Unfolding Dreams

First I want to say, this isn't a shaming post to shame anyone who made the choice to circumcise, it's not pro or anti either. It's about my experience.   It's taken me awhile to write this. Mainly because I have had so many different thoughts on this controversial topic through the different parts of making the decision and living with what I have decided. I grew up with the idea that people circumcised their sons. I heard references in religions. I also know for my own religion, there is no official stance on do it or don't do it, its up to the parents to decide with God what is best for their child. I also have heard the concerns about the locker room, whether the child would be different from his peers. To the other extreme, where you are taking the choice from your baby to do a life altering procedure. Some insurance such as Medicaid considers it to be a cosmetic procedure and will not pay. I was told by my child's pediatrician, its always changing w...

Goal: Strengthen Marital Relationship Part VIII: Master Bedroom Retreat My husband and I rented for five years of marriage. It wasn't until the last few months of living there before we purchased our first home, that I had a startling realization while reading the first article listed below that my master bed room was lacking. And in all that time, we had neglected the appearance  of our master. Use photos as special reminders of your love  We had zero photos on the wall in our master. 10 Ways to Create A More Romantic Bedroom 11 Tips to make your bed room more romantic

In August 2014, the news released the dangers of using Anti-bacterial soap for pregnant women and their unborn babies. Yes, you heard that right. Antibacterial soap and related products, like hand sanitizer.  Several antibacterial products contain ingredients, triclosan, and triclocarban for germ killing.  In one study these ingredients were found in urine samples of all the pregnant women they screened. It was also detected in half of the umbilical cord blood samples they found. Some other problems are it that it is rumored to cause superbugs and antibiotics resistance.  Shockingly, those products are used in over 2,000 products, toothpaste, soaps, detergents, carpets, paints, school supplies, and toys. The best advice, use regular hand soap and wash your hands well. My Experience At  home,  we use regular hand soap with warm water and wash our hands well. My kids and I sing a song when we're washing hands so that they wash f...

Supplements Eat Healthier Pre-conception Regimen Fitness Use More Natural Products Home Birth Costs Maternity Clothes

Switch to Sulfate Free Hair Cleanser  I have recently been hearing more about sulfate shampoos and related chemicals in cosmetics damaging hair and skin and even being linked to infertility.   It is amazing how much I was unaware about many of the ingredients in my foods, drinks, and beauty products and what effects they have on our bodies and health. Below I have articles links that discuss how Sodium Lauryl Sulfate known as SLS has been linked with reproductive toxicity and cancers.  One article even claims that in a year, individuals using conventional cosmetics can absorb almost 5 pounds of chemicals and toxins into the body. That is enough to make me start being more aware about what products I choose to use for my family and myself.  I also heard that SLS is not only in our personal hygiene products, but also the same chemical used to degrease car engines and used in car washes. I am having a flashback of science experiments done on Cocola when I was in grad...

Goal: Trying To  Conceive Part III: Pre-Conception Diet - What to Avoid Soda Hiatus  (12 months + postpartum) I don't normally drink much soda pop, since I prefer juice, sports drinks and the like before it. From time to time, I do engage and enjoy the occasional pop drink. Even one with caffeine.  However, soda has empty calories and rubs your body of calcium. Not how you want to start off a pregnancy or do alot of while you're pregnant or breastfeeding.  Article Link :  Dr. Sears - Soda: Just Say No. Crystal Light Hiatus  (12 months + postpartum) I go through phases with drinking crystal light from 1 to a few cups in a day to none for months. There are some concerns with the ingredients in crystal light. Some of the ingredients contain caffeine, which can lead to insomnia and nervousness. Too much caffeine isn't good for a pregnant or lactating woman. They also are recommended for healthy...

