Hatch It!

 

 

 

 

So I know some may be wondering how I became the crazy egg hatcher and I thought this would be a great place to share my story!

 

It all started years ago when a friend and I were exploring the ground around a duck pond. Under a tree next to the pond we saw a pile of feathers, a nest full of eggs and no mother duck.... Panic mode set in and my friend and I quickly realised the mother had been snatched up in the night by a predator and if we were going to save these eggs we had to do it fast!!

 

So being the mature age of 10 ;-) we gathered up those eggs threw them into a box covered in blankets and turned on a nearby lamp. I think there was a total of 12 eggs total so that evening when I went to leave her house we decided I would take 6 of the eggs home with me. (This was obviously the best chance of survival!)

 

I got home, got a box, heat lamp, heating pad and towels. I laid the eggs evenly down, turned the heating pad on high and stared at my soon to be babies!  

 

Okay by now I hope that you have realised just where this story is going but if you haven't let me tell you.

 

Just a few facts about hatching duck eggs.

1. Hatching Temp is 99.5 degrees EXACTLY

2. Incubation period for the standard duck egg is 25-28 days

3. Eggs need a stable environment in which they can get the proper moisture and be rotated 3 times daily

 

Weeks went by before our parents realised just what we had done (I think they could smell the distinct odor that a rotten egg exudes). They calmly assured us that not only were our eggs not going to hatch but that we had brutally murdered them! HAHA.

 

After seeing our disappointment and realising the dedication to the eggs they decided that we would be great parents to ducks. The next week we were surprised with a box full of little yellow quackers!

 

So that begins my story of how I became the crazy hatcher! After one year of having ducks I began hatching their eggs in an incubator my parents bought for me. I pride myself on the success I have had and just a few years ago I had to hand hatch 6 ducks (moisture issue) and they all survived!

 

Check out this video of one of my ducks from my 2009 incubation. It has over 21,000 views on YouTube! This is me candling it at day 15 to check for fertility.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Uv87tx2Iw

 

So for the past few years I have switched over to hatching chickens for my parents farm. This year I decided that Matthew my 5 year old would be in charge of tending the eggs....I wanted to teach him "Cause and Effect".

 

On day 7 of the incubation period we found that only two of the four eggs were fertile.

 

.....And on day 21 we heard the peeps of a little chicken! By the next morning Larry a.k.a Chicken Nugget was born!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Breast or not to Breast that is the Question?!

So normally I am not so forward (or maybe I am) about some of my views.

Now I'm not saying anything about moms who don't breastfeed....I'm just trying to make it easier on the ones who do! Women need support and not to be looked down upon for doing what's best for their baby. Thousands of women make up excuses as to why they don't breast feed but I bet if you dug their brains and really got the honest to Gods truth they would tell you because they didn't have SUPPORT!

Breastfeeding is one of the most SELFLESS things a mother can do and it's during a very emotional time of their life (right after child birth).

So lets make a point to encourage those who are struggling and maybe throw them a smile next time they go to feed their baby!

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People who are against breast feeding may be unaware of the benefits, both in health and bonding, of breastfeeding. I'm happy to educate them, but I honestly don't think twice when it's time to feed my children.

You might actually be humbled by how many people are OKAY with you nursing in their site. Yea you get the occasional creepers but really what's there to see?! We all have nipples!

I had to nurse Jordan in the bleachers of a pee wee basket ball game a few weeks ago and I had men, women and children surrounding me. People continued conversations with me and never treated me any differently. Children are very smart and even though they may ask questions they are only curious. You should always use those opportunities to educate...and hey maybe their parents are listening in!

The only way things are going to change are if we change them...instead of buying our daughters bottles for their baby dolls ...get them a breast feeding shall....??? Teach them the importance! EDUCATE!

My sons are very educated about breastfeeding and everyday amaze me with their maturity beyond their years.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Then There Were Two

Here I will share with you the birth story of Baby Two.

 

Much like any other mom of one I was getting the itch to add another addition to our little family of three. Matthew was getting older and was becoming very independent. He is such a smart, loving and caring soul. I couldn't wait to give him a sibling to love!

Much to my surprise soon after we began trying I became pregnant! I was completely overjoyed at the thought of God giving me another baby. I quickly told everyone that we were going to be parents again.

A few days went by and I kept thinking in my head "shouldn't I feel nauseous?" ..."Is something wrong?" I wasn't scheduled for a visit with the midwife for two more weeks so I decided I would just continue on with my every day activities and not worry about anything. Another day passed and I woke up early the next morning to get ready for a long day of babysitting. At this time I had started my career as a Stay-at-Home Mom and I was working on building a daycare.

