The Birth of My little Briggs

6-28-14

Once upon a time a 41 week pregnant woman was about to go to bed, she was exhausted and her back was aching terribly. She left the dishes in the sink, the toys all over the living room floor and went to bed leaving her house in total disarray...something she hadn't done in awhile, since she was planning a home birth and wanted to be ready for company (the birth team) at a moments notice.

SO we all know where this is going....yep, the next morning I woke up about 7am and noticed my amniotic fluid was leaking....my water had broke!  I texted Toni my Midwife & the rest of the team just to inform them and let them know that today was the day!

Last moments as a only child

Since I wasn't having any contractions I thought I would put on some make up and have a nice breakfast. Beau was picking up the house...I called my mom and told her the news so she came to pick up our son.  Beau inflated the pool I wanted to birth in and then we both decided to take a nap... it took 24 hours last time to get that first baby out so we wanted to be ready for the long haul again if need be.

I woke up at 10:20 with a pretty strong contraction, so I went in the living room and sat on my birth ball while timing my contractions but they weren't consistent, ranging from 3-5 min apart.  Beau asked me a question and I realized I couldn't focus on him and answer him during a contraction...I knew things were getting serious but I still didn't think we were close to "go time" since I just starting having contractions.  I texted Toni at 10:40 and told her what was going on, she asked if I wanted her to head over...I said no, not yet....and then after another really strong contraction I texted her again saying "well, maybe you should come and see".  I tried to stand up to move to the bedroom and my belly looked like it was at my knees it was so low...Beau had to help me get back there.

Once in the bedroom I tried to get in the zone, like I did for Callans birth, but it just wasn't happening.  I couldn't relax.  I started sweating and got real hot, I asked Beau for a cold compress....to which my college-degree-holding, corporate-accountant-intelligent husband could not figure out what the hell a cold compress was.....seriously...he looked at me baffled, he walked out of the room and then right back in and said "whats a cold compress?" and all I could do was try my best to give him a "are you really asking me that right now?" look on my face as I was having a killer contraction....he managed to use some context clues and a few moments I had my cold compress. 

Toni arrived at 11:10am, she took a look at me and realized we were closer than I had thought.  After that things started happening really fast.  Beau was trying to fill up the birth pool and Toni said don't bother...lol, we don't have time.  I was laboring on my side and I remember trying so hard to relax, but my toes were curling and my lips were pursed, and I kept telling Beau, "I cant relax".  He was trying to coach me but it all felt very erratic.  I even said at one point " I don't think I can do this".  All I knew was I couldnt last 20 hours like this....

I kept hearing from Beau, Toni and Cheryl about how great I was doing...and I remember looking at them all wide-eyed and crazy-like...at least that's how I visualize it in my head, lol...Toni wanted me to roll on my back to check me to see how far dilated I was...and when I did I immediately had a strong urge to push...so I did.  I remember everyone scrambling to get whatever it was they needed, because this baby was coming out!


 At one point I felt the baby moving and I remember the image that popped in my head was like a soldier doing an army crawl.  Briggs was certainly working with me!  Another thing that got my attention in all this chaos was my babybelly...while I would have a contraction to push, my belly would basically stand straight up...it was the weirdest thing I had ever seen! It reminded me of a skyscraper...

So back to the story....
So there I was a-pushin' and Beau was at my side, holding my hand cheering me on...I remember saying "It stings, it stings" , lol and then Toni said for me to push on the next contraction to get his head out...to which I replied "no", to which she replied "Don't tell me no!"....a few pushes later he was born! They immediately placed him on my chest and I think we all took a moment to catch our breath.  He was born at 11:43am, a little over an hour after I had my first contraction!

I think my Mom, Alisa the massage therapist, and Whitney the photographer, arrived just moments after he was born.  Its funny because earlier that week I had highlighted a quote from a book I was reading, it said "stay committed to your decisions, but flexible in your approach."- Tony Robbins.  I thought this would be good to remember because as much as you can plan something, you really can never know how it will actually turn out.  I always knew, in all these blog posts I did about planning the birth, that it would happen how it was gonna happen and I really didn't have control of that....but it was fun fantasizing, visualizing and planning it out anyway. 

So there you have it.... Briggs Kyle Hinze, 10lbs, 21.5 inches....Born in the comfort of our home, and it was a quick, but great experience!

Guest Post Lindsey: Natural Necessities

  1.RedRaspberry Leaf Tea-- You should drink red raspberry leaf throughout your pregnancy after the first trimester.  It tones the uterus and helps with a faster labor, and who doesn’t want that?!  You can buy the teabags at a health food store.   I would brew 5 at a time and make a pitcher to drink everyday.  You can also drink it after delivery for a few weeks to help shrink the uterus and stop bleeding.  I personally swear by this stuff.  My first child was born in 6 hours, from very first contraction.  My second was face –up, which makes for a more difficult labor, and it was 4 hours.  My third was also face-up and born 1.5 hrs.  And those times are from very first contraction to finish!  There’s tons of research out there that show labor is greatly shortened.  You can also drink a very concentrated form during labor.   Kellie took a capsule form of it during her pregnancy.  

