tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87284471588130950102024-02-06T21:08:19.355-06:00The Beginnings of a Radical MidwifeA young woman's journey to her life's work and passion; Midwifery and MotherhoodBrittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-35234441490026825572008-12-20T01:04:00.003-06:002008-12-20T01:50:21.125-06:00Ever at 5 weeks<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxD82J6kMzgDjzAQi4XC51hWwTp4zphwe0ZaOgWJ_F3BjWIpHwvgNQPGsJOyjj61bhwW4G8Z9tSHJTKa-bp5A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> Here is Everleigh being cute as usual! She is 5 weeks old here. Enjoy!Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-15545797522222560562008-12-20T00:24:00.003-06:002008-12-20T01:58:11.448-06:00My Smiley Baby :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8IaDhy5D5OhgMJV2ykENE-ccUxaL4AY8nJiP_a2BLBfRpbpqMgj2K_rlan_xyMDcoL87qnJ6S5cUvkl50aHbirw0mMSuj_oPuNEjus1_jAeniqa_xHdJmOVfafROFBar_oFNky1CTJA/s1600-h/100_2604.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8IaDhy5D5OhgMJV2ykENE-ccUxaL4AY8nJiP_a2BLBfRpbpqMgj2K_rlan_xyMDcoL87qnJ6S5cUvkl50aHbirw0mMSuj_oPuNEjus1_jAeniqa_xHdJmOVfafROFBar_oFNky1CTJA/s320/100_2604.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281778396663169362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTTL1MR9RJCBubJtHu3l7m6k8CEUHpS8oNnC8bFfwt3LjxMV8ha644P7hEHrjUMfScVS5ubAD4x1kNGtsPjO-wkw-QIWdf43NgCZmBOWa-A9qkxpE8KdDR302Qqvn6acldJQUv301lX4/s1600-h/100_2608.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTTL1MR9RJCBubJtHu3l7m6k8CEUHpS8oNnC8bFfwt3LjxMV8ha644P7hEHrjUMfScVS5ubAD4x1kNGtsPjO-wkw-QIWdf43NgCZmBOWa-A9qkxpE8KdDR302Qqvn6acldJQUv301lX4/s320/100_2608.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281778387698646178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojTsNA8sYGT-JkZ5lQkAFAYNHiUfZbmMM3bPbiwqwdYqoUcKvqmeK9ClJmUSbwFZ2xLgpSmbb2R8zRfexXeSLNEzHZqPHTYdTza2gx_07nGlex_N17gH8svWeJxAXJKHRXazb0bOuXXM/s1600-h/100_2606.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojTsNA8sYGT-JkZ5lQkAFAYNHiUfZbmMM3bPbiwqwdYqoUcKvqmeK9ClJmUSbwFZ2xLgpSmbb2R8zRfexXeSLNEzHZqPHTYdTza2gx_07nGlex_N17gH8svWeJxAXJKHRXazb0bOuXXM/s320/100_2606.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281755713826710562" border="0" /></a><br />Here is Everleigh at nearly 8 weeks old. She is such a happy girl!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Heh, she was just gearing up for a big smile is all. Promise there was no pooping involved in this photo ;)<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSyMds0HfGQo2FHLjAXSSL8005tcDVOCgx62-jYTAl2PtuzoFT47pq9O5oaaHhyhZRsjDeZoBsMm_YQzqQ7ZwzAiDLB2JuUYq6YeaVH9Y6gxfhHEV5WgTJGDMStY3rz84N3SZ8tcXKgg/s1600-h/100_2609.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSyMds0HfGQo2FHLjAXSSL8005tcDVOCgx62-jYTAl2PtuzoFT47pq9O5oaaHhyhZRsjDeZoBsMm_YQzqQ7ZwzAiDLB2JuUYq6YeaVH9Y6gxfhHEV5WgTJGDMStY3rz84N3SZ8tcXKgg/s320/100_2609.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281755705042450642" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJtNTMVKIuM6u8C_Xhyphenhyphens6tTJWumiaFDFV978xTWdmNue5-L5Lkuy9_DwvAhx_KCdvWK_II1MhLsuGm_mGFbV1l0ExcXatBsHcypnItHTVSznBM6kdck-yNdMLMSHxwrXvJBdoq39m_Ak/s1600-h/100_2612.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJtNTMVKIuM6u8C_Xhyphenhyphens6tTJWumiaFDFV978xTWdmNue5-L5Lkuy9_DwvAhx_KCdvWK_II1MhLsuGm_mGFbV1l0ExcXatBsHcypnItHTVSznBM6kdck-yNdMLMSHxwrXvJBdoq39m_Ak/s320/100_2612.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281755695104722306" border="0" /></a><br />I love how she sticks her little tongue out when she smiles. Too cute!<br /></div>Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-30736810614848878452008-12-14T16:06:00.002-06:002008-12-14T16:12:07.214-06:00More Pics :)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq27iM6cH2Y0UXP6i5FxkWvnEyg_e858AO5qTZ2TqkBgswqfsbyKU7JxoMLWx_uI1HPFmxUTKW2VewfK4wOh9g88rKgC1u3rl0xFGHICVmK1TOJg_vXh2hi84EKzoCFnodVrYuoLcPIRg/s1600-h/100_2571.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq27iM6cH2Y0UXP6i5FxkWvnEyg_e858AO5qTZ2TqkBgswqfsbyKU7JxoMLWx_uI1HPFmxUTKW2VewfK4wOh9g88rKgC1u3rl0xFGHICVmK1TOJg_vXh2hi84EKzoCFnodVrYuoLcPIRg/s320/100_2571.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279771674574431362" border="0" /></a><br />Me and Ever, my big girl!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQKaE_Ia0izSsOpqgNQpwFs9WRmKAtC2T9o3Ywa4CgmirWhOM2i__4jQpZ7aRsJftgIgZ6kqHwfTTBKKwCb9cpiY1d0AOmYlqQJcN3kdhtSjMYocgi9y8f5SemzVkplHgxkz0FsYlUEo/s1600-h/100_2568.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQKaE_Ia0izSsOpqgNQpwFs9WRmKAtC2T9o3Ywa4CgmirWhOM2i__4jQpZ7aRsJftgIgZ6kqHwfTTBKKwCb9cpiY1d0AOmYlqQJcN3kdhtSjMYocgi9y8f5SemzVkplHgxkz0FsYlUEo/s320/100_2568.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279771665700543698" border="0" /></a><br />Haha, she really likes her mobile.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkSs8KtyPA_kNG106vT2W-Z17JlOLYGG4_36el0DQtIye2u1fehOshDO6sdAF1iSFFgbSdKXDWszYzuYAa_evwoUtP6YSiIRLdlwcEmNatBeaQVLWDCWgSdE2bq9A33UlV-eTeWI9wCY/s1600-h/100_2564.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkSs8KtyPA_kNG106vT2W-Z17JlOLYGG4_36el0DQtIye2u1fehOshDO6sdAF1iSFFgbSdKXDWszYzuYAa_evwoUtP6YSiIRLdlwcEmNatBeaQVLWDCWgSdE2bq9A33UlV-eTeWI9wCY/s320/100_2564.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279771659311732194" border="0" /></a><br />My naked babies :)<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Em7bdml6XilrPYXnOHemBcwW-5kUjhSB-2fIK7dyjGLooxEFiuBOm5kxb19Uf0IyuMg_Yv87hyphenhyphenIKgZqnNMlxDxDOWW6iopewRDIomUXwY321qwwGe5PVV9GDsRFRXywRi9FTJFM7wYc/s1600-h/100_2562.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Em7bdml6XilrPYXnOHemBcwW-5kUjhSB-2fIK7dyjGLooxEFiuBOm5kxb19Uf0IyuMg_Yv87hyphenhyphenIKgZqnNMlxDxDOWW6iopewRDIomUXwY321qwwGe5PVV9GDsRFRXywRi9FTJFM7wYc/s320/100_2562.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279771651042944418" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZqb-QWvJPTysW0g26MAN7wtrPmXZRX0YS0U2NaBSD8pMHFtrsOojIs9-o8s16nu99y_pEo5Kr6DsR8t4bM1K_AGVNTM9jcPGlGgIxmseFBRR8_M56WreFmUK_kw1jcYjF_Ue3alL3kg/s1600-h/100_2560.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZqb-QWvJPTysW0g26MAN7wtrPmXZRX0YS0U2NaBSD8pMHFtrsOojIs9-o8s16nu99y_pEo5Kr6DsR8t4bM1K_AGVNTM9jcPGlGgIxmseFBRR8_M56WreFmUK_kw1jcYjF_Ue3alL3kg/s320/100_2560.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279771640656958354" border="0" /></a><br />Look at those chins!<br /></div>Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-86347627285160517182008-12-14T15:59:00.002-06:002008-12-14T16:05:48.639-06:00Pics of Everleigh and Teagan<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlunIY2bOVyFVfCK5SYy4q0TerqqfA-ZU-afRqHEhSQUvvBnkFo1cYyzNQtU8o-VLIhF6TDYf5pAGDVook3i1jgrSVdL8ZuTHTfCqPpNM8wsMUnYexmSoFieFkhi7UC9nkP8NWzgKs7w/s1600-h/100_2513.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlunIY2bOVyFVfCK5SYy4q0TerqqfA-ZU-afRqHEhSQUvvBnkFo1cYyzNQtU8o-VLIhF6TDYf5pAGDVook3i1jgrSVdL8ZuTHTfCqPpNM8wsMUnYexmSoFieFkhi7UC9nkP8NWzgKs7w/s320/100_2513.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279769808784582450" border="0" /></a><br />I love this picture! She gets so mad at the floor!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuU2Zp93xOv2znjDZ_PXx-Xp7SfzQb_BL2nJH2BzWkOQcS44nvc0PK3yxaXMi0WdQqCMdrPetbz7w5XZ_LNzZdEYSmIfwPEX9WjZigefjdTP7r4cWnvi2lbOCpA3G935tLwk05aNgEzk/s1600-h/100_2510.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuU2Zp93xOv2znjDZ_PXx-Xp7SfzQb_BL2nJH2BzWkOQcS44nvc0PK3yxaXMi0WdQqCMdrPetbz7w5XZ_LNzZdEYSmIfwPEX9WjZigefjdTP7r4cWnvi2lbOCpA3G935tLwk05aNgEzk/s320/100_2510.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279769800572311234" border="0" /></a><br />Her eyes are definitely going to be blue, like her sisters!<br />Her eyelashes are already getting so long!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBvneJj7BD9-V2f2uAdRkt1IBE4oQLIrmU96hqqIpLyHYQUdsJrClKze2hpJBsRf3FO6-V-n72M7tCn1yNjoG_D2zUsyuku1isB_ptwMgajFd6605RZjJIC2KvFAiPuIgzs2HdHM5e-Q/s1600-h/100_2501.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBvneJj7BD9-V2f2uAdRkt1IBE4oQLIrmU96hqqIpLyHYQUdsJrClKze2hpJBsRf3FO6-V-n72M7tCn1yNjoG_D2zUsyuku1isB_ptwMgajFd6605RZjJIC2KvFAiPuIgzs2HdHM5e-Q/s320/100_2501.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279769793479557554" border="0" /></a><br />Aw, here she is smiling :)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjy_D_HHYQkXfSt0BOptRglnkw1L6B-zM1nBBFqofyRhm8_yTeOZFE6N40f55E6yNZVuGLT8geJthnqYSHjUI_PJaOTr0LZLRx_cXtPK6_DJZcwuq74ORqAIpgRCGWKin4wbtwHAsdtQ/s1600-h/100_2484.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjy_D_HHYQkXfSt0BOptRglnkw1L6B-zM1nBBFqofyRhm8_yTeOZFE6N40f55E6yNZVuGLT8geJthnqYSHjUI_PJaOTr0LZLRx_cXtPK6_DJZcwuq74ORqAIpgRCGWKin4wbtwHAsdtQ/s320/100_2484.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279769783975332210" border="0" /></a><br />My two beautiful girls!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QsXZY22Voo76K9FMWiyaH9ZuGQFV5Nnx9biyDpH6Bygadzkwy7-VnI83OfgGo6kc-i97_4dHloCwy82uHjqsMVUMYjhsq6Pj5GnH__43N4VUFdx8diguEeJk27cLIvXBTqeI-EzK_GM/s1600-h/100_2483.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QsXZY22Voo76K9FMWiyaH9ZuGQFV5Nnx9biyDpH6Bygadzkwy7-VnI83OfgGo6kc-i97_4dHloCwy82uHjqsMVUMYjhsq6Pj5GnH__43N4VUFdx8diguEeJk27cLIvXBTqeI-EzK_GM/s320/100_2483.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279769776494783570" border="0" /></a>Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-4208186842883799812008-11-16T10:54:00.004-06:002008-11-16T11:09:49.942-06:00Teags and Evie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEETrJkV8aZ15Ll0aL10rkHzHkTjC0U1NfG7Bi0PMyokm46H1t1zdSm6zizhdhtPa95JtEGx5IsbQux0Hi06_uWPmQKOHwJpSu-hat4kotSYjWiC71Np-ZIbvB2Y-lUz71kM5sOuFP-RI/s1600-h/1002397.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEETrJkV8aZ15Ll0aL10rkHzHkTjC0U1NfG7Bi0PMyokm46H1t1zdSm6zizhdhtPa95JtEGx5IsbQux0Hi06_uWPmQKOHwJpSu-hat4kotSYjWiC71Np-ZIbvB2Y-lUz71kM5sOuFP-RI/s320/1002397.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269302023882352322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCf0wk6SpuFrJI6DevoQTEQ1P4-R54e8DNijOqRAh3V1YXaXkpBty6BjSwq4vwzGCrszLn4tLKvJd4pxMiWMM7AhZBZW2b1LpK1xYD-VCKfFlZn3AGnALkc-cjU6D3mjzLHaKLG4PBgI/s1600-h/1002395.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCf0wk6SpuFrJI6DevoQTEQ1P4-R54e8DNijOqRAh3V1YXaXkpBty6BjSwq4vwzGCrszLn4tLKvJd4pxMiWMM7AhZBZW2b1LpK1xYD-VCKfFlZn3AGnALkc-cjU6D3mjzLHaKLG4PBgI/s320/1002395.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269302029854412706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWockIzZxIqoHg7PISA4nke1_GIFXBVR4SupOfC6b9st1G7PI2Eq1m-_v0mmMFnrddcvBtzsAHT4MsTCd53cVM-uQTWgn1jrQzTFu4oFM7HV0VjlnIpkLe3BP3MPJJUCdOE3I412q9LE8/s1600-h/1002412.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWockIzZxIqoHg7PISA4nke1_GIFXBVR4SupOfC6b9st1G7PI2Eq1m-_v0mmMFnrddcvBtzsAHT4MsTCd53cVM-uQTWgn1jrQzTFu4oFM7HV0VjlnIpkLe3BP3MPJJUCdOE3I412q9LE8/s320/1002412.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269302014891563810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdADL_dmTEVexIswBsr1xUnWELFcUcusqGjkhWFUT2j9xiCF1Z5NRquczTuA5qb3UtqRy6oLMVWLCLAikI6THWMdhwibMqNnqyHGe7KuMf5vGUto4ezolvB6kkG3F0tzSDbU_e_dTn-js/s1600-h/1002410.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdADL_dmTEVexIswBsr1xUnWELFcUcusqGjkhWFUT2j9xiCF1Z5NRquczTuA5qb3UtqRy6oLMVWLCLAikI6THWMdhwibMqNnqyHGe7KuMf5vGUto4ezolvB6kkG3F0tzSDbU_e_dTn-js/s320/1002410.