Words of Encouragement for Labor

I found some more song lyrics that got me really excited about having them read to me while I am in labor. This song is about being astounded by the fact that I am one of God's creations and his Grace.  I printed the lyrics off, and we'll see if I find it soothing at all (or who knows? I may find it annoying, but worth a shot).

“Spirit Speaks” by Know Hope Collective

Your Spirit speaks
It moves in me
And I’m awakened to Your love
You’re drawing me
On to my knees
And I’m astounded by Your love

You spoke life into my lungs
You are the air I breathe
You are the air I breathe
Still You move inside of me
You are the song I sing
You are the song I sing Jesus
You cover me
With arms that reach
And I’m amazed by Your sweet grace
You set me free
And You washed me clean
And I’m forgiven by Your grace

With every breath I breathe
With every song I sing
I want to shout it out
Lord I am listening
To every word You speak
I’ll go where You will lead
To love the least of these
My greatest offering

Cloth Diaper Update

I said I would keep you all posted on how the cloth diapering is going, so here goes!

First, I want to talk about issues related to diaper rash:

1) I now have a stash of fleece liners that I use regularly as a wetness barrier with the econobum cloth diapers. Some of them are the Bummis brand and some are ones I made myself out of scrap fleece. I've discovered that it is best to wash these separately from the cloth diapers, since the job of the liners is not only to protect my son from rash caused by wetness, but also to protect the cloth diaper from any ointments or creams we use. (Rash creams make cloth diapers less absorbent over time. If I wash my liners with the diapers, I am essentially washing the cloth diapers with the rash cream!) I "stripped" the diapers of any rash cream with some good old Dawn, hot water and a stiff brush, so we're back to business as usual.

2) I had been having some problems with leaking that I wasn't before. This has partly been remedied by the stripping I mentioned above. At night, even the "night time Pull-ups" are not enough to hold it all, so I've ended up putting "night time" disposable diapers on him at bedtime.

3) The other thing I noticed is a higher incidence of diaper rash with the BumGenius diaper detergent than the FuzziBunz diaper detergent. I'm wondering if my son may be allergic to something in the BumGenius detergent...? These are the only types of detergent I've tried thus far. Another reason I prefer the FuzziBunz detergent is that the package says it is formulated to work with any water type (we have hard water, which can cause mineral buildup on the diapers over time).

So, between changing him often during the daytime (he's 2 and I change him 5 to 7 times), finding the right detergent, and using the fleece liners, I have noticed a significant decrease in diaper rash.

The other issue is cleaning up poop!

Bowel movements from babies who are exclusively breastfed should wash right out in the washing machine. It is ideal (for your washing cycle and the environment) to put bowel movements from solids-fed babies in the toilet. Samson has adult-like poops that plop right out of the diaper and into the toilet...most of the time. The problems arise when there are days that he has very soft stools! My best solution for this has been to keep a flushable paper liner in the diaper during the time of day I expect him to have a bowel movement (his are fairly predictable). Then, I am able to remove most--if not all--of the stools from the diaper by removing the flushable liner and flushing it. When all else fails, I use a grocery bag over my hand to remove as much of the solids as possible, then throw the grocery bag in the trash.

So that is where we are at now. I will be sure to post another update after the arrival of our newest addition. She's due to arrive any day now!

Hymns for Labor and Birth

I'm sort of in the process of compiling a few songs play during this next birth. Most people know that it is a good idea to try to relax as much as possible during labor, but a birth class instructor once told me that a better word than "relax" would be "surrender". I think I've found the perfect hymn for labor (the refrain, in particular). Hopefully someone will sing this to me... or at least pray the lyrics over me... or at the very least, play the darn track on the CD!

I Surrender All


1.      All to Jesus I surrender; 
        all to him I freely give; 
        I will ever love and trust him, 
        in his presence daily live. 
Refrain:
        I surrender all, I surrender all, 
        all to thee, my blessed Savior, 
        I surrender all. 

2.      All to Jesus I surrender; 
        humbly at his feet I bow, 
        worldly pleasures all forsaken; 
        take me, Jesus, take me now. 
        (Refrain) 

3.      All to Jesus I surrender; 
        make me, Savior, wholly thine; 
        fill me with thy love and power; 
        truly know that thou art mine. 
        (Refrain) 

4.      All to Jesus I surrender; 
        Lord, I give myself to thee; 
        fill me with thy love and power; 
        let thy blessing fall on me. 
        (Refrain) 

5.      All to Jesus I surrender; 
        now I feel the sacred flame. 
        O the joy of full salvation! 
        Glory, glory, to his name! 
        (Refrain) 

During the birth of my son, I had brought some world music to listen to. This turned out to be an awful idea, because the heavy percussion beats were nerve-wracking. This time, I've specifically chosen Jadon Lavik's version of this hymn, because it seemed to be the most relaxing one.

