29 Weeks Pregnant, Halloween!

I've seen those pictures of pregnant women painting their big bellies to look like basketballs or pumpkins or what-have-you, but that's just not me.  I find it mildly repulsive.  I find it immodest.  Needless to say, I wouldn't do that to myself. 

So I will not have a painted belly for Halloween.  I am not sure that I will dress up at all.  Where we live is on a highway and we don't get many trick-or-treaters.  Last year, we had not even one kid!  The good news is that I get to stay home, warm and comfy, while Hubbers and the kids go out and troll for treats.  And bring them home to me to plunder sort check.

Meanwhile, my baby is 29 weeks!!  I start my every 2 week midwife visits next week.  I had a horrible itchy rash on my chest last time and we talked about a few different ways to treat it.  It doesn't look or act like a yeast, but she suggested I treat it as such.  The apple cider vinegar wash helped a little bit with the itches, but didn't remove or heal it.  The dandelion root herb didn't seem to do much.  The probiotic was expensive and perhaps unnecessary.  I finally took matters into my own hands.



A few months ago I had a case of ringworm.  It's not worms, it's a fungus you get from animals that spend time outside shaped like a ring on your skin.  The only thing that cured that was Absorbine Jr.  That stuff is a miracle!  It fixed the ringworm FAST, though it did sting.

I decided to try the Absorbine Jr on my unidentified rash.  It worked overnight.  The itching stopped dead.  The rash has disappeared.  I'm relieved in so many ways.  Going to keep a bottle of this miracle on hand for the REST OF MY LIFE!



I'm linking up at My Joy Filled Life today.  The question is to share some scriptures that have been on my heart.  I don't have any specifics, but the ones that speak of the care and love God the Father has for me in particular have been touching my heart so much lately.  We've had some financial struggles and been very worried over money, but every time I feel like I'm at the end of what I can handle, KLOVE's encouraging word or the daily missal reading swoops in to save me.

Praise you, Jesus.

Here's an update on the Baby Bean via The Bump:

Baby already measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long. Right now, we weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds but he's still got a ways to go -- can you believe he'll triple in weight before birth?

• She's getting a little cramped in there, since she's growing so fast. But you probably already realize that, since you're getting all those jabs and kicks.
• She's growing white fat deposits under her skin, and her energy is surging because of it.
• Feel a subtle twitch? It might be baby hiccupping.

What's For Dinner Monday: 26 Weeks Pregnant

Over the weekend I was given a large bag full of green tomatillos! (Squee!!)  We love tomatillos but usually have to resort to the grocery store variety.  Luckily for us, the recent hard freeze in the area made many gardeners have to harvest early and I benefit from that!

A good friend, N, is an older lady with a beautiful garden in her backyard.  She gave some space over to a mutual Hispanic friend who wanted to grow tomatillos.  L had more in her harvest than she could use, so N offered them to me, after I strategically angled after them some months ago.  I never thought there was a hope of getting any, but God is very good.

So tonight is a family favorite for dinner: Chicken Tomatillo Soup.  It's just chilly enough outside to make it feel like soup weather.  Here's the recipe:




Ingredients

8 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. chili powder, to taste
1 tsp cumin, to taste
1 tsp crushed red pepper (a little bit of spiciness)
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 small can diced green chiles
2 cups finely chopped tomatillos (about 8, remove husks, wash, chop)
4 cups cooked diced chicken
2 cans pinto beans, drained
4 cloves garlic pressed
Optional:
freshly squeezed lime
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In large pot, combine chicken broth, canned tomatoes with juice, chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper, chopped onion, oregano, green chiles, and chopped tomatillos. Simmer about 30 minutes, until onions and tomatillos are tender and flavors are blended. Add cilantro and lime juice now.

Add diced chicken, pinto beans, garlic and lime and simmer about 45 minutes.

Serve immediately. Add shredded cheese and sour cream.  Garnish with more chopped cilantro if desired.

My kids beg for this recipe even in the middle of high hot summer.


In the meantime, I'm 26 weeks along now and the baby weighs 2 pounds!!  She's an active one, when I'm resting.  I think this baby will really enjoy the baby carrier I plan on using.  Her ears are more developed now than ever and her eyes are starting to open!! I've noticed her hiccuping now, too.  I tried to explain to the kids today why this happens (to practice breathing) but the 15 year old asked how they can hiccup without air.  Diaphragm spasms, I suppose.

