GAPS Diet, Pregnancy, and Adrenal Fatigue

I have received a comment on my last post and I think my response will be lengthy enough to warrant a post of its own.  So, here goes...

AnonymousJuly 16, 2013 at 8:01 PM

Hi Janice,
First, congratulations on your pregnancy! I found your blog during an Internet search on the GAPS diet and autism. I found Sam's story tremendously inspiring. I am considering doing it for my family but am a bit apprehensive, for various reasons. Something that I keep thinking about is that you mentioned your health took a downturn. Would you mind commenting on whether you think the GAPS diet may have contributed to your health challenges? I realize it helped Sam so much, but I am wondering if it could actually be harmful to some?
Many thanks to you for sharing your journey with us!

Anonymous, I cannot be absolutely certain as to what caused my health problems, but I do admit that I suspect the GAPS Diet.  My health problems are due to adrenal fatigue.  The doctor that diagnosed me suspects that the restricted diet and the stress that goes along with maintaining a restrictive diet could play a large part in wearing down my adrenals.  I think that my main problem is that I was on the GAPS Diet for two years and during that time I was pregnant with baby #4, nursing baby #4, had an early miscarriage, and was then newly pregnant with baby #5.  I think my pregnant/nursing body just needed more carbs than what I was getting on the GAPS Diet.  My body went into starvation mode and my metabolism slowed down to nothing.  The adrenal fatigue has effected my thyroid function, my hormonal balance, my energy level, my metabolism, my ability to handle stress...I can't believe how much my body has fallen apart because of this.

I haven't noticed any negative effects on the children.  Two years on the GAPS Diet seemed to be extremely beneficial to them.  However, my body needed more and I just wasn't getting it on the GAPS Diet.  I do believe that it is possible to have a larger amount of carbs and still stick to the GAPS Diet though.  However I believe that it would take a deliberate effort to increase those carbs.  I still promote the GAPS Diet because I believe that it can be tremendously healing, but I do have to throw a caution in there as well.  Looking back, I think that my body would have been better off if I had transitioned off of the GAPS Diet around the 1 year mark.

A Long Overdue Update From Us

No, I haven't died or moved or been imprisoned or anything else that dramatic.  For a couple of reasons I've just not really been too into blogging lately. 

My health took a downturn this past Fall and I still haven't fully recovered from it.  Also, with the current political environment we feel that it's best to just stay off the radar as much as possible.

Our Family
I'm pleased to announce that we are expecting our fifth child this summer.  The baby is expected to arrive sometime the end of June or beginning of July.  We're really excited.  Lord willing, we'll be able to have another successful homebirth.

Sam and the GAPS Diet
We are currently trying to transition off of the GAPS Diet.  Some has done remarkably well on it.  January 2013 marked the 2-year point for us.  He is currently able to consume non-GAPS foods like potatoes, brown rice, oats, millet, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and raw cow's milk.  We're REALLY enjoying having a wider variety of food again.  I'm currently trying to see if his body is healthy enough to handle a gluten bread made from spelt.  Of course, we're still preparing our foods using the methods found in the Nourishing Traditions book so we grind the spelt into flour ourselves and then soak it overnight in an acidic medium.

Sam still has some "quirks" that most children his age do not have.  He still struggles sometimes to control his body.  However, he is healed enough now that he can acknowledge when he's "doing" autism and he attempts to stop his body from the behavior.  He doesn't seem to struggle at all with maintaining eye contact, he is constantly asking questions, and continues to play games with his siblings.  I am so very grateful for the GAPS Diet and the healing that it has brought Sam.

