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Hi everyone,
I'm 7 months pregnant and only 2 1/2 months into treatment (after 4 years of off and on IC symptoms, the last year of which was by far the worst). I have found that between the pregnancy (especially now that I'm into my third trimester) and trying to deal with/heal from this condition, my energy level is almost constantly quite low. I do normal household tasks like dishes, laundry, and/or cooking for an hour or two and then feel absolutely exhausted and must rest on the couch for at least half and hour before I feel any energy return to get up and continue with my daily responsibilites.
I've been doing a lot of reading/research and feel very strongly that I want to give birth naturally (with no medical intervention, if possible), but I know that labor and delivery require significant strength and energy and am afraid I'll get tired very quickly and then need medical intervention... I guess I'm looking for some hope/encouragement from others with IC who have had the same fear and who have been able to find the strength to do it (or know of others who have). Any stories would be so helpful (oh, and please please PLEASE do not share any stories where the laboring woman was NOT able to find the strength... because I know the power of the mind, and I don't want to have any doubts when I find myself in that situation).
Thanks so much!! :)
Sarah
Sarah!!! You can absolutely
Sarah!!! You can absolutely do this!!! I gave birth naturally after not sleeping for 5 nights in a row- I am not kidding. I had pro dromal labor (stop and start) and I cat napped for 5 days before going into labor. Birth is an extremely powerful natural process- once it starts- you are sort of in an altered state and the sheer power of it takes over.
IF you have OB's(as opposed to midwife) you might want to think about hiring a Doula- I know it is a cost but it is totally worth it if you can swing it. The Doula would be there to support you. Educate yourself about natural birth as much as possible and you will be psyched to so it! The hospitals are set up for emergency and surgical birth so you have to be able to advocate for yourself- educate your husband too so he doesn't get scared at the normal signs of labor and think there is somehting wrong.
You have the strength and power deep inside of you. remember, birth is very short (even a long labor in the big picture) and you will be glad you avoided the interventions which so often lead to C section.
My favorite birth book is "Ida May's guide to Childbirth" Even for my 3rd birht, that info totally helped me. Don't listen to the fear mongerers- I loved giving birth naturally and the recovery was instant for me. I was ready to go home in 6 hours. My first birth, I had pre-eclampsia so I absolutely needed a lot of intervention. That took me 2 months to feel better. I have had it both ways and I would always opt for natural. I did not have IC at the time but I really think ESPECIALLY because of your IC, the less intervention the better. trust your body with this one. I know that is tough but the fact that you are here shows you are a warrior woman already!
Don't watch the silly TV and movie depictions of birth, see if you can find some natural birth videos. I have been at 4 births and they all went the same basic way. It was helpful for me to learn the stages of natural labor so i wasn't afraid when I reached them and knew I was getting there. You reach a point near the end where you think you can't do it, and then it is almost over. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!
ps- many people have low
ps- many people have low energy during pregancy so that sounds fairly normal to me. I know the IC must be making everythign harder but you will do great.
Sarah, I strongly second Deir
Sarah, I strongly second Deir's message. The body enters an altered state of incredible ability and strength during birth. Although I chose to have an epidural with both my daughters, I truly believe you will be fulfilled if you achieve the birth experience you envision. I have two very dear friends who had completely successful natural births ( one at home, one in hospital with a midwife) in the past year and were incredibly happy with their decisions. How have you felt overall during your pregnancy? Fatigue is very common;) Best wishes to you!
Katie
Katie, that means a lot!
Katie, that means a lot! Thank you :)
I have actually not had many bad pregnancy symptoms at all! Just mild morning sickness the first few months, a bit of sciatica the last month or two, and fatigue the first and now the third trimesters. If I wasn't dealing with the IC at the same time, I would say I LOVE being pregnant! lol we'll see if that continues ;)
Again, thank you so much for the encouragement and the best wishes!! I'm becoming more intent on sticking to my guns for a natural birth with every bit of positive advice/encouragement I hear!
Sarah
Sarah, You are most welcome!
Sarah, You are most welcome! I really loved being pregnant as well;) Please keep us posted as to the birth of your little one and delivery experience. I think I am going to purchase Ina May's book. I just finished watching "The Business of Being Born" on Netflix and really enjoyed it;)
Katie
I will do that! I've heard of
I will do that! I've heard of "The Business of Being Born" but haven't watched it yet, so maybe now I will :)
deir, thank you SO MUCH for
deir, thank you SO MUCH for that encouragement!!! I am so excited to respond to your post that I barely know where to start...!
