Natural Childbirth Weekly Check-In

KayJayDee · July 2009

This is a check-in for women who are planning to have, or have already had, a natural, unmedicated, childbirth experience. ?We support each other, share our experiences, and maintain an enthusiastic and optimistic approach to pregnancy and birth.

Because this is the SAIF board, we have all dealt with the stress, doubt, pain, and sorrow of infertility. ?If you want to feel reconnected with your body and have realized that, although the conception of our children may have been a medical experience, their births can be intimate, beautiful, natural, and free from unnecessary medical intervention, please feel free to join us! ?Ultimately, the goal of any pregnancy is a healthy baby and a healthy mom. ?We are supportive of all women and how they choose (or need) to birth. ?This is simply a forum to discuss and support the choice to birth without drugs and unnecessary medical procedures.

Check-ins are on Fridays! ?If you want your name to be added, please reply to the post with your bump name, EDD or the date you delivered, and whether you plan to have your baby (or had your baby) at home, in a birthing center, or in a hospital.

MOMS-TO-BE

Shannie12/17?- EDD Any day now! Baby is currently breech. ?Took a Hypnobirthing class with a doula.

GypsyEsq?- EDD 7/19/09 at a hospital with a doula

Kristin&Frank?- EDD 7/20 at a hospital

JCM083009?- Jenny EDD 8/30/09 at a hospital with a midwifery group

SkypeckWithoutAC?- EDD 10/21/09 at a hospital birthing center

WhiteysWifey?- EDD 10/24/09 at a hospital

KayJayDee?- Karen EDD 10/30/09 at a birthing center

Mrs.Reem?- EDD 11/25/09

BubbleToes?- Chris EDD 12/2/09 at a birthing center

emmyloustu?- Emily EDD12/24/09 at a hospital (also plans to tour a birthing center)

r.alexandra?- Rachel EDD 2/15/09 at a hospital with a midwife

MOMS

Mrs.Reem?- Katen born 12/21/07

BubbleToes?- daughter born 1/20/08 -hospital with a doula

Kristin&Frank?- Jackson born 2/11/08 without meds

Germanwife2be- son born 3/31/08 at home with a midwife - birth story in bio

SeaSoul?- Cal born 12/13/08 - hospital with a midwife (birth story in bio)

sixres?- Aiden born 1/23/09 - used Hypnobirthing methods - hospital with a midwife and doula

Please post an update on you in your reply and let me know if any of your info needs to be changed or if you would like to be added to the check-in!

Natural Childbirth QOTW:

For Moms-To-Be:??What have you been doing to prepare for a natural birth?

For Moms:??Looking back on your birth experience, what helped you the most? ?What do you credit for making your experience possible?

For Fun:

What are your plans for the 4th of July!?

KayJayDee · July 2009

Thanks again to everyone who responded to my post on Wednesday! ?I am excited to get this check-in off the ground!

Update on me: ?Nothing out of the ordinary. ?I'm between midwife appointments right now... the next one is in two weeks and I'll do the glucose challenge at that visit. ?I'm 23 weeks today! ?Yay! ?I feel like the first 20 weeks were climbing a hill and now I'm sliding down the other side! ?I have a feeling the next 17 will fly!

QOTW: ?DH and I have been taking a Bradley class and because no one else signed up for the Monday night session, it's basically been a private class for 2! ?I'm enjoying the class and I think it's been very eye-opening for my DH. ?It's one thing for your wife to tell you something, it's another thing for a trained instructor to tell you the same thing! ?I read "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way" and am currently reading "Hypnobirthing" by Marie Mongan. ?A friend of mine who had a homebirth in May is also going to lend me her Hypnobabies CDs after we wrap up with the Bradley class. ?I also repeat positive affirmations to myself several times a day. ?I feel strongly that it helped us conceive our son. ?My current affirmation is "Birth is a natural process. ?I trust my body to birth our baby."

For Fun: ?We are having some friends and their kids over for a barbeque and then heading to the local fireworks display. ??

BubbleToes · July 2009

Good morning! With dd#1 my h and I took Bradley classes and eventually hired a doula to join us at the hospital. She was without a doubt instrumental in getting me through transition and the worst of the contractions. I did a lot of reading (Ina May Gaskin's book, Dr Sears, etc) and avoided programs like A Baby Story, etc (still haven't seen one even now!). I'm thinking of taking a hypnobabies/hypnobirthing class or a Bradley refresher class in the next few months. We're going the birth center route this time so Im already breathing a little easier! We're going to our neighborhood's parade and to a BBQ at a friend's for the 4th. Looking forward to it!

GypsyEsq · July 2009

Yay! Friday check-in. Thanks so much for doing this KayJayDee.