Our Farm
We're still expanding our farm and, little by little, trying to become more self-sufficient.  We're currently getting 2 dozen eggs a day from our hens.  A lot of the garden is put in already.  This year we plan on growing turnips, beets, carrots, lettuce, spinach, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, corn, jalapeno and green peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, summer and winter squash, sweet potatoes, and brussels sprouts.  The peach trees are currently blossomed out in beautiful pink flowers.  Our honey bees seem very happy that Spring is here as there's a constant hum coming from the bees visiting the flowers.  All of the other fruit trees have buds swelling but none have blossomed yet like the peach trees have.  This time last year we were already harvesting asparagus but the weather this year has pushed everything back a bit.  That's ok though.  My body is dragging more this year than it did last year, so I'm thankful for the extra time this delayed Spring has given me to accomplish tasks.

Our Freedom
Those familiar with our past blog posts know that we've always been concerned with the direction our country has taken and the threats that were being made against our freedom.  Some time has passed and we're even more concerned now that those threats are turning into actions meant to take away our liberty and force us into dependency.  I urge all of you to make sure that you are informed about what is going on in our country.  Please don't bury your head in the sand or believe that "the experts" must know better than you.  You may not be all that concerned about it, but your children are going to reap what is currently being sown.  If you are unfamiliar with them, I would recommend that you take the time to read the books 1984, A Brave New World, and Atlas Shrugged.

If anyone out there is still visiting this nearly-abandoned blog...thank you.  Thank you for taking an interest in our family and caring about what happens to us.  I do miss sharing our lives with you.  It was always nice to find others that took an interest in this lifestyle that we love living.  Lord willing, I'll be able to share more of our lives here in the future.

Take care,
Janice

David's Homebirth Story

I want to say up front that I absolutely love birth stories. The process that God designed for a baby to enter this world just enthralls me. So needless to say, when it's MY CHILD'S birth story, I go a little over the top. So here's your warning...if you can't handle the nitty-gritty details of the birth process, stop reading now. I'm going to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of the amazing birth of David Jacob.

On Tuesday evening (May 31st) I was getting ready for bed. It was around 10pm and I went potty one last time before crawling into bed. However, this time was a bit different because on the toilet paper I noticed a little bit of light pink coloring. I've heard of "bloody show" before, but never experienced it with any of the other three children. I knew that this might mean something, but didn't want to get my hopes up. My official due date was still several days off (June 4th) and I tend to go over. So, the thought of me actually delivering early wasn't taken too seriously.

However, the next morning I went to the bathroom again and noticed even more distinct redness on the toilet paper. I went about our usual morning routine. I got the kids up and dressed and started making breakfast. I was having some contractions, but that wasn't unusual. I'd been having daily sporadic contractions for quite some time. I did, however, start to write down the frequency of the contractions at 8:17am. They were averaging about 15 minutes apart. I called the midwife to let her know what was happening and she said that these contractions could taper off just like all the others had, but to keep her informed since I'd had the little bit of bloody show.

By 10am the contractions were still coming on and they had changed to being every 10 minutes apart. I'd never had regular contractions continue for several hours, so Shawn and I started to really think today might be the day. I sent him into town to get a few last minute groceries that would be needed just in case baby did decide to come. At noon the contractions were coming every 7-9 minutes. They still weren't very strong contractions. They certainly didn't keep me from doing things around the house and taking care of the kids. They were noticable, but that's about it.

We put the kids down for a nap at 1:00 and I phoned the midwife again. She urged me to take a nap while I had the chance and call her to check back in after naptime. So, around 1:30 I laid down for my nap. I did try to doze off, but the contractions would come around just about the time that I would start to fall asleep. So, I laid there having non-painful contractions every 7-9 minutes. I was having another of these contractions at 2:10pm when suddenly my water broke. I vaulted out of the bed, grabbed the phone, and raced to the bathroom. As I sat on the toilet I called the midwife and exclaimed, "I think my water just broke!" She told me to stay calm and she would be heading our way shortly. She advised me to lay back down on my left side and wait for her to arrive. Of course Shawn was outside dealing with the animals so I made my way to the garage and proceeded to yell at him until he came running back to the house. He helped me change out the sheets on the bed then I crawled back in and began to wait on the midwife.

