The Baby Catcher

TerraZyme - Digestive Enzyme Complex

2011-12-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

A Digestive Enzyme Complex - Product Description from From Everything Essential.Me:

doTERRA's TerraZyme™ Digestive Enzyme Complex is a proprietary blend of active wholefood enzymes and supporting mineral cofactors that are often deficient in cooked, processed, and preservative-laden foods. TerraZyme's powerful combination of digestive enzymes support the body's constant production of enzymes critical for healthy biochemical functions throughout the body including healthy digestion of food nutrients and cellular metabolism of nutrients to energy. TerraZyme includes a variety of whole-food enzymes that help with digestion of proteins, fats, complex carbohydrates, sugars and fiber.

Who Should Use this Product?
TerraZyme is formulated for use by all members of the family desiring supplemental wholefood enzymes. TerraZyme is an excellent product for individuals with specific food intolerances resulting from digestive enzyme deficiencies. TerraZyme is an excellent addition to doTERRA's monthly Lifelong Vitality supplement program of Alpha CRS+™, xEO Mega™, and Microplex VMz™.

Primary Benefits

• Supports healthy digestion and metabolism of enzyme-deficient, processed foods

• Speeds conversion of food nutrients to cellular energy

• Promotes gastrointestinal comfort and food tolerance

• Supports healthy production of metabolic enzymes

• Provides important mineral co-factors for systemic enzymatic activity

Concept
Enzymes are specialized proteins that function as catalysts in almost all cellular functions and chemical reactions throughout the body. Enzymes play a critical role in growth, healing, and reproduction. They are also necessary for breathing, thinking, immune function, hormone regulation, detoxification, and thousands of other biochemical functions. Enzymes are also necessary for digesting food nutrients and converting nutrients to energy in cells.

Enzymes can originate inside and outside the body. Endogenous enzymes are produced in the body and can be classified as metabolic enzymes and digestive enzymes. Metabolic enzymes are active in blood, tissues, and organs. Digestive enzymes are excreted by the liver and pancreas and help the body convert food to usable nutrients. Exogenous enzymes are enzymes originating outside the body and are classified as food enzymes. Food enzymes are found in raw, unprocessed foods and help break down nutrients during digestion.

The body's ability to constantly produce metabolic and digestive enzymes is limited by raw material availability and production capacity. If our diets do not include sufficient food enzymes to break down the food we eat, our body's endogenous enzyme resources must be directed towards the production of digestive enzymes to speed conversion of food to bioavailable nutrients. Production capacity directed towards the production of digestive enzymes is capacity not available for the production of important metabolic enzymes.

The body's constant need to produce digestive enzymes can result in chronic deficiencies in metabolic enzymes that are critical for optimal health and cell function. One example of an important metabolic enzyme is superoxide dismutase (SOD) which protects cells from free-radical molecules. Metabolic enzymes are also necessary for energy production, tissue growth and repair, and managing toxic waste products. When we eat foods that are rich in food enzymes, our bodies can use fewer resources to produce digestive enzymes and have more capacity to create optimal levels of metabolic enzymes.

Chronic enzyme deficiencies have been associated with numerous sub-optimal health conditions including gastrointestinal disease, yeast infections, osteoporosis, chronic fatigue, compromised immune system, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease among other degenerative conditions.

Food Enzyme Deficiencies
Fresh, raw foods naturally contain sufficient enzymes for proper digestion in the body. However, when food is cooked and processed, these naturally occurring food enzymes can be destroyed. The pasteurization, sterilization, radiation, preservation, freezing, and microwaving of our modern food supply can render food enzymes inactive or alter their structure so much that they become useless to the body. Food processing can also remove important vitamin and mineral cofactors of enzymatic chemistry in the body.

We can reduce the internal demand for production of digestive enzymes in our body by increasing the amounts of fresh, raw foods in our diets. Some experts suggest a healthy diet would include at least 60 percent of food nutrients coming from fresh, raw foods—a good goal but not always practical in our modern lifestyles. Using a whole-food supplement of food enzymes is a more convenient way to guarantee sufficient enzymes in the foods we eat.

doTERRA's TerraZyme™ Digestive Enzyme Complex
doTERRA's TerraZyme is a proprietary blend of eight active whole-food enzymes that are often deficient in cooked, processed, and preservative-laden foods. TerraZyme includes a variety of whole-food enzymes that help with digestion of proteins, fats, complex carbohydrates, sugars, fiber, and other food nutrients. TerraZyme also includes a patented Enzyme Assimilation System of whole-food minerals that are necessary cofactors for enzymatic activity throughout the body.

TerraZyme's powerful combination of whole-food enzymes support optimal health by promoting more efficient digestion of food nutrients and by reducing the demand for internal production of digestive nutrients thus freeing resources for optimal levels of metabolic enzyme production and activity. TerraZyme can also be used as targeted support for specific food intolerances of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates such as lactose.

TerraZyme is safe to use with every meal, every day by all members of the family. It includes doTERRA's Tummy Tamer Blend of peppermint, ginger, and caraway seed extracts to promote gastrointestinal comfort for those using TerraZyme for targeted digestive health.

Enzymes included and the activity they support

• Protease - Breaks down protein to peptides and amino acids.

• Amylase - Breaks down carbohydrates, starches, and sugars.

• Lipase - Breaks down fats and oils to be absorbed in the intestine.

• Lactase - Breaks down lactose that is found in milk sugars.

• Alpha Galactosidase - Breaks down complex polysaccharide sugars found in legumes and cruciferous vegetables that can cause bloating and gas.

• Cellulase - Breaks down fiber to help digest fruits and vegetables.

• Maltase - Breaks down maltose sugars to glucose for energy.

• Sucrase - Breaks down sucrose to fructose and glucose for energy.

What Makes This Product Unique?

• Proprietary blend of eight active whole-food enzymes

• Patentedt Enzyme Assimilation System of essential whole-food mineral cofactors including 72 trace minerals

• doTERRA Tummy Taming Blend™ of peppermint, ginger, and caraway seed

• Whole-food formula made with sodium lauryl sulfate-free HPMC vegetable capsules

• Safe to use by everyone in the family

Kaytlyn is 2 years old TODAY!

2009-07-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

KAYTLYN

You've had a birthday; shout "HOORAY"!

WE want to sing to you today.

One year older and wiser too,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to YOU!

(HINT: click on picture to make bigger)

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

2009-07-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish my

Mom and Dad

a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

40 YEARS!

Visit to Utah

2009-06-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

In April I flew to Utah to see Kaytlyn and her mom and dad!

I'm a bit behind on my blogging, but better late than never.

We had tons of fun, jumping on the trampoline,

going for walks, and just hanging out.

Imaging that... I'm blogging

2009-06-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

I know, you are all in shock, you are not seeing that Paradise Salad when you open to my blog this time. Some would say, "It's about dang time!" Well, while you all had your eye on my yummy salad, I'm sure some have even memorized the ingredients by now, a lot has happened here at the Fritz's.

Whitney turned 18, yes I missed her birthday blog, I'm sorry Whitney... maybe Kayla won't feel so bad now. No worries I'll devote a whole blog just for you.

Whitney officially graduated high school... another blog just for you Whit.

I welcomed several new babies to the world, but I don't have permission to blog all their stories, so those maybe coming, but maybe not. I'll make up for it though, as I have others I can blog.

Another grandbaby is coming to our family. Jamie is due with a grandson in October. I can't wrap my mind around a boy in our family. But we are all anxiously waiting to see this surely adorable baby boy.

So, there you have an appetizer of what's to come in the next few weeks/days on my blog.

Thanx for being so patient with me, (well at least most of you). I'll try not to procrastinate too long.

Paradise Salad

2009-04-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

I made this salad for Easter, and it was FABULOUS!

It is a new family FAVORITE!

Paradise Salad

Candied Almonds:

1/2 cup sliced almonds

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Salad: 

1/2 head green leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

1/2 head romaine lettuce, torn into bit-size pieces

1 cup chopped celery 

4 green onions, chopped 

1 10.75-ounce can mandarin orange sections, drained 

1 avocado, cut into chunks 

1 apple, diced 

1/4 cup dried craisins 

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled 

3 chicken breast halves, cooked and cut in bite size pieces 

Dressing: 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

1 tablespoon chopped parsley 

2 tablespoons sugar 

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar  

Prepare candied almonds:

Melt 3 tablespoons sugar in large skillet with sliced almonds, stirring continuously until almonds are coated. Caution: Don't allow sugar to caramelize. Spread out on wax paper to cool. Mix together all salad ingredients and candied almonds.

Dressing: In a small bowl or jar, combine all dressing ingredients. Mix well. Pour over salad and toss right before serving. Serves: 6.  

I made an additional batch of dressing to pass with salad.

Asparagus

2009-04-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

Asparagus contains a special kind of fiber, called inulin, which is essential for the healthy bacteria that live inside our gut and help us digest our food and keep our digestive system working properly. Asparagus is a good source of potassium, which can lower blood pressure. One cup of asparagus contains about 300 milligrams of potassium. Also rich in vitamin K, a one-cup serving of asparagus will provide over 100% of the daily requirement for this essential vitamin.

The Vit K assists the body in clotting properly, a real benefit when giving birth, and so many women have their doctors or midwives concerned when their BP goes up in late pregnancy the potassium could have real benefits as well.

A Recipe for Asparagus

(It’s that time of year!)

1 pound of asparagus

2 teaspoons olive oil or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons fresh herbs of your choice (parsley, tarragon, or sage) or 1 tsp dried

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash asparagus thoroughly, snap at natural weak spot. Discard thick bottoms. Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt, garlic and herbs. Place asparagus in large bowl and coat with dressing, then place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

The best way to prepare asparagus for cooking or baking (or raw eating) is to wash it thoroughly and then snap it – by hand – at its natural weak spot, which is usually a bit lower than half-way on the stalk. Save the upper part of the stalk (with the tip, which contains many of the nutrients) and discard the lower half, which is too tough for our digestion. Enjoy °Ü°

Not our BEST look, but we know how to have FUN!

2009-04-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to do is 4 X wheelin',

It was a perfectly sunny day in town, but at China Camp peak it was SNOWING!

Prom 2009

2009-03-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again PROM!

This year, Whitney stole Andrew's heart,

actually he may have stolen hers,

ether way, they make an adorable couple.

They spent the day in Tombstone,

Paul took their pictures in our front-room,

then they walked down a path lit by a string of lights along both sides leading to

a candlelight dinner on the pool side deck.

They danced the night away at the dance on Ft. Huachuca.

Whitney say's Andrew's perfect!

Just in Time!

2009-03-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

4:00 AM mom calls to say she has been having contx for an hour and they were about every 10 minutes. She said, you said to call you when there is change. (Note to self, tell mom’s unless you need me there now, if change happens in the middle of the night, and it's not an emergency, let me know of change in the morning). Actually this was a good call, I was glad she called and I'm reminded that everything is always perfect, because as I lay there in bed I knew to call my student who lives an hour and half away, and tell her to be on her way. Mom said she could probably get a little more rest, and she would call when there was more change. I went back to sleep until about 5:50, then I got up to unlock the front door so when my student arrived, she could just let herself in.

6:15 AM dad calls to say mom’s contx were 5 minutes apart now, and they were strong, but she still didn’t want me there. I got up and ready to go anyway, because I know how fast second babies can come, and I wanted to be ready. I called my midwife partner to let her know, she said she would be on her way soon. She was about 30-40 minutes away.

6:28 AM dad calls to say, okay she said you could come now, later I hear from mom what she wanted him to say was PLEASE COME NOW! I brushed my teeth and grabbed a few miscellanies supplies that I had left out from the birth just a couple days before and headed out the door. I called my student to let her know to go directly to mom’s house, I didn’t call my partner because I knew she was probably already on the road.

