Okay, I had to add this one b/c it's just too cute. Shim is playing lasso with his umbilical cord, and you can see his little legs and penis plain as day. Isn't he just adorable?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Ultrasound pic
Okay, I had to add this one b/c it's just too cute. Shim is playing lasso with his umbilical cord, and you can see his little legs and penis plain as day. Isn't he just adorable?
Shim is a ............
So when I woke up this morning, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I simply could not wait one more day to know what Shim is. For 17 weeks I've wanted a surprise, but this morning it became clear- I HAD TO KNOW!!! So, I called a local ultrasound place (ya know those 3d/4d places), and they fit me in for 2pm. They were running a 10 minute 2D gender scan special for $42.50! I was totally into it, so took the appt and called Eric. The first 5 minutes or so, the umbilical cord was right between the legs. Then Shim decided to start playing lasso with it, and scooted it right out of the way for us. Then the moment of truth- I WAS RIGHT! I just knew Shim was a BOY! There was a cute little penis for all the world to see.....I love having confirmation of my mother's intuition. So, the pics are below, and my next goal is to get up the videos! Check back later tonight to see if I'm that computer saavy...
What is a doula?
When I tell people I'm hiring a doula to be present at Shim's birth, I often am met with blank stares. Well, except in Charlotte, b/c they are more common here. But from most people, I just get questions and confusion. So, I thought I would dedicate an entire post to what a doula is, and why I want one. Here is a quick description:
A doula is a non-medical assistant who provides various forms of non-medical support (physical, emotional and informed choice) in the childbirth process. Based on a particular doulas training and background, the doula may offer support during prenatal care, during childbirth and/or during the postpartum period. A birth doula is a continuous care provider for labor in many settings. Thus a labor doula may attend a home birth or might attend the parturient woman during labor at home and continue while in transport and then complete supporting the birth at a hospital or a birth center.
The word doula comes from Greek δοῦλα, and refers to a woman of service. In Greece, the word has negative connotations, denoting "slave", as some doulas have inadvertently discovered through their international social networks. For this reason, some women performing professional labor support choose to call themselves labor companions or birthworkers. Anthropologist Dana Raphael first used the term doula to refer to experienced mothers who assisted new mothers in breastfeeding and newborn care in the book Tender Gift: Breastfeeding (1973)[citation needed]. Thus the term arose initially with reference to the postpartum context, and is still used in that domain. Medical researchers Marshall Klaus and John Kennell, who conducted the first of several randomized clinical trials on the medical outcomes of doula attended births, adopted the term to refer to labor support as well as prenatal and postpartum support.[1]
Labor/birth support doulas are labor support persons who attend to the emotional and physical comfort needs of laboring women to smooth the labor process. They do not perform clinical tasks such as heart rate checks, or vaginal exams but rather use massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, positioning suggestions, etc., to help labor progress as well as possible. A labor/birth support doula joins a laboring woman either at her home or in hospital or birth center and remains with her until a few hours after the birth. Some doulas also offer several prenatal visits, phone support, and one postpartum meeting to ensure the mother is well informed and supported. The terms of a labor/birth doula's responsibilities are decided between the doula and the family. In addition to emotional, physical and informational support, doulas work as advocates of their client’s wishes and may assist in communicating with medical staff to obtain information for the client to make informed decisions regarding medical procedures.
So, I have a labor doula, not a postpartum doula. Her name is Annette Rodgers, and she is also our hypnobabies instructor. (Hypnobabies will be my next post). She is also a certified massage therapist. You may be wondering why simply having Eric there won't be enough support. Honestly, he probably would be. But I think when he sees me in extreme pain, he won't be able to support my wishes for a natural child birth. He'll want me comfortable and happy, which will be drugs and an epidural. I truly don't know if I'll achieve the natural childbirth (NCB) I have envisioned. I may very well feel that first contraction and scream for the epidural. I won't get into all the reasons I personally want a NCB. The biggest one is my previous stated desire for the whole process to be normal and natural. I also want a perfectly alert and drug free baby.
