Anna and Shaun's first baby was born via cesarean in Selma. Ca, but they had little Emma Faith here in Salinas. Lots of pictures, you know I love pictures! Anna is now the leader of Monterey County's local ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) chapter which meets the first Thursday of every month. Anna was also my photographer at my third birth. My first child, Brennan, was born via cesarean section after a very long labor and 2.5 hours of pushing. It was a pretty upsetting experience for my husband, Shaun, a chiropractor, and I after we had spent our entire pregnancy preparing for a natural birth. Soon after my daughter was born in February 2008 I began vigorously researching vaginal birth after cesarean and discovered many things that could help me to avoid a cesarean a second time around; one of those things being to have a home birth. It took over a year for us to conceive our second child, but when we did, right away we knew things were going to be different. Immediately I began interviewing local home birth midwives and after one meeting, Shaun and I knew that we’d found the woman who was going to help us have our home birth; her name was Maggie. Maggie has been a midwife for over 35 years and was a pivotal part of the movement that legalized midwifery in the state of California. She’s a wise woman and recognized as such in the community and all over the world; she’s even a published author. I knew that I was in good hands in choosing her to be my midwife and felt that the Lord had brought us to her area to aid us in the birth of our next child. Maggie also practices the art of apprenticeship and we felt equally as confident in her apprentice, Carol. They seemed a perfect fit for us. During my pregnancy, everything went off without a hitch. We decided to opt out of all testing and didn’t use Doppler or ultrasound. We first heard our baby’s heartbeat at our 20-week appointment with a fetoscope and the midwives always palpated my belly to find the position of the baby. It was a wonderfully relaxing pregnancy in which my husband, our midwives, and I trusted that my body would do what it was made to do without any interference, and it did. At 40 weeks 2 days gestation, January 27th, I had my very first contraction at 9:30 p.m. These continued all night and were irregular, but were strong enough to wake me up at times. I knew then that this was really “it,” but it could be a while based on my experience with my first child. These contractions continued, but were still irregular for most of the day. Just over twenty-four hours later my contractions started to regulate and were consistently about 9 minutes apart. I knew at this point that I’d better try and get some sleep, but I figured it would still be a while before the contractions were close enough to really keep me from sleeping. It was a good thing I went to bed when I did because I was up again a few hours later. At about 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 29th, I was awakened by some pretty strong contractions and was shocked to find out that they were only about 5 minutes apart and were lasting for over a minute. Again, I figured I still had lots of time so I tried to get some more sleep, but I couldn’t so I decided to get up and listen to my Hypnobabies birthing affirmations and prepare myself for the day ahead. I had bloody show for the first time at about 4:00 a.m. and called Maggie at 5:30 a.m. to let her know that things were happening, but told her that she didn’t need to come just yet because I felt we were a ways off and I was doing okay. She told me to call her back in an hour and let her know how things were progressing. I also called my friend, Andrea, who was going to be coming to photograph/videotape the birth for us. There was more bloody show at 6:20 a.m. and that’s when I lost my mucous plug as well. I called Maggie again at 6:55 a.m. to let her know that my contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart and lasting for over a minute. I asked her and Carol to come and she said they would be over around 8:00 a.m. unless I needed them sooner. Around 8:00 a.m. Maggie and Carol arrived, and then shortly after, Andrea arrived as well. With everyone present, I felt I could really relax and focus on allowing my body to do its work and open up to allow my baby down. The apartment was bustling with excitement and preparation for the birth. I was breathing through contractions in bed while everyone was preparing the birth pool, getting out supplies, making coffee, and watching the morning news. I continued to listen to my birthing affirmations and relax my body. Shortly before 9:00 a.m., I asked Maggie and Carol if they could do a vaginal exam to see how far I’d progressed. (This was the very first vaginal exam I’d had throughout my entire pregnancy.) I was happily surprised to find out that I was 4-5 cm and I couldn’t believe how quickly things were progressing! I continued to “ohhh” and “ahhh” through contractions (the tonal sounds are supposed to help open the cervix up) and swivel my hips to try and work the baby down. Around 10:30 a.m., I asked for another exam because I felt like things were really getting intense. Again, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was about 7 cm and my bag of waters was bulging with each contraction. Around 12:30 p.m., I was dilated to 8 cm and decided to have my water bag broken to try and speed things up. Afterward, I immediately noticed my contractions were stronger and I got into the birthing tub to see if it would make things more comfortable. The pool ended up not feeling as nice as I had expected, partly because I couldn’t find a comfortable way to sit in it, and I didn’t stay in very long. It was only about an hour later when my body started involuntarily pushing a little bit. The midwives suggested that I try a couple of “test pushes” to see if it brought the baby down anymore. So I leaned over the side of the birth pool and pushed with some contractions while Carol checked to see if the baby’s head was coming down. With the exam, we found out that I was almost complete (10 cm), but had a “lip” to my cervix still so Carol tried to hold it back while I pushed. It took an hour-and-a-half for the lip to disappear. This, after I tried all sorts of pushing positions: standing, squatting with support from Shaun, sitting on the toilet, on my hands and knees, side-lying, lying on my back, and squatting while hanging from the knobs on my bedroom door. During this time, I’d been having trouble urinating so Maggie suggested I get in the shower to see if it relaxed me enough to be able to go. It didn’t work and I had some of the worst contractions yet while I was in the shower with no one to help hold me up for support. While I was in there, I started to think the baby wasn’t coming out and that I was at peace with going to the hospital if that was the case. One of the only things that kept me from absolutely deciding to go was having to ride in the car, which I knew would be agony. Maggie said that if I was going to the hospital we were at least going to get the baby down far enough so that a vacuum could be used and I could avoid a repeat cesarean. So around 4:30 p.m., I got back on my bed and kept trying to bring the baby down. As I kept pushing, we soon noticed that my urethra was extremely swollen and bulging out right above the baby’s head. This is something Maggie said she had never seen in her 35+ years of practice as a midwife, and so she began icing my urethra in between contractions. At this point, I reached down and felt my baby’s head. There was a caput succedaneum, meaning that there was swelling on top of the head that is caused by a prolonged or difficult delivery. (After the fact, Maggie told me that the baby’s head was asynclitic, meaning the head was tilted to the side, and that it straightened out during one of the times that I was pushing and the head was inching out and then going back in a little bit. That would explain the prolonged pushing and the caput.)The exhaustion was starting to set in as I neared 4 hours of pushing and I really