This was an entirely new experience for me. With the other three children, I had always had my water artificially ruptured in the hospital after being induced. As I laid there in bed I kept waiting for the first serious contractions to occur. I was concerned that the baby would be born before the midwife could make the hour long drive to our farm. My heart was racing, so I called my friend Amanda to tell her the news. She offered to come get the children and, after discussing it with Shawn, we decided that we would really appreciate that. Fortunately, I only had 2-3 extremely mild contractions before the midwife arrived at 3:30pm.

Once the midwife arrived and Amanda left with the children, my contractions picked back up to what they had been prior to my water breaking. I really believe that my body stopped the labor process until the midwife arrived and the children were gone. Once everyone was where they were supposed to be, I was ok with proceeding with the birth. The midwife confirmed that the amniotic fluid was clear, so we didn't have any worries about the baby passing meconium. She also checked the baby's heart rate and declared that everything looked and sounded great.

At 4:14pm I started timing contractions again at 7-9 minutes apart. The midwife urged me to keep myself busy with normal activities. So, I started a load of laundry, cleaned the living room and dining room, and went about preparing supper. Contractions slowly came more closely together so that by 6:00pm they were 4-5 minutes apart and starting to demand my attention. Whenever a contraction came I would have to stop my activity and breathe my way through it. At 6:30pm I had supper ready. We started to eat but I couldn't stand to sit down so I stood at the kitchen table and ate baked chicken, boiled carrots, and steamed broccoli for supper. During supper the contractions were coming 3-4 minutes apart.

Throughout the afternoon I had been writing down each contraction in my household binder where I keep my weekly to-do list. The dining room table is on one end of the room and the counter with my binder was on the other end of the room. At 6:45pm I had another strong contraction and finally said, "You know, I just don't feel like walking to the counter to write that one down." The midwife chuckled a little bit and said, "Janice I think we've established that you're really in labor. You don't have to write each one down anymore unless it helps you somehow." She urged me to try to empty my bladder and then we could check the baby's heart rate again. (It still amazes me that I was holding a new baby a mere 13 minutes after this conversation.)

I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door. As soon as I sat down on the toilet there was an immediate change in pain level. Apparently I started making noises that caused Shawn to rush into the bathroom. I had involuntarily started pushing. When Shawn and the midwife came into the bathroom I was paralyzed on the toilet. I was having an extremely strong contraction and couldn't force my body to stand up. All I could do was PUSH. I'm pretty sure I was hollering something like, "God help me!" and "I can't do this!"

After that contractions passed, Shawn and the midwife helped me walk into the bedroom. My mind was still not functioning (which is normal for me during transition) so I was more-or-less brain numb at this point. They got me to the edge of the bed and Shawn sat on the bed to physically support me from behind. The midwife had me reach down and feel the inch or two of baby head that was protruding out of me. This really reassured me because even my pain-numbed brain was able to process that the baby would be coming out soon and the pain would be ending soon. The midwife turned to grab a tablecloth for the floor at the same time that I screamed, "It's head is out!" This is the first delivery where I was actually able to see the baby's head emerge. The on-the-back position at the hospital didn't make it easy for me to see a baby being born, but this semi-standing position definitely gave me a better perspective. The midwife spread the tablecloth on the floor and caught David's body within moments of one another. All of this happened less than five minutes after I walked into the bathroom. I was immediately able to lay back and relax on the bed while holding my newborn son. The placenta emerged a short nine minutes after David arrived. David was latched on and nursing 17 minutes after his arrival.

I had very little blood loss and only a slight little tear that didn't require stitches. The recovery from this delivery isn't even comparable to the other deliveries. I flat out feel good!

David is now five days old and still doing very well. He does have his days and nights mixed up, so we're not getting a lot of sleep. The kids are being so sweet and gentle with him..even Andrew, who I was worried might be jealous.

So, that's David's birth story. I'm definitely a homebirth convert for sure now!

It's A Boy!!

I'm finally getting around to announcing the arrival of David Jacob. David arrived on Wednesday, June 1st at 6:58pm. He weighed 7lbs. 14oz. and was 21-1/4 inches long. He is perfect and wonderfully healthy. I'm bouncing back rather quickly too.

