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Preparing For Your First Pregnancy or Birth

Baby bump
Baby bump
Preparing for your first pregnancy?

Have you always wanted to have a baby? I always wanted to be a mom but I never gave thought about what the actual pregnancy and birth of my baby would be like. Today I want to give you some suggestions for preparing for your first pregnancy or birth.

There are many things that I have learned along the way about pregnancy and childbirth. Some things I learned by studying and some by experience. Things that I would like to share which may help you too!

As my girls are reaching childbearing age and starting families of their own I have had the opportunity to share ideas on a new level and see what current birth practices in America are like. Doing mission work in Malawi gave me a glimpse into birth practices outside of the United States. Though my babies have grown up I find myself drawn to pregnant moms and babies! I am even trained to be a doula. Need a doula?

Are you ready to have a  baby?

Babies come into the world totally dependent on you the parents. Having a baby will change your whole life. It did mine. Is your husband ready to become a dad? It is helpful if you both agree on this new adventure. Your baby needs both parents.

Don’t worry if you are already pregnant and didn’t think much about this beforehand. Most of us don’t. Get busy learning now. Babies are a blessing and you will learn how to care for yourself and your baby. Don’t be afraid to ask people questions and seek out other moms. If you aren’t already you will soon fall in love with your sweet package before he ever makes his appearance.

New dad
New dad
Healthy Mom | Healthy Baby

If you want to give birth to a healthy baby then make sure you have healthy habits. Do you want your baby to smoke? No! Then you must not. You should eat a healthy diet, and avoid alcoholic and caffeinated drinks. Are there other unhealthy habits you have developed? Pay attention to your health and the health of your baby. Healthy habits will help you avoid many complications of pregnancy and delivery. And your baby will be healthier too! Study and ask questions about what makes a healthy mom.

Childbirth is a natural thing.

Childbirth is a natural process, not an illness or medical procedure. Approaching birth in that way may help alleviate any fears you have. This is the way you were designed. Your body was made to give birth. Still, you need to study and learn about childbirth. Ask questions. Seek answers even when you have to dig for them.

Read Books

I want to encourage you to read books! There are many great books out there on Pregnancy and Childbirth. My very favorite is Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. She is considered one of the most knowledgeable midwives and is known worldwide for birth practices. There are many others to be found at your local library as well as your favorite online or neighborhood bookstore.

Know the Statistics

Have you ever thought about why people have C-sections? Why they have a natural childbirth? Epidurals? Inductions? Do you have questions about due dates, eye drops, vitamin K? Why do some women have more trouble with childbirth while others have no complications? There are several reputable places to find out the information you need to make an educated decision. I was thrilled to find Evidenced Based Birth.  Their goal is to, “put accurate, evidence-based info into the hands of families just like yours, so that you can make informed, empowered choices and have the positive birth you deserve!”

Childbirth Classes

Take childbirth classes, you will be glad you did. Even if you think you do not have time for them they will help you prepare for birth. You will learn relaxation and other techniques to help you cope with labor and have a great birth. Most classes have you make a birth plan so that you and your provider know what is important to you during your labor and delivery. This is important to think about before you go into labor.

Choosing a Provider – Midwife, Family Doctor, OB-GYN

I want to encourage you to study childbirth just like you would study about any new thing you are about to do like driving a car or teaching. Study your choices of providers. For many years most babies were delivered by the local women or midwives at home long before there was an official profession. Family doctors have a long history of delivering babies too. Ob-Gyn’s came on the scene in the later 1800s. You have choices.

Remember when you choose a health care provider that they are there to serve you. You are a consumer and you are paying them for services.  They are there to answer your questions and assist you with a healthy pregnancy and birth. This process will help you to choose the best option for you and your baby. Do your homework. It really does improve your chances of having a great birth experience.

I hope this has given you a few things to think about as you prepare to have your first baby.

If you have any questions please email me at redaredding@gmail.com or comment below. Or if you just want to talk about babies and birth. One of my sons is fond of saying all conversations end in childbirth.

