PHOTOGRAPHY
If you are interested in having me not only as a birth doula but also as a birth photographer let me know! I need a lot of practice!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
wow
Wow, I have been terrible at blogging on this blog! But I will say here is something new I am offering....
If you are interested in having me not only as a birth doula but also as a birth photographer let me know! I need a lot of practice!
If you are interested in having me not only as a birth doula but also as a birth photographer let me know! I need a lot of practice!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Hospitals and Birthing Centers
Anyone have a great/horrible experience somewhere? Let us know! We like to know what people think of the hospital they used, I'll go first. I used Medical Center of McKinney and LOVED the L&D department. They only downside for us was having to stay at the hospital after the baby was born, so next time, birthing center. Let me know how you feel about yours!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Getting Busy!
We're getting busy! Which means one thing, we will be finished with our certifications soon!!! Book us now before we start charging:)
Monday, January 26, 2009
Emmeline's Birthday
It all started Thursday night the 9th of October. We went to my 39 week appointment with my midwife, Jeanean. She said I looked great and could go any time, or it could still be a while. I was having lots of braxton-hicks contractions, and had been for quite some time. Two weeks before I had 12 hours of false labor. I was very ready to have her. That night she said that I would have to come back Monday for a few extra tests and if my blood pressure was even slightly elevated they would want to induce me. I was not happy about this. I was induced with my first due to pre-eclampsia, and did not want to go down that road again.
A few months earlier, at my doula training, I had learned a very effective method of natural labor induction. It was a castor oil cocktail of sorts and I was definitely willing to try it. So that night on our way home we stopped and got everything we needed for it, and I took it about 9:00 that night. I went to bed, woke up a few times during the night (which was a normal occurrence at this point in my pregnancy) but felt very rested.
At 6:00 I woke up with contractions. I really thought they were still braxton-hicks, but they were coming every 10-15 minutes. Eric was getting up about this time to go to work (it was a Friday morning) and at first I thought I would be ok without him. After they continued to come consistently I thought it would be better if he went ahead and stayed home, mostly because I didn’t think I was going to be able to handle Zane by myself. We had already planned on spending the day at my mom’s house due to some painting going on at ours, so later on we got ready and went over there. She made breakfast for us, and for quite a few hours I walked outside with Eric, or sat inside on the yoga ball. It was a beautiful day, and it was perfect for being outside. After we had been there a while, my sister Rebekah came to get Zane. She told her two daughters that I was going to go have baby Emmie and they were a little confused. When Makayla saw me she seemed very concerned about me. It was really sweet.
My mom called my second doula, Renate, a few hours later. My labor seemed to be very slow at this point, but it was defiantly manageable. I kept asking Eric if he thought I was really in labor. That was our big joke of the day. I tried taking a shower to see if that would speed up or slow down the labor, and it seemed to be the same. After Renate came over she did some massage on pressure points to speed up labor. I was still walking a lot, then taking a break and trying other positions. She seemed to be posterior at this point, so we were trying many positions to try to get her to rotate. Laying over the yoga ball seemed to be the most effective position and the contractions started to speed up.
The hospital I was delivering at was 30 minutes away with no traffic, so we had to keep that in mind. About 4:00 we called Jeanean and she said that we could go ahead and come in. I was very worried about my progress at this point because I felt like my labor wasn’t strong enough. On the way to the hospital I changed my mind about that! My contractions were less than 10 minutes apart and very strong. Of course in the car I couldn’t change positions very well so it was much harder to relax through them. We got to the hospital and I was checked in. I was a 4 on arrival, but I decided to stay due to the long drive home. I had a wonderful nurse who was very accommodating to my wishes. I had no IV, and was only monitored twice or less an hour. I was able to get in the shower, or sit in the rocker, or sit on the yoga ball. It was great to be able to change into so many positions. The shower seemed to help the most, and laying down in the bed was definitely the worst. The contractions were very do able and it was worth being able to move around and do whatever I wanted.
During the labor at the hospital Renate or my mom would massage my feet or back, they would help me get into positions that would help alleviate pain and help the baby move down better. I felt very well taken care of and truly was enjoying the day. I was definitely showing signs of transition, which made me very excited. I knew it wouldn’t be too much longer. During that time I had a few contractions that I felt like I wouldn’t be able to handle, but the encouragement I got from everyone helped so much. At this point it was after midnight, so we knew she would definitely be here on her due date. Jeanean checked me and I was at about an 8 1/2. My water was bulging and she said it could be really quick after my water breaks. I knew it could be, but I had no idea really how fast it would be! I was really uncomfortable in the bed so I got out and stood next to the bed. Eric was helping me through the contraction and I felt something change. Renate somehow knew my water was breaking and ran out to get Jeanean who was right outside the room. My water broke and Emmie was ready to come out! I couldn’t help but push, it was like my body was pushing everything that was in me out. It was extremely powerful, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. They were yelling at me not to push because they weren’t sure I was at a 10. She quickly checked me as I was next to the bed and she said, oh there’s a baby there, she’s ready. They told me I had to get on the bed. I crawled up and was on my hands and knees. Eric was supposed to catch her, so I had to lay on my side for him to be able to. It was really difficult but I did, and just a few pushes later Emmeline Rae was here. The second I saw her I said she looked exactly like her brother! She was beautiful and perfect. She stayed in the room with us for about 2 hours, mostly because she ate for one of those hours. Zane got to meet his new little sister, but was very confused. It was the middle of the night and he was in a strange place with strange people, no wonder! After a while she went off to get her bath, get weighed, and all the newborn stuff. After we got back to the new room we all got a little sleep then were ready for visitors the next morning. I felt great, I could get up and move instantly, it was night and day from my delivery with Zane. I will never forget what a wonderful day it was. It was so special and perfect, I wouldn’t change anything for the world!
