Kaelyn's Birth Journey

WARNING: This is a long post with ALLLL the raw details of a natural birth.  If you have a weak stomach or are of the male persuasion, you've been warned!  I didn't leave ANYTHING out!

This story begins on a cloudy Tuesday.  Tuesday, Oct. 4th to be exact.  This was my due date... a day marked on the calendar as the day around which my precious baby girl was to be born, and a day which I had dreamt about for 10 months.  While I know that babies typically come between 37-42 weeks and I told myself that I was probably going to "go late" like first-time moms often do... there was still just something about that day I couldn't get past.  I spent the whole day feeling like it was my wedding day and my husband forgot to show up or something!  I wanted to meet her oooohhh so badly, and did not want to be pregnant for one more second!  I woke up on this day with tears in my eyes staring at the empty bassinet next to me wishing I was looking at my baby girl.  I looked down at my stomach and thought... "Baby K... I know you are a full grown baby in there... why are you still in my belly???!!!  Why can't I just transfer you from this belly out onto my bed right now so I can look at you!??!"

I stopped returning calls and text messages asking me how I was feeling and if she was here yet because it was hard for me to even say out loud that she wasn't here yet.  That is all that I wanted!  I went on a long walk with my grandma Helen (who from this point on will be called Grammy because it's weird for me to call her anything else) who had come to stay at our house a few days prior and is  helping and taking care of us during this transitional time.

**Side note... Grammy is spoiling us ROTTEN!!  She makes delicious meals/snacks (can we say hellooooo amazing homemade waffles, pumpkin spice scones, pumpkin cream cheese rolls!!!), helps around the house, and makes sure I'm staying hydrated/getting enough sleep/taking my vitamins, and gives us numerous massages (oh yeah, did I mention she's a massage therapist too??) etc. etc.!!  Not to mention... she is a nurse and knows EVERYTHING about babies!  I ask her about a million questions a day and am so happy to have the privilege of having her stay with us.  We would be so lost without her!!  Another cool tidbit... she gave birth to my mother naturally (who was a first born) who gave birth to me naturally (the first born), and then was hugely instrumental in the natural birth of her great-grandbaby Kaelyn!  Grammy was also at my Dad's birth; crazy, eh??

ANYWAY... I was having contractions throughout the walk with Grammy but had no idea they were contractions.  I had read that contractions started as a lower back pain and gradually wrapped around to the front, but what I was feeling felt very much like menstrual cramps that started in my lower abdomen and crept upward.  I wrote them off as Braxton Hicks or some kind of other weird pregnancy symptom.  I spent the rest of the day exhausted, crampy, and feeling rather sorry for myself.

Around 9:30 that night, the "abdominal cramps" had intensified a bit, and I wondered in the back of my mind if there was any possible way I could actually be in labor.  Scott and I starting timing these weird cramps, but they didn't appear to be very regular like real contractions would be.  **Side note... I had thought that contractions had to be the EXACT same distance apart lasting for the EXACT same amount of time... and didn't realize that by me continuing to walk around and do things I was making them worse so they couldn't be regular.

Scott and I determined they were probably nothing, so we would just go to sleep.  Welllllllll, I couldn't fall asleep.  The "false labor" contractions were too intense.  I wondered again if there was any remote possibility that this was really the beginning of Kaelyn's birth story.  I didn't want to get my hopes up though, so I decided I would get up and return some e-mails and go on facebook.  I was so in denial, it wasn't even funny!  I didn't want to wake up Scott or Grammy if I wasn't really in labor, so I started timing the contractions again while reading about "What signs to look for to know if you're really in labor or just feeling Braxton Hicks."  I had learned in our Bradley class that if it was truly the start of labor, the contractions wouldn't stop no matter what.  I got up, walked around, went to the bathroom, sat for awhile... and they kept coming.  After a couple hours of this, I found the contractions to be about 3-4 minutes apart lasting about a minute each and was pretty sure this was the real deal. I was pretty tired at this point and decided I would try to go back to sleep.  If it was going to be a long labor, I wanted to be well rested!  It was a little before 2:00am at this point.  I don't know why I thought I'd be able to sleep when I couldn't sleep before, but my brain wasn't really being logical at this point!  As soon as I laid down, I heard a little popping noise, and some water started to gush...

