Maple Baby's Birth Story: Part III

And on with the pushing part of labor!

It was amazing how the urge to push just hit me.  And I was surprised that my contractions seemed to almost go away.  I could still feel them, but they weren't really as painful as they had been.  It was like the urge to push took over for the contractions - this was quite nice because I was so over the contractions.

I went back to the bed and started to push for a while.  My first thought was, "I am way too tired to push."  I was exhausted from lack of sleep and lack of food.  It was ironic because at the birthing center you are allowed to eat the entire time - no food restrictions.  However, I had been throwing up all day from the contraction pains that the only thing I had been able to keep down was a mango popcicle.  So, I didn't really have much energy.  The entire time I was pushing I kept thinking that this was really the hardest part of labor.  And in that moment I totally understood why people had scheduled c-sections. 

I pushed for nearly two hours.  I pushed mainly on my back but did try pushing on the birthing stool.  Unfortunately, I couldn't feel the urge to push when I was on the stool so it didn't work.  I probably could have gotten the baby out a lot earlier but no one told me that I was suppose to push on EVERY contraction.  Whoops!  Since my contractions weren't being monitored, the midwives had no idea when I was having a contraction.  I was worried about burning out too soon (must be the endurance runner in me), so I felt like it was more important to conserve my energy.  So, I'd have a contraction and push and then rest through the next one or two contractions.  I think maybe you are not suppose to do that.  Unbeknowst to me at the moment, the midwives were confused as to why my contractions were slowing down (in reality they were not, I was just not pushing on every one) so they kept giving me homeopathic medicine to speed up my contractions.  Well, it was working but I was still resting.  It wasn't until they had me try birthing on the stool that I realized they thought I wasn't having as many contractions as before.  So, when I got back on the bed I decided I would push for every contraction.  It was hard work.  I was low on oxygen so I had to be hooked up to the oxygen machine and lay on my left side in between contractions - so when a contraction hit I had to take the oxygen mask off and roll back onto my back.  This doesn't sound so difficult but believe me - it felt like climbing a mountain at that time.

Every time I pushed everyone in the room (one midwife, two birth companions, nurse, and husband) all cheered and said how close I was.  At one time I did reach down and touch Maple Baby's head.  I really thought this meant I was almost done.  It did not!  I must have pushed for an entire hour after this.  I kept thinking I only had a few more pushes left before he slid out - but no, it went on forever.  It was the strangest sensation because I could feel him coming out but the process was so slow.  I guess it's supposed to be slow so it gives your body ample time to stretch, etc.  However, in the whole scheme of pushing, I was hoping it would go faster!

Finally, I gave one final push and he slipped on out.  At 10:15pm!  It was the best feeling in the world!  I was so relieved.  He was also face-down, which was good.  For a while they though he was sunny-side up and made me do all these lunges to get him to turn around.  Since I didn't have a sonogram or anything, no one was certain if he ever was sunny-side up, but I was happy he was face-down when born.

They immediately put him on my chest and let me hold him while his umbilical pulsed.  It was pulsing strong for a long time - so we just hung out together.  When the cord stopped pulsing, hubs got to cut it and then they clamped it. 

Then it was time to get sown up.  Although I was really hoping to avoid a tear, I ended up with a second degree tear and needed 6 stitches.  It actually wasn't so bad.  I never felt the tearing when it occurred - I actually found the pushing to be pretty painless.  It didn't hurt at all and I never even felt the "ring of fire" that people talk about.  So, the midwife stitched me up, and minus a few sticks for anesthesia, that was pretty painless too.  I wasn't thrilled about tearing, but it could have been way worse so I'll take the second degree and not complain too much!  Hubs got to hold the baby while I was sown up - he was super nervous.  Little babies scare him - and Maple Baby was pretty little.

 After I was put back together, they put Maple Baby back on my chest and we stayed like that until the next morning.  During the night the birth companions and nurse helped me breast feed him and my sister cooked me some food so I had something to eat.  Other than that, Maple Baby and I just stared at each other.  Hubs was exhausted so he put a blanket on the bathroom floor and fell asleep.  There was room in the bed with me (it was a queen size bed) but he was afraid he'd roll over and hurt the baby - so he chose the bathroom floor.

