Week 10 ~ My Birth Stories

Your Pregnancy: Week 10

 
Baby's now the size of a prune!
With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.) credit-www.thebump.com
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This week has been so much better than last week!  I felt so well a couple of days that it worried me a bit.  I've never felt this good, as far as nausea, in any of my other pregnancies.  I do still like my sleep and rest, but all around, I feel great!

When I do feel nauseated, it is very manageable.  It is usually only when I don't eat at regular intervals and therefore feel hungry and nauseated or when I eat too much at a meal and therefore feel full and nauseated (don't quite understand that one!).  Either way, it has a lot to do with factors I can control, food and rest.

I also have found that when my children and I are out doing things, I am able to ignore the times I'm not feeling well, better than at home.  When we are home, I don't feel like doing much of anything but laying down and resting.  Then i start to feel guilty that I'm not getting much done and my children are having to fend for themselves (although they are well trained on when and what to do while i rest).  So, for now at least, we are busy going and doing lots of things.  Works out well since it is summer!

I had my 2nd prenatal appointment with my midwife, Toni, this week.  My weight gain was only .8 of a pound which was kind of surprising since i eat all the time.  I think that since i am not consuming as much fat and calories in the way of dairy and meat this pregnancy, it may affect my weight gain.  I may need to adjust this later if I don't gain enough~we'll see.

We also tried to hear the baby's heartbeat but to no avail.  Toni even tried 2 different Doppler's but still couldn't find it.  This isn't surprising though, since we have never been able to hear my baby's heartbeat until 12-14 weeks.  I was hoping that things might be different this time, but not expecting anything. 

On to my topic this week:  My Birth Stories (the short versions):

Our first birth was at a hospital.  I really wanted to have a natural birth but in the end I wound up not only having stadol (trying not to have an epidural) but also an epidural at the prodding of a nurse (when I was dilated to 6 cm) to make things easier and more pleasant for all of us.  After 15.5 hours of labor, at 1:09pm we had a healthy 7.6 lb baby boy, but also a desire to have a different birth experience the next time.

With our second baby, i was already seeing a different doctor who agreed to help me have a natural birth in the hospital, when i met a midwife from another town named Toni Kimpel.  My interest was sparked and we quickly set up a meeting with her to see if a homebirth was possible.  Everything looked good with my pregnancy and my 1st pregnancy went smoothly so we decided to try a homebirth.  It was and still is the best birth I've had so far.  Everything went so smoothly and quickly that at 9:10pm i was holding our 2nd healthy 7.3 lb baby boy after only 3 hours of a purely natural labor and delivery.  I was very prepared and spiritually ready for this birth.  I read many, many books on natural deliveries and homebirth, watched lots of videos, and talked with many women who encouraged and supported our decision.  Everything I asked and prayed for, the Lord gave me (i read Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize).  From my water breaking before labor so i wouldn't have to worry about everyone arriving in time to having painless contractions, the Lord showed himself mightily because i was ready and wanting to receive what he gave.  I remember saying not long after delivery that i was ready for another baby right away because the birth was so easy.

My next 3 births were also at home with Toni but i wasn't as spiritually in tune as i should have been.  In the busyness of life, i didn't spend as much time preparing physically or spiritually for the births.  All of the births went well, but they were nothing like my 2nd birth.

Our third birth was a mere 1 hour 15 minute hard, double peaked contraction birth bringing forth our 1st 7 lb,15 &1/2oz healthy baby girl at 12:19am.  In an effort to encourage labor to begin (due to various reasons and it was almost my due date) i took Castor oil and drank parsley tea.  That was a big mistake for me.  Not only did i experience a short hard labor, i had problems after the delivery that required a trip to the ER the next day and follow ups with a doctor for 2 weeks.  It wasn't anything dangerous, just had to do with swollen veins in a very unpleasant and uncomfortable place, we're talking 2 hemorrhoids the size of walnuts end to end-TMI-sorry!  Pains me just thinking about it!  So, i never ever plan on taking Castor again unless my life or the baby's depends on it, which is highly unlikely.  I know many women who use it and have no problems, but me, no thank you!

Our fourth birth was more normal at about 3.5 hours but this time, I kind of forgot to call Toni (I had called her earlier in the morning just to give her a heads up that i might be in labor) after things picked up and before i knew it, i was feeling the urge to push.  I asked my friend if she was ready to deliver a baby and as she was running out to call Toni, she miraculously appeared as she had decided to just come by and check on me.  God is Good!  In less than 10 minutes, at 9:15am, i was holding our 2nd healthy 8.9lb baby girl.  This labor was good but i spent so much time wondering if i was really in labor that i wasn't focusing on relaxing and slowing down.  It seemed more chaotic and painful than other births (she was a pretty big baby for my body though).  You'd think i'd know for sure when I am in labor by the fourth baby, but no!

Our fifth baby's birth lasted about the same, around 3.5 hours but didn't start until 11pm so by the time our 3rd healthy 7.7lb baby boy arrived at 2:39am my adrenalen was in full swing and i never was able to go to sleep that night.  Or the next day and night!  The 3rd day, i finally slept about 2 hours but boy was i loopy.  The more i tried to sleep, the less i slept.  It was crazy!  The birth went well but again i wasn't prepared the way i should have been so my thoughts of that birth were that i didn't want to do that again anytime soon.

So, here we are at our sixth pregnancy and as i ponder over all of the last 5 births, i have decided that i really want to have a birth again like the 2nd.  It really was that great!  The others were fine but they definitely left a taste of unpleasantness as far as looking forward to another birth.  I immediately read "Supernatural Childbirth" this time as opposed to the end of pregnancy.  I am believing and confessing for this baby and birth now and spiritually and physically preparing for a wonderful delivery.  We are planning a homebirth again with Toni and look forward to what the Lord has in store for our family.  I don't know any details yet of how or when or who, but i feel very secure knowing that the Lord already has this baby's birth day planned out and all i have to do is follow his lead.

How about your birth(s)?  How did yours go?  You can leave a link or share here!