Saturday, July 10, 2010

Open thread, birth story style

I'm up in northern Wisconsin with my parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews. So today's post will be a group effort. Please share your favorite birth stories--your own or links to someone else's. Talk about the role birth stories played as you prepared to give birth. Anything and everything related to birth stories is fair game!

To get things started, here's the birth story I want to share: a breech home birth at Musings of a Redhead, complete with lovely pictures.

27 comments:

  1. MY own birth was heavily influenced by my sisters' birth (one gave birth to her first two days before I gave birth to my first). But by far my favorite birth story is of a homebirth of a friend- http://thecaldwell5.blogspot.com/2010/02/our-eden.html. It helped inspire to take my natural birth a step further and do this one at home.

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  2. I have had two children with different birth experiences. The first one was with an epidural and went pretty quickly. And I needed a vacuum extraction and it sucked, but I didn't realize how much at the time.

    http://vldecker.wordpress.com/2008/01/28/finally-how-austin-arrived-possibly-tmi-and-very-long/

    The second one was an unmedicated hospital birth that I was happy with. There were a few things I, didn't like, but it was also 3 times as long as my first labor but a much shorter and less interesting story.


    http://vldecker.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/allies-birth/

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  3. I read SO many VBAC birth stories and really liked hearing how empowered women felt after having their birth the way they wanted to. I did though, not feel like my situation was the same, I had placenta previa (complete) with my first, and on top of that was in a car accident and was hospitalized until I had an emergency c-section at 35 weeks. I went into my next pregnancy with no expectations, I did not have placenta previa again and then I went on to have the birth of my choice :)
    For a different kind of HVBAC you can read my story here: http://songsparrowsings.blogspot.com/2009/07/story-of-willows-home-vbac-birth.html

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  4. I read countless number of positive birth stories when i was pg with #2. My first birth was pretty traumatic and i was terrified to do it again. Luckily, I came across HypnoBirthing while reading some of the birth stories, and decided to give it a try. Giving birth to my second child was a life changing experience for me, as I discovered that birth can be a joyful peaceful experience...

    I've given birth to 2 more babies since then, at home with a midwife using HypnoBirthing as well. Back 6 years ago I didn't think that the birth-fearing me would one day be fascinated with all things pregnancy and birth related. But it happened, thanks to the birth stories through which I discoved new positive ways to birth my babies :)

    My latest birth story (from a little over a month ago) is on my blog.

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  5. Here's a link to my daughter's birth story, February 2010. It was beautiful and chaotic and being almost five months later, I am still healing both physically and emotionally.

    I wanted to have kids after discovering birth stories online about four years. They opened up a whole new world to me of wonderful, strong, amazing women and their pregnancy, labor and birth stories. Rica, yours included.

    Even though my story is a bit traumatic I am healing reading what other women also go through and know in my heart I would do it all over again.

    http://sirenanow.blogspot.com/2010/05/didis-birth-story-for-mothers-day.html

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  6. Hope you are enjoying your summer get-away with family!! I'll be up in the north woods of
    Minnesotat soon enough myself. Ah.....relaxation!
    Here's a link to my vba2c birth story. Hope it inspires! http://tinyurl.com/2dc2yp5

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  7. I read that breech birth story earlier today. I loved it, especially the photos.

    My first birth (hospital with CNM, induction for PROM, epidural):

    http://birthunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-daughters-birth.html

    My second birth (unmedicated hosptial birth with OB using Hynobabies):

    http://birthunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-sons-birth.html

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  8. Thanks for sharing my story, Rixa!

    Reading positive birth stories was a huge part of my preparation for birth this time around. I read all that I could find. And then once I knew this baby was going to stay breech, I looked for all the positive breech birth stories I could find. It really helped add to my confidence that breech births are normal and can go very smoothly.

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  9. Here's the link to my home birth story:
    http://altum-a.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-of-firsts-seconds-and-thirds.html

    Best thing I ever did!

