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There's some kind of intense stuff about c-sections in this post so you may want to skip it if you're not up for that.
Little House in Chicago
Showing posts with label Birth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birth. Show all posts
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Thoughts on being spared
There's some kind of intense stuff about c-sections in this post so you may want to skip it if you're not up for that.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
The birth story of Francisco Anthony (warning: long!)
To kick off The Happy Wife Project, I'm part of a great blog hop of moms! We're talking about our expectations of what we thought parenting would be like—and what it turned out to actually be. Be sure to read all the stops along the way!
Before I begin my contribution, you should know that this birth story is VERY long, very personal and not for the squeamish. If you're not up for that, this is a good place to stop reading and come back later for a different post.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Switching to the midwives
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| My walk to work most days |
Well folks, I've done it. Last week I switched from my ob/gyn to a midwife practice.
I should start off by saying that these midwives deliver in a hospital, in birthing suites on a traditional labor and delivery ward. They are all registered nurses with extensive medical experience, they can perform minor surgery, and the ob/gyn is on call 24/7 in case of an emergency. The birthing suites are right by the operating rooms. I tell you all that so you don't do like my parents did and freak out. It's going to be very safe for me and baby.
It was honestly a little heartbreaking to leave the ob/gyn practice. The two doctors are these amazing, pro-life, Catholic men. They have 17 kids between them. They are warm and attentive, and I loved every visit with them. On top of that, just about everyone in their office knows my family, from the nurse with whom I went to grade school to the receptionist whose kids are friends with my sisters. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming whenever I came in.
Given that wonderful environment, you may wonder, why on earth did I switch to the midwives?
I started reading about natural birth before I got pregnant... possibly even before I got married. I really loved Ina May Gaskin's book and the movie The Business of Being Born. I continued reading and studying once I found out I was expecting—many thanks to Sarah for recommending another great book, Your Best Birth. I devoured articles like this and birth stories that spoke to the potential for an empowering childbirth. Based on everything I learned, I decided I wanted to try for a natural, intervention-free childbirth. Now, I know these things are always outside our control; every birth plan is subject to uncontrollable circumstances; I know that what matters most is a healthy mom and baby. But I wanted to at least give natural birth a shot.
Given all this background, I decided the best approach would be to visit the hospital where my ob/gyns deliver and see what it was like. Frank and I took a tour back in December. I was the least-pregnant lady there, and after the tour Frank and I stuck around for an extra 45 minutes grilling the nurses. We were those people. But what we learned was really helpful.
The hospital had a lot to recommend it. The nurses encourage the infants' rooming-in and skin-to-skin contact after birth, two things that really matter to me. They also assured me that all the nurses are trained in a bunch of different techniques for natural pain relief. But on the other hand, when I asked about their c-section rate, the nurse said, "Our c-section rate is consistent with the national average; it's around 30%." Urgh. Then I asked, "How many women would you estimate have a completely natural childbirth?" The nurse said, "Well, lots of women go natural, but of course we give them a little narcotic toward the end." "No, no," I said, "I mean completely natural. No drugs at all." The nurse looked confused and said, "Um... maybe 2%? That doesn't happen very often." They also thought it was "cute" and a little amusing that I had a birth plan. Those responses were red flags for me.
So my next step was to set up an appointment with the midwives. I found this midwife practice online, through a simple Google search. They offer free consultation visits, so one evening last week Frank and I went in to chat with them. The midwives offer the option of a water birth, something I'm interested in trying. I asked the midwife we met to explain the policies and philosophy of their practice, and after she was done, Frank and I agreed it was exactly what we were looking for. What really clinched the deal was when I asked her about their patients' c-section rate. "Fewer than 8% of our patients end up getting c-sections," she said. Those numbers say a lot. 8% vs. 30% odds of major surgery? I was sold. The next day I called my insurance company to make the switch.
When I spoke to my insurance company, I learned that they don't allow changes in prenatal health care providers after 27 weeks. Good thing I called just in time! I also found out from the midwife that their practice doesn't always accept patients who come in after 28 weeks; at that point they have a meeting to decide whether they can take on another patient in addition to their existing load. Luckily I made the cut-off for both those things, but they're good to know for the future.
I'm so excited about the switch. I feel incredibly happy, calm and peaceful knowing that I'll be having my baby in an environment that supports what I'm trying to do, and that also has safe back-up options in case things don't go according to plan. As sad as I was to leave my great ob/gyn, this decision wasn't hard at all. Now, as my friends keep reminding me, I will have to let you know how I feel about it all after I actually give birth.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Best of Last Week and question for readers
Hi everyone! In addition to collecting my favorite articles, I have a question for you (read on).
