I Think I've Found "The One"

I think I have finally found a Pediatrician/Family Practice doctor with whom I will be for eternity! My personal wellness philosophy includes a good mixture of western and eastern medicine. I'm all for antibiotics -- when they are absolutely necessary. I'm all for hospitals -- when they are absolutely necessary. However, I think there is so much that can be done to actually heal the body instead of just treating a symptom and I think that's where eastern/alternative medicine, such as homeopathy, comes in.

I've had a difficult time finding a doctor who is comfortable with both aspects. Usually they're one or the other and won't really discuss the other side. Well, two weeks ago that all changed for me. I met Diane Farley-Jones MD AND certified Homeopathic and her husband Steven Jones NP at their clinic in Lehi and felt like I didn't have to hide anymore. I could actually discuss my feelings and questions concerning vaccines, homeopathics, nutrition, etc... The doctor didn't even wince when I mentioned home birth, homeschooling and noticed my son was uncircumcised. I could just be myself.

If anyone has been looking for a doctor who doesn't seem to have a God-complex and is willing and wanting to discuss all options and is extremely knowledgeable in all areas, then Alpine Clinic is the place for you. Yes, I'm shamelessly plugging these people, but I can't help it. When you've found the one, you want to share it with everyone.

Life for Paige 5

I AM going to get a picture of this and when I do I will post it and you will all agree at how pathetic her little life can be sometimes. Recently every time, and I do mean every time, Jack and Paige go into the backyard the following scenario unfolds:

I hear the sound of the hose turning on. I open the window and yell at Jack to turn the dang thing off! By the time I get to the side door to really make my point, Paige is already standing there with the most pathetic look on her face -- SOAKING WET! The poor girl gets completely drenched by her brother every stinkin' day! Not ever having a big brother I can't relate to what she is experiencing, but I guess (I hope) these experiences will just make her a stronger person. Poor girl!

Re"cooper"ating (Finally)

Monday, June 2, little Cooper Joe made his way into this world. The short version is: after 4 hours of laboring, mostly in the tub in my room, he was born at 11:54 p.m. weighing in at 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 22 inches long. I was surrounded by my husband, who caught the baby, my Mom switching between holding my hand and putting cold rags on my face, my sister who ended up holding my hand, and my daughter who cut the cord. Not to mention the midwives of course. It was beautiful. It was a community.

The long version is:

Each of my babies seems to think that earth time is the same as eternal time; meaning, there is no "time." Well, I'm here on earth and I live by a schedule. My due date, Friday May 30, came and went without any fanfare and I tried to be patient. I really tried. By Monday, however, it was time to introduce Cooper to the reality called "earth time." My kids were going out of town and my midwife was also, so it was time to take matters into my own hands.

I called Suzanne Smith (of Better Birth LLC), my midwife, and went to her office for a little swishing and swirling of the membranes. It's not the most comfortable experience, but it only lasts a minute and it's usually enough to get me going. This time was no exception. I headed home and relaxed with my kids for awhile with surges coming about every 10 to 20 minutes. Bret headed home from work and began getting everything "prepped." He rearranged our room to make more space for the tub and people. He made food. He cleaned all the pots and pans because I normally need more hot water for the tub and he heats water on the stove.

Finally, around 7:00 p.m. things began to pick up. The surges were getting stronger and a little closer together. I had the girls rub some essential oils on my shoulders and neck and tickle my back for a while. They were great labor support!

At 8:00 we called Suzanne to have her come and made sure everyone else was in their places. My Mom and my sister were there as well as two other midwives. It got really hot in my room due to all the water being boiled and everyone was sweating (except for me) and kept taking turn leaving the room to cool off. The baby was posterior for most of my labor (he was turned so his face was facing my spine) so my back hurt SOOOO bad. Bret had to keep pressure on my lower back for a long time just so I could get any kind of relief. I rocked on my hands and knees trying to get the baby to turn and pleaded with him, in a nice, motherly way, to please turn. Eventually, he did and I felt much better.