6:41 AM dad calls back and in a VERY CALM voice, (I can’t emphasize “very calm” enough) he says, mom’s water just broke, and her body was pushing. I said, okay, well, I’m in my garage right now just leaving. As I am driving down my street, I say to myself, did he just say she is pushing???

6:44 AM I phone him back immediately, and ask if he said she was pushing, he said VERY CALMLY, yes. I asked if she was in the water, as this was a planned water birth. He said yes, I said, well I am just going to stay on the phone with you until I get there. Now keep in mind, I am driving NOT as calm as he sounds, I am hearing my tires squeal, as I leave my neighborhood, and once again as I round each corner. I come to an intersection with a RED light, not a smart light, it’s not going to change anytime soon, soon being relative, so I look all directions, mostly for a police car, and zipped across the intersection seeing RED! Still on the phone with dad, I am instructing him what to do with the next contx as mom pushes. I tell him I’m pulling into his street right now, so I am hanging up. I grabbed my instruments, and oxygen tank from the back of my car and RAN into the house. Sure enough mom is leaned over the side of the tub trying not to puch, they are both happy to see me. I commented on how dad is about the MOST calm person I have ever met. I did not hear ANY birth is imminent, in his voice. He said, he just trusts birth, and the process, no need to be in a panic. Mom wanted the birth videoed, and since it was just mom and dad and myself, because my assistants hadn’t made it yet, dad was the cameraman.

Mom was a little worried about tearing, because with her 1^st baby the cord came out with the head, and so she didn’t get a chance to push slow and easy, I needed her to push with all she had to bring the baby out quick because I didn’t want the cord to be compressed any longer, so we talked about pushing with this baby, and how it would be slow and very controlled. She didn’t even need to push, baby would come out even without pushing. Sure enough she could feel the baby move down without her pushing, so with my instruction, she just breathed through each contx, and the baby gently came down. I wanted to give some counter pressure on her bottom to protect from a spinning baby, this is when the baby turns as it is coming out, and sometimes an elbow ends up tearing the perineum, but mom didn’t want me to, that didn’t feel right to her. So I just let mom and baby figure it out together. The head would come out a bit, then goes back in, and with the next contx, it did the same thing. Then with the next one, the head stayed out just part way. This process was perfect because it allowed for mom’s perineum to stretch much like when you stretch out a balloon before blowing it up. It makes blowing it up much easier.

6:55 AM with the next contx the head is out, and mom is still just breathing, this contx is strong, and baby pushes itself right out with that one contx. I instruct mom to turn over as I am untangling the cord from baby, it was around her neck and body. Mom said, “is she out”? It was so smooth; she didn’t even realize her baby was here. I said, "yes, she’s here"! I gently lifted her sweet baby girl up to meet her new mom. Baby weighs in at 8 pounds 15 oz, and 21 ¾ inches long. An hour later she meets her new big sister and a family has just grown from three to four. An incredible mom, an incredibly calm dad, and two incredibly ADORABLE daughters!

10:00 AM Mom has eaten, mom and babe have had their herb bath, this a giant tea bath, with lots of herbs to help moms bottom heal, it’s anti-bacterial, and a stringent, it is very relaxing for mom and babe. Grandma has come to take big sister to her house, exciting phone calls have been made, mom and babe are tucked back in bed with fresh sheets, and are successfully nursing. Laundry is washing, and dishes are done. As I drive away I am in awe at the miracle that just happened in this home, and the world doesn’t even know.

Is this the flu or is it LABOR?

2009-03-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

Mom calls in the evening to say she has been having contx today, but really she just doesn’t feel well. She thinks she might have picked up the flu from someone, because she feels kind of achy all over and just not herself. She checks back in an hour later, and says, it must be the flu, because contx backed off, and she was going to hopefully get a full nights rest tonight.

6:20 AM I receive a call, mom woke up feeling like she was in transition, very shaky and not able to focus on anything but labor. The plan was for her to go to a “Birth Place” to have her baby, her husband had worked really hard on the construction of it, and they felt more comfortable there than at home, but it sounded like things were moving a bit to fast for her to get to the “Birth Place”, so we were coming to her.

6:35 AM I arrive at the house. Dad is so excited he can hardly see straight, and mom is very calmly resting on her bed. I checked mom’s dilation and she was 7 cm. How would it be to just wake up in the morning and already be 7 cm dilated? Things were moving along quickly, but I felt like they had time to still drive to the “Birth Place” if they really wanted to. I wanted them to have the birth they wanted, I had all my supplies and equipment in my car, but I knew that wasn’t their plan. I gave mom and dad a few minutes alone to decide what they wanted. They decided since there was time, they really wanted to go to the “Birth Place”. We hurried to put a few things in a bag, as the timing was a bit unexpected while Dad was on the phone to arrange a babysitter for their youngest son.

7:15 AM we arrive at the “Birth Place”, and mom’s contx are every 3-5 minutes, and very strong. The “Birth Place” is still under construction, but the essentials are there, and mom was happy. I organized a tray with all the birth supplies on it, like baby hat, instruments, sterile gloves, etc. Just in time, as mom contx are picking up a bit.

7:30 AM Contx are 2-3 minutes, and mom is really in need of some help breathing through them. Dad continues to be full of excitement; he can’t believe his wife is about to give birth any minute. He phones his mother in law, to let her know where to come to, and to hurry!

7:45 AM mom feels like she needs to go to the bathroom, as she stands up, her water breaks, and she heads to the toilet. She sits down with a VERY strong contx, and gives an involuntary push. I put my hand there to be ready to catch a baby, and sure enough the head is coming. I called for dad; he grabbed the camera, and put his arm around their daughter who was also there to welcome a new baby sister or brother. I didn’t have time to put my gloves on, sometimes it just happens too quickly, the most important thing is to have a dry warm towel or blanket to dry baby off when it is born, so I grabbed a towel, and put my hand down to guard mom’s bottom as the head came out. The other midwife dawned gloves by then, so she took over, and encouraged dad to come closer to receive his baby. Mom remains so very calm, she isn’t pushing, her baby is just coming out very slowly. As she contx, baby pushes itself out.

7:51 AM dad’s reaches down, and his hands welcome their new baby son into the family. He weighs 7 pounds and comes to a family full of love.

Every hour of sleep worth 2 hours.

2009-03-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

10:00 PM mom calls to say she has been having contx all day, but they are getting a little closer now and definitely stronger. She was a little shy of calling me because she has been through this two other times and went to sleep, but when she woke up in the morning, she was disappointed to still be pregnant. She was hoping this time was going to be different.

I was actually HOPING for a full nights sleep because I just got home from a VERY long birth out of town and was looking forward to sleeping all night in my comfy bed. My partner is still with the mom that delivered earlier today, so she was feeling even more lack of sleep than me, at least I was home, eaten, showered and in bed ready to get some sleep. My student that works with me was out of town at her midwifery school she attends two weeks every other month. I called another midwife in town, but she had the flu, so it was just going to be me on my own for this birth, which I had a feeling it would be a week or so earlier. Every now and again my Angels give me a heads up on what to be prepared for. °Ü°

2:00 AM mom calls with contx every 5 minutes and much stronger. She wants me to come over and check in, so I got up, surprisingly feeling somewhat rested. When I miss out on sleep, I ask my angels to make each hour of sleep I get be worth two hours to my body, and they definitely came through for me tonight. I dressed in a hurry, brushed my teeth and was out the door in 10 minutes.

3:00 AM mom’s contx are every 2-3 minutes, and stronger than before. She bends over with each contx and dad gives her some counter backpressure. This is their first home birth experience, so even though they had other children, it was still new to them and a lot of unknown factors, but this didn’t seem to effect mom, she was staying very relaxed and continues to move around to help baby move down through the birth canal.

I finished getting all my supplies ready, and set up my oxygen tank. I cut ginger and set it on the stove to simmer for perineum compresses. I feel the most amazing feeling in my body. I said a prayer of gratitude, as I realize I am not along at this birth, I am gently reminded that I am NEVER alone at births. I am ever so grateful for this knowledge. As I write this, I am overcome with an abundance of love and gratitude. THANK YOU!

4:00 AM I checked mom for dilation, and to her and dads surprise she was 8 cm and 100% effaced. Mom was so relieved that it probably wouldn’t be too much longer. . The other children are all sleeping quietly in their bedrooms. They are happily dreaming, and when they awake they will have a new baby brother or sister.

4:50 AM mom’s water breaks, it is clear, and I can put the delee away. A delee is a very small tube that I use when there is meconium (baby poop) in the water usually because baby is post-dates, or has been stressed at some point during this pregnancy. I put it down baby’s nostrils to suck out any meconium that baby might have aspirated. Anyway… I see amniotic fluid is clear, so I can put the delee a way.

5:00 AM mom’s contx back off to every 7-8 minutes, this often happens just before mom has the urge to push. It’s her body’s way of giving her a break to gather strength to push her baby out. Mom is SOOOooo very tiered, she doesn’t know how she has the strength to go on. She drinks a little apple juice in hopes that it will bring some energy to her exhausted body.

5:30 AM as she pushes, I can see that semi reclining on the bed, (the only way she has ever given birth in the hospital) is not the best choice for her. I encouraged her to walk to the bathroom. The combination of walking and being able to fully let go on the toilet is all that we need to bring a baby to her arms. She has one contx on the toilet, with a strong urge to push; she says, “here comes the baby”!

5:35 AM I have her scoot forward on the toilet, and put my hands there to guard her perineum to avoid a tear, and sure enough with one push, out comes baby’s head. Unfortunately, I do feel a little give in my hand as baby’s head comes out; sometimes there are no slowing things down. In the same push the rest of the baby slides right out. I lift baby up to mom’s arms, and dad grabbed a towel to dry and cover baby.

5:40 AM dad and I help mom move to the bed so I can keep an eye on her bleeding. It still amazes me how easily moms can move when there is no pain medication and they are allowed to give birth naturally on their terms. Taking as much time as needed, not rushing the process, and gently pushing as opposed to force pushing to the count of 10, three time with each contx.

7:30 AM Mom has been sutured, (yes unfortunately I had to put about three stitches in) she has been up and showered and peed, baby cleaned up, measured and weighed, dressed, and has a full belly. Everything is cleaned up, and laundry is in the washer. Mom is tucked in bed with her baby in her arms just in time for dad to open the door with three little kids waiting to see their new baby SISTER! She weighs in at 7 pounds, and is 20 inches long. Each of the kids takes a turn holding their baby sister before going off to school.

Happy Birthday Kayla!!!

2009-03-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday KAYLA!

Thank you for choosing us to be your family! We love you!

I can't count the number of smiles and laughs you have brought to us over the last 22 years! We love you and want you to know how blessed we are that you chose to come to our family! You have blessed our home with TONS of laughter. You have tried to impart your organizational skills on me, I'm sorry I'm not so receptive. You continue to be an example as you remind me of the things we taught you.

Kayla, with your determination, and motivation

you will make all your dreams come true!

Happy Birthday my SWEET!

MOM MISSES KAYLA'S B-DAY BLOG

2009-03-06T10:01:00.001-08:00

MOM MISSES KAYL'S B-DAY BLOG

and you thought I just forgot...

it's coming..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!

2009-03-05T19:48:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!

You are the SUPER HERO of our family!

Thanx for defending our country!

We love you, and hope your Birthday was the BEST!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESTON!

2009-03-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESTON!

I am catching up on a few Birthday's, yes I got behind, so this really is...

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

Just know Preston, we love you and are so glad you joined our family!

It just doesn't get any better than this!

2009-02-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

4:30 AM Tuesday morning my cell phone rings. Dad is calling to let me know his wife has been having contx since around 1:00 AM. They are about 10 minutes apart, definitely getting stronger and lasting nearly a minute. They didn’t want me to come yet; generally first time moms have long labors. I said, call me back when there is ANY change because I had a little over an hours drive.

I laid there in bed wide awake for about 30 minutes, listening to a whisper that said, this won’t be a long labor, you should get up and get ready.