I do hope to get his homebirth story posted soon. It was an absolutely amazing experience that I can't wait to share.

I Think We're Getting A Reputation

So we've lived here on our homestead for a year and four months...and apparently that's long enough to where people have started remembering us.

The first instance occurred when Shawn called Sears to set up an appointment to have his lawn mower serviced. The guy on the phone asked for directions to our property. Shawn started giving them and was promptly interrupted when the Sears guy said, "Oh yeah, I remember, you're the gun people!"

The second instance was with the UPS delivery guy. Not too long ago he made the comment that, "It doesn't matter when I show up here, you and your wife always have a gun on."

So apparently we're the gun-toting homesteaders.

I was telling these stories to family recently and my cousin got tickled when I explained that I've been having trouble wearing my gun belt lately because of my belly getting too big. I went on to say that I've let my gun belt out about as far as it would go and I think I'm nearing the end of being able to put it on. Apparently my cousin thought the mental picture of short, very pregnant Janice chasing children and chickens while wearing a Smith & Wesson model 66 .357 magnum was funny. So, instead of leaving him with the mental picture, I thought I'd just show him the real thing.

Here I am in all my very pregnant, gun-toting glory:


Now some of you may be wondering, "Why on earth is she carrying a handgun around all the time? Is she expecting some sort of trouble?" Well, of course I'm not expecting any trouble. If I were, I'd be carrying my rifle. Silly people...

Changes Around Here

Hi all! Spring seems like it might really, truly be here finally. It's 75 degrees and windy today...wonderful! The daffodils are blooming, the Bradford pear trees are trying to bud out, and the roses are showing the first signs of life. Shawn has been busy around the property lately. He's been doing what projects he can with the weather being dreary and cool. Here's what he's been up to:





Shawn has been busy building rabbit cages. Earlier this week he was able to finally go get our rabbits. We now have two does and a buck. They're New Zealand rabbits that are supposed to be especially good for meat production. One of the does may already be expecting, so we may have our first litter in early April. The kids are excited to have huge rabbits and I'm excited to have a supplemental meat source!

Shawn's also been busy expanding our garden. He took advantage of the soft ground this week to put in new posts for the expanded garden. We now have a garden that is 70 feet by 80 feet. Today it was finally dry enough that he was able to till it up a bit. I told Shawn that the garden looks great, but now all we have to do is plant it, water it, weed it, harvest it, and preserve it!





In other news, we're getting about 14 eggs a day out of our 18 hens. I'm researching what to do with grape vines that have been nearly abandoned for years. I don't have a clue how to go about pruning vines that are out of control. I'm in my third trimester of pregnancy now. The baby moves around all the time. According to my pregnancy books, the baby should be around 3 pounds at this point. We're branching into uncharted territory in the garden this year. I've ordered seeds for peanuts and a variety of herbs to put in a culinary and medicinal herb garden. We're also going to attempt to grow corn and sunflowers to supplement our animal feed.

Big plans...now let's just see if we can keep up with them!

Life Around the Homestead

I admit it, I've been slacking lately. I'm now 7 weeks pregnant and the yucky feelings are starting to show up. I have very low energy and waves of nausea come and go throughout the day. I find myself craving some foods and being revolted by others. So, blogging has taken a backseat for a bit. I'm grateful that Shawn was able to put his guest post up for me and will probably have him fill in the gaps a little more until I start feeling 100% again.

We did have a good time outside with the kids earlier this week. It's times like this when I think the children really resemble country kids as opposed to the more city-fied children that we moved out here in December. The video is of Sam driving his police car around the property with Andrew's Tonka truck tied to the back. Then Andrew sat in the back part of the Tonka dump truck and was having a great time as Sam towed him around the property.



Then of course, Sarah had to have a ride too! (This video starts off sideways, but quickly goes vertical.)


Finally, here are a few more fall pictures that I've taken around the homestead.