Here goes: the hottest topic out there -> The Epidural.
The epidural provides a painless labor - what could be so bad about that? Let's see, shall we?
First, a quote from Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: "Epidural analgesia is one of the most striking examples of the medicalization of normal birth, transforming a physiological event into a medical procedure."
Before diving into all of the physical risks to yourself and your baby of getting an epidural, I want to talk about studies on overall birth satisfaction of women. "Several studies have shown that women who use no labor medication are the most satisfied with their labor at the time, at six weeks, and one year after birth." Yes it did say "at the time", meaning even during the pain of labor. Having experienced one birth with an epidural and one without, I absolutely agree with this. Mostly because of all the complications, interventions, and difficulties for my little one that the epidural ultimately led to (the epidural that was caused by the Pitocin that was caused by going to the hospital too early). I remember when I was a kid asking my mom about childbirth and her saying something like "yeah, it hurt, but you forget pretty fast since you have such a cute baby". And I thought something like "yeah right, she just doesn't want to scar me for life". But there is sort of some truth in what she said. The pain is productive, you make it through, you have an amazing, beautiful baby as a result. It is quite different than worthless pain (like the kind when you push for an hour and a half and absolutely nothing happens because you cannot feel anything because you have an epidural). There is honestly something empowering and valuable about feeling that pain for your child. I wouldn't take it back.
So, onto the thoroughly researched physical effects that an epidural puts you and your baby at risk of. Also, note that there is absolutely no benefit to baby of getting an epidural - only to the mom - if you still consider it a benefit.
-Prolongs labor (average from 4.7 hours to 7.8 hours)
-Doubles the chance of oxytocin augmentation (Pitocin)
-Doubled need for instrumental delivery (forceps/vacuum)
-1.5 times increased risk of cesarean
-Deficits in newborn abilities (drug toxicity/a baby's immature system takes longer to eliminate epidural drugs than adult
-Acidosis in baby (low blood and oxygen supply)
-Decrease in uterine-stimulating prostaglandin F2 alpha (this is what causes the increased labor time)
-Alterations in newborn blood glucose and lipid (fat) levels
-Inhibits the fetus ejection reflex
-Increased length of 2nd stage of labor
-Miss final powerful contractions - must use own effort to compensate (often against gravity due to lying on back)
-Inhibit natural alteration in consciousness
-Inhibit oxytocin production or stop its' rise (hence the need for Pitocin)
There are many more, but let's pause for a minute. Note the one about increase vacuum/forceps use. Instrumental delivery can cause these ongoing problems:
-twice as likely to have severe perineal lacerations
-four times more likely to have perineal pain
-two times more likely to have sexual problems
-two times more likely to have urinary incontinence
-baby is more prone to bruising, facial injuries, displaced skull bones, blood clot in scalp, and is four times more likely to have bleeding in the brain
And more about the possibility of cesarean: When combining epidural with pitocin, your chance of cesarean shoots up to two-thirds of those women. And first time moms that use both an epidural and even a low dose of Pitocin are three times more likely to have a cesarean.
More side effects:
FOR BABY:
-changes in fetal heart-rate (lack of oxygen and blood)
-low APGAR, poor tone, require resucitation, jaundice (even cerebral palsy and brain damage)
-1.3 times the mortality rate for babies born to feverish moms
-invasive tests and antibiotics result from the prolonged separation from mom
-more frequent crying up to 6 weeks old
-less adaptable, more intense
-more bothersome in behavior
-less alertness and ability to orient
-less mature motor abilities
-more response to stress
-more tremulousness and startling
-elevated baseline temperature
-twice as likely to stop breastfeeding by 24 weeks
Effects FOR MOM:
-Life threatening for 1 in 4,000
-twice as likely to have postpartum hemorrhage
-Unexpected breathing difficulties
-Five times more likely to have fever over 100.4 (increased baby mortality, as mentioned above)
-Nausea/vomiting
-Sedation
-Shivering
-Itching of skin
-Inability to pass/hold urine (when epidural is in place)
...and my personal favorite:
-Drop in maternal blood pressure
Seriously?? This is listed as the most common side-effect of an epidural; drop in blood pressure. Remember my 'darling' nurse that nearly killed me by LOWERing my already too low blood pressure, due to a faulty cuff reading. Really people - educate yourselves!! If this nurse had known anything - --ok, sorry. Enough about the nurse.