Around 11:00 p.m. the girls decided they were too tired to wait any longer so they headed off to bed with instructions to wake them once the baby was born. I was barely at 8 centimeters but I decided to have Suzanne break my bag of water in order to speed things up. For me, once my bag breaks, the baby usually comes right out. This time was no exception. As soon as my water was broken transition surges immediately commenced. There is sure a difference in intensity between active labor and transition. Wow! I tried to stay as relaxed and focused as possible, but it was hard to remain calm knowing my baby was almost here and this was almost over! About two minutes later, I felt the need to start bearing down and got on my hands and knees (the position I've been in the last three deliveries). I could feel the baby moving down and could tell his head was crowning. Bret and Camille (one of the other midwives) got ready and, as I was holding my sister's hand, I let his head come out. Relief point number 1. About 30 seconds later, I felt another surge and I delivered the rest of his beautiful little body. There is such an unbelievable amount of relief and euphoria at that moment it's indescribable. In fact, I was so relieved I just laid my head down on the side of the tub and forgot, for a split second, I even had a baby! That was until I head, "Alisha! Get your baby!" They were passing him under my legs so I could hold him!

His right hand had been up by his face during delivery so he kept there on his little face. He was so beautiful and healthy and squishy and lovely! He just sat there with me in the water cuddling and was so calm. Everyone ooohed and ahhhed over him (of course)! My oldest daughter had come back in just before he was delivered so she, once again, cut his cord and proceeded to help with checking him over. My second daughter also woke up and was able to see her new brother just minutes after he was born.

It was such a beautiful, earthy, and spiritual experience. The veil was parted and a new life made its way into the world. During those last moments I always, literally, feel myself move out of the way to make a path for this new person. The baby, who is really a billion-year-old spirit, and I work together, intensely, those last few moments to bring this miracle to pass.

Bret was incredible -- again. He was totally involved the entire time. When I asked for something he did whatever needed to be done immediately. Even though it was an oven in my room, he did not complain and he stayed incredibly calm. We worked together so well this time. I just love him and I love having these experiences with him. I love birthing our baby into his waiting arms.

My Mom was also great this time! Last time she was more of an observer, but this time she was an active participant. She got water ready, let me squeeze the heck out of her hand, and held an icy cloth on my forehead for as long as I needed her to. She seemed to know just when to help and when to back away. It was really neat to have her as involved this time.

Of course I have to acknowledge my daughters -- especially my oldest who is probably a midwife in training -- for their ability to be mature beyond their years in these moments. They know how to be quiet and do what needs to be done when things are asked of them. I can't imagine what it would be like to watch your mother delivering a baby at the ages of 8 and 10, but I'm sure glad I am able to share it with them.

Lastly, I'm really glad my sister was able to be there. It was another "women" moment and, at the end, I was holding her hand as I was delivering ( I didn't know my Mom's hand had been replaced by her hand). Everybody needs a sister like mine.

Now, two weeks after, I look back and shake my head in wonder and fascination at what occurred right here in my little house. A miracle. A beautiful miracle. I thank God for the opportunity to be a mother and am so grateful for the healthy pregnancies, straightforward deliveries, and six healthy, incredible children. I am truly blessed.

Follow the Prophet

Today the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints sustained a new Prophet -- Thomas S. Monson. We haven't had a change like this in over ten years and it is taking me awhile to grow accustomed to the new faces of the First Presidency. Someone once pointed out that the nice thing about having 12 Apostles is that you can generally find at least one with whom your personality jives. It's interesting to ask people who they like to listen to in General Conference and see the wide variety of answers. Everyone seems to have one or two favorites and then they have those who, when they come to the pulpit to speak, use that time to get a snack or take a quick nap. Well, for me, and I hope I don't get struck down for this, President Monson was one who, when he approached the pulpit, I picked up something to read, or took the time to do something else. The man seemed to know every widow in the church and felt compelled to tell a story about "Bernice" every time he spoke! I don't have anything against widows, but after twenty years of stories sometimes a person just can't hear anymore.

