Meet Our Birth Team!

Status: 29 weeks, 1 day

Since we are getting closer to the finish line, I thought I would introduce you to the wonderful people who will be assisting across the finish line!

First up - me!
I'm probably not the first person you would think to put on the list, but I think I deserve top billing for toting around this little lady (for however many weeks she decides to stay put) and then helping her out into the world. Don't you?

Next up - Waffle!
She has to do her part to get herself lined up properly to make her entrance. I think she deserves top honors, too!

Daddy, of course!
Joel is the most wonderful husband and daddy to Eli, and he has already shown his commitment to his little girl, as well. He knows the kind of work (and patience) it takes to bring a child into the world, and I know he is excited and ready for this next one! He has been great working with me on my Hypnobabies Homestudy course (more to come on that, later), and he is always willing to rub my back, help me up off the ground, make sure I am eating and drinking, and doing his best just being the awesome person he is!

Our Duo-Doulas!
Ever since Eli's birth, I've known that I wanted (needed, actually) a good doula to help me through any future births. There are tons of great doulas in our area, and I'm friends with several of them, so it was sort of hard to choose.

I met Christine & Nichole during my training to become a Baby Steps instructor (back in October '10), and after getting to know them a little more over the last several months I began to feel like these were the right women to help me through this experience. Joel and I (and Eli) met with them a couple weeks ago to do a formal interview. Even though I knew them, Joel had only seen them in passing, and we had never talked about me - just birth in general. When we left the meeting I knew we had found our match.

Both women are doulas on their own, but they have recently decided to try "Team Doula-ing", and I gladly accepted that for $100 more I could have TWO awesome support people instead of one. How great is that? Instead of 1 set of tired arms to rub my back or squeeze my hips, there are two. Instead of one great mind trying to find new ways to help me through the process, there are TWO. To me, it really felt like the pressure was completely lifted off of Joel to do anything but love on me and hold my hand during the birth of our baby girl. They support both of us.

I also love that they are instructors for the same program I'm trained in. I think it makes it easier to know we are all on the same page - plus, they're my friends!

Our Midwives
I mentioned them about 2 months ago, but they are worth mentioning again - Intown Midwifery and their awesome back-up doc, Brad Bootstaylor of SeeBaby!

Week 25/26 pics

Status: 26w1d25 Weeks, 1 day

26 weeks

So I am OBVIOUSLY doing a horrible job at keeping up with this blog. But honestly, this pregnancy is SO uneventful (especially compared to Eli's) that I would bore you all trying to give you information.

Topic for my next post.....Hypnobabies!

It's a........

Status: 23 weeks, 6 days

I'll admit, I'm behind (what's new?). I had planned to write this post almost 2 weeks ago, but it never happened. And then Iced-out Atlanta happened, and well, here we are.
So back to the topic at hand....

It's A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had our ultrasound and everything looked great. Baby Girl is growing right along schedule. At the time of the ultrasound (22 weeks) she had an estimated weight of 1lb 1oz. She has all her fingers and toes, all her body parts, and she's a wiggly little thing!

I have been enjoying feeling her flipping and stretching for several weeks now, and yesterday she gave her daddy a swift kick in the hand! He is so funny because he jumps and almost squeals when she does it. So cute.....

Change of Plans

Status: 21 weeks, 6 days

I'm not really sure how to go about getting to the point of this post, so I'm just going to say it - we are no longer planning a homebirth. This didn't just happen. Actually, the official decision was made almost 2 weeks ago, but we didn't want to say anything until we knew what our new plan is going to be.

Let me just say right now that NO ONE TALKED US OUT OF IT.

A few things happened throughout the course of this pregnancy that had us re-evaluate the plan to homebirth, and after several events we no longer felt that it was the best decision for us. And I emphasize, for us. At this time.

We both still agree with and support the right of women to choose where and with whom they give birth, and we would consider homebirth as an option in the future. Hospitals are there for a reason, and we feel that their services are necessary for us at this time.

Now, about the new plan.

We are now being seen by the midwives of Intown Midwifery and will be birthing at Atlanta Medical Center in downtown Atlanta, GA. We are really happy with the new practice we chose, as they are well-known in the Atlanta birthing community for their respect for women's bodies and their ability to give birth. They have an amazingly successful VBAC rate, too.

We met with Anjli on December 30th for our first appointment. She was so enthusiastic and reassuring, and she and the rest of the staff made us feel like real people, and not just a number. There was no hurry, nothing mandatory, and just lots of peace and calm.

We listened to the baby's heartbeat with the doppler (I didn't catch what the rate was) and Anjli said I was measuring 24 weeks (I was only 21.3). I joked with her that it better not be twins! My weight gain has been good - I'm still at or about a pound below my pre-pregnancy weight, and she wasn't worried because I am eating and avoiding *most* foods that aren't too healthy.

So that's what's new this week.....

Half-way there!

