The key to getting plenty of protein in pregnancy is finding simple meals and snacks. The topping for this is easy to put together ahead of time and throughout the week you can just scoop it onto purchased hummus or make your hummus ahead of time. No cook, that's the key! I love bruschetta. It's what I always offer to bring to parties and potlucks... mostly because I want an excuse to make and eat it. After making a platter of bruschetta for our Birth Boot Camp sip & see I had a bowl of topping left over so I decided to top my hummus with it. It was amazing. Protein: 16g.
You'll need: A roma tomato, chopped Fresh basil Parmesan cheese Minced garlic... like... about a teaspoon I guess Extra virgin olive oil, enough to drizzle 1/2 cup of hummus A couple whole wheat pitas cut into wedges Small squeeze of lemon juice Salt & pepper... to taste This is super easy to toss together. Chop up your tomato and basil. Sprinkle some parm over the top. Stir in garlic and a little evoo and a small squeeze of lemon juice. Add salt and pepper if you wish. Toss. Pour over hummus and drizzle a bit more evoo. Enjoy with pita, but also great with veggies!
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Eric wanted to title this "Indiana Gentry and the Womb of Doom" but since he already got to name our baby Indiana, I'm going to at least draw the line at my uterus being referred to as the Womb of Doom. Here is the story of how we met our third baby, Indy. I wanted very much for this birth to begin spontaneously. Despite having gestational diabetes for the third time, it was completely diet controlled and my doctor, midwife, and I believed baby was not overly big and that we were both healthy. However, as 42 weeks came and went it looked like an induction may be the best option for me considering my medical history. We had a 9:00pm appointment for February 22nd, 42 weeks and 1 day, but Natividad Labor and Delivery called and said their rooms were full. They'd call us when they had space. We heard from them again just before midnight. The first doctor we saw was a resident, Dr. Davis. She explained that she was a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) and I immediately felt more comfortable with her. I didn't know much about DO's, but I did know they were more hands on like a chiropractor or midwife. She was the first doctor to palpate my belly during my exam. She felt my head and throat and did a cervical check. I was 5cm dilated, 50% effaced, and baby was -1 to -2 station. Her recommendation was to start Pitocin at a low dose and I agreed, aby was too high to break my water. I requested an anesthesiologist to place my IV since I am sensitive to blood and needles and needed someone who could be quick. A nurse anesthetist was sent in, not the same but whatever. The first thing she did was mock me for having tattoos but being sensitive over needles. Again, not the same... but whatever. I should have sent her out then but I didn't. She placed the IV and said, "see, it's ok to look" but I looked up at Eric instead and he shook his head no. She then realized that she needed to replace it, I started to feel dizzy and said I needed a break. She gripped my hand and started looking for a vein and I said no, I needed some time. She didn't let go right away, but eventually did, maybe irritated over the fact that she wasn't allowed to complete her challenge. Some medical professionals seem to forget we are people, not puzzles. An hour later I was ready to try again with another nurse. She placed the IV quickly but it was excruciating. I started to feel like I was going to pass out and I told her to remove it. Eric and I decided to walk for a while so I could calm down. Back in the room we met another doctor, a fellow, Dr. Rushton. She simply introduced herself as Jill, she was a very calm presence. She thought I was a little less dilated, 4cm. I told her we wanted to think about our options a little more. It had already been a long night so Eric and I rested a bit. I eventually got up to walk by myself while Eric slept. My nurse, Ruby, stopped me in the hall and said that we could just go ahead and break my water. I think she and the doctors knew that I was going to have a very hard time attempting an IV again. My friend Anna arrived. She was interested in becoming a birth photographer and doula and my birth was going to be her first other than her own to attend. She was visiting family in Fresno and drove three hours in the middle of the night to be with me. It was wonderful to not only have a friend but someone else who loved birth with me. Dr. Davis and Dr. Rushton came in a little after 7am. They discussed who was going to get to break my water, then Dr. Davis was called out so Dr. Rushton won. There was no big gush like I experienced in the past. Even when I stood there was only a small trickle. I'm not sure which happened next, if Anna and I started walking or if I took a nap, but both happened. I thought I had napped forever, but it was only around 30 minutes. Despite being exhausted I was anxious to get labor going. I knew a lot could go wrong between a rupture and birth. I woke Eric and told him we needed to do this. Once we were walking contractions picked up immediately and were about 4-2 minutes apart. I hated the feeling of having my water broken. Compared to my first natural birth where my membrane remained intact for most of my labor, these contractions were much stronger and even between contractions my whole pelvis was achy and uncomfortable. Despite the intensity I was encouraged that it looked like I wouldn't need Pitocin. When contractions came I stopped and hung on Eric, it was the only place I could somewhat relax. I focused on trying to let my belly hang the way I did in our second birth but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't quite get to that level of relaxation. About two hours in, around 11:00am, my body began to bear down at the peak of contractions. I told Anna and Eric and they both said I sounded like I was pushing. I had felt this before, twice, and both times I was complete. Could we be there already? I told our new nurse, Caren, and asked if I should get checked and she said she wanted to monitor the baby and my contractions first, we had agreed to monitor for 20 minutes of every hour. The contractions on the monitor were irregular and didn't look strong, but they felt overwhelming. I couldn't lay down, all I could do was sit on the edge of the bed and hold onto Eric. By noon my contractions were no longer building and peaking. I would get a very short indication one was coming and no matter how much I relaxed or panted or fought it, my body bore down with more intensity than I had ever experienced in my life. And not once, but three, four times in one contraction in varied intervals. I tried to maintain control through vocalizations but my moans were lost and I began whimpering sometimes screaming in pain. At noon I was checked. I had fully effaced but I was still only 5cm and baby was -2 station. I was devastated and confused. I was terrified of these contractions. They were unpredictable and unlike anything I had ever heard of. I didn't know what I could do other than to get out of my head and just figure out how to work with them as they came. This is the birth I was given and I was meant to do this. I sat on the edge of the bed and tried to relax as deeply as I could using Eric as support. I was so tired that I could almost fall asleep between contractions. I tried to stay as out of it for the early part of each contraction and not respond to the urges, but I lost every single battle and my body would begin its frantic heaving. I thought maybe the shower might help relax my body. I got in and Eric held my hand from just outside. I panicked if he wasn't in arms reach. I was able to focus on the water and be calm a little longer into each contraction, but each one still ended in frantic pushing. I kept looking down expecting to see blood or something awful. I felt like my body and the baby were crushing each other. Occasionally something in my pelvis popped or cracked at the peak of a push, I was sure either baby or I would be horribly injured. Everything that happened built upon my fear. I know of so many variations in labor and this was nothing I had ever heard of. I don't remember when I started to let myself cry, I was just so scared. Jill, my midwife, arrived while I was in the shower. I don't remember if I even said hi when I came out. My brother, Jon, and his fiance, Lauren, came in too. That morning Lauren had said she wasn't coming and I didn't think my brother would want to so I was surprised, but too out of it to address it. I guess Eric had texted them again. I tried some more positions: leaning on the ball, on my hands and knees, lying on my side. While on my side my hip popped loudly again, Eric heard it too. He said I looked terrified and asked what did that. It felt like I was breaking. I sat on the edge of the bed and held onto Eric. Sometimes I would try to lean onto the bed because I was just so tired, I wanted to sleep, but I would bolt up in pain even if there was no contraction. Jill tried to prop pillows for me but I had to keep my torso totally upright. I could stand or sit straight. By 3:00pm I knew in my head something had to be terribly wrong. I asked to be checked again. I believe I was 6cm, but baby still hadn't come down at all. Baby was not descending despite the immense pressure my body was putting on it. When I told Eric I couldn't do this he reminded me that I already was. He knew exactly what to say. He, Jill, and Anna reminded me to eat and drink, made position suggestions, encouraged me, working as a web to support me. But they didn't know what was happening inside me. I started telling them they were all wrong, I wasn't doing this, something was wrong. I was on my hands and knees crying and Eric got in my