My best intentions keep getting overshadowed by either the size of my belly (which is measuring 47 cm.) or my lack of energy, which is why I haven’t posted anything. My computer was also out of commission for a few weeks, but that is not a great excuse because I could have used Mr. Visionary’s.

Anyway, I am at 34 weeks and counting. Counting contractions, counting trips to the potty, counting the minutes that go by while I lay wide awake at night trying to sleep… counting down the days.

All is well with Momma and the babies: weight is great, blood pressure is great, etc. I have an ultrasound tomorrow morning to check these little folks’ weight, and I will update better afterwards. Really. I will… if Yahweh wills it and the creeks don’t rise.

Just when I thought I was doing fine with not feeling obligated to blog, I learned a reason why I should - at least every once in a while - check in with some manner of post. My Mom and Sisters-In-Law have convinced me that it just is not proper that I leave them hanging to wonder if I have either died or moved to Israel without saying goodbye. Alas, a post as proof that at least the first of their worst case scenarios is unfounded.

I will catch you up in random order:

~Currently at 29 weeks and counting, I have been put on modified bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. For every two hours of my being up and about, I have to be horizontal for two hours. My being old and experienced at this whole birthing thing has led to some factors that can make carrying twins to term a bit more challenging. Add in a houseful of lively offspring, 100 degree days with 70% humidity, and farm animals with minds of their own, and the words change from challenging to We-could-use-a-miracle-here. My midwife and her OB have given me two goals. The first is to make it to 32 weeks, which, among other things, would eliminate my need to go to the university hospital over an hour away to birth. The second goal is to make it to 37 weeks, at which point the babies would be considered ‘term’. Per the midwife, “Between 32 and 37 weeks, we will be grateful for every week we get.”

~Mr. Visionary and I have been wrestling. Our first listing on our house has expired, and as much as we feel led to sell this home to remove the last hindrance to our being out of debt, it seems insane to think of trying to show our house - much less pack and move - with circumstances such as they are. We are contemplating pushing pause on this ride.

~I have gotten all the herbal medicine I could reasonably assume we might need for the next year completely made. (Cough drops, tinctures, tea mixtures, and a supply of bulk herbs for poultices and miscellaneous things that come up.) Now all of my main ingredient herbs are tinctured in large enough quantities to last for a while. I keep all my tinctures made as single-herb tinctures so that whenever I need a special formula for a certain strain of illness, I can custom mix it in smaller quantities. The most important to me is the afterpains tincture, since I can’t take any pain meds after the birth, and Motrin only goes so far. I also got a ton of herbal salves that we use often made up. (If you haven’t yet bought TN Farmgirl’s Medicinal Herb Course, you may want to. That is where I learned to make all this groovy stuff!)

~ I got 99% of the fall/winter clothes purchased for the children, because I don’t expect to be doing much shopping when the twins are small. The Spring stuff may need to be prayed in, depending on how well I adjust to having the twins here.

~ I have just about given up on making any more freezer meals. I just can’t manage any more bulk cooking. I am still trying to double up here and there to put away at least one meal at a time. I am using my “up time” on the weekends to get meals made for the week while Mr. Visionary is here to run interference (read: keep the boys out of the kitchen).

~ Except for midwife appointments, I have canceled any trips to town for say, the next six months. Even before the bed rest issue came up I had announced to Mr. Visionary that I was done with trips to town. When you shop as infrequently as we do, the shopping days are looong, so as to make the trip more efficient, but it makes for a long day for the pregnant lady. Even if I got through a shopping day intact, I felt like I had been hit by a truck for the next two days and needed long naps just to get through. It just isn’t worth it. Mr. Visionary and the children do an awesome job with the grocery list all by themselves. Yes, he does take all seven children shopping for a month’s worth of groceries at a time - and they even remember stuff I forgot to add to the list.

~ I have a confession. Rather than being frustrated by having to rest so much, I am finding myself ever-so-glad when it is time to go down again. I had no idea I would be so tired. Every once in a while I feel compelled to stay up longer to finish “this last little thing”, but the children are too well trained. They know all they have to do is call Dad and he will fuss at me to go lay down. Really, when I think of how vulnerable these tiny ones are, it makes it easy to do the right thing. My spirit is being quieted and humbled in ways I could not have imagined. It is all good.

I’ll try to be more diligent about getting the laptop out during my “down time” and keeping you updated proving that I am still alive. Thanks for the lecture encouragement, Mom! I love you!

One thing we have been walking through as we work toward our goals, is the idea that nothing happens overnight. For every plan, there are preliminary steps that have to happen to make the end turn out properly. The bigger the plan, the more prerequisite steps.

In order to go to Israel, we have to first sell our farm and home. In order to move away from our farm and home, there are many steps that have to be done first as well. The less we leave for the last minute, say, after a contract is signed, the smoother things should go. At least this has been our thinking.

One large question that had to be determined is where exactly we would live after selling our home. It is a question that is yet to be answered. Since we have to live *somewhere*, we planned to buy a motor home to live in while we scout for property, and set up our new home in the States… wherever it happens to be. (Remember, we have to have *some* home in the States because Israel will not allow us to stay in the country longer than 90 days at a time.) But, since we only operate with cash, not debt (well, except for this house for now...), something else had to be liquidated to be able to purchase the motor home.

We got the blessed opportunity last weekend to meet half of a husband-wife blogging team whose blog Three Fold Cord, we really enjoy. They are real-life close personal friends of one of our real-life personal friends, and they bought Mr. Visionary’s tractor. It was a blessing to have the tractor go to someone we knew had some of the same values as far as raising the family and farming, but it was also good to just have that part of the plan marked off the list.

Julie from Three Fold Cord sent us this yummy basket of goodies. As if buying the tractor wasn’t enough!

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Mr. Visionary & Michael from Three Fold Cord ~ they’re smiling still because they haven’t started loading up all the pieces-parts.

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All the children got in on the loading action, too.

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The plan involved having the proceeds from the tractor earmarked to buy the motor home. Preliminary steps, you know. Mr. Visionary had been doing research for months to determine what kind of motor home we would get, cost estimates, pros, cons, and plenty of mechanical details that I don’t pretend to understand. In other words, when the tractor sold, he was ready to move on to the next step. Meanwhile, I was still waiting for the twins thing to sink in. The next step happened faster than I had guessed.

This weekend, Mr. Visionary pulled this into the driveway:

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During all his research, he had determined that a bus converted into a motor home (rather than a factory-made motor home) would be a better choice for us, as they are sturdier, ride steadier, and, most importantly for me… have plenty of storage space underneath:

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We’ll have to be very creative to make it work having eleven people living in this space. The Word promises food and raiment, not necessarily spaciousness. Remembering that it is a step towards a greater goal will help.

Looks like the conversion process has already begun…

Anybody else get this after asking, “Honey, will you please encourage the boys to get their morning chores done quickly?”

Who knew that an impromptu wrestling match was the proper response? Apparently these guys hear and speak a completely different language than us girls. (And Doodle just can’t resist a little danger.)

I think I’ve been schooled. The boys got their chores done in record time… even including the wrestling.

This is Part Three of a series with advice for large families who are expecting twins. You may read Part One Here and Part Two Here.

Some practical thoughts from Susanna:

Don’t put any preparations off! I cannot stress this strongly enough! Start now and feel urgent about it! Do the most physical tasks first and work your way down to the least physical. For instance, go from making freezer meals & shopping, to sewing, to setting up and organizing baby supplies - and save planning/writing activities for later on - lists, schedules, etc.

