My 2 Births, 2 Very Different Stories

When I was expecting my oldest child I was working full time and had no desire to go to any childbirth classes.  After all I was working in the field of moms and babies.  I finally decided to go to a class for my husbands sake.  I figured that he would do better if he knew something more than what they covered in health class in college.  Our instructor was an awesome lady.  I had worked with her for a while and had the opportunity to talk to her about some of my own fears in the delivery room.  She agreed to be there if I wanted her there.  I told her that that would be great.
I ended up having to be induced do to very high blood pressure and four days after my first estimated due date.  (I had two EDD because my last period date didn't co inside with the ultrasound EDD.  So in reality my son was only two weeks early.)  My coworker came in after we got settled in.  Things were going great.  I told her she could leave cause she had a class to teach.  She told me that she would be back in after it was over.  My hubby and sister stayed with me for the majority of the day.  With my parents coming and going through out the day.  I got an epidural.  My reasoning behind that was thought out and I did what I thought was best for me at that time.
After about 6 hrs in labor, I got the pressure in the bottom feeling that they tell you to expect.  Not the funnest thing ever.  I pushed for 2 hrs.  (The epidural had been turned down during this time.)  My OB decided that do to my babies head being sunny side up, and heart tones not looking very good, that he was going to have to do a forceps delivery.  I was not excited about this at all, but was prepared by having a knowledge of what was going on.  After my Dr got the forceps into place it only took a few pushes to get his head out, and then the rest of his body.  He was placed on my chest for a few seconds before he had to go to the nursery table where they got his airway cleared out more and got him to scream.  Silly kiddo didn't want to transition into this world.  After I was stitched back together and my baby was given the all clear I got to nurse him.  I was so glad to have my co-worker with me.  I kept blacking out from the epidural having to be turned up while I got stitches.  She basically held him latched on to feed while I kept coming in and out of conciseness.  But over all I was okay with this because I knew I had the support that I needed at this time.  I was very pleased with how everything turned out.  My husband also did a wonderful job at helping me stay focused and I don't think I would have been as calm with out both of them there with me.

My second birth was very different.  I went in to labor on my own at 37 weeks 1 day.  My husband had had the day off, so we took our oldest son to the park to get some pictures and to play.  I was contracting the whole time but thought that they were the stronger Braxton Hicks contractions that I had been having for the last week and a half.  We dropped our son off at his grandmas for a cousin sleep over, and went and got dinner.  While we were at home eating I noticed that the contractions were coming on more regular and that I was starting to have to breath through them.  I informed my husband of this.  (He had just removed the nail polish from my toes and was going to repaint them for me.)  He asked if we needed to head to the hospital.  I told him I wasn't going anywhere with naked toes and that he needed to paint fast.  We got to the hospital an hr and a half later.  I was still feeling pretty good, but was starting to have a difficult time talking through the contractions.  Being as I worked where I was delivering I didn't let them put me in a wheel chair, sitting in the car had been hard enough.  I checked in with admitting and went upstairs.
After we got settled into our room and had monitors hooked up and an exam done we found out I was at a 5 and would be staying to have my baby.  It was just going to be me and my hubby this go around.  I thought that I would be fine with this.  Boy did I miss having another woman there with me the whole time, even though my husband did a great job.  I got an epidural with this one as well and it went much better than the previous one.  I labored all night long and tried to get as much sleep as I could knowing I would need my energy soon.  About every hour my nurse would come in and want to check me.  This drove me nuts!  I just wanted to sleep and labor in peace.  My labor stalled out about 3 am.  I was then given Pitocin to augment my labor.  By 5 am I was feeling a little pressure.  Upon being checked they found out that I was fully dilated and ready to push.  My nurse had me do a practice push and instantly told me to stop.  The babies head was almost crowning.  She called for the Dr and he said he would be there in 20 min!  I was doing fine and was okay waiting for him to show up.  It only took him 15 min to get there and then he got his delivery stuff on and told me to do a practice push.  As I did this he broke my water and discovered that there was meconium in it.  I was not expecting this.  They had more nursery staff come in at this point.  I was then told that my baby would go straight to the nursery warmer to be suctioned out really well.  I then pushed him out in two pushes.  He went over to be suctioned and was not crying.  I was getting a little worried about this but knew he was in good hands.  I got stitched up from tearing.  Not as bad as the first time.  I didn't feel a thing.  The nursery was trying to get my baby to transition,  he was grunting but not doing anything more than that.  After about 45  min of working with him in my room they took him to the NICU to give him more care.  Everyone then left my room and I was alone.  I didn't like feeling abandoned and not knowing what they were doing.  My husband went with them to give consent to treat our baby with any other things that were needed.  My husband came back in and said that they were still working on getting him to transition.  About an hour later I was given an up date that they had put an IV in his head and that he was on a little bit of  oxygen. They did not know when he would be coming back into my room.  I reminded them that I was breastfeeding and that he was not to be given any formula.  They were okay with that for the time being.  Two and a half hours after he was born they brought him back to my room.  I was very excited to be able to hold him and started to nurse him.  They never had to give him anything in his IV and 12 hours later I requested that it be taken out.  He did great after he got through the rough transition period.
Though I felt completely alone after he was born and missed the interaction with another woman to keep me focused during and after the birth.  I was happy that the breastfeeding went well and that I was able to remember nursing him for the first time.

