keeper

Jwk, I'm not making a case. I'm not debating circumcision with you, because it's a pointless debate. Sarah

The stories I've heard about older boys and men "needing" to be circumcized always revolve around an infection under the foreskin. The thing I don't understand is why the docs needed to treat infection with amputation, when antibiotics work fine for most other infections. I think when the majority of doctors thought a circumcized member was the "normal" and "healthier" of the two, they're first inclination when seeing a problem with intact foreskin was to cut it off. I think it would be a rare doc nowadays who would do the same. My first boy was circumcized because of my fear of him needing to be done later. Fast forward eight years and a lot of research later, we've left our second son intact and I've let my 8 year old know why and that I wish I could go back and undo the decision I made with him. I have friends who think I'm weird to have my boys "different." I'm not going to circumcize Michael just so he'll be like Ray...because frankly, it's not like they're sitting around naked, comparing their memberes all the time, anyway! Sarah

You're right about one thing. I don't agree with you. Sarah

Deb, somehow, I'm not surprised at all that you're a fan of Cascade and Spiritual Midwifery. :) Sarah

I've had three of my five at home and currently in an apprenticeship as a lay midwife. I am certified in neonatal resuscitation and am learning all of the skills I'd need to know in the event of a complication. Skilled midwives can stabilize a woman for transport and can handle certain complications at home with great success. The statistics are very much in favor of homebirth in the low risk population. I also believe a woman has the intuition necessary to know where she should give birth. One of my friends was a die hard homebirther, but chose to have her third in the hospital because she just didn't feel right. She was where she needed to be when her baby needed immediate surgery. I pray fervently with each birth and am willing to birth in a hospital if that is what I feel needs to happen. I think that knowledge is available to all women. Sarah

Just an FYI. There are many OB's out there now who do NOT do exams during the last weeks of pregnancy. Most of ours where I work do NOt do them. trends have changed in that arena. Not in my area, lol. Most women don't bat an eye either!

I'm not going, but I wish I could. I had planned on it, but we got a huge influx of Spring due dates and can't leave our mommies. Just wanted to wish you luck and hope you have a wonderful, educational conference! Sarah Wife to Aaron, Mom to five, Doula/Apprentice Midwife

My preceptor is not insured. She is very up front about her training, experience, and lack of licensure. When newly pregnant couples come for an initial consult, they are given her informed consent packet which outlines in detail things such as the status of midwifery in our state, her education, her philosophies about births, as well as her limits and boundaries in regards to risk. There is a page that lays out the fee and the services provided, and there is a release of liability. She is very conservative about whom she will take on, and her success record reflects that. She's cared for me through two pregnancies, and I haven't gotten the firm green light for homebirth until the very end of both because of my anemia. I work hard to brings my levels up, because the responsibility is mine, and I know she'll ship me off to the OB who does dual care with me, lol. She does the standard 13 (or more for postdates) prenatal appointments and can order labwork and ultrasounds. At prenatals, we monitor all the usual: heart tones, weight, urine, fundal height, blood pressure, etc. About the only thing we don't do is the lady partsl exams doctors require during the last trimester. She'll do a lady partsl exam if it's warranted (preterm labor, 41+ weeks), but otherwise, no. Sarah Wife to Aaron, Mom to five, Doula/Apprentice Midwife

There are also different types of lay midwives, though the names vary by area. Certified Professional Midwives get a degree from a MEAC accredited school of midwifery AND do clinical work in an apprenticeship. They take the NARM test and receive certification. Traditional Midwives work one on one with an experienced midwife, doing home study and attending births in an apprenticeship. These midwives are not licensed or certified but are no less skilled. I'm six months into a three year apprenticeship as a traditional midwife. I do plan on pursuing NARM certification, however, so I can work in states that require it for licensure.

Landonsles, I had a friend who had had four episiotomies and went on to have only a skin tear in her fifth birth that required only two stitches. My preceptor midwife has seen good results with clients rubbing rose oil into their scars prior to labor. She never cuts women and in six months working with her, she has only needed to suture one woman. (For smaller skin tears, including mine, she uses prepared seaweed to hold the skin together.) Sarah

It is my understanding that while the uterus can push the baby out all on its own, the urge is there when the head descends low enough to put pressure on the anal sphincter. So most women who can feel it WILL push because the urge is overwhelming. Anecdotally, I've had five babies. I was told to push at 10 cms with the first three and pushed in a semi reclined position. No epidural and babies were born in under 30 minutes. With my two youngest, I waited for the urge and pushed in hands/knees and got them out much faster and with considerably less pain. My 3 month old was over ten pounds, btw. re: Perineal massage. I've also read that prenatal perineal massage, done by the mother in the weeks preceding birth, can lower the incidence of tears while second stage massage can make tears worse. I don't know the statistics, but I have done prenatal perineal massage and did not tear until my ten pounder, and with that one, it was only a small skin tear that healed without stitching. Sarah

