Our Second Birth (at home!)

When Joshua was three years and eight months old, I was due to give birth again. One of the midwives on staff at the birth center where he was born, Angy, had started her own practice doing homebirths! I was so excited. I looked forward to puking in my own toilet. Vomiting on oneself while having hard labor in a speeding car is no fun at all! I love her attitude as she is all about natural birth and non-intervention.

She gave me lots of choices that I was not given with the birth center, such as not making me have the IV antibiotics during labor. For every decision, she gave me the risks, pros and cons, and let me decide. I really appreciated that, and her trust in a woman's body to give birth by itself. I declined most of the routine tests, including ultrasound, so we didn't know if we were getting another boy or a girl.

Two days after my "due date," I woke up at 4 AM after only 4 hours sleep, and proceeded to pace my house for about the next 10 hours while listening to a Christian worship CD nonstop. Being January and very cold, I didn't have many options for places to walk, so I just did laps around my kitchen table and back and forth through the living room. I occasionally tried to sit down, but was very quickly pacing again. I suppose this was the early stage of labor that I didn't really experience the first time when I essentially went straight to hard labor. I wasn't in much pain at all, but just couldn't stop moving.

I then spent the next several hours in my bathtub. The tub is a regular size, (no deep jacuzzi this time), so I had to mostly lie down or lean forward while sitting to keep the water on my belly. I kept adding hot water every so often, while draining off some cold.

Joshua stayed with me practically the whole time I was in the tub. He started out on the other side, then sitting on the edge, then stuck his feet in, and eventually wound up in the tub. It was really sweet and funny. I said, "I can't even labor by myself." He would rub my back and say comforting things. I didn't mind him being there at all. I just breathed through my contractions since I didn't want to be loud and scare him.

Angy came over after I was in the tub, and I asked her to check my cervix, which she only does upon request, not routinely. She says dilation is not a good indication of when the baby will be born, so there is really no reason to check. Plus, it can introduce germs. A woman can very quickly fully dilate from 0 to 10 cm., or walk around for weeks very dilated like I did with my first baby.

I should have left well enough alone, because after an already lengthy labor, I was discouraged to hear I was only 2 cm. I had her check me once or twice more during my very long soak, and don't really remember what I was, but it wasn't enough to make me get excited. She even wanted to feel my belly once during a contraction to make sure they were the strong, productive ones since I was being the silent type. I just breathed through each contraction, concentrating on them one at a time, and reminding myself I was that much closer. As during my first labor, I allowed myself to squeeze my hands together, but made the rest of my body stay relaxed, as I didn't want to fight my body's efforts by tensing up. Angy reminded me to keep my face relaxed along with my body and not to grimace. I asked her at one point how much longer did she think it would be, and I think she said an hour. I can't quite remember when I asked her, though, so I'm not sure of her accuracy!

Everyone always said that second babies come faster, so I was discouraged with how long this was taking, and after my lack of sleep, many miles walked, and then the harder stage of labor, I was so tired, and just wanted to go to sleep, which of course is not possible when you are getting ready to have a baby.

My husband, Matt, would pop in and out of the bathroom checking on me, as would Angy. It was mostly just me and my little boy. Right when it got tough, Matt came in and stayed. He seemed to know when I needed him, and when I was ok alone. I basically wanted to be alone. We had called our families around 4 PM, but I had them all stay out of the bathroom. I told our family that I wanted to labor alone, but they could come in for the birth. Labor is an unbelievably intense time, and I didn't want to be distracted. I needed my full concentration for each contraction. I kept the lights off and burned candles and continued to listen to the same worship CD, (Russ Jones: The Worship Project), which was a huge help. It kept my mind focused on God.

I remember an intense mixture of emotions of pain, and love for my family, and God's presence just before transition. I cried from these overwhelming feelings of love. One song (Revelation Song) I repeatedly listened to that has been so special to me ever since. The chorus says, "Holy! Holy! Holy! is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings, You are my everything, and I will adore You."

Angy had come in to stay about then, and I needed to get out of the tub to throw up. Angy said that getting out of the tub would help move things along, too. It really did, as now the contractions came one on top of the other. I was on the floor, the toilet, leaning on Matt, all over the place. Transition was a blur, it was so intense and painful, though quick. I finally wound up on the toilet again, and my mom came in. She couldn't take being outside anymore, and held one hand, and Matt held the other. I had maybe a couple more contractions like this.

I felt the baby coming, and then squatted in the floor in front of the toilet, and said Matt's mom and sister better get in here, as I knew they were hoping to watch the birth. So, crowded into our tiny bathroom was me, Matt, his sister, our moms, Angy, and her assistant Jennifer, who is also a midwife.

Birth was quick and seemingly effortless. I say that because I didn't have to push hard like I did before. In fact, I didn't push at all. After all that long labor, it only took three contractions as my body pushed our baby out. He was ready to be born, and I squatted in the floor, and out he came.

I did get noisy during birth and I think it scared Joshua, so my father in law took him outside. He had left the bathroom before transition, and I'm glad since I was obviously in pain. I was crying out to Jesus when the baby came out!

I caught our baby's head and Matt caught his body. He turned him over and announced, "It's a boy!" It was very special with Matt and I catching our son. I had a very tiny tear, but we were in great shape. I liked it a lot better being in my own house doing whatever I wanted. Even though I had a midwife there, she watched the birth unobtrusively.

We didn't cut the cord until after it stopped pulsating, and I donated the cord blood. I wanted to do these with my first birth, but didn't get to. I sat on the toilet holding our new son until after we cut the cord and I birthed the placenta, then I got in the shower and felt great.

