mom going green

Apple Cider, the old fashioned way!

October 29, 2012 · Filed under Food preservation, Food, Recipes, Canning, & More, Homemade / Do-It-Yourself · Tagged apple cider, Apple press, apples, homemade

Last weekend I met up with some girlfriends for a Sunday afternoon of apple pressing in the country. It was a blast! Love getting together with other ladies who enjoy organic foods, gardening, home food preservation, good company and fresh air! While I had a fun time, apple pressing is hard work. Megan was gracious enough to open her home and farm up to us and share with us her apple press and grinder. We all came with local and organic apples, glass jars and a pot luck meal.

We had an assembly line going beginning with washing the apples and cutting off any wormy, bad spots.

Next we ran the apples through the grinder.

Then we filled the pillow case-lined wooden bottomless barrel with the ground apples.

They are ready to be pressed! We turned the crank as far as it would go then inserted a stick for a leaver to crank it down further. We had to then loosen and repeat with a wooden block under the press to squeeze out all of the juice. Megan’s husband, Ian helped us get every last drop! We repeated this over and over again until all of our approximate 4 bushels of apples were processed. This may sound quick and easy but ittook 7 of us about 3 hours to make 6 gallons of cider to share. We also had many unwanted guests there, and it wasn’t the fruit flies from my kitchen. Bees!! Honey bees everywhere! Including many that probably got pressed along with the apples. There were more and more of them by the minute. We made it through with only one person getting stung once, not too bad.

With the 3/4 of a gallon of apple cider I took home last week there’s maybe a cup left! DH thought it had a “weird aftertaste” but the boys and I loved it and made some apple cider popsicles too. I had a great time pressing apples in the country, but I do also appreciate that I can do the same in a fraction of the time with the Jack Lalanne juicer in my kitchen.

Our garden fresh potluck! Love the handmade from reclaimed barn wood giant kitchen table too!

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Homesteading & Sustainability

October 6, 2012 · Filed under Green Living, Homemade / Do-It-Yourself · Tagged gardening, homemade, homesteading, self-sufficient, sustainability

Ready to dry/freeze

Hello blogging world. It has been a while but I have had homesteading on my mind and decided to write about it. I have been on a homesteading and sustainability mission lately. We are trying to slowly increase our self-sufficiency now that we have settled into our first home.

In case you were wondering, here is the definition of homesteading via Mother Earth News and the EPA’s definition of sustainability:

Homesteading is “….a lifestyle that promotes greater self sufficiency – wherever you live. It’s about using less energy, eating wholesome local food, involving your family in the life of the community and making wiser choices that will improve the quality of life for your family, your community and the environment around you.”
Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.

We choose to adapt this lifestyle as much as possible for several reasons: to leave a small carbon footprint on this planet, for better health, and it’s good knowledge to have and to pass onto our children. We have a lot of respect for those who came before us who homesteaded out of necessity. And in some respects I feel it has come full circle. As a health practitioner, and health conscious individual, it is frustrating and scary the amount of toxic chemicals that surround us: in the grocery store, the cleaning isles, garden centers, the make-up counter, they are everywhere. In a way, I feel homesteading is a necessity, not in the same way as our ancestors, but as the best way to reduce the toxins in our lives and to not contribute to the growing toxins entering our environment.

What we have done so far

We have been making small steps toward becoming more self-sufficient and sustainable. Here is what we have accomplished:

Vegetable and herb garden
Photo by Elizabeth Bernstein Photography
Green house
Line drying our clothes in the summer
Composting
Well water and septic
Canning
Homemade candles
Homemade vanilla extract
Shopping at local farm market
Homemade household cleaners
Some woodworking and handy work
We buy pantry items from amish and online co-ops with organic and fair trade products.
Homemade gifts
Rain gauge and barometer (does that count?!)

What we want to do in the future

Plant apple, pear, cherry and maybe peach trees
Build and instal 2 rain barrels
Chickens! And build a coop first
Find new ways to reduce electricity usage
Grow some mushrooms
Make our own soap
Sewing
Grow more and new produce
Save seeds
Grow herbs indoors in the winter
We are installing a portable generator this fall (thanks to my generous in-laws)

ARE YOU HOMESTEADING? WHAT DO YOU DO FOR SUSTAINABILITY? WHAT ELSE CAN I ADD TO OUR FUTURE LIST?

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Boy’s Blue “Green” Train Room

January 16, 2012 · Filed under Family Fun, Green Living, Homemade / Do-It-Yourself · Tagged bedroom, blue, boy, bunk beds, decorating, green, kid, kids, kids room, low voc, non-traditional, room, Train, train mural, train room, trains, zeros voc

I wanted to share our boy’s new bedroom with everyone. I am not the best decorator in the world so I was pretty proud of how this room turned out! Well, I have to confess, I was not the creator of this decor, only the executer. I know when I see something I like but if I am given a blank slate, I don’t know where to begin when it comes to decorating. Thankfully, our wonderful receptionist, Evelyn also has MANY talents! One of those is decorating! She enthusiastically helped us create the perfect room for the boys. I love, love, love how it turned out! Check out Evelyn’s Blog and Etsy store to see more of her talents!

We wanted to create a room that was all boy, highlighting J’s favorite color, blue (also Granville School colors – blue and white) and favorite interest, trains. We wanted a room that was clean, simple, somewhat non-traditional, and flexible (easy to update as boys grow). I did not want a super mainstream look or character theme.

Key decorative aspects of the room: Train mural,crisp, clean white walls, light blue stripe around the room from the color of the train mural sky, navy accent stripe around room, navy dresser, wood bunk beds, blue and white bedding, navy baskets on book shelf (not pictured), vintage toy signs.

On the Green Side

So the title of this post is the Boy’s Blue Green Train Room.
It is more of a easy, practical green room, not super duper greenified to the max-room. On the scale of green-ness, I’d give it a 7.

We used Sherwin Williams zero and low VOC paint for all colors (except mural). There is some amount of VOC in tinted paint.

The spectacular, detailed and colorful, train mural was painted by my amazingly talented artist-sister, Erica Arndts! J love’s trains and this was the perfect touch to make the room bigger than life! Erica spent an entire day painting, while visiting from her home in Atlanta. Yes, you read that right, only one day to create this masterpiece! I know, impressive! By the Way, if you like her work and are interested in a mural or a painting and are in the Atlanta area, contact me and I will put you in touch with her.

Notice the ceiling fan (well, I didn’t quite get it in the photo). A great Green addition to any room to lower your utility costs. Set it to counter-clockwise to cool your space in the summer time with a downward air flow. Set your fan to rotate clockwise in the winter to circulate warm air that otherwise would get trapped near the ceiling. I do want to paint the blades white instead of the rainbow of pastel colors they currently are.

