Why I'm Choosing a Home Birth...sorta

Hello everyone :-)

I do hope everyone is having a fantastic week. I figured I would do a post on why I'm choosing to have a home birth just in case there are any woman out there who are wanting to get feedback about this.

To clarify, the reason I say I'm sorta having a home birth is because it won't be at my actual home. Thanks to the strict laws of Florida and neighboring Alabama, I will be traveling to Mississippi to give birth at a little cottage there. Yep....2 1/2 hour drive - oh boy lol

I've had mixed responses from people about having a home birth in the first place, but when I state that I'm driving to Mississippi I REALLY get some looks. So...here are my reasons on why this is so important to me to drive 2 1/2 hours away!

*Note - when I use the phrase "natural birth" I am meaning not only non-medicated, but no IVs, no inducing, no c-sections, no fetal monitoring, nothing.

1) The majority of pregnancies are perfectly normal and are fine with having truly natural births. When giving birth in the hospital, from the moment you step in to the ward they are prepping you for surgery. Hence the IV, why you can't eat anything (can't have a full stomach for surgery), the epidural, all the monitoring so you can't move around, etc. The hospitals due A LOT of unnecessary medical intervention which, a lot of times, result in something going wrong and needing medical intervention like a c-section. For example, women who are induced are at a huge increased risk for a c-section because you're forcing the baby to come, against nature. Don't get me wrong, this sometimes works just fine, but the majority of the time I see that it results in a c-section. I have several friends where this has happened.

2) I HATE hospitals. I do not trust the medical establishment when it comes to dealing with pregnant women. Don't get me wrong, they certainly have their place, but when it comes to labor I find more ignorance in doctors than midwives. Doctors are taught to see pregnancy as a medical issue, not a natural process. Doctors are SURGEONS, and most of them have never seen a true, natural birth (yeah think about that). Pregnancy to them is just something they need to cure women of hence why they don't know how to handle bigger babies, what to do when babies are late, when they're breached, delivering twins, etc.

3) I want complete control of my birth experience. I want to be able to walk around, eat when I'm hungry, and let God be my physician - not humans.

4) I choose a midwife because she sees pregnancy as a beautiful and natural element of life. She also knows how to handle breached babies, large babies, etc without just resorting to cutting me open. My midwife has delivered many breach babies with no complications and even has delivered twins naturally.

5) My midwife is with me the whole way during labor (except when I'm driving, of course). It's crazy to me how people spend all this money on doctors or even the nurse midwives with OBGYNs, but when you're in labor it's the nurses that you've never seen before in your life that tend to you and your doctor is just there to check on you every now and then and catch the baby. I like to have a relationship with my midwife and not be reduced to a 15 minute appointment. I have the ability to email her and even text her when I have a question.

6) When a woman gives birth, her body immediately releases a huge amount of oxytocin (sp??) This is also known as the "love hormone" that both her and her baby feels. This helps with bonding. When ANY kind of medical intervention is used, whether it's pitocin, c-section, etc this disrupts the release of this hormone which cause issues with mother/baby bonding.

Now...please do not get me wrong. I am VERY grateful for hospitals and the technology because it can save lives. There are women who, I know, need to be in hospitals due to being a high risk pregnancy and for their health and/or their babies they needs those doctors and that is a good thing! I will be giving birth only 6 miles away from a hospital so, if something does go wrong, I can immediately be transferred.

I also know that not every woman is comfortable with a home birth. Ultimately you need to give birth where you feel the most comfortable - HOWEVER, I highly encourage all women to do their research about labor/delivery. One place to start is watching the documentary The Business of Being Born *note this does have nudity because it shows women in labor, so I wouldn't watch it with children and just decide for yourself if you're comfortable with your husband watching it.* This is a WONDERFUL documentary that is a great starter!!!

Again, to clarify I am not judging ANY woman for choosing a hospital birth. It is YOUR decision, and not mine. I'm not saying it's a sin to give birth in a hospital or  anything like that. All that I encourage you is to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Do not take your doctor's word as absolute truth. They are human, and they can make mistakes. Ask questions....understand what you're doing and then stand by your decision.

Hope this might help some ladies out there, or at the very least, you know where I stand!! Have a wonderful day!

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Parental Rights

Just got this video off of A Bowl of Moss and Pebbles blog. I do believe EVERY parent should watch this and wake up to the fact that America is going down the toilet. We the People need to stand up and speak out for our rights.

Take time to watch it - it's only 36 minutes.

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Back Again...

Hello Everyone! I know it's been forever since I last blogged - bad blogger!!!

 A LOT has happened since my last post. I'm now 27 weeks along- almost 28 weeks on Monday - pregnant. Monday marks the beginning of the third trimester! WOO HOO!! It seems to be going by so fast, yet so slow. I'm getting so anxious to see Baby J, but I know it's best that he/she stay in there longer. Doesn't help that I have had SIX friends since Thanksgiving have their babies and the 7th is about to pop out at any minute!!! 