"WOH, I THINK MY WATER JUST BROKE!" I excitedly proclaimed as I rushed to the bathroom.

Scott bolted straight up in bed with the most wide-eyed bewildered sleepy face... "Have you been having contractions??  How long has this been happening??"  He asked as he sleepily stumbled to the bathroom.  I explained what had happened over the past couple hours.

"So... I guess I really am in labor then?" I asked fairly confident now.

"Babe, you are definitely in labor," he laughed.  He took it all in with a nervous-determined-adrenalin-pumped-take-charge kind of face and said in a matter of fact tone, "Guess we better finish packing the bag then," as he rushed out of the bathroom in a hurry.  (Our bag had been packed for awhile... but we still had to throw in some last minute items like toothbrushes and toiletries. :-))

I laid down on the bed and went through some contractions on my own while he finished packing.  We decided it was definitely time to wake up Grammy and call Mary the midwife to let her know things were beginning!  Scott told her that I was comfortable and okay to labor at home for awhile.  Mary recommended I try to eat an egg and to let her know as things progressed.  I wasn't hungry at all... but knew I needed to eat and drink throughout the labor process to keep my strength and stamina up.  Grammy went downstairs to scramble an egg and make some toast for me and had just brought it up when Mary called back.  She asked if I would be okay to go ahead and come in because she wanted to check on the baby since my water had already broken.  I was, of course, completely fine with this, wanting to make sure we took every precaution for the safety of baby K!  I tried to down the food as best I could, and we piled into the car.

The car ride over was not super pleasant as every bump and turn did not agree with my contractions!  We arrived at Blossom Birth and Wellness Center around 4:00am on Wednesday the 5th.

As soon as I arrived, Mary did a quick check on me.  We were all pleasantly surprised to find I was already 5cm dilated with a very soft cervix!  Sorry if that is TMI... but you are reading a birth story!!

I spent the next couple of hours in a relaxed position on the bed (shown in picture below) while Grammy gave me a massage with Scott at my side.  I had made a birth playlist, and we listened to relaxing piano music.  In between contractions, I looked up at my handsome husband and we whispered about how our baby girl would be there so soon!!!  I couldn't stop saying it out loud.... "She's coming babe... she's really coming!!"  With each contraction, I was focused and relaxed, and pictured her little head wriggling her way out to meet us.  There was such purpose in that pain!  At one point I became nauseated and had to throw up in a puke bucket, but for some reason it didn't bother me the way throwing up normally does.  I was focused, determined, and ready to meet my daughter!

After lying on the bed for awhile, I decided I wanted to move to the tub (pic below).  It is a huge whirlpool tub that is all kinds of amazing!  ***Side note (click HERE to see pictures and a video tour of the Blossom birthing suites).

Of course walking from the bed to the tub intensified the contractions, so Scott and I went through a few contractions together on the way to the tub as it filled up.

Let me say a few words about contractions in a hot jacuzzi tub.... the words I would use to describe the tub: relief, focused, warm, and comfortable.  I am the person that takes hot baths when I am stressed... and there is just something about laying in tub that makes me feel relaxed and at peace.  Scott, Grammy, and I talked and laughed in between contractions, and when the contractions came, I closed my eyes and focused.  While the peak of each contraction continued to get more intense, I loved the fact that every time I hit a peak, I knew the pain would then lessen, and I would get a break at the end.  I felt more focused and relaxed than I ever have in my life!

That being said, time felt like it was moving very slowly.  When I first got in the tub, all I wanted was for the labor to hurry and speed up!  I could control how I reacted to the contractions, but I couldn't control the pace of the labor... so that drove me a bit batty!  I asked for all the clocks to be hidden and to not know how much time had passed.  I wanted to be focused on what I was doing without the distraction of knowing how long it was taking so I wouldn't get discouraged.  Occasionally, a contraction would catch me off guard and start more intensely than the others.  There was one in particular that made me tear up as it scared me that it had come on so quickly and I felt like I had lost it.  For the most part though, I felt like most of the other contractions were very manageable.

