November Sparklers 2014....22 boys, 22 girls born! Please update us!

[MarieMo7]

Missy when is your scan? I'm impatiently waiting to find out what you're having!

 

[Missyann]

Is anyone planning on a natural childbirth or had one before. i would like to try for one. When I told DH he was like "What?!? Are you crazy…you're getting an epidural!" He doesn't do well with hospitals or medical stuff and is afraid if he sees me in pain he might pass out lol I just emailed this woman who does Bradley Method classes to get some info

I would like to try to do as natural childbirth as I can. I was induced with my first and being on pitocin made is so much worse that even my epidural didn't take the edge off. My OH doesn't like hospitals as well, and hates seeing someone he cares in pain. I had an out patient procedure in Sept 2011 (I had a LEEP procedure that they put me out for), and he didn't even like seeing the iv needle in my hand, so I can only imagine how he will be when I'm in labor.

I'm going the birthing center/midwife route, so it's definitely going to be a natural birth for me. I'm not nervous about it yet since it's so far off, but I think it helps that my yoga classes are with other women at the birthing center, so we are all in the same boat and can give each other support.

Also, my SIL had an hospital birth and epidural and wound up with 20+ hours of labor and an eventual c-section. I don't want that.

 

[Jalanis22]

I had epidural with my LO and it helped me very much im getting it again. I think i will pass out of pain if i dont get it. Remember ladies those of you not getting it that sometimes they have to cut you and you will definitely feel that pain badly as ive heard.

Plus my labor was like 14 hrs..i wasnt dilating without the epidural and once i got it, every 30 min i dilated.

 

[Leinzlove]

Pussy Galore: WOW! When was Chloe born... My Chloe was born April 25, 2011 and will also be starting Pre-school in September.

SoontobePreg: Congrats on Team !

I did 2 induced labors with Pitocin and haven't had an epidural. It is very painful, learn breathing techniques and when you can't take the pain no more baby will be here.

From what I've heard it really cuts back on the pushing stage. About inductions, I hate having to be monitored and not being able to walk or move as freely if you and baby weren't being monitored.

 

[junbait]

Mid-pregnancy/20 week/anatomy scan scheduled for today! I'm so excited. I am also hoping to confirm that the tiny flutters I occasionally feel now are movements from baby.

 

[eyemom]

Thanks PG! Yeah there are definitely some fun things about a bigger age gap. My DD will be 3 when the new baby comes, but she'll turn 4 the following February. It's a lot of fun now compared to my last pregnancy (as long as that lasted) because now she can be REALLY into it. She's so sweet talking to my belly and hugging and kissing it. Unfortunately my daughter is not so helpful in the name department, lol. I know it all works out. My brother and I were almost 5 years apart, and we were still really close growing up. The only time it was hard was when I was getting to that point where I wasn't as interested in the kid stuff anymore, but he still was. He and I have a lot of differences now, but we still get along great.

Geralyn, I think I'm going to try for a natural childbirth again. I tried with #1, and hired a doula to help me toward that goal. I made it about 10 hours or so, then finally caved and got the epidural. I got to 8 cm quite fast, but I was stuck at 8 cm for several hours with near-continuous contractions, but even so I just wasn't getting anywhere. So then they wanted to administer pitocin to make those contractions more productive. So that was when I said ok to the epidural. I gotta admit, it was nice, and a part of me wished I'd gotten it sooner. But really I am super glad I waited. For me (and it's different for every woman), I think the best plan of action was to try for natural, but be open to other possibilities. I was getting really tense, and the epidural helped me relax, and I think that might have helped me progress more than anything else at that point. I got to 10 within an hour or so after that. So this time I am going in again with the goal of natural...I'm actually hoping that since things went quickly to a point last time, they'll go quickly again this time, and maybe if I can go 10 hours naturally again, maybe this time, by 10 hours, I'll have a baby. I don't know. But if it's what you want, research all you can, and go for it. But I think it's best to keep options somewhat open. I've known of some moms whose self-worth as a mother took a huge hit on day 1 b/c they didn't get the birth they wanted. So do what you can, but it's only the first day of a lifetime of being a mommy. I wish we had Bradley classes here, but we don't. Best I could do is read books about it (which I didn't...maybe I should).

Marie that's a great bump!

Grats on team PINK, SoonToBe! My DD (I guess I should start saying DD1!) liked to have one hand up by her face in her u/s, and it was the same after she was born.

 

[GeralynB]

I had epidural with my LO and it helped me very much im getting it again. I think i will pass out of pain if i dont get it. Remember ladies those of you not getting it that sometimes they have to cut you and you will definitely feel that pain badly as ive heard.

Plus my labor was like 14 hrs..i wasnt dilating without the epidural and once i got it, every 30 min i dilated.

I'm having a hospital birth with a midwife. They said they have a super low rate of episiotomy ...less than 8%.