began doubting myself as I started to swell just like I did with my first birth, and I feared that the same thing was happening as did before. It was then that I reached down and felt my baby’s head and Shaun held a mirror for me to see exactly how close I was to delivering my baby. And after some words of encouragement and working through some mental blocks, I never had the idea of going to the hospital or being too exhausted enter my mind again - and I pressed on. Much to my surprise, the most effective position for me to push was on my back with my legs pulled back (the lithotomy position commonly used in the hospital), which is generally the second worst position to have a baby aside from hanging from your feet. After some amazing encouragement and coaching from my birth support team, I finally began to make real progress. I was crying out to the Lord to give me strength and Andrea was praying for me out loud. Maggie and Carol were telling me not that I could do it, but that I WAS doing it. Shaun was my rock and was ever so loving and encouraging through the whole process, and his excitement was contagious. Around 5:35 p.m., the baby’s head started to crown. To my surprise, I never got the “ring of fire,” but the only burning sensation and immense pain I felt was in my swollen urethra. It took what seemed like forever to have another contraction so I could push the head out, but in reality it was probably 2-3 minutes. I began praying for another contraction to come so I could relieve the pressure and get the baby out. At 5:49 p.m., the baby’s head was out. The cord was loosely around her neck once, and it was easily unwrapped. I wasn’t having very strong contractions anymore, most likely because my uterus was so exhausted and so was I, and so I just kept on pushing until the rest of the baby came out. Her first shoulder came out easily, but the second needed a little help from Maggie. At 5:50 p.m., our baby was born and put right onto my abdomen. She looked right at me and let out a little cry, and she was perfect. I asked Shaun to check the gender and when he said “it’s a girl” I was shocked because I thought it was a boy, but I was thrilled for our daughter, Brennan, who had really wanted a little sister. Brennan ran in right after hearing the baby’s cry and she was instantly in love with the baby, not even noticing the blood and fluid. I’m so thankful that this whole experience is what she will view as “normal” birth. A few minutes after the baby’s birth, Carol said we should cut the cord because she thought I was bleeding a bit too much and I needed to hand off the baby to Shaun so we could get the placenta delivered. I ended up not bleeding much at all, but it did take 28 minutes to get the placenta delivered. I sat on the toilet for a while waiting for contractions to start up again and eventually got 2 shots of Pitocin and then lay on the floor in my room where I delivered the placenta, which the midwives said was one of the largest they’d seen. The placenta was completely intact and had no irregularities. Upon examination by Maggie and Carol, I was found to have no tearing, which they thought was due to the length at which the baby’s head was crowning because it allowed for gradual stretching of the perineum. Within a few minutes, I was cleaned up and sitting in bed with my baby girl, whom we named Emma Faith, in my arms. She immediately turned for the breast and latched on right away with her big sister lovingly stroking her head and holding her hand. While I spent time bonding with my girls, the apartment was getting cleaned up. An hour after the birth, you would have never known that anything happened there. Before leaving, the midwives examined Emma and made sure that she was nursing well. We talked for a bit about the day and I thanked them for all they had done and for believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. We all toasted with champagne to the beautiful new life that was in our midst, and then we were left to enjoy our new family of 4. During the whole process, not once did I feel in danger or afraid that something bad was going to happen. I knew the whole time that I was in completely capable hands and I trusted Maggie and Carol knew what they were doing, and I trusted that my body and baby knew what they were doing. If I had been at the hospital to have this baby, I would have most definitely been forced into a repeat cesarean for a number of reasons. I’m so grateful for the choice that Shaun and I made to have our baby at home and to trust this body that the Lord gave me and the process of birth. So many people thought I couldn’t do it, and especially at home, but I had my home birth after cesarean and now I feel like I can take on the world. I pray that someday home birth will be more normal than hospital birth and that women begin to trust the innate intelligence of their bodies and not the educational intelligence of doctors (unless absolutely necessary, of course). It is my hope that all women get a chance to know the incredible joy that I feel when I remember the birth of my daughter, Emma. If you'd like to share your birth story please email me at corilynngentry@gmail.com.
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I had your average, uncomplicated pregnancy. I was due on Friday, 9/23/11. That following Monday the 26th, I went into the OB’s office for an ultrasound and stress test. Stress test was first, baby was fine. We went up for the ultrasound and the tech was too quiet. I knew from her measurements my fluid was low. I was scheduled to have a follow up appointment with my OB 2 hours later. Well by the time I walked downstairs, they told me to go straight over to the OB’s office. My OB told me they needed to induce me because my fluid was low, it was measuring 4.2. I went home, grabbed my hubby and hospital bag and off to Memorial we went. I arrived and was checked in at 2:30pm on 9/26/11. It took the nurses 3 tries to get an IV set up. At 5:15pm the on-call OB decided to show up. She checked me, I was 1cm dilated and not effaced at all. They told me to prepare for a long road. They inserted Cervadil and told me to rest up. Around 8pm I was bored, and not feeling any contractions so I got in the tub. No jets, but it was relaxing. I figured it might help things along. They had pretty much left me alone. I had no meds going in and no fluids either. They let me have a liquid dinner tray around 9pm, yeah for Jell-o! Around 10pm, I started feeling the contractions. They were not bad, just felt like moving menstrual cramps. The nurse came in to check me; I was 3cm and 50%. Things moved fast after that! I wanted to go as pain med free as possible; I really did not want an epidural. Around midnight I asked for a Demeral shot. All that did was make me feel drunk in between contractions. At the same time, I started feeling like I needed to go #2. Honestly, sitting on the toilet was the most comfortable place to be! For the next couple of hours I was going back and forth to the bed and toilet. By 2am, my contractions were back to back. I could not get off the toilet. The nurses kept telling me they needed to check me and I told them to go away! Shane, my hubby, would just follow me back and forth and stand in front of me for support. I was addicted to his scent. I did not want him to touch me, just stand there so I could rest my head on his belly and smell him. Around 3am, my body started pushing on its own. (I had no idea that is what was happening until after the fact.) I started moaning and my mom knew something was wrong. Yes, apparently I was trying to give birth on the toilet! The nurses kept asking if I wanted an epidural, I finally caved in. When the anesthesiologist got there I was, big shocker, on the toilet. The nurse came, took one look at me, and said they needed me on the bed immediately and that my body was pushing the baby out. I refused to get off the toilet! My husband grabbed one arm, and my mother grabbed the other and they threw me on the bed. The anesthesiologist started the epidural. He got one third of the way done (only a partial shot and the tube