Eva's New Chapter

 

My curly girl is in kindergarten this year!

Eva started attending Faith Tutorial. She calls it "real school". 

She loves it. 

She is excelling. 

She is blooming!   

Bittersweetly, the years have begun to pass so quickly.

Big sister, Little sister

41 weeks

Well...no baby yet! My midwife assures me it HAS to happen!

Midwife Care

I have been blessed enough with a healthy, low risk pregnancy to be able to choose my prenatal provider. Currently childbearing women in the state of Tennessee also have the privilege to choose birthing locations. They may choose a hospital setting, a birthing center or to simply birth in their own homes. I have chosen to do so. I have also been under the care of a fantastic, christian midwife, Kate Todd CNM. She lives locally and practices all over West Tennessee and North Mississippi. Home birth midwives provide the same type of care one would find in any OB/GYN practice, except my care is personalized. My midwife is there to see me and her care is tailored specifically to me. There is no protocol to meet and no one-size-fits-all kind of care. She sees me on a very similar type of schedule as those kinds of practices, although. She sees me monthly, early on in my pregnancy. She then shifts the schedule to every three weeks, then every two, before meeting me weekly until our baby arrives. She does the typical labs and offers all of the same testing as the traditional doctor's office would, with the exception that she does not pass judgement if I choose to forgo a test or procedure. Yes, ladies and gentlemen...it s a choice whether or not you allow any type of testing or procedure be performed on yourself. As a Bradley Instructor, I encourage my clients to exercise their rights to choose their healthcare model. I also encourage extensive research, information gathering and question asking to your healthcare provider before making a decision. This is called informed consent. This is exercising positive consumerism. We are all responsible for the decisions that we make, whether informed or not. If we choose to proceed, we are accountable...not the doctor, not the practice! My midwife is a certified nurse midwife with the same credentials as those practicing in a group. In fact, she used to work for a practice here in Jackson before attending home births. She has been a blessing, providing excellent care. I have appointments in her home and in mine, which is always a comfortable environment. My children are always welcome, which is so convenient and completely unheard of in the traditional setting. Our visits can range anywhere between an hour or two, whatever is needed to satisfy the both of us. We have formed a solid bond through these months. I even was able to attend the births of some of my Bradley clients, under her care. 

  

40 Weeks

40 weeks today! No baby yet! 

I can wait as long as this little one is happy and healthy. 

But, I must admit that I am READY to see this little baby!

Belly Casting

As with each of our precious pregnancies, we made a cast of my pregnant belly. My pregnancies are a cherished time for our family. I have always enjoyed being pregnancies, being blessed with good health and very little sickness. It has become a tradition to capture the memory of carrying a beloved, little one inside, by creating a cast. In recent years, we have allowed the kids to participate in wrapping mom's belly. They love anything that involves getting their hands into something oooey, gooey! It is amazing how quickly the plaster dries! We need all of these little hands and Dad's big hands to help! They enjoy looking back to see their own specific cast, envisioning what it must have been like to be a babe in the womb. I also love to express my own creativity in painting each cast. I try to make it gender specific with something unique only to each specific child. I also add their name and birth date.

 Coating the belly PRIOR to applying the plaster gauze is a must for comfortable removal!!

 Cutting the strips of gauze for a precise fit takes talent!

 Here I am with many helpers! Almost finished!

 Here is our finished cast!

I am a little behind on the painting...it seems there are more pressing things that need painting at the moment. Stay tuned to the finished product a little later!! 

39 Weeks

Doesn't it look like a Hawaiian backdrop with my Mimosa Trees? Maybe that is a far stretch. Loving the fact that this little baby will be born at our new home! So excited to see him or her!! Hope our neighbors don't think we are too weird, snapping pictures of this belly!