Anyway, I strongly believe God will not give us more pain than we can handle. It is quite possible to inflict it upon yourself by being induced and lying on your back on a hard hospital bed. The epidural is absolutely a blessing in those horribly long, problematic labors, and of course in NECESSARY C-sections. But I really believe that a lot more women could do it without an epidural if they completely and absolutely made up their mind beforehand to do so, studied natural birth techniques thoroughly, had a super supportive husband or doula, and did not get any labor-inducing interventions.
You can do it ladies! You are stronger than you think!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Birth is Awesome!
One of the best childbirth books I have read and recently finished is called "Adventures in Natural Childbirth." - Edited by Janet Schwegel
It is a book with four sections, all of which have a short intro of the type of birth stories that follow. And the bulk of the book is childbirth stories - those that had natural births with a physician, midwife, doula, or unassisted (hence the four sections). So there is a huge range in the type of women and type of births - though all of them are natural births.
It is a wonderful book because, not only are the experiences of other women really the most educational thing for a pregnant woman, but I really think hearing other stories is the best way to prepare ourselves for our own births. You can read all the statistics and medical proof etc. to explain the harm of unnecessary interventions in normal, healthy deliveries. But hearing experiences like these makes you want to have a natural birth for much more important, 'higher level' reasons than those of just the safety of yourself and your baby. It is hard to explain until you read some of these stories. Natural birth or not - this book really brings out the amazing, exciting, wonderful miracle of birth. Really it is an amazing opportunity that every pregnant woman should look forward to with awe and excitement, not fear or anxiety. A lot of the books out there are about 'what is wrong with non-natural births'. Whereas this one is more about 'what is right with natural births'. Birth can really be a life-changing, mind-altering, transcending, spiritual, awe-inspiring experience. And it should be!
Obviously any kind of birth is awesome because the outcome is a darling, precious gift from God. But it is natural births where the labor and delivery themselves are actually amazing experiences that the women love to talk about and share with their loved ones - not just get it over with (such as most hospital births).
At the beginning of one woman's birth story she said the following so concisely and eloquently that I had to write it down. It's great when other people put your thoughts into words better than you ever could have:
"I thought natural childbirth was for granola-bar hippie types at best or fanatical masochists at worst. It was most certainly not for me, a modern woman of the 21st century... Why not take advantage of the wonderful tools available to us now through the miracle of modern medicine?
"It soon became clear to me that the medical establishment in which I had placed such blind faith was not necessarily treating my pregnant self with my own and my baby's best interests in mind. I am not saying that the medical establishment intended me any harm per se; rather, I think the traditional obstetrical model has become so burdened by the threat of costly litigation and so hamstrung by the insurance industry that it has been forced to manage childbirth and mold it to serve the needs of the medical establishment, not the needs of the women.
"If I could shout to the rooftops so all pregnant women could hear, I would tell them, 'You are stronger than you think, you can have your birth your way, and birth is something to anticipate with joy, not something to dread and fear." (Valerie Larenne's Story, p. 200)
Here are few ditty's from "Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering" (Buckley):
"Birth is as safe as life gets."
"To be consciously present at birth is equivalent to seven years of meditation."
"We diminish our own authority in birthing and in mothering - we dis-empower ourselves - when we put more faith in information from the outside (tests, scans, others' opinions) than our own internal knowing of our bodies and our babies." p. 31
" I want my babies to do more than merely survive the birth; I want them to be as whole in brain and body as possible." - p. 44
Is the goal just a physically healthy mom and baby, just avoiding death in each case? Or is it more? I'm a shoot-for-the-stars type - if I'm going to do anything at all, I want to do it great, exceptional, in fact. It is pretty amazing how many things in life have prepared me for childbirth - and now particularly for having a home birth. A few things about Janis: loves physical challenges, kind of a dare devil, values the right way more than the common way, and has always had a yearning for an old-fashioned, less complicated way of life...
I am so excited to have this baby! Is it September yet? :)
It is a book with four sections, all of which have a short intro of the type of birth stories that follow. And the bulk of the book is childbirth stories - those that had natural births with a physician, midwife, doula, or unassisted (hence the four sections). So there is a huge range in the type of women and type of births - though all of them are natural births.