The bunk beds were hand made with love by Daddy!

The Navy dresser was repurposed old dresser from when Greg was a boy. Greg sanded and painted the dresser following tips form Evelyn. He finished it off with new hardware.

The vintage toy signs were a find by my mom.

The white roman blinds were finished off with navy vertical gross-grain ribbon stripes by my mother-in-law, Doris. Another ingenious idea from Evelyn! I love how it’s the little touches here and there that make all the difference in pulling everything together in the room (Tutorial here).

The comforters I splurged on from Pottery Barn Kids 2 years ago when Greg made the bed’s. I consider them a little green contribution because they are reversible, simple and classic pattern and nice quality. I have high hopes that they will last the boys through high school! The green bedside lantern also came from Pottery Barn Kids. I couldn’t resist that when I saw it (it spoke to my love for camping and outdoors. I know, it’s not my room but had to do it). I thought it was unique as a light fixture and added some character.

Of course the room is outfitted with compact florescent lights (CFL’s)

Finally, a Train Room wouldn’t be complete without a train table! Our train table is mostly filled with trains and accessories from Whittle Shortline Railroad (made in USA), Plan Toys, BRIO, and Nuchi.

Tell me what you think! Do you think I should add a rug? What do you do to create a “green” bedroom?

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Healthy Dessert’s Cookbook Giveaway!

September 12, 2011 · Filed under Food, Recipes, Canning, & More, Product Review's & Giveaway's - Green & Safe · Tagged all natural, columbus, cook book, dessert, food, health, honey, maple syrup, modern alternative mama, recipe

Congradulations to the winner, Teslaca, picked from random.org

Yes, you did read that right. I did use the word’s “Healthy” and “Dessert” in the same sentence. And, doing so I’m not talking about “fat free” or “sugar free”, which are not health at all, but thats a topic for another day. Mom-blogger at Modern Alternative Mama, and author, Kate Tietje has just released her 4th cook book “Treat Yourself: Real Food Desserts”!

Kate’s book is loaded with fabulous recipes utilizing natural ingredients such as honey (with immune benefits, especially when using local honey), pure maple syrup (not the kind that has corn syrup in it), Sucanat (the least processed form of granular sugar) comparable to Rapadura; also, butter, cream, fruit, almond flour and sprouted grain flour and other natural foods. For those with food allergies and gluten sensitivity or intolerance she has plenty of grain-free and some GAPS-friendly recipe’s too!

I have tried the Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce from Kate’s dessert cookbook, her version of Nutella, a favorite in many households. It was extremely easy to make, and no artificial unpronounceable ingredients! It MIGHT have taken me 6 minuets. We dipped banana’s in the Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce for an after dinner treat. Kate also suggest trying it atop her crepe recipe or as a frosting on a cake. This is definitely a great recipe if you want to impress the family and throw together a quick dessert in a bind.

Tonight my husband requested Lemon cake so I whipped out Kate’s new book and was happy to make Kate’s version of this classic dessert, loaded with wholesome ingredients and a great fresh taste for the summer. It turned out very moist and very lemony! Her recipe called for a bunt pan which I didn’t have so I used a 11×8 glass baking dish and enjoyed the same great taste, toped with homemade whipped cream (without white sugar).

GIVEAWAY (starts 9/12, ends 9/16/2011)

Kate has generously donated a free copy of “Treat Yourself: Real Food Desserts” for one lucky reader.

Here’s how to enter:

To be entered go to Modern Alternative Mama and leave a comment at this post of which recipe from the Table of Contents you would most like to try. Be sure to leave a valid e-mail so I can contact you to claim your prize.

For Extra entries:

Subscribe to Mom Going Green and leave a comment stating that you did.
Blog about this giveaway and linking to Mom Going Green using ” Healthy Dessert’s Cookbook Giveaway” as the title in your blog’s post. Then, leave a comment here with a link to your post.
Go to Modern Alternative Mama and subscribe and comment here that you did so.
Go to Modern Alternative Mama and Follow on Twitter, and comment here that you did so.
Follow me on (DrHeatherP) on Twitter and Tweeting about this giveaway. Then comment with a link to your tweet.
Add Mom Going Green to your blog roll and comment that you did so, with a link to your site.

Discount Code

If you do not win the giveaway but would really like to own this fabulous cookbook you can purchase the book at Modern Alternative Mama and receive 25% off using the following code: GREENTREAT. It expires on: 9/19/1

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Classic Starts

August 22, 2011 · Filed under Education, Family Fun · Tagged children's books, classic books, classic starts, Family, family activities, reading

Story Time

While the boys and I were at the lake earlier this summer and Greg was home, managing our Chiropractic office he came up with a great idea! I think he was missing his family and it inspired him to come up with a valuable, educational, and fun way we could spend some time together, and at no cost too! Greg decided he would like to read classic stories to us every night. Most of them book that he had never read but always wanted too. Classic stories in literature such as “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, “Treasure Island”, “Oliver Twist”, “Black Beauty”, and more. He told me his idea over the phone one night and I thought it was perfect.

He went to the library and checked out “Gulliver’s Travels” from the library. The first night we were back he tried to read from the book with Jack, Walt, and I. It was a fabulous idea but the book he checked out was the original written in old english and slow to start. Jack was off the couch, wondering the room and talking about his trains after a few minutes. However it was still a great idea for some quality family time so I got on the library’s website and looked for a juvenile version of that story. I reserved it along with Greg’s choice for our second book, “Around the World in 80 Days”.

photo from amazon

When the books arrived a few days later Greg chose to start with “Around the World in 80 Days” because he continued to read the adult version of “Gulliver’s Travels” himself and didn’t want to spoil the ending. The Juvenile books we checked out were from a series called Classic Starts. They are chapter books, maybe a reading level of 4th-6th grade (just guessing). They are about 150 pages. They were perfect for Jack. He could understand the story line. It moved fast enough that he could follow but not too fast. Greg read 1-3 chapters a night of “Around the World in 80 Days” until he finished. We asked Jack questions throughout the story to make sure he understood what was going on. We all really enjoyed it. Upon finishing the story we checked out the movie and watched it. It was great to see Jack remembering various scenes from the book and he enjoyed watching the show.

We have now started Gulliver’s Travels. I think this one is a little harder to follow but Jack is hanging in there (he is only 3). I have been really impressed that he has been able to sit there through several chapters listening. We thought it would be good for him to listen to the story and use his imagination. A nice change from the picture books he also enjoys. I am looking forward to Greg reading us the rest of the Classic Starts and following up with the movies.

