15 Week Midwife Appointment

I had my 15 week appointment yesterday. It was definitely a full crowd as all 3 kids wanted to come, my mom was in town, and I also dragged Gary along. As before, it was a very relaxed, calm visit with plenty of time to deal with kids in between taking care of the actual prenatal visit. We arrived in a rush after running around and picking up kids from school and meeting my mom. She gave us a mini-tour of the facility again. Josh seemed very impressed about the kitchen in the office! The kids immediately put a movie on and playing with the many toys Rebecca has available.

I peed in a cup, then we asked for another ultrasound so my Mom and the kids could see the baby. The baby was head first towards my back (so its feet were pointing at my tummy) so we had quite the time getting a good face or profile shot. The kids loved to see the baby jump and wiggle and squirm though. Rebecca then used the doppler to get the baby's heartbeat which proved impossible. The funny way the baby was laying meant we just couldn't pick up the baby's heartbeat over my own. She remarked she was glad she had the ultrasound since otherwise there would have been quite the panic, not sure if the baby was okay or not. (Which would not have been a good visit to bring the kids to!)

Then I weighed myself, and we decided to do the internal exam. I had my mom go out into the family room with the kids for this. :) No use scarring them! Rebecca was very professional and let me know everything she was about to do. She also did a breast exam, and taught Gary how to perform one. Apparently 70% of lumps in breasts are noticed by partners! After this, she asked questions about how I've been feeling (tired, sore in my pelvis) and suggested I pick up a bella band for pelvis support. I had no idea those things were good for anything but holding up your pre-pregnancy jeans!

I got dressed again and we sat on the couch and chatted about any questions and concerns I may have had. I asked her specifically about childbirth classes. From what I hear, Hypnobabies is wonderful, except that I can't get past the "hypnosis" thing. Which means hypnobabies wouldn't work for me at all. So we talked about some other options, and she gave me the phone number of a woman who has taught basically all the classes, and combines them. I really like the idea of a class that gives me a handful of exercises or tools I can use in labor, rather than just one option, such as hypnosis. This way if something doesn't work for me I can discard it and just try something else. Rebecca did mention this woman is rather hard to get into a class so if it works out, I'll post my thoughts about it.

We talked for a few minutes about scheduling the "big ultrasound" (I simply can't believe we're talking about it already!), since if I end up going to an IHC hospital, I need to schedule now. She asked if I was interested in AFP (AFK? AKP?) testing. Since it has such a high false positive/negative rate, and a positive would mean I'd have to do that scary test with the super long needle into the womb... we passed. The ultrasound will check for some of those same problems and honestly, if there was a problem? We'd just stress and worry till the baby came. I vote for blissful ignorance, thank you.

So that was our visit. My mom feels a little more confident in this crazy plan of mine, I hope. Gary was impressed that Rebecca remembered his name! When I'm in Rebecca's office, surrounded by pictures that Rebecca has assisted in bringing into this world, natural childbirth seems so do-able and not at all scary or psychotic. Which is a nice feeling!

I need to post the ultrasound picture and a belly pic soon! I stopped posting them every week because I felt like I needed to see a difference, and there really isn't that much change from week to week right now. But I'll get on that soon and be back to post more adventures from the womb.

Intelligender & 1st Tri Farewell

I made it. I'm officially 13 weeks pregnant, and now a 2nd tri gal. Which, on the one hand, seems like a great accomplishment. 1/3 of the way there! On the other hand, I think it's terribly deceptive, considering the majority of pregnant women come into their first tri four weeks in. Therefore it seems like the next trimesters are going to just fly by... uh, no. But even still, it's nice to know I'm beyond the biggest risk of miscarriage. I realized, after I took this pic, that a white shirt probably wasn't the best choice for a baby bump picture, but hey, I was having a great hair day so I'm not going to be too picky.

My birthday was this past week and my older sister really wanted to get me something she had heard of somewhere, called the Intelligender. Essentially, you pee in a cup (the joy of every pregnant lady!) and after 10 minutes, the strip on the cup turns to either orangey-yellow and says 'GIRL' or it turns to grey-green and says 'BOY.' It has an 82% accuracy rate for determining gender, but as they say on their website, don't paint your nursery based on the test!

Ultimately, I ended up returning it. NOT because I didn't believe it would work, I'm a big believer in pee color strips. My hubby and I are pretty traditional though and with our first, we had the ultrasound tech secretly sign a note saying whether it was a boy or girl. We took the note home and threw a party that night, where we all discovered the gender together. It was super fun, and hubby would like to do that again for this baby. Peeing in a cup and yelling down the hall, "Hey, Sweetie, we're having a _________!" seemed a little anti-climatic.