Freezer meals! What worked very well for me was to plan one or two “sessions” a week. I would make 3X a recipe, freeze two and serve one for supper that night. We can get disposable aluminum 9×13 pans at the Dollar Tree two for a dollar. Label each casserole or bucket of soup with its contents and simple clear instructions for preparation so you aren’t necessary for that part later on. Keep a list on the fridge with what meals you made on each date so that you can eat them somewhat in order. This works better than dating the meals themselves. Post-partum, save those meals for when you aren’t getting any more from others & try to stretch them out as long as you can, saving them for extra-busy days. Ours lasted until the babies were almost five months old, and I was able to get the summer sewing (easy one-hour T-shirt dresses) done for the girls before the meals ran out. You will be SO thankful for EVERY meal you freeze! I encouraged myself with this thought while making all those meals in the summer heat!  By the way, this plan worked so well that I still plan a freezer meal session every three or four weeks, but now we have more and bigger eaters, so I make 4X a recipe and put three away! This method fit well into normal life and wasn’t overwhelming until I couldn’t physically manage it anymore and Dh told me to stop.

Baby supplies: Only use cloth diapers if someone other than you is completely in charge of laundering them. This holds true until the twins are sleeping through the night at the minimum. Also, don’t skimp on baby supplies. It will save you valuable TIME to have very big stacks of burp cloths, onesies, stretch suits, receiving blankets, sheets and waterproof pads - anything that you use often and gets dirtied fast. The waterproof pads are great to put in the bassinettes under their bottoms, so if their diapers leak, it is contained, and you don’t have to change the sheet, too. I’d never bothered with them before the twins. My babies spit up a lot the first few months, and if they spit up on one end of their sheet, I’d just lay them the other way until that side was dirtied, too. I hope you are as blessed with lots of good thrift stores in your area as we are in ours! We didn’t lack any supplies we needed when the real test came. I did, however, have too many socks - they don’t get dirty fast! Borrow what you can - clothing, bassinette, sheets - especially what you only need shorter term.

Try to set everything up that you will need for their care in as compact a place as you can, to save steps. You will get to the point where you are grateful for even 5 minutes saved so you can lie down that much sooner. We put everything in our bedroom: Along one wall was the changing table (we found for $12 at a yard sale and which we’re still using) with a large diaper stacker (given to me) hanging at the left end and a pocket organizer (found for $1 at a thrift store) hanging on the right end. To the immediate right was a wheeled four tier metal cart with wipes, etc. on the top. To the right of the cart sat our Dekor diaper disposal system - like a Diaper Genie, but with greater capacity. (My husband put his foot down about cloth diapers and said that we would economize somewhere else!) Along another wall we set up a loveseat (30% off at a thrift store) for nursing the babies. It is soft and comfy and has a back high enough for me to lean my head against and thick enough for me to stack burp cloths on! I needed a long-term, comfortable solution to the HOURS and HOURS I would spend sitting and nursing them - tandem, of course, to save time and stimulate better milk production. This tandem nursing is impossible to do discreetly, so our rule was: only girls allowed in; boys had to talk to me through the bedroom door! (We got used to it!) I put a small pillow in the middle of the loveseat for back support and a bed pillow along each arm. To nurse them, I would lay them side by side on our bed, strap on the twin Boppy pillow (indispensible to me - It is wider all around than a regular Boppy and has wide velcro straps in the back. I found it at a twin yard sale for $3), adjust my shirt for nursing, scoop up the left hand baby, then the right hand one, back up like a Mack truck (beep, beep, beep) and sink gratefully into the loveseat with my feet propped on a nursing stool (given to me.) The bed pillows supported the sides of the Boppy. After getting them started nursing if necessary, I was hands-free. I didn’t start this until they were both nursing at 6 1/2 weeks. Probably I would not have been hands-free for the first weeks, I’m guessing? I had a floor lamp and small stand to my right, and my Dear Husband found a small hospital-style bed table that sat to my front right as I sat there. I could write thank you notes (stock up on these now!), letters and other things, reach the phone (but because the door was closed, I only used this if I had to, as the older boys often needed to talk with me), my BIG water cup, healthy snacks, books to read tissues, lanolin (I did get sore, but not for long and the lanolin helped), etc. etc.

I don’t think I would have been able to nurse them so thoroughly (I didn’t start solids until they were about 7 months) and so long-term (until they were 14 1/2 months and I weaned them for the sake of this next one) if I hadn’t had such a workable situation set up. For it to be sustainable, I had to be able to multi-task, I had to be comfortable (I tend toward back trouble), and I had to have privacy.

Scheduling - Along with training the children in more food prep tasks, they should be trained to do the laundry if they aren’t already. Other skills to teach: changing sheets, ironing, outside work, care of the younger ones. Try not to do anything that the children could be doing - stick to what only you can do. Even if you get outside help, you will need to depend on your children to keep the basics happening - they will not be spoiled by others’ help!

Don’t try to “do school” until the babies are sleeping through the night, unless they are completely independent, and it’s not keeping them from helping with the household needs during that time. Make up a schedule for after the birth with all necessary chores assigned. Don’t try to get creative - assign them the basics they’ve reasonably mastered and give the same children the same tasks for the duration. If they are doing the same things at the same times each day, this will cut down on the number of reminders that will be needed. There will be time for variation later! If some of the children work better together, assign them together. If some do better widely separated - keep them separate. You want this to be as workable as possible. There will still be plenty of opportunities to learn character and to get along with each other without going out of your way during this high-stress time period to set them up! Assign older ones to keep the younger ones on track, including helping them at mealtimes, pottying, toothbrushing, reading aloud, having them pick up after themselves, dressing them, etc.

For instance, right now my oldest son is in charge of laundry Monday to Wednesday (the girls fold and put away) and my second son is in charge of our 2 1/2 year old those days. Then Thursday to Saturday, they switch tasks. This is, of course, in addition to their other daily chores. My third son is gifted with growing things and he does lots of our outside work. I don’t combine children for kitchen clean-up - the same child clears and wipes the table, sweeps the floor, empties the dish drainer, and stacks and wipes the dishes. Right now my younger daughter does breakfast, my older daughter does lunch, and my third son does supper.

Take your thank yous as seriously as you should take your need for help. Thank everyone specifically and sincerely for whatever they put into your family during this time, no matter how small. If you neglect to do this, they will feel taken advantage of, even if they told you not to write a thank you note. Do it anyway! I kept a running list of anyone who helped, with their address and what they did for us, meals, gifts, etc., with a box in front of each person that I checked off when the thank you note was sent.

If you can find out the babies’ genders ahead of time, this can be a huge help in preparing, as you won’t be forced to find appropriate clothes before you feel ready for it, which may be later rather than sooner! My previous boys had not left much behind them, but we got all the clothes ahead of time that we needed for the twins’ first 6 months (plus a start on the next size/season), and I was so grateful for this later! Before they were born, I went to one great “twin yard sale” and all my trusty thrift stores! I got some matching sets for public appearances, as our boys are not identical, but mostly we just needed more boys’ clothes. We don’t have wealthy or spendthrift friends, and the gifts we received would not have been nearly sufficient. If I’d had a boy and girl, what I had stored away would have been enough, I’m sure.

I am wondering if you are planning a home or hospital birth, and how prepared you would be for a C-section. I developed pre-eclampsia (thank the Lord it was not severe, and not until near the end, hence the bedrest to keep it under control) and both twins were solidly transverse from at least 32 weeks on. After six homebirths with our wonderful midwife, the twins were born C-section. This was very hard for me emotionally later on, as I hadn’t really accepted the possibility personally. It would be wise, even if you are planning a home birth, to have everything ready in case you need to transfer to the hospital.

