I had my home visit Saturday and things seem to be moving right along. My bp was fine, I have gained a bit more weight. Rich and I decided not to test for GBS, but to just handle things as they come our way. MF will drop off the tub this week. My sweet girl, Amber will plan on being here for the birth, to take pictures and to be a stand in mama for my babies if any of them wind up awake during the labor or delivery.
Most of the time I don't feel super pregnant, but there are moments when I am sure labor will start within the next couple of weeks. My feet are swelling more. There is much more discomfort when I bend over the wrong way or just push myself too hard. I am thankful that there is not a ton to be done. I am going to try and focus my energies into moving forward with schoolwork with the other children and getting some food stashed into the freezer. I wish I had a more organized plan as far as menus for the month after baby, but it just seems that it is not within me to do that right now. We are also still toying with the garden trying to figure out the simpliest method for a productive and cheap garden. There is no time for HUGE nesting projects. Although... :O) I would like to fill in some holes in Justus and Izzie's room and put a fresh coat of paint in there. As time allows.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Nasal spray dilema
I started a few nights ago using Afrin nasal spray right before I go to bed. I have hesitated using this because of quite a few documented cases of addiction and destruction to your mucous membranes. Well, I decided last night after 2 very sweet sleeps that I was willing to risk being addicted to nose spray and at the moment, could care less about my mucous membranes. I am only using it once each evening and it has allowed me to sleep through the night so peacefully. I have not had peaceful sleep in over 3months. Once this sinus stuff is over after delivery, I may need someone to remind me that I did voluntarily addict myself to Afrin. I may also need help with a recover program. :O)
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Dropping
Pretty sure the baby has dropped a bit this morning. I have been having mini contractions on and off since about 6:30am. It kind of has me down in the dumps. I always feel so icky when this time comes and life in general becomes challenging. I have had Dante and Rich running my "basement errands" to avoid the stairs and plan on doing a total leftover dinner so that I can get off of my feet a bit. I am thankful that I have had another super 32 weeks of pregnancy (aside from the sinus issue) and will try to focus on keeping consistency with the kids for the next few weeks.
Please pray that the end of my pregnancy will go smoothly and allow me to continue to accomplish all that I need to in order to be a good mama to my 5 sweeties. Also, that God's grace rains down upon Rich and I as we muddle our way through some difficult choices that come along with having babies at home under the care of midwives. We do not feel God wants us to prepare for a hospital transport, but rather to prepare our home and family for the arrival of another sweet, precious blessing. Rich assured me that we are to prayerfully take each step as it comes. Gosh, I love that confident man.
Amy
Please pray that the end of my pregnancy will go smoothly and allow me to continue to accomplish all that I need to in order to be a good mama to my 5 sweeties. Also, that God's grace rains down upon Rich and I as we muddle our way through some difficult choices that come along with having babies at home under the care of midwives. We do not feel God wants us to prepare for a hospital transport, but rather to prepare our home and family for the arrival of another sweet, precious blessing. Rich assured me that we are to prayerfully take each step as it comes. Gosh, I love that confident man.
Amy
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Birthing tubs
After trying out both styles of birthing pools available to me, I have decided that I much prefer the hard sided tub to the soft sided pool. Although I really like the light convenient style of the softer pool, it is just not supportive enough during the final stages of labor. I am going to work at lightening up the "mood" of the dark brown tub in order to create a softer environment.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Group B Steptococcal Infection
I am just finding this information fascinating and wanted to share. I have never had an issue with GBS and was tested for it during my first 3 pregnancies, but this info is so intriguing.
From the CDC...
Group B strept in a type of bacterium that causes illness in newborn babies and pregnant women. It is the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborns.
Can GBS disease among newborns be prevented?
1. Most GBS disease in newborns cans be prevented by giving certain pregnant women antibiotics though the vein during labor.
2. Vaccines to prevent GBS disease are being developed so that in the future, women who are vaccinated may make antibodies that cross the placenta and protect the baby during birth and infancy.
For detailed info from the Center for Disease Control regarding GBS www.cdc.gov/groupbstrep
For those who know there has GOT to be a better way. Some like to call us crazy, hippie, earth crunchy freaks who just like to cause trouble. :O) I am not saying that GBS is something to take lightly. I am just pointing out that there may be a healthy and sensible way to avoid GBS disease apart from unnecessary antibiotics.
From Gail Hart, Certified Practicing Midwife...
" VAGINAL FLORA CULTURE, ORGANIC GARDENING, OR CHEMICAL WARFARE?"
Like it or not, we are always growing something in our vaginas good, bad, and indifferent.
The human vagina is never sterile--indeed it cannot be made sterile--but we CAN cultivate the organisms which make us healthy, by learning their natural growth patterns and how we can improve their preferred growing conditions. Think of the vagina as being like a garden, nourishing both flowers and weeds. Some gardeners use poisons to control weeds, a chemical warfare which can toxify the ground and which will usually need many repetitions. Modern organic gardeners use a different method--they learn the natural balance in their gardens, and change the soil to benefit the plants they wish to grow, and to make it more difficult for weeds to take root. We can adopt this thinking to our own "internal gardens," our own "vaginal horticulture," encouraging the good guys to be the dominant group in the natural vaginal flora and letting THEM get rid of the bad guys for us! A healthy vaginal flora can even fight and prevent group B strep from colonizing and we would all like to see more "negative strep" cultures!