I welcome your comments. What songs did you listen to while in labor? Were you annoyed at the thought of listening to music?

Sample of my Birth Requests for the Hospital

Here it is so far...

This is what we'll be giving to the nurses and midwives. At this point it sounds like the request for vitamin K drops might be out, depending on the pediatrician/availability. I have made a few minor changes to this document since my son was born, and of course, this is always a living document and work-in-progress. Feel free to comment.

Birth Requests Thank you, Samaritan Hospital Team, for helping us make this a special experience!

During Labor and Delivery Please knock before entering the room

Jacuzzi Tub I prefer to labor in the water for as long as possible.

Vaginal Exams Please ask each time before examining me, I am easily startled!

Pitocin, Analgesics and Anesthetics Please DO NOT offer these. We will discuss the need for these with our doula and midwife. We would like a natural childbirth modified only by conditions that directly threaten the health or safety of the mother or child.

IV We would like to avoid the use of an IV, if possible, and prefer to hydrate with electrolyte drinks. If the IV becomes necessary, please allow alternation between glucose and saline.

Monitoring We would like to avoid as much monitoring as possible. Please allow intermittent monitoring so that I may maintain mobility and change positions often. Please allow us to turn the machines and lights down to create a less stressful environment. We may ask to use the Doppler in addition to the fetal monitoring system to gain a more accurate picture of the baby's heart rate.

Natural Progression We would like to allow our labor to progress naturally, without pressure to speed it up for any time constraints, unless there are circumstances that truly threaten the mother or child. I may decide to change positions often and hope the nurses and midwives will facilitate any birthing positions I feel I would like to try.

Episiotomy We would like to avoid an episiotomy with the help of perineal massage, warm compresses, and taking the time to push slowly during key moments.

In Case of Cesarean Epidural. Please suture the layers one at a time. Give Toradol post-op.

Immediately After Delivery We request that the baby's cord be clamped and clipped only after it has stopped pulsating, or at least 2 minutes after delivery. Please place the baby on my chest and allow 45 minutes for nursing and bonding before bathing the baby etc. The father would like to clip the cord.

Routine Tests We ask that our baby not receive Vitamin K shot or eye ointment, please. We would like to request Vitamin K drops as an alternative. Please delay routine testing procedures for 45 minutes, and check with us before they are done.

Circumcision In the event that our baby is a boy and choose to have a circumcision performed during our stay: we would like a non-Gomco clamp circumcision and a local anesthesia applied.

Vaccinations/Medications We would like to waive the erythromyacin ointment.

No Bottles or Pacifiers, please!

I tried to keep this pretty simple, only mentioning the things that were really important to us. The nice thing is that several of the items on here were also questions on the hospital's pre-admission paperwork. Of course we can't know exactly how things will happen. I've removed my midwives', husband's and doula's names for their privacy. It all fits nicely on one page :) I've also written a document with requests for my doula and husband during the labor...but I think I'll wait to post those.

Orgasmic Birth

Last night I watched "Orgasmic Birth: The Best-Kept Secret". This is the best natural childbirth video I have watched thus far, and I highly recommend it. You just have to watch it!

I kept finding myself saying,"That's so true! Preach it!"

My only complaint is that I feel the title is a bit of a misnomer. Certainly prepare yourself to see videos of orgasmic births, but it's not the primary focus of the film. The primary goal is to give the viewer a brief, well-rounded education on why to choose natural childbirth.

One of my favorite parts was the "By The Numbers" extra section on the DVD. I'd be curious to get any feedback from my friends in the medical profession, since you'll probably understand the statistics in a different way than most viewers will.

Pregnant in America

Just finished watching "Pregnant in America". This isn't so much a review of the film, as it is a record of interesting things I wrote down as I was watching.
I have two things to say first: #1) Yes, this film does sort of try to make you so afraid of the medical establishment that you'll want to give birth at home (but its not completely unwarranted). And #2) If this film doesn't make you cry a little, you must have a heart of stone!