I bought Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and am about 2/3 through it and LOVING IT!!! It has given me so much more encouragement and confidence (and KNOWLEDGE, which truly is power!) than I previously had, but I don't remember reading any stories in which the woman had some sort of chronic illness, so that's why I came and posted the question on here. But the stories are still so encouraging, and learning about what actually happens during labor - what's "normal" - is going to be priceless for me, since I tend to fear the unknown and always anticipate the worst possible scenario. I've been sharing some of the info with my husband as I read, and I think he's been pretty shocked at how intense this could get (he's wonderful, but I think he just thought women go the hospital, pop out the baby after a little bit of whining/drama, and then that's it lol).
My sister-in-law has been 11 weeks ahead of me, and this being my first time (and before I was more informed), I just started seeing the same OB she was seeing and planned to have my baby at the same hospital. She just had her baby last weekend and was deeply disappointed when they decided she needed to have a C-section (for a reason that seemed questionable to me now that I've learned so much about how midwives handle these things). Reading the book has made me almost want to switch from the hospital/OB to a birthing center/midwife, and I honestly think I would if it were entirely up to me, but both sides of our family - and possibly still my husband - would be so worried that I don't want to have to deal with that. The only reason I THINK I'm still okay with sticking with the hospital is because my husband's friend's wife is a doula and practically BEGGED me to let her help me even if we can't afford to pay her anything (we just bought our first house and are having our first baby - all on one income - so $ is tight). I was hesitant to accept her offer until we figured out a way to pay her at least half of what she normally charges, and I met with her yesterday for the first time! We are both so excited about this, and she loaned me all sorts of other similar books. She also wants to have my husband and me over for dinner so her husband can talk to my husband (they have 3 kids, 2 of which were born at home and the last of which he literally had to deliver himself just minutes before the midwives arrived!).
Thank you for sharing your experience too - the more positive stories I hear, the more confident I feel! I'm feeling much better about having a female advocate who is MUCH more on the "natural" side of things there will me at the hospital in case they try to push things I'm not comfortable with, and my goal is that by my next pregnancy, I'll feel confident enough to have the baby either at home or at a birthing center! :D
Hi Sarah, I don't have much
Hi Sarah, I don't have much more to add, bc the other women gave such amazing, encouraging posts. Before I had full-blow IC I had two amazing (mostly) natural births in the hospital. Maybe if I were to do it over again I would have done it at home or birthing center. But I had family there helping me (my sister and my friend) and my first labor I was lucky was only 5 hours and 1/2 hour of pushing. Deir is absolutely right, just when you think you can't take anything more, you are screaming for the drugs and ready to strangle someone, that is when you are in transition and the pushing phase is about to start. With my first birth at when I was nearing that point I begged for some fentanol (sp?) and it really did not help. Luckily my daughter was born quite alert and breast fed immediately!! We stayed in the hospital for two nights for the extra help with the baby but I could have gone home. With my second, my labor was during a spicey dinner, and within an hour she was out. We barely got to triage and left for home the next morning. Amazing. Loved it so much. I feel so lucky to have had this experience. The pushing phase was really helped since I did not have drugs. But you know all this because of the books you have read. I do worry a bit about being at the hospital with IC, because the interventions are right there ready and waiting. Whereas at a birthing center not so much. I personally vote for the birthing center. You don't get a do-over of THIS birth. If you think you are going to do a birthing center next time, then why not this time? Just playing devils advocate. Whatever you choose will be ok in the end as you will have your amazing baby! I am very proud of my low intervention births!
Also, I took a homeopathic remedy (blue or black cohosh--need to double check, one helps with stalled labor and the other with the strength of the contrations) with my first because my water broke and my labor was stalled. Within 1/2 hour of taking the homeopathic remedy I was in active labor! My natural childbirth coach swears by this stuff!! you should be able to find the remedy on line. Good luck!
If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.