Everyone was surprised that he weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces, and that he had a head full of very dark hair. He was 21 inches long, born on 1-16 at 6:48 PM. He was very content while we all loved on him, and welcomed him.

He was a little slow to get the hang of nursing, but caught on sometime that first week, and just like Joshua, nursed strong for almost two years. I've thought that lots of women would have thought something was wrong and just used formula instead. Especially since hospitals often push formula instead of encouraging breastfeeding.

We debated for a week on his name, and finally decided on Matt's original first choice, Daniel Isaiah.

I have a stepson, too, Gabriel, so Matt has had one in a hospital, one in a birth center, and one at home. Home is his favorite and mine. He was serving up pie and coffee during my labor! I cannot fathom trying to labor and birth in a hospital. I pray I never have anything to cause me to have that experience.

For something so incredibly private and intense, home is definitely the place to be.

Our firstborn's birth story!

I had said for years that I was never going to get married or have kids. I always loved children, but didn't want to bring kids into an evil world, and felt I'd rather take in kids already here who needed a loving home. I still want to do this, and have since told God that I want what He wants for me, and will gladly take the children He gives, whether biological or adopted.

God opened my heart to marriage, which is another story I definitely need to share! My husband, Matt, had one son already and wanted more children, but he married me anyway, knowing I was adamantly against having biological children. For the first two years of marriage, he often talked about wanting a baby. That second year, I secretly considered bringing forth a child, while God worked on my heart. I finally decided to give him his heart's desire, and secretly quit taking birth control pills. I never took them again as I later discovered they can cause abortions by not allowing a fertilized egg to implant.

I quickly became pregnant only a couple of months later, but didn't tell anyone, not even Matt, until I was about four months along. It had been such a big deal for me to decide to have a child that I wanted time to myself to process and get more used to my new life, about to be forever radically altered.

I told my husband on the anniversary of our first kiss, my mom on her 50th birthday, and my in law family at Thanksgiving. My mother and sister in law still say they didn't taste their meal that day, as they were so shocked! Matt announced our news at church when people were telling what they were thankful for. Everyone was so thrilled and excited!

I was blessed with an easy pregnancy, and continued to daily cut grass in our lawn care business and give massages. I used the midwives from our local birth center for my prenatal care. I wanted to have a homebirth, but did not know any midwives who would come to my house.

Overall, I was very pleased with the birth center and all their midwives. They were always so warm, friendly, and caring. One thing I didn't like was the one time I saw their on staff OB a few days before labor, only because all the midwives and nurses were gone that day. He painfully jabbed my belly one time, and sat down across the room. Thank God he didn't do an internal exam! This was not the gentle palpating I was used to from the midwives.

I had been quite dilated for weeks before labor, (at my first 37 week internal check, I was already 3 cm. dilated). A midwife had offered to break my water when I was a few days "overdue," but I believe in letting nature take its course. I also wanted to cut grass that day!

Despite my working hard as usual, he was still busy "cooking" in there! I had an internal exam when I was a week over my due date, and I think the nurse stripped my membranes, but she did not say so. I just know that she was feeling around for a while, and it was uncomfortable. She did say I was about 4.5 to 5 cm. dilated. Now, I was still not in labor and had no signs of labor, although I did have a few days of "bloody show" by this time, so I knew labor would soon commence.

I was actually getting ready to go to Lowe's for supplies for one of our many home renovations, when the first real contraction hit about 8:15 PM that evening, and dropped me to my knees. Within an hour, they were coming fast and hard. Around 9:30, we left for the birth center, about 20 minutes away. I threw up many times, including all over myself while hanging my head out the car window. When I got back in the car, I told Matt, "This sucks!" Puking out the car window at high speed, and the wind just blowing it all over me, while in hard labor was no fun! I got to the center before the midwife, and vomited off their porch. As soon as they arrived around 10 PM, and I could get inside, I ripped off my vomit clothes, and got in their very large bath tub.

We had a midwife, nurse, doula, our parents, and Matt's sister all there, but our dads stayed in another room. I had read it was very important to keep relaxed, so I passed contractions by looking in the doula's eyes, and keeping all my muscles relaxed, except for squeezing Matt's hand. I had to poop and got on the toilet, a position I liked. My water broke, and the midwife suggested I try the bed. They had me on my back with legs up, which I hated, but was too tired to tell anyone. In between contractions, all I could do was rest, not talk.

Finally, I managed to tell them, and they helped me up to my knees, but I don't remember being on my knees for very long at all. It seemed like all my pushing efforts were done in that horrendous lying on back position. They told me I pushed for an hour. I don't even remember this, but they told me I had Matt in a headlock at some point! I only remember having three contractions on my back before being able to tell them I wanted to be upright, and I don't remember doing any pushing while on my knees. Time can be difficult to judge when in hard labor!

They told us our baby's heart rate was getting low and they were worried, so my midwife said I needed an episiotomy to get him out fast. It seemed like it was no time at all once I got back upright that she wanted to cut me, and I was back down on my back giving one last great unsuccessful effort to birth our baby, who had been crowning for a while. His head kept coming out a little, then back in. As soon as she cut me, he shot out at 1 AM. I'm sure I could have birthed him fine if I would have had more time, but I didn't want to chance damaging my baby to avoid an episiotomy.

I will also mention that against my desire, which unfortunately I had not verbally stated or written, they immediately clamped his cord, and had my husband cut it. I was too exhausted to stop them. If I would have known the clamp can be removed prior to cutting, I may have been able to muster the energy to have stopped the cutting, and given instruction to remove the clamp. This is something I only recently discovered. I always thought that once the cord is clamped, that it's as good as cut, which isn't true. As long as the cord is still pulsating, the clamp can be removed, and baby will get his blood flow from the cord again.

