I wanted to share this awesome birth video (hat tip to my friend Amanda) - it is the spontaneous, unmedicated, vaginal birth of triplets! How awesome is that?
This birth occurs in a hospital, though the mama has had two homebirths for her other two children. You will see from her comments in the video that she had to make some unwanted compromises, but overall the birth went well and was fairly hands-off.
I believe that this birth occurred in England (right? anybody?), and perhaps that is why the birth seems so much less "fussy" than American births. Much less commotion, less shouted coaching at the mother, fewer interventions. Though there were a few things that bugged me (premature cord clamping! ack!), on the whole I was very favorably impressed with this birth. It would be very hard to get a vaginal triplet birth of this caliber in America (as far as I know!).
The short version: Babies A and C are vertex, Baby B is double footling breech and requires neonatal resuscitation (but ultimately does fine).
If I had multiples, I think I'd still want to have them at home. But this mama is an awesome warrior birther (how does she do it so calmly??), and I am in awe of this birth.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Debate Continues: Premature (Immediate) vs. Physiologic (Delayed) Cord Clamping
Last night, as I was pausing to waste a few minutes on Facebook, I came across an article that disappointed me greatly. Written by a practicing OB/GYN at Fair Oaks Women's Health in Pasadena, CA (just a few minutes from my hometown!), the article purported to show why delayed cord clamping (DCC, also known as physiologic cord clamping) is unhelpful or even harmful.
For a few seconds, I was quite taken aback. Cord clamping issues are one of my many passions in the birth world, and over the past few years I have read article after article after article showing the harmful health effects of immediate (or premature) cord clamping (which deprives a baby both of its oxygen supply and of its full blood volume), and the health benefits of physiologic/delayed cord clamping, which allows a baby to continue to receive oxygen after the birth as well as its full blood volume as it is pumped back into the baby from the placenta. Although the sacred cow of immediate cord clamping is proving a hard dinosaur to slay in hospital births, it is on its way out as more and more care providers learn of this evidence. I do not know of any licensed midwives in the entire state of Arizona (or hospital nurse-midwives, for that matter) who still practice the outdated procedure of immediate cord clamping.
As the evening progressed, more and more comments showed up on the blog post, all pointing to the deficiencies or inaccuracies contained therein. I had hoped that the number of comments would provoke a thoughtful discussion from the doctor who authored the piece, but to my disappointment, the article was taken down by this morning, so all possibility of meaningful discourse was ended.
I assume, of course, that the doctor took down the piece because he wished to do more research into the subject, rather than out of fear that his clients would read comments that reflected negatively on his position. If that is the case, and I am sure it is, I look forward to seeing a blog post in the future reflecting more accurate views on the benefits of delayed cord clamping. It is from situations like this that wonderful and positive changes can come to care provider habits, and I will look for this in the future from Fair Oaks Women's Health doctors.
In the meantime, here please see my link list to various pieces on the benefits of delayed/physiologic cord clamping (and the harmful effects of immediate cord clamping), which includes an excellent piece by Dr. Nicholas Fogelson ("Delayed Cord Clamping Should Be Standard Practice in Obstetrics"), as well this excellent and timely piece at Science and Sensibility: "Common Objections to Delayed Cord Clamping: What's the Evidence Say?"
I look forward to hearing great things at Fair Oaks Women's Health as the doctors there use this opportunity to learn and update their practices.
Later note: The full (and excellent!) response to Dr. Jick's article may be found here at cord-clamping.com. Check it out and join the conversation!
For a few seconds, I was quite taken aback. Cord clamping issues are one of my many passions in the birth world, and over the past few years I have read article after article after article showing the harmful health effects of immediate (or premature) cord clamping (which deprives a baby both of its oxygen supply and of its full blood volume), and the health benefits of physiologic/delayed cord clamping, which allows a baby to continue to receive oxygen after the birth as well as its full blood volume as it is pumped back into the baby from the placenta. Although the sacred cow of immediate cord clamping is proving a hard dinosaur to slay in hospital births, it is on its way out as more and more care providers learn of this evidence. I do not know of any licensed midwives in the entire state of Arizona (or hospital nurse-midwives, for that matter) who still practice the outdated procedure of immediate cord clamping.
As the evening progressed, more and more comments showed up on the blog post, all pointing to the deficiencies or inaccuracies contained therein. I had hoped that the number of comments would provoke a thoughtful discussion from the doctor who authored the piece, but to my disappointment, the article was taken down by this morning, so all possibility of meaningful discourse was ended.
I assume, of course, that the doctor took down the piece because he wished to do more research into the subject, rather than out of fear that his clients would read comments that reflected negatively on his position. If that is the case, and I am sure it is, I look forward to seeing a blog post in the future reflecting more accurate views on the benefits of delayed cord clamping. It is from situations like this that wonderful and positive changes can come to care provider habits, and I will look for this in the future from Fair Oaks Women's Health doctors.
