Recent thyroid scores and health update

I received great news today about my thyroid health! My test scores were all the best they have been in a long long time! We may need to increase my current dosage just a tiny bit, but everything looks great. The blood test scores revealed that I am utilizing my medicine well. Perhaps that is why I feel so good!

It is mid-late November now and I can still function! Compared to past years (and especially last year) I am doing very well! I can walk. I can dress myself and bathe myself. I can cook sometimes. I can wash dishes. I can do laundry. I get up at a decent time every morning. And, best of all, my joints don't hurt!

This is a miracle! Thank you, Lord!

My current daily regimen is:

Levothyroxine 112mcg
Moringa (Zija brand still works the best for me... I am not trying to make money with it. I use it because I can't function without it.)
5,000 IU vitamin D
Selenium 200 mcg
Zinc (Chelate) 30 mg
GarliX, by Xymogen (4- 6/day - because I am still fighting the candida in my body from years of living in moldy houses!)
Iron (as needed during the month)
Women's Phase 1, by Vitanica (2/day)
Magnesium Citrate 200mg
Probiotic 50 Billion (or more if needed)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

BIG news- Paul's job

Note: Re-published in Sept 2015. I took this post down for a while, because it hurt so much to look at it. But, God's Way is best. Paul has not been at UPS since Feb 2014. 


I have some more BIG news for y'all!

PAUL HAS BEEN HIRED AS A FULL TIME DRIVER AT UPS!!!

After all the waiting... all the years... all the drama...

Paul has been feeling well and we hope that he will be able to continue for a long time. But, if something better were to come up, Paul would happily leave UPS for equal wages and benefits (not likely that any such job will present itself, but you never know.)

I imagine that quite a few small and big life changes will follow this BIG change. Time will tell... but, I will give you a clue, I am pretty certain our housing situation will change first. More on that another day.

As for my book - I am editing it again, because it seems that every third sentence (at least) ends in a preposition. Since the dialogue sounds like real-life talking, I don't think I will change it very much. But, I can surely stretch my brain enough to re-arrange some sentences in the narrative.

I am reading the book to the children - they LOVE it! They laugh at the right places... so, that's a good sign. They are too young to cry at the heart-wrenching stuff, but they look at me (as if on cue) to get a look at my face. And, yes, my own book does make me cry. It gives me goosebumps too. I like to read it... which is good... because every stinkin' time I re-read it I find more grammatical or thematic errors. I am still praying about when/where/how to publish. There are a lot of options, but not much money to work with.

That's all for now. I'll try to update you again soon. I go back to the doctor this Friday. Maybe we will get some more clarity on the ups and downs of my health. Oh - by the way - I am off gluten again. Maybe this time it will stick. Adios!

Long awaited book update

I am so happy that I could burst!

I finished reworking my fiction novel (the first of a series) and I wrote the epilogue tonight! I know this does not mean the book is "done." But, I am certainly going in the right direction!

Please pray that the Lord would lead me in my decisions about an editor and how to publish. There are far more options to consider than you can imagine... and I feel a bit overwhelmed. The book is an easy read, but not as easy as most modern Christian fiction. The book has a mix of humor as well as serious discussions about dealing with tragedy and trauma. I am pleased with how it has turned out and I do not want to cut out the parts of theological discussion that make the book what it is. Nor do I want some inane cover than would completely misrepresent the nature of the work!

Thank you for your prayers on this venture! I had not written anything in the book since the end of May 2013 for one reason or another... time restraints and then health issues. But, yesterday I felt the Lord leading me to start reworking/editing what I had already written. And, to my great surprise it went much quicker than I would have thought. I like the place where I decided to end the book last May, and just needed to add an epilogue to tie up strings and set up for the next book in the series. And, the first part of the next book was written back in May as well... so, I am quite happy!

I will keep you posted as I can about the progress of my book.

To God be the Glory!

Brain Update

Regarding the MRI that I mentioned in my last post.

My MRI was unremarkable. There was no brain tumor. No cancer. No MS. Nothing.

This is a good report. But we still don't really know what is wrong with me.

I'll try to write more on a day when I'm not so tired and overwhelmed.

We can trust HIM

I wrote in my most recent post that Paul was fired from UPS for a car accident that was not his fault...then re-hired to a job that he could not do. The circumstances were bleak -- and that's putting it mildly. Paul followed through on turning in his resignation with the company, because he had no other alternative (that we could see with human eyes). Still, the situation was an absolute roller coaster.