I recently discovered Lizzy's darling blog and one post especially resonated with me—this lovely one on the importance of parents showing affection for each other and building good habits together. Very inspiring! And speaking of parents staying in love, I just adored this post on "Date Night" from the always delightful Verily magazine.
I have a lot of interest in natural and home births (although I know natural/home births are not for everyone—each mother has to choose what's right for her and her child). I was very inspired by Courtney's at-home birth story and I love Stephanie's beautiful account as well.
So imagine my excitement when I found out that a pope in the early 1900s wrote a letter especially to midwives. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I'm glad to know it's out there. I found the link in this great post by Andrea explaining why she and her fiance have chosen not to learn or use NFP. Thanks, Andrea (and hurray for Awesome Family Planning)!
Have you heard any of the commotion over the pope's actions on Holy Thursday? In response to the uproar, this post from The Anchoress is just everything good in this world.
Ok, now for my question! Were you ever homeschooled? What was that like? Frank was homeschooled until high school and he really liked it, and he says it's a great way to save money. I was never homeschooled and I have a lot of reservations about it—not about socialization (my homeschooled friends are all super popular and outgoing) but because it seems like so much work for the homeschooling parent (which in our family would be me). So I keep saying "I will never homeschool" ... and then I come across an article like this. And I second-guess everything. What are your thoughts and experiences on homeschool vs. traditional school? I would love to hear your stories!
Finally, an article on one of my favorite topics—getting married young. Lots here to ponder and enjoy.
And happy Thursday! Hurray for being almost through the week!
I recently discovered Lizzy's darling blog and one post especially resonated with me—this lovely one on the importance of parents showing affection for each other and building good habits together. Very inspiring! And speaking of parents staying in love, I just adored this post on "Date Night" from the always delightful Verily magazine.
I have a lot of interest in natural and home births (although I know natural/home births are not for everyone—each mother has to choose what's right for her and her child). I was very inspired by Courtney's at-home birth story and I love Stephanie's beautiful account as well.
So imagine my excitement when I found out that a pope in the early 1900s wrote a letter especially to midwives. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I'm glad to know it's out there. I found the link in this great post by Andrea explaining why she and her fiance have chosen not to learn or use NFP. Thanks, Andrea (and hurray for Awesome Family Planning)!
Have you heard any of the commotion over the pope's actions on Holy Thursday? In response to the uproar, this post from The Anchoress is just everything good in this world.
Ok, now for my question! Were you ever homeschooled? What was that like? Frank was homeschooled until high school and he really liked it, and he says it's a great way to save money. I was never homeschooled and I have a lot of reservations about it—not about socialization (my homeschooled friends are all super popular and outgoing) but because it seems like so much work for the homeschooling parent (which in our family would be me). So I keep saying "I will never homeschool" ... and then I come across an article like this. And I second-guess everything. What are your thoughts and experiences on homeschool vs. traditional school? I would love to hear your stories!
Finally, an article on one of my favorite topics—getting married young. Lots here to ponder and enjoy.
And happy Thursday! Hurray for being almost through the week!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Really really really good news!
Ever since watching the amazing movie The Business of Being Born (highly recommended!) and reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth on the recommendation of a friend who is a birthing doula, I've been really interested in and curious about natural childbirth - maybe even home birth (although don't tell my dad that; he's a doctor and very suspicious of home births, as most doctors are). A birthing center is the best of both worlds: the freedom and flexibility of home birth with access to all the medical technology of a hospital birth in case something goes wrong. Now that I know we are moving to Illinois, I couldn't be more thrilled that the first birth center in Illinois is opening up... maybe it will even be ready by the time Frank and I start having kids! Seriously, guys, I know I haven't talked about my interest in birth on this blog before and this all probably sounds super random, but you can't even imagine how happy and excited I am right now!
In other news, I spent the weekend watching Downton Abbey and finished the entire first season. Even though I'm a year behind the rest of America, I'm really excited about that too, because it's only the second time in my entire life that I've finished a whole season of a TV show! My short attention span (think goldfish levels) won't allow for it. So this is also a major accomplishment!
Lately I'm hibernating more than usual because I've taken on some freelance editing projects for evenings and weekends. I'm saving up money to buy a laptop (mine is 6 years old and moves at a glacial pace), and with how much I've been spending on wedding-related expenses and travel, saving from my paycheck has been hard. These extra projects are a real godsend at this time, but they are keeping me pretty busy! Happily I got a lot of work on those done over the weekend too.
On Monday night, I took a rare break from my newly hermit-like existence to go to Theology on Tap with a bunch of friends. My main goal was to introduce my single guy friends to my single girl friends. What I didn't expect was that my single friends wouldn't be the only ones getting hit on.