At the beginning of the film, the documentarian is interviewing random people on the street about hospital birth. One woman says,"I don't know how have a baby on my own. If I did, I'd do it on my own." This made me so sad! I wanted to tell her, "No! Of course you know how to give birth on your own. You just don't know you that you do!"

I love it that they interview Ina May Gaskin in this film, because she is totally my hero and the mother of modern midwifery. If you read her, she will totally be your hero too. She shares the words for "midwife" in various languages. I love the French word: 'sage-femme' meaning 'wise woman.' That's exactly what a midwife really is.

Cesarean
The U.S. ranks 28th on the list of infant mortality rates in the world. What the heck? Why is that? How is the U.S. medical system different than other developed nations? The premise of this film is that our high infant mortality rate is due to our high rate of epidurals, high rate of "convenience cesareans", and high rate of "convenience inductions". Personally, I'd argue the root of this stuff is women not educating themselves about labor/delivery/risks/options and also corrupt doctors. (As a side note, I want to point out that we have no system of recording maternal morbidity rates and/or their relation to hospital interventions).
In the '70s the cesarean rate in the U.S. was something like 5 - 7%. In recent years its been something like 23 - 29%. In certain hospitals, its rumored to be as high 80%! The World Health Organization (WHO) warns us not to exceed a rate of 15%. Part of the reason the rate has gotten so high is because it is "more efficient". A C-section takes 20 minutes, whereas a doctor might have to wait as much as 30 hours for a woman to labor and deliver on her own. The people we're asking to care for laboring women aren't trained in attending normal births; they're trained to be surgeons. Sometimes they're just looking for a reason to perform surgery.

We like to think a woman wouldn't put her baby in danger for the sake of convenience (but Victoria Beckham scheduled her children's births around her husband's soccer schedule).

Induction
One expert in the film states that 50% of women who are induced end up with a C-section (though it doesn't state whether that number is for artificial induction or all types of inductions). From 1990 to 2000 the rate of women who were induced shot up from 10% to 20%. During the same 10-year period, the number of babies born Monday thru Friday shot way up. Hmm, you don't think doctors would tell women they need to be induced when they really don't...do you? (Watch the film and see for yourself!). Marsden Wagner from the WHO says,"Artificial induction of labor is one of the most serious and dangerous interventions you can make and should only be done if there's and important medical risk." When you look at the list of risks associated with induction, its just plain unethical that doctors are inducing women with drugs at the rate they are. A personal note on ethics: a friend of mine whose husband went to a well-respected medical school, told me they only spent about one afternoon teaching their future doctors about ethics in medicine. Groan. There is one section of the film in particular that discusses corrupt doctors, and it made me sick to my stomach.

The case for home birth
Animals choose the safest place give birth to their young. The basic need for all mammals to give birth is privacy--not to feel observed. Dogs, horses, cats...any mammal giving birth will go find a comfortable, safe place to hide. Human women are no different.

I saw in another film that primates who have a C-section will reject the baby and not care for it. When a woman gives birth she releases a complex cocktail of hormones--love hormones, but having a C-section interferes with the release of those hormones. I wonder if these unnecessary C-sections are robbing women of a special feeling of bonding with their baby?

The evil insurance companies
If you've ever watched the news in the last 5 years, I probably don't need to tell you that insurance companies and drug companies can be pretty evil. This film goes into that fact in some depth that I won't. One woman said,"We're victims of our insurance, so whatever [our insurance company] says we have to do is what we have to do."
I feel absolutely blessed that the insurance we have assigns us to a military obstetric office in which I am cared for through my pregnancy and delivery by wonderful midwives--unless there's an actual reason for me to see an OB/GYN!

All this to say: No, not all doctors are corrupt, and No, you're not doing it wrong if you choose to have your birth in a hospital with an epidural, but please be informed! Your doctor probably isn't going to list every single risk associated with every intervention they might do in the hospital, and you're certainly not going to be in a state to learn about it and respond rationally when you're in labor. So please--I beg of you--inform yourselves!

Cloth diaper update

We did cloth diapering for my son's first few months of life when we had access to a cloth diaper delivery service. Then we had some major life changes and quit cloth diaper for about 2 years. Now he's in the potty training stage, but we're expecting a new baby this fall.

About a month and a half ago, we made the investment of $100 to get two cases of econobum diapers. Since our utilities are included at a flat rate in our rent, washing the cloth diapers doesn't cost us anything extra. We just have to buy cloth diaper laundry detergent and flushable liners, which are costing us a tiny fraction of the cost of buying cases of disposable diapers. (These diapers fit babies from 8 lb up to 35 lb, and will hopefully hold up through the time our second child gets potty trained).