It is a wonderful book because, not only are the experiences of other women really the most educational thing for a pregnant woman, but I really think hearing other stories is the best way to prepare ourselves for our own births. You can read all the statistics and medical proof etc. to explain the harm of unnecessary interventions in normal, healthy deliveries. But hearing experiences like these makes you want to have a natural birth for much more important, 'higher level' reasons than those of just the safety of yourself and your baby. It is hard to explain until you read some of these stories. Natural birth or not - this book really brings out the amazing, exciting, wonderful miracle of birth. Really it is an amazing opportunity that every pregnant woman should look forward to with awe and excitement, not fear or anxiety. A lot of the books out there are about 'what is wrong with non-natural births'. Whereas this one is more about 'what is right with natural births'. Birth can really be a life-changing, mind-altering, transcending, spiritual, awe-inspiring experience. And it should be!
Obviously any kind of birth is awesome because the outcome is a darling, precious gift from God. But it is natural births where the labor and delivery themselves are actually amazing experiences that the women love to talk about and share with their loved ones - not just get it over with (such as most hospital births).
At the beginning of one woman's birth story she said the following so concisely and eloquently that I had to write it down. It's great when other people put your thoughts into words better than you ever could have:
"I thought natural childbirth was for granola-bar hippie types at best or fanatical masochists at worst. It was most certainly not for me, a modern woman of the 21st century... Why not take advantage of the wonderful tools available to us now through the miracle of modern medicine?
"It soon became clear to me that the medical establishment in which I had placed such blind faith was not necessarily treating my pregnant self with my own and my baby's best interests in mind. I am not saying that the medical establishment intended me any harm per se; rather, I think the traditional obstetrical model has become so burdened by the threat of costly litigation and so hamstrung by the insurance industry that it has been forced to manage childbirth and mold it to serve the needs of the medical establishment, not the needs of the women.
"If I could shout to the rooftops so all pregnant women could hear, I would tell them, 'You are stronger than you think, you can have your birth your way, and birth is something to anticipate with joy, not something to dread and fear." (Valerie Larenne's Story, p. 200)
Here are few ditty's from "Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering" (Buckley):
"Birth is as safe as life gets."
"To be consciously present at birth is equivalent to seven years of meditation."
"We diminish our own authority in birthing and in mothering - we dis-empower ourselves - when we put more faith in information from the outside (tests, scans, others' opinions) than our own internal knowing of our bodies and our babies." p. 31
" I want my babies to do more than merely survive the birth; I want them to be as whole in brain and body as possible." - p. 44
Is the goal just a physically healthy mom and baby, just avoiding death in each case? Or is it more? I'm a shoot-for-the-stars type - if I'm going to do anything at all, I want to do it great, exceptional, in fact. It is pretty amazing how many things in life have prepared me for childbirth - and now particularly for having a home birth. A few things about Janis: loves physical challenges, kind of a dare devil, values the right way more than the common way, and has always had a yearning for an old-fashioned, less complicated way of life...
I am so excited to have this baby! Is it September yet? :)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Pitocin
Okay, let's just dive right in.
I got to admit that as a mathematician I would have hoped this blog was a little more scheduled and organized with some type of pattern, but let's be realistic here - I have two kids!
I decided to do this post about Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) because getting it when there was no reason to was my first mistake with Cowboy, well except for maybe going to the hospital way too early. Let me summarize what I have learned about Pitocin. A lot of this is taken from the book: Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah J. Buckley, MD. chapter 6. So check it out if you want more info, specific studies and statistics as proof, etc.
First, a word on oxytocin (the real kind that your body makes). Oxytocin is described as the hormone of love. Side note: During the first hour after birth, the highest levels of oxytocin for mother and baby are reached. That first hour after birth is really a rare opportunity for both of you to bond and 'feel the love' - I wouldn't miss it for the world!
Oxytocin is the most powerful contraction-causing hormone. Oxytocin pulsates in a rhythmic pattern during labor for a woman, whereas sythetic oxytocin (most common brand is Pitocin) is given in a steady stream. Pitocin-induced contractions will be longer, stronger, and closer together than natural contractions. This causes stress on their baby because there is little time to recover from each contraction. Here is Doris Haire's description:
"The situation is analogous to holding an infant under the surface of the water, allowing the infant to come to the surface to gasp for air, but not to breathe."
