Hey all you mothers

[Sojourner]

This thread should have a warning on it ...

I don't have any labor stories of my own, but my mom was in labor with me for something like 24 hours, puking with every contraction. I was breach (I think) and they were trying to turn me, but couldn't -- apparently I was stubborn even then. So they had to do a C-section. All the rest of my sibs were C-section too.

[misereremi]

Thanks mums for clarifying about the Church's position (what a relief! I'm 12 weeks at the mo' and dreading labour)

[quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1031054' date='Jul 26 2006, 01:18 PM']
As for the "women did without for centuries so therefore we should too" comment.... women died in childbirth for centuries-- I'm not excited about replicating the way it used to be....
[/quote]

Apologies, I didn't mean it to come across like that...I meant it's something I tell myself to reassure myself that I'll be OK withouth an epidural. I simply am terrified of a needle in my spine. My Mom called out for the midwife to get one during the last 2 hours of my first labour bc she thought I couldn't cope, but my birthplan had said absolutely no, so they made me go without.

[quote name='prose' post='1031090' date='Jul 26 2006, 02:39 PM']
I also know many women (I am one of them) that gives my pain up in labor to pray for the conversion of family and for the souls in purgatory - I do this whenever I feel pain. My theory is, why feel pain for no reason or purpose??
[/quote]
Yes, same here.

[homeschoolmom]

I never dreaded or feared labor.

I did, however, dread and fear the huge blood draws early in pregnancy and even the lesser ones later. THAT was horrible.

[Fides_et_Ratio]

I'm with Sojourner... where's that warning?! :


...so, is, umm, labor time somewhat genetic? lol, after reading some of these scary stories I'm really hoping it is. My mom was in labor with my older brother for 3 hours, and I was born (seriously!) in 30 minutes, from the time my mom woke up in the morning, got to the hospital, and had me. I was out before the doctor had even arrived for the delivery. I remind my mom that her labor was only half an hour with me when she gives me that "I gave birth to you" guilt trip. And on my father's side the longest labor was only 5 hours. I've been looking forward to that.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='jkaands' post='1030932' date='Jul 25 2006, 11:23 PM']I'm an MD myself, have delivered babies, had our two in a hospital with Lamaze. Epidurals weren't available on demand in my day, 30 and 27 years ago. They were full-term but small, larger 6 lbs 12 oz.

I trained INTENSIVELY with Lamaze for my natural births, but wouldn't recommend it for anyone who didn't train intensively also. I had my husband pinch my thighs HARD-- to the bone, while I breathed thru these simulated contractions--that sort of thing. I had bruises up and down both thighs when I delivered.

Childbirth is seriously painful --I mean writhing in agony during transition painful--and unless you've had lots of dental work without lidocaine, been hung by your pecs in puberty rituals, etc. I would seriously consider have epidural anesthesia at least available, guaranteed. Childbirth deserves its reputation. I know that occasionally babies fall out, people have no labor pain, etc. but for the vast majority of us children of Eve, it hurts like bloody hell.

I would not deliver at home. It doesn't matter how 'favorable' your position is--they can't tell in early stagesanyway. If there's trouble, you have exactly FOUR MINUTES from the time the cord is compromised to get the baby OUT OF THE MOTHER. I know that there's a lot of anecdotal evidence out there are carefully controlled studies about delivering at home, but each case is individual and if something preventable happened, you would never forgive yourself. I would not rely on the anecdotal stories of others AT ALL. People will do more research on buying a car than they will in preparing for pregnancy and childbirth.

My niece by marriage was going to deliver with a midwife. She went into labor and labored all night at home without the midwife. In the AM she was 3 cm--she had gotten nowhere. They went to a hospital, had her membranes ruptured, a pitocin drip and epidural, and she stilll labored 12 more hours, finally delivering a 5.5 lb baby! She now likes to brag about her '47 hour' labor, largely brought on by herself. If she had been in a hospital with an obstetrician, her failure to progress and intervention would have been diagnosed a lot faster, with much less pain for herself. But my 6'1" niece delivered her first baby, weighing 9 lbs. at home in 3 hours! You can never tell, but you want to be in the best possilbe position to head off any complication for baby and mother and undue suffering for the mother. More people are like niece #1 than like niece #2.[/quote]

God bless you for your advice. I knew I would encounter someone like you sooner than later, someone who would give me a horror story about how hard it is. I'm glad I could confront this sooner rather than later. And don't get me wrong, I realize that childbirth is not going to be a cakewalk, that it is painful and really, not that fun.