The weekend was heavy. Tense.

Monday morning, Paul received a call from UPS offering him a different position within UPS that would allow him to work without doing the preload position that destroys his herniated discs. It is hard to describe all that has happened in the past week since the accident. I won't try. But, I will say briefly that Paul has employment with UPS for the time being.

Paul will begin working temporary/seasonal full-time as a driver on October 3rd. That position will carry through until after the busy Christmas season. Then, there is supposed to be another temporary position for Paul that will take him through the end of February. After that??? Not so sure.

His first full week at UPS as a seasonal driver will be Oct 7-11. So, we still have some mountains to climb. Though, at this point, we have grasped that it is not us who climbs these mountains...rather, the Lord carries us. We can do nothing in our own strength. Paul can work. He can work hard. I can serve my family. But, there comes a point where you know, "God, I cannot do this without you." That is the point that God wants all of us to live in. All the time.

We still need some miraculous provision. This has been one of the hardest years of our lives. These financial and health trials are like nothing we have ever been through together. The emotional upheaval is rough. Though, I think we are dealing with it better than we could have any previous year. I think.

It is still the cry of our hearts that "God is good. He means all these things for our good. His loving kindness endures forever. We can trust Him." The words may change, but the themes remain the same.

The Loving Father is continuing to teach us day by day that He is Good and we can trust Him.

Back to Work!

Paul passed his physical on Friday and returned to work this morning! Thank you, Lord!!! He will be driving full-time until Labor Day.


Please keep Paul in your prayers...he is out of shape and he might have a difficult transition ahead. The route he is driving today will not be complete before 8pm. That's a long day for a guy who just had 9 weeks off!

THANK YOU ALL so much for your prayers!!!

Why I don't blog as often as I mean to... and a health update too

I may have mentioned that Paul bought me a smartphone in February, because we decided that the internet service would cost less than my trips to the library to play on work on the internet. It is a mixed blessing to have internet access in my home again.

I felt led by the Lord to reactivate my facebook account. I wanted to be able to encourage my friends throughout the week. Unfortunately, FB can be extremely addictive... I am working hard on moderation. But, to be honest, it is good to have another connection to the outside world.
So, FB gets my attention and the blog takes the back seat.

Also, I am working diligently on writing a fiction novel (part of a series, actually). Back in January I was working on non-fiction. That work requires a great amount of in-depth Bible study time. But, just within the last ten days or so, the urge came upon me to start working on this fiction novel. All I can say is that God is guiding me to write it. I am thoroughly enjoying myself and I covet my time alone to write. In fact, I am so jealous for my writing time that the blog seems very uninteresting at present. The novel is coming along very well. God amazes me.

The thing is... I was born to write. God made me to write. It is a consuming passion... I must write. BUT, for years and years I have been too "sick" with hypothyroid issues (and/or disability) to even consider writing anything more than my blog. A novel or non-fiction book would have taken too much staying power. (I know, because I tried.) In January, I stopped taking my Synthroid medication and switched to Nature-Throid. I'll be honest, at first the switch was HORRIBLE!!! I gained at least 15 pounds in two months. I slept 16-18 hours a day. I could not hardly walk across the room. Each time I raised my medication, I had terrible palpitations that were extremely frightening. There was one occasion when I almost went to ER. Each time I increased my dosage I felt worse, and worse, and worse. I was beside myself with frustration!
I truly believed that Nature-Throid would be a great help to me, so I pressed on. I was working with two doctors and each doctor had a different view of how to "fix" me. Finally, I decided that my naturopath knew more about me (as a whole) than the doctor who actually prescribed the new meds. At this same time I was also reading every book I could about hypothyroid disease and hormone replacement therapy. I was fully convinced that I had many issues going on at the same time.
My naturopath re-checked my thyroid levels and discovered that I was taking WAY too much medicine AND that I had adrenal fatigue. These medication changes led to more fatigue and frustration. Less thyroid meds, more adrenal support and female hormone support. FINALLY we have gotten to a place where I am functioning very well... or at least better than I have in years.