I had OB care in addition to midwifery care the last two months of my last pregnancy on a "just in case" basis. I had pregnancy complications that were all resolved before the birth, so I went on to have a successful homebirth after all. What I learned was that in order to see an OB in my town, it meant spending a minimum of 1 hour in a waiting room and at least another half hour in an examining room for a whole five minutes with the OB. And that was on a good day. There were days I was there for three hours..for a scheduled appointment. My other children had to be put in day care for my visits, so I had that expense, plus copays. If I hadn't had insurance, a second car, a dependable and cheap (at $7 per hour) sitter, and the money to cover the copays, I might have been one of those women who ignore it altogether. It's a lot to dish out for five minutes of "looks like everythings on track...." Don't get me wrong. I understand completely how important prenatal care is. The average woman, or the uninformed and poor? Maybe not. Sarah

I observed this presentation at my third homebirth as an apprentice. The mom had a slightly crooked spine and uneven hips (probably congenital), and I'm sure that had some bearing on the baby's presentation. The cervix dilated unevenly, with a firm lip for many hours. Labor seemed to ebb and flow and baby was constantly moving to find a way down. Heart tones were good throughout and mom was tolerating labor well, (as well as any woman does), so we just worked with her on changing positions often and helping that little boy descend. She got the urge to push, but still had the lip, so my preceptor had to manually dilate it away, using evening primrose oil to soften it, while I worked with mom to keep her from bearing down. She pushed in several different positions, but squatting was the most effective. Her baby boy was born with a caput on the right side of his head, but otherwise all was well. It was a difficult labor, but not impossible. She would have been sectioned in the hospital. I'm sorry to hear you had such a rough birth and of your continued pain. I hope you are able to get some help soon and can move ahead to a full recovery. Sarah

I observed this presentation at my third homebirth as an apprentice. The mom had a slightly crooked spine and uneven hips (probably congenital), and I'm sure that had some bearing on the baby's presentation. The cervix dilated unevenly, with a firm lip for many hours. Labor seemed to ebb and flow and baby was constantly moving to find a way down. Heart tones were good throughout and mom was tolerating labor well, (as well as any woman does), so we just worked with her on changing positions often and helping that little boy descend. She got the urge to push, but still had the lip, so my preceptor had to manually dilate it away, using evening primrose oil to soften it, while I worked with mom to keep her from bearing down. She pushed in several different positions, but squatting was the most effective. Her baby boy was born with a caput on the right side of his head, but otherwise all was well. It was a difficult labor, but not impossible. She would have been sectioned in the hospital. I'm sorry to hear you had such a rough birth and of your continued pain. I hope you are able to get some help soon and can move ahead to a full recovery. Sarah

Boulergirl, my sentiments exactly. Sarah

I'm a lowly apprentice midwife at this point and haven't yet learned lady partsl exams. I'm in no hurry either, lol. The first time I was pregnant, my midwives explained the difference between one and two centimeters dilation. Correct me if I'm not remembering this right. One centimeter is "fingertip" dilated, as in just the little fleshy pad on the tip of the finger can go into the cervix. With two centimeters, the finger can be inserted into the cervix up to the first joint and baby's head can be felt at the inner os. So, yesterday I landed in the ER at 37 weeks after an awful stomach bug left me dehydrated and contracting. We have two hospitals here, one with the ER and one for women and children where the babies are born. My hemotologist wanted me to go to the one with the ER first, in case the stomach bug was a reaction to the blood transfusion I had two weeks ago. At that hospital, they gave me fluids, checked my cervix, and monitored baby and me for 20 minutes before shipping me over to the Women's hospital for more monitoring. The ER doc was very gentle with the pelvic and her finding was that I was one centimeter. (Okay by me...I'm hoping to go late, lol). At the other hospital, the labor nurse didn't want to trust the finding of the ER doc and insisted on checking my cervix again. Since the first exam had been so gentle and the cervix had been easily reached, I assumed this exam would be the same. Oh my goodness, it wasn't! I felt like this nurse was trying to check my tonsils! My husband said he nearly fell out of his chair when he saw her go in hard, then rear back a bit and lunge in again, literally pushing my whole body back on the bed. I've never had a more painful exam, and I've even been manually dilated during one of my labors!!!!! After she was finished, she said that this cervix wasn't going to be producing a baby anytime soon and said, "I had a really hard time reaching the inner os." I was speechless! I couldn't imagine why she thought it was important to even TRY to reach the inner os, considering I was only dilated one centimeter. So, I guess I'm wondering...do I have my facts straight? And do you all examine women this way? Is it standard to try and force a finger into a cervix that is only open enough to allow the small pad of your finger in???? Thanks in advance. Sarah

Does no one else find it telling that the decision to send her home happened at 5 pm on a Friday? It's better than an unnecessary section that happens at 5pm on a Friday, anyway. Alyca, I'm with Jolie in that this is the perfect example of the mess that can occur from scheduling an induction. Personally, I would prefer a doctor send me home than force me into an ftp c section. But yeah, I completely understand the feeling that one the one hand, doc says the pregnancy is unsafe and then on the other, has no problem letting it continue over the weekend. Sarah

