Archive for the ‘Midwife’ Category

• The Story of Bunky’s Birth

  Date: 2009.09.02 | Category: Babies, Bunky, Family, Grammy, Hubby, Midwife, Papa, Pregnancy, Punky, Spunky, mama | Response: 6

  Disclaimer: This may be a little too much information for some, so I am warning you ahead of time. Read at your own risk
  

  The day before Bunky’s birth, I visited my midwife, Nancy, for my 38 week check-up.  I was 4cm dilated and 70% effaced.  Nancy had discussed stripping my membranes the week before.  I did a little research and decided to go ahead with it.  (I had my membranes stripped with Spunky, but all it did was cause a week of contractions.  Even though I didn’t want that to happen again, I thought it was work the risk since my family had arrived in town the day before and I had their help and support.)

  With my membranes stripped, I headed home with the hopes that I would go into labor.  As the day progressed, I began to wonder if anything really was going to happen that day.  By bedtime, I had had very few contractions.  I figured that it hadn’t worked again and that I would have the baby in a couple of weeks.

  At about 2:30am, I started having very regular contractions that lasted about a minute and were 3-4 minutes apart.  Since my other labors had been fast, three and a half hours each, my hubby insisted we leave for the hospital.  We woke up my mom, grabbed our things and called my midwife, who headed to the hospital.

  Of course, as soon as I checked in to the hospital everything slowed down.  By 9am, I had barely progressed more than a centimeter, so we decided to break my water.  Nancy said that she knew I would have the baby today, but didn’t want to send me home just to have me turn around and come back again.  By breaking my water, we hoped it would cause labor to speed up.

  My water was broken mid-morning and I slowly progressed.  I walked around a lot, did squats, and even rested a little bit in between contractions.  By early afternoon, my contractions were getting harder, but I was still progressing but at an achingly slow speed compared to my previous two deliveries.

  I labored quite differently than I did with my previous two children because I was not hooked up to an IV. I was able to move around as much as I liked.  I found what worked best for me was to sit on a stool and then lean against my hubby during contractions.  My secret to getting through them was to say to my hubby, in my head, over and over again, “I love you.”  It distracted me from the pain and made the experience of childbirth so intimate and beautiful for me.

  Nancy had already delivered several babies of women who had come in after me, and I, her first patient, still had not delivered my little man.  At around 3:30pm (almost twelve hours after I had arrived at the hospital) the contractions were increasing in pain, but for some reason I got stuck at 9cm.  I was there for a while, and finally Nancy suggested that a little bit of pitocin would probably be enough just to get me ready to deliver.

  The nurse hooked me up to pitocin.  My contractions were intense and constant with no breaks in between.  But within 18 minutes, Bunky was born.  After the first push, I heard my hubby say, “There’s the head!”  Which I thought meant the baby was crowning.  But, no.  The head was out!  The cord was wrapped once around Bunky’s neck.  Once that was untangled, I pushed again, and out came our little boy.  I heard my mom saying, “listen: he’s crying.”  Apparently, according to my mom, I looked a little bit in shock, but hearing my little boy’s cries brought me to reality.  I did not expect him to be born in just two pushes; so I think I was in a little bit of shock at that moment.  Bunky was born at 4:05pm on Saturday, August 22, 2009.

  only a minute old
  

  The nurse immediately placed him up on my chest while they wiped him off.  A little while later, my hubby cut the cord and a while after that the placenta came out.  I only needed one stitch, which I chose to have done without pain meds (it barely hurt).  The nurses checked out Bunky and everything looked great.  He weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces and measured 19 1/4 inches long.

  Punky was 6 pounds 13 ounces and 20 inches long- three weeks early.
  Spunky was 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long- one week late.

  
  Daddy with his new son & Grammy with her third grandchild

  After Bunky was measured and weighed, he nursed for a while.  Then, my husband, mother and I were able to spend a while admiring our handsome guy.  As soon as he got the call, my dad brought the kids over to meet their little brother.  It was a wonderful time that we all spent together.