Thanks, Mimi! I will always
Thanks, Mimi! I will always take any extra encouragement/support/advice - even if it's just a reiteration of what others have already said :)
Your labors sound rather ideal! haha I don't want to enter mine with any expectations so I'm not disappointed, but at the same time, I want to have the best possible attitude so that I can influence it positively to the best of my ability. I've heard/read that taking pain drugs right before the pushing stage (that point when you don't think you can take it any more, as you said) can either make you lose the urge to push or make you push too hard too fast and therefore tear more easily. This is exactly what happened to one of my best friends and my cousin, so I'm going to be very cautious about that!
You make a good point about the birthing center vs. the hospital (medical intervention is less available/likely and why wait if I'm already leaning that direction in my gut)... I haven't completely decided yet, but I'll let you know what happens!
Thanks again for sharing - and for the homeopathic tip! I'll have to look that up :)
You are going to be great!! I
You are going to be great!! I had my kids at a birth center and with the first one, I was transferred to the hospital due to the Pre-E. I was so grateful because I still had the midwife there to deliver so I was not forced into a C-section. There is so much fear about birth but there doesn't need to be. I take it seriously, make sure I have a smart lady there to help and then, trust the process more than anything.
I am SOOO happy that you will have a doula! Awesome.
I like your perspective (
I like your perspective ("take it seriously, make sure I have a smart lady there to help and then, trust the process more than anything")! :)
Hi Sarah,
Hi Sarah,
I've had four natural births with on/off IC over the past few years. My last birth was three years ago at an older maternal age AND with the onset of chronic fatigue (and lots of other symptoms) during the final six weeks of the pregnancy. Although I was about to enter the worst time in my life with this illness (but I didn't know it at the time), I still managed a natural birth with no interventions, pain relief, etc.. I agree with what the others have said - your body just takes you through it, fatigue or no fatigue. For me, two things have worked the most during labour: I have always insisted on asking for a re-run of any tests, e.g., urine samples, blood pressure etc.. before agreeing to anything. This depends on whether anything serious is going on and of course, if things happen quickly then that choice may be taken away, but, for example, a newly-qualified midwife decided that my blood pressure was high during labour number three, which could have cascaded into all kinds of interventions. I was pretty sure that it was a false alarm so insisted that they re-measure it several times, and I was right. The second thing was that I was very active during labour and moved around a lot with all of them. I am convinced that this resulted in very quick and efficient labours. I am from the UK and we have a slightly different system here to the US one in that midwife-led care is the norm here, whether in hospital or in a birthing centre. I was in hospital for all births but was looked after by midwives (obs only get called in if problems arise). I took arnica after all of my births and am convinced as to its efficacy. To reiterate, I had never experienced such crushing fatigue and other, sometimes downright weird and awful symptoms as I did during my last pregnancy and labour BUT my body dealt with it in an entirely amazing way. I was convinced that my labour would be terrible because of the illness and it really wasn't. I am still in awe at maternity and motherhood and what we achieve, even when in the throes of a horrendous chronic illness. One more thing - I mix-fed my last baby for the first six months as I was so ill that my body just did not produce much milk at all/bad larch/no energy on my part/resulted in jaundice in him, which led to less milk production, etc.. I was devastated as I had successfully breastfed the other three. I stopped completely at 6 months as at this point, I could not get out of bed, courtesy of the illness. I bottle-fed until 16 months at which point I relactated (Thank you Deir for your advice on this as I didn't even know it was possible!) and am still breastfeeding him now at nearly three! It's been said many times on this site but our bodies are truly amazing.
Hi Vin43! I am so glad you
Hi Vin43! I am so glad you shared your experiences - thank you!! It is so good to hear once again that our bodies somehow "take over" during this amazing natural process I have yet to experience. I'm going to trust that mine will do the same, no matter how I've been feeling leading up to labor. Of course, I'm going to try to rest and nourish myself as much as possible in the last weeks of pregnancy so I'm as physically (and mentally) prepared as possible :)
Great advice about the tests and the moving around during labor! I thought it was funny that before I knew women sometimes gave birth in positions other than lying on their backs, I kept telling my husband and friends that something in me felt like giving birth while squatting or getting on one knee in front of a bed (the "proposal" position lol) would be so much easier and more comfortable... and then I found out that these (and many other) positions are very normal even today at home or birth center births! I'm going to see my OB on Monday and am going to have a long list of questions to ask him (I've learned a lot this past month since my last visit), and if I'm not completely satisfied/comfortable with all his answers, I may decide it's worth it to switch to a birth center under the care of a midwife. One thing I know is that I will have either a doula or a midwife with me every time!
