60 Seconds Long and 4 minutes Apart

As I was cleaning out our office area the other day I ran into a note card that just made me laugh. I had written down very important directions to remind myself when I should head to the hospital to deliver my second baby. I had gotten these directions from Natural Childbirth--the Bradley Method. I wanted to stay at home as long as possible, but since I had a previous fast labor I thought that when contractions got to 60 seconds long and 4 minutes apart that would be a reasonable time to take things seriously. I had also written down 40 second contractions just isn't doing much to open the cervix.

Why am I laughing about this now?

Because when I noticed that I MIGHT POSSIBLY be in labor it was around 3:00a. By about 3:30 when I was having chills and just not feeling right I woke up my husband and in his half sleep state debated what was going on with me. I was hesitant to call my doula in the middle of the night because the contractions were somewhat frequent, but not lasting very long at all--no where near 60 seconds. It obviously wasn't doing much to open the cervix right? By 4:00 I knew something was not right, but not sure it was labor. I hesitated calling the doula, but I did. She wasn't sure from what I said if I was in labor either. From my voice I know she didn't think there was anyway I was very far along. But, she thought I should get everything together and my parents to our house so I could head to the hospital to at least get checked out. My parents arrived at 4:30 and the contractions were getting more intense, but still thought I would embarrass myself for heading to the hospital for false labor. But, off we went. On the way I was starting to realize it was probably real labor, which I was relieved since I had woken up my parents, the doula, and the doctor. Todd timed the contractions on the way to the hospital and they were 2-3 minutes apart, but I still don't think they ever lasted a minute which was my directions.

When we got to the hospital at 5:00a we decided that this time we would bring our bags in since last time we didn't and that was a mistake. The valet parking lady walked us to the elevator and then to the triage (another mistake). My contractions had stopped and I was perfectly normal for like 10 minutes it felt like. The lady even commented something of the sorts, " you sure don't seem like you are in much pain or labor" I was like GREAT--this is false labor. When I went to the triage I walked right in, smiling and normal for a good 5 minutes with no contractions. I know the nurses thought it was a joke that I was coming in as they were moving very slow and pokey to help me. They had even been given orders that last time I had come in at 8 cm. After a few minutes the contractions started coming back--WHEW-a relief that maybe this wasn't false. They finally got me hooked up to monitors and checked me. I thought for sure I was only 4-5 cm along. NOPE--I was 8 cm!! The same as when I had come in last time. I had tried to get there earlier this time but that did not happen. After this the nurses admitted that they were joking behind the desk when I walked in that there was NO WAY I was 8 cm this time around.

I am not sure if it was knowing how far along I was or if it was just coincidence, but after this my labor got very intense. The nurses also switched gears from slow moving to absolute chaos and very frantic to say the least. It was a real shame because in between every contraction when you are supposed to have your God given break instead I was being prodded with needles and told to sign my name a hundred times. I had no idea what I was signing things for. All I wanted was to sign my name as fast as I could so they would leave me alone. I asked for my doula a hundred times, but my wonderful husband kept saying she is on her way. I needed her support so desperately since not a single nurse gave me one bit of support. Instead the nurses would wait impatiently by my side during every contraction so that when it stopped they could have me sign papers, etc. For breaks during at least 5+ contractions they tried to get my heploc(sp?) in place. I have small veins so it is always a struggle. So, back and forth between contractions and then during a break being poked with needles. Fun stuff especially since it was never used! My only hope during this time was that I knew being 8 cm along that this intense labor and being pestered by nurses would not be much longer and in a VERY short time I would be meeting my precious daughter.

I am glad I was right because it did move quickly after that. A few minutes later I walked to my room. They encouraged me to take a wheel chair, but I wanted to be tough so I didn't. When I got to my room I got really light headed and vomited--oops. Maybe that is a sign you are ready because that freaked them out too. They checked me immediately again. I only had a little left on one side she said. I also kept asking where the doctor was as I felt I needed to push. I loved the looks on the nurses face when I said that. They told me to pretend I was blowing out a candle when that happened. They have me some oxygen and monitored me and I couldn't get out of my bad. UGH! With my first I was out of bed and it made labor so much more manageable. Then VERY shortly after the doctor and my doula arrived. I was very relieved to have my doula there, but I needed her long before. Then it was time to push. About 10-15 minutes later we welcomed our daughter into our family at 6:03a! We were blessed beyond belief with a beautiful and healthy child!!