New family!
New family!

 

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Making A Cotton Clothesline Basket

Cotton clothesline basket by Lee
Cotton clothesline basket by Lee

Have you ever heard of a cotton clothesline basket? A friend of mine, Lee gifted me with this lovely cotton basket! I was thrilled and couldn’t imagine how to make such a thing. I was very happy when Lee agreed to teach me how! She’s pretty nice like that and I am not the first pupil she has had.

Basketmaking Lessons

On Monday Lee invited me to lunch at her house. It is always a treat to spend time with her and this was no exception. Her husband has built her a sweet little bright room just off from her kitchen. A sweet little sign hangs in this bright cheery room. “She Shed”. We enjoyed our lunch there. Her house is set in trees and has a beautiful canopy all around. It was a lovely and peaceful setting.

Finding Cotton Clothesline

She told me to bring a bundle of cotton clothesline. This proved harder than I imagined. The polyester clothesline is more readily available in my community than the cotton. I found two places at last. Our local Kroger’s has it on the automotive aisle! Home Depot also carries it in our Antioch, Tn store on aisle 12.

Making the Basket

I was very slow at first well actually the whole time. The process was easy to understand. There were some thread problems and a few missed spots along the way. But I got the hang of it and I think maybe I will be a little bit faster and a little better at it next time.

I wanted to attempt to make an all-cotton one and see if it might work as a proofing basket for my sourdough bread. Soon I shall know the answer if I can bear to use it for my bread.

I love the natural look of the rope. My project turned out great! I can’t wait to make another one.

Here is a picture of my finished project. Let me know what you think!My first cotton clothesline basket

My first cotton clothesline basket

Reda with finished basket
Reda with the finished basket
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Being Responsible and Making Decisions

Being responsible and making decisions is hard work! Sometimes it is just easier to let someone else tell you what to do. Sometimes we ignore the fact that we at some point must make our own decisions.

It’s also easier to place blame on others when we make bad choices. This can apply to many areas of your life. When you make a decision and it doesn’t go well own up to the consequences of your choice. What good will it do to blame someone else for the troubles in your life anyway? At some point, you have to accept responsibility for your life. Make the next right choice. It’s on you!

High School

When I was 14 or 15 years old our guidance counselor talked with our class about making decisions about what we wanted to study. We had to choose whether we were going to do college prep or general studies. She probably didn’t hold out much hope for me as a future college student. I was a troubled teen, I was just an ok student, and no one in my family had ever graduated from college.

But a decision had to be made. I evaluated a few things and calculated the schedules and figured out that I could get out of high school one year early! I decided to do the college prep in 3 years and I did it! This was not because I was a great student or loved school but because I wanted out! This single decision gave me my path for the next three years.

College

Do I go to college or not? You have probably heard that story before! I explored the options. I wasn’t a great student so there were some limitations. In a strange twist of events and mail delays, my acceptance to my top choice school arrived the day after I chose another school. My choice proved perfect!

Work

Maybe you are one of those people who always knew what you wanted to do. My ideas changed a lot throughout my childhood years. I wanted to be the President of the United States, a mom, a teacher, a writer, etc. According to Career Statistics, you will likely change jobs 5-7 times during your working years. So you have the opportunity to explore any number of jobs.

Being responsible and making decisions
Make a Pros and Cons list

Marriage

To marry or not? Who to marry? Now that is a big decision to make. Only you can truly decide.  Do you have a list of qualities this “perfect man” would possess? How about evaluating what kind of person you should be to be compatible with this “perfect soul” you are going to marry? Hard life decisions are best made with your eyes open and the facts on the table.

Children

Will you have children? Childbirth or adoption? Is it easy to make decisions? No! What kind of birth? Will your baby be born at home, birth center, or the hospital?

Stay at home mom or working mom?

As a mom, one of the hardest choices you will have to make is whether to be a stay at home mom or a working mom. My husband and I discussed this before we got married and by doing so we avoided a lot of stress.

You will always have to make choices.

