Georgia
Was hot! I was kinda shocked. It was hot for this time of year even for Georgia. 75 degrees in mid December is a travesty. All thoughts of Christmas flew out of my mind...they were replaced with worries of sunburn and heatstroke. It was just odd to see Christmas lights and trees and garland....while sitting in a car with the air conditioning blowing full blast. Oh well....we still had fun!
Ethan and Presley accompanied me on my journey. They were wonderful travel partners and they kept me laughing. At the Denver airport we were going through security (which, by the way, I think they are racially profiling the people there. I mean, they searched all my carry-on bags. Why don't they STOP targeting the ethnic group that continues to blow up planes? Gee whiz...white girls with small children....they should all be searched) anyway....going through security and the lady asked to see the boys boarding passes. I gave then to her and she looked at Ethan and asked his name and age. He responded with very good manners....I was so proud. But, as you know, pride comes before a fall. She looked at Presley and asked his name. He responded...in a low voice, "Cowboy." She smiled politely...that "oh. how. cute." smile and asked again...."what is your name?" He answered, a bit ticked off, "I AM COWBOY." The good Lord looked down on us and she allowed us to pass through the gate. Thankfully. Later on the plane Pres decided he did NOT want to wear his seatbelt so he told the flight attendant (when she walked by and told him to out it on)..." I take OFF my heatbelt." (everything starts with the "h" sound) Nice. I literally had to hold him down in the seat as he was screaming "TAKE OFF MY HEATBELT!!!" I mean, gosh, if the plane plummets to the ground from 37,000 feet going 550 miles an hour (all this info provided by Frontier) a 2 year old sitting in his own seat with his seatbelt on is going to be MUCH safer. (FYI: on the way home I held him the whole time. Period.)
Sooo....we arrive in sunny Georgia intact. The following morning I went with Audrey to her prenatal appointment. (I went to Ga to be at her birth) The midwife was super sweet, as usual, but the doctor wanted Audrey to schedule her C section. Yeah, whatever dude. Audrey was told she could be induced the following day...and although tempting for a pregnant mom, Audrey has been induced with all 4 of her other babies....so she said she would think about it. Later that night we took Audrey out to eat some yummy spicy food (uummm, HELLO, I love Bahama Breeze!). She also started some natural herbal stuff that helps with the whole labor thing. Just a few hours later, I got a call saying she was contracting!!!! So at 5 a.m. on Thursday morning I left for the hospital. Her labor was progressing pretty fast, so there was no need for me to go to her house first. I arrived before her and tried to get that nasty smell out of the room. I used my lavender/peppermint essential oils and dimmed the lights. The room was ready! Audrey and her sweet husband Tim got there about 6:20 a.m.
She labored on the birth ball, walking, sitting....whatever felt good. Thankfully the nurse did not make her stay in the bed, as is custom....whew! That would hurt! Anyway, FINALLY the midwife got there and Audrey jumped into the birthing tub. Aaahhh.
However, she was only in there for about 20 minutes when she felt a little pushy. She had decided earlier she was going to labor in the tub and birth on the bed, so she got out and went to the bed.
A few pushes later...their 4th girl was born!!!! Vivian Mae weighed almost 11 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Audrey gave birth all natural with no tear or anything....and she nursed right away. It was a wonderful birth to be a part of and I am SO thankful I was able to be there!!!
So a few hours later, I went and got the boys and we headed downtown to the Capitol.
