The Birth of Piper Rose

This was written by Molly Martin, a friend/coworker of mine from a decade ago. We kept in touch over the years and ended up having children about a year apart from each other. She's a mother of two and has had a successful VBAC (that story yet to come). Molly recently posted this birth story on her blog (Http://www.roseandodin.blogspot.com) and has allowed us to share her story here as she continues to advocate for natural birth and natural parenting.

~ Brigitta, President of Friends of Goshen Birth Center
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May 17, 2006 at 6:00 pm my water broke. I was now at the threshold of motherhood; the final trial was now set in motion and afterward I would be rewarded with a babe in my arms.

I was ready and smiling. I phoned the midwife. My instructions were: eat, rest and call back when my contractions have been two minutes apart for an hour OR in twelve hours. 

It was twelve hours later when I phoned again. The contractions had been somewhat frequent but had not progressed. 

I was admitted and asked a bunch of irrelevant questions and I was checked. The nurse looked puzzled and asked: "are you sure this baby is head down? You are only dilated to MAYBE a one."

My heart sank. Since the time I was 32 weeks pregnant I have been asking my midwives, at each visit, about the baby's position. I had a very large, hard part of the baby stuck under my right rib and this part of the baby stayed exactly in the same spot until the end. 

Three of the four midwives in the practice agreed that this hard lump was the butt. (The fourth midwife was at my delivery and we had not had an appointment with her after 30 weeks.) 

I just felt, all along, that this lump was indeed the head but it was my first pregnancy and these ladies are skilled in feeling babies in bellies. I did not argue and was reassured that the baby was head down and there was no reason for concern or to think the delivery would not go smoothly. 

The nurse brought in an ultra sound machine, scanned the lump at my rib and then politely excused herself to call in the OB. 

The OB came in and scanned my belly. There was the head, right under my rib. She took my hand, I began to cry, she said: "We are going to have to do a c-section at this point. Your water has broken and there is no way to flip your baby. You will be holding your baby within minutes."

I was shaking and crying.

My midwife arrived. She hugged me and said: "It will be ok. This is the safest option. You will be holding your baby very soon."

I phoned friends and my sister-in-law. My parents were with me as they had driven in from Oregon to be here.

I was then descended upon by an assortment of technicians and nurses. The anesthesiologist arrived detailing everything she would be doing. The OB had a form for me to sign. It listed all the possible risks associated with c-sections. Including death.  

I walked myself down the hallway with my medical team entourage. Nick was suited up. My brother called just then to say he loved me.

I entered the surgical room with the midwife and anesthesiologist. It was freezing cold. I took a deep breath. Then I was lying down under glaring lights with my arm strapped down and my lower half numb. I was unable to escape this fate. 

Nick had arrived at my side and Paul Simon was playing on the stereo. The dividing curtain was up, I was helpless and I began to cry. This was humiliating and degrading. It was 7:00 AM.

At 7:09 she was born. I just caught a glimpse of her over the curtain and she was gone across the room. Out of sight and out of reach. Several nurses wished me congratulations and a few said: "Don't worry, her head will look fine in a week or so." Wait, what was wrong with her head?

She was given the all clear and Nick was able to bring her over to me.  A hat was on her head. She looked perfect and was very alert. Still strapped down, I was unable to touch her. I was stitched on the inside and stapled back together on the outside. We moved to the recovery room but not before one final dose of something nauseating administered through the line in my spine by the anesthesiologist.

The recovery room was a swirling vision of haziness. There were a lot of people and beeping things in the room. They measured and weighed her then placed her on my belly. She wriggled her little body up and latched on. I was dizzy and happy but mostly dizzy. They wheeled us to our room. I fought sleep and nausea desperately trying to focus on the little warm body that was laying on my chest. I was starving. I kept thinking: "If only I could eat a sandwich I would feel better." I wanted normalcy. I wanted to be coherent. I wanted to relish every second of this newborn's first day. My newborn. I talked the nurses into letting me eat a popsicle.

I threw up on my baby.

They took her away for her first bath and dosed me up on anti-nausea medicine. I fell back asleep. Off and on throughout the day I would be given more anti-nausea medicine and then fall sleep. I would open my eyes to see either Nick, my mom, or my dad holding Piper. Keeping a vigil at my bedside. It was very comforting. I don't think I would have fared so well if she had been whisked away to the nursery.