Dreams have re-awakened in me (as in daydreams, hopes, etc). I am able to write. I am FAR more rational and reasonable. Paul has mentioned often than I am much more rational in our conversations. I don't lose my temper as easily. I am far less irritable and agitated. My whole outlook is improved. Also, my hair is getting much thicker. I have never had thick hair, but now it looks fuller! I believe that this is all an answer to many years of prayers. And, I think this change is almost entirely because of hormone treatments. Please, ladies, do not underestimate your hormones! I HIGHLY recommend the book by Richard Shames Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, and Frazzled?, it is eye-opening!!! (I can't remember if the book mentions evolution and all that. If the book does mention evolving from monkeys or that type of thing, I do NOT endorse evolution.) 

My desire to see women get physically well is secondary only to my desire to seeing them get SPIRITUALLY well! I want to be part of the healing process in your life! I want to encourage you to get right with God! I want to help you in your journey to physical healing as well. This is why I am willing to write posts that make me sound not-so-very-nice. It's all right. I admit it... I'm not perfect. Oh, goodness, the cat's out of the bag now. I am sharing my journey so that you might identify to parts and find healing too. So, you might see other posts about hormone replacement... if/when I have time. And, you might see posts about spiritual healing.... when I have time. right now my focus is on helping women through my books. My fiction novel is chalk full of Bible-based teaching. God has been so good to show me how to weave these teachable moments into fiction. And, honestly, I am excited to see how everything works out. I had originally planned to publish primarily non-fiction books and articles. My passion, my heart, is to teach and encourage women. God has been showing me what a vast audience is available to me in the fiction world. And, I think we all know how easily values can be taught through a good story line, right? (Prime time shows and secular novels are very influential!)

I want to write more, but like I said - I am jealous for my time to write my book. Thank you to my friends who are encouraging me as I write! Thank you for those of you who have been praying for my health for years! It is SO good to be able to get up and work!!! To walk around the house picking up toys and not become overly tired. It is so good to sleep til 6:30 and WAKE UP!!! And, to wake up refreshed, at that! Thank you to all of my friends in Columbia who are committed to praying with me and sharing words of encouragement with me when I see you.

I hope to have further updates soon.

Oh, by the way, I am up to 31,000 words on my book. That is probably about 1/3 to 1/2 finished! Thank you, Lord!

Update

We have been doing food allergy testing on me and the children. We found out that Lydia has sensitivities to eggs and peanuts. Nelson has been tested too, but we have not gotten the results yet.

Also, the day we found out Lydia's food sensitivities, we also learned that she has an autoimmune hypothyroid condition - like I have.

Then, we have leaks coming into several rooms in our home (which is a rental).

My thyroid condition and adrenal issues are a little crazy right now.

But, good things are happening too.
- God is taking us every step of the way
- God has prepared help for us every step of the way
- someone bought us gas for the big van on Sunday
- we got a care package from friends with healthy food and clothes for Nelson
- during our three months without income our rent was paid and our van was paid
- we KNOW the food issues, so we can get well
- we have good doctors to help us get treatment for health issues
- we have one car that works
- school is going pretty well
- I have luxuries like internet
- I stay in touch with friends with my handy dandy phone

And so on... so, it's all in how you look at it. Maybe things aren't so bad after all.

Paul Went Back to Work

Today was Paul's first day back on the preload at UPS since his herniated discs were diagnosed. He has finished his course of physical therapy to satisfy the doctor who then released him to go back to work. Paul is SO happy to be back at work. Even though we won't actually see a paycheck until Friday of next week, he feels like the bread winner again. He is singing in the kitchen right now! Such a difference from last week! Oh - and he may be delivering the air packages often again, which is wonderful!

We humans are made to work. Paul works outside of the home, so being without that work made him a little despondent for a time. Similarly, my work is in the home. And, when I cannot do my work I am more than a little discouraged. And, I have been really "sick" lately with my overall health. I am not sick to my stomach, I don't have the flu. What I have is a few debilitating chronic issues that get me down from time to time.

My hypothyroid condition has been really awful lately. I think that I mentioned that I switched to from synthetic thyroid medicine to desiccated thyroid called Naturethroid. While my doctor and I have great hopes for this medicine change-  it came with a warning. The doc told me in no uncertain terms that the first month I would feel really terrible. I had hoped that he would be wrong. I had hoped that I could defeat the norm through prayer, but he was right. My strength, energy, and vitality plummeted when I switched. It has been slowly improving as I keep raising my Naturethroid dose to try to find the optimum amount. But, in the meantime, I feel awful.

