No worries

Have you ever seen “play makeup” for little girls? The kind you find in Claire’s or other stores? It’s real makeup but advertised as kids makeup. It’s also horrible for your skin, and nothing I would want near my daughter. It’s filled with synthetic ingredients and lots of times made in China where you don’t know exactly what’s in it or if it’s made safely or not.

So what’s the better option? Savvy Minerals. This will be the only makeup my daughter is allowed to “play” with. I don’t have to worry if she tries to eat it, or uses too much or gets it in her eyes. (I’m not giving her brand new ones since I love mine so much, she will get my leftovers until she old enough for her own 😉 )There’s nothing bad or synthetic in it! She has beautiful fair skin and I wouldn’t want anything to harm it. She already loves mamas makeup, but will wait a few more years to try it. (Stay tuned for the next blog post, I’ll have more before and after looks, in the picture of Rocco and I, my makeup is all Savvy Minerals and really an easy look to do.)

Iron, ugh

So Brianna turned one a few weeks ago. Is it possible to be sad and happy at the same time, because that’s how I feel. It went by too fast!

She had her official one year check up and needed follow up blood work from 3 months before. The last time she was checked her iron was low so we increased iron rich foods in her diet hoping to address the issue. Unfortunately it did not work and it went down again. I didn’t realize this, but exclusively breastfed babies are at an increased risk for iron deficiency anemia. (Formula is iron fortified) We are still nursing and will continue to do so until she wants. So we were told she needs an iron supplement. Not a big deal…until 2:30 in the morning hits. For some reason thats when her little tummy can’t deal anymore and she’s awake with a horrible stomach ache. We have given her pear juice, water and all kinds of things to help. But I have to say the thing that has worked the best and fastest is Tummygize. I take a few drops and rub it around her belly button when her stomach is upset. It helps support normal digestion and is already diluted for little ones. The great thing is that it’s safe and effective.

She has another blood draw in 2 more months and we are hoping the supplement will fix the issue. Unfortunately she gets her anemia from me ,which I have been dealing with my whole life. Yay me. I just hope she grows out of it. What have you done with your kids to help soothe upset stomachs, from iron or otherwise?

Strep, seriously?

So a few days ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and sore throat. I thought, hmm just a cold. Well, 2 days later and I couldn’t even swallow soup. It felt like knives going down my throat and I was hit by a bus. Off to the doctors I went and was diagnosed with Strep Throat. Ugh. I have no idea where I got it because nobody around me has been sick including my two kids.

So what was my saving grace? The only thing to help tame my burning throat? Young Living Thieves cough drops. So nice on my throat and helped enough that I could actually drink some fluids.

I also have been diffusing thieves and purification like crazy to help boost everyone’s immune system. Along with that I have cleaned every surface I touched with Thieves cleaner. So nice that it’s a safe and effective cleaner around my little ones.

Lastly, I used some peppermint vitality oil and clove vitality oil in my warm tea to help “cool”my throat. It helped a lot.

Looks like I’m on the mend, and hopefully this is the last of it around here. Who gets strep in the middle of summer?! Hope this helps someone who is dealing with this as well.

ART masque review

So recently I’ve decided to try all of Young Livings skincare line. I figured I’m LOVING their makeup so why not start with a healthy face?

I ordered the ART Creme Masque, and the mint satin facial scrub. I used the scrub first to gently exfoliate and then dried my face and put a small amount of the masque on. It felt like a rich moisturizer. I left it on for 25 minutes and wiped off with a warm wet washcloth. Ahh, so soft and smooth! You can also leave on overnight for extra moisture.

So after all of this I used my ART moisturizer and wolf berry eye cream and then my savvy minerals makeup. Here’s before and after below.So how much do I like the skincare line? I don’t like it, I LOVE it! It’s also nice that I get compliments on my skin and makeup quite a bit now. That says a lot. Link to order:

https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=1436532&enrollerid=1436532&isocountrycode=US&culture=en-US&type=member

I’m the lucky one

Two healthy, happy kids later and I’m realizing just how lucky I really am. I mean, obviously I realize that I’m lucky to have this family, but I’m so very lucky for other reasons that most people don’t have to think about.

I recently have received my hospital records for Brianna’s birth. I needed them to make sure I have the correct antibodies to put on my medical ID. Also to check that one, is in fact little c and not big C, because one is aggressive and the other isn’t. Unfortunately I confirmed that I have little c, the aggressive one.