Now as you can probably tell by me saying "he/she" we do not know the sex of the baby. My husband and I don't like bombarding our baby with ultrasounds, so we will only be having one in January just to make sure everything is going well with Baby J and there are no surprises at birth. At that time my curiosity will probably overrun everything else, and we'll find out what we're having!!! (Although I REALLY think it's a boy!!)

So in saying that, what's the plan?? Well I would love to have a home birth, although thanks to the strict laws of Florida that is not possible at this time. So we will be traveling to - wait for - Mississippi to give birth in a little birthing cottage. Yeah...crazy, I know, but I like to avoid the hospital like the plague. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we do have the doctors and technology that we do have WHEN WE NEED IT, but for a normal and healthy pregnancy, they tend to do A LOT of unnecessary medical intervention, which actually leads to things like c-sections, etc.

I'm really hoping to have a water birth, but we might be getting there in the nick of time to push baby out lol The cottage is about 2 1/2 hours away from us, but my husband is an amazing driver and believes he can make it there in 1 1/2 hours haha.

But ultimately - the theme this entire pregnancy is "trust in the Lord." People keep telling me there's a huge risk with a home birth, but ultimately, there's a risk with pregnancy PERIOD. Just like there's a risk in driving a car, living in Florida where there are hurricanes, etc. Like with anything in life, I need to just place my trust in the Lord no matter what.

On that note, now that I'm at home, I'm hoping to get this blog back up and running again! Hope everyone has a great day!

Fear

My husband, his best friend, and I were up talking late last night about how messed up this world is and how, unfortunately, it's not going to get any better until the Lord comes back.The economy is tanking, the cost of living is going up, people are losing their jobs, food prices are soaring along with gas pricing.....

I'm sure you're all very aware of all of this.

As a wife and a mommy to a little apple seed, Satan really uses these times to constantly make me fearful. Questions race through my head such as:

The government is so anti-God, what if they come in to my house one day and take my children away because someone anonymously accused us of child abuse?

What's going to happen if the economy tanks and we no longer have money for food? What if my husband loses his job and that's the only income we have?

What if something goes wrong with this pregnancy?

How are we going to afford a baby? How are we going to afford a bigger place to live??? There's no room in our teeny tiny apartment for a family.

What if I'm not a good mother? What if I ruin my kids????

I'm sure you get the picture. As women it's very easy for Satan to manipulate and deceive us (do I need to remind you about Eve??) I also believe it's very easy for women to worry. After all, as homemakers we're the ones buying the groceries and seeing the rising prices, seeing the need for a bigger place to live, and are worried about the welfare of our kids.

However, praise the Lord for His blessed promises in His Word!!! During these moments of fear and worry, and Satan screaming in my ear that we're all doomed, the Lord just gently whispers in my spirit that it's going to be ok. Some of the verses that remind me to trust in the Lord are:

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6: 25-24

And of course

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

So, my dear fellow sisters in Christ, I greatly encourage you to cling to God's Word in those moments where Satan tries to make you worry and afraid. Remember that the Lord has you in the palm of his hands and nothing can ever pluck you out of his hands (John 10:28-29)! Just keep your eyes on him, and know that he has not given you that spirit of fear, and his grace is ALWAYS sufficient!!

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Legitimate Marriage

In lieu of the recent "gay marriage" legalization in New York, I feel I must comment about it.

Marriage licenses don't make a sodomite couple married anymore than they do a straight couple.

The Lord ordained the sacred union of marriage, and only when a couple has come before God and made those sacred vows does God acknowledge the marriage. We do not need "permission" from the State to be married, nor do we need to be acknowledged before the State. And on this note, just because the State gives you a piece of paper saying you're divorced doesn't mean you're divorced in God's eyes either. Marriage is a CHRISTIAN (i.e. religious) institution that has no business coming before the State.

My husband and I did not get a marriage license when we were married. We made a lifelong covenant before God and a lot of friends and family on May 31, 2010, and no matter what we do we will always be married before God. Doing it God's way doesn't even give you the option of divorce. We have no lawyer we can go to, the most we can do is stop living together - but we'd still be married before God.

So what's my point you may ask? As Christians, we need to stop being so wrapped up in this gay marriage issue and ask ourselves on why the State has anything to do with a religious institution (marriage) anyway! What happened to separation of church and state?

Just something to think about :-)

I'M A MOMMY!!!

Well...just thought I'd let everyone in the blogging world know, that I am PREGNANT!!! :-)

My husband and I just found out on Thursday and, even though we're scared out of our minds, we're also very excited. It's amazing to think that, together, we have created a little life (with God's help, of course). This is our first born and know that the Lord has amazing plans for our little poppy seed right now :-)

I'm trying to get out of the habit of saying "I'm going to be a mommy" to "I AM a mommy" because, after all, it's still a life even while inside the womb. I'm already a mother. I'm already responsible for taking care of this precious life inside of me.

