Hello, World!!

Meeting Lady for the first time - after my recovery and her being admitted into the NICU

Surprise, surprise!!

We have a new daughter that we welcomed into this big beautiful world a little over a two weeks ago!!

Our little Lady decided to come *before* the scheduled c-section (Nov 1 @ 36 weeks gestation).  She came the same day I received my first steroid shot.  I joked around, "if she's anything like her brother, she'll be born today or tomorrow, because my body went CrAzY after receiving the first steroid shot with him."  And by golly, I was right.  Shot was at 10:30am and she was born at 9:32pm that same day!!  Can you believe it?  After having received my shot in the morning, it just seemed like the contractions started picking up as the day went on.  

Waiting for my steroid shot

Having scheduled my Anointing to be that night after 4pm Mass, we knew I'd have to go to Confession beforehand.  So we showed up for Confessions at 3pm and got as many of us in as we could.  Then we all went to 4pm Mass as a family.  My Anointing was after Mass, and even though I had 10 contractions during Mass, I knew I'd have to stick it out and still have the Anointing done.  Super important to have that Sacrament going in to a high risk c-section, not really knowing it would be that night.  We were all still thinking it would be on November 1st, the scheduled date.

Receiving the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick

We had already planned on a "fish and chips" dinner to celebrate the Feast of Pope Saint John Paul II, so we grabbed Long John Silvers and were going to head home for dinner.  But with all my contractions, I asked Neil to drop me off at the hospital to be monitored and to save me some "fish and chips" for when I get back home.  (who knew that wouldn't happen!).

"Fish and Chips" for dinner on the Feast of Pope Saint John Paul II - I never even got a bite!  

When I showed up to the hospital, a few nurses laughed at me because they were in there that morning for my shot - and I joked then that I might be coming back to have a baby that night.  And there I was needing to be monitored for contractions.  I showed up around 6:30pm and was contracting every 3-5 minutes.  Doc started a round of IV fluids hoping that would settle things down.  They did for a little bit - like 10 minutes.  And then they picked up even more - contractions every 2 minutes.  They decided not to give me a shot of brethane because if they had to do a c-section, they said it makes the uterus relax.  And, they wouldn't want a relaxed uterus to do a section on - they would need strong muscle tone instead. Doctors and nurses in and out, and all of a sudden my doc came in and shared, "I think it's time to have a baby".  Doh!  Neil was still at home.  Thankfully they announced that at 8:20 and there was still prep they had to do.  So he made it on time!!  Barely though!  They started the c-section at 9:30pm and "Lady" was born at 9:32pm.

right after birth

With this being my 9th c-section, there were many risks - blood loss, adhesions, damage to other organs, possible emergency hysterectomy, and more.  And, miraculously, NONE of that happened!  I'm still in awe at how smooth things went.  After baby was born, Neil was swept away with her.  And the stitching and putting things back together began.  THE tricky part, for sure.  I couldn't do anything but pray Hail Mary's after Hail Mary's after Hail Mary's.  I really didn't ask any questions.  Just prayed and listened to what was being said.  I will never forget hearing the doctor assisting my doctor say, "I'm so surprised how smooth things are going."   ++thank you, God!!++ And, at another point during my section, my doctor asked the doctor who was assisting her...."Are you Catholic?"  He responded, "yes."  And then the conversation that followed was a very clear indicator that Our Lady was interceding so strongly on my behalf.  Not only intereceding but truly present right there in the OR.  My doctor started sharing how they are not Catholic, but their kids go to Catholic school and how her son is struggling learning the Mysteries of the Rosary, and she asked for tips on how to memorize them.  As I'm praying Hail Mary's after Hail Mary's after Hail Mary's.  WOWZERS!!  It took my breath away!  ++thank you, God!!++  In one hour time, my uterus and body was put back together and I was in recovery by 10:30pm.  Just miraculous that things went so smooth and so fast.

Now don't get me wrong, things were not perfect.  This was my 9th c-section.  The cut they made was in a thick part of the uterus and right next to that was paper thin uterus.  But doc said she didn't want to touch that part.  I had some adhesions and she dealt with them carefully.  She put in a mesh-like material called Intercede to help with future adhesions.  She also did a double layer/stitch so things are strong for "next time".  Another thing my doctor shared is that she's had many second repeat c-sections turn out worse than my 9th.  And, when I asked her if she attribute how smooth things went to a miracle and the power of prayer, she responded, "Yes!"   ++thank you, God!!++

Here are "Lady's" birth stats:
Birthday:  Saturday, October 22nd
Time:  9:32pm
Weight:  5 pounds 13.2 oz
Length:  17.5 inches

Phew!!  My brain and hands are tired from writing this post, so I'll make the rest short.  With "Lady" being early and a little preemie, she has spent some time in the nicu and is still there - going on two weeks plus.  She has conquered breathing issues, jaundice, is keeping her own temps - and is only working on taking down full bottles.  It's been tough having a baby in the nicu and not being able to bring them home, but we are trusting God and being patient until "Lady" is ready to come home.  What a HOMECOMING that will be!!!

 5 days old!!  Look at all my beautiful hair!!