The next morning the nurse came in and encouraged me to use the bathroom  and take a shower.  I did both but got a bit dizzy in the shower so I rested for another hour before they let me go home.  That morning they also weighed Maple Baby (7 pounds, 11 ounces) and measured him (20 inches) and then gave him his Vitamin K shot (he didn't even cry) and his eye drops.

At 10am we finally got the clear to go home. 

 I was definitely ready!  We hopped in the car and headed home.  It was so strange to have come to the birthing center with only a bag and to be leaving with a real, live baby.  Pretty surreal. 

All in all, the  birthing center was a great experience.  I would recommend it to anyone who wants a medication-free birth.  The atmosphere was so relaxed and welcoming.  It felt so much better than the births I have been to in the hospital.  Sure, there were definitely moments when I wanted an epidural and when I felt like the pain was too much, but I'm glad I stuck it out and stayed there. 

And compared to taking care of Maple Baby, out of the womb, giving birth was the easy part!

And if you're wondering what we named him....

we went with a name we had picked out months ago:

Evan

Maple Baby's Birth Story: Part II

Ok, on with the birth story!

When I got to the birthing center (around 4pm) they examined me and found I was 5cm dilated.  And then the midwife accidentally broke my water.  Whoops!  So, I guess I was in active labor and I wasn't going anywhere.  We headed upstairs to the birthing room and I hopped into the jacuzzi.  I had been so excited about hopping into a nice warm bath!  We don't have a bathtub at our place (well, we do but it has cracks in it so I don't like to fill it with water) and I felt like a nice warm bath would be awesome.  And it was!  I hung out in the tub for an hour or so.  Actually, I have no idea how long I was there.  It felt like forever.  The contractions were getting stronger and eventually I felt like I couldn't handle it anymore.  I called hubs and asked him to push on my back again and as he was trying to relieve my pain, I decided that it was too much.  I had had enough of these stupid contractions.

I called my sister to tell her not to come.  She had been planning on stopping by later in the evening, but I decided I was in too much pain and didn't want her to stop by.  I told her to just wait until the baby was born and come then. 

I also decided that I wanted to go to the hospital to get an epidural.  I think Hubs was relieved because he hated seeing me in so much pain.  So, he helped me out of the tub and I put all my clothes on (yup, I was sitting in the tub buck naked - I had no modesty at this point) and waited for the midwife to come back.  I was bouncing around on the birthing ball trying to manage the pain, but it wasn't helping too much.  When he, the midwife, came back I told him my decision to go to the hospital.  He was super calm and suggested we see how far along I was and maybe try a few other options before heading to the hospital (in retrospect it was obvious I was in transition - the stage of labor where you want to give up - and he was trying to stall me until I started pushing).  At that point I was 8cm dilated (it had been about two hours) and they were shocked at how fast I was progressing.  The midwife said that we could try a TENS unit to help mitigate some of the pain.  I had heard of this because Red Boots used one during her labor, so I decided to give it a shot.

While he went off to find the TENS unit, I writhed around on the bed in pain.  I tried "mooing" like a cow because I had read in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth book that "mooing" helped.  Well, maybe it helps in the beginning but it sure didn't help much at this point.  I felt like I was in the middle of one large contraction that never ended.  Eventually a nurse stopped in and suggested that I try and use the bathroom because sometimes if you have a full bladder it pushes on the uterus and makes it contract.  At this point I was willing to try anything, so headed to the bathroom.  She turned out to be right - the minute I used the bathroom my contractions got a tad bit lighter. 

They then came and hooked me up to the TENS unit.  They put two patches on my back and turned up the electricity until my pain got a bit lighter.  It actually seemed to work.  It didn't take all my pain away but it made it a lot more bearable.

And then I got the urge to start pushing...

