unmedicated twins birth, shoulder dystocia, sibling birth and more! December 21, 2007
Posted by guinever in : birth stories, birth story, doula, health, labor , add a commentAt the beginning of a contraction, I would lean against Calvin’s chest and, as the contraction came to fullness, I would bend my knees and sway my hips in rhythm to my contraction. He would apply counter pressure to my hips, and, at the conclusion of my contraction, would reward me with a sweet kiss. I remember picturing our baby in our arms and getting those same sweet kisses from my husband - that was my goal for each wave of childbearing.
There are so many things to like about this birth. Highlights include baby’s siblings being present, her husband being an awesome support and coach, the Gaskin maneuver working for shoulder dystocia. She describes this birth as “long, but gentle and easeful.” Read the full story.
Nicole, who calls herself a birth junkie, has given me permission to share excerpts from her four birth stories with you. You can read them at her Bellies and Babies blog. Her births are reminiscent of my own. Not that they were similar to my own labors, but because all of her labors were different from each other, just as mine were.
mom dilates quickly in the relaxing water
This old bitty of a nurse was helping me back to the room and I was peaking and resolving one on top of the other. I told her that the baby was coming and all she did was look at me with this look that said ‘NOW she is starting to feel REAL labor… I told her so’.
Not too long before, the nurse had checked her and she was only 4 centimeters, but after a little while in the jacuzzi, she was feeling a little pushy. Here’s another excerpt from the birth of her first baby:
Well… we got back to the room and she was going to just leave. I basically jumped her and told her to check me. The nurse literally rolled her eyes at me and said, while pulling on her gloves ‘there is no way that you have dilated that much in such short a time… just relax’. Well, she checked me… and her jaw just about dropped to the floor. She told me not to push, that she was calling the doctor. On the phone I heard her say that I was 10cm, completely effaced, and +3 station.
no tearing even when the doctor said she would
The doctor was adamant, because of the level of scarring from my first episiotomy, I would either tear extensively or REQUIRE an episiotomy. I told him I would rather tear. I also asked him about perineal massage and warm compresses… he said he never even tried it as no one had ever asked before. So he and I read up on it together and put it to practice. Read this birth story.
un-medicated twins birth
Dr. V tells me ‘thanks for the bragging rights’ of being the only doc in their office that has delivered twins unmedicated… and one of the few who have delivered vaginal twins. He also told me he is extremely impressed with the un-medicated mother, labor & delivery and to send patient’s his way if I have any friends… that the questions and learning together was ‘fun’.
If you’d like to see your birth story on this site, get the scoop here.
starting baby on solids foods: how to know when and what to feed December 14, 2007
Posted by guinever in : babies, breastfeeding, homeschooling , add a comment
Don’t you just love this onesie? When I took one of my babies to the pediatrician for his 6 month check-up, the conversation went something like this:
Pediatrician: So have you started giving your baby solid food yet?
Thinking mother: No, not yet.
Pediatrician: Well, when are you going to start?
Me: When my milk isn’t meeting his needs anymore.
Pediatrician: Well, when do you think that’s going to be? …a good time to start is when your baby is around 6 months old.
Me: I really don’t know at this point. It could be next week or maybe not for a few months. He’s pretty healthy, isn’t he? I mean look at those thighs. My milk is all he needs right now.
Pediatrician: hmm. (laughing), I guess you’re right. He is a little chunk. And he’s healthy (looking at the medical chart), you haven’t brought him in for any sick visits.
Tips on knowing when to start your baby on solid food:
- Look at your baby, not at the calendar for knowing when to start solid food; it could be anywhere between 5 and 10 months of age for healthy babies
- Baby just seems a little fussy after feedings, not as satisfied as he once was
- Baby wakes up at night after sleeping through the night (this could have other causes like teething or sickness)
- Baby watches your every move while eating like he wants to get in on the action too
- Baby starts grabbing your food (can be confusing because babies naturally want to grab everything)
- If baby thrusts his tongue out at you and seems to gag on the food, he’s not ready. Try again in a few days.
baby’s first perfect foods
- applesauce
- mashed up bananas with a little breastmilk to thin it
out - mashed up avocado with a little breastmilk in it
- baby cereals made with breastmilk
- pears, apples, boiled to soften them
- sweet potatoes, thinned with breastmilk
what the pediatricians say
* Pediatricians and parents should be aware that exclusive breastfeeding is sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months of life and provides continuing protection against diarrhea and respiratory tract infection. Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child.
* Complementary foods rich in iron should be introduced gradually beginning around 6 months of age. Unique needs or feeding behaviors of individual infants may indicate a need for introduction of complementary foods as early as 4 months of age, whereas other infants may not be ready to accept other foods until approximately 8 months of age.
