This week's class is all about interventions in childbirth. It talks about vaginal exams, stripping membranes, inductions, food restriction during labor, receiving fluids by IVs, monitoring, epidural, coached pushing, pushing positions, and episiotomy. It goes over the pros and cons to each intervention and alternative options to each. It talks about the cascade of intervention, or the domino affect. One intervention leads to another. One example that seems very common (Quite a few friends have had this happen to them.) is to get recommended for induction. So before going into labor on their own, they go to get induced, often w/ pitocin. Pitocin causes the uterus to contract, but generally the pressure waves (contractions) are much stronger than a natural wave. This causes the mother to get the epidural. Epidurals are known for stalling labor...especially if gotten before the 5cm mark. So, a stalled labor means more pitocin. More pitocin means even harder, longer contractions, but that is OK, because mom doesn't feel it, right? Wrong! During contractions the oxygen to the baby is restricted, causing "fetal distress." Well, then THANK HEAVENS the medical staff is there to intervene to give a c-section. And certainly not always, but often c-section moms have a more difficult time breastfeeding, because often their babies are taken away to get checked over. Getting baby at the breast immediately after birth is the best way to get a good breastfeeding relationship started.
Don't get me wrong...interventions have their place. If I didn't think that, I would be seeking a homebirth. I just think all too often things are done that are unnecessary, for the convenience of the medical staff, for money, or for fear of being sued. And a mother in labor is at such a vulnerable state. I know when I finally gave in to pitocin and the epidural after 30+ hours of labor w/ my son, I was so upset. While they were putting the epidural in, I kept thinking, "I don't want to do this. I really don't want to do this." I was so vulnerable, and didn't have anyone telling me I didn't HAVE to do it. Ignorance isn't always bliss. And then while my son was born...I was a spectator - not an active participant. I didn't even know he was out, until the doctor held him up!
The hypnosis part of this week's practice is learning how to give anesthesia to my midsection and still be able to have the freedom to move around. This is by using the "light switch" I created in last weeks lesson, and taking it one step further. I now have a center switch (not just on/off) that I can use. The first session practicing this was quite fascinating. I literally felt a numbing sensation once I turned my switch to center from my breasts to my upper thighs. I was lying there in hypnosis thinking, "No way! This is amazing!" lol. It sounds so crazy, I know!
I had an ultrasound and appointment w/ Dr. Brown Friday. The cyst on Baby A's (the boy) brain is completely gone. But unfortunately he has a slight widening of his lower spine. I need to go in for a specialist u/s in 3 weeks to rule out spina bifida. Thankfully, Dr. Brown seems to think even if something is wrong, it would be a very mild case, w/ no neurological damage. He said that since everything else looks perfect, I shouldn't worry too much. His brain is showing no abnormalities. He suspects they may not find anything. Still, I will be a little anxious to get that ultrasound! The girl is looking great. Both babies are about a pound each. Baby A was head down (for now)! And Baby B was all over the place! :)
Some great news is that Dr. Brown now has rights to the hospital of my choice! My doula's (also a homebirth midwife) backup doctor is there, and we think she would have more of a chance of being allowed in the operating room. I am hoping this hospital might be more willing to let me have a birthing bed as well. I was thrilled with this news!
Total weight gain at 23 weeks is 25 pounds! Over half way there! Besides some very annoying heartburn, I'm feeling great!
March 15, 2010
March 4, 2010
Hypnobabies Week 2
This second week was a lot of information. It was all about staying low-risk, which will help keep interventions from having to happen come time for birth. This is especially important for me to keep pre-term labor from happening as well. The week's materials included exercises to do, foods to eat, and things to avoid. The main thing I got was to eat PROTEIN! Lots and lots of protein. Protein is required to build cells, it also helps keep the placenta healthy. And I should be eating eggs everyday. That is a great thing, since I LOVE eggs. It also talked about how important Calcium and Iron is. That is interesting about calcium, because I so craved milk w/ my first pregnancy. I drank 2 gallons a week in the last trimester. Milk is an excellent source of both protein and calcium. I guess there was a reason for craving it!