All of this to say I am thankful we made it to the hospital in time. If I would have followed my directions I think I would have had my baby at home or in the car. I was only in labor that I know of for 3 hours! I am blessed with short labors, but it sure does cause craziness at the hospital. I have been told by MANY people to consider a home birth next time. We will see. At this time I will need convincing. My husband is not to keen on the idea either. He is afraid he would deliver the baby since I will probably be even faster the next time. But, I have to admit the calmness and support would be much appreciated as that is NOT my experience of birthing at the hospital.

If you made it through all of this--kudos. There is my birth story in a nutshell. It was definielty worth all the work for this wonderful blessing!!!

New Baby and Hospital Procedures

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last month. I have good intentions of writing every week, but it seems time gets away sometimes. I hope to continue with my Wednesday posts again.

My big news this post is that God blessed us with a precious daughter in mid april. She is wonderful and we are so thankful for her! In my previous posts I was talking about procedures for newborns in the hospital when they are born. I wanted to update how all of this went with my daughter during our hospital stay. I am so glad to report that I had a great experience with denying the majority of the procedures. I was worried that it might be difficult or that the staff might have problems with our decisions, but it was very easy and I had no problems at all!

Many of you may be thinking..... What procedures/vaccinations did you deny?

-Silver nitrate in the eyes right after birth (eye ointment).
---I am glad to report she did not contact any eye infections because of the chance of me having a sexually transmitted disease. I am also glad to report that she doesn't have burry vision for the first month+ of her life! :)

--Vitmain K injection
--Instead I administred an all natural oral dose of this at birth, 1 week, and 3 weeks. I also took some that she would get through breastmilk.

Hepatitis B vaccine
--I am glad to share that she hasn't contacted it yet nor do I predict she will anytime soon, especially since I do not have a STD and she is not sexually active! :)

--Hearing Screen--I am glad I saved $300 from this test, especially when many times it is falsely reported because of fluid in the ears. Thanks to my dear friend Melissa, who is a Audiologist for sharig this info. If I have concerns later I will have her tested when she is older and it is more acurate. :)

So, all of this to say... If you are going to be having a baby anytime soon, it is very easy to deny these procedures even if people in the medical field mtry to scare you into thinking it is not possible. My advice is to make an educated decision in what you think is best for your child and family in regards to these things. Like I said in a previous post with my son I had no idea they were even administering these things to him. This time with my daughter I am thankful I was educated and made these decisions.

Silver Nitrate in Newborns eyes

Another procedure given to babies soon after birth is Silver Nitrate--or as I refer to as the clear gunk they put in babies eyes. What is this and is it nesessary to give to each infant?

Silver Nitrate is an antibiotic ointment that is rountinely given to each newborn incase the mother has gonorrhea or chlamydia. Since it is hard to know who actually has it they give it to each infant for precautionary reasons. If the baby passes through the canal and becomes infected with this bacteria it could cause blindness. If the mother knows she has a sexually transmitted disease then it is absolutely necessary in preventing the infection being passed on to her baby. If the mother knows that she does not have a sexually transmitted disease or that the baby wasn't exposed to merconium during delivery there is no need for administering it. It can actually cause irritation to the eyes and blurry vision for several weeks.

It is very easy to decline this procedure in most states and hospitals if you choose to not have it done.

Here are a few links for further info on this topic...
http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/silver-nitrate.html

http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nhealth/0,,3q83,00.html

http://www.nei.nih.gov/neitrials/viewStudyWeb.aspx?id=19

http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/newbornbabies/a/babytests.htm

Hepatitis B Vaccine and my Newborn

Does my Newborn need the Hep. B vaccine, vitamin K shot, and silver nitrate shortly after birth?

