tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51557226716657079812024-03-12T21:49:12.199-07:00Mother Of PearlAn Asheville, NC lady writing about my unexpected role as wife and mommy. Dig it!MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-67544908006667109202012-09-23T07:38:00.000-07:002012-09-23T07:38:18.394-07:00Gabriel’s Birth Story
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This birth story, like so many others, begins with the birth
of my first child, Lydia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll keep this
part brief, as I’ve written on her birth before (to read in detail, check out
this blog entry: http://motheroflydiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-birth-experience.html).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With Lydia, though I had been very clear about my wishes for
a natural birth, I was induced for being “post-dates” at 40 weeks and 5
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, one thing led to
another, and after a traumatic journey, I landed in the Operating Room for an
emergency Cesarean Section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think I probably suffered through every intervention known
to man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had labored 23 hours on
Pitocin (20 of those with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">no</i>
epidural, and 6 long, awful hours of back labor) with just my husband as my
labor coach (champ that he is). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
dilated all the way to 9.5 cm, but still didn’t make it to 10, and at shift
change, I went into reverse labor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
doc on call diagnosed me with Cephalo-Pelvic Disproportion, (though I didn’t
know this term at the time).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When told
of the need for the emergency c/sec, I had asked if I was a good candidate for
a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) for my next birth, and the OB said “No,
I’m afraid your pelvis is just too narrow.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was devastated, exhausted, and confused, but hey, I had my healthy
daughter, and the doctor and staff had saved both our lives, right?</span></div>
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Me with Lydia in the recovery room after her birth.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not the way I see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If I had known then what I know now and allowed my baby and my body to
decide when labor was appropriate to begin, our lives never would have needed
saving in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what did
I know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just the pregnant
lady.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I trusted too much in a broken
system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">---<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fast forward a few months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My husband and I wanted to have our babies close together, and so after
I healed up and got into the swing of being a mommy, I began to research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided not to take the OB’s word for it
and sought a second opinion on the VBAC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I met with one of the staff at the local midwifery, and she told me some
interesting facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First was that my
hospital’s rate of emergency c/section on first time mothers that were induced
was between 60% and 80%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seriously??!</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was REALLY angry that my OB (whom I truly
trusted) had withheld this info from me when she scheduled my induction,
especially after my incessant hammering of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">natural
birth, natural birth, natural birth.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another, more heartening fact, was that, unless in the case
of gestational diabetes, the vast majority of women DO NOT make babies that
they cannot birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(CPD was more of an
issue in the 1600’s when Rickets was prevalent and caused misshapen
pelvises.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That, and the fact that I had
been in labor so long and dilated as much as I did definitely increased my
chances of delivering vaginally for subsequent births.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, I didn’t have to wait too terribly long to find out if
I would be able to birth my next baby naturally, as I found out when Lydia was
about 8 months old that we were expecting again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yikes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And yay!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">My positive pregnancy test, January 10th, 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After weighing our options, my husband and I decided that
Home Birth was the route we desired to take.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This (as you can expect), caused alarm in some people we knew, but I
trusted my body to do what God designed it to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted a natural birth, and by golly, I
deserved it!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did, however, decide
that we wanted to know the sex of our baby-to-be, so our midwife sent us to a
local institution to have an ultrasound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I took my mother with me, because the midwife I’d be meeting
with was the one who had been my mom’s Lamaze coach for my brother’s birth and
the attending midwife for my birth thirty years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(To be honest, though my mother loves her
dearly and respects her opinion, she was not my favorite person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She made me worry about my decision to have a
VBAC, my decision to have a home birth, and made me question the credibility of
the midwife I’d chosen to attend it.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She talked me out of the home birth, and I switched care to the local
midwifery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I did feel they would do
a good job for me, I was still extremely unsettled (terrified, really) about
giving birth in the hospital again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
knew there would be an operating room just down the hall waiting for my labor
to “not progress” as the hospital staff saw fit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also did NOT want to be strapped to the electronic
fetal monitor and have an IV port “just in case” – standard of care across the
nation for VBAC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, after LOTS of prayer, more research, and anxiety over
telling my husband I wanted to switch yet <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">again</i>,
the decision was made to go once more for home birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My midwife was very gracious in taking me
back for care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">---<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All that said, NOW we can really get into my SON’S birth
story!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Monday morning, September 10<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, I lost a
little mucous plug (I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pretty</i> sure
anyway) and I had thought FOR SURE that I was in labor on Monday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d been having regular contractions that
were more than Braxton-Hicks, and just *felt* that it was time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tuesday morning, I lost some more mucous plug, this time
with a little blood in it!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tuesday
afternoon, my wonderful chiropractor adjusted me (for free – out of the
goodness of her heart she wanted me to be as best prepared for labor as
possible) and told me to come back the next week if I was still pregnant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wednesday afternoon, I had a prenatal visit with my midwife,
and Thursday marked what we were pretty sure was my 39<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> week of
pregnancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(There has been LOTS of
discrepancy over my actual date of conception and due date.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had still been having regular contractions,
and looking back, I realize it was prodromal labor, and I think I had been in
labor that whole time, maybe even from Monday night!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no desire to leave the house, only to
cook and clean and spend time with my 16-month-old and husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Me and Lydia, taken by my cousin, Sarah Nix. I think this was taken the last week in August.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sure enough, about 9pm on Thursday, I knew for sure that I
was in labor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I waited an hour and a
half, just to be certain, and then called my midwife to be on the alert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She told me to rest if I could, but of course
I was so excited, that though I sent my husband to bed, I stayed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found a great contraction timer online (</span><a href="http://www.contractionmaster.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.contractionmaster.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
-- I don’t have a fancy cell phone to download apps to) and pulled up Bejeweled
Blitz on Facebook to distract myself through each rush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Hey, whatever works, right?!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My doula was awake, so we chatted here and
there on FB.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would be coming from a
little over an hour away, so at 1 or so, I gave her the go-ahead to come on
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(She was so excited!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hubbs was still sleeping at this point
(poor guy had a NASTY cold – another reason I knew labor was imminent –
Murphy’s Law, right?) but I woke him to tell him that if he came out of the
bedroom to make sure he was dressed b/c company was coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I called my midwife at 5 to let her know that I’d been up
all night having contractions, and now they were about 5-7 mins apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d been doing low moaning each time I had
one, leaning over the couch arms, as I felt it was rude to continue with my
game now that people were with me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I
felt the contractions come on, I would envision myself at the prow of a small
boat, sailing on an ocean, and would rise up on my toes as I was cresting each
wave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Ah, yes, the bliss of
visualization!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My midwife arrived about 7am on Friday morning (I’d told her
to take her time) and everyone went to work setting up and filling the birthing
tub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I got in the tub about 9,
and I was sooooo sleepy after being up all night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water felt wonderful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great to be buoyant after months of
feeling heavy and weighed down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When my
husband put our daughter down for a nap about 10, everyone lay down to rest and
gather energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My contractions were SO
much stronger in the bed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think
my husband got any rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When naptime
was over, I got back in the tub after my labor team heated the water up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Funny, but I kept thinking about how
wrinkled my toes must be after all that time in the water…)</span></div>
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Lydia LOVED the tub! She kept calling it "BALL!!" </div>
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I think b/c it was the same color as my birthing ball.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t remember much between then and when Lydia got up
from her second nap at 2ish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do
remember that I asked James to call his sister and see if she’d be willing to
look after our lil girl for a few hours as labor was getting really intense,
and Lydia was causing me a lot of distraction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think something in me knew that I would be able to get more done without
her there and I could focus 100% of my energy on getting my son earthside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James left to take her and got back about
2:30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Resting between contractions.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My contractions were REALLY picking up by then, and my water
broke (clear!) after I felt the urge to start pushing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was about 2:55pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began to get really overwhelmed and had a
good cry with James there at my side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
was so wonderful and encouraging – he told me “You’re one of the toughest
people I know” when I was ready to give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I told my midwife that I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i>
felt like pushing, and she told me something like “your body won’t steer you
wrong”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Pushing at the wrong time, thus
causing swelling is part of what caused me to not be able to dilate all the way
to 10cm with Lydia, but I was on too much Pitocin and had started pushing at
6cm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, I felt caution
when it came time to push.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also
remember asking her if I was in transition yet, and she told me we were WAY
past that point!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was SO relieved!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wanted it to be over – it had been
such a long and trying journey…</span></div>
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My husband was so supportive and loving through the whole journey.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(I’m cheating and using my Labor Record, by the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no way I ever could have known what
time all this stuff happened, lol!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I kept talking to our son, kept vocalizing what I wanted to
happen and for him to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My midwife
said that was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wrote down
where I kept saying things like “I’m ready to meet you!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am just ready to open up and have this
baby!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh Lord, just open me up!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am ready for some Oxytocin!!!!” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I really began pushing at 3:45, and then at 4:15, on my
Labor Record, it was recorded “feeling some big movement”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I distinctly remember asking James what time
it was and when he told me 4:15, I thought to myself and to God, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dang it’d be GREAT to have this baby by 5!</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 4:40, my crowning peaked, and though the
ring of fire was unpleasant, it wasn’t near as bad as I’d heard other women
describe it (thankfully).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>4:50 was the
full crown, and at 4:56, his head was born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That was awesome and terrible all at once!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What relief, knowing it was going to be over
soon…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I looked down at his little head there between my legs and
said “he has some hair!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d turned my
body toward my husband, basically aiming myself at him so he could catch our
son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then when my midwife saw the cord
wrapped around his neck, and told James to unroll the baby, not the cord, but he
decided that it’d be best if she did that, so he took over holding the light
and she poised herself to catch him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At 4:59, the rest of his little body came out, wrapped up
three times in his cord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My midwife
unrolled him and handed him to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
thought it was so cool that I’d gotten my wish to have him by 5!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I exclaimed “I have a baby!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I clutched him to my breast after checking
between his legs to ensure that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he</i>
was definitely a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>he</u></i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He coughed and spluttered for quite some
time, but he eventually cried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said
“me too, baby, me too,” as I was feeling his pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was so beautiful!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So perfect!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He had the old man wrinkly feet and hands that Lydia had had, and he
looked SOOOO much like his big sister!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was so very relieved that it was over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or so I thought…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I guess my Sister-in-Law had called when I was getting
really close and said that Lydia was absolutely inconsolable, and James told
her that we were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> close to
delivery and that he’d call her back soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(He didn’t tell me this -- wise choice -- until after our boy was
born.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He called Ashley back after the
baby was born, but before I’d delivered the placenta, to tell her it was okay
to bring Lydia home, as he didn’t want to be a burden (they have a little girl
about Lydia’s age, too).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I guess I didn’t think about labor not being over, and I
didn’t think I’d have any difficulty delivering my placenta, but when my SIL
and her hubbs came in with my niece and Lydia, I think it halted my labor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was chaotic for a few minutes – Ashley came
over to me, gave me a hug, and said “you did it!!!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had her husband wait by the couch b/c I was
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">quite</i> indecent, and then when a few
minutes had passed and I still hadn’t delivered the afterbirth, my midwife felt
it was time for me to speak up and ask everyone to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mom also came to look after Lydia sometime
around this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I noticed at that time that I REALLY had to pee, but
couldn’t seem to be able to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think
we got me out of the tub at this point, still holding the new baby, and moved
to the bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suggested cutting the
cord and passing the baby off to someone else to see if that’d help the
placenta come out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My midwife told me
that my since my bladder was so full, it was holding in my placenta and that
the placenta was also holding in my bladder – that’s a heck of a catch 22!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">extremely</i>
uncomfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried many different
methods to try to get one or the other out – holding my hand under warm running
water, sitting in a tub of warm water, showering, taking a tincture of Angelica
(it’s supposed to help expel the placenta), drinking more (big mistake!),
sitting on the toilet, walking around, NOTHING seemed to be helping!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was getting later and later, and everything was chaos and
pandemonium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor James was being pulled
in 50 different directions, trying to help our doula with the tub drainage and
cleanup, worrying about me, trying to get my mom situated with Lydia’s dinner,
etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laid down on the bed on top of
several chux pads (and a shower curtain covered by a sheet) in misery and just
prayed that something would happen and happen SOON.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James and my mom prayed over me, praying that
we wouldn’t have to transport to the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I REALLY didn’t want that, after all I’d been through to have this home
birth!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was emotionally overwhelmed
