"Three Is a Magic Number"

Ok, whom out there is familiar with the song from Schoolhouse Rock?  It's a favorite in our household and was pretty fitting, I thought, for the title of my next blog entry.   

I am often asked by people if I am "done" having children.  And as much as I've given short, indecisive answers here or there in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "what does that even mean?"  I never really liked the word, "done".  It's feels so... final.  

From the beginning and after I got pregnant with my daughter I told myself that I was "done" taking any kind of birth control and if we got pregnant on our own, it was meant to be.  And we did.  Twice.  Sooner than I thought it would happen and even sooner than I was "ready" for it to happen, but the moment my babies were born none of that mattered.  My heart automatically grew and the overall love in my home multiplied.  My 3 little miracles have helped to make me the person I am today.  My daughter is my strong survivor.  I call her that because of her invisible twin.  She is smart, creative, beautiful, loving and is already a little protector of her younger brothers.  She has such a caring and compassionate heart and I just love watching her grow.  My son is my challenge.  And I say that with the utmost endearment.  I love that boy more than anything in the world and his strong personality that challenges me everyday also makes me love him more and more.  He stands up for what he wants and makes his views known.  I never want him to lose that inner fire.  He is my little music lover and never passes up an opportunity to dance and sing along.  My baby boy is trying his best to keep up with his older siblings.  He is already crawling and wants so badly to get in on the fun.  He is also happy to just go with the flow.  They are all happy.  And healthy.  And they have the most infectious smiles and laughter.  They are magical and amazing to me and they represent everything good in my life.  Their smiles & laughter... their kind hearts & pure souls...  they are free and whimsical and they are a forever reminder of absolute and unconditional love and of what can be created from love. When I look at them I beam with pride.  I'm am living my life with my family and doing my very best to enjoy every single moment. 

And the next time I am asked about having more children I'm simply going to reply with... Three is a magic number.  Because it is.

When I look at this picture another song comes to mind... 

"I hear babies crying, I watch them grow.  

They'll learn much more, than I'll ever know.  

And I think to myself... What a wonderful world"

A wonderful world, indeed.

Cannibalism. At It's Best.

Now...  I know there are a handful of you out there who read the title to this blog entry and nodded your head in agreement because you know exactly what I'm talking about.  

For those of you shuddered at the word, "cannibalism", please... allow me to enlighten you.   

Looong ago, before my 3rd, and 2nd for that matter, pregnancy I was visiting with a girlfriend and fellow mommy friend.  We were chit chatting about babies, birth, etc. while our babies (our daughters are very close in age) played.  This particular girlfriend was (is) a fellow home birth mommy and was a large part of my inspiration to go for it myself.  Well, during this particular visit I found myself fascinated during our conversation when she said she had her placenta encapsulated for consumption and stored it in her freezer.  Yes, ladies and gentleman, you read that right.  I admit, my response was probably the same one you're having right now, if this is the 1st time you've heard of this ritual.  Now, allow me to clarify...  My girlfriend was the 1st person I heard of who had done this, but apparently there are women out there who come to your home to prepare and encapsulate your placenta the day after your birth.  And once it's encapsulated they're ready to take.  Easy as pie.  ;)

Why, you ask?  Why on earth would anyone do this, let alone just think about doing it?  Oh, I am so glad you asked.  Placenta Encapsulation is, in a word, replenishing.  Think about it...  During our entire pregnancies our babies are hidden so warmly and comfortable in the womb, attached to us by...  the placenta.  Everything our babies get from us, they get from the placenta.  The very definition of Placenta is, "an organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall to allow nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply." Now, don't get me wrong.  When I 1st heard of this from my friend I did think it was weird, but I was intrigued and definitely curious.   

It wasn't until I made the decision to home birth years later when I actually took the time to research it further.  I remember seeing a post on another girlfriends (my friend who attended and photographed my birth) facebook page saying she had "ingested her placenta" and I realized that it was a common practice among home birthing mommies.  It was no wonder every home birthing mommy I knew always seemed like they were floating on cloud 9...  ;) 

The next step for me was finding someone to do it.  I asked around and was pleased to find out the student midwife working with my midwives encapsulated placentas according to "Traditional Chinese Medicine".  I contacted her almost immediately.  And after speaking with her and my girlfriends in detail I had pretty much made up my mind to do it.  Among the countless benefits the one that sold me the most was avoiding any sort of postpartum depression. Or in my case, post baby blues.  The very idea that "eating your placenta" meant you were replenishing your body of all vital nutrients/blood lost during labor along with it's natural healing chemicals just completely made sense.  As far as I was concerned there was no reason not to do it.  It was naturally the next step for me after birthing.  Of course when I mentioned the idea to my husband and family I was met with hesitation.  But then, just like every other "hair brained" idea I had (you know...  VBAC, home birth... ;) I changed their minds and they supported my decision.

After my baby boy was born my midwife stored my placenta in the fridge.  And the very next day my girlfriend and student midwife at the time (she is now licensed!) came over to encapsulate it.  She brought her own gear and took care of everything.  She brought such a calm and peaceful ambiance into my home.  And after coming back the next day to finish up she not only gave me my 1st 2 pills to take, she also dried the umbilical cord and shaped it into a heart as a beautiful keepsake.

During my 1st week postpartum I can honestly say that I felt like a brand new woman.  I felt uplifted.  There was a sense of serenity drifting throughout my body.  Crying baby?  Not a problem.  Crying baby and screaming toddler?  Nothing I couldn't handle.  My mood was calm and my babies felt it.  I was patient and relaxed...  without a hint or sign of the blues.  And the boost to my milk supply was an added bonus. 

I still have some "happy pills" left that I can take on an as needed basis...  if I'm having a particularly stressful day or just need an extra mental push to get through a rough time.  I can hold onto them forever and even use them once menopause hits to help ease those symptoms as well.  I just store them in my freezer and know they're there when I need them.  Kind of like a security blanket...  

Pretty darn cool, if you ask me.