Getting My Shit Together

I made one last trip for a prenatal test yesterday. It was for group b strep (GBS) and I should get the results on Friday. I can't believe this time is finally here. I never took the GBS test with my last pregnancy because I went into labor at 36 weeks. I am happy to say that tomorrow marks my 37th week. This is very exciting for me, but its also a reminder that week 40 is just around the corner and I'd better get my shit together! I've been spending time collecting all the supplies I'll need for a home birth.

The black garbage bag contains a blanket for the floor if needed, a second set of sheets for my bed, and a shower curtain. The bed is to be double wrapped with the sheets you want clean on the bottom, then a plastic barrier, then a sheet set that's okay to get dirty on top. That way once I give birth, we can just strip off the top layers and have a clean set underneath:

 

The paper bags contain everything that I've washed twice. Once with detergent. The second time in plain hot water to remove any detergent residue. Then it was all run through the dryer. There's receiving and baby blankets, outfits for the baby, baby towels, bath towels, hand towels, and wash cloths:

The plastic tub contains all the other supplies like disposable under-pads, plastic sheets, big black garbage bags, gloves, straws, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, cotton swabs, cotton balls, sanitary pads, bulb syringe, stop watch, blood pressure cuff, pen and paper, debris catchers, wipes, lavender oil, tea tree oil, ibuprofen, flushing bottle, flash light, gallon zip lock bag, scissors, and cord clamp.

Other items I have on hand that aren't pictured include diapers, heating pad, red raspberry leaf, motherwort, red wine, vitamin B complex, calcium lactate, lip balm, candles, music, video camera, and a full tank of gas. I've also made sure to fully stock my freezer and fridge with pre-made meals and snacks both high in protein and carbs:

 As a bonus, Danzo's birthday was not too long ago, so I was able to put away some of his presents and put together some goodie boxes for him to have when the baby comes so he doesn't feel left out. There are prizes and fun games in one box and brand new books and a finger puppet set that he's never seen in the other.

I've paid all the bills through the end of the month, have plenty of other things on hand like food and medication for the animals. Danzo has started to learn to take care of a few things himself. He's completely potty trained, pouring his own drinks, getting his own snacks out of the refrigerator, putting his dishes on the kitchen counter when he's done eating, and learning the importance of keeping toys off the floor.

All I have to do now, is continue my daily work of eating well, drinking water and raspberry leaf tea, taking my supplements and working some exercise in. I am feeling more confident and strong than ever. My faith that my body will take care of what it needs to do is at an all-time high. Thanks to all of you who continue to send good thoughts and prayers my way!

Blessingway Explained

The blessingway was at my house on July 28th and it was a wonderful experience! It lasted for about 2 hours and for that time, the room was filled with a love and common-purpose that I've never experienced before. Everyone was there to support and encourage me. Since the ceremony, I've felt very strong and determined in my quest to have this baby at home. I feel that my house is now filled with good, ever-lasting energy that will help me along the way. I am now filled with a faith and strength to keep my endeavors clear and unwavering.

Many people don't really know what a blessingway is... here's how mine went:

Before the ceremony, the attendees took the time to transform the room into a beautiful sanctuary by decorating with flowers, plants, special rocks, statues, candles, tapestries and prayer flags. Then all the women joined together outside to have their energy cleansed with a white sage smudging. I waited with my mom in the other room as this was going on. When it was finally time, all the women gathered in the room and waited for me. I entered with my eyes closed into a trust walk while everyone guided me to my "throne".

I sat down and opened my eyes and immediately was struck by the absolute beauty of the room and all the women's faces surrounding me. I had to choke back tears and take a moment to compose myself.

When I was able to somewhat talk, I called in my spirit guides:

“I ask for the loving presence and guidance of my spirit guides. Lakshmi to provide an abundance of loving intention, Ganesh to remove any obstacles that may stand in our way, Kali Ma to destroy any misconceptions or unrealities that may linger, and Diana to enhance our collective strength as mothers and women.”

Then the mood and intentions were set when my mother-in-law, Cindy did a wonderful job reading the Prayer of Intention:

  “We form this circle with clear thoughts, wise words, and kind hearts in support of Tami’s journey through this pregnancy, birth, and into a new phase of motherhood. Let us help her realize her own strength to achieve what she envisions as a successful and peaceful journey. Her desire to have a homebirth is strong, which is why we gather today. Let us come together as women and mothers to channel our positive energy to her through honoring her body, mind, and spirit. May she feel the support, love, and empowerment brought forth by each of us.”

This was followed by introductions. Each person said their name and how they know me. Some people shared special stories and memories. Then I got to let my hair down. My Auntie Brenda brushed my hair to physically and symbolically untangle my hair and the path that lies ahead. My mom placed a crown on my head to honor my journey into a new phase of motherhood:

My cousin, Danielle followed with honoring me by cleansing my feet. I have to admit, I almost omitted this part because I felt funny having someone wash my feet. I'm so glad I kept this part in the ceremony because there's something about having the feet acknowledged that really brings a feeling of peace to the spirit. There are a lot of acupressure points in the feet that really open meridians in the body. I could feel them open for sure. She did a great job!

