Posts by SomerG
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
We are in New Market now, just over the mtn. from Luray. Do you attend the LLL mtgs. there? I was just looking to see if there were any nearby. We attended once in H.burg, but thought I might try the one in Luray. I also have a friend here in N.M. who is expecting her 1st in April, and planning on a homebirth, so I thought I would see if she wants to attend. I really didn't think there were any other MDC mamas in this area!
What age are everyone's kids? I have one 7 mo. old. Also, what ped do you go to? I'm considering making a switch.
Gotta run. Look forward to chatting more.
What age are everyone's kids? I have one 7 mo. old. Also, what ped do you go to? I'm considering making a switch.
Gotta run. Look forward to chatting more.
nak
We'll definately plan to attend the next LLL meeting. I'm looking forward to meeting some more mamas. I really don't know hardly anyone with babes or young kids, but I do have a couple of pregnant friends, so that's always fun!
jackson'smama & 3ncountin, have you lived in this area long? If not, what brings you here? We moved back to be near my family & dh got a job in H.burg. I taugt Elem. school for a few years, but am now a SAHM and loving it! We just bought a house that needs lots of TLC, so that keeps us pretty busy for the time being. I'd love to hear more about you all.
3ncountin, are you planning to have your baby at RMH or home or elsewhere? My ds was born at RMH with a midwife, but we'd like to have the next one at home.
Gotta run. Talk to you more later.
We'll definately plan to attend the next LLL meeting. I'm looking forward to meeting some more mamas. I really don't know hardly anyone with babes or young kids, but I do have a couple of pregnant friends, so that's always fun!
jackson'smama & 3ncountin, have you lived in this area long? If not, what brings you here? We moved back to be near my family & dh got a job in H.burg. I taugt Elem. school for a few years, but am now a SAHM and loving it! We just bought a house that needs lots of TLC, so that keeps us pretty busy for the time being. I'd love to hear more about you all.
3ncountin, are you planning to have your baby at RMH or home or elsewhere? My ds was born at RMH with a midwife, but we'd like to have the next one at home.
Gotta run. Talk to you more later.
Looks like we're on at the same time this morning, jm!
I went to Shenandoah Women's Health in H.burg and I saw both Barbara and Ann. There are 4 midwives there, and Marti was the one that was at the birth. I liked all of them quite a bit. They are good at doing what you want. They do tend to be fairly medical, but I guess that's how it is with midwives that do hospital births. They have a lot of patients who are not interested in natural birth, but just like the idea of having a woman deliver their baby. A friend of mine had a not so good experience with them recently because she was induced with Cytotec, wasn't progressing well and ended up with a C-section. I don't blame the midwives, but I wish that they had told this friend about some of the dangers of induction (it was an elective induction). That being said, my experience at RMH was great. They won't let you turn in your own birth plan, but they do give you something to fill out about what you want. I had a natural labor and birth (no meds) and felt that everyone was supportive. The main requirements that they wouldn't budge much on was that you can't eat once you get there (we labored at home for a long time), you can only have 2 or 3? people in the room, you have to have the heploc (sp.) in case of IV. I do know that they are trying to become much more friendly to natural birth. They have jacuzzi tubs in every room, massage chair, birthing stool, and a bunch of stuff like that. One of the head nurses is training to be a midwife, and she has been doing a lot of education with the staff about natural birth, etc. They strongly encourage rooming-in, which is nice. And although I had one nurse tell me that the baby shouldn't sleep with me, I kept him in the bed with me pretty much the whole time, without anyone complaining. Overall the experience was a good one, and if I decide to have another hospital birth, I would be comfotable delivering at RMH with one of the midwives from S.W.H.
There is a midwife in Warrenton and one in near Gainsville (I think) that are CPM, and do homebirths. I have heard good things about both of them.
Hope that wasn't too long. Once I get going about birth stuff, I tend to ramble
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My friend and I are planning to attend the next LLL meeting. We have also been friends since we were kids, but fortunately she is of a fairly AP/NFL mindset, although we did have a discussion about spanking last night, and she is still uncertain how she feels about it. Anyway, I guess we're all still learning. I know I am!
Better run. Look forward to hearing from you again.
I went to Shenandoah Women's Health in H.burg and I saw both Barbara and Ann. There are 4 midwives there, and Marti was the one that was at the birth. I liked all of them quite a bit. They are good at doing what you want. They do tend to be fairly medical, but I guess that's how it is with midwives that do hospital births. They have a lot of patients who are not interested in natural birth, but just like the idea of having a woman deliver their baby. A friend of mine had a not so good experience with them recently because she was induced with Cytotec, wasn't progressing well and ended up with a C-section. I don't blame the midwives, but I wish that they had told this friend about some of the dangers of induction (it was an elective induction). That being said, my experience at RMH was great. They won't let you turn in your own birth plan, but they do give you something to fill out about what you want. I had a natural labor and birth (no meds) and felt that everyone was supportive. The main requirements that they wouldn't budge much on was that you can't eat once you get there (we labored at home for a long time), you can only have 2 or 3? people in the room, you have to have the heploc (sp.) in case of IV. I do know that they are trying to become much more friendly to natural birth. They have jacuzzi tubs in every room, massage chair, birthing stool, and a bunch of stuff like that. One of the head nurses is training to be a midwife, and she has been doing a lot of education with the staff about natural birth, etc. They strongly encourage rooming-in, which is nice. And although I had one nurse tell me that the baby shouldn't sleep with me, I kept him in the bed with me pretty much the whole time, without anyone complaining. Overall the experience was a good one, and if I decide to have another hospital birth, I would be comfotable delivering at RMH with one of the midwives from S.W.H.
