Such a sweet episode!
My 1st child Tucker 4-7-2010
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
How we revealed we were pregnant
Blast from the past. At my family's Christmas celebration we revealed our big news! We put a shirt on Tucker that said "I'm going to be a big brother." The whole process of everyone noticing was supposed to last longer, but my sister Allie noticed right away and let out a huge gasp.
Monday, March 26, 2012
A stunning home birth film
Artistically displayed in an extreme low light condition. Just breathtaking!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The cost of a home birth
Here's an article about the cost of one family's home birth compared to a hospital.
"It's good to have that safety net there of the hospital," says Jason. "But to rely on them for everything, when health care is so expensive, just doesn't make sense.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Patulous Eustachian Tube (a pregnancy condition)
I haven't been able to sleep, eat or enjoy my life at all. I haven't gained any weight from the pregnancy. There has been many tears, many prayers, depression and panic attacks from this condition. After about 5 family practice doctor visits, 3 different antibiotics, nasal rinses, nasal decongestants, warm cloths and heating pads, sinus massage, a steroid to reduce the inflammation; my doctor decided to send me to an ENT (ear, nose, throat specialist this morning.
I was expecting to have the ENT find excess fluid in my ears and possibly a severe bacteria infection. I was expecting to have a TMP. This is where they basically stick a needle, an intentional perforation, in your ear drum to create a passage way for the fluid to drain out. They also may put tubes in your ears to help continually drain the fluid. I was so desperate for relief, that I was ready for this painful and invasive procedure.
Then the shocking news came. To my surprise, the ENT found NO fluid in my ears and a perfect looking ear canal. I thought he must be joking because I had been told for days that there was a fluid build up in my inner ear canal(Eustachian tube). I have been taking a steroid the past couple days to reduce the inflammation in my ear canal, so there's a possibility that any fluid in my ears may have drained because of this medicine. The prior doctors may have been seeing some normal puss build up from the sinus infection, that is supposed to drain fairly quickly. But I still had the fullness/pressure in my ears.
After a few tests, the ENT diagnosed me with Patulous Eustachian Tube. "This a rare physical disorder where the Eustachian tube, which is normally closed, instead stays intermittently open. When this occurs, the patient experiences autophony, the hearing of self-generated sounds. These sounds, such as one's own breathing, voice, and heartbeat, vibrate directly onto the ear drum and can create a "bucket on the head" effect. It causes an unpleasant fullness feeling in the middle ear and alters the auditory perception." This condition gets worse with pregnancy." This sinus infection I've had has also made it worse. The ENT called it a rare condition intensified by pregnancy. What a shocker! I had never heard of this condition and especially that my pregnancy caused this.
With Tucker's pregnancy (my first son), I now remember feeling a heartbeat sensation in my ear. My OB told me it was probably just another weird pregnancy symptom. So I didn't really think much of it since it wasn't too bothersome. But this sweet new baby is really making suffer during this pregnancy :)
Anyway, the severity of this condition has gone down dramatically since I started the low dose of steroids (Which is safe for my stage in pregnancy). Thank God I know now what's wrong with me and I can make proactive choices and actions to manage this rare condition. I'm so happy I decided to see a specialist! Oh the joys of pregnancy!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Sick!
Hi everyone!
I have been SO sick, with the flu, for the past few weeks and haven't been able to post much. Sorry! I will hopefully be posting soon! Enjoy this beautiful day!
I have been SO sick, with the flu, for the past few weeks and haven't been able to post much. Sorry! I will hopefully be posting soon! Enjoy this beautiful day!
Friday, March 9, 2012
In case you missed it. "This Woman's Work" slideshow
I posted this a couple weeks ago. Just in case you missed it, here it is again! Enjoy!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Home births have a lower risk profile than hospital births
"The percentage of home births that were preterm was 6%, compared with 12% for hospital births (Figure 6).
The percentage of home births that were low birthweight was 4%, compared with 8% for hospital births.
Less than 1% of home births were multiple deliveries, compared with 3.5% of hospital births.
The lower risk profile of home births suggests that home birth attendants are selecting low-risk women as candidates for home birth (5)."http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db84.htm#Fig3
The percentage of home births that were low birthweight was 4%, compared with 8% for hospital births.
