First night at the Birth Center May 29, 2008

Tonight we had our introduction to the Birth Center. The place is AWESOME! It’s a very soothing atmosphere. It is basically like a three bedroom home. When you come in in labor you get to pick which room is yours. There’s even a bread machine in the kitchen. I was cracking up and wondering if anyone really bakes bread while they are in labor!
After we picked the kids up from Alyssa and Jason’s house I was talking to the girls about a decision Steve and I had made. For a couple months now I’ve been thinking it would be really great to have the girls there when Noah is born. Especially now that I will be at the Birth Center they can be as involved in the process as we want them to be. The midwife even said they are ok with the kids helping “catch” the baby like the dads do sometimes. A couple came to speak about their experience there and mentioned that they had all of their children there for the birth. I was so excited when they said that b/c I’ve been wanting to talk to someone that had done that. Their children were 5, 4, and 2 and they said each of them did awesome and have very positive memories. The mom did a lot of her laboring out in the living room area with them and then when she finally needed to go back to her room the kids stayed out with their grandma. They brought the kids in just for the very end to see him be born. I think I will only have them in there if all goes according to plan and we have the water birth. I figure that way the blood and mess is a little more masked. The conversation went a little something like this:

Me: Hey girls, daddy and I were talking and thought maybe you’d like to be there when your little brother is born.
Alaina: Ok, I’ll be there.
Addi: No thank you. I’ll just stay home and watch Little People.

Now, both of their reactions cracked me up because I totally knew that is what their opinions would be and it was one of those moments where you really had to be there to appreciate the tone with which they responded. I figured that would be how they responded but it was just too funny the way they said it. Alaina was very matter of fact about it, almost as if she had thought about forever and was just waiting for the invite. It was like she was RSVPing to a party. And Addi made it very clear that TV was a much higher priority than witnessing her brother come into the world.

A few other cool things about tonight. Since they got the certification for water birth in February only 2 of the births at the center have been out of the water. The couple that came and spoke tonight also did a water birth and what I thought was so cool was that aside from unwrapping the cord from the baby’s neck the dad completely did the delivery while in the tub with the mom. The midwife helped him and guided him on what to do. The mom said she had to go back and watch the video b/c she couldn’t even remember if the midwife touched her at all during the delivery.
The midwife who spoke tonight, Beth, also said that if I wanted she would throw together a sibling class really quick so I could prepare the girls and they could see where they would be. This is why I love midwives. She’s willing to do this because ONE person is interested in it.

I left the Birth Center so excited and looking forward to getting the birth experience I want this time.

What Alaina Ate, pt 4. May 29, 2008

I was at a loss for what to have our family get Addison for Christmas this past year. Addison loves music and dancing so I told my mom to get her a keyboard. The keyboard came with a microphone you can hook up so you can sing along with the preprogrammed songs. Apparently this is what Alaina thought of Addison’s singing ability.

She did this one WHILE she was eating lunch. I found it sitting next to her plate on the end table in the family room.

What Alaina Ate, pt 3. May 28, 2008

Addison always comes up with very appropriate names for her babies. We have Naked Baby, who is naked. We have Pink Baby, who wears a pink outfit. We have Moo Baby, who is dressed like a lamb. Because you know, lambs say “moo.”

Meet Blue Baby. Blue Baby and Pink Baby are twins. They came in a set together on Addison’s last birthday.

Two days after Addison’s birthday party this is how I found Blue Baby.

Alaina chewed off every.single.fingertip.

What Alaina Ate, pt. 2 May 27, 2008

There are many unfortunate animals around our house. Most of them never saw it coming.

A puppy who has trouble hearing now.

A horse who has trouble walking now. The funny thing about this horse is that it’s “baby” has most of it’s skin chewed off I just couldn’t find it to take a picture.

A gorilla who has trouble, well, he has multiple problems.

What Alaina Ate, pt 1. May 23, 2008

For awhile now I’ve been joking around with some of my friends that I’m going to start a blog all about the things Alaina eats. From the time she was a baby she’s always had a very strong need to chew on things. It’s only gotten worse, and every year for the last 3 years I’ve mentioned it to her pediatrician. Every year she has blown it off and told me it’s “normal,” however I’ve never quiet felt like she understood the extent of what I was trying to say to her. Part of me wants to go into her office with a bag full of Alaina’s toys this year and dump them out on the exam table to show her exactly what I mean. Everyone used to think I was joking when I said Alaina would “eat” things. No, I use the word quiet literally. Things disappear. Chunks of toys, gone. It started with books when she was a baby and now nothing in our house is safe. I have a whole new knowledge about what sorts of materials the human body can digest and what it can’t because of Alaina’s bizarre obsession.

