Hello,
I'm an old fan of Mothering from about 13 years ago. My children are 15, 13, 10 and 8 and a baby due in March! This is a pleasant surprise to me and my husband, having a baby in our mid-forties. I remember a lot of things from the early days, but things change and I want to see what's out there. Mainly I trust my instincts and my God to guide me through, but a little help here and there is good! I stumbled upon this site after looking up the safety of Elderberry in pregnancy. Turns out it's perfectly safe to use, YAY! I feel better already :)
A little about us . . . married for 18 years and still very much in love, we had 4 natural childbirths- three at home- did a LOT of babywearing, cosleeping, breastfeeding- and have been homeschooling all the way. It seems we have tried most methods out there and have settled in a relaxed, eclectic style with some instruction, mostly discussion and exploration, closer to unschooling. I am a spontaneous, somewhat organized mom; love the outdoors, learning new things with the kids, leading a troop of Frontier Girls, camping, hiking, and my new hobby of learning wild medicinals and edibles. I can be a bit of a perfectionist at times, stubborn, and indecisive, but hey, I've made it this far! I've worked on and off part time or less as a Labor and Delivery RN for the past 16 years(before that, full time Intensive Care for 3 years). It's been two years since I last worked in the hospital.
Honestly, I miss caring for laboring moms, but the hospital environment is becoming less and less natural childbirth friendly (even though on the outside it looks as if it is). Our rights to our bodies and the decisions made for our babies are being stripped away ever so subtly. In order to make an 'informed' decision in health care you really need to do your homework. In general the healthcare and insurance systems have a hold on how decisions need to be made so much so that it is hard for physicians to do their jobs. (I believe the same goes for our educational, political and other systems that make our country great. Greed has taken the place of good old fashioned hard work and morals. No doom and gloom here, just a wake up call to move in another direction- self sufficiency- just in case SHTF). I digress . . .
This pregnancy has been a pleasure so far (it helps that I was in a 'get back in shape' mode when I conceived). The sleeping lighter at night thing is preparing me for newborn days of not getting enough sleep. Naps are awesome! Having older kids that are super excited to help with the baby is awesome too! As far as baby 'equipment' it seems all has been provided for this little one. A cousin handed down her year old car seat, and many grown out of burp cloths, onsies, crib and mobile (might be used for naps?), My Baby Nest sling, baby food grinder, and other odds and ends. Yard sales rock!! I got a Kelty baby backpack in excellent condition for $7. Stuff for free on the side of the road, believe me I was floored, a Schwinn jogger stroller and Carter baby walker (both needed a little clean up). All I need now are diapers! I used the same set of Mother-Ease Sandy's for all four kids with a new set of covers for baby number three! (an $800 investment at the time) I am currently looking for a set of used so as not to spend another $800- although still a savings compared to disposable, and no landfill contribution!
I'm looking forward to reading posts and articles here on Mothering this time around!
Kamilla
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