We’ve started printing out some of the photos from the birth and the first few days of her life. They help to make the birth seem that much more real in my mind but I know I still haven’t totally grasped the entirety of it all. Eventually when I am feeling less depressed and emotional I’ll watch the birth video and take stock.

It’s crazy how I was there birthing her totally unmedicated and I still don’t have a complete grasp of how amazing and crazy it all was. Our bodies truly are equipped to get us through intense situations because my hormones and adrenaline sure made it all “tunnel vision” for me if that makes sense.

I’ve chatted with N and my mom about the birth. They each have different moments that stand out in their minds and they have different perspective on it than I do. For N seeing Everly’s head emerge was a wow moment. I am sad that I didn’t get to see her coming out, that is my one regret.

My mom is still in awe of how peaceful and alert Everly was immediately after she came out. I guess my mom expected her to be blue and lethargic. She says Everly’s eyes were just darting all around taking it all in while the umbilical cord was still pulsating.

For me I can’t really pin point one moment since it’s all a blur still. I know that when they placed her on my chest right after she was out I was in awe. Someone captured a great photo of me looking at her for the first time, it really does speak volumes (I just don’t have much memory of it all).

I am pretty much totally healed from the tear now and feel like my body is doing great. I’ve pretty much lost all of the baby weight and you wouldn’t know I was 3 weeks postpartum looking at me today. My appetite is way down which kind of worries me since I’m breastfeeding.

The breastfeeding is still going fine. Everly latches on well and her feedings are beginning to last longer and longer. It appears she now weighs like 9-10lbs based upon my bathroom scale.

Over the weekend I added dairy back in my diet as we shifted to eliminating another possible culprit and Everly went berserk yesterday with major fussiness and apparent tummy pain. I think it is a result of the many glasses of milk I enjoyed over the weekend.

Now I am back to avoiding milk and dairy products. I also gave Everly a tiny bit of the digestive enzyme that the nutritionist/ chiropractor said I should try.

The idea is that her digestive system is not mature enough yet to process the proteins in milk and dairy but digestive enzymes do the digesting when given or taken with meals. Hopefully they’ll help her in the meantime until all the dairy is out of my system.

Yesterday was another rough day. She fussed and cried for about 5 hours straight. Nothing I could do would make it better, I went through the list of possible things I could do to make her happy and more comfortable. Nothing worked. Holding her did allow her to doze off a for a few moments here and there. I only cried twice yesterday during her fussing so that is a small sign that I am beginning to move closer to normalcy.

The digestive enzymes I gave her in some breast milk did help calm her in the evening and she slept pretty well though the night. Today is much of the same, I’ve only cried once so far today.

Even though I know her fussing/ crying is something I can’t always help I still tend to get frantic trying to soothe her and make her happy. Even after I’ve tried every possible thing two and three times with no luck. Not being able to calm her upsets me and I tend to dwell on not being able to fix it all for her.

Reading Twilight (that Krystal gifted me) helps to clear my mind and refresh me though. It forces me to not dwell on feelings of inadequacy in my parenting skills so that is good. Hopefully the tummy upset will improve soon.

Everly enjoyed her first bath over the weekend. The bathtub (that Donna B got Everly) rocks and Everly loved bath time. She only cried when we were taking her out of the water, guess she didn’t want it to end.

Also, she has begun to be more playful and alert in the last few days. She smiles at you and will mimic other facial expressions like if you stick your tongue out at her.

So things are going well. This parenting thing is still hard and we’re adjusting. We hear it’s supposed to get easier so we are hanging in there though. Besides she is to damn cute to give up on!

The post 3 weeks postpartum: Still in a daze trying to grasp it all. appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

We still need to come up with the cash to repair our nice Nissan Maxima that is still in Arizona before little Tater Tot comes. We’ll need a safe car to transport our little one around in and the Nissan has airbags and all that safety jazz, the Amigo does not…

Fixing the Nissan in addition to paying for our birth at The Farm basically puts us way over budget. We’ll be short about $3000 based upon how much money N is making working a 40 hour week.