It was not until sometime in the evening when I was able to eat again and the numbness gone. I was awake and I was determined to not miss anymore.

The next day one of the midwives stopped by. She said: "Sometimes a baby will just flip at the last minute."

This baby never flipped. Her head, from being under my rib for so long was rather flat on top and had the appearance of a bicycle helmet. She also had severe hip dysplasia in both hips which required her to wear a harness and be followed by an orthopedic surgeon for several months.

She had a heart murmur which was audible until she was three. She failed her first hearing test at the hospital.

During the midwife's visit to my room I made it very clear I would not take any medicine that would make me loopy or require someone else to be present when I held my baby. I was in full mama mode and it was this that allowed me to focus on my baby and heal. I was given 800mg Ibuprophen every six hours and sent home with a prescription for Vicodin just in case I needed something stronger. I ripped up that scrip when I got home.

The staples were removed, I was mobile, and I was a mama. We were released from the hospital with only a two night stay. We picked up Guinness and some mint chocolate chip ice cream on our way. I was so anxious to be home, to heal and get to know my new baby.

I was not bullied or pestered into a c-section. It was simply a matter of the risks out weighing the benefits. There was no one skilled at vaginal breech deliveries at the hospital. We were living in northern Colorado at the time of Piper's birth. We are now in Oregon and recently, Oregon Health Science University has implemented a program for vaginal breech deliveries.

My risks for future vaginal and c-section deliveries regardless of baby's presentation have increased. Even if my water had not broken and they were able to turn her, I would have most likely ended up with a c-section due to the fact that her head was so misshapen because is was under my rib for so long. I am not angry because I had a c-section. I am upset because I spent 8 weeks asking and inquiring about breech presentations and what-ifs. Only to have my mom-intuition shut down and told I shouldn't worry and that was a butt under my rib. If they had discovered she was breech I could have tried many different exercises or even moxibustion to flip her weeks before labor began and possibly avoiding a c-section. I was mentally and emotionally unprepared for what unfolded at my delivery. It is still a source of sadness for me.

***Note- the story of Odin, a successful VBAC, is yet to come!

When Breastfeeding Isn't An Option

Written by KristenM

When I started nursing my first child nearly nine years ago, I couldn’t turn to my my mother for advice. That’s because she, like many in her generation, had been told by her doctor that she couldn’t make enough breastmilk for her kids to thrive. So, like many of her peers, she stopped nursing and switched to commercial formula.

Instead of relying on the age old wisdom passed down from mother to daughter for generations, I had to do something scary — wade through vitriolic internet forums about breastfeeding on mothering boards.

Read on

Teach Your Children to Single Task, not Multitask

We question how children lose their childhood with parents trying to keep up with the Jones', the tendency of families to overschedule their children and government pushing No Child Left Inside so children spend more time testing than learning,

All these good intentions..... at what expense?  I remember reading The Hurried Child by David Elkind and realizing that although it was written in the 1990's, it was still relevant not just 10 years later but 20 years later... and the distractions he mentions are the same ones we face today, just slightly different format (every kid age 12+ has a cell phone, many with smart phones vs. a bag phone that only some could afford).

So this recent article got me to thinking....the value of children re-learning to single task and the role modeling of parents to ALSO re-learn the art, yes art, of single tasking. Not just for the direct benefit of the children but also for the benefit of the adults and the family.


By Dr. Jim Taylor
After reading my last post, I hope you’re convinced now that so-called multitasking isn’t what it purports to be and definitely doesn’t do your children any favors in school or anywhere else. So, the next thing to do is to show them (and perhaps yourself) that “single tasking” is a much better way to go. Single tasking is definitely not rocket science, but it may require that your children break some deeply ingrained habits around their use of technology and learn new habits that will enable them to be more productive and efficient. The good news is that, with some commitment and discipline, your children can retrain those habits and, in a relatively short time and with the benefits clear, become comfortable and adept single taskers.

