Science and Philosophy Club Rules OK!

[PeanutBean]

I've been camping!

New job Sarahkka? What's that then? I didn't know you were back at work already. Good luck!

 

[Sarahkka]

I've been camping!

New job Sarahkka? What's that then? I didn't know you were back at work already. Good luck!

I got asked to interview for school programs coordinator at the Calgary Zoo on Wednesday and got offered the job three hours later. I wasn't expecting to go back until Dec.1! Husband is taking the rest of our parental leave and I start tomorrow!
I'm quite excited. Looking forward to being my professional self again.

 

[PeanutBean]

Wowser Sarahkka! Exciting! Hope your day goes/is going well (can't remember time diff!).

Does anyone know anything about flouridating water? Do they do it where you live? We don't have it in our area but did where we used to live. We had a talk on dental stuff at baby group today and she was so pro it that she failed to mention at all that flouride is toxic giving wishy washy reasons for people choosing not to have it in their water area. I'm not sure how I feel about it but I suspect I'm against.

 

[Pyrrhic]

Oh, I heard there were record numbers of people getting married in Gretna Green in Scotland because of the date and being lucky in Chinese astrology. I imagine it's all pants! I don't believe in luck, not really. I don't think we have a particularly lucky day yesterday.

Yep, wedding bookings were made quite far in advance for 9/9/09. However, it happens with any year. 07/07/07, 08/08/08, etc. People just like having a symmetrical date or something

 

[redpoppy]

I think its because the topic died and also because i'm so stuck in my pregnancy forum (third tri now!!!) that I never come down here....

I think I'll subscribe to this thread then I'll be made aware of action on it!

 

[PeanutBean]

What is everyone's hot topic at the moment?

Mine is the forthcoming Marine Bill that will go through parliament in November. It's about time too but is full of some serious holes that will totally ruin its impact on overfishing in particular.

 

[redpoppy]

Socio politically: Bruce Forsyth's comments on race, The London Olympics being a joke for the local East London community, the fact that one in four children in London live in poverty, whether Obama deserves the Nobel Peace prize.

And personally: Whether fear REALLY is the cause of pain in childbirth.

 

[PeanutBean]

Socio politically: Bruce Forsyth's comments on race, The London Olympics being a joke for the local East London community, the fact that one in four children in London live in poverty, whether Obama deserves the Nobel Peace prize.

And personally: Whether fear REALLY is the cause of pain in childbirth.

What's he said about race?

I also think the Olympics is a joke.

Just heard about the peace prize thing today. It is a bit odd! Radio 4 proudly said he'd got it for not being Bush but then Radio 4 has turned into a right wing propaganda machine! I wonder if they felt they were short of candidates this year? I mean he is doing some good work but I reckon Gordon Brown's done a lot too!

I wasn't at all afraid of childbirth and it was utterly nightmarish!

 

[redpoppy]

What's he said about race?

I also think the Olympics is a joke.

Just heard about the peace prize thing today. It is a bit odd! Radio 4 proudly said he'd got it for not being Bush but then Radio 4 has turned into a right wing propaganda machine! I wonder if they felt they were short of candidates this year? I mean he is doing some good work but I reckon Gordon Brown's done a lot too!

I wasn't at all afraid of childbirth and it was utterly nightmarish!

Why tell me that!?!?!? okay probably best your did. I was looking forward to just chilling through the whole thing! BAH!!!!!

I dunno. they just hand it out because they've gotta give it to someone famous. (the peace prize) And him coming into power was pretty special. but hmmmm.... he's still bombing away all types of places. guess he's taken a different tack on Iran though.

Brucey said we need to have a sense of humour about the term p*ki. Someone said it one strictly come dancing. or whatever it's called. I don't watch it. Didn't even know he was on telly. what is he? like 100? 120?

 

[PeanutBean]

What's he said about race?

I also think the Olympics is a joke.

Just heard about the peace prize thing today. It is a bit odd! Radio 4 proudly said he'd got it for not being Bush but then Radio 4 has turned into a right wing propaganda machine! I wonder if they felt they were short of candidates this year? I mean he is doing some good work but I reckon Gordon Brown's done a lot too!

I wasn't at all afraid of childbirth and it was utterly nightmarish!

Why tell me that!?!?!? okay probably best your did. I was looking forward to just chilling through the whole thing! BAH!!!!!

I dunno. they just hand it out because they've gotta give it to someone famous. (the peace prize) And him coming into power was pretty special. but hmmmm.... he's still bombing away all types of places. guess he's taken a different tack on Iran though.

Brucey said we need to have a sense of humour about the term p*ki. Someone said it one strictly come dancing. or whatever it's called. I don't watch it. Didn't even know he was on telly. what is he? like 100? 120?

Oh I heard something about that on the radio but didn't hear whole article and didn't know what it related to. He is indeed 120. Actually I've watched some of Strictly this year, didn't hear him say that though, but I have been surprised as he has toned down his sexism a little. It is bizarre how these aged comedien/presenter men are allowed to carry on as they did 30 plus years ago. Of course there isn't outcry when he is equally prejudiced about women....

Sorry for breaking your illusions about childbirth. As I understand it not all women don't go through such awful experiences as me! Hopefully you'll have a lovely peaceful and short one!