Every time a contraction would come, I felt myself going into some kind of zone that I can't even describe.  I am going to try really hard to not sound corny, so bear with me... but I really felt like I went into some kind of alternate universe in my head.  I went to a place where no one could go, where I felt empowered and incredibly strong.  I did my best to think as positively as I could.  I told myself that this was going to be a quick, easy labor, that I was doing an excellent job, and that I was strong, capable, and handling everything extremely well.  I looked around me, and talked to Grammy and Scott about how happy I was to be at Blossom.  I felt calm, comfortable, peaceful, and in control.  It gave me strength knowing that I was bringing her into this world without any drugs affecting her little body, and that I was doing the best I could for the two of us.

Throughout the labor, I forced myself to eat some strawberries and string cheese, and Scott and Grammy continued to keep me hydrated with coconut water.  Over the next few hours, the contractions became stronger, longer, and closer together.  I forced myself to change positions from time to time to keep things progressing even though it really hurt to do so!  I practiced deep breathing and focused on relaxing every muscle in my body throughout the contractions.  Grammy and Scott soaked washcloths in ice and held them to my forehead which felt soooooooo good!

After numerous hours (who knows how many... the clocks were hidden!), I decided I was pruney enough and I would go back and labor on the bed for a bit.  This was the most difficult part of the entire birth process.  Right after laying down, I hit the transitional stage (the stage right before pushing where the contractions are the strongest, longest and you often have contractions back to back without a break in between).  Thankfully, this was also the shortest stage for me.  This stage is really hard for me to remember because I was seriously off in some kind of distant labor land and had no idea what was going on around me!  I listened to the music and forced myself to relax.  While it was difficult, I felt like I did pretty good, with the exception of one particularly LONG, RIDICULOUSLY INTENSE contraction that I distinctly remember curtly stating that if I had one more contraction like that I would die!  It was also at this point that I snapped at my dear sweet husband who was trying to stroke my arm and tell me what a good job I was doing.  I really needed to focus at that point... so I asked him not to touch me, talk, or move!  He ended up taking a little nap next to me on the bed. :-)

As I approached the pushing stage, the contractions slowed down quite a bit, and I was able to take short naps in between contractions.  I felt sooooooooo relaxed, and it felt amazing to just sleep in between.  After snoozing for awhile, I decided to get back in the tub.  On the way to the tub, I had to go to the bathroom, so I ended up laboring on the toilet for awhile as moving around was quite the chore.  Mary brought me a protein shake to give me some extra strength before the pushing stage.  I may have drank a little too fast and threw some of it up... but I still got some nutrients and strength out of it! :-)  It was on the toilet, ironically, that I first felt "the urge to push..." although it really felt more like a strong urge to go #2! 

After that, back into the tub I went!  We decided to do another check, and I was 9 cm dilated at this point with an anterior lip... almost all the way effaced, just a lip of the cervix around the rim that was still over Kaelyn's head.  I was struggling at this point with not feeling like I wanted to push, but also feeling like maybe I should try.  It didn't "feel good to push" like I had heard a lot of women say... so I didn't want to force the pain.  Plus, I had been through a lot of pain at this point already so didn't really want to force pain when it didn't have to be there!

I was battling a lot of questions in my mind.  Was I supposed to start pushing yet?  How long should I wait?  What was it going to feel like?  Was I taking too long?  How much was it going to hurt?  Was everyone getting tired of waiting around for me?  Was I able to push this baby out?  What would happen if I just decided not to push??  Would they make me go to the hospital?  Was this normal?  What was I supposed to do?  Mary and Grammy decided to give Scott and I some time on our own, so they went into the other room while I went through a couple more contractions.  As much as I wanted to meet Kaelyn, I was tired, and didn't know how to get over this hurdle.  I asked Scott to step out for awhile and I just tried to relax in the tub by myself as much as I could.  Mary came in soon after that and said...

"Brianne...  you're over-thinking this.  You just really need to listen to your body and let your wild beast out!"