We both feel that having the best birth situation is totally worth paying the extra money we just need to figure out how to come up with the money. We talked about N working overtime when possible to earn some extra cash and we also talked about the possibility of postponing the Nissan repair until after Tater Tot is born since we can only pay for the birth or the car repair (you know one or the other) but not both within our budget.

That would just mean Tater Tot and I would be stuck at home unable to ride around in the car until we get the Nissan fixed/ out here and that our family and friends in Arizona would not be able to see my pregnant belly before I deliver. It also means we would have to rent a car to get to and from The Farm.

Bringing Tater Tot in to the world at The Farm is what is right for us. I feel it in every bone in my body, it is hard to explain but the point is I know without a doubt where we are meant to birth this little one. Now I just need to make it happen. Do you think people would pay to see my labor and delivery via the web? LOL, that could make us some extra cash to get the car fixed…

Well thanks to my Farm birth obsession I have managed to stumble upon a number of bloggers/ blog posts that either have already taken place at The Farm or are planned to.

I found a fellow blogger (The Jenk Adventure) who is also preparing to birth at The Farm, she has my same midwife and is due before I am. I am enjoying following her pregnancy progress and reading her Farm experiences via her blog.

I also found a very detailed water birth story about Savanna Zoe Ioanna, a Farm born baby. You can read the birth story here if you want to get an idea of what a birth at The Farm is like.

Another birth story I found that took place at The Farm was that of Elijah, it was a longer labor but inspirational nonetheless. I am just loving reading home birth style birth stories, especially those that took place at The Farm like:

• Carrie’s Birth Story at The Farm
• Thomas’ breech birth at The Farm
• Asher’s birth at The Farm

If you want to know more about The Farm or about The Farm Midwives and their services I would encourage you to follow the provided links. Also check out the work of Ina May Gaskin, she’s viewed as the “mother of authentic midwifery,” says Jan Tritten, editor of Midwifery Today, a quarterly journal. Her work really gives you a feel for the birthing philosophy of The Farm and the history and experience that goes along with a Farm birth.

I was just asked today what happens if an actual emergency does arise during my birth at The Farm, what would happen since I wasn’t at a hospital?

My answer was: Almost every midwife who is attending a home birth has a back up hospital and even a back up doctor in place before labor even begins. There is no doubt that complications can happen even in the most normal and risk free pregnancies. This is why having a knowledgeable, experienced birth attendant is so important.

If my planned birth develops complications a hospital transport is the obvious next step, this is why I am so set on finding a midwife who knows her stuff. I want to be able to trust her to know when a hospital is necessary and to be able to keep me and my baby safe until we arrive there if any unexpected complications do arise.

I feel like I have been pretty open and clear about my reasoning behind this decision but I know that many still have questions and things they don’t quite understand about the process or the idea since this isn’t a very common thing.

I wanted to take this opportunity to allow you guys to ask any questions you may have about all this, especially family. Just post your question below and I’ll get you an answer. I am not trying to debate the decision or convince you of anything I just want the lines of communication open about it all so if you want to know something ask away! Don’t be shy.

Oooo one last thing! I know HOW much longer can this post be???

Passed on from CIMS e-News:
“TONIGHT: Orgasmic Birth to be featured on ABC’s 20/20 “Orgasmic Birth” will be a featured segment on ABC’s “20/20” tonight (Friday, Jan. 2) at 10:00 pm Eastern.

Filmmaker and former CIMS Leadership Team member Debra Pascali-Bonaro presents the ultimate challenge to our cultural myths by inviting viewers to see the emotional, spiritual, and physical heights attainable through unmedicated normal birth.  In this revolutionary documentary, physiologic childbirth is revealed as an integral part of women’s sexuality and a neglected human right.  Learn more about the segment on the ABC News Web site. “

I am not sure about the “orgasmic” part that the title suggests but I am going to record the show to see how they portray “the emotional, spiritual, and physical heights attainable through unmedicated normal birth” since those are the aspects I am trying to experience and preserve in my own birth.