My thoughts? This is a great option if you're one of those Natural Mamas who are opting out of optional ultrasounds. (That was a fun sentence to write.) Also great if you get a "fuzzy" ultrasound photo or baby doesn't cooperate during his or her first photo session. And of course, if you just can't possibly wait till that all-important 20 week ultrasound, then spend the $30 dollars and get yourself an Intelligender test! (Available at http://www.intelligender.com/, and Walgreens and CVS pharmacies.) If you do end up purchasing it, my sister and I would love to know how the test worked for you!

An Ode to Green Bell Peppers

I'm going to start this post out with a little confession: I have actually dreamed about bell peppers. Yeah, it's that serious. The craving hit unobtrusively enough two weeks ago when, while at work, I started thinking about how good bell peppers are. Then at lunch time I decided to go to Subway (read: splurge) instead of the stinky hospital cafeteria. And they had bell peppers to put on my sandwich!

It was delicious. The craving took off like a firecracker in the hands of a twelve year old boy. I have now also had bell peppers on two ham sandwiches, dutch oven chicken, french dip and grilled on hot dogs.... ooooooh yeah... hot dogs and green peppers! (Seriously. It's fantastic.)

My husband thinks I've lost it a little just because I don't think bell pepper ice cream sounds all that bad. I mean, in other countries they have carrot ice cream and avocado ice cream... is it really all that far fetched to throw bell peppers in there? I think not! No, I haven't tried it yet, because there is some part of my rational brain that says it sounds weird. Plus I'd be the only one eating it, of that I'm certain. But if I do get crazy/pregnant enough to try it, I'll take pics and let you know how it goes.

It is nice to have a healthy craving for once... last pregnancy was 9 solid months of craving Lucky Charms.

HOW TO MAKE THIS PREGNANT LADY HAPPY
Take one mini french bread loaf and cut in half. Top with ham, pile with cheddar, and add lots of sliced green peppers. Pop it in your broiler for about 5 minutes (watch it closely!) Remove, slather with olive oil mayo, and enjoy... you won't regret it, and neither will I.

And to top it all off (the post, not the sandwich), it's time for a 12 week preggo picture. You can't tell, but I'm wearing my totally awesome PREGNANT (not fat) tank top because it makes me happy. What better to wear to go out to my birthday dinner?

I'm Totally Crafty

I about died when I saw this picture. It has now made its home on my desktop wallpaper where I look at it and grin with glee over my obviously superiour crafting skills. Just how crafty am I, you wonder?Yeah, I'm that awesome. Seriously, this kills me.

Anyway, it's time for a belly bump pic. So here it is, at (almost) 11 weeks preggo.I took this picture two days ago and I kept worrying that since my left shoulder was slightly turned, that it made me look bigger than I actually am. But today, I feel that big and soooo much more. I'm growing out of all my jeans (already!) but I think I'm going to hold off on wearing maternity jeans till the 2nd trimester. I mean, c'mon. Seriously? Maternity jeans already?? Life just isn't fair.

Speaking of life not being fair... I think I totally overdid it today. After working (where I'm on my feet all morning), I had to drive around in my hothothot car running a few errands. Then I went to Walmart, which is no longer WaldashMart, in case you haven't noticed. It took forever and the total amount was ridiculous. I still can't figure out how I spent so much on so little! Then I came home to attempt getting ready for our camping trip tomorrow, then we ran more errands (In Gary's nothot truck), including Costco. My poooooor uterus. It's so sore from all that walking! Gary told me to go rest and said he doesn't mind if we finish packing in the morning. I'm in pain and walking is just murder right now. I'm trying not to be all first-time-mommy about it, since I'm not, but I can't help but being a little concerned.

Oh well. I'm sure all will be well, especially if I can convince myself to stop eating Oatmeal Creme Pies. Blasted Little Debbie and her oatmealy goodness. I've eaten nearly half the box since coming back from Walnodashmart.

Sweet Natural Birth Documentary

While surfing around http://www.mothering.com/, I came across a forum post by a midwife (I believe). For a contest, she had made a documentary where ten women speak about their experience with natural birth. I really loved how the women explained birth; as a simple process where we just need to let our bodies do what they know how to do. I loved that there were women who had their first birth as a home birth, and women who had gone the "traditional" epidural route who then tried a home birth. One woman, laughingly, pointed out that you don't have to be "100 percent vegetarian... or an earth-momma type of person..." which is what I believe. I love the idea of being green/organic/nature-loving and all that jazz, but right now, it's not who I am. I'm just a regular girl who wants to have birth in a regular sort of way, the way it is supposed to be.

