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Amazon Prime Day Purchase | 23andMe and MTHFR

July 16, 2018

While my bank account is never happy on Amazon Prime Day, I am truly thankful for one purchase I made in 2017. I bought a 23andMe kit for the sole purpose of wanting to find out more about my ancestry. 23andme, MTHFR, Saliva, DNA, Ancestry, Amazon, Kit, Health, Wellness, Dana Rose Lee BlogWhen I spoke with a friend about the saliva kit, she decided to purchase it as well because she wanted to find out if she had MTHFR. That 5 letter word had popped up a lot on social media. All I really knew about it was it’s link to miscarriages and tongue ties because that is what I kept seeing.

Six weeks after sending my saliva off, my results came back on my ancestry, which was fun to see but not that surprising. I was actually more interested in finding out if I had the MTHFR gene mutation so I researched how to process my raw data, did it and anxiously waited. And then…I found out I had MTHFR and the worst kind you could have. At first, I was really really upset. In fact, I cried because we were trying to get pregnant at the time and I feared miscarriages. But then, I started researching everything I could about this gene mutation and it was MIND BLOWING. Like lightbulb moment for me.

Our bodies need methylation, which is an important process that enables us to stay healthy. Those of us with a MTHFR gene mutation have a highly reduced ability to convert folic acid or even folate into a usable form. Both are forms of vitamin B9, required for numerous critical bodily functions. When the process of methylation is interrupted by the gene mutation, over-methylation or under-methylation can occur and many conditions can arise.

I have the C677T gene mutation and am homozygous which means both of my parents are carriers for the gene mutation. As many of you know, my Mom passed away of a non-smokers Lung Cancer. When doing my research, I found that lung cancer can be traced back to this gene mutation. WOW. She also had two miscarriages one of which was a twin loss and as it is widely known, miscarriages are a very common cause of this gene mutation. Like I said, finding out that I had MTHFR shed light on so many things.

Here are some of the conditions that can come from the gene mutation that I have or have had in my life:

-Migraines
-PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
-Chronic Nerve Pain
-Cancer
-Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)
-sleep issues

And to think it took me 32 years to get tested for this genetic mutation. And honestly, had the 23andMe test not been $100 off on Prime Day, I probably wouldn’t have bought the kit. I would have never known all that I know now. Pretty crazy, right?!

Because MTHFR is genetic, there is a chance that Ollie might have it too. As a MTHFR-aware person, of course I had heard of tongue-ties. I am even in a FB group titled: Tongue Ties, Autism, MTHFR – what’s the connection? I never thought Ollie might have one though. Because you see, he was not the typical tongue tie case. He did not have difficulty latching. In fact, he latched on almost immediately after birth. He was gaining weight – in fact, he was climbing the growth chart at a solid rate, going from the 30th percentile to the 70th percentile in 5 weeks. In the back of my mind, those were the “tell tale signs” of tongue ties: difficulty latching and Poor weight gain. What I didn’t realize was, there are plenty of other symptoms which he did have: gas, gumming/chewing nipples, making clicking sounds while sucking, milk spilling out after feedings. There were also symptoms that I was having: discomfort while nursing, sleep deprivation and cracked nipples.

I am so thankful that one of my sweet mama friends asked me if I had him checked for ties after I was telling her some of the issues WE were having. I had a lactation consultant come to assess us (shoutout to Jenny Busbey of Lactation Room). She felt in Ollie’s mouth and said he had a strong tongue tie. She then watched us breastfeed and here is what she noted: he doesn’t latch. Because of my oversupply (which in this case is a blessing), milk basically pours into his mouth like a hose. This is why he was gaining weight so well but also why my nipples were so sore because he wasn’t in fact latching properly. In just 6 minutes (yes, this is a typical length feeding for us), Ollie drank 3oz of milk. After the feeding, milk came pouring back out of his mouth because he was taking in so much so quickly and couldn’t properly swallow because of his tongue not functioning properly. She said this is all common with tongue ties and felt that after the revision, I would definitely see an improvement with everything.