face. I said something had to happen, I'm scared, something about my body is not right and I can't stop it. I need something to stop it. I knew an epidural was an option to relax these urges so baby could come down, but that meant IV, a blood test, and an entire route I desperately didn't want to take. Even when I was screaming not a single nurse or doctor suggested pain medications. I let myself say I needed an epidural... Eric asked if I was sure and the nurse reminded me it would be at least 30 minutes for the blood test to get back. I said no, I don't want it, I'd get back in the shower. Minutes in I realized there was no way around it though. We had to do something to stop what was happening. Eric got that this wasn't giving in, we needed to do this. I asked for Fentanyl before the nurse started the IV. It worked. It made me dizzy, as I knew it would, but it helped me get through the blood draw and IV. I don't know how he did it, but the anesthesiologist was able to place the epidural between contractions. Even through my fog I was worried about what would happen if I began bearing down with a needle navigating my spine. The nurse said it would take about three contractions for it to take full effect. By the fourth contraction I felt baby descend. It had only been about 20 minutes. I was still pushing a little with every contraction, but much less and it was easier to resist the urge. I was checked, baby was 0 station and I was complete. I could push. As baby descended some pretty worrisome heart decelerations came up on the monitor. Another DO, Dr. Zwolack, came in and explained to me what has happening, but I knew. He didn't want to say it and I didn't want him to, but I needed to push this baby out or we needed to do a cesarean section. The conversation was not a threat, I really felt like he wanted me to have the vaginal birth I wanted. I was given oxygen and started pushing. Baby was not staying on the monitor so the doctor asked if he could put a monitor on the baby's head and I agreed. I tried a few pushes on my back and on my side. Dr. Zwolack wanted me to push only every other contraction so that the baby had more time to recover. This didn't last long and it was decided that I needed to push baby out. The doctor left and I asked the nurse for the squat bar. I barely felt numb and had no problem supporting myself. One contraction and three pushes and I was able to push baby to a near crown. I'm not sure I could have effectively brought baby down lying on my back. Dr. Zwolack was immediately called back in. The doctor checked again, and I believe the OB, Dr. Heiner, came in as well. Whoever checked me was impressed, none of us knew if I could bring this baby down or not. I got on the bar again and pushed the baby to a crown. I reached down and felt a soft squishy head, squishier than I expected. The OB said that a caput had formed, some swelling in the scalp from being pressed against my cervix. From here everything, and everyone, moved quickly. Dr. Heiner said they would not use a vacuum. If nature could not bring this baby down they would not force it, and I understood completely. That meant I pushed this baby out or they would do a c-section. No pressure. Baby was having a hard time for a reason and we did not know what that reason was. As the room filled the doctor explained there would be more people in the room than previously expected because baby was struggling. I sat back and pushed. There was so much excitement in Eric's voice as he told me I was doing it and the head was right there that I knew I must have been really doing it. There were lots of voices encouraging me and I needed every one of them. It did not feel like I could get baby out. I had to lay back all the way, not how I envisioned birthing this baby, but I wasn't being forced to do anything that I didn't think needed to happen. I think both doctors had their hands in me stretching and maneuvering. I heard Dr. Heiner say to someone he was going to drain my bladder to make more room and the birth fanatic in me though "That's so cool, I wish I could see!" though the woman with a baby head halfway out of her thought "Oh my god what???" With every contraction I pushed until I thought I was going to pass out. While the image of the woman on her back with her feet in the air stirs many negative feelings in the natural birth community, I really needed someone pushing my legs back like that. This baby just felt so big. Dr. Heiner said he did not want to cut an episiotomy but he would numb my perineum just in case. No scissors necessary, finally the head was out. I heard Dr. Heiner say to clamp the cord. I immediately knew this meant the baby had a very tight cord around its neck and it needed to be cut before the body could be born. As soon as I had the ok I began pushing as hard as I could. I wish I could have watched what was happening. One shoulder out, a doctor cursed, another shoulder, and I swear I pushed out every inch of that baby all the way to its toes. And at 6:48pm our baby was here! The emotional relief greatly outweighed the physical. Our baby was here. I was anxious to see who we had, a little boy or little girl, but before I could look someone said baby was having difficulty breathing, but really, baby wasn't breathing at all. I think Eric and I saw at the same time just as the nurse lifted baby off my chest. Eric said "We have another son!" He didn't yell it, it was just to me and it was so sweet to hear his excitement. The nurses resuscitate our son and when we finally got a glimpse our little boy was pink, but clearly struggling to breathe. My midwife called to me and reminded me to talk him and I did. His tummy was sucking in and he was wheezing loudly, it was nothing like when Milo had a little trouble breathing. The nurse said they might need to take him to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. His first APGAR score was 2, which is very low. He finally cried, three times, and they decided to have me try skin to skin instead of taking him away. His second APGAR was 8. It was a rough start but he was ok. I don't remember when they weighed him, before or after they gave him to me but when they did voices were raised in surprise and it took me a while to figure out what was happening... I think I may have been in the middle of pushing out the placenta. Eric finally told me, he weighed 11 pounds, 5 ounces! We were shocked! He was 21 3/4 inches with a 39 cm head and 39 cm chest. His head was the biggest our nurse had measured in 38 years. I didn't have any excessive bleeding, though I was given Pitocin right away, and had no tears! The placenta did not look aged by the way. I reminded the doctors that I wanted the placenta and I was told it had to go through pathology. I said we needed to get it home to clean because I was going to eat it. I suppose I forget how shocking fairly accepted behavior in the natural world is because the busy room froze. A nurse in the back said "What?!" I said I was going to have it encapsulated The looks of horror, disgust, and confusion were priceless. We were still not decided on a name. I liked Everett, Eric liked Indiana... yes after Indiana Jones. I was holding my ground on Everett but I had that night alone with the baby to think about it. I really liked our tradition of Eric naming our sons, which is Biblical. Eric also was amazing during the birth. He loved and supported me so much, and he may not have pushed out this baby himself but I'm certain I wouldn't have had the strength or confidence to do it without him. And honestly, if any baby deserved to be named Indiana, this one was it. We also kept our tradition of choosing a Hebrew middle name. Eric chose Jacob, which is also my grandmother's grandfather's name. So this is where I have to process this birth. I believe every birth is a lesson, which is one of the many reasons I take issue with routinely medicating and detaching women from their births. We are meant to trust birth. We are meant to learn from birth. But I realize that when I say that part of me sets birth apart as an outside entity. I know that there were several hours where I had already decided something was wrong but I didn't want to disrupt the birth process. There was me, and there was the birth. I put my design over my intuition, which is really one of the most important aspects of our design! It's easy to tell a woman to trust herself but when it's you that is in a very scary place and no one can tell you what is happening because no one can feel what you are feeling it's not so clear. I still don't completely understand why my labor progressed the way it did, however after researching and talking to other birth professionals I believe I had a spastic lower uterine segment, which is rare. I still believe this birth was meant for me. I came away with a new found respect for a mother's ability to read her baby and her body. Before a monitor could confirm it I knew my body and baby were not working together. I love natural birth. It never occurred to me that after experiencing a natural birth I'd then have a medicated one. If I did know that, I would assume that I'd mourn the birth I thought I would have... but I'm not. I support natural birth because it's what I believe is safest, but none of us, not even midwives, doulas, or childbirth educators, are guaranteed an uncomplicated birth. I'm going to be honest, it feels very weird to me that I can't say it was another natural birth, but that's just a title. It was a hard, complicated, scary day, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good birth. I had a lot to learn and it was crammed it into an intense 12 hour lesson. I'm grateful for the experience, for the amazing team I had with me, the courageous doctors who could have easily justified a cesarean, for Eric's confidence in me, and for this sweet new baby boy, Indy. And yes... we know Indiana was the dog.