that so much time had passed and nothing had happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it was about 8pm by then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided to try inserting a catheter, but I
was so swollen that it wasn’t possible with the type of catheter my midwife had
on hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had called her midwifery
partner to come with a different type of cath, when all of a sudden, I was able
to pee a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t much, but it
gave us all hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then nothing again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, after another hour or so, I went in the bathroom by myself,
just praying to God that He would get us through this without having to get
medical assistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat on the toilet
for a few minutes, felt the urge to push, and MY PLACENTA CAME OUT!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, sweet <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sweet</i> relief – I must’ve peed for a solid minute!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I told James later that it was like the
heavens opened up and the angels were singing just for me!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feeling like ten trillion dollars, I cleaned
myself up, came out of the bathroom, threw my hands up, and grinned as I told
my midwife, “I did it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all in the
toilet!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Like anyone would know what
that meant.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone said “what’s in the
toilet?”, and I said “Everything!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
placenta, my pee, everything!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know
that must sound strange, the way I put it, but I was just so excited, and yes,
again, relieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was 9pm when I
finally was done delivering the placenta.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My little man had peed by then too, soaking a couple
receiving blankets, and had gotten rid of a HUGE meconium stool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With everyone cleaning up the tub, tending to
me, holding him, bathing Lydia and getting her ready for bed, we didn’t have
the chance to weigh him until after he’d pooed, so we estimated that he’d
weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces at birth, with a length of 20 ¼”, and a 14” head
circumference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eDVClbMX8as/UF8eR7BUeGI/AAAAAAAAAFE/mwL0_g9wtso/s1600/IMG_6171+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eDVClbMX8as/UF8eR7BUeGI/AAAAAAAAAFE/mwL0_g9wtso/s320/IMG_6171+edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Me and my new baby boy!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Something I find unbelievable was all the time that had
passed, and we still had not picked out a name for him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(For those of you who don’t know, we’d
settled on a name a few times, but then James would change his mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got tired of getting attached to a certain
name, so I told him that I wanted him to pick our son’s name and not tell me
what it was til the baby was earthside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many people questioned my sanity at this choice, but I had faith.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When everyone was gone for the night and the
three of us were snuggling in bed together, James told me that the Lord had
laid it on his heart to call our son Gabriel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a strong and beautiful name!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We decided the next morning that he would be Gabriel John – John is my
favorite gospel, and a family name on both mine and James’ sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">---<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My labor had been 20 hours long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This seemed like forever to me, but talking
with my midwife after the fact, she said that she was highly impressed that
he’d come before 10pm that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt
like a champion – I’d done it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d had
my child MY way, on my terms, in my own time, in my own home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t have to go anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had such an extreme feeling of
satisfaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode that cloud all the
next day, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must’ve looked like a
cheese with my Permagrin slapped across my face the whole day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Talking with my husband (who previously had been heard saying
“it doesn’t matter to me how the baby gets here, as long as he and Stevie are
safe and healthy”, and though he was on board with the home birth, he would
have been on board with an elective repeat c/sec, too), I am so glad he
realized why having an un-tampered-with vaginal birth was so incredibly
important to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I no longer feel the
anger that I did after my daughter’s birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I feel peace, knowing that I could do it, that my body could do it, and
that my uterus didn’t explode (like so many people had led me to believe it
would, but which I never had felt was an issue for me).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also feel so much closer to James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Lydia’s birth, I didn’t realize what
the c/sec had done to my emotional state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was a MESS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did I have
to recoup from a major surgery, but I had a baby, and all the hormones that came
with giving birth, and I could barely take care of myself, let alone a newborn
and a husband to boot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know what
he went through emotionally with Lydia’s birth, but I did not feel close with
him afterward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Gabriel’s birth, I
can’t explain it, but I think it has changed the way James views me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has been very sweet, tender, and
affectionate with me, not to mention more patient when I am hormonal and weepy
(all.the.time).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel more like he is
my ally this time, though I can’t say where the feeling had come from that we
were on opposing teams last time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bonding with Gabriel has been easier, too, as has nursing
(though we are still trying to solve a clicking issue) than it was for Lydia
and me starting out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no regrets
about my birth with Gabriel, where I cannot say that I would not have done
things differently with Lydia’s debut had I known better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mps2nu_NDyc/UF8emAxNd5I/AAAAAAAAAFU/7UEDx1IgEWI/s1600/Gabriel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mps2nu_NDyc/UF8emAxNd5I/AAAAAAAAAFU/7UEDx1IgEWI/s320/Gabriel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My perfect son. I am in love!!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am glad I stuck to my guns, glad I was too chicken to have
a hospital birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People think I’m brave
for giving birth at home, but I tell them that the brave thing for ME would
have been to walk in to a hospital, having previously had a c/section, and
tried to have a natural birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 20
hours, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have had another c/section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My labor was long <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">at home</i>, my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">haven</i>, where
I am most comfortable and I didn’t have strangers walking in whenever they saw
fit, causing my contractions to stall or become less productive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t see how being in a hospital setting
would have made it <u>less</u> lengthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am thankful that I didn’t go into labor and have to put my
battle armor on to defend my right to a natural, vaginal birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am just not that strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or maybe I am?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am glad I don’t have to find out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-40881395930677619842012-03-20T07:57:00.000-07:002012-03-20T07:57:03.029-07:00In Search of the New Normal<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of you have read my blog on the breastfeeding issues I had been facing a couple of months ago when I first found out I was pregnant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the prequel (if you will) to THIS entry.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ll tell you, being forced into partial weaning was not a fun adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BUT we made it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I ran out of my own frozen milk and nothing I did or took increased my supply, James and I had a heart-to-heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was extremely against the thought of ever giving any of my children formula, but he just wasn’t comfortable in giving Lydia someone else’s breast milk, though I had been offered by several women (many of whom I don’t even know!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like a peaceful household – James and I rarely argue, and when we do, it’s over quickly and we move on – so I deferred to his decision and we bought some organic formula.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At first, even with the stored breast milk, I HATED giving her a bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we got over that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found a way to hold her and hold the bottle that didn’t tie up my hand, and I am able to love on her since it is free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was amazing how easily Lydia adjusted!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a much harder time than she did, and I was thoroughly impressed with her adaptability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took only a few days, and it was like she went through this incredible transformation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was on a consistent routine, taking two complete hour-long naps every day, eating two-three meals a day, and SO happy and content!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could hardly believe it!<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Lord dealt with my pride in a big way using this unforeseen change in our situation, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so proud that Lydia had been exclusively breastfed, and I was convinced that she would never have to have any formula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit that I looked down on mothers that gave their children formula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still DO definitely feel that the system sets women up for failure when they first have babies and don’t have a clue about nursing, and that’s why so many resort to the bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(After all, breastfeeding doesn’t bring in revenue like formula does!!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am angry that on our first well-baby checkup, our pediatrician hands us a bag from Similac filled with formula and emblazoned with the logo “Breast is Best”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel (ESPECIALLY now) that formula has its’ place, but that so many have come to rely on it b/c breastfeeding (at first) is inconvenient and can be uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyhow, I have been forced into the other person’s shoes, and though I don’t like it, God has used this to provide me with a different perspective. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I no longer look down on those that give their children formula – what if the choice truly wasn’t theirs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Some mothers cannot breastfeed due to breast reduction or augmentation, cancer treatment, milk supply never coming in, and many other reasons.) <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Up until a few days ago, I was making enough milk for Lydia to nurse in the mornings and for me to pump an ounce or two at night (she won’t nurse when she’s hungry – she gets too frustrated) to mix with her AM formula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, yesterday and today, she turned away from me in the morning when I offered her the breast, and won’t nurse anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a little sad, but to be completely truthful, a little relieved as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nursing and pumping have both become extremely painful for me, due to the pregnancy hormones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been a real sacrifice to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It looks as though nursing may be done (for now) for Lydia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s strange, but I still consider myself to be a breastfeeding mother!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to part with that label, even when my kids are grown. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will try to tandem nurse when the new baby arrives and I have a plentiful supply and it is no longer painful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hear having a toddler around to nurse can provide a LOT of relief if you have oversupply!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now, I am proud of the fact that Lydia never had formula until she was 8 ½ months old, and had breast milk until she was 10 months old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is very close to my original goal of at least a year of breastfeeding, and I know I gave her an incredible advantage that a lot of babies don’t get these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-81297939029814416032012-02-08T01:08:00.000-08:002012-02-08T01:08:17.758-08:00My Breastfeeding Dilemma<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Disclaimer: If you are currently trying to conceive and are having trouble, or have recently experienced a pregnancy loss, this may not be the blog entry for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not want to cause a rift between us because it seems that </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">my troubles are troubles that you would LOVE to have right now, if circumstances were different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joni Eareckson Tada (a quadriplegic Christian <span style="color: white;">artist) </span></span></i></span><span style="color: white;"><span class="commentbody"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">was once asked if she ever got tired of other people complaining about a bad day when she herself was paralyzed from the neck down, and would have given anything to be that person for just one day. She said no, to each person their own pain is very real, so just because it’s not the same as her pain, does not mean it should be less painful to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that, I write. (I'm not sure why that last section is gray -- I can't seem to be able to change it!)</span></i></span></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">Have you ever felt like your purpose has just been snatched from you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like that now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not to say that I’m not pleased that my life is how it is – I am very blessed with a loving husband, a beautiful, healthy daughter, and we are expecting another baby in the fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">I have been nursing Lydia every few hours or so since the day she was born over eight months ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love nursing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love everything about it – the perfect nourishment it provides her, the protection it gives her against sickness and disease, how it’s a source of comfort to her, and most of all, the bond it has forged between us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was our saving grace after her emergency C-section birth – causing us to depend on one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">With a successive pregnancy, if you are still breastfeeding, there is the strong possibility that your milk supply may drop off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had heard that this was most likely during the second trimester, but, unfortunately, this happened to me just under a week ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a dramatic way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (I am almost 5 weeks along.) </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">We had been nursing like usual on Thursday all day, and then when it came time to put Lydia to bed, I noticed that when I put her to the breast, she was fussy and would turn away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d try to help her latch on again, and she nurse for a second, then turn away angry and confused again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t know what to do!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This thing that has always come so easily to us (after the first few weeks, that is) now isn’t functioning properly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">Luckily, I had stored some breast milk in my freezer from when I had gone on my Encounter in November and had had to pump to keep my supply coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James and I have resorted to feeding her bottles full of that for almost a week now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please don’t misunderstand me, I am SO completely thankful that I have a small store of my own milk that I can give her for the time being, but when you’re used to the ease of breastfeeding, the bottle presents an unfamiliar disconnect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">I cry every time we try to nurse and she tears away from me because there’s no milk, causing me extreme pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cry often when I have to give her a bottle – a piece of plastic – when we are accustomed to sharing skin and time to look into each other’s faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cry that instead of being able to touch her face and head and back and hands with my hand that is usually free, I have to cradle her with one arm and use the other to hold the bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">I have tried so many different things to bring my milk supply back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eating steel-cut oatmeal; upping my intake of liquids and fats; eating leafy greens and whole grains; taking alfalfa; taking flax oil; pumping and breast compressions to encourage my supply; letting Lydia try to nurse frequently (which usually just ends in both of us crying); I just don’t know what else to do!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t take Fenugreek because it’s no good for the baby growing inside me, though that is the best homeopathic way to increase milk production.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t take domperidone (a milk-increasing drug) because of my pregnancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am at a loss.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">I was very proud of the fact that Lydia had been exclusively breast fed until we started giving her solids at seven months of age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was cocky in saying that she would never have to consume formula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I may have to eat my words, and it makes me feel about as tall as this font.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some generous breast milk donors out there, and I may be fortunate enough to receive some of their shared goods, but maybe not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">I am upset that this doesn’t seem to be as big a deal to most everyone that I tell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hurts that I am hurting and only a couple of people have reached out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need compassion!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need a solution!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to hear that she’s going to be fine!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I KNOW she is, but what about ME?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(To those that have been supportive – which are more than I can think of at the current moment – I thank you for your generosity of spirit and your loving kind compassion.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">I feel like I’ve fallen into a depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hardly leave the house – what if she gets hungry and I can’t just find a corner in a quiet parking lot to nurse her in?