On Wednesday June 20th we saw an ENT to have Ollie’s tongue tie revised. While the procedure was super quick, it was the most heartbreaking thing to be in the room. Hearing him scream like that made my Mama heart hurt so badly. But…almost 4 weeks later, I can see a huge difference and know that in the long run, that day of pain was well worth it! He is latching so much better (almost pain free for me), spitting up way less, isn’t as gassy and fussy, his tongue is actually moving (he is making so many noises so I can now see it) and our sleep has improved (but of course Mama is hopeful for longer stretches eventually). I am so thankful that we had his tongue tie assessed and revised. I have a little mama guilt that it took 5 weeks to diagnose Ollie’s tongue tie and another week after to have it corrected. But I am grateful that he is thriving.

So friends, even if the 23andMe kit isn’t on sale today on Prime Day, I am writing this post to share what a blessing that purchase was one year ago. MTHFR is more common than we think – some estimate that as many as 40% of people have a MTHFR mutation. Unfortunately most don’t know about it because they haven’t been tested for it.

Leave a Comment · Labels: Lifestyle, Oliver, Personal, Wellness Tagged: 23andMe, Amazon, Amazon Prime Day, Dana Rose Lee Blog, DNA, Family, Genetic, Health, MTHFR, Mutation, Symptoms, Testing, Tongue Tie, Wellness

Welcome To The World Oliver Lee | Your Birth Story

June 7, 2018

Today marks one month since Oliver Lee entered this world. I am not quite sure how that happened but I am so grateful for every single moment (even the hard ones) with him. It is amazing how someone so little can change your entire world. For 10 months, you prepare for the moment you get to meet your baby. But honestly, nothing will prepare you for that moment. And those hours (or days) leading up to it make that moment so so worth it.

I knew from the second I got pregnant that I wanted an all natural, unmedicated birth. From my past experiences with surgeries (there have been 9 since 2008), medication and my body don’t go well together. In fact, drugs tend to never work and I always have adverse reactions to them. So an epidural was not in my birth plan. While many warned me about the pain of natural childbirth, I knew deep down that my body could withstand it. Mind over matter right? I spoke with friends who had gone all natural, I read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and I hired a doula. The more I researched and spoke with Brittany (my doula) of Frederick Moms and Doulas, the more empowered I felt that this was something I could do.

So are you ready for the birth story? Here we go…

At my 36 week appointment I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. I thought this was definitely a sign that I was going to go into labor early. I laugh at this thought now. At my 37 week appointment, there was no change. Still no change at my 38 week appointment. I had been having a lot of cramping during this week and some contractions here and there but nothing was progressing and I was getting super discouraged. If you know me, you know I am a planner. I want to know when things are going to happen and how everything is going to go down. This made the end of pregnancy really hard for me. It was a true test of patience and I had a lot more patience to be tested.

I was doing everything possible to kickstart this labor: chiropractor, acupuncture, walking (even walking with one foot on a curb and one down because I had heard this could help), eating pineapple, taking primrose oil, ingesting Young Living’s Clary Sage Essential Oil. Everyone says that baby will come when he/she is ready and I now realize that is in fact 110% true, but I needed to try everything because I was just so done.

On May 3rd, at my 39 week appointment, I had my membranes swept and this seemed to help things progress as I lost my mucous plug over the next 3 days. On Sunday night (5/6), I started having contractions that for the first time were timeable. They were about 10 minutes apart throughout the night. I woke up on Monday morning and my contractions had stopped. I headed to my chiropractor and got adjusted. My right hip was completely out of alignment so once he popped that back in place, I thought maybe things would start progressing again. Nothing all day. Monday evening, my contractions started again. They were 7-8 minutes apart throughout the night. I was supposed to go to acupuncture on Tuesday morning but in the middle of the night I emailed her to tell her I was having contractions and thought labor was impending. However, I was tricked yet again…I woke up Tuesday morning and my contractions had stopped. Nothing all day except for a few cramps here and there. Tuesday evening, my contractions started again. They were 8-9 minutes apart throughout the night. I woke up on Wednesday, so exhausted, 40 weeks pregnant and no baby.

