My estimated due date came and went. At 40 weeks, I knew my body was nowhere near ready to give birth. My first hint of labor happened at around 41 weeks. I woke up in the night to strong contractions about three minutes apart. I hadn't been expecting labor so soon, and I wasn't sure what to expect at that point, because these contractions had come on so fast, and my two previous labors had started out slow and mild. Turns out, they stopped after an hour.
The next morning I was disappointed to not be in labor, but I noticed right away that my belly felt significantly lower. I was curious to check my cervix to find out if my body was any closer to giving birth than it had been before. When I checked, I discovered that my cervix was much thinner than it had been the week before and open about a centimeter. I was encouraged by the progress. That day I cleaned my whole house because I thought "It could happen any day now." Of course, by the time I did go into labor, a week and a half later, it was messy again. Figures.
At 42 weeks plus two days, I got that feeling again that I might be going into labor. This time, I had some major menstrual-like cramps and nausea along with sensations directly around the cervix now and then. They never established a constant rhythm, so I didn't get too excited, but it lasted about six hours before it fizzled out. The next morning, my cervix was thinned out almost entirely and open about two centimeters. But the tell tale sign for me was the presence of blood-tinged "mucus plug", a very strange name for the protective goo that blocks the entrance to the womb during pregnancy. I was excited to see this, because I knew it wouldn't be long now.
But I still had to keep myself busy while I waited for things to get going, so I went to visit a friend, Nichole, who's due date was two weeks after mine. She was now past her due date as well, and she was getting very impatient to have her baby, so we decided to keep each other company. While our daughters played, we talked about labor, postpartum and breast feeding, and the general politics of birth within the medical and midwifery systems versus free birth. She didn't seem like she was about to go into labor, but then again, I guess neither did I. When I left she said "Hopefully I'll have a baby tonight!" I smiled and joked "The race is on!"
Nichole and I were planning to call the same doula, Andrea, and that evening I called her to touch base, "What are you doing this weekend?" She said she had nothing planned unless Nichole or I go into labor, and I told her I was pretty sure I would be in labor by tomorrow or the next day. That was Friday evening. Late that night, Andrea sent me a message saying Nichole was in labor and she was going over there. I had a chuckle over this. What are the odds that we would have our babies on the same weekend? I wished Nichole all the best, and tried to express to Andrea that I was confident I would be fine, even if she didn't make it to my birth. Maybe I was too excited to sleep that night, because before I knew it, it was 2 am. I felt a bit of remorse for staying up so late, knowing that I could very well wake up in labor. I didn't want to be exhausted when it came time to give birth, so I tried to get some sleep.
That didn't last long though, because two hours later I awoke to a contraction that just about rocked me out of bed! ... (To be continued)...
To read Eagle's birth story - Part 2, click here
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
42 Weeks is Not That Bad
It can be a little socially isolating. Most of the time, if people don't avoid me completely (like my mother has done for the past few weeks), the only thing they have to say is "No baby yet?" or some equally obvious question. My mother in law keeps asking us that, and if I thought she'd see the humor in it, I'd answer with "Oh yeah! We forgot to tell you! We DID have a baby!" Even my own husband, who is completely aware that the baby will come when it's good and ready, often greets me with questions like "Any contractions?" Sigh. I can't make myself have a baby today, no matter how much I may want to get this show on the road.
That being said, I haven't tried everything in my power to make it happen. There are some home remedies that are decidedly unpleasant. Castor oil, for example, beyond tasting disgusting, begins your labor by either causing you to puke or get the runs, neither of which are my idea of a good time. I have tried a few things, eating pineapple, a glass of wine, a long walk, sex. The bottom line is: it will happen when it happens.
Some people have tried to make me feel better, or appease their own nervous tension by insisting that I must be wrong with my dates. Everyone that knows me knows how much I hate to be wrong, but that's not the only reason this bothers me. Since my last daughter was born, I have used fertility awareness as a method of birth control successfully for four and a half years. This requires women to keep track of their cycles and know when they ovulate. For anyone who would like to do the math, my last period happened on Christmas day, and I ovulated on day 18 of that cycle. 40 weeks from Christmas gives a due date of October 1st, which I adjusted for the later ovulation.
