Joy in the Journey

Why has it taken me so long to get Jo's story written out? Part of it has been obvious: I'm fighting to build my milk for my newborn. But I think another part of it is because the story did not go as planned...there were some very sad and disappointing parts of it that I had to mourn and work through.  It's a long story, too! I think to sum it up, I'll make a little calendar: Friday, Oct 1: Due date and ultrasound, which baby was napping for so they didn't get to record as many movements as they like to see. Sunday, Oct 3: NST (non-stress test) which recorded plenty of baby movements. Monday, Oct 4: Another ultrasound which the baby was moving so much that the ultrasound tech mentioned that she was having trouble measuring the fluid. Tuesday, Oct 5: I was hunting in the mountains and received a phone call from my midwife letting me know that the ultrasound showed that my amniotic fluid measured abnormally high. This can be dangerous because it can result in cord pro...

 Hey mamas! Well, I promised you a birth story and I didn’t even get to writing a blog for Monday. The reason is…this… Nowadays my hands are pretty full. My baby is having trouble gaining weight, which has been the story with all my babies, so I am activity working on getting my milk supply up. I thought I was doing pretty well by the end of last week, then things seemed to slide during the weekend and I am back at it hard core.  I am doing all the things: drinking the tea, eating oats twice a day, adding flax to my smoothies, making sure I have enough protein and hydration, rubbing on the essential oils, and spending most of my time skin to skin with my baby. And then there is the pumping. Baby is not the most efficient nurser, so in order to encourage my supply to build, my feeding routine looks something like this: 1. Attach baby to right side and silicon pump to left side.  2. Once baby has slowed nursing, attach baby to left side and machine pump right side. 3. Once ...

 Hey mamas! I know I told you that I would have a birth story to share today, but I’m afraid not… I’ve had the birth, the baby is here, I just haven’t had a chance to sit down and get it all written out (and to have my husband proof read it to check for accuracy, haha). So it may be released later this week or you may have to wait til Monday. My life is currently run by a breastfeeding dictator and, though I wouldn’t have it any other way, it does make life unpredictable.  I will say that the baby and I are doing well. I will also say that things did not go entirely as planned! There was some disappointment, some discouragement, but there was also a lot of joy to be found through it all. And that’s life, isn’t it? We are here to find the joy in the journey.  Much love, mamas! I need to burp the baby. Lee

memesmonkey.com Hey! Yes, this is Lee, still pregnant. Writing this post in the wee hours of the morning right before it will be published, because it's been a crazy week and I haven't been able to seem to get the time and inspiration to write before now. bellybelly.com.au The baby is here, happily residing in my belly, where the baby wants to be right now. I've had two Non-Stress Tests and an ultrasound in the past four days to prove that baby is doing well. And they want me to have another ultrasound today. Oh the joys of being over 35 and "overdue". The baby is doing great, but I'm really having to battle to be at peace right now. "Battle to be at peace", sounds kind of like an oxymoron, right? But I really do think that keeping our hearts and minds in a peaceful state takes a lot of work. Isaiah 26:3 says: mardel.com God brings the peace, but our part is to keep our minds fixed on Him. If we shift our focus to the chaos and worries all around us,...