Ok, so we are about 5 weeks pregnant now, and I think it took 3 positive pregnancy tests for me to really believe it. I'm a so excited to do it all over again. Morning sickness hasn't hit yet, I think that is why I can honestly say that right now. I hope and pray that it doesn't hit, but if it does, we know a lot more going into it this time than last.
So anyway, looking back, I can say that I knew I was pregnant before I got the positive test, here are some of the reasons
My period was over a week late
My boobs, got firmer, not bag of sand like firm, but more like very full water balloony
Migraines
My uterus felt different
Bloated, but not in a PMS way, more of a "heaviness" around my pubic bone
EMOTIONAL you can ask Phillip for proof. I'd get teary eyed listening to the radio
Ditzy, absent minded, forgetful, whatever you want to call it, I was a true Dory
Pickles and Ice cream actually made sense and sounded good first thing in the morning
I felt a kind of "twinge" in my womb
I had the "implantaion" cramping a couple weeks ago, thinking it was PMS
Sex drive SKY ROCKETED! If you have not been pregnant, there is no way you can begin to fathom a pregnancy orgasm....mmmmmm......
I became very lovey duby on Liam. I wanted to sleep with him, cuddle him, etc.
Finally....I got a positive test. I saw the line, Phillip and Marlene didn't, but the next morning I took another, and it was much darker. I called my neighbor to come over and "check" it for me, she said to wait a week and retest. Yeah right, I did another the next morning and was fully sold on the fact the I was, indeed pregnant.
I took a while to thank God for this baby, and ask him to have his hand on his/her life. And told him that I knew it was him who gave us this, because only he could line something like that up. After that, I had a firm talk with my body, saying "ok, we're pregnant. You have done this before, you are going to do it again. You know the hormones are normal, and you are going to do this without throwing up for 6 months." I like to think it listened. I can only believe it did.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Here we go.....
Ok, so yes, we want another baby, but I wasn't thinking it would happen this quick. Yes, we are pregnant. Yesterday I took a test because I was 13 days late, I knew I saw a very very very faint line. Phillip thought I was crazy. Whatever, so I took one this morning and YES there is as line, it's still faint, but much darker. So yes we are prego.
How this happened you ask? I thought you were going to wait a couple months after the IUD was out. Yes, we were, we were planning on waiting till February to start "trying" also so I could be taking prenatal vitamins for a couple months prior to conception. Well, this is how it happened. My Dr. didn't tell me that if you have sex a day or two before your IUD is taken out, that can get you pregnant. Since sperm is alive up to 5 days in a woman's body, and if the IUD is taken out around those days, and if you happen to be ovulating those days, and if the sperm survive the copper that was in the uterus, and if you happen to be fertile on the days the IUD removal, you CAN get pregnant. Yeah, that's a lot of qualifiers. Well, after looking up my cycle on an "ovulation chart", I put in 35 day long cycle (which mine are) and last day of menstrual cycle. This puts me ovulating on Dec 8th, the very day we had my IUD taken out. Yeah, after that included with the whole thing, I have to say, this is a God thing. There are too many, "ifs" to make this happen.
So that would put us around 3-4 weeks pregnant, due in Septemberish, and according to the Chinese calendar, we will have a girl. We will see. The good thing is, since we are having a homebirth, and we plan on using a lot of hydrotherapy, we are not going to have to worry about laboring in a tub in the winter, in cold water. So thank God for that!
Phillip still doesn't know. I think for dinner tonight, I'm going to make baby back ribs, baby veggies, baby spinach salad with baby bell cheese, and see if he gets the hint and figures it out. Also if ANYONE needs a great April fools gift for their significant other, I will be more than happy to pee on a stick for you!
Wish us Luck!
