For the mothers who don’t have an easy time making it out of the house, or even live in a one car household and cannot leave the house during the day, there is a whole new generation and phenomenon of internet support systems. Websites, online forums, e-mail groups, and local online groups geared towards mothers, meeting other mothers in their area, and nationally.
While there may be some websites out there that include more drama than support, sometimes if you look carefully through the members, you can find a few good gems to carry on a friendship with.
When I was pregnant with my first child, I had a pretty complicated pregnancy, I was considered high risk (I am still trying to figure that one out) and being a naive first time mother, I had quite a few bouts with false labor. I was so worked up because my OB’s had told me they would be surprised if I made it to 36 weeks gestation, and the thought of my son coming a month early lead to much anxiety. Plus every little ache and pain I thought was something serious. I learned a lot with my second pregnancy and being under the care of midwives and it lead to a complication free pregnancy, learning so much more than I did under my initial OB care, and one hospital visit, which was when my son was born.
But there are many different websites, and message boards that mothers can check out to help build a support system.
Cafemom – Cafemom is a website, which includes moms from all over the world, and many different kinds of backgrounds. It has groups made for interacting with mothers due around the same time as you, pregnancy groups, postpartum support, post c-section support, breastfeeding support, and any other kid of support you could imagine. MomsClick – Another type of website like cafemom, but just under a different kind of format. I find it slightly harder to navigate, but it you are internet savvy it isn’t too hard to figure out. Mothering Magazine Forums – For the mothers who are more earth friendly, into things like baby wearing, cloth diapering, natural birth, and really just those who are readers of the wonderful Mothering Magazine, this is an excellent forum to hang out on. I have learned a ton about baby wearing in the time that I have spent on there. Momspace – Haha, ya know… Momspace, kinda like myspace. It is basically like Cafemom and Momsclick, just under a different format, and they have more of a focus on your local area. SheKnows Message Boards – I have found that the She Knows message boards tend to cater to the younger mother crowd, but they are great for due date month groups, but not someplace I would go to really learn or get educated. My Best Birth Network - The new Ricki Lake film My Best Birth has an excellent website filled with forums, blogs, and videos that are not only being written by Ricki and other high profile mothers, but also your run of the mill mother. These forums and site focus more on natural birthing, and pregnancy. IVillage – IVillage has a great pregnancy and parenting area, which you can post on forums and interact with other mothers about various different types of subjects. Everything from C-section support to VBACs, breastfeeding, and baby products. I find the site more mainstream than some of the others I have mentioned, but not as mainstream as something like Cafemom. Pregnancy.About.Com – About.com has a lot of good subjects that you can check out and look up, they even have a pregnancy and birth section, which is written by another woman I write with frequently. There is a section for you to submit questions, and post on forums. It is another pretty mainstream site, but there is a wealth of information available. Baby Center – I am very conflicted about this website. While there is great information in their forums, there is just as much bad information, and dramatic discussions. I find that some of their information and articles do not give full information, and some give inaccurate information. But depending on what you are looking for, these may be valuable to you. I just didn’t fit in much. Maybe one day I will give them another try? Babyzone – Babyzone is another mainstream online forum, but I have not had much experience with it personally. But I have heard they have amazing VBAC information. Moms Like Me – Another great forum, and this works on a local level. You click on the area closest to you, and you can chat with mothers in that area.
For the most part, those are the only ones I really know of. America Online used to have great ones, but they have since taken down most of their message boards. I was part of the Due in December 2007 board, but shortly after that they stopped making due in boards.
If you have any that you would like to add, please comment and add your favorite place to post!
A lot of women when they are expecting their first baby waste a ton of money on all the baby gadgets and what we are really told we need to raise a baby and be a good parent. I was one of those women with my first child, I had everything and the kitchen sink, little did I know how much of it I would actually use, and what I would look at and regret buying as it was a huge waste of money. I decided to pick apart the “must have” list from the Babies R Us website, since that is where the vast majority of women go to set up their registry.
