Dear Baby H...
today, I peed on a plastic stick...I had a feeling you were inside of me...but Daddy didn't believe me. All my friends are getting ready to have their babies in the next month or two and I was so sad, because I didn't know I had you.
My whole life, I wanted to be a mommy. But things weren't looking good for that. This came up, that came up, my health became a bit weird...I was so scared I would never have you. I cried, and prayed, and talked with Daddy, my friends, and Nana too!
And today, when I looked at that stick, it showed a + sign...God has funny math you know....1+1=3. I am going to go to the doctor on Monday and probably a lot more in the next several months. I am going to spend a lot of money and time...loving you!
You already make me tired, and sometimes sick to my stomach. You make my heart flutter with joy and my smile can't fall off my face. Daddy told me today, "Don't tell anyone, we need to go to the doctor to be sure first! Honey, stop smiling! All our friends will know immediately from that smile that you are pregnant!" But I can't stop smiling, and I don't care if everyone figures it out...I'm just super happy today.
That silly little stick changed my entire day...and you will change my entire life. What a special blessing you are to Daddy and I. I can't wait to count your fingers and toes and see what hair color you have (I'm voting for blonde or red...but Daddy says brown). I want to hear you laugh and hold you when you cry....
It is pretty crazy that less than 12 hours ago, I peed on a stick...and it changed everything...I cannot believe how much I love you little Baby...
One year later - 2/28/2014
Baby Samuel James...your hair is brown...your eyes are still steely gray...they haven't decided if they will be blue or brown yet...you weigh about 17.5 pounds...where did my little baby go!? You are 15.5 weeks old..and my heart overflows with joy! Your daddy is a wonderful husband to me, which helps me be a better mommy, and a great daddy already to you...he holds you when you cry, he sang to you the first time he held you in the hospital(most precious moment of that day, besides getting to hold you myself!)...he makes the funniest faces when he changes your dirty diapers...he hums and bounces you, and loves you like no other! You definitely changed our world...and we wouldn't have it any other way!
One year ago, I found out that you were coming...and I'm so glad you did. You are a constant example of God's grace and blessing! We are so proud at how healthy you are and how fast you're growing and learning. You just started liking Baby Einstein videos, grabbing things around you, testing out your voice, and playing in your jumperoo!
You are my sunshine, my joy, my little love, and my son, whom I love with all my heart.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Health Rant #5 - Vaccines 102 - A summary of a course by Dr. Cornelia Franz
On
Sunday February 16th, I went to a seminar titled “Immunizations: The Untold Facts” by Doctor
Cornelia Franz (a pediatrician in Orlando.
Samuel’s “pediatrician”, a nurse practitioner, Margaret Witzleb, works
under Dr. Franz’s supervision) . I went with my parents, who were also
curious, and I told them “I don’t know her stance on vaccines; just that she is
careful and accepts children who are not vaccinated.” (If you would like to take this class, please let me know and I will email her and see if she can come to this area or do another one in her office.)
We got there, just two minutes late, and she was saying “I started teaching this course to convince parents why they need to vaccinate…” I schmirked…I did…wondering what kind of course this would be…
Her next statement went something like this – “I believe all vaccines to be morally and ethically irresponsible”. Now, I smiled. Schmirk – gone!
We got there, just two minutes late, and she was saying “I started teaching this course to convince parents why they need to vaccinate…” I schmirked…I did…wondering what kind of course this would be…
Her next statement went something like this – “I believe all vaccines to be morally and ethically irresponsible”. Now, I smiled. Schmirk – gone!
She went on to explain that
vaccines are not immunizations.(Although,
those two words are commonly interchanged).
Vaccines are what are given to a patient, an immunization is sometimes the result from the vaccine that is done by the body.
NONE are 100% full proof, and many are much less than 50% when you look
into the studies,or need several rounds of a vaccine to illicit a response…which again, is
not 100%...so you can give 5 doses of something, and still get the disease…(Side
note: She cited how Merck made up studies about MMR for well
over 10 years…completely falsified…1)
She went through the history of vaccines…how there were only 2 true good vaccines, because they used live viruses – small pox by Edward Jenner 17962 and oral polio vaccine by Albert Sabin in 19613 (both NOT in use in America right now). Both, also had serious issues – like infecting the person or their family, with the actual virus and still had many side effects of the illness. Infact, many people still died of small pox and polio, even after successful vaccination4,5. Remember, vaccination does NOT equal immunization.
She went through the history of vaccines…how there were only 2 true good vaccines, because they used live viruses – small pox by Edward Jenner 17962 and oral polio vaccine by Albert Sabin in 19613 (both NOT in use in America right now). Both, also had serious issues – like infecting the person or their family, with the actual virus and still had many side effects of the illness. Infact, many people still died of small pox and polio, even after successful vaccination4,5. Remember, vaccination does NOT equal immunization.
She
went on to discuss what the ingredients are in vaccines and what they do when
injected. See, here’s part of the
problem…we could eat some aluminum, and maybe 25% of that would end up in our
bloodstream unabated…with injecting, versus ingesting, there are no barriers
for a while…you inject something in the arm or thigh…it’ll be a while before it
gets filtered by the liver or kidney…certainly no protection from the digestive
system at all, at this point…so 100% of the aluminum or whatnot, goes into and
is absorbed by the body, for better or worse.
The stomach and lungs and other areas have protective mucosal barriers to increase defenses with antibodies..also, the skin and mouth have, or should have, a wealth of flora and fauna to help defend also...
So I
won’t cover everything, but I’ll cover a few of the baddies –
Aluminum – neurotoxin6. It hurts the brain and other neurological
tissues in the body. It is linked with
autism as well.21 It can be
as high as .85mg in a single vaccine.
What happens when you get multiple vaccines in one visit? What about if you “spread them out”…are they
then safe? No, because the build up is cumulative. A 5 year old child
following the current CDC schedule will be exposed to as much a 4.9 mg of
aluminum- injected.7 The FDA
is aware of the problem….babies are receiving as much as 50 times the “safe
dose” of aluminum (no, I don’t think any is safe…) when they are 2 months old!8
MSG – another neurotoxin.9 Many people know that this is a BAD thing to
eat. You see products everywhere that
say “No MSG*” or “No MSG added*”. It is
“generally recognized as safe”(GRAS) – that is a whole other problem…large
conflicts of interest with the FDA and GRAS’s10; but thousands upon
thousands of people report very negative health effects from eating it…and
vaccines inject it. MSG has been linked
to other like MS12, autism11, obesity, and epilepsy13…We
have no idea what it does when injected.
It has not been thoroughly tested for safety for ingestion…or injection…
Animal and/or human cells – again, this doesn’t seem to
be a big deal…we eat animal products all the time. But vaccines aren’t kosher, halal, vegetarian
or vegan…they have pork/dog/monkey/egg/cow/etc. cells…and human aborted fetus
cells in them…So if you are a Jew, Muslim, animal-friendly vegetarian, or
purist no-animal product ever vegan – some vaccines technically violate your
religion(belief or adherence to something).