In the meantime, here please see my link list to various pieces on the benefits of delayed/physiologic cord clamping (and the harmful effects of immediate cord clamping), which includes an excellent piece by Dr. Nicholas Fogelson ("Delayed Cord Clamping Should Be Standard Practice in Obstetrics"), as well this excellent and timely piece at Science and Sensibility: "Common Objections to Delayed Cord Clamping: What's the Evidence Say?"
I look forward to hearing great things at Fair Oaks Women's Health as the doctors there use this opportunity to learn and update their practices.
Later note: The full (and excellent!) response to Dr. Jick's article may be found here at cord-clamping.com. Check it out and join the conversation!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Time for Some Extreme Awesomeness!
Okay, all y'all! There's a lot of awesomeness in the world, but when we're talking extreme awesomeness, there's only one thing to which I can be referring. You all know what I'm talking about, right? We're talking about...
Placenta Medicine!!!
Yes! This blog is your one-stop refer-all site for the wonders of placenta medicine, better known as the post-birth maternal consumption of the placenta. If you haven't heard of this before, you are in for a treat!
To introduce this yummy topic, read about my first experience with placenta medicine - part 1 and part 2. Then hop over here to check out a list of links to the scientific studies supporting placentophagy (consumption of the placenta) for numerous benefits - help with hormonal fluctuation, anemia prevention, postpartum fatigue alleviation, afterpain relief, postpartum depression prevention and treatment, and milk production.
With my first birth, I had never heard of placenta medicine, and my placenta went the way of all good biowaste (*sob*). With my second birth, I had heard of placenta medicine and decided to try it - it just made sense, as almost all mammals (and many traditional peoples) eat their placentas. Why not? So I tried it. I had a placenta smoothie right after the birth, and I decided to dehydrate and encapsulate the rest.
To my surprise, the effects of placenta medicine were amazing. Placenta medicine helped my postpartum energy and moods (which were sorely tested by the severe nursing problems we experienced) tremendously. Most amazing, however, was its effect on my afterpains.
For those of you who haven't yet given birth: Afterpains are the post-birth contractions of the uterus, the purpose of which is to shrink the uterus back to its pre-pregnancy size, and also to prevent too much bleeding. They are very uncomfortable! However, with one's first birth they are supposed to be extremely mild or even unnoticeable - they then get worse with each subsequent birth.
That was NOT my experience.
With my first birth, the afterpains were excruciating. I believe "toe-curling" is the correct descriptor. They were so intense and painful that I was unable to hold the baby for more than a couple of minutes after the birth. I then had to hand over the baby to my husband and midwives to hold while I dealt with the afterpains. I completely missed the "nursing window" - the first hour after the birth when baby is awake and alert and when nursing introduction is optimal (after that, baby usually falls asleep for a few hours, and you have to wait quite a while to initiate breastfeeding). It was awful, and the afterpains continued for weeks upon weeks. It totally stank.
Enter placenta medicine!
I still had horrible afterpains. I still missed the breastfeeding window. But my afterpains (which should have gotten worse for a second birth) were so much better! It was night and day! And I only had a few "toe-curler" afterpains, instead of days and weeks of them. It was a HUGE improvement!
I was a complete convert.
With my third birth, I was determined to outwit those afterpains and have a fighting chance at a decent bonding experience with my baby. Thus, I developed the following postpartum plan:
Immediately, however, I ran into a snag - there is no way to eat a placenta in that way fast enough to consume the placenta before it goes bad. Thus, I asked my husband to put it in the freezer for me, and I used the pieces frozen.
Only problem - DH did not keep the pieces separate in the freezer, so all of them froze together in one huge, icy, placenta-blob. Thus, if you had come over to our house in the two weeks after our birth, you might have seen me hacking wildly at the placenta-ice-brick with an ice pick, attempting to break off a piece for a smoothie. Amusing, to say the least!
And how did this plan work to eliminate those hideous afterpains?
It worked BEAUTIFULLY!
Wow, it was night and day! Only mild-by-comparison afterpains which dissipated much more quickly. My postpartum was a dream.
I know that the plan made a difference, just because afterpains do typically get worse with each baby. As I've worked on my plan and implemented placenta medicine and other components, they have atypically gotten better and better.
This will be my plan from now on!
If anyone has any questions or further ideas, please let me know!
Placenta Medicine!!!
Yes! This blog is your one-stop refer-all site for the wonders of placenta medicine, better known as the post-birth maternal consumption of the placenta. If you haven't heard of this before, you are in for a treat!
To introduce this yummy topic, read about my first experience with placenta medicine - part 1 and part 2. Then hop over here to check out a list of links to the scientific studies supporting placentophagy (consumption of the placenta) for numerous benefits - help with hormonal fluctuation, anemia prevention, postpartum fatigue alleviation, afterpain relief, postpartum depression prevention and treatment, and milk production.
