Homebirth Announcement

My online friend, Peach, had her baby at home this morning at 5:14am.  It was an unassisted birth, no midwife, and baby and momma are doing very well.  Peach is an inspiration...oh, how I wish I could birth this baby at home.  I HATE the hospital, and everyone in it.  I hate the birthing, the nursing, the doctors, the visitors, the beds, the nurses, the lab workers, etc.  Okay, I'd better stop complaining.  I actually have a plan.  Starting tomorrow, I'm going up to the hospital once a week until the baby is born.  I'll be taking the nurses cookies or treats of some kind.  This is my attempt to humanize ourselves to each other.  So, instead of seeing me as a patient, they see me as a person.  We'll see if it works.

9:15 AM - Nov. 2, 2006 - comments {1} - post comment

Preparing for Birth

My newest blessing is due December 20th.  I'm hoping that this one makes an early appearance.  My #2 came 4 weeks early, and was perfectly healthy.  It was nice to get out of that last month of carrying around a huge pregnant belly.  But, my #3 threatened not to come at all, and eventually, came the day before his due date.

I've read that women who walk daily have shorter labors and deliver an average of 5 days earlier.  That would be great.  I don't walk as much as I need to, but hopefully, I will get going!

I've been rereading my birth story from #3 in order to prepare for this birth.  Even though things went downhill when we got to the hospital, and I ended up with my second c-section, it was a good experience of labor.  SO, I'm going over it to get ideas of how to be better prepared.  Here's my birth story.

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MotherJoy/76325/

Ways to Improve This Birth

1. Stay rested, especially if labor is light during the night.  GET SLEEP!

2. Stay hydrated.  I was prepared with Gatorade, but I wasn't diligent about sipping after every contraction. 

3. Stay on top of the contractions.  Basically, don't get overwhelmed.  Deal with one contraction at a time.

9:26 AM - Oct. 31, 2006 - comments {1} - post comment

C-Sections

My friend is having her c-section right this very minute.  I'm praying that all goes well, and that God is in control in the operating room.

I've had two c-sections.  The first was for ignorance, the second was for fear.  The birth story for my failed VBAC is here.

Now, I'm pregnant again and trying hard to understand what to do.  I abhor c-sections, I think they go against nature.  I think the medical community has absolutely destroyed birth, and there aren't many places for women to turn to get support and encouragment to birth as God designed. 

Here are my current resources for childbirth.  If you are  pregnant, please get ahold of some of these.  I know that books are expensive, but barter or try the library.  Its so important for women to be aware and knowledgable about birth and to make informed decisions.

Christ Centered Childbirth by Kelly Townsend

40 Weeks by Jennifer Vanderlaan

Lord of Birth by Jennifer Vanderlaan

Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize

Prayers and Petitions for Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize

I want to add one thing.  A wonderful, beautiful labor and delivery is completely possible.  Up until the time that I went to the hospital with #3, my labor was only minimally painful, and I showed up at 6-7 cms!  Once I got to the hospital, the fear and pain took over.

I encourage you to post your birth stories or links to your birth stories in the comments section.  I would love to have a wealth of info from women to draw from.  Thank you.

7:46 AM - Jun. 29, 2006 - comments {1} - post comment

Midwife appointment that never happened...

I guess that I got the date wrong or something, though I'm sure that I didn't.  When I showed up at the office, they were closed!  What a waste of time, but I prayed that God's will be done at the appointment, so maybe this is part of His talking to me.

8:42 PM - May. 29, 2006 - comments {1} - post comment

Midwife appointment and more VBA2C stuff..

Ladies, if you remember or stop by here today, I'm begging for you prayers.  No, its nothing serious.  I've had one v*ginal birth followed by two c-sections.  I do not want to be cut open again.  However, the medical establishment is against me, and my hubby is against homebirth. 

I will not step out from under the protection of my husband's authority.  I ask you to pray for two things...that my husband and I, together in unity, are able to seek God's will for this birth and have the peace that passes understanding.  I also ask you to pray that everything that happens at the appointment (Monday,May 29 at 3:45 EST) will be GOd's will.