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel so out of place and so very, very sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">I feel like I did when I ended up with a C-section that was the complete opposite of what I had desired and planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel angry, sad, confused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like I had all these ideas of how nursing (and birth) was going to go, and now I have been robbed of that, and I don’t know what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">I hate that I may be coming across as unthankful for my new baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I praise the Lord many times each day for him or her!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that James and I are so blessed to have gotten pregnant without really trying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I DO NOT take that fact for granted, I promise you!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">I suppose I need to change my attitude about the whole thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lady from my church said, after I told her what was happening, “Well, I guess God just has a different plan for Miss Lydia!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I know she’s right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deep down, I know He’ll get us through this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that doesn’t make it any less difficult for the time being, and it doesn’t make the pain any less real to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And most of the day, I am okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just at some points that I wish I still made enough milk to nurse her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">She fell over today and bonked her noggin, and I offered her my breast when she cried, but it just made her more upset because there was nothing in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She woke up at 1:50 am (an unusual time for her) and I couldn’t just undo the snap on my nursing tank top and nurse her like I wanted – I had to take in a bottle with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s times like these that it is the hardest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: white;">If you are a praying person, please remember me and Lydia when you talk to God. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is just as upset when we try to nurse as I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She doesn’t understand it when Mommy tries to give her the bottle, as she is so used to having the real deal from me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please ask the Lord for guidance, comfort, and peace about the situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please ask Him to help me figure out what to do for milk – be it donor’s milk, formula, goat’s milk, etc., or if it’s His will, that he bring back my supply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I truly appreciate your love, thoughts, and most of all, your prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-61656366944346156672012-02-02T07:52:00.000-08:002012-02-02T07:53:06.363-08:00Should we try to change our husbands?<span style="font-family: inherit;"> God has blessed me with an atypically amazing husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or has He?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say this because, no matter how “in love” we were when we got married, no matter how “perfect” he was at that moment when he asked me to marry him, he is still human, and fallen in his nature (just as I am).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The man I married has his flaws, his hang-ups, his quirks, and the little imperfections that make him James.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i></b> to say that I don’t love him dearly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just mean to say that as our relationship has moved from the “in-love” stage to the “everyday life” stage, I have had to adjust my view of him as the perfect guy, to, the perfect guy <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>FOR ME</u></i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have no doubts in my mind that God brought us together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James and I are opposites in so many ways, and the Lord has used those areas to help us realize the places in which each of us needs to grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, one of his strengths is stability, where I am easily swayed and love change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am naturally outgoing, where he likes to keep to himself and those he loves dearly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is very intellectual, I am very creative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend to speak before I think, he is very calculated and articulate in expressing his mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is easy to love our husbands SO much when things are rosy and life is grand, and particularly when the relationship is new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love everything about them -- the way they talk and the things they say; the way they look and the way their scent has an intoxicating effect; how their bachelor pads are endearing, as is the way they do laundry and cook; their habits and activities are things we adore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, my question is, as time goes by and we get used to one another, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">WHY DO WE SEEK TO CHANGE THEM?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think it must be in women’s nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something in us sees areas in which they could grow or be different, and then those thoughts turn to thoughts that they SHOULD be different in these things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t they see that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t they WANT to be better?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t they WANT to be more of a spiritual leader?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why can’t they see that THIS is my love language and quit trying to express love to me in THAT way?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why does he always want to talk about THAT?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why can’t he talk about ME?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t he see that I hate it when he acts this way?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the endless critical eye and ear take up a place in our day-to-day lives, and the awful, evil cycle of dissatisfaction has begun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Men are typically more realistic than we are, not having been wooed by tales of knights-in-shining-armor, cruelly-treated princesses, perfect weddings, and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movies women love are called “chick flicks” for a reason – they cater to the female need of needing to be rescued, causing us to live in a dream world where we think that “movie love” is how it REALLY happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re taught to think, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">if I just meet the perfect guy, we’ll fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world, with fallen men, and we are fallen women, and ALL of us are imperfect in our sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So life happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One disappointment after the next builds up, gathering like stones around our hearts until a <em>complete barricade</em> is formed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tell ourselves that it’s for his own good that we’re giving him the silent treatment, that we’ll quietly punish him for the wrong he’s committed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was thinking about it, and when I ask James to change or tell him that he should be better in this area or that area, I’m telling him that he’s inadequate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s not enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want someone different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I do that, I’m also telling <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GOD</i> that the person that he gave me to be my lifelong mate isn’t good enough!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em><u><strong>How could we ever dare to think that our Creator made a mistake?!</strong></u></em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Be aware that I am not judging here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that the Lord takes the things the enemy uses as tools, and like Romans 8:28 says, works them to the good of those who love Him – EVEN divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband was married once before me, and he learned much from the duration and end of that relationship that has benefitted OUR marriage greatly.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I want to suggest a different tactic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why don’t we leave the change up to The Maker?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why don’t we, when we see something that is not satisfactory, pray about it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why don’t we ask God, if it’s in His will, to change what we aren’t so crazy about in our husbands?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when we ask that, why don’t we also say something like “and if it’s not your will, Lord, change ME.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make ME content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make it not a big deal in MY heart.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And He will answer our prayers, one way or the other, making the situation, trait, habit, or whatever, more tolerable, change, or disappear completely. (Now when it comes to silly quirks of my own, the little things, I do still ask him. Like the toilet paper being loaded onto the dispenser a certain way, the toothpaste being squeezed from the bottom, or wrapping his gum in something before he tosses it in the bathroom trash. He could care less about that kind of stuff -- he is very accomodating in that respect.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can suggest this because I know it works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I long ago (within the first three months I was married) decided to give up trying to change James myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whenever I’d suggest that something be done differently, I’d get an opposite result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d get a closed-off, cold, detached husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like my husband to be reachable, warm, and loving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, what I started doing, in things that I really cared about, is PRAY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fervently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Urgently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frequently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d go to God with my issues with James, ask Him what to do, to change James or change me, and tell Him how thankful I am for my husband. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often, the answer would be a change in my OWN attitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">James has become much softer, sweeter, more interested in me and what I have to say, and MUCH less self-conscious around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our marriage has become stronger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are closer to God and to one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thank the Lord every day for my man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband who provides a good, stable life for his family, who values time with his wife and also with his daughter, who causes me to be better, not only as a wife, but as a human being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think that CHOOSING to be thankful and CHOOSING to see his good traits has made it much easier to be married and co-habitate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In giving the Lord a thankful attitude regarding my husband, God makes James’ good traits more visible and more important, while removing the emphasis from the things that I might be driven crazy by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has made it easier for me to love my man for who he truly is – not how I want him to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My pastor’s wife said once that she used to think that she was helping her husband by reminding him when he would forget things, for instance to call a certain person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she would remind him and remind him and remind him, she noticed that he became withdrawn and somewhat depressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So she changed her approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She began saying, “So-and-so is <em><strong><u>so</u></strong></em> blessed when you call them”, and he began to be uplifted, and things began to get done!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is also a book that reiterates this point, and though it is a difficult book to read, especially in our society where women are so empowered, it has made all the difference in my marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is called <u>Created to be His Help Meet</u>, and it is written by Debi Pearl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recommend that any wife read it and implement what the author has to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will notice a HUGE difference in your husband, and I bet it will come sooner than you expect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It certainly can't hurt to try. </span>It talks about how women were created with a purpose, and that purpose is to be our husbands’ helper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ll close with one of my favorite quotes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It applies to EVERY aspect of our daily lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about attitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Think of your spouse when you read it:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.” – Chuck Swindoll<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blessings to you and your marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-11134726569307453202011-12-13T07:55:00.000-08:002011-12-13T13:29:15.933-08:00Homemade Body Wash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">James and I have been wanting to get back to basics as much as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This computer was a BIG step in the opposite direction for us, but hey, it’s helped me find fun recipes and also to connect with ya’ll!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure you’ve seen on FB that I’m going to make my own laundry detergent, but I’m waiting til I run out of what I have before I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure I’ll blog regarding that, too!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve been going NUTS on Pinterest (LOVELOVELOVE that site – here’s a link to my boards:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://pinterest.com/stevieballinger/"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://pinterest.com/stevieballinger/</span></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> ).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found a recipe on how to make your own body wash on there, and was struck by the creativity fairy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">YouTube is FULL of awesome “how-to’s”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything you think you may want to make, just type it in the search bar on that site and who knows, you may get a hit or two!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I typed in “How to make homemade body wash” or something like that (b/c I am a visual learner and the Pinterest recipe didn’t have video) and here’s the video I came up with:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbXYv3DgUC8"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbXYv3DgUC8</span></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(And now I shall cut and paste from a FaceBook comment string with a friend!)</span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The lady's a little... over-explanatory, if you will, but the recipe and technique are good. I like it better for the hand soap. The body wash wasn't as moisturizing as I like it to be, but it worked! </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br />
<span class="commentbody">I also used Sweet Almond Oil instead of Vitamin E oil, b/c that's what I had. I'd probably still go with it instead, though, just b/c it's so silky. </span><br />
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<span class="commentbody">The hand soap is nice -- I like it way better than the Dial we were using -- it doesn't seem to dry my hands out as bad. And you could use Tea Tree Essential Oil if you wanted it to be anti-bacterial.</span><br />
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<span class="commentbody">You can get all the ingredients at Earth Fare (or I bet Fresh Market for ya'll in Hendo). </span><br />
</span></span></div><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--_TL2qz2vTs/TufBvQfa2HI/AAAAAAAAAC4/hT2UfaZOylE/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--_TL2qz2vTs/TufBvQfa2HI/AAAAAAAAAC4/hT2UfaZOylE/s320/021.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Here are the ingredients and utensils I used.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<span class="commentbody">Instead of making big batches of both (the body wash calls for 8 cups of water and the hand soap for 10), what I did was cut the body wash recipe in half (so 4 cups of water and the 1/2 amounts of the rest of ingredients), and then when I was done mixing it all up, split it again, and added 1/2 cup water to make the hand soap. </span><br />
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<span class="commentbody">That way I could see if I even liked it before I went into making a humongous batch that'd take me four years to get thru!</span></div></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So here is my half-recipe:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4 cups water<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">½ tsp. Sweet Almond Oil<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">½ bar of grated soap (I used the Sappo Hill Lavender from Earth Fare – on the bottom shelf)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1 ½ tsp. vegetable glycerin<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¼ tsp. lavender essential oil mixture (called Chill Pill by Aura Cacia)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1/8 tsp. sweet orange essential oil</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">***Oh yeah! It started to look a little "gray", so I added 2 drops of blue gel food coloring and one of pink!***</span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dGozTXvpdMY/TufCx-aWtTI/AAAAAAAAADI/OPRzNw6lWRQ/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dGozTXvpdMY/TufCx-aWtTI/AAAAAAAAADI/OPRzNw6lWRQ/s320/022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All of the ingredients in the pan prior to melting.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mix all ingredients in a pan or pot on medium heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I whisked it a lot, but it probably wasn’t necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Pour 2 cups of mixture into another bowl and set aside to cool. This will be your body wash. Then, add 1/2 cup water to the remaining mixture and stir. </span>Wait til it cools, then put in bottles!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qvZJb-ovgvs/TufCmneUglI/AAAAAAAAADA/XPYzwI0N96U/s320/024.JPG" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After the melting process.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g56SkQq9naw/TufC-By-6aI/AAAAAAAAADQ/DpnQBkU5Xy0/s320/025.JPG" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here, it's had the chance to solidify!</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="commentbody"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I'll probably play with the recipe a little, probably add more water to both hand soap and body wash, as they are both a little thick, and I may try to add more oil to the body wash or maybe less soap. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I dunno. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love experimenting!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hopefully won't blow the house up in the process....</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-64835320692396546402011-12-04T11:41:00.000-08:002011-12-04T11:41:09.174-08:00Treasured By Pearl: My Swing, Thermometer, and the Bumbo Seat.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I guess it’s bad, but I let my daughter sleep in her <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>swing</u></i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not ALL the time, just for naps and when she’s got gas at night b/c she won’t sleep at all in her crib.