Maple Baby's Birth Story: Part I

I have been trying to write this post for a while, but Maple Baby makes it a bit difficult.  Every time I sit down to write it, he starts crying.  And he can only be soothed if I hold him.  Of course.  Yup, he's crying right now.  He was sleeping so soundly and then the minute I try to write something, he starts waking up.

Now he's in his swing, so maybe he'll sleep for a bit longer.  I really should be sleeping since I don't get much sleep at night, but for some reason I can't sleep during the day very well.  And I feel like I have so much I want to try and get done during the day.  Eventually I'll crash, I'm sure of it!

Such a cute sleeping baby!

Anyway, so back to the birth story.

It all started on Wednesday, 5 September.

I had an appointment at the birthing center.  I wasn't feeling like the baby was coming any time soon and figured I had at least a week or two to go.  However, when the midwife examined me she said I was 90% effaced and dilated 1-2 centimeters.  She was certain I'd have the baby before the end of the weekend.  She then mentioned she could "sweep my membranes" to help speed up the arrival of the baby.  Before I really had a chance to answer whether I wanted her to do that, she had already done it.  Yikes!  She said if the procedure worked I would go into labor within 24 hours.  Hmm, was I actually ready for that???  Not sure!

So, I went home that night and felt a bit of cramping and was bleeding a bit.  The midwife said that that was going to happen so I wasn't too worried or hopeful that it meant anything.  However, at 12:48am (yes, I looked at the clock) I woke up feeling like I was starting to have back contractions.  I tried to time them but they weren't very consistent and sometimes they were hard to feel.  On top of the contractions I had a constant back pain that I would rate a 4 on a scale of 1-10 (10=extremely painful).  So, at the beginning it was hard to feel both the constant back pain and the back contractions.

However, as time went by, the contractions got stronger.  At around 6am I called the birthing center to see what they said.  I wasn't supposed to show up at the birthing center unless I had called them and they told me it was time to come in.  They said that because I was only having back contractions and nothing was coming to the front that I was still in early labor and to wait a bit longer and start timing the contractions when they came around to the front.  Hmm, well a long time went by and the contractions never came to the front.  However, they were getting stronger and more and more painful.  Hubsters didn't go to work that day because he felt I might be going into labor soon, so when I had a contraction he would push on my back and try to massage the pain away, which helped a bit.

At around 2pm, Ivan said I was in too much pain and I needed to call the birthing center again.  Let me just say, that he was NOT a fan of seeing me in pain and was constantly saying we should go to the hospital.  So I called and talked to someone different.  I said that the contractions still hadn't come to the front but they were really painful and happening quite close together.  So, she said to time them for the next 30 minutes and call back.  So, hubs and I went to work timing them and they were between 2 and 4 minutes apart!  When I called back they said to come in and they'd see what was going on.  I don't think they really believed that I was in labor because I was still just having back labor, but I was thinking that if this wasn't labor I would just DIE because I was in so much pain.

Hubs and I got our hospital bags together and hopped in the car.  I called my mom on the way there and she happened to mention that she had only had back labor and never had contractions in the front.  Hmm, so maybe this was the real thing.

I was really hoping it was...

He’s Here!

Maybe you’ve noticed that I haven’t been around for a week or so.  Well, I finally had a good excuse.  Maple Baby arrived!  Yeah, I know that a lot of bloggers kept on blogging through labor and then were back at the blogging scene the day after, but I am not like that.  It took me a whole week to get back on the blogging bandwagon.

Either way, here’s a picture of Maple Baby:

I think he’s pretty adorable.  He was born last Thursday, 6 Sept. and we are slowing adjusting to having a new baby.  The first few nights were sleepless but we just love holding him and smothering him in kisses.  He pretty much sleeps, eats, and poops all day and eats and poops all night!

