ASK ME MONDAY # 3

"What made you decide to have a drug free birth with Baby A? So many people use epidurals these days.

Why did you choose a hospital instead of a birthing center?"

This is a  great question. I actually have not been asked this question a lot surprisingly.

First, I have to say that I personally don't believe in over use of medications. I believe that we should take the natural course of action whenever possible with our bodies. 

Our bodies were designed to have babies, so our bodies know what to do.

I believe that epidurals and C-sections should only be done on an absolutely necessary basis. I definitely didn't think that getting a needle in my back or having a major surgery was necessary for me.

I also didn't want Baby A to have medication in her system that was not necessary. Anything we put into our bodies affects the baby even if just a little bit. I felt no need to medicate my baby un-necessarily.

Thankfully Baby A came out into the world as planned, as she was supposed to. I didn't need any medication. After having Baby A drug free, I did end up taking 2 regular strength Tylenol so I could rest. 

Please read Baby A's birth story here.

In addition, I chose a hospital because there were no birthing centers close by ( closest one was 1 1/2 hours away) . Good thing I did not choose a place far away as I had a fast paced labor and would not have made it there. Secondly, I truly wanted a water birth, but the hospital was not allowed to have birthing tubs of any kind in their facility, so I went the next best route for me and had a completely natural un-medicated birth in a hospital. If I were to do it over again, I would have given birth to my daughter at home, however it was my first baby, and knowing that my mother had emergency c-sections with her 3 children, I did not want to take major risks.

I now know though that my body can handle labor, and that I can handle myself laboring at home. IF I were to ever have another baby, it would be at home or a water birth, or a mix of both :) 

I hope this answered your question. I really found natural labor a very positive experience for me, I realize it is not for everyone or those with complications, but I enjoyed it every step of the way and would do it natural the next time around ( if there is a next time).

Baby A is healthy & happy.

Be Happy, Healthy & Strong,

Lolli

Please keep the questions coming! Next week I will be answering another question on my blog! 

Have a question for me? 

Put it on facebook, my blog, or email me! 

I love talking to my readers!

Like what you read?
Vote for me on Picket Fence! ( right side bar)

These are my personal opinions and are not intended as advice of any kind.  Please consult your Dr. when making your birth plan.

Baby A's Birth Story!

Wow! Baby A's birth was quick, simple, overwhelming, painful, and truly wonderful....all at the same time. 

Her birth started at 2:30 am on 11/22/11 when my water broke., only a few hours after the Patriot's football game on television.

Hubby and I had joked with Baby A that she couldn't make her arrival until after the Patriots game. We had no idea at the time that she would take us seriously.

I had what I thought at the time were painful Braxton Hick contractions late during the 3rd quarter of the game. I also had trouble eating my dinner that night.

I had guessed my due date as 11/21/11 and the Dr. guessed 11/24/11, so we knew she would be coming soon. Although we knew she was coming soon, we thought we would have time for one more trip to the grocery store. Since I am gluten free/ dairy free due to Celiac, we had to bring all of our own food to the hospital. They weren't well versed on gluten free food, pretty much the only fault this hospital seemed to have. 

My water broke while getting up to pee in the middle of the night. I excitedly woke Hubby up to let him know, and he (well knowing labor could take hours) said okay and went back to sleep. I lay in bed trying to sleep too, but just could not. I practiced my Hypnobirthing breathing and lay with my eyes closed.

At 4 am I woke Hubby as contractions were 16 minutes apart. I told him we better get up. He got up with me.  He rubbed my back. I used the rocking chair, birthing ball, and paced the hall way back and forth for a while. I even sat on the floor in the corner because it felt comfortable. Hubby was getting himself ready during this time, and checking on me. He knew I  had it under control and would ask for help if I needed it. Knowing he was at home with me meant the world to me.

At 6:30 am we called the Dr. my contractions were 6 minutes apart.  At one point in time the contractions were changing so much that it was nearly impossible to time them. I got into the shower knowing the I had to get ready quickly. It was so painful I felt like I could barely stand. Hubby knew that at this time making a quick run to the store wasn't going to happen. He started packing our freezer meals I had prepared weeks before, and continued to come back to the bathroom to check on me. 

I worried while in the shower because I saw that the water was greenish, meaning that Baby A had meconium in her water. 

I hopped out of the shower, Hubby had the car packed and warm.  Of course living on the 3rd floor of an apartment building I had to walk down a ton of stairs. Hubby helping me the whole way.... I did it! On top of this, people had a moving truck backed up to the building.  

On the way to the hospital it felt like it would take forever as there was a ton of traffic & on the road in front of the hospital there was construction. The whole time my contractions were getting more painful and closer together. 

We got to the hospital at 9:30 am. Hubby ran inside & grabbed a wheelchair and took me up to the maternity ward. They came at me with a ton of paper work, not believing me when I told them I had the urge to push. Angrily I told them, I thought I was at least 7 centimeters dilated. They hooked me up to monitors and quickly read my birth plan. Hubby made sure that every person who walked in the room had a copy of the plan, and made them aware of my allergies. I informed them I wanted NO pain medications and NO pitocin.
 They didn't pay attention to  the intermittant monitoring part of the plan, pushing on my stomach with no pain medication....wanting to slap the nurse in the face, I ignored her . They checked me and said I was 7 1/2 centimeters dilated.

We stuck to our birth plan with the slow breathing and no medications. My hubby held my hand, rubbed my back, and put my birthing playlist on. He supported me in every way I needed.

