The Decision to Deliver my baby at Home

Up till even after I got married I always imagined that my children would be born in a hospital with an OB-GYN. Of course isn't that what everyone does? The realization that there was more than one option came when I was shown a documentary, “The business of being born”. This documentary looks at birth the business aspect of it. As those who are delivering our children are running a business. There was a lot of insights that made me question if what was happening in hospitals was really for the good of the expectant mother and baby or just good for the business of bring babies into the world.

I started researching and talking to people who had used midwives and had home deliveries with there labor and deliveries. Everyone I talked to seemed very satisfied with the whole experience. Many women who had turned to midwives had done so because of bad experiences at the hospitals. The midwife allows much more freedom and the comfort of your own home.

I started considering using a midwife for my own children's births. Of course I was concerned. First of all was:

What if something goes wrong? How would a midwife deal with complications? Would we have time to get to the hospital if needed? The more I have looked into this the more reassured I am. Many studies show that home births with a midwife are actually safer for both the infant and the mother. There tend to be less complications and less interventions involved in a home birth when compared to a hospital birth. One Study looked at the outcomes of planned home birth with a registerd midwife versus planned hospital birth with midwife or physician. The comparison was of midwives at home verses those same midwives at the hospital and hospital births with a physician. The results were as follows

Per 1000 Births of infant death

Planned home births: 0.35

Hospital births with Midwife: 0.57

Hospital births with a physician: 0.64

This concluded that those with a midwife at home were almost half as likely to end up with an infant death. And even with those same midwifes at the hospital the risk drastically increased. Those women in the at home group were less likely to have obstetric interventions or adverse maternal outcomes. Newborns at home were less likely to need resuscitation or oxygen after birth.

According to this study along with others, my question seems to be the wrong one. There was less complications with the at-home births. Many think this is because of the easily available interventions. We are just intervening too much with birth and maybe God actually did make a woman capable of having her own child. Maybe we should just be prepared to handle the labor and delivery and then in cases where something still goes wrong then start intervening

My second Question was: How much is this going to hurt and will I be able to handle it?

It was funny because when some people found out I was planning a home birth they thought I was crazy. It would hurt. And that is what I've heard my whole life...it hurts. Now I'm not going to argue that it doesn't hurt. Pain in childbirth is a given. But soon I found that there really is no avoiding it. Although an epidural may help I was always a little nervous with the idea of numbing my whole lower body with something so close to my spinal cord. It just seemed really risky. After talking to a few people who'd had epidurals I also found that they are often times less than desirable. They can be put in wrongly and cause complications or you would still be able to feel pain. Also they interfere with the mother's ability to be involved in pushing out her own child. (an important part of giving birth...the involvement of the mother.)

I also took a birthing class that outlined many different positions that can greatly reduce the pain and speed childbirth. I was introduced to the idea of a water-birth. (the midwifes epidural). I loved the idea of more natural ways of dealing with the pain. For example: being upright instead of laying on your back, eating so you have the needed energy for labor, and relaxing. 

Source of study:

CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal; 9/15/2009, Vol. 181 Issue 6/7, p377-383, 7p, 4 Charts

Exercise During Pregnancy.

The benefits of exercise during pregnancy

Exercise does wonders during pregnancy. It boosts mood, improves sleep, and reduces pregnancy aches and pains. It also prepares you for childbirth by strengthening muscles and building endurance, and makes it much easier to get back in shape after your baby's born.

The ideal workout gets your heart pumping, keeps you limber, manages weight gain, and prepares your muscles without causing undue physical stress for you or the baby.

The following activities are usually safe for expectant moms, although some of them may not work for you during the last few months of your pregnancy. Make sure you consult your healthcare provider before embarking on any exercise regimen.

Cardiovascular

• Walking: One of the best cardiovascular exercises for pregnant women, walking keeps you fit without jarring your knees and ankles. It's also easy to do almost anywhere, doesn't require any equipment beyond a good pair of supportive shoes, and is safe throughout all nine months of pregnancy.
  Video
• Swimming: Healthcare providers and fitness experts hail swimming as the best and safest exercise for pregnant women. Swimming is ideal because it exercises both large muscle groups (arms and legs), provides cardiovascular benefits, and allows expectant women to feel weightless despite the extra pounds of pregnancy.
• Low-impact aerobics: One good thing about an aerobics class is that it's a consistent time slot when you know you'll get some exercise. And if you take a class for pregnant women, you'll enjoy the camaraderie of other moms-to-be and feel reassured that each movement is safe for you and your baby.
• Dancing: You can get your heart pumping by dancing to your favorite tunes in the comfort of your own living room, with a DVD, or at a dance class, but steer clear of routines that call for leaps, jumps, or twirls.

Flexibility and strength

• Yoga: Yoga can help maintain muscle tone and keep you flexible with little if any impact on your joints. But you may have to augment a yoga regimen with walking or swimming several times a week to give your heart a workout.
• Stretching: Stretching is wonderful for keeping your body limber and relaxed and preventing muscle strain. Add stretching to your cardiovascular exercises to get a complete workout.
• Weight training: If weight training is already part of your exercise routine, there's no reason to stop, although most women should reduce the amount of weight they're lifting (you can do more repetitions to ensure that you're still getting a good workout). If you take the necessary precautions and use good technique (meaning slow, controlled movements), weight training is a great way to tone and strengthen your muscles.

Who should handle a normal birth?

Is Home Birth Dangerous?