Eric and I have spent almost every day for 21 months preparing for a natural birth. We began when I was pregnant with Milo. All of our energy the last trimester of our pregnancy with him was spent researching and preparing to reach our goal of an unmediated birth through the Bradley method. Instead, Milo's birth was induced and highly medicalized thanks to complications from gestational diabetes. As soon as I recovered I began working towards our goal once again. I dedicated myself to a strict exercise regimen and diet to help start this pregnancy at a lower weight and hopefully avoid diabetes, and continued with it throughout the pregnancy. I watched dozens of birth videos, poured over birth stories, and followed bloggers that I thought would help us be successful. Eric and I researched local hospitals, obstetricians, and midwives, read and re-read books, and studied every birth documentary we could get our hands on. There was no reason why we should not reach our goal this time.
When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes this time we knew we may face an induction, but our midwife, a CNM named Margann, was confidant we would not be facing an IV-Pitocin-epidural birth experience like last time. I stayed active, took the herbs she suggested, and by 35 weeks my cervix was already dilating and very soft. We had a decent chance of nudging labor along if necessary. At my 38 week appointment (at 37 weeks and 5 days) on Tuesday, March 15th, I was 2-3 cm dilated and had been having long periods of contractions that were slightly more impressive than typical Braxton-hicks. My midwife stripped my membranes, though she said it would likely not work this time because she couldn't reach well. I believed her as I barely felt it. We would do it again next week. Must be an old midwife jedi mind/uterus trick to ensure it will work. I felt very little cramping and had no spotting that evening. Sure that I would not be having the baby this week, I went ahead and ignored my half packed bags again that night. On Wednesday the 16th, I woke up at 6:30am for daycare and felt like someone had hit me with a baseball bat in the lower abdomen about 1000 times, then once in the head for good measure. My uterus was suspiciously silent though, not a single contraction. Calm before the storm? Or did we just upset it by poking around at it? After stumbling around in pain all morning, at around 11:30am I started losing a ton of bloody mucus. It was nothing like what I imagined, a little mucus and maybe some spotting. It was pink and purple chunks of mucus and who knows what else, and it just kept coming. I sat in the bathroom in shock. This had to be the bloody show. Oh God. We are not ready. I played chicken with my uterus and now I'm going to lose. I'm not sure how to describe what happened next. It was almost like my brain turned into a computer compiling everything that HAD to happen before this baby arrived. Ninety percent of what I came up with probably didn't have to happen, like washing the sunroom windows or mopping under the bed, but for me they were mandatory prerequisites to labor. The next 6 hours were a whirl wind of cleaning products, contractions and sheer panic. I never slowed long enough to time contractions, I needed to out run them. I assigned jobs to Eric until I felt he wasn't taking my urgency seriously. I knew I looked crazy, I knew organizing the entry closet was not a real priority and that the bunk beds didn't need to be put together, but in my world, right then, it all had to happen. I started crying and told him to get out. He still helped but just stayed out of my way. By around 7:30pm I was spent. I showered and settled on the couch to see if my contractions were regular. They were 7 to 15 minutes apart, not painful, but a little pinchy. Four hours later I still did not fully believe this was it, I decided to go to bed to see if the contractions would stop. I laid there for 2 hours and while they slowed, they did not stop and could not be slept through. I gave up at 1:30am. I told Eric he should try to sleep and went back to timing. When contractions were 5-8 minutes apart I was having to stop almost everything to breathe through them and sometimes lean against a wall. I woke Eric up and told him to call my mom and take Milo to her. This was it! Oh but first we had sex because who knew when we would get to again. Eric got Milo ready and left for my mom's and I got in the shower to shave my legs and wash my hair. I thought contractions might be nearing 3 minutes apart, but I would rather have this baby in the shower than go to the hospital before I shave my legs. I think the biggest lesson of the day was that I have no concept of priority when I'm in labor. I finished getting ready just as Eric got home. Contractions were even more intense now, but I still made him stop and take some last belly pictures between contractions before leaving the house at 6:00am.
On the way to the car I had a strong contraction that radiated down my thighs and I had to moan through it. It was amazing to me that they could get so strong, but that they just went away after. It was nothing like my Pitocin induction. This was like a million little battles and I was winning them all so far! I called the hospital on the way and told them I was in labor. I answered questions between contractions. I noticed that my body was beginning to push with them. If I tried to not push it hurt so bad, so I just let my body do its thing. I could still breathe through them and I wouldn't consider them unbearable so I knew there was no way I was transitioning. The woman on the phone said it may be early for me to be coming in, but since I was already on my way to come in anyway. It was discouraging, I didn't want to face a whole day of contractions like this, but I tried to not think about it.
We got to the Dominican Hospital soon before 7:00am. I had to stop twice from the car to the front doors of the hospital for contractions, and two more times from the doors to our room. It took me forever to change into my gown between contractions. I was starting to feel a little panicked. These were a lot of work. I had to grab onto stuff and breathe and moan, but the staff was treating me like I was in early labor. I paced between contractions and leaned against the wall during, relaxing everything and letting my body press down. The nurse was so nice, she was very up beat and I felt silly working so hard in front of her. I was sure she was thinking "Wow if you think this is hard..." But I couldn't help it. I couldn't sit either, I felt like I was sitting on his head. I got on my knees at the foot of the bed for a few contractions, which were now making my whole body shake. I was still answering questions about my medical history and such. I finally asked "should I feel like I need to push?" The nurse's look should have been answer enough, "Um... no."