Full article

Modern birthing, not so modern- from an OB nurse

You might be surprised to find out I am not sold into the modern birthing philosophy, as I have been an OB nurse in a traditional hospital setting since 1978. In nursing school, my OB instructors were so enthusiastic about childbirth and breastfeeding; that combined with a sister who was involved in LaLeche League really got me excited about having a baby.  In fact in an English class in college we were instructed to write a paper on something we would like to be.  Some wrote they would like to be streams of water, other certain animals; I wrote a paper that said “I want to be a mother”.  I elatedly received the news I was pregnant with my first son in Dec. 1977 and started working in OB in Jan. of 1978.  I immediately delved into childbirth books, the most influential on me being “Immaculate Deception” by Suzanne Arms.  I naively gave a copy of it to my OB to read; needless to say, she was not impressed!  My husband and I took a childbirth preparation class outside of the hospital, given by an independent instructor; I interviewed our pediatrician to see where we stood on important issues, and I strongly considered delivering with a midwife at an attached birthing center in South Bend.  (I think it was an insurance issue that prevented me to deliver there.)  I was ready for a completely natural childbirth and had told my husband to stand behind me 100%.  After a long unmedicated labor, I was taken to the delivery room and the doctor said “Well Kathy, what do you want to do?”~~meaning did I want the spinal block that he gave to nearly 100% of women.  I remember wearily looking at my husband and asking “do I want it?”~~NO! he shouted.  (My hero!)   I had four children pretty much as I wanted to give birth; not one IV, minimal monitoring, up out of bed as I desired,  no medications for pain. 

I have had to adjust my attitude as the years have gone by to accept the way most women want to give birth and most doctors want to manage their labors, at least in our community. But I still know in my heart that there is another way to have babies, and that is why I was so thrilled to be part of Brooks’ birth at the birthing center, with the wonderful midwives.

 Kathy

~ this is written by the grandma of 2 (about to be 3) Goshen Birth Center birthed babies! 

Three Huge Mistakes We Make Leading Kids…and How to Correct Them

(From Growing Leaders)

Recently, I read about a father, Paul Wallich, who built a camera-mounted drone helicopter to follow his grade-school-aged son to the bus stop. He wants to make sure his son arrives at the bus stop safe and sound. There’s no doubt the gizmo provides an awesome show-and-tell contribution. In my mind, Paul Wallich gives new meaning to the term “helicopter parent.”

While I applaud the engagement of this generation of parents and teachers, it’s important to recognize the unintended consequences of our engagement. We want the best for our students, but research now shows that our “over-protection, over-connection” style has damaged them. Let me suggest three huge mistakes we’ve made leading this generation of kids and how we must correct them.

Full article

Eight Steps Toward Healthy Leadership

Obviously, negative risk taking should be discouraged, such as smoking, alcohol, illegal drugs, etc. In addition, there will be times our young people do need our help, or affirmation. But—healthy teens are going to want to spread their wings. They’ll need to try things on their own. And we, the adults, must let them. Here are some simple ideas you can employ as you navigate these waters:

1. Help them take calculated risks. Talk it over with them, but let them do it. Your primary job is to prepare your child for how the world really works.
2. Discuss how they must learn to make choices. They must prepare to both win and lose, not get all they want and to face the consequences of their decisions.
3. Share your own “risky” experiences from your teen years. Interpret them. Because we’re not the only influence on these kids, we must be the best influence.
4. Instead of tangible rewards, how about spending some time together? Be careful you aren’t teaching them that emotions can be healed by a trip to the mall.
5. Choose a positive risk taking option and launch kids into it (i.e. sports, jobs, etc). It may take a push but get them used to trying out new opportunities.
6. Don’t let your guilt get in the way of leading well. Your job is not to make yourself feel good by giving kids what makes them or you feel better when you give it.
7. Don’t reward basics that life requires. If your relationship is based on material rewards, kids will experience neither intrinsic motivation nor unconditional love.
8. Affirm smart risk-taking and hard work wisely. Help them see the advantage of both of these, and that stepping out a comfort zone usually pays off.

Babies Are Needy—Does That Bug You?

Published on April 15, 2012 by Darcia Narvaez, Ph.D. in Moral Landscapes

Caveat: You may not want to read this if you are mother feeling vulnerable. Although there is scientific and evolutionary evidence for the information, the content is not medical advice--see your medical professional for that.
Human baby helplessness increased over the course of human evolution as humans shifted to bipedal walking. So much so that humans are born 18 months early compared to other primates. It’s really important to get straight on what babies need before having one.
For some reason, U.S. society seems to have forgotten what babies need to grow good bodies, brains and minds. We need to get our minds around the needs of babies. Here is a short list of those needs.

full article

Two Sustainable Businesses in South Bend Connect!