It's hitting me that we are so much closer now to her arrival than ever before.  14 short weeks.

My back is hurting, my umbilical hernia is ramping up and I'm dealing with PPD before the baby even arrives.  It's a laundry list of "bad" but I know that it's all worth it and God has his hands upon each and every ache.

Join me at the linky above to answer this discussion question for yourself:

Discussion Question:  Will you find out the gender of the baby before birth?  Or have you already?   

I knew from the beginning that this baby is a girl.  The morning sickness is as bad or worse than when I was pregnant when with my first.  At the 20 week ultrasound, the tech couldn't tell for sure if it was a girl, but my iridologist read my eyeballs and tells me that it is.  I already knew.

I wish I could share the beautiful name we've picked, but I don't want to potentially expose my kids to the bad of the internet, so I keep that quiet.  This is Baby Bean, a sweet lovely we can't wait to welcome.  14 short weeks.

24 Weeks: Backache!

I have my 24 week appointment at the midwife tomorrow and don't anticipate any surprises.  I love hearing the heartbeat, having the midwife tell me what position the baby is laying in, and the womanly chats.

I am having backaches galore, as well as round ligament pain.  I have a support belt that I use, but I have no rear end to hold it in place.  It slips down and I yank it back up.  It's a vicious cycle that I do ONLY in the house since I don't want people to think I'm pulling up some wayward undies.

My baby is getting so big!!

I Am Pregnant.com

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.    (via BabyCenter)

Discussion Question:  Who will be supporting you during your upcoming birth?  Will you have a doula?  Your husband?  A close friend or relative?  Do you have any advice for other pregnant moms who are considering a doula, or trying to decide who they want to have attend the birth?

I had my mom present at my first two births.  I didn't invite her for the third.  And it was good that way.  Number 4 was an emergency C-section (baby transverse in super fast labor).

Number 5 we used a doula.  I loved her.  V was the most excellent doula ever and made that first natural labor bearable.  The Dr induced me because of gestational diabetes and the risk of stillbirth, but I did the laboring without pain meds and made them turn the pitocin off after things got rolling.

By the time number 6 was "cooking", V had become a midwife apprentice and we had her deliver ChickyPunk at home. That was my longest labor ever (16 hours! compared to my normal 4), the baby had her head tipped the wrong way, my sciatic nerve was bruised and I couldn't feel my right side toes for three months.  But she came!

Now, expecting this new baby, I'm only planning on the midwives and the hubby.  I could NOT do labor without him and I think anyone else would be so distracting.  I considered inviting the older children who want to attend to view the birth, but I think it wouldn't work so well for me.  Again, the distraction factor.

My advice would be to have a plan in place of whom you would like to attend, but make sure they are prepared to roll with the whims of the labor.  You could have a large support team in place with you but then decide that you only want hubby, or someone else there.  And since you are the woman at the head of the show, it's totally your choice.  Don't let your mom bully you into attendance and then want to be the center of attention.

A doula is a beautiful wonderful fantastic addition to a birth and I would encourage you to consider having one.  When all else "fails", they have ideas that make the contractions bearable, encouragement in the dark times, and they thrill at your success almost as much as you do.  We used our doula as someone to run interference between us and the hospital staff.

Join me at My Jo-Filled Life: Pregnancy link up.

23 Weeks

It's week 23 of pregnancy and my baby is the size of a large grapefruit.

She's moving so much and I've felt some hiccoughs lately, too.  In the last two weeks I've also felt the first of the noticeable Braxton-Hicks contractions. 

We have a name picked out for her, but we don't publish them online.  Needless to say, it's a cute name and traditional.  We like to give the kids "big" names and then shorten them into nicknames.  The name we've chosen has become pretty popular lately, thanks to a stupid movie, but we're moving beyond that movie and using it anyway.

The discussion question this week is supposed to do with a previous birth story, but I don't know that I have one.  Instead, here's a great video called "Genesis".

Join the link up here:

21 Weeks

Precious baby via ultrasound last week:
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Baby's now the size of a pomegranate! Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion, and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, if baby is a girl, her womb is now stocked up with her lifetime supply of six million eggs (the number will drop to around one million by birth).

Join me at My Joy-Filled Life linky.

14 weeks: Back after a break

No, no.  Nothing is wrong here.  I took a short break from my (erratic) blogging to run back and forth, 250 miles each way, a few times these past three weeks.  My oldest two baby girls went on vacation to IOWA on a plane ALONE to see Grampa on the Farm.

