Common Ties

This post is about breastfeeding....So If you aren't interested or didn't breastfeed please don't be offended.
I thought Id share some things Ive learned that may be helpful to others.
I love talking about breastfeeding! Its a passion of mine~
A little background...
I currently am working on becoming board certified by putting in clinical
hours. I do rounds on the maternity floors at the local hospitals. The
lactation consultants give me a list of moms to visit. I am in the fast track
because I'm already an RN. After 1000 hours I can sit for my boards and if I
pass will be an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant. My title
now is Certified Lactation Counselor. I compare it to an LPN and RN. One is a
step up from the other but both have to work within their scope of practice.
Now for the good stuff~
1. Breast
milk provides immunity to babies for about 2 years after you stop
breastfeeding.
2. Along
those lines- the antibodies you produce in response to baby's need for them,
are transferred to baby within the next feed. Can you believe how fast that
is?? I was amazed!
3. Some
moms are diagnosed with insufficient glandular tissue, causing them to produce
less milk, but even those that produce less should try to continue to
breastfeed with supplementation- due to the benefits to mother and baby. Some
breast milk is better than none.~
4. Breast
milk decreases mom and baby’s risk of diabetes and breast cancer later in life.
5. Our
milk is cyclic, following after our mothering hormones. It has high protein
content and low volume in the evening, with low protein high volume at night.
Which may explain why breastfed babies have 'fussy time' in the evening~
6. Nighttime
feedings help babies gain weight. There is high fat content in night milk. So
even though we want sleep in the early weeks, night milk is important!
7. The
best time to pump is early morning for most women because there is still milk
left over from the high volume produced~
8. Breast
milk is the perfect food and needs no supplementation- no 'extra calories'. I
sometimes hear moms say that their doctors tell them to give formula to
'fortify' their breast milk. Breast milk needs no fortification! Alot of
doctors have not been trained in the Art of Breastfeeding:)
9. If baby
needs extra calories moms can supplement with their own pumped breast milk.
Given by feeding cup or syringe.
10.
Breast milk is 'living' and changes to meet baby's needs.
Newborn milk is high in protein where older baby milk has higher fat. For each
baby and mom it will be slightly different. Toddler milk has a huge amount of
antibodies comparable to newborn milk! Isn't that neat? Just as they are out in
the world, exploring, putting fingers in their mouth, etc... they need it don't
they?
11.In the
first 3 weeks or so, it is good idea to keep baby away from false nipples or
pacifiers. Alot of moms report that nursing was going well until some
well-meaning individual gave the baby a bottle or a pacifier in the nursery,
etc... Breastfeeding uses more facial muscles. Babies have to suck harder at
the breast. Bottles work by gravity, they are easy! So after introducing a
bottle some babies refuse breast. Bottles also promote a bad latch at breast.
Which does a baby have to open wider for? breast or bottle??
12.
If you have a 'spitty' baby it may be related to milk. It could
be reflux, but you could do your own clinical trial by eliminating milk from
your diet. See what happens for a week... Did it help or not?
13.
I don't want to bash formula, because I know some moms have to
give it for one reason or another... but I learned something recently that I
need to share~ Breast milk 'coats' the stomach and intestines. It gives our gut
a nice thick lining to protect baby from allergens and pathogens (germs). Most
of our immunity is controlled in the gut. Believe it or not! Formula actually
strips the lining of the intestines making a thin, easily permeable gut. Which
is why you hear that breastfed babies get sick less often. That in combination
with the antibody transfer protect baby.
14.
Keeping your baby skin to skin in the early days promotes good
breastfeeding! As you hold baby the mothering hormones, oxytocin and
prolaction, are released. Those hormones are responsible for making milk.
Bundling baby up keeps them asleep and away from you, thus decreasing milk
making hormone levels. Also as a baby is skin to skin they are smelling you-
the unique smell that only you have:) We secrete a substance on our areola thru
the Montgomery glands (tiny bumps on areola) that are similar to amniotic
fluid. Baby has been smelling that for a long time and it is comforting to
them. They hear your heartbeat again while on your chest, which also is
calming. Our breasts can thermoregulate (control, sense, and change temperature).
So baby wont get cold. A t-shirt and diaper with thin blanket covering both of
you is all you need! You will miss those first weeks of closeness as baby grows
and breastfeeding is more established. When breastfeeding takes a wrong turn or
gets difficult, go back to skin to skin with baby for as long as it takes to
get back on the right track!
15.
I will end this post with pumping~ If you miss a feed or are engorged, hand
expression can be your friend! I never
hand expressed myself, until this last baby.
I was engorged and getting a clogged duct, so I choose to hand express
instead of pump. It was much gentler on
my breast and worked well!! It took a
little practice to get a good rhythm down, but once I did I was able to work
the clog out, molding my fingers too the breast. We are not designed to respond to
plastic. It can difficult for some and
can actually do more harm than good in the first weeks. Pumping later for work is a separate
discussion…

Friday night meal served up Ancient-African style

We recently studied Ancient Africa in our home school. The history text gave us recipes.