She had me get up on the bed and checked my cervix. All she could feel was my bag of water bulging through, so she got the charge nurse. The charge nurse checked me and then grabbed an OB who confirmed, I was 9 cm dilated. I could not believe it! It was like winning the lottery! That's it, I'm almost done, I did the hard part already! According to Bradley, labor is hard work, transition is the worst, but when you are pushing you are finally getting to do something and I remember several women in the books stopping between pushing contractions and saying "Oh I like this better." YEAH! Let me push!
They wouldn't yet though. They helped me breathe through those awful contractions and sometimes I couldn't stop the urge and my body would push anyway. It was awful, it hurt, and it felt like it would never end. My body just wanted to push! The best thing the nurse said this whole time was just repeating "this will end, it will come down." She could tell when I was about to panic and would say that, I was glad Eric caught it on video, though those contractions are hard to watch now because I did so well when I worked with my body, and suffered so much when I worked against it. It was around 8:20am. My midwife finally came in but I was barely aware. I was just trying to survive. I was getting scared, everything was moving too fast. The nurses were excited. "Ok let's have this baby!" "This will go so fast!" And many comments on how calm I was, the "calmest 9 cm I've ever seen" one nurse said. I didn't know what to say, I appreciated their enthusiasm and compliments, but I was beginning to lose it. No where near calm. I suppose I was calm the way a deer staring down headlights is calm. Everyone prepared for my midwife to break my water, and the moment she did my body started to bear down. I can't emphasize enough how involuntary this pushing was, or the immense power behind it. It was like I was exploding from the inside, only there was a bowling ball keeping it all in and all that pressure was behind it. In that first horrible moment, a thousand thoughts came to me at once, like a really awful enlightenment. First I was angry at Bradley for writing that awful book and making me believe that I could do this. This was SO BAD! Who were those evil women who said pushing wasn't so bad, just hard work, and actually chatted between pushes? Who could possibly encourage anyone else to do this and not go straight to hell? I was hating them all, I was livid that I had been fooled... then I realized that it was too late. I had to push and I couldn't fight this. It was going to hurt and it was going to suck, but I took a breath and pushed with everything I had for what felt like an eternity. It was terrifying, I couldn't stop to breathe anymore. I thought I was going to pass out. I was sure the baby was stuck and I was going to die. Everyone kept saying he was right there and to push a little harder and finally, when I thought there was no harder, I gave just a little more and his head popped out. A second passed, no relief, my body bore down again and I pushed with it. It was so hard to push through something that hurt so much but I did anyway and he wriggled out and was placed on my belly. It was 8:32am, Ashley Caleb was here. He weighed 8 pounds and was 21 1/2 inches long. Someone told me to open my eyes and I reached down to grab him. I just kept saying that I couldn't believe he was here. They gave him a little oxygen, but he never left my arms. I kissed him and was just so happy to finally be holding him.
I pushed out the placenta and the nurses all gathered around it because it was so big and had all these extra lobes. I hadn't torn at all. I was bleeding quite a bit so I was given Pitocin, Cytotec, and my midwife massaged my uterus for quite some time.
I was so happy, but at the same time I was in shock over what had just happened. I was trying to decide how I felt about it all. I thought I would feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment over having given birth naturally, but I didn't. I couldn't believe I had put myself through that voluntarily. I wasn't sure I could ever do it again. I could tell from everyone around me that I had done a good job. Eric was beaming. I overheard a nurse say "What a great birth to start the day with!" And Ash, who had still never left my arms and was now happily nursing, was healthy and staring up at me with bright clear eyes. I have decided that it was hard, but I brought him into this world the safest way possible. I took no risks with his health or mine. Physically, I felt amazing very soon after. No soreness or pain or medications to get out of my system. I have a lot to share about our hospital stay and my recovery, but you will just have to wait for another post because right now I have a hungry little baby to tend to.
Promise: Indication of something favorable to come.
Affirmation: Something declared to be true. Faith: Trust, hope and belief in the goodness or trustworthiness, of a person, concept or entity. Most of us have truths we lean on in life. When it comes to birth, these are my scriptures and my marriage vows. They are promises that I feel have earned my faith in and inspired my passion for birth. I thought I might revisit them as we wait for our third little one to choose his or her birthday, and share them here with you
"We are made to do this work and it's not easy... pain is part of the glory, or the tremendous mystery of life. And that if anything, it's a kind of privilege to stand so close to such an incredible miracle." - Simone in Klasson 2001
"And the courage that she showed, the endurance, the sheer power of getting through contraction after contraction, I was just so inspired, so touched to be so close to something so primal and raw and vulnerable as she was during those hours, so thankful that she let me be a part of it. And I knew I would never be the same person after having witnessed it. I got home about an hour later, my face a mess of tears and snot, and told Jon, 'I can't wait to give you what that birth just gave me.'" - Heather Armstrong, blogger, dooce.com "Woman really doesn't need to be rescued, it’s not the place for the night in shining armor. It’s the place for her to face her darkest moment and lay claim to her victory." - Cara Muhlhahn, Certified Nurse Midwife, The Business of Being Born “It is as great a crime to leave a woman alone in her agony and deny her relief from her suffering as it is to insist upon dulling the consciousness of a natural mother who desires above all things to be aware of the final reward of her efforts, whose ambition is to be present, in full possession of her senses, when the infant she already adores greets her with its first loud cry and the soft touch of its restless body upon her limbs.” - Grantly Dick-Read, Childbirth Without Fear "...for that half-minute before birth I held her hands and for that duration we three were undivided." - William S. Wilson “Remember this, for it is as true and true gets: Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is not a careless mechanic. Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.” - Ina May Gaskin, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth “How you approach birth is intimately connected with how you approach life” - William Sears, The Pregnancy Book "Nothing compares to the privilege of giving life and the responsibility of that. Nothing. So if you don’t have the reverence and respect for that, where do you go from there?" - Nadine Goodman, public health expert, The Business of Being Born “The power and intensity of your contractions cannot be stronger than you, because it is you.” - Unknown "Birth is not only about making babies. It's about making mothers; strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and believe in their own inner strength." - Barbara Katz Rothman "Nature is kind, and always gives breaks." ~ Dr. Robert Bradley, Husband-Coached Childbirth Being born is important You who have stood at the bedposts and seen a mother on her high harvest day, the day of the most golden of harvest moons for her. You who have seen the new wet child dried behind the ears, swaddled in soft fresh garments, pursing its lips and sending a groping mouth toward nipples where white milk is ready. You who have seen this love’s payday of wild toiling and sweet agonizing. You know being born is important. You know that nothing else was ever so important to you. You understand that the payday of love is so old, So involved, so traced with circles of the moon, So cunning with the secrets of the salts of the blood. It must be older than the moon, older than salt. - Carl Sandburg, "Being Born is Important" And I thought I'd share one of my favorite birth videos. I love the joy in Whitney's voice when she lifts up baby Austen, and her midwives words: "This is it. She's chosen this birth. She's chosen this birth." We are almost 41 weeks pregnant and while we are eating out a little more since I really don't feel like cooking, I'm still trying to put together simple healthy meals for the family. This has been a big go-to the last couple weeks! This fajita, taco thing was inspired but Chipotle's vegetarian burritos... only I like mine better! I highly recommend making your own tortilla's for this, it really makes a difference and it's not that hard, I like this recipe at Bran Appetit! Hold the cheese for a vegan option, though I'd add a little more beans to make up for the lost protein. Protein: 22g for two (will be slightly less with vegan tortillas).
