Hi Baby. You don’t really understand, but today is your FIRST BIRTHDAY. We made it! And of course, we are celebrating in style by waking up at 5 AM! Little Brother, you have taught me so much this year. This past year has radically transformed the way I view the world, and I owe that … [Read more…]
Written on April 30, 2015 23 Weeks, 1 day Last week I realized that I didn’t remember what the pain felt like. I know it was bad and there was screaming, but it’s a blur, and I have no physiological memory of it. All that changed last night. I had a nightmare. I was at … [Read more…]
Optimal fetal positioning is a hot buzzword in the natural birthing world, especially when it comes to VBAC. So what is it all about, and why does it matter? More importantly, what does the scientific research say? My Story I remember lying there on the operating table when they came back and told me my first … [Read more…]
Birth affirmations. Those wonderful mantras that mamas repeat to themselves in pregnancy and birth to maintain a positive outlook on birth. When I was preparing for my VBAC, I ATE THEM UP! (You can view the complete list of birth affirmations I used in pregnancy here.) Looking back, I almost find it humorous. Other times, … [Read more…]
Little Brother arrived Thursday, September 3rd, 2015 at 5:58PM. He weighed in at 10 lb 1 oz, 22 inches long. I went past my “due date.” This was not all that concerning to me, although my husband and son were quite ansy. {Read my 40 week update here.} I continued having prodromal labor, soft bowels, mucus, … [Read more…]
I started preparing for VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) pretty much from the moment I brought Ezra (my first child) home for the hospital. His birth was scary, traumatic, and disappointing. I knew that the next time, I wanted a vastly different experience. I did a lot of research over the five years between his … [Read more…]
Little Brother arrived Thursday, September 3rd, 2015 at 5:58PM. He weighed in at 10 lb 1 oz, 22 inches long. I plan to share his birth story in a lot more detail with pictures and video (we have over 240 pictures of labor and birth alone!) in the month of October, when I’ll be sharing 31 … [Read more…]
“Let labor begin on it’s own…” (Lamaze Healthy Birth Practice #1) On the evening of September 6, 2010, this was the one thing I was trying to repeat over and over to myself. I was almost 41 weeks pregnant. In the months leading up to Ezra’s birth, I had done of lot of research into … [Read more…]
Ezra was born September 7th, 10:32 PM. He weighed 9 lbs 13 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. When I ended up delivering Ezra by cesarean (that is a long story in itself which I will post about later), it was immensely difficult. But if I had known then what my recovery would be … [Read more…]