So I haven't posted since the 13th. The reason being that at my last OB appointment my blood pressure was high and I was showing other signs of preeclampsia, so they admitted me for observation and did a 12 hour urinalysis. The midwife was all for inducing my labor- and although I have been against that idea all along I was basically told that the longer I waited with the symptoms I was having my odds of having a caesarian increased each day. I definitely did not want that, so I agreed to have the induction the following morning- April 17. One day prior to my official due date. Luckily everything went smoothly. Labor went from 9"30 am through the birth at 5:24 pm, with only about 40 minutes of pushing. It was not the scary painful hell everyone had me terrified of.
If I could do it over I would have opted for strict bedrest until Violet decided to come out on her own. Mainly because she was 6.72 lbs at birth, and her take-home weight was 6.2. I was told that she was probably about 7.5 lbs. If she would have been any smaller it could have been bad, and they were trying to get me to induce labor a full week before. There is a good reason she didnt come out- she wasn't done growing and putting on weight that she needed. Before my breast milk fully came in she was down to 5.14 lbs! I am kinda mad at myself for being perssuaded to do something I went in totally against. I know I did it because I was told it was best for the baby, and was told to me by medical professionals. That is just further validation that I need to trust my own instincts and realize that nature will do what is best. The medical professionals should be there to aid the process, not coerce it.
So my experience at the hospital was not exqactly what I had imagined or wanted. I was basically chained to the bed: I had to have a constant external fetal monitor because of the pitocin drip, a blood pressure cuff, the IV of pitocin itself, and later an epidural in my back that I really didn't need but was scared into getting by highly exaggerated stories of the pain that was to come. (I was already dilated to 5- almost to 6 cm and didnt even feel the contractions yet, so the nurse started flipping out like "If you want an epidural you need to get it now before it's too late!" I should have said no but when the nurse is panicking like she's going to feel the pain herself it scared me into saying yes. I know- I am weak. But now I know. If I ever do this again I will be more prepared.
So I had the baby, she is beautiful. She was so alert from the very second she was born. It was like she watched everything going on, even though I know she can only see about 8 inches away, so they say. It still seemed like she was keeping her eyes on me when they took her over to clean her off, although that was about 5 feet away. Her Apgar score was 9.9, which is very good. Another weird thing: she rolls herself over to her side. She sleeps that way. I've even watched her roll to her stomach, on a firm surface. I've never seen a newborn which that much muscle control. It worries me about leaving her in the bassinet alone (like I want to anyway) so she sleeps with me. This has left Daddy to sleep on the couch because he's afraid he'll roll over on her. She and I have done just fine for the past 9 days though. (Well, the first 4 days I didn't really sleep because I was so weirded out and afraid of everything that I sat up and watched her all night. Then I realized I wasn't doing either of us any good that way and finally slept. I'm much better now!)
This is a long post but I also wanted to mention that I have already encountered my first opposition to my choice to not vaccinate my chiold with anything containing Thimerosal. They wante to give her the Hep B shot and I read the insert- 0.5 mcg Thimerosal as preservatives aka "trace amounts." I said HELL NO! Of course I was looked at like I was some crazy mountain woman who was abusing/ neglecting my child via my "ignorance" of what was modern and best for her. I let them know that if they could produce a vaccine that did not include Thimerosal or any other mercury- based or derived components then I would read the insert, research it and consider getting it. They located some Recombivax, which says that it is preservative-free and does not contain any Thimerosal. I had my sister check into it and she said it looked okay, so I did go ahead with it. Hopefully I did the right thing. I know the odds that she was exposed to Hepatitis is nearly 0%, as I was tested at my first OB appointment and was clear. I haven't had any exposure to anything the least bit risky, but I decided to go ahead with it. My next obstacle comes atthe two-month pediatrics appointment. I am going to have the laws regarding my right NOT to vaccinate Violet ready and printed out well beforehand. Anyone with small children or expecting- Please research the subject yourself before you just routinely vaccinate your child! Decide for yourself, but at least make an informed decision. I have seen firsthand the damage done by the mercury-based preservative Thimerosal. Be informed!
