Monday, 19 July 2010
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Third Trimester, OB appointment, UTIs, and Pain Management- Oh My!
Today we had an OB appointment and came away with a good report. I was weighed, dutifully peed in a cup, was measured, had a listen to my son's strong heartbeat, and discussed my birth plan. According to my OB everything looked good and I also found out that I passed my glucose test!
The birth plan discussion also went well. My doctor is very chill and open to my go-with-the-flow attitude. She didn't try to pressure me into making or changing any of my decisions. In fact, she was very open to hearing what I had to say and offered helpful, unbiased advice.
I really appreciated that she took the time to talk with me and that she did so without rushing the discussion. She even offered me the option of cutting my own cord- how cool! I'm glad I gave her another shot before jumping in to find another doctor because of the things that awful woman had said before. I'm happy with her and feel comfortable, so there.
The last couple days I've been fighting a possible UTI (bladder infection) and my sister gave me some helpful advice I thought I'd share. Aside from drinking cranberry juice and adequate amounts of water to get rid of it, she also suggested cream of tartar. About a teaspoon in a glass of water, or as much as you can handle, three glasses total to be safe. It's gross, but it works. So for future reference, there you go
.Also, upon asking my OB about pain management alternatives during labor (I'm trying to avoid drugs) she suggested looking up hypnobirthing and the Bradley Method. I'm not entirely sure what either of them are but I will definitely be researching. Feel free to speak up if you have any helpful advice about either
. Thanks!Today's Stats:
Fetal heartrate: 153
Total weight gain: 8 pounds (5 lbs. in the last month!)
Oh and by the way, we start going every two weeks now. Hello, Third Trimester. You Sure Got Here Fast.
When did you begin discussing your birth plan with your OB/GYN? What was your third trimester like?
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About the Author
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- From: PeaceLoveMaternity@xanga
- Name: PeaceLoveMaternity
- About Me: I'm a twenty year old Navy wife and my husband is deployed over seas. It's been a crazy first year for us as newlyweds but it's about to get even better because we are expecting our first- a baby boy!- on October 15, 2010 :).
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Comments (15)
The Bradley method. Hehe. Sorry, the man can stay the fuck away from me while I'm trying to shove his children out of my hoo-ha.
I just went into it with the intention of giving birth. Aside from that, I didn't bank on being able to keep any of my plans, because it was a high risk pregnancy and I knew that there was a big possibility I would not get my vaginal waterbirth if a single thing went wrong.
I had a birth ball, a midwife, and a hot tub of water. There's my pain management.
I didn't get a chance to discuss my birthplan or pain management options with my OB/GYN. My daughter decided that she just had to be born on the day my appointment was supposed to be! I was flying blind on the whole birthing experience. No questions had been answered, no information given, nothing. But this time around, I have a little experience on my side plus I'm going to talk to her about it a little bit earlier in the pregnancy this time around! lol
I haven't discussed a birth plan with my OB since I'm doing it the way the majority of people do it: with an epidural. I'm 37 weeks and 3 days and waiting for the arrival of my son any day now.
I began my weekly appts last week and haven't dilated yet. I have an appt tomorrow so we will see if I'm dilated by then.
I tried Bradley method unsuccessfully. My friends swear by it, but when you have an induction and can't move around and are stuck to the pitocen pump, it was impossible to relax (plus, my husband was overseas so he couldn't be there to help me relax either). Give it a try though, it can't hurt. You can always ask for an epidural if you need it.
I did hypnobirthing last May. GREAT program. I felt no pain at all until transition, and honestly I wasn't able to focus so at that point AHH and all training went out the window!!! Easiest labor ever though, except for transition. This was my 2nd baby. First was induced and eventually medicated and then eventually c-sectioned. DON'T INDUCE unless you have to for medical reasons. Pitocin is straight from hell, man.
Everyone I know, and most people made fun of me for it because they didn't understand that self-hypnosis is really just focused deep relaxation training and not "quack like a duck" mindlessness, commented on how relaxed I was during the pregnancy and freaked a bit during labor. They didn't know what to do. They would look at each other when they would see my stomach start squeezing into a big hard ball and I would be walking around acting normal, or at worst pause for a minute to focus on relaxing, take a deep breath, and act normal again. I highly recommend this method. Even though I had a hard transition period.
There are two basic different programs. Hypnobirthing and Hypnobabies. I have done both and found Hypnobabies by far superior and a more in depth program all together with what to expect and how to modify if you need to etc. Hypnobirthing, the Mongan method at least, had a little weirdness in it for me - like closing your eyes and picturing a big white room and shelves and colors...it was just a little weird but still a good directed relaxation if I wasn't laughing on the inside about it's silliness.
Here's a good site. http://www.hypnobabies.com/mylink.php?id=4570
I did it on my own by the way. Hubby had too many preconceived notions he didn't tell me about like that his grandmother had taught him that all hypnosis is satanic. Took some time to change that false belief and by that point, I was 38 weeks. Too bad. I think it would have helped if he could have been a participator, but I did well on my own anyway.