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269302002020138466" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxACHGqdIkIgfLV2g4-TT6bgS3iqmRAzMZVKz2i82-SmwJGPX5skhuJd874vnFpy8m_J3XVGl8Op88qKnEmz2z-PnVgBg8fimhabceCTniaWCZBu6vTzNKKE6C4jIYmiu7ybeJ7uL-2i0/s1600-h/1002414.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxACHGqdIkIgfLV2g4-TT6bgS3iqmRAzMZVKz2i82-SmwJGPX5skhuJd874vnFpy8m_J3XVGl8Op88qKnEmz2z-PnVgBg8fimhabceCTniaWCZBu6vTzNKKE6C4jIYmiu7ybeJ7uL-2i0/s320/1002414.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269301993604985922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here are some pictures of Everleigh and Teagan together. Update to come later today!Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-3734594557304141002008-11-06T23:21:00.003-06:002008-12-29T08:31:13.054-06:00Our Birth Journey<meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBrittney%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Our Birth Journey:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Everleigh Anne was born in the quiet hours of the middle of the night, at home, unassisted, and caught by her mommy on October 19<sup>th</sup>, 2008. She came into this world at 1:47am after an 8.5 hour labor. She weighed 9lbs even, was 20.5 inches long, and had a 14 inch head and chest. She has lots of beautiful dark, curly hair, dark blue eyes, and looks a lot like her big sister! Here is her birth story;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">On Saturday, October 18<sup>th</sup>,<span style=""> </span>I woke up at about 6:30am from a bad dream I was having. I was dreaming that my water broke and the baby’s cord prolapsed. In my dream, however, I wasn’t scared. It was only when I woke up that my thinking mind determined that that would be a bad thing <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> Being I planned on going unassisted, I knew that was one of the very few cases where I would absolutely transfer to the hospital. However, I didn’t feel that the dream was a warning of any sorts, just a sort of last minute release of a fear that I may have subconsciously held. I rolled out of bed carefully (because of the severe SPD I had) and headed to the bathroom. As I finished up peeing, I felt a faint “pop” on the right side of my belly and thought maybe I was still dreaming about my water breaking! I just ignored it, and headed downstairs to get some water. As I walked down the stairs, however, I realized I had trickles of water running down my legs. Since the same exact thing happened with my first, I knew that my water had a high leak and soon I’d be giving birth to this baby!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I became very excited, and posted to all my online groups that baby time was very near <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span>.<span style=""> </span>I then called my mom to let her know and to try to talk her out of going up north on a trail ride that day, as she was to be with my daughter while I was laboring. I tried calling my aunt as well (one of my support people), but she had already left for the weekend and I didn’t have another number to try to reach her at. At 7:00am, I called Jason as he got off of work to let him know what was up. He told me he needed to go to Brainerd to get me my pool for the birth, which is an hour away. I was upset that he still hadn’t gotten it, but since I wasn’t having any birthing waves to speak of, I told him to just hurry up and go! I got Teagan ready after that, and headed over to my mom’s to visit with her a bit. She decided to still go to the trail ride, leaving my youngest brother in my care for the day. Happy birthing time hormones must have been kicked in by that time, because it didn’t occur to me how messed up that really was! I basically was left with almost all of my support people gone a considerable distance away, and now I had TWO kids to take care of instead of one. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx6DSsSEWRRB4QtL1xmiO0yWz-p_ZnNxAum6WrrKe0paoYC9XzILHYxxNnfb6OdgY4RnbMefgGvFN2Os4nUhtfzJMuuTnblWzkJybOkvuG0th_PsTIhzpuoIXS4t5hb7yVvTe0l1NJbY/s1600-h/000_0050.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx6DSsSEWRRB4QtL1xmiO0yWz-p_ZnNxAum6WrrKe0paoYC9XzILHYxxNnfb6OdgY4RnbMefgGvFN2Os4nUhtfzJMuuTnblWzkJybOkvuG0th_PsTIhzpuoIXS4t5hb7yVvTe0l1NJbY/s320/000_0050.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265783132161399634" border="0" /></a>Instead of getting upset, however, I just decided that I was going to make the best out of this day. It was one of the last beautiful autumn days of the year, the sun shone from the moment I woke up until it set… no clouds obscured it. It was very warm and mild out, just a light breeze that would gently flow through the half-bare trees, causing the yellow, orange, and red leaves to let go and fall softly to the ground. Absolutely a perfect day to be born! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-T03oHYKw3YiNfpaZLfOsLAKyqCTE31omo3Jjd44cwIwQEX3ObwO5buNCiJNRF3uJRJs-jA78ataFIACbiemeFFo8pJAXb6xQTi4Vv8qOrHiDZkB20jFGw55PpAnSj7bkyKCCbe2BWLI/s1600-h/000_0048.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-T03oHYKw3YiNfpaZLfOsLAKyqCTE31omo3Jjd44cwIwQEX3ObwO5buNCiJNRF3uJRJs-jA78ataFIACbiemeFFo8pJAXb6xQTi4Vv8qOrHiDZkB20jFGw55PpAnSj7bkyKCCbe2BWLI/s320/000_0048.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265783127802924578" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I got the kids together, and decided to go out to breakfast. My mom and brother Daniel also decided to join me. I live in a very small town, where everyone knows who everyone is, and so of course by the time I left the restaurant, all the waitresses were staring at me in amazement because I was just sitting and eating peacefully with my water broken! <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> I of course felt fine still, and would have a wave or two here and there, but nothing else to speak of. I could definitely feel baby moving down lower and pressure was building, but I was doing just fine. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After that, I came home and listened to my hypnobabies. I listened to Fear Release, then Birthing Day Affirmations, and then just started Early Birthing Time before the kids interrupted me. I decided to get up and clean my house. Much of the day went on like this until finally Jason got back and I asked him to take me to do something… I was so bored and anxious waiting for something to start! So we decided to go bowling <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> I ate pizza while there (big mistake) and bowled a 130, which not only won the game, but isn’t bad for a woman in labor! <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> About halfway through the game, I noticed I was having regular birthing waves, and I knew that now there was no turning back! None of them hurt, but I would have to stop for a minute and let them pass every once in awhile. By the end of the game, I was really feeling them. I felt very ready to just go home and relax for a while.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Once home, Jason decided to leave me… AGAIN… to go fishing. I didn’t say anything to him because I didn’t want a fight, but I was very disappointed. I just let it go though (thanks hypnobabies again… I imagined my thoughts and emotions regarding him floating away from me with every breath I exhaled), popped a movie in for the kids, and went on my computer for a while. By 5:30pm, I posted on one of my groups that I decided my birthing time had finally started, as I was having them regularly and having to use my tools to embrace them. So I count my length of labor from that point. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The pool that Jason got me turned out to be WAY too big. I never was able to get it warm enough to even think about getting into. I worked at it for awhile, adding boiling water to it, but it just didn’t work. I started to feel a bit disheartened by that point, and decided to call my wonderful friend Heidi, who agreed to be my “doula” if I needed her. Well I definitely needed her! I felt a little abandoned at that point, and couldn’t really concentrate because I had both kids. She said she was already out the door before I even hung up haha. I sat down at my kitchen table and just breathed through my birthing waves for awhile, and then headed for the shower. I wasn’t using my hypnobabies at all at this point, and some waves were becoming p***ful. The water was absolute bliss, but I really wanted to get down and kneel, which I couldn’t do in my shower at all. I cursed not having a birthing pool ready and waiting for me somewhere! Anyway, Jason finally got the hint and got back to my house shortly after Heidi showed up. My mom also decided to head back finally by that point. I think it was around 7:30pm or so at this point, though I never remember checking the clock. Heidi went to work immediately, rubbing my back, making me tea, brushing my hair, telling me how great I was doing, etc… just all the lovely things a support person should be doing! She also tried to get my pool warm enough for me, but it was a lost cause. I finally just told her to leave it be, as I needed some hot water for my showers! Jason still continued to boil water for awhile after that, but he too gave up <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Finally, my mom showed up… with wine on her breath and got right in my face during a wave… making me very angry. She got the hint fast, and took her new boyfriend, Teagan, and my youngest brother over to her house for the night. I was a bit upset that Teags wouldn’t be around for the birth, but with the chaos of the day, I decided I just wanted peace and quiet. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After mom left, and the house became peaceful, the birthing waves really kicked into high gear. I wanted nothing more than to move and rock during waves. I would dance through them, jump during them, rock, shake, walk, run, arch my back, squat… really, whatever my body told me to do. I didn’t think at this point… it was really amazing looking back, but at the time I had no concept of how silly I must have looked, or how primal. I moaned, growled, sang, breathed, ahh’d, oooh’d, or just talked to baby through all the waves. I still wasn’t using hypnobabies at this point, mostly because I had no idea how to use it in these different positions. It wasn’t the fault of hypnobabies by any means…. Because of Jason and I breaking up 2 months before baby came, I slacked off on the end part of the materials and never did a birthing rehearsal… nor did I practice my center switch enough. Even though waves were tense, and some could have been described as “painful”, I felt like I was doing great and didn’t need hypnobabies at that point.