Let's make a list here of the possible risks of using Oxytocin: uterine rupture, deprivation of blood and oxygen to baby, acidosis of baby (deprivation of oxygen during labor), increased need for NICU, and assisted ventilation (breathing) in the newborn period. Right on the label for Pitocin it warns that Pitocin can cause fetal heart abnormalities, low APGAR, jaundice, retinal hemorrhage, brain damage, and fetal death.
Forty-two to fifty-five percent of women using Pitocin experience hyperstimulation and 3% to 6% of those result in caesarean due to fetal distress. There is a three times higher risk of asphyxia for babies born after augmentation with Pitocin. Induced babies are five times more likely to have signs of brain damage at birth.
Okay, that is a lot of risks that all seems crazy, (but the studies are right there in the book!). And my own first-born suffered from fetal stress, had low oxygen levels, had to be transported to NICU and had to have a breathing mask - all of which I feel were directly related to the use of Pitocin.
Late in labor our bodies naturally prodice catecholamines (hormones) that allow our baby to tolerate low levels of oxygen, but not in early labor, so Pitocin used in early labor is especially risky.
Strong contractions (such as those caused by Pitocin) are much more painful and generally lead to the use of pain-killing drugs or an epidural, which leads to less naturally produced oxytocin, which leads to the lack of many of the psycho-emotional benefits of natural oxytocin and the enhanced feelings of calm and connection during labor and after birth.
Pitocin stimulates contractions, but has minimal effects on cervix dilation. So despite the regular, painful contractions, there may be no actual progress in the labor, which will ultimately lead to a necessary cesarean.
A few other risks: Pitocin increases the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, inhibits the natural increase of our bodies' beta-endorphins, reduces the rate of breast-feeding (stress in labor leads to low milk production), affects the autonomic nervous system of baby (that which regulates body temp.) And lastly, Autism, though having many complex causing factors, includes that of exposure to Pitocin at birth.
There is a time and a place for everything - but I am currently having a hard time coming up with a warranted reason to pump Pitocin into a laboring woman's body.
A book you need to read: Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - sarah J. Buckley (MD)
I got to admit that as a mathematician I would have hoped this blog was a little more scheduled and organized with some type of pattern, but let's be realistic here - I have two kids!
I decided to do this post about Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) because getting it when there was no reason to was my first mistake with Cowboy, well except for maybe going to the hospital way too early. Let me summarize what I have learned about Pitocin. A lot of this is taken from the book: Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah J. Buckley, MD. chapter 6. So check it out if you want more info, specific studies and statistics as proof, etc.
First, a word on oxytocin (the real kind that your body makes). Oxytocin is described as the hormone of love. Side note: During the first hour after birth, the highest levels of oxytocin for mother and baby are reached. That first hour after birth is really a rare opportunity for both of you to bond and 'feel the love' - I wouldn't miss it for the world!
Oxytocin is the most powerful contraction-causing hormone. Oxytocin pulsates in a rhythmic pattern during labor for a woman, whereas sythetic oxytocin (most common brand is Pitocin) is given in a steady stream. Pitocin-induced contractions will be longer, stronger, and closer together than natural contractions. This causes stress on their baby because there is little time to recover from each contraction. Here is Doris Haire's description:
"The situation is analogous to holding an infant under the surface of the water, allowing the infant to come to the surface to gasp for air, but not to breathe."
Let's make a list here of the possible risks of using Oxytocin: uterine rupture, deprivation of blood and oxygen to baby, acidosis of baby (deprivation of oxygen during labor), increased need for NICU, and assisted ventilation (breathing) in the newborn period. Right on the label for Pitocin it warns that Pitocin can cause fetal heart abnormalities, low APGAR, jaundice, retinal hemorrhage, brain damage, and fetal death.
Forty-two to fifty-five percent of women using Pitocin experience hyperstimulation and 3% to 6% of those result in caesarean due to fetal distress. There is a three times higher risk of asphyxia for babies born after augmentation with Pitocin. Induced babies are five times more likely to have signs of brain damage at birth.
Okay, that is a lot of risks that all seems crazy, (but the studies are right there in the book!). And my own first-born suffered from fetal stress, had low oxygen levels, had to be transported to NICU and had to have a breathing mask - all of which I feel were directly related to the use of Pitocin.