Update: Not a whole lot going on. I've been having a lot of non-timetable contractions that seem to be classic false labor, low in the abdomen or in the back but not the whole belly and not coming from the fundus down. I'm supposed to have the second of my pre-natal appointments with our doula this morning but she just called and she's attending a birth so we've rescheduled for Monday morning. And Monday afternoon I have my 38 week appointment. Any time now... I'm getting excited and anxious.

QOTD: I've been working hard on my relaxation exercises. Partly because I feel like they will really help but mostly because I need the help in falling asleep. Some of the exercises we learned in class but I really like the Hypnobirthing aaa-bbb-ccc breathing exercise, it's a good one and seems to really work for me.

Fun: No plans. Tomorrow our neighbor is having a pool party so I'll probably stop by, swim in their pool a bit and then come back to my pool and relax. I'd also really like to sleep - I've been up since 2:30 this morning

----

Two additional things:

Just finished reading "Pushed" which was recommended by JCM#s and I really liked it. It's an easy read and really just reinforced a lot of my/our thinking on why natural physiological birth is a good choice. I also got really fired up thinking about all the possible legal ramifications of denying women choice(s) in labor and delivery.

There is a great natural birth story on the Birth Stories board (and XP on 3rd Tri yesterday) by Bride07/07/07 (I think that's her screen name). I really enjoyed her positive experience.

WhiteysWifey · July 2009

I have not done anything to prepare for childbirth :-( I'd love it if someone could recommend some books.

We do plan to take some classes through our hospital.

Plans for the 4th....working in our store all day YUCK!

smilelari · July 2009

Can I join?

smilelari - EDD 10/13 in a hospital with a doula

What have you been doing to prepare for a natural birth?
What haven't I been doing, LOL. We already finished our childbirth class. I wanted to finish early so that we would have time to practice and do our own research. I've been reading up on natural childbirth like crazy. I'm still trying to find some relaxation methods that might work for me. I'm loading up my IPOD. I've watched tons of birth videos. We did a hospital tour and we're planning on touring again - I want to be very familiar with what my surroundings will be.

Plans for 4th of July - get our house organized!

Kristin&Frank · July 2009

For our first (successful) birth we took a Bradley class. This time, I'm reading a lot and just thinking positive thoughts.

What got me through last time - my contractions never got very close together so I was able to recover very well between them, and I believe my deceased Grandmother was there with me. She got me through it.

Plans for the 4th - have this baby!

LucyPevensie · July 2009

I'm just snooping - I had planned a natural birth in the hospital with midwives - but my poor little guy was frank breech and literally tethered in place by his cord AND stuck in one half of my somewhat heart shaped uterus - so he could not flip - and had to come out a window, not the door! (in other words, I had a planned C-section.)

But I love the optimism and support you are all giving each other and don't let anyone rain on your parade or your plans for a natural birth experience. GOOD LUCK MAMAS!!! Cool Yes

JCM083009 · July 2009

Yay! I am so excited for this and think it's such a great idea. I've been reading so much about surrounding yourself with positive stories re: stuff like this and I think the whole mind/body connection is really important, so this is great!

Update for me this week: I had a midwife appointment Wednesday that was short and sweet. All is well which I was pretty shocked about (I was expecting to fail my glucose test a few weeks ago, but I scored a 104! And my iron levels were high which was good). I don't go back for 4 weeks now and hten will go weekly.

DH and I did our hospital tour last night. (More about that in current blog if you are interested). I was kind of nervous of the hospital setting, but from what we learned - they seem fairly mom and baby friendly which is nice.

Natural Childbirth QOTW:

For Moms-To-Be: What have you been doing to prepare for a natural birth?

We took Bradley classes with an instructor who is also a doula (we were going to use her as well for that, but $$$ issues and learning so much on our own nixed that idea). I am also currently reading HypnoBirthing. I think I would be better off if I did a class with it, but we don't have the time/money so I will have to try on my own. I'm hoping that the combo of Bradley and some of the HypnoBirthing stuff will make us successful. I've also read a bunch of other books (Ina May, Pushed, etc) to research and realize WHY this is so important to me/us. I also have my mom (who will be our doula now) reading "The Birth Partner" and DH will read it next. Then I'll read it - from what I skimmed before I passed it on to her, it seem helpful, so I'd recommend that!

For Fun:

What are your plans for the 4th of July!

Not too much - just us and my parents live here so we're keeping it low key. My dad is making his "famous" ribs at their house (around the block) and I'll be making homemade potato salad. At 31/32 weeks pregnant - holidays now revolve around food, so I'm excited! hehe

JCM083009 · July 2009

Question: For those who read the Mongan HypnoBirthing book - are some or any of you JUST using that book and CD that comes with it? It seems like so much of the book encourages "and you'll learn this in class", etc which scares me - I'm not sure if I can use hypnosis on my own... I am learning about the breathing exercises and relaxation techniques right now and I'm nervous if they will actually work doing them and learning them on my own. Any thoughts on this?