At times I still can’t believe that I’m a Mommy and that I have a little baby that came from me.  I will write a separate post on the actual birth, but let’s just say it wasn’t a pain-free experience!  I will say that the post-partum aspect of pregnancy has been way worse than the actual pregnancy and delivery.  The main problem is that I seem to have developed some kind of rash that has spread over my entire body (sparing only my face so far) and it itches like nothing else in my life.  It is really making me miserable as I scratch my arms and legs until they bleed.  And half the time I don’t even realize I’m doing it.  No one is exactly sure what it is – either PUPPPs gone wild or some kind of hives.  So, now I have some steroid cream to put on it and am taking Benadryl.  The last thing a new mom needs is the extra exhaustion that Benadryl provides!

Ok, I will write a more substantial post later on, but I wanted to announce little Maple Baby’s arrive!

Bump Shot: Week 37

This Bump Shot is a bit late, as I started my 37th week on Sunday and it's now Thursday, but oh well.  I didn't have a chance to post earlier.  Hubs has been obsessed with playing Yahtzee every night so that has made it difficult to blog.  And to be honest, I enjoy spending time with him and would prefer that to our normal routine where I blog and he watches TV.

So, how is pregnancy going in Week 37?

The same as Week 36.  Not too much difference.  But here are my thoughts:

* I am getting a little annoyed with having to drive to the doctor's every week.  Weekly appointments are not fun.  I love hearing the heartbeat and making sure Maple Baby is healthy, but every week seems like a lot.  I feel like we're there all the time.

* My Braxton-Hicks contractions are out of control.  Seriously, my stomach constantly feels like a cement rock.  It is crazy.  Even when it's "soft" it's still super hard.  I don't know what's going on in there, but a rock hard tummy makes it difficult to sit.  If it's true what the midwives say, that it is my uterus building strength and practicing labor, then my uterus will be a body-building machine by the time we're through.  It's too bad that my tummy won't be this "tight" after pregnancy!

* My appetite has drastically reduced.  It's weird.  I expected to be hungry all the time at this point in my pregnancy, but I'm not.  I have a normal appetite at lunchtime but for dinner I have almost no appetite.  I cook a nice dinner for hubs and then I eat five bites and don't want anymore.  And normally when this happens it means I just don't want what I cooked for dinner so I eat a bunch of other stuff (like ice cream sandwiches and chips, etc.).  However, now I just don't want anything.  The doctor told me I lost three pounds in a week.  He said it was completely fine and that a lot of people lose some weight at the end of their pregnancy but that he was going to "keep an eye on it".   So last night I ate a huge bowl of pasta at 9pm after we got back from the docs.  I think it was too big and too late because I then threw up at 3am.  And to gross you out even more, none of the pasta was digested.  Hubs said that I should not have chosen spaghetti with tomato sauce because it's too acidic.  I would have to agree with him.  Tonight I am going out for Indian food with my college friends - I will have to make sure I don't go overboard and I stay away from tomato-y sauces.

* My clothes are getting too small.  My shirts are starting to get a little short.  My pants fit fine but shirts that easily covered my bump now hang a tad bit high.  I know that belly shirts are coming back in style (the horror!) but I don't think that they mean belly shirts on pregnant women.  It's not really very flattering.  I haven't gotten a stretch mark yet (according to my sister, she got all of hers AFTER delivery) but I can assure you that my big, ol' belly is not sexy and no one wants to see it hanging out of the bottom of my shirt.  It's a good thing I only have to go to the office one more week because I'm not sure what I'd wear after that.

* We finally got the nursery done this past weekend.  That was a huge feat.  I feel very relieved that it's set up.  We even put the baby/doggie gate across the door so that the Dolce-meister can't get in.  I am still working on my hospital bag though.  I put stuff in the bag, I just have to purchase some things that need to go in there.  Like juice (we had bought some but then drank it all) and snacks and batteries.  We have been extremely broke this week because we spent all our money on hubs's new glasses (seriously, $400+ for glasses is ridiculous) and my Chemistry books ($200+) so we couldn't buy anything until pay day (that may also be why I lost three pounds...we have no food in the house).  This weekend we should be able to buy a few more things and finish up the hospital bag.