There are so many choices and decisions you have to make every day. This will not stop until the day you die. I’ve made some good decisions and some bad decisions in my life and do NOT consider myself an expert! However, I would like to share some suggestions that have helped me.

Suggestions

Having a guide has made all the difference in my life. I strive to build my life on Christian principles, on the Bible. So I already know that I am not going to steal, cheat, kill, etc. This keeps things simple.

Read more books! They give you so many perspectives on life! Study the pros and cons of different choices.

Study people, especially yourself. Be emotionally wise.

Spend time with people who have unique qualities that you would like to have or you would like for your children to emulate. Pay attention to character. Surround yourself with good people.

Find a mentor.

There are so many other things to be said about being responsible and making decisions, but that’s it for today! Thank you for making the choice to read my blog today! I appreciate that!

 

 

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Learning New Skills or Perfecting Old Ones

Learning new skills or perfecting old ones

Learning new skills or perfecting old ones? Either is rewarding. I have shared I have been learning some new skills during the pandemic. Pickled eggs, a sourdough starter from scratch, homemade yogurt, and now I have been working on my sewing skills.

My mom did her best to teach me and my sister how to sew.

My mom was a good seamstress and made most of my clothes. She taught me so many things. She did her best to teach me and my sister how to sew. We joined 4-H and entered our sewing projects each year after much toiling and seam ripping and maybe a few tears. Our dresses usually won an award of some kind. I am a bit stubborn and I am sure I was not a great pupil. Sometimes I didn’t have a lot of interest and my mom would ask who was going to make my clothes when I grew up. I would reply she was. I sure wish I had learned more during those lessons!

Anyway, as you may have guessed by now I am not a great seamstress. I can sew a little. I like to sew but I do end up in frustration at times lacking the necessary skills to make something look really nice.

Small bags African Print
Small bags African Print

My friend Ida Mae is a creative genius! She makes the most amazing creations. Anyway, I have been wanting to make little bags to share with supporters of the Malawi mission work. Ida Mae gave me a quick lesson one afternoon and I have been making some cute bags. Thank you, Ida Mae!

Learning new skills and perfecting old ones
Sewing

Ten years ago I bought an adorable pattern online from Samantha Caffee, The Handmade Dress. It was a peasant dress for sizes 5-10. You guessed it, I never used it until now! How sad! I love this cute little dress and my little girl grew up!

I wanted to make it for my granddaughter but it is too big for one and too small for the other. I’m sure I will find someone to give it to or take it as a gift to Malawi. Now I know how to do the sizes so I learned something else through this experience.

Learning new skills or perfecting old ones. Either way, you will feel a great sense of accomplishment.

 

 

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Hospitality Can Change the World Yours and Mine

Hospitality can change the world yours and mine. What is hospitality? Webster’s Dictionary definition is the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.

Acts 16:15  says, “Come to my house and stay.”

When you hear the words, “come to my house”, how does that make you feel? Kathy McWhorter Kendall in her book A Chosen Few, asks the question. Appreciated? Honored? I think one of the keys to being more hospitable is understanding how it makes you feel but turning it around and focusing on the other person and how they feel.

People want to know that you are interested in them. I crave connection. Judging from my experience I am not alone. The people I meet on my doorstep passing by or buying things at the market prove this to be so. I’ve had hugs in the grocery store and people exchange phone numbers too.

Earl Lavender spoke at Smyrna Church of Christ a couple of years ago. Brother Lavender gave several examples of hospitality. He shared the impact it had on people’s lives. And he said, “Hospitality can change the world.” You know what? I happen to agree. Hospitality can change the world yours and mine!

Romans 12:13 says “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

The scriptures show many examples of hospitality. Yes, it was a very necessary part of travel during Biblical times when motels and guesthouses were in short supply. However, we see repeated examples in the scriptures of churches meeting in homes and mealtimes being shared. The early Christians met in homes daily. What an amazing way to share the Christian faith.

Life is meant to be shared. God said so in Genesis 2:18: The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. ‘ And God is always right. God also put us in the body of Christ, the Church for a reason. We need each other.

