Pregnancy Health tips

In part 2 of Jesse's birth story I mentioned that I had a very healthy pregnancy this time around. I've had a few people ask me to share what I learned about eating and taking care of myself during pregnancy. Since I think these tips are really helpful, I'm happy to share. Every pregnancy is different, but for me these four things were instrumental in promoting good health.

1. I had always had what I called "sugar crashes" in my pregnancies. It felt as though my sugar level was super low (this usually happened rather suddenly) and I would start shakng and feel sick. I never was diabetic during pregnancy, but couldn't figure out why I had these issues. Usually I would run to the cupboard for a quick sugar rush. Juice, candy, etc. In fact, I always kept a pack of skittles in my purse for such moments!

I learned that these episodes were not actually the result of my body needing sugar, but rather protein. When it happened with this pregnancy, I just ate a big spoonful of peanut butter, a handful of nuts or an egg. It actually curbed the symptoms much quicker than the sugar and it lasted longer. (A few times I even brought our peanut butter jar along with me to long events so that I'd have something for a quick fix.)

Basically, I found out that protein is really, really important. For instance, when you go for your glucose test, if you eat a couple of eggs and a piece of wheat or whole grain toast, you'll do well on the test (most likely). If you eat cereal or fruit, you're more likely to fail the test. Eggs in the morning are one of the best things you can do. Try to get some protein at every meal and really stock up on the green veggies too.

2. I switched vitamins. I had been taking just normal prenatal vitamins - like the one a days that you can buy in the grocery store. My midwife had me switch to an organic vitamin by New Chapter Organics . These are better absorbed by the body because they are made from all natural ingredients. The ones I took required me to take 3 vitamins a day - which seems like a lot, but was actually really good. I have never felt so healthy - pregnant or not! I've actually started Josh taking their men's vitamins as well. These vitamins are quite expensive, but so very worth the cost!

3. The third thing that made a big difference - especially in labor and postpartum was drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea. It's not "raspberry tea" and actually tastes a bit like grass. I liked to put just one spoonful of sugar in to help the taste. You want to make sure you let the bag steep for about 10-15 minutes before you drink it though. Just one cup of this each day will help your contractions be really effective during labor. It also is very useful in protecting against urinary tract infections. After labor it also helps to reduce the amount of bleeding. I saw a HUGE difference in the amount of bleeding after labor. I really think that was mainly because of the tea. You can find this tea and the vitamins at an organic or whole foods store. (One aside about the tea: some women drink it a LOT and find that their labors go very quickly - like so quickly that they don't feel ready for it. I'd suggest just one to two cups a day.)

4. I started taking a probiotic each day. This is one thing I'm continuing postpartum. I love it! The probiotic will just even out your digestive system (which can really get kind of wonky during pregnancy). It's like eating something like 10 cups of yogurt daily, so it's really good for your regularity, digestion, etc. Some doctors think it can cause labor to delay and will have patients stop taking it in the last couple weeks of pregnancy (although this theory is not proven). I had tested group B strep positive, so I continued to take mine since it would help to eliminate any chance of infection for me or baby. And given that Jesse was right on time, I can't say that it stalled my labor!


And here's a freebie for those who read this whole thing and aren't pregnant:

If you are beginning to feel sick, when you shower take just a couple of seconds at the end of your shower and switch to cold water. It can actually help keep you from getting sick! It causes your blood cells to rush to the surface (just under your skin) where they can fight off infection. Oh, and it's also been proven to promote healthy hair. A win-win!

A Serious Math Problem!

In our small group we are working our way through the Laugh Your Way To A Better Marriage videos.

Last week was our first session addressing sex in marriage. I won't go into all the details (although I'd highly suggest you check out the videos). At one point the speaker talks of how men generally need much less time to climax than women. His statement went something like this:

"If men need only two minutes, and women need 7 or more ... you have a serious math problem on your hands!"

Now these videos are hilarious, but I wasn't expecting to get a good laugh out of it several days later from none other than my child!

On our first school day after small group, I found out that one of our children had been listening in during that particular part of the video.

As we sat working on math, he said, "You know, I heard what you guys were talking about in small group."

"Oh?" I asked, as I began to sweat, wondering what detailed sex question I'd have to answer next.

"Yeah. He said that women aren't as good at math."

I thought about that for a moment, and after coming up blank, asked what exactly he had heard.

"Well, he said that if men take 2 minutes to do a math problem and women take 7 minutes to do the same problem, then women really have a problem with math."

"Ah ... yes. That would be true."

Praise God that all he heard was talk of a math problem!! Maybe next week we'll turn the volume down a bit!

Singing through life

Ugh. Once again, my best intentions of writing frequently have fallen by the wayside.