They had a blast, enjoyed their freedom, loved their second ever plane ride, and vacationed until they were bone weary.  THEN they came back to Grammy's house for a few days.  THEN they went to Gramma Jo's house for two weeks.  Except for I dropped the rest of the kids off and brought CurlyGirl home with me to help tend the menagerie here.  Whew.  It has been exhausting just trying to work out all the departure/arrive times and the scheduling.

So the kids, other than ChickyPunk and CurlyGirl, are visiting with Gramma Jo, learning some art from Super Auntie, and generally enjoying their time away before school cranks up again.

Speaking of which, all my boxes from IDVA arrived earlier this week!  It's official, school is starting up again V-E-R-Y soon.  I have six or seven large boxes of books, tools, and just plain STUFF sitting in my school room, waiting for me to have the gumption to pack up and send back last year's unused and returnable stuff so the new things can be shiny on the shelf before getting used daily.

Meanwhile, I had my 12 week midwife visit and couldn't hear the heartbeat.  I wasn't too surprised, since my uterus is retroverted (tipped backwards) and I'm rather (cough) padded.  I went back on Monday past at 14 weeks and heard that beautiful pounding.  158 to 178 beats per minute: healthy baby!!

In summary: I didn't wait to post for any reason other than being the busy mom of six kids, goat wrangler, chicken herder, geese watcher, taxi mom, exhausted pregnant woman.

On to the linky!!  I want to say thank you so much to Sarah for stopping by to check in on me.  You are wonderful, Sarah, and not just because we have the same name.

Source

How far along are you?  Woot!  14 weeks!  I just love the pictures of a real baby in the womb, rather than the artist inspired ones.

Best Moment this week?  I heard the heartbeat on Monday!  I had lost a baby at 12 weeks several years back, but that loss still haunts me until I hear that beautiful sound.

Baby's growth?  My baby is the size of a lemon! 

Source

Symptoms?  I'm finally feeling less sick, but the urge to retch is still strong.  My round ligaments are telling me that they are very much in use.

Weight gain (or loss)?  My weight, as of this morning, is down to 1/2 pound less than when I got pregnant.  This is normal for me, to loose weight at the beginning and not put on much at all.

Cravings?  I am dying to eat TUNA salad all the time.  I like tuna anyway, but I must eat tuna at least once per day.  I did this with TheBoy, too.  In fact, I took a lot of ribbing about this.


Discussion Question:  Share a favorite freezer recipe or easy, go-to recipe that comes in handy after the baby is born.

This one is a little difficult.  My favorite gift to give or receive for a new baby is a meal.  That and clean toilets.   Throwing something in the crock pot is easy for mom to do, instruct dad to do, or freeze for later.  My older kids are going to learn this when our  BabyBean comes.  Here's a link to my recipe blog for Super Chili.  Good, filling, makes a TON, easy to freeze, crowd pleaser.

If you're a pregnant blogger, if you know a pregnant blogger, please join us.  Here's a snip from Sarah's site, our sweet linky host:

Let's encourage and support one another as we go through this season of life together.  Blogging through your pregnancy is an excellent way to keep track of your thoughts, feelings, and growing baby (and belly)!

I pray that this link-up bring glory to God; that this link-up becomes only what God intends; that this link-up be a source of encouragement, support and friendship to all those who participate.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I set you apart...

Jeremiah 1:5 

Week 10, Nausea Galore

I'm linking up today for My Pregnancy Journal at My Joy-filled Life.  If you are a pregnant blogger, please visit and join us!

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

before you were born I set you apart...

Jeremiah 1:5 

How far along are you?  

I am 10 weeks straight up today.  It sure feels like time is creeping along.  Even this early, I'm really ready to get to the "good part"!

Best Moment this week?

I was very tired, had a migraine and was laying in bed trying to recover myself.  My husband came in and I misunderstood something he said as he walked to the bathroom.  I was getting myself up to fuming and when he came back out, he graciously told me to stay in bed as long as I needed, he would keep the kids out of the room.  Stunned!  Blessed! 

Prayer requests?

I find myself so often lately thinking the worst of people, especially my hubby.  It's so easy to just make an assumption of motive or cause and jump to the wrong conclusion, as evidenced by the above statement.  Pray for my slowness to conclusions.