I look forward to breast feeding too and pray there are no complications :) Thanks again so much!!
Sarah- My heart is warmed!!!
Sarah- My heart is warmed!!!
Vin - no flippin way! So glad the relactation worked. Wow!!
Thanks for this positive and strengthening thread. Almost makes me want to have another baby. HA!
Sarah- You have inspired me
Sarah- You have inspired me to ask this question for my own benefit so I apologize for redirecting the focus a bit.
Deir, Vin and Mimi- I have been Dr B approved to begin trying for a pregnancy. (Yes, my husband and I would like one more;) Given all I have learned about the body, I am interested in a natural childbirth - if and when - BUT I have this darn heart condition and am concerned if a natural childbirth would be out of the question. In other words, is a natural childbirth only worth trying for low- rush mothers? Or should I consider it?
Wanted to also add that my
Wanted to also add that my daughters were born with no issues whatsoever so not considered high risk at all. Only concerned in the sense that POTS syndrome is a new addition since my last pregnancy and wondering if a natural birth would be more or less stressful on the heart than interventions.
Deir - it was pretty amazing.
Deir - it was pretty amazing. I knew that in the condition I was in, and after all that time, I probably had a less than 1% chance of relactating but because I felt that I just had to try AND you gave me the confidence to persevere with it, I persevered and am still at it now. I don't think he's ever had as much from me as my other children, and I am not even sure that I have much (any!) milk left (I certainly couldn’t get much out manually or with a pump), but he does swap sides and is very determined when he wants some (mornings, before bed, once or twice during the say) that perhaps he IS getting something out after all. I am not sure that I ever wrote to you to thank you so I'll say now how grateful I am for your advice and simply opening up the possibility of giving it a go.
Katie - congratulations on getting the go-ahead to try for a pregnancy. That is fantastic. You must have come a very long way to be able to even contemplate it. From my own personal perspective (not medically trained), common sense tells me that interventions would be as much if not more stressful on a body if another way can be found. A cs (a major op) can't be LESS stressful than a natural birth (but we do all cope differently with stressful situations). Ditto for other things, even quite small ones. I shied away from all manner of interventions as I found them enormously stressful. During my last labour, the midwife did an examination to check for dilation and it was horrendous (for me - other women find them fine). Retrospectively, I wish I hadn't agreed because it was unnecessary (the baby came in his own time anyway!) but more importantly, it made me realise how much I had been stressed by it. I don't remember the labour but I do remember that exam. They also wanted to monitor the baby's heartbeat, which meant that I had to be wired up and thus lying down. I hated it. I couldn't even work out why they were doing it - so I just took it all off and moved around. I am NOT recommending this as everyone's labour progresses differently and sometimes interventions are undoubtedly necessary - that's why I wanted to be in hospital (just in case) - but it is a fine line between necessary and unnecessary interventions. It's difficult to judge - for everybody. Only you know your own body - the OB/GYN, midwife, anybody else really, really don't, no matter how much they position themselves as experts. At the same time, you need them there to read and interpret any signs of difficulty and escalation. I would imagine that a natural labouring scenario should be the default/baseline position, but with a lot of input from you in terms of monitoring your own body/reactions, etc. and with equal input from your medical team. Ask questions, get them to explain their decisions, and work in tandem with your birthing partner to advocate on your behalf. You need to know if the medics consider POTS to be a high-risk condition. Most of us have something that we go into labour with, known or unknown. They will have seen this before but then so would have other HCP such as doulas, naturepaths, etc..They'll alll have different perspectives. You then need to get to a point with which you are comfortable. I just knew that any interventions would stress me out more than the labour itself so was very determined to do it as naturally as possible, but obviously had everything on stand-by too (by virtue of being in hospital) 'just in case'. That was the position I was comfortable with and generally, with one or two glitches, all four births couldn't have gone better. Not sure if I've answered your question - what worked for me was knowing what I wanted but being very open to changing my mind. I went into my appointments, labour etc. asking for things and telling them what I wanted (e.g., I knew I didn't want routine Rhogam - anti-D - injections during pregnancy because this would be my last baby but had one after the birth; I refused the whooping cough vaccine at 32 weeks, etc.), I knew I didn't want forceps/ventouse, I knew I wanted to move around, I knew I didn't want a water birth, etc., etc. BUT if things had taken over, I would have gone with them.
