How come the boys always get to sleep?

Really!? You'd think that since I'm the one getting up in the middle of the night (yes...still :) ) I would be the one napping all the time. But no, not in my family. Even Marvin the dog gets to nap (not surprising really since he's a dog). Here are just a few of the pictures I've managed to snap of these boys and the many different places and positions they manage to fall asleep.

Let's start off with some funny ones of Marvin.

And with the MAN of the house...



Now the BOY of the house...and the one I'm sure most of you actually want to see!

How important is a Chiropractic adjustment for a newborn?

I was having a conversation with my mother-in-law today regarding parenting styles and techniques and abilities in general and it got me to thinking about Keller and his temperament. For those that haven't met him or heard, people gush about how wonderful and easy he is, how content he is and just such a well-mannered baby. A lot of the time we hear the comment "You're SOO lucky!". And in the moment of the comment I often find myself agreeing. Thinking, well yes, I am! My son smiles and coos and only really fusses or cries when he's REALLY hungry or tired. Which are two situations that are easily fixed, especially since I'm breastfeeding him. (SO convenient!).

But as I take a moment away from those situations to think of everything, I have to say no, we aren't lucky at all. We are responsible for our baby's behaviors. We get to take credit. My son was given a chiropractic adjustment at birth, he has never been given an unnecessary medication or vaccine, he is solely given breast milk, he is nurtured and cared for with patience and a high degree of concern for his physical comfort, he is held and played with and stimulated with positive comments and smiles. Since his arrival, we've told him how much he is loved, how proud of him we are and how happy we are that he is our son. He is allowed to eat when he is hungry, sleep when he is tired, play when he is at attention to do so.

As yes, while I understand that many people out there feel this can only be accomplished by a family with the ability to have a stay-at-home parent, I disagree. It's stressful, even without a 9-5 job. If you'd like the details of how so, leave a comment and I'll be happy to post about it. No one ever said children were easy or that having a baby won't change your life forever. It is going to be hard work and it is going to take A LOT of your energies to grow this little thing you call your child into a well adjusted, healthy, happy, positive adult.

But back to my topic, just think about what that newborn baby has gone through to enter our world. It's not surprise that many newbies can only turn their head one direction, cry relentlessly, or have a hard time nursing right away. If your head had just gone through a tight whole half the circumference of your skull, plus usually pulled on with a weighted force of somewhere between 20 and 40 lbs, you can imagine the "crink" you might be feeling! If it hurts to just turn your head, you probably wouldn't be thinking much of 1) being quiet and sleeping or 2) trying to suck down milk. I'd be crying relentlessly too until someone fixed it! As a new mom and being involved in this new community of new mom's I cannot stress enough the importance of having your new baby, or anyone in your family, checked by a Chiropractor. As advice, make sure to see if the chiropractor you may be looking into has actually adjusted young children before you see them. Some do this and some do not, just as some doctors are pediatricians and some are heart surgeons.

As a little background and hopefully to put some confidence in yourself if you're nervous about seeing a chiropractor, take heart in knowing that both UNICEF and the WHO (World Health Organization for those that somehow don't know) have recently joined forces with the Connecticut Chiropractic Council to do a study on the safety of the chiropractic adjustment and spinal manipulation and they found it both to be a safe AND effective form of health care.

What the future might hold..

So as I've travel down this path of "stay-at-home mom-dom", I've had a lot...and I mean A LOT of time to ponder over what direction I'd like my "professional" life to take. I put that into quotations because let's be honest, I am not a person, nor do I ever see myself becoming a person, who could be any kind of serious professional.

Now, I'm not saying I'm making any life-long or life-changing decisions, I think thru the course of becoming a mom I've been able to really draw out a part of me that excites me more than anything (career-wise) has in a very long time. And not surprisingly, it's labor and delivery! haha.

While I don't have any desire at the moment to go back to school and hit the books hard enough to get certified as an RN, I do have a desire to help women achieve the birth they want and to help them and their babies have a healthier delivery with less unnecessary interventions. So I'm currently doing the reading and will subsequently be attending the seminar to become a certified Birth Doula.

To find out more about what a Doula is and what training I'll need check out the DONA International's website http://www.dona.org/

But to summarize, I will NOT be able to give any sort of medical advice or to do any medical checks such as blood pressure or how dilated a woman may be. I WILL be able to give constant emotional, physical and verbal support to both the woman laboring and her partner. After going through my own birth experiences, I realize that Broghan and I have really been able to get through it together with the help of the people who have 1) prepared us for what to expect and 2) who have actually been there during the labors and given suggestions. The biggest difference between what I have already experienced and what I hope to provide to other women is a CONSTANT support. As a doula, I would not leave the laboring woman except for absolutely necessary (bathroom/food break) and I would return a.s.a.p. My role could vary from being extremely involved (helping press on pressure points on the back, holding her hand, rubbing her back, wiping her forehead) to being not all that involved at all and just being there for a sounding board or to offer up factual information about options and/or what the doctors are talking about when they start speaking in medical jargon.

