I started out thinking it was weird to sit on a rubber ball while you are in labor. And the fact that they had to rename a fitness ball to birthing ball just seemed like too much.
Last Sunday I was helping out on the preschool floor at church. I sat down on one of the preschool sized chairs and was shocked as too how comfortable I was. It was the most comfortable that i have been in weeks! The chair was low enough that my thighs were parallel to the floor and my knees were at a 90 degree angle, and I was able to sit with my legs apart.
** Side note: Sitting cross legged has become extremely uncomfortable, so just ignore the pregnant lady sitting spread eagle.**
Then on Wed we went and got some FroYo and they had lower stools there. I sat in them and experienced the same since of relief as my back began to feel better and my stomach was no longer squished.
I began to wonder if this is what if felt like to sit on a birthing ball while pregnant. So I dragged Andrew to Target last night and bought a 15$ fitness ball. When we got home first thing i did was blow it up and then just sat on it for about 15 min eating my fudgecicle. I am in LOVE!
If it was socially acceptable to bring my birthing ball out in public everywhere I went I would. In fact I brought it to work with me.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Birthing Class #4
Not much to say about the last birthing class. I was all about breast feeding, and we watched an incredibly awkward video on the 14 steps to successful breast feeding. I never wanted to see a close up slow motion real life shot of a baby latching. No one's boobs should be shown from that close up on a large projection screen. Weird.
At the end of the class our nurse had an activity to help you work on your birth plan. She gave you 32 statements that are common to birth plans. Then asked you to pick the 16 most important. Then asked you to pick the 8 most important. Then 4. She said that people who come in with long detailed birth plans are less likely to get everything they want. The nurses can not possibly remember and follow a 3 page list. But 4-8 statements are totally doable. It was also really good to talk it through with Andrew. Apparently her has opinions on all this. Who knew?
Our top 8:
~I want to be told about every procedure, given a chance to ask questions and participate in decision making
~Being able to rock, walk, and move about in labor, and not be confined to the bed
~To have the continuous physical, emotional, and caring presence of my chosen partner/coach
~Establishing breastfeeding within the first hour of life
~We see the nursing staff as part of our team and we'd like them to offer ideas and suggestions
~Using the shower, bath, or jacuzzi for comfort
~We have chosen certain family/friends we'd like to share our birth with
~We want to hold the baby as soon as possible.
It was good to do this as the last thing in the class because so many of the statements are already common practice within the hospital and are unnecessary to include in the plan.
At the end of the class our nurse had an activity to help you work on your birth plan. She gave you 32 statements that are common to birth plans. Then asked you to pick the 16 most important. Then asked you to pick the 8 most important. Then 4. She said that people who come in with long detailed birth plans are less likely to get everything they want. The nurses can not possibly remember and follow a 3 page list. But 4-8 statements are totally doable. It was also really good to talk it through with Andrew. Apparently her has opinions on all this. Who knew?
Our top 8:
~I want to be told about every procedure, given a chance to ask questions and participate in decision making
~Being able to rock, walk, and move about in labor, and not be confined to the bed
~To have the continuous physical, emotional, and caring presence of my chosen partner/coach
~Establishing breastfeeding within the first hour of life
~We see the nursing staff as part of our team and we'd like them to offer ideas and suggestions
~Using the shower, bath, or jacuzzi for comfort
~We have chosen certain family/friends we'd like to share our birth with
~We want to hold the baby as soon as possible.
It was good to do this as the last thing in the class because so many of the statements are already common practice within the hospital and are unnecessary to include in the plan.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Birthing Class #3
The bullets-
- Another good reason(for me and my crazy logic) to not get an epidural, you can eat things other than ice chips. Things with flavor!!!
- The hospital beds are equipped to allow you to push from pretty much any position you want. They even have this bar that gets brought up that you can rest on in a squatting position if you want to push like that (since it opens your pelvis 30% more than any other position).
- From what research I have done on the benefits of home births and birthing centers, it seems that hospitals are becoming less rigid and more and more like birthing centers. With the added benefit of having surgeons on call if something goes wrong. They let you labor any way you want, in the tub, on a birthing ball, walking around, whatever is comfortable. They allow you to push from whatever position you want and works best for you. They don't cut the cord until it stops pulsating. They do not remove the baby right after it is born to do all the measurements like they used to. After the baby is born they immediately lay the baby skin to skin on the mother to allow for bonding time. You get to call the shots at every step.
- They talked about how having skin to skin contact with the mother for at least an hour immediately following the birth helps to calm the baby and increases the success rate of breast feeding. To me though it feels weird to make Andrew wait a whole hour before he gets to hold his daughter. Since I am leaning towards not breast feeding, I probably will not stick to this 1 hour rule.
- Andrew made it through the video showing a live birth, with out passing out or losing his dinner. So that is a positive sign.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
34 Weeks
The stats:
He also said "Keep doing what your doing because it's working" and I said, "I'm not doing a whole a lot..."