Ok, so you’re NOT a Muslim/Hindu /vegan hybrid…what’s the big deal? Well, the human cell line can be
carcinogenic.14 Mouse brain
cells can cause paralysis.15
Egg (chick embryo cells) cause brain/nerve cell inflammation…compounded
with what we know of mercury(flu shot and trace amounts in DTaP-although it is not listed in the packaging) and/or aluminum in vaccines, the brain
inflammation essentially makes it ripe for the neurotoxic metals to move in!16 You get the picture…the animal/human
cells can and do cause damage, when injected…eat all the eggs/steak/bacon/etc.
you want (avoid human tissue if possible :-P) and it will not do the things
that it does when injected…especially in the presence of the other problematic
ingredients. And I could go on about the
other mammalian tissues, but I’ll continue.
Formaldehyde – here, we are looking at yet,
another carcinogen. It is dangerous when
eaten or inhaled, it is far more so when injected.17 There is an argument about it being very
small amounts…or formaldehyde is present in food, etc. Well, in food, it is bound, normally, to
pectin…rendering it SAFE. Also, we are
talking about food…remember, the digestive system has a huge checks-n-balances
system…it can, and does protect you…the skin protects you too! But we inject it…no digestive or
integumentary systems to protect us.
Polysorbate 80-this one is terrible! It is in food too(remember, GRAS ingredients
and FDA conflict of interest!10)!
(It is bad in food also, REALLY bad when injected). This culprit has offenses such as carcinogen,
anaphylactoid reactions, infertility, toxin, and opens the blood-brain-barrier
(BBB). 18,19
Antibiotics- antibiotics save lives. They absolutely do. They can leave a problem behind when they are
done with their cycle though. Diseases
are becoming resistant to them.22
They kill good and bad bacteria.23 You need good bacteria for good health.24 Babies don’t have a well developed microbiome (it takes a minimum of two years
for a mature microbiome…that is assuming that there were no
interventions….vaccines, antibiotics, formula, etc. will all effect the
development, or lack thereof, of the microbiome), so adding an antibiotic(INJECTED
once again) may damage proper growth and sustenance of the microbiome. Babies need a vaginal birth (if possible, for
the first dose of probiotics- antibiotics administered during the labor process
will diminish the effectiveness of that first “dose” however), breast milk (which contains pre and probiotics
specially formulated to their biological needs), and the better the microbiome,
the less likely that baby will get sick.25 We also, as adults, need to sustain and
provide for our microbiomes, with fermented foods, not using antibiotics when
possible, and not using “antibacterial” products-which also cause resistant
bacteria in streams and rivers.26
Antibiotics in vaccines can cause yeast infections, colitis, diarrhea, and drug allergies.27
Ok,
I believe I have made my point (I could go on, but I’ll spare you) –
ingredients in vaccines can be, and ARE, dangerous. If you are feeling called to mission work in
Zambia, you have to get yellow fever vaccine…it is legally required to enter
that country…and it is an awful vaccine…so there are times when you might need
to be vaxed…don’t think I would pick that particular country for a family
vacation though…but that is the only country that requires any form of vaccines. A lot of military stuff require vaccines...I have a friend who is a navy wife, and is not traveling with her husband to all the places she could, because she firmly believes in the problems with vaccines and won't have her children vaxed just for the sake of traveling with the military. Yes, it is a sacrifice, but one she willingly makes for the safety of her children.
Now, you might be scared of words like –
measles, mumps, polio, whopping cough, flu, etc. Well, Dr. Franz explained how most of those
diseases are:
A. not deadly under normal conditions, especially in America or other first world countries and/or countries with decent healthcare and nutrition.
B. these diseases were well on the decline before mass vaccinations.20
C. Most of the diseases can be avoided with healthy lifestyle choices(I.e. healthy food, chiropractic care, exercise, fresh air, sun exposure-vit D, etc.)
D. if you DO get the dreaded….measles, flu, polio, etc. you can treat them…with several different methods – modern western medicine and/or traditional medicinal practices(when I had polio, we used Echinacea tea, willow bark, real chicken soup, etc.).
As someone who had the flu, polio, strep, whopping cough, etc. (and by the way, I was fully vaxed for polio and whopping cough on the 1980-ish schedule…which is about 25% of what the current vax schedule is now) I am currently, quite healthy. I almost never get sick. Literally, almost never. Even as a child, I rarely got sick…ate my veggies, played outside, etc. There are many vaccines for useless things like rotovirus - sounds scary right? It is diarhea...smelly diarhea...worst case scenario - your kid is in the hospital for dehydration. One of the potential side effects of this vaccine is your child's colon rolling up on itself internally...no thanks, I'll risk the diarhea. There is also evidence to suggest that vaccines are spreading diseases, like whopping cough, and still offering no protection.
A. not deadly under normal conditions, especially in America or other first world countries and/or countries with decent healthcare and nutrition.
B. these diseases were well on the decline before mass vaccinations.20
C. Most of the diseases can be avoided with healthy lifestyle choices(I.e. healthy food, chiropractic care, exercise, fresh air, sun exposure-vit D, etc.)
D. if you DO get the dreaded….measles, flu, polio, etc. you can treat them…with several different methods – modern western medicine and/or traditional medicinal practices(when I had polio, we used Echinacea tea, willow bark, real chicken soup, etc.).
As someone who had the flu, polio, strep, whopping cough, etc. (and by the way, I was fully vaxed for polio and whopping cough on the 1980-ish schedule…which is about 25% of what the current vax schedule is now) I am currently, quite healthy. I almost never get sick. Literally, almost never. Even as a child, I rarely got sick…ate my veggies, played outside, etc. There are many vaccines for useless things like rotovirus - sounds scary right? It is diarhea...smelly diarhea...worst case scenario - your kid is in the hospital for dehydration. One of the potential side effects of this vaccine is your child's colon rolling up on itself internally...no thanks, I'll risk the diarhea. There is also evidence to suggest that vaccines are spreading diseases, like whopping cough, and still offering no protection.
Besides
the fact that vaccines have carcinogens , neurotoxins, risk infertility, open the BBB, cause
secondary infections, autoimmune disorders and allergies, type 1 diabetes and are linked with SIDS33,
Altzheimer’s/brain damage34, etc…they also cause autism. No, I do not believe that they are the ONLY
way they cause autism21,28…not all vaccinated children develop
autism…or any of those side effects already listed. It is a risk though. Since the long term effects, good or bad,
have not been studied,29 and there is also some evidence to indicate
that vaccinated children are literally LESS healthy than unvaccinated children,30,35
I find vaccines to be too risky to chance it.
I wouldn’t let my child eat the ingredients I listed, I certainly don’t
want to inject them(especially into babies and small children). Perhaps wait a few weeks or months for vaccines? Hep B is injected within 24 hours of birth, whether or not the mother is a carrier! Get to know your child a bit before you start with the injections. Dr. Franz waits a minimum of 6 months. Japan found that once they waited until babies were 2, they didn't need as many boosters and such, because the microbiome and immune system were developed enough to respond better to a vaccine. (also, their SIDS rates dropped to almost nothing....see #33) Also, the vaccine schedule of today, is drastically different than the schedule of 70's and 80's babies. 1983 vs. 2013 Disease for disease - we're exposing the children to about 7 diseases in 1980's, and nearly 140 in 2013...seem odd? Here's Dr. Franz's 5 reasons not to vaccinate:
1. Severe reaction after first round of vaccinations:
-allergic reaction like hives after the shot
-Seizure of collapse
-Cry nonstop for 3 hours or more
-Temp of 105 or more
2. Child is ill: Fevers, allergy problems, eczema flare up
3. Family history of autoimmune disease: "Children in families that have a history of autoimmune disorders are at increased risk of developing disorders from a vaccine."