Now that I’ve started blogging more consistently again you all get treated to a daily segment of “What Alaina Ate” I’ll start out slow and gradually work my way up to the good stuff

We’ll start off with the obvious thing she might want to eat. Play food.

Making his presence known May 23, 2008

Every night I usually take some time to lay down and relax after the girls go to bed. Usually Steve and I veg on the couch and watch shows we’ve TiVoed. Because of the way our family room is arranged I have to lay on my left side on the couch to watch TV. Noah rarely leaves his safe little spot on the right side of my belly where he spends his time snuggled up to the placenta. Laying on my left side doesn’t leave him much room and so he usually gets pretty squished. He makes it very well known that he isn’t happy with the situation. He’s just so predictable that it cracks me up. Every single time I am laying on my left side he jabs me over and over in the exact same spot like he’s trying to get me to sit up, roll over, or do something to give him a little more room to move around in. The other night I was able to catch him on video b/c I just happened to have my camera sitting on the coffee table. It cracks me up just how persistent he is. He’ll stop for a couple seconds as if to give me time to respond and then if I ignore him he starts right back up. It’s become a fun little game for Steve and I to play with him because if we start poking back at him it just makes him even more active So, here’s a little 2 minute video showing off Noah’s kicking ability. I need to let him in on the secret that Daddy wants him to play Baseball, not Soccer.

Feel free to turn the sound down so you don’t hear the annoying Hell’s Kitchen episode in the background!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/1003/cmenis/?action=view&current=MVI_0478.flv

A sneak peek May 21, 2008

I wasn’t planning on posting any pictures of Noah’s room until it was completely done, but after a few requests to see what I’ve been up to lately, I suppose I will give you a little peek at what has kept me holed up in the second floor of my house for a week. I’m pretty proud of myself though. I have a friend who’s husband is an artist. He quoted me $500 to do the brown border. I about had a heart attack and knew that there had to be some way I could do it myself. I made 3 different templates for the cat tails and alternated them. Once the tape is taken off the bottom of the brown will be a straight line.

This is the best “before” picture I can dig up. I’m tried of looking for a better one b/c I have entirely too many pictures on this computer to go through. So, the walls were solid pink and all along the top were different colored polka dots, which you can sorta see in this picture of my insane children.

Now, here’s the room. We’ve got some touch ups to do on the dark blue and a second coat to do on the brown. We also need to do the trim and doors. Oh, and Steve has to polyurethane the toybox and put it back together since I decided on a whim it needed a turtle on it to match the bedding. I keep adding more work for him, but he’s been a huge help!
Looking into the room from the hall.

Looking out of the room from the window

The toybox/window area

And, finally, the front of the toybox with the turtle to match the bedding.

I’ll post final pics when it’s all done.

Overheard in the tub May 21, 2008

Yesterday afternoon I was trying to get some painting done in Noah’s room and of course my little artists wanted to help. After watching them get paint all over the dresser, their jammies, and their hair I asked if they wanted to go “paint” in the bathtub with water and brushes. Both of them were very excited about this idea. I got them all settled in and walked back into Noah’s room across the hall to finish up the border on his walls. I love listening to them when they are in the tub b/c most of the time I think they think I can’t hear what they are saying. This was what I heard yesterday:

Addison: *ssluuuuuuuuurrrrrp* (taking a large drink of water)
Alaina: ADDI! Don’t drink the water! I peed!
Addi: Oh. Ok, Lain.

Niiiiiice. This is why I’ve stopped bathing with them.

Changes May 21, 2008

Over the last few weeks I’ve really been rethinking a lot of the choices I’ve made during my previous two births. They were very different, and neither was what I wanted/want.
With Alaina I was entirely too trusting of doctors instead of my own body, which resulted in an almost 19 hour labor with both narcotic and epidural pain relief, pitocin, and a fever for which I had to be treated on IV antibiotics before I was allowed to go home. My body just wasn’t ready and as a first time mom you don’t know any better and assume the doctor knows what he’s talking about. I swore not to let that happen again
The philosophy of midwifery has always appealed to me. Pregnancy and childbirth is not an illness that needs to be treated, but a natural process that should be respected. It’s a normal healthy thing that a woman’s body was made to do. With Addison I knew right away I wanted to check into any midwives that were covered under our insurance. I could only find one group of midwives, and at first glance seemed perfect. In the long run they ended up not being much better than the OB group I left. They suggested an induction b/c of the gestational diabetes, and during my labor and delivery were only slightly more supportive than my previous doctors. It was a very busy night in the hospital so the midwife on call didn’t have much time to devote to being a support person as midwives usually are. Once again I caved and got the epidural only to find out not even 2 minutes later that I was completely dilated and ready to push. It was after this experience that I decided I couldn’t keep relying on professionals to arm me with the information that would be so helpful. I had to do more research and become as knowledgeable as I could for the next time around. Had I known what signs to look for for each stage of labor I would have known that the epidural wasn’t needed and it would be over soon. I can still feel the spot in my back where that epidural was placed.
As soon as I found out I was pregnant with Noah I knew I had to start right then making better choices so I could have a birth experience that was more positive. Granted, the outcome in both situations was a beautiful, healthy baby. The rest of the aftermath wasn’t nearly as positive. I think that each of my births contributed to my severe post partum depression after Addison and now that I am finally off of both of my medicines I want to have the best birth possible this time around. So, here are a few of the things I’ve done to help that happen.

