The More Thoughts to Come...

Recently, Spencer and I have been doing a lot of reflecting...  We are taking a more active role in our children's lives and our overall health...  

Which brings me to some new changes.  We have determined that we are going to be plant-based with our diet.  We have had an interesting journey to this point though.  First, we move into this ward where there are several, and I mean SEVERAL, vegetarians and vegans...  Then, as I live here for a few months I start to hear a little gossip here and there about a RAW vegan diet...  Talk about out there!  But that was only the start.  Spencer and I already had a desire to follow the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89) a little more thoroughly by adding more grains into our diet and really eating meat sparingly.  What we didn't realize is what a blessing that would be.  It all started while we had some friends staying with us, one of which is vegan, and they helped show us some great alternatives to what we were eating.  We realized that it really wasn't as drastic of a change as we had thought, and most of the things we ate were so close to being animal protein- free that we really didn't have a lot to change.  As we started learning about grains and other sources of protein we learned how deficient we were in eating animal-based foods.  We have found such a wide variety of foods to get our nutrients and calories from and Spencer doesn't have anywhere near the allergy problems that he did before.  Norah who is allergic/intolerant to dairy isn't spitting up string cheese or milk anymore and they are thriving.  

When considering this diet change I talked with a few friends who really don't know what this diet contains as far as nutrients go, and their first questions were, how are you going to make sure your kids are getting enough fat and protein in their diet?!  Like taking out scrambled eggs was going to give them less protein...  Let's do the math, one egg (which is all I could get Alice to eat on a good day) has 3g or protein, so since Norah usually ate hers and half of Alice's, she was getting 4.5g of protein for breakfast whilst Alice was only getting 1.5g.  I would usually try to get Alice to eat something else but she usually wouldn't eat again til lunch, with a glass of milk or watered-down juice in between.  We were told not to let her snack so she would eat at meal times...  which only worked sometimes.  Alice has ALWAYS been the type that would rather be hungry than eat something she doesn't want to.  Anyway, since switching to a plant-based diet, not only have we almost lost our picky Alice, she will eat a serving of cereal, cold or hot, that contains a whopping 5-6g of protein.  And she drinks my green smoothies every day which have a ton of protein in them as well.  They eat beans, nuts, grains, fruits and veggies and are healthier than most of the kids their age in our area.  I don't limit their food anymore.  I just let them eat til the heart's content.  Alice is starting to love foods like Quinoa and Oatmeal.  So many mornings she will wake up and immediately ask for Oatmeal...  She will ask for carrot sticks and peanut butter....  These are things I never thought I would hear out of my 2-yr-old's mouth.  Anyway, this change has been such a blessing and it is truly opened our eyes to so many other things.

  

Recently, I heard a very sad story.  A lot of people hear stories like this, and a lot of the time when a home birth goes bad it is made public, but when a hospital birth goes bad, it gets little to no attention.  My midwife recently delivered a baby to a couple who had lost their previous baby to a hospital intervention.  Which is how most mothers and babies are lost in the US.  The previous labor was going fine, but the baby was getting stuck in the birth canal.  So in the midst of impatience the Dr. brought out the vacuum.  It didn't work.  Not only did it not work, it caused a cerebral hemorrhage.  They didn't know.  They rushed the mother into an emergency c-section because they convinced her that was the only way the baby was going to come out, only to find out that the baby had died during this time.  So not only did this precious baby lose its life, it was totally preventable.  It amazed me that the Dr chose to vacuum the baby out instead of let the mother get into a proper birthing position.  The only reason for this is convenience.  If the mother had been in a sitting or squatting position the Dr would have had to squat to get the baby.  Or it would have been a liability because the baby could fall.  It is aggravating to know that most of the complications that come with hospital births are caused by just being there.  A women who is already in tremendous pain is pressured non-chalantly by Dr's and nurses and told that basically she has to do what they say.  OB's are trained surgeons, not midwives.  Yet we put our lives in a Doctor's hands as if they know us better than we know ourselves. Midwives are trained to help a women bring her own child into this world.  Something that brings about so much joy, I can't even describe it.