So the boys picked out a few and made a meal!

Fried rice with papaya

Plantains

Banana date bars

We served it all up with chicken.

The fried rice with papaya was actually very easy and delicious!

I am going to add it to our family's menu list.

I think we over cooked the plantains...and would have been better dipped in honey.

I wasn't sure how the dates in the banana bars would go over... but they too were a hit!

(and we used gluten free flour)

I read an African book at the dinner table before everyone took off!

They now have deeper sense of the African culture and I know they can cook!

Best of all the made it themselves and were very proud of their accomplishment!

Rachael' s Homebirth- #6 in the series

If you are expecting don't read this till after you have your baby!

When we were planning for Rachael's home birth we thought

"It cant be any worse than Matthew's! If I can do that, then I can do anything!"

Little did we know how difficult it would be...

I had gestational diabetes again and

I didn't want another big baby, so at 40 weeks we got the OK from the midwife to try and induce labor, rather than be a week overdue.

As I was with my last baby Matthew.

After barely getting the Castor oil down.

I ended up spending all night, doing you know what in the bathroom.

When that stopped, so did the contractions! So that was pointless.

Five days later, labor started around sunrise.

It was a beautiful August morning~

Mike made all the calls for designated people to come pick up the children,

while I was in the backyard.

I was walking around the perimeter of the backyard in my nightgown, listening to the birds and enjoying the morning. Stopping every so often for contractions.

The warm birthing tub had been set up and ready in the living room for two weeks,

kept at the right temperature.

The midwives arrived.

Classical music was playing.

The stage was set.

Not soon after they arrived I was 10 cm. and ready to get going.

I decided to labor in the tub at that point. I had two desires:

to have a water birth and let my water break on its own

( It never broke on its own before).

I was getting frustrated because I had started pushing, but was getting nowhere.

The midwife suggested they break my water, to push more effectively.

I agreed. That's when the real stuff came, hard and fast! Some of you know what I mean...

I was proud of myself when her head came out underwater!

The end was in site! But then I started to feel this strange 'pinching'- 'kicking' sensation.

Since my eyes were closed I thought the midwives had reached their hands in the water and were doing something to me...

I asked what they were doing because it hurt. They said they weren't doing anything...

By now they knew something was wrong, and in an instant my midwife told me to get out of the tub and lay on the couch. I had never heard her speak like that before, with such seriousness. She was usually very laid back.

OK, so picture this: I have my baby's head out, and I have to climb carefully over the sides of this two and a half foot high tub and waddle to the couch...

The two midwives and Mike helped me quickly.

Next thing I know the midwife was doing maneuvers too get her out, as she was 'stuck',

and saying "We will need to resuscitate when were done".

She had turned a nice shade of purple from the chest up.

They didn't have to resuscitate long, she started to breath while lying on my stomach.

I have no idea what her apgar scores were...I don't want to know...

Normally I nurse my babies right away,

but this time I had a wait a bit till her breathing was more established.

She was 9.2 lbs. And I pushed for about 2 hours total.

She was born some time around 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

The midwife wasn't sure If they should call it Shoulder Dystocia or Abdominal Dystocia.

But she was 'stuck' and cutting off her oxygen supply with a compressed umbilical cord in the canal. Mike and I took a 'moment' to lament as we said that would be our last baby because they kept bigger and harder to get out.

Apparently that wasnt the case...

To have a Csection or not....

For those of you who don't normally follow my blog, I've been writing a series from my children's births. I finished Matthew's this month, but haven't had a chance to do Rachael's yet. But that would give everyone alot of insight if I had.
I will try to explain in a nutshell why we are choosing a scheduled C section this time.
Rachael was born at home with difficulty. She had shoulder dystocia. Which is a medical emergency as the cord is getting compressed in the canal, even after the head is out. So the midwife worked fast and thanks to her many years of expertise and deliveries she was successful with the maneuvers she used. Bottom line she truly was 'stuck'.
She was purple from chest up and white from chest down, from lack of oxygen, and needed to be resuscitated. (the link I posted above has good information on that)
I had gestational diabetes with her , as I did with most all my babies, and that predisposes you to shoulder dystocia. Babies who mother's have gestational diabetes are grown in utero with wider shoulders. Again I have that condition but am requiring insulin this time. I take NPH at bedtime, because it is long acting and covers me all night as my fasting sugars were too high in the AM. I am able to control my blood sugar for meals, although I work at it. But my body was doing its own thing while I slept. So being on insulin and having gestational diabetes puts you in another risk category.
Once you have shoulder dystocia you are more likely to have it again...
Rachael and Matthew were both over 9 lbs. which adds to the difficulty, as my pelvis is small.
However Breanna was 8.3 and had a fractured clavicle at birth. That tells that OB that even with a 'smaller' baby I still have difficulty with shoulders.
After Mike and realized I was no longer a good candidate for home birth, we choose a hospital birth and a new OB. Almost from the very beginning they were recommending a C-section, due to my history.
It took a LONG time for my brain to wrap around that concept!! I went back and forth, and couldn't make a decision... Then one night when Mike and I were out on a date, I said "We have to decide...What do you think? Here are my thoughts , the pros and cons again..."etc...
Then He said something that gave me such peace.
"Why are we even talking about this again? We need to have the C section."
And that was it. Simple. My husband, the father of my children, and head of our household had decided. As it should be.
We know there are risks involved, as with any major surgery, but feel this is the safest for the baby. More risk for mom, but safer than the alternatives for baby: nerve palsy, fetal hypoxia, cerebral palsy, or fetal death.
Please pray for us over the next month, as this will be a big adjustment on our family...
I won't be 'bouncing up' like I normally to take care of the other children, and we start home school up again in a couple weeks too. (which I thankfully can supervise from my recliner with baby in my arms)
Thanks for all your prayers and concerns!