Even though I had researched and knew the cord should not be cut (or clamped) until after pulsing has ceased, I suppose the midwife didn't know this. She was such a wonderful lady, and I don't think she would have intentionally done something harmful. I don't dwell on it, and he is certainly healthy, but it still disappoints me when I think about it. All babies need their oxygen rich cord blood, and since he had a dangerously low heart rate, he especially needed all the blood his body wanted to take from the cord.

So for my first baby, labor took less than 5 hours. I'm sure I went practically straight into hard labor since I was already so dilated. I could hardly move my legs afterward, which I felt was do to the position I was put in and did not like. It seemed to really fatigue my thigh muscles. In the pictures we took with our family just after his birth, my legs are still spread open under the sheet. I didn't even have the strength to move them! After our families left, I got stitched up and nursed our new baby, then was able to take a shower and felt fine by the next morning when we went home.

It never even occurred to me to want pain relief. I just felt this is what you had to go through to have a baby. I was so glad to have had a natural childbirth and knew I would choose to do so again. We were blessed with a son, who weighed in at 7lbs, 7.75 ounces, and 21 inches long, born on 5-7, the day before his daddy's birthday! Thank You Jesus!!! Seven is my favorite number, by the way.

We named him Joshua Matthew, taken from the hand carved wood plaque Matt's dad had made for us and given to us for Christmas while I was pregnant. Oak leaves, acorns, and a Bible verse are inscribed on it. "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15 When we opened our gift, Matt saw the name Joshua and knew that was to be our son's name.

Our Third Birth (at home unassisted!)

Our third birth was by far my easiest and fastest labor, and my favorite birth. Since our older boys were overdue, one by a week and one by 2 days, I figured this one would be late, too. I had a thought about this one coming a week early, but I must have forgotten that because I decided to replace my bathroom floor the week before he was due. My nesting instinct always seems to manifest itself in major home repairs. Our floor was rotted and we had a sewer smell at times. The smell got really bad, and I did not want to be in labor with that nasty odor.

I was planning a homebirth like I had with my last son. About ten days before my "due date," we took out the sink and toilet, and I spent the next couple of days ripping out the old floor and rotten wood. We live in an old house, and with each pregnancy I was doing lots of major renovations.

On Monday morning, (all my labors started on Mondays), I went to Lowe's to buy new wood. While there, I began to have back pains. Although they were mild, I had not previously had back pains. All my braxton-hicks contractions were always just in my belly. I even cried a little, hoping I wasn't going into labor at Lowe's. I was there about an hour and a half and had to ask questions of various salespeople about our project. I was really distracted trying to talk to these people, and when I finally checked out, I tried to give the cashier both cash and a debit card. I told her I was sorry, and that I had a lot on my mind.

I went home and carried my wood up my 38 steps, and then asked my husband, Matt, if he thought he would have cell phone service where he would be working that day. I told him I didn't think I was in labor, but I kept having these back pains. I told him several times to go on to work as I didn't think it was labor.

Actually, I was in denial. He knew I was in labor before I did. He said he could see it in my eyes. He stayed home and began urgently cutting boards for the floor, which is what I had planned to do that day. I remembered the acupressure points for labor I had found on the internet and decided to try them just in case I was really in labor. The first points I saw were for hastening labor. Since I did not want to be in labor, I passed on those and found some for pain relief. I was not in much pain, but I began to press on those points every time I had a back pain. The back pains kept coming, but I kept hoping I was not in labor. I did really like those points though. They made the back pains really short and they never got very painful. I was way too busy to try and time them.

I cooked breakfast and helped Matt with the floor, even going under the house through a hole in the floor to help hold some boards. The whole time, I just kept holding the points for the pains, which kept coming. I began to think maybe I was in labor and was not sure what to do. We were so unprepared to have a baby that day. We had no bathroom, the house was in shambles, the kids were sick, and I had not been to the store and was out of many basic food items. There was so much to do. The nest was not ready!

I asked Matt if I should clean or work on the floor. He said clean. I wandered from room to room, not knowing what was more important, the kitchen, bedroom, laundry? I decided to make our bed and sweep our bedroom floor as I was planning to fill a pool with water for labor, and I planned to put the pool in our bedroom. I then got out the pool and began to fill it with air. I kept thinking I wished it was already filled with water as I'd really like to get in! Our boys, Joshua and Daniel, were so excited that I was inflating a swimming pool in the house, and kept chattering and peppering me with questions. I finally managed to get the thing blown up, and told Joshua to tell Dad to bring in the hose to fill the pool. I didn't feel capable of getting the hose from outside and hooking it up by that point.

I felt like things were moving fast. Matt took a break from the floor to get the hose, and he hooked it up and began filling the pool. He wanted to call his dad to come help him with the floor, but I told him I didn't care about the floor right now! I had to throw up, which I did in both my previous labors. I went outside and threw up, and then came back in. Matt asked if he should call our midwife, Angy, and I said yes. He had asked me earlier, but I had said no. She laughed and said she was an hour away and probably wouldn't make it, but we knew what to do. I managed to brush my teeth and felt like I had to poop.

I got our temporary toilet, which was a five gallon bucket with our toilet seat on top, and a garbage bag and newspapers inside. I set it in my bedroom by the pool, and sat down on it. My water broke and I felt the baby moving down. I told Matt to bring me the coconut oil, then a spoon to dig it out with, which I then rubbed on myself to help avoid tears. With each contraction, I said, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..." Just like my second birth, I had three contractions as the baby came down with no effort or pushing on my part. On the third one, our new baby was born! Matt turned the baby over and announced, "It's a boy!" I had not had any ultrasounds, so we didn't know what we were getting.

