I bet it is pretty safe to say that I am the first person to ever title a blog post with that combination of words- but they are just a bit of the crazy weekend that I have had.
Friday night, I went to class, just recovering from the birth I had done on Wednesday when I didn't sleep at all that night. I was just beginning to function again with one night to catch up on two nights worth of sleep and several caffeinated beverages....
I made it through class only to be called by my private doula client who was due on January 26- Her contractions were two to three minutes apart, rather intense, and she was ready to head to the hospital...although I initially thought to encourage her to stay home longer, I told her since she was close to the hospital that she should just get checked and see what she was. If she was less than 5, she would go home, or if she was 6 or more she would stay. I left class and started driving towards my house figuring, I would head to the hospital as soon as she needed me. Twenty minutes into my drive, her husband called saying she was 6-7 cm dilated and 100% effaced. I guessed that I wasn't stopping by my house after all! I drove even faster to Rush Copley where I was in time to help her through transition and pushing- and at 12:59 am, a beautiful baby girl was born weighing 7 pounds 7 ounces and measuring 18 inches long- they named her Charlotte Esther.
Since I was not there for a long labor, I stayed for a couple of hours after the birth to help her with breastfeeding. We finally got the baby latched on and nursing well around 3 am. I then left to get some sleep before class the following day. I slept from 4-8 am before returning for a full day of midwifery classes. I drove home again that night so I could attend church and spend some time with my family. We ate dinner together and Mike and I worked on the fish tank for a while in the garage before I crashed around midnight.
Today, I got up and went to class all day, drove home just in time to teach a two hour Bradley class, and then Diane called me that her patient was in labor. I headed to their house in Barrington and spent a few hours watching an amazing birth. It was the sixth baby for the couple and they did an amazing job, as four of their other children watched the birth from all around their garden tub in awe. With only a couple of pushes, this mom delivered a 9 pound 11 ounce baby boy, Christopher David, who was 21 1/2 inches long at 10:04 pm. Diane and I cared for her for a while before leaving at just after midnight, with her husband saying "Goodnight midwives!" as we walked down the sidewalk. I am home and tired- but I have to share some fun things from class.....
If you have ever suffered from hemorrhoids or a yeast infection, you are going to love this!
Natural Yeast Infection Curing 101:
Lots of things can help reduce the number of yeast in the vagina. One of the best is garlic. To use, peel a clove as best as you can without knicking it. Then, insert it into the vagina- it should naturally work its way out, but if you are concerned about it not doing that (and it would be a little embarrassing if you had to have it removed), you can take a needle and thread and string it through, creating your very own garlic tampon.
If you would like to further increase your salad-like smell, know that a bath in vinegar (at least a 1:4 dilution of vinegar to water) can kill most vaginal yeast and/or bacteria.
Taking probiotics helps to prevent yeast infections by keeping the balance of beneficial bacteria higher than the unwanted species. You can also do this by eating yogurt- which also works if you want to insert it vaginally....
Hemorrhoid Helps:
So, onto the backside! If you have a potato in your kitchen, you no longer need to suffer from hemorrhoids! For internal hemorrhoids, use a raw potato and fashion a small french fry shaped piece using a paring knife. Insert it into the rectum. If you must use a lubricant to do this, only put it on the tip, as the raw potato itself must be touching the affected area for it to help shrink the hemorrhoid. For external hemorrhoids, grate a raw potato into what looks like loose hash browns and apply them to the area. Leave the potato on for 15-20 minutes twice daily for 3 to 4 days to treat most hemorrhoids. Witch hazel is also helpful and can be purchased in most stores as a tincture. Use 30 drops orally (one dropperful) twice daily under the tongue.
A few other things we learned:
If you are having problems sleeping, try Chamomile tea first. If it doesn't work, Passionflower Leaf tea might- it is a little stronger. If you are still not sleeping, make a blend of Chamomile and Passionflower and add some Skull cap- then you have a buenos noches blend!
For constipation, grind up some flax seed and add it to your foods or drink some Dandelion Root tea.
For fertility issues, the Chaste Tree Berry is your friend. The dried berries of this tree can help balance a female's hormones, increasing lutenizing hormone production, lengthening the luteal phase, and increasing either levels of progesterone or estrogen- whichever the body is lacking. It also helps to prevent miscarriages. Use 1/2 tsp. of the tincture twice daily.
Rosemary has strong antimicrobial qualities. It can also be used as an antidepressant.
Herbs are really amazing for their healing qualities. If something so natural can be so helpful, shouldn't we try it?
confused slightly by your post title at 1st ;)
gee girl - you are way out of control busy - i hope the craziness dies down for you soon and you can get some sleep!
Posted by: chris jenkins | January 14, 2008 at 07:01 AM
For me sprinkling powdered cinnamon in the crotch of my panties has warded off vaginal yeast infections that plague me each time I have needed to take antibiotics. Putting powdered cinnamon in my bath water also helps.
Posted by: Linda Yoder | November 13, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Hmm, i guess theres a need for medical attention.
-ian
Posted by: Internal Hemorrhoids | March 02, 2010 at 05:58 PM
There's one thing I know to prevent hemorrhoid, avoid too much eating on spicy foods... and prevent also seating on the toilet bowl for couple of minutes or hour...
If this happen, you can use some over the counter hemorrhoid treatment that can cure.
Posted by: Hemorrhoids Treatment | August 04, 2010 at 10:20 AM
Thank you for articulating some great points. When ever reading a news alert item I also trying and join the topic stream.
Posted by: treatment of hemorrhoids | April 11, 2011 at 12:37 AM