Guest Post Breakdown- Mrs M

First of all can I say that we women are tough cookies, I mean seriously...pregnancy, birth, and raising babies are not for the faint of heart...we endure don't we?  No matter how or what the circumstances are for the birth of your babies YOU are magnificent!

3 babies, and 3 different labors & births...Just goes to show that you never know what your gonna get!

Things we can take away from Mrs M's experience

Whew, that first baby was a doozie for her wasn't it? Early labor for 3 weeks! Man, after reading that- all that comes to mind is what my Midwife Toni always says " at least you only have to have a first baby once!". 

With the birth of both of her boys she mentioned she was sleep deprived, which can really zap your energy. Not to mention, for birthin babies it helps to be in the best frame of mind possible for the work you have to put in...and sleep deprivation can really start to mess with your head.  I remember waking up every hour on the dot those last weeks of pregnancy...iiiiittttttt suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked...something that Toni suggested was Wish Garden Sleepy Nights (click here), its all natural, it does not knock you out, you do not wake up groggy. They are drops and they dont taste all that fantastic, but its definitely worth it in my opinion. You still wake up when you take the drops, but you get a longer stretch of sleep at a time. Something to think about

....might help

The main thing that stuck out to me from reading this was on her 3rd birth she seemed to have really made up her mind and had a firm plan to go natural.  I think definitely key in going natural....you have to really know what you want and commit to it.  She also had the support of her Doctor and Husband, which we know how important that is! 

I wish there was a way to get the nurses on board to be more supportive of natural birth. I know there are some that are, but they seem to be the minority.  I would love to talk to a nurse who pushes the drugs & repeatedly tries to get you to take something on WHY she does it...does it make their work day easier? Do they feel bad for the woman in pain? Do they make a commission (I'm sure not, right?).  A wonderfully encouraging nurse or an un-supportive persistent one can make or break your birth experience. No matter how supportive your Doctor is with your birth plan, remember that in the Hospital you spend a lot more time with the nurses than you do with your Doctor.  

Thank you Mrs M for sharing your experiences with us, you are a true warrior!

On another note I came across this and it really spoke to me.....it sums up my whole purpose for this blog.....

“I just want to be treated as an individual not a number and for my care to be based on normal birth unless there is a medical reason why this is not possible. I am not saying ‘no intervention’ just if intervention is recommended its intervention for a reason “

I got that quote from this blog, the blogger is Irish and speaking of reclaiming birth in Ireland, which is what we are trying to do here in the good o'l US.  The link to her blog is to a post about why your birth experience is important and that its something you remember all your life, its very long but if you skim through it I think you'll find some very useful info to think about.

Guest Post- Mrs. M

Guest Post #2- I've been very excited to share this one with you...(well actually ALL of them, they are so educational!).  I've always wondered what a comparison of birth experiences like this, medicated & unmedicated would entail.  Here is a candid comparison for you...and tomorrow I will post a breakdown of important things to focus on from Mrs M's experiences!~K

Third Times a Charm

Looking back, my first pregnancy was an interesting one. I was excited when we got pregnant quickly after being married for 5 years. I was 28. My little man decided to settle head down at 18 weeks gestation, wedging himself into my pelvis and making his mama quite uncomfortable. Because of all the pressure I experienced, I had about 9 sonograms. I had been with my OBGYN for a few years and loved her, so I trusted her judgment on all things pregnancy. When I was 35 weeks along, I was fully effaced and dilated to a 3—for 3 weeks. I experienced early labor for 3 days (which meant I went into it sleep deprived) and then, at 38 weeks, it was the real thing. I labored at home for 3 hours, but went in to L&D when the contractions were 3 minutes apart. 14 hours later, and no epidural, I was exhausted and there was no end in sight. When my doc checked me, the baby’s head was coming down at an angle and was causing incomplete dilation. I wanted to avoid a c-section if at all possible, so she suggested Pitocin to help push him down straight. Pitocin is an evil drug. I proceeded to have so many mind-numbing contractions right on top of each other that I got sick. I was beat, and I asked for the epidural after giving it my all. 6 hours later, my beautiful baby boy was born, weighing 8 lbs, 3 oz, two weeks early. 

He was wonderful, but the after-effects of whatever extra cocktail the anesthesiologist popped into my IV before I began to push (I remember hearing him say “she’ll be feeling no pain with this”) were absolutely not. I couldn’t feel my bottom half for 12 hours after giving birth, had to have a catheter, and had to have someone lift me up in the bed so I could nurse my son. Ugh.

Fast forward 2 ½ years, and I was having déjà vu. My second son was born at 38 weeks as well, with 3 days of early “warning” labor. I knew the drill, so I decided to see how it would go. I wasn’t going to say “absolutely not” to an epidural, as I was pretty tired again this time around. Pregnancy insomnia made me kind of nuts during both of the boys’ pregnancies. After 6 hours of hard labor, I asked for the epidural, but looking back, I think I could have made it, had I been encouraged (not exactly the norm at hospitals). He was born 3 hours later, healthy and strong, weighing 7 lbs, 13 oz. 

