Well, we "survived" our first week of being a family of four. This first week was not as dramatic as his entrance into the world, but I say "survive" because as any new parent will tell you, the first week after delivery can be quite an adventure. We (including the dog) are all adjusting to the new baby.
The baby is doing well. He was 7 pounds 1.6 ounces at birth and reached his lowest weight the following day at 6 pounds 9.6 ounces. At his follow-up appointment on Wednesday, he was back up to 6 pounds 12.7 ounces. He is nursing every 2 hours round the clock. It is tiring but worth it seeing him grow. This is quite the contrast to his older brother that had latch problems. I am liberally using the lanolin but the pain and sores that accompanied nursing the first time did not happen this time around. I just weaned my older baby in March and I think that I never stopped lactating. My milk came in right away and the baby has been eating like a champ.
The baby also did not get any jaundice which may have been a possible concern since I did delay the clamping of the umbilical cord. Part of it may also be due to my milk coming in so quickly. It is nice knowing that my decision to delay the clamping did not result in any negative effects for the baby. He had his first non-meconium bowel movement at the doctor's office on Wednesday and his umbilical stump fell off on Saturday.
Recovery for myself has been a little easier this time around. I didn't have to push for 2.5 hours like the last time so I haven't had any swelling. I only took 600mg of ibuprofen for pain relief and that was 14 hours after delivery! I also managed to escape the entire hospital stay without an IV. The biggest thing for myself has been trying to get enough rest and making sure I eat and drink enough. Since I'm up every 2 hours to nurse, I have become somewhat of a night owl. I try to sleep when baby sleeps which means I am sleeping a lot during the day. I am also hungry all the time. I made my first batch of lactation cookies yesterday and after the gestational diabetes, being able to eat cookies again is a welcome treat. My blood sugar and blood pressure have both returned to normal after I had the baby.
I have also been religiously binding my belly hoping I can fit into my non-maternity clothes sooner rather than later. I did it the first time around and thought it yielded good results. I started "binding" myself at the hospital. I requested a support band that they typically give to mothers who have had a c-section. I did not have a c-section so I was happy they gave me one after I asked for it. I am also using the "belly bandit" that I bought with my first baby.
My older son is slowly coming around to the new baby. At the hospital, he didn't want anything to do with me or the baby. He even lost the toy that his new baby brother bought for him. Thanks to my in-laws who replaced the toy, a crisis was averted. In the last few days, he's become very helpful around the baby. He's tried to tell the baby "it's OK" when he's crying in the car and even tonight tried to help give him a bath. He's also tried to read him a book and show him pictures of family members. He's a sweet kid and I hope this is a sign that he will be a good big brother.
The dog at first was really anxious about the new baby. We have the baby's crib in our room since we think it would be cruel to have him share a room with his older brother at this age. The dog has been sleeping in our room. The first time she heard the baby crying in the crib, she freaked out and wouldn't stop barking. We thought we might have to figure out alternate sleeping arrangements for the dog. Luckily, she has also adjusted to this new addition and no longer barks or whines when she hears crying.
My husband has been wonderful. He's doing the laundry and cleaning around the house. He is off for another a week so the real test will be when he goes back to work. In the meantime, he's been getting the toddler ready in the morning (making breakfast, changing his clothes, etc) and letting me sleep in which is nice since I'm up most of the night feeding or changing the baby.
We're slowly getting into a routine with our family. Thank you to all who have passed on their well wishes. I am very thankful to have a beautiful family and great friends.
Showing posts with label Childbirth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Childbirth. Show all posts
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Circle of Life
After recently having my second child, I find myself thinking about the "circle of life." As the old saying goes, "nothing is certain in life except death and taxes."
My oldest child was born exactly 100 years to the day after his great grandfather (my grandfather). I remember thinking the day before that this coincidence was not going to happen. However, at 3AM, at 39 weeks and 1 day, my water bag spontaneously ruptured. I waited in the hospital for several hours with no contractions until they started a pitocin drip (to get contractions going) and eventually an epidural. As the day progressed, I kept thinking that this baby better come before the end of the day. After two and a half hours of pushing, my little guy entered the world a little before 10PM on what would have been his great-grandfather's 100th birthday.