With my first birth, I had never heard of placenta medicine, and my placenta went the way of all good biowaste (*sob*). With my second birth, I had heard of placenta medicine and decided to try it - it just made sense, as almost all mammals (and many traditional peoples) eat their placentas. Why not? So I tried it. I had a placenta smoothie right after the birth, and I decided to dehydrate and encapsulate the rest.
To my surprise, the effects of placenta medicine were amazing. Placenta medicine helped my postpartum energy and moods (which were sorely tested by the severe nursing problems we experienced) tremendously. Most amazing, however, was its effect on my afterpains.
For those of you who haven't yet given birth: Afterpains are the post-birth contractions of the uterus, the purpose of which is to shrink the uterus back to its pre-pregnancy size, and also to prevent too much bleeding. They are very uncomfortable! However, with one's first birth they are supposed to be extremely mild or even unnoticeable - they then get worse with each subsequent birth.
That was NOT my experience.
With my first birth, the afterpains were excruciating. I believe "toe-curling" is the correct descriptor. They were so intense and painful that I was unable to hold the baby for more than a couple of minutes after the birth. I then had to hand over the baby to my husband and midwives to hold while I dealt with the afterpains. I completely missed the "nursing window" - the first hour after the birth when baby is awake and alert and when nursing introduction is optimal (after that, baby usually falls asleep for a few hours, and you have to wait quite a while to initiate breastfeeding). It was awful, and the afterpains continued for weeks upon weeks. It totally stank.
Enter placenta medicine!
I still had horrible afterpains. I still missed the breastfeeding window. But my afterpains (which should have gotten worse for a second birth) were so much better! It was night and day! And I only had a few "toe-curler" afterpains, instead of days and weeks of them. It was a HUGE improvement!
I was a complete convert.
With my third birth, I was determined to outwit those afterpains and have a fighting chance at a decent bonding experience with my baby. Thus, I developed the following postpartum plan:
- Placenta Medicine
- Advil within seconds of the birth, max dosage
- Homeopathic Arnica
- An afterpains tincture from an herb shop
- Calcium-magnesium liquid supplement, taken during the 3rd trimester and during the postpartum
Immediately, however, I ran into a snag - there is no way to eat a placenta in that way fast enough to consume the placenta before it goes bad. Thus, I asked my husband to put it in the freezer for me, and I used the pieces frozen.
Only problem - DH did not keep the pieces separate in the freezer, so all of them froze together in one huge, icy, placenta-blob. Thus, if you had come over to our house in the two weeks after our birth, you might have seen me hacking wildly at the placenta-ice-brick with an ice pick, attempting to break off a piece for a smoothie. Amusing, to say the least!
And how did this plan work to eliminate those hideous afterpains?
It worked BEAUTIFULLY!
Wow, it was night and day! Only mild-by-comparison afterpains which dissipated much more quickly. My postpartum was a dream.
I know that the plan made a difference, just because afterpains do typically get worse with each baby. As I've worked on my plan and implemented placenta medicine and other components, they have atypically gotten better and better.
This will be my plan from now on!
If anyone has any questions or further ideas, please let me know!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Birth Story: Baby #10
Do you read the "Four Moms, 35+ Kids" blogs? If you don't, you should! Here they are:
These moms, besides doing their own individual blogging, post weekly on commonly chosen topics ("How to deal with tantrums!" "How to deal with the laundry!" "How to organize children's clothes!" "How to get kids to sit in church!"), and also answer reader questions once a month. Being that these moms have something like forty children total, they are an enormous wealth of wisdom and information, and I have learned so much from reading these blogs the past year or two. I love them. Did I mention that I love them? No? Well, I do!
Anyhow, I thought you all might especially enjoy the birth story of baby Calvin, born over at In a Shoe last week! Baby Calvin was a planned homebirth, almost an accidental unassisted birth, and his mommy has written out her story - part 1 and part 2.
Enjoy, and congratulations to this wonderful family!
These moms, besides doing their own individual blogging, post weekly on commonly chosen topics ("How to deal with tantrums!" "How to deal with the laundry!" "How to organize children's clothes!" "How to get kids to sit in church!"), and also answer reader questions once a month. Being that these moms have something like forty children total, they are an enormous wealth of wisdom and information, and I have learned so much from reading these blogs the past year or two. I love them. Did I mention that I love them? No? Well, I do!
Anyhow, I thought you all might especially enjoy the birth story of baby Calvin, born over at In a Shoe last week! Baby Calvin was a planned homebirth, almost an accidental unassisted birth, and his mommy has written out her story - part 1 and part 2.
Enjoy, and congratulations to this wonderful family!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Diet & Postpartum Nausea
(Cross-posting this from my morning sickness blog, as I thought this might be of interest to my birthy readers!)