Thank you for your prayers.  I haven't blog hopped much lately, but I promise to stop in and check on your blogs. 

10:04 PM - May. 28, 2006 - comments {2} - post comment

Baby is Here

Here is a pic of our newest little one.  He looks the least like me, and the most like his father.  It isn't as evident right away, meaning, that when we look at him we don't say "Oh, he looks just like Daddy!"  However, he is the spitting image of daddy's baby photos.  His hair looks like it might turn out to be red, just like daddy's.  

Birthday:  January  2006 (1 day before his due date)

Birth Weight:  10 lbs, 10 oz  (Mommy had NO idea he was so big.  I actually thought he would be a little baby becuase he moved so much the last month.)

Like:  bottle, blanket, being held by mommy and daddy

Dislike:  When big brother tickles his feet

12:04 PM - Feb. 7, 2006 - comments {2} - post comment

The Birth

I have been wanting to write about the birth for some time now, but each time I tried to describe it in words, I started to cry.  Tears don't seem to be a burden today, and my heart is settled and content with all that happened. 

On Tuesday, Jan 24th, I went into the midwive's office to have my bp and protein checked.  Praise God, both were great.  The midwife stripped my membranes at 10:30 to get things going.  She wanted me to have an NST, just to make sure that baby was doing well.  So, off to the hospital we go.  Hubby and the boys are with me, so it is a real circus.   I began to have light contractions at around 11:30, and they continue while I'm being monitored at the hospital.  They are around 5 minutes apart, but not very strong.  We met a great nurse who did the NST, Donna.  She will end up being my labor nurse the following day.

We finally (all four of us) get home around 2:30 pm after stopping to rent a movie (Flight Plan) and get some lunch (Willy T's - hubby's favortie chicken place.)  The boys have been stuck inside all day at doctor's offices, so we all march outside to swing and play.  Around 3:45 I notice that the contractions seem to be regular, so I start timing them with the clock function on our phone.  The sky was perfectly blue, and my boys kept me well entertained with a frisbee.  The contractions were regular and getting slightly strong for the next hour.     Hubby and I were in the "excited" phase. 

At 5:00 we head inside with the boys and start making phone calls.  We want to let my parents know that something may be happening.  They will be our childcare for the duration of labor and beyond.  Also, hubby's parents are in the gulf area, helping with hurricane Katrina relief, and we need to give them some warning, so they can be on their way back.  

Contractions continue steadily between 5:00 and 8:00 pm.  I make some cookies for the nurses, as a bribe, and burn the first batch.  My family eats the burnt batch, of course, and the good cookies are wrapped up for the nurses.  Hubby and I wrangle the kids to bed, and get excited about what will be happening.  The contractions seem to become irregular.

I really want to watch the movie we rented so I labor on the floor in the living room using my son's bean bag as a support.  It really helped...even better than a birthing ball!  Movement helps to ease the contractions.  The movie was pretty lame, so we regret spending the $ and time to watch it.  

I try to lay down at 11:00 to time the ctx, but I'm too antsy.  Hindsight:  I should have forced myself to go to sleep.  I ended up getting tired at the end of the labor and this may have been avoided.  I putter around the kitchen and clean up the dishes.  I have to stop for contractions, but I'm still smiling and laughing at my goofball husband. 

At 12:00 midnight my husband decides to go into work to tie up some lose strings.  He's been off for three days due to my bedrest, and needs to get some things prepared for his paternity leave.  I decide to labor in the tub for awhile.  I'm not sure how long I lay there, but it felt so good just to be warm.  When I get out of the tub, the ctx are getting more intense and seem to be coming a little quicker.  So I curl up in bed with my timer and start to time them.  I doze off in between the ctx and I'm just soooooo comfy under all my covers.  The ctx are coming about 4 minutes apart, and they began getting strong enough where I don't want to be alone any longer.   I call my husband at work and ask him to come on home.  The pain isn't horrendous, but I really just need my husband's physical presence.  I just want him to be next to me, touching me, encouraging me through the ctx.