* Hubs is getting more and more excited.  And nervous.  And terrified.  I think he's going to be a raving lunatic when I go into labor.  I mentioned to him that the baby wasn't moving around a lot and he got over the top worried (so I then had a talk with Maple Baby and told him he had to move around all the time, so he's now a moving machine).  So now hubs calls me ALL. THE. TIME. to make sure the baby's moving.  I also made a comment that maybe my water had broken and was leaking a tiny bit (which it wasn't) and he made me call the doctor and find out exactly what amniotic fluid looks like, etc.  Pretty much, I can't tell him anything because he turns into a crazy worry-wort.  I asked him what he worries about the most and he said that he's afraid I might die in childbirth. I guess that's probably more common in Honduras than here and I tried to tell him that there was a very slim chance that I'd die (unless we got in an accident because he's driving to the birthing center like a crazy person).  However, he gets more and more worried every day.  It's a good thing we have the doulas because I think they may have to give him some chill-pills.

So, those are some of my pregnancy thoughts this week.  I am still feeling like the birth is a ways off.

What do you think?  Any predictions on when I might go into labor?

I am officially due on 9/9....

Spots of Happiness V.4

Is it really Friday again?  My how time flies these days!  I guess having so much stuff to organize and get ready makes the time go by much faster than normal.  This week was full of happy spots, so let's see if I can remember them!

* Another baby shower!  My co-workers threw me a very lovely baby shower at work this week.  It was so fun and beautiful.  They even had a theme: Pea in a Pod.  So cute!  The entire conference room was decorated and there was a huge cannoli cake and food and presents.  It was amazing.  I felt so loved!  My coworkers are AWESOME!

* We also had another party at work - but a going-away breakfast.  Not quite so happy, but I'm happy for my co-worker because she is embarking on a new adventure.  I imagine it's scary to start a new life path and I think it's amazing when people do.  So, although I'm sad to see her go (we've worked together for almost five years), I'm happy that she is getting an opportunity to fulfill a dream.  And I know it will work out!

* While on the topic of being happy for other people, I'm happy for my best bus friend because I am pretty sure she's getting a new job!  I'm sad for me, because she won't be on the bus anymore, but I'm thrilled she found a job that is only SIX minutes from her house!!!  For those of you who don't understand, we commute 3-4 hours a day for work.  That's a LONG time.  It takes about an hour and twenty minutes to get to work in the morning and about two hours to get home.  Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes it's shorter (but not often).  Either way - it's TOO MUCH TIME.  I am so happy that she has found a new job that she really wants that is soooooo close.  Her life will drastically improve!  I, on the other hand, will be stalked by scary, sketchey old men again.  Boo.

* I am very happy that I have an umbrella the size of a small house.  It was pouring rain this morning and everyone else was getting soaked (in their tiny umbrellas that barely cover their heads) but I was completely dry because my umbrella was so big.  It's a golf umbrella and people always make fun of me because it's soooooooooooo huge, but really, it works so great.  And this morning, no one made a comment at the bus stop about how large my umbrella was.  I'm sure they were jealous.

* Dress Rehearsal!  Hubs and I took a Dress Rehearsal class at the birthing center.  Basically they go over what to expect during labor, when to call the midwife, what to bring, what to do, etc.  It's exciting and scary at the same time.  It could literally happen any time (but we're not ready, so don't happen yet!).  I also heard from my doula so we are meeting next week.  I am hoping she's nice, experienced, and doesn't make me feel awkward (since I will have to birth a baby in front of her).  Actually, I am hoping that labor makes all my modesty disappear because I am a little apprehensive about giving birth in front of people.  I feel awkward already.  Maybe once the pain starts I'll get over it.  At least I hope I will.

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What spots of happiness have you had this week?

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

 - Getting baby's room organized!

Do you have a huge umbrella or one of those tiny ones?

Are we ready for Maple Baby?

So, one question I get a lot is, "So, are you ready for the baby to come?" or "I bet you can't wait for that baby to come out!".

Umm, actually, no we aren't ready and yes, I can wait!!!!