Matt caught our baby wearing his work boots and covered in pressure treated sawdust. We had not even washed our hands as we had no idea the baby would come so fast. He got a bulb syringe from the closet (not new or sterilized, of course) and sucked out his nose and mouth, and a bath towel, which we covered him with as he lay on my lap. I told Matt he could turn the water off now! We called Angy and our parents to share our good news.

We were shocked. I had only realized I was in labor maybe an hour or so prior, and there we were with a baby! He let out a little cry just after he came out, and then just looked at us. He also nursed, peed, and pooped.

Joshua, who was about six and a half years old at the time, went outside when I sat down on the bucket, but Daniel, who was two years and nine months old, stood there and watched the birth. He got a little scared from all the blood, but we told him I was fine, and he got in the pool to play. Then Joshua, who had been outside whooping like an Indian, came in and got in the pool. Matt boiled some scissors and string, and after the placenta came out, he cut and tied off the cord. There probably wasn't much point in sterilizing anything by this time, though. Then, I got off the bucket and got in the pool with the baby, after having the boys get out, to get cleaned up. The water felt wonderful, and the baby really seemed to like the nice, warm water. At least I got to use the pool for something!

The midwives showed up about the time I was getting in the pool, which was about 45 minutes or so after the birth. I was glad it worked out that way. I had told Angy previously that I might not call anyone until after the birth. I had been reading a lot about unassisted birth and really liked the idea of an intimate family birth.

I only had a tiny tear, more like a scrape, and didn't need any stitches. I never had any long contractions and they never got very painful. I had natural childbirth with the other boys, so I know what those long, painful contractions are like. Now, I tell pregnant women about those acupressure points! I found them at
http://childbirthsolutions.com/articles/acupressure-techniques-for-use-during-childbirth-and-pregnancy/.

Our little guy weighed 7 pounds and 4 ounces and was 21 inches long. In the midst of all the excitement, we didn't look at a clock when he made his appearance, so we tried to determine the time of birth based upon when Angy's phone showed Matt called. We put 1:25 PM on the birth certificate, but I think we were off a little. I think it was probably between 1:20 and 1:25.

When he was almost three weeks old, and after much discussion, we finally put a name on his birth certificate, Christopher Joseph. Naming a person is very difficult!

Even though I wanted him to come later so I could get the bathroom done and go to the store and have the house nice and clean, we were so thankful it all happened the way it did. We still kept working on the house, only with a new, sweet little baby in it!

Homebirth vs. hospital birth letter to my pregnant friend

Here's my most recent letter to my pregnant friend that I wrote in response to her mentioning that she would like a waterbirth. Since she is planning a hospital birth, I told her that I didn't think the OB would let her use the tub. I also asked about this on a midwife friend's Facebook page and am posting that discussion as well.

Most pregnant women automatically plan to birth in a hospital, and use an OB for prenatal care. They do not consider other options. Unfortunately, OBs and hospital typically greatly interfere in the natural birth process. Everything about our modern medical model of pregnancy, labor, and childbirth is one interference after another.From the first vaginal ultrasound at the first prenatal appointment, followed by many repeat ultrasounds, which are NOT proven safe, and babies are often shown trying to get away from the ultrasound, the interferences begin.

At the doctor's convenience, artificial induction of labor is scheduled, or even an elective cesarean section. The many interferences continue, and the laboring mom is never left in peace to do what her body needs to do to birth. Electronic fetal monitoring, being confined to bed, episiotomies, and birthing flat on your back are all the norm. If she fails to birth within the doctor's time frame, a c-section results.

Then the interferences with the baby begin. Immediate cord clamping, separating mom and baby, circumcision for boys, formula, vaccines, and more are all very common. Moms should be very thankful if they manage to leave the hospital with themselves and baby in one piece.

The typical homebirth is a night and day difference from the typical hospital birth. Labor begins naturally on it's own, and progresses without interference from anyone. Mom does whatever she feels like doing, and when baby arrives, she holds and feeds her baby without interruption.

Here's my letter to my friend.

Hey Mama!
I've got a FB thread I want you to read at http://www.facebook.com/joyinbirth#!/joyinbirth#wall
I asked a midwife friend on her wall if anyone knew about being able to have a waterbirth at Women's and Children's Hospital. So far, two people responded, the midwife and another friend who is a childbirth instructor. I think you will be very interested in the responses. Also, the midwife, Jennifer, said to call her if you have any questions at 304-552-6909. She was the birth assistant at Daniel's birth, and is a very sweet Christian lady.

A lot depends on what kind of birth you want. If you want a natural, unmedicated waterbirth, you will not get that at a hospital. You really need a midwife if you want that type of birth. OB's and hospitals constantly interfere in labor and birth. Their entire protocol begins and ends with interferences. They induce everyone nowadays, which is a big reason why we have such a high c-section rate. One interference leads to another. Inductions massively increase your risk of a c-section. Unfortunately, that's what popular now among OBs. I guess they like being able to schedule births at their convenience. I don't know anyone who is not induced except for moms using midwives. Jennifer said women have a 50% chance of getting a c-section if they are induced! I believe it! I know lots of women who wound up with a c-sec after induction. The women I know are even being induced BEFORE their due dates!