The library is such a great resource for families. My family didn’t frequent the library much and it is something I definitely want to take advantage of with my kids. Besides kids books there are story time’s for kids, interactive computer games, and adult books and movies too.

Do you visit your local library? What is your favorite thing about the library?

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Breastfeeding Foe’s: Mastitis and Plugged Ducts, My Experience

August 17, 2011 · Filed under Pregnancy, Birth, Breastfeeding · Tagged Breastfeeding, breastfeeding problems, columbus, engorgement, la leche league, lactation consultant, lymph drainage, lymphatic drainage, mastitis, New Albany, plugged duct, pregnancy, Pumping, tongue tie

PART 2: The Second Time Around – New Challenges

Ok, so I will warn you, this is REALLY long! I tried real hard to condense it but I wasn’t very successful. So read on if you like! It is very interesting in the end though!

When I found out we were expecting our second, I didn’t think twice about the decision to breastfeed, it was a given. I also thought it would be much easier this time. I thought I could prevent any mastitis/plugged duct issues by using the hand pump if I had some engorgement in the first weeks. I felt confidant that I knew what I was doing the second time around. I had both a hand and electric pump, plenty of breast cold packs if needed, and Greg made sure to check Walt after birth for any vertebral fixations/subluxations and soft tissue inflammation to ensure he would be comfortable nursing on both sides and to avoid the problem Jack had.

However, it wasn’t that simple. Nursing was going pretty well the first few days, then, when my milk came in, just like with Jack, I had quite a bit of engorgement. At least I knew what it was this time and some methods to try to control it. Although, I wasn’t expecting the engorgement to be so bad the second time around. I thought my body would know what to do by now. I think some women, me included, just produce A LOT of milk! However, I did find out later there was another variable this time causing the problem (keep reading to find out what).

EPISODE 1

During these early days of milk and engorgement I tried to nurse as often as I could but Walt was very sleepy all the time. It was hard to keep him alert as often as I needed him to nurse. I also tried not allowing Walt to sleep long periods without nursing. Well, I did allow him to go 4 hours at night (this kid wanted to sleep and after 2 yrs of sleep deprivation with Jack I really didn’t want to interrupt that) yet I didn’t want mastitis either but I thought 4 hours would be ok at night. I tried to nurse on both sides at each feeding. I mistakenly cut him off early on the first side and switched sides for fear he would fall asleep and not nurse on the 2nd side. I was using the hand pump a little to relieve some pressure but I didn’t use it to empty my breasts completely (mistake again). I also tried hand expressing in the shower and using cold pack’s to decrease inflammation and prevent inflamed ducts. However, I was a milk producing machine and my efforts could not keep the engorgement under control. I felt like Walt was latching on alright and to me, appeared to be sucking the same as Jack did (although that was 3 yrs ago). I didn’t think the problem was Walt. Also, he didn’t have trouble being uncomfortable while nursing thanks to Daddy’s adjustments.

I was getting desperate though. The engorgement was getting out of control very quickly despite my efforts and experience. I talked to my midwives and told them I was struggling with the engorgement. Abby gave me several articles on different nursing techniques and info on mastitis and plugged ducts all from La Leche League. It was great to have so much info but it was a little overwhelming because I didn’t know which of the many tips to try first, but it was all great info to have! (I will share some more of that in a future post). It reaffirmed I was doing some things right, a few things I needed to change and it gave me new techniques to try for relief of the engorgement. I did try some of the suggestions in the articles but continued to be engorged. I was really worried I would end up with a fever and the whole cascade of symptoms that followed with Jack. I had already started to get a small headache, the first sign I had with mastitis with Jack. Midwife Kelley then suggested calling Jessica Buell, a lactation consultant-in-training (and apprentice midwife, and doula – lady of many talents). I was feeling VERY desperate by the time I called her, and probably hormonal and emotional from just having given birth less than a week prior. She was fabulous on the phone. She listened, asked me questions, then gave me a regimen to follow for 24 hours then I was to check back in with her. I felt so much better after talking to Jessica. I think the 24 hr. regimen gave me a focus and she seemed very confidant in it on the phone which made me feel confidant and a little more in control of things. I followed her instructions exactly and started to feel some relief. I checked in with Jessica the next day and she modified my regimen slightly for the next 24 hours (I was better but still over-producing milk). By the third day I felt back in control, engorgement was nearly gone and Jessica gave me some tip’s to continue doing and said to call if I had a future problem. I was SOOOOO thankful to have avoided mastitis, fever, aches, ect.

EPISODE 2

A week or 2 passed and then it started again, UGH!!! I know many moms out there would love to be overproducing so I shouldn’t complain so much. I woke up in the middle of the night with mild engorgement (yep, Walt was sleeping through the night woo hoo!). I immediately got up and pumped, emptied my breasts and felt much better and went back to bed. I thought it wouldn’t be a problem since I pumped as soon as I noticed the mild engorgement. Well, I have a really sensitive system apparently! The next evening, even thought the engorgement was gone, I started to get a headache and slight fever this time, Whaaat?! One little mild engorgement and I was proud of myself for pumping right away…I did not expect this at all! I wasn’t even engorged anymore after pumping but I still was having the familiar unpleasant symptoms. I immediately went back to Jessica’s 24 hr regimen she gave me a few weeks prior (I should have called her). I continued this for several days but continued to feel worse. I thought there was no use calling her since I already had what I thought was mastitis and couldn’t prevent it anymore, it was here. Well, that was a bad idea, should have called her. Should have looked up natural remedies, should have asked friends. I wasn’t thinking and gave up too soon. I figured it would just go away after a week like the episodes I had with Jack. I started taking ibuprofen to reduce the fever which was going on 7 days now. I REALLY did not want to take any medication while nursing. I felt defeated and desperate. But I wanted to avoid an antibiotic even more so I tried the ibuprofen. It did control the fever but any time I tried to get off of it the fever was right back there. Man, this thing was stubborn. And all along I should have called Jessica, don’t know what I was thinking. By day 11, still with a fever and been on ibuprofen for way too long in my opinion, I did finally contact Jessica. I didn’t give her a fair chance at helping me by calling her so late in in the game. But she tried and gave me a regime to follow. I did but I think it was just too late. I also gathered some tips from friends at this point too and tried lecithin supplements (supposed to possibly thin out the milk) and Poke Root Salve, but neither helped me (you will learn why if you continue reading). By 14 days straight with a fever and completely worn out, Jessica and I decided I had to go to the doc for an antibiotic. I was extremely disappointed that I had to do this but it was necessary. I actually hadn’t taken an antibiotic in 8 years, which I was very proud of! It killed me to make that appointment and drive to the doctor’s office. I was so mad at myself and I felt HORRIBLE that Walt would be exposed to an antibiotic at such a young age but I also had no choice at this point. I did not expect to be in this position being what I thought, a breastfeeding veteran. I took the antibiotic and the fever and symptoms improved in a day or 2. I did wonder if they would have improved anyway without the antibiotic but I was just torturing myself by thinking that way. I did need it after 14 days of a fever, maybe should have gone in a little sooner.