Oh, man... this is something I have heard my whole life!  My second grade teacher often told my mom that I over analyzed the tests.  When Mary said this, it all made sense.  Of course I would try to OVER-THINK the birth of my firstborn.  I over-think everything else in life, so why not Kaelyn's birth!?  This was so key... as soon as she said this, I knew I just needed to STOP thinking and just LISTEN to what my body was telling me.  I was also afraid to just let my body be in control.  I always feel like I am so "in control," and to just let my body take over felt very odd!  I was afraid of what might happen or what might come out of my mouth if I let go of the control!

I closed my eyes and started to slowly push with the contractions.  I focused on what my body was telling me, and even though it was uncomfortable, after doing this for a few minutes, I felt my body start to take over!  I was doing it!  It was happening!  I could feel her head descending from inside of me... what a crazy awesome feeling.  I started to feel the "ring of fire" a bit... a slight burning sensation down there as she started to crown.  The crazy thing?  I didn't care!  I knew this was the final stretch, and I was about to meet her any second.  Mary told me she could see her head, and said I could reach down to touch it.  I reached down to feel her little head coming out.  That was all I needed to give me that extra motivation to finish strong!  Mary estimated it would be about 20 more pushes.  It was so great to have an obtainable goal!  That didn't sound like that much at all!  I pushed as hard as I could for as long as I could...  and after about 7-10 pushes, at 4:54pm on Wednesday October 5th, 2011, I heard everyone crying out in celebration!!

What??  That was it?? She was out?? I was done??  It was over??  I did it!!!!  Nothing mattered... my baby girl was in my arms!!

What followed after that were the most precious, amazing moments of my life on Earth so far.  Kaelyn went straight on my chest and it was love at first sight.  She looked right up at me with big eyes as if saying "Thank you for bringing me into this world, Mommy!  I love you!"  I looked up at my husband's handsome face and stared into his big tear-rimmed blue eyes.  I had never been more in love with him than I was in that moment.

"She's here!!!!  She's here!!  Can you believe she's finally here??"

We kissed, and I felt like I was in a surreal dream... I was floating... I was ecstatic... I was glowing... my heart was beating out of my chest... I was too emotional to sob, and all I could do was just say... "Oh... she's here... she's finally here....."  The natural birth hormones and flood of endorphins were incredible!!

I held her sweet warm body and snuggled it up against mine as Scott and Mary transferred me to the bed.  I kissed her, I held her close, I gazed into her eyes, and I knew life would never be the same.  Scott climbed into bed next to me and we laid there together in awe of what had just happened.  Did I really just push her out of my (gulp!).  WOW.  Yes, that really just happened.  Every moment I just experienced... SO WORTH IT.  What a gorgeous little creature.  What a blessing from God.  I was so overwhelmed with emotion.  Did Scott and I really create this little being with our DNA mixed together?  She was perfect!!!!  Every little feature was perfect.

The placenta came out quickly after that and didn't hurt at all as I was just staring down at my precious baby girl!!  As a precaution and to help dry out some fluid that was still in her lungs, we gave her some extra oxygen (shown above).  I also found out later that she had the cord wrapped around her neck when she first came out, which is why she was a little blueish at first.  Mary just quickly slipped it over her head as soon as she came out so I didn't even know this happened until much later!  We just gave her a good rubbin' all over and she turned a nice shade of pink quite soon!  Apparently this is quite common during delivery and was not a big deal, as she showed no signs of distress and her heart rate stayed normal throughout delivery.

Right after the placenta was delivered, I was able to immediately breastfeed.  Mary and the labor assistant, Danielle, helped Kaelyn to get a good latch, and we were set!  I'm pretty sure Kaelyn has wanted to be permanently attached to me since then... She is quite the strong little sucker and a breastfeeding champ!  She pretty much has to have something in her mouth at all times!