How this happened you ask? I thought you were going to wait a couple months after the IUD was out. Yes, we were, we were planning on waiting till February to start "trying" also so I could be taking prenatal vitamins for a couple months prior to conception. Well, this is how it happened. My Dr. didn't tell me that if you have sex a day or two before your IUD is taken out, that can get you pregnant. Since sperm is alive up to 5 days in a woman's body, and if the IUD is taken out around those days, and if you happen to be ovulating those days, and if the sperm survive the copper that was in the uterus, and if you happen to be fertile on the days the IUD removal, you CAN get pregnant. Yeah, that's a lot of qualifiers. Well, after looking up my cycle on an "ovulation chart", I put in 35 day long cycle (which mine are) and last day of menstrual cycle. This puts me ovulating on Dec 8th, the very day we had my IUD taken out. Yeah, after that included with the whole thing, I have to say, this is a God thing. There are too many, "ifs" to make this happen.
So that would put us around 3-4 weeks pregnant, due in Septemberish, and according to the Chinese calendar, we will have a girl. We will see. The good thing is, since we are having a homebirth, and we plan on using a lot of hydrotherapy, we are not going to have to worry about laboring in a tub in the winter, in cold water. So thank God for that!
Phillip still doesn't know. I think for dinner tonight, I'm going to make baby back ribs, baby veggies, baby spinach salad with baby bell cheese, and see if he gets the hint and figures it out. Also if ANYONE needs a great April fools gift for their significant other, I will be more than happy to pee on a stick for you!
Wish us Luck!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
BIRTH IS NOT AN ILLNESS
BIRTH IS NOT AN ILLNESS
Fortelesa Declaration - Recommendations from the World Health Organization 1985
These recommendations are taken from a report on Appropriate Technology for Birth published by the World
Health Organization in April 1985, and are known as the Fortelesa Declaration.
The recommendations are based on the principle that each woman has a fundamental right to receive proper
prenatal care; that the woman has a central role in all aspects of this care, including participation in the planning,
carrying out, and evaluation of the care; and that social, emotional and psychological factors are decisive in the
understanding and implementation of proper prenatal care.
» The whole community should be informed about the various procedures in birth care, to enable each woman to
choose the type of birth care she prefers.
» The training of professional midwives or birth attendants should be promoted. Care during normal pregnancy
and birth, and following birth should be the duty of this profession.
» Information about birth practices in hospitals (rates of caesarean section &c) should be given to the public
» There is no justification in any specific geographic region to have more than 10-15% caesarean section births.
» There is no evidence that a caesarean section is required after a previous transverse low segment caesarean
section birth. Vaginal deliveries after caesarean should normally be encouraged wherever emergency surgical
» There is no evidence that routine fetal monitoring during labour has a positive effect on the outcome of
» There is no evidence for pubic shaving or pre-delivery enema.
» Pregnant women should not be put in a lithotomy position during labour or delivery. They should be
encouraged to walk during labour and each woman must freely decide which position to adopt during delivery.
» The systematic use of episiotomy is not justified.
» Birth should not be induced for convenience, and the induction of labour should be reserved for specific
medical indications. No geographic region should have rates of induced labour over 10%.
» The routine administration of analgesic or anaesthetic drugs that are not specifically required to correct or
prevent a complication in delivery should be avoided.
» Artificial early rupture of the membranes, as a routine process, is not scientifically justified.
» The healthy newborn must remain with the mother, wherever both their conditions permit it. No process of
observation of the healthy newborn justifies a separation from the mother.
» The immediate beginning of breastfeeding should be promoted, even before the mother leaves the delivery
» Obstetric care services that have critical attitudes towards technology, and that have adopted an attitude of
respect for the emotional, psychological and social aspects of birth should be identified. Such services should be
encouraged and the processes that have led them to their position must be studied so that they can be used as
models to foster similar attitudes in other centres and to influence obstetrical views nation wide.
» Governments should consider developing regulations to permit the use of new birth technology only after
Sourced from http://www.homebirthaustralia.org/articles3.html#art2 .
Fortelesa Declaration - Recommendations from the World Health Organization 1985
These recommendations are taken from a report on Appropriate Technology for Birth published by the World
Health Organization in April 1985, and are known as the Fortelesa Declaration.