Serves 4 or so people, I'm not sure how many fajitas exactly. You'll need: Extra virgin olive oil, enough for a couple turns around the pan 1/2 cup of brown rice 1 medium bell pepper 1 medium onion 1 can of black beans or pinto beans 1 can of corn Shredded cheese Chili powder Ground cumin Black pepper Cilantro Lime juice from one lime Whole wheat tortillas Get rice started, cook rice as directed. Heat evoo over medium and add sliced onion and bell pepper. Sprinkle some ground cumin and chili powder lightly over the top, more cumin than chili powder. Cook til tender. Rinse and drain black beans and corn and in a separate pot heat through. When the rice is done sprinkle in a generous amount of cilantro and squeeze a lime over top. If you have fresh cilantro feel free to chop add that instead of dried, just watch how much, it can be overpowering. Serve in warm tortillas with cheese. Sour cream, avocado, and diced tomatoes are great toppers as well. Jeff and Diane used to bring Vincent to my daycare. Diane does graphic design but she is also a turbo kick instructor here in Salinas. I've always read that fit mamas have quicker labors! Thank you for sharing Diane! Vincent Takumi McGirr was born July 26th, 2011 at 7:41am, weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces and 21.5 inches long. My labor started a little after 1am when I was awaken by a tummy ache. After several trips to the bathroom i realized I might be having contractions… a pain would come about every 7 minutes. I tried to go back to sleep because they say that the best thing to do. Well that didn’t happen. So i got up and went to the couch and started timing contractions there since i didn’t feel like i needed to wake Jeff up at this point. The contractions got closer together in the matter of an hour or so. They were 4 minutes apart for about 45 seconds, then some were only 3 minutes apart but 30 seconds. By 5am i was having them every 4 minutes for over a minute, and then some were only 1-2 minutes apart for 30 seconds. Definitely time to head to the hospital! Before Jeff got out of bed he mentioned “maybe i’ll work in Salinas office today instead of Gilroy”… haha! Uh… think again dude, we’re going to the hospital! After that he said “ok i’ll start the coffee” and in my head i’m like coffee?!?! NO TIME FOR COFFEE! Lets go NOW! Haha! I convinced my mom to come along with us because i wanted Jeff and I to have extra support. All the while everyone is getting ready to go my contractions are hurting like all hell! Hard to brush your teeth and get your stuff together when you’re anticipating a sharp cramping over you tummy every few minutes. The one surprising thing that i learned after having experienced contractions is that none of those positions you learn in Lamaze class really help to ease the pain. Not that I tried them or anything (no time in my case!) but I just can’t imagine that changing your position would change the pain. The only thing I could muster enough energy to do was to get down on all fours so I wouldn't fall over or collapse or anything. You can’t really focus on anything but the pain while it is happening. During one contraction I started bleeding suddenly, so i knew for sure we HAD to go. Jeff called the hospital after i convinced him i couldn’t do it on my own since i’d for sure get a contraction mid-sentence. They told us to come i once i told them about the bleeding, so off we went. The Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) is about 20 minutes away. The car ride took a while and i was in the back seat, screaming (literally) through the contractions. Jeff was trying to help as best he could with his coaching and it did help distract a little from the pain. I remember myself yelling “help me” a few times… and as we pulled up to the hospital that last contraction in the car, i felt like i needed to push! Scary! Jeff dropped my mom and I off at the front and i was so confused i didn’t know which door to go into! Ugh! But we found our way and a security guard put me in a wheelchair and took us to labor and delivery. It was about 6am by now. They took me to my room – which was a teeny tiny room that they haven’t used in a long time but had to shove me in it since they were extremely busy. I stripped my clothes off as fast as i could, got my monitors on and hopped up on the bed. They checked me and I was “just a lip” – I think meaning i was about 9cm and almost fully dilated and ready to push. I had to pant through several contractions… I don’t even know how many but way too many in my book! I was waiting for the doctor to show up so i could push. I kept asking how much longer, and they couldn’t really tell me! I kept saying how it wasn’t fair that I had to wait, and that i wanted a 15 minute break from the contractions to catch my breath. Luckily there was a nice lady there that was actually a nursery nurse, that came in to help me through my contractions. She told me to blow out birthday candles so that they would just flicker and not go out. That helped a bit, because otherwise i really wanted to push. Everything in the room was chaotic. I can’t remember how many people were in this tiny “closet” like room! One particular nurse came in to put my IV in and i yelled at her saying she can’t do it now! LOL. I couldn’t imagine i’d be able to stay still for her to poke me. It took her several tries but she did get it in. After what seemed like an ETERNITY, panting through a billion contractions (ok so it was like 20 minutes)… i was finally told that the doctor was close enough to the hospital that i could start pushing. So push i did! It probably took about 7 sets of 3-4 pushes to get him out. It was a challenge to curl up, chin down, take a deep breath and push in the right places to get him out but it was so much better than trying to pant through contractions and NOT pushing. Jeff was a great coach giving me positive feedback the entire time, saying how great i was for doing it natural, etc. After i breathed through one particular contraction, Jeff said, “See that wasn’t so bad was it” and a nurse scolded him saying, “don’t ever say that to a laboring woman!” LOL! When the baby was delivered he let out a cry. The doctor said “it’s a boy!” and “look at his round head! that is a perfect looking head!” He did indeed look very healthy and i saw Jeff get teary eyed! Didn’t have to wait at all to deliver the placenta. Jeff cut the cord in front of me and then they placed the baby up on my chest for skin-to-skin. Jeff and i just stared at our baby boy and started thinking of names! We were set on Calvin for a few weeks now but hadn’t made any final decisions. So when saw him we thought he looked like a Vincent, our other choice of name. And so he was named! We all bonded for a while, he breastfed, then the nurses took his measurements. We called my mom in and she got to see the baby. I ended up with a 3rd degree tear (ouch!) and when i asked “how many stitches” i got – the doctor just said “oh we don’t count” – i take that to mean way too many to count! Yikes! But i’m recovering well, it is really not too bad. Looking back, it’s kind of funny when you are in labor. It’s like you’re a little drunk/buzzed because you just blurt out and say anything on your mind. No filter at all! You can visit Jeff & Diane's blog here.