One surprising thing that I have learned in my studies of pregnancy and birth is that there are some areas of medicine that are unknown to modern doctors. With regard to nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, one area of which modern doctors do not seem to be aware is the phenomenon of postpartum nausea. I am not referring to the extremely rare phenomenon of HG that continues past the birth (though that seems to be similarly unknown), but rather to the phenomenon of residual nausea - minor nausea that persists for sometime (weeks, months, years) past the birth of the child.
The common perception seems to be that NVP vanishes completely at birth, but that was not my experience. With my first full-term pregnancy (also my one experience with true HG), I experienced bouts of nausea that lasted for various amounts of time (usually a couple of minutes or hours), and this continued - in diminishing amounts - for the first two years postpartum. At one point the nausea was strong enough to make me dry-heave, but the rest of the time the bouts were merely unpleasant. Because I was new to the experience, though, I was in a continual state of panic during that time, thinking that I was pregnant and that this was the start of HG.
With my subsequent two (non-HG) pregnancies, I also experienced postpartum nausea episodes. This past time, they were quite unpleasant, and quite frequent (multiple times per day).
Since writing about residual postpartum nausea, I have heard from numerous women telling me that I am not alone - that they too have experienced this phenomenon (whew, I'm not crazy!). However, when I have mentioned this subject to several different doctors, the only response has been a "You're crazy, lady" look and a quick change of subject. No doctor to whom I have spoken seems to have heard of residual nausea.
This leads to two points:
- Whatever NVP/HG does to our bodies, the effects do not disappear instantaneously, especially in some women.
- This leads me to wonder what would happen to a woman should she start another pregnancy before the residual nausea was gone from the last pregnancy. Actually, I'm not sure I want to know, because it scares me too much.
HOWEVER, there is good news!
Being that my cycle has (supposedly) returned, I am now back on the VLC diet - I am now on day 68, with no cheating!! (Except for one day when I took a big drink of my son's lemonade, thinking that it was my water. And then did it again two hours later. Nice!) And....
My postpartum nausea has evaporated, pretty much completely! Hurray!!!
Score one for the VLC diet! For whatever the cause, it really works with nausea. I am thrilled about this, because the residual nausea was very unpleasant, and it's nice to be finally rid of it.
Thoughts, everyone?
And now... Have a great day, everyone! I'm off to go shopping, make cauliflower pizza, and organize family movie night. If all that gets done, it'll be a miracle.
Happy weekend!
One surprising thing that I have learned in my studies of pregnancy and birth is that there are some areas of medicine that are unknown to modern doctors. With regard to nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, one area of which modern doctors do not seem to be aware is the phenomenon of postpartum nausea. I am not referring to the extremely rare phenomenon of HG that continues past the birth (though that seems to be similarly unknown), but rather to the phenomenon of residual nausea - minor nausea that persists for sometime (weeks, months, years) past the birth of the child.
The common perception seems to be that NVP vanishes completely at birth, but that was not my experience. With my first full-term pregnancy (also my one experience with true HG), I experienced bouts of nausea that lasted for various amounts of time (usually a couple of minutes or hours), and this continued - in diminishing amounts - for the first two years postpartum. At one point the nausea was strong enough to make me dry-heave, but the rest of the time the bouts were merely unpleasant. Because I was new to the experience, though, I was in a continual state of panic during that time, thinking that I was pregnant and that this was the start of HG.
With my subsequent two (non-HG) pregnancies, I also experienced postpartum nausea episodes. This past time, they were quite unpleasant, and quite frequent (multiple times per day).
Since writing about residual postpartum nausea, I have heard from numerous women telling me that I am not alone - that they too have experienced this phenomenon (whew, I'm not crazy!). However, when I have mentioned this subject to several different doctors, the only response has been a "You're crazy, lady" look and a quick change of subject. No doctor to whom I have spoken seems to have heard of residual nausea.
This leads to two points:
- Whatever NVP/HG does to our bodies, the effects do not disappear instantaneously, especially in some women.
- This leads me to wonder what would happen to a woman should she start another pregnancy before the residual nausea was gone from the last pregnancy. Actually, I'm not sure I want to know, because it scares me too much.
HOWEVER, there is good news!
Being that my cycle has (supposedly) returned, I am now back on the VLC diet - I am now on day 68, with no cheating!! (Except for one day when I took a big drink of my son's lemonade, thinking that it was my water. And then did it again two hours later. Nice!) And....
My postpartum nausea has evaporated, pretty much completely! Hurray!!!
Score one for the VLC diet! For whatever the cause, it really works with nausea. I am thrilled about this, because the residual nausea was very unpleasant, and it's nice to be finally rid of it.
Thoughts, everyone?
And now... Have a great day, everyone! I'm off to go shopping, make cauliflower pizza, and organize family movie night. If all that gets done, it'll be a miracle.
Happy weekend!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Watching a Mama Achieve Some Sheer Awesomeness!
The following video is from the homebirth of a friend of mine whose baby was born three weeks to the day after our last. She rocks this birth! Check it out!
