Why yes, looks like I
will be pregnant
forever.
Since still nothing is happening on THIS particular birth (nearing a week over "guess date") I thought I'd record a few details from previous births... feel free to skip this post if that's not your thang.
((I've recently read a plethora of books about the spiritual/natural process of birthing and am very attracted to such. The reading has incited many feelings of frustration about how medicalized birth has become in our society and I have a strong desire to see change in that department. Too many women don't realize that birth can be a beautiful, natural, and safe occurrence (as it has been for eons before) rather than a "medical condition" that needs doctors to augment and manipulate it to happen safely. Too many are driven by fear of pain to cheat themselves out of a safe and satisfying birth experience by too much medical intervention that messes around with the delicate balance of natural hormones the body makes to enable a pleasant birth experience. That said, there are things I would change about my previous births, despite all of them being rather positive experiences. (ie: medication/induction/augmentation - there just hasn't been enough research to back up the safety of such interventions on mother and baby longterm.) Also, a caveat: hospitals, doctors and medical science is an absolute blessing and lifesaver in the proper emergency circumstances and I don't discount its value. I just think we need not treat every pregnancy as a medical emergency waiting to happen. Be patient and trust a woman's body - it was made to birth successfully!!))
William (8 lbs 10 oz): Being our first, we took the hospital recommended birthing class (Bradley method) which was semi-informative. Told us more what to expect when birthing in the hospital setting, our pain med options and such. It did cover a few breathing techniques that I didn't use... Labor started 3 days past my due date with my water breaking at about 3am when I laid down after using the bathroom. It was exciting and funny and we were really pumped. Darren LOVED using the shoulder of the road to bypass morning traffic on our way to the hospital around 6am - seeing as no cop could give us a ticket in
that instance! My contractions were monitored in triage for an hour, then I was admitted. Only about 4 centimeters, I labored for most of the day laying down hooked up to monitors, IVs and pitocin. Hours later, I began vomiting repeatedly and shaking like a leaf. Discouraged at only being dilated to 5 cm I asked for the epidural. It went in great and I started laughing and smiling as I was released from the clutches as if into a warm bath. Darren finally relaxed as well and we slept for a couple hours. Finally at just past midnight, Will was born with an episiotomy and 30 minutes of pushing. A nurse actually slipped in all the amniotic fluid that exploded from behind his body and his head was misshapen due to being in the canal for so long. But he was healthy and nursed like a champ. He did have to spent the night in the NICU for some circulation issues (hands turning blue) but was fine. We were living in Maryland at the time and my sister and mom came out for a week or so to help out and fun fact: our car was rear-ended (totaled) the day after delivery. My recovery was more painful than I expected, but fairly uneventful. Despite the 23 hour labor, I was satisfied.
McKenna (7 lbs 11 oz): I don't even remember who delivered Kenna. Both births I was with a group of 8 or so OBGYNS and managed to meet most of them, but still hardly knew the one on call for delivery. It didn't bother me much seeing as the nurses were really the ones helping me through labor. My water broke 4 days before due date while playing with Will at the neighborhood pool. I wasn't sure it happened since I was in the water so I jumped in the hot tub for a sec then sat out to evaluate. It felt like I was perpetually peeing my pants so I gathered up our paraphenalia and walked the stroller home as contractions started coming on. Darren was at a night class at Georgetown after work and had unfortunately turned his phone OFF, so despite all my messages, he didn't get them until he was on the hour long commute home. Not cool! I managed to clean up a bit and get Will into bed and he arrived around 8pm as our friend came over to spend the night. At the hospital I was admitted and again suffered from severe vomiting and shaking hours later at around 5 cms. I think I was on pitocin to move things along but can't remember. I just felt a total loss of control and freaked out at the intensity of vomiting during contractions and was devastated to have to wait an hour for the epidural. Once again though, it was perfectly executed and I got a couple hours of sleep. I was awakened around 4am being told I needed to start pushing and I begged for more sleep, but obeyed. Only two pushes this time and no tearing or episiotomy. She was quiet and purplish but healthily nursed a solid hour and a half. Again, satisfied with the birth, despite not having use of legs for almost the rest of the day.
Annie (7 lbs, 4 oz): I don't remember Annie's due date but she was born within 2 days of it. My water didn't break this time, but strong contractions started about 10pm. We went in around 3 am and were checked at 3 or 4 cms. They didn't want to admit me or call my doctor at that late hour unless I was further along so they suggested I walk the hospital for a few hours.
