Pregnancy & Childbirth & Beyond      "Lo, Children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward."  psalm 127.3

Kegel.  You will never regret doing these pelvic exercises---but you will regret it if you don't.

New! Pregnancy and Birth record page; write us and let us know
your "due-date" and others can join in prayer for you.

A wonderful site that will be a tremendous encouragement and blessing to you:
Blessing God's Way

In addition to the book:  A Celebration of Pregnancy! by Doran & Susan, this website offers many links, encouragement, resources and inspiration for you to consider the blessing and celebration of motherhood---pregnancy and childbirth and, in turn, host a Celebration of Pregnancy for someone who's just experienced a birth or is still expecting.

“Here is a little mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worth all it will cost, since it is abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mothers heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, to her most tender cares, to her life-long prayers! Oh how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!”  Elizabeth Prentiss - Stepping Heavenward

For information/articles on pregnancy,  miscarriage, SIDS, understanding birth control,
baby names,  beds and MORE,  please Scroll down this page.

Pregnancy
A book that has been very helpful to me is The Naturally Healthy Pregnancy by Shonda Parker.  I prefer this book because of the foundation of a strong Christian faith, the belief that children are a gift of God and that it is He who opens and closes the womb, and it is He alone who gives life. This book deals with the joys, difficulties, discomforts, and  changes that pregnancy brings, and approaches each situation from a natural "medicine" standpoint.   You can order this book from the Parker's... please visit their website: http://www.naturallyhealthy.org   
In it you will be directed to other helpful and healthy resources.

Also... more helpful information and pregnancy and birthing supplies from
Naturally Healthy Birth and Beyond

SIDS
I want to share with you a personal story by Mary Sturges (yes, of MOMYS) regarding
SIDS ---Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.    a personal story, used with permission,
 

When God chooses a Rosebud...
Sometimes, before dawn, God chooses to pick a rosebud before it blooms and take it home.

This is what my dear friend, Mrs. Pais, told me of her experience with the death of a child 40 years prior. I've considered this many times over the years when our sister's baby was stillborn, when another friend's 6 year old child died suddenly and when, yet another friend walked through a similar valley with the death of her 2 day old child.  And over the years, I've been privileged to meet many women... each with a story to tell.  Most everyone I've talked with had an experience of loss of some sort---each carries a piece of a grief... unique, but not so uncommon is the great love they felt and experienced with or for their child.

Though we may not understand, we trust Him---by faith, we trust that all God's ways are good.

Miscarriage

If you have experienced the hurt, disappointment and emptiness after miscarriage, please see the Schultz family website.  schultzhaus.com   Their love for their children and for the LORD is heartwarming.

Stefani Schultz' story is the inspiration behind the painting below.  This painting is called "The God of All Comfort" 

You can order this painting by the artist, Bill Gray, for your own home. 
Go to the site bgray.com

 

 

Christian Support for Fertility Challenges Hannah's Prayer Ministries Including Infertility or the Death of a Baby at Any Time From Conception Through Early Infancy

  
This picture is entitled The Mother's Offering
depicting Mary's offering in the Temple      
This beautiful picture is from an extremely old book of Bible stories.

We have found that the best place to have our babies sleep in infancy is right in our bed...
now, I'm not necessarily meaning "attachment parenting" or advocating the "family bed"
idea... rather, all of our last 5-6 babies have slept with us throughout most of their first
year.  I think this "co-sleeper" is sure a neat idea... take a look!  http://www.armsreach.com


 

Kegel. You will never regret doing these pelvic exercises, but you will regret it if you don't.

Diet is becoming more and more controversial everyday.  Some will argue that high protein is bad,  some will say that the proportion to carbohydrates is the key, some will say that all natural is the key,  and still others say that fat/carbohydrate/calorie ratio is what one should consider first.  Some  argue that the meats, milk products and other foods we eat are too risky because of the hormones,  pesticides and additives.  Some feel that there are too many conflicting views and so they don't really  hold to one school thought or another.   Some say that all things in moderation are lawful.  I am surely  no health expert and so everything I share with you on our site comes with a disclaimer, and it is simply  that the suggestions below and the charts and information on our Nutrition Pages are merely ideas  and suggestions, you must decide for yourself what is best for you---these are not intended to be any thing more than options for you to consider and to use if you choose to do so. 

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For some possibly good and perhaps helpful information on pregnancy diet and health, see Dr. Tom Brewer's Blue Ribbon Baby Pages.  He has written The Brewer Medical Diet.  Go here: blueribbonbaby.org   (how's that for a decisive description)

Here is a sample Pregnancy Diet and
                           you can also take a look at our Nutrition Pages  for more information.   
You can highlight this, copy it and print it out to post on your fridge so that you can refer to it.

