I really feel for women that deal with infertility. Most women have a strong, natural desire to have a baby. I don't know the pain of never being able to conceive, but I know the strong desire to hold my own baby in my arms and can only imagine how painful it would be to not have had that experience.
I conceived my first 3 children fairly easily, but knew I was dealing with infertility when baby #4 wasn't happening. Most of you may be thinking, "You should have been happy that you at least had three healthy children." And you're right - I was thankful I had 3, but I had such a strong desire for a forth. I read and researched and came across some information that hit home to me. The information was on imbalanced hormones. I had several symptoms of having imbalanced hormones, and one of the symptoms was infertility. What can cause imbalanced hormones?
The birth control pill {I do not take birth control} ~ The pill contains progestins and progestogens, which are man-made, synthetic hormones. These synthetic hormones cause low progesterone levels. These hormones are highly toxic to our body. They mess up our natural hormones, and can cause miscarriages, heart disease, migraines, depression, high blood pressure and cancer. The birth control pill is just not a good option for any woman.
Hormone Replacement Therapy ~ Hormone therapy is used to ease the symptoms of menopause, but it contains synthetic progestins, which again, confuses our natural hormones.The side effects of HRT are far worse than the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause! The side effects of hormone replacement therapy can include: osteoporosis, high blood pressure, blood clots, cancer, vaginal bleeding, rashes, acne and weight gain. If you suffer from menopause, try taking the herb red raspberry for a safe, natural remedy.
Eating non-organic meats and produce ~ most of the non-organic meat bought at the store contains estrogen steroids, which causes our estrogen levels to be higher than they should be. Non-organic produce contains dioxin from pesticides.
Eating a diet of too much sugar and processed foods
Stress
Cosmetics {use only natural make-up}
Plastics
Toxins {be sure to cleanse on a regular basis}
Paint
Ink
How To Know If Your Hormones Are Out of Wack:
If you have 6 symptoms or more from the list below, your estrogen level is probably too high:
PMS
Heavy Periods
Painful, lumpy breasts
Puffiness and bloating
Rapid weight gain
Headaches linked to monthly cycles
Mood swings
Foggy thinking
Anxiety
Depression
Weepiness
Insomnia
Infertility
If you have 4 or more symptoms from the list below, your testosterone levels are probably too high:
Irregular periods
Ovarian cysts
Mid-cycle pain
Acne
Excessive hair on face and/or arms
Thinning hair on head
Hypoglycemia
Apple shaped body
Infertility
Excessive weight around abdomen
If you have symptoms of too much estrogen or testosterone, I have good news! These hormones can easily be balanced naturally!There are three herbs that I used to balance my hormones:
Red Clover Fenugreek Saw Palmetto This is the schedule I followed: Days 1 and 2~ Take one red clover pill 3 times a day Days 3 and 4~ Continue taking the red clover 3 times a day, and add one fenugreek capsule 3 times a day. Day 5 and beyond~ Continue with the red clover and fenugreek 3 times a day, and add one saw palmetto capsule 3 times a day. Note: Take two saw palmetto capsules instead of one if you are too high in testosterone. It is recommended to take these herbs for at least 2-4 months; for some women it could take up to a year for hormones to be balanced. I recommend taking them at least until symptoms subside. These herbs have many other healthy benefits and can be taken long term.
In less than a month of starting this herbal program, I found out I was expecting our 4th daughter! She is an adorable blessing to us! I don't understand all the reasons for infertility, but I know that the situation is ultimately in God's hands. If you deal with infertility and have any symptoms of imbalanced hormones, try balancing them naturally and perhaps God can use it to bless you with a sweet bundle of joy. Disclaimer: These statement have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to treat, cure or prevent disease. ______________________________________________________
Jill is a Christian and has been married to her dear husband for 12 years. She's a homeschool mom of 4 and is thankful for God's goodness in her daily life. As a certified family herbalist, her passions include reading and researching about health and home remedies, and sharing with others the knowledge she gains. You can find her blogging at Jill's Home Remedies and connect with her on facebook and twitter.
To give you a little update on baby first, here he/she is at 19 weeks old!