Trusting God With My 9th C-Section

**This story was first published here at Catholic Mommy.  Lis interviewed me about my upcoming 9th c-section.**

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I swallowed deeply as I reread her answer. This will be her 9th C-section. I know the risks and her faith is evident… but I couldn’t stop myself form asking more questions and then sharing the answers. Because the world has to hear this. The world has to hear the complete trust she has in God and believe that God is bigger than any other decision in our life.

This interview is with Katie Young, a homeschooling blogger of 8 kids. You can read more about Katie at her blog, Raising Young Ones, and be sure to pray for her upcoming C-section. (If you are pregnant, please add your due date in the comment section and we will also lift you up in prayer!) Hail Mary…

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We haven’t spoken in a while… what provoked this writing? Are you pregnant?

Katie: I am. Almost 22 weeks (update:  I'm now 29+ weeks!!!). Section already scheduled for 36 weeks. 9th c-section – Oy! ++Jesus, I trust in You++
People, and SO many Catholics, are just mis-informed and justified in their own contraception/sterilization mindset. It’s heartbreaking for me to know, see this, and get comments all the time, especially when I am pregnant in one of these high risk pregnancies.

That feels so soon

Katie: I know! The time is flying by SO fast!


You are courageous. Not everybody sees the beauty in what you are doing

 How are the rest of your kids doing? Do they understand it’s high risk?

Katie: I just remember you were one who said I need to share this more and it’s been on my heart ever since we saw those two pink lines to follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings.


Absolutely.

Katie: They do know. They are so wonderful about it and know all we can do is pray and have faith.


That’s wonderful

Katie: I’m already getting comments from Catholic friends who are clearly blinded by and justified in their own actions of contracepting and sterilization.


Why do you think people feel justified to tell you their beliefs when you obviously have made yours?

Katie: Goodness, I have my thoughts on why they do share this, but my pregnant hormonal self probably won’t say this very gracefully. 🙁

I’m sure we both know though….

Satan is good at planting lies and helping people feel justified in their sin.


That’s a sad truth. I think fear consumes so many people too

Fear to lose their loved ones and the fear of the unknown. The more strength you have in Christ, the more you look forward to Heaven, the less scared you are

Katie: Yes!!! 🙂


Is this your seventh or eighth child? Is the baby a girl or a boy? Has she been named?

Katie: This will actually be our tenth baby! Our first little one made it heaven before we could meet and hold her (miscarriage). God willing, little Edith will be our 9th baby here though! So, yeah, she has been named – after St. Edith Stein/St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

Have all of your pregnancies been C-sections?

Katie: Yeppers!! I tried SO hard to have baby #1 naturally. After 21 hours of labor and fetal distress near the end, my doctor did an emergency c-section. When he was born, my doctor laughed and said “no wonder he couldn’t make it out on his own – he couldn’t fit!” He had a large head and was 9 pounds! LOL For the second baby, our plan was to have a vbac. But weeks before delivery, I had a lot of pain near my incision and my doctor thought it was better we have another c-section for fear of rupture.


What does your recovery time look like after having C-sections with so many children?

Katie: 4-6 weeks, which is actually normal recovery time for all c-section patients. Once baby is here and born, I’m just a normal c-section patient. Thankfully! 🙂


What makes your pregnancy high-risk? What are the possible consequences?

Katie: My multiple c-sections (this will be my 9th). Every c-section has its risks, but for me, I am also carrying the weight of an over-worked, stretched, weak uterus that has had surgery 8 times already. The most serious risk is death – for me and baby. 🙁


So many of us have difficulties trusting in God for small things. How do you put something this big in His hands? Do you have any special prayers or devotions that you do for your pregnancy or baby?

Katie: Oh boy!! That’s a hard one… this life is our temporary home to prepare us for our Eternal Home. It is my actions and words here that will prepare me for that life. I hope and pray I make it there!! And, yes, it is through all my actions, including my “yes” to being open to life with high-risk pregnancies, that will hopefully help pave the way.

We could definitely chose sterilization and/or contraception, because it has been suggested/encouraged after my 3rd c-section and all my c-sections after by doctors/friends/family (and even priests!!), but we know that is choosing against God and not trusting Him. However, we do use NFP. We are not perfect at it, obviously. We try our best and it has created some spacing between babies.

Devotions? Absolutely!!! We find out baby’s sex as soon as we can and give that beautiful precious gift a name (there are so many references in the Bible about the importance of names – even at the beginning when God gave Adam and Eve the privilege of naming the animals of creation).

What a powerful witness of being pro-life that we have in giving that baby a name as soon as we can find out the sex! It’s amazing to hear our other children (and even family/friends!) refer to the baby in womb by NAME. She is a person. She is loved and cared for so deeply. And we already know who she is – Edith! So through naming our babies we pray endlessly for their patron saint to intercede for them and the pregnancy.


Most doctors tell women with multiple C-sections to have smaller families due to risks. I know we’re not in the medical profession and can’t tell women what to do, but what made YOU choose to keep having children?

Katie: Kinda hinted earlier on why… it is our choices and actions and words here that will hopefully pave our way to Heaven. This is one of those HUGE choices – choosing to trust God or choosing my own will. It is where being pro-life takes on a whole new meaning. It goes to the root of where that life is formed to begin with – through the sexual act.

