There's No Place Like Home Birth: Our Home Birth Story: Inside Out...One Week Later Part 6

By: Ameer Idris and Ameera Rahim

Wow subhanAllah has it been a week already?

We certainly have been enjoying our newest addition mashaAllah...baby smells... smiles in his sleep and just an extra person to love alhamdulilah!

Our birth story was unexpected and yet very amazing, we would not change anything about it subhanAllah.

The baby decided he would make his strong debut into the world, about a week after my "due date".

So not to be too long about everything!! My husband and I had a peaceful calm birthing experience.

Funny how I was watching The Business Of Being Born, right before the steps started of me going into labor! We called the midwife to tell her that she should make her way to us..and she said she would but she was waiting to get her vehicle. Who knew this would be the start to an adventurous birthing experience! Remember...we planned this out... midwife comes, when we call, she catch the baby, we say thank you, she sends us the bill and we high five for a home birth job well done. It did not work out quite that way! Well what can we do? We waited for the midwife.  We listened to Surah Baqarah together and some Qasidas as we waited through the contractions. My husband was so patient and so kind, rubbing my back and holding me up because my body felt so tired. I wasn't sure the position I felt comfortable in and he worked with me....it was truly team work subhanAllah.
He slept behind me and I stayed up listening to the Quran, as contractions became intense, the children were peacefully sleeping in our bedroom, but in the middle of the night they woke up and laid beside the bed in our "birthing room". I used my friends ideas of focal points and stared at them when the contractions came... I also took the time to make duaa for everyone and made duaa for the ones who sent me special request.

I really enjoy silence during my labor and delivery so it was great, the house was peaceful and quiet and my husband woke up and checked on me..sometime during the night the children went back into our room and my sister ..Allah bless her..came and took the ones who woke up and stayed up.
 My husband...he stayed up and he spoke to the midwife, who had not gotten her vehicle back and she was delayed and told us that she would not make it in time (as I was moving far along)  , opening our homebirth kit upon her advice, that we ordered, and prepared to give birth...alhamdulilah he was such a big help, well once things progressed.... water breaking, and time for pushing he held me up and our son made his appearance, caught by me and his father.... he told me we have another son and he laid him on top of me...we were so moved and teary...there he was, resting on me... we waited for him to arrive and there he was...my husband cleaned him off, and called the athan... while I held the baby and my husband said "Allahu akbar we did it!"

Tawheed physically entered our lives on Feb 22... at 6:21 a.m. just before fajr...  alhamdulilah and has been an extra blessing in our lives. The children love "the new baby" and are constantly checking on him and loving him.

Breastfeeding is going well alhamdulilah, I am currently nursing him and Tahleel, which is a new experience itself, but very beneficial and a good way for Tahleel to get comfortable with his little brother. He rubs his face and says "baby" and then goes back to nursing.  Tandem nursing is def interesting alhamdulilah I am happy to be able to do it. If you saw my blog post on breastfeeding..I have been taking my brewers yeast daily, drinking much water, taking vitamins, drinking barley water and eating other breast milk increasing foods, so alhamdulilah I have been getting good results!!!

I am blessed my twin sister is here with her family and she has been helping me. The community has been so kind and welcoming,  the sisters have taken days almost every day of the week to come over with meals and even a brother offered to cook for us, I really needed the kind cheer and visits... the meals have been a mercy subhanAllah! I am so thankful and happy by the sisters who have reached out online too, asking to send gifts to our home, and paying tribute to the newborn baby and family. If anyone is interested in sending something please send me an inbox message on facebook, for our mailing address or send tributes via

 paypal: belovedhomeschooling@gmail.com

We have been through so much and subhanAllah Allah has been sending so many kind people our way. Visits, messages, duaas, and chatting...has helped me so much alhamdulilah.... did I say its only been a week!!!??? What an adventurous week it has been!

Well guess thats my update for now!

Reflecting and Nesting

Here I am On  my due date....

We did a lot of cleaning and I have been getting messages about if I had the baby yet and so on.

Guess little baby isn't ready yet and to be honest I'm not..not today. I'm excited to meet this little individual who I have grown close to without seeing him/her.

Are you a boy... or girl? Is the question I have been getting often.

