Here is my first real post here. lol I got all my old posts moved over, that was a total PITA, but it's done.
My boy is 3 months old and is over 16lbs. He still nurses all the time, he will space those out eventually right? lol He does every once in a while, but usually it's still pretty frequent. We've been testing the EC waters with him and caught our first poop the other day! Yay!! Breastfeeding is going SO much better now, have a lot to write about that.
Haven't been able to do a lot of studying yet, the boy just won't let me. ;-) He's pretty cute and he's growing so fast, so it's ok that he's taking up so much of my time. I do sneak in a little here and there.
Still working on my Special Scars article and presentation, have lots more work to do though. Started a website for that purpose, but it's still under construction.
There's more but it's just boring day to day life stuff. ;-) Will be posting more soon!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
My son is 8 wks old :-)
This was originally posted on my old blog on July 9, 2010.
I'm such a dork when it comes to this blog. lol I fail at Twitter too. ;-)
I posted a while back that I was almost 40 wks and then didn't post anything else. My son was born May 11th at 2:24pm, his story is here - http://www.jessicas-haven.com/pgnb/thales-birthstory.htm. He's so beautiful. :-)
We've had our share of breastfeeding problems, mostly latch issues. He's really run me through the gamut. :-/ He's really lucky that I like him and that I really want to breastfeed him. ;-) It would have been really easy to give up a few times, I nearly did.
There is a lot on my mind that I'd like to post about, but can't sort it all out enough to make a post that actually makes sense. lol
I'm such a dork when it comes to this blog. lol I fail at Twitter too. ;-)
I posted a while back that I was almost 40 wks and then didn't post anything else. My son was born May 11th at 2:24pm, his story is here - http://www.jessicas-haven.com/pgnb/thales-birthstory.htm. He's so beautiful. :-)
We've had our share of breastfeeding problems, mostly latch issues. He's really run me through the gamut. :-/ He's really lucky that I like him and that I really want to breastfeed him. ;-) It would have been really easy to give up a few times, I nearly did.
There is a lot on my mind that I'd like to post about, but can't sort it all out enough to make a post that actually makes sense. lol
Respect for OBs...
This was originally posted on my old blog on May 5, 2010.
I'm sure you are all familiar with the brain fog that coincides with the last few weeks of pregnancy and how exciting it is when it lifts even if only for a few minutes. :-) I had one of those moments this morning while responding to a post on BBC forums and I wanted to share.
The title of the post was "New respect for my OB". (Oh come on, you knew I'd have to respond to THAT.) The poster just had her 36 wk appt and her OB was talking about the 5 successful VBACs he had the previous week. Good for him, I'm glad he does them. He went on to tell her that he has to be immediately available for VBACs and exactly what that meant (that he be in the hospital the entire time the patient is in labor in the hospital). He went on to tell her that he lost $3000 because he had to cancel 2 days of appointments because of all these VBACs. "And he just does it because it's the right thing to do. He did say that its getting to the point where he is going to have to limit the number of VBACs that he accepts because its just too much and he doesn't want his wife getting out the divorce papers." She went on to say that she's sooooo happy to have found such a good doc and suggested that ins cos should provide incentives to docs who do VBACs, etc. All the responses that she got were yay, cool, good for you, etc.
Here's what I posted:
"Immediately available is an ACOG rule, which many hospitals/OBs use as an excuse to have VBAC bans. I think it was bad form, however, for him to try to elicit sympathy from you by telling you how much money he lost last week by having "so" many VBACs. If ACOG would encourage OBs to lower the primary c-section rate they wouldn't have so many VBACs to worry about.
And finally, I can understand the wife of an OB getting frustrated because of the amount of time that he spends away from the family, but that is his freaking job. If he already was an OB when they got married, she knew before she married him. If he decided to go to school while they were married, I'm sure they had many discussions about his future schedule. As a student midwife, I've already had many conversations with my husband about the fact that I might be gone for days at a time, might have to leave in the middle of sex, dinner, birthday parties, we might have to drive separately if we are going somewhere and I have a mom that's due. It's part of the job and you have to prepare yourself and your family for it. If you don't it's your own damn fault and if you do and then they get resentful either they didn't fully understand or they don't get the importance of what you're doing.
Sorry - overdue and getting pissy here. I just get tired of the OBs "Oh poor me" attitude because of what their trade union (ACOG) makes them do. If they don't like it they should leave the union or fight for changes in policy. *sigh*"
I'm sure you are all familiar with the brain fog that coincides with the last few weeks of pregnancy and how exciting it is when it lifts even if only for a few minutes. :-) I had one of those moments this morning while responding to a post on BBC forums and I wanted to share.