A few months earlier, at my doula training, I had learned a very effective method of natural labor induction. It was a castor oil cocktail of sorts and I was definitely willing to try it. So that night on our way home we stopped and got everything we needed for it, and I took it about 9:00 that night. I went to bed, woke up a few times during the night (which was a normal occurrence at this point in my pregnancy) but felt very rested.
At 6:00 I woke up with contractions. I really thought they were still braxton-hicks, but they were coming every 10-15 minutes. Eric was getting up about this time to go to work (it was a Friday morning) and at first I thought I would be ok without him. After they continued to come consistently I thought it would be better if he went ahead and stayed home, mostly because I didn’t think I was going to be able to handle Zane by myself. We had already planned on spending the day at my mom’s house due to some painting going on at ours, so later on we got ready and went over there. She made breakfast for us, and for quite a few hours I walked outside with Eric, or sat inside on the yoga ball. It was a beautiful day, and it was perfect for being outside. After we had been there a while, my sister Rebekah came to get Zane. She told her two daughters that I was going to go have baby Emmie and they were a little confused. When Makayla saw me she seemed very concerned about me. It was really sweet.
My mom called my second doula, Renate, a few hours later. My labor seemed to be very slow at this point, but it was defiantly manageable. I kept asking Eric if he thought I was really in labor. That was our big joke of the day. I tried taking a shower to see if that would speed up or slow down the labor, and it seemed to be the same. After Renate came over she did some massage on pressure points to speed up labor. I was still walking a lot, then taking a break and trying other positions. She seemed to be posterior at this point, so we were trying many positions to try to get her to rotate. Laying over the yoga ball seemed to be the most effective position and the contractions started to speed up.
The hospital I was delivering at was 30 minutes away with no traffic, so we had to keep that in mind. About 4:00 we called Jeanean and she said that we could go ahead and come in. I was very worried about my progress at this point because I felt like my labor wasn’t strong enough. On the way to the hospital I changed my mind about that! My contractions were less than 10 minutes apart and very strong. Of course in the car I couldn’t change positions very well so it was much harder to relax through them. We got to the hospital and I was checked in. I was a 4 on arrival, but I decided to stay due to the long drive home. I had a wonderful nurse who was very accommodating to my wishes. I had no IV, and was only monitored twice or less an hour. I was able to get in the shower, or sit in the rocker, or sit on the yoga ball. It was great to be able to change into so many positions. The shower seemed to help the most, and laying down in the bed was definitely the worst. The contractions were very do able and it was worth being able to move around and do whatever I wanted.
During the labor at the hospital Renate or my mom would massage my feet or back, they would help me get into positions that would help alleviate pain and help the baby move down better. I felt very well taken care of and truly was enjoying the day. I was definitely showing signs of transition, which made me very excited. I knew it wouldn’t be too much longer. During that time I had a few contractions that I felt like I wouldn’t be able to handle, but the encouragement I got from everyone helped so much. At this point it was after midnight, so we knew she would definitely be here on her due date. Jeanean checked me and I was at about an 8 1/2. My water was bulging and she said it could be really quick after my water breaks. I knew it could be, but I had no idea really how fast it would be! I was really uncomfortable in the bed so I got out and stood next to the bed. Eric was helping me through the contraction and I felt something change. Renate somehow knew my water was breaking and ran out to get Jeanean who was right outside the room. My water broke and Emmie was ready to come out! I couldn’t help but push, it was like my body was pushing everything that was in me out. It was extremely powerful, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. They were yelling at me not to push because they weren’t sure I was at a 10. She quickly checked me as I was next to the bed and she said, oh there’s a baby there, she’s ready. They told me I had to get on the bed. I crawled up and was on my hands and knees. Eric was supposed to catch her, so I had to lay on my side for him to be able to. It was really difficult but I did, and just a few pushes later Emmeline Rae was here. The second I saw her I said she looked exactly like her brother! She was beautiful and perfect. She stayed in the room with us for about 2 hours, mostly because she ate for one of those hours. Zane got to meet his new little sister, but was very confused. It was the middle of the night and he was in a strange place with strange people, no wonder! After a while she went off to get her bath, get weighed, and all the newborn stuff. After we got back to the new room we all got a little sleep then were ready for visitors the next morning. I felt great, I could get up and move instantly, it was night and day from my delivery with Zane. I will never forget what a wonderful day it was. It was so special and perfect, I wouldn’t change anything for the world!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
So much to Share
I have been such a slacker lately. I have so much to post and so little time! Can I still use the baby excuse? Speaking of baby, I will eventually post my birth story, she is now 3 and a half months old, time is flying! Since she has been born, we have had two more babies born. We are on the road to getting or certifications!!! Yay! We have discovered that we LOVE doing this. It is such a great ministry opportunity and something we both feel called to do. I will start posting about different topics soon. I am going to try to do one a week! We will see if the kids let me:) Again, please feel free to contact us with any questions.
Friday, January 16, 2009
New Site
This blog is designed so that either one of us can post new things that we have learned or updates! Please feel free to leave comments with questions or anything you might have for us!
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