The hypnosis part of this week is learning to put myself into hypnosis w/ a skill called the "finger-drop technique." I am creating a light switch to turn my muscle functions on and off. So I am working hard at learning to turn my body off...meaning COMPLETELY relaxed.
A crappy note is I talked w/ Dr. Brown at last week's appointment. It seems like I will be required to deliver on an operating table. I have accepted the fact that I will need to be in the operating room, but I was really hoping for the freedom to assume a position that felt most comfortable. I was at least hoping for a birthing bed...not a cold narrow metal table. Dr. Brown said he wishes hospitals would allow moms to deliver NEXT to the operating room. He said a woman who comes in healthy with babies in a favorable position has such a minute risk of needing a c-section, that it is too bad that hospitals are so unfriendly to twin mothers. At least I know that he is on my side. And it's nice to know this now...so I can mentally prepare for it.
I may look into petitioning patient affairs to see if I could either have a birthing bed, or be allowed to push in a position comfortable to me. Mary Anne, my doula, is asking around to see what hospital protocols are and to see if she can get more information on the best route we should take. I am still hoping Dr. Brown will get his rights to the other hospital. I think that hospital might be a little more friendly to me.
I have decided on the treats for my labor and delivery nurses. After talking to some friends who are L&D nurses, I think I will bring bagels, cream cheese, coffee, hot cocoa, and teas for the staff. When you are requesting so much rule bending, it doesn't hurt to get on the nurses' good sides! Other than the cream cheese, we can buy everything else ahead of time so they will be ready to go to the hospital.
I am still feeling great. I have had a couple of dizzy moments where I needed to sit down. Both times that happened, I was in need of some food. Once I got some good solid food in me and a bunch of water, I was feeling fine.
We have another formal ultrasound next friday, so expect a report after then!
The hypnosis part of this week is learning to put myself into hypnosis w/ a skill called the "finger-drop technique." I am creating a light switch to turn my muscle functions on and off. So I am working hard at learning to turn my body off...meaning COMPLETELY relaxed.
A crappy note is I talked w/ Dr. Brown at last week's appointment. It seems like I will be required to deliver on an operating table. I have accepted the fact that I will need to be in the operating room, but I was really hoping for the freedom to assume a position that felt most comfortable. I was at least hoping for a birthing bed...not a cold narrow metal table. Dr. Brown said he wishes hospitals would allow moms to deliver NEXT to the operating room. He said a woman who comes in healthy with babies in a favorable position has such a minute risk of needing a c-section, that it is too bad that hospitals are so unfriendly to twin mothers. At least I know that he is on my side. And it's nice to know this now...so I can mentally prepare for it.
I may look into petitioning patient affairs to see if I could either have a birthing bed, or be allowed to push in a position comfortable to me. Mary Anne, my doula, is asking around to see what hospital protocols are and to see if she can get more information on the best route we should take. I am still hoping Dr. Brown will get his rights to the other hospital. I think that hospital might be a little more friendly to me.
I have decided on the treats for my labor and delivery nurses. After talking to some friends who are L&D nurses, I think I will bring bagels, cream cheese, coffee, hot cocoa, and teas for the staff. When you are requesting so much rule bending, it doesn't hurt to get on the nurses' good sides! Other than the cream cheese, we can buy everything else ahead of time so they will be ready to go to the hospital.
I am still feeling great. I have had a couple of dizzy moments where I needed to sit down. Both times that happened, I was in need of some food. Once I got some good solid food in me and a bunch of water, I was feeling fine.
We have another formal ultrasound next friday, so expect a report after then!
February 16, 2010
Hypnobabies Week 1
I will be talking a lot about hypnobabies the next several weeks. I am starting the course work for that this week. Week 1's reading contained an introduction to what hypnosis is and isn't. The main point was that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and that I will always be in control of what suggestions I accept. It assured that hypnosis can take some time to learn to do well, so it's important to practice it every day. I learned about how words are so powerful, and thus it's important to change negative words to positive ones (as I explained in my previous post.) It gave a quick overview of the female anatomy.