set up, but nothing in it) and I had to lie down. The nurse checked me and yelled at the other nurse to call the OB. After waiting and breathing through contractions for another 20 minutes, my OB showed up. She told me to push and two pushes later my 7 pound, 7 ounce 19.5” baby boy was born at 4:17am 9/27/11. The epidural did not kick in until the OB was stitching my 2nd degree tear. Moreover, I could still feel most of that. I felt fine afterwards, and Drako was perfect! No cone head or anything! Natividad Medical Center is located at 1441 Constitution Blvd, Salinas, California. Natividad is one of the few county run hospitals left in California. It is a non-profit hospital, "a California survey found that women were 17% more likely to have a cesarean at a for-profit hospital than a non-profit" (Optimal Care in Childbirth by Henci Goer). Natividad is also a teaching hospital, which is sometimes a bad thing when you have doctors eager to give residents an opportunity to practice their skills, sometimes when they aren't necessary. However, at Natividad it is a positive. Most of the doctors that catch babies at Natividad are up to date on the latest research and seem eager to work with their patients, I personally have felt an attitude of learning is encouraged. I chose Dr. Peter Chandler, Natividad’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Services director, as my doctor when I transferred to Natividad. In our first appointment he was referencing my favorite natural birth documentaries and had listed some topics for me to look up on PubMed, a refreshing change from doctors who seem threatened or bothered by an informed mother. Natividad is the only hospital in Monterey County that offers VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean). In 2011 Natividad had a 60% successful VBAC rate (The Holistic Hole, Monterey County Weekly). Even if you are not having a VBAC, it is good to know if your hospital allows them. If they do it is a sign that they follow the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology's guidelines and that they provide evidence-based care, care that is supported by research and science, as apposed to fear-based care, opinion-based care, or convenience-based care. Out of the 2812 total births at Natividad in 2011, 28.3% of them were cesarean section (www.cesareanrates.com), lower than the national average of 32.8%, but still higher than the World Health Organization's recommendation of 10-15%. In 2011 Natividad had the lowest epidural rate (45%) and lowest induction rate (15%) in Monterey County. Like Dominican and Sutter in Santa Cruz, Natividad now offers mothers the option of having a certified nurse-midwife deliver your baby, which no other Monterey County hospital offers. This is standard care for low risk mothers in all other developed countries and has been shown to result in better outcomes in mothers and babies (read more here). From Natividad's website: "The Maternal Infant Unit is a 26 bed unit promoting family-centered care and provides a full range of care to childbearing women, the normal newborn, and their families. Fathers and significant others are included in our family-centered care... Education and support services, including infant CPR classes, lactation support and information on women’s topics are offered. A Lactation Consultant is available 7 days a week providing individualized instruction." We did have our third son, Indiana, at Natividad, you can read his birth story here. We visited the hospital a few times before his birth, to tour and we were admitted a few times for various reasons, you can read about one of those visits here. Here's a picture I snapped of the beautiful light filled room we were given. Not fancy, but I loved all the windows and how big the room was. Not all rooms come equipped with bored husbands, just mine. The following is from a Monterey mom, Wendy, who had her baby at Natividad, these are just some snippets from her incredible home birth turned induction at 43 weeks: We arrived, birth plan in hand, and got settled into a room. From the get go, I retained as much control as one can when you are checking yourself into a hospital. Knowing that they couldn't turn me away I felt empowered to assert my right to respectfully refuse anything that I wasn't comfortable with, starting with the hospital bracelet they wanted me to wear but that I promptly took off... Dom set up our room, with a sarong over the bright light, my blanket on the bed, our music on the ipod, snacks for the nurses laid out by the sink, copies of our birth plan distributed widely... We claimed the space as our own. I dressed in the special nightgown that Bestie had given me. I texted my mom and the midwives to come join us. More reviews from Monterey County moms: “If I had been at any other place they probably would have done a C-section. They were just so patient. They met my every need, emotionally and physically.” (The Holistic Hole) "The neonatologist, Dr. Bruni, was awesome. The labor room was huge and spacious, that was cool. We had some scary stuff going on, the nurses were great. The surgeon, Aguillera, was amazing. I went to visit my cousin there last week, her nurse gave me an SNS (supplemental nursing system) when I told her my baby had IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction). The way they handled my baby's transport was super great, my nurse stayed after to see her off. I would recommend them in a hot sec." "I loved my [labor & delivery] nurse. The after care? Not so great. They stuck me in a back room and basically ignored me." "They explained every step they were going to take... When it came to pushing my doctor was in the room the whole time. She as well was pleasant. We had a good relationship, she was trying to make jokes to ease some of pain. If I told her I felt like I had to push, she wanted me to push, if I felt like I couldn't anymore, she wanted me to take a break... My overall experience delivering at Natividad was positive. Would recommend any one and everyone to deliver here." I include every review that is sent to me, if there is helpful information that you would like me to include, please let me know. Learn more about local hospitals and read reviews from local women: Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula Dominican Hospital Natividad Medical Center Salinas Valley Memorial Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center Did you give birth at Natividad Medical Center? Please share your experience in the comments below! I'm sharing this post from my personal blog, posted exactly a year ago. Since I wrote this I have had another son, and we chose to not circumcise him. This post is really about the journey that led to that decision. 4/22/15 - We have welcomed a 4th son and he is also intact. Caring for intact babies has proven to be much easier than circ'ed. Two circ'ed boys and two intact, and no one thinks it's weird. Right now the natural birth and parenting community is blowing up over the American Academy of Pediatrics revision of their policy on infant circumcision. In 1999: "Existing scientific evidence demonstrates potential medical benefits of newborn male circumcision; however, these data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision." And now this just in: "Evaluation of current evidence indicates that the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it." They repeat this about a bazillion times then sneak in: "Although health benefits are not great enough to recommend routine circumcision for all male newborns, the benefits of circumcision are sufficient to justify access to this procedure for families choosing it and to warrant third-party payment for circumcision of male newborns." Whatever. Either circumcision is a good idea for non-medical reasons or it's not. I'm not going to labor on over this because so many others are saying it. No new evidence is provided, but suddenly the AAP is making a stronger case for the benefits. It looks like the steady decline in infant circumcision (80% in 1950's, 65% in the 1990's, now 55% nationally and 30% in western