homebirth general discussion #9

[HotI]

Think about what you want from a midwife before you meet/chat with them.

[Cassius2]

i second what HotI said. and dont feel shy about being upfront and interviewing more than one!

(oh, and CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!)

i love my wee group midwives naturally, but not sure on their payment plans etc. also i just LOVE Jan Ireland.

[Cricket]

Wow - look at that 2012 homebirth list fill up! Welcome and congrats PZ!

Things are going pretty well here. Saw the chiropractor last week, which has helped my back out quite a bit. (Hurray!) However, I seem to have mild SPD and other pelvic issues that are still giving me trouble. Really looking to having this little one out of my belly and in my arms. Saw the midwife on Thursday. We have a group practice here, and I have a primary midwife, along with a second and a third as back up. This visit was with my third. She was my primary for my last baby, and she drove me crazy. Still does. She's very friendly and nice, but terribly indecisive, and a bad listener. Tried to explain the pelvic pain to her, and she assumed I was talking about something else, and told me what to do for that, which was completely useless. Babies heart rate was a little unusual, and we weren't sure if that was due to a poor "connection" with the doppler, or if there was a truly irregular heart beat. When she started listening, I was on my back, and baby's heart rate was steady and strong, but slow - only about 110. So she sat me up to semi-reclined and listened again, and the heart rate picked right up, but seemed to be skipping every 4th beat. But, it was hard to get a good read on it, since I was now partly sitting, and baby was directly posterior. So she laid me down again, and the heart rate stayed good, and seemed regular again. She put a note on my chart to have it carefully checked again at my next visit. She also reminded me about DS's birth (very easy labour, very difficult pushing, due to his positioning) and talked about how this baby was in the same position. I know it's early, and this baby still has lots of time to move around, but she is pretty steadily in a posterior position. Her feet are almost always kicking right dead center of the top of my belly. Ugh. I don't want to have to push out another one like DS! I think his birth might be part of the reason why I'm sore now. Anyways, my next visit is with my second midwife, whom I don't love, and then I'll see my primary again, whom I really do love, and I'll make sure to talk some of this over with her.

Em - how are things with you? It's getting so close now!

[lady_neon]

Hi ladies can I join?

Planned home waterbirth

[Tegam]

Hi ladies can I join?

Planned home waterbirth

Yippy! Congratulations on your pregnancy and choice of birth

Cricket: Its plenty early enough for baby to move around. Remember us multis have heaps of room in their, so that can lead to bubs being in lazy positions but its means we have one well trained uterus to know what to do when labour starts! Ive had two posterior births and the 2nd was no where near the same as the first I dont like the sound of the 3rd MW.

Congratulations PZ!!!! I look forward to hearing about your journey picking a MW

[PumpkinZulu]

I've emailed a few middies I like the sound/look of Including Jan. dry excited to hear back from them.

[HotI]

Babies Arrived

Jennifer13- Baby GIRL born at home 4th January

Bella29- Baby GIRL born at home 10th January

HotI - Baby BOY born at home 21st January

*Ash*- Baby BOY born at home 14th February

loulabelle - Baby BOY born at home 24th February







Babies On Their Way


...Em - May

Cricket - May

BellyBelly - August

phynna - August

Ambersky - September

lady_neon - September

ladybirdflies - October

Cassius - November

pumpkinzulu - December

[BellyBelly]

Apart from June and July, we have 1-2 homebirths a month for the rest of the year! Awesome!

[meow]

Sounds like there is lots going on cricket! I'm glad that midwife is last in line!

Sounds wonderful lady neon! Looking forward to hearing more about your planning

So excited for you PZ... can't wait to hear more from you too. I esp. love sharing the melbourne mama's journeys seeing I had my HB there and researched the MWs there too... can't wait to find out who you pick. I went through Midwives Naturally and love my MWs

We were very blessed to have Cassius and her gorgeous family come and stay over the weekend. She's looking fantastic (of course) and it was so lovely to chat birthy stuff with a fellow home birthy mama

[Arcadia]

Welcome pz and lady-neon!

Meow, I'm totally jealous...would loved to have been there.

Getting excited about all the Homebirth bubbas on their way!!