Infant Car seat – Well of course you need an infant catseat, and in most hospitals they will not discharge your baby without a proper infant car seat. Some also will go out to your car (if you live in an area where personal vehicle use is the common mode of transportation) and make sure your car seat is installed properly. You can have your car seat installed properly at most police stations or fire houses. Second Car Seat Base – Some may need it, and some may not. If you are a one car household, you certainly will not need a second base for your car seat. We did without one for a good 2 months before investing in one. Convertible Car Seat – While all babies are eventually going to need to move into a convertible car seat, it is not something you need to buy until that time really comes. Booster Seat - Again, while every child is going to eventually move into a booster seat, it is going to be a while before this occasion comes, don’t worry about it till that time comes! Car Seat Toys – Again another hit or miss. For the first 1-2 months, it is something you really don’t need, and even once your little one starts to get older, you can always get other portable toys that you can attach or your baby can just hold. They do not need to be specific car seat toys that attach to the car seat itself. I can tell you, we never used any of the actual car seat toys. Shopping Cart Cover – I can say again, this is something I have never used with either of my children. I simply have used the anti-bacterial wipes provided at the cart area, wiped quick and off we went. Sure you can invest in one, I just seem to think they are ridiculously over priced for what they are. Travel System – I highly recommend a travel system. It includes an infant car seat, car seat base, and a stroller. I loved it but the one thing you should be careful about when purchasing a stroller or travel system is the weight of the system itself. I was originally registered for a travel system that was incredibly heavy and would have made getting the baby in and out of the car and getting the stroller in and out of the car a huge pain! Test them out. Go to the store, test them out, pick them up… see what the weight is. Believe me, you will be grateful you did! Stroller – If you do not opt for a travel system set up, there are various kind of strollers you can get. Full size, Lightweight, Jogging strollers, double strollers.. With this it depends on the need that you have. I was so sad the day I had to trade my travel system stroller for a double stroller to fit both of my little ones. Stroller Toys - Again, it goes back to your need. We never bought any we would just use the car seat toys, or whatever other hand held toys we had hanging out around the house. Stroller Diaper Bag – I tried the multiple diaper bag business, but when it comes down to it. One diaper bag is all you really need. If you try to have too many in different places, you will forget something you need! Just keep one, and make sure to have it well stocked, and make sure you double check before you leave the house! Diaper Bag – See above… Baby Carriers – SKIP THE BABY BJORN!!!!! If you are interested in baby wearing, go for a safer sling, mei tai, or some kind of baby carrier that is not designed to support the baby from their crotch. This has been shown to be linked to hip dysplasia issues in infants and toddlers. I do plan to write an in depth post about this in time, but let me tell you, save the money and skip them! Playyard/Travel Crib - If you do not travel a ton, they are $150 you can keep right in your pocket. If you plan on using one for co-sleeping or rooming in, go for the arms reach co-sleeper. They are smaller, more affordable, and have rave reviews. I wish I could have the $150 we spend on our playyard back. We could have used it for something we would have actually used… DIAPERS! Swing – LIFE SAVER! I don’t think I could have made it through the first 6 months of either of my children’s lives without a baby swing. They are costly these days, but worth EVERY penny. My ONE suggestion on swings is… get a PLUG in one, and skip the battery powered ones, unless of course you have stock in a battery company. Bouncer – Another must have. I found that it was not only helpful for getting chores done around the house, showering, but also traveling to family members homes. It was small enough to fit in our small VW, and it could be used as stationary entertainment, someplace to sleep, and someplace to just make sure the baby was safe. Totally spend the money on one! Stationary Entertainers – We love ours, but there is a catch. With both of our children, we did not start using it until they were tall enough, and strong enough to stand in it and touch the ground without the seat supporting them by the crotch. It goes back up to the baby carriers and hip dysplasia. Walker – DANGER DANGER! Stay away from baby walkers. Not only have they been banned in MANY states, but they aren’t worth the risks that they posses to your baby! Door Jumper – Again… DANGER DANGER DANGER! Skip the door jumpers. They have been reported several times for causing serious injury. Gyms & Play Sets – I am torn on this one. I enjoyed them with both of my children, but I cant help but say they are WAY over priced for what they actually are, and how long your child will actually use it for!