5:15 AM I get up and take a quick shower, get things ready for the day, and 6:00 AM dad calls again. Contx are 4-5 minutes apart and she would like my support there now. I was already ready, so I headed out the door. I called my partner to let her know, she would be heading out as well.

7:30 AM We arrive at moms house to find her VERY much in labor, working VERY hard and relaxing perfectly during her contx. Baby has a happy healthy heart rate, and mom can feel her baby move down into the birth canal as she contx.

8:30 AM Mom wants to move to the birthing tub. Contx are every 1-2 minutes and even stronger than before. The tub feels so good to her; she says she is able to relax much easier in the warm water.

9:00 AM I check mom to make sure she is complete because she is feeling a strong urge to push, but not making much progress. She is completely dilated and effaced; we can have a baby any time now. Baby’s heart rate sounds GREAT. Dad is making sure his sweetheart has sips of juice and keeps Chap Stick on her lips. He was so sweet to put towels between the tub and the walls because the noise was interfering with mom’s concentration. ANYTHING she wanted, he was all over it, usually before she even spoke it.

10:30 AM Mom is pushing, but very gently, and not through the whole contx. This was perfect, because she was bringing her baby down through the birth canal, but not wearing herself out. Contx are still VERY strong, but had back off just a bit so now they were only every 7-8 minuets. I suggested she get out of the tub and walk to the bathroom, it had been a while since she had emptied her bladder, and walking would be VERY helpful in moving her baby down.

11:00 AM Mom was back in the tub, moving back and forth from hands and knees to semi reclining. Her hands and knees felt best, but they needed a rest in between contx, and mom was able to even fall asleep during that resting time. Contx continued to be every 7-8 minutes, so she often would get a long rest. Baby appears to still be very happy and healthy, as I listen to its heart rate I can hear good variability. This means when baby moves the heart rate goes up just a bit, and when mom has a contx the heart rate lowers a bit, but comes immediately back up. If I were to chart it out, I would want to see a horizontal zigzag pattern. For example, 152-157-158-150-148-150-154 etc. is a good variability hear rate. By now, mom is pretty tired; she says she doesn’t know if she can do this much longer. I am glad when we get to this point, because that means we don’t have much longer to wait. I can say about 99% of moms get to this point, and voice it. We encourage her by saying, “it won’t be much longer”, and “you can do this”. I always let mom know she just has to do one contx at a time, and never the same contx twice.

11:50 AM We are seeing lots of dark hair. Mom took her time and gave slow gentle pushes, being in the water, we can’t do oil or ginger compresses to help avoid tearing, but slow gentle, controlled pushes really helps.

11:56 AM The head finally comes all the way out. It is fully under water, and I remind mom and dad to breath, because baby doesn’t take it’s first breath until it reaches air. This baby has lots of dark curly hair just like it’s mom and dad.

11:59 AM With tears in our eyes we welcome the cutest baby girl on the block! She weighs in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and she’s 21 inches long.

A few hours later, mom and babe have had a nice relaxing herb bath; they are happily tucked in bed with full tummies. The laundry is done; the tub is emptied and outside to dry. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE butter births like this one, it’s 4:00 PM, and we are off to our next prenatal already scheduled. This mom had her baby on the day we were already going to be seeing her for a prenatal and it was during day, no missed sleep, and no rearranging prenatal appointments. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Decisions, Decisions!

2009-02-22T13:50:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I received a phone call from a mom in another state. She was seeing midwives where she was living, but at 36 weeks her family would be moving to AZ. We discussed her options, like hospital, birth center or home birth; she decided she wanted a home birth. Her other three children were born in a birth center, and she really wanted a home birth this time, so I agreed to take her on. She called me when they started their trek across the country and checked in when they arrived in town.

Wednesday I did her first prenatal and all seemed well, except there was a glitch in her insurance. They would pay 100% where they came from, but here in AZ they wouldn’t pay hardly anything. (I just don’t understand insurance companies some time, actually most of the time).

She and her husband talked about the new insurance discovery, and decided to go to the hospital this time because of the finances. That night after making that decision, she was in GREAT turmoil, she didn’t sleep, she was on edge, and overall just couldn’t picture herself in the hospital.

The next afternoon (Saturday), she phoned me to see if I would still take her, she told me about her experience the night before, and just felt like she was supposed to have this baby at home. I agreed to take her. She said she had the best night sleep that night than she had had her whole pregnancy.

Monday around 3:15 PM she phoned and said she thought she was in labor. She was having contx, she hadn’t really been paying attention to how far apart they were, but she thought they were only about 20-30 minutes apart. She was just letting me know there was change, because I tell my clients when there is change call me. I told her to pay attention in the next hour to how close they really were, and if they were getting stronger, and call me back in one hour. I wanted time to call my birth team, and they had a ways to drive.

3:30 PM only 15 minutes later mom calls to say, “these are much closer than I thought, they were more like 4-5 minutes apart, and definitely stronger”. She has 3 other small children, and didn’t know anyone here in town as they have only been here a week, so I waited until Whitney (my daughter) got home from work, and brought her along with me to help with the other children. I called my birth team, and told them to be on their way, things were moving along quickly.

4:00 PM Mom is working very hard through these contx, she has a warm rice sock under her belly, this helps her relax through the with the contx. Every couple of minute’s mom bends over the bed, stops talking, and puts all her concentration and focus inward during a contx.

5:00 PM Mom decides to get in the tub to rinse off a bit and relax. She wasn’t quiet as comfortable in the tub as she was out walking around with her rice sock, so she got out after about 20 minutes, and that movement was definitely what she needed to get baby moving down. I listen to baby’s heart rate, and everything sounds GREAT! Mom is feeling lots of pressure; we can tell it won’t be much longer.

6:00 PM Mom’s water broke, and it was clear. I always check what color the amniotic fluid is because this gives a good indication of how baby is doing. When the water is stained, this means the baby has been stressed and pooped in utero. I listen to baby’s heart again to make sure it is still a happy baby, and the heart rate sounds GREAT! Mom is on her hands and knees on the bedroom floor, and has a strong urge to push. She gives a couple of slow gentle pushes and we soon see baby’s head. Dad is up by mom’s head encouraging her, and helping her focus. I put a little bit of helichrysm essential oil on mom’s perineum, to help lubricate, and keep the circulation going so she doesn’t tear. It is also good for bruising and swelling, if some gets on baby’s head, all the better, because of the molding that happens as baby comes down through the birth canal.

6:10 PM We welcome a sweet baby boy into this family of girls! He weighed in at 7 pounds even and 20 inches long. Mom and dad were both so happy to have their baby here, three weeks early, but evidently it was perfect timing for him. They were especially glad to have this little one gently born in their home.

Ryan - my HERO!

2009-02-16T18:46:00.001-08:00

Ryan and Kayla went to Myrtle Beach with some friends over the weekend.

Friends run marathons, but wife wasn't up to this one even though she had registered already.

Husband talked Ryan into running with him.

Ryan has NEVER run a MARATHON,

he hasn't trained for a MARATHON,

he is pretty buff, and fit, but a MARATHON???

Thats 26.2 MILES!!!

No one I know could wake up one day with no training, and say...

"hmm, I think I'll run a MARATHON today"

except RYAN!

You are my HERO!

Ryan is NUMBER ONE!

He finished in 4 hours and 45 minutes, running the WHOLE 26.2 MILES!

He's gonna be sore tomorrow!

12 miles down, 14.2 to go!

Ryan getting ready for the BIG run!

I can't tell if he's posing for a picture, or really stretching!

You ROCK!!!

2009-02-16T18:37:00.001-08:00

FLOWERS from Kayla and Ryan!

Thanx for your words of affirmation!

They are JUST what I needed!

Valentines Breakfast was a HIT!

2009-02-14T18:25:00.000-08:00

VALENTINES BREAKFAST!

I plan it a whole year a head, I know, you're thinking what's the big deal.

But...the one time a year I cook breakfast for my family is VALENTINES!

CHOCOLATE waffles, (Paul added white chocolate peanut butter to his), strawberries,

whipped cream, pecans, chocolate shavings.

Home Cooking for 2009

2009-02-06T16:04:00.000-08:00

This year, one of my goals is to be a healthy weight. That means REALLY watching what I eat and paying attention to how it is prepared. Friday night is "date night", it has been for almost 27 years! Even when our girls were small, we always found a way to spend one night of the week out, alone together. It usually involves dinner, and since we just have Whitney at home now, and she has a very busy social life, we end up going out a couple of times a week sometimes more, depending on our schedules. Anyway....since I can't get to my healthy weight by going out to eat as often as we have in the past, we are enjoying home-cooked meals EVERY night. Now for some of you this may be the norm, but it hasn't been for me. So... as Friday night approaches, I'm having a hard time transitioning, and giving up my favorite restaurants. We've never been movie buffs, but we may be loving more movies this year.

Blast from the Past!

2009-02-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

My daughter has become best friends with one of her co-workers. She has spent many hours in her home (she still lives at home with her family). Her friend’s mom has taken Jamie in as another daughter. When I talk to Jamie on the phone, she always has stories about being with her Danylle’s family. I was so grateful Jamie had a friend that was of like mind, and raised with the same standards. Jamie and Danylle have said over and over, our moms should meet, they would probably get along really well.

Danylle moved to Sierra Vista, and her mom was coming down to see her for the weekend. Jamie called me to let me know if I had a “care package” to send her this would be a great opportunity, because Debera was coming to SV to see her daughter and she could bring it back with her. I quickly put a package together and was glad Jamie was helping me keep my title “the best mom ever”!

Debera called me Friday night to introduce herself over the phone, and said she wanted to meet me and pick up something I might have for Jamie. We visited on the phone for a bit, she said she felt like she already knew me, and I felt the same. I was so grateful Jamie had another mom figure to watch over and be there for her and it was nice to finally meet her. She commented over and over again how much she loves Jamie, and her friendship with her daughter.

Saturday morning Paul and I went for a walk, we were on our way home and Debera called to let me know she was on her way over. She was waiting in the driveway when we walked up. I was a little embarrassed, as she was all decked out looking very cute, and I was just up, no makeup, probably still bed hair, and sweaty from my walk. Oh well, I’m not out to impress her I thought.

She came in the house; I grabbed a drink of water while she was looking at pictures on my family wall. She turned to me as said, “What was your maiden name”? I thought, “ well you won’t know me, but whatever...”, “it’s Bailey”, She said, I’m Debera R…..” I couldn’t believe it, we were both in shock!

We grew up together, we lived in the same neighborhood, we went to school and church together since kindergarten, we were good friends. We both got married and went our separate ways, and I haven’t been in touch with her since graduation, though I have thought about her MANY times through out the years.

Who would guess that our daughters are best friends? NOW I was embarrassed, your supposed to look cute when you reunite with a friend you grew up with. We had the best 2 ½ hour visit, we caught up on each of our experiences that brought us to this point from the last 28 years, and laughed at the conversation the night before about feeling like we already know each other. Talk about a Blast from the Past!

Green Smoothies °Ü°

2009-01-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

This picture of my granddaughter made me smile today.

She is learning at a young age (18 months) to make

green smoothies.

What an awesome mom she has!

Christmas Cruise!

2008-12-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

We have talked about taking our family on a cruise for Christmas for years.

Well... it finally happened this year!

All 10 of us on a 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise.

It was FABULOUS! In Puerto Vallarta, we swam with the dolphins,

in fact they took us on a belly ride!

We went kaiaking around an un-inhabited island in Mazatlan,

and in Cabo San Lucas, we parasailed over whales, toured in a

glass bottom boat, and jet skied in the ocean!

We could not have had any more fun!

Ate way too much food, enjoyed sunny warm

beaches with clear blue water.

Tons of ship activities everyday/night.

I was in heaven to have a date with my husband EVERY night!

No stress,

No cell phones,

No computers,

No beds to make,

No house to clean,

No food to cook,

No dishes to do,

it just doesn't get any better than that!