4. Immune deficiency or neurologic disorder, HIV, epilepsy, Guillain Barre syndrome, or any nervous system disorder.1. Severe reaction after first round of vaccinations:
-allergic reaction like hives after the shot
-Seizure of collapse
-Cry nonstop for 3 hours or more
-Temp of 105 or more
2. Child is ill: Fevers, allergy problems, eczema flare up
3. Family history of autoimmune disease: "Children in families that have a history of autoimmune disorders are at increased risk of developing disorders from a vaccine."
5. Specific allergy to a vaccine component.
Why
did I write this blog? I already did one
on vaccines before! I feel like it needs
to be said more than once, I am far more educated on it now, than I was before
(I have put in hundreds of hours on this topic alone), and I’m concerned. I am concerned for the lack of health(whether
it be mental, physical, emotional, etc) that I see every day…
Too
often I have heard “well, I would rather have a child with autism than one that
got…the MEASLES!” – the death rate of the measles was less than 3 in 10 million before vaccines started. And have you had to deal with
an autisitic baby/child/teenager 24/7?
Talk to their parents who have.(Check out our4boys.com - a friend of mine with children with vaccine induced autism.) Autism, autoimmune disorders, chronic illness,
etc…they are all life threatening too! I
personally know someone who regressed to non-verbal autistic at the age of
5…not a baby…not a misdiagnosis…a 5 year old little boy, suddenly didn’t
speak…didn’t know how to use a toilet anymore…has life threatening seizures
when he misses simply 1 day of his medication.
Does his mom wish he had never had those vaccines? Absolutely!
He will never live on his own, get married, communicate properly, go to
college, have children of his own, etc.
Getting a “vaccine preventable disease”, which again, is very possible even if you are vaccinated,
definitely looks like the better option to those moms who know that their
child’s autism is a direct result of vaccines.
Autism is not always super smart with social disorder and ticks. It can be much more(and much less) and much
worse than that.
I
hear this a lot too- “I’m trusting God that whatever happens, like if my kid
gets autism or MS or whatever, was supposed to happen.” Well, that logic evades me. I’m sorry, it doesn’t make sense. To me, that seems like letting a kid play in
the busy street, and trusting they won’t get hit by a car unless God wanted
them too. The ingredients are obviously
dangerous, there are thousands upon thousands of cases of death and horrible
reactions to vaccines…why risk it?! God
gave us amazing immune systems – that need nourishment…we didn’t get to be 7
billion people on the planet because of mass vaccinations that started 50ish
years ago….He didn’t make us with a “vaccine deficiency”…our bodies can
extinguish invading pathogens wihtout a vaccine…it can find a germ and get rid
of it, even without symptoms…you don’t need a vaccine to tell it to do so…a
well-nourished system already knows how!32
“I trust my doctor to inform me with what is best for my family.”(SIDE NOTE: IF YOUR DOCTOR VACCINATES YOUR CHILD WHILE SICK or recently recovering, THIS IS A HUGE RISK AND AGAINST THE INSERTS written by the pharmaceutical companies! DO NOT LET your doctor vaccinate while your child is sick!) How do you know your doctor will do what is best? Do they intimately know your family and family history(like cousins, aunts/uncles, etc.)? Do they have a good reason to genuinely care for you, other than income and you seem like a nice person? How much time do they take getting to know you and your concerns? Do they spend time informing you of all the risks with each procedure and medication? How much time have they invested in research? (Med school text books are often printed by pharmaceutical companies. The research done and listed in them are funded by the same companies. Those same companies make billions on vaccines…and even more when your child is now dependent on medicine(s) for life because of a chronic condition.33 Once again, conflict of interest….) I promise you, that if you are reading this, you are probably a friend of mine, and I probably love you and your child way more than your doctor does....
The
scare tactics…people will tell you that you are a bad parent…ignorant,
unscientific, lazy, etc. for even considering not to vaccinate. Honestly, it is no one’s business. You don’t need to tell anyone. It isn’t legally required in any state…there
are always exemption forms(medical, religious, and philosophical)…some are a
bit more difficult to acquire (WV and Mississippi specifically). WIC, food stamps, Medicaid, etc…do NOT
require them. They may ask for shot
records…but a blank one, is still a shot record. It doesn’t need to be filled in! I have put my personal stance out there, and
take the abuse for a reason…I genuinely hope that I trigger something in
someone’s mind to maybe make a change…stop vaccinating(you don’t need to
“finish the regimen”)…to never vaccinate at all…or to simply have respect for
those that don’t. I’m not ignorant…the
links I have posted are scientific…many are directly from the FDA or CDC. Am I lazy?
I took hundreds of hours to research this topic, combined with my degree
in science, you could say thousands of hours behind this(two weeks just putting this stuff together during baby nap time and such). There
are plenty of doctors who do not support vaccinations. Just because they may be fewer than the
majority, it doesn’t make them wrong. You might be surprised how many people don't do vaccines...just haven't ever told you.
I
don’t think you’re a bad parent if you vaccinate. I think you might be a little misled or
misinformed by doctors or the media. You
may be completely informed, and are ok with the risks. But, I think that you’re probably
scared…scared of diseases or illness or peer pressure or what have you. You know what – being a parent is very
scary…a little tiny life in your hands to protect until adulthood…and
after. You want to do what is best for
your child…you want them to be healthy and wonderful like every parent
ultimately wants for their child. I
challenge you to genuinely think about the health of your child. Are they truly healthy? Infrequently sick, regular bowel movements
and appetite, good energy levels, healthy “glow” in their skin, alert, no crazy mood swings, etc(and
remember, long term effects like brain damage, cancer, and infertility may not
be apparent for many, many more years)….and maybe you can answer “yes” to all
of these questions…and that’s great…and I’m very happy for you…but someone else
won’t be able to, because of vaccines…but there is hope! Vaccine injured people (children and adults) can do detoxes, chelation therapies, special diets, etc. to help correct some of the damage. Never has the world seen such a sickly nation, that spends the largest amount of money on health care...and is the most vaccinated country on the planet...I am not saying vaccines are 100% responsible for these problems, but I certainly give them some credit. Please feel free to ask me any questions about vaccines or the diseases or anything pertaining to vaccines. I love to research this topic, and will do my best to help you in any way that I can!
Works
cited:
(1)
http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/July-2012/merck-lawsuit-reignites-vaccine-safety-concerns.aspx
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2135158/
(5) http://nsnbc.me/2013/05/08/bill-gates-polio-vaccine-program-caused-47500-cases-of-paralysis-death/
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
37 hours: my labor of love
Samuel James entered this world on 11/11:-) I thought I would share his story for you.