states) and the loss of the hundreds of millions in revenue for both preforming the procedure and selling the foreskins for research/cosmetics AND the decline in insurance companies covering the procedure when there is no medical indication for it are all making the AAP and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (who are endorsing this statement) sweat. What? Why are the vagina doctors getting involved? Most circumcisions are actually done by OB/GYN's, not pediatricians. However, this isn't another why you shouldn't circumcise your baby post with statistics, studies and a picture of a screaming baby. It's a post about why Eric and I have remained unconvinced by the intactivist movement and what finally tipped the scales. Eric and I watched the circumcision episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit while we were dating, maybe we were engaged. At the end of the episode we had a big "would you circumcise your kid" discussion. He felt like it was an easy decision because noncircs look horrible and he always felt bad for people who weren't circumcised. I felt like it was perhaps risky and unnecessary, but not unlike when women look in the face of science and say "nope, breastfeeding is weird, pass the formula," I couldn't get passed my personal dislike. No man should have to live with that... off with their heads... or whatever. I still hoped we would not have boy because I just didn't want to make that decision for him. We found out we were pregnant with Milo so we had the talk again. I had statistics and descriptions of the procedure, but the gross factor won and we chose circumcision, which we watched and it seemed to go smoothly, we didn't know that babies sleeping through a circumcision was a stress response, but like so many other parents we found it comforting. Another pregnancy, another boy, and another dive into the research. It really felt like for every study that showed a few benefits like an association between fewer cases of penile cancer or STDs, there was another study showing the opposite or an article showing why the first study was flawed -- and we are talking less than a percentage point in increased or decreased incidences of some things! Then there was all the information about how circumcision can disrupt sexual function later in life because the usually protected skin on the head thickens and gets less sensitive... and because like 50% of the nerves are removed during circumcision. But... Eric and I were also thinking, how many guys need to be more sensitive? Isn't that a problem? Has anyone ever thought "this would feel so much better if I had 20,000 more nerves." Probably not. Plus, the studies about actual sensitivity differences are often small, and again for every conclusive result there is another study with the opposite or an inconclusive one. Huge headache. And... then our kids wouldn't match, would that be weird? Would that be telling Milo his penis was a mistake. Sorry son, you only get one and we fucked it up, good luck with that. So we circumcised Ash, for me, mostly based on that last issue. The evidence was not great enough to risk Milo feeling bad. It was one of my weaker decisions, and Ash and I both paid for it. Ash's circumcision when horribly. The pediatrician would not let us be in the room, Ash was hysterical the whole time and I cried in the waiting room. This went strongly against my instincts to protect my baby and something still wasn't adding up. I began hoping circumcision would just become illegal before we had another boy. Our third pregnancy, and the intactivist's articles are flooding my news feed and my favorite blogs following the leaks of the AAP's coming announcement. I decided to reopen the case on circumcision and Eric agreed to keep an open mind. There are buckets of studies and facts to support my decision to birth naturally and to breastfeed, but even if they didn't exist I would still do both. Not because they are super fun or because I'm competing for some better mom award (if you are, there isn't one), but because I believe we are designed. My faith in the fact that God made no mistakes when He created our bodies and their functions prevents me from being able to believe that most women are not meant to birth normally without drugs or medical assistance, and if we have breasts that make milk that babies like that we aren't meant to feed them that way. It's important for me to reach all women, not just those who subscribe to my belief system, so I inform myself of all the facts and studies as well... but for me... I don't hold my breath and hope everything I know about birth doesn't crumble every time a new study is published. When I applied the same way of thinking to circumcision, my brain just about short circuited. God designed foreskins, organs with functions. He also commanded the Jews to circumcise themselves as a covenant with Him. We know that for Christians this is a non-issue with the sacrifice of Christ and New Covenant we now have. But why would God command His people to do something that could potentially lead to sexual dysfunction, hemorrhage, and infection? Eric and I believe in the inerrancy of the Word of God and that scripture in the original language and historical context is perfect, Old and New Testament. Any kind of perceived contradiction must be an error in the English translation or a misunderstanding of the context. I checked the Hebrew word for circumcise, muwl, and it means to cut, some argue it means to cut and not remove, but my usual sources simply said to cut. So I checked the history of Jewish circumcision. I rarely feel like the Jews lead me astray if we are talking Old Testament. For the most part their traditions seem to be more closely aligned with scripture than Christians'. Perhaps it's because they have a better understanding of their history, which is obviously Biblical history and how scripture matches up to that, or because more of them speak Hebrew and less is lost in translation. Because I feel rabbis' have a better understanding of scripture than many pastors, it's hard for me to not trust that their bris is not how God intended it. Turns out... it's not... Brit milah is the cutting of the end of the foreskin, enough to draw blood necessary for the sacrifice and to look different, marking the skin of God's people. To see a drawing of what it looked like, you can go here. The foreskin still covered the head/gland and function was preserved. It would have been a minor procedure compared to the full removal of the foreskin that is done today. It seems it should be obvious that if under medical supervision and access to antibiotics nearly 200 babies in the US die from circumcision that many more would have died in ancient times. Weren't many of God's commandments for the Jewish people to preserve their race? In case you are about to argue with me, yes... they were. Commanding His own chosen people to take part in a ritual that could potentially kill many and cause sexual dysfunction for others does not make sense. Neither history or scripture support that this was the case. So where did the full removal of the foreskin come from? "Many Hellenistic Jews, particularly those who participated in athletics at the gymnasium, had an operation performed to conceal the fact of their circumcision (1 Maccabees 1.15). Similar action was taken during the Hadrianic persecution, in which period a prohibition against circumcision was issued. It was probably in order to prevent the possibility of obliterating the traces of circumcision that the rabbis added to the requirement of cutting the foreskin that of peri'ah (laying bare the glans)." - The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion, ed. R.J. Zwi Werblowsky and G. Wigoder. Oxford University Press, 1997, page 161. The medical procedure that exists today is not what God commanded Abraham to do to himself or his people, it was invented by men to support their religion. I'm forced to review my other reasons to circumcise and nothing holds up in the context of design. There is just no reasonable reason to circumcise your perfect new baby!