The best part was having our family all together!

I am so blessed to have the amazing, adorable, sweet, thoughtful,

good looking family that I have!

Thank you family for giving me the best Christmas ever,

and for all you contribute to

making our family so fun to be with!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE you!!!

Remember the Little Details

2008-12-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

Funny story… I came home from a birth this week… (Birth story to follow soon) to my defense, keep in mind I was VERY sleep deprived. I just wanted to go out and sit in the spa for a few minutes and then go to sleep. It was the middle of the afternoon, and no one was home, so I locked the front door, and slipped out the back in my spa suit, (for those of you that know me well, you know that is butt naked). The spa was WONDERFUL for my tired body, now I just needed my comfy bed. I dried off with my VERY small towel, and headed for the door. To my surprise, I had LOCKED myself out!!! We just got new doors and windows, and this new lock automatically locks unless it is manually unlocked. Ya… I’m not used to them yet, and my sleep-deprived brain didn’t remember that little detail. So…. What am I to do???? I called Paul, he just about busted a gut, and I could HEAR him rolling on the floor. Hearing my husband laugh is one of my FAVORITE things. No one would be home for at least 4 hours. I could curl up on the patio chair and sleep, but it was a bit too nippy for one with no clothes on. I could go out the side gate, and sneak in the front door, my front yard is pretty hidden by all the big pine trees and no one would even see me, but I remember, I LOCKED the front door! I thought about the predicament I was in for about 30 minutes, and finally decided just to bite the dust, wrap my “better than nothing” towel around my most privates and go out the side gate to the front yard, I use the keep pad for the garage door and go through the garage. Yes, it is WIDE OPEN SPACE, and anyone looking out their window, driving down the street, kids getting off the bus, and the Fed X truck driver making a delivery could see this “not so pretty picture”, but at least I was in the my house and snuggled in my bed finally able to get some much needed sleep!

Thanksgiving Dinner with a Midwife!

2008-11-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist! °Ü°

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!

2008-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

ASHLEY

You’re our

Spirit-lifting,

Joy-bringing,

Gift-giving,

Love-sending,

Heart-mending,

Problem-solving,

Laughter-sharing,

Soul-searching,

Story-telling,

Fun-seeking,

Forever

Daughter

Sister

Wife

Mother

Niece

Granddaughter

Friend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!

WE LOVE, LOVE, LOVE YOU!

Cooking Among Friends

2008-11-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

They're popping up everywhere - Meal assembly franchises like Dream Dinners, Let's Dish, and Super Suppers are storefront businesses that let you buy a freezer-full of fabulous entrées, prepared quickly and efficiently by you and a group of friends at their facilities, using their equipment and ingredients.

Sounds great, but they are a bit pricey, and they may or may not be conveniently close to you. We don't have any groups like that in my small town, but I ran across a cool site today called Cooking Among Friends. So go check it out, they even have a recipe book you can purchase. Then gather some friends, do some planning, individually prepare multiple meals, freeze them, and swap them. What a GREAT idea!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!

2008-11-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

I have the most amazing husband/best friend EVER! There were way too many pictures to choose from, and most of them are of him with his family because they are the light of his life. You have heard the cliché “my better half”, well Paul is DEFINITELY my better half! He is my "behind the scene guy" that helps me look good! I love and adore him! He is my very best friend, and I am SO grateful he came a into my life.

I am grateful to his parents for raising such an AMAZING husband and father! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE you Sweetie – I hope this year is AMAZING!

My Fan Club

2008-11-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

I added a new gadget on my sidebar.

"My Fan Club"!

so if you are one of my "fans" please let me know. °Ü°

A Midwife’s Midwife!

2008-11-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

It’s so fun to be a midwife’s midwife! We are just like any other pregnant mom who feels like we have lost our brain for 9 months. All the blood that is normally circulating in the brain is now circulating around that uterus. We have no memory for nine months just like most other pregnant moms. We forget that an estimated due date is just that, an ESTIMATE, and we forget even the most common sense things that we know we know. We sometimes forget to eat, drink and take care of ourselves, because we are too busy taking care of everyone else. You see; we really are no different from the ordinary pregnant mom.

I tell my clients that by the time they deliver we are BEST friends! We really have a trusting relationship and are usually on the phone everyday the last week. This mom was no different, we stayed in touch because she was having a lot of contractions, and at the same time was moving into a new house with lots of finishing work still to be done, had sick children, then she caught the bug herself, it was hunting season, and she didn’t want her husband and son to miss out on this father/son experience, not to mention a LOT of other outside pressure.

It was midnight, and mom calls to let me know what was going on. She didn’t want me to come quite yet, but “just be ready so when I call you can come quick”, she said. I already had all my ducks in a row, I called my assistant and she came to sleep at my house until we got THE call.

3:00 AM Dad calls and says it’s time, contx are 2 minutes apart, and mom wanted me to come NOW! My assistant and I were up, dressed, teeth brushed, contacts in, and out the door in less than 10 minutes. When we arrived mom was on the toilet breathing through contx like an experienced mom. I listen to baby’s heart rate and he sounds GREAT. I locate all the birth supplies and get everything set up and in order, ready for a birth. Mom likes her privacy, so I backed off and hung out in the front room, while she and dad were in her bedroom and master bath. I could hear everything going on, I listen closely to her breathing, because this tells me how close mom is, and what best way to assist her is.

4:00 AM Mom wants to get into the tub, as she lowers herself a sigh is heard as she feels instant relief. She and dad are breathing together and working through contx like she had done this five times before!

5:15 AM Mom request a dilation check so I checked her while in the tub and she is 7 cm. Mom feels a little overheated, so we cool the bath water down, put a cool cloth on her head and have her get out to go to the bathroom. Baby’s heart rate is a little high, I attribute this to mom being overheated, so when we cool mom down, I listen again and sure enough, baby was back to his base-line heart rate. Mom was eating ice chips because that is what she is craving. They ate a late dinner, so food wasn’t appealing at all. For the next hour mom was in and out of the tub to the bathroom, and I am listening to baby frequently as I don’t want his heart rate to jump high again, it continued to stay at his perfect base-line.

6:15 AM Mom is feeling lots of pressure, she wanted her other children present, actually, THEY wanted to be present, they missed the last birth because they were at grandma and grandpa’s, and they weren’t about to miss this one. So my assistant went to each of their rooms and woke them up. They all hung out on mom and dads bed to watch their baby brother be born in the large garden bathtub. Well, they started out on the bed, they soon gathered ‘round the tub to get a closer look.

6:25 AM Mom gently pushes out her baby’s head, I had my hands down to help guard her so she wouldn’t tear, but she pushed my hands away, so I honored this, and just held the space for her to receive her 9 lb baby boy with grace and ease! The whole family was gathered ‘round the tub in sheer delight!

I VOTED!!!

2008-11-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

TODAY IS THE DAY!

GO VOTE! LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Candy Corn.

There's not much to it except sugar

but I love the simplicity of it.

I can't think of a Halloween without

Candy Corn!

Just a bunch of family pictures in UT!

2008-10-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to SLC to a two day doTERRA Essential Oil launch/conference. It was AMAZING! The best part of the weekend was spending time with my family. My mom and 2 of my sisters (Jeannene and Suzanne) went with me, and Ashley and Kaytlyn joined us too. I haven't spent time like that with my mom and sisters in a LONG time. Thanx family for joining me in this fun doTERRA adventure. I love you!

Ashley, Me, Mom, Jeannene

Suzanne, Ashley and Kaytlyn

After the doTERRA conference we headed north/east from SLC to check out Ashley and Joe's new hide out. Joe showed us around his 6th grade classroom, the students all have an APPLE computer at their desk, and Joe was showing off his "smart board". A short stay it was, the next day we were on our way back to Arizona for work and babies,

(notice I don't put work and babies in the same category)!

Me and my dad as he walked us out to the car.

Kaytlyn and Ashley

Joe and Ashley at the Diner for lunch.

Whitney and Kaytlyn eating dessert!

We went to see the Vernal Temple

while visiting Ashley and Joe.

It was a LDS church building built in 1907 then converted to a LDS Temple in 1997.

Kaytlyn showing off for her grandma and grandpa!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-10-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

to ME!

Yes, I am doing my own Birthday Blog..

why?....Because I didn't want you to miss out on these CUTE

pictures of me 25 years ago!

Butter Birth!

2008-10-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

I love births when their most important lesson is how easy birth can be when we give women the tools they need to birth with confidence. We celebrate the accomplishment of what the women’s body is able to do as we surround her with supportive and empowering people who trust birth.

5:15 AM Mom calls with contx about 6 minutes apart. They had been 20 minutes then jumped to 6-7 minutes within an hour. This is her second baby, so we expect for labor to progress quicker than the last one. I got a quick shower to wake me up for an hour drive. I was on the road by 5:45 AM.

7:00 AM I arrive at the house, and mom is working hard through contx, with what looks like with ease. As we start to set up the birth tub we are thinking, “were not going to get this filled before baby gets here”, so we changed plans and disinfect the tub in her bathroom instead. She has a large garden tub, so it will be plenty big.

We make her bed in the specific way we do for a home birth. We put clean sheets on bed in normal order; fitted, flat, & blanket, then we cover the bed with a waterproof sheet or drop cloth (lg. Shower curtain works well also). Then continue to make the bed again over the top of blanket with an old set of sheets; fitted, flat etc. This makes it an easy and quick bed change after baby is born. When mom gets up to go to the bathroom, we take the top set off and leave a fresh clean set for mom to return to bed with. We make the bed like this even if the plan is to have a water birth, because we never know which plan is going to play out, and we want to be prepared for every plan.

7:30 AM When the tub is ready so was mom, she gets in and feels relief as she is emerges herself in water. At this point comfortable is not in mom’s vocabulary. Nothing or any position is comfortable now, but mom is breathing and rocking her hips through contx, and now she is feeling like she needs to poop, so she gets out of the tub and sits on the toilet. She gives a couple of pushes on the toilet and we encourage her to go back to the tub, but she says no, she can’t move. We tell her she can, and we will help her, but she still refuses. We always trust that mom knows what her body needs and what position is best for her. Just to give you an idea of positions, and trusting mom to do whatever is best for her. We asked mom to scoot forward on the toilet, but she said she couldn’t, instead she stood up and was in a supported, stand with her knees slightly bent, as she did this baby came right down the birth canal without even a push. The next contx mom gave a gentle push and the head was born. Within 5 seconds, no pushing, the body was born. One midwife supported mom’s perineum and the other one received this beautiful baby girl in a soft towel. Mom sat back on the toilet and we lifted baby into her arms. The placenta came after the cord finished pulsing, and Dad cut the cord. No bleeding, only a VERY small tear, and clean up was instant. It doesn’t get any easier than that. We call these “butter births”.

8:13 AM Mom and Dad welcome their sweet baby girl into their family weighing in at 8 lbs 1 oz!

Homecoming 2008

2008-10-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

Whitney and Mitch - Homecoming

October 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE!

2008-10-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jamie Lynne!

We love you and want you to know how blessed we are to have you in our family for the past 23 years! You have blessed our family lots of laughs and yes, even some tears. You have taught us many lessons, and continue to be an example for us. You are extremely talented and we are grateful to be a recipient of those talents. Jamie, with your courage and determination, you will accomplish all your dreams. Thank you for choosing us to be your family! We love you!

Slow and Gently Born

2008-10-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

9:30 AM Mom calls with contx 5 minutes apart. This is her second birth with us, and she has a family history of having very quick labors. Her last birth was normal in length, not really fast, but not long either. She lives about 1 ½ hours away, so I didn’t want to wait too long. I had appointments this day, so I called and canceled them and headed out to a birth.

When I arrived I saw mom outside doing yard work, I thought, okay, this doesn’t look like a mom that is moving through labor very quickly, and I was right. The good thing is we were out in the country, so it was a nice leisurely day as we waited for labor to progress. We went to a ride into town to the little produce market and got a few groceries for dinner, (it was noon, but we know we’d be there for dinner).