Should my husband and I be the ones to tell God “no”, that we will no longer be fruitful, that the gift of fertility He has given us is too much of a risk for me? Or should we trust God with this cross and burden of my high risk pregnancies, and remain open to life (only using NFP) and let Him be the one in charge?

Obviously we have chosen the latter. It’s tough, for sure. It would most definitely be easier if we did contracept/choose sterilization. But we are not called to live a comfortable, easy life. We are called to live in faith and trust in God’s perfect plan for our lives.

Can you talk about what it means to say “yes” to God’s plan and what that looks like in your life as a mother of a large family?

Katie: Yes, Lord, my husband and I will remain fruitful in our marriage, despite not knowing what the outcome is. You are the Author of Life. You chose when life should begin and when life should end.
Yes, Lord, I will wake up daily and put one foot in front of the other and love and raise the children you sent our way.
Yes, Lord, I will do my best to live a virtuous life to my husband, children, family, friends, and know that I will fall and fail often and run to You in reconciliation.
Yes, Lord, I will be Your hands, feet, and heart to those around me as best as I can.
Yes, Lord, I will change the messy diaper for the umpteenth time today.
Yes, Lord, I will continue doing the laundry and cleaning up after all these goofey kids.
Yes, Lord, I will love and accept my husband and children for who they are and be grateful for the mercy they (and You!) have on me when I flop.
Yes, Lord, Yes!!! Here I am! I come to do Your will!
(my “yes-es” are that daily/hourly/minutely choice to be His servant!!! I could go on and on with this one – lol!)



Obviously you and your husband are both pro-life. How does the rest of your family/ extended family react to your pregnancy?

Katie: Some think we are CrAzY. Some understand and respect what we are doing completely. Some just smile and don’t say a word. Some do share their concerns (of losing me and baby), but still love us anyways. I think they all learned a few babies ago, that it doesn’t matter what they say, it is God whom we look to for guidance in all choices in our life.

It has definitely been rough at times, and hurtful things were said in the past But through them loving us and us loving them, regardless of the differences in our choices/words/actions, we can experience the mercy of God and we are blessed to still remain very close to all our family.


What are some of the things people are saying? (If you want to copy and paste quotes form your FB but do it anonymously?)

Katie: Probably some of the worst/hurtful things that have been said….

• “God will forgive you for becoming pregnant again.”
• “It’s clear God doesn’t want you to have a big family.”
• “If you die during your pregnancy/delivery, that makes your husband a murderer.”
• “By continuing to have babies, you are not caring for and thinking about your other children.”

A lot of times and more often than not, we get the “we’re done” comment. It’s hard to know what this truly means… “we’re done” trusting God? “we’re done” having babies and prefer a more comfortable enjoyable life? “we’re done” with the fertile stage in my life and know no more life can be formed?

• And, of course, the “don’t you know what causes that?”  To which we love to reply, “Yeppers, we are just really good at it.  And, you?”   😉

After having shared recently on FB my hormonal/pregnant thoughts on our story (being open to life even with my high risks pregnancies) I am overtaken by the love/care some friends/family show…

• “Beautiful words and sentiments. <3 Your life as an offering <3 I am also very familiar with this hormonal roller-coaster as I care for my 6 on earth and entrust 5 more to Our Lord…As we all strive to live out our vocational calling, may we be reminded that His yoke is sweet, His burdens, light and He knows our journey+++ May God continue to bless you and all your precious “fiats”<3Love, prayers and blessings to you, friend.”
• “Amen! Love you! You’re a beautiful example and living testament to being pro-life and entrusting yourself completely to God’s divine Providence! Praying for you and Edith daily!”

Also, here is another comment of love/acceptance/support from a non-Catholic friend who has very different views from me, yet it is still one of love and acceptance….  (This one brought tears to my eyes!)

• “While our lives and views are different… I love, admire and adore you.  I always wish nothing but the best for you and your family.”

Other comments that have me concerned though are those Catholics who also have health issues/high risk pregnancies that have already chosen sterilization/contraception and are proud to have done so and are justified in choosing to go against God’s plan for marriage/trusting Him.  I was thankful a sweet friend did bring up that NFP is ok, but most of the time, this is not what people turn to when health risks arise.

There is still that element of trust and a pregnancy could still happen.  It’s hard to know what to say when fear overtakes them and is the basis of that decision.  It is definitely harder to trust God, because there is still that element of the unknown and putting your life fully in His hands.


What is your favorite thing about the newborn stage for a baby? What are you most looking forward to once baby is born?

Katie: Their complete love and utter dependence and acceptance of us as parents.  The snuggles.  That instant bond between older siblings and new baby.

Once Edith is in my arms and I am all stitched up and get that “how lucky I am” from doctors/nurses/family/friends.  But, we all know, that lucky is a lot more than a lucky – it’s a BLESSING from God indeed!!

An Announcement and 7 of My Favorite Baby/Children/Pro-Life Quotes

Due Date:  November 28th

Expected Arrival:  around Halloween

(doc will take babe a month early to minimize the stress on my uterus that last month of pregnancy)

This will be my 9th c-section.  Very risky as I've mentioned before, so please pray for us.  We love this little one to pieces already and trust Our Lord who allowed me to get pregnant again.  Obviously we are hoping and praying to have a beautiful baby to hold and snuggle and a healthy and happy family of 11 by the end of this year!!