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  10. I've had 5 amazing births, but I especially love to share the most recent: a surprise breech home birth: http://mamasandbabies.blogspot.com/2009/07/home-water-birth-breech-delivery-of.html

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  11. Here is my own birth story from 5 months ago. It was an accidental UC, but planned HB.
    http://onemoremum.blogspot.com/2010/03/accidental-freebirth-planned-homebirth.html

    Here is on of my favourite birth stories with a video too. I know 2 of the ladies in it- the mama and the student midwife.
    http://gregariouspeach.com/?p=663

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  12. I'll come back and post my story here, when my Little One finally arrives. I know EDD is just that (and I would never have an elective induction), but being 40+ weeks in New Jersey right now is miserable! It was 104 degrees last week!

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  13. I cant wait to read all of these birth stories :)
    I just love birth stories.
    You can read my birth story of my little lady on my blog
    www.lilmamakaren.blogspot.com
    just click on the photo on the right that says birth story.
    She was a natural unmedicated hospital birth after having a drug induces medicated hospital birth with my little man.

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  14. Rixa, you already shared my most recent birth story but I'll share the link again in case anyone else wants to see it! I had an wonderful birth and all but one hour was painless.

    http://azuroo.blogspot.com/2010/04/baby-adas-birthday.html

    There's a video at the end.

    The entry following it has some more info about the birth and pictures.

    http://azuroo.blogspot.com/2010/04/welcoming-baby-ada.html

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  15. Also, I just saw this beautiful birth video on YouTube...

    http://www.youtube.com/user/amashanti1

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  16. Most women have only heard horror stories about birth and I think being able to read positive, empowering birth stories to counteract all the negatives images is really important. It can also go a long way in processing the birth- particularly traumatic birth.

    I wrote up my fourth child's birth story, which also includes my other three babies births in the back story:
    http://onebreathatatime.blogspot.com/2010/06/adelle.html

    Can I also say how much I love birth pictures, particularly the first one taken after the mother meets her baby? That I-just-met-the-person-I-prepared-months-for look is so beautiful :)

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  17. We have quite a few birth stories, all homebirths and UCs at the moment, that have been submitted to us. Check the "birth stories" category. One of the latest is a double footling breech homebirth. The link to that particular one is:

    http://www.indiebirth.com/the-double-footling-breech-home-birth-of-zander-blaze/

    Enjoy!

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  18. My greatest inspiration right now is this: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/atlanta-mom-births-triplets-via-vbac.html I dont really want triplets but, I could think of worse things. Like a CBA2C.

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  19. I was going to share the one you did. Oh well, how about the mom that fired her OB DURING her birth!
    http://hypnobabies.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/mom-fires-ob-during-birth-when-threatened-with-a-cesarean/

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  20. I'll be happy to share. I actually just recently got all my memories about my son's birth written down in anticipation to receiving my chart that I've been trying to obtain.
    http://www.themarketgoblins.com/2010/06/second-request.html

    I'm definitely hoping to make things much different next time around, most likely from the comfort of my own home.

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  21. Okay so I typed a long story but it got deleted...or never posted or something. Anyway, I read many birth stories while Iwas pregnant last winter, and thought that I was prepared, haha. I did exercise every week and do everything I could to stay healthy in order to control what I could possibly control about the labor process. I felt great throughout my pregnancy, even going to step class up to the week I delivered. I wrote a birth plan and talked it over with the 7 doctors at my ob practice. In some ways, I wasted my time.

    I spent a lot of time telling people that a due date isn't a due date, etc, but that didn't stop me from going into labor that night, ironically. I hadn't read any first-time stories that were super fast, so I assumed that my contractions that were 10 minutes apart would stay that way for a while. According to Dr. Sears and another book I had, I should wait until contractions were coming 4 minutes apart for 1 hour. Hahahaha. I let my husband sleep and didn't call my parents, thinking that I had hours of this "early labor".

    After 2 hours or so from the first contraction I got in the shower and then let the tub fill up, where I relaxed. I wasn't in much pain and the water was super relaxing. I called a friend of mine who was to be my doula 3 hours in and told her that I might be in labor, and contractions were about 5 or 6 minutes apart. She said that I should probably call my parents and wake my husband. When I got out of the tub everything changed- contractions got stronger and were 2 minutes apart! My husband tried to call the doctor and get me in the car but I just wanted to lay in the tub where it was the most comfortable (on my side). 4 hours into it I started to feel the urge to push and could feel my daughter's head...still at home! (Should have planned a home birth, grr). Fortunately or not we live 5 minutes away from the hospital and I pushed my daughter out 15 minutes after we arrived, less than 5 hours after the first sign of labor. :) So much for my birth plan...I guess my body had it's own plan after all.

