All posts tagged pregnancy and birth

God’s Plans are Better….

August 13, 2012 by   Kate Tietje

I have a couple of announcements to make today.  And they’re related.  Are you ready for this?

New Site!

About a month ago, we launched our first sister site, Modern Alternative Kitchen.  If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should.  It’s a great real food resource and I’m loving the content they’re producing over there.  (I guest post over there once a month or less, but the day-to-day stuff is handled by my very awesome editor, Jill.)

The plan was to continue expanding.  We have a bunch of sites in the pipeline, but it takes time to find the right editor, the right team, get the design going, and so on.  Planning a new site — even when you’ve done it before and have traffic and resources to draw on — is not simple.  It takes us a good two or three months to do each one.  We had planned to launch three new sites this year, but we weren’t sure which ones they would be.

But God did.

The one you’ll be seeing in two weeks is called Modern Alternative Pregnancy!  I’m very excited to bring you this awesome new natural pregnancy resource.  There are a lot of sites that touch on this topic (including this one), but very few sites that are entirely devoted to natural pregnancy, the way that Modern Alternative Pregnancy will be.

This is a site that will include topics like:

  • Getting pregnant — natural fertility help (including for those dealing with health issues)
  • Dealing with pregnancy discomforts and complications
  • Finding care providers
  • Sorting through common tests — should you have them done?
  • Writing a birth plan
  • Different types of birth/natural pain relief
  • Alternative care providers (chiropractors, massage therapists, etc.)
  • Pregnancy diet
  • Birth support
  • Postpartum care
  • Breastfeeding
  • Birth stories
  • Informed consent
  • …and more!

Basically, if you’re looking for something natural birth-related, Modern Alternative Pregnancy will have it.

We have an amazing team, which consists of birth-enthusiast mamas, doulas, childbirth educators, midwives and midwives-in-training, a chiropractor, and more.  I’m so excited to introduce them all to you!

I hope you’ll join us on Facebook to learn more about our contributors, our sponsors for an amazing launch week giveaway (if you remember Modern Alternative Kitchen’s awesome giveaway, think about that — only pregnancy/birth/mama-related items!), and to learn more about our mission in general.  We’re excited to share with you!

But Why Now?

It was originally our plan to wait to launch the pregnancy site until next spring.  I was hoping to start it to coincide with our journey of trying to conceive and carrying my fourth baby.  When I was pregnant with Jacob, since I (obviously) had pregnancy on the brain, it kind of took over MAM a little bit.  And I didn’t want that to happen this time, hence, the launch of Modern Alternative Pregnancy.

And then this happened:

Right, so.

We’re thrilled.  But surprised.  Yes, baby number four surprised us.  It was just a weekend, when all the kids were napping, and I thought, “Hmm…I wonder what would happen if…” but then dismissed the thought because I was still breastfeeding all night long, and I wasn’t able to get pregnant with Jacob as long as I was breastfeeding Daniel all night.  Things weren’t exactly “back to normal” yet, so I figured, well…it’s highly unlikely.

Then three weeks later (I was already a week late, but like I said — things weren’t “back to normal” yet so I didn’t think much of it) I walked into the grocery store and I could smell the bananas all the way across  the room.  I actually looked around for awhile to see if someone had opened one up and smashed it on the floor near me, because surely I couldn’t smell the bananas in their skins all the way across?  Apparently so.  I thought, “Maybe I ought to buy a test.”

I berated myself all the way home.  This is stupid…the timing was off…the signs weren’t right…it’s going to be negative…this is a waste of time and money.  Only, once I took it as soon as I got home…it immediately came up positive.  Surprise!

I basically threw the test at my husband, saying, “Umm, look.”  He was thrilled.

God’s Plan

I know that if you’re paying attention whatsoever, you have realized we don’t follow “traditional child spacing,” which calls for 3 – 5 years between babies.  When this baby is born in March, our other three will be 5, 3.5, and 19 months.  #3 and #4 will be almost close together as #1 and #2 are (who are just under 18 months apart).  This was not our plan, per se.