In fact, you say, 'Don't rely on anecdotal stories of others at all' but then tell me an anecdotal story and I should take your advice. Trying to scare me into to doing it the 'right' way. This is the 'right' way for me. (P.S. Why would your niece labor without the midwife for that long? Sounds like a stupid thing to do.)

Look, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but to tell you the truth, back off. This decision is none of your business, in fact nobody's business but my own and my husband's. You don't know me at all, and I sure as heck don't know you (since you joined in this month? last month?). People who I've gotten to know here, like IcePrincess and homeschoolmom, and prose - I would take their advice more seriously as I've known them a lot longer.

And now, let's continue talking about me, because that's what this thread is about.

Edited July 26, 2006 by Lil Red

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1031296' date='Jul 26 2006, 01:11 PM']
And now, let's continue talking about me, because that's what this thread is about.
[/quote]

[Lil Red]

what did i do?

anyway, i'm getting reallllyyyyyyy tired of morning sickness (which i get mid-morning and evening - why the !heck! do they call it morning sickness!!!). last night i was trying to go to sleep when this wave of nausea hit me and i almost puked on my bed! not fun at all!

plus i'm super tired from going to an amusement park with the junior high kids last night - man, it's easy to overdo it when you're pregnant!

[homeschoolmom]

Saltines are good for morning sickness. Also lemondrops....

[Lil Red]

i'll have to try lemon drops. i am super sick of saltines. *bleh*

[jkaands]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1031296' date='Jul 26 2006, 12:11 PM']


And now, let's continue talking about me, because that's what this thread is about.
[/quote]

No, sweetie, it's not about you. It's about your baby.

[prose]

Lemonade seens to helo with nausea and so does raspberry tea.

Just think... In no time the nausea will be gone, and you will have a plethora of other complaints instead!!

[Lil Red]

[quote name='jkaands' post='1032051' date='Jul 27 2006, 01:22 PM']?????[/quote]i don't know what you said, i'm sorry. try harder next time. actually, why don't you stop replying in my thread. i think that would be best.

[quote name='prose' post='1032054' date='Jul 27 2006, 01:25 PM']Lemonade seen[color="red"][b]s[/b][/color] to hel[color="red"][b]o[/b][/color] with nausea and so does raspberry tea.

Just think... In no time the nausea will be gone, and you will have a plethora of other complaints instead!![/quote]prose, is your keyboard broken or stuck?

thanks for the suggestions. i appreciate them.

[IcePrincessKRS]

Mint teas like Bigelow's Plantation Mint (and one made by, Yogi? I think that I got from the health food store) really help... my only problem is that I hate cold teas and its waaay too hot out to drink it hot! I've been chugging alot of water and eating smaller things when I start gagging. I don't really get nauseas (sp?), I gag and then I get sick. Chewing gum can help, too. Thankfully its starting to pass for me, the past week hasn't been so bad until today.

I'm trying to think of the other things people told me that helped, but really, those couple things were the only thing that helped me in even the slightest way (this time they helped alot more, didn't dent it with Adrienne, and helped some with Genevieve) .

Have you looked into having a doula as well as a midwife? A couple of people I know who've had homebirths (friends, not my sisters in law... none of my SILs have had doulas, just midwives) highly recommend having one. Do you know if your midwife has a nurse come along to help out? (I guess these are things I'll have to think about in the future if Matt ever gets his way! lol)

One of the awesome things about midwives is that they can really tell so much about the baby's position and size just by feeling your stomach area (I don't know about doctors yet, I guess I'll give that update in a few months lol). When I had Adrienne they were afraid she was breech and gave me some exercises to do for a couple weeks. The next time I went in she had flipped, and a week later was born normally (head down). When I had Genevieve they got her weight down almost to the ounce just by feeling her size from outside my body. I never had an ultrasound with either one of them--it was a whole new experience this time!

As great as the doctor I have now is, I really miss my midwives. Even though I bounced around 5 ladies through my 40 weeks they all put in an effort to know Matt and I, and what we wanted out of our experience with them. I felt close to every one of them, their care was SO personal. My doctor is very nice, gentle, has a good bedside manner, but it didn't feel as personal. I miss that.

Oh, I forgot, sour candies like lemon drops, or even things like Sour Patch kids and War Heads are really soothing, just like HSMom said.

[Lil Red]

my midwife is a RN, so yeah, i guess there will be a nurse there, lol. i think the doula is a separate charge, but in the future, it will be built in to the whole charge.

thanks for the suggestions!

[homeschoolmom]

And for the record, this thread is, indeed about Lil Red.... until she has her baby and then we will all be gushing over him/her that we forget all about her...