2.     Golden Seal—you need this post- delivery for your baby’s cord.   It comes in a capsule form, so you open the capsule and sprinkle it on and around your baby’s cord.  It will dry it up in no time.  Alcohol can burn really bad.  Golden seal is great for no pain, rapid drying, and prevention of infection of your baby's cord.  

3.     Chiropractic care--  I am a HUGE believer in chiropractic care! It does wonders for a pregnant body, and also for a newborn baby and child.  Think of it this way:  the spinal cord innervates every single organ and tissue in the body.  So when the spine is out of whack, whatever that particular region is innervating, will also be out of whack.  Chiropractic care can do wonders for a colicky baby, gas problems, sleep problems etc.  Do some research and ask around and find a chiropractor that specializes in pregnancy and small children.  I took my babies the same day or next after birth.  Those little bodies go through a little “shock” coming out the canal!  An adjustment on a newborn is very subtle—they use the first two fingers and barely move along the back.  For a 6^th month old, it looks like they are simply picking the child up, and as they are “holding” them, they are adjusting them.  The baby doesn’t even know it.  And the coolest thing is how the baby will be all smiles right after!  Their bowel movements will be better and they will sleep better!  Being in a carrier or car seat often is not good for the baby.  A weekly adjustment will do him/her good!  Also, after an adjustment, the immune system  is instantly boosted some 400%!   Statistics show and I have personally experienced that children who get frequent adjustments are far less sick, i.e. fewer ear infections etc, than children not.  

4.     Essential Oils—I use Young Living Essential Oils.  They are therapeutic grade, pure, certified, and most are edible.  There is an oil that can help with any ailment you or your baby/child may have.  Headaches, fever, coughing, runny nose, fungus, diaper rash, insect bites…..the list goes on and on.  You can diffuse them, inhale them, rub them on your body (specifically on the soles of the feet since there are more pores there than any other place on the body) or inject them, depending on the oil .  For a great resource with lots of info, click here.  

5.     Raw milk—If you have never had raw, unpasteurized milk, you have no idea what you are missing.  Raw milk is full of antioxidants, antibacterial/antiviral enzymes, all of which are killed off during the pasteurization process.  Contrary to popular belief, raw milk dairies undergo much stricter inspections that are much more frequent.  Pasteurized milk, even if organic, is basically dead white liquid.  There’s essentially no nutritive value.  And if you saw the cows the milk on the store shelves came from, you would know why it HAS to be pasteurized.  The cows are sick and diseased, the utters usually oozing pus and blood.  Visit a commercial dairy and you would never drink milk again.  Raw milk, on the other hand, has LOADS of benefits.  And the cows it comes from are healthy.  No hormones, no antibiotics, allowed to freely roam.  AND IT IS DELICIOUS.  Most dairies have whole, 1% and 2%, as well as heavy cream, which is great for making your own butter or ice cream!

For a list of resources, click here:

There are several local raw milk farms in Texas: around the Brenham area, there's one in Schulenburg  and one in La Grange , both with websites.   Several co-ops make delivery easily accessible, no matter where you may live.  Raw milk is good for about 10 days, and the colder your fridge, the better.  The cream will separate at the top, just shake and pour! When your baby turns a year and can have cow’s milk, go for the raw!!!

6. Making your own baby food--  It may sound overwhelming, but trust me, it’s not.  Take one night and make up a big batch, pour into ice trays, and voila,  you have several meals for your bay.  First, you can use organic , fresh foods.  It’s cheaper and much healthier.  A wonderful book with lots of info is “Top 100 Baby Purees “ by Annabel Karmel.  She explains why you should use cinnamon and butter, and why even organic foods that have been pasteurized in order to have a shelf life are devoid of crucial nutrients (similar to milk).  And remember, when you microwave something, you are killing every nutrient in that food.  Reheating on a stove is the way to go hands down.  Save the store bought squeeze pouches for when you are on the go! 

What are some things you believe should be added to the list?  Please, post your comments! And remember our disclaimer, this is NOT intended as medical advice!-- Lindsay

Guest Post Lindsay: Circumcision-- What you MUST know

When I was in medical school on my pediatric rotation, I was horrified by the way circumcisions were done.  Frankly, it was barbaric.  There are some things every mother of a boy needs to know:

Oftentimes, babies are taken out of the room to go to the procedure, but unbeknownst to the parents, that baby may lay naked, strapped to a board, for 30-45 minutes before the doctor comes to the room.  These little ones are left crying and unattended.  And they are cold!!  You also need to know that a circumcision is not just a quick snip and you are done, but rather about a 20 minute procedure.   And most horrifying to me, some doctors choose not to numb the skin before starting.  A shot of lidocaine numbs the skin in about 5 minutes so that the procedure can be done comfortably.  But to my utter shock, believe it or not, there are doctors out there who are in such a hurry (never mind the baby waited on them for half an hour) that they don’t want to take the extra time.  And I can tell you that 2 hours after the circumcision, those little babies have elevated heart rates and blood pressure from pain. 