But you know what?  I trust God, and His plan for my life, more than I trust the research about traditional child spacing.  I trust that God knows what is right for me and my family.  I trust that He has His reasons for sending me this baby now.  I may not yet know what they are, but I trust Him.  Our family size and timing was a decision we long ago decided to place in His hands, and so that leads us here.

I’m about 10 weeks along right now.  I’ll give you some more interesting details over at Modern Alternative Pregnancy (like the morning sickness I’ve been largely able to tame this time — when I’ve been giving advice to readers who ask about this over the last 5 weeks or so, it wasn’t theoretical!).  Over here, you won’t hear too much.

Once this baby is born, we’ll officially be a “large” family.  I’m excited about that — four children!  We’ve been dreaming of a large family since our first was born, and of course it takes time to get there.  And I wondered after my third was born if God would decide not to bless us again.  But He has!  So our journey as an “official” large family begins. :)

**This post has been entered in Homestead Barn Hop, Frugal Days and Sustainable Ways.**

What are you most looking forward to over at Modern Alternative Pregnancy?

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Balancing Your Hormones and Eliminating Anxiety with Red Raspberry Leaf

April 27, 2012 by   Kate Tietje

Image by Zaqqy J.

For a few weeks now, I’ve been trying to work towards balancing my hormones.  I’ve been trying to do this since Jacob was born, but it became even more important recently as some mild to moderate anxiety overcame me right around when I got my period back.  That’s not so fun — it hits in the evening and I just feel so emotionally bad.  Luckily, I have found a simple, natural way to control it.

Anxiety?

I have had anxiety at various points in my life, but never consistently.  Then suddenly it was every night.

We’d had a rough month from mid-Feb. to mid-March, where it seemed like someone threw up or was otherwise sick every 3 – 4 days.  It was not fun.  My anxiety centered around that.  Every night I was sure someone was going to wake up sick.  Every time someone was fussy, didn’t want to eat, struggled with going to bed, or anything, I worried.  Frankly, even if they were silent, I worried, because I wondered, what next?  When I started to change things because of my fears — I didn’t want to schedule playdates in case they got sick while we were there, or give them too much to eat so they wouldn’t make such a mess if they did get sick — I realized I had to do something.

I was able to think through it and realize that it was hormonal.  It had coincided with the return of my period.  I’m not entirely sure why it has manifested as anxiety, but it has.  I needed a solution that would be gentle, natural, safe for breastfeeding, and help to actually correct the underlying problem.

My solution was red raspberry leaf.

Benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf

Red raspberry leaf contains: Carotenoids, citric acid, fragrine, pectin, tannins and vitamins A, B complex, C, D and E. An easily assimilated form of calcium; manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon and sulfur.

It has been used for years for uterine toning and throughout pregnancy.  It is good to alleviate morning sickness, prevent miscarriage, provide energy, make labor faster and easier, reduce hemorrhage, and increase milk supply.

It is also useful for nausea, diarrhea, bleeding gums, mouth sores, and may be useful in regulating blood sugar.

It is also known for regulating the menstrual cycle and alleviating cramps.

Because red raspberry leaf is rich in B-complex vitamins (which are water-soluble), it may be useful for anxiety.  B-vitamins are known to help reduce stress.  The tannins in the tea are also known to help relax muscles in the body and can soothe stomach aches and other manifestations of stress.  It is a combination of these and the hormone-balancing properties that I was looking for.

This tea is safe for women, men, and children, and due to the B-complex may help men too.

Preparing and Consuming Red Raspberry Leaf

I have tried this a few different ways but have found this is most effective:

  • Scoop about 1/3 to 1/2 c. of the loose, dried leaves into a quart-sized glass mason jar
  • Cover with boiling water and put a lid on
  • Allow to steep at least 12 hours
  • Strain, then add raw honey to taste
  • Drink several hours prior to when anxiety would begin

So, for me, I make this infusion before I go to bed.  After breakfast, I strain it and add my honey and drink it through the late morning and early afternoon.