Also on my mind is money, insurance, and the deductible that starts over at the beginning of the year.  Since baby is due just 2 weeks into January 2013, I'm afraid we are going to get stuck with the ENTIRE bill out of pocket.  Please pray for my peace.

One last thing.  On my next visit I have to take all my meds to show the midwives.  I'm hesitant about that since everything in my body is so balanced right now, working so well, and I don't want them to tell me that one of my meds is a deal breaker and they won't do my delivery.  I need to have full honesty with them for the health and safety of my baby and myself.  No matter what.

Baby's growth?

My baby is the size of a kumquat (a what?) or a prune (more understandable).  That is, about an inch long with a wide, high forehead where the brain is taking over.  Baby has fused eyelids, hair starting to grow on the body, and four chambers to the heart.

Symptoms?
Oh. My. GOSH. Of all my pregnancies, I don't recall being this nauseated with any but the first.  Good heavens, I can't wait for food to sound good again and eating to be less of a chore.

Medical Stuff?
I'm seeing midwives, so I probably won't have another ultrasound unless I choose one at 20 weeks.  I told the midwife that I would wait and see where we are then.  

I'm also watching my blood sugars since I had gestational diabetes with my fifth child.  I successfully used a kinesiologist and herbs during my last pregnancy to avoid both high blood pressure and high blood sugar.  I'm on the same program this time.  My only concern is the morning levels are just a snitch high, hovering around 100 when they should be under 100.

 
Weight gain (or loss)?

Gained 1 lb since the beginning of this pregnancy.  Since I was overweight to begin with, this is okay.  Also, I was on a great diet/exercise kick when I got pregnant and lost 21.5 lbs.  Now, I'm gaining a bit but reminding myself that it's not just fat.  I also find that when I walk consistently, I not only feel better, but the water weight stays off.

What Made Me Cry This Week?

Why hello constant mood swings.  I cried yesterday because I sent a text message to a friend (okay, several) and she had to tell me that she pays per text so quit it.  I felt so smacked down and low.  I cried today because hubby didn't appreciate how I jury-rigged a device to pump bike tires when I couldn't find the right attachment for the air compressor.

Sleep?

What's that?  On a good night I get four or so hours uninterrupted.  I also try to nap or at least sit and rest during the afternoon.

Maternity Clothes?

Nothing is fitting my waist.  I have had to get creative with summer dresses and have started looking for some maternity items from Old Navy.  I'm plus size (said that before) and have to look pretty hard for the things that I like, are modest, and fit as I wish.

Discussion Question:  What is the must-have item(s) that you pack in your hospital bag?  Or, if you are having a home birth, what is the must-have item(s) that must be readily available?

 

I'm having a home birth (yay!!) and MUST HAVE a pool to labor in.  I didn't get to birth in it last time, but maybe this time.  Chicky Punk damaged my sciatic nerve and I couldn't walk, easy move my leg, or feel my toes for several months after her birth.  She was born on the couch in the family room.  Sadly, the kids threw the cat in the pool (why?!) and she popped the wonderful labor pool I had.  It was even decorated with friendly ocean creatures.  I will have to get another, I guess.

Congratulations!

I read a favorite blog of mine recently, Raising Arrows, and found out that after a recent miscarriage, Amy was expecting again!  I am so very happy for her.  And since she is due in January, I felt that I would share something with her, too.  It's something that I hadn't shared with anyone else yet.  And it's something that I'm not sure about sharing now.  But a very nice lady named Sarah contacted me from that Raising Arrows comment about linking up to her pregnancy blogging and I just couldn't resist.

So, yes.  Baby #7 is on the way here at our house.  Unless you count the two miscarriages we've had, then it's Baby #9.  Even though I don't really mention those to others, in my heart they are still my children and I love them.  My heart just breaks at the thought of their loss.

Well, congratulations to us!  Here is a brief overview of how things are going, thanks to My Joy-Filled Life linky.





How far along are you?  I am 9 weeks 2 days.  My baby is the size of a grape.

Yes, it's a grape tomato, but it's the same size.

Prayer requests?  I'm putting off telling people because I'm tired of the culture of death that we have.  People just don't understand the beauty of life, birth, children.  Anything more than 2 kids is considered odd.  7?  I may be locked up.  Pray for my hesitation at sharing this news.  I have God's perfect peace about the baby, but I foresee many well-meant concerns expressed by others we know.

