their Russian?”

From what I saw myself when I got there: pretty great for two American kids with one Russian parent. One day on the playground  I almost cried from pride as both kids made friends in the park within 5 minutes of arrival — kolya playing dogonjalki (tag) and nadya spratki (hide n seek) with two different groups of kids. I was actually watching them play which I rarely do, usually I am chatting to someone, so I observed their ease talking and introducing themselves and having a ball.

Another thing: Nikolai knows the Metro cold: one  morning we were in the Ohotni Ryad station and i said “Kolya which way to Chistiye Prudi (our stop)?” he said: “It’s in two more stops mom, don’t worry I’ll show you.”  My little traveler.

Nadya for her part, ruled the roost and got every single thing she wanted for a whole month.  Her babushka looooves her.  No amount of whining causes any recrimination.  I told them that once they are back in the States there would be a new sherrif in town.  And there is.

The flights were easy enough on the kid side.  Other people, passport control lines are another thing.  But that’s travelling these days.  All in all a successful trip.

Now New England summer begins…

Here’s the hows and whys of Clean Birth Kits.  Check our my other blog at  www.cleanbirth.org.  I provide moms in Laos with Clean Birth Kits to prevent infection and save lives.

Why are Clean Birth Kits needed?

This year approximately 1 million women and infants will die of infection after birth. For every woman who dies 30 more suffer a debilitating illness or permanent disability. Many of these deaths are preventable by providing education about clean birthing practices and Clean Birth Kits, which promote and enable clean birth.

In Laos, where Cleanbirth.org is focused, 80% of births occur at home and only 20% have a skilled attendant present.  Maternal and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world.  Cleanbirth.org is providing clean birth kits and training to a non-profit in the remote Salavan Province in southern Laos in the hopes of giving moms and babies a fighting chance at life.

Do Clean Birth Kits prevent maternal/infant deaths?

The WHO and United Nations have recommended CBKs for decades. According to Blencowe et al (reference) “A systematic review identified 30 studies showing that clean birth practices can substantially reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity from infection-related causes, including tetanus.”

Clean Birth Kits are designed to provide birth attendants and/or expecting moms with the tools they need to ensure a clean birthing environment.

What is in a Clean Birth Kit?

The Kits ensure the WHO’s “6 Cleans”: clean hands, clean perineum, clean delivery surface, clean cord cutting implement, clean cord tying, and clean cord care.

Each kit is sterile and composed of hospital grade supplies, including:

How about saving 4 lives this Mother’s Day? That’s what a donation of $10 can do.

I have begun a project in Saravan, Laos to train community health workers about hygienic birth and using clean birth kits. My project will cover the cost of training, distribution and the actual kits, which help to decrease infant and maternal deaths resulting from birth-related infection and sepsis.

In Laos has very high maternal and infant mortality, 80% of births occur at home, and only 20% have a trained attendant.  Saravan (Salavan) is remote and poor.  These simple kits will provide women and babies with a better chance of avoiding infection.

Please consider a donation.  Click http://cleanbirth.org/ for more on clean birth kits or to donate.

Just back from my Lamaze Childbirth training in Richmond, VA.  I brought  Nadya and my husband Max with me.  We had a blast.  I learned a ton about childbirth AND I learned that Nadya is ready for the road.

We stayed at a Comfort Suites ,which was a bit out of town, and enjoyed the 2 rooms, free breakfast and pool.  But to be honest, it wasn’t that the place was so great — it was that Nadya was so great.  While I was at my training, she and Max explored Richmond, swam for hours, enjoyed the Science Museum (free w membership at Yale Peabody, New Haven), hit a from what I’ve heard fabulous playground, napped, et…

On the way back, we stopped in NYC for a birthday party.  Max dropped us off (he headed to JFK to pick up Nikolai, 6, and my parents) at the restaurant and we proceeded to enjoy a couple hours with my closest friends and their offspring.  In the evening , Nadya and I took a taxi to Metro North at 125th and SHARED one of those one-r seats.  She never complained.  No meltdowns, no tears.  Just the two of us, taking on the world.

So exhausting but also empowering.  In our little family, we are all officially appropriate ages for unscripted travel.  Not that it stopped us in the past:)