* Introduction of complementary feedings before 6 months of age generally does not increase total caloric intake or rate of growth and only substitutes foods that lack the protective components of human milk.
* During the first 6 months of age, even in hot climates, water and juice are unnecessary for breastfed infants and may introduce contaminants or allergens.
* Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother, especially in delaying return of fertility (thereby promoting optimal intervals between births). * There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer.
Excerpts from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy statement on Breastfeeding and use of human milk section 10.
frequently asked questions about due dates December 11, 2007
Posted by guinever in : doula, pregnancy , add a comment
There is too much emphasis placed on due dates. The due date is actually just an estimation of when your baby will be born. The average length of pregnancy for first time pregnancies is slightly more than 41 weeks long.
- How is my due date determined? Your due date is 40 weeks after the first day of your last period. It is based on a 28 day menstrual cycle. So if your cycles aren’t consistently 28 days, your estimated due date may be a little “wrong.” And even if you are regular, stress can delay ovulation.
- Are ultrasounds accurate for determining my due date? First trimester ultrasound is consistent for establishing due dates. The American Pregnancy Association says that the best time for dating pregnancies using ultrasound is between 8-18 weeks along.
- I didn’t even have sex at the time that my doctor says I conceived. How can this be? Sperm can stay alive for many days, so it is possible that you conceived several days after you had intercourse. Once you ovulate, there are only about 24 hours to conceive.
- My doctor switched my due date after I had an ultrasound. What’s up with that? Remember that due dates are determined by a 28 day cycle. If you ovulated later than what would occur with a 28 day cycle, your due date will be changed if an ultrasound shows a younger baby. Be wary of changing due dates based on weight or size of the baby late in pregnancy.
- Do I need to be induced if I go past my due date? There is a time and place for inductions, but most are not done for true medical reasons and can be harmful if the baby is not ready to be born. In fact, 50% of inductions on first time mothers end with cesarean for the simple reason that if the cervix isn’t ready dilate, it’s not going to open up and allow birth.
Dr. Bradley in Husband Coached Childbirth gives the example of an apple tree. Just like the majority of apples are ripe and ready to picked at a certain time, most babies are ready about 40 weeks gestation and are ready to be born. Some apples fall off the tree earlier than others and are perfect for eating, and a few babies are perfectly healthy a little early too. But some apples cling to the tree when all others are gone. If picked before ready, the apple will not be ripe and ready to eat. Some apples need longer time on the tree. Likewise, some babies need more time in the womb than others. Be very careful with inductions. You might force your baby to be born before he’s ready for life outside the womb.
looking for birth stories to be included on my website December 7, 2007
Posted by guinever in : birth stories, birth story, doula, family, health, home birth, homebirth, homeschooling, midwifery , 3commentsI am looking for more birth stories for my website. Since I have only birthed five children, I am limited in the number I have to offer, so I’m asking for yours. I will be choosy in the birth stories that I publish. This is a natural birth website. This fact doesn’t rule out births where drugs and surgery were involved if you were well-informed during your pregnancy and labor and made decisions accordingly.
- What I’m looking for: It doesn’t matter where you gave birth– home, birth center or hospital. Things to include would be what you did during pregnancy to prepare yourself for a natural birth, what techniques helped during labor and what things didn’t. If you chose medical intervention, tell me why and how it helped you (or not.) I’m looking for birth stories that will inspire other women to birth naturally. Keep it positive and upbeat.
- I’m also looking for HBAC and VBAC stories. If you don’t know what that is, then it doesn’t apply to you. In other words, I want to hear about your journey to vaginal birth after surgical birth.
- What I’m not looking for: standard induction, epidural hospital births. There are plenty of other places on the web who publish those. I don’t want to hear about how painful or unbearable your labor was until you got the drugs.
- Do not include the name of your hospital, doctor or midwife
- Guidelines for submission: Use a spell checker. Have someone else read it for grammar and clarity of thought. I don’t have time to do a lot of editing. Do not type in all caps. There is no word limit. It can be as long as you want provided that everything you include adds to the story and isn’t redundant. Absolutely no swearing or crass language will be accepted. Common birth language like “vagina” is perfectly fine when used appropriately.
- I do not want to publish your story if it already appears on the web somewhere else. But if you think it would be a good fit for my website, I will include excerpts from it and then link to it.
- You should probably explore this site including the birth stories to see if you want your birth story included here.
- How to submit: You can cut and paste your story into the comment section at the bottom of this article and it will be sent to me via e-mail (it will not appear on the website here). If accepted, it will be posted on this site in a separate article and be listed with other birth stories.
I look forward to reading your birth story.
