Second Trimester!

Yay! I've reached the second trimester. And to christen it, I've acquired a horrible cold. Yuck!

On another note, last night we told the kids about the new baby. Actually, my 9 year old daughter guessed when we said that we had something to tell them. Silly, insightful girl! It is really neat how in a big family, no one is upset by the thought of another sibling to share with... another person to take care of. They are all thrilled, wondering if it will be a boy or girl - and I think most votes are out for another boy so we are "even".

So just to make it clear, I'm not the type of person to wait out the first trimester for worry that I might miscarry. Even though I've had 1 miscarriage, I would prefer to have my family/friends supporting me if something did go wrong - then they would understand the situation. Our reasons for waiting this time were that we have had an incredible amount happening in our lives in the past few months - our nephew was living with us for 5 months (he just left yesterday), my husband had a major career change and we are thinking of selling our house/moving. Ah... so much stress! It actually surprised me that I could get pregnant with all that stress going on, but this baby has a purpose, obviously! Also, the fact that this will be the closest age difference between any of my children makes it interesting. I figured my fertility was supposed to slow down with time, not pick up!

As far as how I'm feeling - I can feel a lot of growth in my uterus in the past couple weeks. I can feel my fundus just a couple inches below my belly button now. I have been a little more nauseous in the past few days - but mostly because I also have a cold and I'm tired and that makes me more susceptible to nausea. Oh well, hopefully I feel better really soon!

I've been feeling a little strange this time around since I haven't seen a doctor or midwife. Normally I would have heard the heartbeat by now, and in that sense, it seems a little surreal. But I can feel the growth and change in my body and I've been here before! I just look forward to feeling the baby move in the next few weeks! I also did purchase a second-hand "Angel Sounds" home doppler. I know there are concerns/risks for ultrasound and doppler technology, but I think what I plan to do is use it very sparingly. And although I could probably use it now to find the baby's heartbeat, I think I will wait a few more weeks - I know that the majority of concerns with doppler technology has to do with frequency of use and use in early pregnancy. So I'm thinking around 18 weeks I'll give it a try, and then just use it every few weeks at the most.

Well, it's nap time for the little ones so I better get them to bed and have a nap myself!

Second Thoughts?

I was reading some one else's blog just a couple days ago and a woman was mentioning her transition from a UC to going back to having a midwife for her birth. She was reasoning that it was unfair to put the responsibility of "if anything goes wrong" onto her support people (specifically her husband,)and felt better about leaving that responsibility to a midwife who was trained. She also mentioned that the post-natal care was a real bonus... and I can agree with that!

So what do I think, and where does that leave me with wanting a natural birth and to have a UP and UC?

Well, I do agree that deciding to UC is a big decision. You are taking the responsibility into your own hands, and there is some element of "risk" involved. HOWEVER, those risks are not likely the kind that could be avoided "if only you had delivered at the hospital". What I mean is, most births are straightforward, with some variation in duration, patterns of contractions, etc. But most complications affecting the baby, if indeed serious, would likely be unavoidable as well at the hospital. My thought, is that you have more risk of complications from medical interventions than you do from "risking" an unassisted home birth.

I do have a caveat on this, however. One must be aware of what normal birth looks like, enough so, that if something is abnormal, you are on top of things. You must be willing to be in touch with yourself - intuition, relying on God, etc, and willing to hear that voice inside when it says "something isn't quite right."

I have to admit, that although I very much believe in natural birth, I have a couple tiny fears in the back of my mind that pop up from time to time. In the last couple of years, I had a friend whose baby, in utero, was diagnosed with a severe, life-threatening heart defect via ultrasound. Fortunately, they were able to do heart surgery within a week after birth and correct the problem. So I do recognize that there is a time and place that technology is helpful... so very helpful. But to be honest, I feel backed into a corner by the medical arena. Even if there were midwives available in my city, I'm not sure they would be entirely comfortable letting me remain pregnant as long as my body typically goes... which is beyond 42 weeks. And if I were to see a doctor, the pressure would be immense. I had enough trouble feeling the pressure from a doctor I saw very few times during my last pregnancy, and once he realized I was avoiding him and was 43 weeks pregnant, he was about to drop me as a patient.

So I think I'm right back where I started. I will take very good care of myself physically, and should the need arise, I will seek medical assistance. I am hoping, and trusting, however, that I will be in good health for the duration of this pregnancy, and that birth will be as uneventful as a hike up the mountain. (You know, some sore muscles and you need to rest and nourish yourself, but all in all you feel good about the accomplishment and are no worse for the wear.)