When we were making the decision for our first son I thought I personally didn't like the look, but first off, God designed me to want the man He made me for. He knew Eric's parents would circumcise him (which Eric now wishes had not happened), and that's what I like. But also, a lot of my dislike had nothing to do with what an intact penis actually looked like. Have you seen one? Erect they look the same as a circumcised penis. What I did know were the joke about the intact penis. The reality looks very... normal. Because that's what it is. Either way, it's not for us to decide if it looks good or not. God made it, it has to good. And if you do not believe in God... this all still applies. What is more important to any species that the reproductive system? Every mammal has a foreskin, that would be a pretty huge evolutionary mistake! I'm not worried about our sons, even if we end up with both circ'ed and intact littles. Children are accepting of differences when they are explained in a matter of fact way. I remember one mom shared that her son just said he was "differs" from his brothers. I don't feel any guilt over circumcising Milo or Ash so they or future sons would not be able to pick up on that. They were not mistakes, just different decisions made with different information. So now a year later with a new little boy, this one kept whole, my feelings have changed some. I do feel regret over circumcising Milo and Ash. The truth is that Eric and I don't know what kinds of consequences our decisions will have for them in the future. I wish I didn't have the memory of Ash's screams, or Milo's long... honestly quite disturbing... healing time. That bothers me, but sometimes regret is what drives us to do better. As parents we will never be perfect, but we need to at least do better when we know better, and Eric and I feel good that we are at least doing that. Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center is located at 2900 Chanticleer Ave in Santa Cruz, California, right across the street from Dominican Hospital. Some people (myself included) have mistaken Sutter for a freestanding birth center. We do not have any freestanding birth centers on the central coast. A freestanding birth center, like Sutter, employs both midwifes and sometimes obstetricians, but do not offer epidural or narcotic pain relief and do not do cesarean sections like Sutter does. Sutter, however, still may be a good choice for couples planning an unmedicated birth and prefer a less hospital like environment. From Sutter's website: "We have both doctors and midwives on staff, which means you have a choice in your obstetrical care. We have 12 birthing suites to accommodate you before, during and after your baby is born. Some of our suites include an in-room Jacuzzi. For suites without an in-room Jacuzzi, a private one is available." Sutter is supportive of women who choose to birth vaginally after having a cesarean (VBAC). Out of the total of 978 births at Sutter in 2012, 23.5% of the births were by cesarean section, (www.cesareanrates.com). Though this rate is below the state average of 33.2% and lower than all of the Monterey County hospitals, it is above the World Health Organization's recommendation of 10-15%. Sutter is a non-profit hospital, "a California survey found that women were 17% more likely to have a cesarean at a for-profit hospital than a non-profit" (Optimal Care in Childbirth by Henci Goer). Sutter is certified as Baby-Friendly, meaning they utilize evidence-based practices in the postpartum such as immediate skin to skin, support in breastfeeding, and rooming in. An expecting Monterey mom shared her thoughts and a couple pictures from her tour: "The rooms are huge, bright and sunny, with a balcony you can walk out on (Dominican has patios but they don't let you out on them for security reasons)." "And half of their rooms have the jacuzzi tub in them. The other half have only the shower, but there's a separate tub room those rooms can share. My pic doesn't show it, but they even have fake candles to make a soothing environment. "They have a nutrition closet where you can grab drinks and snacks any time, plus you can order food from their cafe 24/7. And another Monterey County mom shares her birth experience: Hands down Sutter Maternity was amazing. We toured CHOMP, Dominican, and Sutter and immediately knew where we were going. "If you want to have a low-intervention or non-medicated childbirth, this is the place. It's the best of both worlds. Although I had a natural childbirth, I was glad the technology was there when we needed it, because my son had some heart rate issues during delivery." "I do not care where you live....if you are pregnant...and you want an amazing birth experience.... GO TO SUTTER MATERNITY!" "Giving birth here was like being a VIP, staying in a 5-star resort hotel. The nurses were so amazing and the chef downstairs whipped up gourmet meals daily." "Staff was AMAZING. With my first child, I had a nurse by my side for 24 hours, literally. One nurse spent the night by my bedside (Due to some complications, but where else can you say you get your own private nurse?)" Learn more about local hospitals and read reviews from local women: Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula Dominican Hospital Natividad Medical Center Salinas Valley Memorial Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center You can view and download a chart comparing hospital options and amenities here. Did you give birth at Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center? Please share your experience in the comments below! The Gentry family has pizza once a week, at least, and I always make my dough from scratch. It's not so bad, but between the mixing and kneading and rising I need to remember to give myself at least an hour just for the dough. Enter my fave cooking related show, The Chew. There are a lot of cooking shows that I enjoy: Lidia's Italy, America's Test Kitchen, even New Scandinavian Cooking - mostly because they cook right on the shore and it's super pretty... But if I'm really honest with myself I will probably never cook anything on any of those shows. Even watching Rachael Ray I'll be like "Oh maybe that IS what's for dinner tonight!" but it never is, I mean who keeps pancetta on hand? But the recipes on The Chew I really use! There's one in particular that totally blew my mind: Daphne Oz's Easy Pizza Crust AKA Daphne Oz's Greek Yogurt Pizza Crust! No more kneading or waiting for dough to rise! ...or less waiting at least. The best part of this recipe is that it's made with Greek yogurt. I prepare something for my students every week and really my class may as well be titled: "Ways to Use Greek Yogurt." When you are pregnant you should be shooting for 80 grams of protein a day and 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt packs in 23 grams of protein! I use it in muffins, in dip, with fruit, as a substitute for sour cream... and now I use it in pizza! Daphne Oz's pizza crust is 2 ingredients: 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt and 1 cup of self rising flour. Mix, let it rest for 30 or so minutes, then press out and top. So simple. However I don't keep self rising flour on hand, so here is my recipe Depending on what kind of flour you use (Wheat Montana is my fave) 1 small pizza crust (depending on how big you press it out you could make a personal size pizza or share with another person) will have 47 grams of protein! So lets say you share it with your husband, top it with just cheese and veggies and that's still 30 grams of protein for each of you... and you could still chicken or a turkey pepperoni or sausage for even more protein. You'll need: 1 cup of whole wheat flour 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt 1 tsp celtic sea salt 1 tsp baking powder Combine til smooth-ish. Knead out a bit. Let rest for 30 minutes, which is about the amount of time it takes me to wash and chop veggies with three babies demanding my attention. Press out, it will be sticky so use some flour. Sauce, cheese, and toppings! My fave toppings are artichokes, red bell pepper, olives and spinach... but sometimes plain ole turkey pepperoni is just this "this feels so bad but it's really not" meal I've been craving. Bake at 400-425... til crust is crispy.