The title of the post was "New respect for my OB". (Oh come on, you knew I'd have to respond to THAT.) The poster just had her 36 wk appt and her OB was talking about the 5 successful VBACs he had the previous week. Good for him, I'm glad he does them. He went on to tell her that he has to be immediately available for VBACs and exactly what that meant (that he be in the hospital the entire time the patient is in labor in the hospital). He went on to tell her that he lost $3000 because he had to cancel 2 days of appointments because of all these VBACs. "And he just does it because it's the right thing to do. He did say that its getting to the point where he is going to have to limit the number of VBACs that he accepts because its just too much and he doesn't want his wife getting out the divorce papers." She went on to say that she's sooooo happy to have found such a good doc and suggested that ins cos should provide incentives to docs who do VBACs, etc. All the responses that she got were yay, cool, good for you, etc.
Here's what I posted:
"Immediately available is an ACOG rule, which many hospitals/OBs use as an excuse to have VBAC bans. I think it was bad form, however, for him to try to elicit sympathy from you by telling you how much money he lost last week by having "so" many VBACs. If ACOG would encourage OBs to lower the primary c-section rate they wouldn't have so many VBACs to worry about.
And finally, I can understand the wife of an OB getting frustrated because of the amount of time that he spends away from the family, but that is his freaking job. If he already was an OB when they got married, she knew before she married him. If he decided to go to school while they were married, I'm sure they had many discussions about his future schedule. As a student midwife, I've already had many conversations with my husband about the fact that I might be gone for days at a time, might have to leave in the middle of sex, dinner, birthday parties, we might have to drive separately if we are going somewhere and I have a mom that's due. It's part of the job and you have to prepare yourself and your family for it. If you don't it's your own damn fault and if you do and then they get resentful either they didn't fully understand or they don't get the importance of what you're doing.
Sorry - overdue and getting pissy here. I just get tired of the OBs "Oh poor me" attitude because of what their trade union (ACOG) makes them do. If they don't like it they should leave the union or fight for changes in policy. *sigh*"
Cesarean Awareness Month gift
This was originally posted on my old blog on April 29, 2010
I almost forgot to post this here:
In honor of Cesarean Awareness Month my gift to all of you is the NIH VBAC New Insights Conference 2010 videos split up by session so they won't crash your computer. Enjoy and share freely!
http://birthaftercesarean.com/Home/NIHVBACNewInsightsConference2010/tabid/277/Default.aspx
I almost forgot to post this here:
In honor of Cesarean Awareness Month my gift to all of you is the NIH VBAC New Insights Conference 2010 videos split up by session so they won't crash your computer. Enjoy and share freely!
http://birthaftercesarean.com/Home/NIHVBACNewInsightsConference2010/tabid/277/Default.aspx
Almost 40 wk Update
This was originally posted on my old blog on April 29, 2010.
I'll be 40 wks tomorrow. Can't say yet if anything exciting is going to happen or not. Doubt it given my history, but this little boy acts like he's going to be doing things his own way. I just hope that my pelvis doesn't start hurting anymore than it does right now. Feels pretty good at the moment so...
Student Midwife update: I'm on hiatus at the moment. I did finish Phase 2 and had sort of started Phase 3 before I started this hiatus. I'm still working through the Midwifery Explorations class, would have liked to have finished it before the baby came, but diapers are a little more important. lol
The diapers, well that has been a long project that started over a year ago. When I was pregnant with my nearly 3yo I had bought 36 Bum Genius (BG) cloth diapers, 12 pink, 12 white, 6 yellow and 6 green. I love them, they make cloth diapering so easy! However, after nearly 2 years of use I noticed the elastic in the legs wasn't as snappy as it used to be. Being the crafty do-it-yourselfer that I am, I took one diaper apart to see how hard it would be to change that elastic. It was fairly easy, just take out one seam and the old elastic, put in new elastic (guessing how long that should be was kind of tricky) and sew the seam back up. So, winter before last I replaced the elastic in maybe two-thirds of the diapers. My daughter was only using them about half time so I didn't really *have* to fix them all. I got pregnant again last fall and new I would have to finish fixing the rest of the diapers. I heard that you could get the new BG diapers with snaps rather than velcro and was a little jealous. The only thing I don't like about my BGs is the velcro, it's just a pain in a variety of ways. I had just bought a snap press last year for some other sewing projects.