There is a midwife in Warrenton and one in near Gainsville (I think) that are CPM, and do homebirths. I have heard good things about both of them.
Hope that wasn't too long. Once I get going about birth stuff, I tend to ramble
My friend and I are planning to attend the next LLL meeting. We have also been friends since we were kids, but fortunately she is of a fairly AP/NFL mindset, although we did have a discussion about spanking last night, and she is still uncertain how she feels about it. Anyway, I guess we're all still learning. I know I am!
Better run. Look forward to hearing from you again.
My friend who is having a homebirth is also a nurse, and her husband is a P.A. They have struggled with the decision for the same reasons as you. They didn't decide until halfway through the pregnancy. Have you read Ina May Gaskin's " "Guide to Childbirth" or "Diary of a Midwife" by Julianna ??. Those are the 2 books that got me seriously thinking about a homebirth for next time around. Still not sure though
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It sounds like you had such a great experience in Charlottesville. I didn't realize there were hospitals like that! How long was your total labor?
It just became legal I think in Dec. for certified professional midwives to practice in VA. The one in Gainesville is Trinlie Wood, and the one that my friend is using in Warrenton is Peggy Franklin. She has a website: www.birthbydesign.org. She is an RN and a naturopathic doctor. I met her a couple of weeks ago and really liked her. She has 8 children of her own! She seems really competent and is calm and reassuring. One problem is that she is about 1 1/2 hrs. away, so it's a way to drive for prenatal appts. CPM's don't generally work with doctors, like CNM's do, so if you had to be transfered to a hospital you would just end up with whoever is there. I had another friend who had a homebirth with Trinlie (this friend lives about 15 min. from H.burg), and she had to be transfered to RMH, and requested to see one of the midwives from Shenandoah Women's Health. My other friend is hoping to be able to do the same, should something go wrong. One of them is always on call. Is RMH the hospital closest to you? I guess that would be a 45 min. drive? Personally, I'm glad I still have a while before having to make a decision
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Talk to you more later.
It just became legal I think in Dec. for certified professional midwives to practice in VA. The one in Gainesville is Trinlie Wood, and the one that my friend is using in Warrenton is Peggy Franklin. She has a website: www.birthbydesign.org. She is an RN and a naturopathic doctor. I met her a couple of weeks ago and really liked her. She has 8 children of her own! She seems really competent and is calm and reassuring. One problem is that she is about 1 1/2 hrs. away, so it's a way to drive for prenatal appts. CPM's don't generally work with doctors, like CNM's do, so if you had to be transfered to a hospital you would just end up with whoever is there. I had another friend who had a homebirth with Trinlie (this friend lives about 15 min. from H.burg), and she had to be transfered to RMH, and requested to see one of the midwives from Shenandoah Women's Health. My other friend is hoping to be able to do the same, should something go wrong. One of them is always on call. Is RMH the hospital closest to you? I guess that would be a 45 min. drive? Personally, I'm glad I still have a while before having to make a decision
Talk to you more later.
What a great birth story! I love hearing stories. My labor was 17 hrs. from the first contraction (3 AM) until birth (8:13). We also took Bradley classes--in Richmond! I actually spent more time then I would have liked in the hospital. We went in about 1 PM, when contractions were getting really close and intense, but then things slowed down a bit. I actually pushed for 2 1/2 hrs. But Isaiah was 9.2 lbs., and very healthy, so it was worth every minute!
I'm glad you mentioned birth matters. I think I found their website, but it didn't have much info on it. I had heard of Melanie, the woman who is in charge of the meetings in H.burg. I think she lives by the Little Grill. I would like to attend. Do you have a time and place? I love talking about birth. I am interested in becoming a Bradley instructor, actually. Also, my friend (the pregnant one) and I are thinking about offering free birthing classes at a community center here in N.M. after her baby is born. Not sure if we can just do that, but it makes me sad to see how uninformed/uneducated people are about birth. We tend to get rather passionate about it!
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Hey, I have another question for you. Do you own any baby carriers, specifically a mei tai or an ergo or something similar? I have a ring sling, which has served us well, but I'm really interested in getting something that goes over both shoulders, but am hesitant to order one until I try. I would love to be able to try one on, but I don't know anyone that has one.
Well, babe is sleeping, so I better go try to get some stuff done while I can. Talk to you later.
