birth

With my first 2 babies, I had issues with milk supply...With my firstborn, I didn't have issues until I became pregnant again. That is when my milk production just dropped and I tried hard to bring it back up but eating oatmeal & drinking nursing tea didn't seem to help much. At last, I just switched her over to goat's milk when she was about 10 months old and she was much happier. 

With my second, I felt like I was always struggling with milk supply...(it turns out that she actually had a tongue tie that no one diagnosed that could have played a big role in my milk supply issues). Check out this post for more info on babies & tongue ties...

One thing that I learned with my second was that I wasn't eating enough calories some days...when I ate more food, my milk supply increased. I also have a hard time staying hydrated but I was doing my best. I recommend always sitting down to nurse with a large glass of water so that you remember to drink. 

When my third baby arrived, she had a major tongue tie, cheek ties, and lip ties. Nursing was AWFUL until we were able to get her ties lasered. That helped immensely with my milk supply stabilizing...however, I think I was so stressed about my milk supply dropping with her like it had with my second baby, that my stress would affect my milk supply. It is a viscous cycle. 

One thing I found that boosted my milk production faster than anything else I ever tried was Fennel Vitality Essential Oil. It worked faster than oatmeal, nursing tea, and everything else I had tried. Anytime I felt like my supply was running low, I would take a veggie capsule and put in 6 drops of Fennel Vitality oil and about 6 drops of olive oil and swallow it. Within a couple of hours, I could tell my milk supply had increased. 

It was literally a life-saver. One note: This should not be used for more then 10 days consecutively. It is recommended to take a 2 week break in between uses. 

You can grab it here...I only recommend taking Young Living Vitality Essential Oils internally because they are the only essential oils that are FDA approved for internal use and that say on the label that they are for ingesting. *Do not use fennel if you have a family history of seizures.

xo Rachelle <3 

Are you expecting your first child and you're scared or nervous about your first birthing experience? I remember those feelings well. I was so scared, nervous, and afraid of the pain before my first baby and I wanted to share with you my first birth experience and all the things I learned from it because I want to speak life and encouragement into that place <3  

As you already know if you have read about my first birthing experience, my planned homebirth turned into a hospital birth. When I found out I was pregnant with my second, I wanted to plan another homebirth because I had really liked being able to labor at home for most of my labor with my first baby...

My third pregnancy was one for the books! As the days started going by, I started doing various things to try and get labor going. I even had the chiropractor do the acupressure points on the inside of my thighs...talk about OUCH! But that still didn't get things moving. I was having almost no contractions at all...

I hope you enjoy these stories! Birth is such an amazing experience and I know your birth story will be amazing too! 

xo Rachelle <3 

Here are my lists of supplies for birthing, favorite snacks to have on hand, and what to pack in your emergency hospital bag!

As you already know if you have read about my first birthing experience, my planned homebirth turned into a hospital birth. All things considered, I was just very thankful that I had my healthy baby girl and that I was still able to have her vaginally even though it wasn't the ideal set of circumstances! When I found out I was pregnant with my second, I wanted to plan another homebirth because I had really liked being able to labor at home for most of my labor with my first baby. 

Are you expecting your first child and you're scared or nervous about your first birthing experience? I remember those feelings well. I was so scared, nervous, and afraid of the pain before my first baby and I wanted to share with you my first birth experience and all the things I learned from it because I want to speak life and encouragement into that place <3