EPISODE 3

I was so confused as to why I was having so many problems. I felt like I was doing everything right by now and didn’t understand how one mild engorgement could lead to 14 straight days with a fever and mastitis/plugged duct. About 1-2 weeks after taking the antibiotic it was deja vu! How on Earth could this be possible, I was incredibly annoyed! Again, I woke one night with very mild engorgement and a day later the dreaded headache followed by fever a few hours later. I went back to the frequent nursing and Icing, pumping when needed and gave it a day or 2 before I called in the troops. I emailed Jessica to tell her it was starting again. I told her exactly what was going on and shared my frustration, wondering why I continue to have problems despite following all the recommendations. I also mentioned to her that at Walt’s postpartum midwife visit, we were told he may be borderline Tongue Tied.

“Tongue tie can be defined as a structural abnormality of the lingual frenum. When the frenum is normal, it is elastic and does not interfere with the movements of the tongue in sucking, eating, clearing food off the teeth in preparation for swallowing and, of course, in speech. When it is short, thick, tight or broad it has an adverse effect on oromuscular function, feeding and speech. It can also cause problems when it extends from the margin of the tongue and across the floor of the mouth to finish at the base of the teeth.” – http://www.tonguetie.net

Photo from http://www.emedicine.com

Our midwives weren’t too concerned because Walt appeared to be nursing fine and was WAY ahead of the game in the weight gaining department. Most babies with tongue tie have A LOT of trouble nursing and gaining weight. They did suggest we talk to Dr. Hazelbaker (more about her below) or our pediatrician about it. We planned to ask our pediatrician to look at his tongue at his appointment in a few weeks. In the mean time we also Asked 2 dentists and both took a look and said it looked mild at worst and probably wouldn’t need treated. Jessica responded and recommended the same regimen that helped before but also suggested I schedule an appointment with Dr. Alison Hazelbaker, PhD, a lactation consultant who does lymphatic drainage, and happens to be an expert on the condition of Tongue Tie. She also is a CranioSacral Therapist. I promptly contacted Dr. Hazelbaker and scheduled an appointment for Monday. It was friday and Dr. Hazelbaker was kind enough to give me her cell phone number in case I ran into problems over the weekend before my appointment (which I did). Despite the icing and frequent nursing my fever was climbing Saturday evening. I took a hot shower to calm the body chills I was getting and that hot shower really spiked the fever, 104.2! I typically like to let fever’s run their course. The body is smart and creates a fever for a purpose – to kill an infection. But this was a bit high for my liking (damage can start to occur above 105 deg). I took 2 Ibuprofen but the fever was still holding strong. I wanted to take a cold bath (well didn’t really want to but needed to) but just my luck, a thunderstorm was in our area so that was out. I could have called my doctor but it was Saturday evening and I figured they would just have a recording saying something to the effect of “In case of emergency call 911, otherwise call back during business hours”, neither of which I thought sounded good. I decided to take a 3rd Ibuprofen and started icing my neck and groin areas where a lot of superficial blood vessels exist. It appeared to be working because I was starting to sweat! Within 20 minutes the fever was down below 102 and dropping, wheeew! I was so glad when Monday finally arrived and I could get to my appointment. Dr. Hazelbaker was great! Right away she noticed a very deep plugged duct. She did a lymphatic drainage technique and I could feel immediate relief! She also observed me nursing Walt and gave me some tips on how to hold him so he stays latched on (I didn’t even realize he wasn’t staying on appropriately). She then checked Walt with her own Tongue Tie Assessment method (Assessment Tool for Lingual Frenulum Function (ATLFF)) and determined he was Tongue Tied.

Photo from tonguetie.co.uk

There was a definitive deficit in the function and range of motion of his tongue, despite his tongue appearance not scoring too bad. This is why we weren’t in a hurry to get his tongue looked at initially. 2 dentists and 2 midwives, 4 practitioners had looked at his tongue already and it appeared to be mild tongue tie if that. They all had seen much worse cases with many more obvious symptoms so Walt’s was tricky and not that obvious even to a trained eye. Dr. Hazelbaker has done extensive studies on this condition including writing a book. She concluded the Tongue Tie was not allowing Walt to suck appropriately and he was unable to empty those deeper ducts causing the frequent plugged ducts and all of my symptoms. She mentioned it could also cause him to have large belches and increased drooling, both of which I had noticed – some monster burps and drooling at 10 weeks like a teething baby! It all made sense and I was relieved to finally know what was causing all the engorgement. If left untreated it could cause speech problems in the future. The solution was simple, to have his tongue clipped. It was a vary simple procedure and was quick and painless (for Walt, but harder for me watching). He is now 4 months and we haven’t had a problem sense! I hope to write more about tongue tie and the clipping procedure in the future. I am so grateful to have figured out the cause of my nursing challenges and to have it all taken care of now. Thanks to Jessica for all of her help and Dr. Hazelbaker for her expertise and care, and of course to our wonderful midwives who gave me info and directed me Jessica and Dr. H.

Lessons Learned – Quick tips if you are getting engorged

Before giving birth, find a lactation consultant to have incase you need help. Ask them questions before birth and don’t be afraid to call them if you have a question.
Nurse often if – every 2 hours – 24 hours/day when engorgement is bad
Completely empty one side before switching to the second
If needed, pump to get both sides emptied
Ice your breasts if you have signs of inflammation/plugged ducts/mastitis i.e. redness, heat, hard nodules, pain, swelling. Intense icing 15 minutes EVERY hour may be needed for 24-48 hours or longer
Anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen may be needed.
Monitor your temperature
Lymphatic drainage works! Find a practitioner in your area if you get plugged ducts
If your baby might be Tongue Tied have it checked out sooner rather than later. (some cases can look mild but still be problematic!)

Resources

http://www.llli.org/

http://kellymom.com/

http://www.tongue-tie.aidanandevapress.com/index.html

http://tongue-tied.net/

http://birthwithpassion.com/

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Breastfeeding Foe’s: Mastitis and Plugged Ducts

August 3, 2011 · Filed under Pregnancy, Birth, Breastfeeding · Tagged baby, Breastfeeding, fever, la leche league, mastitis, milk, new mom, nursing, plugged duct

PART 1 – Be More Prepared than I was!

