The 5 Foods You Should Eat Everyday

Carrying a child is quite taxing on a woman's body. She needs all the help she can get. Here is a great list I found here of what foods we should strive to eat everyday, pregnant or not.

#1 Leafy greens
Medical experts call them one of nature's miracle foods. Leafy greens like Swiss chard and kale are high in nutrients like folate and vitamins A and C that can lower your risk of cancer. Just one cup of dark, leafy greens a day could also prevent diabetes and high blood pressure.

#2 Nuts
Many nutritionists recommend nuts like almonds, cashews and walnuts because they're high in natural fiber. Fiber slows your digestive process, keeping hunger and unhealthy mid-afternoon snacks at bay. Goodbye vending machine runs!

#3 Onions
Studies show that consuming onions on a regular basis may reduce symptoms of asthma and the risk of developing stomach cancer. Add them to soups and stir-fry, and just remember -- the stronger the onion, the greater the health benefit.

#4 Whole grains
Refined grains, like white rice and pasta, have lost 90% of their nutritional value through the refining process. As if that weren't reason enough to choose whole grains like brown rice, quinoa and whole oats, a recent study showed that a diet rich in whole grains actually flattens your belly by reducing fat storage in your lower abdominal region.

#5 Yogurt
Making yogurt part of your daily eating routine can improve your digestion -- if you're buying the right stuff. Check that the label lists "active cultures" to make sure you're getting healthy probiotics, and pick a yogurt rich in vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis.

Effects of Supplementing

I am copying all the text from a post from the Prayer of Hannah Blog. To go to the post at its original location, you can click here.

I thought this research was interesting and wondered if anyone might enjoy reading it as well. It pertains to the effects of supplementing in the hospital with bottles of water, glucose water, artificial baby milk, or adding supplements to the mother's milk. Some of the reasons for this include the following:

• to give the mother a rest
• because the mother doesn't have her milk 'in' yet
• to prevent hypoglycemia
• to prevent or reduce jaundice

None of these are indications for giving supplements, with some having the opposite effect to the desired result. Yet a 2005 study found that close to half of infants received artificial baby milk in the hospital!

Here are some of the effects on breastfeeding (and these effects were noted even if the baby received only one supplement!):

• Supplemented babies are significantly less likely to be exclusively or fully breastfed after hospital discharge.
• The risk for shortened duration of breastfeeding is increased 4-fold when supplements were given in hospital, even when the supplement used is predominantly donor breastmilk.
• Exclusively breastfed newborns are fed more frequently then breastfed-plus-supplemented infants. 93% of moms remember which brand of artificial baby milk was used in hospital and most will use that brand. Parents may interpret the use of artificial baby milk as an endorsement by hospital staff, despite clear verbal messages promoting breastfeeding.

So. . . if you hope to succeed in breastfeeding, do everything you can to make sure your baby rooms-in with you and doesn't receive any supplementation. . . both in the hospital and after you go home!

Written by Krista

No Need to Fast During Labor

By Megan Brooks - Wed Jan 20, 8:18 AM PST
SOURCE: Cochrane Library, 2010.

Go here to read the article.

There is no reason why pregnant women at low risk for complications during delivery should be denied fluids and food during labor, a new Cochrane research review concludes.

"Women should be free to eat and drink in labor, or not, as they wish," the authors of the review wrote in the Cochrane Library, a publication of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.

Dr. Jennifer Milosavljevic, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, who was not involved in the Cochrane Review, agrees that pregnant women should be allowed to eat and/or drink during labor.

"In my experience," she told Reuters Health in an email, "most pregnant patients at Henry Ford are placed on a clear liquid diet during labor which includes water, apple juice, cranberry juice, broth, and jello. If a patient is brought in for a prolonged induction of labor, she will typically be permitted to eat a regular diet and order anything off the menu in between different induction modalities."

Milosavlievic has "not seen any adverse outcomes by allowing women the option of liquids and/or a regular diet in labor."

Standard hospital policy for many decades has been to allow only tiny sips of water or ice chips for pregnant women in labor if they were thirsty. Why? It was feared, and some studies in the 1940s showed, that if a woman needed to undergo general anesthesia for a cesarean delivery, she might inhale regurgitated liquids or food particles that could lead to pneumonia and other lung damage.

But anesthesia practices have changed and improved since the 1940s, with more use of regional anesthesia and safer general anesthesia.