Breastfeeding Accessories – Ok, instead of writing these all down in different categories, I will tackle them all at once. If you are deciding to breastfeed, and you do not have to go back to work, skip the electric breast pump! Get a small, cheap, hand held one. You will save hundreds of dollars and save yourself a lot of aggravation. Also, if you are planning on breastfeeding, only get a couple bottles, the more you have, the more tempted you will be to use them! Must haves include lanolin for mom as well as breast pads, you might as well buy stock in both of them because they will become your best friend.
I will stop here for today, I don’t want the post to get too long so that no one wants to actually read it! LOL
Stay tuned for part 2 and part 3!
Every year, many of us make a bunch of nonsense New Years Resolutions just to make them, knowing in most cases, we won’t have to adjust anything in our lives to actually accomplish them. But why not take some time and make some real changes in your life that not only will benefit you, your health, and family, but also our planet? With the abuse of resources we currently have in our world, why not take time to cut back on some of the things we take for granted?
Yesterday, while I was loading my dishwasher, I noticed one of my own abuses. I use an incredible amount of paper towels while i am in the kitchen. Whether it is cooking, doing dishes, or just cleaning up after the animals. So I made it a point to tell myself, there is no reason to use so many, and I will be cutting back. But what are some other easy cut backs that we can make?
Cut back on water use. – When washing your hands, turn off the water when you are soaping up, only run your washing machine or dish washer when they are really full, turning off the water while soaping dishes… just simple little things that can help conserve your water use.
Skip the plastic bottled water! – Change over to a re-usable water bottle and invest in a water cooler or water filter for tap water. Since we invested in a water cooler, we have increased our water intake by double which is important for your health, but we have also decreased our spending on water by nearly 75%!
Recycle! It isn’t too hard to use that blue bin you have instead of just throwing that can or milk container in your garbage can.
These are just simple cut backs that are very easy to make!
But what about health changes?
There are the dreaded changes to our well being, health, eating habits, and overall just maintaining our health care instead of seeing the Doctor only when we are sick.
A couple changes that you could make for your own well being are (that can help in the money department) :
Cut back on your soda! (If you need it, cut it back to 1 can a day, or 1 glass. (This is a big challenge for me!)
See a Chiropractor for maintaining health care. You will see a world of difference in the first couple visits!
Switch your average ground beef for hormone free ground turkey. Hear me out! I did this a couple weeks ago, testing it with our family taco night. NO ONE NOTICED it wasn’t ground beef!!! My husband was shocked when I told him he was eating ground turkey instead! (Ground turkey is also much cheaper)
Take a walk… If its too cold out, go to the mall. Go to your local grocery store or walmart. There are a lot of options for indoor walking this time of year.
Cut back on your fast food intake. Once and a while is ok, but eating it daily for lunch or dinner is not going to do your health any good!
Again, all simple things we can do to help!
Now, I know I wanted to focus on resolutions, but there are some things I would like to see in 2010.
I just wanted to include them as a tail end of this blog.
I would like to see women NOT being threatened with court ordered medical procedures when they do not follow Doctors orders.
I would like to see women who have had previous cesarean sections able to get insurance without having a “pre-existing condition”
I would like to see changes in the way we handle maternity care in our country.
I would like to see an increase in midwifery care and education in pregnant women.
I hope that new years will also bring me a nice stay at home work position so I can help out with some of the bills around the house.
I stared blogging on the CT Media Group in mid August, and since then, I continue to amaze myself with the comments, and amount of people that read and follow my blog. So, because of this I decided today I would do a top 10 blogs of 2009. Blogs I enjoyed writing, and blogs that you enjoyed reading!
I hope you continue to enjoy my blog in 2010 as I have lots of big plans for it!