Tip: Binder with Binder Pockets for Construction Paper.  Photo: I have different colors in the different pockets. Buy From Online:  Amazon.com

Tip: Using Poly Envelopes to organize stickers. Buy From:  Amazon.com (Poly Snap) ,  Wal-Mart.com (Poly Booklet)

Tip: Drawer Organizers for small to medium size cards. Buy From Online:  Amazon.com

String Cards Stickers Construction Paper

Organize your string in a tackle box

Healthy Body Fat & Breastfeeding According to some literature, a lot of times, breastfeeding amenorrhea is connected to being underweight. The thought is, that is not so much that the breastfeeding mom is actually unhealthy, but that she is losing so much weight post pregnancy while breastfeeding that it tricks her body into thinking she is underweight and suppresses ovulation. Breastfeeding is said for some women to increase their metabolism, making it easier to lose weight. (The exception, of course, is if a breastfeeding mom does actually become underweight - below the normal and healthy range of weight for her size and height).  The hormones that you need to ovulate are fat soluble, so if you do not have enough body fat, you will not ovulate ( But having too little or too much body fat is said to hinder fertility).   Additionally, prolactin works against those hormones, so you may actually need more body fat to ovulate while breastfeeding than you ...

~ Click on links for more information ~ How Important is Checking Your Cervical Mucus Why is Cervical Mucus Important? Are there different Cervical Mucus? What Color is Cervical Mucus? Recording Cervical Mucus

Click on links if you wish to purchase any of these books Big Girls Use The Potty The New Potty by Mercer Mayer Potty Time by Caroline Jayne Church Even Fire Fighters Go Potty by Wendy & Naomi Wax Have You Seen My Potty? by Miji Kelly

Discovery During my first year of marriage, I was having many painful menstrual cycles, as well as constant abdominal pain even when I was not on my menstrual cycle. I was in and out of my primary doctor's office for 7 months, who suggested I might have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, also known as IBS. Because of the lack of information on IBS, I was not satisfied with that answer. After several more doctor visits, my primary doctor suggested I get my colon tested. At 20 years old, I had my first colonoscopy.  It was the Gastroenterologist that suggested I might have Endometriosis. During the procedure I was given some anesthesia. However, through the procedure I began complaining of uncomfortable pain and pressure in my stomach. I guess it is not common for patients on the table to be that aware of the pain they are feeling. I took his findings and went to see my Gynecologist. Given my history of painful menstrual cycles and the possible diagnosis of IBS, he said we needed t...

Relationships  We are a young couple,  so you can imagine the surprise and disappointment we discovered  once we got married and learned that intimacy was not going to be a beautiful and amazing thing as our wedding and honey moon location. Fast forward through our first year of marriage, there were times I had a heating pad on my stomach or under my back for intimacy. That is just not romantic to have that as a third wheel. I think for a man to have a wife who is in pain every time they are intimate or never feeling well enough to want it, can really affect how they feel - especially if you don't have an answer for what is happening. Heating pad for when my period came and I was too weak to get out of bed or spent all day curled up in a ball in front of the bathroom door, because I was having non stop bowel issues. He would leave for work and come home and find me the same way he left. I could see the frustration at having a wife who looked the picture of healt...

Affects My memories of how this has affected my life, is missing some school, because the first few days of my menstrual cycles were always so unbearable. Even as an adult, I would sleep clutching a heating pad to my stomach and miss a few college classes. 

Factors I have two factors for Endometriosis. One, my maternal grandmother had it. I discovered this after my diagnosis. Second, my first menstrual cycle came when I was 11 years old. I only had one before it returned a year later. It never occurred to my mother and I while growing up that this was a problem since my menstrual cycles came every month after that. - EM Last Edited: February 16, 2017

Symptoms My primary symptom for Endometriosis is painful menstrual cycles. There was a gradual increase of Ibuprofen, starting at 50 mg - 1600 mg to maintain the pain between the ages of 12-20 years old. Painful menstrual cycles are something I eventually became used to and lived with for 8 years. My second biggest symptoms were GI issues. I was not a regular person. I almost always had issues with constipation or gas. We assumed that it had to do with my dietary habits. As a child, I had been a picky eater and underweight. As a teenager, most of my diet lacked protein and milk. Later on, my GI issues would result in constant abdominal pain when I was not on my menstrual cycle.  This is why the primary doctor wanted to diagnose me with IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome). A  smaller  symptom was that intimacy could be very painful and uncomfortable most times. But I still thought this was something normal for me.   "The stage of the endometriosis does not ...