He gets home around 2:30am and lays with me.  Some of the ctx become intense enough for me to be frightened.  But, its mostly in my head, because as soon as he touches me I calm down.  We both lay in bed, falling in and out of sleep for about an hour.  Hubby has really dozed off, and I know he'll need his rest for the remainder of the labor.  So, I get back into the warm tub around 4:00.  I even fall asleep in there at some point. 

Now, I'm so tired that I'm having trouble relaxing.  I want to sleep, but the ctx aren't really allowing that.  Hubby helps me to calm down, and at 6:00am we decide to have my parents come and get the boys.  Since they will be waking up around 7:00, we really need them to be taken care of, so hubby can focus on me.  

We labor for awhile longer, and then call the midwife at 8:30 am.  She returns the call quickly and has us go into the office to be checked before we head to the hospital.  Both hubby and I are glad for this.  We don't want to go to the hospital before five cms, so this is perfect.  We pack up all of our stuff and get to the office around 9:30.  The ctx seem to have stopped, so I'm really dissappointed.  I finally have another intense ctx as the midwife comes into the office.  When she does the exam she finds out that I am dialated to 5cm.  She tells us to get a milkshake, walk for an hour and then head off to the hospital.

This is my most favorite memory from all of the labor.  We picked up chocolate-banana milkshakes (our favorite) and went to the Riverwalk.  I have never felt so loved by my husband.  It was a perfect scene, perfect blue sky, rushing river and sunlight through green trees.  We walked and stopped as the contractions dictated.  We laughed and hugged each other.  We were so excited for what was to come. 

I'm still smiling and laughing when we get to the hospital at 11:30 am. and the labor nurses can't believe that I am six cm dialated.  I get into the gown and began to labor  in our room.  The ctx are still easy to handle.  The toughest part was getting my heplock in.  They have to have easy access to vein just in case, but I didn't want to be hooked up to an IV, so they will just use a hep lock.  Two nurses bruise and batter every available vein in my arms and hands trying to get the needle in.  So far, this is the WORST part of labor yet.

The midwife finally calls in an anestetisiologis (sp?).  He is amazing and gets the needle into my hand in two seconds, with no pain.  The midwife comes in and we decide to break my water to get things moving.  I am 7-8cm dialated, and I feel comfortable doing it at this point in labor.  She breaks my water, and puts in an internal monitor.  This is awesome because I can move around. 

However, the next contraction is intense, as to be expected.  The bag of waters padded the baby's head, but now there is no extra cushion.  It feels like stones grinding on both sides of my hips.  I have to struggle to get comfortable.  I finally find a good position, sitting up with my legs almost straight down.  I am grasping the bed rails for dear life.  During the contractions I am solely focused on surviving, but I can relax a little in between.  At some point my mom brings our oldest son in to see us.  He brings flowers, but I'm so busy concentrating that I can't really acknowledge him. 

I move around a little, lick a purple popsicle and even make it to the bathroom at one point.  I remember telling my husband "I don't want to be here."  And the midwife says ..."Well, you're in transistion."  This is exciting.  Everything I've read says that transition lasts about an hour.  I know that I can hande anything for an hour. 

Well, it lasts longer than an hour but I get a feeling of pressure, so the midwife checks me around 4:00 pm.  She tells me that I haven't changed in the last few hours.  I become hysterical (sort of) because I can't handle the ctx anymore.  I become afraid that it could take forever and even become afraid of the pushing phase.  If I could have calmed down at this point, maybe I wouldn't have ended up with a c-section.

We immediately change positions.  Its difficult to move with the contractions, and with my extra weight.  Once in position, I'm still begging for help.  My whole body hurts and my hips just won't stop aching.  My husband has a hard time finding a way to comfort me, every touch hurts.  But the midwife lightly lays her hands on me and prays.  This was awesome, and it did comfort me.  She decides to try and stretch the cervix during a contraction.  This is probably the worst pain ever. 

She sees that I am "peetering" out, and tries to get me hooked up to an iv for fluids.  My husband and I had brought Gatorade, realizing that dehydration is the enemy of labor, but I've forgotten to drink enough of it.  The nurse flushes the iv line in my hand, and messes it up.  So, another call to the anestetic guy.  This time, there are no available veins on my  hands or arms.  So, he uses the jugular vein in my neck.  It doesn't hurt a bit, although the thought of it is pretty disturbing. 