If you would like to share your story please email me at corilynngentry@gmail.com. First time I heard of stirring eggs into oatmeal I was at Birth Boot Camp instructor training, and I was mostly horrified, but Sarah at MamaBirth suggested it and I trust her judgement. It has taken me a few months to risk ruining a batch of oatmeal by stirring in raw eggs, but I decided to finally gave it a shot Oatmeal is not a breakfast I usually choose, as delicious as it is, it just doesn't have enough protein to justify the calories and carbs. Protein is essential in any pregnancy, but having gestational diabetes I can't deny the inevitable post oatmeal blood sugar spike that comes from eating a meal that is not high enough in fat and protein to balance the carbs. Adding eggs is a perfect solution, especially if you are sick of eating your eggs fried or scrambled. I added lots of other yummy ingredients, and ended up with a very filling, nutrient packed breakfast that totaled almost 20 grams of protein. As my tummy space shrinks, nutrient dense meals that don't take up too much space are essential! Protein Rich Apple Raisin Oatmeal... With Eggs! You'll need:
1 cup of old fashioned oats A little Celtic sea salt to sprinkle into the water 2 Eggs 1 large apple 2 tablespoons milled flax seed Cinnamon Rasins Walnuts Maple sugar (optional) I boiled my water and Celtic sea salt, poured in a cup of old fashioned oats (2 servings, me and the kids) and immediately broke two egg in and stirred, stirred, stirred... a little freaked out. It completely disappeared! I added some cut apple and let it cook for a bit. Stirred in 2 tablespoons of milled flax seeds (bonus omega 3's), cinnamon (lowers/stabilizes blood sugar), and a little maple sugar, though you can leave that out if you are worried about sugar. Topped with more apples, some raisins and walnuts! Everyone cleaned their bowls!
After desperately trying to induce labor naturally, Eric and I found ourselves in Labor and Delivery at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital at 6:00am on Monday, October 26th waiting to be induced. I was 40 weeks and 5 days, we chose an induction because my gestational diabetes was not well controlled even with insulin, I had significant edema and while I wouldn't allow an ultrasound to estimate his weight, I knew baby was big. I was 3cm dilated, 60% effaced, unhappy about the induction but I was comforted by the fact that my OB was sure we’d have a baby by that night. We handed over our birth plan and I waited to have my IV started. I hate getting IV’s and I faint easily. I have terrible veins and I didn’t want to start the day with 5 bad sticks and me fainting. The first nurse failed. The second I didn’t trust (she looked like an escaped mental patient). Finally they called the anesthesiologist to do it. It was a rough start.
Pitocin was started at around 7:00am. Our plan was to induce with Pitocin and not have my water broken. We didn’t know that the Pitocin drip meant that we would not be able to use the shower or tub, or that I would have to be hooked up to monitors continuously. We were disappointed, but had a great nurse that had her three children without pain medication. She was very supportive of our plan to go pain med free. Good news.
Contractions showed up quickly, but only on the monitor. I didn’t feel a thing. As the hours wore on I got more and more frustrated. I was starving, I could have broth, jello, and flavored ice cups. I’m not stupid, those are all just various forms of more liquid. By that evening I was a crying mess. I was worried that the lack of food would affect my ability to hold up in labor, that my uterus would get over worked by the Pitocin and have problems contracting after delivery, and about the effects of a full day of Pitocin on my baby. My IV hurt horribly, and I felt defeated before even feeling a single contraction. I shamelessly sobbed in front of the new nurse and OB that was on call. I didn’t think the induction was working. They turned off the Pitocin and said they would try again in the morning.
In the morning my IV was excruciating. The nurse determined that I needed it redone, so the anesthesiologist came back and gave me another. I really liked the anesthesiologist; we could tell he loved his job. While he was there he explained everything about epidurals to us, in case we needed one. We listened politely. He just loved talking about his work so much, we didn’t have the heart to interrupt him and say we didn’t plan to have an epidural. Pitocin was started again. A cervical check revealed that I had made no progress the day before. I had wanted to just nudge labor along, but my OB tried to help me realize that I didn’t really have the luxury of letting nature take its course. I was told that in nature, a mother in my condition would only have a 50% chance of bringing home a live baby (we now know this was wrong, and this OB was not good with numbers). He said that today we are cheating nature. I finally felt ok about our position. We decided to go ahead and let them break my water. The next OB on call, Dr. Nelson, was also not my OB, he was the one OB I did not want to deliver my baby. I believe I had said something like “If he’s on call, I’ll have my son in the parking lot.” He came in and asked if he had seen me before. He had, several times, just the week before actually. I don’t need to be coddled by my doctors, but I do appreciate being looked at when talked to, and having my questions addressed. Both of these skills seem to escape this doctor. I don’t think he said anything else, he just checked me, and then broke my water. I hadn’t told him to break my water, and I was irritated he didn’t even ask. Also, Eric had stepped out to go to the bathroom so he missed it. He was pretty bummed. When I got up I produced a very impressive puddle on the floor. Go me. The next nurse had also had her children naturally. Another score. She was very sweet and kept saying I reminded her of herself when she had her babies. My contractions could finally be felt around 10:45am, about an hour after my water was broken. They came on fast, there were no polite warning contractions. My uterus started out at a sprint. They started at 2 minutes apart and about 30 seconds long. I labored on the toilet for a bit, since it really felt like I needed to go to the bathroom, it was nice to be there just in case. Within 20 minutes I really needed my husband’s support. I got on the birthing ball and leaned on the bed. Eric rubbed my back and talked me through contractions. As much as it hurt, it felt great to be doing this the way we wanted to: just me and him. I couldn’t talk much, I would just say “start” for the beginning of a contraction, and then after would fall into him and relax. I kissed him and thanked him when I could. Those little breaks were so precious. Unfortunately, we were not able to labor like this for long, only another 20 to 30 minutes. When I leaned on the bed I would kink the IV in my hand, setting off a symphony of piercing alarms. Also, the monitors were not picking up baby. The nurse told me I needed to lay in the bed. I felt very trapped. The nurse said this OB likes the “express route” and my Pitocin was increased again as I positioned myself on my side. Contractions were now coming at a feverish pace of every one minute. The breaks completely disappeared. It suddenly felt like someone had dropped a piano on me, and as it crushed me I was then being hit with semi truck after semi truck. My options were pain, mind numbing pain, and pain again. The nurse had said earlier that a common complaint of Pitocin induced labor was that there were no breaks between contractions. I kept thinking about what Bradley said in his book in reference to contractions, a truth I expected to lean on in labor: Nature is kind, and always gives breaks. Against the wishes of the nursing staff, I scrambled to my hands and knees and held onto the headboard. I felt like I was going to throw up and pass out all at the same time. As out of it as I was, at one point as I leaned over the side of the bed I remember thinking, “If I throw up here, cleaning off all those cords will be hell.” I felt bad for losing it, the nurse had been so nice and was so impressed with my birth plan, I felt like I was letting everyone down. I can’t say I remember many other clear thoughts, I just gripped that bed and moaned and cried and shook. Eric said that at one point he had even checked under my gown to make sure a head wasn’t coming out because according to what we had learned, for as much pain I was in, I should have transitioned. Just one hour had passed. The nurses said I had to turn over, this time on my back. There was no way I could endure all this pain and stay completely still on my back. My IV alarm continued to go off again and again and they couldn’t keep baby on the monitor. I understood it was important to monitor him, that the Pitocin contractions could cause him to distress and that I did need to stay still, but I just couldn’t. I needed to be in any position other than on my back. Eric was being so good trying to help me cope, but I couldn’t carry on like this. I just cried and cried and said that I would need an epidural. Eric asked me over and over if I was sure. He knew how badly I didn’t want one, and he was right. Even as I asked for it I didn’t want it, but I was physically, mentally and emotionally spent. I just cried and apologized to him over and over, I felt like I was taking something away from him because he had prepared as much as I had for this. I wanted us to do this together and now I was tapping out early. Eric was so wonderful though, he said he knew there was no way I’d be asking for this if there was any chance I could go without it. He went and got the nurse.