So, onto seven of my favorite children/baby/pro-life quotes....

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

~Matthew 19: 14

“How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers.”

~Blessed Mother Teresa

“When a child is given to his parents, a crown is made for that child in Heaven, and woe to the parents who raise a child without consciousness of that eternal crown!”

~Ven. Fulton J. Sheen

"The greatest gift you can give your child is another sibling."

~Pope Saint John Paul II

(although I just found this and now wonder if he really said this.  Does anyone know?)

"Look at the mothers who truly love their children: how many sacrifices they make for them. They are ready for everything, even to give their own blood so that their babies grow up good, healthy and strong."

~Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

“All of us must care for life, cherish life, with tenderness, warmth…to give life is to open (our) heart, and to care for life is to (give oneself) in tenderness and warmth for others, to have concern in my heart for others.  Caring for life from the beginning to the end. What a simple thing, what a beautiful thing..So, go forth and don’t be discouraged. Care for life. It’s worth it.”

~Pope Francis

“A person is a person no matter how small.” 

~Dr. Seuss

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And I'm going to add in an eighth quote as prayer for myself and my little one in womb...

"0 Jesus, I promise You to submit myself to all that You permit to happen to me, make me only know Your Will".

~Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

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Linking up with 7 Quick Takes.  Click on the image below to join in on the fun!!

"Tempting God?" -OR- trusting God??

I've wrote and shared our story with all my c-sections and most recently had my 8th c-sections a little over three months ago.

You may ask why I am bringing this up again.  If you have read or watched the headlines on the news today, then you know why.

The bunny breeding comment, I can laugh at.  I've already been laughed at and joked about being a "good breeder" by family and friends.  With my nursing issues and needing to pump for 6 weeks with my last two babies, I can laugh and refer to that as "milking myself".  I can laugh that comment off and not take it personal - that's no big deal.  In fact, I kind of do see what he means - not every family is called to the same family size.  As long as Catholics are in line with the faith and not contracepting, then you will most definitely see God blessing families in varying and different ways. That is His call to choose our family size, not ours.  To have fun with this comment of his and all the fun on the internet about it, I had the kids draw bunnies today for art class.  Here's some of their drawings in progress....  (I will post the final products later)

It was this comment that most shocked me, because the situation of the mother is extreme just like my situation - having many c-sections and risking her life...

"That example i mentioned shortly before about that woman who was expecting her eighth (child) and already had seven who were born with caesareans. That is an irresponsibility (That woman might say) 'no but I trust in god' But God gives you methods to be responsible. Some think that, excuse me if i use that word, that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits. No. Responsible parenthood! This is clear and that is why in the church there are marriage groups, there are experts in this matter, there are pastors, one can seek and i know so many, many ways out that are licit and that have helped this. you did well to ask me this"  

(~Pope Francis' translated words)

I am feeling a bit punched in the gut today, or maybe even another momma being pierced in the heart. We've already received much persecution and questioning from friends, family, church family and community, homeschool community, and even priests.  Now today, I'm feeling somewhat scolded by our pope.  I hope and pray this is just a bad translation, but if not it's a good reminder that we are ALL human and have our opinions.  And, that's exactly what this is- his opinion, not church teaching.  

What bothers me the most is the mom who has 3 or 4 c-sections and is reading these comments and the pressure she will now feel to do something permanent to prevent another pregnancy.  It is a cross and it is hard to trust, but you just gotta do it!!  I am so thankful for the solid teaching and faith-filled examples of good priests, deacons, and friends that we had to guide us with our cross of multiple c-sections and high risk pregnancies.

Here's my beautiful little guy who was born via my 8th c-section.  

Was it a risk?  

Absolutely!  

Is it a miracle that I am here today?  

Absolutely!  

Was I "tempting God" -OR- trusting God?

Trusting God!

And that is exactly why we have faith....

to do our very best at loving and following Him, and then put our lives in the hands of God and trust Him to do what He wills best.  

++Thank you, God!!!++

Introducing...

...young one #8 born on the 8th!!!

What a sweet little guy to make his birthday easy to remember for all of us!  I had posted the first four days of our novena to Fulton J. Sheen no problem and on the night of novena day 4, I went in and got my steroid shot at 9:30pm. But on the morning of day 5, I woke up around 6am with some incision pain on my left side that came with a pretty strong contraction.  As soon as the contraction went away, the pain went away.  Then I texted my wonderful sister (who is an OB nurse) right away and asked what to be watching for and she told me to pay attention to baby movement and more contractions/pain.  So I moved to the reclining chair and had two more smaller contractions with the same incision pain - one more towards the middle and one on the right side, and again it went away when the contraction went away.  Sweet baby boy was moving like a champ, so that was very reassuring.  My sister suggested that I call the doctor still and let her know and to NOT drink or eat anything, just in case (thank you, Laura, for following your gut feeling and telling me this!!!!!!).  Thankfully, my doctor was the one on call and knows my body and I very well and she asked me to head into Labor and Delivery for an NST.  Neil was so wonderful and was going to take the morning off and I'd run in to be monitored and more than likely, be home in a couple of hours.