I have found if I forget to make it and I steep it in the morning for a shorter time, and/or delay consuming the infusion until mid to late afternoon, it is not as effective.  It still helps, but it does not prevent anxiety if I wait to drink it until the problem has already started.  As long as I drink it early in the day, though, I feel completely normal.

*I am not suggesting that this will work for you.  I am sharing my experience in hopes that it might help someone else.  You may find that a different combination of herbs is more effective for you.  I encourage you to do your own research and try some infusions to see what works best for you, and to seek the advice of a qualified medical practitioner if you are suffering from severe anxiety or are unable to find what works for you.

Check Your Temperature

Something else I did during this time (both prior to starting the infusions and for a week or so after) was check my basal body temperature.  I noted that it was all over the place!  Some days it was around 97.2 (which was “normal” for me a couple years ago), but other days it was as low as 95.8!  It did seem to be affected by the temperature of the room I was in, where my temperature was lower if I felt cool when I woke vs. if I felt warm.

What it told me was that my hormones weren’t at all balanced.  My chart looked like a zig-zag.  There was clearly no ovulation happening.  Something was not right.  I kept my track of my temperature each day with software like Fertility Flower.

I began drinking the tea what should have been roughly mid-cycle.  I plan to start checking my temperatures again now, a couple weeks in.  It has so far had the effective of stopping my period from returning.  I’m not sure why that is, but something’s going on hormonally.  I will continue to drink the infusions because they are helping to slowly balance my hormones again (hence why I feel better) and I will chart my temperature again to see if that is evening out.  And then we will see where I am.

I encourage everyone to check your temperature, too, to see if you find the same pattern I did — perhaps there is something hormonal going on that you are not yet aware of.  Fertility Flower is a great tool for doing this.  You can enter your temperature each day as well as any other symptoms you are having, so that you can keep track of what is going on.  It also has a neat “diet” checklist (that is in line with traditional foods).  This is a great place to start if you are having any issues that could be hormonal (which, frankly, is most things).

Balance Your Body

Finding out what’s going on with temperature and then using nourishing herbs to balance your body may help alleviate many problems, including anxiety, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, depression, fatigue, and lots more.

Other herbs which may help include:

  • Dandelion root
  • Nettle leaf
  • Oatstraw
  • Milk thistle
  • Ashwagandha (not for use while pregnant/breastfeeding)
  • American Ginseng (not for use while pregnant/breastfeeding)
  • Licorice
  • Astragulus
  • Alfalfa

There are others which may help.  Look for “adaptogenic” herbs, which are nourishing, toning, and help to balance the body without producing specific side effects.  These herbs are gentle enough to be used daily without issue.

Please note that I did say where I know that the herb should not be used by pregnant/nursing women, but that does not mean all the others are safe.  If I was unsure, I did not say either way.  Please research for yourself before choosing any particular herb.  (I also know that nettle and oatstraw are safe for pregnant/nursing women.)

Check out my herbal multivitamin recipe if you’re interested in another way to use these herbs.

**This post sponsored by Fertility Flower.  Which is still a really good idea.**

Have you suffered from anxiety or hormonal imbalances?  What has helped you?

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Recovering from Pregnancy: The Kegels

December 16, 2011 by   Kate Tietje

Okay, ladies…time to talk more about recovering from pregnancy.  Guys, if you’re reading, you might want to skip this one.  It’s going to talk entirely too much about lady parts.

Ready?  (Guys, you’re not reading anymore, right?)

Birth and Your Lady Parts

So, we’ve all heard the stories.  After you have a baby you’re…well…looser.  Right?  Which could lead to annoyances like accidentally peeing your pants a little, experiencing less pleasure with your husband, or other, more serious issues (like actual incontinence).  Those pelvic floor muscles are pretty important, no?  Not to mention we need them to push out future babies, if we’re planning to have any!

Well, this is a mix of truth and lies.  Yes, birth affects your pelvic floor muscles.  And yes, that can lead to some of the above mentioned side effects.  But no, you’re not going to be super loose after having one baby.  Or even two or three.  Depends on your individual muscle tone, your age, etc. but you will not necessarily experience issues.