A part I found a little corny was creating a "bubble of peace." It makes sense, but the imagery is a little silly to me. I am to create my bubble of peace around me. I only let positive thoughts/people into my bubble. Anything negative bounces off and does not affect me. I guess before going into social situations I am to think about my BOP. This could be helpful, because whenever someone finds out I'm having twins the usual response is "Oh I had a friend who had twins, and she said blah blah blah." Situations like that I am to stop them in their tracks and tell them I don't want to hear it!
Lastly, some information I found quite fascinating...I learned about how fear during birth can stall it. Mammals usually seek out dark, comfortable places to give birth (think about cats!). There are two types of muscles in the uterus. Ones for opening everything up and allowing for birth. And ones for closing things up in response to fear or stress. So if the cat senses a predator or something else that might endanger her/her kittens, the stress causes the uterus to actually stop birth, so she can run and find another spot to birth her kitties. I thought that was fascinating. This happened to me w/ DS. I was worrying I would be too tired to push and end up w/ a c-section. I was stuck at 6 cm for 12 hours! It's just very interesting how our bodies work!
So hypnobabies is allowing me to not focus on fear. It teaches you to focus on all the positive things that WILL happen, and allowing the body to work the way it is supposed to. At my last doctor's appointment, Dr. Brown seemed shocked I had not experienced any signs of low blood pressure, such as dizziness or headaches. I guess it is extremely common w/ multiple pregnancies. The hypnobabies twin affirmations are instilling into my mind that I am healthy. I eat and drink healthily for me and my babies. And that my body IS WORKING PERFECTLY for the stage of pregnancy I am in. I cannot even begin to describe how much more energetic and "normal" I feel since I began listening to my affirmations. Yes, I get tired, but not like before. Before I was tired, because I was pregnant with twins. Now I am energized for the very same reason! It feels so good!
A part I found a little corny was creating a "bubble of peace." It makes sense, but the imagery is a little silly to me. I am to create my bubble of peace around me. I only let positive thoughts/people into my bubble. Anything negative bounces off and does not affect me. I guess before going into social situations I am to think about my BOP. This could be helpful, because whenever someone finds out I'm having twins the usual response is "Oh I had a friend who had twins, and she said blah blah blah." Situations like that I am to stop them in their tracks and tell them I don't want to hear it!
Lastly, some information I found quite fascinating...I learned about how fear during birth can stall it. Mammals usually seek out dark, comfortable places to give birth (think about cats!). There are two types of muscles in the uterus. Ones for opening everything up and allowing for birth. And ones for closing things up in response to fear or stress. So if the cat senses a predator or something else that might endanger her/her kittens, the stress causes the uterus to actually stop birth, so she can run and find another spot to birth her kitties. I thought that was fascinating. This happened to me w/ DS. I was worrying I would be too tired to push and end up w/ a c-section. I was stuck at 6 cm for 12 hours! It's just very interesting how our bodies work!
So hypnobabies is allowing me to not focus on fear. It teaches you to focus on all the positive things that WILL happen, and allowing the body to work the way it is supposed to. At my last doctor's appointment, Dr. Brown seemed shocked I had not experienced any signs of low blood pressure, such as dizziness or headaches. I guess it is extremely common w/ multiple pregnancies. The hypnobabies twin affirmations are instilling into my mind that I am healthy. I eat and drink healthily for me and my babies. And that my body IS WORKING PERFECTLY for the stage of pregnancy I am in. I cannot even begin to describe how much more energetic and "normal" I feel since I began listening to my affirmations. Yes, I get tired, but not like before. Before I was tired, because I was pregnant with twins. Now I am energized for the very same reason! It feels so good!
February 9, 2010
Hypnobabies has arrived!
