Ah okay. In Australia MWs can't get insurance for ANY type of HB, so they all occur uninsured. Thankfully, with public health care that is less of an issue though if something were to go wrong and mother or baby needed ongoing medical care.
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Ah okay. In Australia MWs can't get insurance for ANY type of HB, so they all occur uninsured. Thankfully, with public health care that is less of an issue though if something were to go wrong and mother or baby needed ongoing medical care.
Yeah the issue here is that sometimes it is hard to find a midwife willing. Luckily I found a great one willing but I was turned down by another midwife :(
Birth pool is in the house!! yipppeee!!! My midwife came this morning for a house check, and she said our area planned for birth was fine, advised on which tap connector to get for the laundry, did her normal check (bp is 105/66 so fantastic!) and we discussed birth plan stuff - like what I wanted after birth, when to call her etc etc.
I have a floating high baby though, so have to try and get him down a bit. He's in the right position at the moment but floating way above my pelvis, so she said if my water breaks, I have to get on my hands and knees with my butt in the air until she gets there. Which would be a very uncomfortable position to hold for 45 minutes, so I'm kind of glad that my waters have never broken early in labour or I might be a bit worried about it.
Gotta try getting this baby to move down a bit - any ideas other than spinning babies and rebozo? She told my DH how to do it and said to do it morning and night, plus I'm having regular chiro treatments to loosen up my pelvis because its super tight on my right side.
Double post - but will add that I got the emergency kit in the house too now - getting kinda real now!
does stair climbing or ball bouncing help bub to engage? not sure what activity you are up for at the moment.
i actually read a birth story from a woman who was given similar advice and was in so much fear from it. When her waters broke, she called an ambulance and had her bum in the air when they came, wanted them to check where the cord was (they didn't know how) and so they made her walk out to the ambulance (she was ****ed at this) and then she rode all the way with her bum up in the air..... same at hospital until she could get someone to check. it was like a comedy, and was all a bit wierd.
I was given the same advice last pregnancy, its all about the cord prolapsing. Which you know, I understand it to be pretty high risk if the baby is still high and mobile and your waters break. So I'm not fearful of it happening, just good to be aware of it. She also went over infant resuscitation and I'm so glad that DH will be with me in case of an emergency and he's covered that part of his nursing degree!!!
I've got a pretty nice case of SPD happening so I can't go up stairs like normal people, I have to take them one at a time. I have a fit ball that I can bounce on though.
Arimeh I found the yoga really helped with my first! I just sat on it like all day haha
Thanks The_Mrs. :)
I have realised that I have a little issue though, so opinions would be great. We sort of have organised my mum to come down when I go into labour to help watch the kids and take them somewhere if they no longer want to be in the house when I'm labouring. However, every time I mention it to mum she's all negative about the kids not wanting to hear me scream, and that I'm going to traumatise them for life if they watch. Which DH and I don't agree with at all - they've seen birth videos and are really excited about seeing the baby come out. My mum is one of those people who does nothing but talk about the excruciating pain of child birth and how she nearly died having my brother (no wonder I have issues about pain!) and is just really negative about the whole natural birth thing, she supported my sister really well through her 4 c-sections (for no medical reason) and is quite in favour of them over natural child birth.
SO! Knowing all this, I feel that her whole vibe will disrupt the birthing vibes I will have going on - does that sound stupid? I have a friend who lives 5 minutes away who has agreed to be on call to come and watch the kids, however she's only met them a few times, and thats only the girls, she's never met DS before. So I'm not sure they will feel as comfortable with her as they would with my mum?
Or I've thought that I could ring my SIL to come, my kids absolutely adore her - and she's had two vbac's herself, she nearly completed her doula training and she's a nurse. However, she lives about an hours drive away and might be at work.
Should I bother to ask her? Should I give my mum the benefit of the doubt? She saw that Sunday program on homebirth and was texting me that she is worried and all she wants is for me to have a baby thats alive. So I know she hates the idea of a homebirth.
ARGH. What do I do?
I'd say have all three "on call". Get your friend to watch them in early labour, while you see if your SIL is able to come (and then while she's in transit if she is). Your mum could be the back-up if either/both of them can't make it or the kids aren't alright with your friend being there. Who knows, your mum might change her mind if she sees you rocking your birth ;)
Arimeh: are you wearing a belly band/support band? Tha will help push Bub down a bit as have less room especially if you have significant muscle separation.