As most of you know, I was diagnosed with a very large subchorionic hematoma quite early in this pregnancy. Simply put, I had a blood clot (three times larger then our baby) between my placenta and the lining of my uterus. We were told we had a 1 in 3 chance of miscarrying for the second time. After many ultrasounds, many trips to the ER, and too many times where I broke down into tears because I "knew for sure" we were losing our baby, we are half way through this pregnancy. We are so thankful for God's sustaining grace thus far and all the help we've received from our family, friends, and church so I could be on modified bed-rest. Last week, things got a little more complicated as an emergency ultrasound showed that the original blood clot had not shrunk in size at all. In addition, I have developed two more clots which cause heavy bleeding, even in the middle of the night while I'm resting. Second-trimester bleeding puts me at "high-risk" and I am no longer allowed to consult with my midwife alone. We now have and OB in addition to our midwife, and our hopes for another home-birth are put on hold unless something drastically improves. "Modified bed-rest" has been changed to "strict bed-rest." With the exception of getting up to eat, shower, and use the bathroom, I spend most of the day lying down or crocheting. As you can imagine, it's very difficult with two toddlers running around. :-) Lord willing, we will be moving in with family who have graciously opened up their home to us for as long as we need it sometime this week or next. We're often asked what's causing these blood clots and how I can get rid of them. The truth is, not one single doctor of the many we have met with over the past few months can explain why they develop or how to prevent them. No one has prescribe any medication to help the clots dissolve, so we've being using the herbs and homeopathic remedies our midwife has suggested to help sustain the pregnancy. Here they are (and what they do) in case you find yourself in the same situation: Pregnancy Vitamin: I take this with all of my pregnancies, for the baby's health as well as my own. Make sure the folic acid content is at least 1mg daily, and that the iron is taken in a separate pill from the calcium. Calcium inhibits iron absorption. Arnica: I take 15 arnica pellets a day. It is a homeopathic remedy that aids in the healing of bruises and wounds. I take it to control the growth of the clots, and hopefully, to shrink them as well. You can also use Arnica flowers in a tincture, or to make a salve. Sepia (Inky Juice): These past few months have been a whirlwind of emotions. One minute we think we're losing another child, and the next we're happily staring at our energetic little babe on the ultrasound screen. I take 15 pellets of Sepia a day to help with the morning sickness, headaches, weariness, and emotional exhaustion. Later on in the pregnancy (Lord willing, there will be a "later"), I plan on drinking Red Raspberry Tea to help prepare my uterus for birth. I took it with our second child and noticed a huge difference between my labor with him and our first. Evening Primrose Oil is something else I take near the end of a pregnancy to help soften the cervix. After an hour and a half of pushing and second degree tear with our first, I was willing to try anything to prevent it from happening again! It worked wonders with our second - no tearing at all, and he literally "slipped" out in three pushes! The Arnica and Red Raspberry Tea are available through The Bulk Herb Store. I love this family run company and its commitment to providing quality, organic, herbs, teas, and information on how to use the natural medicines God has created for us!
This post contains affiliate links for products I love and personally endorse.
New here? A warm welcome to you! Allow me to introduce myself and give you a whirlwind tour of Growing Home!
My name is Jacinda Vandenberg. I'm a 20-something Canadian girl who's happily married to the love of my life, Brad. We homeschool our three children, Charity, Judah, and Anna, and are passionate about home-based, parent-led, biblical family discipleship, mentorship, economics, and entrepreneurial endeavors, of which we have many!
I'm a second-generation homeschooler, passionate homemaker, lover of medium roast coffee, whole food novice, and deeply thankful for God's grace, without which I am nothing.
Growing Home is where we share a holistic approach to gospel-centered family building with the desire to encourage and engage our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Here you'll find our thoughts on everything from family life, biblical womanhood, homeschooling, whole food cooking, and natural remedies to preserving the homemaking arts and casting a vision for future generations.
We believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, and understand that it's not our work or methodology that saves us, but the perfect redemption bought and paid for by Jesus on the Cross when he died and rose again to satisfy God's justice on our behalf. To that end, we desire to live holy, holistically, and wholeheartedly for the glory of God.
A few popular posts around here include:
5 Things To Expect If You Homeschool
Child Trophies
Girls Shouldn't Be Highly Educated... (is something I've never said)
How A Single-Income Family Can Afford A Whole-Food Diet
How To Be A Perfectly Miserable Mother
I am a Feminist (not really)
You can browse through our collection of favorite recipes (all of them are delicious, most of them are healthy), peruse our bookshelf, flip through our favorite curriculum, and, if you're a blogger (or want to become one), learn how to grow your blog while managing your home.
In my spare time (cough), I enjoy creating homeschooling and homemaking resources and eBooks such as the 1777 New England Primer Cursive and Alphabet Printable Sets, Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home, Homeschooling Day by Day (a collaborative effort of 11 homeschooling Moms), and The Pursuit of Motherhood (another joint project involving 17 moms), and providing them to my readers as cheaply as possible.
If you'd like to connect in other ways, you can find Growing Home on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive updates each time new content is published.
We welcome your comments and questions as well, and will do our best to respond to them as soon as we can.