Prodromal labor. It is truly the most frustrating thing – both mentally and physically. It is so rough but the only thing that was getting me through the contractions and sleepless nights that weren’t progressing to anything was the fact that Brittany had said most people who have prodromal labor have fast births. Could this be the silver lining of prodromal labor? One could only hope.

I was continuing to do all.the.things to try and get this baby out of me but he wasn’t hearing my eviction notice all too well. Brittany told me that birth was a marathon so I needed to rest as much as I could. Given the fact that I hadn’t been sleeping for days because of my nightly contractions, I really tried to rest all day on Wednesday. Wednesday night the contractions came back. I was so exhausted by timing that I just didn’t even attempt to time them. This baby was never going to come out of me.

I woke up on Thursday morning still pregnant but ready for my 40 week appointment. Josh came with me to my appointment, as I had an ultrasound scheduled for 9:30am. All looked well and that was a relief. I told Josh that he didn’t have to wait for my appointment with the doctor because it was just a routine check and I would call him after. They took my blood pressure and it was slightly elevated. I got checked and I was 2cm dilated and 70% effaced. I asked for another sweep because the word induction at 41 weeks was brought up and that was definitely not in my birth plan. After the sweep, I started feeling some serious cramping. The doctor left and returned and told me to lay back and try to relax, they wanted to check my blood pressure again. While it went down slightly, she was a little concerned by it so wanted me to go to labor and delivery triage to be monitored. I immediately texted Josh, who of course felt bad for leaving me and offered to come back to the hospital. I told him everything would be fine and I would keep him posted.

After checking in at triage and waiting for a little bit, I went back to a room and got hooked up to monitors, had my blood drawn and started feeling contractions. After snooping at the monitor, I noticed that my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. The on call doctor came in and asked if I was feeling the contractions and I said yes, but they were tolerable. She told me that my blood pressure was completely normal and all the blood work came back normal so they were going to discharge me. It was 12:30pm and I was starving. I drove myself to Balducci’s Market to get some lunch.

I got home around 1:30pm and ate my lunch. Roxie was crying to go outside so I took her for a quick walk. When I came back inside, I got on the birth ball and started rocking back and forth. It was 2:58pm and Josh called me to tell me he was coming home and asked if I wanted him to stop to pick up coffee. Two minutes later, while still on the phone with him and on the ball, I heard this POP noise, almost like a rubber band snapping. And a gush of water flooded my yoga pants. It was crazy.

Me: OMG, my water just broke.
Josh: Seriously? OMG, he is coming. Should I still stop and get us coffee?
Me: Ummm no, I think you should come home!

I went upstairs to change my wet clothes and called Brittany. At this point my contractions were definitely getting stronger. Brittany stayed on the phone with me to time a few of them. I remember her saying “ok, they are pretty much on top of each other. Do you want to continue laboring at home for a bit longer or do you want to leave now?” My response was: “let’s go. But do you have your camera?” When I think about this I laugh. Only a photographer in labor would ask a photographer if she had her camera packed. Oh yes friends, my doula was also my birth photographer (Brittany DeFrehn Photography)!

Josh walked through the door and I told him to grab our bags, we were leaving! We put Roxie in the crate and I texted our dog walker who was going to doggy sit for her. The car ride to the hospital seemed to take forever (less than 20 minutes). There is no comfortable position in a car when you are in labor. When we got to the hospital, everyone was moving at snail speed. On the labor and delivery floor, while waiting for Brittany and to head back to triage, I paced back and forth and then ended up in the middle of the waiting room on my birth ball moving back and forth with each contraction. You lose all sense of caring about anything.

