Newbee here

[kykarraliv]

Hi my name is Kim. I am pregnant with my 7th child. Yes, that's right my 7th:D . I am planning a waterbirth at home. My edd is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I just wanted to introduce myself and look forward to reading all of your posts.

[Erin Pavlina]

Welcome Kim. Wow 7 children. I'll bet you can help a lot of us with a lot of questions we have. Get ready... ;)

[veganmama]

Hi and welcome. Congrats on your pregnancy. What are the ages of your children? Have you had all home births? I am just exploring the idea of a home birth, but because I will be attempting a VBAC I am cautious. I had an emergency c section to save my son's life as he was in distress. I will probably opt for a hospital VBAC attempt, but have a consult with a home birth practice in a few days. I am due in July so I need to make my decision soon.

Tell us more about you and all of your kids. How old are you and how long have you been vegan. Congrats again. VM

[kykarraliv]

Hi, my children are all girls and they are 17, 14, 12, almost 4, and I had twins, one died and my living twin is 19 months. No, I did not have all homebirths. I wish I could have. My birth stories are below.........

I have had every imaginable labor and birth experience (almost, no c-sections). When I had my eldest 17 years ago it was the dr knows best you little idiot way. I had an episiotomy, twilight sleep, laying on my back. With my 14 yr old her birth was great because things went so fast. My water broke at home and I was able to labor at home and on the way to a military hospital. She was born 10 minutes after I arrived there. Totally natural and no episiotomy. I remembered the dr being so flustered because he couldn't write he had done an episiotomy. This birth gave me confindence in my own body. So with my 12 yr old I was planning her birth with lay midwives at a birthing center that was a really beautiful old home with normal beds and rooms and it felt so good their. Then Desert Storm broke out and my husband was deployed my parents freaked and begged me to come back home to have the baby. Saying I couldn't have the baby alone. So I left El Paso, and went to MT. I lived with my parents. They were really going crazy about the midwife thing. So I got a doula and a general practioner. I birthed in the hospital with no drugs. It was a really good experience. The doula was wonderful the doctor was wonderful. He knew the doula was working on becoming a midwife so he allowed her to help with the birth, showing her how to ease the lip of the cervix over the baby's head and control the baby's head in coming out so there was less chance of ripping. Unfortunately this doctor no longer does births. Then I became very ill with Ulcerative Colitis. Which is a disease where your own body attacks your colon and eats holes in it. Lots of blood, pain, weakness, arthritis and other complications. While I was in remission I got pregnant with my 3 year old daughter. I almost immediatley came out of remission. Though women with UC usually have a less of a chance of coming out of remission with pregnancy. I was worried about the baby I went to a high risk doctor. As the pregnancy progressed I became very dissatisfied with his attitude. He was constantly talking about a C-section. Finally after I discussed my birth plan with him, He said, "You know I am not a midwife!" When I left I thought, "You're right your are not a midwife." After a great deal of thought and prayer at 6 months I changed to a CNM. They told me that UC would not keep me from having a CNM. They were wonderful. As it was I developed Polyhydromosis (too much amniotic fluid). They discussed my case with the doctor on staff and I was still under the care of the CNMs. Well, my water broke 5 weeks early. I was so scared. By the time I got to the hospital, I was shaking. The midwife was so great. She was upbeat and expressed confidence in me and that my baby would be fine. Later I found out she had the neonatal respitory tech on standby as well as a pediatrician. Just in case the baby had problems at birth. When the baby was born the room was filled with a pediatrician, 2 neonatal nurses, a respitory tech, and my CNM. Everyone but my CNM stood back along the wall. Ready and out of the way. Then I birthed my baby. She cried so strongly. The respitory tech and pediatrician began to look her over. Pronounced her healthy and left. I was able to leave the hospital the next day with my baby. The pediatrician came to my room before we left and said, "You know I was expecting a sick baby....That baby is a miracle!" Then with my dd who is 19 months old, pregnancy I became pregnant with twins. We were thrilled! Our whole family was so happy. Durring the pregnancy Hannah died. I lost all faith in my body. I once again came out of remission with UC. Because I was pregnant with twins and experiencing complications I was seeing an OB GYN. My faith in myself to birth a healthy baby was gone. I was so upset durring that pregnancy. My water broke 3 weeks before my due date and I went into the hospital with mild contractions. When I got there the dr ordered pit even though I was in labor already. Immediately the baby went into distress and the nurse pulled the Pit. But the pit had already overstimulated my body and my contractions were coming fast. I had an epidural. Mistake! After that I was left alone to labor, my husband fell asleep. When the baby was crowning the dr was called he came in and he and my husband watched the Home Road Show, while nurses got things ready and we waited for the anesthesiologist to come to take care of the epidural. That dr left my already stressed out baby in the birth canal and watched TV with my husband! I was ignored. The when everthing was just perfectly ready he had me push. She was born in 2 pushes basically dead. She did not breath, she was unconscience. He said, "UH-OH floppy baby" and handed her to a nurse. That image of a dead baby coming from my body is burned into my memory. The nurses got her breathing. Then I started hemmoraging. My body did not want to let go of the two placentas the dr went in with his hand and scraped them out piece by piece. Afterwards I remember being with my baby in my room holding her, and thinking, "Is this REALLY my baby. This doesn't feal like I have had a baby. I saw her dead." It took me about 3 month to bond with her. I also had post-partum depression with her. Well, after her birth my UC became very sever. I ended up with a total colectomy and having a bag. That was the best thing I could have done! I have recovered now and feel wonderful. I have changed my diet from a refined food, meat, milk and eggs diet to a Vegan diet. I am finally healthy and have worked through a lot of my issues with my last pregnancy. I once again have confidence in my body, and even though my husband had a brain fart durring my last birth, he is a wonderfully supportive man and is excited to be able to be with me for the birth of our baby in our own home. My midwife is wonderful, she spoke with my surgen (who is a special person himself but that is another story) and everything has been okayed for a home water birth. I am finally disease free and healthy and feel good again. This baby will be born durring the holiday season in my own home with the holiday decorations and Christmas tree lights twinkling and my other children there. No drs, no hospital, no vaccines, no artificial feedings, no pokes, no hurry, surrounded by my loved ones and people who have faith in me to deliver my own baby.