11/09 - I was 40 weeks and 6 days pregnant. I was planning a homebirth...in a birthing pool, in my dining room, with two wonderful midwives. I woke up around 9, got my sneakers on, and went to pick up my best friend and cousin, Andrea. We were going to get coffee and donuts and go walk the causeway (3 mile walk)....definitely wanting to have this baby! I had pubic symphysis and had been in pain for weeks, often times, unable to sleep. I had also been having Braxton Hicks and "false labor" off and on for several weeks too...needless to say, I was very ready to have this child. After our walk, I went to the health food store to pick up some castor oil...it brought on my sister's labor, I was hoping it would start mine too! It was around 2 pm that I took the oil, then I took a warm epsom salt bath with clary sage, peppermint, and lavender essential oils. Clary sage and peppermint are supposed to be great for labor inducement...so I was hoping the walking, combined with the oils and the castor oil, I would get the labor going! (The castor oil DID work, but it may have been what sent me to the hospital also...I don't think I'll be doing it for the next baby...I rushed things because I wanted him out...I should have been more patient!)
Around 7 pm, I started getting a lot of contractions. At 7:45, my waters broke. This is VERY early for water to break, but it was a sign I was in labor, so I was pretty stoked! Also, I had a LOT of water....after having leaky waters 11 weeks prior, I was happy to see my body had definitely recovered!
My midwives showed up around 8:30pm to check me and stay with me...We were all ready for a Sunday delivery...right on Daniel and I's 2nd wedding anniversary. I was diffusing Balance essential oil right into my face as I contracted, it helped me keep focused and grounded in relaxing through the contractions!
11/10 I had labored most of the night(11-09)....my contractions were definitely getting stronger and more frequent! Well, around noon on Sunday, I got checked again...and I simply wasn't progressing. Not nearly fast enough. My waters had been broken for QUITE a while now, and I was barely 3cm and still very posterior.... Legally, my midwives were running out of time to treat me. They recommended I go to the hospital, get pitocin and an epidural (mind you, they are both VERY anti-medication...so my situation was serious enough to NEED those meds - pitocin would help me dilate, and the epidural would give me some much needed rest and allow my cervix to descend....which was just as needed as the dilation)
So, in tears and a panic, I got transferred to the hospital. I did NOT want antibiotics or a c-section(or to be at the hospital at all!!) And those were the two things I was bound to get in a hospital! Dr. Conrad, the on call OB, came in, told me I would be going on pitocin to speed labor up...mentioned I could get the epidural if I wanted one, and under my midwife's advisement, I decided to get one(He never once said the words c-section or antibiotics...God was listening to the prayers of the friends and family...I didn't want antibiotics because it damages the flora and fauna of both me and the baby, and opens the body up for later infections or illness...and I didn't want a c-section for the obvious reasons of it being a major surgery, with a lot of possible problems...yes, many are done safely, and are medically necessary, but I still wanted to avoid one if possible)...... Bear with me here...I do NOT like medicated births...If I hadn't been in labor for so long and it not progressing, I would NOT have gotten the epidural. It was medically necessary for me. If I wanted a vaginal birth, my cervix NEEDED to descend, I needed some rest, and the pitocin was going to put my body through the ringer! Doing that without the epidural, I was probably going to be looking at a c-section, simply from lack of energy. By the time the epidural was administered, I had been in labor over 24 hours. It was excruciatingly painful. The Dr. hit a nerve in my back...I screamed in pain with tears running down my face...Daniel was strong and steady...my rock...in my face telling me to focus on him! I was trembling remembering every negative side effect I was nervous about! Finally, the pain subsided, and I was ok...I got to sleep for a few hours off and on...they started my pitocin drip....I was hoping to meet my son sooner than later! Again, both of these things became medically necessary, and I had already been in "natural" labor for over 24 hours...I weighed the risks of the meds, but hopefully ending with a vaginal birth, with the risks of a c-section(which would still require some meds)...I was determined to give this birth my all and do as much naturally as I could!
11/11 - 1am...I woke up...in horrendous pain on my right side...only on my right side. My epidural had drained into my left leg, even with all the sleeping and shifting on different sides...So they checked me, I was at 8cm...getting closer! They decided to give me another dose of epidural to help with the last part of labor...off to sleep I went!
4am - again, I woke in terrible pain...I checked the monitor, I was definitely in transition phase! They checked me, I was too far along to give another dose of epidural to....I would have to do transition phase with pitocin and no epidural. (basically, I would do the worst part "naturally", but like times 10...) For the next hour, I experienced horrible back labor....and contractions about 30 seconds apart. It was so intense, I could barely breathe. I kept checking baby's heart rate on the monitor...it never faltered.(it dropped ONCE when I was sleeping, but it came back just fine!) His heart rate, through the whole labor, had been in the 140's and 150's....I was so thankful. He was still doing great even though I was going through all of this! My mom and Daniel held each of my hands while going through this horrible part of labor. My mom kept saying to control my breathing. Eventually, I started singing...it was the only way I knew that I could control my breathing and not think so much about the pain...and it worked. I highly recommend singing through transition phase for anyone who enjoys singing. Next baby, I will probably make a cd or playlist with songs I love singing so I can sing through the whole thing.
5am - checked me again...I was "complete"...a word I had been LONGING to hear! At this point, I have been in labor for 35 hours! They gave me the go ahead to start pushing...so me and my nurse, Colleen, and my mom, started the pushing phase...it was slow and steady for a long time....it felt like I wasn't progressing at all....but I was;-) ...my other nurse, Tracy came in, replaced Colleen, and helped me for a while longer... Because my epidural had drained, twice over, into my left leg, the leg was entirely useless. With each push, my mother lifted my leg into position so I could push properly...I still tear up knowing what a labor of love she did for me. Her arm was SHAKING by the end of it...my legs are pretty heavy...I couldn't imagine her lifting it every minute and holding it for 45 seconds for 3 and a half hours!
7am - Michelle, the next nurse came in...She was a bit more stern than the other two...which is what I needed at this point...She encouraged and coached me really well into pushing harder! I was at my wits end...exhausted beyond belief, frustrated at how difficult it was pushing him out, and a bit concerned now...my leg was still super numb...I know some people have permanent nerve damage because of epidurals...I thought I might lose some or all of my leg's function if I didn't start feeling something soon! (I still have some pain and back spasms, but my leg is functioning!)
8:30am - The doctor looked at me and my progress, and essentially nudged the baby out and caught his head, not 5 minutes after entering the room. He told me to "look up"...and I saw my sweet boy...full head of hair...and as I sat up a bit more, the rest of him just slid on out! I was so overjoyed!
