This is a guest post by Melissa of Faith in All Times in the Women Speak on NFP series. In this series you will hear from women using various methods of NFP, some to avoid pregnancy, some trying to conceive, and their experiences. Disclaimer: This series is not meant to be a substitute for any method of training in NFP! If you are interested in one of the methods introduced in this series, please … [Read more...]
Gwen’s Birth Story: Part III
Catch up on Part I and II before diving into Part III :) It was almost 4am and it didn’t feel like we were anywhere close to meeting our baby... After 9 hours of active labor I was exhausted and discouraged. Since I had to get back in bed for my penicillin dose and to be monitored for a few minutes, I asked the nurse to examine me to see what kind of progress I’d made since I was 4.5 cm in … [Read more...]
Gwen’s Birth Story: Part II
As I shared in Part I, I was dilated 4.5 cm in triage, so they got us set up in a labor and delivery room with our wonderful nurse Christine just after 7pm. My mom (my unofficial doula) arrived and started heating up socks filled with rice to place against my lower back to relieve some of the pain from the back labor while I got my penicillin drip. Socks with uncooked rice, guys! Helps … [Read more...]
Gwen’s Birth Story: Part I
How Gwen Stellamaris came into the world. If the details of labor and birth gross you out, feel free to stop reading now (I can hear my brother clicking away from this post!). This pregnancy was by far the hardest of my three. The endless weeks of morning sickness, the exhaustion, the acid reflux. I was more than ready to put it behind me and meet my new little daughter. As with Lucy, … [Read more...]
Breastfeeding and a Prayer Request
We are just falling in love with Baby Gwen (who's making things very easy on mama by sleeping in 2-3 hour stretches all night between feedings!). Thank you for all the well-wishes and love for her! Today you can find me over at Mama and Baby Love sharing about my breastfeeding struggles with our firstborn and how everything changed the second time around! And please keep my sweet friend … [Read more...]
10 Newborn Exhaustion Survival Tips
When my first child was born I thought I would go mad from lack of sleep. I would sob from sheer exhaustion during the early morning hours when he would inevitably be awake--night after night after night. The second and third times have been so different. Mostly because my daughters haven't struggled with the colic and reflux that plagued our boy, but also because I think my attitude is … [Read more...]
Welcome, Gwen!
I've got someone pretty special to introduce you to. Meet our precious Gwen Stellamaris Stewart! Born after 13 hours of active labor at 7:41am on May 30, our little lass weighed 7lbs 4oz. She has grey eyes and plenty of jet black hair. She is healthy and sweet and we are so grateful for a safe delivery. Labor was very hard and exhausting and my recovery has been much slower than with Lucy, so … [Read more...]
Any Expectant Mamas Out There? Check Out From Maiden to Mother
I'm three days overdue with Baby Gwen (Lucy was 10 days late) so I'm starting to lose my mind a little. I really gave all my natural labor induction methods a good try yesterday, including acupuncture, spicy Thai food, long walks, etc. but to no avail! One more weekend pregnant just sounds UNBEARABLE. C'mon Baby Carrot! I'm doing my best to distract myself from the fact that I'm still … [Read more...]
A Picture of the Incarnation on My Kitchen Floor
During this pregnancy (my third) my mood swings have been unreal. One minute everything is rosy and the next I find myself sobbing for no reason. And if I wait too long to eat or don’t get enough sleep, I am sure to be an insane hysterical basket case. The worst meltdown occurred for really no reason at all at about halfway through the pregnancy. We put the kids to bed, then Daniel ran some … [Read more...]
Women Speak on NFP: Dealing with the Wait
This is a guest post by Kate of be merry, kate in the Women Speak on NFP series. In this series you will hear from women using various methods of NFP, some to avoid pregnancy, some trying to conceive, and their experiences. Disclaimer: This series is not meant to be a substitute for any method of training in NFP! If you are interested in one of the methods introduced in this series, please … [Read more...]
