Educated Decisions

After following "the norm" for years, I started to wonder if there was another, better (for us) way of doing things. I did massive amounts of research and came to discover that the status was not, in fact, quo. Here are a few things that we've decided to do a little differently:

• Car Seats - while RJ & Eli are beyond the legal limits to be facing front in a vehicle, they are still below the height and weight maximums for rear-facing. Since being turned around lowers their risk of serious injury by about 90%, they won't be looking out the windshield for a while. (Also, they LOVE their 'backwards seats'.)
• Vaccines - as a white, middle-class family, with no concerning family history, our risk factors for many vaccinated diseases are incredibly low. Coupled with the much higher risk of negative side effects from injecting preservatives and additives into our bloodstreams, we've chosen to opt out of or delay vaccinations. We've found a wonderfully supportive pediatrician in our area who not only agrees with this decision, but also assists in my research.
• Medicines - instead of handing out antibiotics for childhood illnesses, our pediatrician prescribes essential oils and homeopathic treatments, which is also what we use at home. We've been able to successfully treat many ailments (nausea, swelling & allergic reaction, headaches, gasiness, cold & flu symptoms, etc) naturally, and have seen a quicker, easier recovery in most cases. I still keep a few conventional medicines in the cabinet, just in case, but haven't had need for them in months.

While these things work for our family, they may not be the answer for everyone.

Bradley Birth

In preparation for the birth of our second child, Husby and I have been doing quite a bit of research. Looking back, there were many things about RJ's birth that could have - and should have - been done differently. Most of the decisions we the first time around were uneducated (even though we thought we were informed). Our labor was induced, and epidural was administered, I pushed for 3 hours, and ultimately a vacuum was used to assist in the delivery. At the time, these things we presented to us as both normal and safe. Now that we've done more research and educated ourselves, we know this to be untrue.

Instead of a repeat performance (which would be perfectly acceptable from the viewpoint of the medical community), we're looking for a more natural birth this time around. I did an extensive amount of research into the options and methods available, and came upon the Bradley Method. I had heard about it from other Christian parents, and was intrigued; after looking into it further, we decided that it looked like the best course for us and we signed up to take the classes.

This evening was our second class session, and so far we are thrilled with the method. Dr. Bradley, who 'invented' the method, comes at things from a simple, Godly perspective, making the whole process easier to understand and much, much less frightening. We're getting lots of good, useful information, and are excited to continue in our learning. The method is deemed "husband-coached childbirth", teaching husbands and wives to work together through labor and birth, strengthening their relationship and creating the safest environment for their child.

As we read through the books and attend classes, we're taking notes and posting them under the "Our Birth Method" tab you'll find at the top of the page. Interested parties, feel free to browse through.

Birth Options

This baby's birth approaches, and while I continue to tell myself that we have plenty of time to prepare, the time of preparations is upon us. As I prepare myself for the delivery of another child, I look back at the experience we had bringing RJ into the world and find myself wondering if all the drugs I had were really necessary. After all, women have been birthing babies for thousands of years - there's got to be something better than hooked up to machines, laying in bed, waiting for a stranger to tell me what to do.

Enter friends who've delivered naturally. With these women to answer my questions and reassure me that my body can, in fact, handle this, I've set out on a course toward a (more) natural birth. In Kansas, where we'll be in a matter of weeks, I found an instructor in the Bradley Method who I plan to contact upon our arrival. Hopefully, Husby and I will be able to find an hour or so a week without RJ (ha!) to meet with her and learn all the things that can help us work together to birth this child. While I'm not completely opposed to pain meds (lets face it, I'm a bit of a wimp), I would like to make it farther on my own and maybe even avoid an epidural.

By no means do I make any promises, other than to have a healthy baby in the end, but I want to give myself more options this time around. This could all be a total failure, but a girl can at least try, right?

CLEP

My husband is a genius.

Striving for a degree in Mathematics, he's plotted a course for himself that brings him to the completion of a Bachelor's withing the next year or so. To do so, he must take a Calculus II course over the summer - but, to be able to enroll in Calculus II, one must have credit for Calculus I. Unable to fit another class into his schedule at this time, he instead taught himself calculus with the help of Khan Academy and MIT OpenCourseware, which allowed him to view class lectures online for free. In his free time (ie: when he comes home to a sleeping family but isn't quite ready for bed yet himself) he studied, and with his white board, he practiced. And practiced. And today, he went in for the Calculus CLEP test, to receive credit for all the work he's done.

He passed the Calculus CLEP, a test with only an 18% pass rate. My husband is a genius.