After some bonding and breastfeeding time in bed with our sweet new little family, Scott took her into the other room for some daddy/baby time while I got a few outside stitches.  Then, we weighed and measured her (7 lbs, 5.5 oz, 19.5 inches long).  Mary asked us how long we would like to stay, and I said that I was ready to go!  I felt amazing, and I had my baby girl in my arms.  I was ready to go home and shower/sleep in my own bed.  The pics below were taken on the way out the door... not the best pictures I've ever taken in my life with no make-up after being awake for over 24 hours with no shower and a 20 hour labor... but here they are nonetheless!  The first pic is my midwife Mary and labor assistant Danielle, and the second is the birth team that never left my side... the ever-fabulous and wonderful Grammy Forbes and my adorable, supportive hubby!  Mary spent a lot of the labor in the next room just hanging out as she said I had such a fabulous birth team, she didn't have to do much!  **Side note: HERE is Mary the Midwife's website if you want to learn more about her... she is AMAZING!!!!!!  Also, I didn't talk much about it above, but if you are interested in how the heck it was possible for me to give birth in water, click HERE.

We got Kaelyn into her little ducky PJ's, and we went home just hours after her beautiful grand entrance into this world!

What a beautiful, memorable, amazing day!  I could not have imagined a more wonderful birth experience and I will treasure these memories for the rest of my life!!  

It's Baby Time Part 3 of 3: Don't Do Drugs (Stay in School)

Before reading this post, make sure to catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 of "It's Baby Time."   In those posts, I talked all about why we want a natural birth and decided against giving birth in a hospital.  This post is essentially the culmination of everything.


Why I Do Not Want an Epidural

God created women's bodies to give birth.  When you give birth naturally, your body produces various hormones to help you cope with the pain.  If you are pumping artificial hormones and drugs into your body, your body cannot physically respond the same way.  I'm trying to do everything "right" in pregnancy... eat healthy, make sure I get enough protein, avoid alcohol, ibuprofen, nitrates, the list goes on.  I've given up the occasional glass of wine, artificial sweeteners, and my old caffeine habits so that I can birth the healthiest baby girl possible.  So.... to me, it doesn't make sense that when the baby is still in my body, that I would pump in anesthetics... drugs powerful enough to numb the lower half of my body...  for my comfort... at the risk of my health and my baby's health?

Most women just think, "Worst pain of my life... where do I sign so I DON'T feel that."  Well, what about researching the risks or complications?  Or thinking about the fact that those drugs ARE going to your baby who is still inside of you?  Not to mention... epidurals don't even always work.  I've talked to a few friends that have told me they still felt everything anyway, or that they still felt the pain on one half of their body.  Don't just read the materials your doctor gives you or tells you.  Do your own research.

Studies seem to be somewhat ambiguous on the short and long term side effects of epidurals.  For example, on one side, I've read that drugs and labor positions can cause minimal brain damage to your child.  This means that your child may still be within normal ranges, but he or she may have lowered intelligence, speech and reading difficulties, shortened attention span, hyperactivity, or awkward physical coordination.  According to The American Pregnancy Association, most studies suggest that "some babies will have trouble latching on, which can lead to breastfeeding difficulties.  Other studies suggest that the baby may experience respiratory depression, fetal malpositioning; and an increase in fetal heart rate variability, which may increase the need for forceps, vacuum, cesarean deliveries, and episiotomies."  Other studies say the risk of side effects on you and your baby are incredibly low, and that the benefits outweigh the risks.  If it allows you to rest during labor and relieves the pain with minimal risk, then why not?  If it feels good, do it.  This post could be 10 pages long with all of the research on both sides of this issue.  But it seems pretty simple to me.

If the short and long term effects are not 100% known, and there is no conclusive evidence, then why would I risk my health or the health of my unborn child if I can do it naturally?  I realize how common they are, and how it may make the labor incredibly more pleasant, and how much people love them... so go ahead and comment as you will, those are just my thoughts. :)

Additionally, if you have an epidural, you lose your ability to move around on your own, and it makes your labor longer. Laying down with your back on a table and feet up in stirrups may be convenient for the doctors, but doesn't it make more sense to use gravity to maximize pushing efficiency?  Do a quick google search on best labor positions.  You will find that lying on your back or leaning on your back during labor can put stress on the oxygen supply to your baby.  If you are numbed from the waste down and confined to a hospital bed... your'e pretty stuck.  I'd like to be able to move around in labor, and do whatever my body feels like doing in the given moment.  From what I've heard, when it comes time, my body will know what to do, and I'd like to be able to feel that.