7:30 PM labor finally picked up and contx were much stronger now. Mom had to work through them with a bit more effort. Still only wanting her husbands support we stayed in the front room to offer support when she needed it.

11:30 PM Mom wanted to get into the birth tub to help manage the intensity of contx. We warmed the water to about 98 degrees, and mom was very happy to finally emerge herself in water.

12:00 AM Mom continues to work through contx, still really only wanting her husbands support, but we can tell that it is getting close. The tub was in the dining room and she had a curtain set up as a privacy curtain in between the dining area and the front room. As we listen to mom’s breath, we could hear a little catch in it as she breathes through contx. This lets us know that the baby is coming down and mom will soon feel an urge to push her baby out.

1:00 AM Mom is actively pushing now. There is a little anterior cervical lip just at the top of baby’s head, as she has another contx and pushes we hold the lip back so the head can come down in front of it. Within a few minutes of pushing we see the head crowning, and mom VERY slowly and with VERY controlled pushes, gently pushes her baby’s head out. The head doesn’t rotate, so we ask her to turn over on her hands and knees, this opens the pelvic a bit more to make more room for baby to come through. This rotation opened up the way for baby to be born. Because of mom’s gentle, slow and controlled pushing she doesn’t tear, and Mom and dad welcomed their son at 1:17 AM

Not according to “OUR” plan

2008-10-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

When things don’t go according to “our” plan, we often wonder why? As we look hindsight, we find this WAS the plan after all, we just didn’t see it clearly. Looking back with 20/20 vision is very enlightening. I’m grateful for that enlightenment, because it helps us understand the events that we didn’t plan for, and it helps us grasp a hold of the lessons that are there for us to learn from.

8:30 AM Mom calls with contx, they have been very regular, every 5 minutes for a couple of hours. We visit on the phone, and she is doing great. She is going about her regular activity and will call me when there is a change. Three hours later I go over to her house to check on her and babe. All is well, she is working well with contx, and not needing me there, so I send mom and dad out to walk, and I head back home. We are in contact with each other throughout the day as she continues to have contx getting a little stronger and closer together.

9:00 PM I arrive at her home after she calls and feels like she would like me there now. She is having strong contx 3-5 minutes, I check dilation and she is 6 cm and 90% effaced. This would be considered “active labor”. For the next several hours’ mom and dad labor together, dad doesn’t leave her side, he is very devoted and treats his wife like the queen she is. My two assistants and myself continue to give labor support, checking heart rate, and take our turns resting. I could give an hour-by-hour detailed story of the next six hours, but it would be suffice to say that mom and dad are an amazing team. The two of them went from the tub to the bed to the toilet and back again several times, while eating lightly to keep energy levels up and keeping well hydrated.

4:00 AM Mom is feeling like she wants to push, she is feeling some pressure and pushing feels better. Mom tries for a bit to push, but we aren’t seeing any progress, so I check her, and she feels complete, but baby has moved up out of the pelvic a little bit. I suggest she lay on her side, with one leg propped up on a stool with pillows; sometimes this helps to bring the baby down. Mom continues to lie on her side for bit, then up to the bathroom to do a few contx on the toilet, and then back to laying on her other side.

9:00 AM Mom is back in the tub, she complains of incredible back pain, and not able to support her back in the tub, so dad gets in with her, to give back support and allow mom to rest on him in between contx.

11:30 AM Mom is feeling like she needs to push again, so I check for cervical dilation, and she is back to 9 cm., but baby had moved back down into the pelvic. I can feel a bulging bag of water and mention to mom that we can break it, and this will probably help have a baby sooner, as I mentioned this her cervix closed down a couple of cm, so I decided it wasn’t a good idea to break her bag of waters at this time, (for some reason I felt I wasn’t supposed to do this), I suggested we go a head and let it be, and tell mom it shouldn’t be much longer.

12:30 PM Contx are very strong with bringing with them a strong urge to push. I encouraged mom to push through a few contx on the toilet, and then back to the bed. She wanted to go back to the tub, but earlier I had an impression we were not going to do a water birth. I couldn’t tell you why, just that I felt we were to go to the bed. So I encouraged mom to go to the bed, we would check her one more time just to make sure the entire cervix was gone and it was okay to push.

1:30 PM Still only dilated 9 cm, with a bulging bag of water, so we decided to go a head and break it this time. When we did, the amniotic fluid was stained with meconium. Meconium is normally stored in the infant's intestines until after birth, but sometimes (often in response to fetal distress) it is expelled into the amniotic fluid prior to birth, or during labor. If the baby then inhales the contaminated fluid, respiratory problems may occur.

There are different degrees of meconium, and this was the most severe. Amniotic fluid is usually clear, but this looked more like chunky pea soup. My assistant and I looked at each other, not wanting to alarm mom and dad, but they knew something was up. I wanted to make sure my assistant and I were on the same page about transporting before I said something to mom and dad. It was clear to me that baby wasn’t coming down through the birth canal anytime soon, so we discussed a transport to the local hospital. We discussed calling an ambulance, but it didn’t appear to be an “emergency”. I felt we had plenty of time, and baby sounded GREAT. Heart tones were proving to be very strong and responsive, so we packed up and drove to the hospital in our own vehicle.

When a situation calls for a transport like this, I call a head to the hospital and talk to the Doctor on call. I let him know that I have a patient I am bringing in; I give him the pertinent details, and ask to have a room ready for her. I bring with me a transport form that gives the information needed about labor history and why I am transporting. I come in with my client and I am with her throughout her labor. I continue to give labor support and act as an advocate for my clients. I help bridge the gap between home and hospital. This transition can be a very difficult time for both parents. We came from a home environment where everything is natural and familiar to the hospital where nothing is natural or familiar. We are in the hospital because there is a problem and mom and or baby needs to be very closely monitored. Now there are IV’s, monitors, machines, catheters, no eating or drinking, everything but natural.

2:30 PM We arrive at the hospital, get checked into a room, and settled in. The nurse checks for dilation and mom is still 9 cm. I am thrilled, because sometimes just the transport and all the emotions and fear that go along with it will close the cervix down a bit, but not this time. The nurse asked mom on a scale from 1-10 with 1 being nothing 10 being most severe, what was her pain level at. Mom said a 5! I couldn’t believe this, she was handling these contx, as if they were nothing, and anyone who has been through labor knows that when you are that close to complete, contx are VERY intense. The nurse commented that mom acted like she had an epidural in.

4:00 PM The nurse checked mom’s cervix and said she was complete and could start pushing. We are excited and doing the “Happy Dance”. This is great news! Mom pushes with great strength, for about an hour. It’s now the change of shift and a new nurse comes on.

5:00 PM New nurse checks mom’s cervix and says she’s 9 cm. She asks the charge nurse to come in and double check, sure enough she is back to 9 cm. They have mom roll to her side, and breathe through contx for ANOTHER hour. Can you say AMAZING, because that is definitely what this mom is! Her strength is incredible! In her mind she intuitively feels she should have a c-section, she has felt this from the time we drove to the hospital, but she keeps on going and doing exactly what the nurses tell her.

6:00 PM Mom has had enough; she is tired, and doesn’t feel like she can do this anymore. I give her a pep talk, and go get the nurse. The charge nurse comes in to check her one more time, and again she is complete. The nurse continues to give vaginal support while mom pushes with all her strength. Dad and I are holding her legs up and back for her and counting her breaths as she pushes. During the hour and half, Doctor is in and out a couple of times checking progress, and mom continues to find strength she had no idea she had.

7:30 PM The Doctor orders pitocin for mom to help create even stronger contx to hopefully bring baby down. Mom is directed to NOT push during these, again VERY STRONG contx to give pitocin enough time to work. I encouraged dad to go to a vending machine and grab a snack and take a 10-minute break, he comes back 5 minutes later with a sack lunch the nurse hooked him up with. The nurse came in with one for me as well, and I have to say, food never looked or tasted so good. Neither of us had eaten all day.

7:45 PM Mom resumes pushing; I can’t even imagine how tired she is, no, how EXAHSTED she is, but somehow she finds what little energy there is left and continues to push.

8:15 PM The nurse went to get the Doctor and brief him on her progress, I knew this wasn’t good. Doctor came in and sure enough the baby was still just as high in the birth canal as it was when we came in several hours before. He discussed her lack of progress despite her efforts, and his recommendation was a c-section. He wanted to give her until 9:00 PM, but mom said, NO! She really felt like the only way this baby was coming out was through a c-section, so by 8:30 PM everyone consented to a c-section. Preparations were made, and into the OR she went.

After a VERY long and strenuous labor, this AMAZING Mom and Dad welcomed a sweet baby boy 8 lbs 4 oz, at 9:04 PM by c-section, baby was posterior, (face up).

20/20 VISION:

As I look back on this experience there are details that come to my mind that give me hints of the outcome. I don’t think these hints are meant to second guess myself, or kick myself because “it was right there, why didn’t I see it?” I think they are there to help us understand this was the plan all along for some reason, and there was nothing you could have done to change things, a kind of resolve.

When I first met this mom, something struck me just slightly that we would be transporting. I quickly put that thought out of my mind, I can’t tell you why I thought this, it was just a flash that came and went very quickly. As I got to know her more intimately through our prenatal visits, I was impressed by her outlook on life and was pleased to have met someone with such a like mind as mine. (This doesn’t happen very often). Wrinkles were smoothed out in my mind, and I became very excited for this birth, I knew it would be wonderful and this mom had something to teach me.

In one of our prenatals we discussed making a “mind movie”. This is much like a creation board; only it is in a slide show presentation with music. It was to represent everything you expect your birth to be like. We talked about making it as personal as she could, because the more personal the more powerful. She came the next prenatal and shared it with me. I was impressed that she followed through with this suggestion. It was beautiful, and very personal; the one thing I noticed right away was there weren’t any pictures of “home birth”. In my mind I thought of having pictures of women laboring at home, birth tubs, midwifes, etc., but that aspect wasn’t there. Again, it was beautiful and very personal, with lots of GREAT affirmations, but that main aspect was missing.

I didn’t want her in the tub to have this baby, why? Probably 75% of my babies are water births. I love water births, but this one didn’t feel right. I’m glad mom’s water broke on the bed instead of in the water. It might have looked more diluted, and I may have not thought it was as dark stained as it really was.

I wanted to break her bag of waters the first time I checked and she was dilated 7 cm, but something stopped me. Why? I don’t know, but I do know there was lots of divine communication going on here, lots of messages coming through. This labor was one that many angels attended bringing with them a powerful love, strength and most of all protection.

This baby was posterior, and that makes for a very long, hard labor. It also makes it hard for baby to fit into the birth canal. It’s like fitting a tight puzzle together. I don’t think baby was posterior the whole time. It think he turned around 4:00 AM when I checked mom and felt baby had moved up and out of the pelvic. Why? Again, I don’t know, was there a short cord, was it a weak cord, was it wrapped around him, was the cord in a space that it would compress coming down the birth canal? Did we just need to be in the hospital for baby’s sake? Baby stayed in the hospital for a few days; did mom need to deliver there, as not to be separated from baby? I don’t know these answers, but what I do know, is this baby is very smart, he helped us make the choice to transport when we did, he knew what he had to do to help us make that choice, and I have no regrets about that. For whatever reasons, I know this birth happened just the way it was supposed to happen, and we were all divinely guided.

I also know, this mom is TRULY one of the most AMAZING mom’s I know. This was an incredibly long labor, and with her innate knowledge of knowing this baby would be born by c-section at 1:30 PM as we were driving to the hospital, and still giving it her all, finding strength and energy she didn’t know she had for HOURS longer, not giving up, truly enduring to the end with grace, and with what looked like ease, but we all know it wasn’t ease at all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

2008-09-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

It’s my dad’s birthday today and I want him to know how much I love and appreciate him. Thank you for being such a great example to me dad! I love you SO much! Happy Birthday!