Matthew Boy's Home Birth

When we realized we were going to keep our womb open and let God bless us with more children, I felt a strong desire to have home births. It had always been a desire of mine and that desire just kept growing! My friend Kristen Renz and the birthing channel helped foster that! Kristen had many home births and a growing family as well. So I asked her who she used as a midwife and got the wheels set in motion. Meg was the only Certified Nurse Midwife to perform home births in Monroe County, at the time. You can't help but love her. She is an old hippie-type- crunchy- granola- natural woman. She is has a laid back approach and makes you feel empowered to make your own prenatal and birthing decisions. A far cry from the medical community I still worked in and birthed in. We watched videos, read, researched on safety, etc...
And felt at peace about our decision. We rented a birthing tub for $50 from a woman Meg recommended. Mike had that set up in our living room for weeks!! So we wouldn't have to wait till the last minute to fill and heat it. I added a cup of bleach every third day to keep it sterile.- per instructions. It was fabulous for pain control, and I won't again with out it!
So here I was 5 days over due in mid July, 5 plus centimeters dilated for weeks, and Meg said it looked like a big baby... Even though I had done well controlling my gestational diabetes with diet.
We choose an evening for Meg to come over with her two assistants and break my water to basically put me in labor. It was ten o'clock at night and Pam Hilts was there for support.
After breaking my water I walked around the living room, classical music playing, lights dim...and contractions came. It didn't take long at all till I was fully dilated, maybe half an hour... That was the easy part! The hard part was the pushing for 3 straight hours and the exhaustion I felt... I was in and out of the tub, squatting, on the toilet, more squatting, back in the tub... My feet had gone numb so I had to recline on the couch, which was covered first with a tarp and then a sheet. Meg was very encouraging and kept saying, "he's just a big baby for you, every thing's fine...." She was comforting and patient, letting my body do what it needed to do. At the two hour mark of pushing she asked If I wanted her to call 911 and go to the hospital. Absolutely not! I had come too far and birthed 4 other babies I knew I could do it! They gave me momentum to work a little harder. Pam was rubbing my ankles and feet in between contractions to get the circulation back.
Around 3am Matthew finally showed himself at a hefty 9.3 lbs. He nursed right away and didn't stop for 20 mo! His cord was cut after it stopped pulsing. (Something they don't wait to do in the hospital.) Two of the best things about my home birth were about to happen...
After I rested an hour on the couch and she stitched me up, I was able to take an herb soaked bath! Meg's assistant Sarah, makes a 'tea' that is chocked full of herbs that promote healing and stop bleeding. They brought him to me in the tub and he bathed with me. Mike was close by in case I needed help. They also brought me toast and iced tea to drink when I was back in bed. That was the second best thing! Being in my own bed!! For some reason my back always hurts in those hospital birthing beds. And no one was coming in to take our vital signs every 4 hours!!
Meg said he had THE BIGGEST head circumference she's ever delivered in her 30 some years!
No wonder I had a hard time!!
The kids stayed asleep the whole time and woke up to a new baby in our bed:)
Mike had the arduous task of then draining the birthing tub and taking care of our 3 little ones with little to no sleep. (Erik had gone to his Dad's the night before and stayed for a few days)
After cleaning everything up into bags and separating laundry, the midwives slept down stairs for a few hours, had showers and ate breakfast before going into the office for the day. WOW!! That's dedication.
They came back to check on me and the baby 24 hours later and then 2 days after that. They did his blood work, vitamin K, and birth certificate paperwork. As well as check me and talk again about the birth;)
I'll end on this note...
Mike comes upstairs to me in the afternoon and says "What am I supposed to do with the placenta sitting in a pot on the counter?..."