Thanks for dropping by! Join us again soon? *** If you have a homemaking related product you'd like to give away on Growing Home, please vising our Advertising Page for more information.
Most women, myself included, get overwhelmed when they read Proverbs 31. There is no way in this world I could get done in one day what she got done in one chapter. That's why it's important to understand that her picture is a portrait of a lifetime, not a summary of Super Woman's day.
We go through seasons of life where we are able to engage in different things; right now I'm mothering through the little years where all the kids are still in car seats, they all need their shoes tied by an adult, and someone else to give them a bath. They aren't quite big enough to make their own beds, make dinner, or watch younger siblings when Mommy needs a nap.
It's busy, exhausting, and rewarding. I have to remind myself not to compare my Chapter 1 to someone else's Chapter 100. I'm not Martha Stewart. She can keep an immaculate home, tend glorious gardens, and grow every vegetable perfectly because she is at a different stage of life and her priorities are different than mine. She does not have three small children, nor does she homeschool. Of course she isn't any less of a person for that, but it would be silly of me to measure myself against her.
I'm responsible for using 24 hours wisely everyday. I use 7-8 of them for sleeping. That leaves me with 16 to manage well. Managing them well means learning how to prioritize and giving the most important things the most attention. In our house, that order looks like this:
God
Spouse
Children
House
I start everyday in the Word. I can't make it through the rest of the list with out God's help so it only makes sense to give Him the #1 place in my life.
My husband prefers a good meal to a clean house or an empty laundry basket, so if I have to choose between making dinner or cleaning the shower, the former takes priority.
We believe our primary purpose as parents is to raise our children in the fear of the Lord. It's a hard exhortation to remember when there are crumbs under the table and sticky fingerprints on the window, but if it seems the only thing I accomplish in a day is giving instruction, administering correction, breaking up squabbles, reminding our children of the necessity of their salvation, and teaching them to pray for a clean heart that hates evil and wants to do good, then the most important things have been given the most attention.
I'm told by seasoned mothers whose children have flown the nest that one day you will have time to bake, and sew, sell handmade goodies and keep a spotless house, but you'll probably wish you still had the company of several little people who think you're the world.
To help keep my priorities aligned properly, there are several good things that I just don't do. One day I'd like to do them, but right now I don't have enough time or attention to give them.
1. I don't cloth diaper. I know it's more eco-friendly, and I've heard it's no more work than disposables, but I haven't taken the time to build up a stash. My washing machine doesn't get much of a break as it is and I'm not sure how I'd find the time to keep a clean supply of diapers on hand or the stomach to slosh around poopy diapers in the toilet (or is that not required anymore?) When a pack of 136 diapers goes on sale for $17.99, I stock up.
2. I don't bake my own bread; partly because Brad eats gluten-free and I cannot seem to make a loaf that doesn't taste like a hockey puck, and partly because homemade bread isn't very high on our priority list. I don't eat much bread either. The kids eat store-bought sourdough bread at lunch time. One loaf lasts us a whole week, so the time and effort it takes to make my own doesn't save me any serious coin in the long run.
3. I don't iron. I recently pulled it out for the first time in three years to iron a blazer. Marveling at this new invention, our two-year-old son asked, "Why are you vacuuming your shirt, Mom?" Wrinkle-prone items get pulled from the dryer as soon as the cycle is finished. Sometimes they get hung up on hangers and hung neatly in the closet. Sometimes they lay on top of the dryer until I need to wear them.
4. I don't bath our kids every day. I don't even bath them every other day. We (usually Daddy) bath them when they're dirty (at least once a week, I assure you).
5. I don't use natural remedies for everything. I'm a vaccinated, formula fed kid and grew up taking Tylenol for headaches. I have a long way to go before I'm comfortable knowing what herb to give for what ailment, what homeopathic drops to pour into my baby's mouth when she's teething, and what essential oil to rub into my temples when my head is pounding. I want to though, and I'm slowly learning how, but you'll still find Tylenol in our medicine cupboard.
6. I don't grind my own flours. In fact, my electric grain mill is for sale if anyone is interested.
7. I don't have a large garden. There's not a great deal of room on our city lot. We grow tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, a few herbs, and whatever happens to seed itself through our compost. It's more of a teaching tool for the kids and it satisfies my gardening itch. I enjoy making Tomato Spice Soup from our produce, but I buy and preserve nearly everything else from local farms.
8. I don't can. I don't know how. It's on my list of things I want to learn. Thankfully, my friend Jill is a great teacher and my Mom is willing to hold my hand and walk me through the process. I'm terrified of things exploding in my face. For the past five summers, I've simply cleaned, cut, bagged, and thrown seasonal produce in the freezer. Gently, of course, so it doesn't get bruised. That much I understand about preserving.