I almost flunked my rotation because I was so upset after seeing that done (imagine getting stitched up for 20 minutes, or having a mole cut off, several layers deep without any anesthetic)  that I questioned my attending physician about it.  He told me that it wasn’t necessary to give babies numbing medicine because they can’t remember the pain, to which I replied, “Oh I see, then why give our Alzheimer’s patients pain meds or anesthetics, I mean, after all, they certainly won’t remember.”  Yeah, that did not go over well.  But what a freaking contradiction!!  And how sick that we are rationalizing abating pain because a newborn won’t remember??!!  Really??!!

So moms and dads, PLEASE make sure you attend the circumcision with your baby. Don’t just let a nurse take your baby from you.  You need to be privy to what goes on behind the scenes.  Second, always make sure they give the lidocaine shot.  Additionally, if you breastfeed your baby while they give the lidocaine shot, your baby most likely will not even cry.  “Breastfeeding is a powerful pain reliever, because it combines cuddling, skin-to-skin contact, sucking, and a sweet taste – a soothing antidote to the shock and pain of the needle.  “ (Laurel Schultz, pediatrician)  In fact, I breastfed all of my children anytime they had something done, i.e., the heel sticks to test for PKU, basically anytime they were being “messed with.”  NOTE:  If your pediatrician is not OK with you breastfeeding during a shot, that’s a red flag and you need to find another doc!!

I gave birth to two of my children at a birthing center in The Woodlands, TX, called Nativiti (my third was born at home in Oklahoma).   The midwives there recommend you wait to circumcise your boy until he is 8 days old.  Interestingly, it’s biblical, and you can find the reference in Genesis 17:12:" For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised…” But why 8 days??  Because that’s when the clotting factors within the body are fully developed.  So the risk of excess bleeding and complication is much less. 

So, Moms, the take home message from me is this:  wait until your baby is 8 days old and go to your pediatrician’s office to have the circumcision done if you choose to circumcise at all.  Don’t  do it in the hospital!!  ****I am going to digress a bit, so stay with me……Listen, I can tell you it was because of the things I saw done in a hospital that was ranked 5^th in the nation as one of the top teaching hospitals in the U.S. that I chose NOT to have my babies in a hospital.  Our healthcare system is in crises right now.  Nurses are so inundated with paperwork to meet new federal standards that “nursing” and caring for the patient has all but gone out the window!!  Please don't take this that I am dogging on nurses, my mom is a wonderful nurse of 30 years.  But hospitals are a business and are concerned with being profitable, not doing what is necessarily the best for the patient.  I saw many times that the nurse to patient ratio was way too high because the hospital was cutting costs, and patients did not get the attention they needed.  Nurses are overworked and make mistakes, some of them medication mistakes that can be costly.  I saw a nurse drop an intubation tube on the floor, pick it up and intubate a baby in ICU!  (Yes, I turned her in!).  If you have a surgery, the knee or hip or screw or pacemaker is not necessarily the best on the market or best for you, it’s the cheapest one negotiated on a contract between that particular company and the hospital.  Did you know that most of the time, it isn't even the doctor that determines what will be used in the surgery?  It's the CEO with the business degree, not the 8 years  or more of med school, making the decisions.  They will use products that have the higher reimbursement from an insurance company!  And don't think that big hospital systems aren't in cahoots with insurance companies!  Question EVERYTHING!  Don’t just take what your doctor says as god speak.  Medical students take one semester of pharmacology their first year in med school and never take it again!!  And it’s typically a course taught by a PhD during research for the university that’s taught the same outdated information the last decade.  So physicians rely on pharm reps to keep them “in the know,” but do ya’ll realize how strong the pharmaceutical and vaccine industry is in the U.S.?!  Money is the motivator, not good health!!  Question everything!  Think for yourself.  Doctors don’t know it all, trust me!! There are many extraneous factors playing against you when it comes to Western medicine!!****

      OK, back to the topic at hand……do the circumcision with your pediatrician at their office.  Ask if you can breastfeed during the lidocaine shot.  And sit with your baby the whole time it is being done.  Part of loving your baby is being an advocate for him.  Motherhood begins in the wombJ 


disclaimer:  These opinions expressed are just that….MY OPINIONS based on my personal experience, and are not intended as medical advice or to replace your healthcare professional.  You should consult with your healthcare professional to determine the best course of treatment for you.