Why would I consider myself so lucky when the odds of me getting sensitized to an antibody is .02% or less? I am so lucky because it didn’t effect Brianna, and I didn’t need a blood transfusion during surgery. I’m also lucky because I have a very supportive husband and family and I have found an amazing support group.

In my support group there are about 800 moms who have antibodies, this is world wide, not just in America. These past two months alone, about 5 moms have lost their babies to antibodies. These aren’t early losses, but second and third trimester losses. (There’s also some in the group that have lost their babies days to months old after birth)These women are some of the strongest people I have ever been in contact with. (Prayers and positive thoughts are welcome for these amazing women and their precious babies, ones in heaven and on earth)This group has the leading doctor on antibodies contact information and resources readily available. It’s amazing how many doctors do not know about antibodies and the treatment/standard of care to help these moms. Luckily this group has the latest research, medical journal publications and other very important information for moms to bring to their doctors. I can’t tell you how many babies have been saved by this group and their knowledge and persistence to make sure each mom has the proper care.

I’m amazed reading the notes between my doctor and the blood bank doctors before my c section with Brianna. I found out that the two units of blood set aside for me were not suitable for transfusion if my doctor had gone through with my c section and I needed blood. (Meaning it could have been life threatening to me if transfused.) I have one amazing doctor who didn’t know much about the antibodies but was wise enough to put my surgery on hold. (They found blood that was safe after 4 days)I’m so blessed that she has safely delivered both my kids.

I also found out that I don’t carry antigen E or K which means if my husband carries either of those, I could form antibodies to those as well (when we have more babies). This is very important to know for the future, especially since K is another aggressive one.

The last reason I’m so lucky is because now I have a huge passion and purpose I didn’t have before: To help others who have no idea about antibodies and raise awareness on how dangerous this is. (I had no idea!) I’m sure most of you have heard of the “rh factor”, and that if the father is rh+ and the mom is rh -, the mom needs to get a RhoGam shot while pregnant and after birth. This is actually antibody D, and the only antibody that has a treatment to prevent isoimmunization. So please, if you are a mom who is rh negative and the father is positive, please get the shot. (This only helps if you are not sensitized yet!)It could save your babies life. It could also prevent Mca scans every 1 to 2 weeks, blood draws every 2 weeks, possible intrauterine blood transfusions, delivery at 35 weeks or before, anemia in the baby as well as jaundice, and other complications . That’s what an isoimmunization pregnancy looks like, and this shot can help prevent it with antibody d. I wish they had more shots for all the different antibodies, then it wouldn’t be such a tough decision to have another baby or not. (Once you are an iso mom it never goes away and typically gets worse with each pregnancy) If you are a mom who has antibodies, has had an iso pregnancy or knows a mom who has been diagnosed and is looking for information, please contact me and I can get you in touch with the support group. It’s a very private group full of support and information. Amyhealthyliving@hotmail.com

Seedlings

Have you ever looked up the ingredients in the products you use on your babies and kids? I bet it would shock you what some companies put into their “safe and natural” products.

Seedlings is the newest line of products especially made for babies, kids can use it too! It has truly natural and safe ingredients, no harsh or toxic chemicals. What products can you find in this line? Wipes, diaper rash cream, shampoo and body wash, baby oil and more!

I absolutely love using this line on my daughter (6months old), and son who has really sensitive skin. Try it today! https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=1436532&enrollerid=1436532&isocountrycode=US&culture=en-US&type=member

Natural Makeup!!!

So some of you may know that recently Young Living has come out with a makeup line. Well, I tried it and LOVE it! Here’s some pictures of before and after: 

Savvy Minerals has so much to offer, without toxic ingredients! Here’s some info on the makeup line: We believe you shouldn’t have to compromise your health for beauty, which is why we created the Savvy Minerals by Young Living™ makeup line. Savvy Minerals by Young Living™ products are developed with an unwavering standard of purity and quality, giving you a full variety of beauty products formulated with ingredients you can feel fabulous about.
Our Savvy Minerals products contain these high-quality ingredients:
Young Living Essential Oils

Aspen Bark Extract

Mica

High-quality minerals

Naturally derived ingredients

Non-nano ingredients

We hold all Savvy Minerals makeup products to superior standards, so you can feel good about what you are putting on your skin—always. This means that you’ll never find these ingredients in your Savvy Minerals makeup bag: talc, bismuth, parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, nanoparticles, synthetic fragrance, synthetic colorants, or cheap synthetic fillers that are usually found in other leading brands.
Want to know what’s in your Savvy Minerals product? Visit the individual product pages for each Savvy Minerals by Young Living product for a full list of ingredients.