First of all, I have so many experiences to share with you on this topic that it was getting WAY too long for one post so I had to split it up (and probably will have many more to come)! And, before I start, you should know I am a huge fan of breastfeeding! I think it’s sad that so many moms out there either don’t do it or stop after a short time. This post is not intended to scare anyone away from breastfeeding but to help you be better prepared for challenges than I was. I hope this post will help prepare moms-to-be and help those who have had similar troubles to get through them successfully. I nursed Jack about 26 months (my initial goal was 12 months). I am now nursing my 2nd baby, Walt, who is 3 months old.

After Jack, my first born, I had 3 uncomfortable and frustrating bouts of what I thought was mastitis. Breastfeeding was something I knew I wanted to do and would do but I just thought you put baby to breast and voila, thats it. I didn’t read up on the topic, techniques, didn’t ask anyone for tips or advice on breastfeeding while I was pregnant. I didn’t know anything about how to hold baby, what engorgement was, mastitis, that it could be challenging. I think I just thought breastfeeding, you just do it and thats that. I didn’t expect it to be hard or to run into any problems.

So when Jack was born, I tried to let him nurse right away, which he wasn’t interested in at first but an hour after birth he figured it out. The first few days were a piece of cake. It might sound weird but I was excited for my milk to come in. It was all very intriguing to me, everything that was happening with my body related to pregnancy, birth and now breastfeeding. It was empowering and amazing to me how my body would produce nourishing food, milk, that my baby would thrive on exclusively for some time and I was eager for it to come in and to nurse my baby boy! However, when my milk did come in it was chaos! Jack started becoming partial to the left side and avoided the right like the plague! We later discovered it was due to his C1 vertebrae being fixed and tissue around it inflamed and it was easily corrected by chiropractic adjustments (by mom and dad). This lead to engorgement. All of the sudden my right breast just got huge. I thought I was going to explode! It became very painful. I did have an electric pump and figured, that must be what those things are for! Pumping gave me some temporary relief. However I didn’t know anything about pumping either. I don’t think I completely emptied the breast. I just continued to pump when I started to get huge and painful again and did that repeatedly (it took a day or 2 to figure out why Jack wouldn’t nurse on my right side and to get it corrected). The frequent pumping with my electric pump seemed to cause me to just produce more (supply and demand) and I was really getting fed up and could not get things under control for the life of me! At our postpartum visit with our CHOICE midwives they suggested a hand pump (which they had several available in their awesome resource room) and to have Jack nurse on both sides each feeding and to nurse often. I WAS only feeding Jack on one side per feeding (don’t know why, I guess I just thought that was how it was done and don’t know where that thought came from) and if he fell asleep for long periods (he only did that the first few days, then I don’t think he slept a full night until 2 yrs old!) I didn’t wake him to nurse. So I would go sometimes 6+hours before nursing on one side, ya, no wonder I had problems! Like I said, I knew nothing about techniques or protocol for breastfeeding. Hint, hint, if you’r pregnant get advice, read, go to La Leche League website to get info BEFORE your baby is born.

After Jack was adjusted and willing to nurse on both sides and once I started nursing on both sides each feeding, nursing about every 2 hours, icing to reduce inflammation, and using the hand pump to relieve pressure if he didn’t empty both sides everything cleared up. By everything I mean the flu-like symptoms I experienced including: fever, head ache, body ache, and extreme fatigue. These symptoms came on shortly after the initial major engorgement I experienced. I was never checked out by a doctor or lactation consultant to determine if it was a plugged duct or mastitis but whatever it was, it was resolved within a week thankfully (no meds required). I had a similar experience 2 more times while breastfeeding Jack. Both of which I believe followed weekend trips I made in which I had to bring my pump and not my baby. I really felt that electric pump caused an increase in demand and therefore supply followed by engorgement and the rest of those “fun” symptoms. While each episode I experienced was not fun at all, they all did manage to resolve themselves in about a week by nursing often, using the hand pump and icing when my breasts felt hot and sore. I also did go to a few local La Leche League meetings. It was nice to be around other nursing moms, many with years of experience. I enjoyed talking with them and listening to their advice. The rest of the 26 months of breastfeeding Jack went very smoothly!

Come back soon for Part 2: The Second Time Around – New Challenges- I thought it would be easier but new challenges presented themselves. Come back to learn what they were!

I am also planing more posts on the benefits of breastfeeding, what exactly is mastitis and plugged ducts, natural remedies, and more! So don’t forget to subscribe so don’t miss a post!

What challenges have you faced while breastfeeding and what did you do?

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Staying Cool in the Heat: The Green Way

August 1, 2011 · Filed under Green Living · Tagged air conditioning, conserve electricity, cool, food, Heat, smoothie, summer

Weather you are without air conditioning or simply trying to be green and conservative and use a limited amount of electricity and resources to stay cool, this list will help you out!

Simple Ways to stay cool during the summer heat wave? Please share!

Drink lots of water! Avoid too much caffeine which can dehydrate you and caus the body to overheat
Limit cooking: Choose cool options. Grill when you can. Avoid using the oven and if you have to, turn it on in the early morning or late evening. Consider a small toaster oven which won’t heat the house as much and although I don’t like microwaves, if it is really hot for a long period of time and you need to heat something up they might be warranted.

Breakfast – nutritious smoothies (add ingredients such as coconut milk, green leafy vegetables, or ground flax or egg yokes to make them filling and nutrient dense), slice of sour dough or sprouted wheat bread with butter, cream cheese, homemade jam or local honey with a glass of milk and fruit. Yogurt or kefir with oats, ground flax seed and fruit. Avoid processed cereals though
Lunch – tuna, hummus with veggies, cheese, fresh fruit, dried fruit, all kinds of salads (you can really get creative here, greens, add nuts, seeds, fruit, veggies, avocado, different dressings, mozzarella capries salad and so much more !)
Dinner – Grill, Grill, Grill! You can grill meat, fish and veggies many different ways. Salads make a nice addition to a meal. Try spaghetti with spaghetti squash instead of boiling noodles.
Snacks and Other – try frozen fruit such as grapes, cherries, and other berries. Make sun tea instead of boiling water. Use a french press instead of a coffee pot. Make homemade popsicles! Puree fruit in your blender, sneak in greens, coconut water, juice some veggies if you have a juicer to add to the fruit puree, let your imagination go and make your own healthy popsicle creation! Try “Raw Food” deserts or other meals. Walnuts with a touch of honey or maple syrup make a nice snack too!