#10 – The Balance Between Parenthood and Music – This blog featured local musician Rob Taylor, and how he balances his music, as well as being a father to two young sons. His music is a great blend of pop rock with a mix of light listening, and makes a great CD to keep in your car and sing along to. I certainly know I do!
#9 – Home birth in Connecticut – It seems as though with the increasing popularity of Home Birth across the country as the choices in maternity care start to get smaller and smaller, more mothers are turning to birthing in the comfort of their own home. I interviewed local Home Birth Midwife Nancy Farr about birthing at home, and how to know if it is the right choice for you. There are several midwives currently delivering babies at a larger number than we really think! Check out the interview to learn more about birthing at home in Connecticut!
#8 – Labor Induction : What You May Not Know! – With the large number of mothers having their labor induced, I thought it would be good to take the time to write about some of the risks that women aren’t being fully informed about when it comes to making this choice. During the next year of 2010, a joint commission is going to be putting into place stricter inductions practices for hospitals nationwide, starting with no inductions before 39 weeks gestation. Which is a great thing for mothers nationwide.
I will certainly post about these changes for the new year!
#7 – Does TV Cause the Fear of Childbirth? – An age old debate about the modern day media, whether it be reality tv or your days episode of General Hospital influencing our young women on what childbirth is or should be. In reality, these shows are giving our youth a distorted picture of what birth is and causing panic and fear about the experience which we see in so many young women today. Turn off the TV!
#6 – Once a Cesarean, Always a Cesarean : The Tides Should Change – In Connecticut, currently 94% of women with a previous cesarean section consent to a repeat cesarean section instead of attempting a vaginal delivery. Is it because of misinformation? Fear? Lack of providers that will attend a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean? I take the risks of repeating major abdominal surgery, and weight it against the risks associated with the recently uncommon practice of VBAC. You would be alarmed at the risks that most women are taking, many unknowingly.
#5 – United States Scores a D on Premature Birth Report Card – With the increase in twins, and multiple pregnancies, early deliveries for elective reasons, such as inductions or scheduled cesarean births before estimated due dates, The United States is seeing increased premature births which are having an impact on our countries health care, the long term health of these children, and our infant mortality rate on an national level. I discuss all the factors in this blog.
#4 – Consumer Reports At It Again – Consumer reports takes on 12 surgeries you should skip, listing a cesarean section as one of them! I go into detail on elective repeat cesarean sections and the risk factors, along with statistics on local Connecticut Hospitals and their rates for repeat c-sections.
#3 – A Healthy Baby Isn’t All That Matters – Today many people think as long as mother and baby are alive and healthy, no other factors of the birth experience should matter, when in reality, more women than we care to discuss are being traumatized during childbirth, whether it is an over medicalized vaginal birth, or major abdominal surgery. I talk about child birth and trauma, and how the statement “A healthy baby is all that matters” is a hurtful comment to a large portion of women.
#2 – The CDC Releases New Report Comparing US to Europe Infant Mortality – A report from the CDC is detailed about how the United States is failing in terms of Infant Mortality when compared to European nations. We see a huge difference in our country, our maternity care system, and how we do things as apposed to what Europe does. The United States certainly could start cutting these mortality rates back if we stepped back and looked at the way things are being done in Europe and took some pointers.
#1 – A Very Close Loss – The loss of a good friend, amazing woman, and valuable resource to the birthing community in Connecticut. Karen Kilson lost her life in early October, but she will never be forgotten. She was a mentor to me, a second mother, and the doula for the birth of my second child. I cry often when I go through my cell phone to give her a call, or Look at the mini picture frame she left me with a poem inside. “Promise me you’ll always remember : You’re braver than you believe… Stronger than you seem… And smarter than you think” She will live in my heart, and the hearts of all the women in our birth community forever. Anyone who was privileged enough to know her and share her friendship, and truly a lucky person.