One more thing:

My first and strongest recommendation unless you’re in the last month or so of pregnancy is to get a copy of Dr. Barbara Luke’s book on expecting multiples, and one of Elizabeth Noble’s book, “Having Twins.” (I liked the older edition of the latter book better - the newer one had weird stuff in it about pre-birth memories.) Many twin books emphasize the time after the twins are born, but these two have tremendously important information about having a healthy twin pregnancy that you really need to have as soon as possible. An acquaintance with 2 year old twins (# 9 and 10 in the family) gave me the Dr. Luke book. When I found out twins were on the way, I remembered her twins were born at term, and both were over 7 pounds, and that she’d followed a special twin diet, and when I called and asked her what specifically she’d done, she wanted me to have her copy of this book! At my 6 week post-partum check-up, I bequeathed my copy to my midwife, then regretted not having it to loan out, so I bought another one. I would be happy to loan it to you if that would help you, and you could keep it for the whole pregnancy. It tells very specifically how many servings of each kind of food you should get every day, according to which trimester you’re in. My son made up slips of paper for me with each food category and space for my tally marks, and I used one a day to keep track of my servings, then threw them away. There are several helpful charts in the book that you can photocopy. The actual food choices they recommended were not as healthy as what we eat (especially with white flour and refined sugar), but knowing the servings of the different categories were so helpful, as was so much of the rest of the book. I tend to put off eating as the least important task in life. I know I would have fallen far short of what would’ve been good for the babies without that practical information. Since we don’t have a large income, my diet was less varied than I liked, and I got very tired of eating by the end! BUT I felt fully rewarded when I saw those healthy boys! The dr. said I was 37 weeks 1 day when they were born, but I know I was actually 36 weeks 2 days. (You know how those things can go.) The boys weighed 7 lbs. and 6 lbs. 13 oz. Your goal is to grow the babies to the same healthy sizes they would be if you carried them one at a time. There is no genetic reason twins are almost always growth retarded - it is caused by insufficient diet and the mom not getting sufficient rest, and burning off what should be going to grow the babies. I gained more weight than they said I would on that diet, but it was almost exactly what my friend had gained, and we both lost it all by six months postpartum - nursing two really helped!

It is more important than you can imagine right now that they are born as close to full term as possible. Caring for infant twins is enough of a challenge when they are born healthy and strong at full term, and adding any complications such as insufficient outside help, heavy responsibilities toward other children and the general household, NICU stays, nursing difficulties (common when babies are even a little early), insufficient preparations (including needed supplies and organized-ness) for the realities of caring for them, C-section recovery, etc. etc. can quickly make the situation completely overwhelming. One of the mistakes I made was that I REALLY didn’t think I would run into any of these problems - they’re for other people, and I didn’t read those sections of the books very carefully! We didn’t face all those difficulties, but we did face some of them. But somewhere early in the pregnancy, I realized that I simply could not use the excuse that I was too busy to rest properly or was tired of eating properly, because the two most helpless and needy people in the family were depending on me to take this seriously, and put a priority on caring for them. It was hardest in regards to my toddler, still a baby himself in many ways. But he and I cuddled a lot with me resting on my left side and reading to him, and he got more of me that way than he might have if I was my usual busy self.

This is Part Two in a series with advice for large families who are expecting twins. You can read Part One Here.

Susanna’s family was arranged like this at the time their twins were born: their other children were Boy 13, Boy 11, Boy 9.5, Girl 7.5, Girl almost 5, and Boy 14 months. Here is more of her advice for Twin Mommies with a house full.

During this time, just the mental pressure of having to think about where all the children were, what they were doing, what they were supposed to be doing and what I needed to do about it, took more from me than I had to give. This was wintertime and we have a very small house and don’t use the TV or movies for babysitters, and we tried to keep up the homeschooling until the birth and start it up again a month afterward.

My mom went to be with the Lord in 1994, and she would have been my best helper - she started with twins and went on to have 9 children altogether. She was a very godly and wise and hardworking lady. Our church is elderly and small and 40 minutes away. My mother-in-law has allowed herself to get very obese and she’s very self-centered and lazy, so even though we live next door to them, we received little help from her other than taking the other children while I was in the hospital. She said she hardly needed to do anything for them - they took care of everything themselves. My siblings that I’m close to all live very far away, and all our friends were pre-occupied with their own families.

Some did their best and some honestly let us down. It really is the grace of God in my heart that I am good friends with them now, as I struggled very much with resentment over this. I felt like a starving man who had to watch others eat a big meal in his presence without offering him any. I knew what the normal busy-ness of life was that they were facing, and I knew they were not trying to understand what we were going through. God has used this in our family since then to give us a strong desire to help people He brings across our path at the time they need it and not if/when it becomes convenient for us. Also, He showed us that we had neglected to pursue relationships with other families - we had no community, and since then He has opened up many opportunities that are still ongoing. So He used our troubles to bring good into our lives.

This is what I would do differently now that I know what it’s like, if I had it to do again. I would approach one of my friends who is somewhat organized and willing, and ask her to be our Help Organizer (hereafter referred to as H.O.). I would give her a list of all potential helpers and their phone numbers, NOT email addresses. I’ve found that it’s just human nature to ignore calls for help unless they are made personally, one on one. Make another list for your H.O. that includes all the tasks people could help with. Here’s the suggested “script” for your H.O. to use: “I’m organizing help for Julie and her family - here’s what they need - what would you be able to do to help them?” (NOT “Julie asked me if you could help”!) I’m acting as the H.O. for a friend right now. I’ve also recruited someone to be a H.O. for another friend who was too shy to ask herself. (Perhaps your husband would be able to make this phone call for you.) This method really works. I wish I had used it myself. For most of us, it is just impossible to ask for help, and this way, someone is being your advocate.

Here’s a partial list to get you started, and please don’t discount any of it without very careful thought. What you don’t realize now is that normally small tasks will become HUGE. And remember that you will later regret any pickiness or pride on your part. This will only be for a limited period of time - eating less than healthily or having someone clean the floors with the bathroom cleaner or dress the little ones in mis-matched clothing or show them Veggie Tales videos will not make any difference later, but that help at that time will be worth more than gold. Resist the temptation to show everyone how much you can handle by yourself - you, your babies and your whole family will pay for it. If you are at all like me, you will be tempted to play the martyred heroine, but it is not worth it, because you will not just hurt yourself. I’m being brutally honest here!

Housecleaning - give specific tasks, for instance: Choose one: 1. Oven/stove 2. Fridge/freezer 3. Bathrooms 4. All floors in house 5. Under kitchen sink 6. Fingerprints/cobwebs/radiators & baseboards 7. Stickiness on all kitchen surfaces (cupboards, drawers, fridge, etc.) You get the idea. Leaving all this to the mercy of your children for weeks means you’ll be facing it all in a couple of months, with very little available time to do anything other than the basic necessities.

Ironing - the girls and I wear skirts and dresses and my DH wears button shirts for work - ‘nough said! My mother-in-law actually did this for us for two months (the only help she offered, unfortunately because she could do it at her house while watching soap operas - but what a wonderful help it was)!!

Food Shopping - Stopping at the grocery store for a few things on their way to visit you and your babies is a much-appreciated help that most people would be happy to do for you. If you shop at any out of the way specialty stores, like health food stores or bent and dent stores, let your H.O. know which of the folks on your list also shop there, so she can ask them for this service.

Children - Take your younger DC to a playground for the afternoon and clean them up afterward. Don’t be too picky about naps or grass stains. Also, it’s more helpful to have one older child home with you to save you steps. They can take turns doing this.