Anyway, if you don't mind taking drugs and getting an epidural (which are bad and risky in many ways for you and baby--I can tell you all about that if you want), don't mind being induced, (which causes far more painful and frequent contractions and has risks including uterine rupture), and being confined to a bed to labor (YUK!), don't mind a corkscrew in your baby's head to continuously electronically monitor contractions, don't mind lying on your back to birth (which is the WORST possible position to be in!), don't mind an episiotomy and immediate cord clamping and separation from your baby as they do who knows what to him, don't mind the hospital staff feeding him formula, don't mind the high risk of c-section, don't mind being told what you can and can't do and how you are "allowed" to labor and birth, etc, the hospital is a fine place to birth. If you don't like the idea of this likely scenario, then please seriously rethink your intended place to birth.

I am very happy to stay with you and help you in any way no matter where you choose, but I just want to make sure you are aware of what hospital birth looks like. You CAN have a natural, gentle birth in a hospital, but you need to be prepared to fight for one. It can be very hard to fight against a threatening and intimidating hospital staff in the midst of labor, which often requires your full concentration. That's why many women give in to whatever the staff wants to do to her. On the positive side, having a doula present is a proven help as the doula is there to both assist the mom and advocate for her and her wishes. Doulas really help to lower the chance of interferences as she can stand up for the mom when the mom is too focused on labor to stand up for herself. Also, the doula helps the mom remain relaxed and focused, which tremendously helps the mom to progress normally in labor and birth. The hospital environment is contrary to relaxation and focus, but the doula greatly helps. I would be serving you in an unofficial doula role.

Other important things to do to lessen the chance of a c-section are to refuse induction no matter how much they pressure you, and labor at home as long as possible. Don't go to the hospital until you are in active labor. Women who go to the hospital in early labor are far more likely to wind up with all sorts of interferences. An induced woman is at the hospital the whole time! I personally don't think you need to go to the hospital at all, but of course you need to do what's best for you. I don't think you even remotely qualify for being high risk! Our bodies are designed to birth, and they know what to do! Trust your body.
I love you!!!!!!!
Christy


Here's the Facebook thread.

Christy Lindsey

I have a question for Jennifer and anyone else who may know the answer. My dear friend is planning to birth at Women's and Children's Hospital in a couple of months and mentioned that she'd like to have a waterbirth. I told her that she needs to ask her OB, but I was under the impression that the tub is only used by ...the midwives who have hospital privileges that work through the birth center. Does anyone have any idea about this? Do ANY OB's actually let their patients use the tub?

More from me:
I, um, always think that the typical hospital protocol is to get the baby out asap using whatever means necessary, and that letting laboring women use a birthpool doesn't exactly fit in with the "assembly line" style of hospital births. I would LOVE to see her switch to a midwife, but I plan to stay with her and help her in any way I can during her labor no matter where she births. I am going to encourage her to refuse induction and labor at home as long as possible, but I worry because I know she will be relentlessly pressured to get induced. I know far too many women who were induced and wound up with a c-section. :(

From:

Sarah DeGroff

No. Only the midwives allow their patients out of bed at all (let alone to use the tub). OB protocol is break their water early (4 cm) and confined to bed until delivery including using bedpan (no getting up even for bathroom). Anyone who disagrees w/ this may want to reconsider their place of birth b/c trying for anything different will put her as a target of hostility by all staff.

MWs will allow some mobility @ CAMC & EFM on for 20 min & off for 40 min. OBs there will want continuous EFM (in bed).

More CAMC birth protocol: after a non-complicated vag birth, mother can expect to hold the baby only 20 min out of the first 3 hours after birth, thusly: after birth, immediate cord clamping & cutting & baby is taken to the other side of the room for routine procedures & evaluation for 40 minutes. Mom is then offered baby to hold for 20 min, then baby is taken away to the nursery for 2 more hours of procedures & evaluation. It is possible for a mother to fight for something different, but it will entail a real power struggle.

From:
Joy In Birth Midwifery

I'm not 100% of the answer to that, not knowing all the policies there (which is something we've talked about trying to acquire), but typically, OBs/nursing staff do not feel comfortable with a mother not doing things the "normal" way, wanting her to have continuous monitoring, etc. I can pretty much say that actually having a BIRTH in the water in hospital is out...labor might be a possibility. But, without being under a midwife's care, even in the hospital, I'd be surprised if they'd even let her labor in it. If she truly desires a waterbirth, she needs a midwife! Have her call me with any questions she has if you think I can be of help.

If she asks her doctor about it, also have her ask how many of his mothers labor in the tub, and how many ask for it. Maybe she'll actually get an honest answer without being paid lip service.


More from me:

Thank you all so very much!!! Truthfully, I am very afraid for her to birth in the hospital for all the many reasons you all are so aware of! She has said she doesn't want a c/s, but there is such a high probability of getting one, not to mention all the other many numerous negative interferences with the natural birth process and early bonding with baby. :( It really upsets me how hospitals treat laboring moms, birth, and then the babies. I hate for anyone to suffer these things, but of course am even more concerned for someone so close to me. I know a lady who told me she actually thought the hospital staff was trying to kill her during a labor and birth because of everything that happened. Her story was quite horrific! Epidural didn't work, they didn't believe her, proceeded to do an episiotomy and pour saline over it, which of course she felt, while she was confined lying down and all this was happening! Add some very rude and uncaring L & D nurses to that scene as well. And of course this entire brutal experience occurred during hard labor. I felt so bad for her. Tragically, many women have hospital horror stories to tell. It's no wonder there is such a fear of birth!

Anyway, thanks Jennifer for inviting her to call you. I will definitely let her know that! I'll direct her to this thread as well. You all are so phenomenal! Thank you!!!


More from Joy In Birth Midwifery:
Christy, stories like that literally make me cry. It hurts my heart to know that women are not treated with love, respect, honor, and care. It can be so much better than that. The midwifery model of care is so contrary to the medical model of care. Oh for more births that make women smile in the telling of it!