Vin, Your advice resonates
Vin, Your advice resonates with me. There is a new holistic birthing center which has opened up near home, which is supposed to be beaitiful with an experienced staff. When the time comes, I will head over there and take a tour. POTS is fortunately not considered high risk from a labor and delivery perspective, but- like you- would like the availability of a hospital for the "what ifs". Congratulations on your four beautiful children AND the progress you have made in treatment. It sounds as though you have made some tremendous progress yourself!
Katie
Hey katie- Yippie- so glad
Hey katie- Yippie- so glad you are trying for another!The birth center sounds great and the midwives are prepared to handle anything that comes up. Even in a home birth, they know exactly when to transfer if need be. .For me with my first birth, if I hadn't started in the birth center i would absolutely have had to have a c-section because that is the routine protocol for my type of pre- E. But because my midwives had hospital privilege, she advocated for me and was in charge. That is why I chose that particular Birth Center because they were affiliated with a hospital so if something goes wrong, they are still in charge. I wasn't really worried about something going wrong- it wasn't so much that, I am just glad that The Midwife could stand her ground and let me have a vaginal delivery
No problem at all! I've
No problem at all! I've already received so many encouraging answers to my original question, and I like to see this as more of an open conversation between women for the purpose of mutual encouragement and support! Anything shared here can be helpful to any and all of us! :)
Congratulations on being approved to try for another pregnancy - I wish you the very best of luck!!!
I gave birth naturally while
I gave birth naturally while in treatment with dr B. It was my third birth and the first two I had an epidural. My first two pregnancies I had high blood pressure at the end so I basically had to lay on my side during labor. The last pregnancy (thanks to dr b diet) my blood pressure was great and I was able to walk around, sit on the ball, etc. It made such a difference. Also, I would say try to avoid going to the hospital because once you are there, it is harder to avoid the interventions. I was planning to stay home for a while with my third but my water broke at 36 weeks so that made me nervous and I went in a few hours later. My labors were all 19 hours and yea you are tired but it is amazing!!! Giving birth were three of the best days of my life. Even if things don't go quite as planned, the end result makes it all worth it. Enjoy the experience and trust in yourself and your body! Let us know how it goes!!
Hi dayona! Thanks for yet
Hi dayona! Thanks for yet another boost of confidence that I can do this in my current condition :) I think the diet has helped me as well because even though gestational diabetes runs very high on BOTH sides of my family (mom's and dad's), I was tested two weeks ago and was found to have normal blood sugar levels :) Yay! I know much of it is hereditary, but still...
I'm going to ask my OB lots of questions when I see him on Monday, and my husband and I are getting a tour of the maternity ward of the hospital on Tuesday, so if I'm not completely comfortable with the results of both visits, I may investigate the local birth center (which I've heard amazing things about). My husband told me last night (and quite surprised me, actually) that I should go with my gut and that he will completely support my decision no matter what, since I'm the one doing the research and having to actually go through the process of delivering our baby!! That alone made me feel much better :)
Thanks again - I'm looking forward to being able to give the report in a few months!
:) Sounds like you have a
:) Sounds like you have a smart husband!!! xoxo
Sarah, this may be beyond the
Sarah, this may be beyond the scope of this thread, but I disagree that blood sugar issues are the result of heredity. Dr.s and Scientists are discovering (and holistic doctors have known for years) that babies inherit poor nutritional status from their parents, via dna-altered egg and sperm (due to western supressive medications and Standard American Diet). Additionally the mom impacts the child via imbalanced gut , vaginal and possilby now the latest research says, altered placental flora. So I don't buy anymore that things like blood sugar issues are largely genetic. There may be some inherent genetic predispositions, but epigenomics tells us that genes are largely regulated by the gut flora that lives with us. Exposures in our lifetime of diet and chemicals will turn genes on and off depending. We get 400,000 genes from our micro flora, and only about 23,000 from our parents. Being in treatment will improve the outcomes for your baby. Keep up the good work!
If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.
Katie, I have had IC-related
Katie, I have had IC-related milder version of the POTS that you have all my adult life. No sign of POTS during labor and delivery. In fact, once my progesterone dropped after deliver, my POTS was MUCH better!!!! IMO minimal intervention is 100% the way to go. I shudder to think what epidural or C-section prep would do for POTS, but I am sure they have all that stuff figured out. I just hope natural can be achieved. Exciting that you might be revving up for another. Wish I was younger and could do the same. xoxo
If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.