Thanks PG! Yeah there are definitely some fun things about a bigger age gap. My DD will be 3 when the new baby comes, but she'll turn 4 the following February. It's a lot of fun now compared to my last pregnancy (as long as that lasted) because now she can be REALLY into it. She's so sweet talking to my belly and hugging and kissing it. Unfortunately my daughter is not so helpful in the name department, lol. I know it all works out. My brother and I were almost 5 years apart, and we were still really close growing up. The only time it was hard was when I was getting to that point where I wasn't as interested in the kid stuff anymore, but he still was. He and I have a lot of differences now, but we still get along great.

Geralyn, I think I'm going to try for a natural childbirth again. I tried with #1, and hired a doula to help me toward that goal. I made it about 10 hours or so, then finally caved and got the epidural. I got to 8 cm quite fast, but I was stuck at 8 cm for several hours with near-continuous contractions, but even so I just wasn't getting anywhere. So then they wanted to administer pitocin to make those contractions more productive. So that was when I said ok to the epidural. I gotta admit, it was nice, and a part of me wished I'd gotten it sooner. But really I am super glad I waited. For me (and it's different for every woman), I think the best plan of action was to try for natural, but be open to other possibilities. I was getting really tense, and the epidural helped me relax, and I think that might have helped me progress more than anything else at that point. I got to 10 within an hour or so after that. So this time I am going in again with the goal of natural...I'm actually hoping that since things went quickly to a point last time, they'll go quickly again this time, and maybe if I can go 10 hours naturally again, maybe this time, by 10 hours, I'll have a baby. I don't know. But if it's what you want, research all you can, and go for it. But I think it's best to keep options somewhat open. I've known of some moms whose self-worth as a mother took a huge hit on day 1 b/c they didn't get the birth they wanted. So do what you can, but it's only the first day of a lifetime of being a mommy. I wish we had Bradley classes here, but we don't. Best I could do is read books about it (which I didn't...maybe I should).

Marie that's a great bump!

Grats on team PINK, SoonToBe! My DD (I guess I should start saying DD1!) liked to have one hand up by her face in her u/s, and it was the same after she was born.

Yea that's my plan...aim for a natural but go with the flow and get an epidural if I think I need it. After all, I've never done this before so I have no idea what to expect

 

[eyemom]

 

[GeralynB]

Congrats on team pink!!

I have my anatomy scan in a couple hours. Can't wait to see my little man again

 

[MarieMo7]

My labor didn't progress so I skipped the epidural and went right to a spinal for the c-section (after 10 hours laboring). So, no real experience with that.
I do know that my mom planned to have my youngest brother naturally, but her labor stalled out at 6cm after 18 hours. They gave her an epidural and he was born within 2 hours. It was a pretty low dose, I imagine, because she was up and walking within an hour after giving birth!
If I get to have a VBAC this time, it'll definitely be with an epidural, but only once I get to the point that I can't take the pain anymore. I want to be able to walk around as much as possible before I'm stuck on the bed

 

[mandaa1220]

I also am going the midwife route... I did lots of research and met different providers my insurance would cover before choosing. The group of midwives I'm working with have a c-section rate of less than 10%, which is really great compared to the other providers/ob-gyns in my area of around 30% or higher!

I'm hoping for a water birth. We're doing the tours of the two birth centered hospitals in this area, which have water birth as an option and encourage natural birthing (as well as the mom's choice in whatever birth they want).

I'd really like to try for natural, drug-free, but am open to whatever I need in the moment, because I don't want to be too disappointed if it doesn't go the way I want. At this point, an epidural is not an option for me unless absolutely necessary and I DO NOT want to be induced or have pitocin administered in anyway. The center I'm working with does not require you to be hooked up to an IV, so that's my plan.

It really bothers me when people hear all of this and feel obligated to make comments about how you don't get rewarded for a natural, drug-free birth and there's no prize at the end... etc. There is no right or wrong way, but if women have been giving birth since the start of time, clearly it is still not impossible for a woman to do it without drugs now. Drives me nuts. Rant over!

 

[GeralynB]

I also am going the midwife route... I did lots of research and met different providers my insurance would cover before choosing. The group of midwives I'm working with have a c-section rate of less than 10%, which is really great compared to the other providers/ob-gyns in my area of around 30% or higher!

I'm hoping for a water birth. We're doing the tours of the two birth centered hospitals in this area, which have water birth as an option and encourage natural birthing (as well as the mom's choice in whatever birth they want).

I'd really like to try for natural, drug-free, but am open to whatever I need in the moment, because I don't want to be too disappointed if it doesn't go the way I want. At this point, an epidural is not an option for me unless absolutely necessary and I DO NOT want to be induced or have pitocin administered in anyway. The center I'm working with does not require you to be hooked up to an IV, so that's my plan.

It really bothers me when people hear all of this and feel obligated to make comments about how you don't get rewarded for a natural, drug-free birth and there's no prize at the end... etc. There is no right or wrong way, but if women have been giving birth since the start of time, clearly it is still not impossible for a woman to do it without drugs now. Drives me nuts. Rant over!

I'm having a hospital birth with a midwife. I wish they had birthing pools! But they do let you get in the shower. I totally agree…it's really annoying when people are like "Why would you do that?!? That's crazy not to get the epidural…especially people who just had babies and are like there's no way you'll be able to do it. Um…just because you didn't, doesn't mean I can't.

