Geneva Woods Birthing Center

Many people have asked me lots of questions about where I will give birth. Do I stay in the bush or travel back to a city/civilization to have the baby? How do I see the doctor and what type of treatment do I get way out here in the bush? So here are a few answers to your burning questions....

We have a really nice health clinic in Iliamna. It's staffed with two really great Physician Assistants, Ann and Suzanne, who are fabulous. BUT, they only work 6 weeks at a time and then are off and out of the village for 6 weeks. I believe they have a stand in PA for them during their time off, but I have not met that person yet. Ann has done my first couple of check-ups and helped refer me to a Mid-Wife in Anchorage.

Bob and I have done a lot of research regarding the type of treatment and delivery we'd like to have for our child. After watching the documentary, "The Business of Being Born" and reading several additional articles, we've decided we'd like to have our baby with a Mid-Wife at a "Birthing Center." Actually, we'd prefer to have a home delivery, but seeing that we're located in the bush and if we needed emergency assistance, that was not really an option for us at this time. So, I will be delivering our baby at the Geneva Woods Birthing Center in Anchorage.

The center is affiliated with Providence Hospital, so if there are complications, they will immediately take me to the hospital and stay and work with me there. The hospital is only 5 minutes away from the center. There are several Mid-Wives and a few Certified Nurses Mid-Wives that work at the facility. I met with them for a tour and my first appointment on March 4th as I returned from New York and was on my way back to Iliamna. Unfortunately, due to weather, Bob was not able to make it to the appointment with me, but we hope he will be able to go to the next one.

I REALLY LIKED the Mid-Wives who worked there. They were all so friendly and helpful and spent lots of time with me. I felt as if I received so much more attention than I would've got at a regular doctor's visit. They did a full check up and interview with me and then an ultrasound. They also took me on a tour of the facility.

So, I will have to make periodic trips into Anchorage to meet with them. They've worked with many women who live in the bush are used to our awkward circumstances and seemed quite accommodating and flexible regarding our travel situations. They require us to move back to the road system (Anchorage and vicinity) for the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy. This is a common procedure for all women living in the bush. Then, I would go in to visit them once a week until I deliver. For us, we have been offered an opportunity for Bob to swap with a Trooper in Soldotna, so that he will be able to work in Soldotna and another Trooper will live in our house in Iliamna and work from Iliamna while Bob is gone. This helps our finances and hopefully, our housing situation if we are able to stay at friends homes while we are in Soldotna. Now, we are just praying for a car during that last month so we have some form of transportation while we're in town. We would just fly or drive up to Anchorage each week for the check-ups.

When I go into labor, then we'd make our way to the center and deliver there in one of the bedrooms or possibly in the bathtub. We are very interested in the water birth procedure and they have a large tub for that.

Below are several pictures of the center and the area where the women deliver.

From the outside, it just looks like your normal medical office building.

Geneva Woods Medical Center

As you enter the birthing area, it's just like a little apartment. There's a little living room for you to hang out in and relax. We can walk around anywhere and don't have to be confined to one room.

Attached to the living room is a little kitchen area. They ask us to bring lots of food with us to eat during labor. They say it's common to burn tons and tons of calories and I will get hungry, so they have a place to prep food and store it. Then, after I deliver, before we leave (which can be as early as 3-4 hours after the deliver) they want me to eat a full meal to help recovery. The reason the women leave so early is that they want both the mother and the baby to get to a comfortable place where they can sleep for a long period of time without being disturbed, so they recommend we go back to our hotel or wherever we'll be staying at that time. Then we would return again in a few days for checkups and other stuff.

This is one of two bathrooms. There will be a third bathroom and bedroom by the time I deliver, but for now, this is the only laboring/birthing tub. It's a giant corner jacuzzi type tub.

Some of the medical equipment in one of the bedrooms.

One of the comfy bedrooms for delivering. What do you think? Much more cozy than a hospital!

The second bedroom.

The second bathroom with a shower and exercise ball for laboring.

More medical equipment and supplies in the drawers for additional needs. This is located in the second bedroom.

We both realize this may not seem "normal" to many people, but both Bob and I are very comfortable with delivering here rather than in a hospital. However, we realize that sometimes complications arise and we may need to deliver in a hospital in the end. We are simply trying to minimize the risk of some of the complications that hospitals occasionally impose upon delivering mothers and families. We'll keep you posted on this unique experience!

School Teacher Attacked and KILLED By Wolves

This week, tragedy struck our school district. A school teacher in Chignik Lake (south of Iliamna and further down the Aleutian chain) was attacked by wolves while jogging one morning. She was drug off the path and killed. It's been a sad week here. I personally, did not know Candice Berner, a teacher in our own school district, but most all of the teachers at my school did know her.