8:34am - Samuel James was born...he was weighed 8lbs and 10oz, 20.5 inches long! He was shivering, but barely crying...so they tried to tick him off to get him to cry more(he was so peaceful and content, even just after birth). Then he was fine...but he was still shaking, so they were worried about his blood sugar...but that was perfect too... He had a temperature, so they rushed him to the nursery, Daniel went with him, where I feared they would give him antibiotics...but the Dr. realized it was just an epidural fever, and let it come down on its own...within about 2 hours, his temp was 98.6! :-D Whew! But Samuel didn't come back to me until 11am...I was so sad to miss out on those first couple of hours after birth! I only held him for 5 minutes before they rushed him away :-(
I declined the first bath, eye goo, hep B shot, and Vit K shot...several of the nurses and doctors tried to convince me or Daniel that we were making very "risky" decisions by doing this. So I will explain why I didn't do these things;
First bath - they have brand new, awesome skin, with a layer of vernix which has a lot of beneficial properties for his skin. And he didn't have much vernix or really anything on his skin...he was born very clean and they just wiped him off a bit...he didn't get his "first bath" until yesterday. Also, in the hospital here, they basically scrub the babies down with an exfoliator...and that is so unnecessary! It makes their beautiful baby skin raw and pink and at times, makes it look wrinkly! I saw other babies in the nursery, and all their skin looked very different than Samuel's...I was so glad I declined the bath!
Eye goop- or otherwise known as erythromycin. It is an antibiotic, put on the eyes, to prevent infection(and possible blindness) for babies born vaginally, to mothers to have certain STD's. I don't have those STD's, and I am very low risk for them, AND, if there IS a subsequent infection, you can always apply the oinment at a later time to prevent blindness. So, going with my low intervention birth, I opted out. (BTW, he is not blind, and has no infection) The doctor(pediatrician in the nursery) DID try to fear monger Daniel into it, even claiming falsely(lying), that it is FL law to get it...
Hep B vaccine - this is hugely controversial, so I'll try not to get too involved. Basically, babies don't have a blood-brain barrier for quite a while after birth...Hep B vaccine has a ton of toxins, like aluminum and formaldehyde, in it(and no blood brain barrier to protect the wee one's brain from said toxins), allergic reactions to it are fairly common, I do not have Hep B, and it is a disease only transferred BY BLOOD. So unless the hospital was planning a blood transfusion, with contaminated Hep B blood, the risk of him getting Hep B is 0%. I wouldn't let him EAT formaldehyde or aluminum, why would I inject him with it, when his risk for getting Hep B is so minimal!? I didn't get the Hep B vaccine until I went away to college...and the ONLY reason I did, was because it was required if I wanted to live on campus. (I am sure there is an exemption form, like most schools have, I just didn't know to ask for it.)
Vit K shot - It is only vitamins, Becca, you're a health nut who takes tons of vitamins, why wouldn't you get this?! There are definitely risks to it...and there are risks not getting it. Here's a great little info blog on it(or you could google "risks of Vit K shot...you'll get more than enough info on it!)...I have been taking Vit K (natural, whole food form) since about 37 or 38 weeks, and the protein shake I have used nearly every day of my pregnancy, also has a whole, natural form of Vit K 2. I encourage you to look up the risks yourself if you are expecting a baby or know someone who is....the rarity of the brain bleeding from lack of K2, is very unlikely...it is also a genetic disorder...chances are, you would know if you had that problem in your family. Being that neither Daniel or I have that genetic problem, we opted out of this shot. Something to be aware of is that babies start MAKING their own vit K2 at 7 days old...actually, the beneficial e. coli in their colons make it...but that's for a different blog!
So even though I didn't get my homebirth, I did labor for a long time at home, I had a very low intervention birth (save the epidural and the pitocin), and am so in love with my little boy! He's such a pleasant, content little baby....It is a joy to be his momma! I am so proud to be the wife of Daniel, who was so strong and steady for the whole birth...I'm pretty much the luckiest, most blessed woman, in the world...
<3
Becca H.
11/09 - I was 40 weeks and 6 days pregnant. I was planning a homebirth...in a birthing pool, in my dining room, with two wonderful midwives. I woke up around 9, got my sneakers on, and went to pick up my best friend and cousin, Andrea. We were going to get coffee and donuts and go walk the causeway (3 mile walk)....definitely wanting to have this baby! I had pubic symphysis and had been in pain for weeks, often times, unable to sleep. I had also been having Braxton Hicks and "false labor" off and on for several weeks too...needless to say, I was very ready to have this child. After our walk, I went to the health food store to pick up some castor oil...it brought on my sister's labor, I was hoping it would start mine too! It was around 2 pm that I took the oil, then I took a warm epsom salt bath with clary sage, peppermint, and lavender essential oils. Clary sage and peppermint are supposed to be great for labor inducement...so I was hoping the walking, combined with the oils and the castor oil, I would get the labor going! (The castor oil DID work, but it may have been what sent me to the hospital also...I don't think I'll be doing it for the next baby...I rushed things because I wanted him out...I should have been more patient!)
Around 7 pm, I started getting a lot of contractions. At 7:45, my waters broke. This is VERY early for water to break, but it was a sign I was in labor, so I was pretty stoked! Also, I had a LOT of water....after having leaky waters 11 weeks prior, I was happy to see my body had definitely recovered!
My midwives showed up around 8:30pm to check me and stay with me...We were all ready for a Sunday delivery...right on Daniel and I's 2nd wedding anniversary. I was diffusing Balance essential oil right into my face as I contracted, it helped me keep focused and grounded in relaxing through the contractions!
11/10 I had labored most of the night(11-09)....my contractions were definitely getting stronger and more frequent! Well, around noon on Sunday, I got checked again...and I simply wasn't progressing. Not nearly fast enough. My waters had been broken for QUITE a while now, and I was barely 3cm and still very posterior.... Legally, my midwives were running out of time to treat me. They recommended I go to the hospital, get pitocin and an epidural (mind you, they are both VERY anti-medication...so my situation was serious enough to NEED those meds - pitocin would help me dilate, and the epidural would give me some much needed rest and allow my cervix to descend....which was just as needed as the dilation)
So, in tears and a panic, I got transferred to the hospital. I did NOT want antibiotics or a c-section(or to be at the hospital at all!!) And those were the two things I was bound to get in a hospital! Dr. Conrad, the on call OB, came in, told me I would be going on pitocin to speed labor up...mentioned I could get the epidural if I wanted one, and under my midwife's advisement, I decided to get one(He never once said the words c-section or antibiotics...God was listening to the prayers of the friends and family...I didn't want antibiotics because it damages the flora and fauna of both me and the baby, and opens the body up for later infections or illness...and I didn't want a c-section for the obvious reasons of it being a major surgery, with a lot of possible problems...yes, many are done safely, and are medically necessary, but I still wanted to avoid one if possible)...... Bear with me here...I do NOT like medicated births...If I hadn't been in labor for so long and it not progressing, I would NOT have gotten the epidural. It was medically necessary for me. If I wanted a vaginal birth, my cervix NEEDED to descend, I needed some rest, and the pitocin was going to put my body through the ringer! Doing that without the epidural, I was probably going to be looking at a c-section, simply from lack of energy. By the time the epidural was administered, I had been in labor over 24 hours. It was excruciatingly painful. The Dr. hit a nerve in my back...I screamed in pain with tears running down my face...Daniel was strong and steady...my rock...in my face telling me to focus on him! I was trembling remembering every negative side effect I was nervous about! Finally, the pain subsided, and I was ok...I got to sleep for a few hours off and on...they started my pitocin drip....I was hoping to meet my son sooner than later! Again, both of these things became medically necessary, and I had already been in "natural" labor for over 24 hours...I weighed the risks of the meds, but hopefully ending with a vaginal birth, with the risks of a c-section(which would still require some meds)...I was determined to give this birth my all and do as much naturally as I could!
