Gas and air?

[lisaf]

Lol, its a bit early to be scaring him with all that stuff

 

[KandyKinz]

But if your man is anything like mine if you give him the book now he'll stall for weeks and weeks and weeks before he even opens the damn thing.

 

[lisaf]

Oh crap... good point! Yikes!!!

I am a very demanding person.. no matter how much pain I'm in, I'm pretty sure I'll be good at making my wishes known... Once I know what they are I'll instruct DH ahead of time, make him a cheat sheet to refer to and make him memorize it each night or week.

Of course, this being my first I could be totally delusional about how much I'll be able to communicate

 

[KandyKinz]

well you read "Birth Partner" first.... then at least you'll know what he has to do so you can push him around a bit.

 

[lisaf]

UGH, I have to read it too? I've suddenly gotten very lazy about reading all my pregnancy books

 

[KandyKinz]

Then just read a book that will actually give you beneficial information you can actually use like "the Birth Partner"..... Seriously, when it comes to labour skip all the other books and just read that one.

 

[lisaf]

I bought a Bradley Method book.. the only classes in my area are quite a drive out of town.

 

[KandyKinz]

I bought a Bradley Method book.. the only classes in my area are quite a drive out of town.

Which one???

I have "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way". It's a pretty good one though it only really has one focus... progressive relaxation with visualization.... which is wonderful and I firmly believe all women should teach themselves how to relax their muscles beforehand....

BUT it tends to promote a very passive side of childbirth which is good for the women who find themselves just unable to move in labour (as I was with my first) but is not so effective to the women who find themselves unable to not move in labour (as I did with my second which kinda screwed me over a bit because I had anticipated my labour to be as it was with my first so I had really only developed one coping strategy geared towards that...)

Whereas, "Birth Partner" goes into more physical support methods in terms of comfort AND facilitating labour progress AND it essentially goes into everything you and your partner need to know when working towards a normal birth while receiving american maternity care without going all hippy on your ass... iykwim

So Read "Birth Partner" first. It's a relatively cheap book, and you can pick it up pretty much anywhere. Then when you're finished if you have time read the Bradley Book too (cause the Bradley Method is definitly good and I do highly recommend it, I just don't think it should be a lone source for getting through birth)... Trust me

 

[lisaf]

Yes, the book I have is the Natural Childbirth the Bradley way one...
Ok, I'll go order Birth Partner, lol!
Ummmm which one?
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...rds=birth+partner&rh=n:283155,k:birth+partner

 

[KandyKinz]

Penny Simkin's 2007 edition... though 2001 would be fine too. I don't think much has changed.

I think you'll be pleased with it. Tells you everything you need to know about labour and birth... And if it doensn't feel free to B*tch me out when you're done reading it.

 

[lisaf]

lol, I don't think I could tell you off until I went through it and could say for sure it didn't prepare me! And by then I'll be much too tired and sleep deprived

 

[KandyKinz]

Guess I'm pretty safe then!

Anyways, sorry for derailing the nitrous thread.....

Had a thought though... If you US girls were desperate perhaps you could smuggle in some balloons j/k

 

[lisaf]

lol... its not uncommon to have balloons, but only AFTER the birth And I don't know if nitrous floats?

One last derailing thing... Kandy.. is that birth partner the kind of thing I could get on my Kindle? Or are there pictures and footnotes and stuff that are important?

 

[Mervs Mum]

you two are funny!

 

[lozzy21]

lisaf i had a fetal monitor on for most of my labour, first an external one and then one on LO's head and i still managed to stay mobile to an extent. It can be done just not as much as is you wernt atatched. You stick to your guns and get the birth you want.

 

[lisaf]

Thanks lozzy - I hope I am low risk enough to have options... just a little afraid of the policies my hospital has.. so outdated on stuff!

 

[lozzy21]

They way i see it is they physicaly cannot force you to have one on. You can get them charged with assault if they try lol

 

[lisaf]

lol good point... but they're good at scaring you into doing stuff

 

[lozzy21]

If your low risk then they isent a need to have one on all the time, I was classed as high risk with an early baby, my waters going more than 48 hours before, having meconium presant and a fast labour and they still unhooked me every now and then so i could change positions or go for a wee. If i was fine to do that im sure you will be fine if your low risk.

 

[KandyKinz]

There is alot of illustrations and pictures in the book........