One week has passed..

...since this little person arrived at our house. Amazing how someone so small can turn a whole household upside-down! :o)

I was told to rest in bed for a week or two postpartum, and I am finding that the more children I have, the more important that rest period is. There have been times when I was flat on my back, in tears of frustration because I could not rise up and serve my family. But I am learning that time recuperating is time well-spent, and it serves my family well that I rest so that they will have a wife & mother who is strong and well.

And so I am resting.

Secure in Daddy's arms

The Birth Story

Jeannette Abigail was born December 22, 2009, in our home in San Juan, Guatemala, weighing 10 lbs and measuring 21.5 inches long.

I was due on December 16, and though I had a few episodes of good, hard and low contractions during that waiting period, I admit I got so discouraged at times. The Lord gave me this verse of encouragement:

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Psalm 27:14

I sang this verse to myself and the baby several times a day. It was such a blessing to me, and it reminded me to just trust my Father.

Monday night, the 21st, we didn't go to bed until nearly 11 p.m. At 11:15, my eyes popped open to look at the clock. I was having a very good contraction. Another came 15 minutes later.. then another.. I lay there timing them for about an hour. A little after midnight I got up to visit the bathroom. I wrote the following in a notebook we had for the purpose of recording the labor and delivery:

12:15 a.m. Good, strong, low contractions for the last hour or so ~ Went to the bathroom. Seemed like one contraction after another. Couldn't stop trembling ~ It's cold!

I went back to the bedroom and paced around a bit, timing contractions, breathing through them. At 12:40 I got into the birth pool, ready for some relief. It felt wonderful in there and I was able to relax better through the contractions that were growing in intensity. I floated about, talked to and sang to the baby, whose dancing movements seemed to show her excitement about her birth day! It was so quiet, warm and sweet, laboring there in the flickering light of the lamp I had lit earlier. Just me, the baby, and the sweet presence of the Lord.

As soon as I entered the water of the birth pool, my contractions jumped to just 5 minutes apart. They were rather intense, and as each one came I focused on breathing deeply and slowly, while I imagined my cervix relaxed and flapping lazily in a warm breeze like a wind sock. Ha! Sounds funny now, but that is the image that came to my mind, and I locked onto it and it really seemed to help me dilate. Quickly.

At 1:00 a.m. I really felt the need for Daniel's support. I called to him from where I was in the water. As soon as he saw that I was in the pool, he was WIDE awake. I told him that we should probably call the midwife, Asucena. He did, and she said she was on her way. (Asucena and her husband do not have a car, and no buses run that late at night, so they came no short distance on foot. What friends!)

The water of the pool was a bit too hot for me ~ about 102* F. We poured in half a jug of cold colloidal silver (which we used to treat the water while waiting to use it) and I stood up several times to cool myself off, then dipped back down into the water when a contraction came. I got curious about my progress at some point, and tried to check my cervix. I could not feel it at all, but just a squishy soft spot that must have been the bulging amniotic sac! Funny, it still did not dawn on me just how imminent the baby's birth was. I was very calm and went about the business of dealing with each contraction as it came.

At 1:15 a.m. I needed to visit the bathroom again. Daniel helped me in there, then left to go get something. While there, I had another contraction, then all of the sudden - *POP*! - the amniotic sac broke! Daniel heard it from the other room.

"Was that your water??"

"YES, it was!"

I was so excited.. Another contraction came as he rushed back into the bathroom. I breathed through it, trying to just let my uterus do the work. Daniel asked me if I wanted to get back into the pool. I stood up. I knew without a doubt there wasn't time.

"She's coming -- RIGHT NOW!"

Just then she was crowning. Both of us supported the perineum, and Daniel held her head as it eased out. He said, "She's coming... There are her little ears.. her cheeks..."

There was no need to push hard. I eased her out slowly, and allowed my uterus and gravity to do most of the work. Her head was out, then the shoulders, and the rest of her body slid out in a glorious rush of warm water. Joy and Elation!