Status: 20weeks, 1 day19w4d

Time sure is flying! It really helps having Eli around to make this pregnancy feel like it will be over before I even get my head wrapped around it! I can't believe we are half-way to meeting little Waflle. Wow.

So we had our 20 week appointment with Rachel yesterday. Everything is going well, but we still couldn't hear the heartbeat on the fetoscope so I broke down and asked her to use the doppler. We heard a strong wooshing of 148bpm! This is the first time we have heard Waffle, and I instantly felt connected. I also felt a little guilty that I caved, but it was a really quick listen and Joel made me feel better about it.

Hopefully we will take a 20 week pic soon, until then, enjoy the 19 week one!

Midwifery Care

Here is an article that talks about how the midwifery model of care is DIFFERENT, but not better than OB care. It really sums it up well. Enjoy!

Written on December 15, 2010 at 2:49 pm by Birth Sense and published on themidwifenextdoor.com

3 Reasons Midwives Do Not Give “Superior Care”

Filed under Birth Issues, Midwifery, Modern OB Care 32 comments

Reading on another blog recently, I came across an interesting comment by a physician. He wrote that he disagrees with a statement he frequently hears, that ”midwifery care is superior care”. Well, I’m here as a midwife to tell you that midwifery care is not superior care.

• Midwives are not as highly educated as physicians. Regardless of what type of midwife you might see, she will not have an education equivalent to that of an OB, who has gone to four years of college, four years of medical school, and at least an additional four years of residency.
• Midwives cannot perform certain procedures that an OB can perform. Some examples would be cesarean section, gynecological surgery, and forceps deliveries.
• OBs, by virtue of their more comprehensive education, have greater in-depth knowledge of complications of pregnancy and birth.

After hearing this, you might be thinking, “An OB is definitely the best choice then, for prenatal care.” But let me share with you what I see as the best features of midwifery care:

• Midwives listen more. While there are many OBs who are good listeners, they generally have a much tighter schedule than midwives, on average allowing only 5-10 minutes per prenatal visit. Contrast this with the 30-60 minutes a midwife allows. The greater time at a midwife visit permits both parties to develop a real relationship. Listening also allows midwives to pinpoint when things aren’t going right, as in this experience related by a midwife friend of mine:

“I was approached by a woman in my community who was receiving prenatal care from a local OB. She asked for a consultation, and told me she was greatly concerned about symptoms of intense itching that she kept experiencing. The itching was so severe that she was scratching in her sleep until her skin bled. She’d gone to her OB several times, and each time he told her not to worry, that she had something called PUPPs, and it would go away when the baby was born. He finally told her to stop calling him about the itching, because nothing could be done for it. I didn’t have any knowledge about her problem that the OB didn’t have, and in fact, I had no idea what could be wrong. But I listened carefully to her concerns, and she was worried that something more serious was wrong. She told me she’d had hepatitis A as a child, and wondered if this could be related? I had no idea! But I told her I would do some research. I studied in my Williams Obstetrics, and read about a condition called obstetric hepatosis, which could cause intense itching, elevated liver enzymes, and in extreme cases, stillbirth. I ordered some blood tests for her, and sure enough, her liver enzymes were elevated. I copied the pages from the textbook and the lab reports and gave them to the woman, who by now had decided she wanted a home birth with me. When she took the information to her doctor, he looked at it, diagnosed her with obstetric hepatosis and told her that her condition was too high risk to be managed by only a midwife. I did not have any special knowledge that I used, but I did use my ability to listen to this woman and trust her intuition that something was wrong, and then I searched until I found the answer.”