Conclusion

These are some of the reasons that Scott and I are so excited for Kaelyn to make her way into this universe.  We have done research on what we would like Kaelyn's birth to be like, and are very much looking forward to the experience.  We recently read "The Husband Coached Childbirth" by Dr. Robert Bradley, and are so excited to work together as a team to bring her into the world.  Ultimately, the decisions other parents make about childbirth are indeed their decisions, and I completely understand that what is best for us may not be best for everybody.  I would never judge anyone for making one decision or another, I just want others to understand why we have created our birth plan this way.

It would be my desire that others would take a more active role in birth education and be able to make more informed decisions when it comes to birth and labor.  Birth center... hospital... drugs... no drugs... We just need to do our homework, regardless of what we decide.  I feel like a lot of people just go to the hospital because that's what everyone else does, or get an epidural because they're afraid of pain, and there's not much else they take into consideration.  For such a major, life-changing event, I hope that more moms and dads take more active roles in what they want their birthing process to look like.  There are pros and cons to both sides... and everybody is different.  Labor, birth, and parenting have everything to do with what the parents feel is best for them and their baby.  And this is what is best for us.

References

AmericanPregnancyAssociation.org

Movies: Pregnancy in America and The Business of Being Born

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 58, Number 11, "Trends and Characteristics of Home and Other Out-of-Hospital Births in the US, 1990-2006"

U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: http://hcupnet.ahrg.gov/

World Health Organization Fact Sheet on Skilled Birth Attendants, 2008

It's Baby Time Part 2 of 3: You're Not Giving Birth in a Hospital??!

Before reading this post, make sure you read Part 1 of "It's Baby Time."  In my last post, I talked about why we want a natural childbirth and about our decision to give birth at a birth center.  Today's post is on why we don't want to give birth in a hospital.

I would like to preface these next two posts by saying that this is not meant to be a judgement on anyone else who chooses hospital births and epidurals! :)  I just wanted to explain our thought process so that others will understand why we are making the decision that we are.  Everyone is different, and no one can tell you what is right for you.  I am just advocating that families be fully informed and aware before making these kinds of decisions, and not just make choices based off of what everyone else does or out of fear.  That being said...


Why We Do Not Want to Give Birth in a Hospital

Historically speaking, in the United States, it used to be more common to NOT give birth in the hospital.  In 1940, 44% of births were out-of-hospital (U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, 2010).  In 1969, that number had dropped to around 1% and has remained around there for several decades.  It may be uncommon to have an out-of-hospital birth in America, but comparatively, around the world a third of all births take place in the home even without a skilled attendant (World Health Organization, 2008).  Anyway, it's not about what everyone else is doing... let's look at our top reasons for not wanting to give birth in a hospital:

1) Increased risk of unneccessary medical interventions and C-sections

2) Longer recovery periods

3) Extremely expensive

1) First of all, it's not necessarily safer to give birth in the hospital!  If I go to the hospital, I have a 1-in-3 chance of having major abdominal surgery, also known as a cesarean birth (National Center for Health Statistics).  Are C-sections and other medical interventions extremely helpful and absolutely necessary at times?  YES!  But do 1-in-3 moms truly have emergencies and need a C-section?  This is not the norm!  I don't know anyone that has ever had a C-section that would advocate that it is the best way to go.  Not your ideal uplifting birth experience to be sure.  A giant cut is made in your belly, and your baby is pulled out.  Then, you can expect to stay in the hospital for 2-4 days, and recovery will take about 4-6 weeks.  Not only is it more expensive, but there are major risks from the surgery itself and from the anesthesia.  I'm not really wanting to spend my first few days or weeks with my new baby on pain killers.

Oh, and there is also a small chance that the baby could have breathing problems, be sluggish after birth, or that you may have increased bleeding requiring a blood transfusion, an infection in the incision, uterus, or nearby organs, reactions to the medications, injuries to the bowel or bladder, or blood clots.  If you've had a C-section, then you are at an increased risk in your next births for having the placenta implant to low or too deep in the uterus which can cause severe bleeding during labor and delivery.  Also, studies show that cesarean delivery has negative effects on breastfeeding, and rates of breastfeeding moms who have had c-sections versus vaginal births were significantly lower. 

