UC Thread #8, August '04 - Page 3

[gr8fulmom]

For swelling...

I prepared some pads with a strong infusion of comfrey tea and then froze them... I didn't actually need them at all for my uc, but they were great for swelling and soreness after my last birth (midwife assisted). I think I healed so well after this uc because I willed myself to heal right after the birth and it reeally worked! No swelling and very little flow... If anyone has read "The Magical Child", he talks about this...

Jen

[rachel]

Originally Posted by andrea

I tore, mainly because I am a very impatient person and as soon as I could feel my babys head I just *had* to get her out of there asap. I really felt like "[I]screw this, this hurts, Im tired and Im DONE...

That's how I am!! I had a small tear (no stitches needed) with my last 3 births for the same reason. Once I feel the baby move down...they are out in 2 pushes...no matter how much I intend to take it slow!!

And I second the gel cooler thingies...helps keep swelling down. Also...last time, I soaked some of those large square gauze pads (came with the birth kit) in witch hazel and froze them for a bit (not frozen solid though) and stuck those in my panties on top of my pads...that helped with healing/swelling also.

[Mama2Lennon]

[QUOTE=sprinkle pocket]mama2lennon~~ welcome to the uc thread!! there seems to be a few main books that people like:
~unassisted homebirth
~unassisted childbirth
~emergency childbirth, by dr white(seems to quell the papa's worries mostly)

also, i've heard folks mentioning:
~childbirth wisdom:from the world's oldest societies
~primal mothering in a modern world (mine hasn't arrived yet, so i don't know) =QUOTE]

I thought laura shanley would be the best because she seems to be the first person to write a book about it, she seems a "veteran".
I have read primal mothering and I enjoyed quite well
I got it because i had recently gone raw and wanted to know more about other raw mamas. she mentions laura shanley's book too.
As anyone heard of Jinjee and/or Storm Talifero? they are big raw foodists. She has an ebook about her last raw pregnancy and her UC. Beautiful photos too. Check out www.thegardendiet.com

From what I have seen so far on this thread, it seems that intuition and affirmations/visualization seems like the most popular and best ways to prepare for UC. Does that sound right?

I'd like to ask about twins. Anyone freebirth twins? Why is it really that having twins is considered high-risk for midwives and homebirth? Has anyone encountered this? Has anyone discovered on their own, with no prenatal care help, that they were carrying twins? I ask because there is the possibility that i could be carrying twins but it will still be awhile before i could actually find that out.

[Mama2Lennon]

Tears

Tears:
have a friend who attends La Matrona midwifery school in North Carolina and she told me ... (wait that sounds so pre-teen ) that if a womun tears that the wound will heal if the two sides are brought together, touching, as soon as possible after birthing. Something about the cells being able to find each other and fuse back together before too much of the memory is gone. She said that even big tears can heal this way.
Anyone else know of this????

[Aura_Kitten]

another book: prenatal yoga & natural birth, by jeannine parvati baker can't believe i forgot that earlier.

watch for...

* fetal movement ~ be aware of your own baby's movement throughout the day, then make sure it remains consistent (remember to keep well-hydrated, as this will affect your level of amniotic fluid and thus, the baby's movement)

* fundal height ~ you can check this yourself by counting how many fingerwidths you have from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus while laying on your back ~ this is pretty unscientific and you don't get a "real" amount of cm, but you'll be able to note growth over the course of a couple of weeks, and that's really all you need to make sure of: that there IS still growth going on.

* high blood pressure (you can check this yourself obviously ~ there are many blood pressure cuffs in drugstores / pharmacies)

* excessive swelling (we all know a little puffiness is normal; if you suddenly puff up like a water balloon... that's not okay)

* dizziness, light-headedness, and / or frequent headaches

* developing a fever ~ esp. during labor, you want to make sure that:
..... you don't develop a fever AND
....... your water isn't broken for more than 18 hours AND
......... you aren't in labor before 37 weeks.

* check the color of your amniotic fluid when (if) your water breaks. clear or very pale yellowish is okay; green, brown, etc is not.

* bleeding (before the birth) ~ a little pink tinge to your mucous plug is okay; actual bleeding is not.