The term "doula' can be expanded beyond just a certified doula. It can be used to describe any person who supports a woman through the labor process. For me, my "doula" was my husband Broghan. He drove 8+ hours to be with me during labor and did a great job coaching me, being my sounding board and a barrier system to keep distractions at bay. He spoke encouraging and positive words to me through the labor and delivery and here we are just minutes after a natural, drug-free delivery.

Here are some statistics to ponder. A pregnant woman has more than a 1 in 3 chance of "ending up" having a cesarean delivery; a study out of Cleveland, OH showed of those who have an induced labor 63%!! require a cesarean if they weren't attended to by a doula, where only 20% with a doula ended up delivering that way; women who had a doula support are 40% less likely to require a forceps delivery; 60% less likely to even request an epidural and 40% less likely to require Pitocin to keep labor moving; having a doula may reduce the length of labor up to 25%.

Anyways, the more I read about this "profession" the more I grow passionate about the idea that YES! ALL women have this magnificent body that is able to and meant to deliver a baby and that YES! a woman should be allowed to plan for and subsequently get the opportunity to labor and deliver the way SHE WANTS and YES! she should be allowed to have an advocate available to support her in every and any way necessary to achieve the kind of birth she hopes for (pending no other medical complications arise that would cause it to be different...obviously the baby's and mother's well-being trumps all wants/desires)!!


I'll be sure to keep all updated on my progress but I'm hoping to be able to support women in their labors/deliveries by sometime towards the end of this year (2010). That's the goal anyways!

Baby's First Christmas!!

This was supposed to get posted awhile ago but for some reason was only a "draft"...so here it is! Pictures and Colorado stuff will have to come later ;)

Now usually when you think of baby's first Christmas you think of just one day, one holiday. But not in our family! Keller's first Christmas is more like Keller's first WEEK of Christmas! I'll try to keep this timeline concise but here we go:

December 24th (X-mas Eve): We packed up in the A.M. and headed to G-ma & G-pa Reilly's by around 1PM. We made it to their house just in time for X-mas Mass at church in Manawa, WI. After mass, we went back to G-ma & G-pa Reilly's for dinner and gifts. Keller got a lot of attention from all of the people there to celebrate with us (Ken & LuAnn Pauer, Uncle Cullan and Claire). Plus we went to visit the Starr family at their house and Steve, SuAnn, Ryne and Zane Goederrz were there too! So it was one big party!

Sadly, I'm bad at staying up late and even though it was only around 11PM I was tired! and wanted sleep...and by golly sleep is what I got!

December 25th (Christmas Day): With the help from the grandparents and my wonderful husband, I got to REALLY sleep in until 11! Holy cow..talk about a great way to start off Christmas morning!

We had a great day hanging out at the Reilly residence, but as night approached we packed up and headed back to Eau Claire for the night to spend first Christmas together in our new home. We got to exchange gifts on our own for the first time which was super nice (Broghan got a tie hanging thingy and a velcro-neck warmer; I got a GPS & Scuba lessons!)

December 26th (Christmas Day...the second): The day started early and we packed up again and headed to the Twin Cities to spend the day celebrating Christmas at my parents' house in Tonka Bay, MN with my dad's side of our family. Translation: 65 people in one house...and 5 (yes FIVE) babies under 1 year. It was a great time and so much fun to get to see practically ALL of my cousins at once. I think we were only missing a handful of people which was very impressive.

We also go to open gifts for the third day in a row....and that's right...WE GOT A WII!! we've joined in on the fun! Oh and an electric can opener too...and Keller made out with about 50 new outfits and toys.. Such a spoiled little boy. And he doesn't even know it!

December 27th was the day we set off for Colorado! Keller's first big road trip and ski trip all rolled into one. Anna, my older sister, was nice enough to join us since Broghan had to stay in WI for a few more days to work (he flew out New Years-Eve) and thank goodness she did! She pretty much took the brunt of the driving, battling the Nebraskan roadways post-blizzard snow storm. AND she tackled the switchbacks of the mountains as my ears refused to adjust to the altitude.

See the next post for the Colorado experience break-down...

The vaccine dilema

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate...that is the question.