My first thought was, "Wow! She made sounds exactly like I did!" - which is just awesome!
This is birth in the very real sense. Raw, unvarnished (no new-age soundtracks!), up-close and personal. Women who have not yet given birth may find it a bit overwhelming, but it's awesome and inspiring at the same time.
Does birth hurt? Yeessss. But it is also the most powerful, transformational, and inspiring work that a woman can do, and it is utterly amazing to witness a woman in all of her power doing the work that God designed her body to do.
Congratulations to this family!!!
My first thought was, "Wow! She made sounds exactly like I did!" - which is just awesome!
This is birth in the very real sense. Raw, unvarnished (no new-age soundtracks!), up-close and personal. Women who have not yet given birth may find it a bit overwhelming, but it's awesome and inspiring at the same time.
Does birth hurt? Yeessss. But it is also the most powerful, transformational, and inspiring work that a woman can do, and it is utterly amazing to witness a woman in all of her power doing the work that God designed her body to do.
Congratulations to this family!!!
"We have a secret in our culture, and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong."
~ Laura Stavoe Harm ~
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Books That Changed the World
(This has nothing to do with birth, but I thought I'd cross-post from my personal blog just for fun!)
*****
Books that changed my world, that is!
The other night, I randomly grabbed a piece of paper and started writing down books that had changed my life. Not my favorite books (though there's a lot of cross-over), but books that changed my life. Either my mind or my life's direction was different after reading one of these books than it was beforehand.
So, just for the fun of it, here they are! Though this was not by personal design, you will notice that almost all of these books (okay, all of them), are faith-based. Not surprising, since faith is truly the underlying basis of life, Christian or otherwise!
- The Bible - This is rather obvious, but here you have it! The first time the Bible really meant something to me was in junior high, when I received one of those tiny green Gideon Bibles. I was intrigued by the size of it, so I read it - and it meant something much deeper than I had ever before gleaned from the Bible. Ever since, it has been in the business of changing my mind, my heart, and my life - on a daily basis.
- The Hiding Place - The true story of a Christian woman in Nazi-occupied Holland who helped to help and hide persecuted Jews, and whose father and sister both died in the concentration camps. We found this book in my grandmother's house after her death, and it gave me insight into the Christian faith that I had never had before - especially the place that suffering holds in the Christian's life. Absolutely life-changing.
- A Mom Just Like You - A retiring homeschooling mom gave me this book a couple of years ago, and it (along with several other sources) has completely changed my mind on several areas of life (oddly enough, homeschooling is not one of them). Our life will never be the same.
- A Woman After God's Own Heart - This book was my first brush with concepts of biblical femininity, and when I ran into it in college I found it absolutely mind-blowing. I had never come across these concepts, and they were totally foreign. I am forever grateful to Elizabeth George for opening my mind and my heart to what the Bible has to say about women.
- No Compromise - This is my husband's favorite book! So, of course, when we started dating, it became absolutely essential that I read it. I did.... and again, it changed my life. I had never known that a life devoted to Christ was such a deep and life-changing event, or that the Christian faith could be so meaningful and universe-changing. This is now one of my favorite books, and I read it every year or two. If you haven't read this one, check it out! Right now!
- Left Behind - When I was in college, my childhood pastor read a brief passage from this book in one of his sermons. I was intrigued! I had never heard of the Rapture, or of Revelation theology, or end-times theology at all. I immediately went out and bought the book and read it ravenously - along with the rest of the series (or what there was of it at the time - it wasn't finished at the time). This series helped to form my conception of the Christian faith, and I learned so much while reading it! I never finished the series, and I no longer embrace a pre-tribulation Rapture view, but this book was essential to bringing me to faith and shaping the beginnings of my Christian beliefs.
- Family-Driven Faith - I bought this book randomly a few years ago, and it blew my mind. True - my brain pretty much exploded. Voddie Baucham presented so many ideas that I had never even considered, and a good deal of my church-theology changed as a result. This book is so stinking good - if you haven't read it, go get it! Right now!
- Grudem's Systematic Theology - This took me a loonnngggg time to read - a year or more. But it was awesome, and completely worth it! I had never looked into serious theology past the usual Christian living books, and reading a really good systematic theology (which is also user-friendly) was very stretching and challenging in a wonderful way. If I ever have time, I will read it again! That won't be for another forty years or so, but I'll get around to it! Really!
- Total Truth - I read this book many years ago, and it really changed a lot of my ideas. Oddly enough, I can remember almost nothing of it - I need to go back and read it again. But it changed my thinking a good deal, even if I cannot now remember how! (Profound, no?)
Honorable Mentions:
- The Once and Future King - My first introduction to really good literature, and to really good historical fantasy. Definitely a turning point in my reading habits! As a matter of fact, I never read it now because the cat scene and the unicorn scene totally freak me out - but it is still an excellent book.
- Pride and Prejudice - My first introduction into what would become a life-long passionate love of historical British literature. When I first opened it, it seemed complete gibberish - and it is now one of my all-time favorites.