And recently, attitudes on food and drink during labor have begun to relax. Last September, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a "Committee Opinion" advising doctors that women with a normal, uncomplicated labor may drink modest amounts of clear liquids such as water, fruit juice without pulp, carbonated beverages, clear tea, black coffee, and sports drinks. They fell short of saying food was okay, however, advising that women should avoid fluids with solid particles, such as soup.

"As for the continued restriction on food, the reality is that eating is the last thing most women are going to want to do since nausea and vomiting during labor is quite common," Dr. William H. Barth, Jr., chair of ACOGs Committee on Obstetric Practice, noted in a written statement at the time.

But based on the evidence, Mandisa Singata of the East London Hospital Complex in East London, South Africa, an author on the new Cochrane Review, says "women should be able to make their own decisions about whether they want to eat or drink during labor, or not."

Singata and colleagues systematically reviewed five studies involving more than 3100 pregnant that looked at the evidence for restricting food and drink in women who were considered unlikely to need anesthesia. One study looked at complete restriction versus giving women the freedom to eat and drink at will; two studies looked at water only versus giving women specific fluids and foods and two studies looked at water only versus giving women carbohydrate drinks.

The evidence showed no benefits or harms of restricting foods and fluids during labor in women at low risk of needing anesthesia.

Singata and colleagues acknowledge that many women may not feel like eating or drinking during labor. However, research has shown that some women find the food and drink restriction unpleasant. Poor nutritional balance may be also associated with longer and more painful labors. Drinking clear liquids in limited quantities has been found to bring comfort to women in labor and does not increase labor complications.

The researchers emphasize that they did not find any studies that assessed the risks of eating and drinking for women with a higher risk of needing anesthesia and so further research is need before specific recommendations can be made for this group.

Hospital to Home - Part II

Well, we have been blessed yet again with another miracle growing in my womb! We are estatic. The baby is due to arrive in mid-June.

As fantastic as our first homebirth was we didn't necessarily feel called to do a repeat homebirth for any other children... that is until I got pregnant and actually started to analyze my options again.

We have gone back and forth like before, but much earlier now have decided that a homebirth is once again the best option for our family.

Since we are in Charlottesville, VA now and cannot see my old midwife, which I am quite sad about, we are seeing someone new.

So far, we are thrilled with them. They seem extremely knowledgeable and are very skilled in midwifery. Their information can be found at: http://www.mountainviewmidwives.com/

Just thought I'd share the exciting news with my homebirth friends.

Homebirths in Virginia

It's been quite a while, friends. I hope you all are doing well...

No, I am not pregnant. Let me just say that up front.

I am however interested in learning what my options are in the Central Virginia area if I was in fact to have another homebirth. I want to make sure that if I get pregnant, I've done my research ahead of time!

We are in the Charlottesville area, so if anyone knows if what the rules are like for Virginia and homebirths, I would love to know, especially about midwives and VBAC's.

Merry Christmas!!!

A Mother's Guilt

I think one of the worst things a mother faces is a sense of guilt about how she parents. I am constantly questioning everything I do.

Did I nurse them long enough, or too long?
Should I have started them on solids earlier, or later?
Did I hold them too much, or not enough?
Did I make them grow up too fast, or did I keep them babies for too long?
Should I have used a pacifier, or not?
Should I have let them sleep with me, or let them sleep in a crib?
Should I let them watch television or should I wait until they are 2?

There were a lot of things that I did with Samuel that I now would not do with Joseph. Was I wrong in doing them, or not doing them before? I have to come to terms with the fact that no, I was not wrong. I did the best I could with what I was given. Yes, I do a lot of things differently now, but it's only because this is a second child and not the first. I've got a whole other child's experiences under my belt and this time around has shown itself to be a completely different experience anyways.

What worked with Samuel, does not work with Joseph.
What works with Joseph would not have worked with Samuel.

I see and hear about other mother's doing this that or the other with their children and if I'm not doing them I wonder if I should. I wonder if what I'm doing is helping or hurting their future.

Bottom line, it has to stop.

What I am doing right, and what is the absolute most important thing I could ever do for my children or anyone else in this world is that I am teaching them about who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us. When the world ends, nothing else matters.

Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. Philippians 4:6

I want to challenge us as mother's to decide what matter's most to us, and pursue it. Leave behind the guilt of not doing it all, and cling to what is good.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

I am in the stages of starting another blog wifestry.blogspot.com This will be my first post over there once I get it going. I would love for you to come visit me over there as I being to look into what it means to be a woman, wife and a mother God's way.