My First Raised Garden Beds

This is the first year Ive ever thought of doing raised beds for my organic vegetable garden. I don't know why I haven't thought of it before. They are so much easier to maintain!! I have little to no weeds. And If I do weed or plant, I don't have to reach down as far. (Very important when extremely pregnant!) The irrigation is better with no pooling of water.

Mike did an excellent job building them for me with little materials. We spent about $20 and they should last about 5 years.

I love how they add to the landscape as well. Especially pretty no that I have no weeds.

We mulched around the beds and in between, with free mulch we got from the town. We did pay for the topsoil we had delivered, however. I found an ad with a coupon and it was fairly inexpensive, as topsoil goes.

We are growing summer squash, Cherry tomatoes, Snap peas, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Buttercup squash, and Cucumbers. I attempted lettuce from seed, which never took. And my pumpkin seedlings died that I had started indoors. I think I'll skip starting seeds indoors, as mine died when planted or died before planting during the 'hardening' process. The wind took a few victims too. It was not worth it!

Last year I threw pumpkins and gourds in my old garden area at the end of the season.

Even after roto-tilling them in, and mulching on top, they have taken root!! We have what we call Mystery squash growing in between the beds.

Tell me what you think of the garden!

Finally a girl!! Breanna's birth~

I was so excited that I was finally having a girl!
Now I'm pregnant with my third girl...God is Good!
We were anxious to have her, I was 2 days away from my due date. The 3 boys were all early, so I was expecting early! Had some early labor signs, but the hospital sent us home...
So the next day Mike and I took the boys, now 4 and 2, to the mall.
We saw Santa, took pictures, walked around and finally around noon, settled in at Barnes and Noble. I don't know what, but something magical happened there!
I suddenly had one strong contraction, and they never stopped after that...
We had promised the boys Friendly's for lunch, they were really looking forward to it, and it was just next door, so off we went!
By the time our food came I could hardly sit in the seat, actually I don't think I did sit in the seat...I held myself up off the seat! That was the quickest meal we ever ate.
Well, they ate, not me. I remember pulling in the garage to drop off the boys and the contractions were so strong I was breathing thru them.
I thought I was going to have her in the truck!
They took one look at me in triage and knew I was staying this time.
I had already dilated to 5 cm and was breathing thru contractions.
I choose an epidural this time, for a couple reasons...
one- Mike and I thought this was our last baby so why not take it easy this with this last one.
two- I didn't know how long and intense this labor was going to be...Griffin was before her and he was my hardest up to that point! I didn't want another replay...
three- Something I just wanted to try. plain and simple.
However I didn't look into the risks and pitfalls associated with an epidural. I assumed everybody got them, they must be safe:)
I get in a birthing room, they break my water and put in my epidural.
For those of you who haven't had an epidural, let me share with you briefly, how it felt...
I have always had a needle phobia first of all.
The anesthesiologist makes your husband leave the room.
Then the nurse helps hold you over the side of the bed leaning on a tray.
Meanwhile you are still having contractions...
You have to hunch your back over like a cat while your belly is being squeezed and is as hard as a medicine ball!
The injection site is numbed up with lidocaine and then then the epidural needle is inserted.
Which doesn't hurt and is placed and taped quickly.
With my epidural I was given a button to push whenever I wanted pain relief.
A patient controlled analgesia.
As soon as the medication was delivered however my body started shaking...
I couldn't control it! Like I was shivering in the cold weather...
So I didn't really rest while I was waiting to dilate, I was shaking so much!
A short hour later I was 10 cm and told to start pushing.
During the pushing somehow half of my belly and lower parts regained feeling, so half of me was numb and half wasn't! It was weird.
An hour later she was born at 6 o'clock! From from start to finish- 6 hours.
I look back and feel that epidural was a waste! I could have done as Ive previously done without the hassle, shaking, and back pain ( that lasted 9 plus months) !!
Pam was there for her birth, and that was the only other person besides my mom and spouse, that have attended. It was great to have another set of hands and support for Mike and I.
They ran out and got me dinner from Wendy's while the staff checked Breanna.
She weighed 8.3 lbs. My second smallest- Erik was the littlest.
I enjoyed my time in the hospital with her and kept her with me all the time.
She nursed well, so I thought...that I will save for another blog post!
As the next 6 mo were very challenging!
I wont go into details...but there was one complication with her birth, that resulted in a fractured
clavicle. None of the medical staff who examined her caught it at birth or at checkups. I found it a whole month later! Again...for another post. I need to finish this birth series first!
Saty tuned, as the next two posts are about my homebirth experiences:)