I LOVE SUNDAY BIRTHS!

2008-09-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

It’s a perfect day to welcome a perfect sweet baby!

Be warned, it's a LONG story

Mom was having contx and some spotting, so she came to see me. I checked her to put her mind at ease. She wasn’t dilated yet, and spotting was very minimal. Baby’s heartbeat was strong. I explained that sometimes as you efface and dilate, small capillaries break and can cause small spotting. I teach mom’s to check their own cervix if they are comfortable with that, and sometimes this can irritate the cervix a little and cause spotting also. I liken effacement and dilation to sucking on a lifesaver. As the lifesaver gets thinner, this is like effacement, and as the hole gets bigger, this is like dilation.

After checking mom’s cervix this is what I felt was causing the spotting, it appeared to be very normal. The other advice I gave mom is to hydrate herself. Dehydration will cause contx prematurely and give you a false sense of labor. It is in everyone’s best interest if you don’t start into labor dehydrated.

I was pleasantly surprised to wake up Sunday morning with a good nights sleep. Contx continued all day and it was time for the midwife to come. As I turned down her street I had in my mind their house was the second one in. They told me to pull into the driveway and park under the basketball hoop. I thought it was kind of funny that they wanted to me park here, but didn’t have the garage door open like they said they would, they must have forgotten. I grabbed all my bags from the back of car; I try to only make one trip, which means I have full arms. I walked around to the front of the house, struggled to open the gate with full arms, went to the door and knocked. No one answered, but that doesn’t surprise me, I’m sure they are busy, so I knock and walk in with a “helloooooo”. Some women whom I didn’t recognize says, "Aaaa…...can I help you"? Instantly I realize I’m in the WRONG house! I’m tripping out the door over my apologies; I can’t believe I have just WALKED into some stranger's house hollering helloooo like I owned the place. Oh my goodness, I was sooooo embarrassed! This strange women is trying to help me with directions, I assure I know exactly where I’m going, NOT! It turns out these two houses are identical and I was supposed to go to the 2^nd house from the end of the street, not the 2^nd from the beginning of the street. Sure enough the house I supposed to be at had the garage door open for me, this time, as I’m a little skittish, I knocked and waited for an answer! I took a couple of deep breaths, and no one was any wiser.

So…now for the birth story.

4:30 PM - I checked mom’s cervix and I was excited to report that she was dilated 7-8 cm. and 90% effaced. She had a gush of water around 4:00 PM that we suspected was her bag of waters. I called my assistant to let her know it was time to come NOW and quickly. I prepared the room for the birth, and filled the garden tub as this is where she wanted to birth.

5:15 PM - Mom is feeling a VERY strong urge to push. I called my assistant again to affirm she was almost here. She said she was still about 20 minutes out. I encouraged mom to get in the tub to help her relax and get ready to welcome her baby. With the reality of her baby being born soon, fear came showing its face also. As we talked about what she might be afraid of, and I reassure her everything is going perfect. Baby has a strong, happy heartbeat, but fear is a strong emotion, and there is a shift.

6:00 PM - I checked her cervix to see what exactly was going on, and I was surprised to find she had closed down to 1 cm! Now, I can’t tell mom this, she would be devastated, I just said, she had closed down a bit, and so for the next several contx we would just breathe through them as we had before.

9:00 PM - Transition finally comes. Again, LOTS of hormones being released, mom is shaking uncontrollable, contx one on top of the other, with no break in between. Once again we set the room up for birth.

9:30 PM - Another shift, hormones gone, urge to push is gone, contx backed off. I check her cervix, (I’ve already done more vaginal exams in this one partial labor than I normally do in 2-3 complete labors) and find her cervix is 3 cm dilated! I can’t believe this is happening. The common thread in both shifts is FEAR. There is actually a lot of emotions playing out here. A little back ground history…mom and dad have been separated most of this pregnancy due to the military. When you are not with your partner through a pregnancy there can be some startling reality checks when you come together again. Mom has been through the physical part of pregnancy. It is her body that has changed drastically, she has experienced the aches and pains, the tiny bladder, the absent-minded memory, among many other physical changes, but dad hasn’t. This can cause mom to feel unappreciated for what she is going through, and dad is feeling left out of the loop and in denial.

I’m not saying this is what was going on emotionally with this mom and dad, because I really don’t know. But there was certainly something going on and it was powerful enough to digress labor from nearing the end to nearing the beginning.

After this cervical check, I told mom and dad straight up what was going on with her cervix. We talked about fear, about relationships, about any dynamic that could be going on subconsciously. I said, what we are doing isn’t working, so lets do something different. Go for a walk outside, away from everyone, just the two of them and talk or go to bed, again just the two of them, and go to sleep. She chose sleep. She took some valerian root tincture to help her relax and went to bed. This is where I took advantage and laid down too.

Rest didn’t last very long. I could hear mom cry so I went into check on her, she was sitting on the toilet crying in a child’s voice, “I want my mommy”. Again a bit of history here… her mom passed away a few years ago, and a schoolteacher took her in as her own and has been a surrogate mom to her every since. That being said, my heart ached for this mom…NOW I was beginning to see a small glimpse of what was going on for this young new mom to be.

I assured her that her mommy was here, she is here in spirit and she is helping her baby find it’s way to be born and would soon be in her arms. We talked about nicknames her mom called her, and songs she sang to her when she was a child. I went for my back of tricks (homeopathy) and found a remedy for fear and grief, two VERY powerful emotions. No wonder her cervix closed down.

Mom and dad settled into a rhythmic labor pattern, surrogate mom was a great help as she supported her and gave her the physical touch that a mom would give. Thank goodness for assistances to take turns laboring with mom so another can rest.

2:00 AM - Mom has been back and forth from bed, hands and knees, to side lying, on the toilet, and sleeping some in between contx. Mom is feeling that STRONG urge to push again, but I’m not about to check her cervix, as I still don’t know for sure that a vaginal exam isn’t what is causing her to shut down. We will know when it’s time when we see a head crowning!

4:00 AM - Mom can’t take it anymore, she can’t help not to push, so reluctantly I check for dilation one more time, she is 7 cm. I tell her no pushing, I encourage her to breathe through these contx and explain that pushing before she is fully dilated can cause the cervix to swell and close down. Then we will have to wait for the swelling to go down and the cervix to open again.

This focused breathing was very difficult and required a lot of help. She looked into my eyes and said, "I can’t do this anymore, it is too hard”. It was just she and I for the last couple of hours, as everyone else was resting. I looked right back at her and said, “Yes you can do this, you are doing this, and you only have to breathe through one contx at a time. When this one is finished, you don’t have to do that one again.” Each minute seemed like an hour. This is such hard work, and I was amazed at this young mom’s strength.

6:15 AM - Mom is begging me to check her AGAIN, so as I repeat in my mind, “I’m grateful she is 10 cm”! I check her cervix once again, and let out a sigh of relief and excitement, as I am dong the “happy dance” she IS complete! I rallied up the birth team, dad and surrogate mom, and finally give mom permission to gently push her baby out.

6:50 AM - We welcome a sweet baby girl weighing 7 lbs, 9 oz.

I Can Do ANYTHING!

2008-09-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

One phrase among many that my clients hear me say is, “You really come to KNOW just how strong and powerful you are through natural childbirth, and that knowledge tells you, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.” I often say, “Don’t ever doubt your strength, you have just proven to that YOU CAN DO ANYTHING?”

Each birth teaches me lessons and shows me how strong I am too. Each labor has lessons for me. Some are easier than others, and those hard ones reinforce the message personally to me that “I can do anything.”

Sometimes I wonder and ask myself why am I still doing this? Sometimes I think, “I don’t want this responsibility anymore. Sometimes I think I want my life back, but this is my life, my love, and my passion. A massage or a few days away with my family AKA vacation is when I forget about the hard times and this buoys me up to continue with my mission.

I am grateful for my amazing family. Many times I’m sure they have felt that they came second, to my clients, but I have only felt supported and encouraged by them. I’d like to think they are proud of what their mom/wife does, and I think they are. I could not do this without their genuine unconditional love and support.

I’m grateful for my assistants, for the bonds of trust we share. I’m grateful for their skills, as two brains in a stressful and sleep deprivation situation are always better than one.

I am grateful for my skills, I am grateful for my passion to empower women through education and choices. I am honored to have the divinely guided hands that welcome these perfect babies into this world.

Lactation Boosting - COOKIES

2008-09-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Lactation Boosting - Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip & Flaxseed Cookies

(6 dozen cookies)  

* 1-cup butter  

* 1-cup sugar * 1 cup brown sugar 

* 4-tablespoons water 

* 2-tablespoons flaxseed meal* 

* 2-large eggs * 1 teaspoon vanilla 

* 2-cups flour * 1 teaspoon baking soda 

* 1-teaspoon salt 

* 2 tablespoons of brewers yeast* (be generous)  

* 3-cups oats, thick cut if you can get them 

* 1-cup or more chocolate chips

* 1-cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:   

Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.

Mix together 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal and water, set aside for 3-5 minutes.

Cream (beat well) margarine and sugar.  

Add eggs one at a time, and mix well.

Stir flaxseed mixture and add vanilla to the margarine mix.

Beat until blended. Sift together dry ingredients, except oats and chips.

Add to margarine mixture.

Stir in oats then chips.  

Scoop or drop onto baking sheet, preferably lined with parchment.

The dough is a little crumbly, so it helps to use a scoop.   

Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies.    

**NOTE** *IT MUST BE BREWERS YEAST, NO SUBSTITUTIONS. *can be found at any local health food store.

ENJOY! These are SERIOUSLY the best cookies ever!

A VERY Narrow Pelvis

2008-09-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

I’m so grateful for cell phones. My daughter is moving to a different state, and I wanted to help her get packed up and move. In February I my sweet husband bought me an iphone for Valentines. (Yes, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my iphone)! I had to switch carriers to support my new phone, and in doing so, I now have service where my daughter lived (until this weekend) and I could go help her with the ease of knowing my clients could call me if they needed something.

I got this call about an hour after returning home from saying good-bye to my oldest daughter and sweet granddaughter, (her hubby was already at their new destination).

Mom is having contx, but not very regular yet, so I encouraged her to get some rest and I planned on taking that advice also. I called my birth team to put them on alert. Thank goodness my partner was back in town from her two-week church camp out of state. I knew from this mom’s history I did not want to be at this birth without my whole birth team.

Active labor started to kick in around 10 PM. I count active labor from the time contx are regular, usually every 3-5 minutes and dilation is about 5 cm. I arrive at mom’s house at 11:30 pm. She is doing a super job relaxing in the tub through some very strong contx. Dad is right by her side softly coaching her through each contx with encouragement and affirming her amazing relaxation. This is dad's most important job during labor!

I am setting things up for the birth. On my list of supplies is a cookie sheet. Everyone asks what this is for, no I’m not usually going to be baking cookies at a birth, but you never know, I’ve done some pretty strange things at births before. Actually the cookie sheet is what I lay all the birth essentials on, like instruments, cord clamp, baby hat, etc. This makes it easy to transport from one room to another in case baby decides to come in a different room than first planned. It has come in handy many times! It also serves as a flat surface in case I have to do CPR on baby.

I check baby’s heart rate, and it is strong and happy. Mom is up to pee from the tub a couple of times during the next two hours. Around 1:15 AM she is feeling a little urge to push, so she gets out to pee one more time, and while she’s out I check for dilation to make sure she is complete. I was happy to tell mom she was complete with a bulging bag of water, she didn’t want me to break it, so I just pushed a small lip of cervix back behind baby’s head, and I know we were going to have a baby SOON! I asked mom if she wanted to have baby here on her bed, or in the birthing tub, she said, the tub, and with that, she QUICKLY got up and walked VERY fast to the birthing tub. Talk about strong; these pregnant moms can do ANYTHING!