SeaSoul · July 2009

Natural Childbirth QOTW:

For Moms: Looking back on your birth experience, what helped you the most? What do you credit for making your experience possible?

To be honest, I didn't do a whole lot to prepare. I did read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and a wonderful book called Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent. They were both very influential. I went to a midwife practice for my prenatal care and they had a program called "connections" where all the moms/couples who were due in the same month got together once a month and eventually once every 2 weeks to learn all about pregnancy/childbirth/newborns from the midwives, as well as connect with each other, voice concerns, etc. We loved it. It wasn't a birthing class but it was based on the whole natural birthing philosophy. We made some great friends too! One of our groupmates now takes care of Cal 2 afternoons a week b/c she's a SAHM and I have to work! We also took a birthing class through the hospital and they are very natural childbirth-friendly, so although they did go over all the various pain meds available they also spent a lot of time on natural birthing techniques.

That's not a lot of prep compared to some people, but I am the kind of personality who needs to just wing things sometimes. If I am too prepared there's a level of self-imposed pressure that can be detrimental. I also didn't go into it saying "I am GOING to do this." Instead I had the mindset of taking things as they come. I also am pretty scared of needles and drugs so I'm sure that factored a great deal into my not requesting any pain relief.

Lastly, one thing that was huge for me was refusing the IV line they offered to put in place when I checked into the hospital. Had it been there, I may have been more tempted to get meds along the way. Also, no one ever offered them; it was up to me to make the request. Frankly, I didn't have the energy while in active labor to have that conversation. Because nothing's cut & dry for me; I always have to weigh pros & cons and I just didn't have time for that.

My husband was a great support, so I have to give him a lot of credit!

For Fun:

What are your plans for the 4th of July!

No plans for the 4th! DH has a gig that evening so Cal & I are going to be celebrating independence day quietly at home! However, we are having a big bbq on Sunday in honor of DH's bday.

r.alexandra · July 2009

Hi,

My due date is actually in 2010 (I keep writing it down wrong too!)

Update: I went to have my first ultrasound on Wednesday. They found one healthy baby and one baby that stopped growing at 6 weeks. I have another ultrasound in just over a week to make sure everything looks good. Then I should be released to my midwife. There are a couple of midwife practices here in town and I need to call both of them and make a decision!

QOTD: I just signed up for prenatal yoga starting next week. I am also meeting with a doula. We will probably take either a hypnobirthing class or a Bradley class. I need to get some more info on them both before I decide (but I've got a little time)

4th Plans: We are having a BBQ at our house with our families. We will get to show them our ultrasound pics. Yeah!

KayJayDee · July 2009

smilelari:
Can I join?

Absolutely! ?The more the merrier! ?:)?

KayJayDee · July 2009

r.alexandra:
My due date is actually in 2010 (I keep writing it down wrong too!)

Oops! Sorry! ?I'll fix it for next week!?

KayJayDee · July 2009

WhiteysWifey:
I have not done anything to prepare for childbirth :-( I'd love it if someone could recommend some books.

We do plan to take some classes through our hospital.

Plans for the 4th....working in our store all day YUCK!

I'd recommend "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way" and "Hypnobirthing". ?As far as I am aware those are the two main natural childbirth schools of thought (although maybe someone else can add to that). ?The main difference that I've noticed between them is that the Bradley method teaches you ways to cope with pain, ways to relax, and helps you understand what's happening to your body and your baby during labor so that you are more prepared, and the the Hypnobirthing method, through teaching self-hypnosis / relaxation allows you to remove the element of fear, which can make pain worse. ?In a nutshell, their philosophy is that childbirth shouldn't hurt. ?

I'm planning to incorporate both philosophies... I think they're a good starting point if you're looking for some practical guidance. ?Also, if you've thought about taking Bradley classes, keep in mind that they are typically 12 weeks long, so you should sign up soon.?

KayJayDee · July 2009

JCM083009:
Question: For those who read the Mongan HypnoBirthing book - are some or any of you JUST using that book and CD that comes with it? It seems like so much of the book encourages "and you'll learn this in class", etc which scares me - I'm not sure if I can use hypnosis on my own...? I am learning about the breathing exercises and relaxation techniques right now and I'm nervous if they will actually work doing them and learning them on my own.? Any thoughts on this?

I had the same thought! ?Luckily, I have a friend who is going to lend me her Hynobabies CDs, one of which is only supposed to be played during labor (so there's really no way to practice it) and a couple of which are just filled with positive affirmations about pregnancy and birth to listen to through the course of practicing their method. ?I would recommend looking into getting the CDs. ?It's not cheap - the whole set (it's a Hypnobabies Home Study set) is something like $150, but if you can find it cheaper - ebay or craig's list - it might be worth it.?