And I think....
Well, It doesn't matter, as long as youre healthy..  ten fingers ten toes a beating heart..a  little nose alhamdulilah you  will be loved that I can guarantee.
Anxiously awaiting your presence to join us..they say my hands are full already... full of blessings is what I say, and I would never turn away from or turn down extra blessings mashaAllah.

The  boys prepared the room for this big moment

Happy to share with my TMH friends, my thoughts as we prepare to turn to the start of the next chapter inshaAllah. New addtion means new schedule. I've found a system that works for us and it will help us organize life for homeschooling, homemaking, and everything else! InshaAllah i will be able to share soon.

My twin sister has arrived just in time and its quite a surprise, the children are happy to see their cousins         and my sister has offered to come help, so thats pretty great! My husband has been such a big help and  blessing, I'm glad for and thankful for all the love and kindness Allah has sent this way.

Well, subhanAllah, Ive done  more reflecting this pregnancy and one of my thoughts is that..our hearts can love so many people and not diminish with the increase of people! The heart is amazing, and this feeling called love. People often ask how did I get to enjoy homemaking, and I say..I enjoy what I do because the people I do it for bring me joy.

As often said.... it's done with love.

Theres more to be done around here so I will  keep it brief...

Guess this is my last update for now :)  I pray all  the previous blog post were beneficial!

Please don't forget to make duaa, share and if you can donate <3 Team Rahim Homebirth Dream

There's No Place Like Home Birth: Our Home Birth Story Part 5: Plans For Breastfeeding

Brewers Yeast

I decided this time to prepare a little better for breastfeeding... I nursed Tahleel this whole pregnancy and have not weaned him yet, so looks like we are entering the tandem nursing world. Thats when you are nursing two children at once. I  automatically thought about increasing my milk supply and what ways to go about this.

I've been reading about lactation cookies and saw such great reviews for them that I decided  to make some, and will keep making them often. Turns out the children love them too mashaAllah!! They are made with  brewers yeast, not to be confused or substituted with nutritional yeast and bread baking yeast. It is said to help increase milk, energy, and fight off the baby blues. It contains iron, protein and more mashaAllah.  The taste is strong, I prefer to add to cereal, bread, cookies, pancakes, and smoothies...it better than just taking it on a spoon daily! It's better to have it "raw" so in the salads with homemade dressing, cereals and smoothies works for those who do not want to cook  or bake with it.

The children loved the cookies mashaAllah! I thought the taste of the yeast would bother them but no they enjoyed it.

Recipe:

Flaxseed- 3 tbs
Oatmeal (old fashioned)- 1 cup
Brewers Yeast- 2 tbs
Coconut Oil- 1/2 cup
Egg -  1
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Flour- 1 cup if its not self rising flour add baking powder 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon- as much as I wanted

I  just threw it all in a bowl and mixed it... it made about 18 cookies and put  them on a greased baking tray  on 350 until they were to my liking

Nursing  Cream

Ok I'm no stranger at being sore and hurting while breastfeeding so I put together a simple cream that promotes healing, it's recommended to wipe off before each feeding.

Ingredients:
Coconut oil and aloe vera gel

Simply put the aloe vera gel in a container with coconut oil! mashaAllah I found a nice easy to carry, squirt bottle so even if the coconut oil solidify it will still squeeze out inshaAllah.. I have chunks of aloe inside too :)

Aloe vera is used to relieve pain from being sore and cracked. I used the plant and my son-- he actually helped get the gel off the plant.

Coconut oil to help with dry and roughness..

Mother's Milk Tea,  Milk Boosting Foods

I drink the tea often but I think if I drink it, combined with eating milk boosting foods then inshaAllah it will make a difference in my supply.

What I intend on doing is Fennel/ Barley Water-- soak barley over night then strain barley (svae for soup the discarded barley)  and boil the water... for 25 mins and pour on fennel..it is said to increase milk and ease after pains. I was told before about barley for increasing milk, and have had it as soup but not water, and I have also used fennel in tea inshaAllah i will update once I try it, but thought to share since  both are known to increase milk.

Upping the water, and eating oatneal...green smoothies and more fruit are things you want to do to keep up a nice healthy milk supply inshaAllah and vitamins... we are making sure we have a successful tandem nursing journey.

Nursing Pads

Need I say more?!!! You can buy them but it is also easy to make your own
Make your own here: Suckled Sunnah
Or  Frugal Nursing Pads

InshaAllah will take pics of mine soon and share here