Griffin~ Baby Boy #3

People always ask me where I came up with Griffin's name. "Is it from Griffindor? Harry Potter?" No. I heard it on a morning talk show. Some actor named his son Griffin and they were calling him 'Finn" for short. I intended to do that, but we never have. He is always Griffin, Scott after my grandfather.
I anticipated Griffin's birth to be fast...No one told me that with baby 3, it could go either way...
Erik was 7 hours, Will was 3 hours, so it goes to stand that the next would be...
1 1/2?
Well that didn't happen! He was 13 hours coming! Now I realize for some that is a small amount of time, but not for me. I don't remember exactly when it started, but when my contractions were 5 min apart we went to the hospital. Sometime in the evening...
They didn't have a birthing room for me, as they were full, so they kept us all night in an extra room on the surgical side where they usually hold C section patients. So here we were all night long, ...I might as well have stayed home, but I was making some progress with the contractions I was having, so they kept me. I was dilating with those contractions, but they weren't painful, not really. My water hadn't broke (It never does, we know now!) so pain level was OK. I kept telling them, break my water and get this going!! But they wouldn't because they had no rooms!! Finally around 4 am I got a birthing room! It was right next to the labor tub, so I soaked in that for a while, but preferred the shower in my room. I spent alot of time in there, so Mike tells me. Eventually they broke my water. Yes- that's when it got intense... I needed to dilate more, so the nurse had me rotating every 15 min. from left side, to all fours, to right side, back, etc... This was to supposed to help him 'spiral' down into my canal more. It worked. I bet the doctors got quite a kick out of seeing my 'moon' when they walked in, as I was on all fours in that bed!! Nice picture huh?
Come 7a at change of shift, I was asking for some pain meds...that never came. Little did I know that was the transition time. With in a short period of time I was pushing and they were scrambling to find the OB. So the doctor I labored with all night, was not the one who delivered him. Such an odd concept to me... However my nurse stayed and I pushed for an hour. Mike said he was doing the 'Superman' pose with his arms as he was coming out. I remember singing to Griffin the ABC song from across the room, as the nurse left him under the warmer and naked to go get supplies. We were alone, because Mike had gone for coffee. Griffin started crying and felt helpless to get him, so I thought If he heard my voice he would settle. So the nurse comes back in and I'm singing the ABC's. I actually was a little embarrassed. William was almost 2 so it was a song I sang alot and thought he might be familiar with it from hearing in utero. The nurse bragged about me to the other nurses that came in to help clean up, how uncomplicated his birth was. Meaning no pain meds, no epidural, no Pitocin... The OB tried to give me a Pitocin shot after he was born, but I refused. he was upset about that and said "We'll try without it but after baby 3 your uterus will be boggy. The nurse will have to come in and do alot of fundal massage. if it doesn't work, you'll need it..." That stuff is bad news!! It feels like its wringing your insides out! Was I fine? yes! The nurse did have do massage, and I did it too. Breastfeeding helps contract that uterus too, so I put him to the breast asap. I regret that I didn't nurse him longer. By 7 mo he was weaned. I was working part time in the Peds Ed and wasn't pumping enough, so my supply went down and it was too convenient to just give a bottle. Plus he was looking every which way when I nursed and never stayed on long. I still didn't know enough about breastfeeding... Just because a baby looks around alot doesn't mean they don't want you anymore. You just need to have a strategy. At 5 mo I flew with him and Erik to California to visit my sister Betsy and that decreased my supply too. I gave bottles instead of nursing more to build up my supply. Griffin was a beautiful baby with big blue eyes and lots of dark hair. Stay tuned for more adventures in childbearing....