Late in labor our bodies naturally prodice catecholamines (hormones) that allow our baby to tolerate low levels of oxygen, but not in early labor, so Pitocin used in early labor is especially risky.
Strong contractions (such as those caused by Pitocin) are much more painful and generally lead to the use of pain-killing drugs or an epidural, which leads to less naturally produced oxytocin, which leads to the lack of many of the psycho-emotional benefits of natural oxytocin and the enhanced feelings of calm and connection during labor and after birth.
Pitocin stimulates contractions, but has minimal effects on cervix dilation. So despite the regular, painful contractions, there may be no actual progress in the labor, which will ultimately lead to a necessary cesarean.
A few other risks: Pitocin increases the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, inhibits the natural increase of our bodies' beta-endorphins, reduces the rate of breast-feeding (stress in labor leads to low milk production), affects the autonomic nervous system of baby (that which regulates body temp.) And lastly, Autism, though having many complex causing factors, includes that of exposure to Pitocin at birth.
There is a time and a place for everything - but I am currently having a hard time coming up with a warranted reason to pump Pitocin into a laboring woman's body.
A book you need to read: Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - sarah J. Buckley (MD)
Monday, March 7, 2011
The truth
Yeah, yeah, so it is not actually true that I am super brave or tough because I am going natural and having a home birth. In truth, I have really short, and comparatively easy labors and deliveries. After Lady's birth; how short it was, and how much 'easier/better' before, during, and after, than Cowboy's birth was, my hubby and I knew I wanted to go natural with the next birth.
Hubby is into documentaries and with the recent use of Netflix, he spotted one called "The Business of Being Born". Yes, it was hubby's idea to watch this together - great guy! Well, seriously, this was an eye-opening, possibly life-changing movie for me. I strongly encourage any pregnant (or ever planning to be pregnant) woman to see it (though I better put in a warning that you are going to see more naked, pregnant women than you ever wanted to, and hear the F-word screamed by laboring women more times than you want to). After that movie and letting it sink in for a few days, realizing that the 'Pictocin - Epidural - C-Section' pattern referred to that happens all too often in the hospitals is exactly what happened with Cowboy, minus the C-section part -phew! amongst many other staggering statistics (stay tuned: many posts from here on out will be facts, statistics, info, etc.), I seriously started considering alternatives to the hospital, such as a birthing center. (And if we are going to be perfectly honest here, it just so happens that with the birth of my second child and me no longer teaching, I no longer had health insurance).
Discovering that the closest birthing center was an hour away, and let's remember here that Lady's entire labor was about an hour, I naturally started looking into home birth. I have to mention how much of an influence and support my husband is in all of this. I can say, simply, that if he were not completely supportive and just as passionate about the whole thing and wanting to be so involved in the delivery, I don't think I would do a home birth. Fortunately I have a fabulous husband.
Another part of not wanting to deliver in a hospital: I am kind of a pushover. This seems contradictory? Let me explain. I would rather be home, with my husband and midwife who want exactly what I want: to have the baby exactly how I want to have it, and more importantly, exactly how the baby wants it to go - than to be at the hospital where everyone seems to have an opinion and a preference as to how this baby is going to get out. No, it is not that I always like things my way. Kind of the opposite, really. I know myself well enough to know that I struggle saying no or disagreeing with 'authority' under pressure. Right now, under calm circumstances, after much praying, studying, pondering, etc., I know what is best for this baby. And I know that the way that is most likely to happen for me is at home.
I believe the hospital has a very important role in births. The doctors, nurses, and technology have saved countless babies and mothers in high-risk situations, prevented many diseases, dysfunctions, and handicaps, etc. There are times when the best place for a baby to be delivered is at the hospital. But pregnancy and birth are natural and normal, not a medical condition to be treated. So for me, with a normal, healthy pregnancy thus far, home birth is the way to go.