Medical Stuff?  I saw the midwives at an unseemly early date to have an ultrasound to determine dates.  This baby was a surprise not heralded by the usual restarting of the cycles after the birth of Chicky Punk.  My next appointment isn't until July.

Cravings?  I crave to keep food down without feeling sick. 

Gender?  I don't know.  I'm feeling so sick, just like I did with all my girls.  With the boys, I felt okay.  I think it's a girl.

What I miss.... Sleeping.  I can't sleep the night for the life of me.

What I'm looking forward to.... The birth.  I'm having my second home birth and I'm very excited about it.  I loved the last one, even though it was my longest labor.

Discussion Question:  More kids? Why or why not?

Here's my thoughts on the matter.  What children we do or don't have is between me, my hubby and my God.  Being Catholic, we don't believe in "standard" birth control.  Natural Family Planning (or fertility awareness) is the way to go and it's extremely effective (99%) when used properly.  No, it's not the rhythm method of the 1960's church, but a scientific method of recognizing and charting your body's fertility signals.  You simply abstain if no pregnancy is desired.  (Many people use it "backwards" in order to achieve pregnancy.)  I used to think that was dumb, abstaining for half of the month when I just wanted to be active with my hubby.  But the older I get, the more I see how NFP works with God's plans.

So those people who wish to lynch me for "overpopulating" and "geez, get cable tv" will be hearing my new party line, which is something along the lines of "Why? Will you be raising them?" or perhaps "How is that your business?".  I am feeling confrontational about this just now.  Hello mood swing.

What scripture is speaking to you this week?  I put off this question until the last because I just didn't have an answer.  What was God saying to me this week?  After that big blowout on the discussion question, this verse came to mind:

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

What is more of God's purpose that a baby to further His kingdom?

(If you aren't a pregnant blogger, but know someone who is, please help spread the word about the link-up.  Also, if you aren't pregnant, or a blogger, please feel free to stop by the linked up blogs and offer encouragement and support if you feel led!  Thanks!)




grape tomato image via Rutgers.com

36 Weeks

I am so glad that pregnancy is temporary.

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long.

She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.


At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position.  (And the midwife says she is!)

Image from BabyCenter

Attention America

I found this on the Katie Pundit site and couldn't NOT share it. It has touched my whole family, not just me.

Fingertip Grips Holding Pattern

I'm  still trying to decide if we go Midwife for homebirth or freebirth (no attendant).  You can read the backstory here and here.  I bought several books on emergency childbirth and am asking Hubbers to read them, since it will all be on his shoulders if we freebirth.  As of now, he tells me he will be more comfortable with a professional attendant there.  I'm still freaked out by the money.  $3300 or more!

I've been praying for an answer to this question for several weeks now.  I haven't heard an answer yet, but God has His time, and I mine.  They don't often match up.  A good friend just told me that He will answer and she believes that a freebirth would be just fine for us. 

And it's true.  95% of labor and birth is completely free of problems.  But it's the remaining 5% that scares the socks off me.  I would be out of my mind if something happened to our baby that could have been prevented with professional attendance.

I read a post by A Wife Loved Like the Church today that provided me a Bible quote I really liked:

“They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.” Psalm 112:7

“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” Psalm 103:4


Yes, this speaks to me today, worry wart control freak and all.  God is with me in all things, great and small.  My heart needs to relax and all will be revealed by Him in His time.  So pray for me, my patience, my listening, and my required answer.

First Time Cleaner Confession

I mopped the floor today for the very first time!!

pause


silence


crickets chirrup

No, it's not as bad as you think.  I used a natural cleaner on my floor for the first time today rather than dragging out the pine cleaner I would normally use.  So far, so good.  The kids are all commenting on how good the house smells and how the smell is making them hungry (? white vinegar makes my kids hungry?) and I am very pleased with my clean floor.

See, what happened is this.  My Curly Girl used the honey to make a sandwich last night which is all good and fine in itself except she used the giant honkin' size honey rather than little squeezy honey bear.  And she didn't put the lid on all the way.  And then she shoved it in the back of the cupboard where it promptly fell over and spilled.  Everywhere.

I made her clean it but she's a flighty individual and didn't do the best job.  She rushed through it as she did through the sandwich making process (hence no lid on the honey) and the way she does through her school work (hence all the repeat work she ends up doing) and the way she generally does through life.

