Good article..

http://www.self.com/health/2010/07/birthing-plan-controversies

I thought this article was great, especially now.. This is what i wrote to Self magazine:

I am 37 weeks pregnant with my son and am having trouble realizing that this birth does not need to be like my daughter's birth. I was induced at 39 weeks with her (i was 21 years old) because they said she was 9lb 1 oz (ultrasound) and would be too big the next week for me to deliver.. i wanted a natural childbirth but thought i could go without pain meds during induction. I was on pitocin (nothing used to ripen my closed cervix) for 12 hours the first day with nothing happening and no eating or drinking that whole time. The second day, they started my pitocin again at 6am. (they should have sent me home). At 830 am, my dr came in and said i was 1 cm dilated and broke my water and left me sitting in the puddle. They wouldn't let me get out of bed because they needed to monitor me, so my mobility was completely taken. After that, the contractions came like gangbusters. I asked for an epidural and they told me i had to be dilated to 3cm before i could have one. I got up to use the bathroom at one point and the entire toilet was filled with blood. At 12 noon they checked me and i was 3 cm so they called the anesthesiologist down to place my epidural. It took him 20 min to get there and I was shuddering from the contractions that had no breaks in between. They examined me one last time and said, "you are 10 cm, sorry, no epidural" I began pushing and after my daughter's head was out, the dr told me to stop pushing ( i could see the whole thing in a mirror) and told me she needed to give me an episiotomy. I told her that it was in my birth plan not to have one and her words were "well, you can't argue with me now.." after that, the rest of my daughter came out, with me passing out between contractions. I had severe post-partum depression that lasted about 6-12 months and I had an episiotomy that was tender until my daughter was 3.5 years old. My medical records said that my daughter was macrosomic. Oh, and she wasn't 9lb 1 oz. she was 8lb 2oz. So, here 5 years later, i find myself pregnant again and I had been going to a dr from the local hospital who seemed very nice, but too busy to remember my name after 22 weeks of seeing me, so at 26 weeks, i switched drs. I am now delivering in a very small hosptial 25 miles away with one OBGYN, but she is great. She doesn't mention induction until 42 weeks, doesn't want to examine me unless she has to, and doesn't do episiotomies. She is fine with my ways of doing things and prefers to deliver women without epidurals. I keep telling myself that if i can go through induction and a 5 hour labor with my daughter without pain meds, i can do a natural birth without them. It will be trying, but i needed to take back my birth too.

37 weeks!!

34 weeks- baby dropped!!

35 weeks

36 Weeks (my 26th bday!)

37 Weeks



So, i haven't updated this in a while. Baby Peters is full term now. The nursery is set-up, the bags are "packed" and i am ready? Well, I have experiments i would like to finish, but who knows.. they are mostly done.. one more week would be helpful. I am finally pretty uncomfortable. I have contractions all the time, mostly Braxton Hicks, but they still make me very tired. I have been working every day, and even pulled a 12 hour day yesterday.. that was nuts. but i got a figure out of it for my paper, so maybe it is worth it. We are reading about natural childbirth and practicing our relaxation techniques. I have complete faith in my body, but am still having trouble reckoning with Mollee's birth and how unnecessary all of the medical interventions were. I love my new Dr.. she is fantastic. She is fine with my hippie ways and is very empowering. At 34.5 weeks i went in and found out (week after San Diego) that i was 1cm dilated and about 25% effaced. Baby dropped at 33 weeks, so he is down there head down. She put me on bedrest until i was 36 weeks.. which meant i only worked 43 hours that week (sitting down most of the time!!). At 36 weeks 3 days, i saw her again and was 2cm dilated and 25% effaced. Baby is not as low as he needs to be, but hopefully that will change. I bought some raspberry leaf tea which is a uterine tonic ( if you are already having contractions, it makes them more efficient- does not induce labor) and since i started drinking it, I am having more pressure and some pain in my pelvis. I have also been walking a lot and taking the stairs at work just to make sure everything works properly.. i have unfortunately put on 40 lbs with this pregnancy, but I'm not very worried about it. I know how to lose weight now and I will be nursing after, plus I'm pretty sure about 10-15 lbs of that is in my chest since i have gone up 3-4 cup sizes already.. crazy.

I also jumped on a trampoline today.. that actually felt pretty good. Wish me luck with finishing up all of this stuff i have to finish. the stress of this paper hanging over me is driving me crazy..