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=""> </span>However, at about 11:30pm, I started getting tired. Heidi could sense it, and she started making me drink teas and water a lot more to get my energy up. Being I go to bed at 9pm every night, my body was completely rebelling against the waves… I just wanted to sleep! I got into the shower at that point to try to wake myself up and help ease the pressure I was feeling in my lower back and tailbone. Jason came in at that point. He put his hand on my shoulder and said “Relax”…. And ALL the pain I was feeling completely melted away. I moaned through the wave anyway, just because it felt so good! He looked a little confused and asked if it worked at all. I told him YES, it worked! And I think he then felt like he could *do* something for me. He kept up the Relax cue with me, until I got cold in the shower, and then I headed to the bedroom. I just wanted to sleep! And then I remembered my hypnobabies. I put on a script (I can’t remember which one) and layed down on the bed, propping myself with pillows. Even though I was still aware of each of the waves, I slept in between them and didn’t feel any pain during them while I listened to the scripts. However, because my brain wasn’t quite working right at that point, and I wasn’t sure how to use my tools while still being able to move, I would get angry at Kerry (the woman who invented hypnobabies and is the voice you hear during scripts) and after 3 or 4 waves would throw the headphones off and jump out bed so I could start pacing and moving again. It was kind of weird <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> But at least I knew whenever I really needed to rest, I could just throw the headphones back on and let my body recharge. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">By about 12:30 or so, I knew I was in transformation. I was feeling TONS of pressure, and knew that baby was making her way down. I kept waiting for the pushing urge to start, but it just wouldn’t. I *knew* instinctively that I was fully dilated, and I was confused by the lack of pushing urge I was getting. In my mind, I would think “Don’t push until you feel the urge” even though my instinct was telling me that I needed to push for some reason. I fought with myself through a few waves, going back and forth on the issue. I felt my belly at this point, and talked to baby, asking her if she was ok, to which she quickly responded to with a wiggle and kick. I just decided to give a little push with the next wave, just to see how it felt. If it hurt, I would just stop, I told myself.<span style=""> </span>So with the next wave, I pushed a little…. And that set off a HUGE, earth shattering, powerful, uncontrollable push and WHOOOSH, my waters forcefully released, making Jason jump so hard because of how loud and sudden it was! Heidi was prepared though, and had put chux pads beneath me and caught all of the water…. I don’t think a drop got on my floor! Once my waters released, I looked at them both and told them I felt soooooooo much better! The water was causing intense pressure inside of me, and once it released I felt baby move down considerably. I knew with the next wave, I would be pushing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">As the next wave came, I remembered how amazing pushing really is. It is like the whole earth and all of its power is moving through you… it is so instinctual and wonderful, and I was so happy to be at home, in my own surroundings, and completely uninhibited. I never made a sound when I pushed out Teagan. With this baby, I moaned deep and loud, making the most primal sounds that I’ve ever heard. I could feel myself connect with every woman on this planet, the ones that were, are, and will come and birth their babies. I could feel all their power move through me… it was truly amazing. As I felt baby move down, I could also feel my tissues stretch and start to burn. At one point, I wanted to get up into a squat (I was on my knees, and would either lean forward into Jason or backwards into Heidi during pushing… whatever felt best at the time) but when I tried to move, it hurt. So I just remained on my knees, reminding myself that this would be a good position to catch my baby in! After just a few pushes, I reached down to touch baby’s head as she crowned. Heidi offered perineum support, which I refused. I just wanted my own hands down there, and I supported myself just fine. During a push, I held her head and felt myself open around it… I remember thinking how warm and alive baby felt, and how in any moment, we would no longer be one, but two….</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">With the next push, her head completely crowned and I felt the ring of fire very acutely… I never felt that with Teagan, and so I thought that I was tearing. With the next push, even though it was just as powerful, I didn’t feel baby move down hardly at all. My instincts gave over to my mind for a second, and I remember thinking that maybe baby had sticky shoulders. So I threw myself forward over the bed and really PUSHED… and felt her unlodge and her head came out the rest of the way. Heidi told me later that she was just slowly coming out… first her forehead, then her eyes, and nose… but she was definitely coming <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> My body didn’t wait for another wave, it just kept pushing from there… I sat back upright and birthed my baby into my and Heidi’s hands on my bedroom floor. Later, Heidi told me that baby never rotated when she came out. Everleigh ended up with a bruise on her elbow, and I’m guessing that happened either when I pushed when I thought she had sticky shoulders or just simply because she didn’t rotate and maybe got it caught on something.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=""> </span>She helped me pass baby through my legs so I could hold her. She was so sweetly covered in vernix, and the first thing I noticed is how little her ears were! She was nice and pink, though not breathing right away. She was making the motions, so I didn’t worry as long as my cord kept pulsing. Finally she took a little breath, and then another, coughing a bit. I held her with her head tilted down to help her clear out the mucus. I rubbed her back gently, and she just coughed a bit and started to breathe just fine. I then turned her over, and Heidi put a blanket over us to keep her warm. I took my shirt off and just held her skin to skin. Within 5 minutes or so, baby decided she wanted to nurse and latched right on. Shortly after that, I felt my placenta detach (which was strangely uncomfortable…not painful, just weird) and I pushed it out where I sat. I looked at it a bit, and it looked complete and intact. I felt some blood come out of me, but it didn’t seem excessive and I felt fine, so I didn’t worry. We called the midwife after that, and she came by to check me and baby out. I decided to get the oral vitamin K because of the awful bruising Everleigh had on her elbow and arm. She weighed and measured her, and helped her clear out the rest of the mucus that Everleigh was having a hard time getting out. She checked me for tears (I didn’t even have a skid mark) and made sure my uterus was clamping down nicely. These were all things that I could’ve done myself, but it was nice to have the midwife do them as well. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Some interesting notes: It was nice to not have anyone else around during my birthing time. Heidi was absolutely wonderful, and I was so glad that she was able to come! Jason and I had been broken up for a couple of months at that point, and so there was a lot of uncertainty in regards to him even BEING at the birth, as well as how that would affect me during my birthing time, etc. In retrospect, I know that even though Heidi was invaluable, she also caused some subconscious discomfort for me. I’m not a very modest person, but having someone see me naked who has never seen me naked before is a bit disconcerting, and it caused me some tension which equaled pain. Totally not her fault though! <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> It is just something interesting that I observed in myself and will keep in mind for next time. I have no regrets at all for this birth; it was an amazingly healing experience, and even though things didn’t go exactly how I envisioned, I feel so blessed that I was able to experience birth in this way. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">It was wonderful to not feel any restraints on myself… I didn’t have to worry about time, or strange people, or how loud I was, or anything. It allowed me to become completely instinctual. At different points in my labor, my thinking brain would wake up for a second and question if baby was still ok. For only a second it would do that, because in the next second I just *knew* baby was ok. It was never a question. I could feel her life in me, and every fiber of my being was at peace. It is truly amazing how powerful our instincts are, and I wish every woman could experience that inner knowing that each of us has. I never second guessed myself or my feelings with this birth; with my first, I had people telling me how to move, and how to moan, and how to push, etc… When I felt that something was wrong, I was told that everything was fine… even though I was right. Being undermined in that way was probably the most hurtful aspect of my first birth. I didn’t know it then, or couldn’t quite place my finger on it, but now I know exactly what was taken away from me. Heidi and Jason totally melded with me during this birth, accepted what I said and did as THE best thing for me and baby, and honored that sacred knowing that I have… that very woman has. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Regarding hypnobabies: Even though it wasn’t a painless birth, I still feel hypnobabies was a success. I will definitely be using it for my next birth, if I am so blessed, but will be sure to learn and practice ALL of my tools, and learn how to use them in different positions. I think that the full hypnobabies coupled with a birth pool would have made this birth nearly painless if not completely painless. When Jason would say “Relax” to me and read the scripts, I would feel any pain completely melt away from me. It was truly amazing! During pushing, when I felt the ring of fire, I remembered to just breathe baby down in between waves. I didn’t tear at all, which I contribute partly to that. I think EPO, following my body’s cues, and being in an instinctual position also contributed to me not tearing. I didn’t tear with my first birth either; I was squatting for my first birth, had used EPO, and had 2.5 hours of slow stretching to help as well <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> Being Everleigh’s birth came much faster, I was a little surprised that I didn’t tear with all the burning and stretching I was feeling. I also wanted to note that a lot of the pain I had during birth directly stemmed from my SPD… my tailbone and hips just KILLED me. I will make sure that I go to a chiropractor faithfully my next pregnancy for sure!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I also wanted to comment on how wonderful it was for Everleigh to not be poked and prodded right after birth (or at all!). I held her on me, skin to skin… no one vigorously (and roughly!) dried her off, or wiped her vernix off, or poked her heels, or made her cry. When my midwife came after, she was gentle, always following my lead and would wait for me talk to Everleigh, letting her know exactly what was going on. No one tried to take her from me. No one did anything to Everleigh without first *asking* me, which was a huge change from the hospital!