- I Kissed Dating Goodbye - My first idea that there was something out there different from the usual American dating scheme. An awesome book, and it totally changed my thinking. I wish that I had found it a few years earlier!
- The Upside Down Church - I came to Christ (I believe) through the ministry of Calvary Chapel, and this book (written by a Calvary pastor) explained many things that shaped how my baby-faith grew in the initial years.
Just for fun, I asked DH for his own list. He couldn't think of very many, but those five that he did think of are:
- The Bible
- No Compromise
- The Cross and the Switchblade (and other writings of David Wilkerson)
- Will
- Musashi
What books would be on your list? (And I'm sure that my list is very incomplete.)
Happy Sabbath, all!
*****
Books that changed my world, that is!
The other night, I randomly grabbed a piece of paper and started writing down books that had changed my life. Not my favorite books (though there's a lot of cross-over), but books that changed my life. Either my mind or my life's direction was different after reading one of these books than it was beforehand.
So, just for the fun of it, here they are! Though this was not by personal design, you will notice that almost all of these books (okay, all of them), are faith-based. Not surprising, since faith is truly the underlying basis of life, Christian or otherwise!
- The Bible - This is rather obvious, but here you have it! The first time the Bible really meant something to me was in junior high, when I received one of those tiny green Gideon Bibles. I was intrigued by the size of it, so I read it - and it meant something much deeper than I had ever before gleaned from the Bible. Ever since, it has been in the business of changing my mind, my heart, and my life - on a daily basis.
- The Hiding Place - The true story of a Christian woman in Nazi-occupied Holland who helped to help and hide persecuted Jews, and whose father and sister both died in the concentration camps. We found this book in my grandmother's house after her death, and it gave me insight into the Christian faith that I had never had before - especially the place that suffering holds in the Christian's life. Absolutely life-changing.
- A Mom Just Like You - A retiring homeschooling mom gave me this book a couple of years ago, and it (along with several other sources) has completely changed my mind on several areas of life (oddly enough, homeschooling is not one of them). Our life will never be the same.
- A Woman After God's Own Heart - This book was my first brush with concepts of biblical femininity, and when I ran into it in college I found it absolutely mind-blowing. I had never come across these concepts, and they were totally foreign. I am forever grateful to Elizabeth George for opening my mind and my heart to what the Bible has to say about women.
- No Compromise - This is my husband's favorite book! So, of course, when we started dating, it became absolutely essential that I read it. I did.... and again, it changed my life. I had never known that a life devoted to Christ was such a deep and life-changing event, or that the Christian faith could be so meaningful and universe-changing. This is now one of my favorite books, and I read it every year or two. If you haven't read this one, check it out! Right now!
- Left Behind - When I was in college, my childhood pastor read a brief passage from this book in one of his sermons. I was intrigued! I had never heard of the Rapture, or of Revelation theology, or end-times theology at all. I immediately went out and bought the book and read it ravenously - along with the rest of the series (or what there was of it at the time - it wasn't finished at the time). This series helped to form my conception of the Christian faith, and I learned so much while reading it! I never finished the series, and I no longer embrace a pre-tribulation Rapture view, but this book was essential to bringing me to faith and shaping the beginnings of my Christian beliefs.
- Family-Driven Faith - I bought this book randomly a few years ago, and it blew my mind. True - my brain pretty much exploded. Voddie Baucham presented so many ideas that I had never even considered, and a good deal of my church-theology changed as a result. This book is so stinking good - if you haven't read it, go get it! Right now!
- Grudem's Systematic Theology - This took me a loonnngggg time to read - a year or more. But it was awesome, and completely worth it! I had never looked into serious theology past the usual Christian living books, and reading a really good systematic theology (which is also user-friendly) was very stretching and challenging in a wonderful way. If I ever have time, I will read it again! That won't be for another forty years or so, but I'll get around to it! Really!
- Total Truth - I read this book many years ago, and it really changed a lot of my ideas. Oddly enough, I can remember almost nothing of it - I need to go back and read it again. But it changed my thinking a good deal, even if I cannot now remember how! (Profound, no?)
Honorable Mentions:
- The Once and Future King - My first introduction to really good literature, and to really good historical fantasy. Definitely a turning point in my reading habits! As a matter of fact, I never read it now because the cat scene and the unicorn scene totally freak me out - but it is still an excellent book.
- Pride and Prejudice - My first introduction into what would become a life-long passionate love of historical British literature. When I first opened it, it seemed complete gibberish - and it is now one of my all-time favorites.
- I Kissed Dating Goodbye - My first idea that there was something out there different from the usual American dating scheme. An awesome book, and it totally changed my thinking. I wish that I had found it a few years earlier!
- The Upside Down Church - I came to Christ (I believe) through the ministry of Calvary Chapel, and this book (written by a Calvary pastor) explained many things that shaped how my baby-faith grew in the initial years.