Finally at 4:30pm we went back into a triage room and I was so happy to see the same nurse from earlier who allowed us to break the rules and let both Josh and Brittany come back into the tiny triage room. I was also happy to see the same on call doctor who I really liked (and had seen a few times during my pregnancy). They checked me and I was 4cm dilated. Contractions were strong and back to back. My water kept gushing and bloody show had arrived. Things were getting super real. Brittany applied Clary Sage to my ankles and that started ramping things up even more.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth story Around 5:45pm, I was wheeled to a labor and delivery room. Fun fact: this was the same room that Brittany had delivered one of her babies in. That was definitely a good sign.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyI was squatting, rocking back and forth on the ball, holding onto the bed, hopping onto the bed and leaning on the back of it, just trying to find a position to get me through these back to back contractions.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyBrittany coached me through every contraction. She applied counter pressure to my back. She doused me in Peace & Calming Essential Oil. The nurse said it was the best smelling labor and delivery room she had been in. birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyThere were no breaks between contractions and I remember looking at the clock thinking I don’t know how much longer I can do this. Josh kept reassuring me that I was doing great. I remember looking at Brittany and saying I don’t know how much longer I can do this and that’s when she said: “remember what I told you. When you tell me you can’t do it any longer, I promise you are close.” I got checked again and was a 9.

The worst feeling was me wanting to push and them telling me I couldn’t because I wasn’t fully dilated. Another bad feeling was me hearing that baby’s heart rate was dropping. All I could think of was they were going to wheel me in for a c-section. The nurse (who I loved) was very concerned about this. The doctor was less concerned. However, they did feel that I should get some fluids to not put baby in distress so I complied (but I will tell you, I made sure they weren’t giving me drugs). Unfortunately I had been poked and prodded all day (you should have seen one of my bruises) and my veins weren’t cooperating so it took multiple people to get the IV in.

I asked to be checked again and I was a 9 1/2. About 5 minutes later I made one noise and the nurse told my doctor to check me, she knew I was a 10. And hallelujah I was. I had gone from 4cm to 10cm in 4 1/2 hours. I was ready to push. Let me tell you, pushing is HARD! While it was such a relief to actually be able to push and know that I was one step closer to meeting baby, it was exhausting. I would push for 3 rounds of 10 seconds and each and then rest. I kept asking if I was making progress and the response was “we can see the head but then it retracts.” All that work for the head to just go back in – what a bummer. Finally, after about 50 minutes, my doctor told me to reach down and feel the head and that was by far the biggest motivating moment. I can do this. He is almost here. A few more pushes and I felt that Ring of Fire (oh my word that is real and really painful) and then…

At 10:01pm, Oliver entered the world. 7lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long.

They immediately put him on me and this image says it all.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyAfter 7 hours of natural unmedicated labor (YES, I DID IT!!!), he was here and absolutely perfect! I delivered the placenta and Josh cut the cord after it finished pulsating.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyUnfortunately I had a second degree tear in two places. Getting stitched up with only lidocaine that didn’t take in all the places was not fun at all. Like I know I had just birthed a baby which was way more painful, but that fish hook and stitching was awful. The only thing that got me through was holding Ollie the entire time.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyBrittany continued documenting our first moments as a family of three.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth story

She helped me breastfeed for the first time and then I told her to go home! I am truly forever thankful for her. With her help, I was able to have the birth I had hoped for. Without a doubt, hiring her as my doula was the best decision I made.

Around 1:45am, we were finally transferred to a private room. I didn’t sleep at all. The adrenaline and hormones kept me wide awake and I couldn’t stop staring at the bassinet beside me.

Welcome to the world Oliver Lee, you are so loved and I am so thankful I get to be your Mama.

Leave a Comment · Labels: Essential Oils, Lifestyle, Oliver, Personal, Wellness Tagged: babies, birth, Birth Photography, Documentary Photography, Doula, Holy Cross Hospital, Life, motherhood, Natural, natural birth, Photography, pregnancy, Wellness

Hello there! I'm Dana. A wife, a mama to one adorable boy and one crazy Vizsla. I am an essential oil lover who is passionate about living and sharing the natural life. And I enjoy being behind the lens of a camera.

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