Thursday, February 25, 2010

Everything's Fine

Went for my ultrasound this morning and everything checks out fine.  No heartbeat yet, but both I and my doc thought it was probably too early for that.

I'll be going back next week for another ultrasound.  In the meantime, I really need to make an appointment with my acupuncturist for help with nausea and personal calm.

More In-Depth Pregnancy and Birth Talk Below
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He asked me if I had an OB yet, but said, "Don't worry, you're not ready to graduate yet; it's just something you need to start doing."  When I mentioned that I was thinking about homebirth, he replied, "Nice knowing ya."  He gave me a little talk about why he thought being in a hospital with an OB was best, given several factors, including: the time and money we'd spent in getting to this point, and the rate of c-sections for someone with my weight.  I said, and this is true, "No decision has been made, but it is something I'm thinking about."

So, now I've got to start this search in earnest.  A happy medium may work for me.  There is a midwife practice in a sort-of-nearby county that practices exclusively at a local hospital.  There's also a midwife practice that has a birth center and affiliations with some of the local hospitals.  I'll be investigating those and more.

My mother had all three of her children at hospitals using natural childbirth methods, so I grew up with this mindset.  The hospitals in our area, however, seem to be very pro-inducement and very pro-c-section (I remember reading that one of our hospitals has something like a 70% c-section rate).  I'd like to avoid these procedures and meds if at all possible.  The most important thing, of course, is my health and the health of the baby, but I'd like to have as little intervention as possible.

26 comments:

Lollipop Goldstein said...

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

One sac--right?

Are you looking for an OB who is close to home or close to work? Maybe this is the push you need to cross the river and come back to Nirvana :-)

Jendeis said...

Yes, one sac. :)

Anonymous said...

How cool! That is awesome. I think you are well within your right to educate yourself on all your options (um, but obviously you don't need me to tell you that. LOL) I just wish there was a way to deaden the pain, yet still be mobile. I know natural childbirth says endorphins kick in and all that.
For me- not too much. I ran a half marathon once, hiked down and out of the Grand Canyon...I don't think my body has endorphines.

I am a wimp. :)

Kudos to you- and I am SO FREAKING EXCITED!

Anonymous said...

So exciting!!!!
BFF!

kimbosue said...

YAY!

And remember you are the MOM and in charge of you and your baby. So what if he doesn't like it? You won't be seeing him come delivery time anyways!

YAY!

Jen said...

Woohoo! Definitely too early for a heartbeat. Maybe next u/s though. I agree that you should look into your OB/MW options now. I waited until graduating from the RE, and then it was very difficult to get my first appointment scheduled because her calendar was very booked up.

Jessica White said...

YAY!

I managed to have no medical intervention at all during my delivery (in spite of being in a hospital). A lot of it is just being sure of your self and having someone there to advocate for you (doula or midwife).

I'm so, SO excited for you guys!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Yay!

I have a doula - I wanted to do it drug free - but with twins - so much is different - that I have agreed to an epidural but want to avoid an inducement and a c-section.

Just like with IF - we have to advocate for ourselves in connection with our birthing plan!

R.J. said...

Woo-hoo!!!! Good luck with the OB/Midwife decision. This makes me realize there is SO much I do not know.

Calliope said...

Woooooo!!!!
I am so dorkily thrilled to read these posts.

(& you can talk to N from two Hot Mamas if you want as she did lots of research re: midwife/birth center/hospital in our area)

Photogrl said...

Yay for everything looking good!

And I agree with the ppls...it's your decision. I hope you find someone who is a great fit for you!

Gina said...

YAY for a good report!

Nixy said...

yea! so happy for you!

N said...

I used the midwives that have a freestanding birthing center, and are affiliated with the hospital.

I cannot - CANNOT - recommend them more. Seriously. They were, at minimum, with no traffic, a 30-40 minute drive, and usually about an hour, and I don't even care. If we're lucky enough to get pregnant again, I will go with them in a heartbeat.