A very basic Version of a Pregnancy Diet

1. One quart (4 glasses) or more of milk.  Any kind will do: whole milk, low fat, skim, buttermilk, or cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc....
2. Two eggs, (hard boiled, in french toast, or added to other foods).
3. One or two servings of fish or seafood, chicken, lean beef, lamb, pork, beans or cheese.
4. One or two good servings of fresh dark green leafy vegetables: mustard, collard, turnip greens, spinach, lettuce, or cabbage, pumpkin, squash, wheat-grass.
5. Two or three slices of whole wheat bread, cornmeal, cornbread, or tortillas.
6. A piece of citrus fruit or glass of juice of lemon, lime, orange, tomato, or grapefruit.
7. Three pats of butter.
8. Other fruits and vegetables.

Also include in your diet:  
1. A serving of whole grain cereal such as oatmeal or granola.  
2. A yellow or orange-colored fruit or vegetable five times a week. 
3. Additional red meat once a week.
4. Whole baked potato two or three times a week. 
5. Plenty of fluids, water, juice etc.   Really!  The value of water in pregnancy cannot be overstated!  Drink what will seem like "tons" of water!
6. Salt food to taste for a safe increase in blood volume.
You may substitute proteins if you wish, being sure your proteins are complete, and that you get approximately 80-100 grams per day, If you substitute, also be sure all the elements necessary for a well balanced diet are available every day.

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Here is a simple PROTEIN COUNT list

Dairy Products:  Milk, 1 C. 8gm Cheddar/Swiss, 1 oz. 7gm Processed Cheese, 1 oz. 6gm Cottage Cheese, 1/2C. 12gm Ice Cream, 1 C. 6gm Yogurt, 1 C. .7gm Butter, 1 tbsp. 0.1gm Meats:  Beef, 3oz. 20gm Chicken, 3oz. 25gm Egg, 1 6gm Turkey, 3oz. 27gm Pork, 3oz. 21gm Liver, 3 1/2oz. 26gm

Fish: Haddock, 3oz. 16gm Salmon, 3oz. 17gm Halibut, 3 1/2oz. 26gm

Carbohydrates: Potato, medium 2gm Rice, 1C. (Brown) 6gm Corn, 1C. 5gm Noodles, 1C. 6gm Sweet Potato, medium 2gm Bread, 1 slice 2gm Crackers, 4 saltines 1gm Doritos, 9/16 oz. 1gm Fritos, 1 oz. 2gm Potato Chips, 16 pcs. 0.8gm Tortillas, 1 1.2gm

Cereals: Cheerios, 1 1/4C. 3.8gm Granola, 1/4 C. 4gm Shredded Wheat, 2/3 C. 3gm Wheat Germ, 1 Tbsp. 2gm

Nuts: Peanut Butter, 1 tbsp. 4gm Peanuts, 1/4 C. 9gm Walnuts, 1/4 C. 6gm

Beans: Pinto Beans, 1/2 C. 7gm Navy Beans, 1/2 C. 7gm Kidney Beans, 1/2 C. 7gm

Fruit & Juice:  Apple, 1 med. 0.3gm Orange, 1 med. 1.6gm Peach, 1 med. 0.6gm Cantaloupe, ¼ 1gm Vegetable Juice, 4 oz. 1gm Grape Juice, 4 oz. 0.3gm Orange Juice, 1/2 C. 1gm

Vegetables: Carrot, 1 0.6gm Celery, 1 lg. Stalk 0.3gm Lettuce, 1/2 C. 0.3gm Cucumber, 1/8 lb. 0.2gm Tomato, 1 1gm Spinach, 1/4 C. 1gm Cabbage, 1/2 C. cook 1.2gm Green Beans, 1/2 C. 0.8gm

Soups: Vegetable Soup, 1 C. 3gm Beef Broth, 1 C. 5gm Chicken Noodle, 1 C. 3.4gm Chili & Beans, 1 C. 18gm

Resource information for this worksheet: Nutrition during Pregnancy and Lactation from California Department of Health, Husband-Coached childbirth by Robert Bradley, M.D. Nourishing Your Unborn Child by Phyllis Williams.
What every Pregnant Woman Should Know by Gail Brewer. Composition of Foods United States Department of Agriculture.

And finally...   I  would like to thank the LORD and acknowledge His great Hand of Blessing in the provision of our first midwife, Wendy Swetman whose life  was dedicated to helping mama's have healthy pregnancies and to safely birth at home.  Wendy went to be with the LORD on August 5, 1996 after a courageous fight with cancer. I am grateful the LORD allowed us to know this gracious woman, wife and mother, whose life was a blessing to so many.  I am so grateful for the precious memories of having her come out to the house... responding to quickly to our many calls over the years.  Her skill and expertise could not be measured as she carefully watched over the births.

We are grateful to have had another midwife, Chris Thain, who was been such a blessing to us and to our family.  We had the joy of seeing her again for our eleventh baby and to have our son and daughter in law have her for their midwife as well.   Our son and daughter in law used the birthing suite where all three of their babies have been born.   The office and simply beautiful and elegant  Birth Suite is in Bellevue, Washington,  at the Eastside Birthcenter.