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I decided to cut her cord after an hour or so of leaving it intact. The cord was white, limp, and cold, and I had delivered my placenta only about 5-10 min after having Everleigh so there wasn’t any blood still going to her by that time. Being I was going to be mostly on my own post partum and with a toddler, it just wasn’t feasible to have a lotus birth this time around. Heidi took my placenta, bagged it up and put it in my freezer for later. I didn’t eat any this time around either, mostly because I just didn’t think of it at all until much later and by then it was too late. I haven’t decided if I am going to encapsulate it or bury it under a new tree. We will see.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Post partum healing is going wonderful as well. I had very little baby blues, which was surprising to me considering the circumstances I am in right now. My bottom was only sore the first day, and really I wouldn’t even call it “painful”, just a bit sore is all. My lochia tapered off nicely by Ever’s 2 week birthday, and as of today I haven’t really bled for 2 or 3 days now <span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span> Breastfeeding is going perfectly… almost *too* well! I get nervous sometimes just because of how easy everything has been… like I’m waiting for the big “Gotcha!” or something. I was only engorged and had nipple soreness for a few days (as opposed to months with Teagan) and my supply has evened out perfectly already. I even accommodate Teagan’s occasional nursing session without my boobs overflowing a few hours later. Everleigh was back up to her birth weight by her 2 week checkup, and seems to be gaining wonderfully. Her cheeks just keep getting chubbier everyday! My weight is now a pound less than my pre-pregnancy weight, which I am very happy about. Hopefully, the weight will just keep dropping off! All my old clothes fit, which is really great considering I have very little funds for new clothes at this time. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">All in all, Everleigh’s birth was absolutely wonderful, healing, and magical. I wish everyone could experience birth in this way! Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this pregnancy and birth. Without many of you who are reading this, I may not have kept my chin up and moved forward with confidence. Being a single mom is not easy by any means, but I feel that I have given myself an excellent start!</p> Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-14402962220798565522008-10-24T08:22:00.003-05:002008-10-24T09:55:52.262-05:00Everleigh Anne; 5 days old<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nrA-dPR7azSDPVr7A3aF5TdDlPqI95QOp5E-uW9zQ3g7tm6CSA8saBQFbmHqzsyv0qgMZDK5TaK_IatSzOMLQUWt3CpFxsQApy0XU_XhZHadwOROaKyyzZ0hzm6yp5J6wJ4o4kU-pME/s1600-h/100_2325.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nrA-dPR7azSDPVr7A3aF5TdDlPqI95QOp5E-uW9zQ3g7tm6CSA8saBQFbmHqzsyv0qgMZDK5TaK_IatSzOMLQUWt3CpFxsQApy0XU_XhZHadwOROaKyyzZ0hzm6yp5J6wJ4o4kU-pME/s320/100_2325.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260733462142521106" border="0" /></a><br />Hey everyone! Just a quick update :)<br /><br /><br /><br />Nursing is going well; the engorgement is down already and Ever latches on like a pro so my nipples aren't hurting so bad anymore either. I seriously make enough milk for 10 kids though.. it is insane. Teagan has been helping with the engorgement too; she is very happy to have her bubbies back! LOL. She is still only nursing 1-3 times a day though, which is ok... Ever is attached nearly 24/7 and I'm still too sore to try tandem nursing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9DphXp-RSx-XfBe05eW1K6YdZ01KDSXqCP2CNejntnt1ed95-NKXmA2xcxfVCZTcNRRkkCh3E5rS1S2ksDmBQHJlvGv0NKTswr0kpxOMbd78tovd2mz-aD_v6j8KPayPwxhd7TnFE4A/s1600-h/100_2322.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9DphXp-RSx-XfBe05eW1K6YdZ01KDSXqCP2CNejntnt1ed95-NKXmA2xcxfVCZTcNRRkkCh3E5rS1S2ksDmBQHJlvGv0NKTswr0kpxOMbd78tovd2mz-aD_v6j8KPayPwxhd7TnFE4A/s320/100_2322.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260733450466191218" border="0" /></a><br />Everleigh is just looking at me so peacefully right now... she follows my voice everywhere I go, and really studies people's faces. She is SO strong too... and I am curious to know how much she weighs. I might just head over to the hospital today to get her hearing test done and check out her weight (and my own!! lol). She is a bit jaundiced, but yesterday was the last "peak day" for it, and she isn't sleepy or anything, so I am not worried about it one bit. Jaundice is such a neat thing lol... it sucks that it has such a bad rep when it really has beneficial properties for baby as long as it is physiological in nature. Being she didn't have her cord severed until the placenta was detached (and then much later after that), I didn't have any drugs of any kind (like pain meds, pitocin, etc), and we didn't consent to the vitamin K shot, I know h<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzTYelP7ui6fBl4UqheLvaTH6At2hxjTftpfw1g2Pyri_f-h2cNvyXlwOVWF8r4xL1OqCQ4RSREhTSFMjGHm_yTMpnQTPDJaVrIONJxmnnhepzq4YXf8D9T6YABI9wVCV5dedkMed8a8/s1600-h/100_2307.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzTYelP7ui6fBl4UqheLvaTH6At2hxjTftpfw1g2Pyri_f-h2cNvyXlwOVWF8r4xL1OqCQ4RSREhTSFMjGHm_yTMpnQTPDJaVrIONJxmnnhepzq4YXf8D9T6YABI9wVCV5dedkMed8a8/s320/100_2307.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260733421608974018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPewb1KZp70_UkxIhTvTYmiuGfBZP40coiuiKamh2Z5RTmnerx1QYezXHVt4LYrFAG1A46dA7OnDpcM0dqnKcZsB7Kg7aR46tX8sl2xW2yPGBb95nBc1-vNvPiXV309fsU-rjJNFU9Y0/s1600-h/100_2321.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPewb1KZp70_UkxIhTvTYmiuGfBZP40coiuiKamh2Z5RTmnerx1QYezXHVt4LYrFAG1A46dA7OnDpcM0dqnKcZsB7Kg7aR46tX8sl2xW2yPGBb95nBc1-vNvPiXV309fsU-rjJNFU9Y0/s320/100_2321.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260733446666476146" border="0" /></a>er jaundice is just the good kind :)<br />Anyway, I am feeling better and better everyday. My afterpains are all gone now, and the bleeding is down to just being like a normal period. My back and body are sore, but mostly from lack of sleep.. birth soreness is already gone for the most part! Hopefully I can hammer out Ever's birth story here soon.. today? Anyway, here are some more pictures!Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-28206787731710498952008-10-22T06:11:00.003-05:002008-10-22T07:04:32.653-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTV80pwV2Nouus2Byuo0F4D8oeco9KMxQZd2niT1b01hSkzayBsKQ9R4Fn3f4sMUA6VfmGOyy7FpXlcfa7PKDf-sViHgoEunH7v7w4NVuDU0wdh2t438bXo3lveztTnbg0TNe5F7HEV7Q/s1600-h/100_2305.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTV80pwV2Nouus2Byuo0F4D8oeco9KMxQZd2niT1b01hSkzayBsKQ9R4Fn3f4sMUA6VfmGOyy7FpXlcfa7PKDf-sViHgoEunH7v7w4NVuDU0wdh2t438bXo3lveztTnbg0TNe5F7HEV7Q/s320/100_2305.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259937290544938066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5QIK7g1miMCWjwaGTvmDfpEWkPNBQB8irhIybcd88wvkv6doToXN9MJTpUMgrIF3GxS7lEIHuIX6t9MHIN6C4Qp1n1hoeoCnkSEASTTgDoY-pd2450tlIOVxlXW4f9LoKm4uq_5llGY/s1600-h/100_2303.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5QIK7g1miMCWjwaGTvmDfpEWkPNBQB8irhIybcd88wvkv6doToXN9MJTpUMgrIF3GxS7lEIHuIX6t9MHIN6C4Qp1n1hoeoCnkSEASTTgDoY-pd2450tlIOVxlXW4f9LoKm4uq_5llGY/s320/100_2303.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259937298841692290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qzEXaiW0pzbUwqLRG6cWOBbRDnRaShGzt80fuYSJqJAv1echEzHY35PVDRhq0Gf7Ss9BwzGAGtHB9BRXDZz4NVKhxYTbMrHf2MsAhguB6jiOluH2K1H1_-yzFld7pi69m5TA3VJIj2k/s1600-h/100_2293.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qzEXaiW0pzbUwqLRG6cWOBbRDnRaShGzt80fuYSJqJAv1echEzHY35PVDRhq0Gf7Ss9BwzGAGtHB9BRXDZz4NVKhxYTbMrHf2MsAhguB6jiOluH2K1H1_-yzFld7pi69m5TA3VJIj2k/s320/100_2293.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259937303377604018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ78moJyqVrkPd-r2HCi6QAMIgO5p4jGBJI56xzgVw5DLS6D_1A38B2TPENzBhlL1o0jyeENSQKWWhRDAKT7uw9tTDcuxofHqi-tUQf_wAxHHBlLSAs-1tPBnl4v3UU8mET2SVziq-v1o/s1600-h/100_2282.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ78moJyqVrkPd-r2HCi6QAMIgO5p4jGBJI56xzgVw5DLS6D_1A38B2TPENzBhlL1o0jyeENSQKWWhRDAKT7uw9tTDcuxofHqi-tUQf_wAxHHBlLSAs-1tPBnl4v3UU8mET2SVziq-v1o/s320/100_2282.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259937314065936162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWTdDxOG4eSvKCwO70KdfucfawD2xt0o_6WvaHACwA5H8iCDFoZTvPETaC0nGLmG6qniytmKGj-rfVqDScP-lgc2-lTQVuQbSeYM_HkP_kpzMgUz5wB_otIozGDVWcI6taLZI_ZCoXJ0/s1600-h/100_2284.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWTdDxOG4eSvKCwO70KdfucfawD2xt0o_6WvaHACwA5H8iCDFoZTvPETaC0nGLmG6qniytmKGj-rfVqDScP-lgc2-lTQVuQbSeYM_HkP_kpzMgUz5wB_otIozGDVWcI6taLZI_ZCoXJ0/s320/100_2284.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259937324313669234" border="0" /></a><br />Our baby girl, Everleigh Anne was born on October 19th at 1:47am at home into her mommy's hands. She is absolutely perfect in every way! She weighed 9lbs and was 20 1/2 inches long with a 14 inch head. She is nursing like a champ, and her big sister loves her VERY much :)Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-73661959439684041062008-10-13T13:06:00.002-05:002008-10-13T13:10:29.672-05:0036weeks 5 days<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yr-y23oG24Byr5uXLuScII2ouuVsAthZC2yaQUaMN1D9q2GJcWun6FDDYMkc20WaFkKkbJr6VOut4vZuHBAMLrnc2-gJLS3zJUXeQ8y7cUQ1QvqSfzg9HUsMAWJhBW_4MoFfTwUJzLs/s1600-h/000_0030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yr-y23oG24Byr5uXLuScII2ouuVsAthZC2yaQUaMN1D9q2GJcWun6FDDYMkc20WaFkKkbJr6VOut4vZuHBAMLrnc2-gJLS3zJUXeQ8y7cUQ1QvqSfzg9HUsMAWJhBW_4MoFfTwUJzLs/s400/000_0030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256702164780717538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwT1iGCym-x7ChmGf5lzLqijWBPuVt7aCzgTloeqFHY-_aUImsf7eF0S2NXY93Ip5doKFY1Q7lOPGtnuXJNKN9VEe4mnfkflnr0NcBOz0TNRYl2BqTNasfZaPtno9HrsCCW4nfJ3T-wVU/s1600-h/000_0035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwT1iGCym-x7ChmGf5lzLqijWBPuVt7aCzgTloeqFHY-_aUImsf7eF0S2NXY93Ip5doKFY1Q7lOPGtnuXJNKN9VEe4mnfkflnr0NcBOz0TNRYl2BqTNasfZaPtno9HrsCCW4nfJ3T-wVU/s400/000_0035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256702170963654562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6kuJed6N7D0yLjnEEZIzdCk5Kg49RhLyPByFl2hIz4KniQj617pIZnNn1beQKVlawZKcpjDOqqa25n4UFxcAsPcGnkZeLJWHkt22ORsDhLfbGKcQJkKgvOLJWL8troqGsGM5ozcOZbA/s1600-h/000_0036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6kuJed6N7D0yLjnEEZIzdCk5Kg49RhLyPByFl2hIz4KniQj617pIZnNn1beQKVlawZKcpjDOqqa25n4UFxcAsPcGnkZeLJWHkt22ORsDhLfbGKcQJkKgvOLJWL8troqGsGM5ozcOZbA/s400/000_0036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256702177248193538" border="0" /></a><br />Haha, I can't help myself. I had to take more belly shots. Here they are!Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-15493478202783446722008-10-11T23:25:00.007-05:002008-10-11T23:34:22.085-05:00Week 36.5 Pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-c7I5dKqFxX1BZEKfxOy8YMUh4nRGjMtaNzXP9RsynNcd7vmOElpKZUSrCNVBT9-VrzsScvi1ruURI3cGxkRBlghyphenhyphenI1-lY3zGF7aWwapfiN56W7c6VYEqH6sToaSNLjI2oHrBCYmcr8A/s1600-h/000_0014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-c7I5dKqFxX1BZEKfxOy8YMUh4nRGjMtaNzXP9RsynNcd7vmOElpKZUSrCNVBT9-VrzsScvi1ruURI3cGxkRBlghyphenhyphenI1-lY3zGF7aWwapfiN56W7c6VYEqH6sToaSNLjI2oHrBCYmcr8A/s400/000_0014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256119579323252802" border="0" /></a><br />Here I am at 36.5 weeks. Yes my belly really is that lopsided lol. My mom finds it completely hilarious... I've gotten so big now that my brother Daniel has started calling me "The Belly".. saying it all dramatic like. It is hilarious. My stretchmarks look way worse in the pictures than in real life, at least to me ;) I don't mind though; I love my belly and what it holds, no matter what it looks like!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirQrYJN9tM0hhrSzRRC_MC6O5FlOjqfRJUNJ8wzLF4cy7S2_1ML0CjM9cppOm9D-Dbb7qAWdep5uPQPSH1qV1WCQ6nRoDKoWPtOLlc6XK-4yewIDz3OVqWBCADFSpLitHkCRR_8Bk6gQ/s1600-h/000_0016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirQrYJN9tM0hhrSzRRC_MC6O5FlOjqfRJUNJ8wzLF4cy7S2_1ML0CjM9cppOm9D-Dbb7qAWdep5uPQPSH1qV1WCQ6nRoDKoWPtOLlc6XK-4yewIDz3OVqWBCADFSpLitHkCRR_8Bk6gQ/s400/000_0016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256120180651137426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXz0cBqKHkLpNY0K94iAip_x8LWlAw7piNb8GTzqe1qnnd75VWqWrj465HbtS6PIDkwWJQkRgx2PbkwBURPhOP2SNAmG7sC2X_MIyfRIPLUEQW89ZJ14iyKAdQ6yVvAWdk2Pmd6tjm5Ug/s1600-h/000_0011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXz0cBqKHkLpNY0K94iAip_x8LWlAw7piNb8GTzqe1qnnd75VWqWrj465HbtS6PIDkwWJQkRgx2PbkwBURPhOP2SNAmG7sC2X_MIyfRIPLUEQW89ZJ14iyKAdQ6yVvAWdk2Pmd6tjm5Ug/s400/000_0011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256119731866866674" border="0" /></a>Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-50541114755294927132008-09-18T20:09:00.005-05:002008-09-18T20:19:43.072-05:00Belly Pictures for the weeks 30, 31, and 33!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdIVuWqKdcYMw6ROI4WPw7SQniYwK6A6bfTr_7_0vk01zW64FB1tByDCpsnroXJw0mNi2_RjwGL2A2ECPeWhmEvVYSWXQsCKUeC7okc35GJvjGlvmmwCisRJ6DKcsS8AYfpg5vAlM12c/s1600-h/100_2182.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdIVuWqKdcYMw6ROI4WPw7SQniYwK6A6bfTr_7_0vk01zW64FB1tByDCpsnroXJw0mNi2_RjwGL2A2ECPeWhmEvVYSWXQsCKUeC7okc35GJvjGlvmmwCisRJ6DKcsS8AYfpg5vAlM12c/s400/100_2182.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247534645653012866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkziqCM-PynEi1Hlj74dU4Q7ZF9BccKp1i9gIfYQ1VVfvTJQBabsxi-DvrAKOChCeimVcvnDCiApXBze2DblAFv9J0Kgy1iGlACdDW5Ikwui9VX371iUQV0SBzpwnGOeBggXG4ByrjGSc/s1600-h/100_2157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkziqCM-PynEi1Hlj74dU4Q7ZF9BccKp1i9gIfYQ1VVfvTJQBabsxi-DvrAKOChCeimVcvnDCiApXBze2DblAFv9J0Kgy1iGlACdDW5Ikwui9VX371iUQV0SBzpwnGOeBggXG4ByrjGSc/s400/100_2157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247534426337813026" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBhprouia5JUqYc3t9Uyc_fTVk0kE6djYnRN9cmiWmU7ncIi6tcKvRrwBFw8-hMeZIuSWvNE8BTyAxOEs-q6dVqTv_CXMZS1tWwC8Ks9BYPtEL9etxNFVU5w_Rj9MhCUV6Q4DN1crCgA/s1600-h/100_2218.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBhprouia5JUqYc3t9Uyc_fTVk0kE6djYnRN9cmiWmU7ncIi6tcKvRrwBFw8-hMeZIuSWvNE8BTyAxOEs-q6dVqTv_CXMZS1tWwC8Ks9BYPtEL9etxNFVU5w_Rj9MhCUV6Q4DN1crCgA/s400/100_2218.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247535257182837282" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Life has been crazy here for awhile. I am all moved out of Jason's house and into my new apartment. I am feeling very at home and<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9A5K0SxRkZYNjZtWqXbgU_88_bQjCxcjCkd38YwDgzHIs_g5DxLAYPRhRMft6ziGd4vNEQdqovdjSe2t7rLoOxyO_sbeAF8Yi5RNuDJYo1wcp3SIwfTv7bxcmqJ4rkBJBjucS0Hlmgys/s1600-h/100_2215.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9A5K0SxRkZYNjZtWqXbgU_88_bQjCxcjCkd38YwDgzHIs_g5DxLAYPRhRMft6ziGd4vNEQdqovdjSe2t7rLoOxyO_sbeAF8Yi5RNuDJYo1wcp3SIwfTv7bxcmqJ4rkBJBjucS0Hlmgys/s400/100_2215.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247535253064536402" border="0" /></a> comfortable here, and have settled in nicely. It is nice only having to worry about myself and Teags... I know that sounds weird, but I feel much more in control and much less stressed out, even though I'm currently not able to afford toilet paper! LOL. Anyway, here are my belly pictures.Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-38759645246835412962008-07-27T14:18:00.004-05:002008-07-27T14:35:09.690-05:00The Amazing Growing Belly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7SWMYGmIIMArsNhPaSnkBx68BhneLkLHvanhZtWzOxIpzcnLZWP9HrJjDqfysUQfb3DHAlG-hPVk0pxd5jDg6nI_RxNIQ4VV-2DXFTzXbWsNzOjTV6I40SmVAMIpUM8uNnPLyp7iaRw/s1600-h/100_2150.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7SWMYGmIIMArsNhPaSnkBx68BhneLkLHvanhZtWzOxIpzcnLZWP9HrJjDqfysUQfb3DHAlG-hPVk0pxd5jDg6nI_RxNIQ4VV-2DXFTzXbWsNzOjTV6I40SmVAMIpUM8uNnPLyp7iaRw/s400/100_2150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227775959477600962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFHTI3cLqN2HzoPREo4DNR02nmJvXEysjK6uxw8iyL7gnWHgZ6-hNvYiKWfU5feUGYicjXSDWCiV4cPmvGGxsxl8PzP1AjLnB3GFoaMWSevMXT4iu-Q45t39HuQdT_65GrxfWyJ7m58Q/s1600-h/100_2112.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFHTI3cLqN2HzoPREo4DNR02nmJvXEysjK6uxw8iyL7gnWHgZ6-hNvYiKWfU5feUGYicjXSDWCiV4cPmvGGxsxl8PzP1AjLnB3GFoaMWSevMXT4iu-Q45t39HuQdT_65GrxfWyJ7m58Q/s400/100_2112.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227775966161776674" border="0" /></a>Here I am at 25.5 weeks (top) and 24 weeks (bottom).<br />I really feel big this pregnancy, and I am amazed at how big I look! My measurements are going up faster than the actual weeks I'm at, so I am keeping an eye on it :) Who knows, maybe there really *is* two in there?<br />23 weeks- 24 cm<br />24 weeks-26 cm<br />25 weeks- 27cm<br /><br />This is about the time a jump should become apparent if there are two in there. But I'm thinking it is just a normal growth spurt and I look bigger because my body has already done this once before :)<br /><br />We kind of picked out a name if it is a girl; Everleigh Rhys. We also like Parker Brian for a boy, but we aren't sure yet. I am thinking this baby is a girl, and my dreams seem to agree with me :) I had a weird one the other night. I told myself before I went to bed that I would dream of what this baby's gender is. I then had a dream that I was decorating a room for my baby, and I was with *someone*. I don't know who, or whether they were male or female or alien lol, but suddenly I *realized* I was dreaming, and remembered my question and asked it. I then noticed the colors we were decorating with (girl colors), and asked the other person, "Are you sure?" and the replied "Oh, definitely!" and a great sense of peace came over me. I wonder if this dream will turn out to be true?<br /><br />Anyway, just thought I'd post a quick update for everyone. I haven't been around much due to issues at home, summer, 2 year old, etc... but I hope to get more action on here soon!Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-79161095771838993492008-07-05T09:34:00.003-05:002008-07-05T09:46:36.441-05:00Week 22.5Jason and I have finally decided to no longer resume prenatal care up at the clinic here. The midwife, while wonderful, is nonetheless bound by hospital policy and protocol. Of course, many of these things just do not fit with our research, beliefs, or even comfort level. It is causing us more stress that we don't need and not helping anything. My pregnancy is low-risk, and I know how to recognize problems in myself or with my baby, so we are very confident that this is the very best decision for us. I am thinking of getting a stethoscope soon, just to hear baby every once in awhile. But I trust my body and baby to do what they need to and am not worried at all.<br /><br />Here are some more belly pictures!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFEQZTW9QAZYTEpa8pxhTnEojzVHlZ7qDGSs17aJfi0kq58sJD6UwBSCe87ilbJoY0TS6phVsHPbH6NfARbocJNLr68Eyh7uDvDIm5j8mdku3NyDm5GiNY7YY3Zgdy5Wdz0XqcJTZ5dI/s1600-h/100_2036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFEQZTW9QAZYTEpa8pxhTnEojzVHlZ7qDGSs17aJfi0kq58sJD6UwBSCe87ilbJoY0TS6phVsHPbH6NfARbocJNLr68Eyh7uDvDIm5j8mdku3NyDm5GiNY7YY3Zgdy5Wdz0XqcJTZ5dI/s400/100_2036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219541002989485858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqhF20L0q61mWE8Dp40o-KwBONm3YHvnre7T73mjzYgmOyCkHdFvcHaNJ3lrKy2y3z4GvDJ2oQAY4s4btvD6wVMzLD0cxUOnR0FuWUxIyI4lYROTznQhKiXBglPP_zQMZ80ykKHqvdsI/s1600-h/100_2046.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqhF20L0q61mWE8Dp40o-KwBONm3YHvnre7T73mjzYgmOyCkHdFvcHaNJ3lrKy2y3z4GvDJ2oQAY4s4btvD6wVMzLD0cxUOnR0FuWUxIyI4lYROTznQhKiXBglPP_zQMZ80ykKHqvdsI/s400/100_2046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219540993700837234" border="0" /></a>Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-26549398429223359942008-06-20T20:24:00.003-05:002008-06-20T20:41:32.329-05:00Our new puppy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNTt81bA7RNlhfB8nrXn7pnbFqkVSUWM5rbaqjPhKH67wEhZzeejvUNIRpFUENJKbUHgyQQgwZaqpQFgWbUL8JORVkdw4wWau3RsYymiNFB5itqAA_SrU-375dWwqEE-WgIcMV5o2jyY/s1600-h/100_1970.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNTt81bA7RNlhfB8nrXn7pnbFqkVSUWM5rbaqjPhKH67wEhZzeejvUNIRpFUENJKbUHgyQQgwZaqpQFgWbUL8JORVkdw4wWau3RsYymiNFB5itqAA_SrU-375dWwqEE-WgIcMV5o2jyY/s400/100_1970.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214143086549053266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyR4aXIdXWmQ6BwDFrWxM-taszsDoIrSQkrAnbyDnAnL6fCr2t15kixZK0j0X34p7PNMcoCtXaGH6PFoCBJD80MKBJERQiHUbvyBIO9BKLO3HvaFQQFp8bc9MKjt2lTtMuY1tlyFzlK4w/s1600-h/100_1969.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyR4aXIdXWmQ6BwDFrWxM-taszsDoIrSQkrAnbyDnAnL6fCr2t15kixZK0j0X34p7PNMcoCtXaGH6PFoCBJD80MKBJERQiHUbvyBIO9BKLO3HvaFQQFp8bc9MKjt2lTtMuY1tlyFzlK4w/s400/100_1969.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214143089851950466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMg7htXa83qR3hp8nrqHeBhLLQYoc4Sy_HhR7ZqUWB8FbFuq5Sicv6vEHS2n030Ojs15nS8OgVRaXyILe02HnQoxDmPmS1ejphB1dABPLcGk3DhXWLukDxBHchQ2aOcEeKFhBAp2gBDBE/s1600-h/100_1968.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMg7htXa83qR3hp8nrqHeBhLLQYoc4Sy_HhR7ZqUWB8FbFuq5Sicv6vEHS2n030Ojs15nS8OgVRaXyILe02HnQoxDmPmS1ejphB1dABPLcGk3DhXWLukDxBHchQ2aOcEeKFhBAp2gBDBE/s400/100_1968.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214143093979446258" border="0" /></a><br />Here are pictures of Macy, our cocker/ pekingese cross puppy. We got her for Teagan's birthday this year. She is such a sweetie, and soooooooo cute! We love her a lot, especially Teagan :) She may be small, but she's a feisty one!Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-55624109196885709252008-06-11T12:46:00.002-05:002008-06-12T07:59:48.678-05:00Week 19<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWFl2uMIe2T_pt5zQL0Nl8tE2zcVSRRPSbKR5QDnOIPBkWaFZC4sSqenM6uHqxjLVaV2gJicA5nXMg391HNSWWYgiYpg0QbQc5zwHEyKvXFfTu-Xq3m5IOj359S4vTIy8-duqiHwYO8Y/s1600-h/100_1977.