William~A Knight's Tale

The response from Erik's birth post was so overwhelmingly positive! It was very encouraging and has given me momentum to continue on...
William's name came to me after watching 'A Knight's Tale' with Heath Ledger. We call him 'Will'. He is also named after his great-grandfather, Mike's grandpa, Richard.
As a side note~ the kids middle names all are from our grandparents, either Mike or I....yes, we are running out of selections...
Will's birth was by far my shortest and easiest~ which is odd because there was 7 years between him and Erik. Where as the other births are only 2 years apart.
I had just started cooking a pot of pasta for dinner when I sat down on the couch and felt a 'pop'. I'm not really sure what that was...as my water never did break. In just a few minutes I knew we were in labor and contractions got strong quickly. By the time the pasta was done boiling I could hardly stand in the kitchen, and yet sitting was tough too! Mike ate fast lets just say~ and I passed on that meal! We took off for RGH asap!
Mike and I found our nurse comical, after the fact. She was settling us in to the room, here's the picture... I know my body is getting ready to do business, so I start ripping off my clothes and climb into the bed to breath and relax. She is trying to do paperwork and ask all kinds of questions...then she gives me a cup and tells me she needs a urine sample! I cant believe she is asking me this stuff and I just tell Mike to answer all the questions. I did use her cup but honestly felt like I would deliver him right in that bathroom! She finally really takes a good look at me and says " I think I need to get a doctor in here..." No kidding!! I was 8 cm dilated at that point ( for those of you who don't know, you need to be 10 cm in order to push). My OB breaks my water and instantly I'm 10! Somewhere in there I did get a dose of Nubain ( a drug to take the edge off ) thru a butter fly needle. I hate needles so I was trying to avoid an IV at all cost. A resident MD comes in to my quiet, subdued, lights dimmed, classical music atmosphere and starts talking to me, telling me how the heart beat looks, etc... Its obvious I was in the zone! Couldn't he tell?? Mike tells me I told him to shut up and get out...I don't remember it quite like that.... I think I was more polite than that. Well, either way, he never did come back in:)
Another funny element to this tale involves Mike.... I'm laboring, and the next thing I know the nurse is asking if HE is alright?? Does he need a chair,etc... He was about to pass out from what he says is the heat in the room. That combined with woofing down a pasta dinner. Hmm... Ill let you decide...
Then this hippie- looking nurse comes in, who I came to love...and says" Oh I see you are using nipple stimulation for those contractions. Good job!" I had no idea what she was talking about! I opened my eyes, looked down, and sure enough I was holding my breasts. I don't know why, It was just comfortable. Maybe some innate part of my womanhood was surfacing, helping me do what my body needed to do. I tried putting my hands other places, but it never felt right and they kept migrating back up! I pushed for about 45 min ( my shortest push yet). And as his head was coming out the Ob says, "Oh look! A red head!" Sure enough he was red! As most of you know my Will. Very orange hair! We absolutely love it, as most people do, but he doesn't. Probably because it sets him apart. Makes him stand out and be different.
He weighed 8.9lbs and had a huge cephelahematoma on his head, from birth trauma/ pushing. I was nervous about that for a long time and was in the pediatricians frequently so he could keep checking it and reassuring me. Now with baby 7 on the way...I'm a little more realxed:) My symphysis pubis was spilt a little from his birth and made it hard to walk to for a few days. Ive never had that happen since. From start to finish, first contraction to the last, was 3 hours.
That middle aged 'hippie-nurse' with the tattoos and long braids did come back in again the next day. Thank God. Will had trouble regulating his temp and they kept taking him to place him under the warmer in the nursery. I was so bothered by that! How could I nurse and bond when he was gone all the time?! Well her shift starts and she brings him right in and says " I don't know why they didn't do this before, but undress him and keep him skin to skin on your chest for an hour. Lets see how his temp does with that." Sure enough! He got warm as toast. Don't ask me why I didn't think of that... Not only does it regulate body temp, but promotes breastfeeding! And he was a fabulous nurser! Weaned at 15 mo. I was working FT nights in the Pediatric ICU at the time also, so I had to pump alot. But It was worth it!
Thanks for sharing this with me~!

Erik's birth

I realized that I never shared my birth stories on my blog...and it has always been something I've wanted to do. Rather than write a huge post about all 6 births I thought I'd break it up. So this is the first of 6 (7 yet to be born:)
I think some might be interested to know that I haven't always had home births. 4 were at the hospital, only 2 at home.
I had just turned 22, fresh out of nursing school, and newly married when I had Erik. This is how it began...
2 weeks before my due date, my sister Betsy and I walked around Carousal mall in the hopes that I would go into labor... With slight contractions all evening that finally got regular, I knew we were on our way~ I had labored most of that night lying next to Erik's Dad and trying to get rest in between contractions. By early am they were 5 min apart and I went to the hospital, saying goodbye to Betsy and my best friend Chris, as I came down the stairwell. I did some more walking at the hospital and dilated further, but my water hadn't broke, so they took care of that. I went from "Oh, this isn't so bad" to "Whoa! I need to start my breathing". Well,... my contractions weren't 'strong enough' for the doctor's taste, so they suggested a Pitocin drip...and what did I know??? Boy was I in for a surprise! I had taken a birthing class and knew I wanted to go 'natural', but that made it really hard!! That stuff is brutal. (Ive never had it since!) I had to step it up from just 'breathing' to really 'getting in the zone'. Mom helped me alot by rubbing my forearm in a rhythmic movement that helped me keep time with breaths. I had to tell her slow down or speed up~ and bless her heart~ she stood by bed like that for hours!! I did accept a dose of STADOL thru my IV. A drug that is supposed to "take the edge off". Somewhere in there I vomited the orange juice they let me drink. Fun times again! After about 6 hours of labor I had the urge to push and I was told they were prepping the birthing room and to hold on! Don't push yet! I remember being wheeled down the hall with a sheet over me, my arms holding my legs to my chest and gently pushing as we sped. Now I'm in a cold delivery room, feet in stirrups and I was told to push now. After several good pushes the doctor told me to open my eyes, look down, grab the baby and pull him out! So I did! And that was the best part! I slid my hands under his armpits that were still tucked inside me and he slid out as I pulled him up onto my stomach. He weighed 7 .9 lbs. I kept saying "My baby~my baby~ Oh my very own baby" over and over... I was so in love with him! I couldn't believe they let me leave the hospital with him though. As If I wasn't qualified enough to care for him. He hadn't even really nursed well yet and had gotten very jaundice. I didn't read any breastfeeding books (yeah- that was dumb) and just expected him to latch right on. After all my mom nursed all 4 of us and it looked easy. He and I eventually did get the hang of it. Amazingly, I just fed him when he was hungry, and that was all. He plumped up a bit, but never was a big eater, still to this day! I went back to work at 6 mo and wasn't pumping ( I didn't know any better) and my supply went down so I started formula for his dad to feed him. By 7 mo we were done. I find that so sad now...
I hope this wasnt TMI and too long-winded!

