if I didn’t dilate, am I doomed to failure the next time too? December 5, 2009
Posted by guinever in : birth, labor, pregnancy , 1 comment so farI get a lot of questions on my website from women wondering about induction. This comment from a reader is an all too familiar scenario. Her induction eventually led to a cesarean birth. She writes,
Hello. I was induced on my due date with my first baby. I was only at 1 cm, had no contractions, nor had my water broken. After I was induced, I was in labor for about 19 hrs. My baby’s heart rate kept dropping because the contractions were putting too much stress, so I ended up with a c-section. I had only reached 2 1/2 cm of dilation at that point. I do NOT want another c-section. MY husband and I want to try for baby number 2. I want to know what my chances are of not dilating fast enough before the baby goes into distress again. Am i doomed with bad luck in not being able to dilate? Please help me understand this!
I’m so sorry that this happened and that you feel that your body failed you. (((hugs))) You are a victim of the current obstetrical system that is quick to induce when it’s not necessary and when women are not ready for labor. Your next pregnancy is not doomed and you will dilate and you can have a vaginal birth. Make sure to choose a birth team who will “allow a trial of labor” and attend vaginal births after cesarean–VBAC– or better yet, plan a homebirth!
Unfortunately, situations like this happen everyday in labor halls. You were induced on your due date. The due date is not a magical day when the baby needs to be born by. The average length of first pregnancies is over 41 weeks if allowed to wait for labor to start on its own.Your body simply wasn’t ready for labor and the induction didn’t work. You were probably diagnosed with failure to progress. It’s as simple as that. Not every baby can handle the stress of a lengthy pitocin induction and will go into distress, necessitating a cesarean.
For next time, you can figure out if an induction is likely to be successful by finding out your bishop score or you can always just say no to induction. One of the things you can do to avoid a repeat cesearan is to prepare for a natural birth.
To answer the question, am I doomed to failure the next time if I didn’t dilate with my first pregnancy, the answer is no. A resounding no. Each pregnancy and labor are different.
mother of 5 talks about her baby carriers December 4, 2009
Posted by guinever in : babies, family , 3comments
Reading all about “kangaroo care” while I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to continue to carry my baby close after birth. I wasn’t really familiar with baby carriers and there wasn’t the vast selection 10 years ago as is there is today. So I used a sling which was ok and helped to distribute the baby’s weight, but I still needed to always have one hand on baby to feel safe.
When I took my training to become a childbirth instructor, several of the women had wraps like the one pictured to the left. I ordered one and used it for my next baby. I loved it and still do. Pictured here is a baby carry scarf from carry me close. These 14 foot long Guatemalan scarves are hand woven cotton, and are truly beautiful.
Made from similar fabric but utilizing rings is the maya wrap. There are many styles and fabrics to choose from. Their website includes instructions and a video. Plus maya sells slings for your little girls to use with their dolls.
When I had my fourth baby, a friend gave me a moby wrap which I loved even more because it was longer and made of a stretchier material plus they’re also a little longer so you can wrap it once more than is shown here for extra security. I love my moby! Check here for instructions on the many different ways to wear your baby with a moby. Also on the website is a demonstration video.
I love this step-by-step front wrap tutorial in pictures done by a homeschooling blogging mother of many!
If you’d rather not tie the carrier yourself, but prefer one with structure that you just buckle onto yourself and then slide baby into, the Ergo is an excellent choice that is ergonomically designed so you won’t get an aching back.
Ideally, the best thing to do is to go to a store and try on some baby carriers to see which ones you like best or you can browse the carriers available in the slideshow below.