A friend and midwife/TBA I know insists that we ought to be counting 40 weeks from our ovulation day, rather than our period, so I looked up the history behind how we measure due dates. It seems around 1850, a doctor determined that the average length of a human pregnancy is 266 days from conception or 180 days from the first day of the last period (assuming ovulation on day 14). But in modern times, the length of human pregnancy is being extended due to better prenatal care, nutrition and education on risk factors. It is suggested that, for Caucasians, we add 15 days for the first time mother and 10 days for subsequent pregnancies. So coming up with an actual "due date" can be a bit ambiguous. Besides that, 40 weeks is an average. Both midwifery and modern obstetrics recognize that a normal pregnancy is anywhere from 37 to 42 weeks for most women. Technically, a women is not considered overdue until after 42 weeks.
If all this is true, why does being post EDD make people so nervous? Why are we all so impatient, and quick to assume that something is wrong or more likely to go wrong? Unfortunately, the medical system has overblown the risks of going overdue, and minimized or completely ignored the risks of induction. As a pregnancy extends, the placenta can become less effective at doing its job. This happens gradually, and begins at about 42 weeks. This is a problem in about one percent of women over 42 weeks. But about 35% of women are being induced, or having labors augmented with pitocin. Even non-chemical forms of induction, such as the cervical stretch and sweep or artificial rupture of membranes, are not without risks. "An induced labor forces the baby out before the body is ready, before the complex hormone interaction has primed the cervix and often before the baby has reached his full intrauterine maturity." (Gail Hart, The Postdates and Postmaturity Handbook) With an induced labor, there is an increased risk of ineffective contractions, fetal distress, meconium aspiration, shoulder dystocia, vacuum or forceps extraction, and cesarean.
So with all this in mind, it is clear that routine induction at 41 weeks, as is common now in hospitals, is a pretty irresponsible practice. Obviously, the safest and healthiest thing for me and my baby is to wait for labor to progress naturally. In the meantime, my baby is kicking (often) and moving around like crazy. My belly has dropped, and I'm getting a lot of infrequent contractions and menstrual-like cramps. My cervix is mostly effaced and about a centimeter open. These signs of early labor have been going on for about a week now. I am not really bothered by the duration of this pregnancy so far. My last labor started 2 weeks and 2 days after my due date, so I am not really surprised either. For now, I feel just fine. I am a bit uncomfortable, and it's taking me longer to get around, but I can still do what I need to do. For the most part, I can't really complain. 42 weeks isn't that bad.
That being said, I haven't tried everything in my power to make it happen. There are some home remedies that are decidedly unpleasant. Castor oil, for example, beyond tasting disgusting, begins your labor by either causing you to puke or get the runs, neither of which are my idea of a good time. I have tried a few things, eating pineapple, a glass of wine, a long walk, sex. The bottom line is: it will happen when it happens.
Some people have tried to make me feel better, or appease their own nervous tension by insisting that I must be wrong with my dates. Everyone that knows me knows how much I hate to be wrong, but that's not the only reason this bothers me. Since my last daughter was born, I have used fertility awareness as a method of birth control successfully for four and a half years. This requires women to keep track of their cycles and know when they ovulate. For anyone who would like to do the math, my last period happened on Christmas day, and I ovulated on day 18 of that cycle. 40 weeks from Christmas gives a due date of October 1st, which I adjusted for the later ovulation.
A friend and midwife/TBA I know insists that we ought to be counting 40 weeks from our ovulation day, rather than our period, so I looked up the history behind how we measure due dates. It seems around 1850, a doctor determined that the average length of a human pregnancy is 266 days from conception or 180 days from the first day of the last period (assuming ovulation on day 14). But in modern times, the length of human pregnancy is being extended due to better prenatal care, nutrition and education on risk factors. It is suggested that, for Caucasians, we add 15 days for the first time mother and 10 days for subsequent pregnancies. So coming up with an actual "due date" can be a bit ambiguous. Besides that, 40 weeks is an average. Both midwifery and modern obstetrics recognize that a normal pregnancy is anywhere from 37 to 42 weeks for most women. Technically, a women is not considered overdue until after 42 weeks.