I sat down, Daniel laid her across my legs and I held her to my chest while we checked her over. Daniel got a towel to put over us, and I gently sucked some mucus from her nose and rubbed her back to stimulate her. She pinked up quickly and gave us a satisfying cry or two. Then Daniel helped us back to the bedroom and into the pool to keep warm while waiting for the placenta to come.

Daniel marked the time of her birth as 1:22 a.m., just over two hours after I first awakened with contractions.

He got me a stool to sit up on so I could nurse her right in the water. She latched on like she'd been practicing for some time. Right about then, Asucena arrived. We filled her in on the birth, and we checked the umbilical cord. Still pulsing. I wanted to wait until the placenta was born before cutting the cord, so we did. Once that occurred, Daniel took his baby girl out of the water to dry her off and dress her, while Asucena tended to me.

I am so thankful to my Father for this wonderful birth! As I relive it over and over again, I see His tender, guiding hand in every detail.

"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise thee: for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth..

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee." from Psalm 139

God has been so good to us. We thank Him!

Jeannette's name is a combination of Jean (her grandmother's middle name) and Annette (my middle name). Abigail means "my father's joy".

Okay, I'm ready now!

An-y-time now...

I try so hard not to get discouraged, and just allow labor to come on in God's time. Yesterday I realized that, in spite of my efforts, I had indeed mentally worked out my own time frame for this birth instead of leaving it to the Lord. I was in tears as I got dressed for church, remembering that last week I had put my maternity church dresses aside to wash so that I could put them away, since I would not be needing them anymore. Ha!

So I went to church Sunday morning, to face everyone there who were all certain I would have had this baby by now! It's been raining and cold b/c of a hurricane in the Gulf the past few days, and I thought how lovely it would be to stay warm at home alone, laboring to the sound of rain falling outside... Only thing missing was the contractions.

I took a nap in the afternoon, "patiently" waiting for a good, hard contraction. Nothing significant came. So then it was time to get ready for the afternoon church meeting, and I couldn't think of any reason not to go (besides depression?? Well, that's actually a good reason to GO :o), so I rolled my pregnant self out of bed, dressed again, and went with my family.

I have to admit, both morning and afternoon services I was glad I went (once I got there) and especially enjoyed playing the piano. It was soothing, and it took my mind off myself and the baby, as I played and sang unto the Lord!

After getting home later, I put on my nightgown again and went to bed early, "just in case". I awoke a couple hours later. My brother in Wisconsin had called, so I paced the house while talking with him. That conversation was so refreshing! I didn't mind waking up for that.

Daniel and I were both feeling a bit excited, and had a hard time settling down. We talked until late, then finally went to sleep. I had good, hard, low contractions until around 2:30 a.m., then slept well until the sun came up.

SO.. Here I sit, still craddling this little cuddler in my womb. My mom says she just enjoys the ride. She's certainly in no hurry to find the exit! But there is no doubt she will be born soon. I can't wait to share the news. :o)

Thanks for all your prayers!

Overdue?

Early this morning I was pondering this word that we use, overdue, referring to pregnancy. Is there any such thing as being overdue? Sometimes I hesitate to tell someone my due date, because people tend to fixate on that date as THE day for a baby to be born, or something is not right. The baby might get too big, or the mama is uncomfortable, or, worse, the doctor is leaving town and the mother must submit to induction if she wants her doctor to be present for the birth.

How impatient we get, and unwilling to submit to God's timing! Is not the time of one's birth just as fixed in the mind of God as the time of one's death?

"My times are in thy hand..." Psalm 31:15

The reason I think patience matters first of all is because God is deserving of our confidence in all circumstances, and not just in the circumstances in which it is convenient to trust Him. Has He not proven Himself faithful in all areas of my life? Then why should I not trust Him with the timing of the birth of a child He created in the first place?

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Psalm 27:14

Another reason patience matters is because many women, for lack of patience and faith, get anxious and begin to make bad decisions. When a woman gets impatient she starts to take the controls into her own hands (or turns them over to the doctor) instead of leaving them to the Lord. Then she tends to subject herself and her child to unnecessary medical interventions, and one thing leads to another.. Before she knows it, God has been left completely out of the birth process.

