Homebirthin' Mamas Thread - Page 6

[pixiexto]

flowers, LOADS of birthing vibes coming at you... and lots of too.

[Mom2baldie]

link to a few pics of my baby:
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeAMWbli4bM2z4Q

[AmandaBL]

SHE"S BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Congrats Lindsey!!!!!!

I'm officially jealous. ha ha

My co worker saw your pics & said "That's not a baby - that's a child!!!" I just love those big, healthy (ie chunky ha ha) babies! I got my pics back of my belly... I'll try and post them tonight.

[AmandaBL]

Lindsey,

Did you come up with a name yet? I know a little girl named Micah... you could still use it!

[MonikitaUT]

She's beautiful, Lynsey! Congrats!!!!

[interbang]

41 weeks 4 days

Hey there.

Flowers - I have my "make a plan" appointment today as well. We must have close due dates. Also, I know several people who have had a positive experience with accupuncture as labor inducement. I don't think I have time to do it, as my last day to be in *active* labor is Monday. After that, it's off to the hospital I go!

Mucous plug still coming out slowly. Contrax coming, pretty irregular. More or less 10 minutes apart, but when I start to time them, they tend to slow down... Plus, although they last up to about 50 - 55 seconds, they don't feel that painful. I've been sleeping through them without a problem, so I'm not sure if they're doing much.

I was having them all day yesterday, and I noticed that they picked up the pace a little when I was walking around the house, so I went for a nice 30 minute walk, and the contrax died down during the walk, and then went away completely after the walk for about an hour and a half! Ugh! When they came back, they were pretty much doing the same thing, kinda sorta ten minutes apart.

I was doing the cohash all day yesterday. Today I think is castor oil day. My mw only has you do only one oz. every 4 hours (I think), so hopefully that won't be so bad.

I'm getting my first internal exam in three weeks today. Back in week 39, I was 50% effaced, fingertip dialated. Here's hoping all this B-H and contrax have done *something* since then...

Going to take my mind off all this with a funny book I bought the other day:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...097537-4722429


Good luck to you ladies - there are so few of us still-pregnant sept. mamas left...

[chrissy]

40 weeks 2 days

Oh Lynsey, she is beautiful!! What a plump healthy girl!! And I really love the picture of you with Riley and Paityn at 40 weeks 4 days.

Hillary, how are you today? How did the 'making a plan' appointment go?

Heather, how bout you?

Thinking of you both today!

Accupuncture is supposed to do it's trick within 24 hours so you guys still have time! I had my appointment today. Actually I was thinking I might have to cancel it. This morning I was having the most painful contractions I've had yet but they only lasted about 40 minutes and then stopped. Not feeling much different since my appointment so we'll see. I went ahead and made a tentative accupuncture appointment for Monday and my appointment at the backup OB for NST and u/s on Tuesday. Bluck! I don't like putting the energy into these back-up plans but I guess it needs to be done.

Monika and Amanda, how much longer for you guys?

Screaming 2 year old, gotta run!

[flowers]

41 wks today

So I just came from my appointment. Good news is that I am an emotional wreck ie cried at least 3 times, which the mw thinks is great, ie surging hormone= almost birth time.

I had an internal and was 80 efaced and still 2cm. She asked me if I wanted her to agitate my cervix today, but this morning I spoke to this mw via phone who has been a great inspiration to me over the past few years and she said "don't push the river, the baby will know when". So I am going to put more faith into the natural process. It is just these timelines put so much pressure on us!!!

Anyways my midwife talked about the whole blue/ black cohosh thing, the castor oil thing etc. but she said if I go a full 42 weeks we would need to take these two tests (specific ultrasound and fetal monitoring test) in order to continue to wait. Meaning if the tests say everything is okay at 42 wks I could buy myself another 3-5 days.

She was really sympathetic and understanding. I just feel like everything has gone so perfectly thus far...I just want everything to progress in its own way. So I talked dh into taking tomorrow off and we are going to take a trip up to our family camp in the mts for the weekend and I am just going to let go of all these expectations. If nothing has happened by midweek next week I might start castor oil/cohoshes.


Heather, I though for sure I was going to be browsing baby pictures by now!!! Have you tried the castor oil yet??? Please keep me updated!!!

hangin in there

[MonikitaUT]

I'm at 34 weeks 3 days. I have 3 more weeks at work before I can take my maternity leave, and I'm really struggling with that. Some days aren't so bad, but then there are the stressful days that I have a hard time handling when I'm NOT pregnant. Today is one of those days. I really just want to walk out of here and go home and cry.

I finally took a break and went to Starbucks for a caramel apple cider. (I sure miss those lattes.) I splurged and got a brownie while I was there. They were training a new person, so my cider took forever... then they put whip cream on it and I'm allergic to dairy, so they had to remake the whole thing. Then, I was eating my brownie in the car while driving back to work, and when I turned into the parking lot the brownie flipped out of my hand and went down on the floor under the gas pedal. This is the kind of day I'm having. (sigh)

I'm sending gentle birth vibes to all of those waiting to hatch! Thanks for letting me vent!