Then I found out I was having a boy. No way! Me? A boy!? Are you sure?? lol I looked at my diapers and knew I had a lot of work to do. I ordered some fabric dye, which was tricky trying to find the right dye that would stick to a synthetic material. So now, I knew that I had to finish replacing the elastic in the legs, dye at least the pink diapers, AND take all the velcro off and put snaps in. :-) At this point, I've finished replacing all of the elastic, the last four diapers that needed to be dyed are in the dye soaking at the moment, and I only have about 12-15 that still need snaps. I'm so proud of myself, they look really nice. I just hope that the dye really does hold. We still have plenty left so we can re-dye if necessary, but I'd rather not have to do that on a frequent basis.
That's where I am for now.
P.S. A little note, there are some people that comment on my blog Anonymously, can you at least put your first name in your comment so I have some idea who you are?? lol It's bugging me that someone is talking to me and I have no clue who it is.
I'll be 40 wks tomorrow. Can't say yet if anything exciting is going to happen or not. Doubt it given my history, but this little boy acts like he's going to be doing things his own way. I just hope that my pelvis doesn't start hurting anymore than it does right now. Feels pretty good at the moment so...
Student Midwife update: I'm on hiatus at the moment. I did finish Phase 2 and had sort of started Phase 3 before I started this hiatus. I'm still working through the Midwifery Explorations class, would have liked to have finished it before the baby came, but diapers are a little more important. lol
The diapers, well that has been a long project that started over a year ago. When I was pregnant with my nearly 3yo I had bought 36 Bum Genius (BG) cloth diapers, 12 pink, 12 white, 6 yellow and 6 green. I love them, they make cloth diapering so easy! However, after nearly 2 years of use I noticed the elastic in the legs wasn't as snappy as it used to be. Being the crafty do-it-yourselfer that I am, I took one diaper apart to see how hard it would be to change that elastic. It was fairly easy, just take out one seam and the old elastic, put in new elastic (guessing how long that should be was kind of tricky) and sew the seam back up. So, winter before last I replaced the elastic in maybe two-thirds of the diapers. My daughter was only using them about half time so I didn't really *have* to fix them all. I got pregnant again last fall and new I would have to finish fixing the rest of the diapers. I heard that you could get the new BG diapers with snaps rather than velcro and was a little jealous. The only thing I don't like about my BGs is the velcro, it's just a pain in a variety of ways. I had just bought a snap press last year for some other sewing projects.
Then I found out I was having a boy. No way! Me? A boy!? Are you sure?? lol I looked at my diapers and knew I had a lot of work to do. I ordered some fabric dye, which was tricky trying to find the right dye that would stick to a synthetic material. So now, I knew that I had to finish replacing the elastic in the legs, dye at least the pink diapers, AND take all the velcro off and put snaps in. :-) At this point, I've finished replacing all of the elastic, the last four diapers that needed to be dyed are in the dye soaking at the moment, and I only have about 12-15 that still need snaps. I'm so proud of myself, they look really nice. I just hope that the dye really does hold. We still have plenty left so we can re-dye if necessary, but I'd rather not have to do that on a frequent basis.
That's where I am for now.
P.S. A little note, there are some people that comment on my blog Anonymously, can you at least put your first name in your comment so I have some idea who you are?? lol It's bugging me that someone is talking to me and I have no clue who it is.
Journey of a Student Midwife, part 1
This was originally posted on my old blog on March 17, 2010.
I started midwifery school a few months ago. I've been wanting to start a journal of my journey, but couldn't think of anything cute, witty, educational, etc., to write about. So, I'm just going to write and we'll see where it goes.
I'm already in Phase 2 in Ancient Art Midwifery's Advance Midwifery Studies course. Sometimes, it still seems surreal that I've made this monumental decision and that I'm actually walking on the path already. But here I am and loving every minute of it! :-) At times it all makes my head spin, there is so much to learn, so much to do, but I want to learn it all and then more!
On my current list of things I want to learn more about, not all necessarily directly related to midwifery:
I have books on most of these. I realize that some of these would only take a quick internet search to find the answer and some of these will be covered thoroughly in my midwifery studies. I just felt the need to make a list so that I don't forget to look them up, read more, etc.
I haven't been able to get much studying done in the last week because I had yet another cold. This one is almost over and I pray that it will be the last for the season. Please gods, let it be the last!
I started midwifery school a few months ago. I've been wanting to start a journal of my journey, but couldn't think of anything cute, witty, educational, etc., to write about. So, I'm just going to write and we'll see where it goes.