Everything is a blur from here.  The midwife checks me and I still haven't changed.  Its probably around 5:00 pm.  The doc comes in and suggests a c-section due to my cervix remaining at 8.  I'm tired and in pain, so I agree.  Once the docs leave, my husbands makes sure that I'm aware of my decision.  In hindsight, I could have tried a little longer, but I was so tired that I just gave up. 

The c-section room was in use, and we had to wait about 45 minutes.  I asked for some iv pain relief and it helped take the edge off, but it didn't take all of the pain away.  The baby was born at 6:31 pm, and the c-section was pretty flawless.  I wasn't as scared becuase I knew what to expect.  I chose to have a spinal block instead of an epidural and it went really well (last time the epidural was worse than the c-section.)   All of the staff were respectful and there were no fat comments like before. 

All in all, I'm happy with my labor.  It was easy and I knew what to expect.  However, I wasn't prepared to stall and I was in so much pain.  I should have spent more time and explored my options...like an epidural.  But I didn't.  So, my biggest concern know is how my other children will come into this world.  I leave that to God. 

4:33 PM - Jan. 31, 2006 - comments {1} - post comment

Birth Story Postponed...

I'm sorry everyone.  I've been trying to write down my birth story for a few days.  I'm too emotional to do it right now.  My husband keeps telling me how strong I was.  He keeps saying that I never couldv'e delievered the baby ******lly.  Everyone keeps saying that!  But, I know that I could have...if I hadn't have given up.  There were other options, but I was too tired to try them.

So, now my body has been cut open again, and I have failed.  I didn't get the birth that I wanted, and I am questioning how future children will be born.  I don't even think that trying for a regular birth after two c-sections is an option for me.  The town we live in is not open to it.

If you know me in real life, please DO NOT call me and ask me how I'm doing.  I just need to vent.  I don't need people worrying about me and bugging me to death.  I don't want to talk about it with anyone other than my husband. 

6:56 AM - Jan. 30, 2006 - comments {1} - post comment

Welcome Our Son

Our third son was born on January 25th, at 6:31 pm. 

He weighed 10 lbs, 10 oz and was 20 inches long. 

Look, a naked baby!!

The proud parents!

Stay posted for the birth story.  It wasn't exactly how I wanted it, but I'm content with how the Lord let it happen.  Thanks for you prayers and support.

Love, Beth

6:28 PM - Jan. 28, 2006 - comments {4} - post comment

Am I In Labor?

Okay, here's the recap...I posted yesterday, but somehow the post has been lost.  So, let me update on my pregnancy.  I went to the midwife yesterday and there was protein in my urine (an indicator of preeclampsia), and of course- swelling.  My blood pressure was fine, but the protein was enough to set the midwife on high alert.  I had been on bedrest all weekend due to an elevated blood pressure on Friday. 

So, I had to do a 24 hour urine test (collect all my pee-pee for 24 hours -eww...) and come back in this morning.  I drank more water, which I had been neglecting, and pee-pee'ed in a bucket all day.  Well, there was no protein in my urine, and I had dropped 2 lbs in 24 hours.  I had simply been dehyrdrated and retaining fluid. 

Now to getting this baby to come on out...the midwife was able to strip my membranes, and that has stimulated some contractions.  So, now I ask...am I in labor?  Here is my labor timeline.

Tuesday

10:30 am - membranes stripped

11:30 am - weak contractions(ctx) start, not regular

12:00 pm - arrive at hospital for NST (per midwife's request)

12 - 1:30 pm - monitored at hospital, ctx about 4-5 minutes apart, but very weak

1:30 pm - on our way home, no big ctx

2:30 pm - get home after stopping to pick up a movie and lunch

3:45 - 4:45 pm - done with lunch, playing outside with kids (okay, kids are playing...I'm sitting in the swing.)  Ctx are coming regular 5 min apart and are regular

5:00 - 8:00 pm - Call everyone and let them know things might be happening.  Mom calls 12 times to check on my progress.  She urges me to go the hospital, even though I can completely talk through a ctx.