I haven't even started the course, and I already love it. I have been listening to my twin hypnosis track and twin affirmations track. It is so wonderful. It makes you completely relaxed and the positive messages are very powerful. It has already helped w/ some Braxton Hicks pressure.
"So what is hypnobabies?" everyone asks me! It's a method of using hypnosis to have a comfortable birth experience. It's a whole new philosophy.
Old Negative Term New Positive Term
contraction Pressure wave or birthing wave
labor Birthing time
pain Pressure or discomfort
due date Guess date
transition Transformation
Here is a video that discusses intervention in childbirth and toward the end it discusses hypnosis.
Also, here is a youtube video of it in action.
Here and Here are explanations of hypnobabies.
So from here on out I am going to do my best to keep myself away from negative thoughts. I will not allow strangers to tell me their horror stories. I will not watch any TV that involves birthing (Baby Story type shows or even sitcoms that have childbirth in it!) I will not even watch natural childbirth videos as they often show women in a lot of discomfort, and that can promote fear.
I have a friend who used hypnobabies. This past summer she was able to deliver a 10 lb baby while being induced w/ pitocin. (Pitocin causes your pressure waves to be stronger than normal.) She was 100% monitored, so did not have free mobility. She said she did not "want" medication for the discomfort. She said she couldn't have done it without hypnobabies!
I am shutting off comments on my blog, as I don't want anonymous strangers putting negative thoughts in my mind or even joking about this. So that is the skinny on this class my husband and I are taking. It is not only about hypnosis. It is a full course on childbirth and having a healthy positive pregnancy and birth! Cheers!
"So what is hypnobabies?" everyone asks me! It's a method of using hypnosis to have a comfortable birth experience. It's a whole new philosophy.
Old Negative Term New Positive Term
contraction Pressure wave or birthing wave
labor Birthing time
pain Pressure or discomfort
due date Guess date
transition Transformation
Here is a video that discusses intervention in childbirth and toward the end it discusses hypnosis.
Also, here is a youtube video of it in action.
Here and Here are explanations of hypnobabies.
So from here on out I am going to do my best to keep myself away from negative thoughts. I will not allow strangers to tell me their horror stories. I will not watch any TV that involves birthing (Baby Story type shows or even sitcoms that have childbirth in it!) I will not even watch natural childbirth videos as they often show women in a lot of discomfort, and that can promote fear.
I have a friend who used hypnobabies. This past summer she was able to deliver a 10 lb baby while being induced w/ pitocin. (Pitocin causes your pressure waves to be stronger than normal.) She was 100% monitored, so did not have free mobility. She said she did not "want" medication for the discomfort. She said she couldn't have done it without hypnobabies!
I am shutting off comments on my blog, as I don't want anonymous strangers putting negative thoughts in my mind or even joking about this. So that is the skinny on this class my husband and I are taking. It is not only about hypnosis. It is a full course on childbirth and having a healthy positive pregnancy and birth! Cheers!
January 30, 2010
Meeting our babies
We had our formal 16 week ultrasound Friday. We were getting snow and ice that day...most snow Nashville has gotten in several years, so the roads were predicted to be really bad. I was worried my 1pm appointment would get canceled. But the office called that morning telling me they'd be closing the office early and they would like me to come in NOW if I could. So I called my husband at work, and we both headed in. It was a lot of fun. And we were able to find out the sexes.
We are having a BOY (Baby A) and a GIRL (Baby B). We are thrilled. We really did not want 2 girls. (Sorry girl fans!) So when the sonographer told us Baby A (baby closest to the cervix) was a boy, both my husband and I were thrilled.
The reason they do a 16 week ultrasound w/ a multiple pregnancy is to check the length of the cervix. My doula said 3-4 cm is normal. Mine was 5cm, and Dr. Brown was very happy about that. I really think he is starting to root for me! A short cervix can be an early indicator of preterm labor, so the fact that mine is so thick, is really great news!
Because our babies are obviously fraternal, we do not need to worry about TTTS (Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome), which can cause problems.
Baby A (the boy)'s placenta does not appear to be over the cervix. I was so thrilled about this one, because a low lying placenta over the cervix is a definite c-section.