"But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts." Psalm 22:9

In other areas of our lives we say we trust in the Lord, and resign ourselves to wait on Him. Why is it that we isolate pregnancy and birth from this principle, and do everything we can to induce labor and hasten delivery? I am convinced that the timing of a birth can be completely and safely placed in the hands of Jehovah. He is forming this little one in the womb. Let's not disturb the Artist as He completes His masterpiece! His work is never overdue.

"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."

Psalm 139:13-16

"I'm baking cookies..."

That was my answer when my midwife asked me over the phone what I was doing right then. I was expecting my first baby, and wasn't sure what it felt like to really be in labor. When I started having pretty regular contractions, I called her up to ask if it was time to head to the birth center.

"Nope, it's not time," she said. Wise woman. If I still felt like baking cookies, I probably needed to hang out in the kitchen a while longer.

But the baby did come several hours later, and with every baby since then baking cookies has been a sort of ritual for me to prepare for labor. ..Not to mention a pretty funny joke in the family. Any time I am pregnant and baking cookies, they feign nervousness and ask me how I'm feeling!

So what is this thing about baking cookies? Maybe it's the warmth of the oven, the yummy smell in the kitchen, or the therapeutic occupation of the mind with something OTHER than impending labor. Perhaps it's simply knowing that when friends and family come over later to see the baby, there will be homemade goodies in the house to share with them, and I was able to be a hostess ahead of time.

All that is part of the reason for my ritual, I think. It came to my mind tonight because I've had a really strong urge to bake cookies lately, ha ha! Due date is not until tomorrow, and I could never hope to go into labor for real until a few days after.

But the time is really close. I'm excited! And I appreciate your prayers. :o)

Setting up the birth pool

Daniel unpacked the birth pool and set it up in our bedroom in preparation for the birth. Yep, it's really that close!


The children are all excited, and wanted to help out. Here they are assembling the walls.


These two little guys were born in this pool! :o) Behind them is one of the waterbed heating pads that we use to keep the water within the ideal temperature range of 98° to 100° F.


Now they are fitting the permanent liner over the walls of the tub. It's a pretty tight fit, so Daniel shimmies it down the sides little by little.

Before filling it with water, we will put a disposeable liner in. This makes cleanup so easy! After the birth, Daniel simply drains the pool water with an immersible pump, sending it out to the flower garden. (It's nitrogen-rich!) Then he gathers up the disposeable liner and throws it away, while I relax in our clean, dry bed with the newborn.

Giving birth this way is SO nice, for SO many reasons!

"Treating normal labors as though they were complicated can become a self-fulfilling prophecy." ~Judith Rooks 1997

Taking a peek...

We went in for a sonogram yesterday, hoping to see a normal, healthy baby in a normal, healthy "nest". How the Lord has blessed us, and allowed us to see all that and more!

Of course, everybody wanted to be a part of the experience, so all six children filed into the examining room with their dad and me. They were very well-behaved, and most of them were able to make out the image of a baby from the blurbs on the screen. Science class! (You fellow homeschoolers will understand, ha ha!)

We took a look at all the vital parts, and she is beautiful, inside AND out. Yes, I said SHE! The doctor examined the images of her heart, her abdominal organs, her brain and facial structure, etc.. He explained that earlier that day he did a sono of a baby that was missing the front part of her skull. The room grew silent, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one pondering the fact that not everybody gets a perfectly-formed baby. We have always known that, should the Lord ever give us a child with birth defects, that we would take and love that child, and raise him/her for God, just like the others.


I get to carry this little miracle for just two more months. We continue to plan for a water birth at home. What a joy it will be to hold her in our arms!

"Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things..."

Baby love

Just about ten more weeks, and I'll be holding a sweet little newborn! Just who IS this little one that distorts my round belly with those stretches and kicks? It has always amazed me each time a baby has been born, that they SLEEP all the time. What happens to that busy baby I carried around for so many months?? LOL!

I wanted to share this video with you, just because it makes me smile, not only to see these happy babies, but also to see that blessed mama enjoying her FOUR babies surrounding her. I hope it makes you smile, too!

