...from an email to my homeschool group:
Thank you everyone for the thoughts and well wishes! Gloria and I are doing great.
Labor was intense and much more painful than my previous births. I had pubic symphysis dysfunction and I was concerned that she was a malposition and might need intervention to be born. I decided to transfer to the hospital around 6:15AM on the 21st. The car ride there was agonizing, and apparently just bumpy enough to move Gloria to position more favorable for birth... because she was born literally 45 seconds after we got to L&D! I barely got onto the bed from the gurney. She had severe bruising on the right side of her forehead and face and broken blood vessels in her right eye. She looked like she was in a brawl, poor girl. The bruises indicate a brow/face presentation, which was why it felt so wrong to me, and frequently needs to be delivered surgically. So, even though it turned out that medical intervention was unnecessary, I'm glad my instincts were right on!
Of course, then we were in the hospital clutches - but we weren't what they expected. After saying "no" about 50 times beginning mere seconds after her birth, when they tried to take her (no way Jose!), use cord traction (what the hell?!? NO, STOP NOW! NO CONSENT!) to deliver my placenta continuing through no eye drops, no vaccines, no hearing test, no nursery observation, exams or mama/baby separation of any kind, no staying for 24 hours and basically freaking them all the frak out, we signed all the papers and left AMA about 4 hours later. Whew!
That's bare bones. i'll write more on my blog when i have 2 hands to type with. there's a picture of my "little" (9lbs10oz) baby girl up though - link in my sig!
Thank you everyone for the thoughts and well wishes! Gloria and I are doing great.
Labor was intense and much more painful than my previous births. I had pubic symphysis dysfunction and I was concerned that she was a malposition and might need intervention to be born. I decided to transfer to the hospital around 6:15AM on the 21st. The car ride there was agonizing, and apparently just bumpy enough to move Gloria to position more favorable for birth... because she was born literally 45 seconds after we got to L&D! I barely got onto the bed from the gurney. She had severe bruising on the right side of her forehead and face and broken blood vessels in her right eye. She looked like she was in a brawl, poor girl. The bruises indicate a brow/face presentation, which was why it felt so wrong to me, and frequently needs to be delivered surgically. So, even though it turned out that medical intervention was unnecessary, I'm glad my instincts were right on!
Of course, then we were in the hospital clutches - but we weren't what they expected. After saying "no" about 50 times beginning mere seconds after her birth, when they tried to take her (no way Jose!), use cord traction (what the hell?!? NO, STOP NOW! NO CONSENT!) to deliver my placenta continuing through no eye drops, no vaccines, no hearing test, no nursery observation, exams or mama/baby separation of any kind, no staying for 24 hours and basically freaking them all the frak out, we signed all the papers and left AMA about 4 hours later. Whew!
That's bare bones. i'll write more on my blog when i have 2 hands to type with. there's a picture of my "little" (9lbs10oz) baby girl up though - link in my sig!
Well done!
Probably gave them a good story to wag their tongues about for weeks to come though. 
! Great work mama!
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