9. I don't dust every week. It's really just a country accent anyway and we're honored when folks take the time to autograph our bookshelves. Kidding. Sort of. I make an effort to dust every Friday on "Housework Day," but sometimes it goes two weeks before it gets done. The kids each get a rag too, which means our carpet is probably due for an interesting homeschool science experiment...
10. I don't sew, knit, or scrapbook. At night, when the kids are in bed and I've got some time to relax, I write. Keeping a blog is the therapy that works for me. It's a fun way to interact and learn from a community of like-minded moms and a bonus to be able to contribute to our family income.
11. I don't coupon. I don't even look at flyers. They go from the mailbox to the recycle bin. I can purchase everything I need from three stores and they're all within 5 minutes of each other. It's quick, convenient, and just one afternoon in town (if you have three children in car seats, you get me).
12. I don't go to the Ladies Bible Study at church. We homeschool.
13. I don't have a phone. I don't want one either. I'm not sure I'd have the self-discipline necessary to give it the same amount of attention I give the non-existent one now. I'm sure it'd be handy one day if I were in a car accident or stranded on the side of the road. I'm relying on the generosity of those passing by and assuming they probably have one I could borrow.
14. I don't exercise. Not deliberately, at least. I've been blessed with a good metabolism and consider giving under-doggies to thirty-five pound toddlers on the swing for half an hour, and chasing our one-speed (fast) son around all day good enough.
15. I don't serve fancy meals. I like to cook a mainly whole food diet, but I don't go all Jacques Pepin on my family. Every morning we have the same smoothie for breakfast. Every afternoon we have the same sandwich for lunch. Snack-wise, I serve simple things I know our kids love. In the evenings, we typically enjoy healthy, low-fuss dinners like Cheeseburger Pie, Taco Salad, or Coconut Curried Chicken. Sometimes we have grilled cheese, or order pizza.
How 'bout you? Are there good things that you don't engage in because you simply don't have the time? What are they? What or who gets the bulk of your attention and what gets the leftovers?
Part 1: Keeping A Growing Home | A Management Series for Moms Part 2: Keeping A Growing Home | Know Your Role! Part 3: Keeping A Growing Home | Making Priorities & 15 Good Things I Don't Do Part 4: Keeping A Growing Home | Time-Saving Home Management Tips Part 5: Keeping A Growing Home | My Daily Schedule
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I've enjoyed this herbal bath with each of our babies! The herbs, garlic, and sea salt make combine to make a healing, soothing, aseptic bath that helps prevent and control excessive bleeding, repair a woman's reproductive organs, and rapidly heal the baby's cord stump. No one (except the midwives who told me this would happen!) could believe how quickly our babies were sporting beautiful belly-buttons instead of black stumps - usually within two or three days!
This recipe is midwife approved and makes enough for 2 baths. If you don't use it all up, it can be frozen until the next bambino comes along or passed along to a pregnant friend. She'll love you for it!
You'll Need:
1 oz. Calendula
1 oz. Uva Ursi
1 oz. Comfrey
1 oz. Shepherd's Purse
1 cup sea salt
1 large, fresh garlic bulb
Directions: Place herbs in a large pot (I use my biggest soup pan) and fill with water. Bring to almost a boil. Steep for a minimum of 2 hours - the longer, the better! Strain the solution. Pour the liquid into freezable containers (ice cream or yogurt tubs work well) and store in the freezer. The garlic and salt are added directly to the bath on the day you intend to use it. As soon as possible after the birth, fill the tub with comfortably hot water (Brad usually does this for me while the midwife is checking baby's vitals and making sure everything is okay). Add one frozen tub of the herbal solution (it will melt in no time), a cup of sea salt, and a whole bulb of crushed garlic. You won't come out stinky, I promise! Immerse yourself in the warm water and have your husband or midwife pass the baby to you. Your baby will stretch, unfold, float - maybe even smile, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of familiar weightlessness in the warm water. It's beautiful!
After you've had a good long soak with your precious new gift, pat yourselves dry, dress in warm, soft pajamas (or clothes if you give birth during the day!), and snuggle up in bed with your baby!
***You can also enjoy this bath after a hospital birth! Ask your husband to prepare it for you whenever you're feeling up to it after arriving home. The sooner after giving birth you use it, the more noticeable the healing effects will be.
I recommend buying your herbs and sea salt from high quality, organic sources like the Bulk Herb Store or Mountain Rose Herbs.
Linking to: Mind Body Sole, Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Frugally Sustainable, Natural Living,Modest Monday, A Mama's Story, Raising Arrows, Homestead Revival