I'm already in Phase 2 in Ancient Art Midwifery's Advance Midwifery Studies course. Sometimes, it still seems surreal that I've made this monumental decision and that I'm actually walking on the path already. But here I am and loving every minute of it! :-) At times it all makes my head spin, there is so much to learn, so much to do, but I want to learn it all and then more!
On my current list of things I want to learn more about, not all necessarily directly related to midwifery:
- Myomectomy
- SCT (which I can't remember what that stands for at the moment, will have to look it up)
- Micropreemies and vaginal birth, what are the risks?
- At term, how much of the uterus is fundus? (This is related to my special incisions research, to determine what "into the fundus" means on Surgical Reports.)
- Reactive Attachment Disorder
- Dermabond (I know what this is, but want to know what the pros/cons are.)
- Accreta/Percreta
- Newborn Physiology
- Thermogenesis
- brown fat
I have books on most of these. I realize that some of these would only take a quick internet search to find the answer and some of these will be covered thoroughly in my midwifery studies. I just felt the need to make a list so that I don't forget to look them up, read more, etc.
I haven't been able to get much studying done in the last week because I had yet another cold. This one is almost over and I pray that it will be the last for the season. Please gods, let it be the last!
Pregnancy, Birth and Civil Rights
This was originally posted on October 29, 2009.
I just finished watching the movie Ghosts of Mississippi. Being an Ohioan, I still have a hard time believing that there are people in the South that still think the way that they do about people of color and of the Jewish faith. The movie is based on a true story and a man that was assassinated in 1963, only 8 years before I was born. It was horrifying to me that the man who was finally found guilty had been flaunting his proud kill for nearly 30 years before they were able to convict him.
While I was watching the movie an email showed up on my phone from one of the lists that I’m on. A woman who is 39 weeks along and wanting to attempt a VBAC was told by her doctor today (a Saturday!) that she had scheduled a c-section for this woman next Wednesday unless she went into labor before then. The doctor also informed her that if she did not show up for the surgical removal of her new baby she would be recorded as non-compliant and would be reported to Child Protective Services. Civil rights? Since when did we hand over the right for our child to choose his or her own birth to these “care providers”? Why do these “care providers” think that they know better than our babies when it is time for them to come out? There are times when a baby needs to be removed early – but they are RARE and not just because the mother happened to have a previous cesarean. Why isn’t anyone (except for the women that these crimes are perpetrated on and sometimes their families) outraged at their behavior? Judges sign court orders for completely unnecessary surgeries before the mother even has a chance to get an atty, the surgery is done and over before she can argue her case or rebut the orders. How is that NOT a violation of our civil rights?? Why aren’t civil rights attorneys lining up to take these cases to court?
Why? Because they are un-winnable cases. The doctors have medical-ease that the judge and jury (if there is one) aren’t likely to understand. The doctors will make sure to explain it skewed in their favor. They claim the need for cesareans because of unstable heart tones as shown on the external fetal monitor. However, they don’t explain that the pitocin they insisted the patient needed may have caused those heart tones. Or the epidural that was necessitated by the pitocin may have caused those heart tone. Or simply the fact that the mother has been kept in a bed flat on her back with nothing to eat or drink for hours!
The doctors claim they are only operating in the best interest of the child. How is evicting a newborn baby from the womb of his or her mother before that baby is ready? Labor starts on it’s own exactly when the baby is ready. When the baby’s lungs are ready they release a hormone that sends a signal to the mother’s body that it time for labor to start. During labor the baby and the mother both receive a variation of hormones designed specifically for labor and birth. If you skip that entire process by removing the baby surgically before labor begins they both loose out on those beneficial hormones and the baby’s lungs may not be ready. If you interrupt that process by insisting that it isn’t moving fast enough they both loose out on those beneficial hormones and the mother’s body may not be ready to give birth.
Why can’t these “care providers” be patient?
“Midwives see birth as a miracle and only mess with it if there is a problem; doctors see birth as a problem and if they don’t mess with it, it’s a miracle!” - Barbara Harper, Gentle Birth Choices
I just finished watching the movie Ghosts of Mississippi. Being an Ohioan, I still have a hard time believing that there are people in the South that still think the way that they do about people of color and of the Jewish faith. The movie is based on a true story and a man that was assassinated in 1963, only 8 years before I was born. It was horrifying to me that the man who was finally found guilty had been flaunting his proud kill for nearly 30 years before they were able to convict him.