It was my mothers birthday that day and she had stopped in before heading to work in Machias. As I was standing there doing the dishes I just didn't feel right so I decided while she was there I would take a few minutes to sit down, but before I even turned from the sink I felt a huge gush. A nightmare was unfolding as I knew it. I ran to the bathroom to find nothing but blood. I.was.horrified.

It was later confirmed by ultrasound that on May 20, 2009 I miscarried a precious angel. My family did everything they could to comfort me but no matter what was said it was a struggle. Many tears were shed and weeks turned into months. I picked myself up and Matt and I decided we would try again. At this point we knew that, that's all we could do.

Remarkably we became pregnant only three months after, but this (+) positive brought a lot of fears and unknowns. After experiencing a miscarriage you never quite heal. We waited just a few days before announcing the news to close family. We knew that no matter what happened they would support us and hopefully alleviate some fears. I also knew that I would have to chose a different hospital to deliver at because Blue Hill had closed. This made me very sad but after much research Matt and I decided that MDI Hospital would fit our "natural" needs perfectly.

Unlike before the nauseous feeling came and I welcomed it! My hopes for a viable pregnancy were coming true.

The days and weeks passed and my belly was growing big. We found out that we were going to be adding another boy to our family! Man was I outnumbered! Thankfully we had a female dog to level out the score, because BLUE BLUE BLUE was all I could see in my future.

At this time we were living in a two bedroom trailer and it seemed like space was hard to come by. Matt and I felt like it might be time to start looking at our options to build or buy another house. We were still very young and didn't know where life was going to take us. We decided to list the house and see if we had any offers. Three months went by and NOTHING! Not one single person had called about our house. At this point we were thinking that our only option was to build, until we got the call! Someone wanted to see the house! I was 35 weeks pregnant at this point and had no idea what we would do if we actually sold it.

Well little did I know I wouldn't even have time to think about where we would go because the next day the woman told us she wanted the house and we had a week to move! Thankfully my parents were willing to take on our soon to be family of four.

It wasn't long though before we were told about a house over in Harrington that wasn't listed yet that would fit the needs of our growing family. We made an offer and guess what?! SHE ACCEPTED IT!

The move in date for the new house was April 27, 2010 and I was due April 17. At that point we knew that this baby was going to be coming before the house. We quickly moved into my parents house and started preparing for his arrival.

My sister and mother planned a baby shower for me on Saturday April 10 and labeled it a "diaper shower". I was overwhelmed by the generosity of all who came. I ended up with over 2500 diapers to cover his bottom. What a blessing!

Still having a week to go before my due date I never imagined the events would unfold quite like they did. The guests left from my shower and we finished up dinner and everyone went to bed. I was feeling a little crampy so I decided I would get back out of bed and walk. I let Matt know that I might be in labor. I called the hospital but they informed me it wasn't anything yet and to get some rest and call back in a few hours. So after a few hours of feeling this way Matt and I decided that because it was such a long drive to Bar Harbor we would head that way. It was around 12:30 a.m. when we got into the car and started to drive. About 7 miles into our journey everything stopped. My pains were gone and I wasn't having any contractions. I burst into tears and insisted he bring me back home. My worst fear was going the entire way to Bar Harbor just to be sent back home. We got back home a few minutes later and I decided that I would try and sleep for a while longer and see if anything happened.

A few hours passed and I still couldn't sleep...the contractions started picking back up and I knew at that point my body was getting ready. So once again we packed up the car and headed to Bar Harbor. We arrived around 4:30 a.m. Where they told me I was 4 cm dilated! Around 8 a.m. My midwife came in and broke my waters and labor started full force. Again I was able to manage all of my contractions with breathing and having family their to keep my mind off the pain. I chose not to have any IVs and I knew I wanted to deliver in the water again.
Around 7cm my body was exhausted. I had been up the entire night before and I was running out of fuel. Thankfully at this hospital they allow you go outside for walks and eat during labor. They fixed me up some much needed food and that's just what my body needed! Labor is a lot of work and its silly to think you can do it without the proper fuel!

Before we knew it I was ready to push. Again I had loads of family and friends there anxiously waiting for the arrival. The long process of pushing began. With Matthew it took about an hour so I figured with Mason it would be MUCH quicker....but boy was I wrong. The room was completely silent for the next hour before my precious little boy made his grand entrance. He floated up to the surface and I placeed him on my chest. There is nothing quite like the calmness of birthing a baby in water. Their transition is so easy and they seem so very calm as they take their first breath.

Mason Ward Hurlbert was born on April 11, 2010 at 3:48p.m. He weighed 7lbs 6oz and was perfectly healthy!