If you are like me with my first child I had no idea these items were being administered to my precious newborn within the first 48 hours of life. It was never discussed before or during our stay at the hospital. It was given to my child without any of my knowledge. Pretty scarey! With my second child I am faced with the decision to choose to have this given to them. As I share my findings I want to use this blog to help other parents become educated in case you are unaware as I was. I highly encourage each parent(s) to make an educated decision as you do have the right to choose. In this post I am going to discuss the Hep. B Vaccine. I will discuss Vitamin K and silver nitrate in the next post.

What is Hep. B?
Hepatitis B is a viral infection which can cause chronic inflammation of the liver leading to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and possibly death.

When you read about Hepatitis B it doesn't sound good and you most certainly don't want your child to contact it, but you cannot let that alone scare you into going ahead without knowing all of the background. You must find the facts about the actual chance of your infant/child contacting the disease vs. the risks of recieving the vaccine.

Before we move on read this article which goes into great detail about the real risks of the disease vs. the vaccine: Facts About Hepatitis B -- The Disease and the Vaccine After you have read this I do not think I need to go into much more detail about the risks vs. benefits. Here are two quotes from Vaccination Liberation that I found to help paint a clear picture for me.

"Although young children are in the lowest risk category for contracting hepatitis, they are given three doses of hepatitis B vaccine by the age of 18 months, and then a fourth booster shot around 11-12 years of age. Birthing hospitals routinely inject all newborns with their first hepatitis B vaccination before they leave the hospital. The only way a newborn is at risk for hepatitis is if it is born to a mother with an active hepatitis B infection."

"The liver in a newborn baby does not begin to function until after the first 48 to 72 hours of life. The enzymes in mother's milk assist the liver in beginning to function. Receiving a hepatitis B vaccine within the first few hours of life does nothing to protect the newborn. Rather, the opposite is true, since the vaccine may compromise proper development of the immune system."

Why is this given to infants?
Please read this article by Sherry Tenpenny. She has spent her life researching vaccinations and great information on this topic.


What are the Ingredients in the Hep. B Vaccine (Recombivax)?You will have to check with the company your hospital or doctor uses, but here is an example:
recombinant hepatitis B Merck & Co., Inc.
800.672.6372 genetic sequence of the hepatitis B virus that codes for the surface antigen (HbSAg), cloned into GMO yeast, aluminum hydroxide, and thimerosal (mercury)

This article discusses each of the ingredients that are in vaccines to help you understand the risks of the vaccine.

Just because you vaccinate it does not mean your child will not get it. I know of a few people in my circle of friends that have had their child vaccinated, but still gotten some of the illnesses.

I want to add another link that discusses vaccinations as "big money." This is a very big issue in the vaccine industry that I wanted to pass along as it hidden to most people. http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/vaccination.htm

There is so much more I could go into, but for tonight this is all I am going to put together. I hope this is helpful.

My Journey Through Childhood Vaccinations

Over the last few months I have had several people ask me to write about childhood vaccinations. This is a topic that many of you know I am very passionate about. I knew when I decided to start sharing my thoughts and research about such a controversial topic that it would take a lot of time and I kept putting it off. Since I am pregnant and due with my second child in a few months I am starting to research and get up to date again. I decided this would be a great time to share my journey and thoughts as I seek to make my decisions regarding vaccinating my second child.

My next post will be about the first decision a parent is faced with when their newborn is in the hospital, but right now I want take the time to share a little bit about my background with vaccinations and my first son. When my son was born I had thought about vaccinations, but had not done thorough research until he was a few months old. I encourage anyone that is expecting to do all of your research before your baby is born. When you have a newborn it isn't the easiest to be motivated to research and make such a big decision. Also, you have to be ready from the beginning as I learned the hard way. For example while we were in the hospital when my son had just been born I had no idea they had taken him to get a Hep. B vaccination! I thought I had time to decide and was later very disappointed that he had already had a vaccination and I didn't even know about it! So, obviously my son had his first shot in the hospital and then a select few at the first appointment it was offered at the Pediatricians office. From that point on because of much thought and research my husband and I made a decision to decline the rest of the vaccinations and revisit the idea when he was older. Our son is currently almost 2 years old and we are still not interested in giving him any vaccinations anytime soon. Why have we made this decision? I will begin sharing my thoughts and research in the next post.