 

[eyemom]

Yeah, mandaa, my MIL and even some strangers at a restaurant who saw my belly would tell me, "Don't try to be a hero!" My MIL knew I wanted to try natural, but the people at the restaurant, it was completely unsolicited. It was soooo annoying. I had made an educated choice, and I did not make that choice to get some medal at the end! I hope I didn't sound that way with my comment earlier. I struggled a lot having had the epidural toward the end, and truly I probably didn't HAVE to have it. But for the women who don't get to choose, it's really sad to see them feel like failures. People just need to be more sensitive to what's important to the mamas. There was a blog post that made it around facebook and such sometime back about how well-meaning people will respond to a birth that didn't go according to plan with a comment like, "Oh well, all that matters is a healthy mom and healthy baby." And the article was like...actually, that's not ALL that matters. These things are deeply personal!

I am a little nervous because the hospital where I had DD1 had a 10% rate of csxn. My new hospital I think is probably closer to the national average of around 30%. I think odds are more in my favor having had a vaginal delivery before, but it still bothers me a little.

I wish birthing pools were more common in hospitals! I've heard they're becoming more popular (in hospitals I mean) on the coasts, maybe that's west coast. But same here, we can just use the shower. I thought it was going to be important to me to be able to walk around, get in the shower, whatever. But really when it came down to it, I didn't feel like doing any of that.

 

[apple_20]

I'm hoping for a natural birth (ish) maybe even a water birth. Most hospitals in uk have a birthing pool some only one but as it gets more popular they are getting more.

Having said that let's see how the consultants go because if they say I have to have constant monitoring I'll reconsider.

 

[Twinklie12]

I also am planning to go in with drug free birth in mind, but totally open to epidural if need be. I agree with you, eyemom, that it's just such a shame that some moms feel like failures for having gotten the epidural. Obviously it is a noble goal to try and go without, but in general there is wayy too much mom guilt in this world already for moms to have to feel guilty on day 1! I actually had someone tell me already that my plan to be open to the epidural is a plan for failure and I shouldn't think that way. Gee, thank you for your unsolicited opinion. haha.

 

[eyemom]

Yeah, my personality in general is kind of like, have a goal, do everything you possibly can to achieve that goal, but always plan for all possibilities. Because to paraphrase, "the best-laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." I'd rather have a backup plan than be faced with something for which I never allowed for the possibility, then have to try to think on my feet in the middle of labor. To me that's not a recipe for failure, that's having a plan for success under the best of circumstances and the not-so-ideal circumstances. Having a backup plan is not necessarily connected to one's willpower.

 

[cncem]

I've been doing alot of thinking lately and I want to go natural birth, with epi instead of elective csec. I think the risk of having major surgery is too great, unless there is a true reason to have one. I'm taking low dose aspirin per doc's orders and worry about bleeding out after surgery. I don't want to have any down time to recover afterwards. My best friend had to have an emergency section and the stitch site got infected, resulting in even more down time. Plus, I wonder if I'd produce milk properly since my body may miss those signals that baby has been born and start producing. Another thing is, this will be my last pregnancy, and I don't want to miss that birth experience, or regret having missed it. That is just how I feel now, I may change my mind later, but probably won't. I have to have an epi though, me not having had one till almost too late last time really left emotional scars.

PS: Yay, I'm 18 weeks!! Only forever left to go

 

[Princesskell]

I had my anatomy scan today and I'm team PINK !!

She had her arms up double fisted on her face, so we couldn't get a clear view of the face. We tried prodding, moving around and she just stuck in that position. I wasn't asked to come for a rescan, so hopefully they got everything they needed.

Hey congratulations!!


On the subject of labour I really agree with those who say keep your options open. It's good to have a plan and great to research every option you can, but I have seen so many cases of people with such strong ideas...me included, of what giving birth is like and the complete unpredictability of labour and our bodies means that you can never plan for what will happen and can cause real trauma following birth if things don't feel like they have gone to plan.

I had an epidural as early as possible with F as planned and I was happy with my decision, but it could have easily been different and slowed labour down or caused other problems. This time I don't know, I would love a water birth but I don't want to put pressureon myself. Last time F had meconium in the waters so I had to be on a monitor throughout the whole birth so that would have made a water birth impossible xxx

 

[Missyann]

Thanks, Ladies! I'm getting some valuable information from you experienced moms out there that a birth plan in an academic exercise and that I should not judge my labor on how closely I follow it.

 

[Pussy Galore]

Leinzzlove - Chloe was born on 15 May 2010 so they are about a year apart.. with Chloe starting school this year. Pre school was wonderful

In terms of birth plan this time round, I was induced with Chloe and managed without an epidural, but I progressed from 4-10cm in just an hour and found this rather painful!

I am just as open minded this time but ironically perhaps more in favour of an epidural?!

I would love to have a water birth but unless I go into labour naturally before my EDD, I will be offered another induction which will rule this out. Fingers crossed she comes early!!

My own view (and I appreciate that there are many on this topic!) is to be open minded and go with the flow. Every labour is different...

And yep eyemom, Chloe is doing just the same and kissing my tummy

Geralyn - hope the anatomy scan went well?