Looking for advice on being an AK mom

[XmasEve]

(I'm sorry if this seems short, but I'm short on time right now and just want this to be a jumping off point...)

I moved here to SE AK from NM 2 years ago. I'm expecting my first baby in December and have questions. Mostly, relating to lack of sunshine...

How do I get stain-free dipes without sun drying?

If my baby has a touch of jaundice, does this mean I have to go to the hospital since I can't try the sunny window treatment?

How the :angry am I supposed to cope with PPD if SAD already knocks me on my :blush each winter?

I'd love to hear some words of wisdom from experienced moms!

[kel]

Meg,

Do you hand wash your diapers? Even when I used a washer and dryer mine always had stains! I'm too lazy for sun drying I guess.

Let's see, I grew up in Alaska, and have lived there off and on since. Fairbanks actually, where it's even colder and the winter's are longer! But what a shock it must be for your whole system, coming from NM! My mom and dad actually first moved to Fbks. from NM - my mom missed it forever, and then finally she settled in and now she'd never leave.

Have you tried the lightbulbs that are supposed to be like sunlight during the winter (to help with depression)? We had those all through my parents' house. I wonder if they'd help with jaundice, too? Also, some people swear by flower remedies for mood related issues. Drinking herbal teas throughout the day can help too, lemon balm and chamomile are two I drink a lot.

As far as jaundice goes though, unless it is severe, most babies don't need to be treated for it at all - it just goes away. Breastfeeding often is supposed to help with mild jaundice.

Hope this was slightly helpful!
xo - Kelly

[Dodo]

Winter dipes probably won't be stain free. Don't let it bother you!

[hbstahl]

I know what you mean!! I longed to go back to CA for the longest time. I got SAD every year. I threatend divorce every winter all winter...lol...well not really funny but it is now that it doesn't happen anymore . Last winter was the worse for me!! I had my dd in Sept and when winter hit with my ppd on top of it all I almost went nuts. I did take paxil for about a month. It helped but made me tired. I found some AK groups online that deal with SAD and PPD. It has helped too. And so far even the upcomming winter I'm looking forward too. I have been getting out and about even if its a YUCKY day(like today) Really the best advice I can give is get out, go tanning, get involved in a playgroup. How old is your baby? There is Little Gym and other activities. Get a support going for yourself!! You can email me if you'd like! I am hoping this will be my best winter yet...then of course my husband will get transfered...lol works like that doesn't it??
Ok this is super long..sry bout that. Take Care
Jennifer
SAH-AP mom to Brianna(9-28-01) Edd(4-21-03)

[XmasEve]

Thanks for all the replies! I love hearing about people who had a hard time adjusting to AK. It always feels like I'm the only one...

Well, I guess I'll just have "off-white" dipes. This paranoia probably comes from my mother who had both her babies in NM and STILL brags about how white her diapers were.

I have a few of the "sunshine" lightbulbs in my house. They do seem to help. Hopefully more of my lights will burn out so I can replace them too.

And I'll just keep my fingers crossed that my babe won't be more than a touch jaundiced!

Ohmigosh, I absolutely SWEAR by getting out, rain or shine. It's the only thing that's kept me sane- and here for the past 2 years! DH wants to settle down here, but I still cringe at that thought... I think we'll try Juneau next, even 10 inches less of rain a year sounds like heaven. A couple weeks ago we had such a downpour that the whole town lost power for the night.

[hbstahl]

Juneau is very beautiful!! It Rains a lot down there!!!! Its almost like Seattle. I would love to live there if I could drive out of it!! I have a thing with feeling Trapped! I like to be able to drive somewhere other than around in circles. lol. About the Diapers...its all the iron in the water I think...at least thats what I've been told...have you tried oxi clean?? They don't look so "dingy" afterwards. Just a suggestion. Those sun lights help! So does tanning..lol . Enjoy this last bit of summer/fall we have!! (Even if it is raining...UGGG)

Bright Blessings
Jennifer

[XmasEve]

You think it rains a lot in Juneau? You've never been to Sitka! Talk about feeling trapped. When I lived in NM, I would relax by hitting the open road and just driving... Now I have a choice between which of our two main roads I'd like to "relax" on, but it's only a 20 minute drive from one end of town to the other, sooo... Juneau seems HUGE to me! And when they said they only got about 50 inches of rain a year... that's around half of what I deal with annually. I have yet to walk the dog this week without having to towel dry my hair when I get home.

[hbstahl]

Yes I can see that! I've never been there. Guess haven't really wanted to go there. :rolleyes: I think Juneau will be better for you then!!!
Its sunny today in Anchorage.! I need to get out!!! TTYL

:flower

Jennifer

[BusyMommy]

I love it here and will never ever move.:D YOu're right-you have to get outside every day regardless of the weather. Invest in whatever it takes to beat the rain or snow. Our stroller has a bonnet that completely covers ds. So, I just bought a double. He wears a 1pc. rainsuit that keeps him completely dry no matter how many face plants he does as he puddle stomps. He looks like the little Michelin man in his snowsuit but it does the trick and we take him out down to 0' for skiing in his pulk. This time, I'm going to invest in a stroller blanket that velcros over the front of the stroller and acts like a little fleece jacket so no air can get in to the new Baby.

