My sourdough bread post will have to wait until I figure out what's going wrong. My bread used to rise, but now it's not. Boo! Until that day comes, I'm going to write for my peeps out there who have embarked on their journey into motherhood. Hello New Moms! This is for you!
I am not -- by any stretch of the imagination -- an Expert Mom. I constantly make errors, think that I know everything only to learn I didn't at all, and fall flat on my face on so many mommy levels. My purpose in this and the following few posts is to simply share how things have panned out thus far in my rearing two young boys. If you like what you see, awesome. If not, that's ok too. So here goes; we'll start with childbirth.
I only have the perspective of someone who has labored and delivered without the use of drugs, so if this is what you think you want to do here is my advice if you want to be successful --
First off: You Can Do It! -- Read these 110 Positive Natural Birth Stories that will encourage and educate you. If natural childbirth truly is your goal, please pay lots 'n lots more attention to stories like these than the horror stories. Set yourself on the right foot rather than a worried one. Or something. I get sayings mixed up all the time. :)
Exercise! -- Do something which gets your heart pumping for at least 30 minutes a day. I walked a ton during my pregnancy with Ignatius, and it definitely helped me withstand my 22 hours of labor. Walking also helps get the baby to engage your pelvis, which is good news in the arena of natural delivery. Ignatius was WELL engaged and he came only 2 days after his due date. Score!
Eat well! -- Maybe you can get away with it, but I have huge babies. I wasn't watching my sugar with Julian, and he was born via c-section due to his massive size (11 pounds 3 ounces). My VBAC babe was 10 pounds and I was watching my sugar (It's crazy to type that number!). I wonder how big Ignatius would have been if I wasn't watching my sugar?
PRENATAL YOGA! -- Learning to relax while doing something uncomfortable is the key to learning how to relax during contractions. What better way to practice this than the stretching and breathing exercises given in yoga? Relaxing during contractions is the labor of birthing your child. If you can do this, you can deliver naturally, without drugs. It's hard work, but if you do prenatal yoga consistently and frequently you will be able to keep to your goal of birthing naturally.
I've been told all my life I'm highly sensitive to pain, and I birthed naturally. It's because I knew I had to work hard before the day came. You have to view the day of delivery as a marathon you'll be running in, which means you need to train yourself for your baby's Big Arrival as much as you can. Prenatal yoga was such a key to this training for me. Here's the prenatal yoga video I did. I loved what the instructor says in it. Her words and the way she says them were super encouraging to me.
Read Hypnobirthing -- You can take it or leave it with some of things she says in her book, but I still think it's a fantastic natural birthing educational book to read, and it's short which is a bonus.
Read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way -- This book is jam-packed with great information. I love how the book explains the different parts of labor and what "sign posts" to look for in each stage. I must say, there's lots of mamma nudity, so be prepared! I had to say it!
Get a doula or a female friend to help you during labor! -- This was so important for us, both my husband and myself. My good friend stayed with me during the entire process, and I can't tell you how grateful we are to her. I know my husband was so thankful to have someone there to share in caring for me. As for myself, there was something completely special about another woman there that helped me get through the contractions, someone to mother me when I needed it the most. I can't put into words how supported I felt.
Here is DONA International's website; they have a listing of people who are certified or are trying to get their certification hours (meaning, they can be your doula for very cheap/free as they want the certification!). Mamma friends are great, too. That's what I had and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Don't go crazy in your birth plan -- Try keeping your birth plan as realistic and common-sense as you can be. There are great templates out there I'm sure floating around the inter-webs; but attempt, however, to find one that speaks of the big issues you feel most strongly about. The Bump has a nice checklist which will help you narrow down these strong points. My midwifery firm already had a blank checklist birth plan on hand which they give every mom, making my life easy-peasy.
Try to labor as long as you can at home -- This is where having a learned doula is great. She can accurately gauge when it's the right time to go to the hospital much better than you or your nervously concerned hubby. We went in just as I went into transition. It was great because I had the bulk of my labor under my belt, and knew I avoided potential needless interventions from the hospital staff because of how little time I spent laboring there. Obviously, you'll want to make sure to follow the advice of your doctor's, especially if you have a high-risk pregnancy, excessive bleeding, etc. etc. Follow your gut instinct before all else, especially in regards to birthing. Do, however, your best to labor at home at least a good portion of the time. It will really do you good!
There are so many more things I want to say, but alas! it is WAY past my bedtime! Good night!
I am not -- by any stretch of the imagination -- an Expert Mom. I constantly make errors, think that I know everything only to learn I didn't at all, and fall flat on my face on so many mommy levels. My purpose in this and the following few posts is to simply share how things have panned out thus far in my rearing two young boys. If you like what you see, awesome. If not, that's ok too. So here goes; we'll start with childbirth.