To see the two-part video, click here and here.

First Prenatal "Exam"

Forget doctors. I never want to see an OB-GYN again. Forget waiting rooms, standing in line with people who are (most likely) ill and contagious. That is so not for me. My eyes have been opened.

Yes, I had my first midwife appointment this week. I am in love. Not necessarily with my midwife, who actually hugged me when I left, but with the level of care I received. Because the intent of my blog is to help women who may be deciding if a natural birth, a home birth, a water birth, or a birth with a midwife is for them, I'll go over how the appointment went.

We arrived at our appointment just a few minutes late. We rang the doorbell outside of the office (the birth center) and were warmly greeted by Rebecca, the midwife. She led us into the birth center and gave us a quick tour. We saw her waiting area and her "family room," which is one of many play areas for kids, this one was equipped with Disney movies to watch. Then we walked through the hall/labwork area, and we saw the birthing suite. Loved it. If I couldn't birth in my home, I would definitely feel at home there! It looks like a little bed and breakfast suite, with virtually no medically equipment visible. Off of the birthing suite was a private HUGE bathroom. And the tub... oh my word, the tub! It was developed specifically for birthing. It's really wide and squishy. I don't know how to explain it, but it was designed by some very smart people. The outer shell of the tub has a layer of sand under it so it gives a little as you push against it.

Okay, enough daydreaming about the tub. Just outside of the birthing suite was a bookshelf stocked with children's books, and more toys. Down the hall was the kitchen and a laundry area. On the opposite side of the hall, past the birthing suite, was the rest room and the actual office. Once we toured the facility, she asked if we wanted to check if there was actually a baby inside of me. Yes please!

So I climbed up on the exam table, like in any doctors office, and pulled my shirt up for the ultrasound. At 10 weeks, there really isn't that much to see, but we did get a glimpse of our little squiggly blob and saw its heartbeat. There was a little scare (for me) when it looked for a moment too big to be just one baby. But she checked from several angles and we're pretty sure we're good. I was glad I saw the heartbeat because she wasn't able to pick it up on the doppler. Sophia liked holding the pictures, so Rebecca printed out Sophia's very own picture of the baby.

After the exam, we went and drew some blood. Sophia ate a cheesestick and pretty much had run of the place while I filled out paperwork. She also let me weigh myself, and since I was on the line between 149 and 150, she let me choose the weight we went with. Guess what I chose. :) The waiting room quickly became Gary's napping place and we let him sleep for the remainder of the appointment.

After labwork we went back into the office, where we discussed things like nutrition, exercise, birth, concerns, etc. She answered all of my questions and what's more, I felt like she had time to answer the questions. With my previous doctor I always felt silly for asking things because I knew he had about a million other things to do. We stopped when necessary to distract Sophia from things like attempting to break a model of the pelvis and banging our heads with a plastic golf club. Never did Rebecca seem annoyed with Sophia's presence.

So then I peed in a cup (once you're pregnant you graduate from peeing on a stick to peeing in a cup), and she used a dip stick to test for all sorts of bad things in my urine. Everything was fine, except that I was dehydrated a bit, which didn't surprise me. We went back into her office and talked for a few minutes and set up our next appointment. Then Rebecca hugged me and congratulated me on our baby, then we went to wake up Gary.

Grand total amount of time we spent in the office? Two hours.

Because the time was spent mostly getting to know each other, I know this was a longer visit. But from my understanding, a midwife appointment generally lasts about an hour. I usually spend an hour at the doctor's office... but only about 10 minutes with my doctor. I really loved that this was all about me and my choices. I loved that there was enough to distract Sophia that she wasn't screaming with boredom by two hours. I loved that it was quiet enough my husband could actually sleep!

Overall I was deeply impressed. In fact, I forgot that I'm typically shy and nervous in those situations until I got home! It does kind of make me wonder, why do we put up with doctors? Why do we let them treat us like cattle, herding us from one waiting room to the next? I don't know the answer to that, but I do know this pretty much sums up any decisions I had left. I could a) see my doctor for a total of two hours before he comes in for the birth to "catch" the baby. Or I could b) visit with a midwife who takes the time to get to know me and my baby, makes me feel comfortable, have a birth in an environment where I'm most comfortable, and allows me to make the most choices. It's really a tough decision, isn't it?