We ended up in the hospital with an induction, but our midwife was with us the whole time, ran the whole shebang. When I was in L&D for observation in December, the midwives were in charge of the decisions - they could even see my monitoring from their offices 2 miles away. We had such a fantastic birth. Seriously. Even with everything that went along with it - I ended up with an epidural when I hadn't wanted one, because I was stuck to the bed, high blood pressure, likely pre-e, etc etc. It was amazing.

If you want to chat about them, drop me a line. I also have friends who've used the midwives in Old Town (though for a home birth, not a center birth), friends who've used the ones by our midwives, who are attached to the hospital, and we "toured" the midwives here in our county that deliver at SG.

AmandaM said...

I am way late of the news but CONGRATS!! I am so thrilled for you!

SassyCupcakes said...

I am so so SO happy for you. If you're looking for a doula, you can try http://studentdoulas.com/. And I totally get wanting midwives rather than hoping on the c-section train. Are there some midwife run birthing centers near you that you can check out? They might be able to help you find a midwife that would do a homebirth and can be a backup if you're feeling a little nervous about being at home.

I was a midwifery student before IF and I am all for home births, but it's about you feeling safe and not everyone can do that at home. This is why birth plans are so good, so you can have a back for your back up plan and know that whatever happens, everyone knows what's important to you and what you want to happen, even if it's plan G.

HereWeGoAJen said...

I am so glad the ultrasound went well!

Paula Keller said...

Yay!!! I'm so happy that you're pregnant! It's been a long road for you guysl.

LJ said...

So freaking beyond fantastic. I'm so excited for you!

Meghan said...

I can't imagine being more excited for someone!

Email me if you want. I have crazy high dr standards and LOVED my OB (he was recommended by my first love, Dr G at SG). Also delivered at that big hospital by us, great nurses, never felt any pressure to do a darn thing I didn't want to do. I'm happy to share any details you want.

Again, crazy ass excited for you!!

Somewhat Ordinary said...

Yay!!!!

I was very, very interested in a homebirth situation, but where I live we don't hve that option. My plan was to do as little medical intervention in the hospital and it turned out beautifully.

Clare said...

Great news on the scan. But I hate it when Doctors do that. Just follow the path that feels right for you and don't let their prejudices sway you.

'Murgdan' said...

See. We're really kind of in the same boat...and while I was lucky to find a midwife I love who offers/supports natural birth in a hospital, I still have mixed feelings/doubts about leaving my big shot high risk ten thousand tests a week group...because sometimes I think "oh but I paid so much for this pregnancy I cannot risk anything happening"....but then I remember that up to now everything has been perfect and healthy and while YES, I required lots of intervention to GET pregnant, now I'm just a regular pregnant lady.

My assvice? Take this one step at a time. You can always change (like me), if you don't feel comfortable in the direction you're headed in.

People are really uncomfortable with the idea of natural birth for some reason....yesterday someone told me they didn't know I was so into 'alternative medicine'....UM WTF is so 'alternative' about giving birth with no epidural???Wah?

Ok. Enough for now. Feel free to email and vent about this anytime.... :)

quadmom said...

I am so glad everything looked great!! How exciting! As for childbirth, have you considered using both a midwife and a doula? The doula could help advocate for you at a hospital so you get the most natural experience you want and no one tries to force c-section or pain meds on you. I have heard great things from friends about doulas.

Congrats again!

Mrs.Spit said...

I am such a huge fan of midwives, and even with what turned into a high risk and awful pregnancy, was so thankful for my midwife. If you are interested, Birthing Beautiful Ideas has some great posts on avoiding a section, and points out that there is virtually no evidence based medicine indicating that overweight women actually require more sections than normally sized ones.

http://birthingbeautifulideas.com/

quadmom said...

Hey, you! Just saw on LFCA that yesterday was your birthday! Happy birthday one day late! Hope you had a great day!