I got a full spectrum light this spring when I told my dr. I was reaaaaally tired w/being pg. The box costs about $300, but insurance pays 80%. I'm sure they have a good market on those in SE. You just sit in front of it a few minutes/day. I'm guessing this will work in case of jaundice. Prob. not good for Baby to look directly into it, but you could hold her/him in front of it while s/he's sleeping.

BE BUSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE THE WINTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's my favorite season of the year and I think that's why I don't have any problems with it. Does that make any sense?

Bummer though about the lack of getaway options. I hear Juneau is incredible.
Good luck!:love

[kama'aina mama]

Originally posted by dynamicmeg
I have a few of the "sunshine" lightbulbs in my house. They do seem to help. Hopefully more of my lights will burn out so I can replace them too.



I'm at the other end of the world so maybe I don't get it but... what if you just splurged on the sunshine bulbs for winter and saved the regular bulbs that are still good and change them back in the spring? I'm guessing the 'sunshine' bulbs cost more, so if you un-install them all for the summer months that would end up saving money, right? And more importantly it might save you!

[breathingmom]

Hello my sisters of Alaska! I have lived in Kodiak and also Seattle (I now live in Anchorage). I understand that Sitka gets a lot more rain! When I lived at a remote cannery site on Kodiak here are some things that I did that kept me sane:

*I took a correspondence course through the University of Alaska.
*I made sure that I got exercise every day. I purchased a small indoor trampoline (the one that is about 3 feet wide) for the days it was too cold outside.
*I made all of Christmas presents by hand.
*I collected shells on the beach that I am still using as art supplies with my kids.
*I kept an awesome journal.

On thing that really helps in small Alaskan areas is to have other people to hang out with. Have you found any kindred spirits in Sitka?

You may consider emailing several people on a daily basis. Some of the people I enjoy corresponding with the most I have met here on the Mothering boards! It keeps me feeling connected!

I hope this helps! I am confident that you can find some constructive ways to deal with the challenges of living in Alaska! When is your baby due?

~Jill

[XmasEve]

The past few days have been much easier on me, it's actually been sunny and even reaching 70 degrees! I've found that THE most important thing for me to do is GET OUT. This may sound awful and spoiled to some, but I even had to quit working so that I had more time to be outside and more importantly, ENJOYING it. So I'm worried how I'll still be able to get out for a daily walk with a new baby. I know there are a few moms in town that do, I'll have to ask them the next time I run across them on some trail.

Hey, how's the weather where everybody is? I used to have a job that involved calling around AK and the Pacific NW everyday-- that was always the first question I'd ask, and also the first I'd get. Some kind of strange kindred community. Anyway, it's been a really rainy summer, but just two days of sun can make that melt off a person's soul in a place as beautiful as this. And fall has sprung, uh... I mean fallen? First sign was frost on the car at dawn, second was that the fireweed everywhere is dead dead dead, and third is that the apartment furnace died as well last night. And that's the NEW furnace that they just installed this summer... kind of scares me to think that I'll have a newborn here in December.

EDITED TO ADD: I'm still Meg, but I changed my username because Dh thought the old one was "too personal."

[breathingmom]

This is only our second summer in Anchorage and it was a lot wetter than last summer. We did have some spells of nearly eighty degree weather so I won't complain. :) This past week it has been fairly gray and rainy but today was wonderful and very warm!!

We have not had any frost yet and I am curious how early we will get snow this year. Last year we had snow by the middle of October. I knew we were in Alaska when the kids were trick-or-treating in the snow!!!!

I don't know much about Sitka. Do you have to drive far to go hiking? Do you get much snow or mostly rain in the winter? I have lived outside of Juneau and thought it was really beautiful.

How's the furnace? I hope they were able to repair it so you can relax. How has your pregnancy been? It sounds like you are close to the third trimester. :D

That's all from the big city. How is everyone else doing?
~Jill

[XmasEve]

You don't have to drive at all to go hiking! I take my dog out for 3 miles a day, down from the 6 we used to do (she's getting older and I'm getting bigger). It is very beautiful here. I think it is the most beautiful place in the Southeast.

We're technically classified as a temperate rain forest, and that description really fits. 70 degrees at the warmest, 30 at the coldest, and rain rain rain- close to 100 inches a year. The theory is that the autumn is the rainiest, followed by the summer. And winter is the sunniest, followed by the spring. I've only been here 2 years, but I can't say I've really seen that played out... It rains often, is usually cloudy, rarely sunny, and snow is not common, but we really got dumped on last year.

I've never been to Anchorage, but I grew up in Albuquerque, NM and everyone I know who has been both places says they could be twins. A big ugly sprawling city in a beautiful natural setting. Is that an apt description?