  
  Papa and Baby Bunky & The Boys

  Although I can’t consider my birth completely “natural”, it was much closer to that than my previous two deliveries.  Once again, I was able to manage the pain naturally through breathing.  It might sound strange, but I actually enjoyed my labor with Bunky.  I was able to relax some and, even during transition, I had breaks between contractions.  Overall, it was a very positive experience for me.  And it brought my beautiful baby boy into the world, for which I am forever thankful.  We are truly blessed with three beautiful, heathly children.

  
  Our Family of Five

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  I recently took The Birth Survey and shared my birth experience so that others may use this knowledge to decide with whom and where to deliver a baby.  I had a very positive experience at the hospital that I used with both Spunky and Bunky.  I moved from using an OBGYN to a midwife this time around and was very pleased.  If you would like to share your experiences, I encourage you to follow the link below.  You never know who you may help in the process.

  

• Pregnancy Week 38 Update

  Date: 2009.08.21 | Category: Bunky, Midwife, Pregnancy, mama | Response: 7

  Today’s appointment went well.  My midwife stripped my membranes (ouch!) and hopes I’ll go into labor this weekend because she is on call.  My back has been hurting me today, which could be a sign of early labor or the fact that I am hugely pregnant and didn’t sleep well last night.  The baby is moving around like crazy today; he keeps kicking me up under my ribs and switching positions.

  Here are this week’s stats:

  • My BP was 120/82, no protein and I gained another three pounds (part of which is due to my legs now having edema- lucky me!)
  • he had the hick-ups when she was listening to his heartbeat- he gets them all the time
  • I am about 4cm dilated (up 2 from last week) and still 70% effaced
  • head still down and in the right position
  • measuring a week ahead- He is going to be my biggest baby yet!
  • My midwife said that she thinks I will have a smooth delivery because I have a “good pelvis”, which is a huge relief to me because my previous OB said the opposite after Grace was born and it had me really nervous about delivering a big baby. Now I am not nervous in regards to that.

  Please say a prayer that I will go into labor this weekend!  If not, I have another appointment on Tuesday, and my midwife will try to strip the membranes again to see if that will kick me into labor.  I really want to have baby Bunky before my dad has to go back home by the 31st– and I know he wants to be here, too!

• Could It Be? Take a Guess!

  Date: 2009.08.20 | Category: Bunky, Midwife, Parenting, Pregnancy, mama | Response: 11

  Tomorrow could be the BIG DAY.

  My midwife is going to strip my membranes tomorrow afternoon.  This is supposed to bring on contractions which can lead to labor.  I had it done with Spunky, and it didn’t bring on labor, just a week straight of contractions.  So that may be the case for this baby as well.  However, some claim that it will make you go into labor within two days.

  Feel free to make a guess in the comments section
  as to when YOU think the baby will be born!

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  I am starting to feel stressed.  I tend to be a worrier and I have lots of things that I can worry about right now: going into labor (I’ve never done it naturally before- was induced twice), giving birth to my biggest baby so far, coming home and suddenly being the mommy of THREE kids, and just the transition of having a newborn with a 3 1/2 year old and a 2 year old.

  I love the newborn stage.  I know a lot of people who prefer it when their children are a bit older, but I cherish those first few months.  I love spending the time holding, nursing and cuddling with the baby.  I am especially looking forward to sharing those moments with Punky and Spunky.

  Punky is incredibly excited for his little brother to be born.  It is all that he talks about.  Spunky loves talking through my belly button to the baby.  I know they are both going to love having a baby in the house.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Please keep us in your prayers in the coming day.

  I will be sure to update if things start progressing.

• Pregnancy Week 37 Update: Baby May Be Born Next Weekend?

  Date: 2009.08.14 | Category: Bunky, Midwife, Pregnancy, mama | Response: 10

  I went for my 37 week check-up today.  My midwife did have a few concerns:

  • rapid weight gain in the last week
  • high BP for two weeks in a row
  • lots and lots of edema (swelling)
  • however, I did not have any protein in my urine (sign of pre-eclampsia)

  I am to drink lots of water and put my feet up whenever I can– haha! Putting my feet up with two little kids isn’t the easiest thing to do, but I will try.

  Here are this week’s stats:

  • still at 2cm and 70% effaced
  • baby is at -1 position
  • NOT posterior (Spunky was, and the delivery was really painful; so I am doing my best not to recline and keep the baby’s back forward)
  • He is a BIG BOY- my midwife asked me how big Spunky was when she was born a week late (7 lbs 11 oz) and she said he will “definitely beat her”
  • He had a big growth spurt over the last week

  Soooo….