When I arrived to L&D and was hooked up, I was contracting every 6 minutes - doh!  Since I was still only 35 weeks 3 days and had only had one steroid shot (the evening before) and more than likely, still hasn't done it's "magic" yet, they gave me a shot of brethine to calm down the contractions.  Things looked good for about a half an hour and were calm, but contractions came back just as long and just as strong as the medicine started wearing off.  I let Neil know a little before 11am what was going on and that the contractions were coming back, so he decided to head in and sit with me, but still had to get kiddos ready and drop them off at my mom's first.  Then at 11:30am, three nurses knock on my door with their scrubs on and ask, "Do you know why we are wearing these?"  Uh, I guess I do!!!  And, then I grabbed my camera and took a picture to send to Neil as they started wheeling me away to prepare for surgery....

Oh boy!!!  Guess this was going to be the birthday for our little guy!!  I asked them how long we had and they said 12:15pm, so pretty much immediately and my husband wasn't even there yet!  Thankfully, Neil showed up with plenty of time to spare, but what a surprise of a day for us all.  My poor mom and my mother-in-law didn't even have enough food to feed our crews plus we had NOTHING packed for the hospital (including a real camera!!) since the section was scheduled for October 14th.  We soon realized that none of this truly mattered - baby was coming early and we just had to say "yes" and trust God with his lungs and development and my uterus.

With all the prep and the anesthesiologist arriving a little late, our sweet little guy was born at 12:55pm and my c-section lasted about 40 minutes - pretty good for an 8th c-section.  The NICU doctor looked at him real quick and after his raving apgars (8 and 9!!!) handed him off to the nurses and then to us.  He roomed with us the entire time at the hospital and was breathing like a champ and had no preemie issues at all!  And, very similar to Rose's section, I was very thin but doctor still had to cut into the uterine muscle, unlike with Pookey how there were windows and openings.  How blessed I am to have a wonderful doctor and her partners for knowing how to handle my high risk pregnancies and deliveries!!  And, how blessed I am to have such wonderful prayer warriors in my family and friends and our heavenly friends (Ven. Fulton J. Sheen for this pregnancy) and a wonderful God who has watched my baby and I this whole time and protected us from anything devastating that could have happened.  I am one blessed and very grateful momma to be a given such a beautiful gift from God...

birthday:  October 8, 2014

weight:  6 pounds 5.2 ounces

length:  18-1/2 inches 

birth time:  12:55pm

Things went very well in the hospital and when our sweet baby was 52 hours old (just 2 days old!), we headed home where I knew I could be more comfortable and recover better, even with the noise and busyness of large family living.  For me, that's all normal and I absolutely LOVE it!

And, now we need some help from our blog reading friends - we don't have a blog name for our little guy.  Please share your ideas in comments.  Right now, we are bouncing around "Mickey", "Yoda", "Bruiser" (did you notice the bruise on his little head??), but we cannot settle and agree on which name.  Please help us out, will you???

++Thank you, God, for a smooth pregnancy and delivery and our beautiful new baby boy!!!++

Baby novena - day 4

We're getting there!!  Tonight I go in for my second round of steroids to pump up this little guy's lungs so he is ready and good to go to be born a month early.  Thanks again for all your prayers - we know they will be answered in accordance to Our Maker's perfect and beautiful plan!!  Here is the novena prayer for day 4...

Eternal Father, You alone grant us every blessing in Heaven and on earth, through the redemptive mission of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit.   In every age, You raise up men and women outstanding in holiness, whose faithful service has contributed significantly to the mission of the Church.  In this very way, You used the life and work of Your servant, Archbishop Fulton John Sheen.  He inspired great numbers of Catholics and other people of good will to grow in virtue and lead lives pleasing to You and of service to their brothers and sisters in need.  He encouraged them to embrace the 'Gospel of Life' by recognizing that in all its circumstances, 'Life is worth living.'

If it be according to Your Will, Eternal Father, glorify Your servant, Archbishop Fulton John Sheen, by granting the favor I now request through his prayerful intercession
 for a safe and healthy remainder of the pregnancy and delivery in 6 days of baby Young one.  
I make this prayer confidently in Jesus' Name, through the merits of His Passion, Death and Resurrection.   

Amen.



For today's sharing on October's Respect Life month, I wanted to share the story of a good friend of mine, Miss Teresa!!  (scroll down and read "Teresa's life story")  She is the sweet momma who cuts my hair, encourages and prays with me and some other wonderful women weekly during our prayer group, a fellow homeschooler, but most of all just a delight of a friend and sister-in-Christ!  Love her to pieces!!  You can read about her pro-life story here at Christie's blog, 10 kids of one mom (who is an amazing momma too!)

On Choosing to be Open to Life: Worth the Risk?

Nancy's blog, Do Small Things With Love, was having a "Choose to be Open to Life" series and I was blessed enough to take part and share our story on how God has walked with us in our journey in being open to life.  My post is below, but you can also view my story over on her blog along with many other momma's who shared their story!!  Be sure to head on over there to take a peek at all the beautiful ways God blesses and gives life to those who are open to His plan.