This week I witnessed a beautiful display of the body of Christ in action. A friend from church was moving from Tennessee to Florida and had asked for a bit of help loading the truck. We arrived a few minutes late because of a huge downpour and there were hardly any parking spots left!

1 Peter 4:9 says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

I want to share a few excuses people give for not practicing hospitality. Time is probably the first, big enough house, clean enough house, not a good hostess or cook, or not enough money. I will admit relationships take time. Hospitality will not always be convenient.

You can spend time with others without spending much money. Tea time is cheap. A glass of ice water or tea and a nice visit can fill the heart with encouragement.

Some of the most hospitable and loving people I know are not great housekeepers. That’s ok. They are great at loving people to Jesus.

Do you have enough time to eat? Learn to practice hospitality around your daily rituals and that will make it easier. We all have to eat. They will remember how you made them feel not necessarily what you cooked. I used to spend all day cooking for dinner guests. This is unnecessary. A simple casserole or pot of soup will be sufficient.

I try to include people in my regular activities. Sit and visit with a friend while the kids play in the yard or while you fold laundry. Visit with them in the kitchen while you bake, cook dinner, or do the dishes together. Canning or prepping food for freezer cooking can become a great time to chat and enjoy the everyday things of life together.

Maybe you don’t have much time at home. Do you work two jobs? Maybe you could invite someone to eat some Chick-fil-A during your lunch break. How about telling them to come for a simple Crock-Pot supper? Maybe you can give someone a friendly call using Bluetooth on your commute from work. I am sure you can come up with some great opportunities when you start looking!

Practicing hospitality at church meetings.

How can you practice hospitality at church? Make a point to greet visitors or someone you have not met. Just say hi! Wave and smile at people. Ask someone to sit with you. Invite someone home for lunch after church even if it is just for sandwiches. Or to share a meal at a restaurant. Remember people’s names. You don’t have to be an extrovert to be hospitable.

Recently, I shared my experience from years ago of visiting a large Texas church with my 7 children in tow. They were wearing their cute matching shirts and looking adorable if I do say so myself. That day, not a soul spoke to us! Someone did hand us a bulletin coming in the door. During the meet and greet time I went and introduced myself to the closest person to me. I’m not the only one. Many have experienced this sort of thing. Don’t let this happen to visitors or members at your church.

My friend Donna has a strong opinion about this, if someone walks into your church building they need a greeting. They may be a traveling Christian –  they are family, welcome them! They may be a seeker looking for spiritual guidance or connection, they certainly need a greeting! There is no excuse to leave strangers standing alone without a friendly welcome!

Enjoy hospitality.

Be relaxed. Keep things simple. Plan for a simple activity like a simple board game, or just chat while the kids play, include people in your family devotional or a sing-along. Make your home a comfortable place to visit. A haven from the world for friends and family.

Some of my greatest memories are from spending time in other’s homes and having others spend time in our home. Conversations around the table. Memories of our home filled with laughter, food, and music flood my mind. What a beautiful life.

Hospitality can change the world yours and mine.

You can find an article here on sharing hospitality during a pandemic.

Hospitality can be a simple casserole
A simple casserole
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What Would You Tell Your 20 Year Old Self?

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

What would you tell your 20-year-old self? I was reading a blog post this morning that challenged me to take a few minutes to look back. Look back and see where I’ve been and how far I have come. I glance back occasionally but don’t really delve into it too much.

Born in 1960 and now I am 60! How did that happen? That 40 years sure was full. So what would I tell my 20-year-old self? I would probably say live with purpose and not so much fear. It’s ok not to have all the answers. I’m not sure if I am unique or if it is common for most 20-year-old girls to be fearful. I had a lot of optimism in some things yet uncertainty about others. I was intense. Trying to be perfect and to parent perfectly. I know now how unrealistic I was.