Less than 1% of home births were multiple deliveries, compared with 3.5% of hospital births.
The lower risk profile of home births suggests that home birth attendants are selecting low-risk women as candidates for home birth (5)."http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db84.htm#Fig3
Percentages of home births by state residence
"The percentage of home births was generally higher in the northwestern and lower in the southeastern United States."
"In 2009, Montana had the highest percentage of home births (2.55%), followed by Oregon (1.96%) and Vermont (1.91%). Five additional states (Idaho, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin) had a percentage of home births of 1.50% or above (Figure 3).
In contrast, the percentage of home births was less than 0.50% for southeastern states from Texas to North Carolina, as well as for Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
The increase in the percentage of home births from 2004 to 2009 was widespread and involved selected states from every region of the country. Overall, 31 states had statistically significant increases, and only two areas had statistically significant declines."http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db84.htm
"In 2009, Montana had the highest percentage of home births (2.55%), followed by Oregon (1.96%) and Vermont (1.91%). Five additional states (Idaho, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin) had a percentage of home births of 1.50% or above (Figure 3).
In contrast, the percentage of home births was less than 0.50% for southeastern states from Texas to North Carolina, as well as for Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
The increase in the percentage of home births from 2004 to 2009 was widespread and involved selected states from every region of the country. Overall, 31 states had statistically significant increases, and only two areas had statistically significant declines."http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db84.htm
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Incredible water birth video!
The bond that this couple shares together is just incredible.
"I love you...I'm so happy to meet you. You were worth every bit of the pain."
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
15 week prenatal checkup
This morning, on a beautiful 66 degree sunny day, I headed to my 15 week checkup with my midwife in Madison. We discussed how I was feeling, any questions I had, and upcoming prenatal tests.
Early last week I came down with a cold/flu, which caused conjunctivitis in my eyes and an ear infection. Thankfully the infections are gone, but now I'm struggling with congestion, a runny nose, and a nasty cough. Fun stuff! I've also been having random bouts of Sciatica. I learned that the baby is causing my pelvic area to be slightly off kilter and causing the pain, which is completely normal.
We talked about the other joys of pregnancy, like peeing my pants every time I cough or sneeze, pregnancy stretches(She actually got down on the floor, in a skirt, and demonstrated. Thanks Debbie!), orgasms(Yes, I said the "O" word), and sex during pregnancy. I learned that having an orgasm during pregnancy is not only good for me, but good for the baby. The love hormone, Oxytocin, is released. She exclaimed, "have more sex!" lol.
I was also informed that there will be up to 3 midwives at my home birth. I was happy to hear this but then I thought, "how will we all fit in our small house?" There will be not only the midwives, but a photographer, my mom, my son Tucker, and my husband Zach and I. Wow! Party! My midwife said they're used to squeezing in small places.
Lastly, she checked my blood pressure and the babies heart beat. While she was listening to the heart beat, we actually heard the sound interference of the baby kicking. So awesome. Lovely day!
Pregnancy Questionnaire
How far along? 15 weeks
Due date: August 28th, 2012
Baby #? 2nd child
Symptoms? Some nausea, sciatica, frequent urination, sore nipples ;)...etc.
Movement? Yes! It's like butterflies fluttering around. Little pokes.
Cravings? Deli sandwiches loaded with veggies and cheese, mashed potatoes, eggs,hash browns, and pancakes.
Gender of baby: Unknown, but we will hopefully find out in about 1 month.
Doctor or Midwife: Certified Nurse Midwife
Hospital or home birth? Planned home birth
Mood? Emotional ups and downs.
Looking forward to: Getting over this cold! Also, going on a mini vaca to the Dells this weekend.
Monday, March 5, 2012
My Thoughts...
I realized the other day that I haven't really put my own thoughts, opinions, or views of childbirth on my blog. My intention is not to offend or cause a ruckus, but since I'm so passionate about birth this might be hard. One might speculate from my posts, that I'm a certain way or the other. Hopefully the following will clarify a few things.