She was 32 years old and from Pennsylvania. This was her first year teaching in Alaska and appeared to thoroughly love her job and her adventures in Alaska. Specifically, she was a special ed teacher who was based in the village of Perryville and traveled almost on a weekly basis to villages in the district to help with the student's special needs. Like me, she was very adventurous and at times a risk taker. She also documented a good portion of her time in Alaska in her own blog. If you're interested, check it out here: Adventures of an Alaskan Bush Teacher

The news has reported this incident as the first ever fatal wolf attack on a human in all of Alaska's history. Although, there are rumors that there was an additional and similar attack of a small child in Cordova several years ago. The Department of Fish and Game has said it's sometimes common for wolves to bite and attack runners as they mistake them for prey, but usually they just get the human's legs and nothing more. In this case, and probably, in many villages nearby, the wolves are hungry as their prey of caribou and moose have diminished in recent years, so lurk around more closer to people in the villages and prey on local dogs and this time, poor Candice.

The Troopers and Fish and Wildlife have responded by sending Troopers down there to scout out the area via airplane and helicopter and either capture and/or kill the wolves that attacked Candice. One of Bob's colleagues was sent down there, but Bob, himself was not able to go because he had many other obligations this week among his own villages.

If you're interested in reading more about this incident in Alaska's local news, check out the following websites. Although, beware, some of the stories are a bit graphic for young readers.

Troopers: Autopsy shows village teacher likely killed by wolves

State seeks to trap or kill wolves blamed in teacher's death

I Survived My Walk!

In light of recent events (see wolf story above), I was a little nervous to go out on a walk in our village. But I'm bound and determined NOT to let Alaska get the best of me! I will NOT be defeated by the Last Frontier!!

We've had several wolf spotting's and even a few dogs in the village killed by wolves in our village too. It's common to hear them howling at night. Although, the attack on the school teacher in the story above was not near our village. I've been warned over and over about bears in our area, but never did I once consider wolves to be of concern. NOW, I'm concerned. Being a cop for over 13 years, I'm trained and comfortable with being on the look out for human predators, but big scary wild animals is a whole new game for me.

So, having all that said, I decided the need for some sunshine on my face, a much needed dose of vitamin D, and some good exercises was necessary for my mental health. The temperature had finally reached above zero and was actually a blistering 20 degrees yesterday, so it was the perfect time to go on walk around the village!

I decided I needed some protection, just in case the unthinkable happened. Bob was working in another village, so his protection was not an option. I thought about our bear spray, but then I didn't really want to be THAT close to any animal to have to use it. So, I opted for the more lethal option....the gun! I strapped my old trusty 40 caliber glock on to my side and off I went.....

Below are are a few scenes from various spots along my little 3 mile walk around the village. I have to say, it was the best walk ever. I can't really explain it, but being cooped up inside in the Alaska winter can easily give you the blues in a bad way. Even though, 20 degrees seems cold to most of you, it was warm to me and the sunshine felt wonderful on my face. Even though I had a few moments of looking over my shoulder and wincing at every sound, I still managed to make it unscathed by any attack of wild predators. My confidence has been restored and I'm ready for yet, another wonderful walk...if only the temp would rise above 5 degrees today!

Look closely.....

It's the Pregnant Packin' Momma!

It's hard to tell, but I am holding a gun and am on the lookout for all that lurks nearby!

Common sights along the way....old decrepit boats along the frozen in the ice and snow along the shore of the lake.

Fish Camp. This is a tin shed for shelter against the wind and a drying station for hanging all the salmon after they've been split and gutted. They might even use the shed for smoking the fish, but I'm not really sure. In the background, you can see our beige house across bay.

I'm not sure if this was once a house or just a cabin for fishing, but it's abandoned now. There are a few of these all along the way on my walk.

A view of the mountains across the lake from another abandoned house.

Taking in all the landscapes.....tundra, to lake to mountains in the background.

BEAUTIFUL!

More tundra landscape.

Roadhouse Mountain.

Looking to the Northwest. To those of you that are familiar with Alaska's goings on....Pebble's Copper Mine is located just behind these mountains in the distance.

Boats and more decrepit homes or fishing camps.

Two barges that sit stranded in Roadhouse Bay - down the street from our house.

My Winter Hat Fashion Show

In a struggling effort to find more subject matter to write about in the bush, I decided to conduct my very own Winter Hat Fashion Show for everyone. I had grand plans to do this all by myself and was VERY DETERMINED one afternoon, but mother nature got the best of me. The temps were below zero and Bob was away in another village and so I was on my own to snap a few timer pics. However, with the wind howling and the temps not suited for any human being to be standing outside, my camera was having issues working and so were my fingers! The below pictures could be a lot better, but I gave up when all the boogers in my nose froze and I could no longer feel my limbs! I guess you'll get the picture....hopefully, anyway! Stay tuned for a better fashion show at a warmer later date......