Switching midwives. I have found the most amazing group of midwives. I hate that I didn’t find them 4 years ago, but I’m so thankful to have them now. They are supportive and really involve me in the decisions about my care. They also are wonderful to Alaina and Addi. I take the girls to every appointment with me now and it’s a fun memory for all three of us. They help find the heartbeat, measure my belly, and the midwives reassure them that their baby brother is growing bigger and stronger everyday. Alaina keeps telling me she’s ready for her brother to come “today!” It’s so fun to see them so excited.

Not delivering in a hospital. I discovered these midwives b/c I heard about the Birthing Center they built. I was a little leary about the idea of bringing my brand new baby home at only 6 hours old so I never even gave it a thought and just signed up for the hospital tour at Goshen Hospital. I had never been there before, and while I have heard great things about it I was completely not impressed. The rooms suck. Their birthing tubs are portable so they take over an hour to set up. and they won’t let you deliver in the water so if you are ready to push you have to get out of the tub. Oh yeah, and there’s the option of getting an epidural there
I started thinking about why I had been so adamant about delivering in the hospital when none of my hospital experiences have been positive. I decided the Birthing Center was looking like the best option, because I think I’d give Steve a heart attack if I mentioned the words “home birth” to him. All of the things that I’d have to specifically request/fight for in a hospital, such as delayed cord cutting, immediate breastfeeding, no separating the baby from the mother, all routine checks/procedures done with the baby on my chest, etc. are standard procedures at the Birth Center so I don’t even feel like writing up a birth plan this time around is a necessity. Also, coming home and snuggling up in my own bed with all three of the kids and taking a shower in my own shower sound so appealing. Being able to give Noah his first bath at home, not having nurses whisk him away to do it in the nursery. Not having to worry about informing every nurse in sight that he is not to be circumsized b/c I’ve heard some horror stories about nurses just assuming it’s to be done. Just not having to stress about everything. I want to come home to my own house and doing things my way without nurses giving me crap about how often I’m feeding him, and how many wet diapers he’s had, and sleeping with him in my bed. I want the girls to meet their new brother and spend as much time as they want cuddling and loving on him in the privacy of their own home. Alaina was terrified of the hospital room when Addison was born, and I want this to be a fun, exciting time for them. Steve isn’t 100% on board yet, but I have no doubts that after our first class at the center next week his fears will be gone. I’ve been given the all clear by my midwife that I have no risk factors or reasons that I have to have a hospital birth.

Having a doula Um, sorta LOL A great friend of mine has agreed to be with me during Noah’s birth. While she isn’t an official doula I have all the trust in the world that she will be my advocate and help make sure what I want is done. She’s been through an extremely long labor with a doula and so I trust that when the time comes she’s going to be a huge help to me. I love my husband to pieces, but I need someone else there too. Also, the center is staffed with birthing assistants and of course the midwife as well.

The closer I get the more excited I am about my experience this time around. I feel like an active participant rather than just standing by while the “medical professionals” make all the decisions. Only 8 more weeks to go!

Pics for the week
31 weeks

32 weeks

Gestational Diabetes! May 21, 2008

Originally posted May 3, 2008

Last night the phone rang at 6:30 pm. I looked at the caller ID and noticed it was my midwife calling. I immediately assumed she was calling to tell me I failed my 3rd 1 hour glucose test. Well, apparently I can add one more thing to my list of praises for this practice, because they call you with good news too!! I PASSED! I was shocked, she was shocked, and we were both cracking up at my reaction to the news. I’ve somehow managed to not get gestational diabetes this time. She still wants me to check my fasting sugars a couple times a week and to do a one or two hour test once a day, but that’s nothing compared to poking myself 5 times a day.

Oh, and a couple pics, 26 and 29 weeks.