Herbs

On Monday I hit 36 weeks. Wow. Considering I had Jade at 38 weeks this is kind of a big deal. I could be having a baby in a little over two weeks. Then again with this baby I could also go overdue and not have her for more than a month. The joys. Yesterday I went to the health food store to get all these herbs to help my pregnancy along. It was not cheap. This whole birthing at home with a midwife has been such an interesting experiance. I have loved it. In doing it this way there is so much more preporation of your actual body then when I had Jadie. My midwife emphisizes my health in a way that my OB never did. She wants to know not only if I'm taking pre-natals but what kind of diet I have. She wants to make sure that I get some kind of exercise in. Then yesterday I got a list of all the herbs to be taking now that the baby is close to coming. When I went to my OB first they never even knew who I was but to them I was simply a number on a chart. Not once did my doctor or any of the nurses talk to me aobut what I was eating or any kind of herbs that would help with the birth. I know that a homebirth or a midwife isn't for everyone but, I just want to put out there- if you have ever been unsatisfied with your OB try a midwife. Even though it is more work doing a baby this way I fully believe it is worth it. I know that there is still a possibility that I will have this baby in the hospital and if that is the case it will be ok, I will not regret using a midwife. Birth is the amazing process of bringing new life into the world and I feel so much more prepared than I did with Jade. I feel more informed and I feel like the things I am doing will help me. I hope that I will actually be able to have this baby at home. I think that in so doing I will be able to prove to myself that my body is made to do this. That we as women need to listen to our bodies and trust them. That we can do hard things, even things that seem impossible. I know that every mother out there that doesn't feel this way is rolling their eyes thinking- christie you're nuts. I dont care. I dont care if everyone thinks I'm crazy. I'm doing more to prepare physically for this baby then I did with Jade and my body is made to have babies. This is a natural process, and it can, I believe, be beautiful if we are prepared and stop being afraid. In other cultures mothers prepare for birth, they are surrounded by others to support and care for them. Not the US. Here, we go to the doctor and we believe everything they say, as though they know everything. I'm not saying doctors dont know things, they do. They went to a lot of school and they have their place. I just think that we should trust our bodies over our doctors because although our doctors are experts they are not experts on OUR bodies, only we are. I'm ranting. All I'm saying is that at first I was shocked by the price of all these herbs but now I think- why not. They wont hurt me and if they help great. Heavenly Father made this earth and the things on it for our benefit why not use the herbs around us that millions of women before us have used, with success. I wish others could catch this fever I have about birth. This fever that says- We are strong. That I as a woman can do things that are hard. I was put on this earth to do somehting very hard and I CAN do it. I can bring life into this world. I can be a mother, I dont need to be afraid of the pain and the sleepless nights ahead of me. I dont have to be scared that I'll die with two kids. I was put here to be a mother and I can do it, the heavens and angels will help me because this will not be easy but it will be worth it. We need to stop looking around and thinking about what we wish we were like. We need to stop being so harsh with ourselves. We are powerful and strong- why? because we are women! Men are powerful and strong too. We dont have to take from each other. We dont need to compete. Instead, we can both be strong. We can be proud to be women without hating men. And men can be proud to be Men without hating on women. I beg all of us to look at ourselves and see how wonderful we are. See that we are powerful, see that we are beautiful. We are amazing the way we are. Who wants to be a copy of someone else? We each have special and important things laid out for us to do, so lets stop being afraid of failure, lets stop being afraid of others, lets just stop being afraid. You, me, him, her, them...Lets be Powerful because we are, we just have to believe it. I think this is what this process with the midwife has taught me. It has taught me to be proud of who and what I am. It has taught me to trust myself and educate myself on issues. It has taught me that although there my be pain ahead it will be ok, that I can do anything, I can live through any amount of pain, I can do things that seem impossible. I has taught me to trust in myself and in my Father in Heaven because with him all things are possible. This is my goal, stop being afriad and just believe, just know that with God on my side I can do anything no matter how much it hurts I can do anything at all.