Turbulent Teens

After a rough time with ups and downs in my teen years (aren’t all teen years like that?) I feel like my 20’s were filled with more purpose. However, I feel I carried so much regret and fear well into my 20’s. Regret for my mistakes regrets for love not shown, selfishness, bad decisions, and bad attitudes that had accompanied my teen years. It would have been better if I could have accepted those things and forgiven myself.

Campaigns Northwest gave me a renewed zeal in my faith and new strength.

As an alumna of Campaigns Northwest, 1979, and 1980 were life-changing years. I knew I wanted to live my life fully planted on Jesus! I was committed to loving God and living for him. Yes, I still had failures and sinkholes to dig myself out of but I absolutely knew where I was going. Marrying a preacher man carried me into that life with full force. It was the perfect fit for my life and 40 years later we are still going strong.

Campaigns Northwest - West Seattle Team - 20 year old me
Campaigns Northwest – West Seattle Team – 20-year-old me

So what would I tell my 20-year-old self? That everything is going to be ok. Life is full of ups and downs and a lot of lessons to be learned. Learn to live with purpose and big love, forgive your mistakes, and move on. Stay focused. God will carry you through whatever comes your way.

Oh, the stories I could tell of my 30’s and being pregnant and nursing babies for almost a full decade. But that is a story for another day.

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Finding My Way Through Grief and Life’s Ups and Downs

Finding my way through grief.  People may define the different stages of grief in a variety of ways but most of them go something like the following list.

Stages of Grief

Shock

Denial

Pain/Guilt

Depression

Acceptance/Hope

I’m not sure what order these things go in but they are there when you are dealing with the loss of a loved one, health, job, lifestyle, marriage, or the loss of what could have been. And as we go through the ups and downs which are a part of life we will surely experience all of these at some point and some more than once.

You may have an image of what grief looks like but it will take you by surprise and look different. 

Losing My Dad

When I lost my dad unexpectedly after heart surgery the tears did not come for a while. I had to accept this. Some people can cry and let it all out and that’s ok. I couldn’t even verbalize my grief. Carrying on the motions of my day, on the outside looking normal yet in shock on the inside. Doing my shopping I would see something that reminded me of my dad and pain would come crashing over me so unexpectedly. I couldn’t have anticipated it. It would knock me down and engulf me as unexpected waves do at the beach. I catch my breath and move on.

Grieving the relationship and stories I had lost, time and again and the grandfather my children and grandchildren would live without. I think some griefs are life long and will continue to hit you when you least expect it. Maybe every time it will not immobilize you as it once did but you will still feel the familiar loss as it crashes down around you. There is a hole.

Another Loss

Time moves. What seems a short time later I lost my father-in-law who had been such a friend and encouragement to me for over 30 years. What an emptiness he left in my world. Again I couldn’t speak of my loss it was a huge rock sitting on my chest.

One day I will have more family and friends on the other side than here in this world and I will long, even more, to go to my heavenly home.

Inclusion Body Myositis

Finding my way through grief. Sometimes we experience a different kind of grief. Five years ago when my husband was diagnosed with Inclusion Body Myositis my world was shaken. I felt some guilt for my self-pity, after all, he was the one with the life-altering disease, not me. His world was shaken the most! I went through a terrible grieving process for him and me. I stayed calm for the most part on the outside but I was still stunned.

We were wrapped in prayers and support from our family and people all over the country and I will be forever grateful for the outpouring of love we were blessed and sustained with. Our Christian family is amazing.

When this happened I had to leave my wonderful life at home and go to work. Most of my children were grown. The three left at home were all capable of taking care of the daily things needed and they had their dad with them while I worked. Yet I grieved this loss.

Empty Nest Worries

Finding my way through grief. Some losses are expected. When my children started leaving home I felt a little sadness and some grief I may not have realized at the time. I grieved the daily time I had with them. As each one left the younger ones would grieve too. The days turned into years so fast. How could it be time already?

However, although I grieved I also felt some excitement about what my children were doing and what an impact they would make on the world. I trusted they would find their way and that they would make this world a better place and I believe they are on their way to doing that.