I only pee my pants when I’m still pregnant.

Yeah, I know, that’s no fun to hear.  I do remember one of my friends, while pregnant with her third, having competitions with her older children to see who could change their pants fewer times (due to wetting them) in a day.  There are all kinds of fun stories!

(If you haven’t had a baby yet…I am not trying to scare you.  It really is not — usually — a big deal.  And when you are 9 months pregnant and huge and tired, accidentally peeing a little will be the least of your worries.)

Helping the Pelvic Floor Muscles

Whether you’ve had a baby or not, strengthening your pelvic floor muscles should be important to you.  Strong muscles can help you push your babies out more effectively.  It can also prevent nasty things like true incontinence or bladder prolapse someday.

Most people talk about kegel exercises.  This is one major way to strengthen these muscles.

But I’ll confess: I almost never remember to do them.  Do you?  And honestly, even when I try, it feels strange to me.

They’re so good for you and they can really help you, though.  Seriously.

So when a company, Intimina, approached me to talk about their new product, a “kegel exerciser,” I was intrigued.  The company has a line of intimate products but this is the only one I was interested in (and the only one they asked me to try).

It’s a tricky and private subject, but…we need to talk about it.  We need to make sure our bodies are strong enough to handle child birth and the aftermath, and not succumb to “damage.”  It does not have to be that way.  I’m big on taking on controversial subjects in order to help people, so I agreed to do this.

The way this product works is that you wear it, internally.  The natural motions of your body during the day combined with your muscles having to work to keep the small device in place actually strengthens the muscles, without you having to actively remember to do any specific exercises.

How handy is that, honestly?  There are a thousand things that would be good for me that I just don’t remember to do each day.  I am far too busy to add anything to my routine that is going to take any serious time or brain power to do.  I can’t.  I even have to make all my daily salads at once or I will not eat them.   If this company had asked me to do something active, that required a 10 – 15 min. per day routine or something, there is no way I could have pulled it off.

So, the idea of doing “nothing” and getting a work out — especially since I’m still working to recover from my most recent birth, about 4.5 months ago — sounded pretty neat.

I’m a little afraid of it, but I’m going to suck it up and give it a go.  Especially since I had that minor issue with uterine prolapse after Jacob’s birth, I want to make sure my muscles are healed and strong before I even think about getting pregnant again.

On Monday I’m going to give you my thoughts on it.  And then, you’ll have a chance to win one for yourself!  (Yes, a brand new one.)

**This post was sponsored by Intimina.  All opinions are my own.**

Are pelvic floor exercises important to you?  Is this an issue you’ve struggled with?

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Daniel’s Birth Story

October 12, 2009 by   Kate Tietje

A lot more people are becoming interested in home birthing these days. It is a great alternative for moms who want complete control over their birthing experience, with no interference from hospital policies or staff. It is also safer, to avoid medical mistakes and of course hospital-acquired infections. If you are considering home birth, please find a qualified midwife and discuss your particular situation with her. But, in order to help you in your decision, I’m posting Daniel’s birth story!

Daniel’s Birth

Monday morning (7/13/09) I woke up feeling crabby and sore, but nothing going on. Saw the chiropractor at night, hoping he’d do something to help me get started with labor. Nothing happened though.

Tuesday morning went back to the chiropractor. I was feeling even more crabby and sore, it was very difficult to do anything. But still nothing.

Wednesday morning I woke up around 4 am, having a few contractions. This continued every 20 – 30 minutes until around 8 am (I made Ben stay home from work) and I didn’t really get any sleep in here. I went back to sleep around 8 until 10. Then I got up for the day, feeling still sore and cramping and having occasional contractions but nothing serious or consistent. I wanted to get things moving though!

We saw the midwives that night at 6:30. Audra assured me that it could be something – or not – and the baby would come when he was ready. We left and I was still hoping something would get started. Bekah was being a bit fussy, so we played with her, and fed her, and got her ready for bed. Around 8:30 (right before Bekah went to bed), the contractions started again. They were every 8 – 10 minutes and lasting only 20 seconds or so. But, it was something!