  Next week, she is going to strip “the heck out of my membranes” (her words, not mine) in the hopes that he will come a little bit early and not be too huge.  I had that done with Spunky as well, but it only made me have contractions; I didn’t go into labor until a week later when I was induced.  Also, my BP going up a little bit and all the swelling could end up being a reason to have the baby early.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  My parents are going to be making the trip out to stay with us some time in the middle of next week so that they can be here in case the baby is born next weekend.  My mom will be with me for the birth and my dad will stay home with the kids.  We are really looking forward to their arrival!

• Nearly 34 Week Check-Up

  Date: 2009.07.23 | Category: Bunky, Grammy, Midwife, Pregnancy, Punky, Spunky, mama | Response: 5

  We arrived home last night after midnight and woke up early this morning to go to an appointment with my midwife. Punky and Spunky had to come with me, but, fortunately, they love my midwife.  (Although, on the way there, Punky re-affirmed his hatred for Grammy’s doctors when he told me that he likes my doctor, but hates Grammy’s.  He loves his Grammy and is incredibly protective of her.)

  Pregnancy and Baby #3 33-34 Week Stats:

  • BP: 116/82
  • Iron: 11.7 – still going down a little bit.  I am going to try even harder to eat things rich in iron since the iron supplements make me so sick.  Any tips?
  • Baby head down and in pelvis
  • Measuring exactly where I should be (he was measuring bigger before just because he was not in position)
  • Baby’s heart rate: 142
  • Lots of swelling in my feet and ankles
  • Braxton Hicks all the time, especially when walking a lot
  • still vomiting once in a while- it usually happens when I am really tired
  • Baby #3 is moving around A LOT

• I Went to the Midwife, and Now We’re Going to LONDON!

  Date: 2009.06.30 | Category: Bunky, Family, Hubby, Midwife, Travel, mama | Response: 10

  My hubby is being sent on business to London, and I am going with him!

  

  I had to wait until after my 30 week check-up to make sure I was allowed to go.
  I went this morning, and everything looks great:

  • BP- 120/72
  • Weight- gained less than a 1 pound since two weeks ago
  • Baby Measuring- 32 weeks (apparently, for the last two months, he has been measuring two weeks ahead.  We’ll see if he is going to be early or just a big boy)
  • Cervix- outside partially dilated, but not on the inside- which means I am allowed to fly
  • Baby is not head down yet- I think that is because he is constantly doing somersaults!
  • As for the anemia, my iron supplements were making me throw up; so I am going to try to just eat a more iron-rich diet and then they are going to check my blood at my next appointment

  I have to be careful when I fly to make sure I am hydrated and not swelling.  My midwife warned me that I will have contractions, but not to worry too much about them unless they are severe.  I’ve already been having contractions for weeks; so this shouldn’t be much different than what I am already going through.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  We are bringing to kids to my parents’ house for a couple of weeks while we take our first vacation (and business trip) away from the kids.  I have never left Spunky, and the last time I left Punky was when Spunky was born (two years ago); so this is a big deal for ME.  I know the kids will be fine, which helps a lot.  I am so looking forward to just enjoying time with my wonderful husband.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Not only is this a special trip for us, but we are going to be staying in style!

  Our hotel in downtown London is a luxury hotel!  The first part of the trip (before my hubby starts working) will be paid for with lots of hotel points.  We basically just have to pay for my meals, flights, and whatever attractions we go to see.

  I am SO excited!!

• Because I Need Some ME Time

  Date: 2009.04.26 | Category: Health, Hubby, Midwife, New House, Parenting, Pregnancy, Punky, Spunky, mama | Response: 8

  I have to admit that this has been a REALLY hard week for me.  I am on edge, cranky and just plain exhausted.  I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a week and it is wearing on me.

  I was planning on going to a baby shower this afternoon, but it turns out that we may all have some type of streptococcal thingy (obviously, I am not in the medical field) as we recently came in contact with a child who has had and may again have scarlet fever.  The sore throats, Punky’s fever and rashes on the kids worried the after hours doctor at my pediatrician’s office; so the kids will be going to the doctor first thing in the morning.