She gave a couple of pushes, I listened to baby who still sounds great, and soon we see a head with lots of hair. Mom was amazing as she very slowly pushed her baby’s head out. I feel for a cord and there it is, but loose enough to not be a concern. This baby’s shoulders do not want to come out very easy, so I have mom turn to her hands and knees careful to keep baby under water so it doesn’t take a breathe yet. We have already talked about this scenario in our prenatals, so mom didn’t say, “you want me to do what??” It’s hard enough for a 40 week pregnant mom to roll over in bed in the night, let alone one in labor with her baby’s head out, but like a trooper, she did exactly what I told her and with grace and ease turned to her hands and knees. This usually opens mom’s pelvis another cm to allow room for baby to rotate out, but in this case it wasn’t quite enough. I think mom has a VERY narrow pelvis, and I know this because I had to go inside with both hands up to my wrists to gently rotate baby to help him come out. I resolved to reaching under his armpit to make the diameter of his shoulders a bit smaller. Try shrugging just one shoulder up toward you ear, and you can see this changes the diameter of your shoulder measurement. All in the same moment I am calling on ALL my ANGELS! What seems like 20 minutes, really was only about 2, but when challenged like this, the 0 is added on for intensity.

At 1:38 AM mom and dad welcome their 8 lb 13 oz son to their family!

A few hours later mom was tucked in bed happily nursing her baby, laundry was in the wash, the birth tub was emptied, and we head home. Grateful for my skills and for my amazing birth team, including our ANGELS, who assist us, and work overtime at births!

Surprise Birth

2008-08-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

I’m calling this a surprise birth, only because it wasn’t one of my “personal” clients. It was more of a friend taking me up on an offer I made. An offer I was honored to do, in fact; I’m the one who received the blessings from this offer. Thank you from the bottom of my heart A for the honor of attending your birth! The pleasure was ALL mine.

So, around 10:30 in the morning I received a phone call from mom saying she was in the hospital being induced. Her doc had been successful at an external version turning her baby from breach to head down. It was a pretty intense procedure and finally after the 5^th try, baby decided to cooperate. Thank you BABY!

She said she was dilated to 5 cm, and didn’t need me yet, but she would really like for me to come to the hospital in a couple of hours to help her with labor and have a successful un-medicated vaginal birth.

I arrived at the hospital around 1:30 and she was already dilated 7 cm. This was great progress. Contractions were getting much stronger and intense, so dad and I immediately offered counter pressure on her knees and low back. Mom was AMAZING! You have to understand; when you are induced and have pitocin to augment labor, contractions are VERY intense! Even the little contractions feel like transition contractions. It is VERY, VERY difficult to do this kind of labor without any pain relief medication. This mom was very smart to realize she needed another support person to help her have the kind of birth she wanted.

Not much progress was made in the next couple of hours. Mom couldn’t pee, and a full bladder will hold up a baby, literally, the baby can’t drop into the birth canal when there is a bladder, blown up like a balloon holding it up. We were able to talk her into a catheter just long enough to relieve her bladder. 900 cc’s later (that’s a lot of pee) baby came right down into position and soon mom felt an uncontrollable urge to push. Thinking she was still not complete (10 cm) the nurse wanted her to breathe through the contractions. After just a few minutes, I could see this was not going to work any longer. Mom was pushing without pushing; she couldn’t help her body’s natural pushes. I quietly encouraged her to go with what her body wanted to do, and it would be okay. The nurse came in and checked her one last time and she was complete. Now she could REALLY push.

It was still a long process. There was one point where mom just didn’t think she could do it any more. Yep… I’ve heard that before, and believe it or not, those are good words to hear, because I know the end is near.

I usually say a prayer about this time, and this was not different. I asked that mom be given the strength she needed to finish her race, and this baby would be guided through the birth canal and help his mom on the final lap.

Just as quick as I finished my silent prayer, I looked at mom and she was smiling. She said, “I can do this, I'm going to hold my baby in my arms soon”. I agreed and affirmed this newfound strength she had. It was as if she could hear her very own angelic cheering team, and received a BIG energy boost.

With each contraction, in the spirit of hospital births, dad and I helped her grab her knees and helped her curl up chin to chest, and push to the count of 10 three times through each contraction. It wasn’t much longer, of course mom might disagree with me, as it probably seemed like eternity to her, we could finally see baby’s head. Doc’s aren’t so good at letting baby’s head come slow to stretch the perineum, so just as baby first started to crown he cut an episiotomy. I personally would rather tear, it hurts a lot less, but a cut is much easier to suture. None the less, it sometimes bring a baby here a little quicker and I don’t think this mom was arguing that point, she was happy to have her baby here sooner than later. Every push seems like just one too many, and she was ready to have her baby in her arms!

Mom and dad welcomed their second son into their family at 7:06 PM. CONGRATUTLATIONS mom and dad, and THANK YOU baby for showing your mom and dad just how strong and amazing she is!

A Play Day

2008-08-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

I took a day off yesterday and went to the Fretless Fiddlers house. We had such a great day.

We made the most amazing COCOA cherry preserves! One word... YUMMMMY!

AND... for lunch Anna made her

World's Best Tomato Sandwich

Toasted bread

Miracle Whip (one needs the "tangy zip")

Fresh Ground Sea Salt

Fresh Basil Leaves

One inch thick slice of Beefsteak Tomato

Assemble and enjoy!

Thanx Anna for such a wonderful play day!

TWO Births in 1 Day!

2008-08-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

TWO births in one day… This is the second one. I got home from “You Are My Sunshine” birth just in time to take my sister out to dinner, I’m feeling a little guilty for her traveling so far to come see me and I’m out all day for a couple of days. We enjoyed a nice dinner at Chilies, and afterwards headed to Marshalls to shop. We weren’t at Marshalls very long when my phone rang. Mom has been to Tucson shopping for the day with her family, and had a few contractions. Now she is about 40 minutes from home and calls to say her contractions are getting a bit stronger, and she’s a little anxious because she really isn’t due for 3-4 weeks. She says contractions are about 20 minutes apart but, “I don’t feel very well, I feel like I need to poop, pee, and throw-up”. This is exactly what she said the last birth and I barely made it. I walked in the door, she headed to the bathroom, and when she came out, she squatted down and pushed her baby out, I didn’t even have time to dawn my gloves, and my assistant didn’t have time to get there for the birth. This memory is going through my head very quickly as she is speaking.

She is my assistants client, she tried to get a hold of her, but she was still at the birth from earlier in the day, so I said I would try and track her down, and call her right back. She ended up going to my assistant’s house right near where she was, it wasn’t very likely she would make it all the way home, and if she did, I sure wouldn’t have made it. I drove VERY QUICKLY to my assistant’s house, about 35-40 minutes away from me. However, it only took me 25 minutes to get there. Thank you ANGELS! My assistant phones me to say there is an accident on the interstate, and I should take the back roads to get to her house. Thank goodness for cell phones!

As I walked in it was a déjà vu moment, she got up to go to the bathroom and came back in feeling the urge to push, and her water breaks. I quickly set thing up with the help of my assistants 2 daughters, and my phone rings, it’s my assistant again to say she is stuck in traffic on the interstate. Fortunately she called another assistant to come help and she took the back roads as I did and arrived a few minutes later.

Mom is up to the bathroom one more time, movement really helps baby come down, and now she is having some serious pushing urges. Just then, primary midwife arrives (the one that was stuck in traffic), I’m so relieved we have our whole birth team here, now we can have a baby, and that we do! At 9:35 PM mom and dad welcome another daughter to their family. It wasn’t plan “A”, things were a little backwards for this mom and babe, but all is well! Mom probably only had 10 contractions by the time her water broke, and 1 hour of labor total, only the last 20 minutes of that was intense. All our ANGELS were working overtime and double duty on this day. What a great day it has been.

You Are My Sunshine

2008-08-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

One baby due this week, and a house full of company, but no worries, usually first time moms go over their estimated due date…. Key word.. USUALLY! Not this one, it is her due day- her Birth Day! 5:00 AM I get a call, mom’s water has broken, she has been having contractions all night, and they are getting a little stronger now with a gush of water. I head on over (1 ½ hour drive) to find mom supported by her husband, her mom and her two sisters. They are serving her in such a loving supportive way. Contractions are fairly strong, however I know they are going to get stronger. There are 3 in our birth team with this birth, along with her family support.

Mid morning we can see mom is getting pretty tired, after being up all night with contractions, she is in need of some rest. She gets in the tub hoping to find some relief, and she was right. She was able to rest a little bit in between contractions, laying her head back on dads lap (he was sitting in a chair just outside the tub). In this position, mom was able to completely let go and relax during and in between these contractions, which were getting increasingly stronger and lasting longer. This feeling of calm didn’t last very long, mom was getting very anxious, and feeling like she couldn’t do this any longer, so we suggested going to the bathroom.

Every hour or so we like mom to go to the bathroom to empty her bladder, this does a couple of things, it makes more room for baby to descend into the birth canal as well as gets mom moving to help baby find the best position to move down through the birth canal. The toilet is another fairly comfortable position to be in during labor. It is a place where you normally let your body relax and open up, and as you sit there is an open space as to not put pressure on your bottom, so this was a place mom would spend another 20-30 minutes.

We decided to check for dilation to give us an idea of what was going on. Mom felt a little pushing pressure, and so just to make sure she was fully dilated she wanted to be checked. She was 9 cm, but when she gave a little push she closed down to 6 cm. This tells us, she’s not quite ready to push yet. I felt like there was some emotional thing going on subconsciously, maybe some fear?

We have wonderful tools in our birth bag to help with things that come up in labor. One of these is homeopathics. These work on an emotional level, and are very powerful. Like for instance, in early pregnancy we might suggest Ipecacaunha, this is actually a VERY, VERY, VERY small amount of what you might be more familiar with - ipecac. Ipecac is used to induce vomiting and the homeopathic remedy of ipecac actually prevents nausea and vomiting. Anyway, so we gave her a homeopathic remedy for fear, as well as one for energy. With in SECONDS, we noticed a difference.

Mom went back to the birth tub and was able to let go once again and completely relax. We gave her this remedy again about 45 minutes later because the same scenario was repeating itself. Up to the bathroom, 20-30 minutes of contractions there, then back to the tub.

We like to plan or have an idea of where baby is going to be born, but in the end flexibility is the key. Mom planned on the birthing tub, but in the end it felt best to be in a supported squat in her bedroom, so that’s where we ended up. We checked for dilation one more time to be sure of her progress, this time it was good news. No closing down, baby was already under the pubic bone and close to crowning. Heart rate sounds wonderful, grandma and one sister are supporting mom in a squat, other sister is taking pictures, and dad is receiving his baby! It could not have been a more perfect picture. This was a family affair, and our birth team was just there to support this family in their first baby, first grandbaby, and first niece! Born at 2:13 PM. Mom holds her baby up close, next to her breast singing, “You Are My Sunshine”.

Happy Birthday JOE

2008-08-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Joe, you are the first of my BIRTHDAY BLOGS! So here goes... HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE! I am so grateful you are a part of our family. You are an amazing father and I truly could not ask for a better husband for Ashley. You have added so much to our family since you joined it 4 years ago???? You are going to make a GREAT school teacher the kids will love you. No doubt you will be their favorite teacher! I love you! °Ü°

A FULL HOUSE

2008-08-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

This week was another one of those CRAZY weeks that I LOVE! My amazing sister came to visit me from UT with 4 of her children and my niece, ages 11 months, 3, 5, 9 and 11 years. Plus Ashley, Joe, Kaytlyn, Jamie and Preston all came for the weekend through Monday. We had a FULL HOUSE! We swam every day, well, THEY swam every day, I had prenatals on Wednesday, 2 births on Thursday, (that post will come next), and prenatals in Tucson all day on Friday. When you come visit me there is no guarantee I’ll be here the whole time, but we had tons of fun and quality time! Thanx Jeannene for a wonderful visit. I don’t see you often enough, and I love you so much, you are such a great mom. I’m just glad I’m almost finished raising my children. You have more patience than I ever had. You are a beautiful sister with a heart of GOLD! I love you! °Ü°

Another Little Miracle!