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I LOVE the swing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been a lifesaver SO many times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a Fisher Price Cradle n’ Swing that my brother- and sister-in-law bought us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has a mobile, mirror, and plays songs and “white noise”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you get a swing, get one that plugs in to the wall or is battery powered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if they even make the hand-crank ones anymore, but I hear they’re a waste of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For travel, my good friend, Brittany loaned me a collapsible swing that Amelia wasn’t using anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s battery powered, and it’s what Lydia naps in when we are at my dad’s house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’d recommend a swing for every mama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They seem to offer babies something that helps soothe them when nothing else will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just don’t get in the habit (like I did) of letting them sleep in it frequently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I dread the day that she grows out of it!<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>thermometer</u></i></b> I have was given to me when Lydia was born by a fellow mama, Beka.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the Vicks Temporal Thermometer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is (as Rachel Lewis says) “worth its’ weight in GOLD”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you get up in the middle of the night to nurse and your baby feels like she might be running a fever but you don’t want to fully wake her, just run the thermometer over her forehead and you have her temp in 3 seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No waking the baby by undressing her and sticking an unwelcome device in who knows what orifice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just add a degree to whatever the readout is and that’s a pretty precise internal temperature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s nice too, b/c if you don’t use a night light, like me, it glows so you can easily get a read-out in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it stores the 10 previous temps, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think this runs between $30 and $40, probably cheapest at Walmart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY!!<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Bumbo Seat</u></i></b> is such a handy invention!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It helps babies sit up before their little bodies are developed enough to do it on their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cups them comfortably and safely in an upright position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went in the thrift store one day looking for one, and found it in the color I wanted for just $22, a bargain considering that new they are almost $40.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lady working helped me try it out to see if it’d work, and sure enough, when I got Lydia situated, she grinned at us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It gives them the feeling of being “big” without needing Mommy or Daddy to hold them up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take it everywhere – I put it on the table at restaurants to sit in while we eat, I put it in the big part of the shopping cart at the grocery store facing me and she gets to look all around, at my dad’s house while I clean, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The makers of the product place a warning on the back that says that it is only for use on the floor, but I just keep a watchful eye on her and I haven’t had any problems yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She has been using it since she was two months old and still hasn’t grown out of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess that’s a lot of mom’s gripe with the product – the baby just grows out of it too quickly; I’ve been blessed with a small baby though, and haven’t had troubles yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, if you get one and want to use it but your baby is too small, I recommend placing receiving blankets around and under your child to take up a bit of the excess space, it worked well for Lydia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay, so I was done typing this article a MONTH ago!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should have posted it before now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lydia has grown out of her Bumbo, but I am thankful that we used one, b/c I’m sure that is one of the reasons she sits up so well on her own now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyhoo, I think I’ll quit beating around the bush and post this already!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><3 <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-62220381874167558602011-10-31T13:04:00.000-07:002011-10-31T13:04:41.163-07:00Treasured By Pearl: Children’s Consignment Stores & Events<span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone is on a tight budget, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James and I were very fortunate to be given so much before and after Lydia’s birth and so we only had to buy her a car seat, stroller, a piece of furniture for her bedroom (more on that in this article), and a few other random, less expensive things. </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you are as fortunate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friend Jenn, spoken of often in this blog, gave us SO MANY clothes that her daughter, Shelby had grown out of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably several hundred dollars’ worth, if not more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carter’s , Ralph Lauren, Baby Gap, Old Navy, you name the name brand, it was in one of the bags she gave me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so fortunate to have met her when I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lydia is now 5 months and is (fortunately) a small baby (still in 3 month clothes), and we haven’t purchased the first item for her to wear, thanks to her and all those that gave so generously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Okay, I bought her a pair of socks the other day, just because she has long, skinny feet and nothing seems to want to stay on, but I think that we’re doing pretty good so far!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am, however, going to have to break down this month and spend some money on clothes for her, as she must have recently hit a growth spurt and is in need of some bigger clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Good thing <a href="http://www.wee-trade.net/">Wee Trade</a> is coming up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you heard of it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OH it’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">AWESOME</i></b>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is 30,000 square feet of the Ag Center FILLED to bursting with pretty much anything you could want for your child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Racks and racks and racks of clothes, rows and rows of tables with bedroom décor, toys, books, swings, bouncers, walkers, strollers, car seats, carriers, furniture, EVERYTHING!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I went with Brittany to the one in August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent $65 and got about $300 worth of stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t believe it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bought a baby tub that at Target is $18, but at Wee Trade was just $3!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a $60 activity mat for just $20!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Great investment, BTW.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lydia LOVED that thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the dangling toys was the first thing she grabbed, and though she doesn’t care for the mat itself anymore, she still plays with all the detachable toys!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a couple Baby Wise books (see <a href="http://motheroflydiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/09/treasured-by-pearl.html">blog</a>) for $10, brand new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some reason, I’m drawing a blank as to what else I bought there, but you get the idea.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The only bummer about the event is that you have to stand in a REALLY long line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t mind b/c I had good company – Brittany and our gorgeous girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It moves a lot faster than you think it will, and the deals are worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next Wee Trade is November<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>18-20, and you can bet I’ll be there!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Admission is free, and if you plan on buying a lot, I suggest bringing a laundry basket or something to carry your stuff around in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw one lady that had tied a rope to her laundry basket and was pulling it around behind her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some other people were using their strollers, which is what we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are LOTS of people there, so just be aware that you will have to negotiate tight spaces if you bring your stroller.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also LOVE the Children’s Consignment stores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have found three in the Asheville area, though I am sure there are more that I haven’t visited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I just did a Google search, and there are a couple more that I’ll have to try!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I was 8 ½ months pregnant, James and I took a whole day shopping ALL OVER town (I think we went to about a dozen different places!) for a piece of furniture for Lydia’s room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had seen a hutch/changing table/dresser combo at <a href="http://www.site.childrenstradingpost.com/">Children’s Trading Post</a> on Airport Road that was over $500, and though it was pretty perfect, we didn’t have that kind of money to spend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, as that exhausting day was drawing to a close and we still hadn’t found <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anything</i></b>, I decided to call CTP to see if that piece of furniture was still there, and it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The beauty of consignment stores is that most of them have gone to a pricing system that lowers as the products spend more and more time on the shelves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we first saw that piece, it had been in the store for some time and the price had lowered once, but it was still too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I called that day, the price had just gone down to $370!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being originally over $1,000, I’d say we got quite a deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s in immaculate condition, and we can use it for our future babies, or Lydia can hang on to it when she is older.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, Children’s Trading Post has a “frequent flyer” program, if you will, and for every $20 you spend, you get a stamp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you have 10 stamps, you get $10 off your next purchase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the Merrimon Avenue location, I put my first filled card toward my sling (see <a href="http://motheroflydiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/10/treasured-by-pearl-my-baby-carrier.html">previous article</a>), which worked out great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve gotten a couple other random things there, like my Hooter Hider (for nursing in public) for $8 (new they are around $20), and a package of gDiapers Biodegradable Refills for $11 (at the store, they’re anywhere from $13-$17, not a huge savings, but hey, every dollar counts!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My favorite children’s consignment store, however, is <a href="http://lollipopsltd.com/">Lollipops</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Located in South Asheville on Hendersonville Road (near Asiana), it is just up the street from me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went in (even though the sign said “upscale” – I read “expensive”) and was pleasantly surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was clean, bright, and the employees were friendly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The prices were comparable to that of the other stores, and unlike Children’s Trading Post, there was plenty of room to move!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(That’s my complaint about CTP – it is overly cluttered, and I have a hard time finding what I am looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually just ask one of the employees, who are more than willing to help – usually.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On my first visit, I found a Bumbo Seat there in the color that I wanted (Lilac) for just $22, where at CTP they run about $30 +/-.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the last article I wrote, I told about when I bought my Baby Bjorn, said that the price was unbeatable, but I forgot to mention that while I got the Bjorn for $34 at Lollipops, the same one (different color) was $77 at CTP!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I “friended” them on Facebook and wrote a recommendation, and the owner sent me an email with a coupon for 25% off any one item!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just goes to show how far a kind word can get you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lollipops also holds events at their shop, things like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/So-Impressed/245914505440874">So Impressed</a> and photo shoots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you aren’t local, be sure to find the children’s consignment stores in your area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are a great source for most anything you need, and it’s a great way to save money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t personally consigned anything yet, but I’ll be sure to let you know about my experience then I do!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-89234998803480155482011-10-28T14:33:00.000-07:002011-10-28T14:33:37.738-07:00Treasured By Pearl: My Baby Carrier<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was out and about today and met some <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">radiant</i></b> mamas-to-be, and ya’ll know me, I was bursting at the seams to give my advice!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I think I may have even gone overboard…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine that!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyhow, that got me to thinking that I need to blog about my favorite products, things that make my life easier or that Lydia seems to enjoy, so here it is!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(My A#1 favorite baby innovation is my gDiapers, which I’ve already written about and you can read about <a href="http://motheroflydiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/09/treasured-by-pearl-gdiapers.html">here</a>, so I will not be reviewing them again.)</span> <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Also, I think I’ll format this one a little differently than the previous blogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe I will post as soon as I have one product --or two or three-- reviewed, instead of waiting until I have them all done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This way, you can have instant gratification and not so much content that it overwhelms you.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The Baby Carrier.</u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing that struck up my conversations with the future mamas today was the Baby Bjorn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of mamas you see out and about like strollers, and don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a time and place for them, but I LOVE wearing Lydia!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My carrier is comfortable, user-friendly, super easy to toss in the car, doesn’t take up much room, and I know she is safe and secure b/c she is RIGHT there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s got the closeness of carrying her in my arms, but my back doesn’t hurt after I take her off, and I have free use of both hands!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As afore mentioned, the brand we have is a Baby Bjorn Active.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ofm3UJ6BWdA/TqsdyftBX-I/AAAAAAAAAB0/ZdzDfiPdEjE/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ofm3UJ6BWdA/TqsdyftBX-I/AAAAAAAAAB0/ZdzDfiPdEjE/s320/021.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the third carrying device I’ve used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first was a sling (there are many brands – Hot Slings, Jelly Beans, etc.) which was perfect for her when she was newborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a Jelly Bean (a Target Brand) that I bought for $25 at the children’s consignment store (more on the importance & <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">amazingness</i> of consignment stores later).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sling carries them very similarly to how they rode in the womb, and though they may look wadded up, it is comfy for them b/c it reminds them of the warm, cramped way life was before they were born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She quickly outgrew that, though, and that’s saying something b/c she was only 6 lbs. 10 oz. when she came out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6uO1ujs3Yyo/TqseZ0urp0I/AAAAAAAAACE/jI5YxRAibtw/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6uO1ujs3Yyo/TqseZ0urp0I/AAAAAAAAACE/jI5YxRAibtw/s320/024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">James with the Bjorn and my sister-in-law, Ashley, with her newborn, in my sling</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Sorry, that's the best pic I have of the sling.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The second was a Snugli that my friend, Brittany, loaned me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was grea</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">t b/c it folded up nice and compact and was very handy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It held her a little more comfortably (for me AND her, I’m sure) than the sling, and she faced me (or James) til she could hold her head up on her own, when we turned her around (which she loved!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she got a little bigger, however, she got kind of top heavy in the Snugli, and the way this one was designed, you couldn’t wear her facing out so that she WASN’T top heavy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, there wasn’t too much back support, so even after just a few minutes wearing her, my back hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tE1EqRpwIuI/TqseI53R7aI/AAAAAAAAAB8/HHJKSVi1VYc/s1600/560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tE1EqRpwIuI/TqseI53R7aI/AAAAAAAAAB8/HHJKSVi1VYc/s320/560.JPG" width="240" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The third is the Baby Bjorn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the Bjorn and the Snugli, they have to be at least 8 lbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided on the Bjorn as opposed to something like the ErgoBaby (what I originally wanted) b/c in the Ergo, the baby can’t face out, which when Lydia is awake, she <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> likes to face out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She likes to see what’s going on!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, I found the Bjorn at the children’s consignment store for $34!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has great back support and is easily adjustable, so it’s comfortable for both James and me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My one complaint about the Bjorn is that it doesn’t fold up nicely like the sling and Snugli did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just carry it in one of our reusable bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and it doesn’t have pockets like the Snugli.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t have my cake and eat it, too!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRrmcqKdKwc/TqsemJ9FLKI/AAAAAAAAACM/VPWBit9FvRc/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRrmcqKdKwc/TqsemJ9FLKI/AAAAAAAAACM/VPWBit9FvRc/s320/019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I use the Bjorn every day! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had originally wanted an ErgoBaby (new, over $100) b/c of all the great things I have heard about them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am glad that we didn’t have the money for one before she was born b/c she wouldn’t have liked it much anyway, and then we would have been out a lot of money!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My suggestion to you is to get a cheap carrier (or start with a sling, like me) and figure out if they prefer facing you or the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they like seeing Mama and Daddy, go with the Ergo!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check Ebay!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’re great deals on those things on Ebay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve only seen one used in all my visits to the consignment stores, but check there, anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, if they prefer watching the world, there are many other options – my preference is, obviously, the Baby Bjorn Active.