I was born in Michigan, and so was my mother. My grandmother was born in Finland. My grandmother gave birth to her children at home. My mother gave birth in the hospital during the obstetric practice of twilight sleep and delivery with forceps. I gave birth by cesarean section. As…
When I assisted at home births I became more aware of the spiritual nature of childbirth. When labor reached a peak intensity, when the woman felt she couldn’t get through one more contraction, she asked for prayer. Sometimes the husband prayed or one of the attendants. I was asked to…
In the past few weeks I have read a couple of books about women overcoming difficulties in life. Sue Detweiler’s book is about the value of prayer. My review of Women Who Move Mountains is here. Kristina Cowan wrote about birth trauma and post partum depression. She has included research…
Women today have more rights than our ancestors. As we have made progress it is odd that the loudest voice in the current women’s movement is for abortion. I would rather support the right of women to give birth in the setting that they choose. Across the world there is…
A friend of mine is going to participate in the Women’s March on Washington that will take place on Saturday (1/21). I have seen pictures of pink hats that women are knitting for this event on instagram. I don’t plan to go, but the event has captured my attention. The…
Could the book of Job be a description of God’s design for the earth following the flood? Currently I am reading The Remarkable Record of Job* by Henry Morris. Throughout the book he points out amazing insights about our world, offered in this Old Testament book of the…
If you watch very much TV you will notice that a great proportion of advertisements are for medications. A medical problem is presented with the solution—a pill. Then a long list of side effects and risks are recited. Every medication and medical intervention has side effects and risks.…
As I sat down to write our annual Christmas letter I was reflecting on gospel accounts by Matthew and Luke. It is apparent that the people of Judea lived in fearful times under Roman rule. Injustice, corruption and violence were common. A young woman lived in Nazareth, north of Judea,…
As a mom I breastfed my babies–learning more with each child. As nurse and grandma I have had experience in helping new moms to establish breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has many health benefits, but sometimes there are hurdles to get over. I have collected some articles that address problems and best practices.…