In light of the popularity of my post on epidurals, I thought I would write about alternative types of pain relief during labor and birth because it seems to be a topic some do not know very much about. During my labor with my second child, I opted to stay at home as long as I could, and even when I got to the hospital, use a lot of these methods to avoid any type of intervention or artificial pain relief because it was simply not what I desired. Of course eventually I did have an epidural to sleep at nearly 24 hours of labor though.
When it comes to pain in labor and childbirth many women have very different experiences, pain tolerance levels, and the desires and risks you would like to take with your medical care. We cannot expect all women to feel the same way about labor pain or the pain of childbirth in general.
A couple tips on having a positive labor experience, no matter what your choice for pain relief is :
Have a positive and supportive environment. If someone is being negative, or bothering you in any way, ask them to leave, and if they are a hospital staff member, ask for an alternative person.
Use things that make you comfortable in general. A couple examples are music, blankets or pillows from home, or other objects that make you feel comfortable and relax.
If you choose to labor without pain medication, some tips on avoiding the temptation of using pain medication are :
Labor at home as long as you can.
Walk
Stay active during labor, including early labor, do light housework or go about your normal routine.
Some physical ways to help reduce and cope with your labor pain are :
Walk
Climb Stairs
Slow dance, yes, like you did at your wedding or with your parents as a kid
Pelvic Rocking
Sitting/swaying on a birth ball
Use pillows to help get you into a comfortable position
Rock in a rocking chair
Labor in the water (Some facilities offer Birth Tubs)
Many women feel as though they benefit from being in physical contact or physical touch with another person, whether it be their husband, support person, or even a doula. Some of the options for this are :
Massage
Stroking
Acupressure
Counter pressure against the lower back (helped me a TON during my second labor)
Cuddling
Some other methods of pain relief are mental strategies. The mind is a very powerful thing that we often do not take into consideration for something like pain relief during childbirth. Some of the mental strategies that can be used are :
Visualization – Such as repeating a phrase in your head such as “I can birth”, then there are also tapes and meditations you can listen to. Helping to picture yourself on a beautiful warm beach, or in an exotic jungle, or really whatever works for you.
Focus on your breathing
Breathing Techniques – Also often refereed to as Lamaze breathing.
Vocalization - Low moaning, groaning, even singing. But remember, screaming, and high pitched type vocalization, can be and often are counter productive.
Music – Focusing on certain song lyrics can also be very helpful
Hypnosis – Program such a hypnobirth
Prayer
While the mental strategies may not help with the pain, they certainly do help to take your mind off of the pain for the time being.
Of course all of the above may not work for everyone, they are a great start for those women who wish to have a medication free childbirth experience!
Many women today are under the impression that Epidurals are perfectly safe with no risks or side effects on mom or babies, and there are many providers out there who will not take the time to help educate mothers to the contrary. So I thought I would put together a post about epidurals and the risks and benefits for mothers and their babies. Now before I start, I just want to get it out there that with both of my children, I had an epidural. The first time I was not aware of any of the risks or side effects, and the second time I labored naturally for around 24 hours before getting the epidural to help allow me to sleep. Being a benefit to me. I needed to “re charge” so I could again focus on what was important and that was getting my baby here. Unfortunately the experience ended in a cesarean section, but I did not have to go through getting an epidural, waiting for it to work, and then possibly having it not work once we were in the operating room.
If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t have had an epidural either time, but third time is a charm right?
Epidural
According to the website for the American Pregnancy Association, some of the benefits of epidural anesthesia include :
Allows for rest in prolonged labored (As was my case)
Relieving the discomfort of childbirth can help some woman have a more positive birth experience
When other types of coping mechanisms are not helping any longer, an epidural may be what you need to move through exhaustion, irritability, and fatigue. An epidural may allow you to rest, relax, get focused and give you the strength to move forward as an active participant in your birth experience.
If you deliver by cesarean, an epidural anesthesia will allow you to stay awake and also provide effective pain relief during recovery
And in most cases, when using epidural anesthesia compared to other types of pain relief, you will remain more alert and aware of what is going on.