Since my doula is a massage therapist, she'll use alot of massage and accupressure techniques during labor. She also will be able to help me focus on the hypnobabies techniques since she's the one teaching us that. More importantly, she'll be encouraging me the entire time that I CAN do it, that "my body knows this". This quote is my personal mantra for the entire labor process. Let's just hope it works....
A doula is a non-medical assistant who provides various forms of non-medical support (physical, emotional and informed choice) in the childbirth process. Based on a particular doulas training and background, the doula may offer support during prenatal care, during childbirth and/or during the postpartum period. A birth doula is a continuous care provider for labor in many settings. Thus a labor doula may attend a home birth or might attend the parturient woman during labor at home and continue while in transport and then complete supporting the birth at a hospital or a birth center.
The word doula comes from Greek δοῦλα, and refers to a woman of service. In Greece, the word has negative connotations, denoting "slave", as some doulas have inadvertently discovered through their international social networks. For this reason, some women performing professional labor support choose to call themselves labor companions or birthworkers. Anthropologist Dana Raphael first used the term doula to refer to experienced mothers who assisted new mothers in breastfeeding and newborn care in the book Tender Gift: Breastfeeding (1973)[citation needed]. Thus the term arose initially with reference to the postpartum context, and is still used in that domain. Medical researchers Marshall Klaus and John Kennell, who conducted the first of several randomized clinical trials on the medical outcomes of doula attended births, adopted the term to refer to labor support as well as prenatal and postpartum support.[1]
Labor/birth support doulas are labor support persons who attend to the emotional and physical comfort needs of laboring women to smooth the labor process. They do not perform clinical tasks such as heart rate checks, or vaginal exams but rather use massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, positioning suggestions, etc., to help labor progress as well as possible. A labor/birth support doula joins a laboring woman either at her home or in hospital or birth center and remains with her until a few hours after the birth. Some doulas also offer several prenatal visits, phone support, and one postpartum meeting to ensure the mother is well informed and supported. The terms of a labor/birth doula's responsibilities are decided between the doula and the family. In addition to emotional, physical and informational support, doulas work as advocates of their client’s wishes and may assist in communicating with medical staff to obtain information for the client to make informed decisions regarding medical procedures.
So, I have a labor doula, not a postpartum doula. Her name is Annette Rodgers, and she is also our hypnobabies instructor. (Hypnobabies will be my next post). She is also a certified massage therapist. You may be wondering why simply having Eric there won't be enough support. Honestly, he probably would be. But I think when he sees me in extreme pain, he won't be able to support my wishes for a natural child birth. He'll want me comfortable and happy, which will be drugs and an epidural. I truly don't know if I'll achieve the natural childbirth (NCB) I have envisioned. I may very well feel that first contraction and scream for the epidural. I won't get into all the reasons I personally want a NCB. The biggest one is my previous stated desire for the whole process to be normal and natural. I also want a perfectly alert and drug free baby.
Since my doula is a massage therapist, she'll use alot of massage and accupressure techniques during labor. She also will be able to help me focus on the hypnobabies techniques since she's the one teaching us that. More importantly, she'll be encouraging me the entire time that I CAN do it, that "my body knows this". This quote is my personal mantra for the entire labor process. Let's just hope it works....
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Why I use a Midwife, and not an OB.....
So, it seems as if I get asked at least once a week, "Why do you use a midwife?". Or "How was your doctors appt?". Well folks, I don't ever see a doctor. I don't want to. I love my midwives. It all depends on how you choose to view pregnancy and childbirth. I see it as a normal, natural, and beautiful time in a woman's life. I have chosen pretty much to refuse all the genetic prenatal testing, except for the standard ultrasound and bloodwork. I have a very minimalist mentality, and prefer very few interventions in this beautiful process of bringing a child into this world. So, I thought I would post some info from the web to help everyone understand a little more about midwives.
A midwife is a trained professional with special expertise in supporting women to maintain a healthy pregnancy birth, offering expert individualized care, education, counseling and support to a woman and her newborn throughout the childbearing cycle.