Two completely different experience, both with good and not so good.  I enjoyed my first birth more because I had additional support from a woman that I trusted was there to advocate for me and knew how to help my husband help me.  It was wonderful to have her there.  Even though my second birth was easier I still felt alone and I missed that support another woman would have been able to provide.  I was glad to be able to remember that first time I nursed my second child though.

Here are pics of my boys while still in the hospital.  Both were 8 pounds 7 ounces and 21 and 1/2 inches long.  I love my boys!

Baby G 18 Hrs Old!

Baby L 4 Hrs Old!

About Me

I am a wife and mother of two boys.  I enjoy being outdoors with my family and friends.  I enjoy being in the kitchen and making all sorts of food.  I do not like having to do the dishes though, ug.

I worked in the medical field for over 8 years.  I worked primarily in the women's unit for the last 6 years.  I decided to leave that field when I had my second baby.  I then realized that I missed the interactions I got to have with the expectant parents and their family's.  I found information on becoming a Douola and instantly knew that that is where I belonged.  I have always been passionate about helping the laboring mom to have her voice, opinions and concerns heard.  I have striven to help them understand what is going on with their bodies when in labor, and any necessary medical actions that had to take place.  I know that no to women or labors are the same.  I believe in listening to the mother's body and following her lead and ques as to what works for her.  I will be her advocate to the medical teams, but I will not tell her what choice to make.  I will make sure she is educated about the choices she makes though.

I have attended several births in the space of two years as a douola.  My goal is to have the mothers have a good experience as they give birth to their baby, and dissolve their fears about it.

What is a Birth Doula?

I could not think of a better way to explain this than to take some straight forward words from thenurturingplace.com  They are one of my biggest references on this topic.
The word Doula comes from the Greek.  It means woman who cares.  It is well applied in the Labor and Delivery of babies.

	A Doula : Recognizes birth as a significant life experience. Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a laboring woman. Provides continuous support, practical comfort measures, and an objective viewpoint to aid in decision-making. Complements the care provided by the woman’s partner and birth attendants. Protects and nurtures the memory of the birth experience.
Who relies on a doula?
	Childbearing women and couples, midwives, physicians, and labor and delivery nurses appreciate the resources, techniques, knowledge and continuous empathetic support a doula provides. Recent studies indicate the use of a doula: Decreases labor length by 25 percent. Decreases oxytocin use by 25 percent. Decreases mother’s request for pain medication by 30 percent. Decreases cesareans by 50 percent. Increases father’s participation level. (Mothering the Mother, Klaus, Kennell, Klaus, 1993) Birthing families and caregivers are welcoming doulas as the newest member of today’s maternity care team. Birth Doula Care The birth of a baby is not just another day in the life of a woman. It is a life-changing event with long-lasting physical, spiritual and emotional effects. A birth doula offers physical comfort, spiritual connection, mental preparation and emotional empathy for the birth family. Staying with you and your partner(s) continuously throughout labor and the first few hours postpartum, she can ease physical discomfort with a variety of massage, acupressure and relaxation techniques. She can remind your caregivers of your birth preferences. Most of all, she can help you, as a woman, create a positive memory of one of the most important days in your life and the life of your baby. I hope this helps.