The recommendations are based on the principle that each woman has a fundamental right to receive proper
prenatal care; that the woman has a central role in all aspects of this care, including participation in the planning,
carrying out, and evaluation of the care; and that social, emotional and psychological factors are decisive in the
understanding and implementation of proper prenatal care.
» The whole community should be informed about the various procedures in birth care, to enable each woman to
choose the type of birth care she prefers.
» The training of professional midwives or birth attendants should be promoted. Care during normal pregnancy
and birth, and following birth should be the duty of this profession.
» Information about birth practices in hospitals (rates of caesarean section &c) should be given to the public
» There is no justification in any specific geographic region to have more than 10-15% caesarean section births.
» There is no evidence that a caesarean section is required after a previous transverse low segment caesarean
section birth. Vaginal deliveries after caesarean should normally be encouraged wherever emergency surgical
» There is no evidence that routine fetal monitoring during labour has a positive effect on the outcome of
» There is no evidence for pubic shaving or pre-delivery enema.
» Pregnant women should not be put in a lithotomy position during labour or delivery. They should be
encouraged to walk during labour and each woman must freely decide which position to adopt during delivery.
» The systematic use of episiotomy is not justified.
» Birth should not be induced for convenience, and the induction of labour should be reserved for specific
medical indications. No geographic region should have rates of induced labour over 10%.
» The routine administration of analgesic or anaesthetic drugs that are not specifically required to correct or
prevent a complication in delivery should be avoided.
» Artificial early rupture of the membranes, as a routine process, is not scientifically justified.
» The healthy newborn must remain with the mother, wherever both their conditions permit it. No process of
observation of the healthy newborn justifies a separation from the mother.
» The immediate beginning of breastfeeding should be promoted, even before the mother leaves the delivery
» Obstetric care services that have critical attitudes towards technology, and that have adopted an attitude of
respect for the emotional, psychological and social aspects of birth should be identified. Such services should be
encouraged and the processes that have led them to their position must be studied so that they can be used as
models to foster similar attitudes in other centres and to influence obstetrical views nation wide.
» Governments should consider developing regulations to permit the use of new birth technology only after
Sourced from http://www.homebirthaustralia.org/articles3.html#art2 .
Monday, December 21, 2009
Vent on "Birth Day"
Ok, after watching "Birth Day" on Discovery Health I am a little perplexed. The info on it said a look a birth over the past 250 years, and I think it was somewhat that, but QUITE misleading.
For starters, they talk about how in the 1800s homebirth was the only option, and no pain medication was an option. This is true. They then said that when birth moved to the hospital, it gave another option to women (something I am all about). They said that birth has been happening for thousands of years, and that it is not a medicalized "procedure". They then said how the woman is all in control. And how it was a perfect "delivery" (I won't get started on how much I hate that term). All of this is true for the most part and I agree with. But they portrayed something totally different.
1. Yes, home birth was the only option become women back then were (as they are now days) rarely "sick" enough to need medical assistance, and the assistance they got was from women who had been in the birthing business for years and some even had been to over 3000 births with no maternal or infant deaths. That's better than some OBs today, but by FAR better than ANY OB back in their day. When birth moved to the hospital, death, and illness rates went UP. They even talked about how Dr.s didn't wash their hands, and childhood fever spread to laboring women and caused many deaths. This obviously didn't happen at home births because, only one mom was laboring and birthing, not 100s.
2. Yes, birth did move to the hospital and gave another option. Women who were "high" class didn't see it fit to labor the way women did. Kinda like the now day Britney Spears mentality of "too posh to push". They didn't want to be on the same social level as women who were poverty stricken, so they went somewhere more socially fitting. If you don't know much about the history of birth in the hospital and what is "socially fitting", in the 50s and 60s, women were strapped down, gassed, and sent into hallucinations, seizures, and a type of psychosis because of the "pain medication" they used. In my opinion, if one of these "high class" women saw themselves, they would think this is anything but human, which is why we don't do that anymore.