Knowing Is Half the Battle

It's been an amazing experience having 2 little boys under 2. What a joy it is to be a mother. I am so grateful to have these two children. I would love to say that the past 3 months have been a piece of cake, but we all know that's not the truth. Having kids is not easy, but it's always a blessing. What has made these last 3 months difficult has nothing to do with the boys. They have both been so easy to love and take care of. It's been an issue of mine that has caused them to be less than ideal.

Something I wish I would have learned before I gave birth...DON'T PUSH unless your body is telling you to do so!!!

I have anal fissures, and let me tell you friends, they are practically the worst pain I have ever felt. I would give birth in a second if it meant that I didn't have to experience these any longer. I am convinced they are there because I pushed when I should not have. Once I hit 10 cm dilated, I was told I could start pushing. I did not feel the need to whatsoever but I did anyways. I was having very strong contractions but pushing did not come natural to me whatsoever! I continued to push. I knew the longer this baby was in me, the more of a chance he had of going into stress, which made me stress, so I pushed even harder. I pushed for over 2 hours. He was not ready to come out yet. I was forcing something that was not ready. And, now I have some SERIOUS pain to show for it.

They say anal fissures can take up to several weeks to heal, but some never do. I've reached the point where they feel like they are almost totally healed and then the next day, no way. I've gotta face reality soon and go to the doctor!

I had told Penny, my midwife, that pushing was my biggest fear. I did not want to blow the baby out. I wanted to take things nice and slow and prevent any tearing if possible. She totally understood. But, then it seemed like once I heard the word "push" I freaked out. My upbeat attitude about it all went downhill fast. I felt like it was my time to shine, and I was failing miserably with each push that did not produce any visible results.

The half hearted pushes lasted way longer than I had imagined. I was torn between getting this baby out so that he did not have to endure life in the birthing canal for so long, and letting things take their own course as slow as that might have been. So, I pushed, but I never felt like I was pushing 'with all my might.' I was holding back, but I couldn't explain why.

Days after the birth I checked on another homebirther to see how her delivery went. Susana, over at Spirit-Led Birth had an amazing birth. She wrote about her thoughts on pushing here. I was shocked to hear about her lack of pushing. I was so envious of this concept.

I know it was nothing that anyone in the room said or did that made me feel like I had to get this baby out, or else, it was a self induced burden I was laying on myself.

Lessons learned, I suppose. I will sure know better next time. My advice for whatever it's worth friends, if you aren't ready to push, don't! It's not ready to happen quite yet, and when it's suppose to happen, they say you can't do anything to stop it, your body just does it! Hopefully next time, that will be my experience!

As my husband says "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle."

6 Weeks Post-Partum

It's been 6 weeks since Joseph's arrival. It sure has flown.

Not once in the last 6 weeks have I regretted attempting a VBAC, or having a homebirth. I would do it again in a heartbeat if that is where the Lord leads us next time around... if there is a next time around, and hopefully there is! (I can't imagine this being our last child. I will be totally at peace if the Lord doesn't choose to bless us with another kid, but I just don't see that as being his will.)

I knew of all of the risks in attempting a VBAC and especially a homebirth, but I was willing to take them. Especially knowing that the Lord was the one to lead us to make this decision, not us trying to convince the Lord that this is what 'we wanted.' It was such an amazing experience knowing that we were in the Lord's will. I seriously feared the outcome if we were to disobey the Lord and have Joseph in a hospital. I felt very strongly that would have been more 'risky' than having Joseph at home.

Not once the entire day I was laboring did any one of us involved, Andy, the birthing assistances, or I question whether or not things were going to go smoothly. Penny, our midwife, said she had always felt such a huge sense of peace about our birth since the moment she met us and started caring for Joseph and me. It was such a good feeling knowing she felt the Lord's hand on us as well. I know she doesn't feel that way with every birth she assists.

Having Andy there for Joseph's birth was so special. Looking back on it, I just still can't believe Samuel was 20 weeks old before they even laid eyes on one another. Seeing Andy with Joseph is wonderful. He is such a terrific dad and husband. This birth very much in a way a healing experience from Samuel's birth and infancy. There were so many things we wished would have been different. Joseph's birth has healed those wounds and has allowed both of us a chance to learn and move on from those experiences.

Having a 19 month old and a brand new baby would seem like it would be quite a difficult situation. I would have imagined it to be exactly that. But, I keep forgetting that when Samuel was born I had about 3 weeks of help and then I was on my own. Now, I've got Andy here, which makes life so much easier. He has displayed a level of selflessness I could only dream of possesing one day.