The babies are growing at the same rate and measuring 16.5 weeks. Right on schedule! Yes!
Heartbeats were great. The boy's was 158 and the girls was 167. So that nulls the theory of boys having a higher heart rate.
The ONLY blurb of our results was that the boy has a cyst in his brain. This can be an indicator of Down's Syndrome, but the sonographer said because there are no other markers present, there really is no need to worry. She said these cysts generally go away in the 3rd trimester. And that all the limbs are normal length, and the kidneys looked good as well. Dr. Brown didn't seem concerned in the least either. The sonographer actually said she wishes she was not required to tell parents about these cysts, because they almost always go away, and just cause parents to worry.
So all in all, a wonderful report! Poor little boy is squished though! :) The little girl wiggled her rear-end at us the very first time she got the spotlight. It was hilarious. She was just shaking it back and forth! She was doing flips for us too. She was head down, and while on the screen flipped around breech! She's going to be a firecracker!
We are having a BOY (Baby A) and a GIRL (Baby B). We are thrilled. We really did not want 2 girls. (Sorry girl fans!) So when the sonographer told us Baby A (baby closest to the cervix) was a boy, both my husband and I were thrilled.
The reason they do a 16 week ultrasound w/ a multiple pregnancy is to check the length of the cervix. My doula said 3-4 cm is normal. Mine was 5cm, and Dr. Brown was very happy about that. I really think he is starting to root for me! A short cervix can be an early indicator of preterm labor, so the fact that mine is so thick, is really great news!
Because our babies are obviously fraternal, we do not need to worry about TTTS (Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome), which can cause problems.
Baby A (the boy)'s placenta does not appear to be over the cervix. I was so thrilled about this one, because a low lying placenta over the cervix is a definite c-section.
The babies are growing at the same rate and measuring 16.5 weeks. Right on schedule! Yes!
Heartbeats were great. The boy's was 158 and the girls was 167. So that nulls the theory of boys having a higher heart rate.
The ONLY blurb of our results was that the boy has a cyst in his brain. This can be an indicator of Down's Syndrome, but the sonographer said because there are no other markers present, there really is no need to worry. She said these cysts generally go away in the 3rd trimester. And that all the limbs are normal length, and the kidneys looked good as well. Dr. Brown didn't seem concerned in the least either. The sonographer actually said she wishes she was not required to tell parents about these cysts, because they almost always go away, and just cause parents to worry.
So all in all, a wonderful report! Poor little boy is squished though! :) The little girl wiggled her rear-end at us the very first time she got the spotlight. It was hilarious. She was just shaking it back and forth! She was doing flips for us too. She was head down, and while on the screen flipped around breech! She's going to be a firecracker!
January 25, 2010
Water, Water Everywhere!
I thought all the food I was supposed to eat was bad. That's nothing compared to the water I am supposed to drink. 1-2 gallons? I am lucky if I make a gallon. I wish I could drink more, because I AM thirsty all the time.
Add all this water to a pregnant woman's bladder. Not fun. I am currently looking out for a HUGE sale on toilet paper! Sometimes it seems like I wash my hands only to immediately got back to pee some more. Not fun! It's tough at night especially. Because I'm always waking up thirsty, I try to drink a bunch before bed, but then that only keeps me from falling asleep some nights because I am constantly having to go! Ugh.
So, since becoming pregnant, I have only had a few sips of soda, and that was when I was craving a taste of coke. I took a sip of my husbands can. I've been told, "Ahhh, a coke won't hurt you!" But it would be so counterproductive for my thirst, I don't want to drink one. I drink a glass of juice w/ breakfast, water all day long, and milk or soy milk w/ dinner, followed by more water. This will probably be very good for me past the pregnancy as well, because I'll need to continue hydrating myself to breastfeed two babies!