Mistakes

I thought some of my children left a little premature but you know what? They made it! They made their own decisions and survived their consequences. Yes, they made some bad choices and learned from them as we all should. I am sure we all have some embarrassing moments we would rather forget. The important thing is to keep going. Keep learning from your mistakes. Don’t let your mistakes define you nor theirs. Don’t let your mistakes immobilize you. Don’t get stuck. Every human being makes mistakes and has to recover from them. So we continue to find our way through life’s ups and downs.

What can we learn from our mistakes?

Most of the time our mistakes can give us a lot of insight into the world and ourselves and teach us things we could not have learned any other way. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and think we can’t recover from our mistakes and this becomes a cycle of falling and laying there a while and then climbing out. More of life’s ups and downs.

What can we learn? We have to learn that we can’t undo our mistakes. If we have done wrong we pray and ask God to help lift us up and help us to do better next time. By evaluating we can learn from it and how to approach it better next time. Then we get up and do the next right thing. It took me a long time before I realized that I could learn from other people’s experiences and that I didn’t have to make every mistake myself.

James

Am I ready for an empty nest? I don’t want to let the last little one fly away. With James #10 I was more worried about his leaving because I wasn’t sure if I had prepared him enough. I now know that was silly and he has done great. He may not know everything he needs to know to follow his path but who does? He is courageous and smart enough to find the answers and resources he needs. And he has God! He approaches everything with an “all in” attitude. I wish I had a smidgen of his discipline when I was his age and truthfully maybe now too. 

I am so excited his hard work is paying off. He is playing football and has a 4.0 in his first two semesters of college. I’m excited that he will have an article published this week about something he is passionate about. Finance! He’s great with money, fitness, and whatever he puts his mind to. He is flying!

Esther

Esther is all over the place with her interests. Whatever she settles on I know she will bring a lot of heart and compassion to the world. She’s long had a fascination with anatomy, nutrition, and health, a lover of nature. In the last couple of years, she has been interested in nursing, midwifery, doula, real estate investing, organic medicinal gardening, etc. I’m not sure if she will settle on any of those but she will do well regardless. Esther is a beautiful Christian young lady with a strong faith which is most important.

Sometimes it feels so essential to make a decision but the reality is, it’s ok to carry on and wait and see what comes your way. Meanwhile whatever your hand finds to do do it with all your might. I wrote more about that in Choosing Your Path or Letting Your Path Choose You.

So life has its seasons of grief, rejoicing, pain, triumph, and defeat. But I am finding my way through grief and life’s ups and downs. I continue, pressing forward until the day Jesus comes or I go to meet him.

Finding my way through grief
Philippians 3:14
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And the Winner of the Red Frilly Apron Is……….Jolene Anderson

And the winner is…….Jolene Anderson. Jolene won the drawing for the Red Frilly Apron! Congratulations! Don’t you love prizes?

Apron lovers please add a picture of you wearing your favorite or most interesting apron? Or just a picture of your apron. There may be a prize…..

Watch for our next drawing to begin soon!

 

Jolene Anderson winner of the Red Frilly Apron.
Jolene Anderson winner of the Red Frilly Apron.
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I am Feeling Productive Today, How About You?

Waking up Early

I am feeling productive today, how about you? Don’t you just love early mornings? The air feels so cool before the scorching heat takes over in the afternoon. My morning routine usually includes starting the laundry before heading downstairs. Then I sent some messages to a friend and a son. Next, I worked on my sourdough bread. I now have 3 loaves rising. My tomato plants need repotting so I worked on that a bit. Well, actually a lot!

Tomato plants
My first tomato!
Early Morning Walk

Esther and I headed out for a morning walk around our neighborhood. People were out and about already. Our walk went by so fast and easy as we chatted about the scriptures and our goals for the day. It was interesting to me that the passage in Acts 9 came up from three different sources in one day. Youth group, private study, and our ladies’ class book. When I realized that I decided I wanted to take a closer look at it.