Click Here for the YouTube video!

Good deal at Snapfish (dot) com

We are not at the point yet that we need any baby announcements or anything, but I know some of my readers are! If you go to snapfish.com and shop in their baby store, you can get 20% off the goodies they have there, like birth announcements, photo books, personalized baby books, and lots of other neat stuff. Shop by October 4th, and use the coupon code BABYLOVE when you check out.

...And I want to know what you order! :o)

Craving...

Jalapeños. I could eat them with every meal.

Memories of Birth #3

I found these photos of when I was laboring with our third child, May 2002.


Nothing but good memories of this birth! I love my midwives in Texas, and had such a good experience at the birth center there.


Notice I'm not tied down by an i.v. and am free to labor in whatever position feels right at that moment!


Helen is applying warm counter pressure on my lower back. That was SUCH a relief, as my lower back aches terribly as the baby descends. She doesn't talk during the contractions. No one is bursting into the room while I quietly breathe through the contractions.


Birth is never easy. But giving birth in a calm, peaceful, home-like environment sure does make it an easier experience for me!



Labor was allowed to progress naturally, he was born in his own time (no rush), and was immediately placed in my arms. He was never taken out of my presence, and nothing was done to or for him that I did not know about. It was beautiful!

What a blessed birth it was. Thank you, Lord!

Congratulations...!

...to my blogging buddy, Elizabeth, who gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Monday, August 24! She wrote out her birth story, and you can read Part One here, and Part Two here.

Elizabeth has longed for a natural, intervention-free home birth, but has been physically unable to have her children that way. Her story is truly a Picture of Grace (her blog is aptly named) as God has kept her and her family in His care through all circumstances.

Congratulations, my friend! Enjoy that sweet little guy. :o)

Treating illnesses naturally

We've had some sickness in our house as of late. Some blog posts that I started, lay unfinished, but I am trying to get those finished and posted now.

It's not easy dealing with cold & sinus, or any other symptoms while expecting! For one thing, every ache and pain seems to be magnified times ten, and for another, an expectant mother can't take just anything for her ailment.

Even when I am not pregnant, I prefer to use herbs and home remedies to treat illnesses, and there are so many wonderful alternatives to harmful medicines and antibiotics.

For sinusitis, colds and flu: The steam from a very warm bath or shower helps moisturize irritated or stuffy sinus passages, as does Vicks Vaporub. Drinking plenty of water, water with fresh lemon, and hot teas, helps to thin and loosen mucus and phlegm. Irrigating the sinuses with warm saline solution (1/2 tsp. plain salt dissolved in 1 cup warm water) sucked in through a straw helps a LOT. Garlic is an excellent natural antibiotic, and can be chopped finely and swallowed with a spoonful of raw honey, or steeped in hot water for Garlic Lemonade. (Recipe for that HERE.)

For indigestion: Indigestion is caused by an acid/base imbalance in the stomach. For an acid stomach, a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in water will bring quick relief. When lack of digestive acids is the problem, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water should do the trick. Not sure which to try? I would suggest trying the baking soda first, because acid stomach is most common.

For body aches and pains: What pregnant woman doesn't experience this? It can be a pain in the neck (or lower back, or hip...), but popping pain pills is not the best option when carrying a wee one. Make sure you are getting extra rest not only at night, but also during the day. And check your sleeping posture: try to keep your shoulders and hips lined up with a pillow between your knees. Hot water works wonders for an achey body, as does massage, should you be blessed enough to have a willing masseuse. Arnica gel has worked for me on sore muscles.

What natural remedies have you discovered, that have been a help to you? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Nursing (or not) while pregnant

I love breastfeeding our babies, and I like to do it for as long as I can. Breastfed babies just seem to be healthier, happier babies, and as they grow toward toddler age, they enjoy the lingering time with Mommy.

Since we tend to have a new baby every two years, you can imagine that breastfeeding one often overlaps into pregnancy with another. The only potential problem I can see with this would be a nutritional problem, but a balanced diet, plenty of water, and good prenatal vitamins meet the needs. By the time I am expecting, the older baby is usually eating and drinking at the table, and not nursing very often anyway.