I'm 4 weeks along, and due March 12th (of course that means nothing) lol Just two days after my birthday, so we'll see if I'll be 25 or 26!

We're determined to have a home birth, and do everything naturally the way the Lord intended it to be. Please pray for a healthy baby and healthy pregnancy!

Oh...and for you mommies out there, any advice would be greatly appreciated! :-)

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Women Living Well Wednesdays

1 Timothy 2

I thought long and hard about what my first "official" post should be on this blog, and I figured I would start with a topic that I talk about A LOT with other women. This topic is mainly about gender roles, specifically, for a woman.

In a society that preaches for equality between men and women in ALL areas, what the Bible truly says about gender roles is very much ignored not only in the world, but even in Christian circles. Looking around society today you see women who rule over their husbands, boss over other men at work, women preachers/pastors in church, fighting for equality to be in the military, etc. But what does the Bible truly say about this?

There are soooo many passages that refer to gender roles in the Bible, but, for this post, I’m just going to focus on the one I deal with most – 1 Timothy 2 (note: all references to Scripture will be KJV). Below, I have just listed two of the most common arguments that I hear regarding this passage. Let’s take a look…

Argument #1 This passage was written only to the church at that time. It doesn’t have anything to do with this culture.

False. If this passage only referred to the church at the time, then women do not need to dress modestly anymore as it talks about in vs. 9. Also, in vs. 13-14 it specifically says WHY women should not have authority over man, and that’s because we women were deceived back in the Garden of Eden, not the man (and let’s face it we’re STILL easy to deceive). Again, that’s a historical fact and no amount of time or changes in culture is going to erase that.

Argument #2 Women not being teachers/preachers only refers to the church. It’s ok for women to be in authority over men outside of church.

Incorrect, again. If we take a closer look at the ENTIRE chapter, we’re able to see in context of where this behavior is to take place. First of all, church is never even mentioned in the entire chapter; vs. 2 talks about “kings, and for all that are in authority…” Also, vs. 8 talks about men praying EVERY WHERE…then proceeding with (vs. 9) “in like manner also…” meaning when Paul starts talking about a woman’s behavior, he’s also talking about this being the case everywhere we go whether it’s church or in the world. As I stated this before, if this passage were only referring to women’s behavior and demeanor in church, then I guess it’s ok for us to be loud, boisterous, and immodestly dressed outside of church. If you really want to dig deeper, start researching exactly what God made women for and you’ll find that we were created to be keepers at home, not working alongside men in the outside world as equals.

So Ladies, let’s remember that we should just take the Word of God on its own. No matter what culture may say, no matter what other Christians may say, do what God says. In conclusion, it is NOT right for us to be in a position of authority over a man no matter if it’s at church, home, or at the workplace if you work. No matter where we go, we should also maintain that meek and quiet spirit the Bible refers to (1 Peter 3:3-4). Let us be different from the world. Let’s remind them that there IS a wonderful and beautiful difference between a man and a woman. God created us to have different roles, and when we serve those roles faithfully the way God intended it to be, you’ll feel more fulfilled. I know I do!

Introduction

Hello blogging world!

My name is Felicia and I'm a 25 year-old homemaker/preacher's wife in training. I just celebrated my first wedding anniversary to the most wonderful man in the world. He is my rock, my best friend, and my teacher in every area of life and I am so thankful that the Lord brought him to me 4 years ago! But more about our story later...

The reason I'm starting this blog is because there is a desperate need for more Godly feminine homemakers in the Godless and wicked society we live in today. Satan is waging a war Lately I've been researching and reading at several wonderful blogs written by fellow homemakers that have inspired me so much I decided to start this blog of my own.

My goal is to not only encourage other homemakers and women to be homemakers and raise Godly seed, but also to connect with other like-minded women. Us women who see the need and importance of having a strong home are very rare in this feminist and emasculating society and, at time at least for me, it can be a little discouraging to be surrounded by women who are polar opposites.

Our society sees women who stay at home to raise a family and manage their homes as weak, stupid, and a waste of intelligence. But I say look at Proverbs 31!! That woman was one of the most intelligent, sufficient, and Godly woman there ever was. My prayer is that I become more and more like her every single day.

So, Ladies, I hope this little blog can be a help to at least one of y'all out there. At the very least, maybe it'll just encourage you to know you're not alone. There are other little homemakers out there like you ready to fight Satan with a two-edged sword to keep him away from our homes.

There's a war going on, Ladies, for our homes! Time to start shooting and making bullets :-)


(Ok doing my first link-up, let's see if it works!)