More corruption uncovered

Glenn Beck uncovers even more corruption at the highest levels, as the web of deception he calls Crime, Inc. grows larger. This episode of his show demonstrates many corrupt criminal connections between government officials and corporations, all designed to enrich themselves at our expense.

Please watch, learn, tell others, and get involved. We all have to do what we can to get our nation back in the hands of the people, and out of the hands of those who seek our destruction, all while claiming to have our best interests at heart.

How to solve the education crisis

Here is a short reply I made on my favorite 9-12 message board regarding the many problems with our education system.


Most Americans have been taught that you are a good parent if you send your kid to school. Not only are you a good parent living up to your societal expectations, but you get free babysitting and the kids out of your hair. If you pay property taxes, then you surely want to take advantage of that and actually get something for your money. Americans have been brainwashed that education is a right, and they expect the government to provide a free education. Who can blame them? After all, they were taught by government schools not to think for themselves, but to believe what their government tells them.

I attended government schools and graduated from one. I was always the kind of kid who asked a lot of questions of my school and church teachers, and even got into debates with them at times. I have always been an avid reader, who loves to learn. The best thing I ever learned in school was how to read in the first grade! I am free to learn whatever I wish as a result.

What is the solution for the public school fiasco? I think abolishing the Department of Education and return all authority to the states is the first step. Get the federal government and it's insane propaganda out of education! But, I don't think that's going to happen.

Therefore, it's up to parents to educate themselves as to what is best for their kids, and then do it, making whatever sacrifices are necessary.

Our government has been infiltrated by the enemy!

Here is some incredible information about the infiltration of our government by homegrown Marxist terrorists groups. Whew! We have many enemies both here and abroad, who abhor freedom and liberty for all. Why? I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out. I can't imagine why anyone would not want to live in a free nation.


From YouTube:
October 24, 2008 — Ayers and Obama have worked together on books for at least 21 years, and have cooperated in funneling tens of millions of dollars to leftist indoctrination progammes for youth. All this you may have already known. What is even more chilling is this expose' on how William Ayers is planning to implement their mutual Marxist ideology, should Ayers attain influence on Obama through their long standing relationship. Larry Grathwohl penetrated the Weather Underground to bring this fist hand account of Ayers' (and the Weather Underground's) plans. As you may know, Ayers remains unrepentant to this day, and lives just a few houses away from Barack Hussein Obama. Obama's flimsy and ever-shifting denials of his relationship with Ayers have all but completely disintegrated. Furthermore, the prime backer of Obama, Khalid Al Mansour, was a legal assistant to the Black Panther Party (with an office next door). It is known from testimony of Weather Underground members that the BPP and Weather Underground worked "very closely" together. Therefore it it likely that Mansour (who was advising Obama even before he moved from Hawaii, under the tutelage of Communist agent Frank Marshall Davis), was working with Ayers and Dohrn simultaneously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GrCHctYyWA&feature=player_embedded




Here's what Glenn Beck had to say on this subject. Incidentally, I posted a link to the below article on Facebook, and then mysteriously had all my comments I made after the link disappear and then reappear. One would disappear, so I'd leave another, which would disappear, and so on. Sometimes all, none, or some would be there to read. It was very disturbing as I felt that my comments were being read by someone who has access to my Facebook account. I mentioned this on a 9-12 message board that I frequently read and was told this:

"Does no one recall that around one year ago the govt claimed that it had a right to legally access and possess all content posted on both Facebook and Twitter? Their motive was described as a need to keep track of ALL conversations and store them at the Library of Congress so that they (the govt) can go back years from now and "study" social interactions of America. Everything you post IS reviewed and saved."

Scary events are upon us. I like to listen to Glenn, and he sees a repeat of the same scenarios prior to WWI and WWII. He fears the Jews will come under persecution again. Christians are daily persecuted throughout the world. (I need to work on a blog post about that!)


http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/41773/

Print Email

Glenn Beck: Audio from 1982 that will blow your mind

Audio Available:

June 11, 2010 - 12:11 ET

GLENN: I'm going to play some audio for you that I played last night that I have to tell you something. After I played it, I went into commercial break and I said to my floor crew, and I said it again on television, I don't know what else I can do. I don't know my fellow countrymen. I don't know who my country is. I don't know who these people are that are my neighbors, that when they hear this, they don't stand up and say, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Show this to me again? Tell me this again? I don't know who you are this is from 1982. This is a video of a former FBI agent. He was the only person to successfully infiltrate the Weather Underground. This is in 1975 and 1976. The Weather Underground, Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn. Don't even take it to Van Jones. Don't even take it to the communist, Maoist revolutionaries in the White House. Don't even take it to there. Just think of this with what's happening in Israel and they were part of the Free Gaza movement and then let that sink in because maybe just that you can get your arms around. Maybe your neighbors can get just their arms around maybe somebody wanting to round up Jews. And then think of the ramifications. When your neighbors can get their arms around that, maybe you take it to your neighbors then again and say, okay, you have your arms around that? Now let me show you the people that surround this president. This is a former FBI agent from 1982 exposing for the first time what he found while sitting in a room full of Weather Underground leaders, including Bill Ayers. Listen and remember.

VOICE: I brought up the subject of what's going to happen after we take over the government. You know, we become responsible then for administrating, you know, 250 million people. And there was no answers. No one had given any thought to economics, how are you going to clothe and feed these people. The only thing that I could get was that they expected that the Cubans and the North Vietnamese and the Chinese and the Russians would all want to occupy different portions of the United States.