I had/ have multiple plans forthe kid/s during labour and will use whichever one feels right at the time. not knowing time or day makesit bit trickier to make definite plans.
I don't have anyone that I would be comfortable to come to the house to watchthe kids or even to come in to pick them up, but I also don't know if I want both of them there if they are awake.
I am over being pregnantalready, and I'm only a third of the way there.
:hug::
I had my mum look after DD last time but found it wasn't great for my labour progression, I went and had a shower and my MW had sent her to bed when I got out as she picked up on this...so nor sure what I'll do this time.
Had MW appointment today...I've lost weight since last appointment (a week ago) only 600g but she wasn't happy with that given my history so wants me to take a supplement. Will see how I go as not sure how I'll manage...easy for someone normal but for me it's extremely difficult.
Just occurred to me that having a December EDD means I'm fully justified in buying lots of fairy lights to string up around my birthing room :p That solves my potential problem of "how can we get a low-light environment?" too, as well as being pretty for photos etc. :D
Lol
I found even candles were too bright although both times ended up birthing under the brightest heat lamps in the bathroom lol just ended up being the way it was haha but definitely needed to labour in low level light
first time i used the light of the frog tank ;) sounds so romantic!!
Arimeh, I would go with either neighbour of SIL if she can make it. Have your neighbour come over for a visit or two to meet all the kids beforehand. The kids will be fine, but you don't need to be worrying about your Mum's reaction. In fact, I think if your Mum is like that it's more likely to worry them than if they had someone who was relaxed. I'm not having Mum this time, she was fine in the sense that she was supportive, but when she was having difficulty with the video camera she wouldn't shut up! Drove me nuts. Lol
DD1 and I watched heaps of videos to prepare her, but the reality of Mummy making some noise did unsettle her at first. Had I known, I'd have prepared her better. DP and my m/ws and doula all reassured her and it was fine. Actually, I think DP was more concerned than DD1. He should've watched the videos with us!
Looking forward to a new batch of HBAs soon!
Eenee, I hope the supplements help. :hug:
I had my m/w appt. Bub is fine, totally head up, but I'm only 21 wks. Everything looks good. We spent more time talking about baby-led weaning. Lol
I saw my wonderful GP beforehand and got a referral so my prenatal visits will partly be covered my Medicare now. My GP told me she's reading Call the Midwife. She's already supportive of HB and it's great to be surrounded by care providers on the same wavelength.
At my prenatal aqua aerobics class I told one of the girls I was having a HB and all of a sudden I was surrounded by a group all wanting to know about waterbirth, etc. They're all first timers, which is great when you share a positive birth story. I'm often told by pg mums they only ever hear horror stories so I think they appreciate the alternative. I then have to bite my tongue when they all discuss their obs and what they're 'allowed' to do or not, not to mention when they get to policies, etc.
Jen, I told mima that I would be "singing" to the baby to ask it to come out :). She was pretty excited. But saying that, she is a very fearless kinda kid. I think dd2 might be slightly more timid about it.
Yeah, I'm undecided on DD2. If it happens while she's asleep, we won't wake her. At least DD1 will be here for her too though. My sister is going to be there to video and support the girls. Although DD1 is more experienced than she is!
Bella, does this mean you 're officially joining back in? ;)
Well I have had two very faint positives, yesterday and today :). Eep!! But it is very faint and I am not counting my chickens yet :). Lol! But yeah :). Due may if I am :):
DD has said she will make sure I have food and drink! We have a book called mumma midwife it's awesome and I think she will be a great help.
How old is your dd glorious?