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWFl2uMIe2T_pt5zQL0Nl8tE2zcVSRRPSbKR5QDnOIPBkWaFZC4sSqenM6uHqxjLVaV2gJicA5nXMg391HNSWWYgiYpg0QbQc5zwHEyKvXFfTu-Xq3m5IOj359S4vTIy8-duqiHwYO8Y/s400/100_1977.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210833056421777666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC9CY1-RKY2fhui6TaHDyNL5NurGsnD9zdw8IbK1nDy5Wi3jzY9bd9d-ctW03dGkAB9gWXw94ijsr1HRq1bpm0ZsJG81gXRRIPnjqJpTqSdsOZjiW45dgYWmEBk6JhyN_iV38I8Nt4cY/s1600-h/100_1973.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC9CY1-RKY2fhui6TaHDyNL5NurGsnD9zdw8IbK1nDy5Wi3jzY9bd9d-ctW03dGkAB9gWXw94ijsr1HRq1bpm0ZsJG81gXRRIPnjqJpTqSdsOZjiW45dgYWmEBk6JhyN_iV38I8Nt4cY/s400/100_1973.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210833070059706754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEd_7VK2P0F6EGin7jW0293PERTjUuz5PPd35ylIEbgwumhpWOJ9N3secpG0NEK6RweWkjodFpaPBfRsYsV_CT2k4rDoQuVr7G3gI-UmQDPsn-RVG4T5AMZkN9_vhJpT79E14ZwgSPLZE/s1600-h/100_1968.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEd_7VK2P0F6EGin7jW0293PERTjUuz5PPd35ylIEbgwumhpWOJ9N3secpG0NEK6RweWkjodFpaPBfRsYsV_CT2k4rDoQuVr7G3gI-UmQDPsn-RVG4T5AMZkN9_vhJpT79E14ZwgSPLZE/s400/100_1968.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210833103890258274" border="0" /></a><br />Almost half-way there! We are so excited for this baby. He/she is growing so fast.. my belly is really getting big now too! I have my next appointment tomorrow, and I'll get to hear baby's heartbeat with the fetoscope. I am very excited!<br />Here are my 19 week belly shots.. Don't mind the tired look on my face, it was bedtime when those got taken! I am pretty sure my belly grew quite a bit! The little squeaker is kicking so hard in there lately he/she feels like they want to come out! I am always just amazed that my body just *knows* how to grow a baby, and my baby just *knows* how to grow inside of me. Simply a miracle.Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-80143847445738387152008-06-03T21:34:00.000-05:002008-06-03T21:34:34.766-05:00The True Face of Birth: Survey on Birth Choices<a href="http://rixarixa.blogspot.com/2008/06/survey-on-birth-choices.html">The True Face of Birth: Survey on Birth Choices</a><br /><br />If you are currently pregnant or have given birth in the last 12 months, you may be eligible to complete this survey. More details at the above link!Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-23090583328249204232008-06-02T14:16:00.003-05:002008-06-02T14:42:20.372-05:0017 week belly pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6hVw50fY8DL8i6nwJChIgVw40TEM7c15-TsPCFTCegnlHGr7OeeJLVtJhca6ZJIJczdqEaO-Gk_brWj2J3bMcX39RsAwTf1xPz0RgZpmz7BuRFpPiMlLtn4iqYKQU30O9Pahwfe6Tp0/s1600-h/100_1952.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6hVw50fY8DL8i6nwJChIgVw40TEM7c15-TsPCFTCegnlHGr7OeeJLVtJhca6ZJIJczdqEaO-Gk_brWj2J3bMcX39RsAwTf1xPz0RgZpmz7BuRFpPiMlLtn4iqYKQU30O9Pahwfe6Tp0/s400/100_1952.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207370342269188546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvAF8IP6138vl2n0fiudPrvvDfQFBwRXVl8vP2STKwfThuYHmIGAWK8aOEm8lhMN55tAZeQIltI0FXKPBi-0_jdnab4STXWF3M1baIPkPwef0SWNoeYK4gBq-gOs8Am6bh-Oe5D1qQoU/s1600-h/100_1950.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvAF8IP6138vl2n0fiudPrvvDfQFBwRXVl8vP2STKwfThuYHmIGAWK8aOEm8lhMN55tAZeQIltI0FXKPBi-0_jdnab4STXWF3M1baIPkPwef0SWNoeYK4gBq-gOs8Am6bh-Oe5D1qQoU/s400/100_1950.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207370359449057746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAR2kepgMdZdOl7bhIXZVEuMOqYy8ukVrgMRxrKEXXzCGRPHw6KAmyyDA2ORnmM7CqNx51iabghXsjgAFIJs_Grk3c8Nd0JicfsO0wNTSPHa6hrfqBcIdtWzgrH2Ml0LFtWS28pOZyyng/s1600-h/Belly+picture.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAR2kepgMdZdOl7bhIXZVEuMOqYy8ukVrgMRxrKEXXzCGRPHw6KAmyyDA2ORnmM7CqNx51iabghXsjgAFIJs_Grk3c8Nd0JicfsO0wNTSPHa6hrfqBcIdtWzgrH2Ml0LFtWS28pOZyyng/s400/Belly+picture.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207370368038992354" border="0" /></a><br />Well, the sun decided to come out and play this weekend. It was nearly 90 degrees yesterday! But now today it dropped back down into the 50s, so I'm forced to stay in the house and clean. I think I will make a zucchini cake today, and maybe some other goodies to keep my mood up. I just want sunlight!!<br />I have been feeling so good lately. My belly is starting to pop a bit, my skin is clear, I'm feeling wonderful, and I can feel baby moving so happily in there! I can really tell that the relaxin is kicking in though.. sometimes I feel like my pelvis is just going to fall apart! Haha. I can't wait to go swimming this summer and enjoy the sun some more. I think it will help with the minor aches and pains I get from sitting at the computer for my new job.<br /><br />My next appointment is June 12th. I think we might be able to hear baby's heartbeat with the fetoscope at that appointment, and I am excited for it! I need to invest in one someday when we have a bit of extra money around here. I also need to start saving up for my birth pool and a few minor birthing supplies. I also want to get a hammock. I think it will really be nice to put my upper body on while in labor so I can completely relax and listen to my hypnobabies while still being upright. As much as I loved the water for Teagan's birth, I'm sure I'll be wanting water mostly, but just in case it would be nice to have another comfy option.<br /><br />Anyway, here are my 17 week belly pictures. I am about a week behind getting these up as I'm going to be 18 weeks tomorrow! I will take more tomorrow though. I also posted a couple of my final belly pictures from when I was pregnant with Teagan. I wish I would have taken them throughout my entire pregnancy with her! I had a lot going on at the time though, so I try not to beat myself up about too much.<br /><br />Anyway, here they are! Enjoy!Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-2521463423894567882008-05-23T11:37:00.002-05:002008-05-23T11:48:41.182-05:0016.5 week belly shots<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo48BAoe8I8GYKfM3UstsNRnq1SuA-aZuHGKsRcCeWMXCRqJ6FnjrChonH4NrG6kVOyn4kWoBR0n0M0xWgG-YAt7YXMRRSJKENjnXpump2SEPtwdbRigHlmtF5nMnWM3w2l7KljvvCkrs/s1600-h/100_1930.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo48BAoe8I8GYKfM3UstsNRnq1SuA-aZuHGKsRcCeWMXCRqJ6FnjrChonH4NrG6kVOyn4kWoBR0n0M0xWgG-YAt7YXMRRSJKENjnXpump2SEPtwdbRigHlmtF5nMnWM3w2l7KljvvCkrs/s320/100_1930.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203615239477393810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYz06b4YcqCqLHZoMnoxzx7j5p3v9fUWEF5F-Ewbjzl1MYDWyyfZFBO_SLsjfakaLpLIXVQSbSemVvrofY9P7xqiwqmqdy7rhYM9w1_8MerDI4A6xsmdRAm-2N82EjSrZ6cpBVC2XuBY/s1600-h/100_1939.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYz06b4YcqCqLHZoMnoxzx7j5p3v9fUWEF5F-Ewbjzl1MYDWyyfZFBO_SLsjfakaLpLIXVQSbSemVvrofY9P7xqiwqmqdy7rhYM9w1_8MerDI4A6xsmdRAm-2N82EjSrZ6cpBVC2XuBY/s320/100_1939.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203615248067328418" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here's my new belly pics!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhlOrG39xMEHBf2ejl26g85pA0hR8cyl9XOMg_BDmZN4cZQmoQuWGNFfLY0yGp2w7g6N8U9g08lm4jCtWqnM4Lw_PawDKMNJX-C08AWddMmpLl3fa0V8gFOGLghVPaJYq2YwujpObCKA/s1600-h/100_1932.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhlOrG39xMEHBf2ejl26g85pA0hR8cyl9XOMg_BDmZN4cZQmoQuWGNFfLY0yGp2w7g6N8U9g08lm4jCtWqnM4Lw_PawDKMNJX-C08AWddMmpLl3fa0V8gFOGLghVPaJYq2YwujpObCKA/s320/100_1932.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203615252362295730" border="0" /></a>My stretch marks are starting to get darker again I think! Anyway, I haven't compared them to the 11 week ones yet, so I'm excited to see!<br /><br />I had a bit of a scare last night. When going to the bathroom I noticed I had some really think discharge... Once I really looked at it, I realized it was part of my mucus plug (once you see one, you'll always remember what it looks like!) I then checked my cervix, and found it soft and probably about 2cm open. However, I hadn't had any kind of cramping or anything that day, so I decided to wait until morning to do anything. This morning I'm all back to normal. My cervix is closing back up and I'm not losing any more plug. My body will just regenerate what was lost, so I'm not too worried about it. It's just one of those things that makes you go "Hmmmmmmmmm....."Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-92050914106719003612008-05-15T13:12:00.003-05:002008-05-15T13:52:34.098-05:0011 Week Belly Shot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrTnrFx48TdC1u_xRqhiBlAqlAnNI2eNaWm0rUjxIzWR4sHNloRZ2oHQHanCCRtON7Rh_egArriVHY4Wul00JTYTIpAXDFhUKZM0_9lcUpZdS8Y-AFGdV_-JDxp80UDH-g_TJ6h6_Kdc/s1600-h/100_1884.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrTnrFx48TdC1u_xRqhiBlAqlAnNI2eNaWm0rUjxIzWR4sHNloRZ2oHQHanCCRtON7Rh_egArriVHY4Wul00JTYTIpAXDFhUKZM0_9lcUpZdS8Y-AFGdV_-JDxp80UDH-g_TJ6h6_Kdc/s400/100_1884.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200673698954206338" border="0" /></a><br />So here is my 11 week belly shot. My belly is a bit bigger here than normally, but not by much! I'm 15 1/2 weeks now!! YAY!<br /><br />So here is some updates:<br />Jason expressed to me that he would feel more comfortable with the UC if he could call our midwife in case something came up (as opposed to just going to the hospital). The only catch with that is I have to do some prenatal care with the midwife in order for my insurance to cover her if she does come. After some thought, I agreed with him.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Our First Appointment: </span>Jason and Teagan came with. We went through all of the usual paperwork. Our midwife wanted to listen to the heartbeat; now, in case you didn't know this about me, I believe that ultrasound is not as safe as doctors try to make it out to be. For my peace of mind (and I regret it now...) we decided to take a quick listen. The heartbeat was nice and strong at 158 bpm. The midwife and I also thought we heard an "echo"... possibly another baby. Being it was just a quick listen she didn't check any further, and she figures it was just the placenta anyway. We shall see!<br /><br />I was measuring about a week ahead which doesn't surprise me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Second Appointment: </span>It was just Teagan and I this time. Baby has been moving since about week 10, but now he/she is moving so good I can feel it on the outside! Baby is measuring all the way up to my belly button already, which is big considering I was only 15 weeks at that appointment! No, I'm not concerned about a big baby; my baby will grow to the perfect size for my body. What I *am* a little worried about is the possibility of more than one in there! It wouldn't change my UC plans at all, but it would change how much protein I pack into a day and other things. On one hand, I really think it would be great to have twins! On the other.... twins AND Teagan? Ohhhh boy. And being I will probably be tandem nursing, I would definitely be in for it with a toddler and TWO babies nursing! LOL! Oh well, I won't be the first momma to do it! And I totally would :)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></span>Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-40693102420733625762008-04-08T23:19:00.002-05:002008-04-08T23:32:24.811-05:00QuickeningHuston, we have movement!