I admit, though, that I tend to push toward weaning once I'm pregnant, for two reasons. 1) Because once nausea hits, it doesn't much appeal to me, to say the least. And, 2) because the nipples get sensitive, and breastfeeding HURTS!

Once we do start weaning, I think it is important to realize that while the older baby probably no longer needs breast milk for nutrition, (s)he still needs that cuddle time with the Mommy. We made an easy transition by giving him a pacifier when he just wants to suck, and I still rock him in my chair. That's all he needs now, and he doesn't even ask to be nursed anymore. He's a happy, satisfied little guy!

Prenatal care at home

Since we started having our babies at home, the next natural step was learning to take care of myself at home. Keeping a journal of the pregnancy is a good way to do this. In the journal, I keep track of my weight gain, fundal height, any symptoms I experience, and fetal movement, as well as new things I learn along the way and personal events I might want to remember. I try to take note of these things on or around the same day of each month.

Ideally, blood pressure should be monitored, but I don't have the equipment for that. (In the U.S., one could just go to a pharmacy or even the grocery store to check blood pressure!) Also, if I had a fetoscope, I would record baby's heartbeat. I'm not too concerned about those things, though, as long as I am feeling good, and the baby's movements are normal.

I know there are a whole bunch of tests that the doctor likes to give you, but most of those tests are unnecessary. If you may have been exposed to an STD, or might have a child with a defect and would abort the baby if so, then some tests might be needful. If you don't know your blood type, or are at risk for measles or chicken pox, you might wish to have some tests done at the doctor's office.

Tests for gestational diabetes and urinalysis strips can be bought at pharmacies or online. I have considered buying those, but just haven't done it yet. Going on past pregnancy experience, I know my blood sugar runs low, as do my iron levels, so I compensate for that with an appropriate diet.

While home prenatal care isn't for everyone, especially not for women with high-risk pregnancies, I think most can do a fine job taking care of themselves at home if they choose to do so.

Baby Bump ~ Four Months

I had this taken at four months, when I finally had a baby bump to speak of. This dress really shows it. Just look fat in everything else!

The quickening

About a week ago, I was lying on my stomach, thinking about the baby when I felt a kick for the very first time. Sweet!

Since then, I have felt more activity, usually when I am lying still. Can't wait 'til others can feel it, too, from the "outside"!

"Lord, I thank You for the miracle of this little child within me, and for the thrill of feeling the baby move! Every little part and joint, every tiny sinew and muscle, were carefully and skillfully formed by Your hand. You are my baby's Creator. Marvelous are Thy works!"

Labor Pain and "The Curse"

For years I have heard Christians refer to labor pains as part of Eve's "curse" for her part in the fall. I've taken a look at the Scriptures, and have come to realize that God did not curse Eve, nor Adam. He cursed the serpent, and He cursed the ground so that it would have to be tilled, worked and weeded in order to produce fruit.

Here are the words God spoke to Eve:

"I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Genesis 3:16

Her role in life suddenly became more difficult. Her "sorrow" was greatly multiplied. This word "sorrow" is the exact word used when God told Adam, "In sorrow shalt thou eat of it [the ground] all the days of thy life; Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee... In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread..." from Genesis 3:17-19. Sorrow here means, "labor or pain; toil".

He also said He would multiply her conception. Eve was going to conceive much more often than she would have. This was necessary, because now instead of living forever in perfect bodies in God's garden, their life span was now limited in a sin-affected world. Living in perfect bodies on a perfect earth, there would not be the need to conceive very often. However, since man had to die eventually, her conception was increased so that they could fulfill the command to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish [fill] the earth".

Then God told Eve, "In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children". This word "sorrow" is a little different than the other word used. This word means, "usually painful toil; also, a pang".

I have talked to many women who were terrified of labor pain, and were therefore willing to go to any lengths to escape it, including the spinal injection (epidural). Fear causes women to make choices like this which, at best, cause baby to be sluggish and slow to nurse, and at worst risk lasting nerve damage from the epidural. I've said it many times, that FEAR is a laboring woman's worst enemy.