I think I am mentally ready - I'm super excited to meet Maple Baby and hold him and take care of him (although I realize he's much easier to take care of in my belly than out).  I am not tired of being pregnant yet, so it's not like I want him out for that reason.  I'm actually content with him inside of me now and I know I'll miss his little kicks and his twists and turns.

But, really, the reason I want him to stay a tad bit longer in my oven belly is because of this:

Yup, that is Maple Baby's room.  Looks like it's all ready for him to move in!  Yikes!!!

Hubs said he was going to try and work on it today, so we'll see if he does.  It was all nice and neat, but then we had the baby shower so I put all of the baby stuff in there.  And then we got a stroller, so that went in there too.  And then yesterday our golf friends gave us their antique (is it an antique if it's only 20 years old?) dresser and changing table, so that got piled in there too.

The furniture is beautiful though.  I love it!  It's such great quality and will work out so well.  Eventually I'm going to do a post on all the things in my house that were given to me.  It's includes pretty much everything.  I think the only things we actually bought were our sofa and our TV stand.  Everything else was gifted to me/us from friends and family.  And it's worked out so well - we have lovely furniture!  And this new baby furniture is great.

So, no, we are not "ready" for Maple Baby to show up yet.  I mean, I haven't even packed my hospital bag yet!  Or finished reading my birthing books!  Cook for a tad bit longer Baby - I promise we'll get organized soon and your room won't be a safety hazard for too much longer....

Bump Shot: 35 Weeks

 

This is a nice comparision shot - in the bottom right corner you can see my belly from Week 29 (about 6 weeks ago).  I, personally, don't think it looks that much bigger now.  However, it FEELS bigger.  And in my mirror it looks bigger.  So, I'm not sure if it really is or it's just my imagination.  I can definitely tell that Maple Baby is getting heavier in there.  My thighs are pretty tired after climbing four flights of stairs to my apartment - and they really shouldn't be.  I wonder how much easier walking/running is going to be without an extra 30+ pounds inside of me.  I'm not sure if that's how much weight I've gained, but it's got to be something like that.  So my legs are probably getting stronger, right?  It's like walking with a weighted vest or something.  Or so I'm pretending.

Although things haven't gone completely downhill, I must admit that pregnancy is getting a tad bit more difficult.  Here are my thoughts on Week 35:

Minor Dislikes

* My feet are swelling more.  I haven't really had much of a problem with swelling up until now.  I think my feet have been swollen a few times, but nothing too noticeable.  Well, now they are swollen almost every day.  Sometimes all day and sometimes just at night.  I lost my work shoes last week (don't ask) and had to wear tennis shoes to work (and it was glorious).  Well, I found my shoes on Sunday so wore them to work yesterday - and it was painful!  My feet got swollen and my shoes felt so uncomfortable.  I wanted to take them off all day but was afraid if I did, I'd never get them back in my shoes.  And I didn't have another pair so I would have had to walk barefoot to the bus!  So, I kept them squished inside my shoes all day and the walk to the bus stop was quite miserable.  I am back in tennis shoes today.  I think maybe God hid my work shoes for a reason and they should stay hidden....

* I have to go to the bathroom at night.  Yup, I went 35 weeks without having to pee in the middle of the night, but that has ended.  I now wake up about 3am-4am and have to use the loo.  The worst is when I wake up at 4:30am to pee and I have to get up at 4:45am to walk the dog.  There is nothing worse than waking up 15 minutes before your alarm is going to go off.  What a bummer.

* I've had more headaches.  I think this is related to not drinking enough, and not some medical condition.  It's annoying though because I'm trying not to take any pain killers.  The headaches I get during pregnancy are nothing compared to the horrible headaches I get when I'm not pregnant (the type that never go away and keep getting stronger and stronger until you can't take it anymore).  It hasn't been hard to avoid Tylenol, but a headache is never really fun.  I took so much Tylenol in my second month of pregnancy when I had that horrendous sinus infection that I feel I shouldn't take another pill for ten years.  I'm trying to drink more water instead!