I am not able to do much school. I get tired and irritable too quickly. I nap a lot. I am not "depressed," but I am discouraged that my abilities are so limited at this time. I know that it is temporary. I think that better health will come soon.

Meanwhile, I keep thinking that we should have moved South years ago. Every year we talk about moving for my health, and every year we put it off. Here it is mid-March and I am coming out of the winter fog again. We are still searching for the root causes of my autoimmune issues, my chronic vitamin d deficiency, etc., but in the mean time I wish I could be somewhere soaking in sunshine year round. It sure couldn't hurt, right?

So, long story short - Paul is much, much better! With his last evaluation at the Physical Therapist his strength had improved 165% from his first visit. But, I am worse. I am so, so sick of this up and down based on the weather and the seasons.

Moving

Our family has found a rental home at a reasonable price and we will be moving Friday. My parents are coming in to help watch the children. We hope to have help from some friends as well... but only one confirmed "yes" so far.

Please pray for helpers, safety, wisdom, efficiency of time, finances, etc.

One big praise - since Paul is working at U-Haul they are going to let him borrow one of the big trucks without charge! Thank you, Lord!

I cannot get these pictures in the order I like... oh well. Click any picture to enlarge it.

Fireplace in Living Room, Dining Room beyond that

Larger than it looks

This area was designed and built as a dance hall to hold 3 circles/rings of square dancers.

It's Raining!!!

It has been severe drought here in mid-MO. 

We played in the rain today with joy-filled hearts!!!

Random Updates

Paul's health and jobs- His back is much better! He is considering cancelling his appointment with the orthopedic specialist. He is working UPS every day on the preload and delivering second day air packages.
ALSO, He spoke with his boss at U-Haul and he is going to try to work there 10 hours or so a week. That works for them and for us.

Transportation - we bought a used Ford 12-passenger van. It is air conditioned! We can travel in a reliable vehicle now!

Food - I tried to buy cheap meat... I tried to buy cheap foods... I just can't do it. Cheap beef makes my kids STINK!!! Their body odor and waste smells terrible when we eat cheap beef. AND I keep seeing all of these little girls younger than Becca all filled out and I just CANNOT do it! I cannot feed my kids cheap beef/meat. I will continue to buy local, pasture-raised poultry, and grass-fed, grass-finished beef. We will go back to eating only one to two pounds of beef a week and I am very happy with that! (We do eat some cheap foods at potluck and such, but once a week is not too bad. I can live with that.)
ALSO in the food subject - I joined a "buying club" with UNFI about three months ago. I am able to order organic (or non-organic) foods/ingredients at a good rate. I recommend finding a co-op or buying club in your area. I think it is fun! I enjoy the work of unloading the truck and sorting orders. I am usually the last one to leave... It's fun. If you are in my area, let my get you hooked up with my club (pick up is in Columbia), because more orders = more savings.

School - You know how your kids usually know more in any given subject than their current book actually reflects? (Please tell me that I am not the only one...) Well, Rebecca's math book is WAY below her actual level and I need to amend that. We usually spend more time on real-life applications than the written exercises. I see more value in the real-life applications, but I also see that I need to have the right book on hand too. I will get the right book in time. No hurry though... I have no doubt that she is learning!

Have a blessed day!

Odds and Ends

First of all, before I forget, our summer meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere are this coming week and in August.

Secondly, Paul has been to UPS each day this week. But, the pain is getting worse in his hip each day. Monday afternoon he went to his chiropractor who believes that the lymph node swelling was/is due to damage/injury in the spine. The chiro is supposed to be setting up an appointment for Paul to see an orthopedic doc soon and get an MRI done. (No news yet on when...)
PAUL QUIT his U-Haul job. The Lord has used all of these troubles to show Paul that he was overworking himself. He will miss the mechanic work. (He cannot physically work 12 hours a day right now... much as he wants to...) We are praying for wisdom for where to acquire our necessary income.

On parenting - Let me tell you, friends, parenting ain't for sissies!!! 'Nuff said.

On gardening - I echo the previous sentiments - it ain't for sissies. Sweat dripping into your eyes. Arms itching from the contact with tomato plants. Pet dogs who destroy your crops when you are not looking... and sometimes when you are. The tomatoes you do not lose to the dog are lost to drought and/or blossom end rot. Chiggers. Coming in from the heat shaking - on the verge of passing out... Gardening a large plot is not to be entered into lightly! Do not do it unless your family is well!