I had HORRIBLE back labor, I tried to birth on my side & on fours, but the nurse kept trying to get me on my back. Being in so much pain I didn't have will to fight her on what position I was in. I knew I was strong enough to fight through the pain as long as Hubby was there. Now on my back I was scared, I held onto the bed rail & Hubby stroked my hair. 

They checked again. I was 9 centimeters. They told me to hold the baby in?!, while they called the Dr.  I ignored them (Hubby said "don't listen just push) and rolled over on my side.

The Dr. got there. In 3 sets of 3 small  pushes & 1 set of 4 small pushes, Baby A was out! The last set of pushes was insane. I thought my body was going to split in half. I felt what they call the "ring of fire", that is when Hubby said, " I see her! One more push. You can do it! " It took every ounce in me to get her out in that last push, as at one point I recall just wanting to take a nap. Not to mention lazy nurse on the right size was barely holding my leg, I had to hold it myself as Hubby had my other leg.

Baby A arrived at 11:20 am on 11/22/11. 8 lbs. 4 ozs and 19 inches long,

I had the natural unmedicated birth I wanted, in a hospital. 

It was amazing seeing her for the first time. 

Instant love. 

She was placed on my chest for immediate skin to skin contact & breastfeeding. Then handed directly to Hubby!
We birthed Baby A together, as a Team.

The cord was cut after 10 minutes to let all of the cord blood out. Hubby cut the cord in 2 cuts as it was so big. Yay for healthy babies!

We were at the hospital less than 2 hours before Baby A was born, and I pushed less than 30 minutes.

Due to the natural nature of my birth & the fact Thanksgiving was so close, we were allowed to go home the very next day.

We are so blessed. 

I love being a mommy!

♥

Lolli

Writing a Birth Plan.

For some women writing a birth plan can seem overwhelming....yet for others, a birth plan is a piece of cake! Yet, still other moms prefer to have no birth plan and just "go with the flow".

I am one of the mothers who originally found writing a birth plan overwhelming. I really really want a natural birth, but in a hospital setting. Not to mention with food allergies, and many other considerations, I need a detailed birth plan.

My hubby, Dr., and the hospital would all tell you that my birth plan is extremely detailed. It's about 5 pages, and nicely laid out like an outline. In addition, I highlighted the most important parts, in case I run into a lazy nurse or a tired one.

We will be taking about 20 printed copies of the plan with us. One for every person who enters the room.

Some main points in my birth plan are:

• No visitors or hospital phone calls. No exceptions.
• Do not offer me pain medication. I will request it if I want it.
• Baby is to room in with me.
• All routine procedures are to be delayed until baby has breastfed and bonded.
• Baby is not to be given any pacifiers or sugar water.
• Cord is to stop pulsating before clamped.
• Skin to skin bonding time after baby is born.
• Baby is to be given a bath using our non-toxic bath products.
• Intermittant monitoring so I can have as much mobility as possible.
• I do not wish to be told when to push.
• I prefer not to be induced.
• Immunizations are to be postponed until a later time.

It may sound overboard to some, but my hubby and I really want our baby to have the best start at life possible. 

So, how do you go about writing a birth plan?

Here's what worked for me...

I absolutely loved this website: http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/free-birth-plan

I used the link above to help me create my birth plan. I changed the wording as I wished, and also added in other preferences to the plan. I think that it is a great outline for creating an easy to read, yet detailed birth plan. It makes things quick and simple!

These are some other sites I also checked out while creating my birth plan:

http://www.babycenter.com/calculators-birthplan

http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/labor-and-delivery/writing-a-birth-plan/

http://www.birthingnaturally.net/birthplan/how.html

Ultimately, I think it is important that you keep an open mind when creating your birth plan. It is also essential to communicate with your Dr. and to make sure that you go over your birth plan with your Dr. in advance.

I made sure that the hospital also had a copy of my birth plan when we took our hospital tour earlier on. This way they already have a copy in my file.

If you have already given birth, did you have a birth plan?

Why or why not?

I would love to hear from you.

♥

Lolli

*These are all personal opinions of the blogger from personal life experience and is not intended as advice of any kind.*

What Have You Read Lately?

Have you read any good books lately?

Since I am pregnant, a lot of my reading revolves around birth, parenting, and other baby care related topics.

Some of the books I have read are:

What To Expect When You Are Expecting (Heidi Murkoff)

What To Expect The First Year (Heidi Murkoff)

and 

Belly Laughs (Jenny McCarthy)

These were all fantastic reads! I couldn't stop laughing while reading Belly Laughs, and found the information in the What To Expect Series, very valuable.

However, I recently came across a book. that I really wish I had read sooner! This book has changed my views on childbirth ( though I have always believed in Natural Childbirth, this book took my desire for a natural birth to the whole next level!).

The book I am currently reading is:

Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method  (Marie F. Mongan)

I cannot say enough, how amazing of a read this is! I plan to use the Hypnobirthing philosophy during my daughter's birth. Seeing as how this is my first child, and I have no idea what childbirth is like, I think it will be great to approach her birth with a gentle, peaceful mindset, "childbirth without fear".

If you are pregnant, or plan on having another baby, and desire a natural birth, then I really hope you read this book!

...and don't forget to check out the website!

http://www.hypnobirthing.com/

♥

Lolli

* This is a book review that has not been paid for. These are my own personal opinions on an item I already own. This review is in no way associated with the company or product reviewed.*