Above picture is me Jessica Teesdale with my husband Jeff and three children Josephine, Eliza and Hutch.
When Crystal asked me to take over the blog for Everything Birth my first thought was “What would I have to say?” The more I thought about it, and the more I work at Everything Birth, the more I realized how much the products we sell resonate with my life.
From the moment I realized I was pregnant I knew I would seek the guidance of a midwife. My midwives gave me the confidence to trust my body and intuition as a woman. I refused most prenatal testing and sailed through a healthy normal pregnancy. At 37 weeks we went to our first weekly visit. My midwife Laura laid her hands on me and said “Either your baby has two heads, or you are going to have twins.” SURPRISE!!! At that moment I chose to have an ultrasound and it revealed that one was breech and one was vertex. The breech twin had cord wrapped around her neck. After two weeks of no labor and about 6 midwives planning to attend the home birth, we were risked out and sent down the path of cesarean birth. I was never induced and never actually went into labor. At 39.5 weeks I was prepped for surgery and within 3 hours I had two healthy 6 pound baby girls. It was one of the happiest days of my life.
My girls nursed until they were two. We used cloth diapers and I cooked all of their baby food. I learned a lot about mothering in those years, but I still felt like I would not be complete until I experienced natural childbirth. In March 2006 we found out we were pregnant again.
Preparing for a VBAC at home was not as easy as my first pregnancy. I experienced many more emotions and I had two incredibly active toddlers to chase around. With the help from Laura again, my goal was clear, stay healthy and conquer my fears about birth. In November 2006 after a 29 hour labor, my son was born via water birth in the comfort of our home.
After twins the first time around, nursing, cloth diapers, and the food mill were a no brainer. Now the prefolds and Bummies are in a box, and everyone eats solids, but every birth kit I pack brings me right back to the excitement and anticipation I felt preparing for my homebirths. And every diaper we ship to you is packed by a mama who has changed and laundered thousands of nappies.
My son will be three in November and my daughters started kindergarden this fall. We strive to live a simple, low impact lifestyle. We make an effort to teach our children to love the planet, love others, and love themselves. My goal in writing this blog is to share with you what Everything Birth means to me. I will be drawing on my experiences of of birthing, as a mama, and a natural products aficionado. I hope you all enjoy what I have to share with you.
Bless,
Jessica Teesdale