Well, now he is the Prophet. I did my own inquiring of the Lord and feel just fine about raising my hand in support of him as Prophet, Seer and Revelator. I will support his actions and directives as Prophet. I also feel like it's okay that I might not like every story he tells, or the poems he recites or even the way he presents his talks. With 6 billion people on the earth, I think the Lord understands about personality conflicts and doesn't expect us to all be best friends. He does, however, expect me to understand that, for a while, Thomas S. Monson is His mouthpiece upon the earth and I am to act accordingly. I can do that. Who knows, maybe I'll end up absolutely loving widow stories and we'll all be reciting poetry before long. Amazing things can happen when the Lord is in charge.

What a Wonderful World

In our age of doom and gloom and everyone prophesying the "end of the world," the recently deceased President Hinckley would often refer to the times in which we live as "marvelous" and he would speak about the wonderful technological advances of our day. When I would hear him talk like that I would sometimes roll my eyes and wonder if he really knew what life was like down in the trenches? However, I have recently been thinking about a subject near and dear to me -- childbirth -- and have been realizing what an amazing time we live in and how glad I am to be delivering children now as opposed to any other time in history.

Most of you know I now deliver my babies at home and I have had wonderful experiences with that. However, due to some outside circumstances, I may end up delivering at the hospital this time. When I explained this to my oldest daughter she started crying and said, "Who in their right mind would have a baby in the hospital?" It was then that I had my moment of perspective as I tried to explain complicated "grown up" things to a developing mind.

I told her how wonderful it is to live in a time with so many choices. I can have a baby at home, in the hospital, a birthing center, etc... I can have an epidural or not. I can have a c-section if needed instead of dying or having my baby die. The important thing is to have a healthy baby and a healthy Mom! It's wonderful that God has given us so many ways to go about this and has, for the most part, left it to us to decide the experience WE want to have.

My only "thing" is that I hope women take a few moments to realize just what their options are and to get educated about their childbirth experience. It wasn't until my third pregnancy that I even learned about how the uterus works and all the muscles involved with labor and delivery. Just understanding that helped me have a much better delivery.

Even though the world may be "ending", when it comes to childbirth, the 21st century is definitely the century in which to live.

The Perils of Living With Four Sisters

Recently B took J to a shooting range. After looking at all the guns, J exclaimed that he really wanted a gun. I'm sure B couldn't have been prouder. However, after looking all the guns over, J couldn't find one he liked because he wanted a PINK gun! My poor husband had a vision of his son, out on the deer hunt with the "men", pulling out his pink gun in order to make his kill.

I Love a Parade!

Going to the grocery store is quite an event for me and my family. We now have to use THREE carts just to manage the little bodies and have a place for the food! Paige sits in one cart, pushed by Addison. Jack sits in another cart, which has to hold the coats, purses, etc... because if we put food in his cart he opens anything he can get his little hands on (little piggy reference). He is pushed by me. Sydney sits in another cart, pushed by Avery because she still gets tired by the time we've walked every aisle in the store. We create a lot of roadblocks and traffic jams just trying to get through the store.

We usually get a lot of looks and occasionally a few comments. Here's a sampling of a few we've received recently:

While standing at the deli counter, out of the corner of my eye I notice a man taking the situation in. He says, "Man! You have A LOT of kids!" I reply that he is right and that I have another on the way. "Wow!" he says, "How come you're not totally crazy? I would be!" I ask him how he knows I'm NOT crazy? He just laughs at that and we go on our way.

We pass a man waiting to turn onto the aisle we're going down. He has to wait a long time for the three carts to go by. He says, quite loudly, but smiling, "Hey everybody, it's a parade!"

An elderly lady asks, "Are these all your children?" When I reply that they are she says, "How nice. You don't see big families anymore."

The last comment is the one we receive the most. It makes me feel good because I know that people have to be patient with us as we're passing by, but, hopefully, they'll take a few moments to sit back and watch the show -- it is truly comical. Maybe I should have the kids start throwing out candy!