While I was watching the movie an email showed up on my phone from one of the lists that I’m on. A woman who is 39 weeks along and wanting to attempt a VBAC was told by her doctor today (a Saturday!) that she had scheduled a c-section for this woman next Wednesday unless she went into labor before then. The doctor also informed her that if she did not show up for the surgical removal of her new baby she would be recorded as non-compliant and would be reported to Child Protective Services. Civil rights? Since when did we hand over the right for our child to choose his or her own birth to these “care providers”? Why do these “care providers” think that they know better than our babies when it is time for them to come out? There are times when a baby needs to be removed early – but they are RARE and not just because the mother happened to have a previous cesarean. Why isn’t anyone (except for the women that these crimes are perpetrated on and sometimes their families) outraged at their behavior? Judges sign court orders for completely unnecessary surgeries before the mother even has a chance to get an atty, the surgery is done and over before she can argue her case or rebut the orders. How is that NOT a violation of our civil rights?? Why aren’t civil rights attorneys lining up to take these cases to court?
Why? Because they are un-winnable cases. The doctors have medical-ease that the judge and jury (if there is one) aren’t likely to understand. The doctors will make sure to explain it skewed in their favor. They claim the need for cesareans because of unstable heart tones as shown on the external fetal monitor. However, they don’t explain that the pitocin they insisted the patient needed may have caused those heart tones. Or the epidural that was necessitated by the pitocin may have caused those heart tone. Or simply the fact that the mother has been kept in a bed flat on her back with nothing to eat or drink for hours!
The doctors claim they are only operating in the best interest of the child. How is evicting a newborn baby from the womb of his or her mother before that baby is ready? Labor starts on it’s own exactly when the baby is ready. When the baby’s lungs are ready they release a hormone that sends a signal to the mother’s body that it time for labor to start. During labor the baby and the mother both receive a variation of hormones designed specifically for labor and birth. If you skip that entire process by removing the baby surgically before labor begins they both loose out on those beneficial hormones and the baby’s lungs may not be ready. If you interrupt that process by insisting that it isn’t moving fast enough they both loose out on those beneficial hormones and the mother’s body may not be ready to give birth.
Why can’t these “care providers” be patient?
“Midwives see birth as a miracle and only mess with it if there is a problem; doctors see birth as a problem and if they don’t mess with it, it’s a miracle!” - Barbara Harper, Gentle Birth Choices
It's been 8 years...
This was originally posted on my old blog on May 31, 2009.
In April of 2001, I noticed that Brittany hadn't been looking as healthy as she once did. Her face was pale and she developed circles under her eyes. I thought she needed more iron, more protein, more vitamins. Nothing helped. She was 7 and had 2 younger sisters so I hadn't helped her with a bath or shower for at least a year already. The first warm day we met my mom for dinner. Brittany accidentally caught her arm in the van when we were getting out. My mom and I checked for injuries and we both noticed how thin her arm was. There was very little muscle. Brittany had never been a skinny child, so this was unusual. I told my mom I thought she needed more iron/protein/vitamins and she agreed.
In mid-May, Shayna (almost 1) caught a flu bug. I ended up having to take her to the hospital for IV fluids overnight because she'd become so dehydrated.
On May 26th, I had taken all three of the girls to the zoo. By the time we left I was more than a little annoyed with Brittany because she had been dragging her feet through the entire visit and I kept having to wait for her to catch up. At one point I yelled at her for it.
On Memorial Day May 28th, my mom and I were planning on driving all the girls to Columbus to drop Morgan and Shayna off with their dad. On the way back, my mom and I thought it would be find to just take the scenic drive and stop to eat in a little town, get ice cream somewhere, etc. However, that morning Brittany could barely get off the couch. Her eyes were droopy, breathing was fast and shallow, her heart was racing. Instead of a nice spring drive, we got to go to the hospital. I took her to the one closest to my house because I figured she'd only be there for a few hours, maybe overnight.
I kept thinking maybe she had some kind of flu thing that was just affecting her differently than it had affected Shayna. They got her in a room at the ER, after the usual wait in the waiting room. Took a bunch of blood and did a chest x-ray. Are chest x-rays protocol? I think every single time that I've taken any of my kids to the ER they've gotten a chest x-ray, unless they needed something else x-rayed.
After an eternity, the doctor comes back with the blood work results. I don't even remember how he told me or what my reaction was. But she had Type 1 Diabetes, her blood sugar was over 500. They had already called the pediatric endocrinologist that was on call and an ambulance to come to transfer her to another hospital. The hospital that we were at didn't have a Peds facility. My head started spinning, probably why I don't remember exactly what exactly he'd said.