Ready, Set,...go?

I have no idea what week this is for my lil plants! I've totally lost track! But they are ready and waiting to be planted. Don't you agree? I had to replant them from the peat pots as the roots had grown thru and spreading out! I replanted the pumpkins grown in the egg shells also. They were tall and crowded in that lil shell. To do those I cracked the bottom of the shells so the roots could expand and re potted them, shell and all. I plan to put them in the ground like that as well. I enjoyed the look of those shells so much that I will use them next year for starters instead of the peat pots.

Update on my raised beds...My husband is currently rototilling the 'garden' spot for the raised beds to be built there. Soon, I can say go!

Fiddleheads

Tonight I cooked up some Fiddleheads from my Ostrich ferns out back.
Amazingly Erik, Will, Griffin, and Breanna tried them!

Will had a handful and Erik said he would have had more, but he was saving them for me.

If there was more he would have eaten them....So he says.
They do have an 'earthy' taste to them. A crunchy 'bite', but very pleasing to the palate. Some websites say like asparagus. I'd say they are stronger in flavor than that! I sauteed these in canola oil and fresh pressed garlic. Delicious! I have since learned that you should steam them first for 10 min, then saute. There may be a toxin released if not cooked thoroughly. Some ferns are not edible, but the Ostrich and cinnamon fern are very safe. I have a large crop of organic Ostrich ferns in my back yard!!

They are high in potassium,vitamin A and C, iron, and Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids!!

And how nice they look on your plate as a compliment to the meat. I paired them with grilled potatoes and pork. They are so beautiful to look at!!

Here's a good website with more info. If you are interested in recipes with fiddleheads rather than just butter and salt click here.

lil' Pumpkins

Day 1- Aren't they soo cute!

Day4- Don't they grow quickly!?

St. Patrick, Mosquitoes, Ginger Ale, and more!

We have renewed vigor and are moving forward with momentum! There were many days I didn't feel like doing any work... and so we didn't! But now, with the end in site, we press forward!

We got a slow start with history this year, and it took us awhile to cover Ancient Egypt. I just wanted to be thorough and incorporate a timeline with Biblical history and figures as well. They completed a lapbook, which you see here in my pictures.

In March, for the first time ever we studied St. Patrick. With the help of library books and a literature unit study, St Patrick's Day in the morning. They all enjoyed this one as we played Sweetshop (involving treats and money), tried ginger ale from real glass bottles, and made charts from the math we did with jellybeans!

Aside from our regular Math and English studies I plan on doing some fun, less structured, unit studies mostly involving science and nature study.Spring is such a great time for getting outside and doing nature study with note booking and journals.

As you may have guessed, we studied seeds, parts of the seed, and the young plant. As part of studying plants, we learned more about the Sun, its parts, and how it affects our world.

I am excited to start the Outdoor Hour Challenge: Crop Plants. It has activities related to Clover, Corn, Strawberries, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, to name a few. I have purchased notebook pages to go along with this challenge. Here is a sample, in case some of you are interested.

Maybe I am being too ambitious, but I also want to do this lesson from the Outdoor Hour Challenge Summer series: Mosquitoes and World of Smell.

We only have about 5 weeks left of school, so I better get a move on!

Seedlings wk 3

As you can see, one of our bean plants has taken off!! I don't know what to do with it... Should I replant it in a bigger pot?... as its too early to be outdoors. Maybe I should take a small wooden dowel and stake it? Would it start to climb the dowel? I don't know... My starter pots are shallow, they cant possibly make for a good root system? Then we have our newest additions... Aren't they so cute? We have pumpkins seeds in them. I saw it in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock and fell in love with it! (As a side note, I follow another homeschooling mom's blog which uses that book for the Outdoor Hour Challenge and many other activities such as nature journals! ) I really hope the seeds do well in my sweet egg pots. A friend of mine asked me what the benefit was to them... I'm not sure. She wondered if it added extra calcium to the soil once you transplant them. I saved the shells one morning when I was cooking eggs for breakfast. Carefully I cracked each one. Then took a needle and pierced the shells along the crack lines. That made it easy to take the tops off. If anyone has any helpful hints on raised gardens, Id appreciate the suggestions! Mike has staked out the area and is beginning to price lumber. Its the fill that will be expensive we feel, and are trying to cut down on cost. I suggested we look into the town soil and get a truckload dumped. What have you done?