My second baby was born the day after his great grandfather (my husband's grandfather) unexpectedly passed away. We got a phone call late in the evening on Thursday night saying that his grandfather was rushed to the hospital. My husband reluctantly left me (heavily pregnant and contracting off and on) at home with our older child to see his grandfather before he passed away. He was at his bedside along with other family members when he passed away early on Friday morning. It was sad especially since he had appeared healthy and still had his sharp mind. One of the last times that we saw him was at my older child's birthday a couple of months before. I am fortunate to have taken many pictures that day of my toddler and his great-grandfather happily smiling for the camera.
Despite the sadness of losing a family member, there was still the excitement at the impending birth of the newest family member. I had been contracting off and on for more than a week before the baby was born. I did not have any consistent or overly painful contractions but they would be noticeable. I had also been doing my non-stress tests twice a week which showed contractions but nothing major or consistent. I was definitely uncomfortable and ready to "get the show on the road." If I did not deliver naturally, I had a scheduled induction at 40 weeks, 1 day.
I lost my mucous plug at around 10:22 on Saturday morning. I was 39 weeks and 4 days along. I went about my day as usual. I did notice more frequent urination as the day progressed but no consistent or overly painful contractions. I made spaghetti for dinner and settled down for an evening of watching the olympics. I watched the Michael Phelps vs. Ryan Lochte 400m IM race at the olympics. After the race, I went to the bathroom. I sat down on my bed (which my husband wisely made me cover with a chux pad) and watched Michael Phelps' interview about his reaction to missing a medal with a fourth place finish. As soon as that interview finished, I felt pressure and then a trickle of fluid ran down my left leg. It was 9:45PM and I knew that my water had broken. I rushed to the bathroom and sat on the toilet. My husband asked me if he should call my parents. I told him to call his parents because they had to drive 44 miles (which takes 45 minutes to an hour) to get to our house to get our older son. I called labor and delivery at 9:48PM and was placed on hold for 8 minutes! They were apparently busy and told me that it would be a while before a nurse could talk to me. I had no contractions at that point and since it took 18 hours from when my water broke to when my first baby was born, we all thought we had plenty of time to get to the hospital. They wanted to make sure it was amniotic fluid and not urine. Since I had just urinated right before my water broke and the fluid resembled coconut water (the closest thing I could think of), I was pretty sure it was amniotic fluid. I got off the phone with L&D at 9:59PM.
My husband brought me a bowl of spaghetti and water despite having had a small bowl of homemade strawberry ice cream (which I made the day before) about 30 minutes before. I shouldn't have had ice cream with my gestational diabetes but this late in pregnancy, I figured, why not? With my first child, they also told me to eat something before coming in since they would not let me eat once I got there. I was famished during labor with my first that I wanted something substantial in my stomach. I know its gross to eat while seated on the toilet but I sat on the toilet for a few minutes so as not to get amniotic fluid all over the house. I then realized that I should be ready when his parents got to our house. While I was getting ready, my husband loaded our bags into the car. That was when the contractions started. The contractions started around 10:15PM. I had my husband start timing them since my phone was getting one last recharge. They were initially 10 minutes apart. By the time we left for the hospital at 10:44PM after my in-laws arrived, they were five minutes apart. I sat in the car with no seatbelt (my pain was intensifying) and I told my husband to not get into an accident since I could not buckle my seatbelt.