First of all, I'm a follower of Christ and believe that our lives are not about ourselves and our accomplishments. But rather, about God's glory and being completely satisfied in him. As Jonathan Edwards states: "The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to Heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant experiences here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives or children, or the company of earthly friends are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. God is the ocean."
Secondly, I do believe that childbirth is a very natural thing created by God. He designed it and therefore it is beautiful. A laboring woman should be allowed to let the birth unfold naturally, in its own timing. Everybody is so different. Some labors may take 3 days and other's 3hrs. There is nothing wrong with that, unless of course there is a legitimate medical concern that could cause danger to the mother or baby. In my opinion, a lot of hospitals and doctors set up laboring women to fail. They convince them that their bodies don't know how to labor and birth correctly. If the labor is not going fast enough for their liking, they will force it in a way. They will administer Pitocin to cause contractions, which can make the pain even worse. They will give an Epidural to then alleviate the pain, which can sometimes then slow down the labor or cause so much numbness that the woman can't feel herself push and she fails to progress. After all that, if she fails even more to progress after all the unnecessary interventions, they will try to pull the baby out with forceps, vacuum, or cesarean. I wonder what would happen if the doctors and hospital staff took a more hands off approach and let the woman's labor unfold on it's own??? I believe that the majority of women would be able to birth naturally(vaginally without medicine). I'm not talking about women who are considered high risk; breech babies, multiples, preeclampsia or other conditions. That is a different story and should be handled with caution.
I believe our maternal health crisis in the U.S. shouldn't be blamed on the decisions pregnant women make, but rather the birth educators. Obviously, we have a problem with the way our country handles childbirth. We have a very high maternal death rate and cesarean rate. So many women leave the hospital feeling stripped of there birth experience. This is incredibly sad to me and it needs to change.
My passion and desire is that pregnant women be informed correctly about the process of child birth. You cannot put all your eggs in one basket and fully trust one source, like your doctor. This is not a slam against all doctors, as I actually had a great one with my 1st son's birth. One should do research on there own. Take classes. Learn about natural childbirth and the benefits. Learn about the medicines administered and how they can effect your body and baby. Talk to other birth educators like Midwives and doulas. Please don't choose to be ignorant about this. Make informed decisions. After all your research, come up with a birth plan and talk to your doctor, OB or midwife. Make sure you're on the same page. In the end, if you choose to use, for example, medication or other interventions in your labor, because you believe it will be best for you and your family, then great! You can feel assured that you are doing the right thing. I totally respect that if you've done your own research and have come up with an informed decision. Remember this is YOUR body, baby and birth. No one else can deliver your baby for you. YOU deliver your baby.
Another issue is that a lot of women, who decide they want to give birth naturally without medication in a hospital, often fail because they don't have a good support system. A lot of times the woman gets into the heat of labor and thinks she can't handle it anymore. She then becomes vulnerable to the hospital staff. She is weak and compromising her original plan. I can relate to this because when I arrived at the hospital, for my first birth experience, I begged the staff for some kind of pain reliever. Even though I originally wanted to deliver naturally. Fortunately, I had my husband to advocate for me what I truly wanted. I also was 9cm dilated, so they probably wouldn't have given me anything anyway. Regardless, I had complete trust in my husband and know that in the situation of me not being very far along, he would have stood up and taken charge. If you feel your husband or partner will not be a good support for you,or you just simply want more support, then hire a doula. A doula is a non-medical support to women and their families. They focus on loving and encouraging the woman during labor. They are referred to as natural pain relievers. They can also serve as a source of information during pregnancy and birth. They desire for women to have safe and satisfying birth experiences. They will be your birth advocate; your voice.
I understand that sometimes our birth plans don't go as planned. For example a breech baby that must be delivered by cesarean. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Just view it as God's will for you and take peace in that. Just know that you did everything you could and had the best intentions. Thank God for cesarean sections! They can save lives during an emergency. Feel empowered in your decisions! The way our children come into the world matters right?
Whether you choose a hospital birth with doctor, OB or Midwife, a birth center or home birth with a Midwife and doula...you can have a beautiful, satisfying and life changing birth experience. The decision is yours; run with it.