Dorcas

One of the things which crossed my mind while reading about Dorcas was, what must the women who had prepared her for burial have thought? I don’t recall ever noticing that she had already been washed and prepared for burial before they laid her in an upstairs room. This was what women did for their friends and family. Can you imagine how sad they were? Dorcas had been such an amazing lady always doing good and helping the poor as we read in Acts 9:36. Apparently, she had the gift and the heart to sew clothes for the poor and widowed.

Two men went to Peter and asked him to come to Joppa. When he came he went upstairs to the room and sent the grieving widows out of the room. He got down on his knees (he knew where our help comes from and who has the power) and prayed. Then he turned to Tabitha and said get up! And she did. He called to the believers and presented her alive to them! Amazing!

God Can Bring the Dead to Life

God can bring the dead to life. Sometimes we may be dead in other ways and through God’s love and forgiveness we can become a living productive woman that God can use. Dorcas was a woman God was using and now that would surely only increase. Can’t you just hear people whispering? “That’s the woman Peter raised from the dead!”

Today I am thankful for this one beautiful day God has given me to live. I am a woman raised from the dead to live a new life in Christ! Praise God for his gift of life! May you be encouraged to use this day to his glory.

I am feeling productive today, how about you?

I am feeling productive today! Sourdough bread baking
Sourdough bread baking
I am feeling productive today! Sourdough bread baking
Sourdough bread baking
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My New Adventure Begins

New Things

So my new adventure begins. I didn’t really plan to have this adventure. So how did I embark on it? It all started with being cold. As many of you know I am very cold natured. Yes, I am using my heater by my desk even in June in Tennessee. Confession time, I don’t really like air conditioning. It is 88° in Antioch, Tn this morning. So, the outside temperature is not the problem. When I go outside in the summer I am hot. When I come inside I am cold. In the winter I have the opposite problem. So you see, I really don’t like being hot or cold. I bundle up in the house to please the rest of my family who is always hot. If I am going someplace where there will be air conditioning I almost always take an overshirt or jacket.

How Did My Adventure Begin?

Anyway, back to my story. In February I was getting ready for my day with my little heater running in my bathroom. I got a little too close and tripped over it and landed in my bathtub. I know this is too much information but this is how I embarked on my new adventure. This really took me by surprise. I ended up with a little bruise and iced it for a bit but it didn’t improve so I called my physician and went in for his opinion. He said to use heat and ibuprofen. I did that for a few weeks and still no improvement. Two months later it is getting worse and actually starting to interfere with my life a bit, especially my sleep.

So I go back to the doctor and he ordered an MRI. I have had the blessing of a long healthy life so I didn’t know what I was getting into. I was actually excited about getting to the root of the problem until the put me on the table and laid a weighted cage on me and put earplugs in my ears. And I knew that there was no way I could go in that tube. Thankfully, the tech realized it too, and gave me the option to try the open MRI machine. I did much better with it. Not great but better. He was very understanding and I greatly appreciated his attitude.

How did I survive the MRI?

Prayer first, plus I knew I had a praying sister nearby that I could call. (she works there). Next, I closed my eyes before going under the machine. Then I started going through all of my memory verses. This is good on many levels. Scriptures give me comfort and remind me of God’s promises, and then I started to go through the memories of all my births. I know this seems a strange thing to do but it actually makes sense. I recently completed my doula training and thought this would help me to remember what helped me the most. Plus this kept my mind on good things. During the test, the tech would update me on how many scans were completed so that I knew there would be an end to it. This helped a lot!

Four Months Later

After four months I realized this situation was not getting better. I made the suggested visit to the Orthopedist that had treated James when he broke his ankle. He was very good with James so that made sense to me to go with him. He read my MRI results and gave me the good news that I would not need surgery. He suggested I visit the Physical Therapist and get some exercises to help.

After my visit to the Physical Therapist and setting a plan, I am feeling very hopeful that I will be back to normal in a couple of months. By the way, it was fun to make a connection with my PT. He used to go to church with my older sons and he knew James through his journey with his broken ankle.

So now you know all about my new adventure.

Here’s what I’m going to be doing for a while.