* bleeding (after the birth) ~ if you soak (completely soak) more than 2 post-partum sized pads in under an hour, you're probably hemmoraghing. to prevent this from being a problem:
..... don't force yourself to push + don't push for extended periods of time ~ let your body do the work, AND
....... nurse the baby immediately + frequently after birth. if he / she isn't interested, play w/ your own nipples ~ this stimulates oxytocin which will help your uterus contract.

* if you like, you can check your own blood sugar levels by getting a glucometer and test strips ~ normal glucose levels are
..... < 90 mg / dL "fasting" (when you first wake up),
....... < 120 mg / dL 2 hours after a meal,
......... and don't forget that caffeine affects your blood sugar.

* also remember to make sure your baby poops within a few hours after birth!


that's all i can think of right now. i feel sure i'm forgetting something........

[indigolilybear]

I second the Jeannine Parvati Baker suggestion. She has two awesome web sites as well: www.freestone.org and www.birthkeeper.com I like Conscious Conception too. And her articles which she sells on her web site. Basically, she is the queen but that is my opinion! I am a student of hers.

I also loved Primal Mothering in a modern world. She ALSO has a book specifically about her freebirth called something like "I can do this". I can't remember where I ordered it but it is her journal from her pregnancy and gives a side that is NOT given in her book, PM. She talks a LOT about her doubts, ect. and since I was someone who had LOTS of doubts w/my first freebirth, it really helped me.

I liked the Marilyn MOran book okay, though it does have a little too much of a Christian slant for my personal taste.

oh, yes, and SUsun Weed's herbal book for childbearing if you don't have it already. It's not UC specific but IMO essential.

Mostly though I read a lot of stories, etc until I felt like everyone in the world was doing it. :LOL I processed a LOT during the pregnancy. It was so enriching.

Everyone has their own take though. Good luck

StacyL and BV--thanks for posting the pix. You two look radiant and wonderful.

Blessings mamas

[Aura_Kitten]

IndigoLilyBear ~ thank you for the link to birthkeeper! i didn't know about that site before.

i agree ~ JPB is pretty much the Queen IMO too. she is AWESOME.

[sprinkle pocket]

mama2lennon~~ there are plenty of stories about twins that have be uc'd, including laura shanley. i think baker did too? apparently one of the reasons they tend to be c-sectioned in hospitals (among all the other incompetent md reasons) is that md's apparently are losing the knowledge of how to assist a woman delivering breech and they freak out and cut 'em open. i'd have no qualms about birthing twins at home. we actually decided before ttc that we were open to twins/uc just in case it happens. twins are hanging all over my family tree.

i'm glad i was lurking alot before i got pregnant b/c i've lost most of my ability to retain and communicate info! i learned enough to ensure that i definitely want a uc, even if i can no longer explain it. maybe at this point, i'll be better providing emo support than info...it just seems to take sooo much energy to recall what i've read and where i've read it and put the thoughts together and on top of all that i have to remember it long enough to type it! guess for the next number of months i'll be functioning on intuition! :LOL anyone else have placenta brain?

another couple books i've seen recommended is baker's hygeiea (it's an herbal?) and moran's book, happy birth days. (older out of print uc book). and the video, a clear road to birth. all this is on the uc websites probably though. and some have recommended getting a membership on www.birthlove.com and sifting through the stories to find all the uc ones apparently on there.

[lovemygirl]

Originally Posted by violet

UC mamas - Just checking in. I've been mostly lurking as I don't have much time online to keep up. I'm due in about 2 weeks now. I'm wondering:

What do you/did you have on hand for possible tears?

Hi Violet,

I read an article about a midwife who uses fresh seaweed on tears... here is the story:http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/suturing.asp

I also have read that some mamas have used fresh mango (?), if I am remembering correctly. When I had my dd I tore but my midwife did nothing. She didn't stitch it. Just said to keep my legs closed and I stayed in bed for a week which was AWESOME and it healed amazingly well. I did do about 3 sitz baths too after the birth.

HTH some

[lovemygirl]

Originally Posted by StacyL

Any of us Aug/Sep due date mamas feel like sharing belly photos?