Buy Fresh, Buy Local

Do you know where your food is coming from? Most of you like me buy food from the grocery store and have no idea where it has come from and what it has gone through to get to you. I personally do not like this thought, so I like to buy fresh and local as much as possible. It is wonderful to know where your food is coming from. Of course you want to do your research and make sure the food is being treated properly. But, I highly encourage you start by picking one item that you will switch and buy local. Before you know it you will be eating many healthy local foods. I am lucky to have a few WONDERFUL farms that are only a few mintues away from my house where I get most of my items. Then the rest I get delivered to my house through a wonderful program. Check into it because you may have places close by and never knew it. If there isn't local places then I am sure there are many co-ops and delivery services where you can access local foods.

If you live in the Indy area here are some great places to buy local food. Click on the links to see about these places and services! One of Todd and I's favorite restuarnts is the Traders Point Creamery. A nice lunch or dinner with all organic local food from the farm! We love it so much that we already have reservations for Valentines Day! :)

Farm Fresh Delivery
Apple Family Farm
Tuttles Orchard
Traders Point Creamery

Here are some FAQ's about Buying Fresh and local.

So where does my food come from and why does it matter?

For many of us, the location of the farmer who grew our food remains a mystery due to the long distances our food must travel to reach us. It has been estimated that in the US the average item of food has traveled 1500 to 2500 miles to reach your dinner table (see the WorldWatch report Home Grown).

Except for those who eat only from their own vegetable gardens, it is virtually impossible to keep track of every aspect of their food. But if the average food item travels at least 1500 miles from unknown sources, how can you know anything about the way it was produced? How can you be sure that the food was processed safely? How can you know whether or not pesticides, GMOs, antibiotics, or growth hormones were used?

Why is buying local important?

You will know the seeds it grows from, the farmers who produce it, and the routes that carry it from the fields to our tables.

Local foods systems provide several advantages over conventional and global markets. Buying locally strengthens regional economies, supports family farms, provides delicious, "fresh-from-the-field" foods for consumers, preserves the local landscape, and can help foster a sense of community.

Buying local food strengthens your regional economy

Locally-produced food is often fresher than conventional products grown far away and shipped in trucks for several days.
You can give local farmers feedback on the quality and freshness of their produce.
Buying local food fosters community growth

Buying local lets you connect with your food producer concerning the safety and nutrition of your foods

Locally-grown foods can be high in nutrients, often reaching you within 24 hours of harvest, whereas produce shipped from out of state may be up to a week old and has often suffered from severe nutrient loss.
When you buy locally, you can ask whether the farmers use safe farming practices, what they spray on their crops, and what they feed to their animals.

Here is a list of items that I have chosen to buy local.

Farm Fresh Eggs-I buy my eggs from the Apple Family Farm where the chickens are grassfed, free range, and treated very well. I love these eggs and can hardly eat eggs from the store now.

Milk, Yoguart, and Cheese-I buy these items from Traders Point Creamery or the Apple Family Farm. I am also currently on the waiting list to get my milk from the the Apple Farm and I am so excited about! Both of these places carry dairy that is obviously local, but more importantly the cows are grassfed, no hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides used.

Jelly (no sugar-just natural jelly), raw honey, and popcorn.

Fruits and Veggies-I get most of my produce delivered to my house from farm fresh delivery or Tuttles Orchard. Farm Fresh Delivery is wonderful because they deliver organic and local produce right to your door!

My next switch is that I look forward adding all of my meats from these local places too.

Snack Recipies

My family LOVES snacks and I was having a hard time finding items at the store with whole ingredients and none of the icky additives (white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, salt, and soy, and items I cannot pronounce). I personally like to know what I am putting into my body. So I decided to start making my own snacks so that way I know the ingridents. Yes, it is more work then handing them a store bought snack, but I have loved even more not giving them processed food with icky ingredients. I will share more recipies later as I am always trying new ideas, but here are two of our favorites so far.

My son loves crackers so I decided to try making a graham cracker. These are a hit my with family and go very quickly. We also love commercial granola bars, but again wanted to know what was in them and that they were healthy. Note: You don't have to use organic ingreidents, but I choose to in most cases.