On animals - I mentioned a few weeks ago that we would be building livestock housing. Well, that did not go exactly as planned... nothing ever does. I did build 2 rabbit cages with the children. And, we did get a baby mini rex. We got the rabbit free. We were supposed to get two, but the other boy bunny was overheated and I was afraid he would die that night and break my kids' hearts. Anyway, we got the rabbit for its manure - thought it would help our garden. BUT, this particular rabbit came from an air conditioned house. It has been pampered in my garage for two weeks. We have now realized that it is impossible to keep Bunny's water cool in summer. And HOW ON EARTH will we keep it from freezing in the winter? I do NOT want an indoor bunny. So, we might have to give the little guy back. But, he is terribly cute and cuddly.
ALSO - we were planning to get a feeder pig just a few weeks ago... but Paul's sickness came on. I realized in a hurry that I would not be able to take care of a pig by myself. The whole decision making process was an emotional roller coaster. But, in the end, it is obvious that a pig which gets fattened up to 250 pounds, is not for us right now...

School - Joshua (who is five now) wrote "Mom" yesterday. Yep... that was pretty big.

On appliances - HOORAY! Cuisinart sent me a brand new mixer to replace the one that "took up smoking." It took a while for Paul and I to scrape together the $30 to ship our old one back. But, the turn around time was very quick!

Not all appliances come with such a lovely warranty and customer service... my Jay Kordich juicer which broke after only 2 months of use!, has not been fixed. Their customer service stinks! DO NOT buy a Jay Kordich juicer!!! (I will stand behind the health benefits of juicing 100% - talk to your doctor first - but NOT with THIS juicer!)

Next post - how will I ever find the energy to put up gallons and gallons of tomatoes, 4 dozen ears of sweet corn that I bought from a local farm - and I was "lucky" to come by it at that - there is a drought here y'all!, 1/2 bushel of peaches from a local farm, potatoes from my garden (if they are not already rotten), and more... Um, yeah, it will take a miracle! Honestly, I am actually grateful that the dog ate my green beans! With all of our sicknesses this season I would not have been able to get to them anyway. Come to think of it, she has saved me a lot of work overall... All the same she is one melon away from the pound.

OH- and we do not have A/C in either of our vehicles. We are praying for wisdom and another miracle. (And, yes, we already tried the $30 can of "recharge" at the auto parts store. Did not work.)

Baby's HALF Birthday!

Today baby Jeremiah is 6 months old!!!
Trying to photograph a moving target...
Click any picture to enlarge it.

 

Blackberry Bonanza

Paul saw a deer at the edge of our yard browsing. By the time I was in place with the camera the deer was gone. Then, I saw what she (the deer) was eating! Blackberries!

Hooray, what a lovely surprise! I thought those three-leaved vines were just more poison ivy.

There are still  many berries to be picked in the coming days!

I plan to make a cobbler tonight. What is your favorite way to prepare blackberries? Jam? Raw? Pancakes?

I think I am well

Thank you for all of your prayers!

I think I am finally well!

I am eating real foods again!

After 5 Weeks (on "the new diet")

Five weeks in - and let me tell you... if I was just doing this new dietary change to lose weight, I would have stopped about 4 weeks ago! Yes, I have lost a lot of weight, but this diet is HARD! But, I keep pushing on for the sake of my health... I want to be well! I am making all of these changes for myself and for the seven people who need me most! I need to be able to physically be there for my family!

Here is a copy of my original goals 5 weeks ago:

My goals for the next few months:
- Get totally off of refined sugar
- Get totally off of caffeine
- Work my way up to a diet of at least 51% fruits and veggies... yikes.
- Drink at least 100 ounces of water every day
- no soda ever, not even decaf
- no sweet tea, not even decaf
- very little meat (this is NOT a change from our current norm. We choose not to spend our limited budget on meat. We have been eating only three pounds of meat a week for the last several months - that's three pounds for the whole family, by the way.)
- less breads (because I eat a LOT of my homemade bread. Great ingredients... in smaller amounts)
- more beans (we already eat beans several days a week. I would like to see it go to at least one meal a day.)
- exercise daily. Gardening counts. Mowing counts. Soccer with the kids counts.I am not expecting marathon condition. I just want to be able to take a walk!
- I do NOT have a goal for weight loss, because ultimately that is not my primary concern. But, I know that I should not weigh 200 pounds. After Baby #5 was born in 2009, I weighed 178 for almost two years. And, after Baby #2 was born in 2003, I got down to 160 by making no dietary changes at all... just with exercise. So, in time, I would like to see a significant reduction in pounds lost. But, for now, it is not a goal

