Saturday, October 2, 2010

Spin off blog, or perhaps not

I've been thinking on an idea lately (the past 6 months really) and would like to know what you my readers (reader) think about it.
I sortof spun the idea off of Ina May Gaskins Birth stories as told in Spiritual Midwifery and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (which everyone who ever plans to have a baby should read). The birth stories are usually told by the woman having the birth with supplemental information given by the midwife who attended the birth. I found them extremely helpful when I was in labor with the Tyke. I felt like I had this bank of ideas for coping with the intensity of birth and I could pull out any of them I liked and try it for a while.
My idea is to create something like this but for after your children are out and driving you crazy. I'd like to start a blog where mothers could tell their stories and share the challenges that have faced them while raising their children. I think it could be helpful to new mothers to see what other mothers have tried and what has worked.
Personally, I think that's a story I'd want to read. There is no end to the multitude of ways there are to mother and I think it could be helpful to new moms and moms who are facing new challenges to know of other mothers who have faced these things and what they did about it.
So, assuming that you my readers (reader) would like to read that too, what would you like to ask other mothers? Do you want to know about potty training, discipline, sleep training, homeschooling, regular school, nutrition, puberty, teen years, college applications? What is it that you would most like to learn about and ask other mothers? You tell me, and I'll go find the answers.

Friday, October 1, 2010

I don't think so...

I just had my meeting with the hospital midwives. I went in with an open (ish) mind and as I stated earlier, the financially responsible part of me really hoped I liked them.
But I didn't.
There were several things that they do simply to maintain privilages at the hospital where they do births and to keep the Ob/Gyn's in their practice happy that are just not compatible with a healthy and happy birth for me. Here are the deal breakers:
  1. They induce at 41 weeks. Not only is this one not backed up by any evidence that it gives you healthier babies and mommies, the opposite is often true because a pitocin induction is no picnic and is associated with higher rates of c-sections and epidurals which both come with their own set of side effects. Pitocin is not much fun either because it can lead to hyper-stimulation of the uterus and more cases of fetal distress than if mothers were left the hell alone and allowed to labor as nature saw fit.
  2. They insist on an IV line. Anyone else here feel like going through a though mental and physical ordeal that requires every inch of your concentration and stamina with a needle stuck in your arm? Yeah, me neither.
  3. They routinely give pitocin after birth. They do this to get the uterus to contract back down to it's previous size (or close to it) and it can be helpful with warding off things like postpartum hemorrhage but there are several other ways of doing those things without giving you this powerful drug that can produce very painful contractions while you're trying to bond with your newborn. Breastfeeding can also have the same affects (clamping down the uterus and preventing hemorrhage but they don't trust that one.
Dilbert was saying that we could still go with them and just hope that I'm not GBS positive and lie about when the LMP was so that I could go to 42 weeks but they wouldn't know it. That may work for some but I don't want to have someone I don't trust in the room while I'm trying to birth a baby. That was the great thing with the last birth, everyone who was there was trusted by me so I wasn't self conscience or awkward.