The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes.
The Midwives Model of Care includes:
Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
Minimizing technological interventions
Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention
The application of this woman-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.
A midwife works with each woman and her family to identify their unique physical, social and emotional needs. When the care required is outside the midwife's scope of practice or expertise, the woman is referred to other health care providers for additional consultation or care.
Midwives in the U.S.
There are two main categories of midwives in the U.S., nurse-midwives, who are trained in both nursing and midwifery, and direct entry midwives, who trained as midwives without being nurses first. Within the category of direct entry midwives are several subcategories reflecting the varying legal status of these midwives in different states and the fact that until recently there was no nationally recognized credential available for direct entry midwives. Direct entry midwives include highly trained and very competent midwives; however, anyone may call herself a midwife at this time, and if you are looking for a midwife, it is up to you to find out if the midwife is qualified and experienced to your satisfaction. If a midwife is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), you are at least assured that she has met specific requirements for certification (and re-certification every three years).
Now, with all that said, the midwives I use (there are four of them) are in a group practice with about 8 OB/GYN's. You can choose one or the other, or a mix. They tried a couple times to schedule me with an OB, but after making it very clear I had no intentions of seeing one unless my pregnancy became high-risk, they chilled out. Now they only offer the midwives when scheduling my next appt. There is still one more out of the four for me to meet. I figure when I'm going every 2 weeks, I'll definitely see her by then. I hope and pray to never meet a doctor in the practice, because that means I've become high risk and need interventions. Yuck!
Now, some people I'm sure are wondering, "But isn't a doctor better qualified than a midwife....Isn't there care better/safer/whatever?" The answer is they are trained longer, but not necessarily better. When a normal healthy woman is having a normal healthy baby, there is no reason a doctor is needed. Another reason I'm a big fan of midwives is because they are an advanced practive nurse, AKA a 'midlevel'. Well, I'm an advanced practive nurse. Would you refuse to let me put you to sleep b/c I'm not the almighty doctor? My husband and I are both considered midlevels. (Eric is a PA-physician assistant - for those who don't know). It seems kinda like common sense for a family of midlevels to choose another midlevel during such an important time in our lives. BTW, our midwives are all certified nurse midwives, not professional midwives. (See above for difference). CNM practice with OB's. Unfortunately, the state of NC and the state medical board make it extremely difficult for CPM's to practice here. Hence, home births are kinda hard to do unless you want to go unassisted. There just aren't enough CPM to go around for all the women who do want a home birth.
Now, home births. Do I think it's crazy? Not really. I considered it for about 15 seconds. But, I've seen to much crap go down at work, and honestly want to be close to an OR. A stat C-section is honestly my worst fear, but I want the facilties for it if I truly need it. I was reading on a bulletin board about this lady who couldn't find a midwife to accept her (b/c she and baby were high risk), so was gonna deliver at home with her hubby, unassisted. But of course, they were going to take the neonatal resusucitation course, so that makes it okay. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FRIGGIN MIND? That was a little much for me, I had to quit reading on that message board. I think for healthy women with no complications, home birth may just be the way to go. Not for me...I'm not that granola yet:-)
Okay, enough rambling. I think my next post will be about doulas, since noone seems to know about them either. I've got alot of educating to do!
The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes.
The Midwives Model of Care includes:
Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
Minimizing technological interventions
Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention
The application of this woman-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.
A midwife works with each woman and her family to identify their unique physical, social and emotional needs. When the care required is outside the midwife's scope of practice or expertise, the woman is referred to other health care providers for additional consultation or care.
Midwives in the U.S.
There are two main categories of midwives in the U.S., nurse-midwives, who are trained in both nursing and midwifery, and direct entry midwives, who trained as midwives without being nurses first. Within the category of direct entry midwives are several subcategories reflecting the varying legal status of these midwives in different states and the fact that until recently there was no nationally recognized credential available for direct entry midwives. Direct entry midwives include highly trained and very competent midwives; however, anyone may call herself a midwife at this time, and if you are looking for a midwife, it is up to you to find out if the midwife is qualified and experienced to your satisfaction. If a midwife is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), you are at least assured that she has met specific requirements for certification (and re-certification every three years).
