Friday, October 5, 2012

Upcoming Facebook auction, my home birth plans and a bunch of #Winners!

Before I announce the most recent winners on the blog, I'd like to share with you a very special announcement!

Many of you know that I am expecting baby #3 in April. I am currently 11 weeks pregnant and am planning a home birth! I've never had a home birth before, as both my boys were born in the local birthing center in Maryland, which is staffed by Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM). The Army insurance (Tricare) will only cover services provided by CNM's and now that we live in the state of TN, I have found out that the nearest birthing center to me is a 2 hour drive away. I don't know about you, but I refuse to ride for 2 hours in a car while in labor. There is an Army hospital here on base that we could go to, but I do NOT want to give birth in a hospital! I guess I've been spoiled being able to have both boys at the birthing center in MD, where I went in, labored, gave birth, nursed, ate, showered and was home within 5 hours of giving birth both times! I don't want to even walk into a hospital where they force pitocin, constant monitoring, limited movement and lying flat on your back to deliver kind of procedures!
The Army hospital on base does not have water birthing facilities (which is what I want)! There are two hospitals close to me that will accept my insurance, and one has two water facilities, (they are like the metal sports water therapy tubs) that you can labor in, but not deliver. Also, those 2 tubs are first come first serve! The other hospital has no water birth/labor options at all!
So, I've decided to have my baby at home. Many people say, well, one night in the hospital won't kill you. After all, a healthy baby is the goal right? WRONG!! Yes, I want to have a healthy baby! But having a baby is much more than the end result of having a healthy baby. It is just as much the mother's right to labor and deliver how and where she wants to as much as it the baby's right to be born healthy! Yes, the end result is a healthy baby and mama, but to me it's so much more. We as women were created by God Himself to have babies! It is in us, it is who we are, it is at the very cellular level of our inmost being!
I want to have the kind of delivery that I want to have. I don't want any doctor (or midwife) telling me how to sit, lay, breath, or when to push. I want to listen to my body and follow it's lead!
Unfortunately for me, the only midwives here in TN that will assist you with a home birth are Certified Professional Midwives (CPM's) which are NOT covered by our Army insurance!
So I am taking matters into my own hands!
I am going to pay $3000.00 out of pocket to have my baby at home!

This is where the good news comes in!
I've decided to have an auction on my Facebook Fan page in order to raise funds to help cover the cost of the home birth!
I've secured a few sponsors and have found several items from my own personal cloth diaper stash (and other items that I have here that I think would make great Christmas gift items that are not necessarily cloth diaper related)!

I will be destashing my box of brand new diapers that I've been hoarding collecting since I've known I was pregnant! At this point, having a home birth is far more important to me than my new baby having brand new fluff!

I have about 10 confirmed sponsors for this auction, and it will be an event you don't want to miss. The auction will run sometime during the first 3 weeks of November (lasting from 10-14 days as I have not worked out all the details yet) and will be held on my Facebook fan page. Some of the items will be open to US and Canada, some to US only, and some world-wide! The only requirements for you to bid will be for you to like the sponsor's FB page and that is it!

Payment will be accepted via paypal, money order, or personal check!
If paying via personal check, the items will be held until the check clears the bank.

If you are a business owner, or blogger and would like to increase your Facebook numbers as well as help me have my home birth and are interested in donating an item to the auction, please feel free to contact me (angela_heffner at yahoo dot com) so we can work out the details!
I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the wide variety of items that will be up for grabs, and just in time for Christmas too!
Feel free to comment on this blog post and tell me what you'd like to see offered in the auction!
So keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming confirmed sponsors/auction items list and get ready to have some fun!


Here are a few winners!
The lucky winner of The Laundry Tarts sample pack from Nature Bumz is: Katie L.
The lucky winner of the bottle of All Sport from Molly's Suds is: Mary C.
The lucky winner of the bag of Laundry Powder from Molly's Suds is: Krystal G.
A huge thank you to all of you that commented on my YouTube video. I did not win first (24 free diapers) or second (3 free diapers) place, but I did win 3 newborn diapers and I appreciate all your efforts to help me try and win <3
Don't forget, if you commented on the video, you are also eligible to claim a one-time extra entry into EACH of my upcoming newborn event (which will be held next year sometime, maybe April or May)! So don't forget to claim them on your Rafflecopter forms!
For the Tender Tush contest, the winners are:
$20 GC to Jack Be Natural is: Roxie R.
Bumgenius 4.0 in either white or green (snaps) is Izzabella T.
The lucky winner of the set of 6 (742) 1/2 Liter Mold Jars from Weck is: Crystal
The lucky winner of the set of 6 (762) Mini Tulip Jars from Weck is: Holly N.
The lucky winner of the $100 GC to My Wonderful Walls is Jennifer!
If you think one of the above names is you, please check your e-mails (to include your spam folder) to verify!

Congrats to all the lucky winners and a HUGE thank you to our awesome sponsors!
Don't forget (if you have an iPad) you can enter to win a Big Grips frame and stand on the blog right here!
Also, don't forget to check out my Facebook fan page the first week of November to bid on some very awesome items that will be up for grabs! Detailed list to come soon!

If you have not already done so, you may want to subscribe to my blog via e-mail, so that you can receive the latest news on product reviews, giveaways and events right in your in box!

Thanks for being a LWML reader <3
~Mama of the Littles~

6 comments:

  1. how incredible that you're going the homebirth route this time around! I'm working towards becoming a certified nurse midwife, and while i plan on working in the hospital setting for at least the first few years, my heart is really with homebirth. i hope you have lots of supportive energy around you, theres nothing worse than dealing with constant nay-sayers!

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    1. Hi Jennifer,
      Thanks for your words of encouragement.
      I'm going to to everything I can to raise the $ for the home birth! It really means so much to me!
      How exciting that youi are going to become a CNM! I love that!

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  2. That is so wonderful that you are having a home birth! I hope to have a home birth eventually too. This time around we are having our 2nd baby at a birthing center and I am so excited! I just love the midwives and it is such a different (and nicer)experience than the dr/hospital route I went with for my first son. My insurance doesn't even cover birthing centers, so it is all out of pocket for us too! I am so thankful that my hubby sees the value in having a natural birth out of the hospital. We've already been talking about maybe doing a home birth for the next baby! I hope you are able to raise all of your funds!

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    1. Hi Sarah!
      Oh I hope you love the birthing center experience! I sure did! I sure don't ever want to go to a hospital after having the birthing center experience! It was awesome! Midwives are so much more in tune to the birthing mama, and her body in my opinion than traditional western doctors. You go to the hospital when something is wrong, you are hurt or in danger. Having a baby is THE MOST natural thing in the world! I can't stand how doctors (and nurses) intervene in the natural ways of things to try and get the birthing body onto their schedule so they can make it home for the 6 pm game... you know! I'd love to hear all about your birthing center experience.
      When are you due! Praying for a safe and speedy delivery! <3

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  3. Congrats on the decision to have a home birth. I've had 4 children here in VA, and all 4 were at home. It is the best decision my husband and I have ever made. All 4 births were amazing experiences, and I would recommend it to ANYONE that didn't have SERIOUS reasons for not being able to birth without major medical intervention.

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  4. I am glad you are taking matters into your own hands!!! my little one was frank breach and stuck under my rib cage (her head was cone head out instead of up)so i had a cs but i really wanted a home birth!!!

    also which Mary C????

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