I called my mom and Brittany's father. Brittany's dad and his mom came up to the hospital. They brought Brittany a tray of food for lunch and we all waited for the ambulance. I really wanted to ride with her, but my van was there and her dad was going to go with her. (He'd only recently been regularly involved in her life.)
So, we all transfered to the other hospital. They admitted her to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and started getting her set up with an IV. Needless to say she was not happy.
That was the first day of our lives with Diabetes. It's been a rough road, but finally I think we are gaining the upper hand on this disease. If you are interested, the rest of the story is here.
Memorial Day has since had a whole new meaning for me.
In April of 2001, I noticed that Brittany hadn't been looking as healthy as she once did. Her face was pale and she developed circles under her eyes. I thought she needed more iron, more protein, more vitamins. Nothing helped. She was 7 and had 2 younger sisters so I hadn't helped her with a bath or shower for at least a year already. The first warm day we met my mom for dinner. Brittany accidentally caught her arm in the van when we were getting out. My mom and I checked for injuries and we both noticed how thin her arm was. There was very little muscle. Brittany had never been a skinny child, so this was unusual. I told my mom I thought she needed more iron/protein/vitamins and she agreed.
In mid-May, Shayna (almost 1) caught a flu bug. I ended up having to take her to the hospital for IV fluids overnight because she'd become so dehydrated.
On May 26th, I had taken all three of the girls to the zoo. By the time we left I was more than a little annoyed with Brittany because she had been dragging her feet through the entire visit and I kept having to wait for her to catch up. At one point I yelled at her for it.
On Memorial Day May 28th, my mom and I were planning on driving all the girls to Columbus to drop Morgan and Shayna off with their dad. On the way back, my mom and I thought it would be find to just take the scenic drive and stop to eat in a little town, get ice cream somewhere, etc. However, that morning Brittany could barely get off the couch. Her eyes were droopy, breathing was fast and shallow, her heart was racing. Instead of a nice spring drive, we got to go to the hospital. I took her to the one closest to my house because I figured she'd only be there for a few hours, maybe overnight.
I kept thinking maybe she had some kind of flu thing that was just affecting her differently than it had affected Shayna. They got her in a room at the ER, after the usual wait in the waiting room. Took a bunch of blood and did a chest x-ray. Are chest x-rays protocol? I think every single time that I've taken any of my kids to the ER they've gotten a chest x-ray, unless they needed something else x-rayed.
After an eternity, the doctor comes back with the blood work results. I don't even remember how he told me or what my reaction was. But she had Type 1 Diabetes, her blood sugar was over 500. They had already called the pediatric endocrinologist that was on call and an ambulance to come to transfer her to another hospital. The hospital that we were at didn't have a Peds facility. My head started spinning, probably why I don't remember exactly what exactly he'd said.
I called my mom and Brittany's father. Brittany's dad and his mom came up to the hospital. They brought Brittany a tray of food for lunch and we all waited for the ambulance. I really wanted to ride with her, but my van was there and her dad was going to go with her. (He'd only recently been regularly involved in her life.)
So, we all transfered to the other hospital. They admitted her to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and started getting her set up with an IV. Needless to say she was not happy.
That was the first day of our lives with Diabetes. It's been a rough road, but finally I think we are gaining the upper hand on this disease. If you are interested, the rest of the story is here.
Memorial Day has since had a whole new meaning for me.
ICAN Conference - Catching Up
This was originally posted on my old blog on May 11, 2009.
I was lucky enough to get to go to the ICAN Conference in Atlanta a few weeks ago. I cannot begin to describe the experience. I finally got to give hugs to all of these women that I've shared stories with over the last few years. We've shared joys, losses, traumas, waiting, all of it. These women know me better than most of my family and I know these women better than most of my family. Finally getting to see these women in person was not like meeting them for the first time. Just getting together with them again. :-) Without these women, I would not have had any idea that a VBAC was even possible after an Inverted T incision, not to mention the courage to find a care provider that would assist me.
I was lucky enough to get to go to the ICAN Conference in Atlanta a few weeks ago. I cannot begin to describe the experience. I finally got to give hugs to all of these women that I've shared stories with over the last few years. We've shared joys, losses, traumas, waiting, all of it. These women know me better than most of my family and I know these women better than most of my family. Finally getting to see these women in person was not like meeting them for the first time. Just getting together with them again. :-) Without these women, I would not have had any idea that a VBAC was even possible after an Inverted T incision, not to mention the courage to find a care provider that would assist me.
It's been a year and two days...
This was originally posted on my old blog on April 20, 2009.
...Since I lost my little one at only 9 weeks gestation. It feels like it's been longer. I've tried to put so much distance between. I miss you little bean.