Ecological Babies, a cloth diaper, sling, and natural parenting business and resource in South Bend is now offering some of their top cloth diapers and accessories for sale in the storefront Just Goods in downtown South Bend. Besides the items in the store, anyone can visit Ecological Babies’ site, place an order for any items, and then pick them up at their convenience at Just Goods.

For Downtown South Bend's "First Fridays", Ecological Babies will be featured there in March.  The prior Wednesday evening, we're going to have a reception to kick off our official partnership, Just Goods & Ecological Babies.  It will be 2/27 from 5-7pm and all are more than welcome to come in the store! 

Shared from Michiana Birth

Birth Center study says.....

A new study has been released on birth centers!!! Here is Birth Without Fear's summary of the study. For more you can visit American Association Of Birth Centers. Links to the study and more are in the article!

"...of the 15,574 births included in the study, less than 1 in 16 births (6%) resulted in a cesarean birth. Based on current Medicare/Medicaid rates, all 15,574 births in the study may have contributed as much as $30 million in savings for facility costs alone."

Coats and Car Seats don't go together

Keeping kids WARM & SAFE in their car seats is not as simple as you might think. Winter coats & snowsuits are UNsafe as they create extra bulk that leaves the straps too loose in a crash - causing the child to come to a jolting stop (or in some cases to be ejected from their car seat). 
Do the "magic coat trick" - dress your child in 3 thin, tight layers (for about 50 degree weather), buckle the child & get the straps snug, have the child hold out their arms and put the coat on BACKWARDS (over the straps). Now the child is safer AND more comfortable (when the car warms up, the child can pull the coat off to prevent overheating). !

Keeping babies WARM & SAFE in their car seats is not as simple as you might think. Sleeping bags, like the Bundle Me, "forget" to mention that they violate the instructions & void the warranty to every car seat. Snowsuits & coats are unsafe for the same reason - all create extra bulk in the harness that leaves the straps too loose in a crash - causing the child to come to a jolting stop (or in some cases to be ejected from their car seat). 
Learn how to SAFELY SWADDLE your baby in the car seat - to keep baby warm and happy

Also see here for more coat tricks

Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives

Sneak preview screening hosted by Blessed Journeys 
Sunday March 17,2013 at the IPFW Alumni Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana at 1 pm
      
Film Screening “Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives”

   Question and Answer Session with Film Makers

        Gourmet Coffee/Tea and Dessert Reception with Silent Auction & Raffle 


Seats are limited! Tickets available online $15 or at the door $20

View the film trailer at http://vimeo.com/47116003

Visit the "Birth Story" website at www.birthstory.com

FGBC Meeting- Wednesday Jan 25th: 6pm

Wednesday January 25
6-7:30 pm
Goshen Birth Center- if GBC in use, meeting will relocate to Fairhaven OB/Gyn.  

All are welcome- children, spouses, those interested in checking out FGBC, guests who'd like to know more about Goshen Birth Center and/or FGBC.

If you haven't already, please take a few moments to complete our 10 question survey as we gear up for the 2013 activities!http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KPVNWVM

Tad's Birth Story

September 22, 2009 was a Tuesday, and I woke up with butterflies in my stomach. I wanted to avoid getting too excited, despite a couple of loose stools and a feeling that something big was impending, so I went about my day as normally as possible. I ate some good food, did the dishes, folded the laundry. I had my 39-week appointment scheduled for that afternoon, so I got myself together to drive out to Goshen. I felt unbearably restless all day, and the 45-minute drive out to the Birth Center seemed longer than usual. I called my friend Annie on the way for a chat, but only reached her voicemail. I left her a message that she later described as sounding quite odd and not exactly like Eleigh, as though my voice was speaking someone else’s words. When I got to the Birth Center, they were uncharacteristically running behind, so I walked a few laps out in the parking lot. The air was hot and dense and I felt vaguely uneasy the way I get nervous before a big presentation or a meeting with someone I admire. I went back inside and had a cup of peppermint tea. They said they were still far behind, so I went and put gas in my truck at the station just down the road. I came back, did a few squats and stretches (I was forever doing squats and stretches during my pregnancy), and resigned myself to sitting in the waiting room and trying to quiet my mind with some yoga breathing exercises. Finally they were ready. My blood pressure was extremely low so they gave me a Capri Sun and some saltines. When Julia checked me, lo and behold I was about 1.5 cm dilated! She told me that the birth might still be as much as a couple of weeks away, but I knew active labor was imminent. That explained my utter inability to relax and be still all day!