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I'm glad you mentioned birth matters. I think I found their website, but it didn't have much info on it. I had heard of Melanie, the woman who is in charge of the meetings in H.burg. I think she lives by the Little Grill. I would like to attend. Do you have a time and place? I love talking about birth. I am interested in becoming a Bradley instructor, actually. Also, my friend (the pregnant one) and I are thinking about offering free birthing classes at a community center here in N.M. after her baby is born. Not sure if we can just do that, but it makes me sad to see how uninformed/uneducated people are about birth. We tend to get rather passionate about it!
Hey, I have another question for you. Do you own any baby carriers, specifically a mei tai or an ergo or something similar? I have a ring sling, which has served us well, but I'm really interested in getting something that goes over both shoulders, but am hesitant to order one until I try. I would love to be able to try one on, but I don't know anyone that has one.
Well, babe is sleeping, so I better go try to get some stuff done while I can. Talk to you later.
That is so sad about your friend's birth! But unfortunately all too common. I have a friend that had a similar experience. She thinks that childbirth is the most horrible thing, and she is just planning on a C-sect. for next time around. And almost everyone I tell can hardly believe that my babe was born w/o meds. It's like a novelty or something. Sad, I think
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I really think education is a huge part of it, though. I already knew what I wanted for my birth, but the Bradley classes definately helped. Probably even more so for my husband, who was an excellent coach! This weekend, I had a chance to spend a while talking with a friend and her husband who are planning to get pregnant soon. She wants a natural birth (maybe at home), and her dh supports that. But he is from Moldova, and had not even thought about being in the room with her. My dh and I sure had a lot to say about that! He seemed really interested to learn that there is more to birth than just send the mama in the other room and the baby comes out! Anyway, I know what you mean about being fired up about mamas and babies. What does leadership in LLL involve? Do you take classes or just have reading assignments? One of my goals in wanting to do childbirth ed, is also to teach and promote breastfeeding and infant care. We'll see where it all goes ...
I would love to try on your friend's Ergo, if she is able to bring it to the LLL meeting. I really really want one, but am having a hard time putting out the $ for it. I'm also curious to see your homemade wrap. I'd love to try a wrap, but am worried it would take too much work to figure out. I'm afraid I'm not very patient with those kinds of things. We have a Kelty frame backpack and a Snugli Crossroads backpack, both given to us. My dh really likes the Kelty for hiking (and it has room to attach stuff for backpacking). It's a little to big for me though. I prefer the Snugli because it is more compact and fits against my body better so I don't feel off-balance. I still feel funny wearing it in the grocery store or when I work in the kitchen! We do use it a lot for walks outside. I'll bring them if you're interested in taking a look or trying them on. We have discussed selling one of them, especially if I decide to get the Ergo.
I would love to try on your friend's Ergo, if she is able to bring it to the LLL meeting. I really really want one, but am having a hard time putting out the $ for it. I'm also curious to see your homemade wrap. I'd love to try a wrap, but am worried it would take too much work to figure out. I'm afraid I'm not very patient with those kinds of things. We have a Kelty frame backpack and a Snugli Crossroads backpack, both given to us. My dh really likes the Kelty for hiking (and it has room to attach stuff for backpacking). It's a little to big for me though. I prefer the Snugli because it is more compact and fits against my body better so I don't feel off-balance. I still feel funny wearing it in the grocery store or when I work in the kitchen! We do use it a lot for walks outside. I'll bring them if you're interested in taking a look or trying them on. We have discussed selling one of them, especially if I decide to get the Ergo.
We've had a sick baby, so I haven't been on here for a few days. He has thrush and an ear infection, but seems to be on the mend now. But we had a few sleepless nights
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Glad that's over. It's good to have him cheerful again.
Thanks for e-mailing your friend about the Ergo. I'm excited to be able and try both that and the wrap. Did you decide about the backpack? I think we'll probably use ours a lot more as the spring and summertime come and it is more pleasant to be outside.
I'd love to hear more about what is involved in the LLL leadership. Of course I have only attended one meeting before, but that kind of thing is interesting to me. I'm looking forward to the upcoming meeting.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to the birthcircle meeting. If not, I'd still like to hear about it. I guess that is in just over a week.
Gotta run.
Thanks for e-mailing your friend about the Ergo. I'm excited to be able and try both that and the wrap. Did you decide about the backpack? I think we'll probably use ours a lot more as the spring and summertime come and it is more pleasant to be outside.
I'd love to hear more about what is involved in the LLL leadership. Of course I have only attended one meeting before, but that kind of thing is interesting to me. I'm looking forward to the upcoming meeting.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to the birthcircle meeting. If not, I'd still like to hear about it. I guess that is in just over a week.
Gotta run.
Welcome to the thread, Zack419. I'm not sure where Bealton is ...? My best friend just had her baby with Peggy Franklin as her midwife. She had a great experience with her. Now I just have to decide between the two for my next birth, which I'm planning to be at home.
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