I was on the docket to speak at the committee meeting, but I told my midwife earlier to take me off since I was going to be at a birth. So I went downtown without my speech because I figured I would not be speaking. Ha. I walked in the room (after parking 17 miles away. Well, close to 17 miles...) and several of my friends saw me and yelled, "Tiffany is here! Put her back on to speak!" Oh joy. Lord have mercy. Me making a speech off the cuff is...a disaster waiting to happen. I will talk. And talk. And talk some more....if I do not have a guideline I will ramble on forever!!!!! They will legalize the CPM just to shut me up! SO......I hauled my boys up there with me and I spoke. I really have no idea how long I spoke...not too long, I think, since no one was falling asleep or running me out of the room. I told them all about my first baby...the planned C section...the long labor...the 10 lb baby for my "too small to give birth" frame. I told them I loved having MY midwife there and not the person on call. I told then I never had to be strapped to a bed. I told them how I was supported and encouraged through my entire birth. I told them that I held my baby non-stop for hours after the birth and he was never taken from me. I told them everything. Women need to have this option easily available to them in Ga...seeing as how Ga has one of THE HIGHEST INFANT MORTALITY RATES IN THE USA so apparently something in these hospitals is not going well. *calming down and gracefully stepping off the soapbox* I enjoyed it! It is somewhere online...a video of the whole thing, but I *cough* do not know *cough* how to *cough* find it. After the meeting I went to lunch with my midwives and several of my past clients...we had a blast!!! Ethan got to play with the birds...Pres was terrified of them.
Friday....I awoke feeling ick. We hung around the house all day and ran a few errands that afternoon. The Flamm's took us out to eat that night and we had a great time.
Saturday morning we went with the Flamm's up to their cabin on Lake Blue Ridge. It was so nice!!!
We rode the quads for a looong time...and I must say, I had a blast. I learned that you CAN get stuck on a quad...just get it angled -perfectly- over a fallen tree and...your stuck! But I then learned how to get it off the tree...all by myself. I also learned that going down and embankment..-straight down- is very scary but hilarious for the other riders watching you. And lastly, I learned that even when riding at high rates of speed, bugs can fly up into your nose. And wiggle around with their legs going crazy against your mucus membranes. And this does make it impossible to steer a quad (while screaming and trying not to hurl) and trees will hit you in the face and almost knock you off. *still holding back the vomit at the mere mention of this occurrence* Needless to say, those few moments were not the highlight of the day and they will forever be etched into my memory.
Sunday....I went to my church...Faith Community Church. It was so nice to see all my friends!!! And it is shocking how their kids have grown! In my mind they are all still the same size. :)
Later that afternoon Nate and Courtney came over for dinner. Did I mention that Court is ADORABLE with her little 31 week belly??? And I got to palpate Hannah and teach Nate how to feel her knees, legs, feet, elbows and little tiny bottom. :) I cannot wait to get my hands on that baby! Only 9 more weeks!!!!! (and yes, I am still accepting sky miles for my flight to Ga for the birth!)
Monday my mom watched the boys and I went to the capitol again. The OB's were speaking and then the OB's that support homebirth were speaking. It was quite interesting, to say the least. The bad OB's really have a skewed view of what a midwife does and what her training is. Gee! They think that all a lady has to do is attend 24 births and she can be a midwife! All I have to say to that is I have attended 220+ births and have done years of studying through the Utah College of Midwifery and I am still NOT midwife. It is a long and involved process. Anyway, the good OB's were great and helped to accurately portray a CPM and their experience. Even the bad OB's were impressed with the flawless statistical outcomes for moms and babies....so many fewer deaths than a hospital it was shocking. Anyway, it was a good meeting and I enjoyed it. I left there and went to meet Courtney for lunch and shopping! We went to Mimi Maternity and spent some cold cash. It was great. Then off to get the boys, finish packing and head to the airport! Our flight left at 7:30 p.m. so the idea was that Pres was going to sleep all the way back home. Har. Har. Har. He was the entertainment on the airplane. Hysterical. Thankfully there was zero screaming and he did fine. I on the other hand was so exhausted I could not hold my eyes open....so thankfully the pilot steered us into some great turbulence to help me wake up. Pres kept yelling, "WHOA!!!!" like he was having the time of his life. Nice.
So home I am. The following day was spent furiously cleaning for Christmas company....of which only 3 have arrived because the airport is now shut down from this blizzard. About 2 feet of snow so far!!! It is so beautiful. I cannot wait till the snow stops and we can go out in it with the sleds!!! Yee-Ha! (oh my word. did I just say yee-ha???? no more Ga trips for me.....)