My husband dropped me off at the emergency room entrance at 10:50PM (luckily we live very close to the hospital) while he went to park the car. When I arrived at the security counter, I was having painful contractions and had difficulty walking. They let me sit in a wheelchair and wheeled me right to the check-in counter. They checked me in at 10:52PM. My contractions were painful so they immediately took me to labor and delivery triage. I arrived at labor and delivery triage at 10:55PM. They made me stand while they checked me in. At that point my pain was getting worse so they directed me to a bed to sit in. My husband arrived at that moment. Of course, he forgot the bags in the car but at that point, the pain was so bad, he could not leave me. He had to help me change into a gown and help me get a urine sample. They hooked me up to the monitors and my contractions were right on top of each other. They asked me what number baby this was for me and I told them that it was my second child. They immediately called for a doctor. The nurse told me that two other mothers had come in earlier that night who had delivered their second child very "precipitously." As we were waiting for the doctor, the nurse tried to test the fluid to make sure it was amniotic fluid. When the doctor arrived, she told me that I was already 8cm!!!!!! I was shocked! I was only 2 cm at my doctor's appointment only 5 days before and I did not have contractions until about a few minutes before. I begged for an epidural and she said that I may not be able to make it in time for one. They asked me if I felt the urge to push and at that moment, I did not. The nurse told me that some people get stuck at 8cm and are able to get an epidural. I would just need to be able to sit very still. If the pain prohibited me from sitting still, I would not be able to get one. The nurse and doctor exchanged a few words and at that moment, they decided to rush me into a delivery room. All of the rooms were occupied so I got stuck in a tiny "back-up" room that I remember seeing during our hospital tour with our first child. It was something like out of a television drama. They were literally running down the hall with me on a bed and all of these people scrambling to the room.
Once in the delivery room, they started yelling for a warmer for the baby and had me try to move to another bed. I was in so much pain at that point I had difficulty moving to another bed. After crawling to the bed, I began to try to process what was going on. We had just gotten to the hospital and they were preparing me to deliver a baby! I wanted my epidural or at least something for the pain!! They told me that I had no time to wait for an epidural or an IV for pain medication. The doctor told me that I would be able to say that I had a "natural birth." I DID NOT want a natural birth but at that point, I guess I had no choice. I was not mentally prepared to do it without medication and it was quite intimidating to me.
The pain at that point was intense. I remember hugging the railing on the left side of the bed and saying that I was "going to puke." The thought of that bowl of spaghetti was beginning to haunt me. They scrambled to get me an emesis basin. My husband held it in front of me. At that moment, the doctor asked me if I had the urge to push. I DID and they immediately told me to get on my back and scoot my bottom toward her at the edge of the bed and put my legs in the stirrups. This of course was impossible since the pain was intense. My husband then grabbed one leg and the nurse grabbed another and they told me to start pushing. I gave one push. I looked at the time and it was around 11:20PM. I started getting a tingling sensation in my extremities. Everyone told me that was because I was hyperventilating and screaming. Things were so crazy that the nurse had to even hold the fetal monitor against my body because it would not stay in place with my writhing in agony. It's crazy what the most intense pain that you've ever felt would do to you. I seriously thought about yelling at them to just cut this kid out of me since that surely would be less painful then the waves of contractions that were happening. I also thought that I was going to pass out from the pain. Yes, it was that bad! They told me that I need to redirect my energy away from hyperventilating and screaming to pushing. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. I remember that from my first birth and decided to "take the bull by the horns" and use my energy to push. I asked my husband if he could see the baby crowning. I pushed for 2.5 hours with my first child and I wasn't about to start pushing for that long with that kind of pain (this is why I looked at the time when I started pushing). My husband told me that the baby was coming out. I pushed once more, then another three pushes in a row and then felt them pulling the baby out. Since I had an epidural the first time, I did not get to experience that sensation. It is amazing but once the baby was pulled out, the pain stopped! Our little baby boy was born at 11:27PM. 1 hour and 42 minutes after my water broke and 35 minutes after we arrived at the emergency room.
They immediately placed the baby on my chest and delayed the clamping of the cord as I had requested. My husband and I had discussed previously who would get the honor of cutting the cord. I was going to cut our first child's cord but since he was born with thick meconium, I couldn't. Since I missed that opportunity, he let me cut the cord this time. It was an amazing feeling after the gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension and precipitous pain-medication free delivery to finally be able to hold my baby in my arms.