Mimi, that is encouraging
Mimi, that is encouraging news - and I can't say I'm surprised. I'm hoping to start a new trend from this generation forward in my family of greater knowledge of our bodies and how best to care for them! My parents did the best they could with their knowledge, but there are a lot of things I'm going to do differently with the knowledge I've gained (and hope to continue to gain)! :)
He really is so good! I can
He really is so good! I can get so cranky sometimes when I'm not feeling well, and we all know how this condition affects one's sex life AND finances, but he has not ONCE given me any grief on ANY of those counts... blows my mind. He's a keeper :)
wonderful and exciting thread
wonderful and exciting thread!!! I hope to be in this position one day ! Just in case it interests you, a great man of my friends and my sister did Hypnobirthing, and the births were very smooth. Theres videosclips of hypnobirthing births so maybe check it out. Hospitals and widwives are now highly supportive of it. Good luck! x
I know, it's just as exciting
I know, it's just as exciting (and maybe more so now) as it is scary for me! I hope and believe you will get to experience it as well!
Thanks for the tip as well - I'm certainly learning that there are a lot more birthing options than I'd ever imagined, and that's an encouraging thing :)
I gave birth naturally three
I gave birth naturally three months ago, with the help of a midwife at a birthing centre in Toronto. It was amazing and one of the most positive and intense experieces of my life. Yes, I absolutely agree that when the time comes, your body takes over. It totally knows what to do. The pain was intense, but it does keep changing and you feel like it's moving your towards a purpose, which makes it easier to bear. The best advice I got was just take each contraction at a time. Do what you need to do to get through THIS contraction and the rest will work itself out. I also found counter pressure and warm baths really helpful. I actually ended up giving birth in the tub. Honestly, after having IC pain, I felt like I was better prepared for the pain of childbirh. In some ways, I've found my IC pain worse than that of labour. How's that for looking on the bright side? ;P
In any case, I believe you can absolutely give birth naturally if you want to -- keeping in mind that you need to stay flexible, as things can come up during childbirth that are unexpected, and don't beat yourself if things don't turn out the way you planned.
For me, achieving natural childbirth reminded me that while I still do have IC, my body is also strong and capable of wonderful things. I'm so glad I went the way I did and I'd certainly plan to try to give birth naturally again should we have more children. Best of luck to you!
Willow, thank you so much for
Willow, thank you so much for sharing your experience! I think the advice of taking one contraction at a time will be so helpful for me as well (and definitely knowing there's a purpose to the pain)! :) I think the hardest thing for me will be to remain flexible (I've always been that way - just ask my mom lol)... but when it comes to the health and safety of my baby, I'm sure I would do absolutely anything!!
Thank you again, and congratulations on being a new mom! :D
Hi everyone!
Hi everyone!
I just wanted to share an update: at my last appointment with my OB, I asked him a couple of questions regarding his labor/delivery policies (such as whether or not he put a limit on labor time, allowed doulas, etc.) and immediately sensed a shift in his attitude toward defensiveness and even slight sarcasm, which made me feel uncomfortable enough to leave the rest of my questions unanswered. He also found out that I had not taken his advice to get the Tdap shot and gave me a mini lecture on how my baby could die and how this is one vaccine even "natural" people are okay with (not sure what he meant by that, but I went home and did more research and came to the same conclusion - NOT to get it - that I had the first time he'd advised me to get it).
My husband and I went for a tour of the maternity ward of the hospital the next day, hoping to come out feeling better. We'd heard that this hospital has become more friendly toward more "natural" concepts such as active labor, birthing stools/tubs, etc., and while our tour guide did point these things out, it seemed almost like a sales pitch - more rehearsed than genuine. The halls and rooms were also still so cold and uninviting and smelled like a hospital - where you go to visit people who are sick or have had surgery. There were lots of doctors and nurses in scrubs bustling about and conversing in medical lingo and/or flirting with each other - completely oblivious to we potential "clients" taking the tour, and I could just feel myself tensing up whenever I tried to picture myself trying to get through the labor and birth process there. When we got out to the car, my husband was the first one to speak, and he was like, "I do NOT have a good feeling about having the baby here." I was so excited to hear we were on the same page!!