Lately this has been our favorite meal. The filling for these stuffed sweet potatoes is so versatile, it's also great in tortillas, over rice, or on a bed of lettuce! Lately this has been our favorite meal. The filling for these stuffed sweet potatoes is so versatile, it's also great in tortillas, over rice, or on a bed of lettuce!
Vegan Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Have you ever had the southwestern egg rolls at Chili's? Imagine those, stuffed in a sweet potato. This is a vegan recipe, but it's also delicious topped with cheese and sour cream. I usually serve this with avocado and a big salad. Protein: 17g with cheese. You'll need: Extra virgin olive oil, enough for a couple turns around the pan | 4 sweet potatoes, medium to large 1 medium bell pepper, any color 1 medium onion, I like yellow Minced garlic, I add about a tablespoon. I like garlic 1 can of black beans or pinto beans 1 can of rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies 1 can of corn Chili powder Ground cumin Black pepper Above is the basic recipe, but I often add to it. Kale or diced zucchini are favorites here. Start your sweet potatoes. Bake them either in the oven, or microwave them. The oven will take at least 30-40 minutes, microwave usually 5 minutes each (microwave them one at a time. Add a couple turns of evoo to your pan over medium. Add minced garlic, onions and bell pepper. Cook til onions and peppers begin to get tender. Rinse and drain your beans. Add beans, tomatoes, and corn to pan. I never measure my spices. I sprinkle a light layer of ground cumin over the whole mixture and chili powder over half. Sometimes I'll add dried cilantro or chili flake. Cook mixture through, it wont take long. When your potatoes and stuffing are done, just open the potatoes and stuff them. You can pop them in the oven for a bit longer, especially if you'd like to melt cheese over the top. Stuffing is also great in butternut or acorn squash! Amanda and I were just babies (first grade) when we met and now we get to exchange our baby stories, I love it, and I love her story for how crazy strong she is (not necessarily the reasons she had to be strong). Amanda shared her birth story on her blog, Heart on My Sleeve, and here for my students with her permission. She shared it three years ago and it's still one I think of very often. Sometime in mid-June 2009, my mom and I took a trip to my grandparents house in Merced. I was ready to pop, and didn't even know it! I spent all weekend swimming in their pool. I remember feeling completely weightless and carefree...I also remember how hard it was to get out! With the 30+ lbs of extra weight I was carrying around it was almost impossible to climb out of the comforting, cool water. One night (I think it was a Saturday night) after a long swim, I went to the restroom and noticed spotting in my swimsuit. BIG red flag (literally). All during my pregnancy the doctor warned me about how important it was to inform them if I had any spotting. So here I was, 2 hours from my doctor's office and boyfriend, bleeding. I decided to wait until morning to see if anything changed and I decided not to tell my family. I knew my mom would have packed me up and sped to Salinas in the middle of the night. I did, however, call Jason. Or I tried to. It turns out he was at a friends house that didn't have cell service. After calling as many friends as numbers I knew, I finally tried some land lines and got through. He told me not to worry, and we should call the doctor on Monday. The next morning everything seemed normal. On Monday, I went in to the doctor, who "checked my cervix". Nobody prepares you for this. I was so shocked as he basically pushed his whole hand into me. Thank god I had convinced my mom to come with me and hold my hand. It turns out that the spotting was indeed from my cervix, which was now 1cm dilated and 80% effaced. To me, that sounded like a baby would be popping out at any minute. According to him, I could go into labor that night, OR walk around for another month before going into actual labor. YIKES! My second trip to the restroom in the 10 minutes after getting home from the doctor, I noticed more spotting and what I understood to be, my mucous plug... Oh the beauties of childbirth. After walking around for 2 1/2 weeks in slightly uncomfortable pre-labor, we went to Jason's parents house to celebrate his 29th birthday. Normally I am a very social person, and I was trying really hard to put on a smile and have a good time in the 90 degree summer heat with huge, swollen ankles, BUT I just couldn't do it! After 2 hours of sitting in a lawn chair with my feet propped up on a tree stump, I gave up. I leaned over to Jason and said, "I'm sorry , but I just can't hang anymore. I need to go home." At this point, I was a little disappointed in myself. I know how much Jason loves to celebrate his birthday, and all of his friends and family were there, but I was done. So he took me home, and went back to celebrate some more...without me. I was so excited to get back to our little house, in our air conditioned living room and prop myself up on our comfy couch. I tossed and turned all night long. The next day went on as usual. It was Friday, July 3rd. Since Jason had been out late the night before, he decided to stay home that night. We watched movies and he made me a peanut butter and jelly quesadilla for dessert. I ended up falling asleep next to him on the couch. I woke up around 10pm to the sounds of the TV and the urge to go pee....again :/ But something was different, I had energy! I felt like I had gotten a full 8 hour night sleep. As I practically skipped into the bathroom, I noticed some tightening in my stomach. After I went to the bathroom, I felt like I was still leaking. When I wiped I noticed more bleeding and in my heart, I knew that I was in labor. I slowly walked back into the living room and Jason said, "Whats up, you have a really big smile on your face right now." "I think I'm in labor," I said. He jumped off the couch and wanted to get in the car and start our hour long drive to the hospital immediately. I convinced him to let me take a shower first, then I made him take a shower. During all of this, my contractions had become very obvious and very regular, but I still wasn't in any pain. We left our house around 11:30pm. I remember during the drive I was trying to time the contractions but every time I got them, I couldn't help but laugh. I was just so happy and excited. We called our parents and let them know that we were headed to the hospital. I called my mom and asked her if we could drop off Tucker for awhile. She of course caught on and insisted on coming with us. (I was going to beg her to anyway) By the time we walked into the hospital, I wasn't laughing during contractions anymore. They weren't painful yet, but they were nothing close to funny. I remember putting on the gown, peeing (again) and getting weighed. I weighed in at 180lbs! As soon as I laid on the bed to have my cervix checked, the contractions came on full force. I was only 3cm dilated which was enough to get me admitted and a bed in labor and delivery. Unfortunately, there were forms to sign and it seemed like it took the nurses hours to get these forms ready. During this time, the contractions were increasing with pain and my mom, Jason, and I were in this small, dark room with a few nurses watching the tragedy of Michael Jackson on TV. I remember Jason whispering to me, "If they don't quit watching that TV we are going to pack you in the car and drive to CHOMP." I signed all of the forms, except for the form consenting to an epidural. I informed the nurse that at this point I could handle the pain and didn't need any medication. Finally I got put into the room that I would later deliver my beautiful