You and your sister are sleeping soundly and I thought I had better start writing your story before I forget everything. You, Ellie Anna, are a precious gift and your dad and I love you so much. The Lord was so gracious to us in how He brought you into the world. We found out we were pregnant with you…
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Empowering VBAC from Dad’s POV
Part II of a beautiful VBAC story, as told by Elspeth Ridout McCormick’s husband. Elspeth had been having contractions all month, really. They would come in the evenings, mostly, and then they would stop around bedtime. This Friday, though, the contractions didn’t stop. Elspeth had them throughout dinner, and as the night got a little later we started to wonder…
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Empowering VBAC from Mom’s POV
A beautiful VBAC birth story, as told by Elspeth Ridout McCormick. Like all VBAC stories, the story of my daughter’s birth really starts with her big brother’s birth. In 2012, we were expecting our first child. We took Bradley classes, practiced relaxation techniques, followed the Bradley diet, and took yoga classes and nightly walks to stay fit. My water broke…
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{I Am Strong} Making Peace with the Epidural
I wanted to share with you, the story of the birth of my second daughter, which was at 3:43 am on January 10th. Let’s go back three years, when I gave birth to my first: induced by cervadil, 14 and a half hour labor, and an epidural at 5-6 centimeters where I had lost control and couldn’t gain my focus back.…
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Audrey Lands Earthside
At 3:15 the morning of December 23rd, I woke up to some contractions. They kept happening so I timed them and saw they were all over the place in terms of duration and time apart. I wasn’t sure if this was the real deal or just more practice. They were a bit uncomfortable so I tried to center by visualizing…
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Practicing Fearless Motherhood {in Brazil}
{By Heidi Jo Haughn Palma, Maringá, Brazil.} I would like to share my journey into fearless motherhood. Maringá, Brazil. Public hospital cesarean rate 86%. Private hospital cesarean rate 98%. Who would have thought that in this murky maternal healthcare scenario, I would meet a radiant team of home birth professions. They were relatively young experience wise, but I knew that…
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Mother Mental Illness {Post Partum Depression}
This continues to be something not discussed enough, but needs to be more and more. Please take a listen and share with a mother who has gone through Post Partum Depression (or other similar things). This podcast interview with Mary from Pretty Pushers and Dr. Lisa Duggan from Clemson University discussed the risks and signs of Maternal Mental Illness, and the holes…
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Gorgeous Teething Necklace {The Vintage Honey Shop}
As many of you know, our sixth baby has arrived! I have fed my babies all sorts of ways from pumping, to formula, to tandem nursing. My littlest one has so far been my easiest to breastfeeding and I’m grateful for it! Being my sixth baby, I know that in no time, she is going to start reaching, pulling, and grabbing with her…
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My Breech Twin Vaginal Birth After Three Miscarriages
My story starts with the journey of getting pregnant and what I endured to get these precious babies. My husband and I got married June 2012 and had the most amazing honeymoon filled with love. We decided for me to stop taking birth control and to see what happens. I found out I was pregnant in October, 2012. Before I…