SO, I called the birth center I've only heard amazing things about and got a tour the next day. The owner (one of the two midwives who run it) met with me for over an hour, just showing me around the place (which has the atmosphere of someone's home) and then listening to my entire story and all my thoughts/feelings while she nodded her head and answered any questions I had. I was afraid it was too late in the game for them to take me (at 34 weeks), but she said she's taken people at 38 weeks! She was so chill that I felt like we were friends by the time I left, and though we knew it would take a few days to find out if my insurance would cover a birth there, she told me and my husband to come to her childbirth class the next night and not to worry about payment or anything. We went and had a blast (we have another one tonight - my husband is almost more excited than I am lol), and I also found out that not only will my insurance cover a birth there, our out-of-pocket will actually be half as much as it would have at the hospital!!
I had my first appointment at the birth center last week with the other midwife, and it was so wonderful - she spent over half an hour with me and explained to me all sorts of things that my OB (who I'd always see for a max of maybe 5 minutes after waiting 45 minutes past my appt time) never shared with me. She felt my stomach and discovered the baby's in a great head-down position, listened to her heartbeat and made sure it increased upon stimulation by poking my stomach (it did), and showed me how to test my own pee in a cup lol...
I also watched The Business of Being Born yesterday and feel even more confident that we've made the right decision by transferring! That "icky' feeling in my gut is completely gone - now it's only that slight nervousness about how I'll actually handle labor and birth, but I suppose that's normal for a first-timer :)
Anyway, sorry for the long post - I just wanted to share the good news!
Sarah
Oh Man!!!! This week keep
Oh Man!!!! This week keep getting better and better. yes!!!!!
You are going to do fantastic!!!!! Kudos to your hubby for being so openminded and flexible.
This is fantastic!!!
This is fantastic!!!
If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.
Thanks, ladies!! :D
Thanks, ladies!! :D
Hi everybody! I just wanted
Hi everybody! I just wanted to give a much-overdue update on how my daughter's birth went :)
WELL, the little darling apparently liked it inside Mommy's tummy too much, because she was 2 weeks late to the day (born September 13th)! My wonderful midwives were not concerned but still recommended that I have an ultrasound/screening thing done at 12 days overdue just to make sure everything was still okay in there. The test showed absolutely nothing wrong, but the administering doctor recommended that we schedule an induction if she did not come on her own over the weekend (I had the ultrasound/screening done on a Thursday). My husband and I talked it over and were pretty set on NOT being induced because we just felt that my body would do what it was designed to in its own good time. Besides, I felt GREAT physically. Still, I couldn't help but feel slightly anxious when, by the time I got up to pee (for the millionth time) in the middle of Friday night, nothing seemed to be happening. I went back to bed, went to roll over, and felt a huge gush of warm water - YAY!! I literally leapt out of bed while excitedly waking my husband, and we both continued to laugh giddily while we mopped up all the excess water with a bath towel. I called my on-call midwife, who told me to go back to bed and try to sleep, to eat a good breakfast, and to let her know when contractions became close together. Of course, neither of us could sleep very well, and contractions started about a half hour after my water broke (at 3am). By 7:30am, they were 3-4 minutes apart, so we called the midwife again and decided to meet her at the birth center at 9am (we live 45 minutes away).
For the first hour or so at the birth center, my husband and I chatted with the on-call midwife and an assistant in between my contractions, but they were getting more intense and closer together, so I had to rest in between and gear up for the next one. I found the most comfortable position to be simply standing and leaning against a tall wooden bookcase with my arms up in front of my face and my forehead leaning against them. I would just breath very deeply and slowly while swaying back and forth, and my husband would gently rub my back. I also drank a TON of water throughout my whole labor. Around 11:30, I asked the midwife to check my dilation, and she found that I was only at 2 cm, but I wasn't too discouraged because I know it can go fast at any point. SO, I just kept focusing on one contraction at a time, and I began losing sense of what time it was. My husband said it was around 1pm that I began looking/acting/sounding like I was "reaching a new level" of pain, so he asked them to fill the birth tub for me. I couldn't believe how amazing the warm water felt, and it really helped me to relax through the contractions. The sweet assistant also supplied me with ice-cold wash clothes for my face and forehead in between contractions, and the first midwife called the second one to come because she said it looked and sounded like I was approaching transition. I was so happy to hear that!!
