Catching Up

I have so much more to write about besides the birth. In the last few weeks Miriam has lost both of her top front teeth. Now she will be able to sing "All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth". It is weird looking! Also my Lily turned three on the 20th. I hate that it has taken me this long to post about that. I did a little party for her here at home. I plan to do something bigger maybe next weekend. She is excited about her second birthday party. I have finally gotten out of the house this week. I even went to Bible class last night. I am really tired of being stuck in the house, but I am still getting used to taking another child with me. For Thanksgiving today, mom and dad are bringing a ham and I am making all the sides. Hopefully, we will have enough left over for dinner tonight since I haven't planned anything. I'm hoping soon to post some more pics of everything that has been going on.

After the Storm

Well, I'm finally going to post about what all happened after the birth. It's been hard lately to find the time to write, because I am doing a lot of things one handed. After Eliza was born, I knew she was fine because they didn't even use the bulb syringe on her. Within 10 minutes though, I could tell they were concerned about my bleeding. They gave me a shot of Pitocin. I was worried myself, but I also have complete trust in the midwife I chose and knew I was in capable hands. It ends up that I tore myself to the 4th degree and she wanted me to go to the hospital to have it fixed. Thankfully, it was not an emergency and I got to take my herb bath with Eliza and watch the newborn exam. About 2 hours after the birth we were heading to the hospital. We left Eliza at home since we did not want her admitted, but that was hard for me to do. Once we got to Labor & Delivery, it took about 2 hours for all the admitting stuff to get done and the dr to get there. Thankfully, we had a great nurse who used to be a CNM who attended homebirths in TX. She was wonderful and arranged for the baby to be able to come to the hospital without being admitted. So finally everything is ready and I have to go to the OR and they wouldn't let anyone come with me. While I was there, Jeremy went to get the baby. Unfortunately I had to have a spinal for the sewing. I hate anything being stuck in back which is one reason I've never had an epidural. I was quite the baby while they were doing it, but the guy did a good job and I did not have any bad side effects. The whole thing took about an hour and then the Dr sent me to a postpartum room. The Dr was nice and did a good job, but I still think I was treated differently because I had a homebirth. He wanted me to stay over night the next night and we were totally against that. I had been up to the bathroom and walked around and ate good. In other words, I was fine and ready to go home. The nurse tried to talk the dr into releasing me, but he still said I had to stay. So finally we checked out against medical advice. I hope that does not affect our insurance! So anyway, my tear is healing fine and has really given me no trouble. The bad part of my recovery is my back hurting where I had the spinal. It is still sore and gets achy if I'm up very long. I have had 3 babies at home now and have ended up at the hospital every time. I made a joke during this pg that something would be wrong with me this time and it came true. This is one reason I am considering having no more children. I want more, but my track record with birth is just not very good. So now you have the rest of the story.

Birth Story

I know it has taken me long enough to post this. I'm even going to abbreviate it quite a bit since it was a 23 hour labor. Everyone knows I had been trying to get things started for a week and nothing. On Sunday evening, I was having some very light contractions and Debi came by about 9:30pm. She checked me and I was 3cm and 70% effaced. She "ruffled my feathers" as they call it and left. About 10 minutes later I was in the shower and I could tell my contractions got closer and a little stronger. I went to bed about 11pm and tried to sleep. Although the contractions were not very hard, they were too close for me to drift off to sleep between them. I got up by myself and let everyone else sleep. After a couple of hours, I called my mom and told her this was it and asked her to come keep me company. She came down to be with me during the night. My contractions stayed pretty much the same all night. I called Christina (my doula)about 5am asking her to come. She came about 6:30 am. I probably called her too early, but it was good to have company. Michelle came by about 9am to see how labor was going and i was progressing. I was still 3cm and 80% effaced. I was disappointed as this had been going on all night, but I could tell I was still in early labor. I decided to go see the chiropractor to see if she could do anything to help speed labor up. While some things she did felt good and I do think they moved me along a little bit, it did not have the affect I had wanted. Another friend of mine, Kathy came over and made us soup for lunch. I was able to eat which is good. My labor did start to progress more at this point although I was still in early labor. I kept waiting for things to speed up. It seemed like my contractions were getting a little stronger, but were not going anywhere. My afternoon is a little blurry to me. I know some more friends came by to be here for the birth and I know my labor got harder. Michelle came back over to check things at some point in the late afternoon. I was 4cm. That was very discouraging as it had been around 16 hours of labor at that point. She had me take some herbs and go walking in my backyard. The walking was very difficult, but it did make my contractions come closer. Michelle stayed after this. I wanted a bath to see if that would help because my contractions were getting very strong. The bath did help some. I stayed in for a while. I know labor was very hard now. I was having trouble dealing with it. mainly because I was tired and this was going on a lot longer than I had thought it would. Debi finally came about 8pm. She checked me and i was 5 cm, but she pulled my cervix to the front and said I was now 6-7cm. I finally felt a little encouraged and knew the end was in sight. This does not mean it was not still very hard and I didn't know how much longer I could make it. Finally I was on the toilet and I was feeling a little pushy. It felt better to be there and I stayed for a while. i went back to the bedroom and one point, but then back to the toilet. Finally, Michelle heard me grunting and came and got me to go to the bed. Debi checked me real quick and said I could push. My pushing contractions still felt like my transition contractions. Normally, they change and you get a little break with them. I did not, so I was pushing very hard to get it over with. It felt like I pushed for a while, but they said I did not. Soon we saw the head and that made me push harder. It was pretty cool, because my water never broke and you could still see the amniotic sac over her head. Finally a strong push or 2 and her head quickly followed by her body came out. I immediately had her and looked and saw it was a girl. She was perfect and healthy so I didn't have to let her go. Soon I knew something wasn't quite right with me, but i will post more about that on another day since this is long enough. I got to nurse her and then get my herb bath with her and watch her newborn exam. All things I did not get with Lily. Over all, a very hard experience and one I may not want again. My labor was 23 hours- 4 hours more than Lily and I had been hoping for shorter than lily's. I can't say I am not thankful though. I had my homebirth, the baby was healthy, the people I wanted were there, etc. Things never go as planned with birth as I always tell my clients. It seems that is still something I really need to learn.

