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A Year Later – Happy Birthday Annaleigh

I honestly can’t believe it was a year ago that I met this sweet little girl. The events leading up to her arrival had me in a pretty dark place emotionally and spiritually.

From the very beginning of her pregnancy, I was very concerned that she may have a genetic disease that I passed on called Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease. We didn’t know if she was a boy or girl – and we prayed and prayed that she would be a healthy baby.

We celebrated that she was a healthy baby girl when we found out the news when I was 15.5 weeks along.  We knew that God had directed our hearts toward having another baby and that he was taking care of her. read more

How to Build a Home Birth Kit in 20 Items

What you need to have for your home birth kit in 20 items! Prepare for your home birth by collection this home birth kit.

How to Build a Home Birth Kit in 20 Items

I have been blessed to be able to have 2 home births now. You can read my two birth stories by clicking here: Annaleigh’s Birth and Aidalyn’s Birth.

Both experiences were amazing and there is very little I would change about either. I was fortunate to have 2 amazing midwives attend my births and felt very prepared for when the time came.

My first home birth was in 2010 (Aidalyn’s). I was able to have her in my master bathroom’s garden corner tub. It was easy clean up and a really a great experience. For Annaleigh’s birth we were in a rent house, so my midwife brought a large tub for me to use to birth in. It was even better because the water was able to be deeper. I wasn’t in the tub for more than 10 minutes though because she came so fast. read more

How to Choose Your Midwife

cost of a midwife, midwife delivery, pregnancy delivery, natural birth, pregnancy, natural labor, water birth, homebirth, midwives, midwifery, certified midwife,

How to Choose Your Midwife

Choosing a midwife for your natural birth is a daunting task (or it can be!). You are partnering with someone who will be with you every step of the way through your pregnancy, labor, delivery and post-partum period. You want to make sure that you can find someone that agrees with your birth plan and how you want your birth experience to play out. 

I have benefited from having two incredible midwifes for each of my pregnancies. I loved both of them and the outcome of each labor and delivery. I was lucky to find two women who viewed pregnancy and labor like I did. I also appreciated their preference for treating pregnancy discomforts naturally. Most importantly, I found comfort in their knowledge of natural labor and how to help me achieve the natural labors I desired. read more

Does Your Doctor Respect You? Part Two

Does Your Doctor Respect you

Does Your Doctor Respect You: Part Two

Yesterday, We covered that we have had many experiences of doctor’s not respecting their patient’s time in the waiting room. Today we are going to share about how some doctors carry that disrespect into the exam room.

You can read Part One Here

The Exam Room

Many doctors probably start their practice with all the good intentions in the world. They want to help the masses and do no harm. In my experience, doctors are not evil. My brother in law is in rotations soon to become a doctor. His intentions are to learn about diseases and how to help people. I think he will be a great doctor! However, I hear countless examples of how doctors lose respect for their patients over time.

I have had personal experiences where I became a file chart instead of a person. My issues weren’t fully heard and I was rushed in and out just to get another patient in the room.

The Expectant Mother

There are some things I’m pretty passionate about, and one of those things is don’t mess with natural processes including pregnancy, labor and birth when able. It is not uncommon for doctor’s to overstep their part in the matter and bring unnecessary interventions leading to more complications: baby in distress, failure for mother to progress, and cesarean sections.

I get it though. Doctors want to “fix” the problem (the pregnant woman). Doctor induced “sick” patient to “heal” her of her pregnancy quickly. Mother’s body wasn’t ready for labor. Medications don’t work effectively. Baby wasn’t in the best position for birth. Baby is in distress… Mother fails to progress… Delivery ends on the operating table.

The Doctor didn’t respect Nature or the pregnant woman’s body. 

The Sick Child

We have been very lucky and haven’t had very many times when we have had to deal with a sick child. I feel like

prevention is key read more

Pregnancy Update: Entering the 3rd Trimester

On Sunday, I officially entered my 3rd trimester!!!

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I don’t think the second trimester was as easy as I would have hoped… I continued to be tired off and on. The nausea ended around 15 weeks, so thankfully that wasn’t an issue. I started taking Floradix iron supplements around 20 weeks or so to help with my energy – and I really could tell a difference at first. I’m continuing to take New Chapter Organics prenatals, Calcium/Magnesium supplements called Coral Legends Plus, Drenamin by Standard Process, Chromium – which is supposed to help with your ability to metabolize sugars and Fermented Cod Liver oil by Green Pastures.

I was sleeping beautifully through the night up until about 3 nights ago, so I’ve increased my magnesium supplements and will probably need to do another 30 minutes magnesium soak in the bath soon. If I don’t get a full night sleep… I am a zombie the next day. I hope that I can get back on track.

My midwife and I decided to not do the one hour glucose test, but instead I will test my own glucose at home for about a week to see if I need to alter my diet accordingly. I’ve been doing really well eating a high protein diet (over 100 grams each day and most recently around 120 a day). I’m still trying to lower my carbs. I do really well for breakfast and lunch eating lower carbs – I just have more issues with snack and dinner. I’m eating a 3 egg and cheese omelet cooked in coconut oil every morning. Then for lunch, I’m eating a huge salad with organic chicken, avocado, apple, dried cranberries, cheese, and Tuscany Italian dressing. I’m also getting into salmon salads with grapes, curry powder, and organic mayo (I’m too tired to make my own mayonnaise these days).

I started drinking my pregnancy tea last week and feel like the countdown has really begun! It is a blend of herbs specifically for preparing the body for the end of pregnancy, labor, and recovery. I also ordered my “Love your labor oil” by Hosie Naturals and my “Gentle Birth formula” by Mountain Meadow Herbs. I didn’t use these last time, but have several friends that did and had amazing outcomes. I already had a great experience last time, so I figure there is nothing to lose by trying it out.

I’ve been doing a lot of sewing recently. I call it my form of nesting. I doubt I will get much sewing done with a newborn and I want to have some cute things for Annaleigh and Aidalyn to wear this summer.

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The nursery is coming together, but isn’t quite ready yet. I am having maternity pictures taken in 3 weeks and need to have it all “picture perfect” by then. IMG_0688_edited-1  Annaleigh appears to be head down now most of the time, which is better for my center of gravity and comfort too!

I’m so ready for spring to be here! We have had a few taste of warmer weather and I loved getting out and playing in the yard and neighborhood.

I hope you all have enjoyed this little update from the past few weeks. What have you guys been doing to prepare for spring?