Close your blinds or shades when the sun is up
Do your errands or shopping during the heat of the day if you need to get cooled off indoors outside of your house
Hit up your local splash pad, there are several that you can go to for free around columbus. They can be found in Dublin, Hilliard, and Powell, plus Easton and Polaris malls
Indoor activities to get out of the heat such as the play areas at local mall’s or Firefly Play Cafe in Columbus
Pull out your kiddy pool and put it in a shaded area of your yard. Then in the evening fill your watering can with the pool water to water your garden!
Fan’s can help, try an energy efficient model.
Hang your laundry on the line rather than running your dryer which can heat up the house.
If possible, store your spare freezer or fridge (if you have one) in your basement instead of the garage where it will need more energy to run on hot days

What other things do you do to stay cool during the summer?

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Greg’s Version of Walt’s Birth

July 14, 2011 · Filed under Family Fun, Pregnancy, Birth, Breastfeeding

As promised, Daddy’s version of Walt’s Birth. I am a little behind in posting it. Life has been a bit crazy since Walt’s birth 3 months ago. We have been looking to buy our first home, without much luck so far and have moved into a temporary renal home. Our previous rental house and Walt’s birth place is being bulldozed down any day now for “green space”. Hopefully we’ll find our new home soon! Enjoy Daddy’s Story Below and some new born photos!

Jack wasn't thrilled to have his picture taken

“So, Heather asked me to write my perspective of Walt’s birth. I’m honored she is allowing me to post on her blog. So here is how things went from my side of things.

Jack woke up around his normal time of 6:30 yelling “Daaaaaaaddddddyyyyyy!” just like every other morning. He went to the potty and I changed him. Then just like always he ran around the house and watched TV while I made him oatmeal. After breakfast he played downstairs with his trains. At 7:45 Heather woke up and was having some fairly strong contractions (3 min. apart) so I went in and rubbed her back to help her relax. I asked her if she thought I should fill the birthing tub. She said she thought the contractions would stop so I should wait. Jack and I hung out and played while Heather had a few more contractions in bed. When she seemed really uncomfortable I ran to the bedroom to rub her back and then went back to Jack. This would become a pattern throughout the birth. At 8:27, Heather called our midwife, Abby, to get her opinion on what to do. Abby told her to rest in the bath and time her contractions, so she went to the bathroom while Jack and I continued to hang out. Of course as long as she was in the bath I couldn’t use the hot water to fill the birthing tub. While in the tub, Heather’s contractions kept getting stronger. Also, she continued to tell me that these contractions would probably stop, so wait on filling the tub. At 8:44 I texted my sister, Allison, to see if she was around in case Heather’s parents, who were coming from Dayton to watch Jack during the birth were unable to get here in time. I called Heather’s parents at 8:48 and said we didn’t think this was labor, but they should come just in case and if Heather’s contractions stopped we could all go to the zoo together because the weather was going to be nice that day. Jack and I went back to playing downstairs like any other day. Jack was looking all over for one of his train cars, the one that carries logs, so we searched all over the basement and found it behind one of the legs of his train table. He was very happy to have it back, so I was able to get away to see how Heather was doing upstairs. Allison texted back at 9:12 that she was working, but Colin, her husband was around. Since I was with Jack I didn’t get that message until 9:30, so at 9:31 I texted back that I needed Colin’s number. After Heather’s bath she went to bed and when I got upstairs she asked me to call her parents to tell them things were moving a little faster than we thought and this probably was labor. So I called them at 9:27. Heather had texted our office manager, Sara, at 9:20 to see if she was able to watch Jack at our office until Heather’s parents arrived. At this point we still believed I would be able to leave the house to bring Jack to the office. Allison called me from work at 9:44 to tell me Colin was not home after all and we quickly ended that conversation because Heather was having another strong contraction. At 9:46 Sara texted back and Heather asked her to come to the office with another text at 9:48. I also called Abby at 9:46 to tell her the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and were getting stronger. Heather said she didn’t think the midwives needed to come yet because she still thought this would take a long time. We decided, with Heather’s input that the midwives should come in an hour to and hour and a half. While all this was going on I was periodically going downstairs to check on Jack. Shortly after Heather’s bath she informed me that I could fill the birthing tub, so I put as much hot water in the tub as I could, which wasn’t much since she had just taken a hot bath. I also turned up the hot water heater in an attempt to speed up the birthing tub filling process. After I had put 3 small “loads” the tub was about 1/3 full and Heather moved into the tub to continue labor. At this point I called Sara to ask her to come to the house to pick up Jack because it was clear I could not leave the house at this point. At around 10:00, just after Heather finished another contraction, immediately after which she said “I can’t do this” and I quickly told her she was amazing and she could do it. I knew this was transition and a better “coach” would have reminded her that it was transition and it would be over soon, but I had other issues to deal with at the time, so I went downstairs to check on Jack and get him ready to leave with Sara and discovered that he had pooped his pants. Exactly what I needed at that moment. I brought Jack upstairs to change him and clean him up. That was when the plan, which even though things were moving fast to this point was still somewhat intact, completely fell apart. While I was taking Jack’s dirty pants off I heard an unmistakable noise coming from the bedroom. Heather was obviously pushing. This was a serious “holy crap” moment for me. I told Jack to sit on the potty and “don’t move” and I ran down the hall to check on Heather, arriving just in time to see the end of the push. I asked Heather if she was okay and listened to a very concerned Jack yell “Mommy are you okay?” from the bathroom. Heather yelled back that she was okay and told me I could go take care of Jack. So I ran back to the bathroom and finished cleaning Jack. Thankfully, Jack did an amazing job of listening throughout this whole ordeal. While I was dressing Jack I heard another push from the bedroom. Also, while running from the bathroom to the bedroom I heard Sara knocking on the front door, this was sometime between 10:00 and 10:05. I went into the bedroom to rub Heather’s back until the contraction was over, then ran back to finish dressing Jack and invite Sara in. I left Jack with Sara in the living room while another contraction came and went with a very concerned Heather worried that Sara could hear her from the other room. After that contraction I went outside to put the car seat in Sara’s car, which I did in record time and with a lot of swearing and sweating. The little clips that hold the seat in the car were to short and got stuck while I was trying to lengthen them. I did get it in her car, but it was a little more loose than I would normally tolerate. Under the circumstances, and considering that they only had to drive 1 mile I let it slide. Anyway, I ran back inside and said goodbye to Jack and he and Sara left. I ran back to the bedroom and another contraction came and went. This time (around 10:10) Heather said something that seriously freaked me out. Her exact words were “I think my intestines are coming out of me!” In a major panic I looked and saw what would turn out to be Walter’s head. Thankfully he had a full head of hair, so I could not mistake his head for intestines. I was in complete disbelief at this point, so I actually touched the top of his head for some weird reason I guess to confirm that it was really there. I told Heather I could see his head and she told me to call our midwife, Abby, again to tell her what was going on. I did not have Abby’s number in my phone so I had to ask Heather where her phone was. I knew at that moment how stupid it was for me to not have the number in my phone. Heather told me where her phone was and was obviously annoyed with me for my lack of preparation and rightly so. I found the phone clicked on “Abby” and kept hitting send until it started dialing. I’m not very BlackBerry proficient, even though I have one exactly like Heather’s. When I have multiple numbers for the same person I enter the numbers as different people, i.e. if I had Abby’s home number and cell number they would be entered as “Abby Home” and “Abby Cell”, so I select the one I want from the contacts list. Heather uses her phone the way it’s intended to be used and enters the person’s full name and then selects the type of number she is entering from the pre-made list in her BlackBerry. So, when I clicked on “Abby” I then should have selected “Mobile” rather than blindly hitting “send” until it started dialing. So after all of that explanation you now know why I ended up calling Abby’s house number, which someone answered. When I asked for Abby they said she wasn’t there at the exact same time as another contraction started. I said “sorry, I have the wrong number” and rudely hung up on them. The contraction came and went and Walter’s head came down to the point that I could see his squished up face, another “holy crap” moment and I’m embarrassed to admit that I took a while to realize it was his face. I still had in my head that Heather’s intestines were coming out and I was initially sure what I was looking at was her intestines. Heather asked if I could see anything and I hesitated, not wanting to tell her I saw the head (the hair was still visible) and her intestines. She asked again and at that moment I figured out that it wasn’t intestines, it was Walter’s face, so I told her and she said I needed to call Abby and had to explain how to use her phone properly to call her cell, which I did. I spoke to Abby and she told me she was 2 miles away and would be there soon. Then another contraction started and I hung up on Abby to go back with Heather. She pushed again and one of Walter’s shoulders came out along with his entire head. I held his head out of the water because it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Then in the middle of the chaos our other midwife, Kelly, came running down the hall and took over. I basically got out of the way and in 1 or two pushes Walter had arrived at 10:27AM on April 10, 2011. His cord was a little short, but just long enough for us to get him to Heather, still in the 1/3 full tub and on all fours as she had been throughout the delivery. During this handoff from Kelly to me to Heather I noticed that Walter was a boy and informed Heather who was surprised he was a boy and shaking as she held Walter, just as she had been 3 years before when she first held Jack. Abby came in just as Heather took ahold of Walter and she and Kelly took over all of the important stuff and checked Heather to make sure she was okay. They helped Heather transition out of the tub, which was no small task with a shorter than normal cord and the placenta still attached. I went out of the room for a moment to get some sterile blankets and towels and came back to see Heather sitting in the rocking chair with our new baby. Soon after she pushed out the placenta and I cut the cord. Around 10:50 I called Steve and Patti to see if they had made it to the office to pick up Jack from Sara yet. The informed me they were on Interstate 670 near downtown Columbus, about 20 minutes away and I gave them the good news and said I would call once everything calmed down a little more. I called them back about 30 minutes later and we decided that they would take Jack to lunch and the playground while I cleaned up and then they would bring Jack over to meet his little brother around 2:00. Abby and Kelly stayed for an hour or two to monitor Heather and Walter. Heather took a shower as they did all the necessary tests on Walter. Abby and Kelly cleaned up everything except the birthing tub and left the three of us to bond. I cleaned up the birthing tub and am deliberately leaving out the details of that and finished cleaning everything around 1:30. Steve and Patti arrived and thankfully brought me some lunch from The Rusty Bucket. I got the video camera ready and Steve taped Jack meeting Walter for the first time a little after 2:00.”