If all this is true, why does being post EDD make people so nervous? Why are we all so impatient, and quick to assume that something is wrong or more likely to go wrong? Unfortunately, the medical system has overblown the risks of going overdue, and minimized or completely ignored the risks of induction. As a pregnancy extends, the placenta can become less effective at doing its job. This happens gradually, and begins at about 42 weeks. This is a problem in about one percent of women over 42 weeks. But about 35% of women are being induced, or having labors augmented with pitocin. Even non-chemical forms of induction, such as the cervical stretch and sweep or artificial rupture of membranes, are not without risks. "An induced labor forces the baby out before the body is ready, before the complex hormone interaction has primed the cervix and often before the baby has reached his full intrauterine maturity." (Gail Hart, The Postdates and Postmaturity Handbook) With an induced labor, there is an increased risk of ineffective contractions, fetal distress, meconium aspiration, shoulder dystocia, vacuum or forceps extraction, and cesarean.
So with all this in mind, it is clear that routine induction at 41 weeks, as is common now in hospitals, is a pretty irresponsible practice. Obviously, the safest and healthiest thing for me and my baby is to wait for labor to progress naturally. In the meantime, my baby is kicking (often) and moving around like crazy. My belly has dropped, and I'm getting a lot of infrequent contractions and menstrual-like cramps. My cervix is mostly effaced and about a centimeter open. These signs of early labor have been going on for about a week now. I am not really bothered by the duration of this pregnancy so far. My last labor started 2 weeks and 2 days after my due date, so I am not really surprised either. For now, I feel just fine. I am a bit uncomfortable, and it's taking me longer to get around, but I can still do what I need to do. For the most part, I can't really complain. 42 weeks isn't that bad.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Powerful Mamas, Peaceful Births
I hit that 40 week mark earlier this week. Not that there is anything magical about that number, but I did celebrate my going outside and taking some pictures. The setting is not really a forest, but just a small grove of poplars, some of the only trees on our little acreage. And even though fall in Alberta is not as colorful as other places, I LOVE the fall leaves. So here I am kneeling on the ground in a very "ready to give birth" position. This is the position some unassisted birthers take, because they can reach down and catch their baby in their own hands. This picture makes me feel powerful, which I am.
Not that saying this is an ego thing, or that I feel I am any more powerful than anybody else, except that I believe in myself. Unfortunately, I think people often underestimate pregnant women (and women in general). We are capable of so much more than most people expect of us, and often than we expect of ourselves. During this pregnancy, I have rototilled a large garden space, shovelled truckloads of mulch, planted, weeded, and harvested. Not to mention packed and moved my family, patched drywall, learned to milk a goat, trimmed goat's hooves (which was no small task), built a milk stand, and put up a fence. One thing my parents told me over and over growing up: "You can do anything you set your mind to."
So as my body prepares to have this baby, I set my mind to give birth, and I believe that I can. I won't be alone, necessarily, but I will be in charge. I will have the final say in who participates in this birth and in what way, and in what happens to my baby in the moments following. Unassisted birth doesn't necessarily mean you give birth without help. I am helped by my supportive friends and family, my husband, and a knowledgeable woman I have invited to be present, whom I believe understands and agrees with my preferences. Unassisted birth, or more appropriately called freebirth involves a woman's right to choose where, how and with whom she gives birth. There is no government sanctioned "professional" in attendance or in charge at a freebirth, but rather the birthing mother is the expert on her own body and what she needs to birth her baby safely and effectively. She is free to follow her intuition and free from routine procedures, which can interfere with the course of labor.
This is not a new thing. It is a very traditional way of birthing. One hundred years ago, before the advent of medically managed birth on a large scale, it was the way most women birthed, and such has been the case throughout history in most cultures. Often, the birth was attended by a female relative or trusted woman in the community, but an understanding of the process was usually common among women, and not seen as something that required patriarchal interference.
