Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work
that is given to her when a babe is place in her bosom to be nursed and trained!
Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches
on into eternity; could she look into it’s soul to see its possibilities;
could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for
the training of this child, for the development of its life,
and for its destiny,–she would see that in all God’s world there is no other work
so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no others hands the sacred
and holy trust given to her.”
-JR Miller
Why I have Home Births?
The typical scene splashed across the media is of a heavily pregnant woman. She bends over clutching her
abdomen as she is hit with what looks like an excruciating contraction. Then her water breaks.
The husband rushes around confused(rather comical looking) gathering up keys,bags etc.
in preparation to drive his wife to the hospital.
The scene quickly changes to them arriving at a rather imposing,sterile hospital building.
She is put into a wheelchair. While the husband nervously fumbles over the simple words
to describe his wife’s condition to the nurse at the nurses station.
“My wife’s in labour” or something to that effect.
We watch as the woman is wheeled in on a guerney squeezing her husbands hand. She is puffing,
blowing,sighing,moaning.
We are then transitioned through to the next scene during one of her contractions
as she screams. Her screams reverberate down the hospital corridor,
out of the building across the street and around the block.
In the next scene she is mercifully given an epidural and the frame fades to black.
In the next scene she is sat up in bed -hair all made up, lipstick on.Looking as though
she just stepped fresh off the pages of a magazine. She holds a precious
bundle of joy,swaddled in starched white blankets.
The proud father has day-old stubble on his chin, his tie is loosened
around his neck ,his sweat stained creased shirt is rolled up at the sleeves.
He is to the side looking on adoringly at the miracle that is life.
So brainwashed was I , I thought this was the experience that would await me with my first child,
needless to say it was not. I totally surrendered it all over to the health profressionals
who were more knowledgeable than I. For my meekness I was threatened with a c-section for
no other reason that I was taking up valuable bed space in the delivery suite of a UK NHS Hospital.
The deadline was 11am Sabbath 18th November. So terrified at the impending operation,
I asked my grand aunt and my new husband to pray.
I was then imbued with supernatural strength.
I had been in labour nearly 20 hours and was utterly exhausted.
I managed to push the baby out at 10:42 am with a mere 18minutes to spare .
However it was with such force I had sustained a 2nd degree tear
and had to be sewn up but not before I had lost a significant
amount of blood because they could not stem the bleeding long enough to find the source.
Needless to say It left a bitter taste in my mouth to the extent that
I didn’t want more children and would have even agreed to a tubal ligation at that point,
not wishing to repeat the experience. I saw the disappointment in
my husband eyes every time the topic came up.
It put a wedge between us for a long time.
The Lord would cause my hardened heart to soften 6 years later.
That is a testimony perhaps if I ever get around to talking about why I home school.
Now this is not an emotional irrational rant about Uk NHS Hospitals and staff
Every hospital and each member of staff is different so I don’t want to generalise.
This has been my personal experience albeit being nine years ago.
However that wasn’t my last experience with doctors,midwives and nurses
in the NHS Hospital. I’ve had several miscarriages since then.
More recently in a different hospital,I was left writhing in agony on a hospital
guerney in a corridor for 4hours in a crowded Friday night A&E department
before I was admitted to an all female gynaecology ward .
I was examined and it was revealed that the child had exited my body whole.
I won’t thrill or disgust you with anymore of such horror stories I’ve suffered.
My point is this every woman is different as is her situation I simply wish to make
you aware that you do have a choice and you can exercise that right if you wish.
Too much of our rights as women are being systematically taken away from us and we are forced to put our faith in as it were and become dependent on drugs that are unhealthful and unnatural for our bodies leading to birth defects, miscarriages, still births.
Let us put our faith in God and allow our bodies to do what comes naturally. Now obviously there are times when you need to seek medical intervention and if that is your only option then go for it. Just make sure with every descion you make in life that you are making it after much prayer and after much study.A recent study was done comparing the mortality rate between the home births and hospital
birth follow the link below to the bbc website-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7998417.stm
The Positives of HomeBirth
If you have older children no need to arrange childcare
There is no need to keep running back and forth to feed the metre in the car park
You are surrounded by all your familiar things which has a somewhat calming effect
It can be an intimate affair or how many onlookers you want
No restrictions on visiting time for friends and family
My Tips for Homebirth
Warm white towels place on radiator or in tumble dryer
Plastic mattress protectors are inexpensive and can be purchased at the pound store £1
4-6 Pillows
White bedding you can bleach afterwards or cheap or even second hand bedding from
a local charity shop
Set mood by dimming lights,soft gospel music in the background or an audio tape
or cd of the HOLY BIBLE. Imagine that, the first sounds outside the womb
your baby hears is the word of God. In Islam “Azan” is read into the ear
of every newborn. “Azan”is the call to worship
Keep a hospital bag packed just in case of emergency,with some change.
Take pictures for baby book don’t forget to purchase a newspaper on the date of birth
Aside from eating healthily,having lots of fresh water and taking care of yourself.
Anoint your bump with olive oil, Pray daily for a safe delivery.
Examine any worries or fear you might have around the birth and deal with it.