But.. this isn't a post about why you don't want to have a C-section.  It's about the fact that if you go to an American hospital, you have approximately a 1-in-3 chance of getting a C-section.  And if you're induced, your risk of C-section pretty much doubles.

Once again, if I need to have an emergency C-section, I will be very thankful for the doctors and for current medical technology.  They are done for a reason, and they save many lives.  I'm just saying... there are a large majority of unnecessary things that happen in hospitals at the last minute that the mom doesn't have a lot of control over... things she may not have agreed to if she had more knowledge about the various scenarios or if she was in a different mindset.

Why are there so many C-sections?  Does it have anything to do with the fact that the people in charge are surgeons?  As written above, some argue that a large majority of C-sections are not done in case of an emergency, like they are supposed to be.  Here's one scenario that seems to be fairly common...  If you are not progressing quickly enough, according to the doctor, you will likely be given pitocin.  Well, then your contractions are going to be so intense, you will need stronger drugs to help numb the pain, so you get an epidural.  But the epidural is going to slow down your labor, so you'll need more pitocin.  It's a vicious cycle.  And as mentioned previously, if you have an epidural, you are at a much higher risk of having your blood pressure go down, which may change your baby's heart rate (your baby needs oxygen)... you get the picture.   Then, since your baby's heart rate dropped, the doctor will tell you your baby is in fetal distress, and you will be preparing for your C-section.  The baby's heart rate likely dropped because of your drugs... not just out of nowhere for no reason.  I don't think a lot of women understand this ahead of time.  Anyway, I'll write more about epidurals in "It's Baby Time Part 3."  On to the second reason we don't want to give birth in a hospital.

2) If you go to a hospital to deliver, you are going to have a longer recovery period.  The recovery period after a C-section birth is especially long.  At the birth center, we can leave when we feel comfortable (a few hours to 24 hours after) and we're not going to be charged an arm and a leg to stay there after the birth.  Which leads up to the next reason...

3) Expenses!  One of our biggest concerns pre-pregnancy was the cost of labor.  We were on individual insurance plans when we first became pregnant, and so I called about 8 hospitals in our area trying to figure out what the cost would be.  I was asking the hospitals about the cheapest route possible... vaginal birth without an epidural.  The costs averaged around $8,000 and that is NOT including additional newborn care charges or maternity provider charges. That is JUST the birth.  Assuming I don't have to go to the hospital, my cost is going to total around $3,750 at Blossom and it includes ALL of my pre-natal visits and the actual birth.  That's not to mention the compassionate and comprehensive care, the nutritional counseling, the educational videos, and that they're always available anytime I call with a concern or question.

Check out this chart on the average hospital labor and birth charges by method of birth in Arizona (also not including additional newborn care charges or maternity provider charges):

Is that eye-opening or what?  Hospitals are there to help people, but they also make quite a bit of money off of pregnant women!  I would argue too that hospitals are often about time, efficiency, and control, and labor is time-intensive and unpredictable!  Why wait 16-24 hours for a mother to give birth naturally when you can get a baby out easily and efficiently with a 20 minute surgery?  It's unfair to rob a woman of an empowering birth experience and the chance to bond with her baby right after labor, thus potentially damaging her chances to successfully breastfeed, when not absolutely necessary.  But women aren't told about the difficult recovery times and all of the disadvantages.  They just trust the doctor in charge because the doc says it's what you have to do to have the baby be okay and healthy.  Hospitals make so much money off of people having babies and I think it's insane.  Having a baby is a normal life occurrence.  Again, if something were to go wrong, they definitely serve an amazing purpose.  I'm not trying to bash on hospitals.  If we need to go to the hospital for some reason, we will gladly go and be incredibly thankful for modern day medicine and technology.  Things don't always go according to our plans.

We're not done yet!  Keep reading for, "It's Baby Time Part 3 of 3," wrapping up about epidurals.