2008-07-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

I went to bed about 10:00 pm, now normally I fall intently to sleep, but this night for some reason the thinking part of my brain would not shut down, so I finally got up about 11:30 and went into the other room to read a bit. I read for a little over an hour and then decided to check my email. It was 1:25 when my cell phone rang and it was an over-due, anxiously waiting, very patient mama. She said her contractions had been going for about an hour and a half at 10 minutes apart, now they were about 8 minutes apart. This was number 6 for this mom, and she has a history of pretty quick labors, so we agreed since she lives about 30 minutes away, I would be on the road soon. I phoned my assistant and my apprenticing midwife to let them know it would be a good idea to head out also.

I arrived around 2:15 am. Mom was truly as beautiful as she could be in a gauze nightgown, and smiling. We were all so excited this day had finally come.

This is an example of how estimated due dates (EDD) are just that…an “estimate”. According to first day of her last menses, she would have been two weeks over due the next day, but she has 35 day cycles, so when this is calculated into the EDD, she really is only 6 days over due. This has been her experience with her other children also; she has gone 5-6 days over every time. Some doc’s will not let you go over your EDD, in fact some want to start inducing at 37-38 weeks depending on their schedule. For this mom, 38 weeks would really only have been between 36-37 weeks. This baby was plenty big enough, and I have no doubt it would have been safe to deliver then, but was baby really READY to come into this world then. I am grateful for patient moms who trust their body, and trust their baby to come in just the right timing for them.

When I arrived mom was worried she had called me out too soon. I assured her that I would much rather get here sooner than be stressed about making it in time or even having to talk dad through it over the phone. (Which I have done more than once). It didn’t take long before contractions picked up and there was no doubt mom was in active labor. This is when contractions are noticeably stronger, lasting longer, and closer together. If I were to do an exam to check for dilation, which I don’t normally do, she would be at least 5 cm.

I listened to baby’s heart rate through my Doppler, and baby sounded great! A strong heartbeat means a happy baby. I can tell it won’t be long now, so I start to set things up for the birth.

Mom wanted a water-birth; this was her first homebirth and her first birth without any medication for pain relief, so water is a great substitute for that. I like to say that a water-birth is like a home epidural. I’m sure this mom would agree. She said the water made a big difference for her. She got in the tub around 4:30 am; she was so relaxed it looked like she was sleeping in between contractions. 20 minutes later her water broke. Her 11-year-old daughter wanted to be there when the baby was born, so my assistant woke her up and just in the nick of time, because 8 minutes later baby is giving a strong nudge that she wanted to be born. Mom slowly with very controlled pushes reached down and received her own baby girl, weighing in at 8 lbs. 14 oz. It was absolutely beautiful. I have been to many births and each one is just as beautiful as the one before, and still another miracle.

Memory Lane... Tag You're It

2008-07-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

Memory Lane... Tag You're It

Memory Lane.... the tag that gets everyone involved. I saw this on a friends blog and I thought I would play the game. Here's how you play

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory of you. It's actually pretty funny to the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Absolutely Perfect Birth!

2008-07-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Mom calls at 12:25 am; she says contractions are coming regularly every 10 minutes, strong, but very short. With her last baby we went out on a couple of labor visits with a similar pattern, and then after a couple of hours everything came to a halt, so we discussed trying to get some rest in between these contractions, and if they stopped, then great, get some sleep, and if there was any change, call back. I lay in bed for about 25 minutes trying to get a feel as to what I should do. My angels said, get up, get dressed and call her back, it won’t be long, you know when she does kick into full labor she will go pretty quickly, and she lives 30 minutes away. So, with that, I get up and phone her back. As we were talking, she had a strong contraction, lasting longer than they had been, with that contraction her water broke. Needless to say, I was on my way.

I made my phone calls to my assistant who was about 50 minutes away, and my apprenticing midwife who was about 2 hours away.

I arrive at 1:30 am, contractions are very strong and every 2-3 minutes. I was very glad I got there when I did. These were extremely intense contractions, but mom was handling them great. Dad was right by her side taking care of her every need, and supporting her through each contraction.

I listen to the baby who sounds absolutely perfect, and set things up to get ready for the birth. My assistant arrives about 30 minutes later, and together we continue to support mom through each contraction.

Mom is feeling a strong urge to push, so she gives a few pushes, and I give her some perineum support with ginger compresses. This helps to keep good circulation as the head stretches everything pretty tight, so we avoid any tears. She gives very slow, controlled pushes giving her perineum time to stretch, and baby’s head time to mold. The bones actually over-lap a small amount to let the baby’s head fit through the pelvic. This is a VERY intense time for mom, and it seems to last forever, but it really is not long at all. I am always amazed at the miracle of birth and the things it teaches us. This strong mom and dad welcomed their beautiful 7 lb. 14 oz. daughter into this world at 3:00 AM. Two hours later mom and babe enjoyed an herb bath together. I still say, “Natural childbirth is one of the greatest gifts a women can give to herself”.

When we leave, mom and babe are tucked into bed taking a snooze, the laundry is soaking in the washer, mom has eaten, the dishes are done, and we pack up and head home. I love what I do. °Ü°

PEPPERMINT

2008-07-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

PEPPERMINT For more than 100 years, physicians have understood this importance and have used pure Peppermint in the treatment of nasal congestion and sinusitis. Medicinally, Peppermint creates potent outcomes. There are more than 30 different compounds in pure Peppermint oil, each in varying amounts, creating many different benefits of health.

· Peppermint improves digestion and anti-inflammatory activity in the intestinal tract.
· Peppermint has analgesic effects even for soothing headaches.
· Peppermint is used to improve mental alertness and acuity.
· Apply Peppermint to the back of the neck to help relieve stress and tension.
Peppermint to help relieve nausea and morning sickness.
· Peppermint can be applied to the temples to relieve headache.
· Apply Peppermint to the bottom of feet, for a cooling sensation and may help to reduce fever.
· Peppermint's aroma is uplifting and invigorating and when used topically can be soothing to tired, sore muscles. (May want to dilute with Fractionated Coconut oil).
· Peppermint is a natural choice to add refreshment to any beverage.
· Peppermint's cooling sensation is perfect for fresh breath and opening the sinuses and airways

"FABULOUS"

2008-07-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Mom called me at 1:00 am, with contractions every 10 minutes or so, I expected this mom to labor pretty quickly from her past history. Her last baby she went from 4 cm to baby in 40 minutes. From her last baby to this one she moved and now lives about 1:20 minutes from me, so I decided to head out on the road, and pick up my partner who was about 30 minutes away.

I arrive at moms house at 3:00 am. Mom was still having contractions, and they were about 7 minutes apart. She is handling them perfectly, with lots of support from her husband. They quickly moved to every 5 minutes, but we hardly even knew when she was contracting. In fact, the only way we knew is she would cuddle and smooch a bit with hubby. She wanted a water birth, so we were filling the tub, and getting it ready for her, the water was a bit hot, so she didn’t get in right a way. My two assistants went into the other room to get some shut-eye while things were slow, and I stayed in the front room with mom to keep an eye out and to check baby’s heart rate. At 4:00 am. two of mom’s friends came. They were there to support their friend through her labor, and take photos. Contractions closed in at 2 minutes apart now, but still only because mom and dad were smooching did I know this. Her friends were taking photos and mom even posed several times.

She was absolutely beautiful, with a fabulous attitude; in fact, “fabulous” was the word for this labor. Every time I asked her how she was doing, she said with great passion, “fabulous”! She had waited 9 months for this, and was truly enjoying every minute of it. I know that seems strange to those who have labored before, but I think for some it is just easier than for others, and attitude and lack of fear plays a large part as well.

Time passed quickly, and at 5:00 am it was time to get another heart beat from baby, I was monitoring baby’s heart rate every 15 minutes. I noticed this last contraction was a little more intense, and I mentioned that to mom, she agreed, and said she thought she might like to get into the birthing tub now. She squatted down into the water, and I think, but not sure if she actually had one more contraction, it all happened so quickly, but she said, “my baby’s head is here”. I jumped up, called for my assistant who was still in the other room resting, and realized the tub water was a little warmer than I like it to be, so my assistants bucketed water out while I ran cold water through the hose near where baby was coming out, to cool the water as fast as we could. Meanwhile, mom is very gently pushing her baby out, not really pushing, baby is just coming out slow and sure. I offer some perineum support and with no tear, this amazingly strong mom and dad welcomed their 4^th son into the world at 5:05 AM.

This was probably one of the most intimate births I have ever attended. Even though there was my team of three and two of her friends, this mom and dad were in their own intimate world. Labor and birth was pleasurable, even ecstatic.

LEMON

2008-07-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

LEMON oil is sometimes referred to as “Liquid Sunshine”!

This essential oil powerhouse is unique in that under extreme pressure, the rind reluctantly gives up the liquid sunshine in its untainted, wholesome form.

Lemon oil has many uses. It is a powerful antiseptic and can improve circulation. It is an excellent antibacterial agent. If you are experiencing respiratory infections or inflammation, then Lemon may be the oil for you.

One of the easiest ways to receive the qualities associated with Lemon oil is to diffuse it into the air or utilize direct inhalation from the palms of your hands. Lemon oil can be applied to the bottom of the feet or added to a glass of water as a purifier and for a quick energizing boost. Lemon oil has also been known to be strengthening to the fingernails. Simply rub the oil directly on location.

LAVENDER

2008-07-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

LAVENDER I love essential oils. For several years I have actively sought out the very best oils available for health, well being, and formulating my own custom blends. There are some oils that are just perfect for these varied purposes. My favorite for health and healing is Lavender, specifically Lavandula angustifolia. Think of Lavender as the Swiss Army knife of essential oils. In fact, when in doubt, try Lavender first.

Butter Birth

2008-07-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

Mom phoned me at 5:00 AM, she said she had been contracting since 3:00 AM. Contractions are getting stronger now and she says she wants me to come over within an hour. I arrive at 5:45 AM. Mom is staying very relaxed, doing most of her labor on the toilet. This seems to be the best and most comfortable place. We tried different positions, but the toilet worked the best. I got everything ready for birth and when my assistants arrived we traded off giving mom some knee pressure and dad took care of their 2 year old until a friend could get there to help with her.

Mom was feeling a slight urge to push, but didn’t want to be on the toilet for the birth, so we moved to her bed. Dad sat behind her to help support and give her a little cushion to lean back on.

Mom was giving some very gentle, slow pushes, and around 8:15 her water broke, she continued to push very slow and gently, at 8:23 AM we had a healthy baby BOY 6 lbs. 12 oz. If only all our births could be this easy. She had 3 hours of active labor, and 10 minutes of pushing. I’m sure this mom would agree the second labor and delivery is much easier than the first.

TerraShield

2008-06-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

I am loving essential oils, and so I wanted to share them with you. I will be featuring a different oil or oil blend each week, so read all about them, and if you have any questions please email me. This week I will focus on DōTerra's TerraShield™ Repellent Blend is an all-natural, super-concentrated insect repellent formulated with a proprietary blend of 15 Certified Pure Therapeutic GradeTM essential oils that have been scientifically shown to repel insects more effectively than other synthetic insect repellents. The 15 essential oils in TerraShield are blended in a base of 100% pure fractionated coconut oil leaving your skin renewed after each application. Just a small amount of super-concentrated TerraShield will provide powerful coverage and lasts up to 6 hours per application. TerraShield smells great and can be used safely by everyone in the family without worry.

Kaytlyn LOVES water!

2008-06-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Kaytlyn LOVES the water with or without clothes!

We haven't changed a bit!

2008-06-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

I thought I should put an updated photo of my sweetie and I next to the classic wedding photo below. As you can see, we haven't changed a bit! We just switched hats... thank goodness! °Ü°