[JoyfulJessie]

I never got to tell my birth story in my due-date club before it closed.

(Of course some c-sections are medically necessary, and I am grateful we have this technology to save lives, but not all of them are. Though I had two of the "medical reasons" for c-sections ("failure to progress," and a swollen cervix), I was able to avoid a c-section because I educated and advocated for myself. I believe it's important to share our birth stories with other women.)

I am an example of someone who would have had a preventable c-section if I hadn't used midwives. I had taken a natural birth class and switched from the OBs to midwives. Then my birth was complicated by being GB+, having my waters break before contractions, and having excruciating back labor because my son's arm was around his neck. I believe that in my case, judicious use of pain meds, as well as using a midwife saved me from a c-section. The OB doc on-call that night basically told me and the midwifes that he would have pushed for a section.

It was a roller-coaster ride of a birth! The hardest thing I've ever done!

The full details are here:

The Joyful Housewife: Birth Story Part One

And, if you like my blog, please vote for it! I am one spot away from top 25!

Circle of Moms Top 25 Mental-Wellness Blogs

 

[IwannaBanRN]

And a roller coaster ride it was! lol What a story! I had forgotten about the GBS, and I'm planning a homebirth. I hope it doesn't pop up at any time. That's tested at 38 weeks, usually, isn't it?

 

[JoyfulJessie]

They say it takes about 5 weeks to cycle in and out of your system, so 38 weeks would be a good time to do it. The problem is you could have the baby early. I had the test at 34 weeks, which I think is too early. It's a frustrating protocol because if you test positive, it might be gone by the time you give birth, but if you test negative, you might be positive at birth. In fact, my sister's friend's baby almost died of it - but she had tested negative! Grrrrrr!

 

[IwannaBanRN]

See, I've been tested negative twice in both of my full term pregnancies and didn't give birth until the day before or the day of my due date. There's a SMALL chance I'll go early, but I tend to carry to term and if given the chance with my 2nd, I would have been overdue.

 

[JoyfulJessie]

That's good. I think the later you get the test, the better. Have you thought about what you'd do in the small chance you were positive? I suppose you can have the antibiotics at home, too. You'll have more leeway if you are at home, I guess. I had the whole "ruptured membrane" time constraint. If it were up to me, I would have lied about when it started to keep from getting put "on the clock." But my Dr. husband wanted to tell the midwives. Anyway, I ended up with a healthy baby, so I can't complain. Really, I'm not complaining, about my birth, even if friends of mine had 2.5 hour labors....

 

[IwannaBanRN]

hahaha Ya, I'm taknig every precaution, and I am SOOO glad I was reminded of GBS!