Now, with all that said, the midwives I use (there are four of them) are in a group practice with about 8 OB/GYN's. You can choose one or the other, or a mix. They tried a couple times to schedule me with an OB, but after making it very clear I had no intentions of seeing one unless my pregnancy became high-risk, they chilled out. Now they only offer the midwives when scheduling my next appt. There is still one more out of the four for me to meet. I figure when I'm going every 2 weeks, I'll definitely see her by then. I hope and pray to never meet a doctor in the practice, because that means I've become high risk and need interventions. Yuck!
Now, some people I'm sure are wondering, "But isn't a doctor better qualified than a midwife....Isn't there care better/safer/whatever?" The answer is they are trained longer, but not necessarily better. When a normal healthy woman is having a normal healthy baby, there is no reason a doctor is needed. Another reason I'm a big fan of midwives is because they are an advanced practive nurse, AKA a 'midlevel'. Well, I'm an advanced practive nurse. Would you refuse to let me put you to sleep b/c I'm not the almighty doctor? My husband and I are both considered midlevels. (Eric is a PA-physician assistant - for those who don't know). It seems kinda like common sense for a family of midlevels to choose another midlevel during such an important time in our lives. BTW, our midwives are all certified nurse midwives, not professional midwives. (See above for difference). CNM practice with OB's. Unfortunately, the state of NC and the state medical board make it extremely difficult for CPM's to practice here. Hence, home births are kinda hard to do unless you want to go unassisted. There just aren't enough CPM to go around for all the women who do want a home birth.
Now, home births. Do I think it's crazy? Not really. I considered it for about 15 seconds. But, I've seen to much crap go down at work, and honestly want to be close to an OR. A stat C-section is honestly my worst fear, but I want the facilties for it if I truly need it. I was reading on a bulletin board about this lady who couldn't find a midwife to accept her (b/c she and baby were high risk), so was gonna deliver at home with her hubby, unassisted. But of course, they were going to take the neonatal resusucitation course, so that makes it okay. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FRIGGIN MIND? That was a little much for me, I had to quit reading on that message board. I think for healthy women with no complications, home birth may just be the way to go. Not for me...I'm not that granola yet:-)
Okay, enough rambling. I think my next post will be about doulas, since noone seems to know about them either. I've got alot of educating to do!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
17 weeks
I had a checkup today, and it was with my favorite midwife Jan. I was happy Eric got to meet her. Everything looks fine, but they honestly don't do much at these appts. It's just a quick feel of my belly, and listen to the heartbeat for a minute or so.
We had two decisions to make. The first was whether we wanted AFP testing. It is basically blood work that tests for Downs and spina bifida. However, the testing has a really high rate of false positives, up to 30%. And since my philosophy and feelings on pregnancy and childbirth are very natural and minimalist, I turned them down. There is really no need, it's a waste of medical resources. We wouldn't attempt to terminate if it was positive; it would simply make us worry. And probably worry for NO reason, since there are so many false positives. I also turned down the early testing at 13 weeks for the same reasons. Shim is our child that we will love with all our hearts, no matter if he is perfectly healthy or not.
We also needed to decided if we wanted to just do our anatomy US in 4 weeks at the next appt, or come back in 2 for it. The reasoning for going back in 2 weeks would only be b/c we just couldn't wait to find out the sex. And we're still undecided there, so we'll just wait for our next appt. It kills two birds with one stone. The appt is September 3, the day before we leave for Europe. We'll take the US results with us to Europe and find out there, if we do at all. In other words, don't call us 18 million times on September 3, b/c we won't know the sex yet! (If we do decide to find out before birth).
My mom thinks I already know, and just won't tell her. Not true, but that is tempting. As soon as she finds out the sex, all she'll do is sew and smock. No cloth diapers or nursery bedding for Shim! I'm gonna have to stay on her to make sure she sews the things Shim really needs. She swears she will, so we'll see how that goes.