Another great way to open me up physically and spiritually was through the group massage. Everyone took turns massaging my arms, legs, hands, feet, and shoulders. Wow! Talk about an exercise in not only opening up, but also RECEIVING! As women, we don't receive enough and sometimes its hard to do. I'm glad I got some practice because this part was essential to remind me to relax and receive from the universe during labor and to open the gates to the passageway for the baby to enter into this world.

After the massage, everyone took turns embellishing my belly with henna tattoos. Its been a couple weeks and they are almost completely faded away. I'm glad we were able to capture the art with a picture:

The bulk of the ceremony consisted of everyone taking turns offering gifts of a special bead to be included in my labor/prayer jewelry and a fabric square to be collected and made into a quilt for the baby. I also got some other beautiful gifts like handmade burp rags and bib, small soothing blankets, a picture frame, a couple of newborn onesies, and a framed poem written by my midwife. These things were offered to me with care and blessings.

I was also able to share poems, blessings, beads, and fabric from all the wonderful people who sent them in the mail. I displayed them on this board to be a part of the beautiful decor:

We then joined hands and I thanked everyone for coming, released the spirit guides, and closed the circle. Of course, after such an awesome event, we had to take a group picture!

Since the blessingway, I took some time re-stringing the beads with spacer beads to make it long enough to be a necklace. Here is the finished labor/ prayer necklace:

 

The necklace along with well wishes and blessings are arranged on a board next to my bed so I am constantly reminded of all the wonderfully strong women in my life who support and encourage me on my journey. This is the first thing I see in the morning when I wake and the last thing I see before I drift off to sleep at night.

I just know having these physical reminders of support and encouragement will help me achieve the birth experience I want. Thank you to everyone who took part! I love you all!

28 Week Test Results

A couple weeks ago, I went in for my 28-week testing. I got the results in the mail today and I'm happy to report that my CBC panel and glucose tests seem to be within the normal range. This makes me happy. Especially the glucose being at 105, because I'm really not in the mood to take that dreaded 3 hour glucose tolerance test! Anyway, if you're like me, you might find it interesting to take a look at the actual numbers. Here are the results:

Reflecting on the Past

I was reading some of my blog entries from my last pregnancy with Danzo because I was curious about a few things. I want to make sense of why Danzo came so early and if there is anything I can do differently to make this baby stay in my belly until mid September. The first thing I wanted to do was to see what point and why my ankles and feet swelled so much that I couldn't wear shoes . It seemed to happen around the time we had to move into a new house... of course! The stress of moving in the extreme heat of the valley in the beginning of July would do it for sure, which is also around the time my blood pressure sky-rocketed.

Danzo and this baby have approximately the same due date, which makes it really easy to compare the two pregnancies. Right now its mid-June and I am happy and settled in my home here in St. Johns. I haven't had to find a job like I did last time, I won't have to completely uproot and move all my nesting efforts to a new house before the birth, and the heat will not be nearly as unbearable as it was in the valley. All of those things are so good for keeping the baby inside me. I feel like I'm so far ahead of where I was last time, that it gives me the confidence that I can hold onto this baby at least until the beginning of September.

Another thing I started to do too early last time was I took herbs to soften my cervix. I started taking them in mid July and Danzo showed up July 29th. This time around, I told my midwife that I have no desire to start taking any measures to soften my cervix until the first week of September when I know she's going to be around. I'm trying not to worry about it, but she's going to be out of town on a trip for all of August. We have a pretty good idea about the date of conception, which is more than I had with Danzo. This will hopefully add an extra week onto the due date.

Aside from all other factors, the most amazing thing I discovered from looking into the past is that Danzo was born on July 29th, which was the due date for the baby I lost from my first pregnancy that resulted in miscarriage. Maybe giving birth to Danzo on that day fulfilled some sort of spiritual and physical need that I didn't even know I had. Now that the first pregnancy is satisfied by my giving birth on July 29th, I hope I get to move onto the due date of the second pregnancy, which is pretty much the same as the third. It is fascinating to me when I look at it that way.

I didn't get to have a home birth for my first two pregnancies like I wanted to so I'm hoping that the 3rd time is a charm. From this, I'm holding onto the hope that the number 3 is on my side. This month, I turned 33. Next month Danzo will turn 3 and this is pregnancy number 3. Will there be another 3 popping up somewhere? Maybe this baby will come September 3rd or 13th? I just hope whatever it is will lead me to have the home birth that I so much desire.

Halfway There!