Seedlings- wk. 2

I was behind in my blogging, so week 1 and 2 got posted a day from each other! No, I don't have miracle grow plants...

I promise I wont post this weeks growth till after next Friday:)

Our Bean, Squash, and Cucumbers have taken right off!

We already decided to increase the size of our garden this year, but now are debating if we want raised beds or not?...

Mike has been very encouraging, and really wants me to have a nice crop this year.

(Mostly in his efforts to save money, I think;)

Seedlings- wk.1

Eggplant,

Beans,

Tomatoes,

Cucumbers,

Sweet Peppers,

Broccoli,

Zucchini,

and Snap Peas currently growing.

We put 2 seeds in each pot and after the first true leaves appeared, cut back the shoots that were not the strongest.

Spring!

Spring is a busy very time in our home school! We are busy trying to fit in anything important we might have missed. I feel the crunch, as do most hs moms to squeeze in as much as we can before NYS mandatory testing in April. William is being tested at the fourth grade level this year. I'm a little anxious, trying not to let it show.

Every Friday we go to group lessons with our LEAH home school support group. William is taking Art, Wiggle cars, and Recorder/ Music class. Griffin is taking Gym, Music, and Cup Stacking. Breanna and Matthew are both in the PreK classes. Involving Games, Fitness and Movement, and Dough. Each family is to volunteer their time and teach a class when able. I usually am in the nursery, have taught Art in the past, but this session I am leading one of the Pre K classes. Dough, Dough, and more Dough. Each week they will work with a different homemade play dough. In the line up we have: Oatmeal, Nutty Butter, Rubbery, Chocolate and Kool-aid Play dough. Most are edible. Doesn't that sound like fun?

This year for the first time ever, we started our garden indoors from seeds. My friend Lauren came over with her 3 kids and we had a seed planting. I bought a starter kit for cheap at Walmart, but she is more thrifty than I (and I mean that in a good way!) and uses newspaper wraps for her pots. Really a neat idea and they were so cute! Our plants have taken right off! I will post our progress weekly.

Tomato Soup sans msg or milk

I have been on the look out for tomato soup at the store that doesn't have MSG or made with milk. Its hard to find! So I made my own alternative...
Using tomato paste as a base, you can make just about any soup you want!
I tried a plain Tomato Basil last week. After simmering for a while I pureed the diced tomatoes I had added, then returned it back to the pot. It was nice, but I wanted something with a little more substance.
This week using the tomato paste as a base again I made
Vegetable Garden Tomato soup.
tomato paste
(hint- you don't need very much of it, I used one 14 oz can for both recipes)
left over brown rice
kale
spiral gluten free noodles
carrots
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 tbls brown sugar
garlic
5 cups of water

Cooking the noodles in the broth gives this soup a nice 'creamy' texture that I was missing from the plain tomato basil recipe. The kale holds up when cooked and doesn't get too mushy, and adds a nice touch of green color.
I served my self some topped with shredded rice cheese and fried polenta today for a mid morning snack. Delicious!

Ice cream, salads and more...

There are certain foods I am definitely addicted to now!

Rice Dream Organic (non-dairy frozen) Mango coconut is to die for!
And I cant seem to put the Cocoa Marble fudge down till its too late...
For being a rice milk product they are surprisingly creamy and flavorful.
It uses agave as a sweetener, which is so much healthier for you.

I make a salad every day! not just any salad...
Field Greens
Baby Spinach
strawberries or raisins
avocado (a must!)
tomatoes (mostly Roma's)
radishes (not always)
bean sprouts ( Mike likes those better than I...)
chick peas
black olives
I actually crave these salads now, and feel so good after eating!
Sometimes that is my meal!
I top them off with olive oil, red wine vinegar sprinkled, coarse sea salt and finely ground pepper.
A special thanks to my mil who gave me the idea for the salad dressing.
Also to Betsy for the avocado and Roma tomato.

Gluten free- Vegan Cornbread made with banana is a recipe I stumbled on.
My brother got me a great gf cookbook a couple years ago and I noticed it also has a 'V' by some of the recipes. The cornbread actually calls for 1 egg but I substituted a banana instead and it is so moist and stays moist! It doesn't dry out like most gf baked goods. I make it in a round 8x8 pan and it reminds me of johnny cake! This morning I took a section and split it in half making it thin enough to toast. After buttering ( yes I use butter..shh) I used peanut butter to bring out the flavor companion of banana. I enjoyed every bite, as it was my last piece... Time to make more! I don't always have a ripe banana on hand as an egg substitute with my vegan recipes, so Ive learned to put them in the freezer when they have gone ripe. Pulling one out as needed.

I remain mostly vegan with a few exceptions... I feel better when I leave out the dairy and meat. go figure!