Laundry - Stain treat, launder & fold several loads of laundry, and while waiting for loads to run, oversee meals & naps & read to the children. Alternatively, they could take your laundry to their house.

Meals - More than one per person if possible, like one a month for three months. Do not be too picky here, as that really puts people off. Try to make it rewarding for them to help you. Ask them for their recipe if something is especially good.

Staple Food Prep - often overlooked, but so, so helpful - yeast bread, quick bread, bran and other muffins, granola, etc. You can give the H.O. your recipes for the volunteers to use if appropriate, and even the ingredients, if they have time, but not money to spare. Or it may be easier for someone to come to your house to make them.

A few thoughts on Dear Husband: I learned the hard way that I needed to make the extra effort to smile and thank him for everything he did to help, even when I was exhausted and weepy (which stage lasted several weeks for me). It’s very easy to turn against each other under the enormous load and allow resentments to build up. Also, he had trouble before the birth imagining the postpartum time, and he downplayed the stories I’d heard. This encouraged me to do the same, and consequently, we were not really prepared for the intensity of what we would face. Now we know better!!! Now he’s very enthusiastic about any and every opportunity I/we get to help other families that need it, especially twin situations.

In case this is scaring you, let me say that after the twins started nursing and sleeping through the night at 6 1/2 weeks (and I got more than the 4 1/2 broken hours of sleep out of every 24 hours that I’d gotten since their birth) the joy and fun began! Of course it is hard work, but so fun! All the horror stories I’d heard about months and months of sleepless nights and foggy days moving right into twin toddler terrors have simply not happened here. Many mothers who are ordinarily opposed to the idea of a routine for their babies are very receptive to it with twins, for the sake of keeping everyone sane! I’ve heard three types of stories. 1. “Wish I’d worked harder at establishing a routine…there was chaos for months on end…” 2. “We wouldn’t have survived without a good routine…the routine helped my twins sleep through the night at 6 (or 8, or 10) weeks…” 3. (From moms who had no other children or who had live-in help for the long-term) “All I did for months was nurse babies…they still won’t sleep all night at 10 (or 12 or 15) months…”

You may be one of those who is violently opposed to the idea, and if so, just take this as a charitable attempt to pass along what has been invaluable to me. If you are not opposed, but haven’t ever tried it, I would highly recommend “Babywise” as a good place to start. We used the basic principles from “Babywise” for all 8 of ours and all of them slept through the night by eight weeks. It took twice as much effort with the twins, but I knew it would pay off doubly later, and it did! People who are unfamiliar with how the “Babywise” routine works think it means that you let your baby scream until the clock says it’s feeding time. Nothing could be further from the truth! In reality, you are meeting your babies’ need to eat before they have to ask for it, while gradually guiding their sleeping and eating into a predictable pattern. Almost all “Babywise” babies sleep through the night on their own by ten weeks, especially when the mother has been consistent from day one and guided the baby away from habits like snacking, catnaps, or sleep props. It doesn’t take long for my babies to learn to love their beds when they are sleepy! It is not complicated - just a few simple things to remember - but everyone I’ve ever known in real life who has used it (at least 10 that I can think of quickly) has been so thankful for it, especially those who had previously tried it the other way and had long-term sleep issues to deal with later. By the way, it does include a chapter on multiples written by a mother of twins, triplets, and two singletons.

[Note from Julie ~ I  *do* normally cringe at the mention of “Babywise” materials (no links here… Google/research and come to your own conclusion, but we’ll not discuss it on the blog). Having been a lactation counselor who was a  successful nursing Momma of many and being a past “Growing Kids God’s Way” participant, I never felt that the two would mesh well. I am still not ready to drastically switch gears in my philosophy on nursing babies (which, incidentally is exactly in line with Shonda Parker’s that is outlined in both _Mommy Diagnostics_ and _Naturally Healthy Pregnancy_), but I realize that having twins is a place I have never walked before, and that more structure may be necessary. I will play it by ear, taking cues from my Little Ones and my body. I mention this because I personally must remember that disagreeing with one issue is not reason enough to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Susanna has walked in a hard place that I have not yet, and I am wanting to be humble enough to listen.]

You mentioned having lots of people trained to change diapers. I much preferred to soak in time with the babies, care for them myself, and give them lots of loving. I didn’t want them to get less of Mommy just because they were born together! I had my helpers (mostly my children) do other tasks. My time priorities went from youngest to oldest. The younger you are, the more slowly time seems to go. For our older ones, the whole 10 weeks of the worst time went fairly quickly. Does this make sense? Also, even when I still had to pump and bottle feed, I tried to do as much of the feeding skin to skin as I could manage. (This is also good for milk production hormones.) I just crammed as much affection as I could into every trip to the changing table or crib and into every diaper change - all the necessary stuff, since I didn’t have the luxury of just sitting with them for very long! Actually, this seems obvious, but during the worst time, I was so exhausted that it took special effort.

Part Three to follow…

Every time a new circumstance occurs in life, I feel compelled to do new research. It is my signature move. Funky worm on the tomato plants? Research. Unidentified stain on the carpet? Research. Illness? Rash? Research. Twins? Research.

My modus operandi regarding the twins phenomenon involved asking (discreetly- as I didn’t want to get flamed!) on the MOMYS Digest for Moms who had twins after already having a houseful of children, to contact me. (The MOMYS digest is for Moms who have had at least four children in eight years or less, in order to share practical help for women who have children fairly close together.) Since any responders would have lived to tell about it, I figured that these women were the ones to ask.

One Mom in particular was extremely helpful. She acted much like a beloved best friend who would sit you down on the couch, point her finger gently in your face and give you a strong word… in love. Her advice came just hours before my meeting with the midwife for the first time since discovering I was carrying twins. That one e-mail, along with that one meeting with the midwife and our discussions following, have drastically altered the direction of our family during the next few months. This thing is far bigger than I had imagined.

With my history of some early deliveries, my status as an “elderly grand multipara” (a fancy way of saying that I have had several children and I am now considered old) and our desire to not have twins in the NICU, the midwife’s strict instructions involved, “Three up, one down”. After every three hours of being up and active, I am expected to rest horizontally for a full hour. I was told to be glad, as this was a concession based on our lifestyle with a house full… she normally requires “Two up, one down.” Talk about forced scheduling, this is it. (Now where’d I put that MOTH schedule?)

I want to share some of the advice I received from the MOMYS, as I have found very little in my searching for help for families who already have a large family before twins arrive. Much like Holly shared about children with Shingles because of how little she was able to find, I want this information to be out there somewhere for other families who may be looking. Susanna in particular, was a wealth of advice on this topic ~ for Moms expecting twins as well as others who may know someone having twins ~ that I want to share her e-mail in full.

I will split her letter up into several parts, but here is the intro:

Dear Julie,

I’m going to be straightforward in hopes that you’ll take it seriously and avoid some of the avoidable problems ahead!