It is a fallacy to believe that our medical system has made birth safer for women or babies. Even in our prosperous, developed nation, the morbidity and mortality rates of hospital births are extremely high, and the rate of surgery is ten times what is considered safe. Many women and babies are injured by invasive techniques and instruments, and surgical deliveries are dangerous and painful to recover from.
That being said, the process of natural birth is a delicate dance of hormones and responses within the mother's body and the baby. Allowing the body to cultivate these hormones is the only way to a safe, natural birth without complications. The birth hormones flow at their best when the mother is comfortable, relaxed and free from fear. The same is true for all mammals, and is a biological necessity. A mother gives birth when and where she feels it is safe to do so. If she does not feel safe, her body will hold back until she does.
With that in mind, I don't recommend unassisted birth to anyone. I don't recommend home birth with a midwife. I don't recommend hospital birth or birth centers. The only place a woman should give birth is the place in which she feels most safe and comfortable. She should recognize that there are options, and the choice is hers to make. She should chose carefully for her sake and her baby's. She should believe in her abilities. I have chosen the way of giving birth that I feel is best for me. As my body prepares to give birth, I prepare my mind as well. I remind myself that I am a strong and powerful person. My body is up for the task, and I can do anything I set my mind to.
Not that saying this is an ego thing, or that I feel I am any more powerful than anybody else, except that I believe in myself. Unfortunately, I think people often underestimate pregnant women (and women in general). We are capable of so much more than most people expect of us, and often than we expect of ourselves. During this pregnancy, I have rototilled a large garden space, shovelled truckloads of mulch, planted, weeded, and harvested. Not to mention packed and moved my family, patched drywall, learned to milk a goat, trimmed goat's hooves (which was no small task), built a milk stand, and put up a fence. One thing my parents told me over and over growing up: "You can do anything you set your mind to."
So as my body prepares to have this baby, I set my mind to give birth, and I believe that I can. I won't be alone, necessarily, but I will be in charge. I will have the final say in who participates in this birth and in what way, and in what happens to my baby in the moments following. Unassisted birth doesn't necessarily mean you give birth without help. I am helped by my supportive friends and family, my husband, and a knowledgeable woman I have invited to be present, whom I believe understands and agrees with my preferences. Unassisted birth, or more appropriately called freebirth involves a woman's right to choose where, how and with whom she gives birth. There is no government sanctioned "professional" in attendance or in charge at a freebirth, but rather the birthing mother is the expert on her own body and what she needs to birth her baby safely and effectively. She is free to follow her intuition and free from routine procedures, which can interfere with the course of labor.
This is not a new thing. It is a very traditional way of birthing. One hundred years ago, before the advent of medically managed birth on a large scale, it was the way most women birthed, and such has been the case throughout history in most cultures. Often, the birth was attended by a female relative or trusted woman in the community, but an understanding of the process was usually common among women, and not seen as something that required patriarchal interference.
It is a fallacy to believe that our medical system has made birth safer for women or babies. Even in our prosperous, developed nation, the morbidity and mortality rates of hospital births are extremely high, and the rate of surgery is ten times what is considered safe. Many women and babies are injured by invasive techniques and instruments, and surgical deliveries are dangerous and painful to recover from.
That being said, the process of natural birth is a delicate dance of hormones and responses within the mother's body and the baby. Allowing the body to cultivate these hormones is the only way to a safe, natural birth without complications. The birth hormones flow at their best when the mother is comfortable, relaxed and free from fear. The same is true for all mammals, and is a biological necessity. A mother gives birth when and where she feels it is safe to do so. If she does not feel safe, her body will hold back until she does.
With that in mind, I don't recommend unassisted birth to anyone. I don't recommend home birth with a midwife. I don't recommend hospital birth or birth centers. The only place a woman should give birth is the place in which she feels most safe and comfortable. She should recognize that there are options, and the choice is hers to make. She should chose carefully for her sake and her baby's. She should believe in her abilities. I have chosen the way of giving birth that I feel is best for me. As my body prepares to give birth, I prepare my mind as well. I remind myself that I am a strong and powerful person. My body is up for the task, and I can do anything I set my mind to.
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