oh look! you're back. it is difficult to get off the floor. my girls are almost two and i still spend a good deal of time looking at ceiling fans whirling as i am jumped on and tortured.

homebirth? why can't a woman make a decision to do whatever the f she wants to do? why is there always someone somewhere trying to make some kind of golden standard for our health? personally, i wanted to be as close to an epidural as possible for the twins birth, but far be it from me to deny anybody the right to pop their babies out wherever they feel comfortable doing so.

Nice post. Beautiful baby!

I've written my own post about the "resolutions." If you get back up on the computer, you may enjoy reading it!
http://spiritledbirth.blogspot.com/2008/06/ama-blasts-homebirth.html

I have my own newborn.... just love giving him loves!

you should see what truly horrific parents do. they loan their kids to teenagers who think they can raise children. seriously, it on this new NBC show called Baby Borrowers. criminal

I loved the movie but it did pose a few questions for me. Should I absolutely say NO to induction? I want to try for natural for sure but lets say we are up to hour 30 and I'm still not where I need to be to get that baby out? Should I just say let's do the C-Section? From what I have been reading and what was in the film, it appears that induction & epidurals are just not good for the baby.

I am a first time mom and considered a high risk pregnancy due to my age of 41.

help?

Hey Gina--

Medical induction is actually an incredible tool when used appropriately; as is a well-timed epidural. The main problem is that inductions are pretty much a routine procedure these days. And they do come with risks (and they can be highly unpleasant, too). As the documentary shows, women are not given the chance to spontaneously begin labor and let their bodies have a good go at alone. But after 30 hours of painful natural labor I think a push of pitocin or (preferably?) an epidural could be an great help and worth it from a risk/benefit POV. An epidural can give an utterly exhausted women who has been laboring on her own for a long time exactly the break she needs. And suddenly she'll open up and the baby is born and the epidural has actually prevented a c-section! Pitocin is less fun, because it can cause mammoth contractions but at times it is helpful, too. Also, it may make you feel better to know there's some disagreement about whether your age automatically makes you "high risk." Absent of other factors, age alone may not make that big a difference. Of course, you'll be labeled advanced maternal age, which is always fun. But try to focus on the fact that a woman's body is designed to do this. And let yourself off the hook about the epidural-- if you end up needing it, go for it! It's not a sign of failure and can actually be a really great thing and the right choice. There are things you can do to encourage a natural birth but it's important to stay open. Micromanaging birth-- even with the goal of a natural birth--is never a good idea. Every body and every labor is its own thing- see how yours unravels and trust that you'll make good choices as you go. Hope this helps! And congratulations. - Ceridwen

I had as close to an all natural birth at a mojor hospital. I hated how many times they kept asking and asking if I wanted drugs well they called it pain medication or epidural but lets be honest DRUGS!!! They did have a wonderful nurse who help tremendously for part of my labor until they made her go home for the day. When I was close to delivery I wanted an oil massage (where I was told from Lamaze they would hold a warm olive oil cloth in "that" area) Their version of said massage was to poke me with a Q-tip blotted into a fingertip sized cup of the supposed oil mixture. Anyways I tore second level and got the equivelant of 30+ stitches and I WILL STAY HOME NEXT TIME! The only reason I went to the hospital this time was my husband was paranoid and he now completely agrees with me. I will use a midwife and doula next time and do it with no doctor pressuring me into using "normal" drugs!

I'm a (pseudo) first timer, and currently not that near to giving birth (today is the last day of my first trimester). I have never wanted a home birth (I want as many people around to wait on me as possible!), and this was confirmed to me very strongly when I had a difficult miscarriage at 12 weeks back in May. When I was losing consciousness due to loss of blood at home, by husband called an ambulance (he says it was the scariest phone call he's ever made). I have neve felt so taken care of - all the medical professionals who came across my path that awful day were amazing - I trusted them with my life and would do it again in a heartbeat. I realize that not all hospital experiences are as positive as mine, but they're not all nasty, either. I get really frustrated when the 'All-Natural' crowd tries to make me feel like I'm going to be putting my baby in harm's way if I trust my doctors.

I too saw the movie. I thought it was an interesting movie and I felt she had some very good points. What I didn't like is that because you chose to have your child in a hospital it is not considered to be a natural childbirth. I wanted to have a natural childbirth and luckily I was able to have one. No pitocin, no epidural, and I was free to move around (in the limited space, due to complications). I feel that as long as you are aware of all that can happen and aware of various drugs and conscious of what is going on with your body during labor then you can have a natural child birth any where.

F.P.E.

http://allwomencanireallyhaveitall.wordpress.com/

Oh my. What about strep B? I had a 4 hour labor, which meant only 4 hours of IV antibiotics, not enough to kill it decisively in my birth canal and subsequent (or consequent as it were) baby. An an exposed baby can have major and devastating complications including death.

I did hear of one women recently in a DC hospital whose baby died solely for this reason (the M.D., to her minimal credit, retired immediately after). And as a young widow, I know a disproportionate number of men whose wives have died in childbirth. [I will also tell you to cross the street very, very, very carefully].

So for me, with a super-fast labor and strep B, I would totally have preferred to be in a hospital.

I was "lucky" -- did everything "naturally" but of course at 4 hrs I had no choice.

Just another perspective.

Supa D. Fresh

hi,

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garcia

working mums