Education of Midwives

Debunking the myth: Birth vs. Experience

Eating Healthy for You and Your Baby

A well balanced diet is not only important for your health as an expecting mother but for the growing baby inside of you as well. Your diet is the best place to get all the vitamins and minerals that you need. It is important to eat well for your baby.

Every day of the week you and your baby should have:

1. One quart (4 glasses) or more of milk. any kind will do: whole milk, low fat, skim, buttermilk, or cheese, yoguret, ice cream, ect..
2. Two eggs, 9hard boiled, in french toast, or added to other foods).
3. One or two servings of fish or seafood, liver, chicken, lean beef, lamb, pork, beans, or any kinds of cheese.
4. One or two good servings of fresh reen leafy vegetables: mustard, collard, turnip greens, spinach, lettuce, or cabbage.
5. Two or three slices of whole wheat bread, cornmeal, cornbread, or tortillas.
6. a piece of cirus fruit or glass of juice of lemon, lime, orange, tomato, or grapefruit.
7.  Three pats of butter
8.  Other fruits and vegetables.

Also include in your diet:

1. a serving f whole grain cereal such as oatmeal or granola.
2. a yellow or orange-colored fruit or vegetable five times a week.
3. Liver one a week. ( if you like it)
4. Whole baked potato three times a week
5. Plenty of lfluids, water, juice etc
6. Salf food to taste for a safe increase in blood volume.

You may substitute proteins if you wish, being sure your proteins are  complete, and that you get approximately 100 grams per day, If you substitute, also be sure all the elements necessary for a well balanced diet are available every day.

Distribution of Weight Gain during Pregnancy.

Blood................4lbs
Placenta............2-3 lbs
Baby..................7lbs
Amniotic fluid.....6-8lbs
Brown Fat.........5lbs
Breast tissue......2lbs

Total................26-29lbs

Iron

We all know that Iron is sucked from the mamma during pregnancy and given to the baby.
Iron is extremely important to keep up on though. Iron helps muscle tone, strength
Without it one may feel:
Brain fog
winded going up stairs,
you'll sleep more.
Varicose veins
Voice may go deeper or more gravily
Heart burn
It is important to have because it keeps oxygen going to the mothers mothers. This will be important through the pregnancy to help you stay motivated to do those exercises as well as to get the oxygen to the uterine muscle during labor. It is labor we need all the strength we can get.
And I realize that as I am writing this there is a reason I have been craving liver. I need iron. I have heartburn and brain fog, and am sleeping a lot...I guess we'll see how it goes.

And of course in order to properly absorb iron we need to make sure our calcium levels are up. it helps the uptake of iron

According to the USDA Dietary Guidlines for Americans 2005
Good Sources of Iron are as follows:

Appendix B-3. Food Sources of Iron

Food Sources of Iron ranked by milligrams of iron per standard amount; also calories in the standard amount. (All are ≥ 10% of RDA for teen and adult females, which is 18 mg/day.)

Food, Standard Amount	Iron (mg)	Calories
Clams, canned, drained, 3 oz	23.8	126
Fortified ready-to-eat cereals (various), ~ 1 oz	1.8 -21.1	54-127
Oysters, eastern, wild, cooked, moist heat, 3 oz	10.2	116
Organ meats (liver, giblets), various, cooked, 3 oz a	5.2-9.9	134-235
Fortified instant cooked cereals (various), 1 packet	4.9-8.1	Varies
Soybeans, mature, cooked, ½ cup	4.4	149
Pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, 1 oz	4.2	148
White beans, canned, ½ cup	3.9	153
Blackstrap molasses, 1 Tbsp	3.5	47
Lentils, cooked, ½ cup	3.3	115
Spinach, cooked from fresh, ½ cup	3.2	21
Beef, chuck, blade roast, lean, cooked, 3 oz	3.1	215
Beef, bottom round, lean, 0" fat, all grades, cooked, 3 oz	2.8	182
Kidney beans, cooked, ½ cup	2.6	112
Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 3 oz	2.5	177
Beef, rib, lean, ¼" fat, all grades, 3 oz	2.4	195
Chickpeas, cooked, ½ cup	2.4	134
Duck, meat only, roasted, 3 oz	2.3	171
Lamb, shoulder, arm, lean, ¼ " fat, choice, cooked, 3 oz	2.3	237
Prune juice, ¾ cup	2.3	136
Shrimp, canned, 3 oz	2.3	102
Cowpeas, cooked, ½ cup	2.2	100
Ground beef, 15% fat, cooked, 3 oz	2.2	212
Tomato puree, ½ cup	2.2	48
Lima beans, cooked, ½ cup	2.2	108
Soybeans, green, cooked, ½ cup	2.2	127
Navy beans, cooked, ½ cup	2.1	127
Refried beans, ½ cup	2.1	118
Beef, top sirloin, lean, 0" fat, all grades, cooked, 3 oz	2.0	156
Tomato paste, ¼ cup	2.0	54

^a High in cholesterol.
Source: Nutrient values from Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17. Foods are from ARS single nutrient reports, sorted in descending order by nutrient content in terms of common household measures. Food items and weights in the single nutrient reports are adapted from those in 2002 revision of USDA Home and Garden Bulletin No. 72, Nutritive Value of Foods. Mixed dishes and multiple preparations of the same food item have been omitted from this table.

Getting Adequate Calcium

As I have started eating again life has gotten substantially better. Along with now being able to eat normal foods I know my body is getting the nutrients it needs. So just to make sure that we are getting the calcium we need along with those potato chips or whatever source of salt you find you like best we need some other things to adequately get the calcium we need.
For Calcium absorption we need:
Magnesium, vinegar, and electrolites.
We also absorb it best from 4pm till midnight.