Christian ladies, do not think that any part of pregnancy, labor, or delivery is a curse! To carry a little child to term and then deliver that child is to be God's vessel to create a new human being. Every baby formed and brought forth is curiously wrought in woman's womb by the creative hand of God himself, and is just as miraculous an event as when He formed the first man, breathing into his nostrils the breath of life!

Woman's "sorrow" in laboring is "usually painful toil". The emphasis is on toil, not on pain. Yes, labor brings pain for most women, but it is not unbearable. It is the pain that comes from the hardest work you have ever done! And just like any other thing you have worked hard for, when the fruit of your labors are brought forth it brings with it immense satisfaction!

I do not feel cursed when I am in labor, but immeasurably blessed!

Strengthening the Postpartum Tummy

I know it seems very early to be addressing this topic, but I still have "mummy tummy" from the last baby I carried! I am also interested in strengthening my tummy muscles now so that they are more prepared for the task ahead. Last pregnancy I experienced some discomfort as a result of my flaccid abdominal muscles, so I hope to be better prepared this time for the last trimester and for postpartum recovery.

Since birth #2 or 3, I have had a gap in the middle of my abdominal muscles that has grown a little with each pregnancy. (It's called abdominal separation, or more technically, diastasis recti.) Now I can easily put two fingertips into the gap. If you want to check your own abdominal muscles, you can do this:

Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Place the fingers of one hand across your middle just above your navel, and the other hand under your head for support. Slowly curl your head and chest toward your navel, using stomach muscles and not neck muscles to do it. As you do, feel across your abs with your fingertips. Is there a dip in the middle? Is it two or more fingertips wide? Do you have a small mound protruding in the middle? If so, that is abdominal separation. You have plenty of company! It occurs pretty frequently for women at the end of pregnancies because of the expanding uterus within and because the connective tissue in the middle was softened by pregnancy hormones.

When I first started seeking information about this, the first thing I learned was that everything I had tried before was all wrong! Crunches and bends do nothing to close the gap, and can actually cause harm. I almost hurt myself doing these exercises last time, and they didn't seem to help shape me up at all.

Now I know that exercises like crunches and sit-ups only work the outer layer of abdominal muscles (the "six-pack" layer). What needs to happen is a slower process of strengthening and shortening the inner, foundational layers before working the outer ones. If you are in the postpartum stage, and even months or years postpartum, it might be helpful to seek out one of those workout methods that involve "core" strengthening. These tend to include exercises that have slow, controlled motions that work the inner muscle layers.

As for me, I am approaching the 12th week of pregnancy, and will not be starting any new exercise regimen. Instead, I'm concentrating on just tightening those core abdominal muscles, holding them in as I go about daily activities. Shoulders centered, erect posture, and a tight abdomen just while I'm working or walking about seem to be helping already.

The First-Trimester Trial

I really enjoy being pregnant. In fact, there is hardly anything I can complain about, even when it comes to the final days when I'm heavy-laden! Even once the baby drop has dropped, and I walk around feeling like I'm slowly splitting in half, I regard it with excitement, knowing the time is near... But there is one thing about pregnancy that I really can't wait to get past, and that is morning sickness.

For me, "morning" sickness is more like "afternoon-and-evening" sickness. So far, I haven't thrown up, but sometimes I wish I would, and the feeling makes it really hard to function. Some evenings I have prepared supper for my family, and then excused myself, going to bed without eating. Poor abandoned family!

But I have discovered some ways to deal with nausea that really seem to help. Here are some:

1) Make the most of the times of day when I feel good. I usually feel fine when I first get up, so mornings are most productive for me! I try to write and plan important activities then, and get to work before my feel-good time wanes.

2) Adjust the meals I prepare. I used to cook a lot with garlic and onions. You can well imagine that's changed! Veggies and meats are now a little more bland, but no one complains as long as they are salted. :o)

3) Cook less; eat more raw or cold foods. Raw veggies are better for us anyway, and hubby is happy if he gets just one hot meal a day. Many times I am even able to work my funny cravings into a meal that everyone likes, even if they do look at me strange. (Cucumber, cream cheese and mustard sandwiches, anyone?)

