Hey Melanie......

Oh, and I did not have a doula. I had considered one for my first birth but decided against it. I do think that it's a fantastic profession. My BFF is one in Colorado and oh, I would love to do it too! Maybe when Julia gets a little older....
 
Wow. Never heard of placenta encapsulation. That's pretty neat. I have a food deydrater & access to gelatin capsules,......hmmmmm. I will have to read about that,.......extremely interesting. :)

So,.....you going to work on number 4 then,.......since you had such a wonderful experience?
 
That's actually exactly how they do it!:) Have DH stick yourplacenta in the fridge and you can do it yourself when you get home!:) As if you won't have a million other things to do too! Our lady charges a sliding scale of $25 to $100 for her to do it. I paid top dollar! It was worth 10x that to be honest!

Can't decide about #4 yet. We're on vacation right now - I should at least be practicing TTC!!! :p:p:p I definitely want to experience her birth again, tho I know there are no guarantees it would be the same. Part of me thinks we should be done. We're just praying about it and trying to be patient for God to show us what to do. If there's one thing Ive learned - His timing/plan is best!
 
Thanks Kate for that wonderful birth story.

I am hoping to have an all natural delivery in about 8 weeks (give or take) and have been trying to prepare my mind. I read Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It also takes the fear and pain out of birth. She calls contractions rushes and states that with each one you should visualize opening and expanding. I'm big into visualization, so I'm going to attempt this. This is my first baby and my husband and I aren't even doing a childbirth class, although we are delivering in the hospital.

I am a nurse, but I truly think that medical interventions in most labors are unnecessary and just screw things up. Don't touch me unless the baby is in distress. I don't want pitocin, I don't want drugs, I don't want a c section. The rate of c sections in this country is through the roof. Yes, they are necessary sometimes and they do save lives, but I believe they are done too frequently. If you ever watch a baby story it seems to go something like this: labor isn't progressing fast enough so the doc starts the woman on pitocin, then they break her water, then there is a time limit, contractions get too strong for the woman to handle with pitocin and then an epidural is requested, things still aren't going fast enough, so now it's time a c section.

I don't want this to be my experience and as long as baby is healthy and tolerating labor okay, I plan to use as little intervention as possible.

But, reading through other birth stories really helps me to think, it IS possible! And is is really encouraging.
 
I'll have to check that book out! It sounds right up my alley!:D It sounds a lot like hypnobirthing.
I'm with you on the interventions. I don't fault others for using them but I most definitely do NOT want them. You wonder how any woman can have a safe delivery with all of that stuff going on. To be honest, I would be more scared to deliver at a hospital than I would to deliver at home again. Even if I were to go to a hospital planning an intervention-free delivery I think I would be so nervous about having to stand up to hospital staff that that would hinder my happy delivery. I hope this doesn't come across as judgmental or .... I don't even quite know. But I always worry I'm going to offend someone...

I hope you get the delivery you are seeking! Your natural birth IS possible - you are going to do GREAT! And like my midwives say....birth isn't the end - it's the beginning. Enjoy that new baby when it comes - it goes SO fast!
 
Kate - I love reading about J's birth! I hear you on the hospital thing. A lot of hospitals are not natural birth friendly and I applaud you for being able to not be afraid of giving birth at home. I have anxiety issues and don't think I could ever, but being out of the hospital is so much nicer. Hospitals can suck for having babies. I wish we had a birthing center instead. I also love that your attitude is not pushy toward other people. You're probably one of the coolest crunchy mamas I know!

Lisa
 
Lisa! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::D Thank you!

I would never be pushy about home birth to other women. If a woman were interested in it I would encourage her to do so, but I would never think less of someone who births at a hospital. To me, home birth is the way to go because that is where I was totally relaxed and confident that my body could do it. If a woman was NOT comfortable with a home birth then she definitely shouldn't give birth at home. Her body would shut down in the way I believe mine would if I were to deliver at the hospital.

I had always been intrigued at the idea of homebirth but shied away from it w/ the first 2. Then I found my midwives & hypnobirthing and planned to deliver at the birth center. It was then that I finally found the confidence with myself and my body to deliver in the most natural way possible. I think I subconsciously set myself up to deliver at home.