We feel blessed beyond words to have these two boys to raise up in the Lord. It's a huge responsibility and we are not taking it lightly.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Looking back on the past 4 months it's crazy to think of the transition of thought that has gone on. I would have never imagined I would be here, having experienced a homebirth, having obtained all of the knowledge of the truth about birth, it's risks, it's effects on mother and child, the truth about hospitals, water births (which was definitely the way to go) and trusting the Lord to truly lead us in all that we do. It has been a challenging journey. We have both grown so much. And, I also believe this journey has allowed others the opportunity to see God work.

I knew this journey was going to be worth documenting, no matter what the outcome, and it was. I knew the Lord placed the desire on my heart to write my experiences down through this blog for not only my benefit, but for many others as well. I know who some of those people are, but most I do not. I am convinced that the Lord was able to touch many women in a way that they needed to be touched. Thank you to all of the other women who are willing to open themselves up, share their hearts only to allow others to be encouraged by their words. I grew so much in this journey through other women's blogs. (It's a strange concept to imagine, but in this day and age, the internet is an amazing tool to link like minded people together and give them a way to encourage one another. Something that could not be done years ago.)

Thank you to all of you who have given us advice, encouragement, but especially those that have prayed for us. Your prayers did not go unanswered. Please continue to pray for us as we now face the challenge of raising these boys to love the Lord and want to serve Him with their lives. It's not going to be easy.

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

For now, this blog has served it's purpose and I no longer find any need to post here. But, if I come across something that I know would benefit others, I will pass along the information. I pray each and every one of you who joined me in this journey were blessed, and would continue your pursuit in finding what it is you feel the Lord is calling you to do, not only in regards to your birthing options, but how you choose to raise your children, or how you will just simply honor Him with your life.

Thanks again for walking along side me on this journey.

God bless,

Amy

Joseph's Birth Story

Andy woke me up at 6:30 AM and I rolled out of bed into the living room to spend some time reading my Bible. I had a scowl on my face and he said I looked like a high schooler being forced to wake up early on the weekend because they were staying at their grandparent’s house. He made a comment in an old lady voice “It’s just not right to sleep the day away. It’s good to wake up at a decent hour and start getting things done.”

That morning I had a dentist appointment at 9 AM and I had to drop Samuel off at the Younce’s so they could watch him while I went. I had to be there at 8:45 AM since it was my first time at this dentist, so I had to leave the house at 7:50 AM. In our typical getting ready fashion, Samuel and I were getting out of the shower around 7:30 AM. I was brushing my teeth at the sink with my red bathrobe on and Samuel was sitting on the floor next to me applying lotion on him. And then I felt like what seemed the loss of my bladder muscles. I thought I had peed. I checked the floor and there was a spot about the size of a lemon. I knelt down to smell it to verify if it was in fact urine. Nope, sure wasn’t. It wasn’t anything other than my water breaking! It just wasn’t what I had imagined. It was so uneventful.

How could this be?! It’s FEBRUARY. I can hardly spell that month. Joseph was supposed to be born in M-A-R-C-H. I had at least 3 more weeks of agonizing “when are you due again’s?” And “hasn’t that baby come already?”

It took me a few minutes to accept this fact. Once it finally set in, I ran to the phone to call Andy. He was just driving out of the driveway and saw me in the window. He waved as he continued driving, thinking it was just the typical ‘Samuel got sad to see him go, so we were waving goodbye to Daddy as he drove away to calm his fears that yes, in fact, Daddy, was coming back, just like he always does.’ But, I waved the phone in the air and he stopped. I could see his face as I told him I was ‘99% sure my water had just broken.’ He replied with a trembling voice, “Okay, what do I do?” I told him to head to work and get some stuff done. I hadn’t even started contracting yet, so there was no reason for him to stick around if the action wasn’t going to be starting for awhile. He very hesitantly left for work and I proceeded to call Penny to give her a heads up. I left a message on her phone and then headed to do some laundry.

I called her back in a few minutes to see if she got the message and she had. Her daughter, Keely, picked up the phone and said that everyone had already been called, her mom was in the shower, and she would be here soon. Whoah. I didn’t know a simple trickle of water would create such uproar. But, it sure did.