I only have the perspective of someone who has labored and delivered without the use of drugs, so if this is what you think you want to do here is my advice if you want to be successful --
First off: You Can Do It! -- Read these 110 Positive Natural Birth Stories that will encourage and educate you. If natural childbirth truly is your goal, please pay lots 'n lots more attention to stories like these than the horror stories. Set yourself on the right foot rather than a worried one. Or something. I get sayings mixed up all the time. :)
Exercise! -- Do something which gets your heart pumping for at least 30 minutes a day. I walked a ton during my pregnancy with Ignatius, and it definitely helped me withstand my 22 hours of labor. Walking also helps get the baby to engage your pelvis, which is good news in the arena of natural delivery. Ignatius was WELL engaged and he came only 2 days after his due date. Score!
Eat well! -- Maybe you can get away with it, but I have huge babies. I wasn't watching my sugar with Julian, and he was born via c-section due to his massive size (11 pounds 3 ounces). My VBAC babe was 10 pounds and I was watching my sugar (It's crazy to type that number!). I wonder how big Ignatius would have been if I wasn't watching my sugar?
PRENATAL YOGA! -- Learning to relax while doing something uncomfortable is the key to learning how to relax during contractions. What better way to practice this than the stretching and breathing exercises given in yoga? Relaxing during contractions is the labor of birthing your child. If you can do this, you can deliver naturally, without drugs. It's hard work, but if you do prenatal yoga consistently and frequently you will be able to keep to your goal of birthing naturally.
I've been told all my life I'm highly sensitive to pain, and I birthed naturally. It's because I knew I had to work hard before the day came. You have to view the day of delivery as a marathon you'll be running in, which means you need to train yourself for your baby's Big Arrival as much as you can. Prenatal yoga was such a key to this training for me. Here's the prenatal yoga video I did. I loved what the instructor says in it. Her words and the way she says them were super encouraging to me.
Read Hypnobirthing -- You can take it or leave it with some of things she says in her book, but I still think it's a fantastic natural birthing educational book to read, and it's short which is a bonus.
Read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way -- This book is jam-packed with great information. I love how the book explains the different parts of labor and what "sign posts" to look for in each stage. I must say, there's lots of mamma nudity, so be prepared! I had to say it!
Get a doula or a female friend to help you during labor! -- This was so important for us, both my husband and myself. My good friend stayed with me during the entire process, and I can't tell you how grateful we are to her. I know my husband was so thankful to have someone there to share in caring for me. As for myself, there was something completely special about another woman there that helped me get through the contractions, someone to mother me when I needed it the most. I can't put into words how supported I felt.
Here is DONA International's website; they have a listing of people who are certified or are trying to get their certification hours (meaning, they can be your doula for very cheap/free as they want the certification!). Mamma friends are great, too. That's what I had and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Don't go crazy in your birth plan -- Try keeping your birth plan as realistic and common-sense as you can be. There are great templates out there I'm sure floating around the inter-webs; but attempt, however, to find one that speaks of the big issues you feel most strongly about. The Bump has a nice checklist which will help you narrow down these strong points. My midwifery firm already had a blank checklist birth plan on hand which they give every mom, making my life easy-peasy.
Try to labor as long as you can at home -- This is where having a learned doula is great. She can accurately gauge when it's the right time to go to the hospital much better than you or your nervously concerned hubby. We went in just as I went into transition. It was great because I had the bulk of my labor under my belt, and knew I avoided potential needless interventions from the hospital staff because of how little time I spent laboring there. Obviously, you'll want to make sure to follow the advice of your doctor's, especially if you have a high-risk pregnancy, excessive bleeding, etc. etc. Follow your gut instinct before all else, especially in regards to birthing. Do, however, your best to labor at home at least a good portion of the time. It will really do you good!
There are so many more things I want to say, but alas! it is WAY past my bedtime! Good night!
Exercise - check!, eat well - sort of check, yoga - check! Now I just need to read those birth stories... and books. Oh and I never thought about the laboring at home as long as possible thing, but that's a good idea. I know my first instinct would be to rush to the hospital as soon as I feel anything labor-like, but I know I'd really be more comfortable, and probably better off, waiting it out at home for a while.
ReplyDeleteIn the Bradley Method book it says to wait to go to the hospital until you can't smile anymore. A good test is for your hubby to take a picture of you as your "Last Picture Pregnant" and if you can smile for it, then you still have more laboring to do at home. Of course, there are multiple factors that this won't be a reliable "sign post" for you. If you have back labor, for example, you won't be able to smile between contractions at all even early on because with back labor you literally don't get breaks (although there are pressure points your husband can learn which will get you through it without drugs). Funny, I remember smiling a tad before going to the hospital ... the first time around. I also remember being completely incapable of smiling when I went to the hospital later on when I REALLY was ready. My body was so focused; never had I been so ninja-like haha!
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