Remember to watch "The Business of Being Born" - a documentary, hosted by Ricki Lake. (On-demand on Netflix, or go buy, rent it or whatever). Here is a link:
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/testimonials.php
Hubby is into documentaries and with the recent use of Netflix, he spotted one called "The Business of Being Born". Yes, it was hubby's idea to watch this together - great guy! Well, seriously, this was an eye-opening, possibly life-changing movie for me. I strongly encourage any pregnant (or ever planning to be pregnant) woman to see it (though I better put in a warning that you are going to see more naked, pregnant women than you ever wanted to, and hear the F-word screamed by laboring women more times than you want to). After that movie and letting it sink in for a few days, realizing that the 'Pictocin - Epidural - C-Section' pattern referred to that happens all too often in the hospitals is exactly what happened with Cowboy, minus the C-section part -phew! amongst many other staggering statistics (stay tuned: many posts from here on out will be facts, statistics, info, etc.), I seriously started considering alternatives to the hospital, such as a birthing center. (And if we are going to be perfectly honest here, it just so happens that with the birth of my second child and me no longer teaching, I no longer had health insurance).
Discovering that the closest birthing center was an hour away, and let's remember here that Lady's entire labor was about an hour, I naturally started looking into home birth. I have to mention how much of an influence and support my husband is in all of this. I can say, simply, that if he were not completely supportive and just as passionate about the whole thing and wanting to be so involved in the delivery, I don't think I would do a home birth. Fortunately I have a fabulous husband.
Another part of not wanting to deliver in a hospital: I am kind of a pushover. This seems contradictory? Let me explain. I would rather be home, with my husband and midwife who want exactly what I want: to have the baby exactly how I want to have it, and more importantly, exactly how the baby wants it to go - than to be at the hospital where everyone seems to have an opinion and a preference as to how this baby is going to get out. No, it is not that I always like things my way. Kind of the opposite, really. I know myself well enough to know that I struggle saying no or disagreeing with 'authority' under pressure. Right now, under calm circumstances, after much praying, studying, pondering, etc., I know what is best for this baby. And I know that the way that is most likely to happen for me is at home.
I believe the hospital has a very important role in births. The doctors, nurses, and technology have saved countless babies and mothers in high-risk situations, prevented many diseases, dysfunctions, and handicaps, etc. There are times when the best place for a baby to be delivered is at the hospital. But pregnancy and birth are natural and normal, not a medical condition to be treated. So for me, with a normal, healthy pregnancy thus far, home birth is the way to go.
Remember to watch "The Business of Being Born" - a documentary, hosted by Ricki Lake. (On-demand on Netflix, or go buy, rent it or whatever). Here is a link:
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/testimonials.php
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Birth Two: Accidentally Natural
So the second time around I scheduled the week before I was due off of work, mostly so i wouldn't be tempted to go to the hospital prematurely just to get out of work. This time I went with a 'midwife' (CNM). She was good and I liked her, but I honestly waited longer for her appointments than the ones with a doctor. (Honestly as longs as two and half hours one time). She didn't seem quite so paranoid and make me take every test and precaution possible, which was nice. Due to the fact that I had already had one healthy delivery, that makes sense, though. I had 90% made up my mind not to get an epidural and really wanted to try it naturally. Didn't want to use Pitocin, either.
The night before the due date we were hiking around at about 8:30 pm and i was feeling my stomach flex every five minutes, not painful, though. Because we were going to have to leave Cowboy with a neighbor, we thought it would be more polite to drop him off then, than at 3 in the morning. So we went ahead and dropped him off at our friends and then took our time and headed over to the hospital, checking in around 10:30 p.m. I was told I was dilated to a 7! Within a half hour my midwife said I was a 9 and then broke my water. Then it started to hurt - a TON, plus she told me that I was actually only a 7, she could tell better after she broke the water. Well with that 2cm of wind leaving my sail, and being in more pain than I had ever been in my life i asked for an epidural. A nurse had me stand up and then baby came down and, did I mention contractions REALLY HURT - they forced me back on the table (Ouch! that hurt the lower back a LOT) and I pushed once - Hubby is silently freaking out because he can see our daughter's head and there is not a nurse or doctor in the room. The nurse had ran out to grab another doctor - my midwife had run over to the other hospital to deliver another baby. A doctor I had never met runs in, puts on gloves, I push a second time and he catches my daughter, then plops her straight onto my lap (I love that!). I get to hold her and nurse her and love her and it was awesome (and such a relief to be done!) By now it was midnight - yes, an hour and a half after we checked in 'early', or so I thought. Oh, and the epidural doctor had come in to give me the epidural right about the time Lady was crowning, so he said "uh, never mind" and walked back out.
(Just look at that fat belly! She was a full two pounds heavier than her 'big' brother,
weighing in at 9 pounds 4 ounces).