Or so it seems. It's an ongoing debate in my head for Keller. I mean I was vaccinated and I seem to be doing fine, but then again, I have asthma, chronic sinus issues and obviously some issues with my immune system. But then on the other had, I was vaccinated with the schedule from 1984.

Here is what I mean by that. In 1984, children received ELEVEN shots of vaccines from birth until age 16. These vaccines covered Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, (DTP now DTaP), Oral attenuated Poliovirus (OPV now IPV), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and then the Td (adult tetanus).

http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/cdc1983.pdf

Now, children receive anywhere between THIRTY and FIFTY shots for a NORMAL CHILD! You have GOT to be kidding me. Were we doing THAT bad back in 1984? Seriously...think about it some and give the skeptics some credit. We can't honestly believe that tripling the number of times you stick an infant, child, adolescent with a needle containing...what? did YOU read the label? I really don't even know if our doctors read the labels considering the way they learn about the vaccine is thru the drug rep who sells it to their clinic....will improve our children's health?

http://www.aap.org/sections/infectdis/IZSchedule_Childhood.pdf

I'm not saying there is a conspiracy, I really do think that most people in the medical field are working for our benefit and considering the limited education many of them received (limited not meaning stupid, limited as in, "western medicine is better than God, better than anything else ever" limited), they just don't know any better. Medicine does not make you healthy. Medicine allows you to live a normal life and work towards getting healthy while being sick. It also prevents you from getting more sick in some cases, allowing your body to heal and get better.

But back to vaccines. I realize that we needed them 100 years, even 50 years ago. But where was our public health 50 years ago? And better yet, where was our emergency care 50 years ago? The accessibility alone of basics such as antifungals, antibacterials, bandages, cortisone creams and other topicals is how many times better than 50 years ago? So how, in a society that has an obviously more advance medical system than we did in 1980, need THREE TIMES as many shots to create the same amount of immunity to diseases?

Another area I don't understand, is WHY CAN'T MY CHILD JUST GET THE DARNED CHICKEN POX?!!! What is wrong with the chicken pox??? Vaccinating your kids against chicken pox only INCREASES YOUR own risk of getting shingles! So why the dickens would we do this?
The only real answer I can come up with is money. The drug reps want money and how do they make money? By getting consumers (us) to use their products...well they created a new product to stop chicken pox, well lucky for them it creates ANOTHER problem (shingles) that they then get to make ANOTHER product for and make more money. Really this isn't that difficult to see.

Now earlier I wrote that I think the medical community really is looking out for us and trying to keep us healthy, the drug companies are a different story. They are just like news stations, t.v. shows, movies, restaurants, car dealerships, Wal-Mart, Target, any other store. THEY SELL THINGS TO MAKE MONEY. The more they sell; the more they make. Therefore, the more drugs they can sell and get us to ingest; the more money they make. We all know how attacked McDonald's has been recently, also thinking back a decade, the cigarette companies. Now why are drug companies any better? How have they really helped us? By creating an epidemic of sick people? By giving us a "slide" on being responsible for our own health and allowing people to be lazy, gain 100lbs, never eat a vegetable in their life and STILL have low blood pressure? Ugh..

So someone explain this situation to me? Why again am I entrusting my son to people whose aim is to make money? Because ultimately that is what it comes down to. Our species has survived disease (somehow...because apparently modern medicine is the only way we can survive beyond today) for thousands of years. I'll take my odds in listening to our ancestors and doing it their way...

But in the present, how do you judge whether its worth it to vaccinate? Please comment..

P.S. here is a statistic on Autism...
Since the 80's: In the late 1980's, 4 to 5 in every 10,000 children were thought to be afflicted...Now, for 2009, according to the CDC an average of 1 in 110 have a diagnosis on the autism scale. Now our genetics haven't changed that much in 2000 years, why would they change in 30? And a whole nations eating habits couldn't have changed that much either....but something almost every child received did...the number of vaccinations...think about it...just a little...

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/01/health/01AUTI.html
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

How we deal..

The idea of how to deal with hard situations or events has been a constant thought over the past year. I know I have my own ways, Broghan has his, but it's been interesting to look back and realize how many different ways people cope.

I guess, what I am really trying to get at, is I'd like to share my way in hopes that if someone else is going through something, even if it's completely different from what we've been through, maybe it will help. OR if someone is in a position to make a difficult decision, maybe this will give you an idea of where to start in order to make that decision if you feel lost.

I read. Simple, yes. But so incredibly important. Now don't go assuming I'm reading medical journals or even educational materials because really, those do NOT float my boat. What I mean is I read a lot of books, entertaining stories, I read blogs, I read websites (both from specific organizations and personal). I guess for me, knowing, even if I don't understand completely, helps.

