One big question I had when preparing for Little Brother’s birth was this: How do I prepare myself – my heart, mind, and soul – for birth, as well as what comes after? I have stumbled upon a gold mine of pregnancy devotionals on Amazon and I thought I would share them with you all! … [Read more…]
August 25, 2015 – 39 weeks, 6 days I had originally planned to title this post “Strong enough? Finding the balance between female empowerment and dependence on God.” And I’m going to talk about that, I promise. But I realize, at 1 day shy of 40 weeks up at 5:30AM having contractions, that I can’t … [Read more…]
Each week that passes of Little Brother’s life, I’m more grateful. Not just for him, but for Ezra too. And for the cesareans that brought them into the world. I’ve spent the last 29 posts talking all about this experience of trying for VBAC and everything that went into it for me. I’ve given advice and shared … [Read more…]
Dear CBAC Mom: I just want you to know that I get you. For nine months you carried your baby within you. And for nine months – maybe even longer – you dreamed about pushing that baby out of your body with your own strength. You planned. You prepared. You hired a doula. You probably spent hours reading books and websites, … [Read more…]
Cut, Stapled, and Mended: When One Woman Reclaimed Her Body and Gave Birth on Her Own Terms After Cesarean by Roanna Rosewood was the only book I read while I was pregnant. Roanna is a HBA2C mom who wrote her story in a memoir format. This book covers not only her three pregnancies but also story from … [Read more…]
Today, I’ve asked Jaimie, a VBAC mom and friend to guest post for us. I was inspired by her story and how she prepared for her VBAC. _____ I had found my doctor, my doula, and a chiropractor. All were on board as I pursued a vaginal delivery after three previous c-sections. I was set … [Read more…]
Today I’m opening up my blog to friend, fellow blogger, and “stand in the gap” friend Jessica Hoover. Jessica is a doula with a heart for moms whose births don’t go to plan. She’s here today to share a bit about her births and how to best form a birth plan. I gave birth naturally … [Read more…]
I’m currently 34 weeks and 2 days. I’ve been having Braxton Hicks contractions since 10 weeks pregnant. But now, I’m pretty sure that last night I experienced true prodromal labor for the first time this pregnancy. I had several Braxton Hicks per hour all evening. I went to bed at 10:30, but remained awake for a while with … [Read more…]
I’m not the biggest fan of baby showers. Also, when we were pregnant with our second baby, we didn’t really need much (perks of having two boys and saving everything). I had read about the idea of having a Blessingway or Mother Blessing online and in my Birthing From Within Journal. “Unlike a traditional baby shower, where … [Read more…]
I knew going into this pregnancy that one big thing I wanted to be different between this pregnancy and my first pregnancy was that I wanted the third trimester to be much more relaxing. With Ezra’s pregnancy, there were many things that contributed to stress in the final weeks leading up to his birth: The assumption that … [Read more…]