Getting Oily with It

Well, I started a new adventure...this journey dives into the world of essential oils (cue the eye rolling).  What you need to know before I continue is that I actually began this journey almost a year ago and have waited to share until my journey proved to be one I wanted to continue...and it has.

A little over a year ago, you are well aware, I gave birth to my precious twin girls.  Now, even though they had to spend the first few weeks of their lives in the NICU, it was still important to me to proceed with breastfeeding (or exclusive pumping in our case).  I could go into all of the reasons why I felt so strongly about this, but I will safe my soapbox for another time or perhaps another topic.  Anywho, with the girls being an hour away from home for the first two months, returning to work myself, and the stress/sleep deprivation that came with our NICU journey, my milk supply while steady was not quite enough to keep up with ever-increasing demand of TWO growing infants.  Desperation kicked in...I tried everything (oatmeal, lactation cookies, "yellow" gatorade, mother's milk tea, kind bars, water, vitamins, etc.).  I exhausted every suggestion I received.  One of these suggestions was to try fennel oil...what would be my very first essential oil!  Now, I cannot confirm that this was just the trick, but I will tell you that it certainly did not hurt.  Alright, I'll bite...I kind of even surprised myself, but as a new mother, you are willing to try almost anything and everything!  Hence, the next oil on the all-star lineup...DigestZen.  What do you do when those sweet babies come home and are experiencing reflux after consuming that liquid gold that you worked so hard to increase?  In addition to our traditional medicine (for which we absolutely still advocate), we rubbed a little of this essential oil blend on their tummies for a little extra something.  Again, no miraculous end to the reflux, but I believe it helped.  I could go on an on about the various oils we have used for the girls from the OnGuard protective blend to help shield their little immune systems to lavender essential oil to soothe and help them sleep.  However, Chris and I have benefited from the oils ourselves whether it be through the protection of our adult immune systems through the OnGuard toothpaste and hand soap with both of us working around hundreds of kiddos each day to the soothing of our achy muscles with the DeepBlue lotion and PastTense roller. 

Anywho, all of this to say, our experience on this new journey has been a positive one so far and due to this fact, we have decided to invest a little more time and energy into essential oils to see how they can continue to benefit our little family.  Now, I have not "quit my day job" to dive head first into pyramid marketing/oil sales, but I would love to share our experience with anyone who is interested.

As always, thank you for joining our journey!

Stephanie

Our Story - March of Dimes

Even the best laid plans often go awry...this seemed to be the theme quote of our pregnancy and childbirth experience.  As a family who wears many hats...every little thing has to be planned just so for it all to work out well...or so I thought.  In June 2014, my husband and I decided it was time for us to expand our family.  To our surprise and great pleasure, the ball got rolling very quickly.  We found out not long after that we were, in fact, expecting!  So far so good, our plan is now in motion.  After receiving news that my blood tests were showing very high numbers, we were called in for an ultrasound to see if I was, perhaps, farther along than originally thought by my doctor.  Well, of course, I was not, as that was not in the plan, but the actual answer was something very much unplanned...we were expecting TWINS!

With twins, of course, everything now gets dubbed “high risk” by the doctors, and I was sent to specialists in conjunction with my normal doctor visits just to be sure the pregnancy was going smoothly and the twins were developing as planned.  Visit after visit went by, and always the same reports…”your fluid levels are perfect, they look great, at the rate you are going, we will deliver around 38 weeks!”  Everything was going so much as planned that one doctor, the specialist, said he did not need to see me again.

The weeks passed, and soon we found out we were having two little girls!  Talk about once again, not in the plan.  I was the only sister of two brothers, and my husband also had only one sister among three brothers.  Thus, two little ladies seemed very unlikely and a little daunting.  The gender reveal came and went, and everyone was getting more and more excited to meet the gals that were already rocking everybody’s world.  But, we had a very busy season ahead of us.  My husband had just started a new job, and I was right in the middle of finishing a semester with my 8th graders, coaching my girls’ basketball team in the city tournament, and coordinating the childcare for the Christmas services at our church.  It was a hectic time to say the least, but my latest check-up revealed that everything was going beautifully and developing nicely.  However, that began to change the very next day.

It was a Thursday, and I started noticing some minor changes in my day to day function, but being the busy bee I am, it was not in my plan to go to an unscheduled doctor appoinment, so along I went coaching Thursday night, Friday night, and coordinating nursery on Sunday.  Monday rolls around, and it’s another night of Lady Jaguar basketball.  Finally, Tuesday, I woke up, headed to school, and just knew that something was not right.  I called the doctor, and they told me to come on in to the clinic to be checked out.  That’s when we found out...my water had been broken for six days.  I was admitted immediately and put on bed rest.  After a steroid shot to help our littles’ lungs grow, the girls were checked via ultrasound, and once again, everything looked great.  We were told it would most likely be a few weeks until the girls would make their appearance...after all, I was only 29 weeks along at this time.

Fast forward a few hours, and one little twin did not take the news that she would be stuck in there with her sister a few more weeks very well.  Before I knew it, I was being whisked away for an emergency c-section just 14 hours after coming in to be checked out.  Sara Katherine and Charlotte Anne Jordan, who were planned as our March 2015 babies, entered the world on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 at 3 lbs 2 oz and 3 lbs 1.5oz respectively at the not so ripe age of 29 weeks 1 day gestation.  Just one little brush of the cheek each, and they were whisked away to the NICU.  Above all of the other surprises, this was certainly the most “not in the plan”!

In the NICU, our sweet little dolls transitioned from a giraffe bed to isolette to an open crib.  They started with a ventilator then moved to a C-PAP to a nasal cannula.  They went from feeding tubes to bottle and breast feeding.  They received antibiotics, caffeine, and Tamiflu.  They had their hearing tested; their eyes checked; and their bodies conditioned by a physical therapist.  After six weeks and six days for Sara Kate and seven weeks and five days for Charleigh Anne, our little miracles by the grace of God and much thanks to the March of Dimes for their research and therapies were able to come home, where they are developing on track with no complications from their prematurity.

Needless to say, so many aspects of our pregnancy and childbirth were unplanned, but we learned to trust in a greater plan, God’s!   We are also so very honored that our journey and the girls’ already impactful testimonies has led us to raise awareness, in their honor, of prematurity and how you can help through the March of Dimes!

How can you help the March of Dimes continue their research to prevent prematurity? See the link below:
https://www.marchforbabies.org/Fundraising/Team?teamId=1268119&teamEventId=2706287&