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have another top-of-the-line carrier, called the Baby Bjorn Comfort, which, like the Ergo, has a comfy hip strap that provides extra support.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/laura_simeon.html">Here</a> is a webpage that tells about reasons why it’s great to wear your baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It talks about convenience, physical development, communication, bonding, safety (I wear her when I go down the steps of our upstairs condo, for example, b/c I have no fear of dropping her, and I can grab the rails) economy, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyhow, that’s my first one!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look for more to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mamas: do/did you wear your babies?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Experiences?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-81097534984557326872011-10-17T15:31:00.000-07:002011-10-17T16:46:55.572-07:00To Vaccinate or Not?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Having a child is a confusing, world-upending time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your hormones are nuts, you have this tiny creature who depends on you completely for every aspect of life, and now you have to become a master at decision making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mom has always called me her “Fickle Pickle” for a reason: I go back and forth between two sides and can never make a decision without wavering and wondering if it was the right one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the decision is made, though, I tend to stick with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting there is the hard part.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With all the controversy in the media about vaccines, one cannot help but be curious as to which camp to join.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I do not vaccinate, there is the risk that my child could contract a preventable disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I DO vaccinate, my child may have a reaction that includes side effects of a mild fever or even autism.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Needless to say, I have been doing some research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I first read <u>The Vaccine Book</u> by Dr. Robert Sears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I would recommend this to any parent with a new baby or even one whose child had not received all the “mandated” vaccines, and also to unvaccinated adults preparing for world travel.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a captivating book from the beginning, and written in easily understandable language (a. k. a., you don’t have to possess a doctorate to understand its’ contents).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is comprehensive and unbiased, expounding upon every vaccine-preventable disease, what the disease encompasses, how common or rare it is, it talks about what the vaccine ingredients are, who manufactures them, possible side effects of the vaccine, and why people choose or choose not to get the particular vaccine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was helpful, and James and I discussed vaccinating Lydia at length, but I think that in the end, he was just as unsure as I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did, however, feel I gained a better understanding about vaccines from this book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then there are all the print-outs I got from the doctors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really wonder about these, how biased they may be, b/c of who may or may not be in whose pocket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, the majority of medical doctors are pro-vaccine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They say that the benefits far outweigh the risks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They say that if too many people go without being vaccinated, our country, in which polio has been eradicated and (if I am remembering correctly) so has diphtheria, we risk losing the “herd immunity”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Herd immunity is what the population gains from the majority of the population – the herd - being vaccinated against said disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who is unvaccinated or in whom the vaccine is not effective is protected by those surrounding him/her that are vaccinated.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Information from this paragraph from: <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/policies/downloads/vacc_mandates_chptr13.pdf">http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/policies/downloads/vacc_mandates_chptr13.pdf</a> ).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And of course, there is the fact that since vaccines became a mandate in 1986, cases of autism rose from 1 in every 100,000 to 1 in every 1,100.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have been extensive studies that have come to the conclusion that there is no way that autism is linked to vaccination, and that the coincidence of the manifestation of autistic tendencies shorty after vaccination (particularly the MMR – Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine) are just that: coincidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I have a dear friend, Dave, whose son became autistic shortly after receiving his vaccinations, and that hits really close to home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(His son’s twin sister is not autistic.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are others in the anti-vaccine camp, like Jenny McCarthy, whose child became autistic after his vaccination, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a website, </span><a href="http://jennymccarthybodycount.com/Jenny_McCarthy_Body_Count/Home.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">http://jennymccarthybodycount.com/Jenny_McCarthy_Body_Count/Home.html</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> , on which they bash her and accuse her of being responsible for vaccine-preventable illnesses and vaccine preventable deaths, and actually have a “body count” tabulation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I personally am proud that a celebrity is taking a stand for her child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She saw a regression in her son after his four-year vaccinations, and I can’t say that if I were in her shoes that I would not speak out against vaccination myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is angry that only two vaccines out of the thirty-six that are administered have been looked at for their possible relationship to autism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frankly, I think the pro-vaccine camp is glad to have a famous scapegoat.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are ingredients in vaccines that are controversial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sure that all of you reading this blog have heard of the mercury (Thimerosal) in vaccines, as well as formaldehyde (Formalin).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of vaccines also contain aluminum in toxic amounts, and funky, awful ingredients like monkey kidney cells, vesicle fluid from calf skins, embryonic fluid from chickens, and yes, even <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">human cells from aborted fetal tissue</i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Facts from : </span><a href="http://www.oasisadvancedwellness.com/learning/informed-vaccine.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.oasisadvancedwellness.com/learning/informed-vaccine.html</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I DO NOT want Lydia to have any aborted fetal cells in her, and I WILL NOT support the abortion industry.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, I personally do not understand why, shortly after birth, it is recommended that your newborn be vaccinated against Hepatitis B, an STD contracted mainly in adults who use intravenous drugs or who engage in at-risk sexual behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We chose to decline this vaccine at birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Lydia or our future children find it necessary later in life, that choice will be up to them.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Up to this point, Lydia is unvaccinated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We declined the HepB shot in the hospital, and have so far declined all other vaccines as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our pediatrician’s office even made us sign a release form saying that we were aware of the dangers of not vaccinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lydia’s doctor has been very respectful of our wishes and has not pushed the issue any further with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last night, Lydia got a fever of 102.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was absolutely pitiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My girl is a wiggle-worm, and whenever she is awake, she’s moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She lay on my chest for at least an hour last night awake and still. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would look up at me like, “Mommy, I don’t feel good,” and it was awful b/c I didn’t really know what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James got her a cool cloth for her forehead and that seemed to help her feel a little bit better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed one of my references, and it said that when babies in her specific age group get a fever that high, to call the doctor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doc on call asked me if she had been vaccinated and I said no, and then she kind of made me a little worried when she mentioned the pneumococcal virus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked how it can manifest, and she said it could be anything from cold symptoms, to an ear infection, to meningitis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All from a “vaccine preventable” disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing is, though, that there are many strains of pneumococcal virus, and the vaccine only defends against one strain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like how it was put that “Vaccines are safe and effective, however they are neither perfectly safe nor perfectly effective”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was said by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) </span><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/policies/downloads/vacc_mandates_chptr13.pdf"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/policies/downloads/vacc_mandates_chptr13.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Serious complications from pneumococcal virus are rare, however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last night, I asked James what he seriously thought of vaccinating Lydia, and his conclusion was that he and I were both vaccinated and we are both fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s not that I don’t agree with him, but then I found out today that he and I were only required to have 10 vaccinations, encompassing about 7 diseases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, the mandate is for 36 vaccines, against 16 diseases (if I am counting right).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a big difference in just 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are excellent arguments for each side, but I don’t know that I am fully sold on either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I watched a video on Netflix put out by PBS Frontline, called, “The Vaccine War” (</span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> ).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this video, there was a baby that was just over a month old who had caught Whooping Cough (Pertussis).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whooping Cough causes the windpipe to constrict, and a baby’s windpipe is already so narrow…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The paramedics had to insert a tube down her throat and supply oxygen through her nostrils just so she could breathe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was heartbreaking to watch her on video.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(She recovered, thank goodness, but only narrowly escaped death.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That video made me rethink my desire to not vaccinate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then, of course, there are the countless parents whose children suffered adverse side effects after inoculation, either due to the vaccines themselves or because the children were genetically predisposed prior to their shots, and the vaccines triggered something within their chemistry to go haywire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, as afore mentioned, there are the questionable and downright abominable ingredients, though not every vaccine contains them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyhow, I was just telling my husband that I am unsure as to which camp is best for our family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just want my daughter to be healthy and live a long life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to make a choice for her that could impact her life in a negative way forever; if I vaccinate and she has a terrible reaction, I’d feel like I made the wrong choice, but if I do not she could contract a vaccine preventable illness and could suffer irreparable damage from that, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which choice is right? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even as I draw this article to a close, I still cannot answer that question entirely for myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the time being, we have decided to put Lydia’s vaccinations on hold until she is done breastfeeding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we will pick and choose the vaccines that we feel are most important for her to have at that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know we will not vaccinate against polio, as it is not a real threat in this country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If, later on in life, she chooses to travel the world, that is something that she will need to get, and the choice is up to her at that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also know that I will not permit any aborted human fetal cells to be injected into her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if it is up to me, I’d rather she contract the Chicken Pox at an early age b/c the vaccine doesn’t always do the trick, and it is SO much worse to have it as an adult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the time being, that is all I know for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the meantime, I will continue to do research in the hopes that I can come up with some more concrete answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please post your thoughts and decisions on here, and THANK YOU to Tawny, Jenn, and Sarah W. for all the information and inspiration – keep it coming!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-25119898590617869682011-10-12T03:44:00.000-07:002011-10-12T03:44:44.118-07:00Getting "Veggie" in the Kitchen<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My apologies for the delay in getting a new posting up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be honest, I haven’t really had much on my mind to write about, and I have been too exhausted to sit in front of the computer to type an article.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve had nine mostly sleepless nights in a row now, due to Lydia having really bad gas that’s been keeping us both up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t seem to figure out what’s causing it, despite alleviating possible culprits from my diet (including my vitamins), which is what sucks the worst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s awful having to watch my little one suffer…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyhoo…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe I have mentioned in passing that James and I recently got our “numbers” checked, and said that, unfortunately, his numbers were terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>High blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, BMI, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And though my BMI was too high, the diagnostic people failed to take into account that I just had a baby four months prior.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That got us thinking that we needed to do something pretty drastic with our lifestyle, changing the way we view exercise and eating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We watched three documentaries that got us thinking about our food intake, and how we can choose life or death when we choose what to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have decided to cut out almost all of the meats we were eating (though I am still eating more than he is b/c of nursing), to eat more fruits and veggies (especially raw), cut way back on sugars, and avoid processed foods in general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the kitchen as mostly my domain, this felt like a daunting task, but I knew I was up to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I grabbed a couple cookbooks from my mom, got a couple ideas from my imagination, from the internet, and from picking James’ brain, and we went to the Farmer’s Market and the grocery store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a fun afternoon!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided that our health was definitely more important than keeping strictly to our budget, and just had a good time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed picking out our favorite kinds of produce together, and buying several that we’d never experienced before (i.e. leeks).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We grabbed everything from potatoes to Portobellos to eggplant, bananas to pineapple to Muscadine grapes, heck, we even picked a peck of apples!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have had such a good time getting creative in the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cooking (mostly) vegetarian is actually quite the adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have had difficulties in the past with getting stuck in a rut with what I cook, and I feel like now that I have the freedom to get gourmet, I can really get crazy and discover a new talent and passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some of the dishes I have been making, please let me know if you’d like a recipe!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ratatouille a la Stevie with Spaghetti Squash</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pinto Beans and Rice (simple, I know, but I’d never made beans before!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roasted Portobello and Red Pepper Sandwiches with Cayenne Aioli</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stuffed Bell Peppers (made with yellow rice, Portobello mushrooms, onion, and yellow bell pepper)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Creamy Potato and Kale Soup (Vegan, and one of my FAVES so far)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chicken Noodle Soup (though it was not vegetarian, it was DELICIOUS, and approved of by both James and Brittany!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I recommend watching Food, Inc. to anyone with Netflix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will change the way you view the foods you see at the grocery store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will cause you to be curious about where your food comes from, and it may even make you mad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, I’m sure that I will have turned you away from watching it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s been an adventure for sure, this lifestyle change, be we feel better physically and mentally, knowing we are investing in our health. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-81785598899934098302011-10-01T07:35:00.000-07:002011-10-01T07:43:36.573-07:00Why I Love My Marriage<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a day when divorce rates are up beyond 50%, even in the Christian community, I just want to have a marriage that stands out and stands strong. The Lord has given me such a thing! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A lot of people thought James and I were crazy, getting married after knowing one another only 6 months, and it is true that we could have made a huge mistake. Fortunately, God knew what He was up to in putting us together, and we had enough sense to trust what He was telling us. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I want to tell you a little bit about my husband and my marriage. I’d like to share with you some of the reasons why James and I work.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Co8Qq95w5Ic/Tocl4WVX_XI/AAAAAAAAABk/3KMKVySlpIg/s1600/DSCN2194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Co8Qq95w5Ic/Tocl4WVX_XI/AAAAAAAAABk/3KMKVySlpIg/s320/DSCN2194.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">James and me right after our wedding ceremony.</div><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are very different, but we see eye to eye.