Furnace is fixed, for now. :rolleyes: I love being pregnant. :love

[breathingmom]

:LOL Yup, you have described Anchorage! I believe we are the strip mall capital! I have heard several jokes about Anchorage such as "you only have to drive for ten minutes from either end of town to be in Alaska". It is really different than any other place in the state. The weather is much more tolerable than I ever imagined it to be! :) I really appreciate the variety of concerts, arts, and events to attend.

When we lived in Kodiak it rained a lot but on the rare day that it was warm and sunny I swear there was no place on earth that matched the beauty! We use to go out in a skiff and explore beaches. At times it felt like we had come across a beach that nobody else had ever walked on! It was incredibly magical! One time in the winter when we were out on the water in a skiff it started snowing. We came upon some sea otters who didn't see us. My dh cut the engine and we floated among them for atleast 10 minutes before they noticed us. It these kinds of experiences that keep me in love with Alaska!!

It's great to hear that your pregnancy is going well. :D Are there many A/P moms in your town? I think you have a large population of Alaskan Natives there, am I right? I know that Juneau has Tlingit Natives, what about Sitka? A friend of mine who is a childbirth educator recently visited a remote area of Alaska that still has a large Native population. She was told that the women have an easier time in childbirth because they have a more "spongy" cervix. We both thought that maybe it could be other factors such as diet, beliefs about childbirth, etc rather than some genetic predisposition. (My dh is of Alutiiq/Russian heritage so I find it fascinating to hear about the different Native cultures of Alaska).

Okay, I have rambled enough! Glad to hear that your heading for the "sunny season"!! :raz

~Jill

[XmasEve]

It's been heavy rain and sunny skies off and on all day. I'd almost prefer a straight heavy rain because the rivers would fill and flush all the dead salmon out to sea. I'm soo glad not to be in my first trimester right now! Spawning salmon is a pretty cool sight, but as my DH says "reproduction never smelled so bad."

I think the Alaskan Natives here are mainly Tlingit, but I have no idea, so I hesitate to even say anything. Of course I have Native friends, but the fact that they're Native doesn't come up a lot. The Russians I know tend to be more outspoken about their heritage- but then they're just visiting from the mother country! We seem to have a large "alternative" population, irregardless of race. When we did have a midwife here, she was attending about 5 homebirths a month. Needless to say, the rate of unassisted childbirths has sky-rocketed since she moved. Maybe the local hospital should get a clue and consider hiring a midwife? No, that would make too much sense!

[BirthTender]

That's sad that there are none in your area. If it's any help for you to know this: I occasionally travel to areas to provide services where folks can't find a nearby midwife. You may contact me via my e-mail address if you want for more info. It is mkvalcourt@conninc.com I advertise on the www.birthpartners.com site if you want to look there for more info on me. I can tell you how to look up the web pages about me, if you coantact me. YOu may also spread this message around to interested folks. Have a nice Day & Stay Warm. from, karen valcourt of BirthTender

[Keetsmama]

Hi
I just joined the boards a short time ago and I thougnt I'd reply to this thread even though it's been a bit inactive. I live in Sitka too, though I grew up in Southeast, so I'm more used to it. But I still get really down on gloomy days. Need one of the SAD lights.

My advice on Juneau is you might not like it. I grew up there, and I honestly think it has a lot more grey gloomy days than Sitka, even if it doesn't rain as much. And Ketchikan gets a lot more rain than us! I like Sitka, it's open with the ocean right here. I guess I'm just prejudiced.

The midwife here helped me with my birth before she left, which was great. I heard that the reason they don't have a midwife is because they can't find anyone who wants to live in Sitka. It is too bad. I'm not sure about native women having easier births. I am part native, and it seems to me the Native women here are more inclined to have hospital births. But maybe that's just the system.

Anyway, hope you're doing okay Greenfaeriedog, and congratulations.

[StandswithStrength]

OK, so it's been a while since anybody has posted on this one, but I wanted to chime in. I grew up (the early years) in Sitka, moved away after the 4th grade. I remember as a kid how much fun it was to live there! So much to explore, so much to do. I can certainly understand that as an adult it might be a tad bit ................um,..................boring? Anyway, I have always wanted to return and visit. I was there in the early 80's. I still have aerial pictures of Sitka and drag them out every so often. We lived in a red house across from Swan lake (is it still called that?) I can remember ice skating on it in the winter. I remember summers being well-lit. Mom used to hang blackeners on our windows so we could still go to sleep at a reasonable hour. I also remember walking to school with a flashlight during the winter. We would get a fair amount of snow from Nov thru FEb when I was there. Of course, we're looking at 20 years ago. Ah, well maybe someday I shall return!:D

[1stimestar]

Are any of these women still here?

[alaskanteach]

I don't know, but it would be cool if they were! I went to school in Sitka, and live in Anc now..

[idocrase]

I talked with Keetsmama about a year or so ago - I grew up in Sitka. But I haven't heard from her in a looooooong time.