The Following video is brought to you by marvelouslightservices.com
So if you are expecting or thinking about
it please consider the information presented here and as
always prayerfully do your own research. I’ve had one hospital birth and two very sucessful Home Births.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9vZ91qKuGg
God is very interested in the child you are carrying .
Elisabeth and Zacharias were given instruction by the angel Gabriel as she was
about to give birth to the forerunner of Jesus see the full story Luke 1:5-41
Manoah and his wife were given divine instruction about prenatal care for Samson
who was to be a judge in Isarel to bring peace from their enemies Judges 13:1-25. Hagar was comforted by an angel sent by GOD in her distress whilst pregnant with Ishmael the father of modern day Arabs in the middleast read the full story in Genesis 16:1-16
From the moment of conception God was there before you
even knew about the unborn child you carry.
Psalms 139-13-15
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast
covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works;
and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee,
when I was made in secret, and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
So if you are pregnant or trying for a baby, treasure this time of your womanhood
as nine months is so fleeting. Please speak to your midwife today each health authority is different . I happen to come under South East Essex PCT,the following link is the info they provide on their website and their slogan seems to be YOUR HEALTH,YOUR CHOICE.Do check your local PCT policies on HomeBirth’s.
http://www.nhs.uk/planners/pregnancycareplanner/pages/birthoptions.aspx
for more information check out this link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_birth
Below is an article that you may find of use.
Why Exercise is Important After You Have a Baby
Written by: Tracy Mallett
An internationally-recognized certified personal trainer and sports nutritionist.
Caution is required before jumping back into an exercise program, especially with your abdominals.
During pregnancy, your abdominals will separate from the added pressure of the baby.
This is called diastasis recti.
It’s important that you minimize the separation, allowing the abs to function properly,
and also before doing any strenuous abdominal work. Simply perform the following test to gauge your separation.
Lay on your back with your knees bent and your fingers placed above your belly button.
Now, lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor and you will feel
if you have a gap in between your abs.
If you do feel a gap, measure by fingers the size of the separation, 2 fingers and above,
I recommend you do the following exercise every day before doing any other abdominal exercises.
This will train the abdominals back together again, creating a stronger, stable spine.
Towel Abs Exercise
Lay on your back with your knees bent and heels inline with the sit bones
(Those bony parts you feel under you when you sit).
Wrap a towel around your midsection and cross the towel over the abs (holding at each end).
Lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor, exhale and draw your abdominals
in toward the spine and pull the towel tight.
This will pull the abs together, retraining them in their correct position.
Repeat this for 10 times every day and keep monitoring the separation.
Benefits of postnatal exercise
1. Helps to reduce post-natal depression known as the “baby blues”
2. Quicker recovery back to your pre-pregnancy body
3. Increased much-needed energy
4. Stress release (time to focus on yourself)
Be Patient with Your Post-Pregnancy Body
After childbirth I was amazed how my once-tight tummy looked like a deflated balloon.
Don’t panic, this is normal. Over the next few weeks your uterus will naturally contract
back to its pre-pregnancy shape. Breastfeeding will expedite this process, causing the contractions
to be stronger and more frequent.
However, I must stress that this alone is not enough to get your pre-pregnancy body back.
Post-natal exercise will speed up the recovery process and build valuable strength your body needs
to keep up with the hectic schedule of caring for your newborn. Be patient with yourself.
It may take a few months or possibly longer, depending on how much time you can dedicate to working out.
Tips to find time to exercise
Buy a daily planner and loosely plan your workouts around your baby’s schedule.
For example, in the morning after the first feeding, go for a nice walk with the baby in the stroller.
(Start with a flat terrain and then progress to different elevations).
Next when the baby goes down for her nap you have can take 15 minutes to do some
core conditioning exercises.
Yes, it does require willpower but when you start seeing results
this will keep you inspired to do more.
Join a “Mommy and Me” exercise class. Check out your local hospital or pediatrician to find classes.
These are a great way to bond with your newborn and fit in much needed exercise time for you.
A win-win situation for both parties!
Create a library of exercise videos that are different lengths
so you’re already equipped for when you find unexpected time.
Perform exercises while you’re doing daily activities.
Pelvic floor exercises (Kegel exercises) can be done anywhere and are very valuable
for achieving a strong, stable pelvic area, which is usually lax
due to pregnancy hormones still present (especially if you’re breastfeeding).
Exercise safety tips
Invest in a good support bra. Your breasts are going to be larger than normal
from the milk production and will need a lot of extra support.
Be careful of high-impact sports due to lax pelvic ligaments
and joints left over from pregnancy.
This is why core (abdominal work is key after pregnancy preventing lower back and joint injuries).
Make sure you drink lots of water to replenish yourself, especially when breastfeeding.
Listen to your body. If you’re feeling tired, go easy on yourself.
Try not to push yourself until you feel ready.
If you start to feel light headed and nauseous, or notice a change in the color of your vaginal discharge,
consult with your doctor. You may be exercising too strenuously.
I recommend Pilates for core conditioning and weight training and cardio for weight loss.
Try to fit 2-3 times a week of cardio activity (walking, running and hiking)
for 30-45 minutes and general body conditioning at least 3 times a week.
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