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> He makes me think outside the box in the way he presents ideas to me. He is highly intelligent, much smarter than me, and that's saying something, (NO I'm not that cocky, I'm kidding!) but he never makes me feel like I am any less intelligent than him. When we talk, I realize how different we are, and I think that makes it all the more interesting. It gives us lots to talk about, which is something we do all the time. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We don't own a television.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> A lot of people think we're nuts (especially the cable company telemarketers!), but we like that we are different from the herd. We don't have the distractions and constant noise of a TV. We had both noticed that even though a lot of the programs are good and wholesome, the commercials are racy and filled with images that are hard to get out of your head (i.e. violence, scantily clad women and men, etc.). I had actually hardly ever lived in a house where there was cable, either growing up or after I'd moved out on my own. I prefer to read, personally. I love that we have a quiet home. It feels more like a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, and you can actually breathe and relax and her yourself think here. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had also agreed not to have internet for the first year of our marriage, and until we bought this computer a couple weeks ago, we still didn't have it. We decided to get the net b/c James is the web "guy" for his </span><a href="http://www.athinplaceband.com/fr_home.cfm"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">band</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and he needed to be manage their multiple websites (Facebook, Twitter, BandZoogle, MySpace, ReverbNation, etc.) from home b/c he couldn't do it at work. Also, staying at home with a newborn for me got to be a little monotonous (I have to admit it, I am not perfect), and I wanted to keep in touch with a lot of people from all over. It's cheaper and easier to have Facebook than to have all your phone numbers and to have to print off and send you photos of Lydia. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LJMc4fmSXHU/TocmXAgDPBI/AAAAAAAAABo/E38g4zdwkK4/s1600/001+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LJMc4fmSXHU/TocmXAgDPBI/AAAAAAAAABo/E38g4zdwkK4/s320/001+%25282%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">I <em>think</em> this was for my b-day? But it might have been Valentine's...</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have common goals.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We are really into <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/home/"><span style="color: blue;">Dave Ramsey</span></a> and his plan for becoming debt free. If you want a quick, easy, inspiring read, pick up <u>The Total Money Makeover</u>. We have decided to never use credit again, unless it is to purchase another home, and though we have put our <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/article/get-out-of-debt-with-the-debt-snowball-plan/lifeandmoney_debt/"><span style="color: blue;">debt snowball</span></a> on hold for a bit (we need new windows, have a gutted bathroom to finish, and a couple other things that unfortunately cost money), we are not creating any <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i> debt and therefore will someday be completely debt free!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After watching 3 documentaries (</span><a href="http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp/Buy_The_Food_Matters_DVD?gclid=CPLfiMOLx6sCFZFV7Aod7S0H6Q"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Food Matters</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><a href="http://www.foodincmovie.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Food Inc.</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and </span><a href="http://www.forksoverknives.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Forks Over Knives</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">) and receiving a LOUD wake-up call, we decided to really get close to where our food is coming from, and even begin to grow some and learn to can on our own. For our insurance, we have to put in our "numbers" or else our rates go up about $50 per person per month, so my husband's company has a "Know Your Numbers" event where your blood gets tested and they look at your height and weight, and so on. My numbers were all good, except my BMI (Body Mass Index), but they failed to take into account that I just gave birth four months ago. James' numbers, however, were all in the red, aside from his glucose. His triglycerides and cholesterol were especially bad. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What can I say? Like most Americans, we love to eat junk. We <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">crave</i> it! Anyway, the point I was getting to is that, together, we are changing the way we look at food. We have pretty much eliminated processed sugars, fast food, and meat for now, (it will be more of a treat when we do eat it, and we will be sure to obtain it from ethical, wholesome sources) and have dramatically upped our intake of fresh fruits and veggies and also vitamins. We are starting our days with a liter or so of water and are really just looking at what we eat as either <u>death</u> or <u>life</u>. We can go have a fast-food cheeseburger and love every bite, but we're going to pay for it down the road. (A staggering fact: did you know that ground beef can have the meat from as many as 1,000 cows in it? That just kind of freaks me out.) We only have one body, and that body is the temple of Christ Himself, so we are going to take care of it dutifully. Plus, we owe it to our daughter to live healthily, be active, and educate her on the importance of nutrition, especially with the rising rated of juvenile obesity and diabetes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another common goal is that we want a big family. We are having so much fun with Lydia, watching her grow, change, and become a little person. We are excited to meet her siblings, whenever they may come. We feel that it is what the Lord wants for us.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We love the Lord and know He loves us.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We know that it is by His <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>GRACE</u></i></b> that we are saved. We cannot do anything on our own to make us worthy of eternal life, but God still wants us anyway. He gave us His Son, Jesus, the Christ, to take <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our place</i> on the cross, to die the death that each one of us deserves, just so we wouldn't have to. It is still an enigma to me, but God is teaching me a lot about how He loves us through my daughter. Our beliefs are what brought us together in the first place, actually, and still are the glue that holds us together.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SEWuqEHMt94/TocmqYRvn2I/AAAAAAAAABs/DSSyhz-60Nc/s1600/339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SEWuqEHMt94/TocmqYRvn2I/AAAAAAAAABs/DSSyhz-60Nc/s320/339.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">This was taken on our 1st anniversary, May 15, 2011, 10 days before Lydia's birth.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We talk.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> All the time. As mentioned before, we don't have the distraction of TV, and didn't have internet for a long time, either, so what else was there to do? We are both big talkers, but are also both good listeners, too. We value what the other has to say. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are good at realizing when we are wrong and are never too ashamed to apologize.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We love each other, and though we sometimes have to remind ourselves that we are on the SAME team, not opposing ones, we remember that we are walking this road together, side by side. Yes, we argue, but I wouldn't say we fight. We don't raise our voices, we don't call names, and we put old disagreements to rest. We get it out, figure it out, and move on. This is kind of an art form, in my opinion. I have had to really push with James in this area, as he is one to bottle up and then when there gets to be too much pressure, things end up being explosive. But God is good and prayer works. Myself, my marriage and my husband are proof of that!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have separate activities, but we are together most of the time.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> He is very involved in his awesome band, and I have friends that I like to hang out with when he is at practice. That is twice a week. He works, he comes home, and we hang out, go to the park, watch a movie on the computer, or do whatever. We spend most all of our free time together.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We put each other before our daughter.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> That is not saying we don't meet her needs and shower her with love and affection, but it is saying that we are husband and wife before mother and father. The greatest gift we can give to Lydia is a loving, stable marriage. She will naturally just be secure because of our obvious love and respect for one another. We do our best to live out the biblical model of marriage and family structure. He is the provider, I am the caretaker.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are KIND to one another.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> One of the "Pearls of Wisdom" we got at our wedding was to me from my elderly friend, Allie Rose, who had been married twice and widowed twice to two pastors. It said "Men need lots of praise. Admire him often." I took that to heart from someone who knows! Whenever I see him doing something I appreciate (be it putting out clean towels, loving on the baby, or taking the initiative to get healthy), I tell him "I'm so proud of you," because I am. He is a husband to be proud of. He is complementary of me, too. He knows my need for verbal affirmation, and he meets that need. He is very sweet! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is for these and so many more reasons that I love my marriage. I hope my words have been an encouragement to you, friends. I hope that you, too, have the marriage of your dreams, or that it is on its way to you. Much love and blessings! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-45068119159108892392011-09-30T06:45:00.000-07:002011-09-30T08:38:31.084-07:00Treasured By Pearl: gDiapers<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In recent years, having a baby has become an entirely new experience from having a whole <i>world</i> of products available at our fingertips on the internet. There have been SO many inventions and innovations that making decisions about what you may or may not truly need and then which brands are best is absolutely overwhelming.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This was not the case with the diapers I selected.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OB-UeUABl-c/ToXhZ9a9d5I/AAAAAAAAABg/5JIItxSuHjQ/s1600/040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="239" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OB-UeUABl-c/ToXhZ9a9d5I/AAAAAAAAABg/5JIItxSuHjQ/s320/040.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lydia modeling her Gooseberry Purple G.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Because I was going to be staying at home once the baby came, I knew I wanted to use some sort of cloth diaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many reasons, #1 being that by the time your baby is out of diapers, around 2 years of age, you will spend around $1500 on disposable diapers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>$1500?!?!?</u></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a brand new, top of the line washer and dryer!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That fact alone got me looking into the cloth diaper thing a little more, to say the least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one income, that’s more than we could afford (it averages to be about $65 a month.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then there’s diaper rash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sources I’ve found on the internet say that there’s no difference between cloth and disposables as far as diaper rash goes, but I disagree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we came home from the hospital, we had been given a stack of Pampers, and we figured why waste?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used them up, and Lydia got diaper rash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Lydia also has very sensitive skin.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We put her in her G’s and it went away!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She hasn’t gotten diaper rash since we discovered her dairy allergy and I eliminated it from my diet.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Disposable diapers fill up our landfills and don’t go away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is said that a disposable diaper takes around 250-500 years to decompose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WOW.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Disposables also contain harmful chemicals (Dioxin & </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Tributyl-tin (TBT))</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, said in boys to inhibit sperm production.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The substance in them that absorbs wetness and becomes a gel?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, that was used at one time (the 80’s) in super-absorbency tampons until they found that it increased the risk of TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) in women.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And here’s an interesting and eye-opening tidbit I pulled from the Real Diaper Association (</span><a href="http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php"><span style="color: yellow; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">):</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were about 19 million children under four in 2000. We could probably assume that there are about 9.5 million children under two and therefore in diapers at any one time. Based on previous studies, we estimate that 5-10% of babies wear cloth diapers at least part time. We will average these figures to 7.5% of babies in cloth diapers and 92.5% in disposables. This means that about 8.8 million babies in the U.S. are using 27.4 billion disposable diapers every year<sup>13</sup>.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span style="color: #ffd966;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Based on these calculations, if we multiply the 8.8 million babies in disposable diapers by an average cost of $800 a year, we find that Americans spend about 7 billion dollars on disposable diapers every year. If every one of those families switched to home-laundered cloth prefold diapers, they would save more than $6 billion<sup>14</sup>, enough to feed about 2.5 million American children for an entire year<sup>15</sup>. Coincidentally, the 2002 U.S. Census reveals that 2.3 million children under 6 live in poverty<sup>16</sup>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My friend, Jenn, the fabulous wellspring of knowledge and information and chiropractor extraordinaire, was the one who told me about gDiapers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She showed them to me, and they were SO cute!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told James about them, and he was on board when I relayed all the information I just have told you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C1f4m25SJvI/ToXhI8PAn-I/AAAAAAAAABc/w6BEOFwjo-g/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C1f4m25SJvI/ToXhI8PAn-I/AAAAAAAAABc/w6BEOFwjo-g/s320/030.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">James with Lydia modeling her Good Fortune Red G.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here’s how they work:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>they have 3 components.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First is the 100% cotton cloth diaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It comes in a wide array of colors and even some cute patterns, and has sturdy (though comfortable) velcro tabs to keep them on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there’s the snap-in liner, which holds the absorbent part and is itself breathable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then you have 2 options for absorbency, the biodegradable refill or the cloth refill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We use a combination of both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For nights and outings, we use the biodegradables (which are flushable, or if you toss them in the trash they biodegrade in 50 days or so, or if you’re into it, you can compost the pee ones and the super absorber is AWESOME at keeping moisture at the roots of your plants!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For days when I am home (which is most of the time), I use the cloth inserts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The top layer is soft microfiber and the bottom layer is hemp, which becomes more absorbent each time you wash it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They’re user-friendly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cloth part and liners only really need to be washed when they get really wet or dirty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Lydia has a blowout and she’s wearing a cloth insert, I just toss the whole thing in my diaper “pail” (a medium-sized Tupperware lined with a trash bag) and let the wash do the rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your baby is solely breastfed, there’s no need to rinse b/c the poo is water-soluble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pee ones I just put the insert into the same pail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I requisitioned a pair of long metal tongs from the kitchen that we weren’t using and use those to load everything into the wash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do laundry about every 3 days or so, and I just wash the diapers with the whites on hot.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shopping:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James’ granny gave us $100 to put toward our cloth diapers, and so we got online and went to market!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best deal I found was on diapers.com.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They give you 20% off for your first 3 months, and so we did our initial order through them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For $137, we got 1 dozen tiny gDiapers (for brand new babies and fit up to 9 pounds, I think, but Lydia grew out of them more quickly than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tiny G’s also have a snap-down part in the front to keep the diaper out of the way while the umbilicus is healing.), 8 small G’s (for up to 14 pounds, Lydia is still in these, and they give you 4 colors and 2 whites, plus we added on 2 more, one pink, one purple), and 80 biodegradable refills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(If you think that a newborn goes through about 10 diapers a day, that’s enough for 8 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t worry, new mamas, their diaper consumption goes way down after the first couple weeks.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also had added on 6 extra snap-in liners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then my Aunt Sue sent us $50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For $47 (or something like that), we got 1 dozen cloth inserts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(BTW, don’t use cloth in the tiny G’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They leak, but that’s why they send you the 80 biodegradables.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then we signed up on Amazon Moms via amazon.com and opted to have the biodegradable refills auto-shipped to us every month (which saves you about 30%), and now we pay roughly $36 a case (160 refills) which last us about 30 days.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is nothing I don’t like about my G’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are a well-made product, based in Australia, and they sure do make for a cute little butt!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The colors provide coordination for every outfit, and they’re very easy to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They fit better than any disposable I’ve come across, and though you pay a little more up front, in the end the monthly cost is doable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d recommend them to any parent and any baby, and even if you don’t get to start them out in cloth it’ll still make a difference in their little lives.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Again, here’s the link to gDiapers:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="http://www.gdiapers.com/shop-diapers/"><span style="color: yellow;">http://www.gdiapers.com/shop-diapers/</span></a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And here’s where I got my references from: </span><a href="http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php"><span style="color: yellow; font-family: inherit;">http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have fun, my lovely Mamas!!