3. Yes, birth has been happening thousands of years and it is not a medical procedure. Yes, complications do arise which every care provider (midwife and OBs) are and should be prepared for. If it is not a "procedure" as this OB stated, why then did he induce with no medical need (which is not FDA approved), attach continuous electronic fetal monitors, break her water, give her an epidural, hold her legs while pushing, and have her hold her breath and beard down, take her baby after he was born away, and then put baby in the nursery to "board"? This seems very medical to me.
4. The nurse said the mom was "in control the whole time". Bolonga! First, she couldn't move, then she was told how and when to push, then her baby was taken away to be weighed and measured and all that, then put in the nursery. Doesn't seem like the control I would want.
5. If you define a perfect delivery as no dead mom or baby, then yes it was perfect. No, the baby didn't have a "non reassuring heart tone", (which by the way has up to a 90% false negative rate, which means that 80% of the time that it says the baby is in "distress", there really is nothing wrong) The mom now has to recover from an epidural, a baby who is most likely sleepy from the epidural (and yes, epidural anesthesia does cross the placenta and it DOES affect the baby, not to mention the Pitocin the baby had to go through)
These are my thoughts, maybe mom's just don't know their options. Maybe they think that this is the best way birth can be in America. So here are my questions, as a mom, would you rather...
have labor induced artificially with all the risks that entails (there is a reason the FDA says DON'T DO IT) or just wait a week or so and go into labor on your own with much less strong contractions, and get all the good feeling hormones in with that (endorphins)?
Have your water broken and deal with a baby head on your cervix, loose that cushion for baby as well, and not have it for the second stage, if it doesn't break on it's own, to help "slide" the baby out, or would you like to keep that handy thing that God made for a reason?
Have an epidural or not have one and see if you can handle it without pain medicine, but at least you would be able to walk around and move and not worry about the baby getting any of the medication?
Push with legs pulled back, stretching perineum more likely to tear, hold breath, bearing down as hard as you can, for most moms it's longer than 4 pushes like this woman had, but for first time moms, it can be up to 4 hrs although most Dr. don't "let" you go more than 3 hrs before a cesarean. Or would you rather, move around, push when it is truly needed, not worry about tear or episiotomy, not hold your breath, and push for what some studies show an average of 10 min, first time moms included?
Have your baby taken away to be weighed and measures, or have that done with you, while he/she is in the bed lying next to you, possibly breastfeeding?
Have your baby put in the nursery, or room in cuddled close to your skin all warm and snuggly?
I know, trust me, me of all people, know that there a NEED for a medicalized birth. There is a need for Pitocin, Epidurals, Cesareans, and everything else. But these are interventions. That means, that the risk of not doing them is too risky than doing them. What would have happened if she waited a week, not needed Pitocin, most likely not needed an epidural, no had her water broken, not had baby taken away?
I'm not saying you have to have a homebirth to have a better birth than this. Your chances are certainly higher, but you have to know your options on what your rights are and what doesn't have to be done to you in the hospital, and what is actually safer, which a lot of times means just waiting, and letting your body do what God made it to do. God doesn't make junk, and this applies to women in childbirth as well. Do you really think he made your pelvis faulty, or your body unable to birth a baby? It made the baby all by itself without a Dr. telling it what to do, don't you think it would make sense that you can birth the baby? Have a caregiver who understands that birth is NORMAL, it's not something a woman needs to be "delivered" from.
I just want people to think. Think about how birth could be. It is beautiful. It is a supernatural thing that Dr.s can't explain but you get to experience. There are ways to even make a cesarean beautiful. A good birth experience doesn't mean you have to go without a healthy baby or healthy mom. They go hand in hand, and if more birth experiences were normalized, I'm SURE we would have healthier babies and moms on MANY levels.
For starters, they talk about how in the 1800s homebirth was the only option, and no pain medication was an option. This is true. They then said that when birth moved to the hospital, it gave another option to women (something I am all about). They said that birth has been happening for thousands of years, and that it is not a medicalized "procedure". They then said how the woman is all in control. And how it was a perfect "delivery" (I won't get started on how much I hate that term). All of this is true for the most part and I agree with. But they portrayed something totally different.