It's Baby Time Part 1 of 3: Goin' Au Naturale

Recently, I have had a lot of people ask me what hospital we are delivering at.  Another question I have been asked is whether or not I am going to have an epidural.  You should see the looks on people's faces when I tell them that we are delivering at a birthing center completely drug free.  Not only do most people not know what a birthing center is, but when I tell people I'm not getting any drugs they look at me like I have a third eyeball.

Regardless of the chosen method, I am incredibly surprised at the lack of knowledge that people have about the birthing process in general, and how lackadaisical moms-to-be are about what they want their birth to be like.  It's a huge event that deserves a large amount of research and consideration!  This post is not intended to be an "in-your-face, everyone should do it like us post."  Scott and I are going a route that is a little off the beaten path, and with all of the questions I've been getting, I just wanted to explain a little bit about where our thought process is coming from.

Why We Want a Natural Birth

When I became pregnant, I started doing some research on the labor process.  I knew my mom had done 4 natural child births, and I wondered what her reasoning and thought process was.  I watched a few movies such as "The Business of Being Born" and "Pregnant in America" and did some research on epidurals.  I talked to friends who have given birth at home as well as naturally in a hospital, and listened to their birth stories.  I also read blogs and listened to friends' stories of those who had given birth in the hospital with epidurals, and I noticed a pattern.

The women who gave birth naturally seemed to go on and on about the beauty of birth and what a wonderful experience it was, and the women who took the normal hospital delivery route told me about the scary complications they had during delivery (fetal distress, abnormal fetal heart-rate, baby pulled out with forceps, mom's blood pressure dropping...).  None of them seemed to be aware (or at least vocal) about the fact that most of these complications were side-effects of the drugs they decided to take!  I kept hearing, "I was so glad the hospital was there to save my baby," when in all actuality, it was likely the hospital that helped cause the complications in the first place....

Then I thought about having a giant needle stuck in my back, and what it would feel like to not be able to feel my body from the waist down.  It didn't seem to make sense to me.  If I'm trying to push a baby out of that region, why would I numb my entire lower body?  Doesn't seem very efficient...  Plus, I hate hospitals to begin with.  The smell, the halls, the sterile ugly walls, and a bunch of sick patients... I am not sick!  I'm just having a baby!  I'm pretty sure God created women to bear children and that women have been doing this for thousands of years.  God has been growing this precious child in my womb, He invented childbirth, and I am in awe of His whole creative process.  He wouldn't give me something I couldn't handle.  I started thinking about a place I could give birth where I could be completely comfortable, relaxed, and not have machines beeping at me and people constantly coming in and out.  Where can I give birth where I feel safe, focused, and can have candles, music, and do whatever I feel like doing without an IV in my arm?  Where can I walk around, lay in a bathtub, or do whatever I feel like doing?  Certainly not in a hospital.  I've been told that birth is faster and easier when you feel most comfortable.  Makes sense to me!  I considered giving birth at home, but didn't want everyone to completely freak out on my first birth, so I decided a birth center would be a good compromise.

What is a Birth Center?

Birth centers are comfortable, homelike medical facilities designed for low risk, healthy, pregnant woman who want an alternative to a hospital or home birth.  Located a couple of blocks from the hospital, I will be giving birth at Blossom Birth and Wellness Center where I feel I am getting the most comprehensive and compassionate prenatal care.  Then, assuming Kaelyn doesn't present herself before 37 weeks, I will give birth here as well.  They also offer different educational classes on a variety of subjects including breastfeeding classes and support groups.  They seek to care for their patients holistically and really seek to understand who you are as a person... What brought you to this point in your life...  What your plans are as a parent...  Every visit we have had here has been at least an hour, and it is the exact opposite of your typical crazy OB/GYN office.  It's quiet, calm, peaceful, and the providers take the time to really get to know you.  It is here that we feel I am getting the most comprehensive and meaningful, informed care, and it is here that I can give birth the way that I want without interventions or interruptions.

And there's a lot more!  Continue on to "It's Baby Time Part 2 of 3" to read more about our thoughts and research on hospital births.