Just for fun, I asked DH for his own list. He couldn't think of very many, but those five that he did think of are:
- The Bible
- No Compromise
- The Cross and the Switchblade (and other writings of David Wilkerson)
- Will
- Musashi
What books would be on your list? (And I'm sure that my list is very incomplete.)
Happy Sabbath, all!
Friday, September 21, 2012
What You Shouldn't Have to Expect When You're Expecting
Yesterday, I saw something that I found extremely disturbing. A friend, pregnant, posted some of her baby's ultrasound pictures on Facebook. Amid the "congratulations!" posts was this comment, which went (paraphrased) like this:
However, in a society that currently aborts 22% of its precious little ones, I guess it shouldn't be surprising. When human life is disposable, it is also cheap.
This saddened me so very much.
"Hey! Don't you know that if you take a whole bunch of morning-after pills you can get rid of that? Ha, ha! Just kidding!"Yes, this person was joking. But that's not funny. It's sick. Have we sunk so low as a culture that babies are now referred to in the same category as unwanted household pests?
However, in a society that currently aborts 22% of its precious little ones, I guess it shouldn't be surprising. When human life is disposable, it is also cheap.
This saddened me so very much.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Anticipating a Special Birth
Would you all join me in praying for this very special family? Their baby girls, conjoined twins, are going to be born tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. (6:30 a.m. Arizona time), and due to their condition are not expected to live for more than a couple of minutes. Their parents are sharing their journey on their blog and their Facebook group, and their journey is a touching and powerful testimony to the sacred and precious nature of every human life, however short that life may be. These parents could really use your loving prayer and written support, as their time with their babies will be so very short and packed with so much joy and grief at the same time.
Blessings to this sweet family!
Blessings to this sweet family!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Nausea & Vomiting of Pregnancy Go-To List
Over the past few years, I have noticed that I have become the "morning sickness go-to person." Through Facebook, or my blog, or just through knowing me, people know that I have had experiences with severe NVP, and every couple of months I get an email from someone saying, "Help! I have horrible morning sickness, can you help?" And because I participate in many online birth groups, there are often requests for NVP help there as well.
Lately, I have realized that I am reinventing the wheel each time someone asks me this question - writing emails with everything I can think of regarding NVP, over and over again. This week, therefore, I decided that I needed to write down everything that I could think of into a document so that I could keep it handy to have when this question is asked.
And so... here is my rough draft! I would love-love-love it if my wonderful readers could read this through and add their comments. Did I write anything incorrect or incomplete? Did I miss anything? This list is a bit patchy, just because it covers everything from mild NVP to hyperemesis, so I'm guessing that it will need a lot of revision.
Please feel free to share the link to this document, but do not copy it into another website. If any birth professionals would like to print this for clients, I would be honored - just give credit on the print-out.
And now... what do you think? Please let me know!
Notes on Morning Sickness
-
Because “morning sickness” is a vastly incomplete and inaccurate term, I will
use the more technical abbreviation “NVP,” which stands for “nausea and
vomiting of pregnancy”
General Notes
- - The general idea with NVP is that it occurs solely in the morning and
that it lasts only through the first trimester. For some women this is true.
However, for many women it is VASTLY INACCURATE.
o Many women experience NVP in
the evenings, or in the mornings and the evenings, or in varying degrees around
the clock. I have always had mine around the clock with the worst nausea being
from 3 p.m. to bedtime.
o For some women, NVP
decreases after the first trimester. For others, it lasts till around 20 weeks.
For some women it lasts till the birth. For some women it decreases in the
second trimester and returns in the third trimester.
o Morning sickness usually
tapers off gradually rather than suddenly resolving at a set week of pregnancy.
- - If you are carrying multiples, you can (usually) expect morning
sickness to be worse than in a singleton pregnancy. More babies = more NVP!
- - The timing of NVP appearance varies. Very rarely (as in my case), NVP
will make an appearance before a positive pregnancy test can be obtained.
Usually it hits between weeks 5 and 7.
- - Though an absence of NVP does not mean that something is wrong, the
appearance of NVP does usually mean that your baby is thriving.
- NVP experiences cover an astoundingly large range – everything from
“Morning sickness? What morning sickness? I feel great!” to “I don’t feel so
great” to “I feel downright awful” to
a mother who is fighting for her life in the hospital with life-threatening
hyperemesis gravidarum. Different remedies will work for different women and
for different levels of NVP – what may be helpful for mild NVP will be worse
than useless for severe NVP (example: crackers). Look through these suggestions
and try different things – remember that different things will work in
different situations. If something doesn’t work, ditch it and try something
else.
What To Do?