She is 6 but almost 7 when bubs is due! Very affectionate kinda kid who wants to be a midwife like her ma and grandma ;)
That is a lovely age to see sibling born I think. So are you a Mw glorious?:
Arimeh - if that was my mum, I think she'd be about the last person I'd want in the house. I think I'd get the VBAC/doula/SIL. That sounds like the ideal person to have in the house for you. Your kids love her, she knows what you're doing and can support and encourage you and them too. Have the friend nearby on call as back up. It would be great for your mum to change her mind on homebirth (and childbirth in general) but I don't think that needs to happen at your house with this birth. You were feeling apprehensive enough about this birth, without having the added stress of a negative, worried person there. Unless of course, having her there will give you the extra push to "prove her wrong". I think you mentioned something like that in your previous births - that you were less afraid about them because you wanted to show everyone you could do it. Well, if that vibe can help you again, then by all means, call her up when labour starts. :)
About the bum up after water breaking thing - my midwives said to do that only if I feel a pulsing sensation in my vagina after my water breaks, or see/feel cord hanging down.
A line is a line! Congrats! :):
I kind of wish I was OK with having my girls at the birth. I think it could be an amazing experience for them. But I'm pretty sure I would hate it. With my last birth, the kids were sleeping when labour started and we debated about just letting them sleep, but I felt like I would be too worried about them the whole time, and in the end, I was glad that we sent them over to my in-law's house. I want as few people as possible in the room, and I love those first few hours with just DH and me and the baby, before the chaos of the rest of the crew arrives. ;) Plus, DH finds the whole idea of kids at the birth very weird. He's sure they will be traumatized.
Having a lot more pre-labour in the last couple of days. It gets me excited every time, and I have to remind myself that there will likely be days/weeks of this coming yet before the real thing starts. The midwife is coming today for a home visit, which should be good. :) I wonder how uptight she'll be about having everything prepped exactly as they request on the list. I did most of it with my first homebirth baby, and we didn't use it then, and didn't need it with any of the others since then either.
Arimeh- I don't think you should have your mum there. I'm actually more concerned with how she'll affect your children than you. I think she's very likely to make it a negative and scary experience for them by projecting all her fear. We had my aunty and cousins planned to watch my son. I wasn't thrilled about my aunty (elective c-sect births) though she was supportive, the main reason was my son gets on really well with my cousins who were about 10 and 12 at the time. I knew they would be the only people he be comfortable leaving the house with if he needed to take a break. In the end they didn't get there in time (my aunty waited for them to finish school, then stopped for dinner etc etc) and our student MW took care of our son when he woke about an hour before the birth. That worked well and it was nice not having other people around.
I'm all for children at birth! My son was almost 3 at the time but he has autism and a lot of anxiety and speech delays. I prepped him with youtube birth videos and I would 'make the noise mummy makes when the baby is coming'. He didn't mind the youtube videos but HATED hearing me make loud noises so I kept working on it with him. On the day he didn't want to be in the room and he played with playdough in the next room. I think he was okay and sort of knew what was happening. Once baby was born and I was lying in bed I noticed him trying to skirt into the room full of people so we told everyone they had to leave as he hates crowds and we wanted him to be able to come close and snuggle with us. We also chose not to have a birth photographer though I would have loved one because it would have been too many people.
I hope the supplements help eenee.
Yay for spreading the HB word Jennifer! I know what you mean about listening to everyone talk their OBs. I stopped going to a certain pre-natal yoga last pregnancy because we had a circle time thing and it was killing me to listen to all the OB stories.
I hope the prelabour isn't too tiring Cricket. I'm also looking forward to the flurry of births coming up in here!!!
Congratulations Bella!! My last pregnancy I was testing early and got a few days of faint lines before they got darker. I think you're in :D
There is a blog has a list of 30 vids to help prepare kids for birth. They are arranged in order from least intense (just photos, no birth noises or vaginal shots) to more intense, so you can work through them or just choose where you think your kid is at.
They sell a book so i don't think i can put the link here, but i can PM the direct link if you want it. Otherwise you can google "codenamemama" and then in the search box type "natural birth videos". This takes you to an article on Preparing your child for a new sibling, which has some great tips and resources. If you go to V. Prepare for and Involve your child in childbirth- 6. Look at Pictures and watch videos There is a link to "30 natural birth videos and slideshows to prepare children for labour and birth"
Alternatively, just google "30 natural birth videos and slideshows to prepare children for labour and birth" (without the quote marks) :lol: - only just worked out this worked after i typed out the other bit.
The site has some great articles and resources.
Yay Bella!!! A line is a line!!! Bring on more HB babies!
