About
Meet Serra
My family and I continue to strive for a natural living lifestyle. I am a RN with a love for herbal medicine, natural birth, home birth and homesteading.
Hello! I’m Serra
Welcome to Pioneer Health Homestead! This is not your typical blog. I am passionate about a natural living, natural birth, home birth and homesteading lifestyle. As a registered nurse, I have seen and learned a lot about what true health entails. I have come to recognize how our medical and food systems are broken.
Here, I am sharing these lessons learned to all of you who are searching for answers. This has been a very long journey for myself and my family. I continue to learn new things every single day and just how to implement changes in our lives. This is not always an easy thing to do, and I hope that by creating Pioneer Health Ministry and the Pioneer Health and Homestead blog, that I can help others along this journey to better health.
My Background
Many years ago, I entered the medical field as a medical assistant and quickly went into the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. In the Navy I served on the labor and delivery and the medical/surgical units for several years. It was while in the Navy that I challenged the LVN board and obtained my LVN license in California. Once I was a civilian again, I was able to continue my education in the nursing field. I went to California State University of Sacramento (CSUS) and completed the LVN to RN program. Shortly after that I finished my RN to BSN program.
I’ve held a multitude of different jobs such as a nurse at the Folsom state prison, working in skilled and assisted nursing facilities, managing dementia facilities and hospice teams. Most recently I was working in hospitals for bedside patient care. I was working on different adult units such as cardiac, neurology, orthopedic, medical and surgical and some others.
Journey to Natural Living
During these different jobs, I was seeing the medical system up close and personal. I was noticing that there wasn’t much healing happening but Band-Aids being put in place and the revolving door kept moving. In my eyes, this was not how the medical system should operate.
I was also battling personal health issues, migraines and infertility. I was barely functioning a lot of the time and constantly in and out of the emergency room for the migraines. Doctors could not tell me why I was having fertility issues or the inability to lose weight. Finally, with no medical explanation or medication could be given to help, I turned to “alternative medicine” such as essential oils. From there it was one thing after another: changing the foods we ate, learning about fragrances and other chemicals in our everyday lives and herbal medicines.
This has been a long journey and I’m still not where I want to be, but it does take time. It’s not something that can happen overnight unfortunately. I am still making swaps here and there as I can.
I have a passion for educating others on how they can make small changes to further their journey into natural living.
Natural Living, Birth and Homesteading Advocate
As I write this, I am currently pregnant with our 5th child. We are planning on our 3rd home birth, God willing. I am a huge advocate for home birth, or natural birth in general. If you’re interested in my birth experiences, please see the video HERE. I discuss my 2 first hospital births and what led us to home birth for the last 2 of our children thus far.
I also have a blog post on home birth to help encourage and empower women. You can find that post HERE. Please comment on your experiences or hesitations on the blog post so I can get to know my readers.
Homesteading Journey
Right before 2020 lockdowns hit, I was already planning my first ever backyard garden. From there it was chickens and then goats for a short time. I have over a 2000 sq ft raised bed garden on our 0.36-acre home in Paradise, California. We are still raising chickens and one day would love to have more property for livestock again. However, I am learning all I can about food sustainability and preserving. Along with continuing my gardening skills for the day I can have a large-scale farm.
My YouTube channel shows my progress in learning to homestead over the past several years. Please follow me there and let me know what you think.
We also homeschool our children. I love bringing them alongside me as I’m learning so that they can grow up learning healthier lifestyle habits.
- The Best Temp for Herbal Tea: Guide for Optimal Brewing
The Best Temp for Herbal Tea: Guide for Optimal Brewing What is the Best Temp for Herbal Tea? What You’ll Learn in This Guide The best temp for herbal tea is key to unlocking the full flavors and health benefits of your brew. In this guide, tea lovers will discover the ideal brewing temperatures for… - How to Make a Quick Fire Cider Recipe for the Cold and Flu
How to Make a Quick Fire Cider Recipe for the Cold and Flu Quick Fire Cider Recipe for Cold and Flu When the cold season sets in, it’s the perfect time to boost your immune system with a natural remedy. A quick fire cider recipe is a traditional folk remedy packed with immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory… - Benefits of Homemade Soap: Reasons for Natural and Handmade
Benefits of Homemade Soap: Reasons for Natural and Handmade Introduction to the Benefits of Homemade Soap The benefits of homemade soap are gaining attention as people prioritize natural products in personal care routines. Unlike commercial soaps, homemade soap offers natural, skin-friendly alternatives made with high-quality ingredients. It’s a better choice for health-conscious individuals. This article… - The Best Home Remedies for Ear Infection While Pregnant
The Best Home Remedies for Ear Infection While Pregnant Introduction to Ear Infections During Pregnancy Home remedies for ear infection while pregnant are often sought by expectant mothers dealing with the discomfort of ear pain. Pregnancy can weaken the immune system, making you more vulnerable to ear infections. Hormonal changes and increased blood flow during… - The Best Herbal Medicine Recipes: Natural Healing with Herbs
The Best Herbal Medicine Recipes: Natural Healing with Herbs Rise of Herbal Medicine In this post, we’ll explore herbal medicine recipes that are simple to make and can be used for a variety of common ailments. Whether you’re looking to strengthen your immune system, relieve a sore throat, or treat skin issues, there’s a recipe… - Herbalism for Beginners: Comprehensive and Practical Guide
Herbalism for Beginners: Comprehensive and Practical Guide Herbalism for Beginners In this blog post, I will discuss that herbalism for beginners can be a wonderful way to explore the healing power of nature. Herbalism is the practice of using plants for medicinal purposes, and it has been around for centuries. In ancient times, people relied…