My oldest child was born exactly 100 years to the day after his great grandfather (my grandfather). I remember thinking the day before that this coincidence was not going to happen. However, at 3AM, at 39 weeks and 1 day, my water bag spontaneously ruptured. I waited in the hospital for several hours with no contractions until they started a pitocin drip (to get contractions going) and eventually an epidural. As the day progressed, I kept thinking that this baby better come before the end of the day. After two and a half hours of pushing, my little guy entered the world a little before 10PM on what would have been his great-grandfather's 100th birthday.
My second baby was born the day after his great grandfather (my husband's grandfather) unexpectedly passed away. We got a phone call late in the evening on Thursday night saying that his grandfather was rushed to the hospital. My husband reluctantly left me (heavily pregnant and contracting off and on) at home with our older child to see his grandfather before he passed away. He was at his bedside along with other family members when he passed away early on Friday morning. It was sad especially since he had appeared healthy and still had his sharp mind. One of the last times that we saw him was at my older child's birthday a couple of months before. I am fortunate to have taken many pictures that day of my toddler and his great-grandfather happily smiling for the camera.
Despite the sadness of losing a family member, there was still the excitement at the impending birth of the newest family member. I had been contracting off and on for more than a week before the baby was born. I did not have any consistent or overly painful contractions but they would be noticeable. I had also been doing my non-stress tests twice a week which showed contractions but nothing major or consistent. I was definitely uncomfortable and ready to "get the show on the road." If I did not deliver naturally, I had a scheduled induction at 40 weeks, 1 day.
I lost my mucous plug at around 10:22 on Saturday morning. I was 39 weeks and 4 days along. I went about my day as usual. I did notice more frequent urination as the day progressed but no consistent or overly painful contractions. I made spaghetti for dinner and settled down for an evening of watching the olympics. I watched the Michael Phelps vs. Ryan Lochte 400m IM race at the olympics. After the race, I went to the bathroom. I sat down on my bed (which my husband wisely made me cover with a chux pad) and watched Michael Phelps' interview about his reaction to missing a medal with a fourth place finish. As soon as that interview finished, I felt pressure and then a trickle of fluid ran down my left leg. It was 9:45PM and I knew that my water had broken. I rushed to the bathroom and sat on the toilet. My husband asked me if he should call my parents. I told him to call his parents because they had to drive 44 miles (which takes 45 minutes to an hour) to get to our house to get our older son. I called labor and delivery at 9:48PM and was placed on hold for 8 minutes! They were apparently busy and told me that it would be a while before a nurse could talk to me. I had no contractions at that point and since it took 18 hours from when my water broke to when my first baby was born, we all thought we had plenty of time to get to the hospital. They wanted to make sure it was amniotic fluid and not urine. Since I had just urinated right before my water broke and the fluid resembled coconut water (the closest thing I could think of), I was pretty sure it was amniotic fluid. I got off the phone with L&D at 9:59PM.
My husband brought me a bowl of spaghetti and water despite having had a small bowl of homemade strawberry ice cream (which I made the day before) about 30 minutes before. I shouldn't have had ice cream with my gestational diabetes but this late in pregnancy, I figured, why not? With my first child, they also told me to eat something before coming in since they would not let me eat once I got there. I was famished during labor with my first that I wanted something substantial in my stomach. I know its gross to eat while seated on the toilet but I sat on the toilet for a few minutes so as not to get amniotic fluid all over the house. I then realized that I should be ready when his parents got to our house. While I was getting ready, my husband loaded our bags into the car. That was when the contractions started. The contractions started around 10:15PM. I had my husband start timing them since my phone was getting one last recharge. They were initially 10 minutes apart. By the time we left for the hospital at 10:44PM after my in-laws arrived, they were five minutes apart. I sat in the car with no seatbelt (my pain was intensifying) and I told my husband to not get into an accident since I could not buckle my seatbelt.