There was only one thing that I didn’t do that I should have done, that every single twin book or article told me to do, and every single other twin mom told me was most important. I did everything else right, but the lack of this one thing made the whole experience almost nightmarish for the three weeks I was on bed rest before the birth and the almost seven weeks postpartum until they both began nursing and sleeping through the night. We were desperate for help. My husband’s three weeks off following the birth was ludicrously insufficient for the needs of the household. I wish I would have taken all that counsel seriously. I was too sensitive to others’ seeming reluctance to help, too proud to let most people see our household in need (messy or dirty, including children!), too hesitant to ask for help in even modest amounts, especially if I was sure they would think we were just having too many children if we couldn’t handle it ourselves. I think my reputation also hurt me. Nobody was close enough to realize the trouble we were having, and when I did attempt to verbalize how things were going (”I feel like we’re drowning…”), I think they didn’t really believe that the capable Susanna really needed help - I was just being too picky and unwilling to let things go for a while or something. We simply have not faced such tremendous stress before or since…

Stay tuned for Part Two…

Whenever the children come to me wanting to tattle, I encourage them to try to motivate or encourage their sibling to do the right thing, before ever coming to Mom. “Don’t jump the gun on the Matthew 18 thing… go through step one before step two.” It seems like a good plan most of the time, and often I am pleasantly surprised to see the level of diplomacy with which situations can be resolved by the children without any outside intervention.

However… I’m thinking I should be a bit more specific about what constitutes “motivation”.

It appears that our Little Napoleon was refusing to clean his side of the room. An interesting mixture of martyr stories, Henty novels and little boy imaginations.  

I hate to read them at night. I never get a pinch of sleep. Those books with so many twists and turns in the plot that draw you deeper and still deeper into the complex lives of the characters make me edgy. When will their lives settle down into a logical pattern? When can I stop holding my breath as I await the next page? Most importantly, how… oh HOW will I ever keep up with all the author-invented storyline contortions that seem to have no other purpose than to keep my mind busy trying to figure out where this is all going? It can be dizzying.

There is an Author I know whose story lines I deliberately attempt to not try to decipher. I can never guess accurately, and I often waste much time and emotional energy in the figuring. I am not always successful in keeping my mind from “going there” , but I make it a point to get back on the wagon as soon as I am caught in the act of wondering worrying trying to figure Him out. His thoughts are higher than my thoughts and His ways higher than my ways. No question. Just because it is a given doesn’t mean I don’t forget…

Early in this pregnancy, I wondered aloud about why I was experiencing such a drastic increase in the degree of morning-noon-and-night sickness compared to previous pregnancies. I was out of commission, and it was humbling. I was sure it was Father’s way of showing me how much I needed to depend on Him… Every. Moment. Of. Every. Day.

When at fourteen weeks I began having contractions, severe edema and anemia more pronounced than usual, I sensed the need to revamp our daily schedule to accommodate my needing to prop up my feet in the afternoons. I began making dinner after breakfast each day, resting with my preschooler in the afternoons, and going to bed earlier. I’ve seen this plot line before. YHWH is a God of order, and this was surely the message I was supposed to be getting through my circumstances.

When my fatigue level never lessened as I strolled out of the first trimester, I made myself a homemade prenatal supplement, a daily chart as a checklist of all the nutritional bases I needed to cover in a day, and bribed encouraged the children to help me make sure I was getting in enough fluids. “Hey, you guys… we get a quarter every time we bring Mom her drink and get her to drink some!” Without a doubt, being purposeful was the name of the game and the lesson. I could read the hand writing on the wall.

When my belly was outgrowing the clothes that normally fit during this season of pregnancy, I dutifully got out my sewing machine and made a few things that would last longer. I began praying for an increase of the fruit of the Spirit to be manifest in my life, because the idea that self control was lacking in my diet occurred to me to be the lesson I was supposed to learn from this particular plot curve ball. This plot deciphering was getting easier and more predictable as I went along.

Sometimes when reading an author’s story, I can jump ahead of them and guess what is coming next. It is a bit of a game to see if I am right. I had this whole thing figured out, I was sure. YHWH was trying to use all these object lessons to teach me and to mold my character in to the woman He desired me to be. Although all these object lessons could be accurate and could technically be a partial reason for each of the symptoms I experienced, let the record show that YHWH is not to be put into a box.

Here is what I found out in this season:

Because YHWH is unchanging does not mean that He is predictable…

and

I am expecting twins.

If you are like me and use flouride-free toothpaste without SLS and other yucky ingredients, you are likely paying a lot for toothpaste. Any of the brands we have found that meet the criteria we are looking for cost about $5.00 per tube, for a not-so-family-sized tube. (If you don’t understand why someone would want toothpaste without flouride, then you may want to do some homework on your own. When I found out that Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Austria, France and The Netherlands have banned fluoride, I figured it was something worth looking into. Here are a few articles to get you started: Weston A. Price  Foundation articles and Dr. Mercola’s site .)

Because I have been focused obsessed with “bringing back home” (making/creating/growing our own or even eliminating our “need”) all the items that I reasonably can, and our family has been making concerted efforts to end our own consumerism, I was intrigued to find instructions for making your own toothpaste on the MOMYS digest.  The fact that it is potentially cheaper is also a bonus, although I haven’t yet crunched the numbers.

Here’s the recipe I used~

Mix together:

~2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil (I buy this from Mountain Rose Herbs - $121 for a 5-gallon bucket.)

~3 Tablespoons of Baking Soda

~5 drops Peppermint Essential oil

~5 drops Spearmint Essential Oil

~a pinch of Stevia powder

I have used baking soda to brush my teeth before (and felt a bit like a martyr because the taste was less-than-desirable), but this was incredible! I am so thrilled at how well it turned out! The coconut oil gives it a creamy consistency, and holds the Baking Soda together, while the Stevia and essential oils gives it a yummy flavor. (I chose to use part Spearmint instead of all Peppermint because the Spearmint doesn’t have that “hot” mouth feel that Peppermint does. This is important to little people!) Note: I feel safe allowing these essential oils to be used in a situation where they could possibly be ingested because 1) the amounts are so small, and 2) both Spearmint and Peppermint essential oils are on the FDA’s GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list.

It doesn’t have that foamy effect that commercial toothpaste has, but I actually appreciate that - it doesn’t get the bathroom sink so dirty, and it doesn’t gag this pregnant woman like the foamy kind does. I was amazed at how well it turned out, but the best part was how quick it was to mix together. It literally took less than five minutes including the time it took to gather the oils from another room. Our stores change brands of toothpaste so quickly, that I couldn’t have picked out toothpaste in the store as quickly as that because of reading labels. We mixed it in a tiny wide mouth half-pint canning jar, and just dip dry toothbrushes in it. Don’t get grossed out… remember coconut oil is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, so it will even keep the toothbrushes more sanitary.
This business of bringing stuff back home is so much fun!

I stopped taking prenatal vitamins a few pregnancies ago because I don’t really feel comfortable with singled-out vitamins (out of their naturally occurring form, i.e. “food”). I looked around for a natural supplement as well, reading lots of ingredient lists and testimonials, but I either didn’t like the company well enough to buy from them, or they included ingredients I felt would be harmful, so I struck out on that front as well.

As I was researching and making my personal list of what *I* would put in a prenatal supplement, if *I* were a manufacturer, it hit me that I had access to each of the ingredients. I could just purchase the bulk ingredients and make my own capsules. Eureka! So that is exactly what I did. Now, the disclaimer is that these may not be *your* list of what to put in a prenatal supplement, or any particular expert’s list, but they covered my bases.

Here is what was on my list:

Alfalfa ~ Loaded with vitamins A, D, E and K, eight digestive enzymes, and numerous trace minerals. It is particularly helpful in late pregnancy because the vitamin K it supplies promotes proper blood clotting, thereby reducing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.

Bee Pollen ~ contains more than 96 different nutrients, including every single nutrient that is needed to sustain human life. It is made up of 40% protein, nearly all of it usable by the body without any further breakdown or metabolism. Nourishing Traditions calls it a “super food”.