Graham Crackers
4 T or 1/2 stick of organic Butter (Sometimes I lessen this a little)
1 farm fresh egg
6 T Rapadura Sugar (unbleached and unrefined Evaporated cane juice)
2 T local raw honey (can be store bought)
2 T organic Molasses
1/2 t Baking Soda
2 t water
3/4 t sea salt
1 1/2 cups stone ground whole wheat graham flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour

Mix all of the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients. You may not think it is mixed well as it may be a little lumpy, but it is fine. Then roll it all out to 1/8 inch. Then cut in shapes/squares. Put on ungreased cookie sheet and cook for 10-15 minutes. When you take them out they will be soft and you will think they aren't done, but they harden when cooling. Enjoy!


Granola Bars
2 cups of rolled oats (organic if can)
1/2 cup of dried fruit of choice (my son loves raisins)
1 t cinnamon
1/2 cup of organic raw almmond butter
1/3 cup of raw or store bought honey (can switch quantity with brown rice)
1/4 cup of brown rice syrup (can swith with honey)
1 tsp of alcohol free vanilla
organic cocoa powder

Combine dry and liquid ingredients seperate and then mix. Then pour the mix into a 8inch square and press firmly with spoon or hands to settle. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top. Place in freezer for 20 minutes or the fridge for an hour to harden. Then cut in bite size pieces of granola bar shapes.

Note: I mix and match this recipe by adding many other items. You can use peanut butter instead of almond butter and carob chocoalte chips. You can add add sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. You can also switch up the honey, rice syrup, or subsitiute agave nectar. Whatever bar you want to make just mix and match. I change it up frequently and we enjoy it. The only thing I have noticed is that if these are given regularly to my son it can constipate him. So, I usually only give it to him a few times a week for snack. Then it leaves more for my husband and I. :)

It's a New Year...

It is the time when people make or break New Years Resolutions. I am not huge on doing this, but one thing I always encourage myself to do is spend more time with God and in His word. I also like to look back and see how God has worked in the last year and am always excited to see what He will do in the next. I know that if I don't take time to reflect on how God is working in my life then I may miss many things He is wanting to show me, bless me, and allow for me to grow.

One thing I learned from the last year is that I need to let God be in the drivers seat. It is not always easy, but how can I do it any other way? I have learned that things fall apart when I try to guide and lead my own life. Yes, many times I have learned the hard way, so I think I better just give in this year and truly let Him. I must also mention that God has again blessed us richly and been so faithful to us in 08. I am so honored to be following and serving such an awesome God. With that said I am really excited for 2009 and what this new year is going to bring for our family. I was thinking the other day and realized it is definietly going to be a year of some big changes. Two of the biggest things will be having our 2nd child and my husband graduating with his PLP liscence and on the search for a possible new job. We are so excited to see where God takes us this year just alone with these 2 things...

I know God is already moving and providing a path for me to grow this year and I want to share a brief story. I recently surrendred an issue over to God that I have been dealing with. Even after doing this I was still struggling very badly with worry and doubt, so I did something I had never done before. I asked God to speak or show me something everyday to get me through it with peace, trust, and faith. I have never before felt the hand of God so close to me before. It has been amazing as litterally everyday He has revealed something I know is from Him to give me ultimate peace and trust! I have had to really focus on watching, but when it is revealed I know it is the "thing" for the day that He is speaking to me. It has given me such amazing peace and I am so thankful to not be in the bondage of worrying and anxiety over it anymore. I know God is with me and He is soverign through this situation.

I have asked several times why am I going through this difficult siuation? I believe the answer is simple. When we are in our valleys is when we are able to grow stronger and learn and come out on a higher mountain. I know this experience that has been so devesatating to me has also been such a growth opportunity to see God actively moving in my life. He helping me to conquer the sin of worry and anxiety. I am going to start a journal to keep track of the things He reveals to me each day. I am looking forward to going back and seeing all of the many things He has shown me. How could I worry and not trust with all of these promises He is personally giving me each day? I am excited to see what else He is going to teach me over the next year as I continue to strive to let Him be in the drivers seat.

I share this story to remind us all that we serve such an awesome and active God! I pray that each of us will be able to experience His prescence in a deeper way as we strive to grow closer to Him each day. The most important thing we can do for our family is lead them to our Father who will always welcome us with open arms.