I must also add that poor Bob suffered through this same weather as he is much tougher than me. He spent the same morning in MINUS 17 degree weather going through a shooting qualification with all of his guns and even laying in the snow! YIKES!! Way to go honey! You get the "Polar Bear Award" in my heart!

This is me posing as the really annoyed Alaska Bush Ninja. Ok, well, really it's me with my undercap that I wear beneath my other hats when we're out riding on the 4-wheeler or snow machine. Sorry this one was blurry. I was too cold to care anymore.

This one is more difficult to see as well. It was a knitted cap that was given to me by a friend in the village. I also decided to strap on my goggles to show how ridiculous I look when I'm riding the 4-wheeler. Do you think New York is ready for this new fashion show idea?

This is probably the best photo of the bunch! This is my new Arctic Fox Hat Bob got me for Christmas. Until now, it's been too warm to wear it, but was perfect for this weather. I have yet to perfect the actual style, but after living in Russia for a long time, I think I can manage to pull it off. Maybe I'll need to hunt down some material for a nice matching fur parka too. That might help with the look I was going for.

I'd like to title this picture.....

"Giant Q-Tip"

Whaddya think?

This is the same arctic fox hat, just with the sides tied up. I think it adds almost a foot to my heighth.

My most common every day hat. This one is small and convenient and most importantly....WARM! It has sides that cover my ears.

I have many more hat fashions to share, but will not bore you with all of them today. Last summer, I discovered that my previous winter hats (the hats I wore in the lower 48 and that were sufficient for the weather there) are only good enough for the SPRING AND SUMMER here! So, never fear! Soon, I will put on a summer hat fashion show. I'm sure it will be a crowd pleaser and one that will cause you all to flock to Alaska to enjoy mother nature and all her many personalities!

Pregnancy Update

I'm currently in the middle of my 12th week and excited to see what the 2nd trimester will bring. If I was honest, and most of you know me as being BRUTALLY HONEST, I'd have to say, so far, being pregnant hasn't been the greatest thing I've experienced. It's not really all it's cracked up to be. The majority of my first trimester was filled with horrific days of nauseousness, unbelievably tiredness and general uncomfortableness. I was lucky in the sense that I never threw up, but I don't really know what's better, feeling like you're always going to get sick or actually getting sick. I wasn't able to eat much of anything and actually lost about 7 lbs! Everything smelled horrible and I could hardly stand to be in the kitchen. Poor Bob had to do most of his own cooking during that time period, but he was a trooper (as his job requires....ha ha....no pun intended!) and hung in there and was incredibly supportive. Some of the most interesting side effects of the morning sickness was the fact that my sense of smell was incredibly heightened and it seemed as if everything bothered me. The other was that I had this horrible taste in my mouth that wouldn't seem to go away. I'd brush my teeth several times a day in hopes of getting rid of it, but it just made me feel worse and worse. Now that I'm able to eat a little more, I've recently discovered that the bad taste returns when I eat almost anything sugary. Very interesting. I think my body has been able to somehow tell me what nutrients I need and don't need according to my sickness and feelings. It's rather fascinating how it all works. I can't believe how intricate God created us so that our bodies and can somehow relay these messages to our brain.

While I was in New York, I was able to get to a fabric store and buy a few pieces of material for some projects. The below picture is what I settled on for a base fabric in the baby's room. I know, it's not like any traditional baby pattern, but I wanted to be different and go for a unique style that could go either boy or girl since we have not decided if we're going to find out the sex before the birth. With this busy pattern, I'll be able to pull out both blues and pinks and greens and even yellows for all kinds of additional accents. I'm going to try and make curtains out of this material and then maybe cover a bumper or something for the crib. We'll see how ambitious I get.

Since finding out I'm pregnant, Bob has had all kinds of funny quotes about the situation. Here are just a few:

"Our baby is going to have shaken baby syndrome before it's born as we drive over all these potholes in the 4-wheeler. Hang on baby!"

"Wanna take baby on it's first flight?"

(This was one afternoon after he greeted me in the truck after school. He wanted to go flying and thought it would be cool to take the baby up in the plane. Thank goodness I didn't get sick! It was a great flight except for learning that our breaks were out when we landed! Yikes! He's since fixed that problem.)

"Hi baby, this is your daddy. Listen to my voice and remember who I am, I'm the boss. You must do what I say, now don't forget that!"

(He's said this as he rubs my belly and speaks into my stomach.)

"Get our little blueberry and let's go."