            Ben and I were meeting at his parents’ house for dinner. I tried to keep calm and breathe slowly, but I was so excited! I prayed the rosary as I drove from the Birth Center to Dave and Janet’s house, grateful for the time alone with God. I prayed for strength, courage and patience. Every few Hail Mary’s I had to stop and squeal with excitement! I knew I was going to see my baby soon! I didn’t want to put everyone in a frenzy, though, so I tried to be nonchalant at dinner. After all, it still technically could be days until the baby came, even if I was really in labor. We ate Mancino’s sandwiches, which I wasn’t thrilled about at the time and later regretted because they were a bit greasy and not exactly the good, clean food a person ought to fuel their body with before such a demanding physical endeavor. We ate and then sat around talking together as we often do over at Ben’s parents’. I mostly remember not being able to sit still, and drinking about nine cups of tea. I had to get up every few minutes to do something: go boil water, check the dishwasher, walk upstairs to the bathroom. My mind was reeling and my body felt like all my blood had been replaced by ants. I couldn’t figure out how to stretch my lower back in order to get at the dull ache that had been plaguing me for the past week. I also felt like I had consumed six or seven cups of coffee: I literally could not sit still longer than 90 seconds, and my brain was racing. I was having significant trouble paying attention.

            On Tuesday nights, Ben gets together with his friends to play games, so he drove to Ken’s and I drove home. I double checked our bags and made a cup of tea, and then suddenly there they were: 60-second contractions, five minutes apart. I did some yoga and tried not to get too excited, and then I stopped being able to focus on remaining calm, so instead I focused on tracking my contractions. I felt a little bit out of my element and somehow unable to think totally rationally, so it felt good to collect data and write it down, even if it was on a coupon that happened to be in front of me at the time…somehow it seemed that there was no time to get a real piece of paper! Around 9pm I called Ben just to see how things were. He asked if everything was okay and I told him it was. No need to make him panic. If we were going to be up all night, I wanted him to have fun first and finish what he was doing. I took a shower and tried to keep myself distracted. At 10pm, however, I called and told him that he should probably try to wrap things up and come home soon. I think I told him that I was having what seemed to be regular contractions and I wanted a second opinion. He was somewhat miffed that I hadn’t told him earlier so that he could have come home to be with me. In any case, he came home and verified that I was really having 60-second contractions, 5 minutes apart. We talked for a little bit about what we were going to do and then we called the midwives. Patty was on-call and talked to me for a little while. She told me it sounded like the contractions weren’t going to go away since they had started as they did a little before 9. She asked which of the three rooms we preferred since at the time no other mothers were giving birth. I told her we wanted the Modern Room and she agreed to meet us there after about an hour. I made Ben change the sheets before we left, which he thought was ridiculous, but they needed changing and I knew we’d have no energy for it when we got home! I didn’t want to climb into a dirty bed with a brand new baby!

            We left for the Birth Center between 1115 and 1130pm. On the way we called our parents to let them know that in all likelihood we would be returning as a threesome instead of as a couple. I felt nervous and excited, the way I always felt before a big performance or a big game.  We arrived shortly after midnight and after some checks and a dose of antibiotics for Group B Strep, Patty suggested we lie down and get some rest. It was immediately clear to me that lying down was not an acceptable position for my body, so I went out into the Great Room to walk around and stretch while Ben got some rest. We hadn’t been there for long when the contractions changed drastically. They were following the same time schedule, but they now took all of my attention. I spent as long as I could in the Great Room on my hands and knees so that Ben could try and sleep. I was really looking forward to eating the fruit and yogurt we had brought with us, but I became nauseated from the intensity of everything, so I was not permitted to eat. After a much-too-short nap, Ben was awakened and the long, intense night continued to unfold. Over the next several hours I moved between the birth ball, the rocking chair and the Jacuzzi tub. Ben rocked me, swayed with me and rubbed my back until his hands cramped, but despite all my moving around and the love I was being shown, the labor was moving along at a glacial pace. At some point in the early morning, Rachel came to take over for Patty.