For example, before when I was pregnant with Madison, I received about 6 baby books. I actually read them. Like actually read through the "What to expect" books, and the ones about how drugs affect your babies and the ones about what you should eat and how to work out. I also read the books "The Shack" and "Wicked" in the last month of my pregnancy. And not to get too much into the religious aspects of my life, but I feel that God put those books into my hands to prepare me for losing Madison. I feel that way because it was the themes in those books that carried me through the grieving process. (therefore, I highly recommend either, although The Shack for me was much more helpful, Wicked helps understanding the whole concepts of good vs. evil and who are we to judge?) I also signed up for babycenter.com (thank Amber for pointing me to it!) (also, for those pregnant or with young ones, its a great resource!) and got weekly updates in my email about how my baby was developing and I ALWAYS looked ahead, I just couldn't wait...(i'm one of those people who almost always knows what I'm getting as a gift before I get it...I'm sure it drives Broghan crazy)

Another example, is after Keller was born, and granted we got a ton of information from the hospital staff and everything, I wanted to know "What to expect". So I got a copy of the American Pediatrics Association book, continued to read the babycenter.com information pages, asked A TON of mom's about their experiences, started reading other mom's posts on Facebook, and checked out books about vaccines, medications, how the baby's brain develops. I read through books about breastfeeding and all of the information posted at the hospital in their little "pumping" rooms. I read pamphlets and signs at the pediatricians office, and even those little inserts on medications I was taking to see how the study was done and the side effects for breastfeeding.

Now don't get mislead, I'm not constantly reading and I don't do it consistently, but I do enjoy knowing and not being ignorant to what is supposed to be happening or what my choices are. I used to be content with it. But after losing Madison, its almost like an obsession to want to know. And maybe that's because her dealth makes me feel like I didn't know. I didn't know how I was supposed to be feeling at 36 weeks and in a way it's a guilty feeling about that. If I had known, maybe? but probably not in reality ya know?

Recently, I was fortunate enough to get a book from a fabulous sorority sister entitled "An exact replica of a figment of my imagination". Its a memoir written by a woman who experienced a stillbirth at 41 weeks, then got pregnant again 3 months later. Very similar to my experience and reading it helped me to put into words and into a context that was understood the many feelings and thoughts I've had over the past year. So even a year later, still helpful to read that.

Side note: if you ever see a woman with a young baby or who is obviously pregnant, PLEASE do NOT ask "is this your first?" Ugh...horrible horrible question...if you want to know if she is a first-time mom, or if she has other kids, its much much much better to say "do you have any other little ones at home?" or even "is this your only one?". It may not really seem different but really, it is, answering "is this your first" is strange, it feels like a lie to say "Yes" and its too complicated to say "No" so just don't go there...

So to summarize: if you're having a hard time and don't know where to start, start with reading, even if its just googling it and reading the websites that come up, or going to the store and grabbing the Twillight series (AHH so good! :) ), reading helps, it helps you learn, it helps you grow and more than anything it allows you to escape for a moment and just enjoy something (if you're reading a fun book...another good one is "time travelers wife"...it's kind of slow to get through, but good for if you have to pick it up-put it down-pick it up-put it down...etc..)

Keller's Story: Pregnancy, Labor/ Delivery & Hospital

KELLER RESOP REILLY -- AUGUST 23RD, 2009 -- 4 LBS 5 OZ, 17 1/2 INCHES

It's been a long time! Sorry for such a gap between my first post and now. As I mentioned, we had our son Keller Resop on August 23rd, 7 weeks early.

But I guess I should start at the beginning. This pregnancy was confirmed for us on February 26th (yes Anna - my sister's birthday) with an ultrasound...which I deemed necessary even after an at home test AND blood work had said I was pregnant. But indeed the ultrasound showed a little thing in there and we were able to hear a strong heartbeat. The ultrasound showed a 7 week old fetus...and doing the math, that meant I had gotten pregnant just 6 weeks after delivering Madison. woah. Also, it meant that I would be 24 weeks pregnant at my wedding...also a woah.

The pregnancy itself was very unremarkable...literally, it was pretty flawless. I had a bout with my asthma but it was very much unrelated to being pregnant and the wedding was awesome! I actually am glad I was pregnant since it forced me to not drink and I love having such a clear memory of that entire weekend.

A few week later (and don't worry we did training--swimming, walking, biking -- all summer for this) we did a tri-atholon! It was a 400 Meter swim, a 12 mile bike ride, and a 2 mile run (ok...it was a walk for me). I did finish though which I was proud of!