1. Yes, home birth was the only option become women back then were (as they are now days) rarely "sick" enough to need medical assistance, and the assistance they got was from women who had been in the birthing business for years and some even had been to over 3000 births with no maternal or infant deaths. That's better than some OBs today, but by FAR better than ANY OB back in their day. When birth moved to the hospital, death, and illness rates went UP. They even talked about how Dr.s didn't wash their hands, and childhood fever spread to laboring women and caused many deaths. This obviously didn't happen at home births because, only one mom was laboring and birthing, not 100s.
2. Yes, birth did move to the hospital and gave another option. Women who were "high" class didn't see it fit to labor the way women did. Kinda like the now day Britney Spears mentality of "too posh to push". They didn't want to be on the same social level as women who were poverty stricken, so they went somewhere more socially fitting. If you don't know much about the history of birth in the hospital and what is "socially fitting", in the 50s and 60s, women were strapped down, gassed, and sent into hallucinations, seizures, and a type of psychosis because of the "pain medication" they used. In my opinion, if one of these "high class" women saw themselves, they would think this is anything but human, which is why we don't do that anymore.
3. Yes, birth has been happening thousands of years and it is not a medical procedure. Yes, complications do arise which every care provider (midwife and OBs) are and should be prepared for. If it is not a "procedure" as this OB stated, why then did he induce with no medical need (which is not FDA approved), attach continuous electronic fetal monitors, break her water, give her an epidural, hold her legs while pushing, and have her hold her breath and beard down, take her baby after he was born away, and then put baby in the nursery to "board"? This seems very medical to me.
4. The nurse said the mom was "in control the whole time". Bolonga! First, she couldn't move, then she was told how and when to push, then her baby was taken away to be weighed and measured and all that, then put in the nursery. Doesn't seem like the control I would want.
5. If you define a perfect delivery as no dead mom or baby, then yes it was perfect. No, the baby didn't have a "non reassuring heart tone", (which by the way has up to a 90% false negative rate, which means that 80% of the time that it says the baby is in "distress", there really is nothing wrong) The mom now has to recover from an epidural, a baby who is most likely sleepy from the epidural (and yes, epidural anesthesia does cross the placenta and it DOES affect the baby, not to mention the Pitocin the baby had to go through)
These are my thoughts, maybe mom's just don't know their options. Maybe they think that this is the best way birth can be in America. So here are my questions, as a mom, would you rather...
have labor induced artificially with all the risks that entails (there is a reason the FDA says DON'T DO IT) or just wait a week or so and go into labor on your own with much less strong contractions, and get all the good feeling hormones in with that (endorphins)?
Have your water broken and deal with a baby head on your cervix, loose that cushion for baby as well, and not have it for the second stage, if it doesn't break on it's own, to help "slide" the baby out, or would you like to keep that handy thing that God made for a reason?
Have an epidural or not have one and see if you can handle it without pain medicine, but at least you would be able to walk around and move and not worry about the baby getting any of the medication?
Push with legs pulled back, stretching perineum more likely to tear, hold breath, bearing down as hard as you can, for most moms it's longer than 4 pushes like this woman had, but for first time moms, it can be up to 4 hrs although most Dr. don't "let" you go more than 3 hrs before a cesarean. Or would you rather, move around, push when it is truly needed, not worry about tear or episiotomy, not hold your breath, and push for what some studies show an average of 10 min, first time moms included?
Have your baby taken away to be weighed and measures, or have that done with you, while he/she is in the bed lying next to you, possibly breastfeeding?
Have your baby put in the nursery, or room in cuddled close to your skin all warm and snuggly?
I know, trust me, me of all people, know that there a NEED for a medicalized birth. There is a need for Pitocin, Epidurals, Cesareans, and everything else. But these are interventions. That means, that the risk of not doing them is too risky than doing them. What would have happened if she waited a week, not needed Pitocin, most likely not needed an epidural, no had her water broken, not had baby taken away?
