oh, i am so glad to be here and see all of you posting away, only with birth signs everywhere!!
ivy, i cried when i read about your little rebecca joy... rebecca is my name
and my baby is Charlie Reid L___ (one syllable last name)
i know i have missed soooo much, and there's no way i can catch up this time, but i wanted to say i've been thinking of you all and sending
and
dust every day
rhi, i read back far enough (2 pgs) to see you are talking about possible hospital birth and induction. are you just "late?"
mpp, how's it going? has labor progressed??
afm, there is so much to tell. turns out what we thought was PIH was actually pre-e. the last week before the birth, my bp was going up several points a day. we had sort of an emergency meeting w/ our midwives on march 21st, and discussed safe zones of bp for home birth. at that point, though i did have a LOT of swelling in my legs, even up through my knees (and further, though i THOUGHT it was weight gain), my urine was still OK. with our MWs support and encouragement, we decided i should go to my GP on tuesday the 23rd to discuss western meds to quickly drop my bp. when my dr took my bp, it was 168/103, and there was protein in my urine. she was so gentle, and said i should call my husband and that her recommendation was that i go immediately to be observed at our local L&D. she called the attending OB who she's friends w/ and hand wrote an order to give at the ER.
i was reeling, and still hoping we'd get there and they'd be able to stabilize me somehow so i could have my home birth. i think my dr knew i wouldn't leave once i was there, but wanted us to come to that realization slowly.
i can't describe the agony we went through, just making the decision to take those steps into the hospital. i was never afraid, but i knew somewhere inside that things were just not ok, and it really was the best thing.
too much to give details here, but i will be writing this up FOR SURE. i was able, with the incredible, perfect support of my husband and our 2 midwives over the next 2 days, to labor as much on my own terms as possible, starting w/ a foley bulb (go rhi!), progressing to chinese herbs and western herbal tinctures, to a slow pit drip, to labor as naturally as possible (eventually cut the pit in half and no epidural) and have a gorgeous vaginal birth!
i was so sick, and on mag-sulf for almost 40 hrs, and additionally biladelol to bring down my bp. had a U/S that found at 37 weeks, baby's head and femur were measuring 34 and his abdomen 32 weeks, asymetrical IUGR.
heh, he was nursing w/in 10 minutes of being born, but then a critical blood sugar sent him to NICU, another SCARY time, being in L&D post delivery and having him taken away. elevated hematocrit and low weight kept him there, and it was a wild week, til we did our reverse transfer and brought him home thursday.
started breastfeeding him by 12 hrs after birth, and he never had an artificial nipple. he was on IV fluids until BFing became proven enough to sustain him. i met with lactation consultants every. day. they are awesome. he came home at his birth weight, 4 lbs 7 oz
ok, that's the short version. i'm emerging, starting to be able to think past the edges of my vision and my pumping schedule. my heart is so full with gratitude over the beauty of this new life in ours. he's so perfect.
and. thank god for pitocin. it has it's place. and thank god for hospitals, and obs, and nurses, and especially for the team and system of the local hospital here in asheville that trains brilliant drs who listen with respect and give space even when they don't agree.
whoo, i'll shut up now