The good news is we don't need to become microbiologists to do this. The other good news is that "vaginal horticulture" is relatively simple to learn and easy to do.
OF the many organisms which love to live within us-many of the "friendly ones" are inimical to those we would prefer to avoid-and most of the "good guys" grow best under certain conditions which the "bad guys" dislike.
The good guys are lactobacillus--the bad guys are staph, strep a and b, yeast, "BV", trich etc, and where you find one, you often find others. As a rough rule of thumb, the good guys like a ph of under 5--the bad guys prefer a more alkaline environment. Lactobacilli not only prefer an acidic environment, but they secrete hydrogen peroxide which makes the vagina even MORE acidic and make it harder for the bad guys to grown. So an organic gardener would advise us to make the vagina more acidic and plant more locatable to control an over-growth of bacteria. GBBS, and yeasts. Another benefit of lactobacilli is they exert an antibiotic effect on GBBS! (me: That is SO cool.)
Anway, I will sum up in my own words. There is a 2 step process involved in creating a healthy vaginal flora culture, which can in turn can reduce the incidence of GBS and yeast infections. There are tests that prove this method of "cleansing" does create a healthy environment in the vagina. I will try and add links later.
Step 1...Prepare the ground by making vagina more acidic. The simplest way is to douche with a mild vinegar solution of 1-3 TBS per pint of warm water. Preggies use a safe kind of douching called "jug douching." Do 2 -3 times daily for a week, then 2X a week, then 1x a week for a few weeks, and then maybe never again. This creates a fertile environment to move onto...
Step 2...Plant the seeds of lactobacilli by using yogurt as a sort of intravaginal cream. It can cause some very impressive changes both in pH and floraculture.
In summary, I find it amazing that this information is not being presented by doctors to their pregnant clients. How will we ever find a safe solution to this "most common cause of life threatening infections in newborns" if we are not even being offered sensible and simple steps to try on our own? What happens when the antibiotics are no longer effective?
A bit more GBS prevention right in your own home.
1. Vitamin C with Bioflavinoids 500/mg/day
2. Usnea tincture 10 days prior to due date :15 drops 3x a day
3. Garlic equivalent of 1-3 fresh cloves/day
My pH was a 7 at my last prenatal. I will have been "preparing the garden" for approximately a week and a half by my next appointment. I will report back with pH results.
From the CDC...
Group B strept in a type of bacterium that causes illness in newborn babies and pregnant women. It is the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborns.
Can GBS disease among newborns be prevented?
1. Most GBS disease in newborns cans be prevented by giving certain pregnant women antibiotics though the vein during labor.
2. Vaccines to prevent GBS disease are being developed so that in the future, women who are vaccinated may make antibodies that cross the placenta and protect the baby during birth and infancy.
For detailed info from the Center for Disease Control regarding GBS www.cdc.gov/groupbstrep
For those who know there has GOT to be a better way. Some like to call us crazy, hippie, earth crunchy freaks who just like to cause trouble. :O) I am not saying that GBS is something to take lightly. I am just pointing out that there may be a healthy and sensible way to avoid GBS disease apart from unnecessary antibiotics.
From Gail Hart, Certified Practicing Midwife...
" VAGINAL FLORA CULTURE, ORGANIC GARDENING, OR CHEMICAL WARFARE?"
Like it or not, we are always growing something in our vaginas good, bad, and indifferent.
The human vagina is never sterile--indeed it cannot be made sterile--but we CAN cultivate the organisms which make us healthy, by learning their natural growth patterns and how we can improve their preferred growing conditions. Think of the vagina as being like a garden, nourishing both flowers and weeds. Some gardeners use poisons to control weeds, a chemical warfare which can toxify the ground and which will usually need many repetitions. Modern organic gardeners use a different method--they learn the natural balance in their gardens, and change the soil to benefit the plants they wish to grow, and to make it more difficult for weeds to take root. We can adopt this thinking to our own "internal gardens," our own "vaginal horticulture," encouraging the good guys to be the dominant group in the natural vaginal flora and letting THEM get rid of the bad guys for us! A healthy vaginal flora can even fight and prevent group B strep from colonizing and we would all like to see more "negative strep" cultures!
The good news is we don't need to become microbiologists to do this. The other good news is that "vaginal horticulture" is relatively simple to learn and easy to do.
OF the many organisms which love to live within us-many of the "friendly ones" are inimical to those we would prefer to avoid-and most of the "good guys" grow best under certain conditions which the "bad guys" dislike.
