6 months (already) !

They say to hold your babies close...they grow so very fast. It is so very true. These past six months since Abigail has been born have absolutely flown by! She went from being a cuddly little baby (although she was 8 lb 13 oz at birth, which I hardly believe counts as "little").....

to a fun and (mostly) happy 6 month old.

I am so thankful for the sunshine in life, my babies bring me!
I hope that you are having a blessed spring with your families.

My Plan for Rebuilding my Immune System

I am so excited that my surgeon told me on Tuesday, that I am safe to go off antibiotics, now. I had only taken antibiotics, a couple of times, over the past ten years, prior to my eye/tear duct issue.I only took them in this case,because I felt it was truly necessary. I am so excited that I can work on rebuilding my immune system.I am not doing a full detox, since I am nursing.

Here are a few ways I plan on rebuilding/repairing my immune system:

- Drink lemon water each morning

- Supplement with Probiotics (I take this one.)

- Green Smoothies (full of antioxidants, phytonutrients, omega 3's, and chlorophyll)

-Yogurt (with live cultures. I am totally loving Greek yogurt.)

- Avoid white sugar/flour as much as possible.

-Focus on eating healthy, real foods. (Grass-fed beef, pastured eggs)

- Drinking filtered water throughout the day ( flush the toxins)

- Exercise at least 3-4 times a week  (Exercise can help you heal up to eight times faster. It also helps to remove toxins.)

- Take a cod liver oil supplement, daily. (Cod liver oil helps with healing, is high in omega 3's, and helps with mood health)

- Eat salmon once a week. (high in omega 3's)

- Rebound a couple times a week. (Jumping on a trampoline is the best way to circulate a sluggish lymph system. It also helps to flush toxins. I recently got a rebounder, when they were on sale at Aldi for $25. Check out what Gutsy has to say about the health benefits of rebounding.)

- Stretch daily.

- Eat flax and chia seeds, often. (rich in omega 3's, antioxidants)

- Take milk thistle extract, once or twice daily. I was so excited to read in The Handbook of Vintage Remedies, that milk thistle is a perfectly safe supplement for nursing moms. It is actually a galactagogue, which means it can increase milk supply. It can prevent morning sickness and jaundice, when taken by pregnant moms. Milk thistle helps to repair any damage done to the liver, by any medicines we may take. It is so important that we take care of our livers or our overall health can suffer tremendously. Milk thistle can be taken even when we are on medicines, to make sure that our bodies use the medicine effectively, and to prevent our liver from being damaged.Studies have shown benefits even for those undergoing radiation and chemotherapy. I was so happy to find milk thistle extract for under $7, at Vitacost.

What are some ways you build up your immune system?

Note* I am not a medical professional.Always do your own research. Affiliate link is included in this post.

An Overdue Update

I am sorry that this blog has been quiet for 4 months, ever since sweet Abby was born. The main reason (besides the fact that life is super busy with five children) is that I have been dealing with painful eye infections,since she was born. This was caused by a blockage where my left tear duct flows into my nose. This caused any bacteria that got into my eye to be stuck and to fester, and cause one painful infection after another. The official name of this condition is dacrocystitis. It is actually pretty rare in adults, and is much more common in infants. When my infection flared up again, in the middle of January, I needed to get on antibiotics immediately. My whole entire eyelid swelled up and I could only see out of a small portion of my eye, due to the intense infection. After going to my family practitioner, who didn't know how to help (except for give me antibiotics), I went to an ophthalmologist. I was very sad to learn that surgery to clear up the blockage was the only cure for this complication, or I would continue having flare ups and infections. I cannot even begin to tell you how reassuring it was to actually meet a doctor, who understood my condition.I met with my surgeon in the beginning of February. I had surgery to clear the blockage from my tear duct, this past Friday. I was very apprehensive, to say the least, especially due to the fact that Abby is still young, and isn't used to taking a bottle. Thankfully, I only had to be away from her for five hours, during the surgery.My mother was a trooper, watching all my little ones during my surgery. My surgeon had to probe through my nasolachrimal duct, which he did fairly easily, and had to cut out a bump under my eye that had formed from so much scar tissue caused by the many infections I have had. This whole experience has been overwhelming at times, but I am so thankful for the support and prayers of family and friends.I would greatly appreciate your continued prayers that this surgery has been successful. (We won't know for sure, until a couple of weeks.) If my eye continues to tear excessively, I will need a much more involved surgery, in which my dr. will create a new tear duct drainage area inside my nose. I would greatly appreciate your prayers that this surgery that I already had was successful. I hope that in the near future, that I can post much more regularly, as I have so much to share. Thank you for your prayers and support, friends!

Baby has Arrived!

                                           We joyfully announce the arrival of


                                   Abigail Faith

                                   born on October 6, 2012

                                   4:03 am

                                  8 lbs. 13 oz.