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Making a Cursillo weekend 7 months before we were set to be married was the “kick in the butt” my fiancé and I needed to understand the beauty and responsibility we had in living out our Catholic faith.  Beginning a life of piety, study, and action, the biggest change we needed to make was related to our intimate life.  You see, we had been intimate for many years and were not even married.  Not only that, but I had been on the birth control pill for quite some time as well.  Both of these were big “no-no’s” in our newly appreciated faith.  So, we signed up right away for an NFP class to learn this method to plan our family – either to postpone pregnancy or to achieve a pregnancy, whatever God was calling us to at different periods of our life.  Also, since we were not yet married, we were called to hold off and save ourselves intimately until we were married.

We began and established our family of 3, of course – me, Neil and Christ at the center, on May 20^th 2000!  Not seeing any grave reason to postpone pregnancy, we let God take over from the start of our marriage.  We became pregnant after a couple months, but we lost the baby in the first trimester.  Our hearts were broken when we realized this could have been part of the side effects from having been on the pill for such a long time.  

After our first loss and really wanting to have children, LOTS of them, we were getting anxious to start having babies!!  We would be happy with 1 or 4 or 7 or even a dozen or more, whatever God had planned for us!!  And, our prayers came true once again and I become pregnant pretty much right away.  Our first son, Fone, was born via an emergency c-section because he went into fetal distress and my blood pressure shot up.  We were absolutely thrilled to have our son in our arms, despite the need for an unexpected c-section and harder recovery.     (first c-section)

Our second young one, Mario, was born 18 months later, and despite the fact that we were really wanting to try a VBAC, it was called off just weeks before delivery and a c-section was scheduled instead.  I was having a lot of pain near my incision towards the end and doctors never want to mess with incision pain because of the unknown source of it.   Again, we were okay with that and accepted God’s plan in it all.  After his birth, we were given all the risks about continuing to have c-sections (not a choice after 2) but continued with using NFP and being open to life rather than turn to artificial birth control or sterilization, like the doctors were suggesting.  (second c-section)

We continued to be open to life with the next 3 births – Melody, Ariel, and Max - as my uterus seemed to be doing okay after the previous births.  There was a warning with having windows where they could see the baby peeking through, but we still felt God calling us to be open to life using NFP.  For Max’s delivery though, there were many more windows and the doctors strongly encouraged us to “do something”.  We knew we would not turn to anything unnatural and would continue to use NFP to prevent pregnancies and would do our best charting and understanding my cycles from here on out.  It was during all of these pregnancies that many strangers, family, friends, and even some in our church family spoke out against our openness to life and their concerns with the fact that “my children need a mom and we should do something so another pregnancy doesn’t happen”.  Again, Neil and I held tight to our faith and our plan to continue with NFP in our marriage.  NFP is allowed and can be practiced “with grave reasons” and we were given the okay to go ahead with using it to prevent pregnancies from here on out.  The beauty of NFP is that it does not do anything unnatural to your body, so God clearly has the final say of the outcome.  So, we knew another pregnancy could happen, but we would do our best to prevent them.     (third, fourth, and fifth c-sections)

Well turns out, God did step in and we found ourselves pregnant once again.  Not only was I pregnant, but my doctor who delivered the last bunch of kids had moved farther away and we would need to find a new doctor – a doctor who was confident in taking on a high risk pregnancy and would be willing to do a 6^th c-section.  I was turned down by the first seven doctors that I called, who said I was “too high risk” for them, including our local pro-life doctor.  One doctor even called me back and wanted to personally share with me that me getting pregnant this time was the same as lying on a train track with a train on its way to hit and kill me.  Oh boy - can you imagine the emotional mess I was in??  Thankfully, God did provide- and I found a doctor!!!!  Our sweet Pookey was born and safely in my arms, but the c-section was definitely a scary one….  I had so many windows and open spots in my uterus that it was the bag of waters holding him in and my doctor barely had any uterine muscle tissue to cut.  Talk about a miracle that my water didn’t break!!!!    (sixth c-section)

We were okayed by our spiritual director once again that we had grave reasons to continue using NFP, so again, we would give it our all and do our best to postpone another pregnancy.  We learned to use Billings/Creighton (which is very similar to NFP and just another natural method used to plan your family) because the signs it uses are clearer and stronger for me.  Just as we had experienced earlier, many people judged us for living out our faith in being open to life and not “doing anything” to prevent another pregnancy.  We were even told by a local priest that we had the “okay” to use contraception or be sterilized – ouch!  We knew he was misinforming us but were grateful for being grounded in our faith to see through his advice.  Again, God’s hand can easily take over since it is natural and surprisingly we found ourselves pregnant again after clearly following my signs and abstaining when I thought I was fertile.  C-section number 7 was going to be happening – God had planned and okayed once again for this to happen.  My doctor, having seen my uterus from the 6^th c-section, turned to a larger, more experienced hospital with high risk pregnancies and got permission to take my baby one month early.  Sweet baby Rose was born a month early, breathing all on her own (thanks to the planned steroid shots for her lungs) and perfectly beautiful and healthy!!!  And, amazingly, there were less uterine windows and she actually had to cut the muscle to get baby out!!   (seventh c-section)

So, here I am today and guess what??  I am pregnant again - surprise, surprise!!!  ;-)    We again were trying to postpone pregnancy and used Creighton, but were caught off guard when I had only had 2 days of infertile days when we thought my signs showed 5 days that were infertile.    I went to confession midway through this pregnancy and shared my anxieties and fears and the priest, whom I had not been to confession with before, actually told me that “God will forgive me for becoming pregnant and we should have used common sense so this didn’t happen in the first place”.  WHAT!!!???!!!  I went to confession the next month with a true and devout priest, and shared my experience with the last priest and things went much better – he suggested I pray for the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the priest who misguided me as he is probably misguiding others as well.  So, here we are waiting and praying for Venerable Fulton J. Sheen’s intercession for a safe and healthy remainder of the pregnancy and 8^th c-section delivery, which will be early next week!!!  Can you join us in prayer for our little guy?? 