The rest of the story is here if you are interested.
...Since I lost my little one at only 9 weeks gestation. It feels like it's been longer. I've tried to put so much distance between. I miss you little bean.
The rest of the story is here if you are interested.
April is Cesarean Awareness Month
This was originally posted on my old blog on April 7, 2009.
It's April again and Cesarean Awareness Month.
I had my first cesarean almost 12 years ago because my 2nd daughter got stuck in a brow presentation. (Her forehead was the presenting part, her chin was not tucked.) I had chosen a hospital that had all the right stuff, birth balls, birthing stools, a rocking chair that you could labor in, etc. I didn't get to use any of it even though I was in labor for 18ish hours. When I went to the hospital I was already 5 days "overdue" and had suspicions that my water had been leaking for a few days. If I only knew then what I know now, I would have never had either of my c-sections. When I got to the hospital my OB confirmed that my water had broken and that I had a fever. She ordered an IV antibiotic and admitted me even though I wasn't in labor. :-( If I did know then what I know now I could have just rested, pushed a lot of fluids and taken vitamin C to help fight any infection, even though a fever is NOT a definitive sign of an infection. My OB also told me that she'd been up all night with laboring women and was in no shape to stay and help me. So, one of her partners that I had already met took over. I was induced, laying flat on my back, no surprise I ended up with a malpositioned baby. :-( I was on the highway to a c-section and didn't even know it. Induced before labor began, early epidural because baby was pushing on a sciatic nerve which the epi didn't help, catheter (that was a COMPLETE nightmare), unable to leave the bed. I knew as I began to recover afterward that if I'd had a midwife, I would not have had a c-section. I would have been able to use all those cool things like the ball and the stool, etc. and move around. I also drew into myself, I can't say exactly why, but I knew my labor/delivery wasn't right. I'd already had one baby vaginally. I did but didn't understand why my 2nd baby ended up in such a bad position. I felt betrayed, by my body, my baby and mostly by the OB and nurses. No one ever suggested that I lay on my side, get up and walk around, sit in the rocking chair right next to the bed, sit on the birth ball across the room. The room was flipping huge, there was PLENTY of room to move around. WHY didn't anyone suggest that I try that??
For the entire time I was in the hospital after my surgery (5 days total, I think) I do not remember seeing one lactation consultant. I barely remember seeing the nurses except for that time when I stood up (after laying in bed for 2 days after my surgery) and watched blood just gush out of me and run down my legs. I naturally started to freak and my poor husband and the time went completely white and ran for the call button. I only nursed my daughter for 2 weeks, some of it was me, but I blame part of it on my c-section and the lack of nursing support that I received at the hospital.
I cannot say when or if I ever really bonded with my daughter that was born of my 1st c-section. I know that I did not bond with her the same way that I bonded with any of my other three daughters. I love her with all of my heart, but the bond just wasn't the same.
I wish that I'd tried to find a midwife that I could barter with. I hadn't really considered a midwife as a possibility because our insurance wouldn't cover and we didn't have much extra money at the time. I really wish that I'd at least had a doula. I was so ignorant at the time I had no idea what a doula was. :-(
If you want to read any of my complete birth stories they are here: http://www.jessicas-haven.com/pgnb/ Enjoy!
It's April again and Cesarean Awareness Month.
I had my first cesarean almost 12 years ago because my 2nd daughter got stuck in a brow presentation. (Her forehead was the presenting part, her chin was not tucked.) I had chosen a hospital that had all the right stuff, birth balls, birthing stools, a rocking chair that you could labor in, etc. I didn't get to use any of it even though I was in labor for 18ish hours. When I went to the hospital I was already 5 days "overdue" and had suspicions that my water had been leaking for a few days. If I only knew then what I know now, I would have never had either of my c-sections. When I got to the hospital my OB confirmed that my water had broken and that I had a fever. She ordered an IV antibiotic and admitted me even though I wasn't in labor. :-( If I did know then what I know now I could have just rested, pushed a lot of fluids and taken vitamin C to help fight any infection, even though a fever is NOT a definitive sign of an infection. My OB also told me that she'd been up all night with laboring women and was in no shape to stay and help me. So, one of her partners that I had already met took over. I was induced, laying flat on my back, no surprise I ended up with a malpositioned baby. :-( I was on the highway to a c-section and didn't even know it. Induced before labor began, early epidural because baby was pushing on a sciatic nerve which the epi didn't help, catheter (that was a COMPLETE nightmare), unable to leave the bed. I knew as I began to recover afterward that if I'd had a midwife, I would not have had a c-section. I would have been able to use all those cool things like the ball and the stool, etc. and move around. I also drew into myself, I can't say exactly why, but I knew my labor/delivery wasn't right. I'd already had one baby vaginally. I did but didn't understand why my 2nd baby ended up in such a bad position. I felt betrayed, by my body, my baby and mostly by the OB and nurses. No one ever suggested that I lay on my side, get up and walk around, sit in the rocking chair right next to the bed, sit on the birth ball across the room. The room was flipping huge, there was PLENTY of room to move around. WHY didn't anyone suggest that I try that??