(This was said to me after church one night in front of the other men at church. This was after we learned our little baby was the size of a blueberry that week. The funny thing was, one of the men at church responded with, "Be careful or you'll soon have a whole berry patch like we do!" ha ha!)

And the best quote yet.....

"Make sure you're not boiling my baby!"

(This was said while I was taking a bubble bath one night and he came in with the kitchen thermometer (used in baking bread) and stuck it in the tub to check the water temperature!)

Girlfriend Trip to New York!

About a week ago, I returned from New York (Rochester, NY) where I spent a wonderful week with many of my St. Louis girlfriends! It was a much needed break from the bush for me. Below, you'll see just a snippet of some of our times together. I'm so thankful to have such wonderful girlfriends! I hope all of you can somehow experience similar friendships in your own lives.

All the girls together....from the top left we have Lynn Kaste, Rachel Anderson, Amy Bowser, Lindy Minnick (me) and Vickie Sievers. If I do say so myself, we're a pretty good lookin' bunch of gals!

One of my first requests, was to go to a Panera Bread Company to eat. This was one of my favorite cafes while in St. Louis. Alaska does not have this cafe, so it was definitely on my list of things to do, along with lots and lots of shopping!

Rachel has a two daughters - Eva, who is 3 years old and Stella, who is 4 months old. I got lots of mommy practice in this week with playing with Eva and holding Stella. In this picture, I was teaching Eva how to make some bread. It was a fun task while we waited for Vickie and Lynn who were stranded in the Detroit airport due to weather.

This is me with baby Stella. I learned all kinds of things about babies this week and got lots and lots of practice holding and playing with Stella. It was so good for me to experience as I will be a new mommy in September! I even met with one of Rachel's friends who uses cloth diapers and got a rather interesting lesson in dealing with cloth diapers. I'm still debating using them right now, but it was fascinating to learn all about it.

One day, while we were waiting for Amy to get here from Brooklyn, we went to Rachel's gym to workout. Rachel is training to walk a half marathon! So, on this day, she had to do one of her long walks, 7 miles. So, Vickie and I went along with her and worked out on the machines for a bit and then walked the track with her, while we all sweated off the miles.

The girls surprised me with Baby Shower one evening. It was so special! They all gave me gift cards to Target and a few little extra things for our soon to be little one. We also decorated our very own little onsies! We made one with Bob in mind...."Daddy's Co-Pilot." So cute!!! We painted them and used some iron ons for some cute little sayings. I can't wait to take photos with baby Minnick all decked out in his or her new digs. Stay tuned in September for that!

More shower gifts.

Disclaimer: I'm using a new Macintosh computer to blog and I'm still working out the kinks with transferring photos from I-Photo to the blog. These pics seem a little blurry, so I apologize. Hopefully in time, I'll be able to improve with better quality on my photos!

Iditarod 2010

I've received a few questions from folks down south wondering what this "Iditarod" was all about. So, I thought I'd take a few minutes to explain the Iditarod, otherwise known as "The Last Great Race On Earth."

The Iditarod started back in the 1920's when the village of Nome was in dire need of medicine to prevent an outbreak of diphtheria from spreading. People were dying in large numbers and in order to prevent the epidemic from spreading, they delivered medicine via several teams of dog mushers (12 - 16 dogs and one human on a guide sled) across treacherous weather conditions in record time. After the historic trek, they celebrated the feat all the way across the nation....even in New York City! Thus began the new tradition of the "Last Great Race On Earth" where teams of dog mushers train and train and train and compete in the early parts of winter to get a spot in the amazing Iditarod race. Every year, they start in Anchorage and make their way across the state, some 1150 miles, over tundra, over mountain ranges, through forests, near fierce coastlines and all while fighting a fierce mother nature, to eventually slide pass the gates of Nome and celebrate their tiresome trek. The state watches via checkpoints, and nightly newscasts to see who is in the lead and which team has checked in at certain points and who has fallen into misfortune.

At the beginning of each Iditarod, Anchorage celebrates with an official kick-off festival. I have yet to get to Anchorage during this carnival, but one day hope to participate in festivities. They begin with a week long celebration with activities like:

The Frostbite Footrace

Snowshoe Softball

Outhouse Races

The Miners Ball

Carnival Rides

Native Games

and my personal favorite....Running With The Reindeer

We weren't able to see any of the qualifying dog sled races this year because we're too far out in the bush, but last year we saw the Tustamena 200 in Ninilchik. If you take a look at some of my old posts around January or February 2009, you'll see some of my photos from that race. It was really interesting.

If you're interested in reading more about the Iditarod or Fur Rondy, the kick-off celebrations, check out these websites. There are great photos and videos of some of the events listed above.

The Iditarod

Fur Rondy