9 Weeks down... how many to go?!

I decided it was about time for a baby bump pic. So here I am, at 9 weeks pregnant...


Sorry about the cell-phone-istic quality. My phone actually takes decent pictures, but I reduced the quality so I could send a few pictures in one message to my sister. Call it lazy. As my sister replied, "I can so see a little uterus poking out!" It's nice to know someone can tell I'm pregnant, even though my husband thinks I'm crazy for feeling huge already. I've been tempted lately to wear my PREGNANT (NOT FAT) tank top every time I leave the house.

For sake of comparison, here's a picture of me about 12 weeks pregnant the first time around...

So clearly, I'm showing just a little bit faster this time.

One thought I've had recently about pregnancy is how amazingly well it's planned out. If we woke up one day pregnant, and the next day had a baby, we would have no concept of how to care for and love this child.

Look at the trimester breakdown of pregnancy: the first 3 months, full of morning sickness and exhaustion, really teach you about sacrifice. After all, your body is changing in so many ways and yet you have nothing to show for it. If not for these weird changes you wouldn't even know you were pregnant. In motherhood, you give and give, and often get very little in return.

In the second trimester, you are finally given a little break. You get to feel these amazing flutters and kicks and you have a return of energy. People are starting to see you as a pregnant woman rather than wondering if you've looked into dieting yet. As a mother, you experience some truly wonderful feelings of bonding and love with your child.

Just as you're starting to really enjoy yourself, the third trimester comes along. You are big, uncomfortable, you can't sleep, and let's face it, those cute little kicks hurt. Most of all, you're sick of being pregnant, and tired of sustaining an entire human being inside of you. This time prepares you to go through the momentous climb that is labor and delivery and have the ability to be grateful at the end!

So perhaps it's a pretty good breakdown: two-thirds of motherhood just might be tough, uncomfortable, and full of sacrifices. But one-third of motherhood is pretty dang awesome, and that seems to make up for the rest!

Despite the fact that I'm in the midst of the lovely first trimester, I'm getting excited to see my little baby, via ultrasound, one week from today. I'll let you know how that goes, and what happens during a prenatal midwife appointment!

It's Sort of Official

I just got off the phone with the woman who will probably be our midwife. Her name is Rebecca, from Great Expectations Birth Care. The things I like about her are that she is actually a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), and has a couple of master's degrees in nursing and the like. Because she's a CNM, unlike most midwives who deliver at home in Utah, she can prescribe medicine and ultrasounds and things like that. Which is really nice to know in case something came up! I mean, it will still be a natural birth, but if I suddenly had problems with extreme morning sickness, she could prescribe meds for that.

Also, she actually has a small ultrasound in her office. She said she mainly uses it for measurements and to check if a baby is breech or not, and it's not detailed enough to really tell gender. (But she can order an ultrasound from a doctor when I want that.) BUT this does mean that when I go in for my first prenatal, I'll be able to see the little blob that is becoming my child. Which is pretty awesome, I think. I really wasn't expecting that since I'm going with a midwife.

Talking to her really took away some of my concerns that have been lingering. I can't really explain it, but it feels like I'll be well taken care of with her. She said she's only had three second time moms (of 240+) transfer to the hospital. First time moms the rate is about 10% which is decent. The book I read said make sure the transfer rate is less than 15%. I'm trying to put thoughts of transferring out of my head, and make it mentally not an option. But at the same time, I know that it's a possibility and I'm going to try not to beat myself up if I do need a transfer for some reason. Hmm, that probably makes no sense to anyone but me.

I have an appointment with her for July 21. I'm really hoping Gary will be able to make it. I believe I'll be about 10 weeks pregnant then. I'm also hoping we can figure out the payment plans so it's not stressful for us. We want this and I believe it's important, but I don't want it to hurt our family financially. That's another blog post for another day though. I'll be sure to post after my appointment, and MAYBE even have pictures to scan in so you can see my Blob or Blobbette!

The Modern Mormon Woman and Home Birth

Since becoming more and more enamored with home birth, I have often wondered what the Church would say, if it ever said anything, about this concept. Is it too hippie, too "out-there," to be in accordance with gospel beliefs?

After a lot of thought, and some googling, which yielded only one or two actual "hits," I've come to a conclusion. Woman in the church are taught, among other things, to avoid drugs and alcohol. We are taught that a woman's place is in the home. And yet, when it comes time to bring life into the world, we rush to a hospital and demand drugs.

We also believe that the ability to procreate is a sacred gift given to us by our Heavenly Father. So why, when we see those exciting pink lines on the pregnancy test, do we run to our doctors to, what? See if He "did it right?"