When I was checked and was only 6-7 centimeters, I began to despair. I had been focusing so much on relaxing and breathing and squatting and doing everything I could think of to help the baby move into the world. I was also becoming extremely fatigued! Rachel said they could break my water, but Ben spoke my heart and said we would give it one more hour. Since we had gotten there, my contractions had been absolutely rocking my world. I had never felt anything so intense, and I really didn’t expect the process to hurt as much as it did. Without Ben’s constant attention and encouragement I might have been overwhelmed with anxiety and panic. It was such a blessing to be where we were at the Birth Center with attentive midwives and no pressure to be in a hurry. Despite my best efforts, I was not fully prepared for the intense power of labor, yet I felt safe and free to move and vocalize with liberty. When Ben first joined in with my deep, tonal chants instructing the baby to move down and my body to relax, I experienced a split second of self-consciousness in which I thought he was teasing me. We were standing face-to-face, swaying, and he reassured me that he was only joining in to encourage and help, and in that moment I had a profound realization that he was doing a great deal of the work. It is hard not to feel a bit guilty about how hard both Ben and Rachel worked during the last hours of my labor. They fed me spoonfuls of honey and straw-fuls of juice, water and Gatorade, they both massaged my back, neck and arms In the tub, Ben held the sprayer over my back with one hand while he kneaded my muscles with the other. I wanted this labor to end not just for my sake, but for theirs as well!  I hope that when Ben looks back on supporting my weight while I squatted over the toilet and violently shook my thighs, he laughs and isn’t disgusted!

            Somewhere around 6 a.m. we decided it was late enough for Ben to call school and tell them he’d need a sub for the next few days. Shortly before dawn I had moved out of the water and was sitting in the rocking chair, dozing briefly between ever more powerful contractions. I woke up with one particularly powerful wave with a sense of progress and excitement: my water had finally broken! Rachel helped me to the bed again to check me and said I was about 9 cm and that I could go back into the water. The amniotic sac had gotten sort of wedged in between my uterine wall and the baby’s head, so she gently helped the rest of the sac to rupture and then I practically sprinted to the tub. One of the next contractions was different: it was so overwhelmingly powerful that I felt as though my body had been taken over by an alien force. Rachel checked me quickly and told me that I could start pushing with the next contraction! After the hours of hard labor, I was infused with an unreasonable amount of fervor and desire to be done. I wish I had relaxed a bit, but I pushed with all my might during the next two contractions. Ben and Rachel helped me flip over onto my hands and knees for the big finale. In the moment it didn’t seem like I could move at all, but it was really quite easy with their help, and it made the birth much easier. I pushed twice and then felt the unmistakable pleasure of the baby FINALLY crowning! I reached down to feel his head and then, losing all track of my sense of reason, I bore down and exploded that baby from my womb! Ben caught him and both husband and baby began crying. It was 1135am on Wednesday, September 23 when Ben brought my first-born baby boy to my chest, all purply-red and covered in white vernix. I checked to see if he really was a boy (he was!), and I cradled him to my heart. I was absolutely beaming. I have never felt so accomplished in all my life! It took a good 20 minutes or so for his cord to stop pulsing, but when it did Rachel and Jill (a midwife in training) clamped it so that Ben could cut the cord. After a while I delivered the placenta and we all got out of the bath. After a few minutes I successfully got my son to latch on and nurse. It was a strange sensation that I know I will never experience in the same way again, because there is only one first time you can nurse a baby! Ben was lying in bed next to me and so we finally broached the topic of a name. We had been utterly unable to agree on any name, but Ben suggested either Francis or Thaddeus and we decided that Thaddeus sounded right. Abe Lincoln’s favorite son was called “Tad,” and we liked the nickname. I thought my first son’s middle name should be Benjamin after his dad. At some point Rachel had to stitch me up a bit: I had torn quite a bit by pushing so hard. Over the next few hours we dozed and ate fresh bread with butter. Ben’s mom drove over and brought us chicken and noodles. We took a bath in the Jacuzzi tub and I washed my hair. Everything was surreal and I was absolutely overwhelmed by a feeling of peace and security and joyful excitement. After a few hours we were well-rested and ready to go home. They took our picture and helped us to be on our way. Ben’s parents met us at our house and brought us Subway. After they left, we all crawled into our nice big, clean bed and took a long nap as a family!

By Eleigh Tricker