First of all, I'm a follower of Christ and believe that our lives are not about ourselves and our accomplishments. But rather, about God's glory and being completely satisfied in him. As Jonathan Edwards states: "The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to Heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant experiences here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives or children, or the company of earthly friends are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. God is the ocean."
Secondly, I do believe that childbirth is a very natural thing created by God. He designed it and therefore it is beautiful. A laboring woman should be allowed to let the birth unfold naturally, in its own timing. Everybody is so different. Some labors may take 3 days and other's 3hrs. There is nothing wrong with that, unless of course there is a legitimate medical concern that could cause danger to the mother or baby. In my opinion, a lot of hospitals and doctors set up laboring women to fail. They convince them that their bodies don't know how to labor and birth correctly. If the labor is not going fast enough for their liking, they will force it in a way. They will administer Pitocin to cause contractions, which can make the pain even worse. They will give an Epidural to then alleviate the pain, which can sometimes then slow down the labor or cause so much numbness that the woman can't feel herself push and she fails to progress. After all that, if she fails even more to progress after all the unnecessary interventions, they will try to pull the baby out with forceps, vacuum, or cesarean. I wonder what would happen if the doctors and hospital staff took a more hands off approach and let the woman's labor unfold on it's own??? I believe that the majority of women would be able to birth naturally(vaginally without medicine). I'm not talking about women who are considered high risk; breech babies, multiples, preeclampsia or other conditions. That is a different story and should be handled with caution.
I believe our maternal health crisis in the U.S. shouldn't be blamed on the decisions pregnant women make, but rather the birth educators. Obviously, we have a problem with the way our country handles childbirth. We have a very high maternal death rate and cesarean rate. So many women leave the hospital feeling stripped of there birth experience. This is incredibly sad to me and it needs to change.
My passion and desire is that pregnant women be informed correctly about the process of child birth. You cannot put all your eggs in one basket and fully trust one source, like your doctor. This is not a slam against all doctors, as I actually had a great one with my 1st son's birth. One should do research on there own. Take classes. Learn about natural childbirth and the benefits. Learn about the medicines administered and how they can effect your body and baby. Talk to other birth educators like Midwives and doulas. Please don't choose to be ignorant about this. Make informed decisions. After all your research, come up with a birth plan and talk to your doctor, OB or midwife. Make sure you're on the same page. In the end, if you choose to use, for example, medication or other interventions in your labor, because you believe it will be best for you and your family, then great! You can feel assured that you are doing the right thing. I totally respect that if you've done your own research and have come up with an informed decision. Remember this is YOUR body, baby and birth. No one else can deliver your baby for you. YOU deliver your baby.
Another issue is that a lot of women, who decide they want to give birth naturally without medication in a hospital, often fail because they don't have a good support system. A lot of times the woman gets into the heat of labor and thinks she can't handle it anymore. She then becomes vulnerable to the hospital staff. She is weak and compromising her original plan. I can relate to this because when I arrived at the hospital, for my first birth experience, I begged the staff for some kind of pain reliever. Even though I originally wanted to deliver naturally. Fortunately, I had my husband to advocate for me what I truly wanted. I also was 9cm dilated, so they probably wouldn't have given me anything anyway. Regardless, I had complete trust in my husband and know that in the situation of me not being very far along, he would have stood up and taken charge. If you feel your husband or partner will not be a good support for you,or you just simply want more support, then hire a doula. A doula is a non-medical support to women and their families. They focus on loving and encouraging the woman during labor. They are referred to as natural pain relievers. They can also serve as a source of information during pregnancy and birth. They desire for women to have safe and satisfying birth experiences. They will be your birth advocate; your voice.
I understand that sometimes our birth plans don't go as planned. For example a breech baby that must be delivered by cesarean. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Just view it as God's will for you and take peace in that. Just know that you did everything you could and had the best intentions. Thank God for cesarean sections! They can save lives during an emergency. Feel empowered in your decisions! The way our children come into the world matters right?
Whether you choose a hospital birth with doctor, OB or Midwife, a birth center or home birth with a Midwife and doula...you can have a beautiful, satisfying and life changing birth experience. The decision is yours; run with it.
Friday, March 2, 2012
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