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The Home Birth of Walter James Prenger: Mom’s Story

April 14, 2011 · Filed under Pregnancy, Birth, Breastfeeding · Tagged birth, CHOICE, columbus, home birth, Midwife, Midwives, Natural Birth, New Albany, pregnancy

Preparations

Greg and I had a lot of plans going into this labor. After having a few challenges with Jack’s labor (3 stages totaled 39 hrs) we tried to prepare more for those challenges incase they came up again this time. I read a wider variety of books on labor relaxation techniques and birth stories. Greg focused on the Bradley, Husband-Coached child birth book. We even highlighted some of our favorite relaxation techniques and reminders to flip to during labor. I dug up 2 books where I wrote down my favorite inspirational quotes to have handy for labor. I planned to drink more water early in labor and throughout. We bought some healthy birth snacks and juices in advance and planned that once labor started Greg would run to the store to add to our stash a fresh fruit plate for me and a cheese and meat plate for him (you will see how funny this idea was as you read on). When labor started we also planed Greg and I would finish up any last min. dishes, straighten the house and vacuum – I figured some gravity in early labor would help things move along faster this time (again, you will find these plans comical by the end of our story).

We decided it would be best to have Jack out of the house for the labor. We didn’t want the distraction of a 3 year old wanting our attention for playing, potential potty accidents, etc. Also I didn’t want him to see or hear me in discomfort. So the plan was to have my parents drive 1.5 hours from Dayton to pick him up and let him spend a day or 2 with grandma and grandpa. In a pinch, we arranged for our Office Manager, Sara to come to the office to watch Jack or Greg’s sister, Allison to pick him up if my parents couldn’t leave right away. We figured Jack’s labor was 39 hours, this one hopefully would be less but should still have plenty of time for all our our plans. We later learned you have to be prepared for anything, ready for the unexpected and possibility of throwing your plans out the window too!

Labor and Birth

Jack’s was a marathon which I wasn’t really ready for, but made it through… this time I expected at least a half marathon but ended up with a sprint!

This pregnancy I had more nausea, felt like my belly was growing much more quickly, more trouble sleeping and more discomfort and fatigue and due to that I was sure this baby would come early. I was really hoping anyway. When our due date (April 2) came and went I was really getting antsy, and frustrated. I had many days with an hour or 2 of contractions and they just got my hopes up. Each morning I woke up I couldn’t believe I was still pregnant! I had been having braxton hicks contractions in increasing frequency since week 36. On April 8th, friday evening, I had contractions for 11 hours, averaging 7-8min. apart. I was really hoping to see some sign that it was the start of labor but they stopped by morning. Saturday, April 9th I had random contractions on and off throughout the day, nothing consistent and that evening I had 2 hours of contractions 5 min. apart. I had another uncomfortable restless night Saturday night and early Sunday morning, around 5am had a mini emotional breakdown. I was crying and frustrated, and told Greg I just couldn’t go another day pregnant, uncomfortable and unable to sleep (I thought this every day in the last month but I finally just broke down). I prayed that this pregnancy would be over and we’d meet our baby asap then tried to fall back asleep.