Nausea
and Vomiting of Pregnancy – Mild to Moderate
-
Ginger: Ginger is the most
well-documented herb for NVP. It is found in many forms:
o Powdered, in capsule form –
health food store
o Ginger ale – Must buy from a
health food store, and look at the ingredient labels. Most grocery store
“ginger ales” are not true ginger ales and may not even contain ginger.
o Ginger snaps.
o Candied Ginger
o Ginger Syrup (look at Whole
Foods)
o A supplement called “Morning
Sickness Comfort” (formerly “Morning Sickness Magic”) which also contains
vitamin B.
o I should say that I find no
particular benefit from ginger. However, it is helpful to a majority of women.
-
Lemon: Hard candies, lemon water,
sucking on a lemon, lemon essential oils
-
Peppermint: Hard candies, essential
oils (can put on your pillow)
-
Switch to a food-based
prenatal vitamin
-
Over the Counter things to try: Benadryl
& Dramamine
-
Pregnancy Teas: Try the pregnancy tea by
Earth Mama Angel Baby – good stuff. Check out the pregnancy area in your health
food store (Sprouts, etc.) – they usually have morning sickness teas.
-
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea: Buy the bulk herb at a
local herb shop or online at a good herb store like Mountain Meadow Herbs. Brew
and then drink hot or cold, or even freeze and make a slushie out of it.
-
High-protein: This is a BIG ONE. Eat
protein – lots of it. Meat, eggs, nuts, cheese. Every snack or meal should
either be protein, or have protein in it.
o I have had my best luck
doing a very-low-carb, high-protein diet that I started pre-conception. This is
mostly for hyperemesis mothers who deal with severe morning sickness. Email me
if you want information. However, one way or the other, simple carbs will
usually make you feel great momentarily and then even worse as your blood sugar
crashes. Staying away from carbs (or at least simple carbs) and bulking up on
protein (as much as possible) is what really works for me.
o However, I should note that
(especially once nausea is established), some women have good luck with sources
of simple carbohydrates (sugars) such as flat coke and hard candies and preggie
pops.
-
Constant snacking: This is another BIG ONE!!!
Don’t go more than an hour without snacking. Carry snacks with you wherever you
go. If you need to get up in the middle of the night to snack, fine. Do it. I
kept cheese slices in a cooler next to my bed. If your stomach gets the least
bit empty, you will pay in increased nausea. Try also to eat at least a few
minutes before getting up in the morning.
-
Keep hydrated. Dehydration = worse and
worse nausea. Try different things if you have trouble handling water. Pregnancy
teas, etc.
-
Vitamin Shots: With my last pregnancy I
got Vitamin B/Folate/Magnesium shots at our local naturopathic college. I think
they helped, and I plan to do it again. To find out where to get these, locate
a local naturopath.
-
A naturopath can also help you with acupuncture and/or homeopathy
if you are interested in those modalities. Acupuncture in particular has a very
good track record with NVP.
-
Supplements: Vitamin B complex,
magnesium, zinc. Herbs: Milk
thistle. Other: Digestive enzymes, good probiotic.
-
If all else fails, try a liquid nutrition drink, such as Ensure or Boost. I recommend
chocolate! Slimfast and jello are other
options.
Is
something wrong?
-
This level is characterized by the following:
o I can’t keep anything down.
o I am no longer using the
bathroom (or not very often).
o I am losing weight.
o I am feeling panicky or
desperate.
o I am vomiting multiple times
per day.
o I am having trouble handling
ordinary everyday tasks.
-
To check if you are dealing with hyperemesis, visit www.helpher.org. Click on the “For Mothers”
tab, and click on the “Do I Have Morning Sickness or HG?” option – you will
find a table comparing normal NVP with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), or extreme
nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
-
HG often requires treatment. See your doctor or midwife immediately to
get help. This may involve:
o IV hydration
o Hospitalization for severe cases
o Home health care for severe cases
o Zofran – either oral
tablets, orally disintegrating tablets (ODT), or a Zofran pump (depending on how sick
you are and how well you can tolerate meds by mouth)
§ There are other anti-nausea
drugs given during pregnancy (usually Phenergan and Reglan), but they have more
side-effects than Zofran and are usually less effective
-
If your care provider is not supportive, look immediately for another
care provider. Care providers can vary immensely on their willingness to take
HG seriously, and some will laugh it off or tell you to eat crackers. This is
NOT OKAY, and you need to move on.
-
Go to the helpher.org website and read, read, read. You will find tons
of information and support.
NEXT TIME AROUND:
-
There are MANY lines of thought on morning sickness prevention, all of which
require pre-conception efforts, and none of which is guaranteed to work. (In other words, DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP.) I will list as many as I can think of and leave it up to you to research them
(though feel free to ask any questions):
o Magnesium (building up
tissue levels pre-conception)
o Body alkalinity
o Liver cleansing
o Milk thistle (for liver
cleansing)
o Very-low-carb diet for
insulin regulation
o Pre-conception diet (clean,
good supplements, sunshine, etc.)
o Gut health
***
Thoughts, dear readers? (p.s. Forgive the formatting - it got rather screwy.)
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