                                 20 inches

    Thank you so much for your prayers! She and I are both doing great.I am so thankful that God sent us another precious gift!                          

Still Pregnant: Baby #5- 40 weeks and 4 days

I .am.still. pregnant. Not that I should be surprised with my history. I thought I was in labor, last Friday, because I was throwing up and had strong, regular contractions for three hours. I was glad that hubby had stayed at work, since it didn't amount to anything. I am not very trustworthy of contractions and I try to test them to make sure they are the real deal, since I have been contracting, frequently,  for weeks!  Today, I had a prenatal appointment, and am now 3-4 cm, 50% effaced, and baby's head is pretty low. I am excited and nervous. It was encouraging to me that I have dilated more than last week. I would greatly appreciate your prayers that all would go well for baby and I. I cannot wait to hold this little sweetie in my arms. Thank you, dear friends!

39 Weeks and Counting

I totally stalk my friends' blogs when they are nearly due. It just isn't fair if they don't update. ;) I know, I have been a very bad blogger. Life has been crazy busy, but that is no excuse. Thank you so much, everyone for your comments, prayers, messages, and for checking in on me.It means so much!

Today, I am 39 weeks day 4! I have been having painful Braxton Hicks contractions for quite a few weeks,but there still isn't anything regular enough to be considered labor. At my prenatal appointment on Monday, I was only 1 1/2 cm dilated. It was kind of a bummer, since I have been having so many contractions. I am trying to look on the bright side, and just keep taking a lot of walks and drinking red raspberry leaf tea. (It can only go up from here, right?) With my last pregnancy, I contracted strongly for the last 7 weeks of pregnancy, and it only took baby about 2 1/2 hours, once it was the "real deal". My belly is measuring 37 weeks, because baby is descending.Baby is an active gymnast,and in the course of an hour, moved from anterior, to transverse,to the posterior position. I am hoping I won't have to birth a posterior baby! I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the possibility that baby may bake for a while longer, as has been my normal history.

Here is my history of how long my babies have stayed in utero: (none of these were inductions)

Baby #1:  6 days past EDD (Estimated Due Date)

Baby #2:  2 days past EDD

Baby #3:  1 day before EDD (I was totally surprised with that one!)

Baby #4:  2 weeks past EDD (sigh....I thought I would be pregnant with that child forever! Labor was strong and fast, so it made the wait worth it!)


I hardly fit into my maternity clothes. You have no idea how much I had to tug on my shirt to get it to stay down for the picture. I have often wondered what you move on to, when you outgrow maternity clothes.

I am very clumsy as of late.  Two weeks ago, I went running down our front hill to open hubby's car door for him, as he had full hands. I didn't realize it would be so dewy, and I slid down very hard on my tailbone. Poor hubby  had to put down all his stuff to pick up his wife off the ground. :) I guess the neighbors got a good laugh on their way to work. I am glad that fall didn't cause any complications,and that I had time to heal from that back pain before labor started. A couple of days ago, I was heating up water for hubby's tea, and accidentally spilled the boiling water all over my hand. I am hoping this clumsiness is a temporary thing.

Even though I am very ready to give birth, I feel like this has been my shortest pregnancy ever. This has been my first pregnancy with only a smidge of nausea, (normally I throw up 4-5 times, daily, for the first 15 weeks) so that may be why this pregnancy seems shorter than my previous ones, to me.

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what gender this baby is! Hubby has had a strong feeling that this baby is a boy. So far, he hasn't been wrong in gender assumptions. I, on the other hand, have only been right in guessing baby #4's gender. I had been feeling strongly that this is a boy, but now I am just in  too much suspense to try to guess. I told hubby that I am so glad that we didn't find out. I totally could have gone for it, if he hadn't been so against it. (Since we were having 2 medically necessary ultrasounds, anyways. I wouldn't have had an ultrasound just to ascertain gender.) But now that I am so close, I am so very happy that I didn't find out.For me, it would definitely be like opening my Christmas gift early. (Yeah....I totally did that as a child....no self-control. It was fun at the moment, but then I was bummed because the surprise was over.) I know everyone has different opinions on this, and what works for us might not work for someone else. I think it is fun to have some kind of surprises to announce when baby is born, like gender or name.