The nurses turned off the Pitocin so I could stay still for the epidural. I didn’t say anything for a long time after that. I know I was moaning and trembling, but I felt very silent and still. I never asked what was taking the anesthesiologist so long, I tried to not cry anymore, I just shut down. Half an hour went by and the Pit was out of my system. It wasn’t long before I could feel the tightening waves of contractions, but with breaks in between. I was exhausted and in pain, but I also thought “This I could have done, these I could have worked with.” I’m really glad I had that time with my body, to know that I wasn’t too weak for labor. I believe I could have endured this if it weren’t for the induction. Through all this I never once thought that this whole natural childbirth thing doesn’t work or only crazy people try it, I just couldn’t do it on a nearly maxed dose of Pitocin.
It took two attempts to get the epidural right. Once it kicked in, I didn’t have a “Hallelujuah, epidurals are awesome!” moment. I felt very indifferent to it. The rest of the day wore on. Eric and I watched tv and waited. I texted back and forth with Amy, who was also now in labor. We guessed at when our babies would come. I was now sure my baby would share his birthday with my brother, October 28th. I was happy because 28 is my second favorite number. At 11:30pm I felt my body start to push, and I could feel baby’s head moving lower. I didn’t tell the nurse right away, I wanted to just let my body push for a while, it felt good to feel something and to be involved. She checked me at 12:15am and said his head was very low and I could start pushing. We texted a friend who was going to take pictures and my father in law who was going to video tape, and I started pushing. Eric sat behind me for support and the nurses set up the squat bar for me to put my feet against. I could feel most of the contractions so I could push with them, not just when the nurses told me to. I felt the head very low pretty quickly. Our friend, Tina, and Eric’s parents arrived and started taking pictures and video taping. Everything was going well. My only complaint was that the nurses would say “get mad at it” and “push like bowel movement.” I asked them to stop, I said it was distracting, but I really thought it was very rude sounding.
I pushed for about 2 hours and the nurses massaged the whole time. By now they had figured out that my baby had a very big head. I could tell they were trying to say things to each other without me hearing. The OB was called in and he had me push once. He said, as dryly as possible, I could have an episiotomy and vacuum delivery or c-section. I asked if I could just tear and he said no, that if I tore I would tear in several directions. He would also need help delivering the head and he was concerned about shoulder dystocia. Then he just left. To say the least, I lost it.
I was terrified of an episiotomy, and I thought that even if they got his head out, they might not be able to get his shoulders out. I said I wanted as many drugs as I could have and a c-section. I know Eric was thinking “who is this woman?” I had given up, I wanted out of having to make this decision or be a part of this birth. Eric completely took charge. He told me he knew I’d regret this, and he was sure I could do this. I finally agreed to the vacuum. I didn't look down for the rest of the birth. I told the nurse to tell the OB to not tell me when they cut me, I didn't want to know. I just buried my head in Eric, who now was beside me holding me up. I barely remember the next hour. I was completely lost in Eric. I only heard what he said. He was the only thing that was real in the room, no one else was there. I know that there is no other way I would have been able to get through the rest of the birth. Eric kept telling me he could see his head and that I was doing it. At 3:37am I finally felt Milo come out, and they cleaned him on my stomach. I still didn’t look, but I felt his head through the towel, it was so warm and he was so wiggly… and heavy. Even though Milo was here and he was supposed to be at the center of this life changing event, I was still barely conscious of anything beyond Eric. This moment was about us, we had made something so perfect and we had done it all together. I finally noticed Milo crying and we looked over at him as the nurses cleaned him off, and my appreciation for what we had accomplished swelled. In the end, I realized that that’s all I really wanted from this birth, Eric and I did it together.
In all I was in labor for 14 hours, pushed for 3 hours. Milo weighed 10 pounds, 3 ounces and was 21 inches long. He looks just like his daddy.
Our videos of Milo's birth, lots of interventions, but we had a pretty good attitude about it.
There is a segment in the birth documentary, The Business of Being Born, where an obstetrician is being interviewed about her opinions on midwifery care and homebirth. She says it scares her, and "can they even monitor a baby at home?" To those of us who are familiar with midwifery care, this is hilarious... and the answer is a resounding "of course!" However, with more than 90% of women never experiencing what prenatal care with a midwife is like, it's completely reasonable for people to be unaware of a midwife's capabilities and maybe have some reservations about the level of care they can even provide. I admit, the first midwife attended birth I heard about involved a cabin and a boiled shoelace. I was horrified, as I'm sure most modern women would be. I thought it might be fun to share with you what an appointment with my midwife, Jill, here in Salinas is like. People are usually shocked that my appointments typically run an hour, sometimes more if we get chatting. Some midwives work in offices alongside obstetricians, some work in birth centers (we don't have that option here either), some have their own offices where they conduct appointments and some come to the homes of their clients. That is what mine does, usually while my kids nap. Jill always begins with how I'm feeling and asks lots of questions about how I'm doing both physically and emotionally, which I appreciate since I have an awful memory and I often forget everything I wanted to ask if I get rushed. We talk about what I'm eating, what supplements I'm taking, and because I have gestational diabetes, we discuss my blood sugar levels over the last couple weeks which I've recorded for her. She takes down my weight and adds notes to my chart. Then Jill check's my blood pressure. It's usually perfect, better than usual for me actually, but if it's a bit high I lay down and we take it again... just in case. This is my favorite part of our appointment, and what I most miss when I see an obstetrician. Jill checks the position of baby by palpating my belly. I know that an OB can give me the same information with a quick ultrasound, which is why many OB's don't know how to palpate... but it's not the same. Baby was awake and very active this day but Jill finally cupped her hand near my ribs and said, "there... that's a little butt there," and near the left side of my pelvis, "and here's a head, baby is really having a good time in there wiggling around." Then Jill checks my fundal height, which is the length in centimeters from the top of the pelvis to the top of the uterus, or fundus. Every centimeter equals another week. We just want to make sure I'm growing. Here I'm 33 weeks, I measured 35. Baby feels like it's average sized but she could feel lots of fluid. My babies are typically well cushioned... and whoever is unfortunate enough to be in the splash zone when my water breaks usually needs a change of clothes. This one goes out to that OB in The Business of Being Born. Jill always brings her doppler, which allows her and anyone in the room to hear baby's heartbeat. While we have used it a few times, I usually ask her to use the fetoscope to minimize baby's exposure to ultrasound. After feeling where baby is Jill typically finds a heartbeat right away, and today was no different. The first time I saw a fetoscope I thought it was ridiculous looking, but it's specially designed to use the practitioner's forehead to conduct sound. I can't hear baby, but it's a worthwhile trade off to minimize exposure and risk to baby. My choice, Jill and many other midwives are happy to use the doppler too. Next I get my feet and ankles checked out for and signs of edema, or swelling, which could indicate problems related to gestational diabetes or preeclampsia. Thoroughly screening for any thing that may need medical attention is a huge part of our appointments and we always air on the side of caution. We do a urinalysis to check for protein, sugar, blood, ketones and leucocytes (white blood cells)... which tell Jill all kinds of stuff. Late in pregnancy protein may indicate preeclampsia. Protein can also indicate a urinary tract infection or a kidney issue. Sugar could indicate that the gestational diabetes is not being controlled. Ketones show up when the body burns fat instead of carbs and could mean I need to be eating more (never an issue... I eat a lot!). Leucocytes or bacteria would mean that there is an infection. I totally should have done my nails, that's not a weird happy face on my thumb nail, that's badly chipped polish. Jill checks my hemoglobin with a simple finger prick. Hemoglobin is a protein in the red blood cells that carry oxygen. Mine is a little low so I supplement with Floridex, a liquid iron supplement that I highly recommend to any mama with low iron.