My husband dropped me off at the emergency room entrance at 10:50PM (luckily we live very close to the hospital) while he went to park the car. When I arrived at the security counter, I was having painful contractions and had difficulty walking. They let me sit in a wheelchair and wheeled me right to the check-in counter. They checked me in at 10:52PM. My contractions were painful so they immediately took me to labor and delivery triage. I arrived at labor and delivery triage at 10:55PM. They made me stand while they checked me in. At that point my pain was getting worse so they directed me to a bed to sit in. My husband arrived at that moment. Of course, he forgot the bags in the car but at that point, the pain was so bad, he could not leave me. He had to help me change into a gown and help me get a urine sample. They hooked me up to the monitors and my contractions were right on top of each other. They asked me what number baby this was for me and I told them that it was my second child. They immediately called for a doctor. The nurse told me that two other mothers had come in earlier that night who had delivered their second child very "precipitously." As we were waiting for the doctor, the nurse tried to test the fluid to make sure it was amniotic fluid. When the doctor arrived, she told me that I was already 8cm!!!!!! I was shocked! I was only 2 cm at my doctor's appointment only 5 days before and I did not have contractions until about a few minutes before. I begged for an epidural and she said that I may not be able to make it in time for one. They asked me if I felt the urge to push and at that moment, I did not. The nurse told me that some people get stuck at 8cm and are able to get an epidural. I would just need to be able to sit very still. If the pain prohibited me from sitting still, I would not be able to get one. The nurse and doctor exchanged a few words and at that moment, they decided to rush me into a delivery room. All of the rooms were occupied so I got stuck in a tiny "back-up" room that I remember seeing during our hospital tour with our first child. It was something like out of a television drama. They were literally running down the hall with me on a bed and all of these people scrambling to the room.
Once in the delivery room, they started yelling for a warmer for the baby and had me try to move to another bed. I was in so much pain at that point I had difficulty moving to another bed. After crawling to the bed, I began to try to process what was going on. We had just gotten to the hospital and they were preparing me to deliver a baby! I wanted my epidural or at least something for the pain!! They told me that I had no time to wait for an epidural or an IV for pain medication. The doctor told me that I would be able to say that I had a "natural birth." I DID NOT want a natural birth but at that point, I guess I had no choice. I was not mentally prepared to do it without medication and it was quite intimidating to me.
The pain at that point was intense. I remember hugging the railing on the left side of the bed and saying that I was "going to puke." The thought of that bowl of spaghetti was beginning to haunt me. They scrambled to get me an emesis basin. My husband held it in front of me. At that moment, the doctor asked me if I had the urge to push. I DID and they immediately told me to get on my back and scoot my bottom toward her at the edge of the bed and put my legs in the stirrups. This of course was impossible since the pain was intense. My husband then grabbed one leg and the nurse grabbed another and they told me to start pushing. I gave one push. I looked at the time and it was around 11:20PM. I started getting a tingling sensation in my extremities. Everyone told me that was because I was hyperventilating and screaming. Things were so crazy that the nurse had to even hold the fetal monitor against my body because it would not stay in place with my writhing in agony. It's crazy what the most intense pain that you've ever felt would do to you. I seriously thought about yelling at them to just cut this kid out of me since that surely would be less painful then the waves of contractions that were happening. I also thought that I was going to pass out from the pain. Yes, it was that bad! They told me that I need to redirect my energy away from hyperventilating and screaming to pushing. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. I remember that from my first birth and decided to "take the bull by the horns" and use my energy to push. I asked my husband if he could see the baby crowning. I pushed for 2.5 hours with my first child and I wasn't about to start pushing for that long with that kind of pain (this is why I looked at the time when I started pushing). My husband told me that the baby was coming out. I pushed once more, then another three pushes in a row and then felt them pulling the baby out. Since I had an epidural the first time, I did not get to experience that sensation. It is amazing but once the baby was pulled out, the pain stopped! Our little baby boy was born at 11:27PM. 1 hour and 42 minutes after my water broke and 35 minutes after we arrived at the emergency room.