• Midwives talk more. How could talking more be a good thing? Let me share an experience that is representative of a situation I encounter at least once a month. A woman came for her first prenatal visit, accompanied by a friend. At the first visit, I normally go over all the tests she will be offered during the pregnancy, give her information on the risks and benefits, and let her know that she has the right to either accept the test or decline it, and her choice will not affect our care of her. The woman’s friend kept asking me questions about the glucose test, the quad screen, and the group B strep test. As they were leaving, she told me, “I had all those tests done during my pregnancy, but I never knew why. My doctor only told me they were required and nothing more. I learned more here in one hour than I learned my entire pregnancy with my OB!” While I don’t have more knowledge than an OB, all the knowledge in the world does little good if it is not shared with the woman who will be the recipient of it. It is a simple thing to explain risks and benefits of procedures, and ask the woman what her thoughts and questions are. Another woman came to my office asking me to accept her as a transfer patient, three days before her due date! I don’t mind taking transfer patients at any time, but I sensed she was not really seeking midwifery care, but just frustrated with her doctor. I asked some questions, and she revealed that she was tired of being pregnant and wanted her doctor to induce her. She was upset that he would not discuss it with her, but just said “NO”. I spent half and hour with her, explaining the risks of induction, the benefit of letting labor start on its own, and reassuring her that she had the strength to wait out these last few days of pregnancy. She was so appreciative as she left, hugging me, and thanking me for taking the time to explain to her the things her doctor never did.
• Midwives more often do nothing. This doesn’t sound like an attribute until you realize that many wise midwives and physicians have said the hardest thing to learn is the art of sitting on your hands. The temptation to intervene and “help” the laboring woman with her work is sometimes overwhelming. Midwives often do nothing more than simply be present. That presence can be life-saving, as I have had multiple experiences where I was working in a hospital setting, and something I noticed because of being with the woman continually during labor tipped me off to the fact that there was a problem. I’ve delivered many babies by myself in the hospital because the nurses were out of the room and the baby came before they could respond to the call light. Although many physicians bristle at the notion that midwives are experts in normal birth, just ask one if they have ever sat through an entire labor with a woman, from start to finish. So far, I have yet to meet an OB who has ever done this. An ‘aha’ moment occurred for me when I watched Ricki Lake’s DVD, The Business of Being Born. Three resident OB physicians from Columbia University were being interviewed, and were asked how often they saw a normal birth occur. The three looked at each other blankly, and finally one resident admitted, “Never”. An experienced midwife has observed normal labor in its entirety so frequently, that if labor becomes complicated, she will pick up quickly on subtle indications that all is not well. As I often tell my students, it’s impossible to learn every possible complication and condition. It’s much more important to know what is normal–backwards and forwards–so that when you see something that’s NOT normal, you will know right away and can get appropriate consultation in a timely manner.

It all boils down to the fact that midwives do NOT give superior care. They give different care. As long as we persist in drawing a line in the sand, and each camp thinking they are better than the other, we can’t give optimal care to the people who really matter the most–the women we serve. A recent editorial in the Journal of Family Practice stressed the need to work together, rather than compete. I can’t compete with what an OB does best, but I don’t think most OBs can compete with what I do best. We each excel in our own area.

Over two hundred years ago, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a physician (Rush Medical School is named after him) and signer of the Declaration of Independence, had this to say about competition among health care providers:

“The Constitution of this Republic should make special provision for medical freedom. To restrict the art of healing to one class will constitute the Bastille of medical science. All such laws are un-American and despotic. … Unless we put medical freedom into the constitution the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship and force people who wish doctors and treatment of their own choice to submit to only what the dictating outfit offers.”¹

It is high time we recognize the unique abilities we each bring to the table, and work together to build respect among all of us, so we can offer the best of care to women and their babies.

Week 18: I have nothing clever to say.

Status: 18w1d
I don't really have anything clever to say...not even a cute title for you. But we did FINALLY manage to start taking weekly pictures! Enjoy!

The Second Time Around...

It's a lot like they say - I am MORE tired, my belly is showing sooner (although this may be due to the fact I am working harder to make sure this baby is in a good position), you know the sort of things.

But, of course, there are things that are different (as I mentioned before). By this time, last pregnancy, we knew the gender of our baby, we had seen him several times on ultrasound, we had heard his heartbeat (sporadically) with a doppler, and I was covered in PUPPS. I sure am enjoying the differences!

One of the biggest difference is feeling movement. With Eli, I didn't feel him move until around 21 weeks (partially due to an anterior placenta), but I have felt Waffle flipping all over the place this past week - mostly when I lay on my belly.

Moving Right Along - Finishing Up 1st Tri

Status: 12 weeks, 6 days

On Monday (at 12 weeks on the dot), we had our 12 week appointment with Rachel, one of our midwives. Everything checked out fine, and we are happy to be getting over the hump of the first trimester.

Something you all may have noticed is that there aren't any ultrasound pictures. If you haven't noticed, it's something you will now (especially since I've mentioned it)! Like I said earlier, we are treating this pregnancy very differently than we did our first. One of the main things you will notice is that we aren't having ultrasounds. Our midwives have opened our eyes to the overuse of ultrasound in pregnancy. We understand that there are instances where ultrasound is a wonderful and necessary tool, but it is not for us at this time.

For those of you who are disappointed that you won't get to see Waffle before his or her birthday, we will be having an ultrasound done. Because of my previous c-section, it is deemed medically necessary to determine that Waffle's placenta has not implanted over my previous scar. So sometime well after we have reached the 20-week mark, we will go for an ultrasound. Joel also wants to find out if Waffle is a boy or a girl, so we might try to find that out as well.

Back for round 2!

Status: 10 Weeks, 1 day

We;;, we enjoyed the whole pregnancy and baby thing so much, we decided to sign up for round #2! We are due in early May (for those of you that like specific dates - that's May 9th, 2011), and are very excited to be adding to our family.

We learned a lot during our experience with Eli, so this blog may bring up things that you may not (or maybe you do) expect to see. We welcome questions and positive commentary!

And for the blog title, well....Joel likes to tell me "my eggo is preggo" (quoted from Juno), so our little one's working nickname has become waffle!

We look forward to sharing this journey with everyone as we expand our family!