    In the end it was great...I loved being at home for labor, but I was a bit disappointed because I missed half of it- I had prepared SO MUCH for labor and birth and then it was over so fast- that I almost missed it and I can't remember most of it..Although, I will say that I'd do it again in a heartbeat, and I can't wait to have a home birth next time!

    I like telling my friends about Claire's birth because I hope that they will consider a home birth or unmedicated birth and believe that they can have a baby and that it might not be that bad!

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  22. I love reading birth stories, but lately my favorite is mine! I gave birth seven weeks ago in an unmedicated hospital birth with a midwife to an occiput posterior baby (not surprisingly it involved 3 hours of pushing!). What a change from my first birth! The first time my contractions started very strong and close together, but it was a long labor. You know how the child birth books talk about the difference between suffering and coping? The first time I was suffering, and suffered for 24 hrs before finally agreeing to an epidural (which resulted in a vacuum). This time everything began more slowly and built normally. I spent all early labor and into active labor walking and swaying (and then onto the ball). In between contractions I was happy, proud, confident, relaxed. I had no idea it was possible to be in labor and FEEL GOOD (in between contractions). During active labor I got hit by a strong blast of endorphins and was just overwhelmed with love for my husband and my family. Those birthing hormones really are powerful. I was almost six cm by the time I got to the hospital, and my time there was just as peaceful as at home - it was quiet and dark, the midwife barely spoke. I did most of my pushing squatting until it got too exhausting. I wasn't sure I could do it but I did! It was such a peaceful and beautiful experience, and I finally learned how to PUSH (epidural pushing is so frustrating). And I recovered so much more quickly - I just felt clear-eyed and fantastic afterwards. What a joy.
    -Erin

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  23. Reading birth stories has definitely played a roll in how I have approached my births. I feel I have had greater faith in my body and the process of birth because of them.
    I have had 3 births. A home birth, a hospital birth with twins who passed away shortly after, and another home birth. All were life changing experiences that have helped me grow as a mother, wife and daughter.
    Birth One: http://fromthegridandbeyond.blogspot.com/2009/08/im-closing-my-eyes-and-remembering.html
    Birth Two: http://fromthegridandbeyond.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Angels
    Birth Three: http://fromthegridandbeyond.blogspot.com/search/label/Birth%20Story

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  24. Here is a link to my birth story. Like you, I hired a midwife for that 5% and was very independent.
    http://mamaandbabylove.blogspot.com/2010/02/end-of-4th-trimester.html

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  25. My first son was born in a hospital with an epidural. It was pretty easy, 12 hours start to finish and what I now know was a very easy recovery. After he was born, I did a lot of research and decided to have my 2nd with a midwife at our birth center in town.

    Things did not turn out quite how I planned, and I had an unplanned home delivery! I love my birth story because it's unusual and I got my husband to also write up his side of it. It is here:

    http://www.snotw.com/2010/05/how-i-had-baby-in-my-bathroom-or.html

    I read tons of positive birth stories during my 2nd pregnancy. It totally helped me to feel empowered and positive about what was going to happen when birthing my 2nd (and last) baby.

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  26. One thought/question: I thought that you aren't supposed to touch a baby that is breech-birthing?? Obviously, the LOVELY story with Katrina and her little Miriam illustrates that -- apparently -- it's all right in some instances... I'm not a birth professional (though I hope to become one sometime in the near future); I'm just trying to glean as much info as possible. :)

    BTW, to join in the convo you started, Rixa, I've had five unmedicated hospital births. The most recent story is here -- http://onlysometimesclever.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/fialas-birth-story-plus-more-pictures-because-i-cant-resist-posting-em/. The thing that is particularly remarkable about it to me, especially in retrospect, is how my doctor really wasn't pushy for interventions, even though I had "stalled out" at 8 cm for nearly 6 hours. Most doctors (and even many midwives) would be really pushing for some action/intervention.

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  27. I missed this when you originally posted it, but of course have to share. I had my fourth homebirth last year and while all of them were great, this one was sweet since my first three were there to witness their brother being born...

    http://www.justhisbest.com/2009/10/200th-post-what-could-be-better.html

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