They also believed that their immediate responsibility would be to protect against what they called the counterrevolution and they felt that this counterrevolution could best be guarded against by creating and reestablishing reeducation centers in the southwest where we would take all the people who needed to be reeducated into the new way of thinking and teach them how things were going to be. I ask, well, what is going to happen to those people that we can't reeducate, that are diehard capitalists? And the reply was that they would have to be eliminated. And when I pursued this further, they estimated that they would have to eliminate 25 million people in these reeducation centers. And when I say eliminate, I mean kill. 25 million people.

GLENN: Here's what you have to decide, America. You have a choice to make because this has been out since 1982. This is an FBI agent. These details are in FBI reports. So you have to make this choice. I have to believe that William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn and those in that room have more credibility than the FBI agent who documented these things in the 1970s and then spoke out about them in 1982 for the first time. I'm betting my friends' life or my Jewish friends' life or the possibility of my Jewish friends' life or my capitalist friends' life, I'm betting that Bill Ayers is a changed man, that Bernardine Dohrn is a changed man, that the people around the president that listen to William Ayers and dismiss Bill Ayers, as we approach a time of economic catastrophe, I'm betting my Jewish friends' life that he's a changed man or that this FBI guy is somehow or another exaggerating. Make the choice. Choose carefully.

Congressman assaults student!

Wow! Watch Congressman Bob Etheridge from South Carolina immediately respond with violence and intimidation when asked this question by a college student, "Do you fully support the Obama agenda?"

Why I chose homebirth

I recently threw in my two cents on a midwife friend's Facebook discussion board, which asked the question, "Why did you choose homebirth?" I wrote one of my "novellas," which is what my husband calls my lengthy Facebook comments, and I thought this would be great to share here as well. Time to get on my soapbox! :)


I have so many reasons for choosing to birth at home! My first was born in a birth center, but I wanted to birth at home then, too. I asked the birth center if they did homebirths when I very first called them, and they said no. I didn't know anyone else or any idea how to find any homebirth midwives, and at that time, I didn't even consider birthing without a midwife. So, I went the birth center route, and was very happy with the midwives, and my overall experience. I never considered wanting pain meds even during hard labor. It just seemed to me that labor is what you go through to have a baby. I did wind up with an episiotomy, and in retrospect, after 2 homebirths, I think it is because my labor was interfered with. I was sitting on the toilet when my water broke. The midwife, nurse, and doula suggested I get on the bed and had me on my back, which I hated, but was too tired to say so! I've never heard of the stranded beetle position that Sarah mentioned, but that sounds like how they had me! On back with legs up and pulled back while pushing for a long time, maybe an hour, I think I was told. Yuck! Anyway, baby's heart rate got too low and they had to cut me to hurry up and get him out for his safety. I felt like I'd been run over by a truck the next day, but did feel fine the following day. I am convinced that if they would have left me on the toilet, I would have birthed fine, and not had to have an episiotomy. Another thing that I didn't like was that they immediately cut his cord. I had wanted to wait until it stopped pulsating, but didn't even have a chance to say anything as it all happened so fast. I'm still surprised and disappointed by that. With his low heart rate, he especially needed his cord blood, although all babies should have their cord blood, except for when an actual dire emergency demands immediate separation, which is very rare.

My next 2 babies were born at home (I had found a homebirth midwife by then, although the last baby arrived before the midwife did!) I did whatever I felt like doing during my labors. I didn't push either time, but both were born in 3 contractions (after reaching the "pushing" stage) on their own as my body moved them down and out. (We also waited, while I held our new babes, until their cords turned white to cut them.) Again, I was sitting on a toilet with one and squatting in front of a toilet with the other. If I would have gone and laid down on my back when my body was trying to birth, I would have greatly thwarted my body's innate ability to birth. I also felt great right away after those births.

So, there's a little background on my birth experiences. For my many reasons to choose home, let's see...

1. Labor and birth are VERY intense experiences. If I am going to have a VERY intense experience, OF COURSE I'm going to want to be HOME where I feel safe and comfortable! Just like if you're sick or dying (varying degrees of intense experiences), you want to be HOME. I can not fathom WANTING to give birth in a hospital. It's not a fun place.

2. You MUST be relaxed to birth. Mammals will only give birth when they feel safe. If a laboring mammal is disturbed, she will stop laboring until she feels safe again. How on earth can any laboring woman feel safe and relaxed in a HOSPITAL of all places?! You'd be much better suited to birth in a quiet field or forest than in a hospital filled with strangers popping in and out, machines, bright lights, noise, and bad odors. This is absolutely NOT the safe, relaxing environment necessary to birth. Stress and tension, which a hospital is full of, directly interferes with the opening of the cervix, which is a sphincter muscle. We are all familiar with another sphincter muscle, and readily understand that this one only opens when a person feels safe and relaxed and alone, or at least with only very trusted people nearby! The cervix is the same, yet we expect a woman to be able to tune out the many incredible distractions in a hospital, and birth that baby. It is no wonder women wind up with so many interventions in hospitals. Think of all the times a laboring woman arrives at the hospital, and labor stops, and then she gets pitocin to artificially cause contractions, which are so strong they can cause uterine rupture! Think also of all the times women wind up with c-sections due to "failure to progress." These are all results of the same cause: SHE DOESN'T FEEL SAFE AND SHE CAN"T RELAX!!! Personally, I am amazed by women who have natural birth in a hospital.

