We ARE Choosing A Home Birth
I’ll be seeing Lynda Barton-Kirch and I will give birth to our third child in our home. Somehow it doesn’t feel as freeing as I thought it would. Maybe it’s because I’m so busy with two little boys (ages 3.5 and 1.5) that I just don’t have the time to think about it, or because the first trimester KICKED MY BUTT.
Anyways, I’ve read and enjoyed countless home birth stories over the last several years. I’ve seen home birth on the web, TV and in The Business of Being Born. I was moved every time. It just hasn’t been my experience yet.
The two experiences I’ve had were fine. I planned and prepared for a natural drug-free birth with both of my babies. Got it with number two. It was a good experience. I didn’t have to fight my OB or hospital to birth the way I wanted to. So, in my mind, home birth was beautiful but I had okay experiences with an OB at a hospital and I didn’t truly wish for something else. I’ve mentioned it before, but this time around I don’t have the same opportunity to have a birth similar to my last experiences. My OB moved away.
That fact has been harder on me than I thought it would be. She was a big part of my life during the most monumental months, and moments, of my life. It’s really hard to wrap my head around a different scenario. I’m sure I will eventually. And I’m sure I’m going to truly enjoy giving birth in the comfort of my home.
For now, I’m going to have to deal with the stress of people not understanding home birth. (So glad I have a blog I can point people to if they have questions.) I haven’t actually had to address any negativity head on YET, but I’m sure the time will come.
Only 0.6% of births occur in the home. Because of this there is a lot of misunderstanding about the safety of home birth. I’m glad I’ll be able to do my part in helping to educate the masses. Ha!
So, in the next few weeks (especially now that I’m feeling better) I’m going to address some of the objections to home birth. Hopefully we’ll all learn a little in the process.
For now, if you have questions about home birth, would you please leave them in a comment here so I can answer them in later blog posts? Thanks a bunch!
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Why I May Choose A Home Birth
Brian and I interviewed our first home birth midwife on Tuesday. Just part of a journey to figure out where I’m going to give birth and who’s going to attend the birth.
I can’t believe I’m in my 10th week of pregnancy and haven’t settled on anything yet. It feels strange. Nobody’s stuck a needle in me to draw vials of blood, no one’s taken my blood pressure, we haven’t yet heard the heartbeat for the first time…
I had the same OB for my first two babies and gave birth at the same hospital. My OB was unbelievably supportive of natural childbirth. She spent more time than she ‘should’ have at our appointments…sometimes up to an hour even though we were only slotted for 10 or 15 minutes. I didn’t have to ‘fight’ for a natural birth at the hospital. Everything in my birth plan was honored.
She moved away last year. So here I am on my quest to figure out something different.
There aren’t any other OB’s that deliver at the same hospital that would be as supportive as she was. I don’t need that stress. So that hospital is out of the question. And so is the other one that is local to me, for the same reason.
The only doctor I would choose to go to delivers at a hospital that is about 30 minutes from our house. I didn’t like the 10 minute ride to the hospital while I was in labor last time. Not really wanting to be in a car for any longer (or at all) while I’m in labor this time around.
Another option…the free standing birth center…then again, it’s at least 30 minutes away.
So my options dwindle.
Truthfully, I don’t like HATE being in the hospital. A place filled with sick people. I don’t like people poking their heads in my room on what seems to be an hourly basis. I don’t like breastfeeding charts. I know what I’m doing. I don’t need a nurse to make sure I’m recording every three-minute interval of nursing, including which side it was. I don’t want my husband sleeping in an uncomfortable chair/bed. I want him in bed with me.
In the last four years, I’ve done A LOT of research on birth and pregnancy. I’ve been fascinated by The Business of Being Born, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth, The Birth Book by Dr. Sears and have done countless hours of research on the internet. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to give birth in my home.
My (sentimental) husband’s biggest fear…That he won’t ever be able to sell our house if I birth one of our babies in it.
Stay tuned to see how this all turns out.
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Happy and Healthy Pregnancy Series: Heartburn
How do you like that? A ‘series’. That means I’m going to post more. No more being lazy.
I am so incredibly thankful for all the moms on the pM Facebook page and those that have left comments on the blog with suggestions to help with pregnancy-related heartburn.
I suspect that most pregnant women experience heartburn at some stage of their pregnancy, mostly in the third trimester as baby starts to take over your insides and everything gets squished. Others, like me, start experiencing it early in pregnancy. Why? The hormone progesterone (which is found in abundance in pregnant women) causes the valve between the stomach and esophagus to relax, letting acid into the esophagus and causing irritation.
I had terrible heartburn (the same as now) when I was pregnant with #2. I LIVED on Pepcid AC, starting in my first trimester and throughout my pregnancy. I also ended up with KIDNEY STONES in my seventh month of pregnancy. One got large enough that I had to have it surgically removed two weeks after I delivered my baby. I don’t EVER want to go through that again, especially while pregnant. So, here I am in a quest to find some more natural relief methods.
Chewing Gum ~ Stimulates saliva production which can help neutralize excess stomach acid. Use sugar-free so you don’t rot your teeth out.
Papaya Enzyme ~ Papaya helps aid in digestion. Chewable tablets are easily found in grocery or drug stores.
Milk ~ Drinking too much at one time may not be beneficial. If that makes your heartburn worse, try drinking a few ounces every hour or so. And how about a bowl of cereal with milk before bed? (Thanks Cherie!)
Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar ~ Take one tablespoon and mix it with something else so you can get it down (water/honey). You don’t want this stuff on your teeth over long periods of time, so if you use it, make sure you brush right away and/or use a straw to drink it.
Almonds ~ Eat three almonds after each meal.
Ginger ~ I have some Ginger Tea I’m going to try. There are other ways to get Ginger as well. Click HERE for more info.
Earth Mama Angel Baby Heartburn Tea ~ Ingredients include marshmallow root, lemon balm, chamomile, spearmint and red raspberry leaf. I’m HIGHLY tempted to buy some of this.
Kombucha ~ A beverage that is full of probiotics and digestive enzymes. Check out THIS blog post at Passionate Homemaking for details.
Ice Cream ~ I suppose this would only work if you have occasional heartburn. With my all-day heartburn I may end up the size of a small bovine…though I may enjoy pregnancy a bit more. LOL.
There are also lifestyle/nutritional changes one can make … Eating smaller meals, not drinking anything around meal times, avoiding trigger foods such as acidic and fatty foods as well as caffeine and propping yourself up with pillows in bed.
I’m planning to start using some of these methods ASAP and will update you all later as to what’s worked best for me. Did I miss anything? Have any of these remedies worked for you?
I am not a medical doctor, nor do I have any medical training. The remedies offered above are from my own personal research. If you are unsure about any of these remedies, please check with your own healthcare provider before using them.
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