They immediately placed the baby on my chest and delayed the clamping of the cord as I had requested. My husband and I had discussed previously who would get the honor of cutting the cord. I was going to cut our first child's cord but since he was born with thick meconium, I couldn't. Since I missed that opportunity, he let me cut the cord this time. It was an amazing feeling after the gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension and precipitous pain-medication free delivery to finally be able to hold my baby in my arms.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Ways to Induce Labor Naturally????
Here I am, 39 weeks and almost 4 days pregnant. I have gone further with this pregnancy than I have had with my previous pregnancy (my water broke at 39 weeks and 1 day). While there are things that I will miss about being pregnant, I am excited to meet the baby. I'm curious if the baby will look like me or dad, if there will be a lot of hair, if this will be a big baby, etc. Many things to look forward to. I feel like I am in a "holding pattern" since labor can literally happen at any moment. Planning things in the short-term is very difficult since we have no idea when the little one will make their grand entrance. While I am not "desperate," I have been seeing things on the Internet regarding "natural" ways to induce labor. I had to get pitocin the last time to induce labor because my water broke and I had no contractions. I am hoping to go into labor naturally this time so I may just start exploring some of these "natural" ways to induce labor.
Finally, for some comic relief, someone posted this video on one of the message boards that I frequent. It pretty much sums up the things that have been said to me and how I am feeling about those things. If only I had a crystal ball then I can tell you when "the baby is coming..."
- Walking
- Gravity and hip swaying may help the baby to naturally drop down into the pelvic area.
- The pressure of the baby dropping can help labor progress by priming the cervix.
- Sex
- Sperm contains prostaglandins which help to ripen the cervix by thinning and dilating it.
- Oxytocin is released during sex which may help to trigger contractions.
- Evening Primrose Oil (EPO)
- This should probably only be done under a doctor's supervision.
- This is an herb which can help to thin and dilate the cervix.
- The capsules can be taken orally, the oil may be rubbed directly on the cervix or the capsules can be inserted vaginally.
- Castor Oil
- Another thing that should be taken only under a doctor's supervision.
- It is a vegetable oil that is typically used as a laxative.
- It causes intestinal spasms by stimulating the bowels. Bowel stimulation can then irritate the uterus to cause it to contract.
- Works only if you're already showing signs of labor. Taking it without the signs of labor may just give you a bad case of diarrhea.
- Spicy Food
- Another intestinal irritant which may cause your uterus to contract.
- May cause or worsen heartburn.
- Acupuncture
- Inserting needles into specific pressure points may stimulate uterine activity.
- Acupressure
- Applying pressure to specific points on the body may stimulate uterine activity.
- Applying pressure to the webbing between the thumb and index finger
- Applying pressure to the inside of your leg about four finger-widths above the ankle bone.
- Nipple Stimulation
- Massaging and twisting for a few hours a day may release oxytocin which can bring on contractions.
- Should be done under a practitioner's care.
- May cause long, painful contractions that can lower the heart rate of the baby.
- Massage
- Massage can raise oxytocin levels which may bring on contractions.
- Meditation can also help to relax you and raise oxytocin levels. This is why the majority of labor happen late at night when relaxed in bed.
- Pineapples
- Contains the enzyme bromelain which may help soften the cervix.
- It can also aid in digestion by stimulating the bowels which can stimulate contractions.
- Teas
- Should only be done under the care of a practitioner.
- Teas containing black and blue cohosh, raspberry leaf, cumin, or evening primrose oil may help to stimulate labor.
- Visualization
- Visualizing your cervix opening may actually cause your cervix to open.
Has anyone tried any of the "natural" methods mentioned above? If so, what was the result?