11/11 - 1am...I woke up...in horrendous pain on my right side...only on my right side. My epidural had drained into my left leg, even with all the sleeping and shifting on different sides...So they checked me, I was at 8cm...getting closer! They decided to give me another dose of epidural to help with the last part of labor...off to sleep I went!
4am - again, I woke in terrible pain...I checked the monitor, I was definitely in transition phase! They checked me, I was too far along to give another dose of epidural to....I would have to do transition phase with pitocin and no epidural. (basically, I would do the worst part "naturally", but like times 10...) For the next hour, I experienced horrible back labor....and contractions about 30 seconds apart. It was so intense, I could barely breathe. I kept checking baby's heart rate on the monitor...it never faltered.(it dropped ONCE when I was sleeping, but it came back just fine!) His heart rate, through the whole labor, had been in the 140's and 150's....I was so thankful. He was still doing great even though I was going through all of this! My mom and Daniel held each of my hands while going through this horrible part of labor. My mom kept saying to control my breathing. Eventually, I started singing...it was the only way I knew that I could control my breathing and not think so much about the pain...and it worked. I highly recommend singing through transition phase for anyone who enjoys singing. Next baby, I will probably make a cd or playlist with songs I love singing so I can sing through the whole thing.
5am - checked me again...I was "complete"...a word I had been LONGING to hear! At this point, I have been in labor for 35 hours! They gave me the go ahead to start pushing...so me and my nurse, Colleen, and my mom, started the pushing phase...it was slow and steady for a long time....it felt like I wasn't progressing at all....but I was;-) ...my other nurse, Tracy came in, replaced Colleen, and helped me for a while longer... Because my epidural had drained, twice over, into my left leg, the leg was entirely useless. With each push, my mother lifted my leg into position so I could push properly...I still tear up knowing what a labor of love she did for me. Her arm was SHAKING by the end of it...my legs are pretty heavy...I couldn't imagine her lifting it every minute and holding it for 45 seconds for 3 and a half hours!
7am - Michelle, the next nurse came in...She was a bit more stern than the other two...which is what I needed at this point...She encouraged and coached me really well into pushing harder! I was at my wits end...exhausted beyond belief, frustrated at how difficult it was pushing him out, and a bit concerned now...my leg was still super numb...I know some people have permanent nerve damage because of epidurals...I thought I might lose some or all of my leg's function if I didn't start feeling something soon! (I still have some pain and back spasms, but my leg is functioning!)
8:30am - The doctor looked at me and my progress, and essentially nudged the baby out and caught his head, not 5 minutes after entering the room. He told me to "look up"...and I saw my sweet boy...full head of hair...and as I sat up a bit more, the rest of him just slid on out! I was so overjoyed!
8:34am - Samuel James was born...he was weighed 8lbs and 10oz, 20.5 inches long! He was shivering, but barely crying...so they tried to tick him off to get him to cry more(he was so peaceful and content, even just after birth). Then he was fine...but he was still shaking, so they were worried about his blood sugar...but that was perfect too... He had a temperature, so they rushed him to the nursery, Daniel went with him, where I feared they would give him antibiotics...but the Dr. realized it was just an epidural fever, and let it come down on its own...within about 2 hours, his temp was 98.6! :-D Whew! But Samuel didn't come back to me until 11am...I was so sad to miss out on those first couple of hours after birth! I only held him for 5 minutes before they rushed him away :-(
I declined the first bath, eye goo, hep B shot, and Vit K shot...several of the nurses and doctors tried to convince me or Daniel that we were making very "risky" decisions by doing this. So I will explain why I didn't do these things;
First bath - they have brand new, awesome skin, with a layer of vernix which has a lot of beneficial properties for his skin. And he didn't have much vernix or really anything on his skin...he was born very clean and they just wiped him off a bit...he didn't get his "first bath" until yesterday. Also, in the hospital here, they basically scrub the babies down with an exfoliator...and that is so unnecessary! It makes their beautiful baby skin raw and pink and at times, makes it look wrinkly! I saw other babies in the nursery, and all their skin looked very different than Samuel's...I was so glad I declined the bath!
Eye goop- or otherwise known as erythromycin. It is an antibiotic, put on the eyes, to prevent infection(and possible blindness) for babies born vaginally, to mothers to have certain STD's. I don't have those STD's, and I am very low risk for them, AND, if there IS a subsequent infection, you can always apply the oinment at a later time to prevent blindness. So, going with my low intervention birth, I opted out. (BTW, he is not blind, and has no infection) The doctor(pediatrician in the nursery) DID try to fear monger Daniel into it, even claiming falsely(lying), that it is FL law to get it...
Hep B vaccine - this is hugely controversial, so I'll try not to get too involved. Basically, babies don't have a blood-brain barrier for quite a while after birth...Hep B vaccine has a ton of toxins, like aluminum and formaldehyde, in it(and no blood brain barrier to protect the wee one's brain from said toxins), allergic reactions to it are fairly common, I do not have Hep B, and it is a disease only transferred BY BLOOD. So unless the hospital was planning a blood transfusion, with contaminated Hep B blood, the risk of him getting Hep B is 0%. I wouldn't let him EAT formaldehyde or aluminum, why would I inject him with it, when his risk for getting Hep B is so minimal!? I didn't get the Hep B vaccine until I went away to college...and the ONLY reason I did, was because it was required if I wanted to live on campus. (I am sure there is an exemption form, like most schools have, I just didn't know to ask for it.)
Vit K shot - It is only vitamins, Becca, you're a health nut who takes tons of vitamins, why wouldn't you get this?! There are definitely risks to it...and there are risks not getting it. Here's a great little info blog on it(or you could google "risks of Vit K shot...you'll get more than enough info on it!)...I have been taking Vit K (natural, whole food form) since about 37 or 38 weeks, and the protein shake I have used nearly every day of my pregnancy, also has a whole, natural form of Vit K 2. I encourage you to look up the risks yourself if you are expecting a baby or know someone who is....the rarity of the brain bleeding from lack of K2, is very unlikely...it is also a genetic disorder...chances are, you would know if you had that problem in your family. Being that neither Daniel or I have that genetic problem, we opted out of this shot. Something to be aware of is that babies start MAKING their own vit K2 at 7 days old...actually, the beneficial e. coli in their colons make it...but that's for a different blog!
So even though I didn't get my homebirth, I did labor for a long time at home, I had a very low intervention birth (save the epidural and the pitocin), and am so in love with my little boy! He's such a pleasant, content little baby....It is a joy to be his momma! I am so proud to be the wife of Daniel, who was so strong and steady for the whole birth...I'm pretty much the luckiest, most blessed woman, in the world...
<3
Becca H.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Overwhelmed by love: my non-hypocritical church
This is from Daniel and I, but I'm the one writing, but I know he shares these thoughts with me.