[HotI]

Meow, I'm totally jealous...would loved to have been there.

Me too! What an awesome dinner party we could have...

[Jennifer13]

Hopefully we'll see even more HB mummas in 2013!

There's a lot of 2012 bubbas who are lucky enough to be born at home.

Meow and Cassius - how fantastic! I'm taking a trip in June up Bella's way and I am def looking her up. Imagine if we could all get together, how much fun would that be?

[Cricket]

Cricket: Its plenty early enough for baby to move around. Remember us multis have heaps of room in their, so that can lead to bubs being in lazy positions but its means we have one well trained uterus to know what to do when labour starts! Ive had two posterior births and the 2nd was no where near the same as the first I dont like the sound of the 3rd MW.

Thanks Tegam. I *know* that's true, but it still has me a little worried. I'll just have to keep reminding myself not to worry, and have a peek at the Spinning Babies site to see if I can encourage this little one over to the "good side".

Welcome lady-neon! Congratulations! Water birth is a WONDERFUL way to have a baby.

[Tegam]

Cricket have I ever told you how totally and utterly green with loving envy I am that you are having another baby hmmm any tips on getting my DH to give me another baby?

[Cricket]

Cricket have I ever told you how totally and utterly green with loving envy I am that you are having another baby hmmm any tips on getting my DH to give me another baby?

Thanks for the kind words, Tegam! It's always nice to hear someone speak like that, rather than "Are you crazy?!" (Although, TBH, I haven't had too much of that either, thankfully!) What's holding your DH back? Finances? Fear of other's reactions? Feeling overwhelmed as a dad? I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have one partner feel like they're "done" when the other one isn't.

DH and I probably have approached the whole idea of parenthood from a different perspective than most. I'm the oldest of 8 kids myself, so my family doesn't feel overly "big" yet, and DH's is one of four, and his parents always wished they could have more. (MIL had severe PCOS, and then cancer.) Plus, we belong to a church with many young, large families. So, we don't feel too out of place, and have lots of support around us. That makes a big difference! The deciding factor for us though, is that because we are Christians, we believe what the Bible says about children - that they are a great blessing from God. So, the more, the merrier, right? We have never used any birth control thus far, and I can honestly say that we've been given everything that we've needed to deal with the crazy times, and occasional chaos that comes with a house full of little people. The kids give us a GREAT deal of joy, to go along with the grey hair.

DH and I are trying to decide how/if/when we will decide that we are done. This pregnancy has been more difficult and painful for me, and I'm not sure how many more I can do, if they get worse! DH totally sympathizes and respects that, and does whatever he can to help, and I'm very thankful for his support. Right now, we're saying one more, after this baby, and depending on how that pregnancy goes, we might be done.

For us, my health is probably the primary consideration in our "family planning". Finances and everything else is secondary. The conception of a child is the creation of an eternal soul - what can compare with that?

Not sure if that helps you out at all - pardon my rambling. Hope you can convince your DH to have another! I've never heard anyone say they regretted having another baby. Sometimes it comes as a shock, and you don't feel prepared and wonder how it will work out, but it DOES work out, and the love and joy that a new little person brings far outweighs the challenge they present.

[Jennifer13]

Great perspective, Cricket! I might do one more but I will need to get DP across the line. Not for a few years yet though. I am really enjoying this baby!

Suddenly cool here and I'm wondering what the difference is preparing for a winter home birth? Because DD2 was born in the middle of the night and we didn't have much of a summer anyway, temperature wasn't a huge consideration. How do you go in a birth pool if it's a cold night? During and after.

[lady_neon]

Morning

Thanks for the welcome we don't have any plans really, just a waterbirth at home! I'm a pretty laid back person so I don't have a birth plan or anything, these things can't really be controlled so we'll take things as they come. Doing pre-natal yoga for some relaxation preparation. I'm not a panicky person and would like to think I won't have a freak out, but I've never done this before!

Thinking about what music, if any, I'd like playing.. anyone?

Jennifer13 that's a good question.. hopefully late September will bring me perfect weather so I shouldn't need too much consideration.

[Tegam]

It tied music for my first labour and hated it so didn't try again. But a GF of mine had REALLY loud music at her birth and we all had to sing along. It was so empowering