For the entire time I was in the hospital after my surgery (5 days total, I think) I do not remember seeing one lactation consultant. I barely remember seeing the nurses except for that time when I stood up (after laying in bed for 2 days after my surgery) and watched blood just gush out of me and run down my legs. I naturally started to freak and my poor husband and the time went completely white and ran for the call button. I only nursed my daughter for 2 weeks, some of it was me, but I blame part of it on my c-section and the lack of nursing support that I received at the hospital.
I cannot say when or if I ever really bonded with my daughter that was born of my 1st c-section. I know that I did not bond with her the same way that I bonded with any of my other three daughters. I love her with all of my heart, but the bond just wasn't the same.
I wish that I'd tried to find a midwife that I could barter with. I hadn't really considered a midwife as a possibility because our insurance wouldn't cover and we didn't have much extra money at the time. I really wish that I'd at least had a doula. I was so ignorant at the time I had no idea what a doula was. :-(
If you want to read any of my complete birth stories they are here: http://www.jessicas-haven.com/pgnb/ Enjoy!
Truth and Lies
This was originally posted on my old blog on 03/27/2009. It's a good one. :-)
When we go to a store, we expect the sales person to skew facts and details about what they are selling and what the competition is selling because they want to make a sale. Why are we surprised when doctors do similar things? They are making money from our visits, just like a sales person makes money from our purchases.
OBs like to claim that homebirth midwives create a lot of messes for them to clean up because it scares the crap out of pregnant women and makes them want to stay with their nice safe doctors who can handle anything. *rolls eyes* The OBs like this because it keeps money in his or her pocket and system.
The great majority of homebirth midwives do not create messes for the OBs to clean up. Homebirth midwives only transfer when medically necessary and even then it isn't always an emergency situation nor a mess for the doctor to clean up. No one has accurate numbers on the successful homebirths compared to transfers, they aren't reported accurately. This fact makes it much easier for the OBs to spin it in their favor.
I would say that the number of times that a homebirth midwife transfers a true "mess" for the OB to fix is very, very low. And most likely when this happens the midwife didn't "create" it just for the OB to clean up. :-( That being said, not all midwives are 100% responsible and on the up-and-up. That you have to figure out for yourself. Ask your midwife how often she transfers and what the outcome generally is when she does transfer. If she transfers, will she go with you? (If you aren't in a midwife hostile state.) If not, why?
When you are talking with a doctor, please remember they are out to make a sale just as much as the sales person as the department store.
When we go to a store, we expect the sales person to skew facts and details about what they are selling and what the competition is selling because they want to make a sale. Why are we surprised when doctors do similar things? They are making money from our visits, just like a sales person makes money from our purchases.
OBs like to claim that homebirth midwives create a lot of messes for them to clean up because it scares the crap out of pregnant women and makes them want to stay with their nice safe doctors who can handle anything. *rolls eyes* The OBs like this because it keeps money in his or her pocket and system.
The great majority of homebirth midwives do not create messes for the OBs to clean up. Homebirth midwives only transfer when medically necessary and even then it isn't always an emergency situation nor a mess for the doctor to clean up. No one has accurate numbers on the successful homebirths compared to transfers, they aren't reported accurately. This fact makes it much easier for the OBs to spin it in their favor.
I would say that the number of times that a homebirth midwife transfers a true "mess" for the OB to fix is very, very low. And most likely when this happens the midwife didn't "create" it just for the OB to clean up. :-( That being said, not all midwives are 100% responsible and on the up-and-up. That you have to figure out for yourself. Ask your midwife how often she transfers and what the outcome generally is when she does transfer. If she transfers, will she go with you? (If you aren't in a midwife hostile state.) If not, why?
When you are talking with a doctor, please remember they are out to make a sale just as much as the sales person as the department store.
Hello all! I'm here working on my new blog.
I'll be moving some old posts from my old blog over here and hopefully posting here more frequently. Ha ha ha! I can dream, can't I? lol
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