This time the contractions continued and grew closer together. By 11:30 they were only 4 – 5 minutes apart, lasting 40 sec. I called Audra and let her know we were probably going to have a baby tonight, and that I was going to go and try to sleep. I sat up and talked to some people online and watched movies (all the Austin Powers movies) to take my mind off the contractions. At 12:30 I laid down to try to sleep.

At 2:30 I had a really strong, long contraction that woke me up. I knew I would not be able to sleep anymore. At this point the contractions were coming every 2 – 3 min. and lasting 40 sec. and were fairly strong. I finally had to DO something to get through them. I breathed, leaned, moved around a little. I woke up Ben and told him it was time to fill the birthing pool, then I called Audra and asked her to come.

I sat in a rocking chair for awhile, closing my eyes and gently breathing through the contractions. Audra arrived around 3 while I was just relaxing there. After awhile I got on the birthing ball. I walked up and down the hall some, frequently stopping in the bathroom. Every time I walked around though, or sat on the toilet, the contractions came on stronger and longer, so I tended not to do that too much.

I held onto Ben during some contractions, if he was close by, putting all my tension into gripping his hands or leaning on him. Sometimes I stared into his eyes. This did not take away all the pain but it did make it more bearable. I spent a lot of time sitting on the birthing ball at first. Abby arrived around 3:30. Audra checked me around 4 and said I was about 4 cm and mostly effaced.

I wandered up and down the hall for awhile. Everyone else fell asleep. I sat in bed, rocking and breathing through contractions, occasionally trying to sleep. Every time I did, though, I would have a super strong, super long contraction and I would wake up.

Audra checked me again at 6:30 – no progress. Any walking made the contractions and pain basically continuous so I did not want to do that. I was beginning to feel exhausted and like I couldn’t do it. Not having made any progress in three hours (or longer as I was pretty sure I was 4 cm by 2:30 when the contractions got rough) was really getting me down.

Bekah woke up at 7:30 and wanted to nurse. I sat on the birthing ball and had her sit on Ben’s lap, facing me, and I let her nurse. It was not easy to do through the contractions but I managed. She kept fussing though, wanting me to hold her and not wanting to go anywhere else. Different people kept taking her out of the room but I could hear her crying. I left the room with all my birthing supplies and went back into my room. I said I needed to call someone to watch Bekah so I could focus. We called Lindsay, who came a little after 8.

I sat on the bed and said I was too tired and in too much pain. The contractions were still every couple minutes and strong. I told them I couldn’t do it. Ben told me I could and I wasn’t going to the hospital. I was crying a little and saying that I wasn’t making any progress so how could I do it? If I was only making SOME progress it would be bearable, but nothing was insane.

Abby said maybe it wasn’t real labor and the baby wasn’t ready…and I didn’t want to have him before I was ready. They told me that the hospital would not help me yet, they would probably either induce or send me home, but probably send me home (I learned later that they all went downstairs and talked without me and decided they had to get me to relax). Abby said from the outside my contractions just didn’t seem strong enough, and as they were still only lasting 40 sec., not long enough either.

I cried and I said I couldn’t, I was too tired, so they started to think of ways to help slow my labor so I could rest some between contractions. This was around 8:30. They decided I should get into the birthing pool to try to slow it down. I said no, I did not want to move and I did not think the water would feel good to me. Finally Ben pulled me up and said “You’re going” and pulled me down the hall. He took off my underwear and basically put me in the water. He stayed with me and held onto my hands for a few contractions, then wandered off (apparently they were talking about me somewhere else).

I felt like the baby had moved down more and that I was completely effaced and slightly more dilated. The water was a little cool but it did feel good…especially once Abby coached me to relax and stop fighting the contractions. Audra made me get out to check – I was about 5 cm, stretching to 6. Some progress!

Around 9 they decided the water was too cool and added more hot water to it. The cool water was making me feel more crampy and sore and the hotter water helped me relax. I laid back against the side of the birthing pool, letting the pool and the water hold my weight. I breathed and softly moaned through contractions at this point and it was incredibly difficult to relax, but I did. I still felt mostly like I couldn’t do it, but I had glimmers of hope that maybe I could. A little while later I felt like I was about at 7. The baby’s head was nearly crowning but I had a lip of cervix left.