I am so glad Lady came quick and I was able to 'accidentally' experience a natural birth. I was up and walking 10 minutes later. Recovery was a whole lot easier. I was only in serious (and I mean SERIOUS) pain for about 45 minutes of the labor, but I remember thinking only about an hour after she was born, "Yeah, I could maybe do that again (but give me a couple years)." I was honestly going to go to the last hour of church a day and a half after she was born, but couldn't get checked out of the hospital in time.
Lady nursed like a pro right away, was a very content, peaceful baby. Cowboy 'wasn't gaining enough weight' the first week of his life and took a couple days to really nurse. Lady was sleeping through the night in less than a month. Cowboy only took 2 months. I know, where did I get these perfect children, right? So they were both very happy, content babies - the delivery itself affected maybe the first week of their life. But who knows, Cowboy definitely had a lot more sleeping problems than Lady and 'separation' problems even until now, three years later.
What i would change...and will with the next birth: Do not labor while lying on my back, possibly not get my water broken, plan for a natural birth...at home
The night before the due date we were hiking around at about 8:30 pm and i was feeling my stomach flex every five minutes, not painful, though. Because we were going to have to leave Cowboy with a neighbor, we thought it would be more polite to drop him off then, than at 3 in the morning. So we went ahead and dropped him off at our friends and then took our time and headed over to the hospital, checking in around 10:30 p.m. I was told I was dilated to a 7! Within a half hour my midwife said I was a 9 and then broke my water. Then it started to hurt - a TON, plus she told me that I was actually only a 7, she could tell better after she broke the water. Well with that 2cm of wind leaving my sail, and being in more pain than I had ever been in my life i asked for an epidural. A nurse had me stand up and then baby came down and, did I mention contractions REALLY HURT - they forced me back on the table (Ouch! that hurt the lower back a LOT) and I pushed once - Hubby is silently freaking out because he can see our daughter's head and there is not a nurse or doctor in the room. The nurse had ran out to grab another doctor - my midwife had run over to the other hospital to deliver another baby. A doctor I had never met runs in, puts on gloves, I push a second time and he catches my daughter, then plops her straight onto my lap (I love that!). I get to hold her and nurse her and love her and it was awesome (and such a relief to be done!) By now it was midnight - yes, an hour and a half after we checked in 'early', or so I thought. Oh, and the epidural doctor had come in to give me the epidural right about the time Lady was crowning, so he said "uh, never mind" and walked back out.
(Just look at that fat belly! She was a full two pounds heavier than her 'big' brother,
weighing in at 9 pounds 4 ounces).
Lady nursed like a pro right away, was a very content, peaceful baby. Cowboy 'wasn't gaining enough weight' the first week of his life and took a couple days to really nurse. Lady was sleeping through the night in less than a month. Cowboy only took 2 months. I know, where did I get these perfect children, right? So they were both very happy, content babies - the delivery itself affected maybe the first week of their life. But who knows, Cowboy definitely had a lot more sleeping problems than Lady and 'separation' problems even until now, three years later.
What i would change...and will with the next birth: Do not labor while lying on my back, possibly not get my water broken, plan for a natural birth...at home
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Birth One: Just what the doctor ordered.
Less than 24 hours after finding out I was pregnant, I asked my sister-in-law (who already had two children), "Now what do I do?" This illustrates pretty well how clueless I was on the whole birth thing. I did exactly what she suggested, made an appointment with her doctor and went to this doctor every four weeks until Cowboy was born. I read most of one book, "What to Expect When You are Expecting", lent to me be another sister-in-law, and went to a birthing class at the hospital with my husband (who was relieved that we at least didn't have to practice breathing exercises and laboring positions).
12 days before I was due, at a regular check-up, i was informed after taking a stress test that I was in Labor. "Uh...what? Isn't it supposed to hurt or something?" I thought. "Well this here monitor says you are having regular contractions." So I think, "Sweet! I won't have to go to work tomorrow and I will get to meet my son two weeks early! Nothing wrong with that, right?" So we head to the hospital that evening. Upon arriving at the hospital, I am immediately given Pitocin, which I think nothing of. The sooner this baby is out the better :) Everything is hunky-dory. I occasionally hear blurbs like"his heart rate is a little high" and "he is not getting quite enough oxygen" so "we are going to give you some more Pitocin." The Pitocin does exactly what it is supposed to do and I get seriously painful contractions and then ask for an Epidural (which I had not made an extremely firm decision about using or not at that point). By the time it is time to push, according to doc, I can't feel a thing. So I push for the most exhaustive hour and a half of my life and accomplish approximately nothing and Cowboy is eventually pulled out with a vacuum. I catch a glimpse of my long awaited first baby, who is not breathing great, so they put an oxygen mask on him and take him down to the NICU, and I wait another EIGHT HOURS until I get to hold my son for the first time.