Beet Root Powder ~ Beet root is a good source of minerals, particularly easy-to-assimilate iron. Beet root is also helpful in the digestion of fats, gallbladder infections, digestive problems, anemia, and for toning and rebuilding the liver. Contains beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), phosphorus, potassium, selenium, tryptophan, vitamin C, zinc and soluble and insoluble fiber and spleen function improvement.

Bull Kelp (Nereocystis Leutkeana) ~ excellent source of vitamins A, B’s (especially B12), C, D, E and K as well as essential fatty acids. High in iron and chlorophyl as well as a wealth of other minerals like potassium, sodium, calcium, iodine, magnesium, sulfur, nitrogen, zinc, boron, copper, manganese, chromium, selenium, bromine, vanadium, and nickel.

Milk Thistle Seed ~ Milk thistle extract may protect the cells of the liver by blocking the entrance of harmful toxins and helping remove these toxins from the liver cells. Shonda Parker says this is the best supportive supplement for the liver in her opinion.

Norwegian Kelp (Ascophyllum Nodosum) ~ excellent source of vitamins A, B’s (especially B12), C, D, E and K as well as essential fatty acids. High in iron and chlorophyl as well as a wealth of other minerals like potassium, sodium, calcium, iodine, magnesium, sulfur, nitrogen, zinc, boron, copper, manganese, chromium, selenium, bromine, vanadium, and nickel. Kelp as a source of iodine assists in making thyroid hormones, which are necessary for maintaining normal metabolism in all cells of the body. The U.S. population in general has shown a trend of significantly decreasing iodine intake, and I take it because we do not use iodized salt.

Oatstraw ~ Calcium and magnesium rich, has silica, fiber, and trace nutrients. Also contains phosphorus and vitamins A, B1, B2 and E. Oats and oat straw help strengthen the nervous system and are considered nerve tonics. Rich in minerals, oats and oat straw also help build strong bones and teeth and strengthen capillaries and veins, and provides some support to those troubled by varicose veins and hemorrhoids.

Red Raspberry Leaf ~ tones the uterus and helps prevent miscarriage and postpartum hemorrhage from a relaxed or atonic uterus; rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins B, C and E. This is the most frequently used herb for pregnancy, and has a long track record of benefit to the female organs.

Spirulina ~ Contains rich vegetable protein (60~ 63 %, 3~4 times higher than fish or beef ), multi Vitamins (Vitamin B 12 is 3~4 times higher than animal liver and is the best vegetable source of B12) and is rich in folic acid. It contains a wide range of minerals (including Iron, Potassium, Magnesium Sodium, Phosphorus, Calcium etc.), a high volume of Beta- carotene which protects cells (5 time more than carrots, 40 time more than spinach), high volumes of gamma-Linolein acid (which can reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease).

After acquiring my ingredients, I powdered them all well in my blender. (Most of them I was able to buy already in powder form.) After they were all sufficiently powdered (small enough to fit easily into a capsule without hanging out over the edges), I mixed them well in a large bowl in the amounts I had planned. Measuring by weight, I added equal parts of everything listed above, with the exception of only a quarter part of the Bull Kelp. Next I began to make them into capsules.

(Are you as tickled as I am to realize that this is something we can make at home?)

Here is a basic photo tutorial of how to make the capsules from the company from which I bought the capsule maker and the ingredients. It really is very easy, and most of my Bigs (the older children) can do it alone, without any supervision. Even the younger children can “help Mom make vitamins for the baby” - they have so much fun! I keep the already-made capsules in a bottle with a (supposedly) child-proof cap, and the rest of the herbal mixture in a tightly sealed glass jar in the freezer. I only make enough capsules for about two weeks at a time, so I can keep the rest of the ingredients as fresh as possible.

I am really impressed with how much better I feel since beginning this supplement! My midwife is also thrilled with them, and has asked me to make them in bulk and sell them to her other patients. I don’t really foresee that happening anytime soon, but it encouraged me that I was on the right track, anyway. OK, another disclaimer: surely you know that I am no doctor, other than a Dr. Mom. So, do your own homework, check with your own practitioner, etc, etc, bla bla, bla before you go taking advice from some stranger (namely Me) on the internet.

I also made my own herbal tincture as an iron supplement to help with my anemia, and these are the ingredients I added to it:

Dandelion Roots & Leaves ~ Both have tons of vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, potassium, folic acid, and many trace elements. The root is a specific remedy for the liver (remember, pregnancy is very hard on the liver). The leaf is a mild diuretic, which can reduce water retention during pregnancy - but…without depleting potassium stores like most diuretics.

Nettles ~ Vitamins A, C, D and K (which will increase blood’s clotting ability and increases available hemoglobin, both of which decrease the likelihood of postpartum hemorrhage), calcium, cobalt, potassium, phosphorous, protein, folic acid, zinc, copper, vitamin B complex- especially B1 and B2 and carotenoids, biochelated iron and sulphur are particularly abundant, also aids the kidneys, and eases leg cramps. The leaves and stalks also provide smaller amounts of manganese, selenium, silicon and vitamin B3 (niacin).

Yellowdock Root ~ high in iron and aids in iron assimilation. This is the herb to use if anemia is unresponsive to other measures.

I hope you have fun researching and making your own supplements! It was exciting to me to have one more thing brought back home. We are becoming a little less of consumers with each choice like this that we make, and it feels really good.

Have a happy pregnancy!

There is an unwritten rule that mothers of large families know. The ones who do not know this rule, figure it out on their own pretty quickly, as there are no shortages of situations in which it will need to be applied. Any stranger in the grocery store, most relatives, casual acquaintances, pastors, and even close friends can be the tutors to introduce a Mom to this rule. How helpful.

The rule states that a mother of many children, in any case where any circumstances related to bearing or raising children are less than the picture of textbook perfection and bliss, must remain silent. Such a mother may never utter so much as a syllable indicating the less-than-Utopian condition of her health, her family dynamics or her discipline struggles in auditory range of another individual save her husband. A sigh from such a mother is also universally understood to be an invitation for others to dispense prescriptions of ancient wisdom gleaned from years of watching Oprah and Dr. Phil. Said advice typically begins with the same sage statement.

“You should have thought about that before you ______.”

The blank is left open for the advisor to customize the counsel to the specific situation in which the unsuspecting mother has left herself vulnerable. Before you got pregnant, before you had so many children, before you decided to homeschool, etc., are all the usual fillers of the blank. Although the assumption is that one could not have made such decisions with forethought, it does not appear that the advisors know how self-righteous and condescending these assumptions are.

Could it possibly be that I have somehow come through thirty-five years of worldly American culture (to include thirteen years in public school) unscathed unaware that there are ways to avoid pregnancy (i.e. “fix” what is not broken)? Unlikely. Is it possible that I could be unaware that there is a quick fix to any “accidental” pregnancy? With the world shrieking so fiercely about each persons’ choices, and even the Church for the most part, accepting such an abomination, I would be hard pressed to miss it. To assume that either my choices are uneducated or my practices accidental is illogical. It couldn’t happen in this culture. Not today.

I cannot speak for everyone who has a large family, but ours… I know. Let the record show that I did think about it before I did it. I counted the cost of pregnancy, labor, birth, breastfeeding, homeschooling, raising these blessings of ours, and every detail involved. What I found is that it is hard. It involves excruciating pain… backbreaking, toilsome labor day in and day out, often giving what I did not know I had to more people than I knew I could love.

Our culture is so selfish that it often surprises us to know that people still decide, even today, that just because something is hard does not mean it isn’t worth doing. Let’s not assume too much. The mothers of many children that I know are making this decision over and over again, even in the face of persecution from the ones who should be supportive. Most of us have to suffer in silence. Alone. It adds to the difficulty, but by YHWH’s grace, it cannot detract from the joy.