Daily, I find things I'd like to write about, but never seem to get to the computer with enough time or enough hands free to actually write. Lately, I've only had computer time when the baby is in my arms - which means I've been pecking everything I write. Not very conducive to writing whole paragraphs - or even whole sentences!

But, you know what? That's okay. Beacuse I'm doing something better. I'm investing my time in my children. I'm putting schoolwork ahead of other priorities each day, I'm enjoying my sweet baby while he's still so tiny, and I'm doing my best to see to the needs of my household.

And on a week like this one, I'm basking in the glorious weather God has given us!

Today, I found my favorite lullaby CD. It's a CD of Celtic Lullabies by Eden's Bridge that I was given before our oldest was born. I have such fond memories of gently rocking in the baby's room, caressing my swollen belly, dreaming of the day I'd hold my firstborn. The sunlight would stream in through the windows and brighten my heart as it bounced off the cheery yellow walls.

This afternoon, as I sat in our living room and rocked our tired little one to sleep, I was transported back 11 years to those happy days. As the sun poured into the living room and Jesse grew sleepy in my arms, I laid my head back and remembered the joy of doing the same thing with each of my sweet children.

There's one song on this particular CD that I have sung to each of my children. It is a blessing that I pray over them. It's taken from Numbers 6:24-26 and says,

"The LORD bless you, and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."'

What a beautiful thing to pray and sing over my children!

So please forgive me if I am somewhat lax in my writing ... I've got a baby to sing over.

The Harvest

Yesterday we had the privilege of hearing from our missionaries to Papua New Guinea. It's always good to hear of what God is doing in other parts of the world.

As our friend was speaking, he shared a statement that really struck me. He said,

"It's not fair that so many people get to hear the gospel twice when there are many who haven't even heard it once."

Wow. How true. Of course, it often takes more than one time of hearing the gospel for it to sink in and have an impact. Some people hear the gospel when they are not yet ready to receive it and therefore need to hear it again.

But he's right in that there are many who have not yet heard! In Papua New Guinea there are hunderds of tribes that are unreached. Most are in remote areas accessible only by helicopter. And these people, when finally reached and told about Jesus, are CHANGED! It doesn't take them two, six or fifty times of hearing the gospel before it touches their hearts. It only takes one time. Oh, that our hearts would be so tender!

ESV Matthew 9:37-38 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

I know that our mission field is here in Evansville. But where is yours? Are you telling others of the good news? Whether they hear it for the first time or the hundred and first, it is never a work in vain!

What's In A Name?

Josh and I choose baby names based on meaning. We like to pray for our children using their names as a basis for those prayers. And we are happy to give our children strong names with meanings they can strive to live up to.

Our firstborn is David Elijah.

David was chosen because it was Josh's Dad's name. We had known since college what our first son would be named. However, the meaning of David and Elijah together is excellent. David means "Beloved" and Elijah means "The Lord is God".

When we pray for David, we pray that he would know that he is the Lord's Beloved and that as such he would teach others (the Church is called God's Beloved Bride) that the Lord is God. We pray that David would embrace that truth and know it for himself as well.

Our second son is Zachary Isaac.

Zachary means "Whom God remembers" and Isaac means "Laughter". This fits Zack so well since he takes such joy in life. We like to put this phrase together: "Whom God remembers in laughter".

But when we pray for Zack, we pray that God would use Zack's loving and fun nature to bring others to Christ. We pray that Zack would indeed know that God remembers him, loves him and saves him.

Our daughter is Abigail Natalia.

Abigail means "Father's Joy" and Natalia means "Child of Christmas". We do know that Abby is her earthly father's joy, but also her Heavenly Father's joy.

When we pray, we ask that she would always bring joy to her Father's heart through her purity and love of Him. We pray that she would remember the One who was born on Christmas and the reason why He came.

Our third son is Gabriel Joseph.

Gabriel means "Man of God" and Joseph means "God multiplies". This one is pretty awesome! A man of God whom God multiplies!

Our prayers for Gabe are pretty obvious. We pray that he would indeed be a man of God. And that God would multiply. Not just through Gabe's children, but also that those who come in contact with Gabe would be so struck by seeing God shine through Gabe that they would also be drawn to Christ. We pray for the church to be multiplied through Gabe.

And our newest arrival is Jesse Hosea.

Jesse means "Gift" and Hosea means "Salvation".

First of all, we do see Jesse as a gift. You can read about how God clearly ordained for him to be in our family by reading here. But beyond that, we pray that Jesse would personally know the gift of salvation. And that he would be willing and able to bring the good news of that gift to others.

A name is important. In the Bible, people were given names that had specific meaning and that correlated to who God had created those people to be. When we pray for our children using their names, we are trusting that God will raise them up to be living examples of the meaning of their names.

What do our kids think? They love knowing that we put careful thought into naming them and they love hearing us pray for them using their names. It's special to know that you were named with a purpose and have something valiant to strive for.