Birth-Tears

I love this poem by Mattie J.T. Stepanek, 1990-2004.

Birth-Tears

When I was a little
Teen-tiny baby
And I came out of
My mommy's womb,
I cried.
That's what most babies
Do when they are born.
Do you know why
I cried when I was born?
I cried for the same
Reason that most babies
Cry when they are born.
I cried because I was so happy.
I cried because I got to come
And live in this family.
I cried because God was
So good to let me have
The best mommy in the world.
And that is why most
Babies cry when they are born...
They are happy birth-tears
Because we are so happy
To be in the best families.

June 1996 (he was 6 years old).

What babies want

Someone forwarded me this trailer. It looks really interesting and I'd love to see it! Has anyone seen it or heard of it?

My state, Illinois

From the book Pushed, by Jennifer Block:

..."hospitals have dissolved nurse-midwifery practices in Austin, Chicago.....
Ten states and the District of Columbia not only disregard the CPM but have case law or legislations prohibiting these midwives from attending births. In Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, South Dakota, Wyoming, and the Distric of Columbia, a CPM who attends a home birth is subject to a misdeameanor or even a felony prosecution. The midwest is a particularly hostile region....Illinois is in a class all its own, as the only state in the nation that prohibits freestanding birth centers."

Is this a good reason to want to move? 'Cause it makes me want to.

episiotomy

The first birth I saw in nursing school was a memorable, wonderful experience. A mother came in to the hospital in very active labor, huffing and puffing down the halls with her husband. She was having her 6th child. There was a flurry of activity, she got admitted and received an epidural, and soon things were calm and happy. The OB was quizzing me and making me nervous. I even felt a little teary eyed when I couldn't answer his questions about which way the head was facing when he explained how the head felt during a vaginal exam. But that's beside the point.
Soon the baby was ready to be born. I cried tears of joy and wonderment at being able to witness such an amazing thing as a person being born. Everyone was happy.
Even though it was her sixth child, I do remember that the doctor cut an episiotomy. I'm guessing he did that with every birth he attended.

I was surprised to hear the other day that 2 doctors in a certain local practice that a friend was seeing have 100% episiotomy rates. I thought everyone knew that scientific literature supported limited and rare use of episiotomy. I know many doctors and midwives rarely to never cut them, so I was surprised that some still say with pride that they always cut one.

There's so much to be said on this subject. But I'll try to be quick. I had had an epiphany this week about episotomies. If you are seeing a doctor who has a high episiotomy rate, and you are adamant about not having an episiotomy, while your doctor will hopefully obey your wishes and not cut one, the doctor will still believe that the tissues will tear and an episiotomy should have been performed. It then becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Because the doctor only knows how to do epistiomies and has little to no knowledge on ways to keep the perineum intact, there probably will be a tear. The doctor will then grumble about reparing a jagged tear instead of a nice surgical cut.

From Henci Goer: "The birth attendant's philosophy, technique, skill, and experience are the major determinants of perineal outcome."

Just insisting that your doctor not cut an episiotomy is not enough. You need to find a practitioner who has a low episiotomy rate and tries to protect the perineum. A doctor who routinely cuts doesn't believe the perineum can be protected, and therefore doesn't try to prevent a tear.

Yes, even with a good practitioner a woman can still tear. But there's much to be desired in having a practitioner who at least believes that birth can happen without a cut or a tear.

twin inspiration

I am very proud of the fact that I carried my twins full term and they were big and healthy. I breastfed them for a year. Those are two of my biggest accomplishments in life.


Here's a few pictures to go down memory lane:

6# 9 oz and 7#13 oz

The morning of my c-section--on last belly picture

the night before

I did have them by scheduled c-section at 39 weeks because they were both breech. Knowing what I know now, I wish I would have done much more to encourage them to turn. I did nothing because I knew nothing. No one told me about positioning, webster chiropractic techniques, or moxibustion. I wish I would have known. I also would have waited to go into labor on my own, because they still might have turned head down. My doctor wanted to do the delivery at 37 weeks but I convinced him to wait until 39. I also wish I would have seen a midwife, but the CNM I was seeing dropped me when we found out I was having twins.