<br />Our baby has already become strong enough to be felt by me, though I'm sure it will be a few weeks or more before we can feel baby on the outside. I am 10 weeks to day already... already in the double digits! Time is going quickly, though some days I feel like it is crawling along... and of course those days are usually when I am miserable with nausea and the such.<br /><br />I haven't been feeling TOO badly... very hungry, but nauseas too, headaches, very tired, etc... The usual pregnancy stuff. But I've heard and seen worse, so I'm trying not to complain! It's already getting a bit better, and I'm hoping because it started so early with this baby, it will be done early too! With Teagan, I didn't start to get really sick until I reached my 3rd month, but it only lasted for a month.. nothing too major. I'm approaching a month of misery with this one, so I'm hoping my body stays true to form and gives me a break soon! Ah sweet 2nd trimester lol.<br /><br />I'm convinced this baby is a girl... not sure why, but I keep referring to "her" and I "feel" like it's a girl!! But we'll see lol. It could always change.<br /><br />I am having an appointment with the CNM here on the 21st. I think they scheduled it as a prenatal visit, though it is really just for discussing the meds that I was on (I've since weaned off of them). I think I am going to have her teach me how to check my fundal height, and maybe sign up for one of her infant resuscitation classes she often has. I am nervous about telling her my plans, but I think she will be supportive. She is a wonderful person, and very accepting.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm off to bed. Teagan is sleeping soundly... she's come down with a cold, and I'm glad that her little body is letting her sleep so good. Hopefully I will finally get a good nights rest as well!<br /><br />I'll be posting belly pics soon! Stay tuned :)Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-34629090775689607832008-03-30T18:52:00.002-05:002008-03-30T18:59:31.525-05:00My DreamI had a dream... I can't remember if I had it last night or the night before, as I didn't remember it until just now...<br /><br />I had had my baby, in a nice full pool of water.. and I felt so at peace and comfortable, and was in the "bubble" of just holding my little one. He/She was wide-eyed and alert.... can't remember checking the sex. We just stared at each other, as I held my baby in the water. I remember submersing the baby's body in the warm water, and feeling his/her body just completely relax into the water. I remember thinking, "No one to bother us.. no one to try to mess with the cord, or me, or my perfect baby..." and feeling so... healed.<br /><br />I am grateful that this vision was sent to me, so I can hold it close for my affirmations of my coming birth. When I remembered it just now, I felt so much better... I have been holding so much stress and anxiety, but this vision gives me a peace about everything.<br /><br /><br />And with my experiences with deja vu, especially with dreaming the future (usually little non-significant tidbits), I thought I would write this one down before I forgot.Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-49525094111727284182008-03-09T23:28:00.003-05:002008-03-09T23:46:23.870-05:00Week 6So tomorrow is the beginning of week 6 of my beautiful pregnancy. I am half-way through the tentative time.... the first trimester is a relief for me to get out of. I feel better knowing my chance of losing baby after 12 weeks drops considerably. I am already so attached to this baby....<br /><br />I am really concentrating on my nutrition this pregnancy. With my first, I did all the things my midwife and family told me to do... <span style="font-weight: bold;">don't </span>eat soft cheese.. undercooked meat... raw eggs... junk food... processed foods... etc. The usual "don't" list. However, no one really told me what I *should* be eating. For example, 80-100g of protein a day. so, I'm not only cutting out the "don't eat" list, (except raw eggs.... my dear friend Kristen corrected me on those! Just wash the outer shell..) I am also concentrating on what I should eat everyday. <br /> So far, I've been getting the 80-100g of protein a day... I've also been drinking TONS of water. I had dehydration issues with my first pregnancy, so I want to be careful with that. I also am drinking many nourishing teas; red raspberry leaf, oatstraw, alfalfa, nettle, red clover, dandelion, etc. I have only been eating organic foods as well. It's more expensive, but a price cannot be put on my or my unborn baby's health! However, I plan on having a very large garden this summer, to help with the costs of organic produce.<br /> I have also been concentrating on my fitness more this pregnancy. I do yoga, meditate, do sun salutes, and some Tai Chi everyday. I will also start walking everyday once it starts to warm up here! And this summer will be spent running after my energetic daughter :) Swimming will be in high demand in the hot season as well! Oh, I can't wait for the pool!!<br /><br />Anyway, I've already noticed that I'm not as nauseas when I eat my protein right away. I have also been drinking spirulina smoothies, which help supply a huge dose of B-vitamins. Of course, B-vitamins are not only vital for baby, but also helps keep morning sickness, depression, and tiredness minimal for mom. I will have to post a picture of my daughter's spirulina mustache one of these days lol.<br /><br />My brother and his girlfriend are getting ready for baby *any day now*!! I am feeling anxious about it, but optimistic. She is having her baby in the hospital, with a midwife... but her midwife will be going on vacation in less than a week! Time's-a-ticking for her, as she doesn't want a doctor attending. I hope labor starts for her soon!Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-57086928398767871102008-03-09T14:29:00.006-05:002008-03-10T00:22:53.026-05:00The Beginnings of a Radical Pregnancy<div style="text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">February 22nd, 2008~</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> We started remodeling our new home. Grandma Blue came over and helped Jason take down all the wallpaper with the steamer, wash the glue off the walls, spackle, sand, paint, and clean. I stayed at the apartment with Teagan and packed everything while also cleaning the place to make our move easier. I finish the day feeling totally drained... unusually tired... but I just contribute it to the stress and energy I'm using getting moving done.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">February 23rd, 2008~</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> We all got together and finished painting and cleaning. Our friends, Heidi and Forest, Jeremy, my brothers, my dad, and our friend Josh came over to help us clean up and get everything moved quickly. The majority got moved, and then we all went out to eat afterwards. I am feeling very excited to be spending the first night in our new home!!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">February 24th, 2008~</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Since we started moving, I hadn't been taking my temperature every morning, so I had no idea where I was at in my cycle.. except that I was quite a few days past ovulation. I took a pregnancy test at 5:30am (I couldn't sleep!!) and it came back negative. :( No worries, I tell myself; it will be positive tomorrow!!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I spend the rest of the day unusually tired but I have energy. It was kind of weird! I got a lot of unpacking done and the house clean. Daniel and I also went over to the apartment and got the rest of the stuff out of there.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">February 25th, 2008~</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I wake up AGAIN at 5:30am... so weird, I think. I've been getting up at about 7:30 for the past two years or so, so I'm not sure what is going on...</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">until I decide to take another pregnancy test.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Positive! Holy crap, is that really positive?? I thought. It was so so light, but it was there, that elusive vertical line that has been hiding from me for the past 6 months! I just walked out into the livingroom, so overwhelmed... and cried. When Jason came home, I had him look at the test to be sure I wasn't hallucinating. He said he saw it too!! We are just so so happy :)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">February 26th, 2008~</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I take another test; positive again!! This time the line is darker, too! Now I know why I've been SO SO tired! I take this test into my mom's work so she can see it.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I spend the day in Alex, and I tell my brother, Ashley, and my auntie Michelle the good news at breakfast. Then, Ash and I head over to Ron's Warehouse, and I snatch up a cool digital pregnancy test. Those faint lines just weren't doing it for me ;). That night, I took the digital, and the beautiful word "Pregnant" came right up!!! Everyone was then told that a new baby would be in our family come November!</span><br /><br /><br /></span></span></div>Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-17237044675305976072008-02-15T16:23:00.006-06:002008-02-15T16:30:10.712-06:00Birthing the Next Generation... for our mothers.In light of a thread that I have been reading recently, I decided to write about this. It has been in the back of my mind for quite some time now. I feel as though this was my sign to finally write about it..<br /><br />I find it really sad that our generation of women feel it is necessary to keep their mothers away from their birth in order for it to remain peaceful. Our mothers went through so much when they had us, during the 60s, 70s, and even into the 80s... most never had trust in their bodies and babies, and many had their babies ripped out of them in whatever way the doc seen fit. Many were drugged, belittled, strapped down, and scarred on the inside and out. I totally understand why many of these women fear pregnancy, labor, and birth.... and back then they didn't have the internet to help them find alternatives for their next children. And I also understand why many women these days do not want their mothers at their births...<br /><br />When I had my daughter, I was not "informed" like I am now. I *knew* instinctively that I wanted no pain meds, and wanted a natural birth. But the hospital was the only place to have a baby, in my realm of experience. I invited my mom there. I knew she would be nervous, and everything, but I needed her and I sensed she needed to be there with me. It didn't go so well, at the hospital, to say the least. It was very traumatizing for all that were involved.