Two hours and 45 min. later, Sunday April 10th at 7:45 I woke up with contractions 3 min. apart. Again, I was hoping this would be the real thing but was doubtful because every previous time the contractions just went away after a few hours. Plus I had not had the bloody show/mucus plug yet which I had with Jack’s labor about 18 hours before his birth. I really thought I’d have this sign again at the beginning of this labor. However after 30 min. of this I felt they were somewhat strong and I decided to call our midwife Abby. She suggested getting in the bath and see if they get any stronger or closer. She said she expected real labor for us might start with contractions about 8-10 min. apart and get closer and stronger from there.

So I drank some water and got in the bath (used most of our hot water) and the contractions continued. I thought they were getting a little stronger and a few were closer but I just wasn’t sure and still had no mucus plug or bloody show. I figured I should have time to feel it out and decide if this was real labor or not. In the mean time, just in case it was true labor, Greg first contacted his sister, Allison who lives in Worthington to see if she was off work. We didn’t want to have my parents drive all the way if it wasn’t labor. She was working so Greg went ahead and called my parents and told them labor might be starting, we weren’t sure and asked if they would come just in case this was real labor. If it wasn’t they could enjoy a Sunday afternoon with Jack anyway. We were really thrown for a loop because these contractions started at 3 min. apart so we didn’t know if we should wait and see or prepare for a fast moving labor. There isn’t far to go from 3 minutes but also, it seemed unlikely after Jack’s very gradual and slow moving labor that it would really start this fast.

I got out of the bath and contractions were getting stronger. Greg asked if he should start the dishwasher and I said you better start filling the birthing tub instead (we have a really small hot water heater). I told Greg he better call my parents and make sure they left and I text Sara (9:20am) to come to the office. Things were picking up quickly and now I wasn’t sure if my parents would make it in time and I could really use Greg’s support through the contractions. Greg followed up with Sara, as I was starting to need to focus on getting through each contraction and he also took care of Jack, all while filling the tub too. So much was happening all at once and by now we knew it was real labor.

Basically Greg was running around like a crazy person trying to take care of EVERYTHING and in the mean time I was trying to relax through these quickly increasingly uncomfortable contractions. I felt the most relief to sit on the toilet or lean on the bed during the contractions, while waiting for the birthing tub to fill. It was maybe 9:30 or 9:45 at this time. I soon went to the bathroom and lost the mucus plug. Greg called Abby to tell her and to let her know things appeared to be moving very fast. She called Kelley and both were on their way. He also called Sara to let her know to come straight to our house, he wouldn’t be able to leave to take Jack to the office. Contractions were fast and really uncomfortable so I got in the birth tub even though it was only about 1/4 full, but I really needed some relief. I was thinking, what did I get myself into again! I forgot how intensely uncomfortable this was. I was thinking I really hope I can get through this but wow this is hard! I wasn’t really timing the contractions at this time but they were close and very strong. I was very surprised that I could already feel the head maybe only an inch or 2 high and told Greg that too. Greg could hear I was having some trouble. After one contraction he saw me go through he said to me “Are you pushing already?”. I then realized my body was already pushing without me consciously trying or wanting to (since the midwives weren’t there yet). At this point with Jack still here, Greg did his best running in to scratch my back then running out to take care of Jack who had an accident in his pants. It really did help me though. That back and forth continued for a little while until Sara arrived just after 10am and left around 10:15. A million thanks to Sara! I had no idea how soon our baby would be born! I was so glad she made it and I could get Greg’s undivided attention. I really needed it at that time. I was questioning if I could do it and was struggling a bit with the contractions. I was getting through them but just barely. I was trying hard to relax during my breaks and also dreading the next contraction to come.

I was struggling and thinking I can not take this much longer at all, I don’t know if I can make it. Then I realized, is this transition already, labor just started 2:30 hours ago! Greg said that I told him that I couldn’t do it out loud but I don’t remember verbalizing my thought, thought it was just in my head! I thought well if this is transition then it can’t last more than 30 min. or so (This is around 10:15/10:20). Maybe 5 min or less later I felt my water break and the intensity immediately increased further. I didn’t think it could get any more intense at that point! I thought I could feel the hair and that the head was coming down quickly. I asked Greg to look and got on my knees in the tub so he could see. He confirmed it was the head and called Abby again and updated her and she said she was 5 min. away and for me to try not to push too hard. Well the head was coming and my body was pushing without me trying at all. Maybe 2-3 contractions after my water broke the head was half way out and I felt like I needed to push it all the way out. Then, we heard Kelley walk in the door and Greg was so relieved! She was very surprised the head was out and helped deliver the rest of his body (10:27am). Yep, it was a boy! I was just in disbelief (and relief) at the whole thing. Abby arrived just after Walter and her and Kelley took over checking Walt and I. He came out quiet but healthy and eventually tested out his vocals. He was calm and cuddly for our first hour of bonding after the birth. We left the cord/placenta attached for the first hour this time. I then enjoyed a warm shower and spent the rest of the day resting with baby Walt!

I had a small 1st degree tear but wouldn’t have know if they didn’t tell me. I also never would have guessed his size at 10lb 8 oz. Fortunately there were no problems getting him out and the size didn’t seem to make a difference for me. I think we were all shocked at the drastic difference my 2 labors. We are happy everything turned out well. Recovery so far has been easier and faster this time around.

After a fast, chaotic, but successful 3hr 18 min (3 stages) labor, with just 29 min. of pushing and maybe just 3-4 conscious, intentional pushes, Walter (Walt) James Prenger was born April 10, 2011 at 10:27am, 10lb, 8oz and 21 inches.

After Thoughts

Well as you read, there wasn’t enough time during Walt’s labor for all of our “plans”. Trip to the store, ha! Time and need for all the ice chips we made, all the relaxation techniques we practiced, nope! Despite the rushing and craziness, I felt more in control this time and more comfortable with everything happening with my body. I had been there before and while it was very uncomfortable and painful at times, I knew what was coming, I knew it wouldn’t last forever and I knew our baby would come soon (well didn’t know that soon!). While I did have thoughts of questioning if I could make it, I knew I could and I did truly believe that this time. Even though Walt’s head was coming and the midwives weren’t there yet I didn’t feel panicked or frightened or worried, it all felt natural and my body was just doing it’s thing. I also did say on top of drinking water even during the craziness. For any future births the main thing I would do different would be fill the birthing tub in advance. I would still probably make plans for the long haul, just in case but will be ready for a sprint. Apparently I can have labors very different from one another so I will be ready to go with the flow and prepared for anything!