The best part? There’s a new Premium Starter Kit with Savvy Minerals. So you get the makeup AND a membership to Young Living. 

Link to order: https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=1436532&enrollerid=1436532&isocountrycode=US&culture=en-US&type=member

It has a name!

So today I went to the maternal fetal medicine doctor. He’s a doctor specializing in high risk pregnancies. (No, I’m not currently pregnant) This was a follow up to the blood issues I had when Brie was born. 

The term is isoimmunization. That’s what happened, and now will make any pregnancy high risk for me. My whole reason for meeting with this doctor was to find out if more babies were out of the question for me, and what it means for me going forward. 

So I asked if he thought having more babies was wise, or should be avoided. His opinion is that I should be ok to have more kids (yay!!). He said that I would have weekly blood work, and extra monitoring. I would need MCA scans, which are specialized ultrasounds looking for signs of anemia in the baby. All of this gets a MoM score, and if it gets too high the baby would need an intrauterine blood transfusion, (transfusion while in the womb).Yes, it is as scary as it sounds. The reason is that my antibodies could attack the baby if the baby has the antigen my body has a antibody for. Keep in mind that I don’t just have one antibody, but two. So the risk goes up. 

(Brianna making faces at my appointment)

One of my antibodies can get aggressive towards the end of pregenancy, so the weekly testing is very important. If the MoM score goes too high after 35 weeks, the baby may need to be delivered early because it’s safer out than in at that point. This means there is a chance of needing NICU time, so delivering at an adequate hospital is key. 

There are other risks involved, the baby can be anemic right after delivery and can develop it months after birth. This means extra monitoring of the baby is important as well. Possible blood transfusions could be needed. The other thing that happens a lot is jaundice. This happens to a lot of babies, but can be very severe with ISO babies. 

All of these things may seem scary, but with proper monitoring and a good team of doctors/nurses/medical staff , the long term outcome sounds promising. Sometimes the baby doesn’t need any help, and that’s something to hope for.

How does this effect me now? Well, it doesn’t unless there’s an emergency and/or I need any kind of surgery. I need a medical ID bracelet or necklace because of blood transfusion requirements. If I get blood that has either antigen (common), then my body will most likely attack the blood(rare except if you have antibodies that are aggressive like mine are). The little c antibody can take months for a reaction to happen, and it can be life threatening. 

All of this is for the future (except the ID I need), and this diagnosis won’t stop me from thinking about growing my family someday. I believe God has a plan and I might not know exactly what it is, but I have faith that  it’ll all work out for the best. 

Letting go of my “plan”: Brianna’s birth story

Letting go can be a hard thing to do. With this baby, we had a “plan” to try a vbac (vaginal birth after c-section). My plan was to go all natural and try not to have any medications or epidural. So when we had our consult with the obgyn at one of the only hospitals in the area that would try a vbac, that’s what I had planned to tell the doctor…

Our meeting that day went a little differently than expected. We ended up meeting with the same doctor who delivered our son. She changed practices and just delivers babies now. She told us that there’s more risk involved to my health with a vbac, especially the further past your due date you go. She recommended the epidural because if there was an emergency, they won’t take the time to put one in and you’d then go under general anesthesia. Was I a little crushed? Truthfully yes, BUT we made the decision right then and there to listen and change our plan. Nothing was worth risking my health, or the chance to see my baby being born.

The next discussion was how far past my due date would be safe if the baby hadn’t come on its own. We decided that 2 days past would be safe. So we scheduled a c-section for 2 days after my due date. We were praying we wouldn’t have to use that appointment. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against needed c-sections. My son was born that way after more than 53 hours of labor. I just didn’t want to have to recover from major surgery and not be able to pick up my 3 year old son for a while. That would break my heart.

So, a few days after this meeting my Group B strep test came back…positive. This was a concern to us because it meant I’d have to get to the hospital once in early labor to get antibiotics before giving birth. This can be a very serious issue, and can effect the baby while in the womb, during birth and after. We have good friends who almost lost their son from this horrible illness,(prayers for them are always welcome) his story is here: https://www.facebook.com/reagansgbsjourney/