I still did not believe it was really happening and the hospital was in the back of my head. I had decided that I would try until 10:30, and then if it wasn’t happening I was going to transfer (my first labor was 14 hours so I figured I could last about that long this time, counting from the time of the first really consistent contractions and not prelabor). Even when I was thinking of transferring, I only wanted some pain relief so I could rest. I did not actually want to deliver at the hospital, or stay there after delivery, or deal with the hospital staff. I REALLY did not want to get into a car or pack a bag or even walk downstairs. So despite thinking about the hospital, I was pretty sure I didn’t really want to go.

At about 9:30 I was 7 cm or so and I started to feel the urge to push – strongly. I was also starting to bleed. Audra checked with the Doppler several times and the baby was doing fine, so they left me in the tub. Abby was out getting breakfast. Audra and Ben started to coach me to blow through the contractions as I was having serious trouble not pushing with them. I knew I wasn’t fully dialated but I could not stop.

I kept bleeding so they pulled me out of the tub to check. The bleeding didn’t look too bad but I was 8 cm and the lip was still there. Audra couldn’t move it. She called Abby and said the baby was coming soon and she better get back. That was when I realized this WAS happening and it was almost over!

Abby got back and checked me. Audra told me to get on my side. I said no because it hurt more. She said it didn’t matter, they had to get the lip off. I was trying not to push but it was still impossible, and Audra and Ben were yelling at me to blow and Ben was trying to breathe with me. I turned on my side, and Abby almost immediately pushed the lip beyond the baby’s head and told me I could push. And push I did! That’s when my water broke, right when I started pushing. I felt it go everywhere.

As I was pushing I flipped onto my back to have more control. I pushed hard, whenever I felt like it, taking a breath in the middle of a contraction. Audra cautioned me not to go too fast. I pushed a little more gently, but mostly went with my body. It burned but I knew that the baby was coming and pushing would make it over faster. With a third push, the baby’s head was out. I breathed for a minute, then pushed again, as the shoulders were born, and then my baby was here! The cord was wrapped tightly around his neck, but Abby carefully pushed his head into my thigh and somersaulted him to unwrap it. I pushed for only 2 minutes total before he was born.

Daniel was lifted up and laid on my chest. He was a bit blue, and Abby rubbed him and gave him oxygen for a few minutes. But, he was crying a little and he was fine. I stayed there, holding him, for a few minutes. Ben went and got Bekah, who climbed up on the bed and seemed fascinated by her new little brother. She smiled and poked him a few times.

Then I moved so I was sitting up, reclining against pillows. I had a small scratch but no real tear. Daniel began to nurse almost immediately and nursed for 40 minutes straight. My parents showed up about 20 minutes after the birth and my mom came upstairs to see us (she was also taking care of Bekah at this point) and just could not believe I had really done it…we were both crying.

Then I had to give him up for his newborn exam (his cord was cut just over an hour after birth) and I had to go take a bath. I was bleeding everywhere, feeling a little lightheaded from not eating and the birth itself, but generally feeling good! I sat in the bath for a little while, then got out and was moved into bed. Daniel was perfect, 7 lb. 5 oz. and 20 inches, and slept for the next 11 hours straight! I rested and people brought me food and I reveled in the fact that even when it had seemed impossible, I had stuck with it and I HAD done it!

Now Daniel is 5 days old, nursing like a champ, sleeping through the night (5 – 6 hours) and generally just a calm baby. Very easy! Bekah is still thrilled with her new sibling – most of the time. We haven’t had any tantrums or meltdowns over him, though, that is good! We are all very happy, feeling SO good, and plan to have homebirths with all the rest of our children.

**Entered in Labor Day Link Up at Amy’s Finer Things

2012 update: Sadly, Abby, the senior midwife who attended both Daniel’s birth and our second son, Jacob’s birth, died on Nov. 30, 2011.  We will miss her.

 

 

 

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