Let's see how we are doing:
- most days I consume very little to zero refined sugars. I will admit to indulging in some treats.
- I am off of caffeine. 
- my diet (and Paul's as well!) is now at LEAST 50% raw fruits and veggies... most days closer to 75%. I am learning to make meals all over again... and it is VERY HARD! I have been borrowing UN-cook books from the library. Those are books that tell you how to prepare raw veggies/fruits. Very interesting, very expensive. And, I must add, once you have tasted organic veggies - there is no turning back!
- I am certainly drinking a lot of water. Paul does too.
- No soda, no sweet tea - not even a sip!
- We have meat once a week... twice if there are leftovers. We get protein from dairy, nuts, and seeds.
- No bread. Our mixer broke and I have not made any bread. I have eaten maybe 3 slices of bread in these past 5 weeks.
- Beans - We actually eat beans about 5 times a week.
- exercise - I am feeling stronger. So, I get outside to work a little every day. I hope to be able to take a walk with my family soon!!! But, for now, 30 minutes of gardening daily is a big accomplishment!
- weight loss - get this friends, I am down 18 pounds! Paul has lost 18 pounds too! My naturopath wants to see me lose a lot more weight, which is why I am eating so much raw veggies and no flours/starches (except for my beans and occasional brown rice). Honestly, if I can go without flours/grains for two days in a row I can lose a pound a day. Really.

In addition to these, I am not experiencing any joint pain!

So, there are many positive results of this radical lifestyle changes. But, I still cry a lot. This diet has been one of the hardest endeavors of my entire life! I will NEVER tell you that it has been easy. But, as time keeps on marching by, I hope to tell you that it has been worth it! There have been results! But, it is very hard to go to a graduation party and not eat cake! It is very hard to make your own food for potluck dinners and not touch anyone else's! It is very hard to have a bad day and get through it without the aid of coffee and cookies!

Friends, you just don't know how much of an idol food is until you try to take it away! My god is my belly! (See Phil 3:19) I am ashamed that I still look to food as my comfort! I want to fully rely upon the Lord... but my appetite shows me where my loyalty truly lies. Yes, I am in earnest. And, no, people do not like to hear this. Most of my close acquaintances have written me off as loony! No one wants to hear about my new research. No one wants to talk about it anymore.

There is a spiritual analogy in this too. (something about people not wanting to be made aware of their sins by being around someone who is trying to live a life pleasing to God). But, I will let you decipher that for yourself.

Progress? Yes!
Challenging? You better believe it!
Worthwhile? Yep!
Will we continue? Absolutely! So, please keep praying for us! This has been a very hard adjustment for our family!

Have a great week friends! Enjoy eating as many vegetables as you can work into your diet!

Garden Update - Transplanting

Paul and I were able to get many of our little seedlings into the ground today!

Here is what we transplanted today:
- 8 cherry tomato plants (Sweet 100)
- 8 Jalapeno Pepper plants
- 12 Roma tomato plants
- 12 Green Pepper plants
- 4 Marglobe tomato plants
-12 Pepperoncini Pepper plants
- about 30 marigolds interwoven (These flowers keep lots of bugs away)
- one eggplant
- one basil
- climbing green beans (Kentucky Wonder)
- 4 Zucchini mounds
- 4 nasturtium around the zukes (these flowers allegedly keep squash bugs away.)
- 6 Zinnias (a flower) as a border

We still have much to put in, but we made a great start today. Paul and I worked very hard for about 3 hours. The children played. The older ones are definitely old enough to garden, but I needed them to "babysit" the little ones.

I will try to get a picture soon.

I praise the Lord that I was able to work today! My knees and ankles hurt now but at the time I was okay. I should sleep very well tonight.

Look What We Got

Our new addition -

Jeremiah's Birth Story

...The Condensed Version...

I was scheduled to be induced first thing Wednesday, December 28th. I began having regular contractions after midnight the night before. I lightly slept through them, but knew that this was "the real thing." I got up and showered at 4:30 after a restless night. We planned to leave at 5:30. By then, the contractions were about 8 - 10 minutes apart. We arrived at the hospital just before six and were taken to a room.