 Our boys were fabulous and a few years later, we decided that our family wasn’t complete yet. It took a while, but we got pregnant with our baby girl! By this time, my first doc had joined the navy (!) and so I had had to switch. One of my friends had just joined a private practice, so I opted to have a friend take care of me. Best decision! This pregnancy was the most uneventful of the three, even though I was no spring chicken when she was born (35). 

I decided to give natural birth a shot. Since I was Strep B positive, I knew I needed IV antibiotics, but I didn’t want any other interventions. I didn’t experience any early labor, and then bam! My water broke at 4:30 early in the morning the day I turned 37 weeks, and it was just like in the movies, which was a little weird. A little earlier than we had expected, so it was a bit crazy trying to get the boys situated. 

We headed to the hospital, and they got me set up. Labor didn’t start until 8:30 or so, so it was all a bit surreal. The doc on call kept asking me if I was sure I didn’t want to just “get the IV placed” so that if I wanted the epidural later it would be ready to go. Um, no. The nurse kept asking me if I was sure I didn’t want something (aka narcotics) to “take the edge off”. Um, no. Didn’t you hear me say “naturally”? I was on rocking through labor on my birthing ball, and my husband was doing an awesome job of giving me counter pressure on my hips during contractions. 

By noon, my doc had come in (she was actually off that day), checked me (4 cm!) and said I was doing great. She was completely supportive of me doing it naturally, even though she thought I was a bit crazy (she was having her second baby via scheduled c-section that very Thursday). I was only at 6 cm at 2:00, but then I stood up, felt lots of pressure, and when they checked, I was between 8-9 cm. It was 2:45. The rest was a complete whirlwind. I got back down to sit on my ball, and couldn’t. The contractions weren’t letting up, and I began screeching in earnest. I was the epitome of those crazy ladies you hear about—cursing and screaming and trying to bury my face in the pillow to keep from scaring my husband. But they must have done the trick, because all of a sudden, she was coming out. Right there on the floor if I didn’t get into the bed soon. I grabbed the call button and yelled “HELP!” It took two nurses grabbing my legs and my husband under my arms to swing me back into the bed (I had a nasty bruise on my leg later to prove it), and within 1 minute, my baby girl was born—on the bed, with no doctor in sight. My poor 39-week pregnant doc/friend didn’t waddle down to the room in time. There was no stopping that train! The thing about this third birth was this: I had ZERO recovery time. With my boys, I had pain from the tears for at least 6 weeks. When you have an epidural, you can’t feel how hard to push, so you push at maximum capacity, which for me, led to tearing. Without the epidural, the contractions help you push like you are supposed to—I actually felt like I was holding her back at one point because she was coming so fast. Granted, my daughter was only 6 lbs, 6 oz, so much smaller than the boys were, but I hopped out of bed, walked around and had no pain whatsoever. That was amazing, but the whole experience was beautiful and made me feel powerful and strong. Took me three tries, but I finally had the birth experience I didn’t know I was longing for. So many women I talk to are “amazed” that I did it without an epidural, but it honestly wasn’t that bad. Our bodies are what is amazing, and being able to connect with that power was one of the best experiences of my life.

Things I'd like to rename...

I would liked to have been in charge of naming things way back in the day when they were being developed, I would have been so good at it....

Cool things with eh, not so great names

Chiropractor....makes me think of protractor... I guess its the mathematician coming out in me again....lol

But I LOVE going to see my Chiropractor....she takes away all the aches and pains especially during pregnancy...until the next time I need to see her. And its a natural way to deal with headaches, keeps your pelvis in prime position for delivery...lots of benefits to seeing a protractor  Chiropractor when you are preggers!

Here is a blog post about the benefits.
Here is my Feel-Good Goddess, yes I like that better! Change Approved! (Cougartown, anyone?)

Doula (Doo-lah)

...Makes me think of Arnold Schwarzinighjgh-however-the-hell-you-spell-his-name sayin "its not a too-mah (tumor).  Until I was preggers with my first I had never even heard of a Doula.  Basically a Doula is this awesome woman you hire to be your own personal birth expert, friend, advice giver, shoulder to cry on, your advocate.... Momma's, she is your rock!  Not to mention over the course of your pregnancy you get to know each other and she will be with you the entire time during your labor & delivery..... How awesome would that be in a Hospital where you dont really know the nurses taking care of you and being that the Doc usually doesn't arrive until the actual delivery...I think a Doula would be very comforting in that scenario...they say the Husbands find having a Doula there very comforting as well and takes some of the pressure off them!

The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

On this website you can read more about it and even find one! Although I hear there is a shortage locally and a friend of mine suggested that I become one.....but I think I am way too mouthy & protective...I dont know if that would serve me well in that line of work...but never say never!  Here are some Tales of a Doula..gives you a real sense about what they do for the Momma's they serve.  

Doula= Mother Lover

~Kellie