Anyway, I found this AWESOME, amazing video today about twin natural births, many of them home births. Oh how I wish I would have had this information then. But if I can pass this on to anyone, I will be happy. I cried through the whole video. It's very inspiring and so sweet. It *almost* makes me want to have twins again.

Fabulous Home birth story

A dear friend of mine recently had a planned home birth. We were college roomates our first two years at BYU. We only get to talk on the phone a few times a year, but we always pick up our conversation right where we left off--as if it hasn't been 6 months.

Here's the link to her homebirth story. It's a great story: some humor, some sweet moments, and a bit of drama mixed in. Thanks for letting me share it Sarah! I'm so happy for you!

Amniotomy

Here's a great article called "Keep my Sac Intact".

It just seems like common sense to keep the sac intact. If it's ain't broken, don't break it. Yet, as this article explains, amniotomy is done routinely.

While I was doing my Capstone in L&D during nursing school I had a birth experience I will never forget. A couple was having their first child. They were ethnic and didn't speak English very well. The woman was probably in early active labor, or maybe even early labor. Her doctor was doing a routine amniotomy, probably without her understanding and consent. There was no arrest of labor or any indication to do it, I think it was just part of his routine. Come in, break the waters, pump the pit as needed, plug in the monitors, go back to the office for visits.

So I was fumbling around trying to hand him the instruments. He broke the water and a ton of fluid gushed out. I still remember handing him the fetal scalp electrode in a sterile manner. He twisted it into the babies head and the heart rate was in the 60s. For a few seconds he mumbled if he picked up mother's heart rate. He was getting tense and did a vaginal exam. "There's a cord!" he shouted. There was a huge flurry of action the next few minutes. The nurse I was working with jumped on the bed and inserted her fingers into the woman's vagina to hold the baby's head off the cord. The husband was shooed out of the room , the woman was screaming in pain and fear, and neither of them had any idea what was going one. She was wheeled to surgery. I was trying to help prep her and the doctor yelled "Can someone give me a nurse who knows what the hell she's doing!" (I was scared and shaky and new, I'm sorry). She was put under general anesthesia. The doctor made a quick vertical slice down her belly and her baby was born.

Thankfully, the baby was very healthy. The c-section saved his life. However, the medical intervention of breaking the water was what threatened his life in the first place!!!!!! This could have all been avoided had the doctor not broke her water.

After a few hours the mom was in her recovery room awake and ready to see her baby. I had the privilege of bringing her the baby. It was the sweetest thing to see this family reunited. They were scared and unsure of what happened, especially since they didn't speak English well, but all of that melted away when they got to hold their precious son. I think they were greatly relieved that their baby was safe and in their arms. Truly, it is a blessing that everything turned out okay. The story has a happy ending.

But still, remembering this story makes me upset. First of all, I thought the doctor was a jerk doctor. Not just this time but I remember not liking him with other patients either. The other nurses didn't really like him too. Secondly, this woman will never be able to have a vaginal birth with a vertical scar. She will be resigned to c-sections for the rest of her children. Thirdly, the whole entire thing could have been avoided if the doctor had not broken her water! Yet I was the one that got yelled at because I wasn't giving him his tools fast enough. Maybe he just needs all his tools taken away.

After this birth I cried in the operating room. It was all very overwhelming for me, and I also felt embarrassed for how the doctor yelled at me, perhaps with reason. The nurse I was working with was very sweet and said sometimes these events leave you shaky and teary.

Here's a little side note. With Audrey's birth, the midwife mentioned that I had a lot of fluid. I was upset about the c-section, so she tried to make me feel better by saying it was good I didn't have a VBAC or I might have had a cord prolapse. What?!? So much for believing in the ability of a woman to give birth. I really don't like that she gave me that idea. Now I have that fear. And having seen one, I know a cord prolapse does seem very scary.

I do think there is occasionally a time and a place for an amniotomy. I have seen a few done that were warranted, and read of some excellent midwives using them occasionally. But overall, I believe the sac is better left intact!