3. No interventions at home! If laboring women are left alone to do whatever their body wants them to do, almost all will have a normal, uncomplicated birth. The reason why there are so many interventions in a hospital is BECAUSE of the interventions. Inducing labor, which seems to be the way OBs treat every woman nowadays, is ASKING for further interventions! Except for the few homebirth moms I know, every single pregnant lady I know of is induced BEFORE her due date! It would be bad enough to induce at all, but BEFORE the due date?!!! The baby is NOT READY TO BE BORN!!! Now that you've got labor off to a horrible start, go ahead and throw in some continuous fetal monitoring (nothing like a sharp corkscrew in baby's head to get him ready for a mean, cruel world), and confine the woman to the bed (lying down, of course), prohibit any food or liquids (let her have a few ice chips so you don't seem like a completely heartless ogre), give her an epidural (which causes chronic back pain for 20% of women, and may numb the wrong half of her body or give her a killer, incapacitating headache for a week, and always removes her body's ability to push out her baby), give her some pain killers (which makes for a very groggy, drugged baby who will likely not want to nurse), and after you've squashed all natural ability to birth, give her an episiotomy and use forceps to get that baby out, or better yet, do a c-section. Hey, why even bother with all the trouble of labor anyway? Let's just schedule a c-section when it's convenient for everyone! Ahhh... nothing like the miracle of birth! (Don't forget lots of formula to feed the groggy baby who is too tired to nurse.)

4. As if all the above weren't enough, hospitals are full of GERMS! I've read horror stories of women (and their new babies) contracting staph infections while in a hospital to birth. We hear all the time of people going into a hospital for one thing and getting some sort of infection FROM the hospital. Why have a newborn baby in a place full of deadly disease?

5. The "agony" of childbirth is far overrated. Natural childbirth is not some superwoman feat of amazing achievement. Giving birth is a totally normal physiological function, which God perfectly designed our bodies to do well. People watch these fake TV shows with a woman acting like she's being tortured while in labor. Our society has the idea that childbirth is at least equal to torture and who could ever be expected to endure something so horrendous? Well... how have women managed to give birth every day for thousands of years with no drugs? Our bodies are perfectly capable of giving birth! Sure, it can hurt, but I'd take a day of pain (more like a few hours) anytime over a lifetime of pain! Remember the 20% of women with chronic back pain following an epidural? Also, people endure far worse pain and live through it. Many people live with excruciating, chronic pain. Labor pain is temporary and very doable. The longest contractions are 60-90 seconds. Anyone can stand some pain for a minute! You just take one contraction at a time, and then you get a baby! By the way, I had fantastic results with my last birth using acupressure points: http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/birth/acupressure/index.php/. I never had any hard labor, and all my contractions were very short and not very painful at all! I used BL 32 only and held the points myself during each contraction, but there are many other points described in the article. Then there are the many horrible effects upon baby from the pain meds. I don't want to drug my baby so I can avoid pain.

6. Baby is MUCH safer! Not only does the hospital want to interfere with mom, they want to get their hands on the new baby! First, they immediately cut the cord, which deprives baby of much oxygen rich blood, just when he is taking his first breaths! They separate baby from all he has ever known, Mom, to do whatever kind of tests and observation they think he needs, when what he really needs is MOM! They put some sort of stinging stuff in his eyes to protect him from Mom's STDs, whether she actually has one or not! They give him a Vitamin K shot, a hepatitis vaccine (which has killed babies), and half of the boys have part of their penises removed, which is excruciatingly painful and traumatic. Unless Mom is adamant, baby will most likely be given formula and pacifiers and kept in the nursery at least part of the time so Mom can "rest." Hospital staff can be very intimidating to parents who want to protect their babies from these routine interventions. I've seen new parents threatened that their baby was going to get invasive digestive tract tests if they couldn't get a groggy c-section baby (induced labor) to consume more formula. I read about a man holding his new baby who was zapped with a tazer by a security guard for daring to try and take his child home before the hospital said they could leave! I think I'd be a nervous wreck trying to protect my new baby from the typical hospital procedures.

7. Birth is NOT an emergency! Hospitals, doctors, and machines are not needed! True complications and emergencies can arise, but they are very rare in un-interfered with natural labors. It's such a blessing that we have hospitals IF we need them. They are major overkill for most births and cause the very emergencies they are intended to prevent! I find it ridiculous that women who are trying to birth are told to wait for the doctor! What?! Any one of the nurses, or mom or dad could catch the baby!!! You'd have to be drugged not to birth when it's time! When my last 2 came out on their own, I sure couldn't have stopped them!

Well, I guess I about covered everything! I am now a huge proponent of un-interfered with natural birth, preferably at home or another comfortable place. I strongly believe that if a woman is left alone and doesn't fear birth (which would interfere with the necessary relaxation of the muscles and of the mind), then her body will instinctively know what to do.

Indeed, a peaceful birth is such a special experience for a woman and her family. The non-drugged, alert baby being gently welcomed into the world with love by his parents and family, and held closely and showered with kisses and smiles and tears of joy, still connected while his cord continues to give him oxygen rich blood, is a very sacred time. There's no comparison between that scene and a typical hospital birth. I think that if people knew the facts, many more would choose homebirth.
Happy birthing! :)

P.S.
I must add more info on an excellent reason to choose natural birth that I only briefly mentioned earlier, the effects of a drugged birth upon the baby. Please read this superb article on the lasting effects of birth upon people. For instance, drugged babies are more likely to become drug addicted adults, and babies who suffer violent births are more likely to become violent criminals. All babies deserve peaceful births.
http://www.natural-pregnancy-mentor.com/birth-and-the-origins-of-violence.html

Crime, Inc. overview

Here is the latest Crime, Inc. info. It's a great overview, and I highly recommend everyone to watch and find out the insane web of government corruption. It's a huge scam for a few very powerful people to get extremely rich off of us!!!