There's a lot of things that can get quite overwhelming in this crazy world, but I doubt most people would say, that they've been overwhelmed by love. But I can definitely say, Daniel, Baby H, and I, have been overwhelmed by the love of God, that is expressed by our church and family.
Let me explain...
I have always wanted to be a mother, but with my irregular health issues, we weren't sure that was ever going to happen. Also, with losing our jobs last year, we didn't feel financially prepared. I remember chatting with a lady in choir about babies just before I got accidentally pregnant and saying "we just could NOT afford a baby right now...like I know if the Lord provided a child, he would provide for us too, but it is definitely just not an option right now." And her reply went something like this, "but you have all of us and your family around to help and support you. I'm sure if you had a baby, you would have a lot of support from all of us." I have been to a few churches, where her statement would have been just that, a statement, of empty, meaningless words-hypocritical, "we will pray for you"...and nothing more. How much our church has proven her statement!!!
Well, we have been so blessed, and this passage describes it well:
Eph 3:19-21
19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
We have known the love of Christ in SO MANY WAYS these last several months...to name a few:
Daniel and I could not afford to have a baby...but we weren't having this baby alone. The Lord has been with us every step of the way...no matter how large or small. We have awesome friends (and family)...and we have an awesome God...that blessed us with these awesome friends and family....we just cannot get over the outpouring of blessing....we are still a little bit in shock, quite honestly...
Ps. 33:8b "stand in awe of Him!"
Love and blessings,
Becca
There's a lot of things that can get quite overwhelming in this crazy world, but I doubt most people would say, that they've been overwhelmed by love. But I can definitely say, Daniel, Baby H, and I, have been overwhelmed by the love of God, that is expressed by our church and family.
Let me explain...
I have always wanted to be a mother, but with my irregular health issues, we weren't sure that was ever going to happen. Also, with losing our jobs last year, we didn't feel financially prepared. I remember chatting with a lady in choir about babies just before I got accidentally pregnant and saying "we just could NOT afford a baby right now...like I know if the Lord provided a child, he would provide for us too, but it is definitely just not an option right now." And her reply went something like this, "but you have all of us and your family around to help and support you. I'm sure if you had a baby, you would have a lot of support from all of us." I have been to a few churches, where her statement would have been just that, a statement, of empty, meaningless words-hypocritical, "we will pray for you"...and nothing more. How much our church has proven her statement!!!
Well, we have been so blessed, and this passage describes it well:
Eph 3:19-21
19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
We have known the love of Christ in SO MANY WAYS these last several months...to name a few:
- when we lost our jobs last Oct, several people gave us money and support to get us through a rough couple of months. You who gave will never know how much that meant to us! I hope the Lord richly rewards you in Heaven!
- Our Sunday School teacher helped to find us jobs, one's that we still have and are so thankful for!
- When we moved in the middle of FL July, we had more than enough friends to come and help and have a great, smooth, FUN moving time. I was 5ish months pregnant and didn't have to lift a thing! Such wonderful friends came, we had fun, and just enjoyed our time...from climbing trees, to eating brownies a la mode on the porch.
- Some of my closest friends threw me a lovely little baby shower, where we were so blessed by the gifts received. The food and games were wonderful, and as I looked around the room, and saw such loving friends, it definitely felt like a room of sisters, not random ladies :-)
- We've had a LOT of people donate baby items that have been gently loved already...it has saved us A LOT of money and been really wonderful....I look around around Baby H's nursery, and see all the gifts of both new and used items, and just smile...it is definitely a love-filled room. So many homemade gifts as well! It is really just precious!
- My mom threw a surprise shower, full of friends and family (from both sides, including my sister, who I hadn't seen in 10 months, flew from NJ for the surprise....I still tear up thinking about it....-#pregnantwaterworks)
- We were IMMENSELY blessed by the gifts given....all the baby books, quilts, strollers, baby bath TUBS (yes, there were several given...very clean baby he will be!), etc...The food was delicious, and it was just a really nice shower...Thanks Mommy and Debra! And thank you to all the ladies who helped my mom set it up and clean it up...you have not been forgotten in my "thank you" prayers :-)
- My insurance decided about one month before my money was due to my midwife, that they would NOT cover the costs of the "office visits"...This set us back quite a bit financially...we were praying and trusting God...but honestly, we had no stinking clue where the money would come from. Due to our move and a few other circumstances, the money we HAD for the midwife, we HAD no longer. We just kept praying... Last night, *still choking up as I type this*, we were over our friends' house playing games, and as we went to leave, one of our closest friends handed us a card...and said that they had been raising money for 7 weeks...(and I don't even remember telling people 7 weeks ago that we needed this money...I thought that at most, we told people four weeks ago...) anyways, twice this weekend we had been given money for the balance of the midwife, and it pretty much covers it by 100%, only short by a few dollars. Definition of "mercy" according to Merriam Webster: kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation. Now, it wasn't a "very bad" or "desperate" situation, but it definitely wasn't good, and we were getting desperate...
- 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Matt 5:7
Daniel and I could not afford to have a baby...but we weren't having this baby alone. The Lord has been with us every step of the way...no matter how large or small. We have awesome friends (and family)...and we have an awesome God...that blessed us with these awesome friends and family....we just cannot get over the outpouring of blessing....we are still a little bit in shock, quite honestly...
Ps. 33:8b "stand in awe of Him!"
Love and blessings,
Becca
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Health Rant #4 - Essential oils 101 :-)
So I went to an essential oils class last night. I had a feeling it would be by doTerra(which
it was), which I have heard a lot about through the natural sites that I
follow, so I was pretty excited. My
mother and my best friend/cousin, also came with me…Now, Andrea (bff/cousin),
and I have been using essential oils for YEARS.
I love to take baths with a calming essential oil in them, Andrea and I
have both taken them internally from time to time, and we knew, essential oils
are good for us.
Well, what ARE essential oils?! Most plants have some oil SOMEWHERE in the
plant – root, bark, flower, leaf, etc.
If you zest a lemon for a recipe, it is because you want that rich
lemony scent right? Well, that is the
essential oil in the skin! If you crush
a leaf of mint in your fingers and immediately smell that rich scent-yup, that
is the essential oil broken down in the leaf that you’re smelling. It is time consuming to MAKE your own
essential oils, and pretty expensive. To
make a 2oz bottle of quality lemon essential oil, you would need a lot of time,
a lot of lemons, and a lot of money to spend on those lemons….when you could
buy a bottle, much cheaper and easier. Essential
oils are loaded with nutrients and can pass the cell membrane easily. This is why anti-VIRAL essential oils can be
so great! Viruses attack cells, and use
the cells to reproduce. If you have a
virus, an essential oil might be just the thing to help you heal quicker.
Essential oils when diffused in the air, can actually kill
bacteria in the air (much better and safer than Lysol spray! And has health BENEFITS, like calming,
energizing, etc.!)