Though this has been my easiest pregnancy, even at the ripe, old age of 31 (wink), this pregnancy has greatly aided in building my Faith in Him. After my fertility returned after Baby #4, I prayed that the Lord would preserve me from morning sickness, if He desired to bless us again with another sweetie. I was concerned that I would not be able to take care of my other four children, very well, if I was having a horrible bout with morning sickness. I was so thrilled and ecstatic when I had a positive pregnancy test, a short while later. Then, I hit six weeks, and I felt fine, and I became so scared. A friend of mine had just miscarried, and it was the first time she hadn't had morning sickness in the early weeks of pregnancy. I prayed so hard that God would send me morning sickness, as a sign that baby was healthy. Every day that I felt fine, I was so scared that I was losing my little blessing. I should have prayed more and worried less. It was a very scary time for me. I felt a small hint of nausea, at about 8 weeks, but it was really mild. I think that whole experience just confirmed what a blessing this little one is to me, and helped me to appreciate life that much more. At about 25 weeks, I went in for a routine ultrasound to make sure that baby was healthy. Baby looked healthy, but my placenta was low-lying, which is indicative that I would need a c-section if it didn't move up. I ate a ton of protein to help my belly to grow, and thanks to the prayers of many, at my 31 week ultrasound, my placenta was no longer low-lying and I was cleared for a regular birth. Those six weeks were very stressful to me.Though of course, I wouldn't have wanted a c-section, I realized how blessed we are to live in a time, when a low-lying placenta isn't a life or death matter for mama or baby. I am grateful for skilled surgeons who do these necessary procedures to protect life. Now I sit and await His perfect time to bring forth this little one. I am grateful that even if my faith is weak, God shows me to never cease trusting in Him. He is always faithful.


Just for fun, leave a guess in the comments box as to when you think Baby J. #5 will be born and what the gender will be. Thank you again, so much friends for your continued prayers and encouraging comments. Blessings!

Pregnancy Update: Almost 36 Weeks and Preparing for Baby

   On Sunday, I will be 36 weeks. This pregnancy has completely flown by for me! I am so excited to meet this little sweetie in about a month. I found out at my last ultrasound (at 31 weeks) that baby is head down, in the anterior position,which is the ideal birthing position. He/she stayed in that position for a couple of weeks. Yesterday, at my prenatal appointment, I found out that baby is posterior,  (head down, sunny side up) which can be an uncomfortable position to birth in. I have been researching that the best way to encourage baby to get in the anterior position, is to walk on all fours. (which isn't exactly the easiest task for a mama who is about due!) If you could please pray that baby will move to the anterior position, before labor starts, that would be a huge blessing.

     My iron levels had been a bit low, but I had them re-checked, yesterday. They are much better. I try to get my iron levels up by drinking/eating greens and red meat, but that didn't seem to do the trick. The only thing that really gets my levels up is taking an herbal iron supplement. Brands like Floradix, Herbal Iron, and Natrol Liquid Iron work really well. Many women tend to have low iron stores in their third trimester, since baby is storing up a lot of iron for after the birth, and the woman's blood volume has increased up to 50% more than before pregnancy. I think I will stay on Herbal Iron even after pregnancy, as it gives me more energy. Before using it, I would take an afternoon nap and still feel exhausted.

My Pregnancy Supplements:

Now Double Strength Cod Liver Oil (not the cream of the crop, like the Green Pasture variety, but this is one recommended on the Weston Price Foundation's  cod liver oil recommendation page and fits our budget better), Alfalfa tincture (for helping to build up Vitamin K stores for helping baby's blood in clotting after birth), Rainbow Light Prenatal (which I have stayed on for about five years), Liquid Iron,and a probiotic.

    I have been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions for the past couple of weeks. They are most intense at night. I can certainly see why the more children one has, the more challenging it is to tell when you are in "real labor". I try to put my feet up when the contractions get too intense, so my body will relax some. I have had a few strong contractions that awaken me at night, which is the same thing that happened with my fourth pregnancy. With baby #4, I had very frequent Braxton Hicks contractions from 35 weeks until 42 weeks.

     My sweet daughter, Lily, has been such a blessing in helping me.We recently got a 5 cubic foot chest freezer, and we have been working hard to stock it for after the baby comes. I cannot wait to have a couple weeks of snuggle time with this little sweetie, once he/she arrives. So far, Lily and I have made at least 14 meals including:

Dinners:
Chicken Enchiladas

2 Baked Ziti

2 Chicken Broccoli Casseroles

Pizza Pockets

2 Lasagnas

2 Shepherd's Pies

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

2 Potatoes Romanoff (to go with eggs/quiche and grits for breakfast nights, )

Chicken Meatballs

Spinach Lasagna Rolls (This is a delicious, meatless meal!)

4 Honey Pizza Dough

8 meal servings of cooked beef

4 bags cooked shredded chicken


Snacks:
2 (12 count) Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Peanut Butter Jelly Time Bars

   
    Here are most of our freezer meals we have prepared, so far.

Pinterest has been a great way for me to glean and to organize recipes, for stocking the freezer. Having a chest freezer has been a Godsend. Now, I don't have to run to the store as often, and I can freeze several pounds of shredded cheese, a gallon or two of milk (always drinking about a cup from each gallon, so that the containers have plenty of room to expand), and other essentials. I love shopping for two weeks, rather than having to go once a week.I find that it saves me money and time to shop bi-monthly.

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! I am so excited about hopefully holding my baby in the next few weeks!