As a side note on using NFP/Creighton, as I said before, my husband and I were really hoping for a large family – we would love a dozen or more young ones to love and chase and take care of.  We clearly have reasons to use it, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to do – many months we find ourselves saying to each other “we HATE NFP”.  This is a heavy cross to carry, not to mention that the times you need to abstain to avoid a pregnancy is when you most want to be intimate with your husband.  I have many years of fertility left and know that this will continue to be a struggle for us - not wanting to use Creighton but definitely having a need to try our best at it.  We will continue to pray and listen to God and take this month by month, as He is the best planner for our families.   

What do you think?  Is being open to life and using NFP worth the risk??

If we would have listened to the advice of my doctors and many others, this picture would be missing half the children in it.  Instead, we took the risk, put our faith and trust in Our Lord and would absolutely say without a doubt….

“YES, being open to life is worth the risk!!!”

Baby novena - day 3

Thank you for stopping by our blog and praying for our little guy's delivery and the remainder of the pregnancy (only 7 more days to go!).  I go in tonight for my first round of steroid shots to help pump up our sweet little guy's lungs since he will be born a month early.  My awesome doctor consulted with a larger hospital nearby for Rose's delivery and they suggested taking her a month early with my risks. Since things went very well and looked much better with her c-section versus the one before it (which happened as at 38-1/2 weeks), we are going to continue with the same plan and take this guy a month early too. So although I will have ouchie sore arms, they will be doing amazing things for my baby.
Today is day 3 of the novena, asking for Venerable Fulton J. Sheen's intercession....


Eternal Father, You alone grant us every blessing in Heaven and on earth, through the redemptive mission of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit.   In every age, You raise up men and women outstanding in holiness, whose faithful service has contributed significantly to the mission of the Church.  In this very way, You used the life and work of Your servant, Archbishop Fulton John Sheen.  He inspired great numbers of Catholics and other people of good will to grow in virtue and lead lives pleasing to You and of service to their brothers and sisters in need.  He encouraged them to embrace the 'Gospel of Life' by recognizing that in all its circumstances, 'Life is worth living.'

If it be according to Your Will, Eternal Father, glorify Your servant, Archbishop Fulton John Sheen, by granting the favor I now request through his prayerful intercession
 for a safe and healthy remainder of the pregnancy and delivery in 7 days of baby Young one.  
I make this prayer confidently in Jesus' Name, through the merits of His Passion, Death and Resurrection.   

Amen.


And, to continue the sharing on this month's theme of pro-life, I want to share a very special video with you today.  My youngest sister actually participated and performed in this group, Mime For Life, when she was in high school and college.  This video is the complete and same performance she once did many years ago, and it's done by our local Mime For Life group.  What a beautiful message they share!! Enjoy!!

Baby novena - day 2

Please continue with us in the novena that we are praying for the rest of this pregnancy and delivery of our little guy in 8 more days!!  Today is day 2 of the novena, asking for intercession of Fulton J. Sheen....

Eternal Father, You alone grant us every blessing in Heaven and on earth, through the redemptive mission of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit.   In every age, You raise up men and women outstanding in holiness, whose faithful service has contributed significantly to the mission of the Church.  In this very way, You used the life and work of Your servant, Archbishop Fulton John Sheen.  He inspired great numbers of Catholics and other people of good will to grow in virtue and lead lives pleasing to You and of service to their brothers and sisters in need.  He encouraged them to embrace the 'Gospel of Life' by recognizing that in all its circumstances, 'Life is worth living.'

If it be according to Your Will, Eternal Father, glorify Your servant, Archbishop Fulton John Sheen, by granting the favor I now request through his prayerful intercession
 for a safe and healthy remainder of the pregnancy and delivery in 8 days of baby Young one.  
I make this prayer confidently in Jesus' Name, through the merits of His Passion, Death and Resurrection.   

Amen.


Thank you all for joining us in prayer!!!

And, since October is known as the pro-life month and we treasure the gift of life that God has given us in each other, I wanted to share the sweetest video that we found the other day.  It is made by CatChat, which we were blessed enough to go see one of their kid concerts last summer.  Enjoy....

We sure can't wait to meet our little guy and celebrate his birthday in 8 more days!!!!  

A novena for a special little guy (and his momma)....

As soon as this sweet little guy woke up, he came to me and said....

"9 more days until *baby* is born!!!! And then after this day, 8 more days. And then 7 days. And then 6 days. And then 5 days. And then 4 days....."