One Baby, Two Baby, Three Baby, More??

As many of my readers know...I am the mother of three beautiful children....two boys, one girl.

Here I will tell you the birth story of Baby One and in the days to come will be the stories of Two, Three and even the possibilities of More! ;-)

My journey of becoming a mother started roughly 6 1/2 years ago shortly after my husband and I said "I Do!" Even though things didn't happen as quickly as I would have liked for them to I can now look back and see how extremely blessed I was.

I found out I was pregnant with my first baby on March 18, 2007 only 6 months after we began trying. This is a day I will never forget. It's amazing how the (+) symbol can make you feel.....INSTANTLY NAUSEOUS in my case ;-). My husband and I were newly married, both working full time jobs, renting a house and had two big car payments! Boy were we in for some major changes! I was just 19 years old but my body and mind were ready to jump right into mommy mode.

Even though the first months of pregnancy were pretty difficult I was feeling overwhelmed with joy that I would soon be a mom. Ever since I was young I had studied the natural ways of birthing a baby and really had a passion for midwifery. It was a struggle for me to decide if I would be having a home birth or if I would travel to a hospital (Big Matt never had this same struggle). So after much discussion we both made the decision that we would travel to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital.
This is the hospital where I was born and it would be my best option for having a natural birth with an encouraging staff waiting on hand if there were to be any issues beyond my control.



40 weeks had come and gone and I was still working as a bank teller. I decided that I would take the next week off just to get the house ready and rest my body for the upcoming arrival of what we knew to be "Our Son". I was always anticipating going into labor naturally, rushing to the hospital, getting through the doors with minutes to spare and holding my baby in my arms.
This wasn't the case. Around 41 weeks the midwife assured me that this is "normal" and that things will happen when the baby is ready. What is this woman talking about she has no idea how uncomfortable I am and how much I wanted to see this baby! Lets just say that I am humbled now...and yes she did know a lot about birthing a baby. Imagine that?!

Another week had gone by and we had decided I would go into the hospital the morning of December 7, 2007 to "get things started". By this time I was approaching 42 weeks pregnant and I was READY! We had stayed the night before in Ellsworth with family so that the travel wouldn't be long in the morning hours. The day was beautiful when we finally set out around 6:30 a.m. I hadn't slept a wink the night before and was experiencing pains and aches I hadn't before. We arrived at the hospital around 7 a.m. where they soon discovered my body was "in labor" ...ALL BY ITSELF. Although I had lost all faith at this point that I would actually do it, I was in the very beginning stages of labor. The midwife and I were prepared to take the most natural approach. With this being said I had decided against all IVs...and that all we would do is break my bag of waters. (Yes you do have a choice! Do not think that you do not have a "say" during labor and delivery...). I wanted to prove to myself that God had invented a woman's body to birth babies without anything! Shortly after my waters were broke my entire family showed up in anticipation of the birth. If you are unfamiliar with Blue Hills delivery unit it was a very homey unit with a family room just on the other side of what they called the delivery room. Nothing separated me from my family during this time and it was such a blessing. Because I had decided not to have an IV I was free to move around and labor the natural way. Standing, squatting, bouncing, laughing and joking with friends and family the entire time. 11 hours after we arrived at the hospital I was ready to start pushing. Even though the policy at the hospital was not to deliver babies in the bath tub I refused to get out and the staff was fully prepared to deliver this baby no matter where I was.

My labor was very calm and I was able to manage the pain. The only thing I requested was that everyone stayed quiet. I wanted to hear nothing but the soon to be cries of my precious baby boy. It took about 1 hour of pushing before my little boy showed signs of exiting. After what felt like a life time his head made its exit but then stopped...I could see a little panic on everyone's faces but my midwife didn't hesitate for a second. Sneakers and all she jumped into the tub to deliver his shoulders which were stuck. Just seconds later I had a beautiful baby boy laying on my chest! The tears came from all that were there to witness the birth and all who were anxiously waiting in the waiting room. My mother-in-law exited quickly after he was born to get some air and to announce to everyone that he was here and safe. She explained to me later that the thought of a water birth had scared her but she stuck there right by my side and never flinched! Big Matt and my Mother coached me the entire time and my sister and sister-in-law took pictures and video footage of the whole thing! So much fun to watch :-)

Matthew Charles Hurlbert II was born at 7:43 p.m. On December 7, 2007 and weighed a whopping 8lbs 2ozs!

The coolest part of all was watching my husband place my son into the arms of my grandmother and saying Happy Birthday. My grandmother was born on December 7th also....71 years earlier.