ETA: edited to remove pictures

[lovemygirl]

Originally Posted by Mama2Lennon

Anyone have any book recomendations for a newbie? I wonder about what to be aware of during labour, what to look out for and what I should have on hand. I know I still have quite a while to prepare but I am thinking about it lovingly all the time!

IMO, Laura's Shanley's Unassisted Childbirth book is the best about UC. Congrats on your pregnancy!

[lovemygirl]

Originally Posted by sprinkle pocket

and some have recommended getting a membership on www.birthlove.com and sifting through the stories to find all the uc ones apparently on there.

I am a member of CBirth (free Yahoo group!) and there are lots of stories there. There is also a specific CBirth stories list too that I just found out about.

Here are the links

CBirth

CBirth Stories

[indigolilybear]

Re: JPB and twins. Yes, she did have twins. She was in transition at the hospital where they X-rayed her pelvis and she overheard them saying she needed a csection. SO! She packed her bag and went home. THe Dr. followed her since he was worried and so it was an attended birth of sorts. They (or at least one) was a footling breech I believe. Those were her second/third kids and her last three were w/Fredrick and ALL freebirths.

Also re: JPB, and tears. I heard her say (or read, can't remember) that she said they would have people do something like knit or do delicate small stithces of sewing if they had tears, because it would help them heal, the activities putting their body in the right "mood" for lack of a better word, KWIM?

take care mamas!

[StacyL]

lovemygirl,

Thanks for the BH info. I love your pictures! That's so neat how you did a time progression - I wish I would have done that.
I felt my first movement - this distinct flippy, SWISH! - that awoke me in the middle of the night at 13 weeks! I was feeling the regular flutters at about 16 weeks, and things just picked up from there. My favorite part was at around 26-30 weeks when he was jabbing and my dh could finally feel it all. Now, I am just so uncomfortable I can't wait for him to be on the outside. I get a lot of rib kicks now WAY up high. When I sleep on my side, he sinks so far over it feel difficult to get up or turn over at first.

I had this weird dream the other night! In it, the baby suddenly drops like a magnet is pulling him downward, and I fall to my knees and I look down at my belly and the skin is stretched so tight I can see the baby's head through it right above my pubic bone! But then he keeps going and my skin just opens up and he slides right out and lands on the floor! Not through my birth canal, but through my skin! It was such a weird dream!

[majazama]

mama2lennon~I am very interested in the raw foods diet. I always wanted to get all "pure" by doing major cleansing before I got pregnant, but alas, the babies decided it wasn't to be. I still plan on doing all the cleansing I can after my babies have weaned (probably not till 3 years from now). I have a lot of friends who have really benefited from doing the cleanses from these books http://www.cleanse.net/my_books.html. It would be so nice to live in a tropical region of the world, then I would be able to go raw.


About healing the ACHES after birth... I took my trusty arnica homeopathy, and rubbed the gel wherever it hurt, and got a gooooooooood massage.

[lovemygirl]

Originally Posted by StacyL

lovemygirl,

I had this weird dream the other night! In it, the baby suddenly drops like a magnet is pulling him downward, and I fall to my knees and I look down at my belly and the skin is stretched so tight I can see the baby's head through it right above my pubic bone! But then he keeps going and my skin just opens up and he slides right out and lands on the floor! Not through my birth canal, but through my skin! It was such a weird dream!

I had a similar dream about a month or so ago. The baby came out my belly skin too!! The skin just stretched and stretched to where I could see him/her (through my skin) and then all of a sudden he/she was on the outside and I was holding the baby. It was way strange!

[ComaWhite]

* bleeding (before the birth) ~ a little pink tinge to your mucous plug is okay; actual bleeding is not.

Im wondering why the bleeding is a bad thing?

[plantmommy]

because it can be a sign of an abrupting placenta.

[Aura_Kitten]

because it can be a sign of an abrupting placenta.

yes. that.

*~*

i had a dream last night i was pregnant again! i had a dream like that before i got pregnant w/ my first, then right after i had him i had a dream like it that i was pregnant again and knew that regardless of any other circumstances, i'd end up having another baby at some point (then later had dreams that she was a girl, and she is)... and so now i'm wondering, when will the new baby come to us?

[ComaWhite]

because it can be a sign of an abrupting placenta.

I guess its a good thing I didnt know, or I would have freaked out! :