-I will post later on about why I feel so strongly about this subject. I've rambled on long enough now though. I hear Daddy and Baby, and I think it might be booby time for the girl.
If I could do it over I would have opted for strict bedrest until Violet decided to come out on her own. Mainly because she was 6.72 lbs at birth, and her take-home weight was 6.2. I was told that she was probably about 7.5 lbs. If she would have been any smaller it could have been bad, and they were trying to get me to induce labor a full week before. There is a good reason she didnt come out- she wasn't done growing and putting on weight that she needed. Before my breast milk fully came in she was down to 5.14 lbs! I am kinda mad at myself for being perssuaded to do something I went in totally against. I know I did it because I was told it was best for the baby, and was told to me by medical professionals. That is just further validation that I need to trust my own instincts and realize that nature will do what is best. The medical professionals should be there to aid the process, not coerce it.
So my experience at the hospital was not exqactly what I had imagined or wanted. I was basically chained to the bed: I had to have a constant external fetal monitor because of the pitocin drip, a blood pressure cuff, the IV of pitocin itself, and later an epidural in my back that I really didn't need but was scared into getting by highly exaggerated stories of the pain that was to come. (I was already dilated to 5- almost to 6 cm and didnt even feel the contractions yet, so the nurse started flipping out like "If you want an epidural you need to get it now before it's too late!" I should have said no but when the nurse is panicking like she's going to feel the pain herself it scared me into saying yes. I know- I am weak. But now I know. If I ever do this again I will be more prepared.
So I had the baby, she is beautiful. She was so alert from the very second she was born. It was like she watched everything going on, even though I know she can only see about 8 inches away, so they say. It still seemed like she was keeping her eyes on me when they took her over to clean her off, although that was about 5 feet away. Her Apgar score was 9.9, which is very good. Another weird thing: she rolls herself over to her side. She sleeps that way. I've even watched her roll to her stomach, on a firm surface. I've never seen a newborn which that much muscle control. It worries me about leaving her in the bassinet alone (like I want to anyway) so she sleeps with me. This has left Daddy to sleep on the couch because he's afraid he'll roll over on her. She and I have done just fine for the past 9 days though. (Well, the first 4 days I didn't really sleep because I was so weirded out and afraid of everything that I sat up and watched her all night. Then I realized I wasn't doing either of us any good that way and finally slept. I'm much better now!)
This is a long post but I also wanted to mention that I have already encountered my first opposition to my choice to not vaccinate my chiold with anything containing Thimerosal. They wante to give her the Hep B shot and I read the insert- 0.5 mcg Thimerosal as preservatives aka "trace amounts." I said HELL NO! Of course I was looked at like I was some crazy mountain woman who was abusing/ neglecting my child via my "ignorance" of what was modern and best for her. I let them know that if they could produce a vaccine that did not include Thimerosal or any other mercury- based or derived components then I would read the insert, research it and consider getting it. They located some Recombivax, which says that it is preservative-free and does not contain any Thimerosal. I had my sister check into it and she said it looked okay, so I did go ahead with it. Hopefully I did the right thing. I know the odds that she was exposed to Hepatitis is nearly 0%, as I was tested at my first OB appointment and was clear. I haven't had any exposure to anything the least bit risky, but I decided to go ahead with it. My next obstacle comes atthe two-month pediatrics appointment. I am going to have the laws regarding my right NOT to vaccinate Violet ready and printed out well beforehand. Anyone with small children or expecting- Please research the subject yourself before you just routinely vaccinate your child! Decide for yourself, but at least make an informed decision. I have seen firsthand the damage done by the mercury-based preservative Thimerosal. Be informed!
-I will post later on about why I feel so strongly about this subject. I've rambled on long enough now though. I hear Daddy and Baby, and I think it might be booby time for the girl.
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