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-63988645403822052832011-09-26T10:22:00.000-07:002011-09-26T10:22:17.804-07:00Challenge!Spread the word about this blog! Here's how it works: you tell a friend about Mother Of Pearl and have them sign up as a follower. When you see that they are on here, leave a comment on this entry telling me who they are. Whoever gets the most friends to sign up and start reading within two weeks gets a hand-made (by me) piece of jewelry! Contest closes October 10th. Who's going to win??!MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-33674817805461645322011-09-26T09:57:00.000-07:002011-09-26T18:46:51.987-07:00Treasured By Pearl: Baby Wise<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the reasons I started this blog was because I wanted to review my favorite products in Babydom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will label these “Treasured By Pearl”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those of you that know me know how I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">LOOOOOVE</i> to get on my soapbox about books and products, talking your ear off about their superiority, value, ease of use, or whatever makes me excited about that particular thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was actually going to hold off a while on these, but I’m so pleased and excited that I can’t hold this all in and now seems like a perfect time to write about it!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Frowned upon by some schools of thought, I decided to implement Baby Wise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep</u> is a book and “regimen” of sorts written by Gary Ezzo, M. A. and Robert Bucknam, M. D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(There is actually a whole series of the –Wise books, but <u>On Becoming Baby Wise</u> is the first.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The authors are doctors and fathers who live in the Denver/Boulder area of Colorado, and have done much research to back up their theories.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To boil it down, the basic theory behind Baby Wise is that babies thrive on structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They call it an “infant management plan that successfully and naturally helps infants synchronize their feeding, waketime, and nighttime sleep cycles”, and it is just that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sure that some of you reading this blog don’t or won’t agree with the principles of Baby Wise, but I am just here to tell you what my experience has been and my opinion on it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My friend Brittany and I had babies 8 days apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had eerily similar birth experiences, and though we were friends while we were pregnant, since our daughters have exited the womb, we have become each other’s confidants, allies, product recommenders, and the very closest of friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sit around at my house on Saturdays while James is at band practice and talk, nurse, bounce ideas off each other, and compare our gorgeous babes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7TeRHB5lueQ/ToCqfXiWpPI/AAAAAAAAABI/a3s-S5V__Ec/s1600/043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7TeRHB5lueQ/ToCqfXiWpPI/AAAAAAAAABI/a3s-S5V__Ec/s320/043.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lydia and Amelia in their Bumbo Chairs.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Lydia was six weeks old, Brittany loaned me the Baby Wise book, having put Amelia, her little girl, on it a few days before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had had great success so far and was excited to share this gem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rightly so!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started reading it, and still being crazily hormonal, started crying and getting really upset that I hadn’t thought of putting Lydia on a routine before, and that nobody had told me about the importance of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We had had issues up to that point because of her reflux – baby heartburn – and had troubles with getting that regulated, but I realize now that a major portion of her crankiness came from not sleeping properly and not being on a routine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would nap on my chest, nurse erratically, not let me put her down, and was what we would have characterized as a fussy baby.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The principles in the book fit right in with the style of parenting that James and I had originally envisioned for ourselves, so we got right to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Baby Wise, your child is on a constant rotation of feeding, waketime, sleep, feeding waketime, sleep, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On paper, it seems monotonous and controlling, but there is much room for flexibility and freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Babies seem to do best (especially a sensitive one like Lydia) when they know what to expect next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having them on a simple routine makes this possible for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was hard at first, b/c they recommend that you put them in their own room and their own bed, and then you put them to bed while they are awake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being separated from mommy is not something a new born likes very much, especially when they experience the intimacy and closeness of nursing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we did it anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not something you can commit to lightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You must have just as much determination to do sleep training as it takes to begin breastfeeding.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first week was the hardest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit it: the worst part is listening to her cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">awful</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(But we also started when she was six weeks and she had become used to life another way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the next baby we will start from the get-go.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We put her in her bassinet in her bedroom on one end of our 1,100 sq. ft. condo, closed the door, and went to our bedroom on the other end of the house, closed the door, turned up a movie as loud as it would go, and tried to ignore the lights flashing red on our little LED monitor (that indicate that she’s crying, or at least making noise).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The thing that is soooo important to remember though, is that babies cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is okay from them to cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is what babies do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The normal, healthy baby cries between one and four hours daily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a chapter in Baby Wise on crying that tells all about this, and provides you with the reassurance that, yes, you are listening to her cry now, but it will not always be like this and the long term benefits are so much greater than the frustration that your little family is dealing with now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are teaching your newborn to soothe herself to sleep, and not to rely on you as a prop to do it for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Baby Wise worked great for us the first month, and it was such a relief to not have to worry about whether or not we were doing the right thing for her, because we knew we were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lydia was sleeping from 9pm til 2am most nights, and some til 4am!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what works one week does not always work so well the next.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With my pain during breastfeeding, James hated watching me struggle and so I ended up doing a lot of pumping and bottle feeding, and that messed with her routine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then of course, I was given <u>The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding</u> by my friend, Jenn, and found out what I did about the importance of actually giving her the breast, and so we swapped off the bottles again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That messed with her routine yet again, and by then she was hardly sleeping 2-3 hours before she’d wake and want to nurse! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got so exhausted that I’d end up just bringing her to bed with us, usually around 4am, but occasionally as early as 2am.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She grew out of the bassinet, and we didn’t yet have a crib, so she slept in her pack-n-play for about 3 weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not surprisingly, she did even worse in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Note to upcoming mamas: pack-n-plays are NOT intended for more than naps, lol!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She woke even more frequently, and because she was nursing so much in the night, sometimes as much as every hour or two, she was only getting my foremilk and that made her gassy and she’d often be up from 4am-6am or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ugh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyhow, through another family wanting to bless us, we were given a very nice crib and mattress set!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got it set up on Saturday, and though she didn’t do so well that night, I hadn’t lost faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, last night, (Sunday), she went down without a fuss, slept peacefully from 6:45pm-10:30pm, then again til 2:30am, then til 5:40am, and then til 7:30am!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may not seem like much to be excited about, but it is for me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biggest thing was that I didn’t have to pull her into our bed in the wee hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She didn’t even seem to care or miss it at all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been 2 or more months since she’s slept by herself til it’s time to get up in the morning!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apakifpfeLw/ToCumxdTwaI/AAAAAAAAABQ/HGdxeHnXI7Q/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-apakifpfeLw/ToCumxdTwaI/AAAAAAAAABQ/HGdxeHnXI7Q/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the nursery now! I'm so excited!!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By the way, the crying eventually stops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t take long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, most nights, when I put her down, she just sucks her thumb or fingers til she falls asleep, and doesn’t even cry at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her naps are usually the same way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she does cry, it’s more like what I call fuss-crying, and not the crying that is at a fever pitch and evokes tears (both mine and hers). She can also fall asleep most anywhere. For instance, she slept great when we went to FL in July, and she sleeps on her blanket on the floor at my dad's house when I clean on Tuesdays. (This doesn't mean, however, that she likes her car seat any more than she used to. She hates being strapped in to that thing!!) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z_-vvPoAAuM/ToCtGeflv6I/AAAAAAAAABM/ooUXZ66Lw3Q/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z_-vvPoAAuM/ToCtGeflv6I/AAAAAAAAABM/ooUXZ66Lw3Q/s320/014.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Lydia sleeping on the floor at Dad's.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would recommend Baby Wise to any mama, especially those who are expecting or have just had their first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I had also read <u>The Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate With Your Baby</u> by Tracy Hogg, and though she is against methods where you let your baby cry, she had <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a lot</i> of useful information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was all for getting your baby on a routine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two methods conflicted, but the end result is the same: get your baby on a routine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re going to do Baby Wise, read this one anyway, b/c it has great information on decoding your newborn’s cries and determining what type of personality your newborn has, as well as soothing methods and tips for each type.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's a link to their actual site. <img align="right" alt="babywise250.jpg" border="0" height="188" src="http://69.6.229.61/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/babywise250.jpg" style="height: 143px; width: 187px;" width="269" /></span></div><a href="http://www.parentwisesolutions.com/babywise-2/">http://www.parentwisesolutions.com/babywise-2/</a><br />
<br />
Also, there is a mama in Utah, Valerie Plowman, who blogs, and one of her blogs is called Chronicles of a Baby Wise Mom. Her site is full of SUPER helpful tips and tricks. She's got quite the archives, as she's been writing it since (I think) 2007. It's the perfect place to go when you have questions (like I did about Baby Wise and reflux, for instance.)<br />
Here's her link:<br />
<a href="http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/">http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/</a>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-70671332529476184382011-09-23T08:21:00.000-07:002011-09-23T08:21:20.399-07:00Set Up.<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Okay, so maybe I was jumping the gun a little, but I was curious. First, let me say that I am NOT pregnant at this time. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I booked an appointment with New Dawn, the main midwifery in town, just to see what our options were in the case that we were to get pregnant again. (We aren't trying, but we also aren't preventing. Nursing is a form of birth control in itself, called the lactational amnorrheic method if you are interested in more info.) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The appointment was yesterday, and I was really looking forward to chatting with someone in the field about my birth experience and my future possibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The midwife I met, Alicia, (I think I am remembering her name correctly), was really nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was compassionate as I related my story to her, and understanding when a couple of tears made their way down my cheeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">She informed me of some shocking statistics, such as, when a woman is induced for her first labor, her chances of emergency C-section are 60%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">60%?!</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also told me that Mission Hospital’s rate is more like 80%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">WHAT??!</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Also, the national average of C-section births, as I have mentioned before, as about 33%; Mission’s is more like 40%.*) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Can you imagine how angered I was by this??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt absolutely <u>set up</u>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely my OB knows these rates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel almost deceived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like a lie of omission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very, very clear on my wishes for a natural birth and as little intervention as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like, knowing these outrageous numbers, she should have informed me of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">My hearing that I’d need an emergency delivery after 23 long hours of labor wouldn’t have come as such a shock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows, I may have opted not to be induced at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t tell you what I would have done, but I can tell you that I am super upset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should I confront her?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I almost feel like switching doctors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing is, though, that I really like her and I don’t think she intentionally deceived me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just feel like this is the kind of information every pregnant mother should know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Also, I believe I had said in a previous blog that the delivering OB had told me that my pelvis was too narrow and I wasn’t a candidate for VBAC for our next child…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The midwife looked at me in a way that told me she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said that unless there is an extreme case, like disease or a pelvis that has been broken and wired shut, any woman’s pelvis will open and relax enough to vaginally deliver her baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">She also told me that it is best to wait at least 6 months, preferably a year, to try to conceive after having a C-section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There may be placental attachment issues if enough time has not been given to the incision to heal, and the chances of uterine rupture go way up as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said that their policy is that if a woman becomes pregnant before enough time has elapsed, the baby will automatically be delivered via Cesarean Section, that they don’t risk the “trial of labor”, as a VBAC is referred to in the medical field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Huh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That gives me a lot to think about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope it gives you something to chew on, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My next question is: what do we do to inform expectant mothers of this appalling information?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we become advocates for those that wish to deliver naturally?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m really fired up about this and want to reach out to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any ideas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">*A bit of good news, though: Mission’s VBAC success rate is somewhere between 60-80%, and New Dawn’s is around 90%.</div></span>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-25881917980753625132011-09-21T16:30:00.000-07:002011-09-21T16:30:23.339-07:00Sentimental Ramblings<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I never truly realized just how fragile and precious life was until I had Lydia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time we get in the car, I find myself praying for safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray over her every night for God to send angels to watch her while I am not able, and also pray to keep her safe from SIDS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray every time James leaves the house that he will come home to me soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hate it when he runs late or does something unexpected and forgets to call me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes me sick with worry. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love my little family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know now that being a wife and mommy is God’s intended purpose for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t aware how important my role was when I got married, but the Lord has definitely given me insight and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">proof</i>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t wait to have another baby or two!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having Lydia has only brought James and me closer so far, I am eager to see what the future holds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know that life isn’t always as simple or easy as it is right now, but I am definitely enjoying it while it lasts, both with cherishing Lydia for now and reveling in the simplicity of my marriage with only one child in the equation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just glad that children grow up in stages and aren’t walking right out of the womb b/c childproofing would certainly be interesting, LOL!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyone remember the first time your child(ren) smiled at you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lydia started on the 4<sup>th</sup> of July, while we were at Granny’s (James’ grandma).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had given us smiles before just as a face that babies make, but that day, she started smiling AT us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was enough to make my heart flip!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell me your experiences, ya’ll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><3</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FZmpZETCSxA/Tnpy6q2arbI/AAAAAAAAABE/QzI6eCYaVpM/s1600/389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FZmpZETCSxA/Tnpy6q2arbI/AAAAAAAAABE/QzI6eCYaVpM/s320/389.