Was hot! I was kinda shocked. It was hot for this time of year even for Georgia. 75 degrees in mid December is a travesty. All thoughts of Christmas flew out of my mind...they were replaced with worries of sunburn and heatstroke. It was just odd to see Christmas lights and trees and garland....while sitting in a car with the air conditioning blowing full blast. Oh well....we still had fun!
Ethan and Presley accompanied me on my journey. They were wonderful travel partners and they kept me laughing. At the Denver airport we were going through security (which, by the way, I think they are racially profiling the people there. I mean, they searched all my carry-on bags. Why don't they STOP targeting the ethnic group that continues to blow up planes? Gee whiz...white girls with small children....they should all be searched) anyway....going through security and the lady asked to see the boys boarding passes. I gave then to her and she looked at Ethan and asked his name and age. He responded with very good manners....I was so proud. But, as you know, pride comes before a fall. She looked at Presley and asked his name. He responded...in a low voice, "Cowboy." She smiled politely...that "oh. how. cute." smile and asked again...."what is your name?" He answered, a bit ticked off, "I AM COWBOY." The good Lord looked down on us and she allowed us to pass through the gate. Thankfully. Later on the plane Pres decided he did NOT want to wear his seatbelt so he told the flight attendant (when she walked by and told him to out it on)..." I take OFF my heatbelt." (everything starts with the "h" sound) Nice. I literally had to hold him down in the seat as he was screaming "TAKE OFF MY HEATBELT!!!" I mean, gosh, if the plane plummets to the ground from 37,000 feet going 550 miles an hour (all this info provided by Frontier) a 2 year old sitting in his own seat with his seatbelt on is going to be MUCH safer. (FYI: on the way home I held him the whole time. Period.)
Sooo....we arrive in sunny Georgia intact. The following morning I went with Audrey to her prenatal appointment. (I went to Ga to be at her birth) The midwife was super sweet, as usual, but the doctor wanted Audrey to schedule her C section. Yeah, whatever dude. Audrey was told she could be induced the following day...and although tempting for a pregnant mom, Audrey has been induced with all 4 of her other babies....so she said she would think about it. Later that night we took Audrey out to eat some yummy spicy food (uummm, HELLO, I love Bahama Breeze!). She also started some natural herbal stuff that helps with the whole labor thing. Just a few hours later, I got a call saying she was contracting!!!! So at 5 a.m. on Thursday morning I left for the hospital. Her labor was progressing pretty fast, so there was no need for me to go to her house first. I arrived before her and tried to get that nasty smell out of the room. I used my lavender/peppermint essential oils and dimmed the lights. The room was ready! Audrey and her sweet husband Tim got there about 6:20 a.m.
She labored on the birth ball, walking, sitting....whatever felt good. Thankfully the nurse did not make her stay in the bed, as is custom....whew! That would hurt! Anyway, FINALLY the midwife got there and Audrey jumped into the birthing tub. Aaahhh.
However, she was only in there for about 20 minutes when she felt a little pushy. She had decided earlier she was going to labor in the tub and birth on the bed, so she got out and went to the bed.
A few pushes later...their 4th girl was born!!!! Vivian Mae weighed almost 11 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Audrey gave birth all natural with no tear or anything....and she nursed right away. It was a wonderful birth to be a part of and I am SO thankful I was able to be there!!!
So a few hours later, I went and got the boys and we headed downtown to the Capitol.