Here's my latest take on this whole cloth diapering thing: Yes, It is a LITTLE more difficult for me than disposables, but I'm not ready to give up on it. Today's cloth diapers are much easier to use than the old fashioned ones, and with the money we're saving, I might even buy some of the fancier types of cloth diapers that are EVEN easier to use.

I think folding these prefolded diapers is about the same amount of work for me as picking up a case of disposables at the store (because there's only 2 dozen cloth diapers and I moved the changing station to next to the dryer!). And washing them is only a little more work than toting bags of dirty disposables out to the garage. I think its good for his potty-training that he sees me flush the poopies "bye bye" down the toilet (I know...I'm taking the potty training thing really slow). And every time I'm frustrated with putting the cloth diapers on, I just remember how much MONEY we are saving and how much we're AREN'T putting into the landfill.

The only problem I'm seeing is that Samson's getting a little more diaper rash. It seems it always only appears overnight, on evenings when he's had a lot of liquid and I didn't get him out of his crib to get changed right away in the morning. The diaper rash doesn't appear during the day, because I change him often during the day. Some people say a piece of fleece between his skin and the diaper would help keep his skin dry, so I think we either need to buy fleece liners for night time, disposables for night time, or start limiting his liquids in the evening! (Or, yes, get this kid potty trained!)

I'm going to keep using disposables when we go on long trips, but I'm going to keep trying and I'll let you all know how it goes!

The Business of Being Born

Just finished watching "The Business of Being Born".

While I think they could've talked more about pathologies and the clinical perspective of things, I don't really think they exaggerate anything in the film--slightly if at all. You'd have to have a pretty good understanding of some things that can go wrong in birth in order to get the full picture. That in mind, I readily agree with the central message of the film that--for the most part--labor is a normal process and C-sections are major surgery. I'd love to see more women, OBs and hospitals embrace the movement to have more midwife care, fewer interventions/cesareans, and more informed moms. This is an outstanding documentary to watch if you're just beginning to inform yourself about childbirth. There are some great books like 'Ina May's Guide to Childbirth', 'The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth' or 'Hypnobirthing' that take a more in-depth look at the topic (if you're curious).

Personally, I feel absolutely blessed that the obstetric office the military is sending me to understands that midwife care is the very best thing for women who fall into the low-risk category. The midwives I've been seeing are very open to what I want for my ideal labor and delivery. I will let you know how it all goes down in September!

If you've watched the film, I welcome your comments.

Why is facing rearward so important?

Wow. I found this great answer to that question on carseat.org...

"Babies have heavy heads and fragile necks. The neck bones are soft, and the ligaments are stretchy. If the baby is facing forward in a frontal crash (the most common and most severe type of crash), the body is held back by the straps, but the head is not. The head is thrust forward, stretching the neck. Older children and adults wearing safety belts may end up with temporary neck injuries. But a baby's neck bones are soft and actually separate during a crash, and the spinal cord can tear. It's like yanking an electrical plug out of a socket by the cord and breaking the wires."

Personal Concerns about Becoming a Two-child Family

As we get closer to the big day that our family of 3 becomes a family of 4, I've been asking my friends who parent multi-child households how things are different the second or third time around. The response so far has basically been that, yes its hard, but everyone will adjust soon enough. The main concern on my mind is how will my 2 year old deal with my need to spend such a great amount of time nursing a newborn? How will we keep from getting really upset with each other? He's not an especially needy or obnoxious child by any means, but he's still a 2 year old. I like this response from an interview with Elyse Eberstein, MSW, LE by Heather Turgeon of Babble.com :

Talk out loud about needing to divide your attention. When you’re helping your older child use the bathroom, say to the newborn (who doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about, but it’s okay — this is for the benefit of the toddler), “I’m helping Emma right now, so I can’t nurse you until we come back from the bathroom.” That way, when you say it in reverse — telling your toddler she has to wait while you help the newborn, it feels like equal treatment.

My grandmother-in-law told me that she was very worried while expecting her second child, about how she would find the love in her heart for two children. She loved her first so much, how could she give that much love to another baby? She said, "It comes. The love comes." She eventually raised seven children and found her heart loving all of them.

Whether you're a parent of a full house, or just working on number 2, what kinds of concerns were on your mind during pregnancy? How did your older child(ren) react to a new baby in the house? How did the spacing of your children's ages affect those worries? How did you cope? I welcome your comments!