<br /><br />As I came out of my ignorance, and started learning, I felt like I needed to share all of this with my mom. As we talked about the different aspects I was studying at the time, she really opened up about her births with us 4 children (I was present for my youngest brother's birth) and we have healed in so many ways together. She balked at the idea of a homebirth at first, but her questions and concerns made my delve deeper into homebirth vs hospital birth (and even into UC) and made me question things I had not thought of before. Sometimes I would become angry at her questions... I get defensive very easily sometimes, especially when my instincts are telling me something is *right* (for lack of a better word) but I can't quite put it into words *why*. But in the end, her questions, honesty, and eventual trust in me (regarding my birth decisions and my body) has given me strength, confidence, and a support that I could not have found anywhere else.<br /><br />I truly hope someday my daughter(s) will include me in her birth. Not because she feels she *has* to, but because she will feel as *I* do...Our mothers were meant to be with us when we birth the next generation. Doctors, our technology-obsessed culture, etc. took that away from our mothers and even our grandmothers in many instances. Women now hire doulas, mostly because they feel they have to. They don't have their mothers' wisdom to count on... and they have to fight through the hospital birth just so they and their babies can come through it whole. Anyways, I'm rambling now. Sometimes I just get sad for our moms. I know some are completely close-minded about things, but I wonder if more of us took the time to talk to our mothers about everything, that we might discover how truly wonderful it is to have our moms on "our side" so-to-speak.Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728447158813095010.post-82131795175966122472008-02-06T11:25:00.000-06:002008-02-06T11:31:12.558-06:00Iatrogenic Events<h1>Iatrogenic Events Common, Often Serious, in Neonates</h1>Check this article out here:<br />http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/569722<br /> <br />February 5, 2008 — Iatrogenic events are common and are often serious in neonates, especially in infants of low birthweight, according to the results of a prospective cohort study reported in the February 2 issue of <i>The Lancet</i>.<p>"Background iatrogenic events are increasingly recognised as an important problem in all people admitted to hospital," write Isabelle Ligi, MD, from the Hôpitaux de Marseille, Université de la Méditerranée in Marseille, France, and colleagues. "However, few epidemiological data are available for iatrogenic events in neonatal high-risk units. We aimed to assess the incidence, nature, preventability, and severity of iatrogenic events in a neonatal centre and to establish the association of patient characteristics with the occurrence of iatrogenic events in neonates."</p><p>From January 1, 2005, to September 1, 2005, the investigators observed all neonates admitted to the Division of Neonatology of an academic, tertiary neonatal center in southern France. Reporting of iatrogenic events was voluntary, anonymous, and nonpunitive. These were defined as any event potentially compromising patient safety, whether there was actual harm. The main endpoint was the rate of iatrogenic events per 1000 patient-days.</p><p>During 10,436 patient-days, 388 patients were studied, and 267 iatrogenic events were recorded in 116 patients (25.6 iatrogenic events per 1000 patient-days). Of these 267 iatrogenic events, 92 (34%) were preventable and 78 (29%) were severe; 2 (1%) were fatal, but neither of these fatal events was preventable.</p><p>Of the iatrogenic events documented, the categories in which the highest proportion of events was severe were nosocomial infections (49/62; 79%) and respiratory tract events (9/26; 35%). Although cutaneous injuries were frequent (n = 94), they were typically minor (89/94; 95%). Most medication errors were also minor (15/19; 76%), occurred during the administration stage (12/19; 63%), and were 10-fold errors (9/19; 47%).</p><p>Predominant risk factors for iatrogenic events were low birthweight and gestational age<br />(<i>P</i> < .0001 for both), length of stay (<i>P</i> < .0001), presence of a central venous line (<i>P</i> < .0001), use of mechanical ventilation (<i>P</i> = .0021), and support with continuous positive airway pressure<br />(<i>P</i> = .0076).</p><p>"Iatrogenic events occur frequently and are often serious in neonates, especially in infants of low birthweight," the study authors write. "Improved knowledge of the incidence and characteristics of iatrogenic events, and continuous monitoring could help to improve quality of health care for this vulnerable population. . . . Although a few of these [nosocomial] infections might be endogenous, efforts should focus on prevention since around 15% of these iatrogenic events in our study could have been prevented."</p><p>Limitations of the study include setting at a single center with possible lack of generalizability, minor incidents may have been underreported, possible bias because of underreporting during the first part of the study, and possible classification bias.</p><p>"Limitations of invasive procedures for premature neonates should be a priority, since such procedures frequently induce comorbidity, whereas the complications (and mortality) directly due to preterm birth keep decreasing," the study authors conclude. "The high risk of iatrogenic events draws attention to the importance of developing, testing, and implementing effective error-prevention strategies in paediatric medicine. Prospective, anonymous incident reporting offers both a means to monitor and prevent iatrogenic events, and an educational advantage to staff."</p><p>The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.</p><p>In an accompanying comment, Gitte Y. Larsen, MD, MPH, and Howard B. Parker, PhD, from Primary Children's Medical Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, discuss various strategies to improve patient safety.</p><p>"The universal safe-practice approach continues to have value as a strategy to improve patients' safety, but with important limitations — it should be seen as a place to start, not to end," Drs. Larsen and Parker write. "The local epidemiological approach exemplified by Ligi and colleagues is an essential complement to the global strategy, and promises to be a highly effective method of reducing harm to patients. Let us hope that more institutions recognise the value of this approach."</p><p>Drs. Larsen and Parker have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.</p><p><i>Lancet</i>. 2008; 371:364-365, 404-410.</p> <h3>Clinical Context</h3><p>Medical errors have been estimated to cause more than 40,000 deaths annually in the United States alone, and approximately half of these errors are preventable. Moreover, medical errors affect more than just adults and children. A previous study suggests that medical errors are evident in the records of 1.2% to 1.4% of hospitalized neonates.</p> <p>This previous study focused on errors that resulted in complications, but the current research uses a voluntary, nonpunitive system for reporting medical errors. Such a system is designed to catch not only errors that promote adverse events but also other mistakes that do not lead to direct patient harm. The results of the current research are summarized below.</p> <h3>Study Highlights</h3><ul><li>The study was conducted at a 54-bed level 3 neonatal center in Marseille, France. All neonates admitted to the center between January 1, 2005, and September 1, 2005, were included in the study, although neonates who just had surgery or who were undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were excluded from analysis.</li><li>The ratio of patients to nurses in the study setting was 2:1 or 3:1, and a physician and intern provided 24-hour coverage to the unit.</li><li>An iatrogenic event was defined by any event that compromised the safety of the patient, regardless of the presence of actual patient harm. Severe iatrogenic events were defined by actions that led to patient disability, longer hospital stays, or death.</li><li>Iatrogenic events were recorded on a form that featured a preprinted listing of possible events to ease record completion. Data were gathered prospectively and were reviewed by 2 independent pediatricians, who assigned ratings regarding the preventability of the event.</li><li>The hospital staff used these reports on a regular basis for quality improvement activities during the study period.</li><li>388 neonates were included in the study, allowing for an analysis of 10,436 patient-days. Nearly two thirds of neonates were delivered at 33 weeks of gestation or later, and 15% were characterized as small for gestational age.</li><li>267 iatrogenic events were detected among 118 subjects. The rate of iatrogenic events was 25.6 per 1000 patient-days.</li><li>34% of iatrogenic events were judged to be preventable, and 29% of iatrogenic events were severe. Severe events were less preventable than other events.</li><li>Nosocomial infection and cutaneous events were the most common iatrogenic events. However, most cutaneous events were minor in severity.</li><li>Nosocomial infection and, to a lesser degree, respiratory tract events accounted for the most severe iatrogenic events.</li><li>The risk for medication errors was 4.9 per 100 admissions. Administration, not ordering, errors were the most common medication errors, and nearly all of these errors involved mistakes in programming medication pumps.</li><li>Errors with sedative and cardiovascular drugs were the most common, and nearly half of medication errors involved mistaking a drug dose by a factor of 10.</li><li>Gestational age and birthweight were inversely associated with the risk for medical errors. Compared with neonates born at term, neonates delivered at less than 28 weeks of gestation had an odds ratio of 24.1 for experiencing a medical error.</li><li>A longer duration of hospital stay and longer duration of vascular catheterization also increased the risk for iatrogenic events, as did the use of mechanical ventilation or continuous positive airway pressure.</li><li>Researchers did not mention hospital system or staff factors that might have also been related to iatrogenic events.</li></ul> <h3>Pearls for Practice</h3><ul><li>In the current study of neonates in an intensive care unit, 30% of neonates experienced an iatrogenic event. Nosocomial infection and cutaneous events were the most common iatrogenic events. One third of iatrogenic events were considered preventable, and most medication errors occurred during administration of the drug.</li><li>The current study finds that gestational age, birthweight, duration of hospital stay, duration of vascular catheterization, mechanical ventilation, and the use of continuous positive airway pressure can influence the rate of iatrogenic events among neonates.</li></ul>Brittneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00421179723564074585noreply@blogger.com0