The good guys are lactobacillus--the bad guys are staph, strep a and b, yeast, "BV", trich etc, and where you find one, you often find others. As a rough rule of thumb, the good guys like a ph of under 5--the bad guys prefer a more alkaline environment. Lactobacilli not only prefer an acidic environment, but they secrete hydrogen peroxide which makes the vagina even MORE acidic and make it harder for the bad guys to grown. So an organic gardener would advise us to make the vagina more acidic and plant more locatable to control an over-growth of bacteria. GBBS, and yeasts. Another benefit of lactobacilli is they exert an antibiotic effect on GBBS! (me: That is SO cool.)
Anway, I will sum up in my own words. There is a 2 step process involved in creating a healthy vaginal flora culture, which can in turn can reduce the incidence of GBS and yeast infections. There are tests that prove this method of "cleansing" does create a healthy environment in the vagina. I will try and add links later.
Step 1...Prepare the ground by making vagina more acidic. The simplest way is to douche with a mild vinegar solution of 1-3 TBS per pint of warm water. Preggies use a safe kind of douching called "jug douching." Do 2 -3 times daily for a week, then 2X a week, then 1x a week for a few weeks, and then maybe never again. This creates a fertile environment to move onto...
Step 2...Plant the seeds of lactobacilli by using yogurt as a sort of intravaginal cream. It can cause some very impressive changes both in pH and floraculture.
In summary, I find it amazing that this information is not being presented by doctors to their pregnant clients. How will we ever find a safe solution to this "most common cause of life threatening infections in newborns" if we are not even being offered sensible and simple steps to try on our own? What happens when the antibiotics are no longer effective?
A bit more GBS prevention right in your own home.
1. Vitamin C with Bioflavinoids 500/mg/day
2. Usnea tincture 10 days prior to due date :15 drops 3x a day
3. Garlic equivalent of 1-3 fresh cloves/day
My pH was a 7 at my last prenatal. I will have been "preparing the garden" for approximately a week and a half by my next appointment. I will report back with pH results.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Come to me, all who are weary.
Yesterday (right around 30 weeks) was the official day that I become way pregnant. I have been busy as a bee the past week while Rich has been off of work. We have gotten a lot accomplished, but it took it's toll on me last night.
I had a prenatal at 1:30 and this was after doing a glucose test at 7am, eating a quick breakfast in order to get the kids ready, doing another follow up glucose test at 9am, making chicken salad with pitas to take for lunch, chugging down 6 vitamins on my way out the door to co op, asking Rich to pull over the van so I could vomit up all 6 vitamins, bustling around co op for an hour trying to organize some books, eating lunch, eating ice cream, heading home just in time to turn around and run to a prenatal. Do you believe my blood pressure was 105 over 54? What's up with that? So, the cherry on my crazy sundae would be when my doula asks me to lay flat on the floor so they can get a better feel for the position of the little pixie. 20 minutes later I am sure I am stuck. 31 weeks pregnant, flat on a hard floor...bad idea. Aren't midwives and doulas supposed to know these things? :O) So, by the time I get home I am sure it is 9pm and all of the kids should be sweetly sleeping in bed. Oh right, it is only 3 and Rich wants to take the older boys fishing. Did I mention the hard picnic table bench at dinner? hhhmmm, where to go from here...WWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! So, it dawned on me as I was having trouble hoisting myself on off the living room couch at 10 pm that I AM REALLY PREGNANT, AGAIN! Time to slow down and find rest.
I had a prenatal at 1:30 and this was after doing a glucose test at 7am, eating a quick breakfast in order to get the kids ready, doing another follow up glucose test at 9am, making chicken salad with pitas to take for lunch, chugging down 6 vitamins on my way out the door to co op, asking Rich to pull over the van so I could vomit up all 6 vitamins, bustling around co op for an hour trying to organize some books, eating lunch, eating ice cream, heading home just in time to turn around and run to a prenatal. Do you believe my blood pressure was 105 over 54? What's up with that? So, the cherry on my crazy sundae would be when my doula asks me to lay flat on the floor so they can get a better feel for the position of the little pixie. 20 minutes later I am sure I am stuck. 31 weeks pregnant, flat on a hard floor...bad idea. Aren't midwives and doulas supposed to know these things? :O) So, by the time I get home I am sure it is 9pm and all of the kids should be sweetly sleeping in bed. Oh right, it is only 3 and Rich wants to take the older boys fishing. Did I mention the hard picnic table bench at dinner? hhhmmm, where to go from here...WWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! So, it dawned on me as I was having trouble hoisting myself on off the living room couch at 10 pm that I AM REALLY PREGNANT, AGAIN! Time to slow down and find rest.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Making space for baby.
We are working on creating very usable space in our little adobe. If we can stick to neutral colors, including curtains, carpets, paint...it makes it much easier to move children from room to room when needed. The last room to need repainted was the boy's old room. Cheyanne and baby #6 will be residing in this nice quiet back bedroom. Off with the blue/gold paint/racecar paper and on with the Warm Cappucino paint. It has only taken us 4 days to get all of the wallpaper off, fill holes and apply a layer of primer. Goodness, these things were so much easier to do with only 2 children. The boys have been super helpful in assisting where they can. I think we will be able to finish painting and hang some new curtains by the end of the weekend. It will be a sweet room with 2 cribs, a dresser, a cradle, and a rocking chair.
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