Faith & Reflection

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. 

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.

Last week I shared how important it is to always keep learning and how that realization came to me as a brand new parent caring for our tiny little girl. With information at our fingertips there is no reason we can’t seek out the information we need to make knowledgeable decisions for ourselves and our families. We are all capable of learning, right? On that same token it can be completely overwhelming to go to Dr. Google and start looking for information if we aren’t sure where we are heading. I want to help you with that.

For the past week I have been trying to get back into the swing of things after being at my mom’s for a week and then having my dad visiting for a few days. It has seemed like I’m just exhausted and have no motivation to get things done. It doesn’t help that I have some deadlines looming and have a laundry list of things that need to get done in the next few weeks either. As I sit writing this now I am kind of wondering if this may be connected to any limiting beliefs I may have surrounding what these next few weeks and what I’m working on are going to bring to my life. You know like that...

How many times throughout our lives do we find ourselves in a “growth spurt” of sorts where we have to make decisions to move in directions that make us uncomfortable, and we feel scared and excited at the same time? Have you ever looked back at these moments and realized how you were being stretched to move into something new? It’s funny because we are all on a journey and we are all called to do something great with our time here on earth. Yes, all of us! For some it takes...

Are you the type of person that does a ton of research before you buy, invest, or move forward with something? I’ll be honest, I’m that way with many things, however, there was a time when I didn’t really think about the things I was doing or deciding outside of the here and now. Whether you are that type of person or not I think that it is really important to think deeply on this topic, especially when it comes to having children. Our walk starts when we are trying to conceive and goes through the next 19 years once we conceive and there are so many decisions we will have to make over those years...

If you have not had children prior to thirty-five, or even if you have, you may find it shocking to be labeled as “Advanced Maternal Age” and being treated as high risk, based on your age alone. If you are healthy and even if you aren’t in the best of health and choose to take care of yourself through your pregnancy, you can have a pregnancy with no medical issues or complications. You are not TOO OLD to get pregnant and have babies if you are thirty-five+ years old or older.  

There I was standing in the living room in disbelief, again, as I lovingly looked down at my sweet daughter’s face. I could not believe that I was finally a mom, even two weeks after having her. Suddenly I had a very clear vision and my eyes got huge as I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about taking care of this tiny, defenseless little girl. In just a few heartbeats I was rocked to my core as I realized how little we are taught about how to care for the new lives we bring into this world. Isn't it funny how we long to become parents and yet it takes having a baby to actually start learning about taking care of them? Here are some of the ways that this realization impacted our lives from that point on.

So you have had your first baby and you are thinking about having another one. Maybe it has been a few months or maybe it has been a few years, it is different for all of us. If you are contemplating whether you are ready here are some things that you might be thinking... Can I handle taking care of a newborn and my baby/toddler/child at the same time?

If you are pregnant, wanting to start a family, or maybe you had a traumatic experience with a previous childbirth and wonder if pain-free is even possible. The answer is, yes it is possible. Will it happen for everyone? Probably not. Is it still worth learning about and praying for? Absolutely!!!!!When I was pregnant with my third child I heard an acquaintance say she had a pain-free birth and had to learn more about that experience and how it could be possible.