Before too long, I began to feel a shift in the contractions – it felt like my baby's head was trying to come out my tailbone! Once I began feeling the urge to push, I double-checked with the midwives to make sure it was okay for me to push, and they said to go for it. I was able to push 2-3 times during each contraction, and it felt like I was making no progress whatsoever, but they kept telling me I was doing great. Soon I began to notice that burning sensation and realized I WAS making progress! Then, when the midwife behind me (with a flashlight and a mirror) told me husband that what they were seeing was my baby's head crowning, I knew I was almost there... I was getting a bit tired, but they said about a quarter of her head was showing, and during the next contraction, her whole head came out during the first push and her body during the second! The midwife behind me caught her under the water and passed her through my legs (I was kneeling on the bottom of the tub and leaning against the edge) to the midwife in front of me, who then handed her to me. Lauren Elisabeth was born at 3:18pm – almost exactly 12 hours after my water broke! I pushed for a total of about 20 minutes and didn't need stitches! YAY! :D The midwives said my whole labor and delivery had been incredibly seamless for a first-timer :) Lauren weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. And was 21.5 inches long – perfectly healthy and beautiful, with deep blue eyes and fine blond hair covering her entire head.
Recovery was fairly quick, but then I got a HORRIBLE case of mastitis two weeks after she was born, and it lasted nearly a month. But I stuck with the breastfeeding, and it's going great now! She just had her two-month checkup, and she's doing great – 10 lbs. 11 oz. And 23.5 inches now!
On a more IC-related note, my bladder felt PERFECTLY NORMAL after she was born – I hadn't felt that normal in over a year! I also had to stop treatment with BomaMed because chunk of money we'd set aside for treatment ran out, but I had been slowly adding in new foods from lists 2 and 3 (I'd been on list 1 for the last six months of my pregnancy) and seemed to be doing just fine. Then I got over-confident and began eating at least one “normal” (but still super healthy!) meal a day, and after only a few days felt a lot of discomfort in my bladder again. I was so discouraged, but my husband and I decided that if I have to go back to work part-time (or try to find something I can do from home) to pay for continuing treatment until I'm fully healed, it's worth it. Now seems to be the most logical time to do it, since I've already put in six solid months of hard work, and Boaz had said he could do much more to help the healing process once I was no longer pregnant. I don't plan on getting pregnant again for at least a year anyway (and we'll probably wait until I'm fully healed), so it just makes sense to get this thing over with now!! I'm back in treatment and back on mostly list 1, and after a week of that am feeling much better again :)
Anyway, I know this was super long... But I just couldn't help sharing my wonderful birth experience!! I'm SO glad I decided to go with my gut and go to the birth center – it was perfect, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!! :D
Sarah
Thanks! You made my day. :)
Thanks! You made my day. :)
Amazing and perfect birth
Amazing and perfect birth story! Happy healing and glad you are with Boaz!
If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.
Fantastic news, congrats on
Fantastic news, congrats on your little one and continued healing!
Congratulations, glad you are
Congratulations, glad you are doing well
Thank you for sharing Sarah.
Thank you for sharing Sarah. We all live for these wonderful threads. I am so happy to hear ALL went well and you and the baby are both healthy and healing. Best wishes!
Sarah, I am bursting with joy
Sarah, I am bursting with joy for your and your beautiful family! A huge congratulations to you!
Katie
Wow, thank you everyone for
Wow, thank you everyone for your warm congratulations - I have missed the sense of comradery that exists on this forum... I definitely want to be a part of that again!
Also, I have been so incredibly blessed today by one of my dear friends who, with her husband, have offered to pay for the first three months of my continued treatment so I don't have to worry about going back to work until my daughter is a little older and we're more adjusted!! I never asked or hinted for this and was totally taken by surprise, but it was such an overwhelming relief that I could not stop crying!! I had such a hard time getting to sleep last night with the stress of having to find another job on my shoulders, but God is always so good at providing a solution just when I think there's no way out... :)
That is just wonderful!!
That is just wonderful!!
Great news!!
Great news!!
If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.
I just wanted to say thank
I just wanted to say thank you so much for posting this and for all the replies. So much great information for those who hope to be going through pregnancy soon. What a great resource! Hope your little one is doing well!! :)
Thanks, Alishia! She is doing
Thanks, Alishia! She is doing wonderful :) I am so glad this thread was encouraging to you, and I wish you great luck in your journey toward pregnancy!