The First Step

In life it seems there is always a beginning and an end. Before something starts, it isn’t. Yet once it does, it is as though it’s always been that way. When a first date transformed into a first kiss which led to our first dance, I knew life with him had been blessed.

Six years ago, my motherhood journey began. Sheer elation consumed us, as we started to dream and plan and imagine what this tiny human would be like.

In life, there is almost always an end to every beautiful beginning. And ten weeks into our very first pregnancy, our babies went to heaven. After too many tears, emotions, no answers and countless numb conversations, we met with a new doctor. He suggested multiple medications, injections and exploratory surgery. It didn’t feel like the right thing to do, but we wanted our miracle baby. I wanted to fill my lifelong dream of becoming a mommy. We decided to wait 6 months before trying any “medical marvels” they offered.

The beauty of being human, is that we are all uniquely and wonderfully made. Some a little more or less unique than others I suppose. Ive always been one to find my own way. At a young age, my independent self researched everything. I. Mean. Everything. And this situation was to be no different. I dove into the WHY of my lab work, my “condition” and the HOW behind it all.

One month later, after almost a decade of horrendously painful and long cycles, and a slew of other daily symptoms, I had the very first normal, painless cycle in the history of ever. A few weeks after that, we saw those bittersweet two pink lines. The excitement was gone, and fear set in. But we fought it, and prayed, and went back to that office to hear the most precious heartbeat. I remember there were hot air balloons painted on the ceiling- and thought, how symbolic of this all. When we took a hot air balloon ride the past year for my birthday, we woke up early, smiles on our faces. Without hesitation, we hopped into that rickety basket, alongside a stranger, and thoroughly enjoyed the most stunning of sunrises. We landed, had some beautiful photos, and a forever memory.

So, why was the beginning of this new pregnancy so different? Why were we so afraid to jump into this new yet familiar experience with delight? Trust. Our whole lives, we had been conditioned to trust medical people who “knew better” than we did. We just did as they said, no questions asked.
Except this time. We didn’t accept the “keep trying” mentality, or the surgical intervention. We sought God, and the wisdom of natural living.

What ensued was the most perfect, handsome little boy I had ever seen. Sure, we broke the mold and used food, herbs, and cleansing to get to him. But all it took, was the first step. It required us seeking answers to find what had been missing all of our lives.

Sometimes, it’s very difficult to bring up our children the way we do. The Standard American Diet and technology dependency are very real things, which we choose to avoid at all cost. Would it be easier to hop into the “basket” and do as most everyone else does? As we had also been raised? Of course! But we didn’t, we are not, and we will not. While there is certainly a much needed presence of the traditional medical community I have seen first-hand, it needs a renovation. An upgrade, to include prevention, nutrition, exercise, and alternative therapy.

I’m Danielle. We are the Gaynors. Our story is messy, our kids are happy. We choose to break the mold, to lead healthy children. I want to share with anyone who will listen, that we have the ability to change things. We are the gatekeepers for our families. Only we decide what comes into our homes and goes into our bodies. This is where I will share our experiences, some slip-ups, grace, and lots of laughter. This is different, this is raw. THIS is Raising Kale.