6AM - Upon entering the labor and delivery room - I panicked - big time. Paul was beside himself, because such irrational panic is reserved only for sightings of mice because I rarely have such unreasonable fear. But all the sights and smells of the room made me remember my last experience (read Josiah's Birth Story here.) ... which we see now was more traumatic to me then we realized at the time. I knew that I feared labor, but we did not know how intense my fear was until I went into the room. I cried. I refused to get on the monitor. I refused to start the Pitocin. I wanted my doctor... and I thought I would demand a C-section. I was seriously, seriously out of my mind with fear.

7:30 - My own OB came in and talked very calmly with me, telling me that she understood my fear. She and another nurse explained that "there must have been some gross misunderstanding" regarding my last birth. She apologized that I was left to sit in fear for hours on end, afraid that my water would break and Baby Josiah would die. I gave Paul a look like "did I imagine the whole thing?", but no - Paul too had very real fear during Josiah's inducement as well. She left us alone to talk over what we wanted to do... would I go home and come back later???

8AM - Lllllooongg story short - My OB calmed me down enough to be able to make a rational decision. I was still scared of having something go wrong. I really do think I was traumatized by my last experience there. So, Paul and I (with the advice of my OB) decided to have an epidural put in. Not only would I be ready in case of any emergency, but I would have no pain if we had to use Pit to speed up labor. I have never done an epidural, and I felt a little like a failure. But, Paul told me that I was being proud. (He was right, by the way.) After talking it out, Paul and I both felt at peace about this decision.

By 9AM - The epidural was put in place and medicating me. I immediately felt my body relax. It was a wonderful feeling!!!

By 10AM- There was talk of breaking my bag of waters, but the baby was still too high and bouncy. So, we decided to go ahead and start Pitocin to aid my body in the process. I was not upset by this decision, because the epidural made me feel very relaxed. I did have an unusual response to the epidural. (not uncommon, just "abnormal") My blood pressure plummeted and I passed out. The quick fix was to give me more fluids through my IV. I had to wear an oxygen mask for 15-30 minutes, but I was feeling like myself again very quickly. 

11AM to 1PM - It is all a bit of a fog... I slept some. Paul ordered lunch and read a book. They checked my progress and added more Pit every 20-30 minutes. Somewhere just around one they broke my water.

1-2PM - Immediately after breaking my water my labor went into "transition." I was very grateful that I could not feel the pain of it! They came in often and asked me how I was feeling. I was actually feeling very well... no pain, all relaxed... wonderful!

2:15PM - The OB said I was fully ready, though I could not feel as much pressure as I expected. I was truly amazed at how well the epidural worked! The OB called in the attending physicians and asked me to push. I did push - once, twice, three times and out popped a Baby.

2:20PM - A painless birth - we finally got to meet Jeremiah. They wrapped up my messy little man and placed him in my arms. I was crying for sheer joy over finally meeting him!

The clean-up was quick and uneventful. And, in no time at all I was nursing my little man in my recovery room.

All in all - it was a very good experience. I now think that epidurals are the best invention ever! (HOWEVER, I am not advising any first-time mom to use one! My body already knows how to have a baby, and even when numb I already know how to push. A first-time mom would not know how to push and your labor could end up drastically longer than if you went drug-free. But, for you natural birth veterans who have already done the drug-free thing for your first five babies - do give it a try! Epidurals are wonderful.)

My recovery time in the hospital was the best ever. I was able to get around and walk and use the toilet much sooner than usual! My body had been so relaxed during labor that I had significantly less muscle pains in the following week than I usually do. By 5PM the same night I felt like I could take over the world! I felt that good!!! I am very pleased that Paul talked me into the epidural. And, I am still at peace with our decision. I know that not everyone has a good experience, so please don't take me as the final authority. I am just saying that (for me) the epidural proved to be a wonderful procedure! If we have another baby I would plan to do another epidural if there was time! It made all the difference. What's more - this birth experience was so pleasant that I do not think I would spend my entire pregnancy worrying about the birth, as I did with this baby. There were moments when I could tame the worry, but for the most part, my pregnancy was marred by my constant fear of labor and delivery. Oddly enough, the epidural helped to relieve my fear. And, Paul and I (who were there) agree that the epidural was actually an answer to our prayers for peace and a pain-free delivery.

This was just a condensed version - if you have any comments or questions feel free to ask. I am usually an open book...