I'm not saying you have to have a homebirth to have a better birth than this. Your chances are certainly higher, but you have to know your options on what your rights are and what doesn't have to be done to you in the hospital, and what is actually safer, which a lot of times means just waiting, and letting your body do what God made it to do. God doesn't make junk, and this applies to women in childbirth as well. Do you really think he made your pelvis faulty, or your body unable to birth a baby? It made the baby all by itself without a Dr. telling it what to do, don't you think it would make sense that you can birth the baby? Have a caregiver who understands that birth is NORMAL, it's not something a woman needs to be "delivered" from.
I just want people to think. Think about how birth could be. It is beautiful. It is a supernatural thing that Dr.s can't explain but you get to experience. There are ways to even make a cesarean beautiful. A good birth experience doesn't mean you have to go without a healthy baby or healthy mom. They go hand in hand, and if more birth experiences were normalized, I'm SURE we would have healthier babies and moms on MANY levels.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Final Decision on Midwife
Ok, so we have decided on a midwife, her name is Christy Tashjian. She is wonderful. After interviewing around 7 different midwives, we have decided on her for many reasons. I found that the midwives were either very informative, very knowledgeable, and gave you a lot of information. This was great. It seemed to me that I had a better connection with the type of midwife who is more laid back, pro-Doula, and really wanted me to be in control of the birth. There were a few that I had a really hard time choosing between. It turns out that the ones that I didn't choose, but loved, also worked very closely with Christy, so there is a high chance that I will see them in the future. The one that I really loved, agreed that Christy was a perfect fit for me, and that she also works as Christy's assistant midwife during births.
A little background on Christy, she has two kids. Her son was born after a desired natural childbirth, prolonged labor due to his head being asynclitic, and then born by cesarean section. Yeah, sounds a whole lot like us. The second baby, was born at home with a midwife who she still works very closely with. HBAC (home birth after cesarean) is not something scary to her. When she was pregnant, she was more concerned about prolonged labor and getting "stuck" like last time. I can really identify with her on that. In case you were wondering, midwives now days, aren't little old ladies who don't speak english, and bring only a stick to bite on and a knife to put under the bed to "cut the pain". They also don't do voodoo, or witchcraft, and don't ask for hot water every two minutes like you see on old movies. They are trained for normal birth, and trained to support a woman through labor. The are also trained to screen and notice high risk issues that arise and all of them work with OBs as their back up for questions they may have. They don't do cesareans, they don't do IVs (unless positive strep B can't be controlled), they don't give epidurals, but they are all very skilled in hyro-therapy, maybe that is where the hot water comes in? If you have more concerns, look her up online, or ask me.
As far as VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) is concerned. Yes, it is safe. And yes, it is possible. No, you will not explode. There is a chance of uterine rupture, but that varies with the way a caregiver practices. Most OBs are "scared" of this, because it CAN be life threatening in a small percentage of the time. It is less common than other scary situations, like placenta previa, prolapsed cord and so on. When weighing the risks of VBAC compared to repeat cesarean, a mom is 4 times more likely to die with a RC (repeat cesarean), a hysterectomy is 2 times more likely with a RC, a blood transfusion is about 50% more likely, infection is almost 2 times more likely, Infant breathing problems are about 4 times more likely, serious problems with infant breathing are 4 times more likely, plus you couple in the expense, the postpartum depression increase, breastfeeding troubles, longer recovery (6 weeks compared to a few days) plus the fact that you are in a hospital, and have to deal with unwanted people. Also, bonding is severely postponed in a RC. Keep in mind, these so scary uterine ruptures also happen in moms who have never had a cesarean, let alone a baby. One midwife I spoke with has been to over 400 VBACs and never had any uterine rupture. If a mom is induced, or given stimulants such as Pitocin during labor, rupture then becomes a concern. Most Dr. aren't trained in supporting natural childbirth, so in that case, it is best to either find a Dr. who is, or hire a midwife instead or opt for a doula to be at your birth with the OB.