But like everything in life, there are risks. According to the website for the American Pregnancy Association, some of the risks of epidural anesthesia include :
Epidurals may cause your blood pressure to suddenly drop. For this reason your blood pressure will be routinely checked to make sure there is adequate blood flow to your baby. If this happens you may need to be treated with IV fluids, medications, and oxygen
You may experience a severe headache caused by leakage of spinal fluid. Less than 1% of women experience this side effect from epidural use. If symptoms persist, a special procedure called a “blood patch”, an injection of your blood into the epidural space, can be done to relieve the headache
After your epidural is placed, you will need to alternate from lying on one side to the other in bed and have continuous monitoring for changes in fetal heart rate. Lying in one position can sometimes cause labor to slow down or stop
You may experience the following side effects: shivering, ringing of the ears, backache, soreness where the needle is inserted, nausea, or difficulty urinating
You may find that your epidural makes pushing more difficult and additional interventions such as Pitocin, forceps, vacuum extraction or cesarean may become necessary
For a few hours after birth the lower half of your body may feel numb which will require you to walk with assistance
In rare instances, permanent nerve damage may result in the area where the catheter was inserted.
Though research is somewhat ambiguous, most studies suggest some babies will have trouble “latching on” which can lead to breastfeeding difficulties. Other studies suggest that the baby may experience respiratory depression, fetal malpositioning; and an increase in fetal heart rate variability, which may increase the need for forceps, vacuum, cesarean deliveries and episiotomies.
There are also some things that their website does not touch on such as the increased risk of cesarean section due to stalled labor, or epidurals causing labors to become prolonged. The problem with this is, today in most hospitals there are strict time limits on the amount of hours a woman can labor. If you exceed, 12, 18, or even 24 hours in some cases, you are looking at a vaccum assisted delivery or even a cesarean section for something that has become very common called ‘failure to progress” which is what lead to my first cesarean section, after a short 6 hours in labor. Yup, you heard it folks, I was induced for 6 hours before being wheeled off to the operating room.
Some of the other commonly untold risks, taken from Kim James Website, birth doula, include…
Prolonged 1st stage of labor
Increase of malpresentation of baby’s head
Increase in the need for pitocin augmentation
Prolonged 2nd stage of labor
Decrease in the ability to push effectively.
Increased likelihood of an episiotomy
Increase in cesarean section delivery
50% Increase at 2cm
33% Increase at 3cm
26% Increase at 4cm
After 5cm there was no difference
Urinary Retention that can lead to postpartum bladder dysfunction
Hyprotension (drop in blood pressure as earlier stated)
Itching of the face, neck and throat
Postpartum headaches (which I experienced very badly after the birth of my second child. I could not leave my bedroom with the curtains drawn without my head pounding uncontrollably.)
Maternal Fever (Sometimes blamed on the woman’s waters being broken too long instead of the epidural itself)
Feeling of emotional detachment
Inability to move freely on your own
There are also more serious risks as maternal death, but these are in extreme cases, and are not as common as the others already discussed.
Then we cannot forget the risks to your baby… which include :
Fetal Distress also known as an abnormal fetal heart rate
Drowsiness at birth
Poor sucking reflex due to the anesthesia (which can directly impact breastfeeding)
Poor muscle tone or strength in the first hours of life
Low Apgar scores
Be sure to become educated yourself before consenting to any kind of medical intervention during labor, you may not get all of the information that is available to you!
Information for this blog have come from the following websites :
When a woman learns she is expecting, she will often have a lot of expectations for her pregnancy and birth experience. Which is completely natural.
Finding a provider is always the first step in your birth plan. Making sure that your desires for your experience are going to be respected is like laying the ground work for not only your birth, but also for your pre natal care during your pregnancy. If you do not have someone who is friendly to patients “calling the shots” then you may run into some issues along your journey.
There are a lot of misunderstandings when it comes to birth plans. They are not a final blue print of the birth you will have because in some cases there are situations or emergencies that come up that we could never imagine planning for, but there are some things Moms can do to help avoid those emergencies arising as some of the commonly seen emergencies can and are caused by frequent intervention in the birth process.