 

[Sarahkka]

hey RP, I think you should go into the birthing experience confident. Confident that you can handle whatever happens. If you do find it painful, then enjoy some of our marvellous modern-day pain meds. If you feel like you are fine on your own, go for that, too.
I think that hypnobirthing does have a point about our body's response to fear: we freeze and clench. But I have done a lot of mind-body-breath work through all my dance and theatre training and I needed help after five hours. I was induced and I had back labour, so my experience may have been more intense than average? I don't know. It's hard to say what average is, right?
I had an epidural and then had a fabulous birth experience.
I plan to try to go natural next time, but if I am dealing with the same circumstances, I am most definitely choosing the epidural again.
I think it's a great confidence booster knowing that there's some great technology right there if you need help.

 

[PeanutBean]

I agree with Sarahkka about just going into it confident. There's no point in being afraid as it will happen and will do so the way it does and there's not really much we can do about it, other than taking meds for pain. I was not a bit afraid and planned a lovely home water birth. Instead I got a failed epidural, ventouse delivery on my back, unable to move about, syntocinon drip to get things moving after about 30 hours of labour. I was never afraid though, it was awful and I was exhausted and lost any will power but I wasn't afraid. I plan again to try a home water birth next time but will expect to have the same experience as with Byron so I won't be so disappointed next time if it does go badly. Because of my experience with Byron I will probably be a bit afraid next time, if I'm honest. But when you're in labour you're kind of not really there. It's weird. You just get on with it, however hard it is. And lots of women have lovely births anyway!

Next time I will definitely not have an epidural though as that was resulted in a lot of negative aspects of the delivery and as it didn't work on my uterus I must be able to manage the pain again! lol

 

[Sarahkka]

Poor PB - I remember we were warned in our prenatal class that epidurals don't work for everyone and then a few days later that happened to you.
I would love the water birth to happen next time around for all of us.

 

[PeanutBean]

Poor PB - I remember we were warned in our prenatal class that epidurals don't work for everyone and then a few days later that happened to you.
I would love the water birth to happen next time around for all of us.

I know. I didn't want to have one but I was so far beyond my limits at that point that it felt like it was the only option. I definitely wouldn't do it again. Not for anything. I think I'd rather have a section with a spinal if the epi was the only other option. In hindsight I really do feel it was responsible for all the negative aspects and complications of the birth itself. Oh well, we live and learn. God it took hours for me to be able to feel my right leg again. It was so horrid!

My main wish for next time is that my waters don't go in advance of everything. I wouldn't have had to go to hospital if it weren't for that so I hope next time I can labour a while first, especially if it's going to be hours and hours again!

 

[Sarahkka]

And I wish that my waters and labour would go of their own accord and not need medical intervention!
I have those questions, too. Would I have needed an epidural if I hadn't been induced?
I do not doubt the wisdom of the induction, though. The nurse showed me the placenta after the birth and it was most definitely starting to degrade. I know my dates were spot on and that Simon was most comfortably ensconced in my womb with no intention of budging.
I wonder if having been through birth once will be helpful for next time? I feel like I have a much better idea of what to expect, but every pregnancy/birth/labour/baby is different, so maybe that's a false sense of security?

 

[PeanutBean]

I feel like I know more what to expect. More about what it will be like and what I can/can't handle and more about decision making. Mine couldn't have been very much worse (excluding completely unexpected life threatening emergency stuff of course) so at least I can feel it probably won't be worse! I did feel a bit cheated. I also find if I try I can actually really remember most of it and it makes me cry to do so. Clearly the not remembering is a retrieval issue and if you want to it's still stored in there.

If nothing else we've learned to prepare a hamper of food if I have a hospital stay as they gave me nothing at the hospital. I missed tea completely (dunno why, I was there since the day before and gave birth at 11.40am) and they best they offer me, a vegetarian, was a tuna sandwich. After 34 hours with essentially no food at all I felt that was pretty poor.

 

[redpoppy]

I would like to go as natural as possible but since i have no idea what a contraction actually feel like I realise this may be naive.

I do understand that whole thing abotu fear though as studies have apparently shown adrenaline is not a good hormone to be releasing when in labour.

Good for parachute jumping. Bad for labour. yeap.

 

[PeanutBean]

I find it hard to believe that adrenaline isn't released anyway, fear or no, just from the sheer activity of it all.

 

[redpoppy]

I find it hard to believe that adrenaline isn't released anyway, fear or no, just from the sheer activity of it all.

Yeah, but perhaps limiting it? I guess I've also been wondering if being as passive as a holy cow is actually that great. Surely your body needs a bit of all that OOMPH to inspire it to push a baby through?



See what happens though. I just hope i don't fall apart at the first contraction!

 

[PeanutBean]

I talked with my Mum about the being relaxed and passive thing before I gave birth and, having the experience of 4 kids, she felt that it would get you nowhere and the best advice she could give was to face it with a grim determination. She had 4 relatively nice labours (2 induced) though she has pre-eclampsia with me (the last) so was induced early.

Based on my experience even a grim determination didn't do the trick with me! lol Also with the pushing I could definitely see no way not to. I actually tried because it was so awful and they were trying to get the ventouse sorted so I knew they'd get him out soon so I tried to ignore the contraction but you have to push though it hurts all the more when you do!