So, I never went into labor and went in on August 10 for my planned c section. This is where our plan really went out the door… After checking in a nurse came into our room and said we’re trying to see if we can do the surgery because you have alien blood. My husband and I laughed because we thought it was a joke. It wasn’t. The doctor came in and explained that my blood work came back with some rare antibody and they had to take another sample and send it to another lab to double check. So that took hours, and it came back that I wasn’t just positive for just one antibody but two. This means that if I needed a blood transfusion during surgery they would have to find compatiable blood because normal blood could cause a life threatening condition. Basically, my body would attack normal donor blood. So, because my antibodies were so rare my doctor said they were not comfortable doing the surgery until they find blood for me. (Also I was very anemic and was having iv treatments every week before delivery, making the situation worse)We went home that day with a hospital bracelet on my wrist that I was not supposed to remove incase of an emergency, and specific instructions for the hospital to call my doctors cell phone if I happened to go into labor so she could explain the situation. It was that important.
Four days later we went back to the hospital, not knowing if they found blood or if we would have a baby that day. At this point I was 6 days past my due date and the risk to my health was increasing. Luckily they found 2 units of blood for me. They had to contact the Red Cross and do a state wide search, if they hadn’t found it in state, they would have had to search other states.

So they rolled me back for my c section and about 20 minutes later, Dom announced to everyone in the room it was a girl! I cried.  (We didn’t find out if the baby was a girl or boy before delivery) The crazy part about her being born was she was crying in the womb before being taken out. The nurses called her a diva. She was 9 pounds 7 ounces! I didn’t expect such a big baby. She was such a blessing right from the start and we were lucky that she was born healthy(because of her size they had to check her sugars before every feeding the first day). 

After all the craziness of her birth, I took some time to recover and recently visited a blood specialist. He has never seen a case like mine and told me that he needs to contact a blood bank doctor to try and help me. He also told me that he would do some research and contact me after the holidays. The very next week (day after Christmas) he called me himself to tell me: 1. don’t get pregnant now, 2. I would need a medical ID necklace or bracelet, 3. My next pregnancy would be high risk. So that was a lot to digest. He referred me to the biggest hospital in the area to a doctor who could give me more information. 

What I do know right now is that I’m the less than 1% that this happens to and it will stay with me for the rest of my life. There is routine blood work where this is detected in pregnancy. This typically does not effect the pregnancy where it is detected, but can with any pregnancy after.  No, it’s not RH +\- which is actually anti-D and the only antibody that there is a “treatment” for (a shot while pregnant, and after birth). My blood is hard to find, less than 20% of the population would be a match for me.  (Because of the antibodies I now have)One of my antibodies is considered aggressive, and the other can be as well. That means that if the baby has the antigen, my body will attack the baby. There’s a huge list of what can go wrong (baby being anemic, still birth, hydrops, jaundice and many more), what to watch out for, steps to take etc…I’ll be seeing a new doctor soon to figure things out and see what the risks are when we decide to have another baby. Sometimes intervention is needed, other times just very close monitoring is and there isn’t a way before hand to tell.

Am I worried? No, because it’s all in Gods hands and as I’ve learned, the plans we have for ourselves might not be the exact plans God has for us. I do feel it’s better to be proactive than to not know what we might be getting into. I will update when I get more information, because I’d like to bring awareness to this health issue for others. Just know that this is extremely rare, so rare that most of my doctors had no idea what the antibodies meant, never heard of them and all had to do their own research to try and give me answers. Luckily I’m healthy, and so are my kids. 

Why my children are only getting 1 present from Santa and other Christmas thoughts…

Yes you read that right, my kids will only be getting one present from Santa. No they haven’t been “bad” kids. So hear me out.

We have decided as parents that we want our kids to appreciate where their gifts come from. This means they can thank whoever gives them their gifts, and appreciate them even more. They will still be getting a special present every year from the guy in red, but more so, gifts from the people they can actually play with the toys with. 

I’m not judging parents who give all their presents from Santa, more power to what ever you do for Christmas! We also have started our own tradition of giving new pj’s on Christmas Eve and watching a good Christmas movie. Traditions are awesome and something your children will remember forever, and maybe even pass down to their children. 

I’ve also decided that I’m going to give my toddler a break. He’s had quite a few tantrums recently, maybe because his dad is traveling, maybe because of being 3. Maybe both. Who knows?! But tonight I’ve decided I’m going to give him a break, because he deserves it. Christmas season is so short and he is only little for so long. This isn’t a free pass to behave horribly all the time (he is mostly well behaved) but more of a little more understanding from me  than I have been recently. It’s extremely tough with a deployed dad and I have to realize that at 3 he can’t explain to me all he’s feeling or why. It’s also so new to him having a little sister, we are all still adjusting.  Speaking of tantrums, I’ve read that diffusing and rubbing on Orange oil and Joy can help tame them. Going to try that now, by the gallon…