quote:Originally posted by Brinestone: Really? I rather liked them.
Unless you found the contractions of labor likeable. I mean, some women say birth is the greatest pleasure of their lives, so anything is possible.
The second and third pregnancies they were still novel and exciting. The fourth pregnancy, they started ridiculously early and were very intense.
(I apologize for editing this post so much. I remembered what is it like to be pregnant and have people contradict you).
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My sister is in her fourth pregnancy, and she started Braxton Hicks at 4.5 months. That was even more ridiculously early than I recall mine, but her kids are much more closely spaced as well.
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I thought the contractions of early labor were kind of fun. It wasn't until the back pain started to hit about 20 hours into it that they got bad.
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I've only had one so far, but I hated the early contractions because they lasted for weeks (almost a month) and I wasn't sure what I was looking for when it came to "real labor" and there was a false alarm and hours of counting the minutes between contractions (they started coming every 10-15 minutes around the clock 2 weeks in advance). They didn't hurt, but psychologically it wasn't any fun.
This time, who knows? At least I think I understand when real labor starts so maybe I'll just relax with them. They were a little painful, but probably not that bad in retrospect. The stress might have made them seem worse than they were.
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I'm 32 1/2 weeks. I have no idea what Braxton Hicks Contraction feel like. I had some cramping this morning, but it felt more intestinal than anything.
*shrug*
I just hope I'll know them if I ever have them.
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I only ever had a few Braxton-Hicks, and never more than one or two at a time, with days in between. I can see where having them every 10-15 minutes would be a pain.
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My BH contractions were never so painful that the excitement of knowing my body was working correctly and the baby was getting closer to being outside of me didn't outweigh the negative.
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This is my fifth pregnancy. With Bridget, they started around 20 weeks, and got so frequent so fast that I was on terbutaline for them by 25. This time, they started at 11 weeks, and while they're the most painful of any I've ever had, are not frequent enough (or doing anything) to warrant medicating me for them (thank goodness.)
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Did you have a miscarriage, or is this baby five? I had 4 children, but the first one died. Even I lose count sometimes, but only in the pregnancy department, not in the people department.
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I had two miscarriages, one when each of the girls was about a year old. They were very early. I just don't seem to have pregnancies that "stick" until the kid is about 15 months.
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(I would probably have moved past it by now, but every single time you go in to the hospital or whatever, they say "this is your third pregnancy?" and I have to correct them, no, fifth pregnancy, third child. It makes me a little sad each time. Just a little.)
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Well, I got word back on the carseat issue. No dice yet, but I did get a contact to ask for at the company to see if we can get a multiple-purchase discount for buying three at once.
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Owwwwww. Of all the mysterious pains of pregnancy, the ones in my... rear are perhaps the most disturbing. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Oooh, the rear pain! How I HATE the rear pain. I'm sitting on my bed with one leg hanging off and PAIN in the rear. I shift my legs and PAIN in the rear. I put both legs down and PAIN in the rear. I lay down and turn over and sometimes PAIN in the rear. I manage to get myself out of the bed to go to the bathroom for the 50th time in the last 50 minutes and PAIN in the rear.
I think it's sciatica, as the pain sometimes extends into my upper leg, and rarely into my lower back. It's sharp and I hate it.
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I would love a bed with a bowl-shape cut out for the belly so I could lay on my stomach again. Oh, and a bed with a head that raises so I can lay on my back. That'd be GREAT.
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During my last trimester I started fantasizing about laying on my back again. It was pretty pathetic. Posts: 2762 | Registered: Sep 1999
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Boon
unregistered
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Right now there's this huge box sitting on my bed. KQ said she was sending me something, so I opened it. I got as far as the notebook.
in a good way. I love each and every one of the people who took the time to write an email of good wishes, sent a gift (though I haven't checked out the rest of the box yet, I'm waiting until Hubby gets home from work), or even just thought of us and wished us well recently.
So, I've read the notebook. I've laughed, I've cried, my kids keep hugging me and telling me I have the best friends ever, and they're right.
Can I assume I can go into the "Boon, stay out" thread now?
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quote:Originally posted by Katarain: I would love a bed with a bowl-shape cut out for the belly so I could lay on my stomach again. Oh, and a bed with a head that raises so I can lay on my back. That'd be GREAT.
They make pillows with holes in the middle for this purpose. And the chiropractor I went to had a table with a cutout in it.
I found that I could lie on my tummy on my waterbed without a problem pretty late in each pregnancy.
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kq, my first pregnancy I had trouble with my sacroiliac joint (the joint that's pretty much right in the middle of the glutes). It was a very sharp, annoying pain, right in the joint. A chiropractor or a therapeutic massage therapist should be able to do a release, if that's what you're suffering from.
Boon, glad you had a good day!
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Yeah, it's in stores, too. But the closest ON store that sells maternity to us is all the way the other side of Pasadena, so I shopped online instead (the $5 shipping is worth the bigger selection, not having to go down there, and it would be a couple dollars of gas anyway.)
I got a sweater, a top, a loungy shirt and a pair of loungy pants, plus some flip flops for Jeff to wear around the pool, for $18-something before tax and shipping, about $25 after tax and shipping. Awesome.
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(I should add that the original prices of all that stuff added up to more than $80. Awesome.)
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I mentioned how much they HURT to my doctor (who says I have an "irritable uterus", and doesn't even want me to call unless they are 10 or more an hour for three hours straight, or I have bleeding, amniotic fluid leaking, or sense something else wrong.) He said, "You know, most women don't experience that much discomfort and pain with Braxton-Hicks, it's very unusual." I glared at him. He quickly added, "I'm not saying you're not in pain! I just see a lot of patients and it's very unusual. I don't know anything we can do for you other than what we're doing, since I really don't want to start you on medication unless we really have to, after what you went through last time."
And he's right but it doesn't make it hurt any less. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I wish I could give you an epidural right now. It would be a little premature, but hey, it would take care of the pain. Posts: 155 | Registered: Jul 2006
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Yeah, unfortunately it would be hard to run after kids with an epidural...
I AM planning to get my wisdom teeth out in the next month or two. I am hoping that they will give me some nice heavy-duty pain meds for the teeth and I won't feel the BH for a few days.
Of course, I don't know what I can take that's safe while pregnant since now I can't take codeine...
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Speaking of the epidural... when I mention to other people my desire for a natural childbirth, I also mention that I'm leaving my options open for an epidural--and I am, but it's a small option. I really, really don't want one. I probably wouldn't say no to other pain relief measures that they could offer, but I know there is a risk with an epidural, however small, that I don't want to take. I certainly wouldn't fault any woman for getting one. I don't think not having it would be some sort of badge of honor, unless experiencing great pain is a badge of honor.
So, it's annoying when other women say something like, oh girl, you're gonna get that epidural! These are people who hardly know me, so I must assume they think everyone gets an epidural since they're so sure about me.
Women have been giving birth without them for thousands of years, and women still give birth without them today, whether because it becomes too late for them to get one or they choose not to. If they can handle it, I don't see why I can't.
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I applaud you for keeping your options open, and sympathize with the idiocy of other people.
(I had one friend who tried to convince me that it was dumb for any woman to try natural childbirth.)
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quote: Speaking of the epidural... when I mention to other people my desire for a natural childbirth, I also mention that I'm leaving my options open for an epidural--and I am, but it's a small option. I really, really don't want one.
My wife doesn't have a very strong constitution. She didn't want an epidural because of the risks. She was adamant that she would never get an epidural. As soon as the real contractions hit with our first kid she screamed for the epidural.
With our second child (almost 4 months ago) she WANTED an epidural. When the contractions started our daughter came out so fast that there was no time to give her an epidural, so she gave birth drug free.
I have never seen so much pain in my life. I was sick. They had to close the doors because of the screaming and begging for something....ANYTHING for the pain.
I think God has made her forget the pain because she already wants a third and misses being pregnant!! However, I am still traumatized. Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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When I toured the hospital that I gave birth in I asked how many of their patients go unmedicated and the nurse looked at me like I was crazy and said that everyone needs pain medication. So we were very, very clear in our birth plan that our default was natural childbirth, unmedicated, and they were not to offer or suggest anesthesia or analgesia unless I asked for it. I reserved the right to change my mind at any time, but I didn't want to waste my time and energy arguing that no, I really didn't want it, thanks.
Even though the nurse that gave us that first tour must have thought I was crazy, no one offerred and I did fine. And the nursing supervisor asked to bring in some nursing students since they'd never seen a vaginal birth at all, and would rarely get a chance to see an unmedicated birth.
And it was marvelous.
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dkw, have you written anywhere about your birth experience? I've found sites before where women outline what their childbirth was like, usually natural births. I'd like to hear about it.
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Katarain, I personally admire people like you. Having never been in labor before, I certainly can't make any statements about what a woman should or shouldn't do. It is most definitely a woman's choice. Nobody else's -- just hers.
I agree with you that there is no badge of honor for experiencing great pain, unless it is the woman's personal goal -- then I'm totally down with that. The only thing that bothers me is when women somehow feel like a failure, or a disgrace, when they have to succumb to an epidural. Usually they've been previously convinced by well-wishing people that getting an epidural will somehow take away from their birthing experience and that they should do all in their power to not get the evil thing.
The other thing that annoys me to no end is when a woman feels like she's failed her childbirth duty by having had a C-section. Believe me, I've seen that happen. Sometimes it can take a lot of effort to comfort the mother and explain to her that having an unplanned C-section because of failure to progress with labor, does NOT make HER any less of a woman, or a mother. The only thing that matters in the end is that she and the baby are both safe and healthy.
What you're describing in terms of "oh girl, you're gonna get that epidural!" would bother me too. It is presumptuous and uncalled for. I'm sorry to hear that you've had to deal with that. In a university hospital where I did most of my OB training we were required to see and assess every single patient. If they told us they did not want an epidural, we would politely explain to them that the option was there and excuse ourselves. There were of course patients who would originally decline an epidural, but then would change their mind. It is OK. It's a personal decision that nobody can give you a hard time for.
Don't let anyone dissuade you from being able to have a natural birth. Like you said, plenty of women did it and still do it now. Good luck! Posts: 155 | Registered: Jul 2006
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Oh, I don't deserve any admiration--unless it's for giving up peanuts during this pregnancy on the off chance that it will help my child not have a peanut allergy. (There is no history of peanut allergies in my family, but I believe that if I abstain from peanuts it can help my baby's chances, however remotely.) I want peanut butter so bad that I think I deserve admiration for that! But not for *wanting* a natural childbirth, but keeping my options open. If I had time for natural childbirth courses, I'm sure I'd feel more certain about not getting an epidural.
posted
KQ - I hate the number of pregnancies, number of children question because I always have to explain I have had one pregnancy, but that ended as an ectopic pregnancy, I have one child. The doctors say I should not put my child on there since it makes it look like I had a successful pregnancy, but he is my son! When someone asks me how many children I have, I am going to include him!
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I did post my birth story on Mike's forum, I can dig it out for you if you'd like. I'd also be happy to share my birth plan -- I really recommend having a written plan both to go over with your doctor and to talk to the nurses about before you're in intense labor. The second time we visited the hospital we handed the nurse the typed plan before talking, and the discussion went much better. She knew that we'd done our research and knew what we were talking about, and what was most important to us and why. Everything proceeded on a much more respectful level after that. (Although I've updated the plan to be a little more specific about the pushing and delivery phase, where we kind of got sidetracked last time.)
Also, for lots of birth stories that fit with the attitude you seem to be going for I HIGHLY reccommend Dr. Sears' The Birth Book. While definitly encouraging unmedicated birth, the book clearly states that any birth resulting in a healthy baby and healthy mother is a sucessful birth. And comes from the position that you are more likely to be satisfied with your birth experience (even if you end up needing an epidural or a C-section) if you are educated about your options and participate in decision making so that you know that any interventions are done because you know that it's the best thing to do, not because you're railroaded into it or because "everybody" does it that way.
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Yes, I'm very interested in reading your birth story and plan.
Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll look it up. I love getting recommendations, because if I research on my own looking for a book about birthing, I'll find so many that I won't know what to choose!
Ultimately, my goal is a healthy baby and a healthy me. I haven't taken any birthing classes, and I feel kind of negligent about that. I'm 33 weeks, so maybe I'll still be able to find one. If there were Bradley Method classes around here, I would have tried to go to them, since they were recommended by another couple that I know.
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If you do a lot of reading/research on your own, the standard generic classes are kind of a waste of time. I could have taught ours. The one advantage was that since Bob & I did it together it provided an opportunity to talk about stuff and get the two of us on the same page.
Also we had a weird instructor who assigned us to write a poem in honor of the placenta, which Bob really enjoyed. (Surprisingly enough (or not) he was the only one who actually wrote one.) And it was a great poem.
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quote:Originally posted by rivka: I applaud you for keeping your options open, and sympathize with the idiocy of other people.
(I had one friend who tried to convince me that it was dumb for any woman to try natural childbirth.)
I don't think it is dumb for any woman to try natural childbirth, but I do think it is dumb for any woman to say that is the only way. Healthy baby should alway be the number one goal and it upsets me when some woman seem to put the natural birth over the health of the baby. Also, I don't think husbands get a say.
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You know, Dark as night, practical as I am, I am still ambivalent about my C-section. Don't get me wrong--I in no way think that I should have had a vaginal birth. Nonetheless, I wish I could have.
Trust me, this surprises me. After all, it doesn't make sense.
Throughout my pregnancy, I firmly believed that I would be ready for and welcome any necessary interventions. I expected to get an epidural (although I planned to wait until I needed it), and my husband and I discussed that if my doctor (whom I trusted to be non-interventionist unless intervention was necessary) recommended a C-section for any reason, we would go with his recommendation with no regrets. As I said at the time, "Who cares how I have the baby as long as we're both healthy?"
Now, after delivering via urgent C-section 6 weeks early due to severe pre-eclampsia, I find that I care. I know that my emotions about the C-section are all mixed up with my regret that I couldn't carry my baby longer for his sake, and my concerns about developing pre-eclampsia in the future and maybe not having any more children because of that risk (and therefore never experiencing normal childbirth). And I'm sure it's probably also complicated by the fact that my postpartum hospital stay was stressful and sad instead of mostly happy and somewhat stressful.
My story has a happy ending, but it doesn't keep me from wishing that it had been more like what I had expected--and from being sad that it wasn't.
By the way, I read your post as being annoyed at the well-meaning people who convinced the women that natural childbirth was the only "womanly" way, not the women who were sad about their C-sections. I just wanted to give the point of view of someone who had no particular interest in natural childbirth in the first place.
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I think I would feel about a C-section the same way I would about any other surgery -- glad it was available if I needed it and sorry that I needed it.
Is pre-eclampsia something that's likey to re-occur? That would be scary.
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Well, around 5-10% of women develop pre-eclampsia in a first pregnancy. The recurrence rate is 25-60%, depending on who you ask. Recurrence is less likely the later in the pregnancy the problem developed. My likelihood is probably closer to 40%, given that I moved from pregnancy-induced hypertension to preeclampsia at 32-33 weeks.
I think I'm probably close to 100% in my likelihood to develop PIH again, because my blood pressure seems to be sensitive to estrogen. (I've had to be on BP meds post-partum, but now that I'm about 6 weeks out, I'm going off them gradually as my hormone levels normalize.) My PCP thinks that with aggressive treatment of the hypertension, I'd be less likely to develop pre-eclampsia. Who knows...the scariest thing about this disease is that there's no way to prevent it.
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in a good way. I love each and every one of the people who took the time to write an email of good wishes, sent a gift (though I haven't checked out the rest of the box yet, I'm waiting until Hubby gets home from work), or even just thought of us and wished us well recently. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Boon got her baby shower. ![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
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