Empowering Women's Health With Amanda

As I was making dinner a few weeks ago I kind of had a realization that I do things a bit different than most in my kitchen and that it may be helpful for other moms who are trying to get dinner on the table. I love to cook but I also like to save money and save myself time for another meal later in the week, can you relate? Sometimes I find myself struggling to get dinner on the table and usually it is when I stop doing these simple actions that make dinner easier to plan on the fly.If you have young children and are looking for ways to cut cost and time in the kitchen then this blog is for you. So here are a few ways that I have been stretching our groceries to save myself time and money on a regular basis.

I remember my reaction to my second pregnancy (first child) so well. The excitement was so hard to contain and trying to keep the secret until we were ready to share was SO HARD. But the worst part for me was the fear that I was going to do something that would jeopardize my pregnancy in some way. I was in better shape than ever and working out daily, well at least until I let the fear stop me anyways. So I quit doing everything but walking and hiking easy trails and I also went off my bread strike which did nothing for my weight gain. I wanted to live in a bubble. My fear was tangible and I let it control so many things that I wish I hadn’t. Living in that space made my experience less than ideal and more vulnerable than I already was being pregnant and all. Don’t let fear control your experience the way I did, here are three ways that I have found to decrease your fear and create a pregnancy experience you will want to relive over and over again.

With more women looking to birth differently these days I see this question asked a lot. If you are looking to hire a midwife there are a few things to think about before you get to the interview stage. I think that we all want to choose a midwife like we have been choosing doctors over the past decades but that really isn’t an option if you want your needs met. If you choose your midwife by location, fees, and availability alone then you may be disappointed in the service you receive.The first step to finding the right midwife for you is to know what it is that you want in your birth experience. Having a clear vision of your birth plan will help you find a midwife or traditional birth attendant that aligns with your beliefs, needs, and will support your choices. If you haven’t given this much thought I have something for you at the end of this blog. The next step is......

Are you a mom who is considering a homebirth but your husband says no? You're not alone! In this blog post, I'll share how I got my homebirth with my husband and how you can too. Keep reading for tips on how to get your partner to see that homebirth is the right choice for you.I remember when I wanted my first homebirth and the long conversations trying to convince my husband that this was the way to go. We even met with a midwife, had all our questions answered, and she aligned with our beliefs in all areas of pregnancy and childbirth. He still wasn’t on board, and it wasn’t about concern for me, which may be the block you are dealing with.For him it was about the out of pocket expense, which I understood, we weren’t rolling in extra funds by any means, but for me my freedom to choose was EVERYTHING! I never gave up, we kept having the conversations and then the moment happened…… 

When you have had the cascade of interventions, the experience of being bullied in labor, or ended up with a planned or unplanned cesarean you know that you have questions that need answered. Most of you will go see the same doctor, unless you have moved or had other reasons to switch your providers. Many of you will find out that your care provider is less than enthusiastic about you wanting to “try” for a VBAC. You have questions and want answers, which you should, but will you actually ask your questions? Are you too nervous to have the conversation because your doctor makes you feel inferior any time you ask a question? Here are some ways that you can prepare for your VBAC, that you have control over and will have a huge impact on whether you are successful or not.

Man if this isn’t a topic that comes across my feed daily! If you are pregnant, FTM or planning your next, I’m sure it has crossed your mind too. From my experience most women believe that having a baby has to be painful. It’s understandable, given our sources, that pain is pretty much the biggest part of having a baby that women worry about. I have been there too, trust me, with my first homebirth I had back labor and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.After that experience I was pregnant with my third when I heard an acquaintance say that she had a pain-free birth! Of course my response was, “excuse me, say again please?” I mean I was in disbelief because I had never heard of such a thing before. We chatted and I grew in my confidence and belief in my body to birth my babies without pain. Below are some things that I learned that helped me manage the discomforts of labor once I knew what was possible.....

January of this year marks 8 years since I gave in to having a scheduled c-section. This was something I didn’t want and, to be honest, I didn’t think it was necessary, even with my daughter being breech. See, my OBGYN had criticized me, belittled me, and just plain torn me down throughout my entire pregnancy, including pushing the topic of a c-section from 4 months on. When I caved it was because I had no support or knowledge of what was possible, and, to be completely honest, I wanted my OBGYN out of my life. I was done being torn down at every appointment and just wanted it to be over. I walked away from this experience thinking I was broken and that my body just didn’t work the way it was supposed to. Until a few weeks later when I had an epiphany…..

During the second trimester you will probably be asked to take a glucose test where they will have you drink a beverage, often referred to as Glucola, consisting of 50 grams of sugar. After drinking the beverage you are made to wait an hour and then have your blood drawn to see how your body reacted to the sugar. What they won’t tell you about this test is…… 

If you have ever experienced prodromal labor you probably understand exactly where this question came from. When you are nearing the end of your pregnancy and things start to happen, you get excited and think okay I’m having a baby today. And then it stops, you go all day or night with no signs of what you thought was the beginning stages of labor. Then it’s back and you are again excited and ready for things to progress only to have it stop AGAIN!You might be thinking, "What is the meaning of this, it’s torture and I just want to have my baby?!?" 

So many think this is a controversial topic and if you bring it up in the wrong place you better be prepared for the onslaught of verbal attacks. It is unfortunate that, as a society, we are not able to hear someone’s question with compassion and answer with empathy. Most of us have been in that place of having to make a decision that we knew little about at some point and we should understand what they are working through. For me it was when I was pregnant with my first..........