4) Cut way back on sweets. They make it worse, at least for me they do, even if I think I want them. I don't even put sugar in my herbal tea.

5) Sip cool water with a squeeze of lemon. Ahhhhhh.

6) As much as possible, avoid odors that set off nausea. I keep my hair swept back because hair smells funny to me, clean or dirty. I leave the area before anyone uses hairspray or flowery-smelling hand soap. I change our pillowcases twice a week. I use mild homemade laundry soap instead of perfume-y store-bought soap.

7) Don't fuss at the family, even though I'm feeling bad. My family is my best ally during this trying time! My fussiness affects the children, and they fuss at each other, and the tension in the house really makes the nausea worse. Besides, if I've been fussing at them, who's going to volunteer to change the toddler's diaper for me? ;o)

Benefits of Home Birth

As it says in my header above, I plan to have this baby at home. Not all of our children were born at home, but the Lord kinda nudged us that way when we came to Guatemala. Home is a cleaner, safer environment for bringing a new baby into the world, and is much more peaceful and private than a hospital. I love being at home for labor and delivery!

What about pain relief? It is true that at home I do not have the options of pain relief drugs and epidurals. But I do benefit from the comfort of being home, where I can eat or drink as needed, labor in whatever positions feel right at the moment, slip into my birth pool whenever I want to, and can even birth the baby right into the warm water. My husband and children are included in the birth process. (Actually, hubby's necessary! Children can leave when Mommy needs them to. ;o)


...And NO ONE is there pressuring me to do ANYTHING. All of that adds up to real peace, and I can focus on the miracle at hand. In labor, a calm, relaxed woman is a woman who can deal with her pain. Fear, uncertainty, intimidation and confusion add tension to the dynamics of labor, and increase pain to unbearable levels. No wonder women cry out for an epidural!

I truly believe, nay, I KNOW, that there is a gentler way to give birth than what the typical hospital situation has to offer.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! I hope you are blessed by your visit here, and that you will come by often. If you would like to, please leave a comment to let me know you were here.

We believe that children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Each child God gives us is a precious gift, given on purpose by our Creator.

I'm so glad you came by. Enjoy reading...

I weighed in this morning at 141 lbs. Whew! My starting weight was 138, and I KNOW the baby doesn't weigh three pounds yet, ha ha. Mom said that's the baby's nest. :o) (Aren't moms the greatest?)

I am almost two months along now, and the news is starting to get out. Our parents and families know, and some close friends, and we'll let it filter out from there. Maybe it's time to unveil this blog, too!

The book I'm reading says Baby measures about 1.25 inches from head to bum. S/he has a beating heart already!

Lord, bless this little one with a strong, healthy body. As You form the child with your own loving hands, may each member grow and develop to bring honor and glory to You! Bless that little beating heart, and may this child choose You early in life to be his/her Lord. Amen.

Tummy in tumult

I've not been feeling so well lately, which is to be expected. Nausea is my daily companion, and I'm constantly looking for something to eat that will help me feel better. During other pregnancies I ate a lot of sweet foods for it, but this time sweets make me feel worse! I crave salty snacks and veggies. Daniel was in town today, and on his way home he picked up a yummy hamburger and french fries for me! It was just what I "needed". ;o)

Telling the other children

Today Daniel let the children know that we are expecting a new little one. We were all praying together, heads bowed and everyone quiet and reverent, when he began to ask God to bless my womb and the new baby within. I felt the tension of suppressed excitement among them until he finished the prayer...

"Amen."

Then they all burst out with exclamations of joy! Six pairs of eyes shining, asking questions, wondering if we are to have a boy or a girl.

They already love our new little baby.

Due date

I calculated the estimated due date to be December 16th. That's pretty close to Grammy's birthday!

No Test, But...

No doubts, either!

The Beginning...

I've been thinking about babies and baby names all day, it seems. I could be wrong, but I think I know deep in my heart that some little person is already growing within my womb. Are you a little girl? I think so.