daughter in. Our first nurse was HORRIBLE. She took one look at me and rolled her eyes. I had tested positive for Group B strep and needed IV antibiotics to protect the baby during delivery. Apparently the nurse had little patience for this. She gave me the IV, then hooked in the antibiotics, cold. I immediately forgot about the painful contractions. My arm felt like the bones inside it were freezing and breaking apart! It was so painful and unbearable. I begged for some relief. My nurse offered little help. After some persisting on Jason's part, I was given a warm blanket to wrap my arm in, this offered just enough relief for the contraction pain to come through. At this point, I had to go to the bathroom (again). This REALLY irritated our nurse. Basically she told me that I couldn't get out of bed and I could just go in the bed, and that someone would clean it. No kidney dish, no bed pan...just sheet and mattress. Thanks. So after holding it as long as I could (which made the contractions 10x worse) I went, in the bed. Humiliating. That was the first time during labor that I started crying. They were more so tears of embarrassment, than of pain. Of course nurse number one didn't clean me, but sent someone else in to clean me and change the bedding with me in it, real nice. Lucky for me, it was time for a shift change and grumpy nurse number one was out. I labored for a little while longer, lying on my back in the bed with my mom and Jason holding my hands during the contractions. Then I went into back labor. This is not fun. I had heard about it in childbirth classes [at the hospital], but I sort of ignored it. I guess I thought that I was going to have this wonderful, pain free, routine labor. I felt like every contraction was causing all of the muscles in my back to tighten. After what seemed like hours, I caved into to the epidural. Or so I thought. I signed the papers and waited for the anesthesiologist. Every contraction seemed to get stronger and my cervix was dilating slower than expected. My nurse told me that it could be a long time before I got to push and she recommended that I get some pain relief so that I could rest before pushing. The Anesthesiologist came in and everyone had to leave. This was the second time that I cried during labor and these were tears of fear. How was I supposed to hold my composure, and stay completely still without having Jason there to talk me through it. He told me to be strong, and a nurse offered me her hand. I did the best that I could as he poked me twice and moved the catheter in and out a dozen or so times. After he left, a different nurse came in with a urinary catheter...I still haven't decided which one was worse. A few minutes later my nurse walked in and asked my if the pain was disappearing. I lied. I put on a smile and said that I felt much better. Jason came in and could tell that I was lying, but he didn't say anything.
I told that nurses that the urinary catheter felt like it was leaking and that the bed was getting wet. They checked me and said that my water had finally broke. After another hour, Jason told the nurse that I was still in pain and I couldn't hide it any longer. She got the anesthesiologist and he poked around some more and realized that the first epidural had come out and the medicine was dripping all over the bed. It turns out my water hadn't broke yet. Now my options were, let him try again or get a one time injection that lasts 2-4 hours. I went with the later and got immediate relief. My mom, Jason, and I tried to take a nap and enjoy the absence of my moaning and groaning. About an hour later, the nurse came in to check me and told me it was time to push. With Jason holding one leg and my mom holding the other, I pushed for 3 hours. The doctor finally came it and said it was time for us to meet our baby. Hailey Lynn Baker was born on July 4, 2009 after 11 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing. This was the third time I cried during labor, and these were tears of joy. I often hear people say "I support breastfeeding... just not in public." I don't think this is often meant to be cruel, but they are inadvertently stigmatizing breastfeeding as something dirty and inappropriate. Among those who are ok with public breastfeeding many will say, "well, as long as she covers up," which is really just as bad. And to many others, like a curse word or a short skirt, there are some places that the breastfeeding baby and mom just do not belong in our culture... like church. Last week fellow Birth Boot Camp instructor, Janie Oyakawa, was interviewed by a radio talk show on whether or not breastfeeding in church is a distraction to other members of the congregation and whether it belonged behind closed doors. The topic came about after the following was published in Ft. Worth Magazine: Q: I was in church last Sunday, and a woman in the row ahead of me began breastfeeding halfway through the service. I’m a big proponent of women breastfeeding their babies, but it was very distracting during a time that I wanted to focus on the sermon. What is proper church etiquette regarding distracting behavior during worship? As a woman who has breastfed all six of her babies in church, Janie was the perfect person to share some insight. The radio show hosts were two clearly conservative men, but by the end of the interview Janie had them both thinking about whether it was breastfeeding, or our culture, that was the problem. I was totally cheering her on as I listened! I especially loved comparing nursing under a cover to drinking coffee under a blanket, well done Janie! You can hear the interview here. I encourage everyone to listen and share, maybe someone you know hasn't thought about why bottle feeding, covering up, or leaving the room is difficult for a breastfeeding mother and baby. You can read Janie's blog at The Mom of Oz. I'm a country girl (I actually met a very pregnant Sam at a party in a barn) so of course I'm gonna love the story that starts with learning about birth through raising livestock in the FFA! Hey Cori! I finished my birth story finally! Thanks for the encouragement to get it done quickly. I hope that it will ease other's minds about a home birth. Let me know when you post it. I would like to see how people react or if they have any questions. ENJOY! An Epic Birth Story Going into labor, I really had no fears at all. I knew that I could do this—I have seen it multiple times before. I was in Future Farmers of America, so I watched and helped all of my animals give birth. I also took several reproduction courses in college and became AI (Artificially Inseminate) certified. Yes, labor looked difficult. Yes, it sometimes took a while, but nature always worked everything out in the end. A female’s body is built to do this. Just give it time and trust that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. This was my mentality as I had decided to have an unmedicated home birth. I hated the idea of hospitals—the germs, the number of people involved, the limited amount of things you can do or eat, the possibility of your baby being taken out of your sight, the push for drugs and vaccines, and even the screaming women in the rooms next to you. I did not want any of that. I wanted my birth to be private, comfortable, and as relaxing as labor could possibly be. After all, I learned in college that labor occurs quicker when the female is comfortable, well nourished, well rested, and has no predators nearby (luckily, humans are high up on the food chain!). The contractions began irregularly the evening before my birth. My husband, Aaron, and I went on a 45 minute walk to see if it could help make the contractions more regular. It worked, putting them at about 10-15 minutes apart. The contractions did not really bother me. I still did housework