I was on the docket to speak at the committee meeting, but I told my midwife earlier to take me off since I was going to be at a birth. So I went downtown without my speech because I figured I would not be speaking. Ha. I walked in the room (after parking 17 miles away. Well, close to 17 miles...) and several of my friends saw me and yelled, "Tiffany is here! Put her back on to speak!" Oh joy. Lord have mercy. Me making a speech off the cuff is...a disaster waiting to happen. I will talk. And talk. And talk some more....if I do not have a guideline I will ramble on forever!!!!! They will legalize the CPM just to shut me up! SO......I hauled my boys up there with me and I spoke. I really have no idea how long I spoke...not too long, I think, since no one was falling asleep or running me out of the room. I told them all about my first baby...the planned C section...the long labor...the 10 lb baby for my "too small to give birth" frame. I told them I loved having MY midwife there and not the person on call. I told then I never had to be strapped to a bed. I told them how I was supported and encouraged through my entire birth. I told them that I held my baby non-stop for hours after the birth and he was never taken from me. I told them everything. Women need to have this option easily available to them in Ga...seeing as how Ga has one of THE HIGHEST INFANT MORTALITY RATES IN THE USA so apparently something in these hospitals is not going well. *calming down and gracefully stepping off the soapbox* I enjoyed it! It is somewhere online...a video of the whole thing, but I *cough* do not know *cough* how to *cough* find it. After the meeting I went to lunch with my midwives and several of my past clients...we had a blast!!! Ethan got to play with the birds...Pres was terrified of them.
Friday....I awoke feeling ick. We hung around the house all day and ran a few errands that afternoon. The Flamm's took us out to eat that night and we had a great time.
Saturday morning we went with the Flamm's up to their cabin on Lake Blue Ridge. It was so nice!!!
We rode the quads for a looong time...and I must say, I had a blast. I learned that you CAN get stuck on a quad...just get it angled -perfectly- over a fallen tree and...your stuck! But I then learned how to get it off the tree...all by myself. I also learned that going down and embankment..-straight down- is very scary but hilarious for the other riders watching you. And lastly, I learned that even when riding at high rates of speed, bugs can fly up into your nose. And wiggle around with their legs going crazy against your mucus membranes. And this does make it impossible to steer a quad (while screaming and trying not to hurl) and trees will hit you in the face and almost knock you off. *still holding back the vomit at the mere mention of this occurrence* Needless to say, those few moments were not the highlight of the day and they will forever be etched into my memory.
Sunday....I went to my church...Faith Community Church. It was so nice to see all my friends!!! And it is shocking how their kids have grown! In my mind they are all still the same size. :)
Later that afternoon Nate and Courtney came over for dinner. Did I mention that Court is ADORABLE with her little 31 week belly??? And I got to palpate Hannah and teach Nate how to feel her knees, legs, feet, elbows and little tiny bottom. :) I cannot wait to get my hands on that baby! Only 9 more weeks!!!!! (and yes, I am still accepting sky miles for my flight to Ga for the birth!)
Monday my mom watched the boys and I went to the capitol again. The OB's were speaking and then the OB's that support homebirth were speaking. It was quite interesting, to say the least. The bad OB's really have a skewed view of what a midwife does and what her training is. Gee! They think that all a lady has to do is attend 24 births and she can be a midwife! All I have to say to that is I have attended 220+ births and have done years of studying through the Utah College of Midwifery and I am still NOT midwife. It is a long and involved process. Anyway, the good OB's were great and helped to accurately portray a CPM and their experience. Even the bad OB's were impressed with the flawless statistical outcomes for moms and babies....so many fewer deaths than a hospital it was shocking. Anyway, it was a good meeting and I enjoyed it. I left there and went to meet Courtney for lunch and shopping! We went to Mimi Maternity and spent some cold cash. It was great. Then off to get the boys, finish packing and head to the airport! Our flight left at 7:30 p.m. so the idea was that Pres was going to sleep all the way back home. Har. Har. Har. He was the entertainment on the airplane. Hysterical. Thankfully there was zero screaming and he did fine. I on the other hand was so exhausted I could not hold my eyes open....so thankfully the pilot steered us into some great turbulence to help me wake up. Pres kept yelling, "WHOA!!!!" like he was having the time of his life. Nice.
So home I am. The following day was spent furiously cleaning for Christmas company....of which only 3 have arrived because the airport is now shut down from this blizzard. About 2 feet of snow so far!!! It is so beautiful. I cannot wait till the snow stops and we can go out in it with the sleds!!! Yee-Ha! (oh my word. did I just say yee-ha???? no more Ga trips for me.....)
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