But you are right about the hospital....In my experience with the first 2 I wanted a natural birth - meaning no drugs. I didn't even think I could challenge them on the IV, fetal monitoring, etc so I just didn't. I now would have the confidence in myself to stand up against that. I do think those things are useful if there is a need for them but I think in the hospital they are way overdone. Hospitals WANT you to have all the interventions - it's how they make money! They call natural births "loss leaders" because THEY LOSE MONEY on them!!!! (Not sure HOW since mine cost so much, but oh well!) The nurses KNEW I didn't want drugs but that didn't stop them from asking me every 20 minutes "Are you SURE you don't wnat any drugs?....or.. "Do you know the risk you're putting your baby at if you don't use the eye drops on your baby" Um, I know that I don't have chlamiddia...thanks!"

Well, I've gone on long enough! I could chat this all day! Sorry to hijack Mel's and Briee's thread!:eek:
 
Oh my....I wish they would alert me by email when someone posts. I haven't check in a few days and look at all these posts. NEVER THINK YOU ARE HIJACKING GUYS!!! I LOVED hearing all the stories and comments. Kate...thanks so much for all the details. I have been awesomely great this whole pregnancy until 2 days ago. All the sudden...I'm irritable. I needed an attitude adjustment and you REALLY helped!!

I have NEVER heard of the placenta encapsulation....but boy do I wish I could find someone to do this!!! Sounds really wise! The hormonal shift post pregnancy is incredible and this sounds like an answer. BUT I know I can't get my dh to do this and I don't know if I'll have the energy or even the nerve to describe it to him :) I'm in a little town in the middle of nowhere....ahhhhh. Hey...I wonder if I could put it in a strawberry shake (okay that probably grossed everybody out right!). I'll think of something!

Anyways.....it really helped me to read your responses. It's like all the sudden I lost energy and patience with EVERYONE here our family. I keep apologizing to them - "I'm sorry I'm a bear - just ignore me - but do it QUIETLY PLEASE!" ha ha

I'm going to go listen to the CD's. Oh man...I just saw the neatest labor tape on you tube entitled "woman's sings while in labor". Her name is Temple....I cried. Go listen to that guys - beautiful song. EVERYONE have a great day!

Briee
 
I also meant to say "your birth, Kate....it was SO beautiful". I want that birth - so cool. Really the last 2 of mine were very good, but I still wouldn't say painless. They were very tolerable compared to the first 4 which were $%&@#$%% - really that bad!

I will try to keep you all posted. I've COMPLETED 38 weeks tomorrow. 15 days to go (whose counting right)!
 
Briee, that irritability is a sign things are progressing!:D Your hormones are a'changin' and gettin' ready to expel that babe!:D:D:D Oh, I want to be pregnant again!!! How exciting! I wanna deliver one more!!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek:

I've seen a youtube of a lady singing. Very beautiful.

WARNING _ POSSIBLE GROSS-OUT TOPIC!!!!

Re your placenta in a strawberry shake.....there are lots of recipes out there for placentas. A friend of mine has recipes for lasagna and eggplant parmesan. I'm sure you could do an internet search of recipes but if you want my friends I can get it for you. I mean, people eat animal LIVERS!!! Why not your placenta which is so nutrient-dense?

OOH! I just remembered something!!!!!!! You can hack it up into little tiny pieces and freeze them. Swallow it just like a pill!!! I think it's better to do it this way anyway as you wouldn't lose ANY of the nutrients in the process of encapsulating.

Initially you want to take a lot! I was taking about 6/day. You would just count out how many you have and figure out a weaning process. Luckily, somehow, my placenta was HUGE!:cool: So I had a LOT of pills available. I have every confidence that these little wonder pills warded off my PPD.

Briee, I hope you have a WONDERFUL labor! When you're able to, PLEASE let us know how it goes!
:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
Gotta love them drug-pushers! Keep this girlie in business!!!!! :D

Briee, your babies never want to come out,...do they. You are sooooooo close!! I would make your placenta capsules for you,......FREE. Can you have them delivered here? Seriously. I'd be honored. :eek:
 
Melanie...you are the sweetest person! Offering to process my placenta. That would truly be a labor of LOVE!! I found some site that describes the process - I'm not sure what I'll do, but I do know.....I couldn't send you something that weird! But you are a saint to offer!!!!

I've had lots of surges, but still nothing happening. You want to know something weird...I've been reading birth stories on the internet (painfree stories) and the more I read...the more surges I get and then when I quit reading they linger for another hour or two and then quit. Makes you really wonder...the power of the mind! Thanks for all your comments!

Briee
 

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