Homebirth

So I only got a couple of questions, but you can keep asking!
Lanna expressed concern over the safety (mine) of birthing at home. My birth with M was indeed fraught with troubles, but they were all iatrogenic, meaning the hospital caused them.
I arrived at the hospital in full transition--over 6 cm dilated. The paperwork and check in crap made labor slow a bit, but I still felt tense and ready to fall over the edge into laborland. But the "professionals" kept me too cerebral. I started to get kinda panicky and worried that this was going to take days. I was also hungry, but knew better than to ask for food. The dr offered to break my water and I readily agreed. A woman in transition will agree to ANYTHING. That increased the intensity of my contractions, and a nurse gave me a pain reliever through an IV. I had asked for no IV. I also had a bright red band on my wrist indicating my allergy to codeine and derivitives. Lot good that did. She gave me something related to codeine and my bp started to plummet. M's heart rate did too. I was ready to push (when, by the way, same nurse came in practically demanding I have an epidural--brain dead freak) and the dr was concerned enough about the 2 of us that he cut a big huge episiotomy and M came out fast. He wasn't breathing because of the effects of the drugs. Combined with our low blood sugar (which I have anyway--the hard work of labor just made it worse) we were in tough shape. My bp was 40/30 ish. It came right back up as soon as someone brought be a piece of bread and juice. M nursed right away once they got him bagged, and we were fine. Until the Hep B shot, but that's a whole 'nother post!

With a homebirth, I will not leave the comfort of my home. No one will offer me pain meds or interventions. My midwife will not even be in the room with me if I don't want her in there. I can eat whatever and whenever I want. She will monitor our heart rates about every 1/2 hour but that's it. I can deliver in whatever position I want, and anyone I want can catch baby.
So far, I don't really think I want a waterbirth. I kind of envision standing for the delivery or maybe kneeling. Obviously not on my back or laying down. That's a guaranteed way to have problems! For some reason though, hospitals are the only ones not to have figured that one out. Even cave women were smart enough not to lay down in labor!

The kids will be home for the birth as well. I will start preparing them in a couple of months for what birth entails. M is very excited about the prospect so far. We'll see. I will need to find someone to help with the kids for sure, but I have a while to think about that and get it all worked out!

As far as allergy stuff. I am really not sure. So far I'm just focusing on eating what sounds good. Not doing so has nasty consequences. I'm lucky enough to not have to throw up, but I definitely feel unsettled if I try to eat something based on what I think I should eat instead of what I crave. I do eat a much better diet than I did 10 years ago--no doubt about it. I am also trying to eat more raw and fermented foods--well at least I'm telling myself I should, I just need to work on actually doing it. I think a big factor is that I haven't had much trans fats in a couple of years, I will refuse the Rhogam while actually pg and the baby will have no vaccines. Those seem to be the biggest triggers as far as I can tell. I am trying to do more research to see what else I need to do. The problem is that no one really knows what caused the allergies, so it's all conjecture and he-said-she-said. I'll just have to prayerfully consider it all and do the best I can. Meh.

I need to go call the county assesor about that house up the street. Since the Real Estate agent doesn't seem to be all that motivated to call me back. Seriously, any recommends for agents in the SW PDX area?

Marsden Wagner Rocks!

I just read some of his new book, Born in the USA, and it is wonderful. It is organized well, a good mix of research and personal experience, as well as real-life stories. Too bad I didn't get to finish it. I ran out of time before it was due back at the library and since it is a new release, I couldn't renew it! Arghhh. I'll have to buy it I guess. He shows how broken the US maternity system is. It is so much more dangerous to deliver a baby in the hospital in the US. Did you know that we have the highest infant mortality rate in the industrialized world? We also allow drs to get around reporting maternal death as maternal death. So there is no accurate count of how many mothers are killed by their own sOB/GYNs. We are also one of the few industrialized countries that assume women will automatically be seen by a surgeon for a routine pregnancy. Would you go to a surgeon for a sore throat? Heck NO! Every other medical field is trying to find alternatives to surgery. ACOG even released a policy statement to guarantee the rise in the surgeries they perform--c-sections. They said it is too dangerous to have a vaginal birth after a cesarean (VBAC). No research other than stating that uterine rupture has incresed lately. Well, duh, they were using cytotec to induce contractions. Click on cytotec and tell me what you think.
Reaffirms my resolve to not deliver in a hospital if humanly possible (if the situation ever arises.) Wish I had had all this info 8 years ago. Please share this life-saving information with the women you love. Hospitals are wonderful, life saving places. For people who are sick and need their life saved. Birth is a natural, healthy process. There is nothing wrong with a pregnant woman or her babe. The hospital is likely the most dangerous place for her and that is sad.