It seems to me that birthing at home is going to require more than just faith in my body to do what it needs to do. I believe it will also take a large amount of faith in God to say, "I trust in my Heavenly Father that when He gave me this ability to create a baby, He also gave me the ability to safely bring this child of His into the world."

The one or two searches I did come up with regarding LDS beliefs and home birth left me with this thought: the woman I read about had felt birth was actually a spiritual experience. As she labored in a tub in her home, she placed a picture of the Savior where she could see it. It was that image she used to help herself focus. If I remember right, she even memorized a scripture to use as a mantra to help her see her through her goal.
(A side note: Heavenly Father felt enough confidence in woman's ability to birth that His own Son, Jesus Christ, was born with only Joseph and barn animals as witnesses.)

Can you imagine birth being a spiritual event? I'm not saying that any hospital birth is bad, or that a home birth is the only way to go. I've had a hospital birth, and I have never looked on it as a spiritual experience, despite the miracle that occurred. I truly feel that a birth at home can not only be a fulfilling, wonderful thing, but perhaps, if I go about it with the right frame of mind, I can have a Christ-centered birth.

Crunchy Little Baby

I'm not crunchy, and I'm certainly not granola. But something has drawn me to a natural birth in a way I can't explain. Despite not being an organic/vegan/tree-hugging/hippie mom (choose your stereotype), natural birth makes sense to me. Don't get me wrong. I'm all about the pain meds and taking the easy way out. I don't think I'm going to be some sort of martyr for not having that lovely epidural numb the pain away. I don't think I necessarily hurt my first child, who came into the world with a lovely pitocin/epidural cocktail. I just want this next baby to be different. And maybe as much as all the other reasons to have a natural childbirth, I want control of this birth, where I felt stripped of it in the hospital.

My name is Sarah, and I'm pregnant with my second child. I'm starting this blog to chronicle my pregnancy, beginning to end, of a granola childbirth. That's right: this baby is going to be born in a tub. In my living room. If all goes according to plan.

I haven't told very many people of this desire. I've told my sisters, who were supportive. One sister had a c-section and, as she put it, felt "dehumanized" while in the hospital. The other sister is unmarried with no childbirths on the horizon, thank goodness. I've told my mom, who was shocked (she actually shuddered) but came around when I pointed out only supportive people would be invited to attend the birth. She's still dealing with it, I think, but there's a lot less gasping and revulsion involved. At least towards my face.

Of course, I told my husband from the get-go. In fact, from before the get-go as I've been thinking this out for months and I'm only 7 weeks pregnant. In a nutshell, he's been supportive. He is letting me make this choice, though we've definitely prayed about it. I've given him my reasons and the statistics, and given my dislike for discomfort, he knows I'm pretty serious about this.

I really haven't told many other people. My sister-in-law just had an unmedicated birth that didn't go as planned. Meaning, she was very intent on receiving the drugs but by the time she had gotten to the hospital, it was way too late for that. She delivered 20 minutes after arrival. I casually mentioned that I had thought of going natural for my next child and she mentioned, not unkindly, that she didn't think there was anyway I could do it, and I'd be begging for the pain meds. But I think there's a difference between a birth where you've prepared for nine months for the pain, and you have the option of laboring in water, and you're just... mentally ready (as much as possible) for a natural birth. A birth where you fully expect pain medication and are begging for it as they lay you down on a bed (the most difficult position to push in!), I truly believe the mental preparation is the most important aspect of the pain management. Given her situation, I would have been begging for pain meds too!

So with that under my belt, I'm keeping this granola kid under wraps for now. If someone asks straight out where I'm delivering this kid, I'll tell them, "Um, in my house." But to be honest, I'm worried that someone will talk me out of it, or make me feel stupid or neglectful for choosing a birth that is statistically as safe or safer than a hospital birth.

I get it though. 2 years ago, I was three months pregnant. My stance with that birth was "gimme the epi when I walk in the door." If you would have mentioned a home birth, I would have been internally disgusted and probably laughed in your face. Me? A home birth? Nuh-uh. But now I've gone through that hospital birth. I've been induced, I've had pitocin ramped up as high as it could go, I've had the epidural, and the stupid thing even fell out so I felt everything, and got a second epidural. Now, I know I want something different. I want a birth where I come away feeling empowered, feeling amazed at what my body is capable of.

So here I go, off into the unchartered waters (for anyone I personally know anyway) of midwife care, water birth, and giving birth at home. Wish me luck. I'm a little scared.