Which brings me to the next big thing, which to some is bigger than a diet change....  I will be having this little baby boy at home with a midwife.  I have been doing so much digging and researching and praying and this is what we are doing!  My interest in natural birth started with some friends of ours that had their first baby at home.  I remember inviting them over for dinner and talking about how much I loved not feeling the pain of labor, but then learned that they weren't only going all natural but they were going to have their baby at home!  I thought, why?  And started asking questions.  I determined I wanted a similar experience with Norah, but since we didn't have a home at the time I was limited to birthing centers or hospitals, due to our transitionary state I did have her in a hospital, but without any pain medication.  We also have another good friend who had her two boys naturally one at a birthing center and one at home.  And they seemed to really appreciate the experience and she was able to get into her own zone without any pressure from Dr's and nurses trying to turn the room over for the next person. Luckily with Norah there were only like 4 other women having babies so no one rushed me.  

I have suffered through pain most of these last 10 years, and I am suddenly grateful for it because it gave me the patience and tolerance I needed to make it through Norah's delivery (which I talk about further down, I don't know how to link it).  Looking back, I know what a blessing it was to hold Norah right away, I bonded with her right away.  Alice and I struggled because of complications and it took us almost 3 months to get when Norah and I got right away.  So no more doctors, or nurses, or hospitals.  I am low risk so I will be staying at home.  Even if there were a few risks, and all felt right, I would still have this baby at home.  I used to think that modern medicine was the way to go, and that women who didn't have the pain killers were crazy.  I used to swear I would have an epidural no matter what!  I had no idea.  No idea that there is so much more to be had when you deliver a baby the way your body was designed to deliver.  None of those laying back with your feet in stir-ups mumbo jumbo.  None of those hospital interventions that are most of the time completely unnecessary.  There is such a small percentage of women who actually needed an intervention that get them.  Including being induced.  Anyway, I have since completely changed my perspective of the healthcare INDUSTRY.  I am learning to trust in the Lord before I trust in a doctor or even a midwife.  Spencer and I are completely on board with this and I am so glad he is there to support me!

I remember after having Norah I felt so empowered, I had done it, I had gone through labor and delivery and felt all that I was capable of.  No one will be able to take that away from me.  I found a new determination to get things done.  To set goals and actually meet them.  I am stronger for it.  I have found my inner-self and know that I can be who I am intended to be.  I no longer settle for "that's just how I am." If I don't like it, I change it!  For example, when I decided to get rid of that 5 month prego-looking belly, I did it.  I was 8 pounds and 4 inches from my goal when I found out I was having this baby.  I was actively losing weight and looking my best. I am determined to look like I haven't had kids!  lol.  More importantly, I am determined to be my best self so I can help my husband and children reach their full potential.  I love the new me, and if that means I will be a baby-wearing, stay-at-home, nursing mama to three (or more) beautiful children, then that is what I will be. If that means I will be rocking my girls and boy to sleep for the next few years I will give up that 30 minutes every day.  I have babies, they are a part of me, and if I keep trying to follow the trend of making my kids live around my preferences there will be no harmony in this home.  I am learning that I have these 3 beautiful spirits under my protection and only I can show them a mother's love.  And we are learning slowly that love is spelled T-I-M-E.

I love that Spencer and I are in full agreement on how to raise our family and that he is a worthy priesthood holder that loves his responsibility to lead and guide us the way his Father in Heaven would have him do.  Spencer is my support and the love of my life.  I am so glad I chose to marry him!  I can't believe it has been 4 years on the 27th!  

Note:  Two documentaries that really opened my eyes, and validated what I had been feeling, are Forks Over Knives and The Business of Being Born (I only recommend that one to future and current mamas, it shows women in labor... naked-ish).  There are other studies and research that also encourage plant-based diets and natural birth, but those two really put a lot in one place.

I have heard some people brag about how much they love the epidural, but you won't hear it from me.  You will hear me brag, though, that the moment I first hold that baby in my arms, whilst the largest rush of oxytocin is running through both our bodies, we will bond on a level that makes all the pain worth it.  To me, that one moment is what I was made for.  I was made to connect with my children on a level no one else can.  I was made to give birth the way it was intended to be done.  Some may argue that babies and mothers were lost so much before hospital interventions, but I believe that more are lost now due to them.  I also believe in listening to the Spirit in this matter, and if the Lord knew I needed to be at a hospital I wouldn't feel so opposed to being there. I am relying on this to guide me through this process, and I can't wait to share my experience with others.