I was talking to a girl friend when a blind man came over to befriend us. He shook our hands and asked for our names. After chatting with her for a minute, he turned to me, took my hand and began asking a bunch of questions. "What's your name?" "Have I met you before? "Where do you live?" "What's your last name?" "What nationality is that?" I felt really uncomfortable being grilled like that, and I didn't like that he kept holding my hand, but I didn't want to be rude or hurt his feelings. The conversation continued, and when he found out I was Spanish, he asked if I could speak Spanish. When I said, "Yes," he said in Spanish, "I'm so glad we met. Can I please have your number? I'd like to take you to a concert this weekend."
You guys. I DIED. Not only was this overly-friendly man holding my hand and asking me on a date, but he was doing it in Spanish, so my friends couldn't understand what was going on or why I had turned bright red.
I very politely told him in Spanish, "Thank you for the invitation but I am getting married in three months."
GAHHHH.
He congratulated me very nicely and said he wished me and my fiance the best, and then went on his merry way. I collapsed on the table, bright red and feeling extremely awkward and embarrassed. Why couldn't he have grabbed my left hand instead of my right??! When I explained what had happened, my friends, of course, thought it was the funniest thing ever. Thanks, guys. Not helpful.
Anyway, after that Conor and I talked for a long time because we were the only non-single people in the group and we wanted our single friends to mingle with each other. His girlfriend is moving here very soon and he is pretty ecstatic about that little fact. I'm really excited to spend more time with her and I'm so so happy for Conor that they won't have to date long-distance anymore. It's only been two weeks since Frank moved away, but I'm already very ready for this long-distance gig to be over.
And now for the very best news of all... one of my articles has been accepted for publication at an amazing place! I can't say more yet, but I will definitely keep you posted. I can't tell you how joyful this news makes me. I have sorely missed journalism since college. I used to write an article every week for the campus newspaper, which was an amazing discipline, and I so enjoyed that thrill of seeing my writing in print. I'm ready to bring my ten-month hiatus from journalism to an end, so this news came at a very welcome time.
That's my February so far!
In other news, I spent the weekend watching Downton Abbey and finished the entire first season. Even though I'm a year behind the rest of America, I'm really excited about that too, because it's only the second time in my entire life that I've finished a whole season of a TV show! My short attention span (think goldfish levels) won't allow for it. So this is also a major accomplishment!
Lately I'm hibernating more than usual because I've taken on some freelance editing projects for evenings and weekends. I'm saving up money to buy a laptop (mine is 6 years old and moves at a glacial pace), and with how much I've been spending on wedding-related expenses and travel, saving from my paycheck has been hard. These extra projects are a real godsend at this time, but they are keeping me pretty busy! Happily I got a lot of work on those done over the weekend too.
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| I also made homemade brownies for the first time. |
I was talking to a girl friend when a blind man came over to befriend us. He shook our hands and asked for our names. After chatting with her for a minute, he turned to me, took my hand and began asking a bunch of questions. "What's your name?" "Have I met you before? "Where do you live?" "What's your last name?" "What nationality is that?" I felt really uncomfortable being grilled like that, and I didn't like that he kept holding my hand, but I didn't want to be rude or hurt his feelings. The conversation continued, and when he found out I was Spanish, he asked if I could speak Spanish. When I said, "Yes," he said in Spanish, "I'm so glad we met. Can I please have your number? I'd like to take you to a concert this weekend."
You guys. I DIED. Not only was this overly-friendly man holding my hand and asking me on a date, but he was doing it in Spanish, so my friends couldn't understand what was going on or why I had turned bright red.
I very politely told him in Spanish, "Thank you for the invitation but I am getting married in three months."
GAHHHH.
He congratulated me very nicely and said he wished me and my fiance the best, and then went on his merry way. I collapsed on the table, bright red and feeling extremely awkward and embarrassed. Why couldn't he have grabbed my left hand instead of my right??! When I explained what had happened, my friends, of course, thought it was the funniest thing ever. Thanks, guys. Not helpful.
Anyway, after that Conor and I talked for a long time because we were the only non-single people in the group and we wanted our single friends to mingle with each other. His girlfriend is moving here very soon and he is pretty ecstatic about that little fact. I'm really excited to spend more time with her and I'm so so happy for Conor that they won't have to date long-distance anymore. It's only been two weeks since Frank moved away, but I'm already very ready for this long-distance gig to be over.
And now for the very best news of all... one of my articles has been accepted for publication at an amazing place! I can't say more yet, but I will definitely keep you posted. I can't tell you how joyful this news makes me. I have sorely missed journalism since college. I used to write an article every week for the campus newspaper, which was an amazing discipline, and I so enjoyed that thrill of seeing my writing in print. I'm ready to bring my ten-month hiatus from journalism to an end, so this news came at a very welcome time.
That's my February so far!
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