Finally- Pictures

I think these will speak for themselves!

More Info

We have a name. Eliza Leigh Poarch. I also did not post the stats. She weighed 8lbs 7oz and was 22in long. She has been doing wonderfully. She is nursing well and so far is a pretty quiet and content baby. She is sleeping next to me right now. I still don't have the pics uploaded to post or the time to write my birth story, but they are coming!! I can tell you she is gorgeous! She has black hair and huge feet! I can't believe she is here!

A Birth

Well, I wanted to announce that there is a new addition to our family.  Our baby girl was born monday Nov. 17 at 9;41PM.  I was totally shocked that it was a girl.  She is absolutely beautiful.  My labor was long and hard and I ended up at the hospital this time due to a 4th degree tear.  I will post more later.  I am very tired as I have not slept 2 nights in a row now.  Probably tomorrow, there will be a birth story and pics.  Maybe we will decide on a name by then too!

Lessons Learned

As if I didn't already know, my babies are stubborn. They never want to come out on time. If you can't tell, the castor oil did not work. Or shall I say, it did work, just didn't put me into labor. I have done several more things than I did with Lily, plus I started it all earlier and still this baby won't come. So next time, I will definitely not do the castor oil. I may still do some herbs just to soften my cervix. Needless to say, I was again upset to wake up this morning feeling fine. I guess I will have to wait a few days more.
Luckily, my grandmother and uncle came down for the day. This will give me a distraction so I don't think so much about not having this baby. God does answer prayers although not always in the way we want. I've been praying each day that this will be the day and today he sent me a distraction so that I don't think so much about it. I will update as soon as this baby decides to make an appearance.

What I've Resorted To

Castor Oil. I know many of you are probably cringing at the thought. It is really the lesser of two evils to me. Since I tend to go way past my due date, the midwife will soon want to try to get my labor started anyway. While I would choose this over Pitocin in the hospital any day, it is still not pleasant. If you want to know how a homebirth midwife can induce labor, I'd be happy to share with you. So I have decided to try to get something started on my own even if I spend all day in the bathroom. My friend came by last night and checked me and I have made a little more progress. She thought that the castor oil would probably go ahead and put me into labor today so I thought I would try. I have already taken my first dose and will take the next in a couple of hours. Then we will wait and see. So maybe my next post today will be that I'm in labor. Continue to pray for me and baby please!! And thanks for all your encouraging comments on my last post!

Pregnant Forever

I have not been posting much lately. Mainly because all I think about is how to get this baby out and when. Yesterday was not a good day for me. I was down all afternoon and evening. I don't know why I am this way with this baby. With Lily, I went 1.5 weeks late and was perfectly fine with it. My midwife is the one who wanted to start labor. I would have kept going and been happy. This is not because I am not feeling well either. I physically feel fine. Pregnancy never bothers me too much and even now, I am still doing everything I normally would. I am trying to keep busy so that I won't think about it. Last night was a full moon and a weather change (rain). I thought for sure those 2 would help kick in something. Yet, I wake up this morning with nothing going on. My body has never responded to these things in any other pregnancy, but I was hopeful. I have been having plenty of contractions which is good. This is getting my cervix a little further along before labor. I just wish that it would turn into something. I know most women feel this at this point, but I feel like I should know better. Being in the birth business, I know that this baby will come when ready and that I can't do anything (natural) to force it. I also know that this will be soon even though it doesn't feel that way. I think I feel this way because I started herbs earlier this time and I also have legitimate reasons to want to go ahead and have this baby. I am also a planner and it has been hard that this baby is not following my plan. I know this baby will be here probably in the next few days and I will forget how I was feeling now. I'm just having a hard time dealing with this emotionally.