And he started talking about how pregnancy and labor are not "The Event." So many people get focused on just that part, reading about it, talking about it. Your body is going to do what it needs to do whether you are on board or not. The real event happens when you walk out of those hospital doors with that little baby and now you have to figure out what your going to. That is the event you should be focusing on.
Wise words.
- Gained 1/2 lb
- BP 110/56
- belly measuring on schedule
- Heart beat sounded good
- Dani is head down but not dropped yet.
He also said "Keep doing what your doing because it's working" and I said, "I'm not doing a whole a lot..."
And he started talking about how pregnancy and labor are not "The Event." So many people get focused on just that part, reading about it, talking about it. Your body is going to do what it needs to do whether you are on board or not. The real event happens when you walk out of those hospital doors with that little baby and now you have to figure out what your going to. That is the event you should be focusing on.
Wise words.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Birthing Class #2
Labor and Pain Management.
Things I learned:
~You actually produce more urine at night which is why women have to get up so frequently. During the day your kidneys are so squished they can't produce what they normally do, but when you are sleeping they make up for it. Luckily I have only had to get up in the middle of the night twice. Otherwise the majority of the nights I sleep straight through.
~You should have someone dedicated as your personal massage guru that is at your every beckon call all through out labor. OK they did not actually say that but pretty much every comfort measure involved some sort of foot massage, back massage, neck massage. So Kelly start building up those muscles because I remember how awesome your back massages are, and don't forget the time after you ran PPP that I was there for you;)
~Apparently the nurse thinks that an ice chip is a proper reward after each contraction. Yes, she did actually say for the support person to give the mother an ice chip after each contraction as a little reward. Uh no. That is not an acceptable reward. I wanted to ask if we could bring our own supply of otter pops or fudge-cicles as a more appropriate reward, but i had already asked too many questions and was embarrassing Andrew. I am also thinking we might hit DQ once the contractions start so I can have a blizzard before the hospital cuts off my food supply:)
~They showed a video of different women going through labor and the positions that might help. They also demonstrated that making low groaning noises is instinctual and helpful, because if they are low that means you are breathing deeply. Needless to say that watching half dressed women rocking back and forth on a birthing ball while groaning made Andrew a wee bit uncomfortable. Wait until he sees next weeks video. The one on delivery.
Things I learned:
~You actually produce more urine at night which is why women have to get up so frequently. During the day your kidneys are so squished they can't produce what they normally do, but when you are sleeping they make up for it. Luckily I have only had to get up in the middle of the night twice. Otherwise the majority of the nights I sleep straight through.
~You should have someone dedicated as your personal massage guru that is at your every beckon call all through out labor. OK they did not actually say that but pretty much every comfort measure involved some sort of foot massage, back massage, neck massage. So Kelly start building up those muscles because I remember how awesome your back massages are, and don't forget the time after you ran PPP that I was there for you;)
~Apparently the nurse thinks that an ice chip is a proper reward after each contraction. Yes, she did actually say for the support person to give the mother an ice chip after each contraction as a little reward. Uh no. That is not an acceptable reward. I wanted to ask if we could bring our own supply of otter pops or fudge-cicles as a more appropriate reward, but i had already asked too many questions and was embarrassing Andrew. I am also thinking we might hit DQ once the contractions start so I can have a blizzard before the hospital cuts off my food supply:)
~They showed a video of different women going through labor and the positions that might help. They also demonstrated that making low groaning noises is instinctual and helpful, because if they are low that means you are breathing deeply. Needless to say that watching half dressed women rocking back and forth on a birthing ball while groaning made Andrew a wee bit uncomfortable. Wait until he sees next weeks video. The one on delivery.
Friday, July 13, 2012
My Birth Plan
Tentative thoughts on my "birth plan":
I will start by saying that I am not naive enough to sit here and say "This is exactly how I want everything to go down. No exceptions."
Every labor is different and everyone responds to the pain differently.
With that said, I would like to try to go as long as possible without an epidural. Partly because the epidural scares me more than labor (I know I weird). But mostly because in my head it makes sense to want to be able to feel what your body is going through so that you know more of what is going on. Let's see if I can think of a better way to explain my crazy logic...
How are you supposed to learn to golf if your arms are numb? How would you know what to do?
I know there are Doctors there and everything but nobody knows what is going on with your body better than you.
I also don't like the idea of being confined to the bed once you have the epidural. I want to be able to get up, walk around, change positions, maybe even squat on a birthing ball, who knows, but I want to be in control of what I want. That sounded a little princess-ish huh? well, they tell me I can pretty much say whatever I want while in labor and get a free pass from everyone so why not take advantage of it? :)
I am also toying with the idea of getting the epidural during the "Transition phase" of labor. (For those of you not lucky enough to have experienced the fun of birthing class, this phase it right before pushing and your contractions become WAY more intense and and close together). If I got one at this point I would want a "light epidural" where they give you enough that you are not in such pain but you can still feel what's going on.
