Hello Mudduh Hello Fadduh: ILX Rolling Parenting Thread

I would also say that it helps to have a great support person. My husband was awesome both times, through some awfully dramatic moments (including the ambulance ride with Alex when I was in sudden hard labor). With Julia he was trying so hard to get me an epidural and I was having trouble communicating that there probably wasn't time. I did manage to get him to understand that I wanted him to push hard on the bottom of my spine, which he did so much that I had a bruise there for weeks afterward. (It felt great during labor!)

Archel, I hope Alice adjusts to her plate soon so that you can get some extra rest!

This is the thing I found most amazing. I had never experienced that complete primal body-taking-over-now-brain-shut-up sensation. The other shocker was the mama mountain lion scale raging fierce protectiveness that come over me every so often, when I thought my baby might be threatened.

Yeah, I remember my mum telling me that yes it's horrible and sore, but if it was *that* bad, no-one in the world would have younger siblings.

Still doesn't make me want to find out for myself, thank you very much.

That's it. I'm just going to sit in the van with a pack of smokes and a bucket of chicken, and wait until ss calls me on the cellphone to tell I can come back in now.

Although I was quite happy to give birth in hospital in the end, I had a terrible time during the four days we stayed in, full of miscommunication between different professionals and between them and me. And I'm not convinced that staying in really benefited Alice, as although she was small there was never anything actually wrong with her.

I have friends who have homebirthed and loved it, although in missouri you must have a doctor present by law, so you have to find someone willing to make a house call. I do think childbirth is overmedicalized but not to the point where I think you should give up on medical professionals! My opinion is also totally colored by a relative who had a homebirth go wrong, it's so hard to be objective about things when there's babies in the mix. A hospital near me has a nice setup, they will assign you a doula to be with you through the whole process, and you can do a water birth in hospital if you want. I didn't know about it before I picked my dr/hospital or else I might have tried that.

There was a birthing pool at my hospital (well, a giant bath tub really) but because I was induced I couldn't use it sadly.

Anyway... they have two birthing pools at my unit so hopefully I will be able to use one of them. Husband has already packed his Speedos so he can join in :)

by the way say hello to SUPER TONIO
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There was a 13-pounder born the same day as Sarah. Proud dad was telling passersby "yeah, my wife had him the normal way, no section, pretty awesome, huh?"

I've also always wondered if being born via C-Section had some sort of emotional/mental/personality impact on people. Surely there's something to be said for not having that primoridal experience of being squeezed out the birth canal?

It's a nice ideal to have a natural birth with no painkillers or other interventions, but personally I'll take the epidural (or at least the option), the painkiller for stitches, and the other comforts of modern existence (like D & Cs, done with anesthesia).

I guess I just find those radical midvives frustrating because they seem determined to ignore the experiences of a large number of women who not only want but desperately need medical intervention (like me).

I knew J. was going to come fast because Alex was quick for a first baby; I was actually a bit worried about giving birth in my car! I didn't think the car was going to recover from that kind of experience, so was glad that didn't happen.

In my small city, you could have a home birth, but you'd be hard pressed to find an RN to attend it. However, there are Certified Nurse Midwives who deliver in the hospital in a town that is close. You might be able to find a lay midwife, but I think my acquaintances who did have home births did it themselves (I knew them through La Leche League).

I've had problems with births, so if I were going to do it again, I'd stick with an OB/GYN. Others might feel most comfortable with a general practioner who delivers babies.

Northfield offers some of the options, but not all; if I wanted to give birth with a CN-M, I'd have to drive at least 20 miles to another town.

As for a home birth - I think it can be good, but if things start to go sour, it can be pretty horrible. Some friends of ours had a stillbirth because the midwife kept insisting that everything was fine.

we just went through four days of misery; both baby and mom had the flu. quite scary though he never got a high fever, but he was verging on dehydration most of the time, and the liquidy nasty poos he sprayed all over himself, the crib, and everything else on a nearly hourly basis had to be seen and smelled to be believed. holy god.

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A little drunk. Just had dinner with my boys and one most excellent girlfriend. Sent them home with all the leftovers( stuffed shells).

Oh, Nath, sorry to hear about your trip. Glad you got there safe.

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Check us out yo! In Nakameguro, my parents' flat.