Those are the main "complaints" I have - nothing too grand and really, nothing to complain about.  Everything else is still pretty much the same.

Likes

I am still liking pregnancy, even with the minor dislikes addressed above.  I always felt that my body was made to birth babies for some reason and so far it has been good to me during pregnancy.  We'll see whether it was made to actually birth the baby in a few weeks! Here are some pregnancy positives:

* No heartburn - yay!

* No problems sleeping, although I miss sleeping on my back.

* No problems walking - I am still walking about 2 miles a day and then about 5 miles on Saturdays.  It still feels great to get moving and work my little body out. It will feel so great to go on my first run after recovering from labor.

* I really love how people/cars stop for me all the time.  If I need to cross the road, cars always stop and let me go.  Seeing as how stopping for people in crosswalks is becoming a dying art, I am always surprised when people stop and let me cross the street, cross parking lots, cross anywhere.  It's great.

* I am still LOVING feeling Maple Baby move.  Sometimes, for a split second, I feel like I have a parasite living in my belly and it catches me by surprise.  I'll feel this whirling going on and then I'll remember it's Maple Baby twisting and turning.  It is so fun and weird at the same time.  And hubs LOVES to rest his hand on my belly and feel him moving his hiney from one side of my belly button to the other.  He would be so shocked if he knew just how much moving around he did in there all day long.

Fears

As the birth of little Maple Baby approaches I feel like there are a few things that are getting me a bit nervous.  I am so excited to meet Maple Baby but I still have a few fears....

* I have a fear, as I'm sure many do, that I'm going to go into labor early.  I can only give birth at the birth center from week 37-42 and so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can hold out until at least week 37.  I won't be devastated if I can't give birth in the birthing center, but I really don't want Maple Baby to come too early.

* I'm also starting to get a little nervous about actually giving birth.  I'm hoping that's normal.  It is kind of a scary unknown - something that I'm hoping I'm ready and able to do, but since I have no idea, it's still a bit scary.  How will it feel?  How will I do?  Will I regret not having some sort of pain management?  It's exciting and scary at the same time.

* For some reason I also have a fear of developing postpartum depression.  There is a lot more talk about postpartum depression these days (which is great, since it isn't something that should be swept under the carpet and ignored), but all the talk makes me nervous that it's something that could happen to me.  I have not enjoyed having crazy mood swings during pregnancy (where I go from happy to super sad in ten seconds - I think hubs likes it even less) and I know there will be a big decrease in hormones after the baby is born and it will be normal to have some baby blues, but I'm hoping that that is all that happens.  We shall see.

Ok, this post has gone on for way too long!  That is my Week 35 update - nothing too new and exciting but hopefully somewhat entertaining. 

Why I'm hoping to have an unmedicated birth

I don't have any pictures today, so I figured I'd post about something that doesn't require pictures: my birth plan.  Ok, so I'm not so organized that I have a real birth plan yet, but I have a birth idea.

As long as Maple Baby and I remain healthy and he doesn't decided to come too early or too late, I am planning on a birth center birth.  What does this mean exactly?  Well, a birth center is run by midwives and does limited interventions (no pitocin, no epidural, low episiotomy rates, no C-sections, etc.).  Obviously if there is a problem, like I end up needing a C-section, I can easily and quickly be transported to a hospital.  In my case there is an ambulance two doors down and the hospital is 7 minutes away - so very easily accessible.

I decided I wanted a birth center birth years ago, way before I was pregnant.  It was actually when my sister was pregnant.  I bought her Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth by The Boston Women's Health Collective and ended up reading the entire thing. 

It had a section on birth centers and the benefits and things like that so I did a little research and found a birth center near me that looked really nice.  I decided then that if I were ever to have children I'd like to birth in a birthing center as opposed to a hospital. 