The textbooks couldn’t do that justice anyway.

I’ve been asked several times recently about nutrition and supplements for pregnancy, and have also been reviewing my own notes for my own pregnancy, so I thought I’d share here about this timely-for-me topic for my own benefit, too. I have done much research on this and had a bit of experiential data (i.e. I’ve been pregnant before) to back up what is covered here. However, let the record show that I am not a girl who is into re-inventing the wheel, so most of what is to follow is from another lady’s blog. Since Stephanie has done all the foot-work of gathering this information I’ll just post it here with her blessing. I will only add my own personal notes here and there. This post is printed out and in the pregnancy file of my Family Health Notebook, anyway. It is too good not to share.

Diet For Pregnant Mothers (developed by Stephanie in 2004 during her last pregnancy)

1. 1 tablespoon cod liver oil daily (Vitamins A &D, Omega-3s, For good brain and dental development) **Very important** make sure you do this, even if you do nothing else and the rest of your diet is awful the whole day.

[Julie here: I have on my list to ask my midwife about this at the next appointment. I always take cod liver oil too, but I have been reading so much lately about the prudence of getting your levels tested first, that I’m going to check into it. Another thing that my midwife swears by is that cod liver oil makes your amniotic sac tough as nails. No worries about water breaking in the grocery store! It turned out to be true for me, as we had a really tough time getting my water to break so I could push during this last pregnancy - my first while taking cod liver oil.]

2. At least 2 servings of high calcium (containing highly absorbable calcium salts) foods daily: 1 cup of organic whole milk/kefir, 1 cup organic whole milk yogurt, 4 oz. cheese (no lowfat or fat free, the fat in dairy products helps in the absorption of the calcium), 1 cup of steamed cultivated or wild greens eaten with butter, 1 cup herbal infusion (see below)**All these foods contain at least 400 mg. calcium salts or more**

[Julie here:
My personal opinion is that any dairy items ought to be raw milk products. This is backed up extensively by Weston A. Price Foundation, Dr. Mercola, The Makers Diet, Nourishing Traditions, etc. My midwife says her patients who have raw milk always have bigger and healthier babies, too. (Our family does not buy any pasteurized dairy products because of issues with asthma and eczema that are exacerbated by pasteurized milk.) If we don’t have raw milk available, we skip milk altogether… it is that important.

We have found a great way to prepare leafy green veggies (like collards, kale, etc.) while avoiding pork. (Most Southerners don’t know you can make good “greens” without ham hock, but this is delish! We add a smidge of minced onion (dry or fresh) to the cooking pot, along with a frozen block of the yummy chicken stock (with a layer of healthy fat at the top) that we have made ahead and frozen. A bit of salt and pepper and a dash of Liquid Smoke makes them so yummy that my kids vie for who gets the “pot liquor” (that’s the juice left over after cooking for you non-Southerners). ]

3. Butter and Coconut oil daily (saturated fat, lauric acid and vitamins A & D…coconut oil is especially good for breastfeeding. Lauric acid is not found in many foods, but it is found in high amounts in coconut oil and it’s one of the fatty acids unique to human breastmilk…it has anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. ) Butter all your veggies and coconut oil is really good in shakes and as a oil/shortening replacement in baked goods.

[Julie here: Another great way to get coconut oil in is to add it to hot drinks. Hot tea is good, but hot chocolate, or even coffee is a real treat - if you like flavored coffee, that is. Anytime we fry any food, it is in coconut oil, because it is quite stable at high temperatures. I feel like I have a whole new life. As a Southern girl who was raised on fried food, it has given me back a few comfort foods that are (now) actually healthy.]

4. 2 or more high omega-3 eggs daily (These have too many nutrients to count!…what better for a growing baby than for it’s mother to eating another animal’s placenta, it’s the perfect pregnancy nutritional powerhouse.) Additional egg yolks daily (all the nutrients are in the yolks), added to smoothies, salad dressings, scrambled eggs, etc. **it’s OK to eat raw eggs as long as they are organic, and preferably free range, wash the egg and don’t let the egg come in contact with the outside of the shell since that is where the salmonella is, if it is there at all**

[Julie here: One of my favorite breakfasts on a hot summer day is homemade eggnog - and Sue Gregg has a great recipe. Don’t get yourself stuck in a rut of scrambled eggs for breakfast everyday, or else you may burn out on them and miss this nutritional blessing.]

5. 4 oz. of red meat daily (protein, iron, all the essential amino acids, fat) preferably organic and/or pasture raised. Beef, lamb, veal, buffalo, venison and other wild game are all excellent choices.

6. 4 ounces organic liver at least once a week **For Iron and Vitamin A**(If you have been told to avoid liver for fear of getting “too much Vitamin A,” be sure to read Vitamin A Saga at www.westonaprice.org) Remember, pregnancy is an extreme Iron-hungry state…be sure to get plenty of eggs, fish, liver, red meat, green leafy veggies and herbal infusions.

[Julie here: I have not been doing the liver thing, as organic is too hard to find, and too expensive once it is found. As a woman who once fell down the steps after baby number four because of the iron-deficiency anemia, I totally agree with the iron hungry part! I have made myself a tincture with Nettles, Dandelion Root, Dandelion Leaf and Yellowdock herbs to help combat this during this pregnancy. These are all herbs with great iron-boosting abilities, and other nutrients to help the iron be absorbed better. To further help with absorption AND to cut down the yucky taste of the Yellowdock, I mix my tincture dose with a little orange juice. The vitamin C from the juice helps the iron absorb better.]

7. 12 oz. of fish weekly… particularly wild salmon, chunk light tuna, sardines, and fish eggs/roe, only fish with both scales and fins and NO bottom feeders! NO shrimp, crabs or lobsters (Omega –3s, easy to digest protein, minerals, Vitamins A & D…esp. in the fish eggs)

[Julie here: Please don’t bother with farm-raised salmon or Albacore tuna, as they are both high in toxins. If you’re not too fond of fish, a cool recipe you can try is the Anchovy Salad Dressing from Nourishing Traditions on leafy green salads. It includes a whole can of anchovies, but if you don’t know it is in there, you can’t tell. It doesn’t taste “fishy”.]

8. At least 1 cup. (preferably more) of dark leafy greens daily, steamed, raw or stirfry with coconut oil or in soups. **Spinach, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, brussel sprouts all needed to be eaten cooked as they contain certain chemicals that can harm the body if eaten raw. They contain Goitrogens that interfere with thyroid function and oxalic acid which blocks calcium absorption.** Proper thyroid functioning and calcium are both very important during pregnancy.

9. Unlimited vegetables and fruits-preferably raw, lightly steamed or cooked with meat. Esp. good ideas for pregnancy are: Pineapple, all berries, dark purple plums and prunes, dark purple grapes and raisins, bananas, broccoli, sweet potatoes, garlic, zucchini, peppers (hot and sweet)

10. Unlimited Lacto-Fermented Foods-esp. sauerkraut, fermented sweet potato, beet kvass, homemade ginger ale, and kombucha (Probiotics, trace minerals, lactic acid…all help digestion and the proper assimilation of other nutrients)

[Julie here: I have become a huge fan of Kombucha during pregnancy after learning how many B Vitamins it has. It is also a wonderful way for this girl who is not good at drinking enough to get in extra fluids. And if you don’t know much about lacto-fermented veggies, do some homework now, so that when your garden is ready this summer, or the prices in the stores are way low, you can make some for yourself! They are so easy! They are so delicious! You may never go back to vinegar pickles again. After eating the yummy lactic acid fermented kind, my kids refuse the vinegary ones. And even Mr. Visionary, who won’t touch vinegar with a ten-foot pole loves our homemade pickles and sauerkraut! ]

11. Unlimited Homemade Bone Broth: Chicken, Beef, Lamb, or Fish broth used in soups, stews and sauces (calcium, trace minerals, protein, gelatin, iron) I’ve always found a cup of hot broth to be very soothing and nourishing during early pregnancy.