as usual, but every now and then I would have to stop and allow my belly to ease up a bit. I ate a good dinner and went to bed early that night. I knew it was starting. I woke up at 3:30am, not because of the contractions, but because I was starving again. My awesome husband cooked up a gourmet breakfast while I started some laundry (nesting was still kicking in!). I went back to bed after eating. I woke up again around 8:00am. Hungry again, so I ate AGAIN. My body was definitely fueling up for the high endurance workout it was about to face. My contractions were now about 6 minutes apart. Still not close enough to call the midwife over, but I did call her to ask for a few pointers. She told me to get an acupressure massage. Sounded good to me! A massage while in labor? Sign me up! I called the masseuse and set an appointment for 1:00pm. Time to watch some cartoons to get my mind away. (Don’t judge. What else is funny on TV at 8:00am?)At 1:00, the masseuse came over and set up her table. I was extremely excited to get a massage. The contractions were still about 6 minutes apart and not bothering me a whole lot. And so she started, but it was not the massage I was expecting. This massage HURT! Talk about really getting your mind off of your contractions! She hit all kinds of pressure points, up and down my back and legs. She pressed them hard and for what felt like forever. I endured the whole thing trusting my midwife’s knowledge and expertise. And it worked! By the time the massage was over at 3:00pm, my contractions were 3 minutes apart. These contractions were strong. These contractions were the real deal. Housework was not an option now.The midwife, Leslie, arrived. She wanted to check where I was, then go get some dinner and come back. Most first-time labors are long and slow anyway, so I was alright with that. She checked me. “You are a -1.” she said. My jaw dropped. “We better head to the hospital then, if I haven’t even begun yet.” I responded.She just laughed and said “I am not going anywhere--he is already making his way down, you are at 6cm. On a scale of 4 being not descended at all, and -4 being completely out, you are a -1. You are surprisingly calm to be already this far into labor.” Well, that’s good to hear. I can do this. We are halfway there. Hopefully the second half is just as easy. I was hungry again. I ate some grapes and chicken noodle soup as Aaron began filling the large inflatable tub in the middle of the living room. As soon as it was ready, I jumped in. The water was so nice. Warm, relaxing, and it eased a lot of pressure. The contractions were very strong by this point. So strong, that every muscle in my body was beginning to chime in and contract too. Aaron was rubbing my back and whispering little encouragements to me with every contraction. I constantly was changing positions to find the one that gave me the most relief. I flipped to hands and knees. I had the urge to push. “Is it okay to push? Is it too early?” I asked Leslie. I did not want to wear myself out too soon. She nodded and said that I would know when I was ready. I looked at the clock; it was close to 5pm. The pushing began. Every muscle in my body squeezed with all of its strength. My arms, legs, abs, back, lungs, stomach, EVERYTHING pushed. My body was squeezing so tight that I began throwing up with every contraction. Luckily, sweet Leslie had a pan ready to catch it every time. After an hour of pushing, I told my midwife and husband that I was going to “rest this one out.” I was tired. Every muscle was sore from all the exercise. I wanted a longer break than just 2 minutes. I felt the urge coming on to push. I tried with all of my might to not push, but to relax instead. My body still pushed regardless of what my mind wanted. That is the point when I knew I had no control what-so-ever. My body was in control—I was just along for the ride of a lifetime. Like when you see people getting shocked with those cardio arrest things. You lie there, get shocked, every muscle squeezes, and then go limp again. My body DID know what it was doing. I was hindering my labor by trying to control the pushes. I relaxed. The pain would come and go as endorphins filled me. It was like a natural high, everything a blur, my body tingling. I got into a squatting position, Aaron consistently rubbing my back and shoulders still as his arms wrapped around me. I buried my head into his chest. I didn’t cuss. I didn’t bite. I just groaned with every contraction. The groaning helped. It gave me some extra umph. 6:30pm. Another push, this time a pop, a burst. Did my uterus just explode? No, there isn’t enough pain to be that drastic. I felt a rush of fluid and realized that my water had just broke. Why does it take so long for a baby to come down and out 4 inches? This is taking FOREVER. These contractions are strong. I am exhausted.6:50pm. Another push, but this time it burned. I sucked in. Ahh, some relief. Another push—oh no, I can’t suck in and push! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! My midwife looked at me and said to breath long breaths out. Not to push down, but concentrate that energy and push up and out. It worked. I used the contraction to push a long breath out while allowing time for my baby’s head to stretch the last little bit. I reached down and felt his hair. My husband was ready to catch. The next urge was coming. I looked my husband in the eyes one last time. He gave me a kiss to the forehead which gave me the confidence and strength to give it all I had. The contraction was here. I pushed, his head was out. I was not stopping there. I had a little more and I did not want to drag this on for one more contraction. I pushed harder, he turned a quarter turn and was out. He began floating up between Aaron and I. We caught him and brought him up to the surface together. Our baby took his first breath. 6:55pm and we had done it. Epic Karl Magenheim had arrived! We sat there together in the tub as a family, just staring into each other’s eyes. Our baby was so awake, so aware, so calm, and so happy to be held by the voices he had heard so often. He was strong, able to move his head some already, and looked just like his dad. We got out of the tub. Aaron took the baby while I went to shower up and crawl into bed. All of my muscles were sore. It was hard to stand. After I got comfortable, the midwife brought me some food. I chowed down while she did the weigh in and measurements. He was 9lbs and 22.25 inches long. Everyone was in disbelief. I had just delivered a big baby and did not even tear. After I finished the plate full of food, Epic decided it was his turn. I allowed him to gather up his own strength to find his food. It was incredible to see him instinctively wiggle and squirm his way around to find my breast. I did not assist him as he found what he was looking for. He latched on and was eating like a champ after only being in this world 25 minutes! This is what nature intended. This is the birth that I had imagined. It was an Epic birth.
If you would like to share a birth story please email me at corilynngentry@gmail.com |
EventsNatural Birth Series
Sept 28 – Nov 15 Carmel, 6:30–9pm Register Infant Sleep for Expecting & New Parents September 28th 6:30pm - 9:00pm Register Gentle Cesarean: Planning & Recovery September 30th Toro Park, 3-6:30pm Register Natural Birth Refresher October 15th Salinas, 1– 4pm Register Preconception & Early Pregnancy Class October 22nd Salinas, 1– 4pm Register Sibling Prep for Parents & Kids November 4th & 5th Toro Park, 2:-4pm Register Fall Home & Birth Center Birth Series Nov 7 – Dec 12 Salinas 7pm–9pm Register VBAC Class November 12th Salinas, 1–4pm Register Natural Birth Series Nov 29th – Jan 17th Salinas 6:30–9pm Register Archives
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