My sister's births solidified that idea.  Not that my sister had horrible births, she was quite happy with them and both her children were healthy.  I was just disappointed with how she was treated while at the hospital and the interventions they used.  Nurses would just walk in and out of her room and look at all the machine print-outs, etc.  They never really explained much to her and when asked a question they would give a really quick, simple answer.  I, a person who likes an abundance of knowledge, wanted more information.  And I felt like my sister deserved more attention and care than she was given.  This is just my opinion because my sister didn't feel like that at all.  We are just very different, which is completely fine.  I support my sister's decisions to have her children at the hospital 100% - I think people should give birth wherever and however they are most comfortable.

I knew that for me, being able to birth in a bedroom setting, with different birthing positions and less hospital-like style would work best.  I wanted to be able to move around freely, hop in a bath for a few hours, listen to music, and things of that nature.  Most of the time you can't do that in the hospital (although you can in some).  And to me, hospitals are a place for sick people - and a healthy pregnancy isn't a sickness.  Obviously, many health conditions can lead to the necessity of a

This is one of the birthing rooms -
looks much more like a B&B than a hospital!

As for the un-medicated part, I have always just wanted an un-medicated birth (and I'm secretly terrified of the epidural needle).  Not really for any reason in particular.  I have read lots of information on babies being born drugged from an epidural, mom's feeling drugged, bad epidural stories, etc., but I did not base my decision on that at all.  I think that there are good reasons to have an epidural and women should not be judged because they choose one. Plenty of healthy babies are born to mom's who have an epidural.

Really, I think I choose an un-medicated birth because my mom had un-medicated births.  When my mom talks about giving birth to me and my older sister she never talked about being in huge amounts of pain or laboring for hours and hours.  She had really easy births with us (or so she says) and we both just "popped" out - no medication, no screaming in labor, nothing really scary at all.  And I think that that is what resonated with me.  The idea that birth wasn't necessarily as scary as they portrayed it on TV or in the movies - that it could really be something quite natural and pleasant.  I think growing up not having this huge fear of childbirth or thinking it was the worst pain in the entire world had a profound effect on the way I wanted to deliver my children.  If I had grown up with stories of fear and pain and torture, I might be terrified to give birth without any type of pain medication.  I guess we'll never know though.

So, that's my plan.  I definitely don't think it's the plan for everyone.  People have different reasons for choosing to birth the way they do, and those reasons should be respected.  I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to birthing a baby.  I do think that women aren't informed enough about their choices (I had to do all my research on my own and read a bunch of books, etc. - it's not something I ever learned in school or heard from a doctor) and about childbirth in general.  Most people take a class that just goes over hospital policies and then shows a video with a naked women screaming and giving birth and that's it.  I don't think that that is quite enough information for anyone.  However, I do work in the health field and I am very interested in making good health choices for myself and researching medications and treatment plans rather than just taking a doctor or nurses word for it (or pop culture, mainstream media, or friends).  So, that is how I approached birth.

Now I just have to see whether Maple Baby will cooperate.  If I go into labor before 37 weeks or after 42 weeks then I won't have too much of a choice - I'll have to go to the hospital.  I am pretty flexible though - my main goal to have a healthy baby and you won't see me fighting tooth and nail to make sure I have the baby the way I want to have him.  I am ultimately at the mercy of him and when he decides to make an appearance and how (he could be breached, etc.).

I do realize that a lot of people have really strong opinions on these topics - and some people feel it is their right and duty to let me know.  Many people say that I will be begging for an epidural or that it isn't safe to give birth outside of a hospital, etc.  However, people really seem to be forming a lot of opinions on pregnancy, birth, and childrearing these days and there is no way to please everyone.  Breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding, caffeine or no caffeine during pregnancy, exercise during pregnancy, attachment parenting vs. whatever the opposite is called, vaccines vs. no vaccines, etc.  There are so many different philosophies and there is no best answer for every parent and his or her child. 

I am just doing what I feel is best for me and my baby - and I'm trying to to read too many "Mommy Wars" articles - especially the comments section!

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What are your thoughts on childbirth?

Did you have an un-medicated birth?

Did your mom ever talk about your birth story?