Menu Plan Monday

Thurs.- Sausage & Peppers Pasta w/ Garlic Bread
Fri- Ranch Chicken , potatoes, & bread
Sat.- Turkey Thyme Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, & acorn squash
Sun- Church potluck
Mon.- Ritzy Chicken Casserole
Tues.- Pork Chops, corn, & biscuits
Wed.- Eat Out

For lunch this week- Grilled cheese & tomato, Pillsbury Savorings

Still Pregnant

Just letting everyone know, that yes, I am still pregnant. This is not a surprise at all since I tend to go past the "due date". I see my midwife today and am hoping to do some more things this week to get labor started. I really think it will be this week, but it is possible for me to go into next week. It is so hard when you get to this point and you know that at any moment labor could start, then you wake up the next day and nothing has happened. Especially when you've been having contractions, although they really have not bothered me too much. There have been a couple of times though where I'll have them for a while and I'll think this could be it, but its not. I am just so anxious to meet this baby. I am so curious to know if we are blessed with a boy or girl. What they look like, act like, to nurse again, to actually touch their soft skin. I have been touching the baby through my belly- butt, back, knees, little feet- I can just picture them and can't wait to see them. I wonder if the baby will have blonde hair like my girls or reddish brown like Josiah did.
I am so ready to meet this baby that I am hoping for more and stronger contractions. I'm sure when I'm in the middle of labor I won't feel that way, but right now, I'm willing to endure anything to meet this little one. I was not this anxious with my last 2, although I was of course with Miriam. I don't know why I'm this way this time? I hope soon i will be blogging about the birth!!

Cereal Deal at Target

I thought I would post this since I haven't seen it on any other blog. This week at Target all Kellogg's cereal is on sale, all at different prices. Then there is a $1 off coupon for Kellogg's cereal online. Then if you buy 5 boxes, you get a $5 Target gift card. Here is what I spent:
Kellogg's Frosted mini Wheats $2.99 (got 2)
" Special K with Strawberries $2.75 (got 2)
" Frosted Flakes Gold $2.54 (got 1) = for a Total $14.02
Then I used 5 $1 off coupons and I got a $5 gift card. $14.02- $5 coupons- $5 gift card= $4.02
I can't spend the gift card this time, but I still count it as savings this time. That is $0.80 a box. I usually don't stock up on cereal cause I have no where to put it, but I couldn't pass this up.
Here is a link to the $1 off coupon- http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=rjnefah1098550&bt=wi&o=54148&c=KC&p=uU1wzMHO

Our New President

So today we know that Barack Obama will be our next president. We did not actually stay up to find out last night. When I woke up to pee in the middle of the night, I checked then. While I did not vote for Obama, I'm not all doom and gloom as many of my fellow conservatives are. This country has "survived" many democratic presidents before this. Plus, this is why we have the whole "check & balance" system in our government. It is not like Obama can do something crazy and get by with it. I do not expect my life to change much. I understand my tax money may be going for things I don't approve of, but we are to give the government it's due no matter who is running it. In fact, my tax money goes for a lot of things now that I don't approve of. We will be the same people, do the same things, and believe the same things. Some of Obama's tax breaks may even help us. And if my house sells because he is president and the country is now optimistic, great. I have read many people posting about praying for our country, especially now. I believe it is always right to pray for our country and its leaders. I pray that Obama will be a good president and make good decisions. Perhaps what we need is a drastic change in this country. We really won't know what difference he has made until his term is over. No matter what kind of government we have or what decisions they make, I will continue to live the life God wants me to and to trust him completely. I can never go wrong there.

More of the same

I know I'm not posting much. I have slowed down my life so I'm really not doing too much. I really think a lot about when I am going to meet this baby. I don't want to post, because that is all it will be about. We had a good weekend, but time seems to be moving slow. Today, I started a bible study with a couple of women from church. One woman's 15 & 16 yr old daughters watched the kids and we got to have a study in peace. We are studying from a book called "She Hath Done What She Could". Basically it goes through all the scripture about what a Christian woman can and should do- help sick, bereaved, poor, teach, being a mom & wife, etc. I really enjoyed today and hate that I will have to miss a couple of weeks.
As for the baby, I have started some herbs to encourage the baby to come sooner. They are not pleasant to take and until this week, I really didn't think I would take anything. The baby is just so happy and comfy in there. He/she is very active right now. I'm feeling okay too. Night time is the worst. My hips are starting to get very sore and hurting. I also have woken up in the middle of the night the past few days and can't go back to sleep. I know this is all typical of the end of pregnancy. I just don't want to do that too much longer. Any prayers said on my and the babies behalf would be appreciated.

Menu Plan Monday

Thurs- Turkey-Cranberry Strudel
Fri- Pizza
Sat- White Chicken Chili
Sun- hot ham & swiss sandwich
Mon- Chicken Fried Steak
Tues.- Chicken Cordon Blue
Wed.- Eat Out

For lunch this week- Chicken nuggets & veggies & fruit