I don't want my kids at the birth intentionally. Dd slept last time and that was perfect. I need 'me' time to get into the labour and birth. I think it would be ok if they were there without me really knowing, but I would plan around it (in fact I plan for them to be asleep lol).
My DD slept last time too. Would love it if they both slept through! I think it would be ok with one of them, but not both. Or i need another support person, and i don't know if there is someone who can come that would suit.
I just want a cupboard i can crawl into really (with a birth pool) and i can emerge when bub is out, just like i was playing hide and seek.
My dd was at daycare most of the day when I was laboring. I dropped her off during early labour ;). It was a bit funny when I had to stop and have a contraction. She came home at about 5:30 and could hear me but was fine. I had a doula/other Hb mamma, who came along and cared for her after having supported me thru the day. She came and kissed me, but didn't stay. Was bathed and gotten ready for bed just before I gave birth. She was with me within about 30 se nods of baby arriving and then left before coming back after the placenta was born. I don't think I would want her actively there and bored. Having said that, I have seen her sit incredibly still when she is fascinated. So maybe for this next one she will be good :). But yeah I will absolutely have a doula for them. Someone who understands the birth space and can make sure she is cared for in a way that honors both of our needs, with mine being the priority on the day.
For the September mums to be, are there any words or phrases you are using as a focus?
I breastfed Abby and read her a story and then sat on her bed while she fell asleep in early labour. It was once she was asleep that labour really kicked in, and then no breaks til he was here. I am a bit scared that this labour will be longer and i don't know if i can cope with that. i got off pretty lightly last time. Although bit longer in the pool would be nice!
That list of birth videos sounds great! I had to watch a bunch to veto the ones to show my son. I found he wasn't bothered by the noise in the videos though yet he was by me. I used to read Hello Baby and add in the sound effects as the mama is pushing the baby out etc. That helped him get used to it.
I wasn't at all bothered by his presence in labour but I guess he's a pretty unique kid so maybe it was just his nature? He gave me a few cuddles in early labour in the morning while we were waiting for my H to come home. Then I didn't see him as I moved in the spare room to focus on labour and my H put him down for his nap. It was only when woke up about an hour before birth that he was really around for the birth I guess and even then I didn't see or hear him as he just peeked in the door and that was it.
DS was almost two when he was at dds birth I had prepared him and he was great. He didn't spend all his time in with us, would come and check up on me then off he would go and play with his grandma. At the time of birth he was outside but was trying to get back in as he heard me and knew something was happening.
Thanks guys. My mum sent me a text last night saying that we have to talk about all the what ifs and what could happen and how its all very dramatic - so we have to discuss "The Birth". I sent my SIL a message via facebook last night asking if I could call on her instead, and she said of course I can - so I'm getting her rosters since she's working to make sure we know who to call when I go into labour.
Was funny when I had Mary here yesterday, I love talking to her, and she was telling me about the week she spent with Ina May at a huge conference she was at (mind you - so jealous she got to meet Ina May, let alone hang out with her for the week!!!) and she told us a story about someone was holding a demonstration of a water birth, and Ina May was standing there at the pools, flicking fake poops into the water as they were talking!! Bahahahahahaha!!!!!! Apparently the demonstrators had no idea how these poops were getting there, and the people in the water were starting to freak out because they didn't know where they had come from. Hysterical!!!
Love Ina May. Just love her.
Keepin' it real :lol:
I'm glad you're working on the plan for your kid's birth support xx
If you need hoti, you can put me down as a child minder. Happy to come there or have them here.
Not many words etc, but I'm more trying to get into a zone ready for labour.
HotI, I've got a big list of affirmations I've put together for myself and future doula clients - do you want me to send it to you? There's some long ones and some short ones, visualisations and the like... I sent it to Arimeh last week, hopefully it's helped :p And if not, given other ideas at least.
I didn't get it Teni - I forgot to tell you. Dunno where it went, but it didn't come into my email.
hotI - I don't have anything in particular, I have lots of things on my cheat sheet though, affirmations, different things to try for pain relief, different relaxation techniques etc, and DH just goes through the list and tries something else if something isn't working. I also put out on my facebook for people to write me letters of support for something else to read after each contraction to prepare me for the next one coming. Like positive affirmation after positive affirmation type of thing.