As far as home birth is concerned, it's been studied for years and years and every time proven to be as safe or safer than hospital birth. Interestingly enough, in my situation (HBAC) one study was taken where mom's opting for home birth were 89% of the time successful with a vaginal birth, only 6% needed a hospital transfer (non-emergency). Now, with the hospital study, 65% were successful with a vaginal birth. BIG difference. Otherwise, if you think about it, hospitals are for sick people, and sick people's germs. The rates of cesarean, episiotomy, Pitocin, need for anesthesia, infections, and complications are all higher in hospitals compared to home. We see birth as a natural, normal event, that is no more harder on a mom than digestion, elimination, and so forth, as long as she is HEALTHY. This is important. Exercise, diet, and nutrition are more important than prenatal visits. Yes, prenatals are VERY important, especially when planning a home birth, that should give you an idea of how important the others are. I am not against hospital births for everyone. Some women (high risk) need an OBs care. That is where they should go. If a woman feels "safer" in a hospital, that is where she needs to go. I do also feel that is homebirth was more supported by the medical community, it would be perceived differently by moms, and there fore, more moms would choose it as the safer option.
We also plan having a Doula at the birth for me and Phillip. We have narrowed it down to 2 or 3, but don't need to worry about getting that set in stone till we are actually pregnant. We picked a midwife prior to pregnancy, given the preparation that is suggested before conception. The two Doulas have TONS of experience, one trains Doulas for certification for DONA, she is the one who is going to be facilitating the training I am going to be taking in April. The other is the main spokes person for ICAN (international cesarean awareness network) here in Austin. She deals a lot with VBACs and emotional recovery for past births/experiences. I have very high hopes for both of them, and know I will be in good hands either way. From the midwifery community, it seems there are two of the best of the best out there in what they do.
A little background on Christy, she has two kids. Her son was born after a desired natural childbirth, prolonged labor due to his head being asynclitic, and then born by cesarean section. Yeah, sounds a whole lot like us. The second baby, was born at home with a midwife who she still works very closely with. HBAC (home birth after cesarean) is not something scary to her. When she was pregnant, she was more concerned about prolonged labor and getting "stuck" like last time. I can really identify with her on that. In case you were wondering, midwives now days, aren't little old ladies who don't speak english, and bring only a stick to bite on and a knife to put under the bed to "cut the pain". They also don't do voodoo, or witchcraft, and don't ask for hot water every two minutes like you see on old movies. They are trained for normal birth, and trained to support a woman through labor. The are also trained to screen and notice high risk issues that arise and all of them work with OBs as their back up for questions they may have. They don't do cesareans, they don't do IVs (unless positive strep B can't be controlled), they don't give epidurals, but they are all very skilled in hyro-therapy, maybe that is where the hot water comes in? If you have more concerns, look her up online, or ask me.
As far as VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) is concerned. Yes, it is safe. And yes, it is possible. No, you will not explode. There is a chance of uterine rupture, but that varies with the way a caregiver practices. Most OBs are "scared" of this, because it CAN be life threatening in a small percentage of the time. It is less common than other scary situations, like placenta previa, prolapsed cord and so on. When weighing the risks of VBAC compared to repeat cesarean, a mom is 4 times more likely to die with a RC (repeat cesarean), a hysterectomy is 2 times more likely with a RC, a blood transfusion is about 50% more likely, infection is almost 2 times more likely, Infant breathing problems are about 4 times more likely, serious problems with infant breathing are 4 times more likely, plus you couple in the expense, the postpartum depression increase, breastfeeding troubles, longer recovery (6 weeks compared to a few days) plus the fact that you are in a hospital, and have to deal with unwanted people. Also, bonding is severely postponed in a RC. Keep in mind, these so scary uterine ruptures also happen in moms who have never had a cesarean, let alone a baby. One midwife I spoke with has been to over 400 VBACs and never had any uterine rupture. If a mom is induced, or given stimulants such as Pitocin during labor, rupture then becomes a concern. Most Dr. aren't trained in supporting natural childbirth, so in that case, it is best to either find a Dr. who is, or hire a midwife instead or opt for a doula to be at your birth with the OB.
