We're having a boy!

I am now 17 weeks pregnant.  Yesterday, my husband and I went to our ultrasound appointment and found out that our baby is a boy!  So, that makes 4 boys and 1 girl now for our family.  We were shocked silly.  Yes, of course we weren't truly shocked, but we did laugh a lot!  Another boy?!!  So much for having a break with birth planning, right?!  No, we are very happy about our little guy.  He even has a name:  Silas Martin Reeves.  He is a sweetie, about 6 ounces, and quite a wiggle worm.  We absolutely love him!! 

So, now for planning Silas' bubble wrapped birth. . .

We are hoping to move to MI in a couple months.  By then, I will be about 6 months along.  I spoke to our midwife there, and she gave me the name of a CNM who works in a birthing center there.  I will speak to her today.  The big hospital connected to Children's Hospital of Michigan says they offer water birth with midwives as well.  This hospital also happens to be one of the best in the country for hemophilia.  I will definitely be looking into that! 

The problem with homebirth is getting the cord blood tested.  Our midwife can draw it, and Matt could run it to a hospital lab to be tested, but they can't accept it without a prescription.  We would have to find someone who would write a prescription for us, and a 24 hour lab that would accept it from my husband/midwife. 

What we are looking for in a birth is:

• a totally hands-off approach
• water birth
• cord blood testing
• gentle baby care afterwards (ZERO separation, no heel prick, no vit k injection, etc.)

Obviously, if we could work out the cord blood testing, homebirth would be great.  If not, we have to find the most gentle hospital/birth center situation.  Getting the cord blood tested is very important because if we don't get it done, then we have to take our newborn in for a blood draw.  That is miserable torture for a baby, as any hemo parent knows! 

It will all work out.  I will not fear.  Although, I know I will have my moments. 

~Silas, we will make the safest birth for you, sweetie.  We love you so much!~

Chicken Soup to Make You Feel Better

The first step we can do to have a safe birth is taking good care of ourselves during pregnancy.  Sometimes, no matter how healthy we live, we get sick!  When my family gets sick, I make this Chicken soup.  Even the aroma in the air while it's cooking makes me feel better!

INGREDIENTS  (These change with every pot of Chicken Soup I make.):

1 whole chicken

water (just enough to cover chicken in pot)

Carrots (sliced)

Potatoes (cubed)

Yellow Onions (chopped)

Green Onions (snipped)

Whole Head of Garlic (remove cloves from skin and chop with food chopper)

Celery (including leafy part) cut 1/2 inch thick

Kale (snipped)

Spinach (snipped)

Fresh Herbs:
-Oregano (snip leaves)
-Rosemary (leaves)
-Basil (snip leaves)
-Thyme (leaves)
-Parsley (snipped)

2 or 3 boxes of chicken broth (no msg, only good ingredients) *never add water, only add broth!!

Salt (if needed, to taste)

Coarse Pepper


RECIPE:

Boil the Chicken until it starts to fall apart. Remove bones and skin from meat. Personally, I don't use the guts and neck in the bag farther than letting them help flavor the broth.) Get as much fat off the top of the broth as possible. Strain broth, and put back in pot. Cut up Chicken, and add to broth. Add remaining ingredients to taste, and let it cook on low heat for a long time. The whole house will smell sooo good!!

If I ever needed a c-section. . .

This is one of the most beautiful birth videos I've ever seen, and it's a c-section!  This hospital in the UK has made a great effort in making a cesarean birth as gentle and family oriented as possible.  The baby is handled so gently, they delay cord clamping/cutting, and there is no separation from mother until she has to be moved to the recovery bed.  Even then, there is no separation from father.  If I ever needed a c-section, I would insist it be handled like this one! 

"Oh, I don't care what we're having, just as long as he/she is healthy. . . "

It's funny to hear this statement now that I know our baby has a 50% chance of inheriting my mutated gene, and either having or carrying severe hemophilia a.  I don't say the above statement anymore.  Now, it's like this, "I do care what we're having because knowing we are having a boy or a girl greatly effects our birth plans.  Matt and I choose to find out the gender to best plan the safest most appropriate birth.  I want a healthy birth, but I want the baby exactly how God hade him/her whether that means 'healthy' or 'hemophiliac' or any other genetic disorder.   As far as wanting a girl or boy more. . . no.  I want the baby we have to have the safest birth possible.  I wouldn't change a thing about him/her."  Although, I know I am thinking too much into the traditional statement for which this post is named, this was on my heart, and BWB is the best place for me to share it.  Now, off I go to eat a healthy breakfast for my sweet little one.  <3