During that eight hours? Of course I am exhausted and sleep on and off, wait for the epidural to wear off and try to walk again, and deal with all the fun aftermath of birth and tearing and what have you. But to top it all off, my darling nurse does some regular testing, including my blood pressure, and says,"Your blood pressure is a little high, so I am going to give you this drug to lower it." I reply, "High? I have only ever been told it is on the low side. That is strange." Checks a few minutes later, still high, more drugs. Then she has me get up and go to the bathroom and I proceed to throw-up for the third time in my entire life, and pass-out twice. She unplugs the BP cuff and plugs it back in, checks me again, and what do you know, my blood pressure is now dangerously low (due to the BP lowering drug)...uh, yeah. Shall we listen to the machine or the patient?
Anyway, my darling son is a perfectly healthy, rambunctious boy and I love him more than anything. All is well that ends well, right? I can't change the past, it is how it is. I think even if I had educated myself a lot better at that point in time, I still don't know how much I would have changed about the whole thing. What I strongly believe, though, is if we would have just waited until Cowboy was ready to come, instead of unnecessarily inducing him into the world, the whole birth would have gone a whole lot smoother.
Moral/What I would change...and will with the next birth: Let baby pick day to be delivered (not me, not doctor, not machine), do not get induced, no unnecessary Pitocin, no unnecessary epidural
12 days before I was due, at a regular check-up, i was informed after taking a stress test that I was in Labor. "Uh...what? Isn't it supposed to hurt or something?" I thought. "Well this here monitor says you are having regular contractions." So I think, "Sweet! I won't have to go to work tomorrow and I will get to meet my son two weeks early! Nothing wrong with that, right?" So we head to the hospital that evening. Upon arriving at the hospital, I am immediately given Pitocin, which I think nothing of. The sooner this baby is out the better :) Everything is hunky-dory. I occasionally hear blurbs like"his heart rate is a little high" and "he is not getting quite enough oxygen" so "we are going to give you some more Pitocin." The Pitocin does exactly what it is supposed to do and I get seriously painful contractions and then ask for an Epidural (which I had not made an extremely firm decision about using or not at that point). By the time it is time to push, according to doc, I can't feel a thing. So I push for the most exhaustive hour and a half of my life and accomplish approximately nothing and Cowboy is eventually pulled out with a vacuum. I catch a glimpse of my long awaited first baby, who is not breathing great, so they put an oxygen mask on him and take him down to the NICU, and I wait another EIGHT HOURS until I get to hold my son for the first time.
During that eight hours? Of course I am exhausted and sleep on and off, wait for the epidural to wear off and try to walk again, and deal with all the fun aftermath of birth and tearing and what have you. But to top it all off, my darling nurse does some regular testing, including my blood pressure, and says,"Your blood pressure is a little high, so I am going to give you this drug to lower it." I reply, "High? I have only ever been told it is on the low side. That is strange." Checks a few minutes later, still high, more drugs. Then she has me get up and go to the bathroom and I proceed to throw-up for the third time in my entire life, and pass-out twice. She unplugs the BP cuff and plugs it back in, checks me again, and what do you know, my blood pressure is now dangerously low (due to the BP lowering drug)...uh, yeah. Shall we listen to the machine or the patient?
Anyway, my darling son is a perfectly healthy, rambunctious boy and I love him more than anything. All is well that ends well, right? I can't change the past, it is how it is. I think even if I had educated myself a lot better at that point in time, I still don't know how much I would have changed about the whole thing. What I strongly believe, though, is if we would have just waited until Cowboy was ready to come, instead of unnecessarily inducing him into the world, the whole birth would have gone a whole lot smoother.
Moral/What I would change...and will with the next birth: Let baby pick day to be delivered (not me, not doctor, not machine), do not get induced, no unnecessary Pitocin, no unnecessary epidural
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