This morning there was still all the contents of the cupboard (bread, tortillas, peanut butter jar, my tea bags box, a big bag of almonds for homemade almond milk, a jar of marshmallows for krispie treats) slightly sticky icky.  My arms are still slightly sticky from cleaning it up this morning AFTER the kid cleaned it up twice last night.

And the floor.  Oh. My. Gosh! the floor.  I could not walk in there without loosing my mind.  And my shoes.  They wouldn't pick up when I stepped somewhere else.  Yeah, ick.

I had read an article several weeks ago about using natural cleaners in the house instead of all the chemicals we would normally use and I've been wending my way that direction slowly.  I figured I would use up what I had of the chemicals and then move on.

This morning, I didn't want to run downstairs and find the pine cleaner (I do love that smell) but I knew where not one but 2 bottles of white vinegar was so that's what I grabbed.

I already use vinegar for cleaning hard water out of the coffee pot and I add about 1/2 cup to my rinse cycle in the washer to remove irritants, but the floors?  Hmmm.

To my surprise, it worked great!  The smell is dissipating now that the floor is drying and the smell, as I mentioned before, is bringing nothing but good comments from the kids.  I may have to adjust the very unscientific amount I used for the mix, though, to pamper my pregnant nose a little more.  But the results on the floors?  Amazing!!

A bottle of my favorite pine cleaner costs about $4.  A bottle of white vinegar, easily twice the size of the cleaner at least, costs about $2.  Bonus!!  I love me some money savin'.  I'm not only being green, but saving green.

You can search the internets and easily come up with hundreds of easy home "recipes" for natural cleaners.  Got a great one?  Share it with me.

A Decision is Made, Part 2

You can read part 1 here.

I spent the parts of the weekend that I wasn't texting my Hubbers to texting the 2 friends that had birthed with the midwife in this past year.  I learned a LOT from them both and bit the bullet to set an appointment with the learned lady.

I will only call her Laura here, but she is a beautiful person.  The idea you have in your head of a granny midwife - a little grey, rounded, loving spirit - that is Laura to the T.  I get such a good, bubbly feeling inside my chest when she is around and the idea of birthing with her is so peaceful to me.  She tells me the very same thing.

I've met with Laura twice now and simply adore her!  She is very interested in proper nutrition to balance the body and mind.  I had already begun to turn my own mind that way and everything she had to tell me fits right in with that mindset.


Muscle testing - have you heard of it?  Also called Kinesilogy it is amazing and seems almost magical somehow.  A good friend of mine is a practicioner of this science and I have benefited from it tremendously.  If you're in my area and want the number, please contact me.  Laura also does muscle testing and everything that she has told me through the testing as been backed up by my professional friend.  I think I'm living healthier now than ever before!


As I said, I did a lot of reading about homebirth vs hospital birth and found out that homebirth is STUNNINGLY safer than hospital!  You can read about the Homebirth Choice on Midwifery Today or just about any other website you might want.


In case of complications, the midwife is highly trained in bleeding, distress, and other common problems.  Anything she can't handle and we are less than 20 minutes away from a hospital in either of two directions.  Did you know that most hospitals are unable to call together a team for an emergency in less than 20 minutes?  True and scary.

I will have a gentle birth at home with a birthing pool.  It will be a swimming pool that I used just for that purpose rather than an expensive "professional" pool.  Search Amazon.com for waterbirth I have complete faith in my body to birth easily and without problems.

Laura has brought me several good books to read, too.  Here is a list of a few: Gentle Birth Choices, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, Birth without Violence and a few for the kids: Baby, Come Out! and The Room In My Heart.  I also plan on re-reading Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way: Revised Edition and someone loaned me a copy of HypnoBirthing: A Celebration of Life.

For pregnancy I really like to read The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth (Sears Parenting Library), Your Pregnancy Week by Week, 6th Edition (Your Pregnancy Series), Mayo Clinic Complete Book of Pregnancy & Baby's First Year, and The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth (Revised).  Just to name a few.  We love to read here.  Early and often.

My supplements are coming from Nature's Sunshine other than the Mona Vie I live on.  For the items I can't wait for, including healthy living products like the Black Strap molasses for added iron and Cayenne Tincture, I like Wealth of Health in Idaho Falls.

I can't wait to share some of the recipes Laura has given me for added nutrition and healthy!  I have neglected my blog for so long due to the kids going back to homeschool.  I've just been plain busy!  But here is my pledge: I will post more often with awesome news and events.  Meanwhile, enjoy this cartoon: