Weekly Chat Thread April 9th - Page 4 « Back to Group Discussions

[Lizbiz]

Hi Everybody!  I've been reading up a bit - sounds like everyone's doing pretty well... ithappened - your workdays sound really intense! I hope things lighten up there... 

I've been good - eating too much Easter candy, darnit - but I'd given up sweets altogether for Lent and so I just gave myself this past week to have fun.  Tomorrow it's back to a more normal eating routine ;).  I swear.  I'm on antibiotics for a nagging, sinusy cold.  Ugh.  I'm feeling run down - but still ok.  

I might have an ultrasound tomorrow, if all goes well (new doc, new hospital - Chinese system - so you never know how things will go).  I'm excited to get a peek at this little one - he/she has been kicking up a storm in my belly. 

I've never done Hypnobabies or the Bradley Method - but I've heard great things about them.  After two homebirths - one assisted, and one unassisted - I'll say that figuring out a way to relax through the contractions and just let go of all control has been my key to coping/getting through labor.  Ditching the clock and the stopwatch - just going by intuition and then just working on being 'OK' right where I am in labor has also been helpful.  That and eating/drinking enough!  

Tizzy! I am so amazed that you are looking forward to the birth - that is awesome!  I can't say I'm there yet. I'm looking forward to meeting the baby - but I'll admit - birth for me is a real challenge - a marathon to be endured to get to the prize.  I feel like I've learned a lot about myself during my labors - but that self knowledge has been hard won :).  I also have long-ish labors - praying for a shorter go of it this time!

[ithappened]

lizbiz good luck with your scans tomorrow!

Im getting a bit concerned about GD lately. I cant tell if its just that I havent slept much or drinking too much coffee (both bad, I admit) but lately I find after eating I feel sort of light headed and often a bit jittery- its esp bad after anything too sugary or without fat/protein/etc. Im also having some tingling and numbness now and then in my legs mainly.. and Im SO SO tired. . .

We go back home tomorrow evening, long flight to the EU then a day of train travel, very much looking forward to that being all over :)

[intime0]

LizBiz, same here. They are marathons instead of sprints.  And I had a friend, just last week, have a 3 hour labor.  One minute she was telling us she *thought* she was in labor, next thing we were getting pictures of her baby.  LOL  I want a shorter labor. Not asking for a 3 hour labor but 8 would be nice.  Yeah, I just threw that number out there. 

[ithappened]

crazy! 3 hours? I thought mine was short at 6 hours.

I had a friend who literally gave birth in 30 mins. she barely made it to the birthing center before her son was born. ..

is it true that each labor is usually faster/shorter then the previous?

[Ninetales]

I sure hope so.  With Elsa my *active* labor was at least 50 hours.  I had noticeable pre-labor for days beforehand too.

[LeAnn A Doula]

Ithappened - Wow, it's been a busy time for you! Hopefully a little rest and just being home will help.Safe travels back! Wearing a support belt or belly bra might help the numbness and tingling in your legs. My mom said she had a lot of numbness in her legs during her pregnancies and it was due to the weigt of the belly affecting her circulation.

It's generally true that 2nd, 3rd, etc labors are shorter than the first time. But it also depends on how baby is positioned and other complications. Every labor really is unique, even for the same mom. A friend had a long (32hrs) labor with her first, super short (2hrs!) w her 2nd and 8hrs w her third. Talk about unpredictable!

[pennywhistle]

I've heard that the "type" of labor you have is genetic - ie similar to how your mom gave birth, etc.  Anyone know if that's true?  I'm hoping so - my mom's labors were 9 hrs, 1.5 hours (that was me!), and 1 hour, and she said all three were pretty easy.  Fingers crossed it's the same for me!

[andaluza]

That's interesting, Pennywhistle, and I hope for your sake it's true! I have had a similar experience so far to what my mom says about her pregnancy, so that might be a way to start thinking about whether it's possible, but I'll never know about labor. She is a DES daughter and had to have c-sections because it caused her pelvis to be incompatible with vaginal birth (she found this out after laboring over 24 hours with me, poor woman!).

[Lizbiz]

So... my mom had 14 births (15 kids in my family, 1 adopted sister) and all I can get out of her is that my labor was short (2 hours).  I am the youngest in my family.  She had all vaginal births - most without drugs, from what I understand.  Apparently she had amnesia on all of the other details though, because when I ask her, I get nothing good :).  So I don't really know if I'm like my mom.  Maybe I will be JUST like her and forget my own labors someday.  I guess when you're almost 80, details like that can get hazy.  :)

What she DOES remember though is being very happy to hold each baby and share the baby with my dad in recovery.  So I guess that's the most important thing, eh?

I had a 31 hour labor with my first, 9 hours with my second, and we'll see with this little one.  Who knows?  It's hard not to have expectations, but I'm trying to let go of control beginning now :).

No ultrasound yesterday :(.  But a good meeting with a new doc.  They want to do a 3D ultrasound at a special hospital (it's standard care here) and we are not going for that level of ultrasound exposure - so we're turning it down.  I just haven't seen the research that proves its real usefulness and disproves the possible risks of that much exposure to ultrasound waves/frequency, etc.

We heard a nice strong heartbeat on the doppler though :). 

[intime0]

I hope I can remember the joy of my births when I'm 80.  Wow.  Your mom is amazing.

I agree that every birth is different...but it seems that most of my mom friends who have natural, non augmented labors, seem to have shorter and shorter births each time.  But those of my friends who have long births, they shorTEN but are not short.  I think I'm stuck with long births.  But I'm going to try the Rebozo wrapping that was mentioned a while back and see if that helps at all.  I know as of last night the baby was transverse.  And that's unusual for me. But sunny side up is normal for me.  So..

[rebecca10]

Lizbiz, at least at the center  I go to, most of the ultrasound is done in 2-D and then they just turn the 3-D on for a small amount of time at the end. So if you do still want a 2-D ultrasound, you might be able to go to the center and just ask them not to turn on the 3-D capacity.

My first labor and delivery proceeded very similarly to my mom's first labor (with me)--about 22 hours starting with our water breaking.  It would be nice, if a little scary, if my second one did too. My mom started feeling what she thought might be an upset stomach from something she ate, but no actual labor pains, and then went to the hopsital at her doctor's suggestion, just in case. Once she got there she delivered my sister about 20 minutes later!  Maybe I better starting learing some things about unassisted deliveries :)

After about a month of relative calm, I worked all weekend and am gearing up for a crazy week of working late into the night every night.  Ugg! 

[Tizzy]

A friend of mine is cursed with long-ish labours, for her 7th child it was still 18 hours!  But she is fearful of birth and I strongly believe that plays a huge part.

My first natural birth (2nd child) was 69 hours start to finish! But active labour was only about 4 hours. So for my 2nd natural birth (3rd child) I was in a bit of denial that I was in active labour already, it was pretty much exactly 4 hours start to finish.  I feel so put on the spot when my friend starts asking about my births because we're so different that way and I feel bad for her!

But I think my mindset effects a lot. Like I didn't go into labour the first time until I had everything arranged with my replacement at work, then voila! Baby's coming!

Last time it was my due date and we had some construction work to do at the barn, it wasn't until we were done pouring cement and had the kids fed, bathed and in bed that labour started.

So I'd like to be cocky and sure of myself, and say that this baby will arrive on a weekend LOL
 

[Veritas Vitae]

My mom said she had short labors with all of us (4 births/5 kids) but my sister counts hers as very long.  I was there for my sister's last birth, and while she was contracting, I would say her active labor period was max about 4 hours, so I'm thinking my mom and sister just counted differently.  But I know my sister counts contractions prior to active labor because she has gone to the polls to vote, gone to IHOP, a puppet show, made dinner....I wouldn't really count that time personally, even though she was still contracting, so there is hope for me to have a quick labor.

Also, my sister's definitely got faster, I swear her last baby (#4) was three pushes.  

 Please let it be that easy for me!