8:00 pm - Try to get boys in bed, ctx are still the same strength, but have become irregular

8:30 - 11:00 pm - watch "Flight Plan", still having ctx, some are intense.  Movement helps

11:00 pm - lay down to time ctx, but I am too antsy.  Clean dishes, putz around.  Have to stop for contractions, but I'm still smiling and talking (so they can't be that bad).

12:00 - start blogging about labor........

I'll keep ya posted.

11:41 PM - Jan. 24, 2006 - comments {3} - post comment

How Pregnancy is Like War

Peace in the Middle East?  Yeah right, that's just about as likely as me finding peace throughout the rest of this pregnancy.  Ok, so you think that its a stretch to compare the turmoil that has been burning in the fertile crescent for thousands of years to the miserable last week of  pregnancy?

Well, let me enlighten you.  All of the violence and hatred in the Middle East can be traced back to one incident, a simple act of intimacy.  If you don't know the story, Abraham and his wife Sarah wanted children.  In an act of desperation, Sarah offered up her maidservant as a vessel for a child to be born.  So, Abraham lay with the maidservant, and nine months later a son was born.  This brought about many negative emotions from Sarah (duh), and God proclaimed that the son would "live in hostility toward all his brothers." Gen 16:12

Well, the descendants of that son, Ishmael, are the Muslims.  The descendants of Abraham's promised child, Isaac are the Jews.  So, in one act of intimacy, years of fighting among the two groups were caused.  Can you know see how the last weeks of pregnancy, caused by one act of intimacy can be compared to the Middle East?

No, there are no suicide bombers in my home.  But, I might consider a kitchen knife cesarean if this baby doesn't come soon.  That could be considered suicide!   Then I would be a martyr, and my husband could place pictures of me all over our home, and my children would worship me and desire to be just like me when they grow up. 

You see, it is a war.  Me against this stubborn new child.  He says he isn't ready and I say he is.  No, there aren't RPGs (rocket propelled grenades), but I have much worse...severe Edema (otherwise known as swelling).  My ankles and feet are so large that even combat-issue size 12s wouldn't fit my water-retained knubs. 

Instead of biological weapons, we have heartburn and its antidote, TUMS.  I launch those bad-boys into my stomach at lightening speed, at least twelve times a day (almost as many times as the Muslims pray towards Mecca.)

In conclusion, instead of praying for world peace, you'd be much better served (as would I) to pray for quick birth of this baby.  Otherwise, our home just might start to look like the Gaza strip. 

6:31 PM - Jan. 17, 2006 - comments {2} - post comment

Round Ligament Pain

Well, not much got done today.  I've been having some pain on my side for the past 3 days, and at times it has been pretty intense.  The midwife confirmed that it was probably a pulled round ligament.  On Monday, I cleaned the house thoroughly for company.  That evening, I started feeling the pain. 

So, today, we spent the morning calling the midwife and then waiting to be worked in.  My wonderful hubby met me at her office to watch the boys.  They were pretty good, considering that not even adults like to sit in a waiting room for an hour.

While we were waiting, we saw two old women walk in together.  One was obviously helping the other to walk and sit down.  After eavesdropping for a few minutes, it was clear that they were sisters.  Their conversation was teasing marked with some snapping here and there.  I thought of my sister.  We sure will be a handful when we are old.  We're pretty snappy with other now, just give us 50 years to practice!

5:06 PM - Nov. 3, 2005 - comments {0} - post comment

Herbal Pregnancy Tea

This is a great "tea" for pregnancy.   It will tone you uterus, nourish your blood supply, skin, amniotic sac, placenta and the new baby. 

***If you have a history of miscarriage... DO NOT use this tea before the 16th week of your pregnancy.  I've personally used it since the 12th week.

You will need lose herbs which are available at most health food stores or online.

2 part Red Rasberry Leaf

1 part Nettles

1 part Alfalfa

1/2 part Peppermint (to taste)

8:10 AM - Oct. 30, 2005 - comments {1} - post comment