I can already tell by the video clip posted on their site that many things are going to be inaccurately portrayed. The video clip ties unassisted birth (what Laura Shanley did) and assisted birth (what Rick Lake did) together when they are two completely different things.

Also, the interviewed doctor speaks about how home birth is unsafe because of lack of medical support when in reality a midwife in an assisted birth is the key medical support present to keep mom and baby safe.

Anyway I thought I would mention tonights show incase you are also interested in recording or watching it for more infomation. Then you can come back here and ask questions!

The post Taking the next step towards birthing at The Farm appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

A quote on unassisted childbirth from www.unassistedchildbirth.com

“A woman in labor needs to be supported emotionally, or simply left alone. All the knowledge she needs to birth her baby is already within her. Her job is simply to relax, trust her body, and allow her baby to enter the world.”

After reading many birth stories I’ve become more of believer in the natural ability of our own bodies. I have read home birth stories, unassisted stories, water birth stories and hospital stories they all unfold differently but basically it just boils down to trust and fear. If you have a low risk pregnancy there is no reasion to not trust your body. After all women were giving birth well before hospitals and medical supervision (check out this info packed timeline Donna sent me).

Unfortunately we have been conditioned to fear the birth process. It is painful right? Things could go wrong and it is better to be safe than sorry… Well, I am not buying that.

I know for a fact that many hospital procedures and interventions are done for legal and financial reasons, they aren’t always what is best for mom and baby. I don’t want to be induced just because the doctor want to be home for dinner or receive a unneeded c section just so the hospital can legally cover their butt. Plus many of those procedures or decisions cause more harm or unnecessary risk than needed.

If the pregnancy is normal why not let the birth unfold as nature intended it to? That is the direction I am heading with my pregnancy. I will probably want my birth attended by someone who is trained and knows what complications to look out for. It really is too bad the state of Indiana prosecutes midwives and makes the virtually impossible to find. Hopefully I find one that is the perfect fit for me, if not I’ll consider all the other options before agreeing to a hospital birth.

Anywho, I am getting side tracked. I just wanted to put another alternative birth post out in the bloggosphere. I think it is something more people need to learn about and advocate for. So watch “Freebirthing” (or record it) if you have a chance, then come back here and tell us what you thought!

The post Watch Freebirthing on Discovery Health next week! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

It’s surprising to me that others are also interested in my old-fashioned, simpler ways of doing things obsession and now I am not so embarrassed to share my tips. You know many people think a not so old girl sharing these discoveries/ tips is a strange thing but I am really into all this simple living stuff and I am glad you are too!

So here are a few more of my favorite bits of old fashioned know how & do it yourself remedies. Feel free to share your own in what ever way suits you or to stumble me or link to your favorite tip. Enjoy!

Want to stop smoking? I am not a smoker but my mom is and she reads this… I did find a old-fashioned recipe that is said to help you curb the urge to light up. You just drink it down with your morning tea/ coffee or juice and you will have decreased desire to smoke.

Here is the recipe: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tarter, 1/2 teaspoon of rochelle salts (from pharmacy). Or you can simply obtain some Ginseng root and chew it in the morning/ swallow the juice to curb your cravings.

Alright ladies, many of you have tried those facial masks that you apply, allow to dry and the peel off right? They remove dead skin cells, black heads and tons of other junk but are costly and sometimes hard to find so why not make you own facial mask that peels off? Also, If you enjoyed peeling dried glue off your hands as a kid this mask is for you.

All you need is 1/2 cup of apple juice, 1 packet of unflavored gelatin and a drop of essential rose oil (or another oil of your choice). Heat up the apple juice (try using a double boiler if you can, keeps the mixture from burning) and mix in the gelatin. Remove from heat when the gelatin is dissolved and allow to cool. When mixture is almost set (begins to firm) add the essential oil, mix and then apply to your face. The mask will dry, then you can peel it from your face or you can scare little kiddies with your gelatin cover shiny face. Finish by rinsing your face with warm water to remove all excess mask that you couldn’t peel off and you are done!