Lindsay found a boutique near her parents house in Kenmore (Buffalo) that actually sells cloth diapers, and they do registry's!!! So, she's gonna tell me what all brands they carry, and then create a registry for me up there. Then she'll add that to my invite so people know, and hopefully I'll get some cloth diapers at my Buffalo shower. She was amazed at how unbelievably soft they are! I love CD!!!
Ok, I gotta get going here, my P's will be here soon on their way back to Florence. We're gonna do lunch!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
16 weeks
Good morning all! Eric and I have had a busy week just working....nothing eventful going on here at all. Eric did his first two sleep studies last night for his new company; it was a very big milestone for him. Hopefully things will continue to take off.
I was 16 weeks yesterday, so things are moving along nicely. I am still nauseated, but optimistic that it will go away soon! As long as it's gone by the time we leave for Europe, I'll be happy. I have a checkup this Thursday, but it'll be uneventful. Just a quick weigh in and FHT check. (fetal heart tones). We'll make our appt for our ultrasound, so that's exciting and nerve-wracking. I'm excited to see Shim again, but the anatomy US scares me. I just want to see all four chambers of the heart, and all the other organs. Make sure the head is the right size, take a look at the spine. There are SO many things that can go wrong with development, and I see them all the time at work. So while everyone else is flipping out about whether it's a boy or girl....I honestly don't care two cents worth. I'm a million more times concerned with the other anatomy. The anatomy that really matters! People take for granted healthy children, and assume their baby will be born completely normal. I don't have that luxury (to assume that) b/c my work is a daily reminder otherwise.
My appt next week is with my favorite midwife, so that makes me happy. I've missed her! Her name is Jan, and she's from Wales. She has the coolest accent, and is the sweetest woman ever. I would pay big money for her to be the one to deliver Shim. It's a crapshoot though, all according to who is on call. I've met 3 out of the four midwives, and hear good things about the one I haven't met. There is one I wasn't crazy about.....but I'm withholding judgement until we see her again. She saw in my chart that I'm a CRNA, and made a blanket assumption about me that really pissed me off. I won't go into it, but I'm giving her a second chance.
Eric's business partner is getting married today, and we have her reception tonight. Once again, I'm earning my title of "9 month DD". I'll take a pic of me all pregnant and dressed up with my handsome hubby.
I was 16 weeks yesterday, so things are moving along nicely. I am still nauseated, but optimistic that it will go away soon! As long as it's gone by the time we leave for Europe, I'll be happy. I have a checkup this Thursday, but it'll be uneventful. Just a quick weigh in and FHT check. (fetal heart tones). We'll make our appt for our ultrasound, so that's exciting and nerve-wracking. I'm excited to see Shim again, but the anatomy US scares me. I just want to see all four chambers of the heart, and all the other organs. Make sure the head is the right size, take a look at the spine. There are SO many things that can go wrong with development, and I see them all the time at work. So while everyone else is flipping out about whether it's a boy or girl....I honestly don't care two cents worth. I'm a million more times concerned with the other anatomy. The anatomy that really matters! People take for granted healthy children, and assume their baby will be born completely normal. I don't have that luxury (to assume that) b/c my work is a daily reminder otherwise.
My appt next week is with my favorite midwife, so that makes me happy. I've missed her! Her name is Jan, and she's from Wales. She has the coolest accent, and is the sweetest woman ever. I would pay big money for her to be the one to deliver Shim. It's a crapshoot though, all according to who is on call. I've met 3 out of the four midwives, and hear good things about the one I haven't met. There is one I wasn't crazy about.....but I'm withholding judgement until we see her again. She saw in my chart that I'm a CRNA, and made a blanket assumption about me that really pissed me off. I won't go into it, but I'm giving her a second chance.
Eric's business partner is getting married today, and we have her reception tonight. Once again, I'm earning my title of "9 month DD". I'll take a pic of me all pregnant and dressed up with my handsome hubby.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)