Cue misery. For 2 hours we wandered the deserted building, slept on hard chairs for 5 minute increments between contractions and vomiting in Starbucks garbage cans. It was awful. Finally, we were admitted, the doc was called and I got the blessed epidural. Again, it was perfect, no side effects but again, slowed labor and I was put on pitocin. Slept for a few hours and had Annie in a couple pushes, even half sitting up and watching. I remember literally laughing between pushes, saying "this is just so easy - I love it!" The doctors agreed. Recovery quick and less painful than others and I spent a blissful couple days resting and eating her up all alone in the hospital. (We were in Salt Lake so there were a few family visitors.) Can't tell you how valuable those days are to me - nothing thrills me more than a good book, a baby and people bringing me as much food as I can eat.
Summer (7 lbs, 11 oz): Since all my previous pregnancies and deliveries had been uncomplicated (and fairly impersonal) I decided to go with a group of midwives. They were great, but still I hadn't had a chance to meet the one that ended up delivering me. Again, my water didn't break, but I was planning to go "natural" so I didn't mind having that extra buffer in place. Labor started middle of the night, as always (BLAST IT - can't we just have babies after a full night's rest, please??) maybe 5 days after due date and I slept off and on. Finally had to get into the bath to ease them and force Darren awake around 5am. I had studied a friend's Hypnobirthing materials (a textbook and CD relaxation tracks) but not actually taken the course. I wanted the "pressure, not pain" experience and listening to the tracks really helped me get into a very relaxed and focused place so as to not be overwhelmed by the pain. However, by by 6am I was definitely having "painful" pressure waves. We were triaged and monitored for a while, still talking/laughing between contractions, then admitted around 8. I walked, tried the birth ball, but felt most comfortable lying down completely still and limp through each wave. My midwife was awesome. Despite not having experience Hypnobirthing techniques, she picked up on the language from the CDs, kept voices and the lights low, massaged my feet/pressure points with essential oils and ran me a bath. Before I got in the water at 11am I was at 5cms and had taken a Zofran to quell the nausea that hits me then. Except for a few moans, I was completely inward focused and silent, even between contractions. So much so, that the nurse turned her attention to Darren, tucking him into a bed, bringing him dinner and telling him to rest for when I needed him. (I wasn't so pleased about this, but couldn't muster the energy to get him back over to my side.) He woke once I got in the bath and held my hand through transition. In less than an hour I was apparently at 10cms because all of a sudden everything changed. I can't even put my finger on it, the waves just felt different and I knew something was coming. I startled him into action saying "I need someone right now" and he ran out to grab nurses. My body started pushing. I wasn't doing a thing. The hospital didn't allow actual water births though so a bunch of people just scooped me out and onto the bed (oh how I hated that!) but oh well. A couple pushes later (and a whole lot of primal grunting/yells that shockingly was coming from me - like my throat was sore after) and Darren caught little Summer. She had a nuchal hand (held up to her face) so her head took a while to manuver, (out of body intensity for a bit there) but she arrived super calm, safe, alert and perfectly healthy. By far, our most even-natured and pleasant baby/child, I do credit much of that pleasant temperament to my months of self hypnosis practice and her calm, med-free birthing.
BABY BOY (?): Originally I'd signed up with some midwives at a birth center connected to the hospital here. But then I learned my friend (a parent from school) was just opening her OB practice after being a midwife for 10 years, so I switched to her and will birth in a private hospital. I plan on using hypnosis again in the form of Hypnobabies, which includes even more tools and practice of powerful hypno-anesthesia. I've been diligent in listening to the CD tracks to practice each day and they employ "eyes-open hypnosis" as well so you can stay focused even while walking around and interacting instead of having to stay super still and limp in bed. I hope to use more birthing positions to speed/ease labor and am confident this will be an even more positive and peaceful birthing. I don't plan to use any type of medical intervention/induction and hope to surrender to my body completely and let it do its thing.
So, let's get this show on the road, shall we? I heard recently that babies born at 41 wks or after are better at math/reading later in life, so I can't complain, but I sure do hope my mom is still around to help out a bit since that's kinda the reason for the visit. Crossing my fingers for today. In fact, we're all heading up the hill for a big, energetic walk right now. I've tried every natural thing I could get my hands on, and still holding on to castor oil as a last resort... stay tuned!