I never talked with my doctor about a birth plan. My daughter decided she wanted out early. She was born 6 weeks early. That happened to also be the week my doctor decided to take a vacation, so I ended up with whatever other doctor was at the hospital. I knew I wanted the epi so I said yes when asked. Other than that, I didn't really care. I knew the birth may not have gone the way I had planned, anyway, so I didn't really think too much about it.
There is plenty I would want to do differently the next time around.
I've tried lamaze, hypnobirthing, and hypnobabies. Like sarahsmurfette, I can tell you that HypnoBabies is the best natural birth option. Even in crazy hospital situations, it can be successful, and the others tend to not be. I also had my last baby in warm water at a birthing center; DEFINITELY preferable to hospitals, unless you are high risk of course.
Look into HypnoBabies. It can be pricey but most educators are willing to work with you if you can't afford it (however the course is cheaper than an epidural, I think). It takes time, though. You need to practice it daily as you approach the birth if you want to successfully have a pain-free birth....which IS very possible.
I had a very successful drug-free birth in a hospital using the Bradley Method. The education you receive in the Bradley class is very thorough and, to me, it really helped me go into the whole labor and delivery thing without any fear. My husband and I are very go-with-the-flow people and we both felt confident that we were pretty much prepared for anything and understood that lots of things could go wrong and cause us to deviate from our birth plan. And we were alright with that.
If you want to do a Bradley class you need to start right away though, it's a 12-week course.
That's awesome that your OB is supportive of your birth plan and actually listens to what you have to say. It's sad how rare that is.
BTW, don't wait too long to see your OB if your UTI persists. When you're pregnant it's easier for the infection to spread to your kidney and cause an infection there. And that infection can start premature labor. When I was 28 weeks, I had a UTI spread to my kidney in a matter of hours and I had to spend 3 nights in L&D getting IV antibiotics. I even started having weak contractions every 5 minutes at one point. It was hell, and that kidney pain was worse than labor for me, but I'm glad I called my OB right away.
I had a natural childbirth last week and my best piece of advice, whatever program you use, is to not freak out. Panic is the WORST thing you can do to yourself while you're delivering and even if the pain starts to feel unmanageable, just remind yourself to breath and stay calm. The wonderful thing about contractions is that they DO stop and give you a break every so often. Those breaks are BLISS.
I will also be trying for a natural birth, and took a class through Birth Works that was awesome! (If your in the Chicago area I can refer you to an awesome teacher, who has given birth three times herself). The biggest thing is to stay clam! I've been working on that all the time, especially when I wake up with horrible leg cramps. I give my husband direction on what to do, and I just breath and relax. I treat my leg cramps I get like contractions (though according to my sister leg cramps are worse than contractions!) and try to do what I will do then, and so far it works! I figure the longer I can labor at home the more likely I am to have a natural birth, plus I have a huge whirlpool tub at home and there are only showers at the hospital.
There aren't any classes available here except the generic hospital class--blah!! Also, since I had summer college classes, I've put off registering for a birthing class until now. I'm 32 weeks already, but I'm trying not to worry about it. I figure however much of the class I get, I'll know more than I did before, and it can only help. I still wish I had options, though, like Bradley.
@Topaz85@xanga - You can do home study courses, I think they work just as well, at least for me. You can go online or to any Barnes and Noble/Borders/etc and find the courses. That's where I got my Hyonobirthing course (which wasn't neary as good as Hypnobabies but was a good program anyway). Libraries might have the books too. All you have to do is ask or look for yourself.
Oh, good idea! Thanks!!
Well as you know my dear, my third trimester is almost over! I'm due in 2 days (wow!). But for me it was probably the best part of my pregnancy. Because there's no more denying it, maybe. I don't know about you but I was still having a hard time believing that I was really pregnant and really going to be a mom. A big part of that was probably the fact that i didn't start "showing" until about 7 months along. Now everyone smiles at my belly, asks what I'm having, and watching my stomach turn is undeniable evidence that there really is a child in me.
Another third trimester goodie is everyone wants to help you out, and doesn't let you do the little chores you're totally fine with. Lots of, "Oh you shouldn't be doing that!"
And also, the anxiety. The fact that labor is coming so soon. The uncertainty of what will happen, what your baby will look like, that everything will be okay. And crying when you see babies.
Like I said, my due dates in two days and I have such anxiety. I can't wait to be not pregnant anymore... but I'm scared to death of the actual birthing process. Knowing that I'm only days away from having a son, being a mother, and having a family... it's the most incredible, scary and indescribable feeling.
You're going to do great. You're going to be a great mom, welcome to the home stretch!
I used Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis with my last baby and it worked so great! It has great education and wonderful hypnosis tools. There is a home study option if you don't have an instructor in your area. www.enjoybirth.com/hb.html
You can see my birth video and read over 250 birth stories from moms who used hypnosis for birth at www.pregnancybirthandbabies.com
Enjoy your birth!
Sheridan