I am dedicating this post to all mothers out there who have gone through a whole lot of sacrifices (physically and mentally) in order to bring their children out into this world in the best way they can. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! :) . .

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This post has been loooong overdue! I told myself that I should share about my experience on active birth for moms-to-be who read my blog to encourage them that it is very, very doable and that there's nothing to fear, even just to give it a try. Of course, there should be the consent of your OB-gyn, that you have no risky health conditions and that you are physically able to deliver your child this way. If you think you are a strong and healthy mom-to-be and you would like to give this a try (especially for your first child), I'd say go for it, girl!

By the way, I was also inspired to share about this after I read the blog of a fellow mommy who ended up having a C-section which MAY BE because the anesthesiologist told her that she needed an epidural to feel relaxed and to relax her baby as well. You can read her blog here.

Anyway, on with my post... Are you a mother-to-be? Do you want to give birth to your child with no drugs injected into you whatsoever? Do you want to be in control of your body during labor? Do you want to bring your baby out into this world the most natural way? If your answer is "yes, yes, yes, and yes" then you are a step closer to what is most natural and best for you and your baby during child birth.

We all want to do what's best for our bodies, including ensuring that what goes onto our skin and into our bodies is natural. But sometimes knowing what is truly natural isn't so easy. Right now, a product can be labeled "natural" and it may not include a single natural ingredient. Because of this, we recommend reading your personal care labels as you would your food labels.

Source: Burt's Bees' website

I started the year 2008 with a loaded month of January. It was a mix of work, preparations, personal and family celebrations, and pet responsibilities (one of our dogs got operated on over the holidays and, at one point, his wound opened up. I had to make sure that it closed well and that it would not happen again, tsk, tsk...). I am so behind with my much needed rest, but with the rate things are going, I think I won't be getting much any time soon.

A buyer of mine once texted me, "Does your soap contain SLS or SLES? What makes them lather?" and I replied, "Sorry, I do not know what they are. My soaps lather from the oil combinations I use." But my buyer was happy with my reply.

Then that night, I researched on those abbreviation, and voila!