As far as home birth is concerned, it's been studied for years and years and every time proven to be as safe or safer than hospital birth. Interestingly enough, in my situation (HBAC) one study was taken where mom's opting for home birth were 89% of the time successful with a vaginal birth, only 6% needed a hospital transfer (non-emergency). Now, with the hospital study, 65% were successful with a vaginal birth. BIG difference. Otherwise, if you think about it, hospitals are for sick people, and sick people's germs. The rates of cesarean, episiotomy, Pitocin, need for anesthesia, infections, and complications are all higher in hospitals compared to home. We see birth as a natural, normal event, that is no more harder on a mom than digestion, elimination, and so forth, as long as she is HEALTHY. This is important. Exercise, diet, and nutrition are more important than prenatal visits. Yes, prenatals are VERY important, especially when planning a home birth, that should give you an idea of how important the others are. I am not against hospital births for everyone. Some women (high risk) need an OBs care. That is where they should go. If a woman feels "safer" in a hospital, that is where she needs to go. I do also feel that is homebirth was more supported by the medical community, it would be perceived differently by moms, and there fore, more moms would choose it as the safer option.
We also plan having a Doula at the birth for me and Phillip. We have narrowed it down to 2 or 3, but don't need to worry about getting that set in stone till we are actually pregnant. We picked a midwife prior to pregnancy, given the preparation that is suggested before conception. The two Doulas have TONS of experience, one trains Doulas for certification for DONA, she is the one who is going to be facilitating the training I am going to be taking in April. The other is the main spokes person for ICAN (international cesarean awareness network) here in Austin. She deals a lot with VBACs and emotional recovery for past births/experiences. I have very high hopes for both of them, and know I will be in good hands either way. From the midwifery community, it seems there are two of the best of the best out there in what they do.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Going again 2
Ok, so we had our first interview with a midwife. She was nice, but I don't think she is the one for us. She didn't have a lot of experience with VBACs, and I think she was more nervous about it than I was. She had only been to 350 births, and she seemed kinda, combative in a way. She also wasn't very experienced in breastfeeding, and reverted to the "nipple shield" way too early than I would think necessary. Not really what we are looking for.
I have heard from many of the midwives that after having an IUD, it's best to wait a couple months after it is removed to let the uterine lining heal. Makes perfect sense. That means we will probably start trying around Feb. Now, whether or not we have PCOS, can make all the difference in that being the conception month. I hope it is, because I am ready, and I don't want to pick a midwife and go through preconception counseling, and not use her prenatally for 6 months or so. I would like to, if possible, avoid the third trimester in the heat of the summer. That could be bad, although, last time it wasn't too bad. Liam was born on July 30th, and I really wasn't too uncomfortable at the end. Besides the need for the occasional hot bath and foot rub, I was good. Maybe, that will repeat itself. I hope the morning sickness doesn't. That was TERRIBLE. That's the only thing Phillip and I worry about. At least this time, we will know what to do if it happens, and we have more help.
Another interview tomorrow, then two next week. Wish us Luck!
I have heard from many of the midwives that after having an IUD, it's best to wait a couple months after it is removed to let the uterine lining heal. Makes perfect sense. That means we will probably start trying around Feb. Now, whether or not we have PCOS, can make all the difference in that being the conception month. I hope it is, because I am ready, and I don't want to pick a midwife and go through preconception counseling, and not use her prenatally for 6 months or so. I would like to, if possible, avoid the third trimester in the heat of the summer. That could be bad, although, last time it wasn't too bad. Liam was born on July 30th, and I really wasn't too uncomfortable at the end. Besides the need for the occasional hot bath and foot rub, I was good. Maybe, that will repeat itself. I hope the morning sickness doesn't. That was TERRIBLE. That's the only thing Phillip and I worry about. At least this time, we will know what to do if it happens, and we have more help.
Another interview tomorrow, then two next week. Wish us Luck!
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