GypsyEsq · July 2009

KayJayDee:
JCM083009:
Question: For those who read the Mongan HypnoBirthing book - are some or any of you JUST using that book and CD that comes with it? It seems like so much of the book encourages "and you'll learn this in class", etc which scares me - I'm not sure if I can use hypnosis on my own... I am learning about the breathing exercises and relaxation techniques right now and I'm nervous if they will actually work doing them and learning them on my own. Any thoughts on this?
I had the same thought! Luckily, I have a friend who is going to lend me her Hynobabies CDs, one of which is only supposed to be played during labor (so there's really no way to practice it) and a couple of which are just filled with positive affirmations about pregnancy and birth to listen to through the course of practicing their method. I would recommend looking into getting the CDs. It's not cheap - the whole set (it's a Hypnobabies Home Study set) is something like $150, but if you can find it cheaper - ebay or craig's list - it might be worth it.

I had asked our doula about this and her suggestion was to take what works from the book "as-is" if we weren't going to take the class (which I couldn't find in our area anyway). Her opinion was a lot of what is taught in class overlaps the other methods of relaxation that we learned anyway in modified Lamaze, Bradley, etc... Of course I have no idea if that's true or not but it made me feel better. That said I did find a Hypnobabies CD set on Craigslist pretty easily when I was looking but I sort of got exhausted by the possibilities of more classes, more self-study and decided against it.

JCM083009 · July 2009

GypsyEsq:
KayJayDee:
JCM083009:
Question: For those who read the Mongan HypnoBirthing book - are some or any of you JUST using that book and CD that comes with it? It seems like so much of the book encourages "and you'll learn this in class", etc which scares me - I'm not sure if I can use hypnosis on my own... I am learning about the breathing exercises and relaxation techniques right now and I'm nervous if they will actually work doing them and learning them on my own. Any thoughts on this?
I had the same thought! Luckily, I have a friend who is going to lend me her Hynobabies CDs, one of which is only supposed to be played during labor (so there's really no way to practice it) and a couple of which are just filled with positive affirmations about pregnancy and birth to listen to through the course of practicing their method. I would recommend looking into getting the CDs. It's not cheap - the whole set (it's a Hypnobabies Home Study set) is something like $150, but if you can find it cheaper - ebay or craig's list - it might be worth it.
I had asked our doula about this and her suggestion was to take what works from the book "as-is" if we weren't going to take the class (which I couldn't find in our area anyway). Her opinion was a lot of what is taught in class overlaps the other methods of relaxation that we learned anyway in modified Lamaze, Bradley, etc... Of course I have no idea if that's true or not but it made me feel better. That said I did find a Hypnobabies CD set on Craigslist pretty easily when I was looking but I sort of got exhausted by the possibilities of more classes, more self-study and decided against it.

thanks, both of you That makes me feel a bit better. I will keep a lookout for the CDs but I am not going to stress about it. I feel fairly prepared between all the books and our Bradley classes and I think if I just continue to read those parts of the Hypno over and over and really learn those few exercises that will help enough.

SkypekWithoutAC · July 2009

Thanks for doing this!!

I've been trying to read read read all the books regarding natural childbirth that I've seen recommended. I finished "Baby Catcher" not too long ago and I'm no working on "Birth". I'm also going to be starting a hypnobirthing-based course in August. I feel like I should be doing more physical exercises to prepare as well, but it's been getting harder to get enough sleep and it's so HOT here all the time!!! But excuses, excuses, right?

We aren't doing anything for the 4th! Our big plan was to order the rocker for the baby's room and we accomplished that this morning, so now we're just vegging and taking care of things around the house.

emmyloustu · July 2009

Hooray for our first check-in!

No real update for me this week. As far as what I have been doing to prepare, nothing yet, but plan to get my butt in gear! I loved hearing all about the classes you are all taking & the books you recommend. I have lots to do

We are up in Buffalo visiting family for the holiday weekend. We had a big family party today and tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, I am hoping to lounge in the pool.

Have a great holiday!!

Shannie1217 · July 2009

Hi! Thanks for adding me! EDD: July 7th!!! so yes, any day now.

I convinced my OB (yes, I had to CONVINCE) to allow me to go into labor on my own rather than just go in for c-section at 38 weeks which is what was originally presented to me, can you believe that????

I read all sorts of stories that babies can turn in early labor so I am still holding out a LITTLE hope that my breech babycakes will turn his butt around.

Anyway, thanks again for starting up this group-- I already can't wait to have my next kid because it will most likely be with a widwife and not OB.... just didn't get 100% of the support I had hoped for unfortunately.

Plans for the 4th: Sitting in my living room watching fireworks on TV..... best view in Orlando!!

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