I knew then that I would not be stepping foot into my dentist’s office that morning, much less stepping foot anywhere outside of my home. I called to cancel. They wondered when I wanted to reschedule my appointment for and I told them I was in labor and I wasn’t quite sure when I’d get around to getting my teeth cleaned.
I then called the Younce’s. They were going to be watching Samuel while I went to the dentist. Dan answered and was excited that it seemed like today would be the day. I’m sure he was a little sad though we wouldn’t be coming over. They love their Samuel!
I took some work I had been doing for the honey shop downstairs just to get it out of our home. I knew I wasn’t going to be working on it that day, or the next for that matter. Lanny and Donovan, the beekeepers, were downstairs and were in shock when I told them the news. You could see the excitement on their faces. Today was the day. I chatted with them in the honey shop for awhile while Samuel ran around playing with bouncy balls and eating honey sticks. They told me if I needed anything to let them know. They said if they heard a lot of noise coming from our apartment they wouldn’t quite know how to respond. I promised them they would. I heard later that they both decided to leave work late afternoon when things were getting pretty intense up here. They both wished they could have helped out in some way and hated to hear me in pain. Their only option they felt like was leaving us with their phone numbers and calling it a day!

My contractions started at 9:00ish. And they came pretty fast and furious. It took me a few to admit that this was it. I finally called Andy and he started his trip home. He had to stop at Wal-Mart though on his way, because I wanted a few more cassette tapes for our video camera and some fruit to snack on during delivery. He did just that.

Penny arrived at 9:45 and Andy quickly followed. She checked our heart rates and blood pressure and all was well. Penny commented on the strength of my contractions and said that I was progressing quite quickly. She didn’t think it was going to be a very long day.

Andy got the pool in the living room. It had been blown up in our back room for the past few days. It was just the Saturday prior to Joseph’s birth that Andy blew it up. I was at an appointment at Penny’s and he called while I was there. “Hey, what are you doing?” “I’m at Penny’s, honey.” “Oh, okay. Well, I got the pool blown up!” “Great job, honey, thanks!” He knew I was at Penny’s. I told him I would call him when I was leaving to head home. I think he was just so excited to let me know it’s up and ready he couldn’t wait another minute to share the news. The pool went right in the middle of our living room floor. It was a perfect spot. Right next to the stereo and in the room I felt most ‘at home.’

Slowly the assistants started to trickle in as things were picking up. I was spending most of my time in the living room on my knees leaning over the couch with Andy and Samuel next to me for support. They were incredible encouragers! Right at 11, I decided to have Penny check to see how I was progressing. I had yet to be checked this pregnancy. So, I was quite interested to see how far I had come. I was 5 cm. and +1 station. Good enough for me.

Soon after, it seemed as though the pool was about ready. Andy took one last picture of me before I went to change into clothes for the pool. It wasn’t until after Samuel was able to get a swim in the pool. He loved it. He cried so hard when we finally took him out and dried him off. He thought it was being filled up for him. They filled it up more, but it was too cold for me. The hot water heater needed more time to heat up the rest of the water. They started boiling water on the stove in big pots to pour into the pool. After what seemed like forever, I was able to get in. Ahh, the contractions in the pool were immediately more manageable. I felt great. I could move around at my leisure with ease, or I could just sit there.

It’s the time between 12-5 where it’s all a blur. It seemed to have flown. I continued to labor in the pool and just hang out. I was enjoying the pool so much. I loved having everyone around for company and loved seeing Samuel continuing on with his daily routines. During his lunch they brought his high chair into the living room so he could spend time with us as he ate and watch what was going on. He seemed to not be phased at all by the commotion. I had some mangoes and some cashews and chocolate covered raisins to keep me going. They really hit the spot and gave me enough energy to keep me going.

Things were progressing great and I couldn’t have felt better about how things were going. I told them that I thought it was going to be much harder than this! At 5, Penny was confident I was fully dilated and wanted to check. Sure enough I was. She said I could start pushing if I wanted to. I didn’t want to. I didn’t feel ready. I wasn’t quite sure I was ready for what was to come, but I started out on the journey.

From 5 o’clock on, I continued to push when I felt comfortable. I was still in the pool and most of the time was on my knees and leaning over the side into Andy’s arms. I felt so comfortable in his arms. As long as his breath didn’t smell like an ‘everything’ bagel with cream cheese, I let him close to me! I was super sensitive to smells at this point and after I turned down the bagel he asked me if he could have it. I said he could. Big mistake on my part. He smelled horrible and I made him go brush his teeth. But, then of course I wanted him back by the next contraction. Poor guy!