We finish up with a drum circle and hallucinogenic herbs... ok not true... two people can't make a circle. An appointment with a midwife is really not that much different from seeing an obstetrician, you get all of the same important medical screening, plus added attention to how you are doing as a whole and a more hands on approach to care. I don't feel like I'm being examined as much as I feel like we are working together to make sure baby and I are healthy. I don't like the term "Natural Induction." There is nothing natural about inducing labor. I believe babies are best at choosing their birthdays, however, there are times when the risks of continuing the pregnancy outweigh the risks of attempting to induce. Seeing 40 weeks come and go, a looming holiday, or wanting your body back (trust me, you don't get it back because baby has left the building) don't qualify. If your body and baby are ready for birth, and your pregnancy needs a gentle push to the finish line, these are some possibly options.
The reason I went deep into researching induction (natural, mechanical or chemical) is because with my babies I've had gestational diabetes that tends to spiral out of control at 37 weeks. I've delivered at 41 and 38 weeks, and delivering instead of struggling with ever increasing insulin doses was a better option for us. You should always weigh the risks of encouraging labor vs the risks of continuing the pregnancy. Yes, a baby might be viable at 39 weeks, but in the process of forcing a delivery you may cause a problem that otherwise wouldn't be there (ie, injury to baby, NICU stay, infection, maternal hemorrhage). Some people argue by doing this you wont be having a natural labor/birth. I get that, I respect that perspective, but if your options are this or a possible hospital induction with Pitocin... these are good tools to have in your toolbox just in case. So... this is just what I have done, some things I've experienced and learned in my own pregnancies. This is not medical advice, I still suggest you talk to your doctor or midwife. RRL - I half heartily do red raspberry leaf (RRL) tea throughout the pregnancy. It is supposed to improve uterine tone, so when you are in labor your contractions will be more effective, strong uterus's do a better job at pushing out babies. I like science and studies and statistics, so I don't really know how helpful this really is because I've never found much science behind it, but I put it in my "hey it can't hurt" category. I recently learned you can take capsules and I also heard you can get a tincture which is stronger/more effective. EPO - At 36 weeks I start taking evening primrose oil (EPO). When I asked my OB about it during my first pregnancy he didn't seem to think it would do any good... but... after reading into it I learned that EPO is high in prostaglandins. I'm sure you've heard to have sex to induce labor, well the reason for that is because semen is also high in prostaglandins (helps sperm accomplish mission impossible). Also, once when I was researching chemical inductions (what you will encounter in a hospital) I learned that the cervix ripening cream/tampon often used, Cervidil, main ingredient that makes it work are prostaglandins - but from pig semen, which I personally find gross. EPO doesn't start labor, it softens/ripens the cervix which is an essential part of birth. Starting at 36 weeks I take 1000mg 3X a day orally and insert one up against my cervix at night. I know some women who use the oil as a lube... double prostaglandins score! (update: I've since read that EPO may increase risks of bleeding, I did not take it with my 3rd of 4th pregnancy.) (update: I've learned that EPO does not have much research supporting it, and may increase bleeding issues. I did not take it with my 3rd or 4th pregnancy) Sex - Like I said I'm sure you've heard this, everyone loves to suggest it, but sex totally does work. Lots of reasons... because of the prostaglandins, and orgasms cause uterine contractions (gentle, nothing that will start labor but like a little uterus workout) and your body releases oxytocin, which is also released during labor. If you choose a hospital induction you will likely be giving Pitocin, which is a synthetic oxytocin (only instead of gentle contractions it'll make your uterus contract painfully hard and can distress baby). Knowing this, I never let our sex life go during pregnancy, esp the last month. Uhhh am I gonna share this? Yeah... of course I am... we even had sex during labor (my water hadn't broken) and it totally kicked things into high gear, I started transitioning a little over an hour later! Nipple Stimulation - Nipple stimulation also releases a lot of oxytocin. I know some hospitals even suggest women use breast pumps and have them available. Herbal Tinctures - During my pregnancy with Ash my midwife suggested a "mother's blend" tincture, which you can get from someone trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I wasn't a big believer but I figured, 20 bucks, I'll try it. SO impressed! My Braxton-Hix contractions really would kick up, not in frequency but just in strength. While this was annoying, like labor I knew it was doing something important. The day I finished my bottle, 37w5d, I saw my midwife, asked her to strip my membranes (sliding a finger into the cervix to slightly separate the bag of waters from the uterus, which releases hormones). I went into labor the next morning, it was awesome. This just strengthens your uterus, the tincture I used contained black cohosh, partridge berry, and black haw. Did I mention I walked into the hospital 9cm dilated and ready to push and I had experienced almost no pain? While I partially credit preparing for a natural birth/being informed/relaxation, I think everything I did to strengthen my uterus and soften my cervix made labor a lot easier... if such a thing exists. Walking - Walk and stay active right to the end. Use gravity, the swaying motion of walking helps baby settle into your pelvis and his or her head will put more pressure on your cervix. I do lots of squatting, like just when I'm playing with the kids and stuff, because that helps baby settle down more also. I also watch tv on one of those yoga balls and bounce. Anything to help to get baby low and ready to go :) Membrane Sweep - This is the most invasive and some women complain that it causes uncomfortable cramping. During a pelvic exam your care provider inserts a finger into the cervix and separates the bag of waters from the uterine wall just a bit, which causes prostaglandins to be released. If this is your first baby, don't get your hopes to high on the sweep working, it's more effective in women who have already had a baby... but if you feel comfortable with the idea of trying it then it's a great option. What else have I tried? Everything. But the above are what make the most sense from a scientific and logical stand point in my opinion. I've also drank castor oil (there's a video, I'll post it at the end, castor oil sucks), spicy food, ate a whole pineapple in one sitting (the internet told me to), balsamic oil vinaigrette, date fruits, bananas and acupressure but in acupressure's defense, I think I did it wrong at the time. Something to remember is that if this is the first time your body has ever birthed, it might not respond, just as it will be less likely to respond to an induction in a hospital. On average, first time moms will go into labor at 41w1d... I know... no one likes hearing that... that's just average and not a death sentence. Ideally you can just enjoy the last weeks of your pregnancy, but I hope you find the above suggestions helpful should you need them. |
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