Essential oils can help detox the body safely and slowly! In fact, one of the cleanses that I like the
most(Sureo Cleanse), has organic essential oils IN the drink to help the
cleansing process. Since they pass the
cell membrane easily, they can get into your cells (even fat cells) and clean
out those toxins to make a more efficient body that is better at cleaning out
the toxins. (a clean liver filters
better than a dirty one….:-)
Essential oils can help lift mood, provide energy, heal skin
problems, induce labor, stop labor, make food tastier, remove warts, help with
arthritis, AND heal cancer even! Yes,
they sound a bit hippie dippie.
Actually, essential oils have been used for thousands of years (the
hippies were just cool enough to bring them back into mainstream America). The antioxidant levels in one dose of
essential oils is equivalent to 28ish cups of a tea made from the same
plant. So if I need the benefits of
peppermint, I would rather have a few drops of the oil, and not have to drink
28 cups of the tea…I still like and will drink the tea…but if I need “medicinal”
doses, I think I’ll stick with the oil.
Now, doTerra has some great blends for weight loss, stomach
problems, sleep and respiratory distress, etc.
And the reason that doTerra are “the best” is because they are
certified, by a third party, to be therapeutic grade.
The graduations of oils are as such:
Synthetic-majority of scented oils on the market, typically used
in scented candles, most soaps/shampoos, sprays, air fresheners, etc. They are not therapeutic, will not have any
benefit, and can harm and are often allergenic in some way. A lavender scented candle will not have the
same benefits of a lavender oil diffuser.
My dad and I are actually
allergic to a lot of synthetic scents (as are many people, Daniel’s grandmother
too). But we have never had a problem
with natural, non-synthetic ones.
Food grade-you can ingest these, but they may not be 100%
pure, even if the label says they are, they probably aren’t toxic, but may not
be super effective because of the concentration and sourcing. Most health food stores sell “food grade”
essential oils. These do have some
value. They are pretty expensive for
what you’re getting, aren’t usually organic, and have only a percentage of the
benefits that therapeutic grade would have.
It is important to get organic essential oils! The way that the oils detox the body, they
detox the soil or hold the pesticides/herbicides. If you aren’t getting organic oils, the
likely hood of having a high toxin load is about 100%. I even heard Rachael Ray say once “if you are
zesting a lemon, always use organic, because the non-organic ones have lots of
sprays and paints on them, and you don’t want that in your food.” (my
summary). And that is totally true…even
our lovely local lemons have sprays, waxes, SHALAQ, and paints all over that beautiful
lemon skin…where the important oil is.
So needless to say, if you are getting an essential oil, quality is
CRUCIAL! The essential oils are so
concentrated, you really don’t want bad things concentrated IN them too….(concentrated
Roundup anyone? *crickets*) mountainroseherbs.com has some great food grade, organic oils! Some may even be therapeutic grade!
Therapeutic grade – this is what is good for medicinal
purposes. This is the grade that will
cure and detox, that will be highly effective with a drop or two in your water,
air diffuser, capsule, etc. It is
strong, powerful, and effective. Essanteorganics.com/lovetolive has a lot of good, organic, therapeutic grade EO's.
Certified therapeutic grade – this is doTerra’s grade
oil. It is certified for quality and purity
by a third party. It is guaranteed to be
pesticide free, filler free, etc. It is
beyond the standard of “organic” and EXTREMELY therapeutic. Like most things in this country, the FDA
overregulates a million things, but under regulates a bunch of others(“natural
food” means nothing…I could sell you 100% natural bread loaded with arsenic, bromate, and
chlorine…and never have a problem, because “natural” means nothing...oh wait...that is normal bread...I digress yet again...)….100% pure
essential oil, most likely won’t be, especially if it is food grade, because
there is no regulation on it. Since
doTerra oils are certified by a third party, they are basically the best oils
you can get.
Why do you need essential oils? Well, you don’t. You can take meds for all the same things as
essential oils. You can spray pretty
scents and use nice body lotions, all without essential oils. However, meds have side effects, are often
expensive, and don’t actually heal you…or rather assist the body in healing
itself. Many lotions have nice scents(which
are chemicals made to smell like the actual scent)…but those scents don’t have
any value…and often those lotions some with carcinogens and chemicals (story
for another day)…and again, sprays, kind of the same deal… Or, you could treat most minor to
intermediate problems with essential oils cheaper than meds, safer than meds,
and with much greater benefit and no negative side effects.
I have some organic lemon essential oil on my kitchen
counter, although I use it on my skin too, so it floats between my medicine
cabinet and my kitchen J. Daniel had a TERRIBLE cough on Wednesday
night and I was up all night with him coughing (I think he slept better than I
did:-P ). I took raw honey, several
drops of the lemon EO, and a squirt of peppermint tincture (I don’t have any
peppermint EO), and mixed it all up, and made a cough “syrup” with it. It tastes way better than cough syrup, has no
negative side effects (some people, like my roommate in college, are actually
allergic to traditional cough syrup), and works like a charm. He took it once in the morning, and coughed
ONCE (not a fit like it had been all night) and I made him take more after
lunch…and then maybe coughed once again later that evening. And I give him a spoon a day now while he’s
healing…but he hasn’t coughed since! Yes,
the honey has healing properties…but so do the lemon and the peppermint. I think the mix of all three is what
helped. Also, catching the cough before
it became a lung problem is what helped it not become a real problem needing a
doctor of some sort.
But the beauty of preventative medicine is just that. Catching problems at home, preventing the
doctor visit(like I did with Daniel-he had other cold symptoms, but vitamin C, Echinacea,
and vit D fixed all of that….I digress….)…OR perhaps fixing the body, getting
off the meds that the doctor originally prescribed. Some people are able to come off of sleep
meds, anti-depressants, steroid creams, acid reflux medicine, laxatives, anti-histamines,
etc. just by using essential oils. A
story was shared in the class how a lady was feeling very faint and not well at
all and the doctor had to take her off her high blood pressure meds….because
the essential oils she was using, were so effective in lowering her blood
pressure naturally, that the meds she was on, were no longer needed, infact,
they were hurting her. And the doctor
admitted that! One lady had terrible
varicose veins that hurt, were very unsightly, etc…her circulation has improved
so much, that she was wearing capris, and showed us her very light veins, that
are still healing, don’t hurt, and aren’t unsightly! Essential oils are powerful!
Hopefully, I sparked your interest in EO’s. I learned a lot
last night, and hope to learn a lot more.
Most likely, my mom and/or I will be signing up with doTerra…because you
get a 25% discount on all your orders when you do J.(so if you’re needing some
essential oils, or would like to try some to see their efficacy, hit me up!) I personally have had a LOT of bad reactions
to medicine, which is one reason why I am so against it. I nearly died from antibiotics (like if I had
finished my day’s worth of my prescription, I would have died within a few
hours of taking it. No, I had no
previous allergy), I almost passed out on pain relievers while walking(and I
took a half dose), and birth control messed my hormones up for years. And yes, I took these things “as directed” to
the T. I TOTALLY believe that Western
medicine is amazing for surgery, emergencies, stem cell research/treatments,
and such like that, but there are many preventable, treatable things that
western medicine really drops the ball on.
Annnnd I digress again…Using essential oils for medicinal purposes is
completely safe, effective, with no downside.
But please, if you have the plague, go to the doctor :-P
Love, health, and knowledge,
Becca H.
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