Monday, July 2, 2012
Fear of Childbirth Can Make Labor Longer
I came across an interesting story which was written in response to a study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The study looked at the "fear of childbirth and duration of labor." The study found that "duration of labour was longer in women with fear of childbirth than in women without fear of childbirth." They found that labor was roughly 1 hour and 32 minutes longer in women who feared childbirth. "After adjustment for parity, counselling for pregnancy concern, epidural analgesia, labour induction, labour augmentation, emergency caesarean delivery, instrumental vaginal delivery, offspring birthweight and maternal age," they found that labor lasted 47 minutes longer.
I found this study intriguing. While I find the entire birth process fascinating, I did notice that my delivery slowed down when the pain made me too tense. I had to get induced because my water broke but I had no contractions. Contractions brought on by induction can be quite painful and pretty regular. I would tense up when the contractions started which made me stop progressing. Once I got the epidural, I was able to relax enough to even fall asleep. Once I awoke from my nap, I had progressed enough that I could start pushing! What my body was fighting for hours finally happened once I relaxed from the epidural. I will have to remember this when I am going into labor this time around.
Until then, to ease anyone's fear of labor, I found these tips online to be quite useful:
I found this study intriguing. While I find the entire birth process fascinating, I did notice that my delivery slowed down when the pain made me too tense. I had to get induced because my water broke but I had no contractions. Contractions brought on by induction can be quite painful and pretty regular. I would tense up when the contractions started which made me stop progressing. Once I got the epidural, I was able to relax enough to even fall asleep. Once I awoke from my nap, I had progressed enough that I could start pushing! What my body was fighting for hours finally happened once I relaxed from the epidural. I will have to remember this when I am going into labor this time around.
Until then, to ease anyone's fear of labor, I found these tips online to be quite useful:
- Step away from horror stories and birth videos.
- Get advice from other moms
- Know what to expect
- Let your birth partner know what to do
- Keep these things in mind
- There is always the option of pain relief
- Childbirth is safer than ever for both mothers and babies
- As labor progresses and gets tougher, you're that much closer to meeting your baby.
I found tips #2 and #3 to be especially helpful. I got a lot of my questions answered and fears conquered by reading pregnancy message boards and forums. It was nice to be able to ask questions and read answers for questions I had never thought of on these forums. It is also helpful when forums are categorized by due date so you can read about and share experiences with people going through the same things you are. I have never been afraid to ask questions and I found that when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, there are never too many questions. Good luck to all those moms who are ready to deliver.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Making Post-Partum Recovery Bearable
Just before having my first child, I stumbled across an interesting blog post about "your post partum life." Until reading this, I never really thought much about what was going to happen to my body AFTER I had the baby. In all honesty, I'm glad I read this post. I recently found the link to the post and decided to re-read it after having my first baby but before having my second. I still found the information to be helpful and a good "reminder" of what I need to do this time around.
The big take home message for me from this post was the peri bottle. I had not even heard of this before reading about it. What is a peri bottle? "Peri" is the shortened name for "perineal" or "perineum." The "perineum" is generally considered to be the area of the body which includes the genitals and anus. It is a bottle with tiny holes on the top. You can fill it with warm tap water and it can then be "sprayed" out of the bottle. It is designed to help "irrigate" the areas that just went through the traumatic birthing experience. It's a great way to cleanse yourself after going to the bathroom without having to use any toilet paper. I would have never thought that good old toilet paper would be such a painful thing to use. I used bidets in Japan and this reminded me of a "manual" bidet. I was so happy to use this, I made sure to stockpile two bottles from the hospital before being discharged.
Another bit of advice I found helpful was using pads soaked with Witch Hazel (a.k.a. Tucks Pads). Witch Hazel is an astringent which helps with irritation and burning in the anorectal area. Dabbing the cooling pads on the sensitive areas of my bottom was such a nice feeling. I also made sure to stock up on this before leaving the hospital.
Benzocaine spray (a.k.a. Dermoplast Spray) is another nice thing to have on hand. Benzocaine is an anesthetic. It basically acts like a topical anesthetic (pain reliever). It can be sprayed onto the "sensitive" areas. This was another thing that I made sure to get a lot of before being discharge.