But to get started on writing what you want, you should sit down with your partner, or by yourself, or maybe even with your doula to see what you have in mind for your birth experience. A couple questions you can start with to help lay your ground work are…
Where do you want to give birth?
Hospital
Home
Birth Center
During labor do you want to be mobile or remain in bed?
Do you want an IV in place during birth, or an alternative such as a heparin/saline lock or nothing at all.
Be sure to find out what your hospitals policy is about IV’s being in place during labor and birth. Many today require mom’s to have a line of access at all times. This also makes it easier for labor drugs such as pitocin to be used.
Do you want to wear your own clothes?
Would you like to use the shower, or even a bath tub while you are in labor?
Finding out what kind of luxuries your hospital labor and delivery rooms have available is also key. Many hospitals do NOT offer birthing tubs for laboring mothers.
Would you like to listen to music?
Then there are the more “medical” questions that you need to take into consideration.
How do you feel about labor induction?
What methods of pain relief are you comfortable with?
Epidural Anesthesia
IV Pain relief such as a narcotic
Acupressure
Massage
How do you feel about episiotomies?
Would you rather tear naturally than receive an episiotomy?
Are you planning on breastfeeding?
If you are planning to breast feed, it is a smart idea to put a sign or something small in the bassinet of the baby telling hospital staff the baby is breast fed only, and you do not wish for the baby to have any bottles or pacifiers.
Also, if you are planning on breastfeeding, you should look into the lactation consultant services at the specific hospital to help make your experience easier for you and your baby!
If you expect hospital staff, including your provider to discuss all procedures with you before doing them, make sure you include this in your plan.
If you would like to be able to eat, and drink during labor, be sure to discuss this with your provider prior to labor also.
Some mothers may need special attention due to conditions such as gestational diabetes or group B strep. If you are one of these mothers, be sure to include this in your birth plan so that hospital staff knows these things and provides you care accordingly.
Be sure to go over your wishes before entering the hospital for your birth. If your provider is already aware of your wishes, and has a copy of your birth plan in your medical chart it will make the experience easier on you, as well as the hospital staff.
In the case that your provider does not or will not go by what you would like for your birth plan, it may be a wise idea to look into switching providers. It is never too late to change during your pregnancy, and if you cannot agree with simple requests that may be important to you, it may only cause more harm than good in the long run.
Remember, this is your birth experience, you are the boss and you make the calls!
Recently I came across a great video on Youtube which features Dr. Stuart Fischbien speaking about the safety of Vaginal Birth after Cesarean which has turned into such a hot button topic in our society today since the VBAC rate took a nose dive in the past decade.
In 1996, the VBAC rate was upwards of 28.3%, the highest it ever has been. Now we are seeing VBAC rates in some states of 6% or less which is really sad.
Between misinformation given by word of mouth, and even some health care providers women are making the choice to have elective major surgery over attempting for a natural birth. Another problem is the amount of hospitals that are taking on unlawful bans on VBAC, which leaves many mothers with no choices other than birth at home, birth alone, or sign up for surgery. It is estimated that half of the Nations hospitals currently ban VBAC.
But what is the problem with the misinformation about this procedure? It is not only putting mothers at risk, but also their babies.
Many women are under the impression that having a repeat cesarean section is the safest option, but in reality for the vast majority of low risk mothers, that is not the case. The safest option would be a vaginal birth after cesarean section. But many factors sway women away from this choice.
One being the risk of uterine rupture, which in healthy, low risk women is less than 1%. What is not being told to these women that any time after you have a cesarean section, during a pregnancy you run the risk of uterine rupture, not just if you go into labor, or try to give birth.
But the risks of VBAC do not outweigh the risks of major surgery.
In the video below, Dr. Stuart Fischbein, a California based OB/GYN who has been in practice for years talks about the safety of VBAC and common misconceptions in our society today.