Andy took it all in stride and was such a servant the entire day. Never once did I felt neglected or left to do it all on my own. It was a team effort and he was sticking by my side every single contraction. His prayers and words of encouragement were more than I could have asked for.

I got pretty discouraged a few contractions that I didn’t have the strength to get this baby out and I was met with plenty of encouragement that yes, I could do this. It was just a matter of time until he would be born. I felt like they had been saying that for hours. I was getting so tired pushing and I wanted to know if I was making any progress. They all kept assuring me that I was, and that was all I needed to continue.

As soon as Joseph’s head started to crown, it was announced that he had dark hair. That was the icing on the cake for me! I had prayed for him to have a head of dark hair, and he did. I now had the added strength to help this little guy enter the world. That was my nugget from the Lord.

Penny recommended that I try pushing towards her and Andy during each contraction instead of pulling back. It was exactly what was needed. I felt completely different during each push and each push was getting me farther than the last. I pushed way more times than I ever thought I would have to, so the sheer number of pushes was getting discouraging, but I knew it was going to be over soon. The Lord had me in the palm of his hands and he was not going to let me go.

Even after Joseph’s head was born it was a few more contractions for his shoulders and body to emerge into the water. His shoulders came out completely straight. He didn’t turn an inch. No wonder why it was taking so long. His head was face down and his shoulders were parallel to the floor. Ouch.

At 7:38 PM, our blessing was born. They brought him up to my chest and he was a little blue and limp. I instinctively started rubbing him like crazy on his back to help him get some color. He had the biggest cone head. It was precious. Especially since it was covered with practically black hair! Not much of it, but it was dark, and it was perfect. He immediately started spitting out some gunk from his lungs. His first cry was so precious. So weak, but so strong! We thanked the Lord for this amazing gift we had just received.

Penny and her assistants, Felicia, Paula and Julie were checking on him while he was on my chest and making sure he was doing okay. He sure was. He was changing color quickly and looked great. We got a blanket and a hat on him and him and I just sat in the water while they continued to monitor him. We got some family shots of the four of us then. Samuel had been in the other room playing, but right when he was born he came in to see his new brother. He tried to climb right in the pool with me. He was not accepting the fact that he could only look at him from the outside. It was approaching Sam’s bedtime, so Julie went and got him ready for bed and by 8 o’clock he was in bed as usual. It was during that time I started to nurse Joseph. He latched on immediately and was sucking strong right off the bat. His eyes were open and he was looking all around, especially at Andy. He wanted to know all about him.

I needed to birth the placenta so Andy took him from my arms and they got Joseph a fresh blanket and hat for outside of the water. I attempted to birth the placenta in the pool but decided to get out and birth it squatting. It came out right away once I did that. I had thought I was going to start contracting and it would come out, but it came out with no contractions. No pain is fine by me.

They checked to see how I looked and Penny decided that it would be best if I got a stitch or two. She was amazed at how little I did tear considering the position I birthed him in. It ended up being a great thing that it took so long to push because it allowed my muscles all that time to stretch. She stitched me up and I went to the bathroom to pee. Then off to the couch to lie down and hold my bundle. They had just weighed and measured him. He weighed 7 pounds 15.6 ounces, was 19 ½ inches long, with a 14 ½ inch head.

They had prepared some chicken tortilla soup and had it waiting. Joseph nursed as I ate. I was in awe. I could not believe what had just happened. I couldn’t believe I was holding Joseph in my arms! He was perfect. The day was amazing. Our God is amazing! We could not stop praising Him for his goodness. I felt so undeserving of such an amazing gift. I am!

As I laid there enjoying this time with Andy and Joseph the girls were scurrying around the house cleaning up, doing laundry, doing dishes, you name it. By the time we were ready to head to bed, the entire house had been cleaned. The pool had been emptied and it sure didn’t look like someone had just given birth 5 feet from where I was laying.

One by one the women left and eventually, it was just us. Joseph was between Andy and I in bed and Samuel was just a few feet away in his crib. It was around 12:30 AM. We had a long day. We were ready to rest and to bask in the newest blessing the Lord had just bestowed upon us: Joseph Andrew Eckert.

Our Blessing Has Arrived

Our second son, Joseph Andrew was born in our home, Wednesday, February 27 at 7:38pm. He weighed 7 lbs 15.6 oz, and was 19 1/2 inches long. Everything went very well and we are all doing excellent. To God be the glory!