Perineal cold pads were an absolute wonderful thing to have immediately after delivery. They are absorbent and provide a nice cooling feeling. I just wore this with a chux pad and those lovely hospital mesh panties (upon the suggestion of my nurse) and I was set. Things as you can imagine get a little "messy" post-partum so not having to worry about ruining my own underwear was a good thing.
Since I am going to have baby #2 in a few weeks, I started searching online for any other tips to make things more comfortable. I found this post with a few more interesting bits of information. This post, from the Mayo Clinic, recommends chilling the Witch Hazel pads which I think is a brilliant idea. They also mention sitting on a pillow or padded ring. I had forgotten how tender my bottom was. We have wooden chairs at home and I could not sit on them for a few weeks.
Am I missing anything else? I'm open to any suggestions to make the post-partum recovery easier.
The big take home message for me from this post was the peri bottle. I had not even heard of this before reading about it. What is a peri bottle? "Peri" is the shortened name for "perineal" or "perineum." The "perineum" is generally considered to be the area of the body which includes the genitals and anus. It is a bottle with tiny holes on the top. You can fill it with warm tap water and it can then be "sprayed" out of the bottle. It is designed to help "irrigate" the areas that just went through the traumatic birthing experience. It's a great way to cleanse yourself after going to the bathroom without having to use any toilet paper. I would have never thought that good old toilet paper would be such a painful thing to use. I used bidets in Japan and this reminded me of a "manual" bidet. I was so happy to use this, I made sure to stockpile two bottles from the hospital before being discharged.
Another bit of advice I found helpful was using pads soaked with Witch Hazel (a.k.a. Tucks Pads). Witch Hazel is an astringent which helps with irritation and burning in the anorectal area. Dabbing the cooling pads on the sensitive areas of my bottom was such a nice feeling. I also made sure to stock up on this before leaving the hospital.
Benzocaine spray (a.k.a. Dermoplast Spray) is another nice thing to have on hand. Benzocaine is an anesthetic. It basically acts like a topical anesthetic (pain reliever). It can be sprayed onto the "sensitive" areas. This was another thing that I made sure to get a lot of before being discharge.
Perineal cold pads were an absolute wonderful thing to have immediately after delivery. They are absorbent and provide a nice cooling feeling. I just wore this with a chux pad and those lovely hospital mesh panties (upon the suggestion of my nurse) and I was set. Things as you can imagine get a little "messy" post-partum so not having to worry about ruining my own underwear was a good thing.
Since I am going to have baby #2 in a few weeks, I started searching online for any other tips to make things more comfortable. I found this post with a few more interesting bits of information. This post, from the Mayo Clinic, recommends chilling the Witch Hazel pads which I think is a brilliant idea. They also mention sitting on a pillow or padded ring. I had forgotten how tender my bottom was. We have wooden chairs at home and I could not sit on them for a few weeks.
Am I missing anything else? I'm open to any suggestions to make the post-partum recovery easier.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
How Common is Your Birthday?
I stumbled upon this cool interactive chart while reading another blog. I never thought to find out statistically speaking, how common my birthdate really is. It is fun to see many friends on facebook with similar birthdays. However, this chart makes a visual comparison over the entire year to babies born in the United States between 1973 and 1999. The chart was based on an article published on nytimes.com. It is interesting to note that the most common birthday is September 16th (actually September is the most popular month). Kind of makes you wonder what people are doing during the cold holiday season... I guess things are really "merry and bright" that time of year. January 1, December 25 and February 29th were the least popular birthdays. I guess that if I had to "choose" a birthday with an induction or planned c-section, I would avoid those days as well. Growing up, I always felt sorry for those kids that were born close to Christmas or only got to celebrate their "real" birthday once every 4 years. This chart is a lot of fun. Where does your birthday rank? I wonder what day baby #2 will finally arrive???
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