Now, from what I am told the tri-atholon is NOT RELATED to me going into labor early but on Friday August 21st, I traveled into the cities to visit with some Sigma ladies and work on a quilt for our good friend and sister Annie. I was also going to MN for my cousin Jenny's wedding that was Saturday. That night, I stayed at my real sister Anna's apartment and she jokingly asked if I needed a tarp put down in case my water broke...HAR HAR HAR very funny right? Well, the next morning I woke up with what I assumed to be a need to fart. I know, gross but really that's what it felt like! Then at around noon, as we were headed to my parents house for lunch, I realized as I drove that these "gas pains" were coming and going about every two minutes and lasting about 30-45 seconds. Seriously though, who would have thought it was labor?! I thought I had to fart! haha. Of course! I was having BrackstonHicks...the fake kind of labor pains...it had to be. So I continued on with my day not really worrying since I could feel the baby moving around/kicking I knew it wasn't like last time with Madison. Well, 8 hours later, after going to a wedding and the reception, these "gas pains" had turned into full blown contractions where I had to breathe thru them....so I decided to pass on the dancing and head back to Eau Claire.

Side note to this story, Broghan is in Chicago for a seminar thru all of this and getting hourly updates over the phone...I can only imagine the stress he is feeling at this point..

I had a birthing assistant meet me at our place and drive me to the local hospital. Once admitted and checked (it took about 2 hours) I was informed that no, it was definitely not Brackston Hicks..I was 3.5 cm dialated and fully ephased meaning this baby wants out and I was in labor.
It's now almost 2 AM and I have to make phone calls to both Broghan (to tell him to get his butt back) and my parents (to tell them I'm in labor, but don't panic). The hospital in the mean time informs me that they are not equipped to handle a 33 week old preemie, so I would need to be air lifted to Rochester, MN to deliver there. Broghan made it back to Eau Claire and to the hospital about 20 minutes before I left in the helicopter for Rochester. So he said hello quickly and turned right around, checked on Marvin and headed to MN by car. The helicopter ride wasn't nearly as exciting as I had hoped my first time up in one would have been with all the wires attached and those annoying contractions every few minutes. But I did manage to get a little shut-eye in between them so that was nice since I was starting to get tired going on no sleep.

So I get to Rochester and Broghan gets there about 30 minutes after me...yes, he may have been speeding...but the labor progresses, my parents & family show up and after a few more hours we finally get to the pushing. No drugs, no epidurals and no extra help, just 10 minutes of pushing and he was out! It goes by so fast, but really, I hope anyone who considers an epidural thinks twice...its totally worth it to feel everything and you feel SO INCREDIBLY GOOD afterwards! Seriously, its a better-than-sex feeling of euphoria...it's why we as women are lucky enough to get to be the ones to deliver our children!!

As for Keller, he came out screaming, probably pissed at us for having such a bright, cold room to welcome him with but breathing on his own. He was struggling though and sounded like a little lamb 'bahhing' with each breath. He was breathing on his own for the first 24 hours, but as that day dwindled down, he had to work harder and harder to get his oxygen.

At the 24 hour mark, we decided to intubate him and they topically administered a solution called Surfactant. This is a soapy substance that we all make naturally in our lungs to make breathing easier/smoother and I guess it's during this 33rd week of gestation that we really start pumping it out...therefore, Keller was missing that piece.

Also, he had a feeding tube inserted for obvious reasons. In the pictures, you can see lots of wires and tubes, but really its a breathing tube, a feeding tube and then general stat monitors for temperature, heartbeat, and breathing rate. He was allowed to be extubated once he was breathing beyond the pumps created by the breathing tube and was on room level oxygen. This only took 4 days to accomplish. The bluish glow in one of the pictures is the biliruben light. It is to prevent Jaundice which often happens with preemies. It's kind of of a neat deal since it's just a blue light, that's all. Nothing fancy and no drugs which we were happy about. The rest of Keller's hospital story is one of constant progress and growth. He was able to gain weight every day and his breathing improved as well. After 2 weeks in the Level 3 NICU in Rochester, Keller was transferred back to Luther Hospital in Eau Claire, just 1 mile from our new house! We spent the next two weeks driving back and forth from home to hospital and I spent MANY hours in their Special Care Nursery working with Keller on breastfeeding. We were lucky in a lot of ways with have a preemie, I got a lot of help learning how to breastfeed and how to care for Keller once he was home. I think a lot of newborns, who are born full-term just get sent on their way without much instruction to the mom's and dad's. Keller never needed any medications beyond the little bits of morphine he was given while intubated those first few days of life and has not received anything since. He's been a happy and healthy baby and as I've been told many times, a very GOOD baby too.