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is the first smile I captured on camera. (Also posted on FB, you may recognize it.) She was 3 weeks old or so here, doing one of the sleep smiles they do. Mom says this happens when angels tickle her feet. :)MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-2355104451405054572011-09-20T11:25:00.000-07:002011-09-20T11:27:18.852-07:00Thoughts on Cesarean Section<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So the question I want to pose is: why are there so many Cesarean Sections performed in the US now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rate for C-sections in the US is now at 33%!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One in three!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to <u>The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding</u>, the World Health Organization sees 10-15% an acceptable rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, I am beginning to come to the conclusion that doctors are afraid of malpractice suits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They see all the possible risks and things that could go wrong, instead of relying on the woman’s body (that knows what to do and has since Eve had her first baby).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I understand that things have gone wrong in the past and can happen at any time, with any woman and with any baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But these things do not happen every day, nor with every woman or baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why does it seem like all pregnant women who choose to use an OB instead of a midwife are treated like this? Not every delivery is going to be life-threatening or cause serious debilitation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had originally wanted to utilize the services of a midwife to deliver Lydia, but I got really comfortable with my doctor, who is a Christian, and who I felt would do everything in her power to keep me from having any form of intervention, let alone a C-section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (</span>Not that I blame my doctor, I blame myself really, for allowing myself to get anxious about getting the baby out of me.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 36 weeks I was measuring like I should have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then at 37 weeks, I was measuring like I was at 35 weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Worried, t</span>he doctor scheduled an ultrasound for 39 weeks and determined at that time that my placenta was on the decline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She decided that she was not comfortable letting me carry too much past 40 weeks, if I did, and so we scheduled an induction for 40 weeks and 5 days, just in case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course, you know the rest if you’ve read my previous entries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What would someone have done before the time when they had ultrasound?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would they have induced me back in Bible times or even a hundred years ago?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that medicine has come a long way since then, but, as my husband says, “they call it the PRACTICE of medicine for a reason”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I am going to try for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) for my next baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am going to consult with a couple of the midwiferies in town and discuss my options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(On a side note, the lady that was my parent’s Lamaze coach and also the person who delivered me at the time of my birth, Beth Korb, is in practice at MAHEC, a branch of our hospital here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to try to meet her.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hold nothing against my doctor, but I believe it was said best by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein in their documentary “The Business of Being Born”, that obstetricians are surgeons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have no business delivering babies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(By the way, I recommend that any of you ladies thinking of having a baby watch this movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is highly informative and will get you thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, you get to see some babies make their way into this world!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been researching some about VBAC, and WebMD actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">recommends</i> that women at least try to have their baby vaginally after having had a C-section, because even a little bit of labor is good for the mother and the baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They call it a “trial of labor”, and up to 60% of women have successful VBACs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Of course there are certain risk factors that make your chances of success go up or down, but that's true with any major medical or bodily occurance.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Something else that I am curious about is that the delivering doctor, who was not my OB, (I had been in labor so long that my doc's 24-hour on-call shift had ended) told me that my pelvis is too narrow and that VBAC would not be a good idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where did this come from all of a sudden?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was not the doc who examined me weekly and don’t you think that my doctor would have noticed something like a too-narrow pelvis <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i> we started trying to deliver vaginally?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have my annual on Monday, and I plan on discussing this at length with my doctor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another thing that disappoints me about having the C-section with Lydia is that now I am no longer a candidate for home birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is something that interests me b/c it seems so natural.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where were babies born before there were hospitals?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people may think that home deliveries are insane, but successful ones happen every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just seems the perfect place to start life out, don’t you think?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At home, where mama is comfortable and surrounded by familiarity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At home, where you have everything you may need for your newborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> At home, where you (hopefully) aren't surrounded by bright lights and unfamiliar faces barging in on you at all hours.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though I am saddened by all this, I won’t let it get the best of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still capable of bringing babies into this world, and I do plan to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord has been very good to me and James, and we have been truly blessed with our wonderful daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are looking forward to the day when we get to bring her siblings into the world, no matter how they come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5pADJ-NHDw/TnjaoN_jC_I/AAAAAAAAABA/S6ZRrrz9ALw/s1600/367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5pADJ-NHDw/TnjaoN_jC_I/AAAAAAAAABA/S6ZRrrz9ALw/s320/367.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Us with Lydia, who is 3 days old in this photo. <br />
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</div>MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-75371369754022170112011-09-19T19:00:00.000-07:002011-09-20T11:26:59.107-07:00Cesarean Section and Nursing (for me)Did you know that women who have a C-Section have a more difficult time bonding with their babies? I can honestly and without shame say that I experienced this. I felt a strange disconnect from Lydia for quite some time. I knew I had gone to the hospital and I knew she was my daughter and that I loved her, but I wasn't just <em>crazy</em> about her the way that my friends were with their babies. <br />
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This is because when you deliver vaginally, immediately after the baby comes out your body begins producing Oxytocin, also referred to commonly as the "love hormone", or the "bonding hormone", which causes several things to happen. Your uterus begins to contract so as to stop bleeding, for one, and for another, is gives you a rush of affection for the tiny creature that should be lying by now on your stomach or chest. When a Cesarian is performed, your body doesn't generate its own Oxytocin, but rather it must be administered intravenously in its synthetic form, Pitocin. I'm sorry, doctors and pharmaceutical companies, but what you make just can't compare to what my body can make! <br />
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Having a C-section also causes challenges with breastfeeding to present themselves. First and foremost, you are recovering for a major surgery. Second, having a newborn is just plain overwhelming, no matter how many nurses or family members you've got to lend a hand. Third, the mechanics of nursing with an incision on your abdomen are rather complicated. They tell you and try to show you all these positions to nurse and different tips and tricks, but nursing in itself is painful starting out and then your baby wiggles and your incision is throbbing. <br />
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There were only two things that got me through the first 6 or so weeks of nursing: prayer and sheer determination. I would cry and cry both when I was nursing Lydia and after, and when it came time to do it again, I'd cry b/c I didn't want to go through the pain of feeding her, and then of course I felt guilty b/c I didn't want to feed my child, which made me cry even more!! What a vicious cycle.<br />
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So the nursing hurt. A lot. I decided to give by brand new (and totally awesome, might I add) Medela breast pump a whirl and see if it hurt more, less, or the same. It wasn't as bad as nursing, so I thought I'd pump and just bottle feed her. That worked really well, except I had to lug around bottles and a thermal bag with ice packs in it all the time. Plus, there's the inconvenience of having to pump all the time and then when you don't, you get engorged and that sucks, too. <br />
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Let me get off track a little for a second here. I have a friend, Jen (whom I have nicknamed "The Jenefactor"-- like benefactor) who has been so amazing. She was very helpful and informative through my pregnancy and also gave me a ton of her daughter Shelby's clothes (Shelby is 8 months older than Lydia). One of the ladies that works in Jen's office (Jen is a chiropractor) had a family emergency and was going to be out of the office for a while. I told Jen I'd gladly fill in, and so I did. Jen is a wellspring of information, constantly giving me advice, references, tips on products, and lots of other useful tidbits. Anyhow, while I was working in her office, I borrowed a book of hers by La Leche League called <u>The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding</u>. <br />
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This book is AMAZING. It has everything a woman needs to know about breastfeeding, from pregnancy to weaning. Anyhow, I read in this book that with breastfeeding, that it's not just important that your baby gets the breastmilk, but also the mechanics of how the baby gets the breastmilk. When nursing from the breast, a baby's jaw is massaged differently than when fed from a bottle. The palate is spread differently, and babies that are nursed for at least a year are far less likely to need braces later in life. Also, the coolest thing I learned is that when a baby nurses, any germs that they may have picked up along the way get "communicated" to the nipple, and the mother's nipple then generates antibodies for those germs that get picked up the next time the baby nurses! How cool is that??<br />
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Anyhow, to get back on track, it is because of this information that I decided to strictly nurse Lydia, not just give her breastmilk from the bottle. This has caused us to become so much closer... I have gone from not liking nursing AT ALL to thinking it was okay (when I was pumping and bottle feeding), to now, where I love it and can't imagine my life without it. It makes my daughter happy and helps me to feel bonded with her. I feel more now like she is MY baby, not just A baby. <br />
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I don't know if my C-section caused me to have such difficulties nursing or not, but I can't imagine that it made it anny easier. I can't change the past, but I can move forward with more knowledge, wisdom, and comfort knowing how I want to want to approach the delivery of future babies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VqGRfroo2mY/Tnf0GBgkQQI/AAAAAAAAAA8/D7MRN4mSP0Q/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VqGRfroo2mY/Tnf0GBgkQQI/AAAAAAAAAA8/D7MRN4mSP0Q/s320/030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Me and Lydia right after nursing. She was 2 weeks old here. :)MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-64769970625661166662011-09-16T09:50:00.000-07:002011-09-17T08:00:03.217-07:00My Birth ExperienceSo now that the initial shock of becoming a mother has worn off, I have some reflections. <br />
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Giving birth is quite an experience! At 39 weeks, my OB determined that my placenta was on the decline and she didn't feel comfortable letting me carry Lydia too much past 40 weeks. We set an induction date for Tuesday, May24th (I was 40 weeks and 5 days). <br />
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This didn't really fit in with my plan of having as natural a birth as possible, but the doc was sure that this was the way, so... We checked in to the hospital and got settled, then they began pumping me full of Pitocin. Yuck. Contractions began after a while but the staff wasn't satisfied with my progress, so they decided to break my water in hopes that it might bring on stronger contractions. That was EXCRUCIATING and exhausting, even though it only took a few seconds. Things began to increase in intensity, but after several hours, they checked to see if I was any more dilated. I was not. I began to get very discouraged... They kept increasing the Pitocin at regular intervals which made my contractions sooo strong, but I did not want any epidural, so I dealt with it. <br />
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After I had been in labor all day and in to the late night, we got a nurse who I really clicked with. Her name is Lauren. She was so compassionate and caring, she was definitely in the right profession. When we had initially checked in, we had requested one of the garden tub rooms so I could labor in the water, but they were all occupied. At about midnight, Lauren told us a garden tub room had been vacated and that she was filling the bath for me. We relocated and I got in. The tub was AMAZING. I would recommend laboring in a bath to any expectant mother. The warm water is so soothing to the joints and it makes you feel light and bouyant, which is nice after carrying a baby so long and feeling like you weigh 9,000 pounds. <br />
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I got out of the tub after a couple hours, and then I labored for quite a while on the birthing ball, which was also nice b/c it allows your pelvis to spread but takes the pressure off the bones at the same time. Some time around midnight or so, the baby turned over. She was head down, but facing my front now instead of my back, which they call "sunny-side up", and which put me into back labor. Back labor was the worst part of my labor for both me and James. My contractions were a minute apart by now and very strong, and poor James was alternating between pushing on my back as hard as he could to ease my pain and sleeping with his head on my bed when they were not happening. <br />
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I had dilated to about 6 cm and then my body started pushing on its own. The pushing isn't supposed to happen until you are fully dilated (10 cm), and this caused my cervix to swell. The pitocin was causing such strong contractions that I couldn't stop the pushing! (I admit though, the pushing felt good. It was a relief after all the hours of build up to that point...) <br />
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I finally made it to 9.5 cm at about 6am on the 25th. (We had checked in to the hospital at 7am the day before, so this was getting to be quite drawn out, and up til this point I had elected to have no epidural or any pain meds at all.) I was not progressing past this point, so Lauren and James talked and they decided it would be best for us to get some rest, and told me that I needed to get an epidural. I conceded. The anesthesiologist came in and got me set up, and said that it could take as long as 15 minutes to kick in, but it was literally only about 10 seconds and I didn't feel a thing. I was lucid. It was, admittedly, very nice. <br />
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We laid down to rest, and even though my contractions were still happening every minute, I didn't feel a thing. The next nurse came in about 9am and checked me, and I was still at 9.5 cm. She and my OB decided that we should try to push past the last 1/2 cm, and so we got to it. The next thing I remember is them telling me that they were having a difficult time tracking Lydia's heartbeat, and so they checked me again. I was 8 cm. Then I was 7 cm. Then they checked me again and I was 6 cm. She had retracted back up into my uterus! They told us it was time for an emergency C-section. I asked for a couple minutes with James, and we prayed and I cried. This was not at all what I had imagined. <br />
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All of a sudden, all these people in scrubs started coming at me, (I think they must have been hiding behind the doors and curtains, just waiting for the cue), they doped me up, painted me with Betadyne (sp?), shaved me, slapped my butt and sent me to the OR. I couldn't feel a thing from my chest down. Poor James barely had time to react, they had him running all over trying to stash his work laptop and all our stuff (we'd been advised to bring everything but the kitchen sink with us to the hospital). From what I understand, he barely made it to the OR before they had to operate.<br />
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They put a drape across the top of my belly so we didn't see what was going on. They had my arms out to my sides (like a cross) and weighted down with heat packs. With my carpal tunnel syndrome, they fell asleep quickly. I guess the operating staff don't like to work in silence, so they asked James what kind of Pandora station he thought would be good, and he said Christian Rock or something like that. A few minutes later, as Casting Crowns' <em>Until the Whole World Hears </em>came on, we heard her cry for the first time! It was 10:47am. Everything else is a blur of tears, hormones, and sleep deprivation. I remember them asking me if I wanted to hold her, but my hands were asleep so I said that James should. <br />
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As we touched her skin and looked at her perfection for the first time, we cried and cried and cried... What a moment! She was gorgeous, the mostbeautiful thing I'd ever clapped eyes on. I will never forget how seeing my daughter at last just seemed to erase the events of the last day: the pain, the frustration, the horror at hearing that a C-section was necessary. But, as I have said a hundred times since that day, <em><u>the end result is the same.</u></em><br />
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Or is it?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vy7a52-d_58/TnS1wmYegHI/AAAAAAAAAA4/B6wj1Lzs9Fg/s1600/347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vy7a52-d_58/TnS1wmYegHI/AAAAAAAAAA4/B6wj1Lzs9Fg/s320/347.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Me holding Lydia for the first time! What a moment...MotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155722671665707981.post-46979175494371038092011-09-13T17:04:00.000-07:002011-09-13T17:04:12.701-07:00Mommyhood and MarriageOkay, so if you had told me 5 years ago that before I turned 30 I'd be a wife and mother who loves to cook and clean, I'd have told you you were off your rocker. But as it turns out, here I am, 29 years old, been married a year and 4ish months, gave birth almost 4 months ago to a gorgeous baby girl (Lydia Pearl) and I just made a killer dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. Man, how God likes to keep you guessing! The most I could do in the kitchen was mac n' cheese, and I was somewhat less than a "neat" person, haha...<br />
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This is my first blog post! Yay! So I guess what blogging is all about is what's going on in your life, right? Well, then I guess this blog will mainly be about Mommyhood and Marriage. What I love (so much, duh!), fave products, recipes, and I'm sure my fair share of gripes, worries, questions, etc. <br />
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So I guess, check back? Follow me? I'm still figuring out how this all works. Pointers, anyone?<br />
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--StevieMotherOfPearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412122841683531730noreply@blogger.com0