Hmmmmmmm I'll bet that goes along with the male sperm swim faster/female sperm live longer thing. I've heard that the contractions of the pelvic floor during orgasm can give the little swimmers a boost, so the theory would be that in the presence of orgasm, the boy sperm are where they need to be to outrun the girl sperm AND get to the egg before they die. In the absence of orgasm, the trip would be longer, so there would likely be more girl sperm overall. Makes sense I guess........lol Sarah

Hi, nonnurse lurker here. My younger sister is a piece of work, medically. She's bipolar, has asthma, has had a heart condition which was corrected with an ablation, smokes, is, I feel, addicted to prescription drugs, is developing an ulcer, has cysts on her ovaries which are in danger of hemorrhaging, and in the past year, has developed seizures. When she first began having the seizures, we immediately though epilepsy, because my mother and aunt both have the condition. I was there in the hospital room with my sister when they induced a seizure while doing an EEG, and they concluded there was nothing electrical about them. All the doctors could give us was that they were somehow, "stress related." I believe my sister is a drug seeker, and many times, after a seizure, she has walked away from the emergency room with valium in her system and a prescription for zanax (sp?), her drug of choice. She has been known to take more than twice the prescribed dose at one time...even stealing them out of our older sister's purse while she was distracted. Okay, the point. Do I have one? Have any of you seen seizures like this? I'm struggling to know if this is something she is consciously doing, or if it is truly out of her control. When I get called at work to hurry to the ER to be with her, sometimes I don't even want to go. And when I get there, I'm always tempted to take the nurses aside and ask if they have her full history...knowing they wouldn't be able to talk to me about it anyway. I'm just wondering if I'm being used...along with a lot of other people. Thanks, Sarah

oh! I got a new one today! A staff member where I work told me his wife could predict whether I was having a boy or girl. I was supposed to a the month I conceived (February...so 2) to the age I was during that month (27). If the number was odd, I'm having a boy. Even, a girl. So, APPARENTLY, I'm having a boy. Of course, I ran the numbers for my four other kids right after, and according to her method, my son was supposed to be a daughter, and my youngest daughter was supposed to be a son. Heart tones today were 165.....hmmmmmm.....which myth to believe???? Sarah

My preceptor midwife caught a 12 pound, 9 ounce baby boy at home a couple of years ago. They made USAToday as the biggest baby born in UT in a decade or more. Natural birth, no tearing. No GD. Sarah

I used to work at an assisted living facility for the elderly and worked there through two pregnancies. I got a lot of flack each time I reached above my head, lol. I also had a resident tell me to bind my baby's abdomen after the birth so he/she wouldn't get an "outie" belly button. My son has one.....aw man! Was that all I had to do? Sarah

I'm a little late in replying but I wanting to add myself to the list of people who have safely delivered a child with a VSD. My son was born with tetralogy of fallot, a condition which included a silver dollar sized hole. He was born lady partslly, and at home, no less! lol. The defect wasn't discovered until he was four months old and was repaired at 13 months of age. He's a happy, healthy first grader now! Sarah

Jumping out of lurkdom to answer this one. I am one of those parents. As a parent, all I know about a nurse when I walk through the doors of a hospital is his or her name, occupation, and place of employment. I don't know if she will supplement without my consent, give tests I refuse, etc. As a parent, my first and foremost repsonsibility is to my child, not to the feelings of the nurse in question. For me, it's a matter of priorities. Also, as a parent, I am not away from my newborns for months, so why should I be asked to be separated from them when they are only hours old? I've had nurses kind of whine that they aren't able to rock my babies because I don't allow them into the nursery. Have your own baby if you need to rock someone! This one's mine! Security isn't on my mind too much, but I think it is still an issue in many hospitals. I don't think parents who want to be sure their babies are switched or stolen are overreacting, especially in hospitals that run 300+ births per month. Of course, this is all the more reason why I homebirth, lol. Sarah

Hi Christy, I'm not a nurse either, and these ladies have been very accomodating of my occasional posts on this board. I've found it to be a wonderful resource. I am a doula in training and a midwife to be, and I can tell you that YES, OP hurts way more than an anterior presentation! I remember the month I was due with my last baby, my midwife told us one of the other February mommies had had her baby posterior. (Med free, at home). I still remember my midwife's exact words: "Posterior babies are why God created epidurals!" And this from a woman who wholeheartedly advocates unmedicated birth! I don't know if you plan on having more children, but if you are and you face this situation again, there are ways to lessen the pain. A hands/knees laboring position can not only provide relief, it can actually cause a baby to flip to an anterior position if the membranes have not ruptured. Also, counterpressure on your tailbone can help ease the pain. The woman I mentioned previously had bruises on her back from the amount of counterpressure she needed from her husband, but she couldn't make it through a contraction without it! If your doctor and hospital are progressive enough, the hands/knees position is very effective for second stage, with the coccyx more able to move out of the way of that head and the pelvis more able to open. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with your nurses. I had one like that with my second birth, and we called her the "poopoo nurse." Fortunately for us, she was not in the room much. Our other nurse, Char, was absolutely wonderful, empathetic, caring, positive, everything a good nurse is! Congratulations on your four beautiful children! Sarah