I have this strange spot on the carpet in my bedroom that I need to spot clean. I have tried those spray on, foamy carpet cleaning solutions and it seems they just make the stain spread. I found a recipe for a non-soapy carpet cleaning solution that only uses stuff you already have in your home!

All you need is 1 cup of white vinegar (don’t worry about the vinegary smell folks!) and 1 quart of “denatured alcohol” (or cheap vodka or rubbing alcohol). You just mix the vinegar and alcohol and then sprinkle drops of it onto the carpet or sponge it onto the bad spots. Next rinse very lightly with cool water, allow carpet to dry- soak up excess moisture with towel and then vacuum.

By the way, I love the vinegar microwave recipe I posted on sunday! All you need is one or two cups of white wine vinegar, a bowl and your nasty microwave oven. Place the uncovered bowl containing the vinegar into your microwave and turn it on full power for 5 minutes (or more if your microwave is extra nasty). When the microwave turns off simply use a dry dish towel to wipe the greasy mess off the top and sides of the microwave oven. I repeated this process twice casue mine was super dirty but it worked great! No elbow grease needed to clean the dang thing and then I poured the vinegar down the garbage disposal to keep it disinfected.

If you like this post consider reading some of these other do it yourself remedies that have been posted:
Homemade Cold Relief
Find the miracle products in your home that will clean and save you money.
Remove sweat/ perspiration stains naturally!
Alternative Hair Removal Recipe (sugaring)

The post Old-Fashioned Know How- Do it yourself remedies part 2 appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

In earlier posts I talked about how to make simple yet helpful cleaning solutions with products you already have in your home. You can remove stains, disinfect, whiten your teeth and much more without buying expensive specialized products.

In the next few weeks we are moving out of our current place and into an new one. This means massive amounts of cleaning and fixing will occur and I am trying to find simpler ways of doing this.

My first old-fashioned know how concoction I want to share with you is homemade spackle- hole patcher for your walls . Everyone hangs photos in their home, but when you move and your landlord expects you to patch the nail holes don’t go buy a product, make it yourself- from scratch! All you need is table salt, cornstarch and cold tap water. It doesn’t get easier than that folks! Mix 2 tablespoons of table salt and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small bowl then slowly add 5 teaspoons of water to the mixture- it should for a paste. If it’s too runny the mixture wont work… Now just fill the holes with your mixture, allow it to dry and then sand rough spots down. If you want you can go over the spot with a wet sponge to remove the dust from sanding.

In the house we are renting they provided a microwave in addition to all the other appliances. We have the bad habit of microwaving stuff without covering it first.. Bad news, I know. Obviously we need to clean the microwave before we move and I thought it would be fun to use this simple and easy Microwave Oven Cleaner.

All you need to do is get a microwave safe bowl, add 1 1/3 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of baking soda. Put the uncovered bowl inside the microwave and run it on high for 3-5 minuites. After the 3-5 minutes is up carefully remove the bowl- It’s going to be extremely hot! and wipe the inside of the microwave with a paper towel or dish rag.

The water and baking soda will steam and cover the interior walls of the microwave then you just wipe the excess liquid and the microwave oven is clean! You can also substitute 3 tablespoons of lemon juice in place of the baking soda or you can simply microwave a bowl filled with 2 cups of white vinegar. They all will work to remove the mess that accumulates inside your microwave.

Do you have a remedy you want to share? I would love to hear them.. I am expecially looking for a way to repair/ remedy a burnt wood counter top…

If you like this post consider reading some of these other do it yourself remedies that have been posted:
Homemade Cold Relief
Find the miracle products in your home that will clean and save you money.
Remove sweat/ perspiration stains naturally!
Alternative Hair Removal Recipe (sugaring)

The post Old-Fashioned Know How- Do it yourself remedies appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.