  My hubby has also come down with it and will be going to see his doctor tomorrow as well.

  I called my midwife, and she immediately prescriped antibiotics for me- having strep and being pregnant is never a good thing.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Spunky is napping.  Daddy is resting.  Punky has his usual crazy amount of energy.  And all I want to do right now is sit.  So I am going to do it, and to fill my time is something fun I saw over on Lora’s blog:

  8 things I’m looking forward to:
  

  1. everyone being healthy again
  2. getting a good night’s sleep
  3. visiting my family at the end of May
  4. going for a walk with my kids
  5. eating an ice cream cone (I have been craving one!)
  6. finishing unpacking the rest of the boxes
  7. cleaning out our garage so that I can put my car in it again
  8. taking some Mommy Time– away from the house

  8 things I did yesterday:

  1. cleaned up the disasters
  2. did some laundry
  3. yelled a little too much
  4. watched part of Enchanted with Punky, but he fell asleep
  5. washed my floors three times (I am not exaggerating)
  6. went to bed early… but…
  7. stayed up later than I wanted… and…
  8. finished reading Sense and Sensibility

  8 things I wish I could do:

  1. sew
  2. stay away from too many sweets
  3. find a balance between maintaining the house and spending time with the kids
  4. get on a better schedule
  5. wake up earlier and walk with the kids
  6. control my temper better
  7. have more patience
  8. bake a really good batch of chocolate chip cookies (any recipes you want to share??)

  8 shows I watch:

  1. The Office
  2. 30 Rock
  3. Heroes
  4. American Idol
  5. Anything on the Food Network
  6. I guess this list only has 5… oh well

  If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged and play along… or not.  No biggie

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Well, Punky and I are going to “pick some things up at the store”, to use his words.  Have a nice afternoon!

• Friday Fave Five #5

  Date: 2009.03.20 | Category: Aunt Lu, Bunky, Friday Fave 5, Grammy, Midwife, Papa, Pregnancy, Punky, Spunky, mama | Response: 3

  1. Punky being protective of me while at my OB appointment.  “You wait in the car…”
  2. Watching Spunky spend time drawing with “colors”.  She even identified the red today: “I have red!”  What a smartie pants!
  3. Having wonderful friends who watched my kiddos while I packed– and I got a lot done.
  4. Being able to have really nice conversations on the phone with my sister, mom and dad.  I can’t wait to see them in a couple of weeks.
  5. Feeling the baby move ALL the time!  It always assures me that the baby is healthy.  It is an amazing feeling to have a life growing inside of my body.  What an incredible blessing!

• Friday Favorite Five

  Date: 2009.02.13 | Category: Bunky, Hubby, Midwife, Parenting, Punky, Spunky | Response: 6

  Good Moments from This Past Week:

  1. Spunky feeding her baby doll a bottle with her arms gentling cradling the baby’s head.
  2. Going to see the midwife and finding out that everything is good.  And feeling the baby kick while I was there!!
  3. Punky asking me to sing through all of the “Jesus” songs that he knows.  Afterward, he prayed for everyone he could think of.
  4. Watching our children play together, laughing the whole time.
  5. My hubby making dinner three times this week!  What a guy!

  What were your favorite parts of the week?

• Unscheduled 10 Week Check-Up

  Date: 2009.02.10 | Category: Bunky, Midwife, mama | Response: 3

  Since I have been having some issues with this pregnancy, my midwife asked me to come in first thing this morning to get checked out.  Here is what the check-up revealed:

  • I have lost another pound.  Now I have lost a total of four pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy.
  • I am NOT dehydrated- a HUGE relief!
  • I did have protein in my urine (which could be an indicator of pre-eclampsia, which I had with Punky, if I had high blood pressure), but my BP was good.
  • I heard the baby’s heartbeat!
  • I FELT THE BABY MOVE!!  The midwife was trying to hear the heartbeat (it is hard to find at just 10 weeks) and pushed right on the baby and he/she jumped out of the way.  It was really neat!
  • I am measuring perfectly for 10 weeks.

  So everything is good!  I still feel pretty sick, but had some good moments today and was even able to pack a few boxes and clean the house up a bit.