My family and I have only been completely vegan for 3 months. So we will need lots of help and suggestions:) We were vegetarians before that and conivores before that. By far we have been carnivores the longest and have paid the price for it.
Kim

[veganmama]

Wow, what a story. I am very glad that becoming vegan has been the answer to your good health. I am very sorry about the loss of your twin, and thrilled that her sister was revived at birth. That must have been a very scary experience. This is my second vegan pregnancy. My son was born very healthy, although he was in distress during my labor. I think the big issue for me having a home birth is the threat of uterine rupture. I am 100% for home birth, but because my son was born by c/section it changes the risk factors. I will wait till Monday night to hear what the doctor has to say, if I am even a candidate for a home birth. this practice is a combo of OB's, family practitioners, mid wives and labor nurses. They may not take me on, so I may keep in my OB practice and just switch to the midwife, because then they would call in the OB in an emergency. I am also checking into switching hospitals. I want to water labor to avoid meds. With my c section I had to have an epidural.

Now a question. Do you think if you delivered your surviving twin at home, she would have been revived with the same outcome?
VM

[kykarraliv]

Do you think if you delivered your surviving twin at home, she would have been revived with the same outcome?

Good question.....I believe that she would not have been born unconscience and not breathing at home. She was stressed in labor by the adding of pitocin to help along contractions that were already doing there job. The pit caused the contractions to come one on top of the other with little or no break in between. This stressed out my baby very quickly and her heart rate fell dangerously low. Pit was stopped immediately, but, it had triggered my uterus to keep contracting very quickly. Then when she was ready to be born she was left crowned in my birth canal while the dr watched TV. She became very distressed and she went unconscience. All for the convience of the dr and hospital staff. He was not even paying attention to the stupid monitor he wanted on.
If she had been born unconsience and not breathing at home, my midwife carries the oxygen and equipment to handle just such an event and all they did for her at the hospital my midwife could do for her at home. The thing is though she never would have been born unconscience at home because my labor would not have been messed with and I would have received bettter care with more attention being paid to well being of my baby. My baby would never have been left in the birth canal for so long. So yes I do think home birth would have been safer for her. In fact I could have birthed all of my babies safely at home. Even the 5 week premature one. Because she did not need any special help after birth. I would still birth a premature baby at a hospital though because the risk of something going wrong is greater. I hope this answered your question.:)
Kim