So that is my up-in-th-air-we-will-see-how-I-handle-the-first-contraction-then-everything-might-go-out-the-window plan.
I will start by saying that I am not naive enough to sit here and say "This is exactly how I want everything to go down. No exceptions."
Every labor is different and everyone responds to the pain differently.
With that said, I would like to try to go as long as possible without an epidural. Partly because the epidural scares me more than labor (I know I weird). But mostly because in my head it makes sense to want to be able to feel what your body is going through so that you know more of what is going on. Let's see if I can think of a better way to explain my crazy logic...
How are you supposed to learn to golf if your arms are numb? How would you know what to do?
I know there are Doctors there and everything but nobody knows what is going on with your body better than you.
I also don't like the idea of being confined to the bed once you have the epidural. I want to be able to get up, walk around, change positions, maybe even squat on a birthing ball, who knows, but I want to be in control of what I want. That sounded a little princess-ish huh? well, they tell me I can pretty much say whatever I want while in labor and get a free pass from everyone so why not take advantage of it? :)
I am also toying with the idea of getting the epidural during the "Transition phase" of labor. (For those of you not lucky enough to have experienced the fun of birthing class, this phase it right before pushing and your contractions become WAY more intense and and close together). If I got one at this point I would want a "light epidural" where they give you enough that you are not in such pain but you can still feel what's going on.
So that is my up-in-th-air-we-will-see-how-I-handle-the-first-contraction-then-everything-might-go-out-the-window plan.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Birthing Class #1
The basics of labor and preparing to go to the hospital.
First we will start with a little history.
Andrew is currently trying to sell my Jeep,(know anyone looking for a 2004 jeep wrangler?) because of this he does not want to fill the tank for fear that he will end up selling it with a full tank of gas and will have wasted 50$ (I know, heaven forbid right?). So for the past month the most he will put in is 20$ which means I am basically always driving around on empty. I HATE going to the gas station and think it is the mans job to fill the car, it is really annoying that we have to stop at the gas station every few days.
What does this have to do with the first birthing class? I will tell you.
The instructor was going through the list of things to pack and have prepared prior to going to the hospital. The first thing on her list was to make sure that your car ALWAYS has more than half a tank of gas in it, because the last thing your laboring wife will want is to stop at the gas station on the way to the hospital.
I immediately looked at Andrew and he sunk a little lower in his seat and we both just started cracking up(Good thing we were in the back of the class).
When I go into labor this is the conversation I picture us having:
Me:Grab my bags I will get in the Jeep.
Me:Cries out in exasperation No! the Jeep has no gas! I told you to keep it filled!!
Him: Someone was coming to look at it I didn't want to sell him a car with a full tank of gas
Me: Fine we will take the truck. You will have to help me up into it since there is no step and I am in no condition to be hoisting myself into a lifted F350.
Him: Absolutely not are we taking my truck. What if we get stuck and you have the baby in it! Gross. I know! you can ride in the truck bed!
Me:Uh no. Not happening.
And after all of that I am convinced that I will be showing up to the hospital on the back of Andrew's Motorcycle.
First we will start with a little history.
Andrew is currently trying to sell my Jeep,(know anyone looking for a 2004 jeep wrangler?) because of this he does not want to fill the tank for fear that he will end up selling it with a full tank of gas and will have wasted 50$ (I know, heaven forbid right?). So for the past month the most he will put in is 20$ which means I am basically always driving around on empty. I HATE going to the gas station and think it is the mans job to fill the car, it is really annoying that we have to stop at the gas station every few days.
What does this have to do with the first birthing class? I will tell you.
The instructor was going through the list of things to pack and have prepared prior to going to the hospital. The first thing on her list was to make sure that your car ALWAYS has more than half a tank of gas in it, because the last thing your laboring wife will want is to stop at the gas station on the way to the hospital.
I immediately looked at Andrew and he sunk a little lower in his seat and we both just started cracking up(Good thing we were in the back of the class).
When I go into labor this is the conversation I picture us having:
Me:Grab my bags I will get in the Jeep.
Me:Cries out in exasperation No! the Jeep has no gas! I told you to keep it filled!!
Him: Someone was coming to look at it I didn't want to sell him a car with a full tank of gas
Me: Fine we will take the truck. You will have to help me up into it since there is no step and I am in no condition to be hoisting myself into a lifted F350.
Him: Absolutely not are we taking my truck. What if we get stuck and you have the baby in it! Gross. I know! you can ride in the truck bed!
Me:Uh no. Not happening.
And after all of that I am convinced that I will be showing up to the hospital on the back of Andrew's Motorcycle.
Monday, July 2, 2012
32 Weeks
32 weeks sounds a lot further along than "just starting my 8th month" so we will go with 32 weeks:)
Dr. Appointment Bullets
Dr. Appointment Bullets
- I did not gain any weight since my last appointment
- Blood Pressure was 102/70 which is much closer to my usual numbers
- My belly is measuring average
- Baby is head down and heart beat is good and strong
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