[Julie here: For a girl who was raised with gravy as a beverage (OK, just about), I have no problem getting lots of good bone broth into out diet. We save bones in the freezer until it is a good time to make broth, make the broth (in the crock pot is an easy way) then freeze the broth in quart or pint containers. ]

12. Soaked/Sprouted whole grains and legumes…oatmeal, sprouted or sourdough whole grain bread, wild rice, brown rice, lentils, etc. (properly prepared whole grains contain a lot of trace minerals and B vitamins…esp. if you buy organic.) If you are watching your weight limit these to only 1-2 small servings a day.

13. Use high quality moist grey celtic sea salt to taste on food (salt is very important for baby’s development…esp. the brain, contains many trace minerals, nutrients, and natural iodine)

[Julie here: Our budget has not allowed the Celtic sea salt, but we use Real Salt from our bulk co-op. Regular old sea salt is great, too, just know that Iodized Salt from the grocery store is *not* a health-supporting food. Avoid it like the plague, as all salt is not the same - my little brother with high blood pressure has figured this out the hard way.]

14. At least 8 cups of filtered water daily. **Very important since the amniotic fluid is entirely replaced every three hours, dehydration is also one of the main causes of miscarriage** Try to drink naturally sparkling high mineral water for extra minerals, it’s great with dinner, iced with a slice of lime or lemon added, or half and half with concord grape juice (high in antioxidants).

[Julie here with a confession: I stink at getting in enough fluids. I just don’t know what the hang-up is, but sometimes plain water makes me feel barfy (and yes our well water has been tested, and it is great). I also hate, hate hate, Red Raspberry tea. I don’t know why I hate it so much, but I can’t get it down. After finding millions of glasses that I had made and left sitting on the counter, I finally stopped trying to convince myself that “I will really drink it this time”. I finally gave in and cut myself a little slack in order to get in enough fluids. I’ll make some herbal tea with a smidge of sugar, or water down some juice (a lot) in order to help me drink more. Ideally, I’d rather not have the extra few calories from the sugar or juice, but it is way better than being dehydrated. Being due in the summer, I don’t want to risk miscarriage for a few calories, not to mention dehydration increases Braxton Hicks contractions. ]
These are the things you should work to AVOID when you are pregnant: Trans fatty acids (e.g., hydrogenated oils), junk foods, commercial fried foods (home fried foods fried in coconut oil are fine), caffeine, sugar, white flour, soft drinks, alcohol, cigarettes and drugs (even prescription drugs).

**If you crave chocolate, it’s a sure sign of Magnesium deficiency…drink lots of beef/fish broth, herbal infusions (esp. nettles) and high mineral water as they are all excellent sources of usable magnesium.

**Try to buy Organic food where your budget permits, if you can do nothing else at least buy high omega-3 organic eggs…nothing can beat them for nutrition!

Herbs For Pregnancy (all pregnancy herbs are also good for breastfeeding)

-Red Raspberry Leaf infusion: strengthens uterus so that contractions are more productive at the time of labor and delivery, increases milk production

-Stinging Nettle infusion: an excellent nutritive tonic, esp. for iron, magnesium, calcium and vitamin K and for increasing breastmilk. Very High In Iron!

-Red Clover infusion: eases constipation, strengthens liver, and keeps breast milk rich, is also complimentary to Red Raspberry leaf (best used in a 1 to 1 ratio with red raspberry)

[Julie here: I have read a lot of sources that contraindicate Red Clover during pregnancy, so I avoid it. Please do your own homework to decide for yourself which herbs you feel comfortable taking during pregnancy or nursing.]

-Dandelion Root Tincture: supports liver function, which is very important during pregnancy since the liver has a lot of extra work to do in supporting the baby. Morning sickness is a typical sign that the liver may not be up to par, so is itchy sensitive skin (not just on the belly) and heartburn before the 3rd trimester begins.

Basic Infusion Recipe: 1 Qt. of boiling water added to 1 oz. of dried herb, allow to steep for at least 4 hours, store in fridge (taken from Wise Woman Herbal For The Childbearing Year By Susun Weed). However I usually just leave the herbs in there and strain the liquid as I drink it. 2 qt. mason jars work really well for making these infusions.

**I usually drink 1c. of red raspberry mixed with 1c. red clover infusion, and 1 cup of nettle infusion on most days (4-5 days a week)…you should drink up to 5 cups of red raspberry infusion daily from week 37 of pregnancy till delivery. I also have a pregnancy tea recipe that can be used daily, instead of drinking the infusions…which are very strong tasting and best for acute probelms. Check your local natural foods store or shop online for herbs in bulk (I buy most of mine from http://www.bulkherbstore.com/) they are usually very cheap. At my local natural food store it’s only 62 cents an ounce for Red Raspberry Leaf. The Dandelion root tincture I take when I sense that my liver needs it.

Information taken from:

The Brewer Diet (www.blueribbonbaby.com)
The Weston A. Price Foundation (www.westonaprice.org)
Nourishing Traditions By Sally Fallon
Wise Woman Herbal For The Childbearing Year By Susun Weed
Dr. Joseph Mercola (http://www.mercola.com/)

[Julie here: I also have made my own pregnancy vitamins, as a supplement to my diet. I will make this a separate post, though, because I want to share what I put in them and how I made them.]

My seven year old son is particularly adept at dragging a day’s lesson of Explode-The-Code out for several hours. If I could find any verses referencing it (which, to his chagrin, there are none), I might be able to call it a spiritual gift. However, I am convinced that it is a gift to be able to randomly jump from topic to topic (forty-seven to be exact) at will while managing to make four pages of workbook phonics take two hours. He tells about his recent escapades and travels, inquires about what angels eat, and have I ever been on an African safari, shows how far his loose tooth can wiggle, queries regarding the ingredients in tar, the height of the Empire State building, how does Mrs. S get her Hot Jam hot, and what is for lunch, seemingly all in the same breath. The ease with which he seems to drag his mother along into his forty-seven random subjects causing her to temporarily forget the phonics as well is, well… nothing short of dumbfounding to me.

So, in the spirit of my seven year old’s random musings, I share with you the recent happenings at our place.

Since we survived the flu, and Spring had not yet come, I decided to buckle down and try to get some projects wrapped up so I’d be free to play outside when the weather gets nice. Some of these were begun before the morning sickness began, only to be quickly shoved to the back burner during said morning sickness, then finally dragged back out and completed. In any case, what follows is not to be construed as, “Look what we did this week!” by any stretch of the imagination. It truly is a compilation of several months… and it truly is random. But I wanted to share because I’m excited, and… I have no one else to tell.

First, to update the progress on some of my sidebar goals, here is what we came up with for cloth napkins. I wanted to not have to worry about matching napkins with tablecloths and all other fancy-schmancy details that don’t quite fit the casual nature of meals with seven children, so I looked for a ton of something all the same color. I had heard that lots of MOMYS use cute dishtowels for cloth napkins, so that got me to thinking outside of the box and allowed me to ditch my original plan of making napkins with my serger. (Whew!) The girls and I found off-white (who knew they came in that color?), unbleached cotton shop towels at Sam’s Club, and thought they would be perfectly cute and quaint for nap