If you know me or have read my blog before where I have shared about my multiple c-sections and pregnancies, then you know we are in need of prayers.  There are many, many risks involved both right now, up until delivery day, and also during the delivery, as this will be my 8th c-section.  Because we live in the Peoria Diocese and are huge fans of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, we have chosen him as our little guy's heavenly patron.  Throughout the pregnancy, we have asked him to intercede for us and for you to jump in and pray for his intercession as well.  And, as amazing as it is to share - this pregnancy HAS been easier than my last 2!!!  A lot fewer trips to L&D and other than normal pregnancy pains/complaints, no crazy scares related to my high risks.  We are trusting Our Lord that these next 9 days and delivery will remain the same, and can thank Ven. Fulton J. Sheen for working hard up There praying for us!!

When I posted that cutsie picture and quote from above, a good friend reminded me of the significance of 9 and needing to start a novena to our little guy's patron, Ven. Fulton J. Sheen.  Will you join us??  Today is day 1....


Eternal Father, You alone grant us every blessing in Heaven and on earth, through the redemptive mission of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit.   In every age, You raise up men and women outstanding in holiness, whose faithful service has contributed significantly to the mission of the Church.  In this very way, You used the life and work of Your servant, Archbishop Fulton John Sheen.  He inspired great numbers of Catholics and other people of good will to grow in virtue and lead lives pleasing to You and of service to their brothers and sisters in need.  He encouraged them to embrace the 'Gospel of Life' by recognizing that in all its circumstances, 'Life is worth living.'

If it be according to Your Will, Eternal Father, glorify Your servant, Archbishop Fulton John Sheen, by granting the favor I now request through his prayerful intercession
 for a safe and healthy remainder of the pregnancy and delivery in 9 days of baby Young one.  
I make this prayer confidently in Jesus' Name, through the merits of His Passion, Death and Resurrection.   

Amen.

++Thank you, God, for the strength and ease you have brought to this pregnancy so far and our beautiful little blessing you have given us and all of our young ones.  Thank you for all the people praying and interceding for us for a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery, especially Venerable Fulton J. Sheen!!++

A Mom-ism Monday kind-of-day

My second attempt at another "Mom-ism Monday" post, linking it up with Donna Marie Cooper O'Boyle!  Cheer with me now, because I actually made it on a Monday!!  Woo hoo!!

Some, "mom-isms" or "mommy moments" from this past week...

#1

On Saturday, my oldest daughters and I attended our year-end Mother/Daughter Tea for our local Little Flowers girls club.  I have helped teach and lead our group ever since Melody was in wreath 1 and we started with a group of a little over a dozen girls that met at my home once a month. We have grown over the years to a group, this past year, of fifty plus girls and going strong and meet at our church hall now!  What a wonderful gift we can give our daughters to learn about the saints and the virtues they lived as they followed Christ - and what great examples they are for us to follow!  So the tea this weekend was a celebration of all that they have learned and the friendships they have formed along the way.  It included a yummy potluck of tea-party type foods, many games and crafts, and one of the favorite memories was the breaking at the pinata.  Just picture moms and daughters in their fancy dresses swinging and beating down a pinata - funny but a blast at the same time!!  If you want a peek into our celebration, click here for my write up.  Enjoy!!  

#2

Also, this weekend, we set up little Rose's toddler bed after a couple month transition of moving many bedrooms and kids around.  She's only slept in it once so far and still prefers her crib next to mommy and daddy in our room, but it's a small step into getting ready for her being a big sister soon.  We wanted to allow plenty of time for this and the transition to be as smooth as possible, so we will allow her as much time as she needs.  But doesn't she look like such a big girl in her big girl bed....

#3

Things are progressing daily with my pregnancy!  I am over the first sixteen weeks of nauseousness, so that part of me is feeling great.  Now the beautiful varicose veins and tailbone issues begin to make themselves known.  All more to offer up in prayer for our little man!!  We got a peek at our little guy today in my 20 week ultrasound.  What a wiggly little guy his is!! And adorable, must I add!!  He was kind of a stinker and didn't swallow and show us the stomach bubble, so I had to flip back and forth from side to side to get him to perform.  Thankfully, he did near the end of the ultrasound.  When I met with dr, she also shared that they saw an "echogenic focus" and we'll be following up with another more in-depth ultrasound soon.  Dr didn't seem too concerned since everything else looked okay, but they still need to have it looked at a second time.

So, we will pray and hope and trust!!  We also scheduled the c-section for early October!  Please continue to pray for babe and I, since this will be my 8th c-section.  And, with Fulton J. Sheen having an approved first miracle, it doesn't hurt asking for his miraculous intercession in this risky pregnancy and delivery...

 Eternal Father, You alone grant us every blessing in Heaven and on earth, through the redemptive mission of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and by the working of the Holy Spirit.If it be according to Your Will, glorify Your servant, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, by granting the favor I now request through his prayerful intercession - of this young baby's time in womb and delivery and safety for him and his momma -
I make this prayer confidently through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

And, our little guy's first official appearance here on the blog.  Say "hi" little guy....

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Please join in with your "Mom-ism Monday" on Donna Marie's blog as well!  Click on the picture below and add what God has been doing in your life as a mom this week.  (and don't feel bad if you are a tad late like I was last week)