Add all this water to a pregnant woman's bladder. Not fun. I am currently looking out for a HUGE sale on toilet paper! Sometimes it seems like I wash my hands only to immediately got back to pee some more. Not fun! It's tough at night especially. Because I'm always waking up thirsty, I try to drink a bunch before bed, but then that only keeps me from falling asleep some nights because I am constantly having to go! Ugh.
So, since becoming pregnant, I have only had a few sips of soda, and that was when I was craving a taste of coke. I took a sip of my husbands can. I've been told, "Ahhh, a coke won't hurt you!" But it would be so counterproductive for my thirst, I don't want to drink one. I drink a glass of juice w/ breakfast, water all day long, and milk or soy milk w/ dinner, followed by more water. This will probably be very good for me past the pregnancy as well, because I'll need to continue hydrating myself to breastfeed two babies!
Time to Chow!
A woman carrying two babies, I have been told, should be eating 3500 calories. Say what? This has been difficult, and to be honest, I don't know if I am eating that much. I do know that I am eating all the time. breakfast, morning snack, lunch #1, dessert, lunch #2, afternoon snack, dinner #1, and dinner #2. The bulk of this is supposed to be complex carbs and protein. It's a good thing I like peanut butter!
I have had a hard time maintaining my weight over the last year or more while breastfeeding my son. I gained 40 pounds with my pregnancy with him. And lost 50, and that was with drinking Ensures to help me not lose anymore. So when I went to my second MD appt, I was thrilled to see I had gain weight. And the doctor said it looked like they were growing well. What a relief!
Basically, everything I eat, I add something to it. And I try to eat as healthy as possible. So a salad is not just some greens w/ dressing. No, it is greens, chicken, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, strawberries, and almonds. Ice cream is usually my dessert for the day. I always add peanut butter to it. My fruit smoothies I have about every other day also contain greek yogurt (more protein than reg. yogurt), granola, and spinach. If I have some silken tofu, I will add that too. Smoothies are a great way to get a ton of those complex carbs! My son loves them too, so it's a great PM snack after his nap for both of us. Per my doula recommendations, I am also drinking 1 regular Ensure a day. She said it is really hard for a busy mom to get all the nutrients they need, especially the protein, to go full-term with twins. This was not a big deal for me, as I was used to drinking them while I was struggling to maintain my weight while breastfeeding my oldest.
The hardest part of eating is not the eating part. It's the preparing part. It seems like all I do is prepare food. After getting done dinner #1, we get DS ready for bed. After he's in bed, I would love to go to bed too, but I know I will wake up starving if I don't, so I need to eat dinner #2. I take either a nutrigrain or Larabar to bed to eat in the middle of the night.
I have had a hard time maintaining my weight over the last year or more while breastfeeding my son. I gained 40 pounds with my pregnancy with him. And lost 50, and that was with drinking Ensures to help me not lose anymore. So when I went to my second MD appt, I was thrilled to see I had gain weight. And the doctor said it looked like they were growing well. What a relief!
Basically, everything I eat, I add something to it. And I try to eat as healthy as possible. So a salad is not just some greens w/ dressing. No, it is greens, chicken, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, strawberries, and almonds. Ice cream is usually my dessert for the day. I always add peanut butter to it. My fruit smoothies I have about every other day also contain greek yogurt (more protein than reg. yogurt), granola, and spinach. If I have some silken tofu, I will add that too. Smoothies are a great way to get a ton of those complex carbs! My son loves them too, so it's a great PM snack after his nap for both of us. Per my doula recommendations, I am also drinking 1 regular Ensure a day. She said it is really hard for a busy mom to get all the nutrients they need, especially the protein, to go full-term with twins. This was not a big deal for me, as I was used to drinking them while I was struggling to maintain my weight while breastfeeding my oldest.
The hardest part of eating is not the eating part. It's the preparing part. It seems like all I do is prepare food. After getting done dinner #1, we get DS ready for bed. After he's in bed, I would love to go to bed too, but I know I will wake up starving if I don't, so I need to eat dinner #2. I take either a nutrigrain or Larabar to bed to eat in the middle of the night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)