Today marks my 20th week of pregnancy, which means I'm halfway there! Time has really flown by especially recently since Danzo and I went on a trip to Seattle for two weeks. It was a great trip and I'm glad we went, but I think I'm done with any more big trips until the baby gets here. Trips are a lot of work and right now I want to shift my focus back to working on taking care of Danzo and being pregnant. I think we'll all be able to venture out into the world as a family of four around Christmas time.

I was looking over my blog from my last pregnancy and realized that around this time with Danzo, I went out and got a job! I have to say that I am so grateful to be more financially secure this time around so I can stay at home and do the work of a mom. No going out and getting a job for me! Yay! I'm thrilled about that! Another thing I'm thrilled about is the weather here is wonderful. I don't think I'll have to contend with those hot summer days like I did in the valley. Thank GOD!!! I'm actually looking forward to summer.

Right now, I'm totally immersed in the nesting experience. A combination of coming back from our trip to a house that lacked my touch for a couple weeks and reaching the halfway mark, awakened something in me to get ready. I spent all day yesterday clearing every single thing out of my bedroom closet and reorganizing it. I boxed up most of my clothes and replaced them with the new maternity clothes my mom bought me on the trip.

Today, I'm tackling the linen closet, doing some laundry, and organizing Danzo's millions of toys. If you have a nearly 3-year-old, you probably understand the massive undertaking the toy part is! That's okay because I am on a mission and anyone who gets in my way better watch out! Aside from the nesting, today I'm also starting some new daily physical and visualization exercises to get ready for the home birth. Looking forward to my visit with the midwife this Monday and the doula the following Monday. This train is really moving now... Full speed ahead!

Physical Health Update and Blessingway Ceremony

A couple weeks ago I had a little bit of a scare with spotting, but I got checked out and all is well. I have since started to feel the baby move around 15 weeks, which is happy and reassuring!

Today, I got together with both the midwife and doula for the first time. It was a good visit. We reviewed my urine stick and blood work. Everything looks really great. I'm adequately hydrated. 
(I should hope so since I've been drinking a gallon of water a day!) My iron level is great, not anemic, RH positive, blood pressure is 130/70. My weight gain since last month is about 3 pounds, which is steady and normal. The baby's heart rate is between 130 and 140.

We also talked about diet, supplements, herbs and exercise, which made me realize that the nutrients I'm putting into my body are pretty good, but I do need to exercise a little more. I'm doing plenty of Kegels, intermittent yoga and we walk to the lake once a week. I think if I create a schedule of exercise, I'll be more likely to stick to it. However, now that I'm going out of town for a couple weeks, it might be tricky. I guess my goal for now will be to try and integrate more activity into each day.

I am so excited that we set a tentative date in July for a Blessingway ceremony. I hope to have it the same weekend as Danzo's birthday, which is on July 29th. Maybe if I have two big events in one weekend, I can convince the people in my life to make it out to St. Johns to celebrate with me! I mean, how can you pass up celebrating the birth of my son along with the birth of my next in a weekend full of fun, ceremonies, and blessings? It will be a rare and special treat for anyone who makes the journey out here. Keep us in mind for the last weekend in July. I hope you can make it!

Eating the Placenta

Placentophagy is the act of a mammal eating the placenta after the birth. It is a beautiful and beneficial thing in the wild, but you probably wouldn't think of it happening with humans right? Well guess what! We're mammals too and consuming the placenta can be just as beneficial for us as it is for the animals in the wild. When I think back to my last birth experience and realize that my placenta was just thrown out as bio-hazardous waste, I get really upset.

First of all, the placenta contains a chemical called oxytocin. When this chemical is consumed, it triggers the uterus to contract back to its original size and thus remedies postpartum bleeding. It also stimulates mammary cells to contract and eject milk. Postpartum depression is lessened or eliminated all together. Of course there's the added benefit of iron and vitamins produced by your own body so why waste it? Why would such a gem of nutrients be thrown out in the trash?

There are many options of consumption. The most primal thing to do would be to eat it raw, but that's out of the question for me. I don't think I could hold it down if I did that. Then I could cook it as if I were cooking a piece of beef or liver, but what if I messed up the recipe? There's no re-do on that one! So I've found that my best option for consuming my placenta will be to have it processed into capsules that are about the same size as a standard vitamin.

A lot of people prefer to hire someone to do the processing. I'm going to check with my midwife and doula to see if they provide that service. If not, it appears to be pretty darned easy to do it myself so I'm gonna do more research and give it a try when the time comes. Basically, I'll preserve it by cooking the placenta with ginger, pepper and lemon, then slice into thin strips for drying on a low setting in the oven for about 8 hours. Once dry, I'll use a mortar and pestle to grind into a powder, put into capsules, then store it in the fridge.

I'm very excited about this and will be sure to document the whole process and post when the time comes so you can witness it for yourself! This will be a long way off, but a girl can dream, can't she? ;)