[Mom2baldie]

Amanda,

Yes, her name is Naiya Abigail. Naiya means water nymph and we wanted her name to have something to do with water or the moon (because of her birth).

Heather,

How did your appt. go today? What happens if you go until Monday and dont go into labor? Can you refuse to go in for an induction? I only made it to 41 weeks, and my midwife supposedly has to transfer to OB care after 42 weeks, but she did tell me that she couldnt legally drop me and even if I did something that she didnt agree with (like refuse to go in to the hospital) she wouldnt "abandon" me.

[interbang]

contrax are happening!

4-5 mins apart, lasting about 50 seconds. Much stronger than before.

Mw checked me this morning, I was almost fully effaced, fingertip dialated. She swept the membranes a bit.

<ow, contrax>

Tomorrow, if the contrax keep up, MW will come by and check me again. If they've died down, or if this latest round of contrax don't dialate me some, it's more castor oil for me!

MW and I agree that this is going to be a long labor. I'm surprisingly okay with that. Dh is home helping me remember to eat, drink, walk and rest, so I feel really good and happy about this pain I'm in. Laboring at home, and knowing that I have a good chance at a homebirth has really made this a beautiful experience so far.

The castor oil - for me, the worst part was that the oily texture makes you feel like you want to gag for hours, although chocolate helps a little. The diarrea, if you're not too squeamish, really isn't that bad.

And hey, I've got the best contrax so far, so in the end, I can only say good things about the castor oil.

I have a feeling this kid will be born Sat or Sun... I'm ready for a very long labor.

As for my deadline/induction, I agreed with my MW a long time ago that Monday the fourth would be the deadline. She simply *doesn't* do homebirth after 42 weeks. She will hang with me at the hospital, though. At this point, I don't think we'll have to worry about the hospital.

Talk to you all soon,

[interbang]

bag of water broke, fluid is clear, contrax stronger, dh is filling the tub now.

Haven't slept much tonight, mw keeps telling me to sleep, but its impossible between the contrax and the lack of a comfortable sleeping position. Hopefully the tub will give me a chance to rest.

Wish me luck, everybody. As they say, it's going to be a bumpy night!

[chrissy]

Yay Heather!!! I can't wait to hear more!

[pixiexto]

I'm thinking of you Heather!!!! I can't wait to hear your update

[AmandaBL]

I think we should all guess the time Heather's baby joins us! I'll take 11:30.

I can't remember who asked, but I'm due Nov 8. it seems SOOOOO soon. This pregnancy has flown by.

Lindsey:
This may be a stupid question, but can you type her name how you say it? I've got a coupple variations in my mind and they're all pretty. I really like the meaning connected to her birth. That's sweet!

[Mom2baldie]

Amanda,

Naiya supposedly rythmes with the name Kaia. The NAI part sounds like the NIGH part of night. That was prob. a really dumb way of explaining the pronounciation, but I couldnt think of anything else!

Heather,

I will be thinking about you! I have no clue what time to guess about the birth, but hopefully it will be sooner than you think!

Hillary, Chrissy,

How are yall doing? Any news or changes?

My midwife is coming today for the home visit so I am hoping I can get some times for her and start working on the birth story! Dont want to wait so long that I forget any important details!

[MonikitaUT]

Yea, Heather!!! You'll have that sweet baby in your arms soon!

Amanda - I'm due Nov 8th, too. Want to place any bets on whick one of us goes first? I'm glad I have a due date buddy on here, even though due dates don't mean very much!

[AmandaBL]

I think he'll be born on Halloween. I have the entire day worked out in my head. We'll see if I can "make" it happen by thinking it. I'll probably wind up going over like everyone else! haha

[MonikitaUT]

How funny! I've been thinking mine will come on Halloween, too! But I was wondering what I would do if she came while trick o' treaters kept ringing the doorbell! That might be a little distracting.

[AmandaBL]

Here's my plan....

I hope to start labor on the 30 and have the baby by 10 or 11 am. on the 31st. That night my husband can take the kids trick or treating, and baby & I can sit on the patio and give out candy (we live in central FL so it'll be very warm still) If I were to be in labor the night of the 31st, I'd put the basket of candy outside with a sign saying "We're having a baby! Take some candy, but please don't knock." I live in the downtown part of a small town, and get lots of little kids, but no teens, so this would probably be ok. I also have a Jack Russell who goes balistic if the door bell rings, so dealing with labor, trick or treaters, and maniac dog would be a real nightmare!!!

I'm imagining a sit-com-esque situation right now..... starting to get scared....did I mention my mother is a religious fanatic and would not let my 5 year old go trick or treating if she was keeping him for me through labor?.... add in irritated 5 year old waiting to go trick or treat... ("is he out yet????!!!???).....

It's taken all the restraint in the world to not buy a itty bitty halloween onsie or outfit. My husband thinks that's rediculous, but I'll probably buy one anyway. ha ha