Mrs Rink A Dink

As of This morning (Friday) we have four lovely moms past their due dates; two moms due within the next five days, and two moms within the safe zone both of which are trying to deliver early. Other than that, not much is going on. ;o)

I Will start this out with momma A, Mrs. Rink a Dink; Gravid 6, para 5. First baby a C-Section due to failure to progress and more importantly BC (Before Christ). Second pregnancy 13 years later, and AC  (after Christ) and a successful VBAC. Nineteen months later another boy was born into this family, her first home birth.  Mom was so thrilled with her first un-medicated totally natural birth. Then 19 months later another boy born at home, 19 months later another  baby boy born at home, a then with a 30  month break mom calls with her 6th pregnancy, "I need your services again". This call came while her first born son and daughter in law were expecting their first baby. You might remember them, Mrs. Dancer.

 Mom and Dad are hoping for a little girl to add some femininity to their family but really they’re okay with whatever the Lord gives them.  Mrs. Dink has had two nights of laboring with little progress. UGGH! This morning dad called saying mom is getting tired and wants to get something going. When I arrived at the Birth Inn, mom seemed in pretty good spirits, but definitely wanting this over. After prayer and discussion of options we decided to do a "no-no" in my book and break her water. Its important to give parents the information and let them make the decision. 

This was already a strange birth that we had going on here.

Usually when a baby is in the posterior position (which this baby was at times), contractions decrease and sometimes even stop; however, with this grand-multip, contractions picked up while the baby was in a posterior position and when mom is lying down. But, when the baby turned anterior, (a more favorable position) the contractions stopped... WEIRD! Complete opposite of what you normally might have going on.

As it turns out, this mom labored for several more hours without any progress. Needless to say she was exhausted after several attempts to turn the baby and hours passing.  The decision was made to transfer mom in for an epidural. She was nervous about going to the hospital and having unnecessary interventions. However, she wanted relief, I assured her that  Dr. J was available to meet us at the hospital  and that alleviated her fears. The staff at the hospital was very nice and ready and willing to help. They made every effort to speedily get the epidural going which gave mom the relief she needed. Within one hour, and after Dr. Jensen manually dilated her the mom delivered another boy. Oh Well maybe next time... We Praise God for giving us a wonderful doctor to work with and help us out  when we need to transfer.

In the meantime, we are getting calls from other moms with contractions, Bloody show and feelings of desperation to get their babies delivered.

This is a huge spiritual battle for me. I want to help moms, you know, be there for them, minister to them. We've gone through the pregnancy together getting to know one another and looking forward to the time of the birth. We pray for our moms on a regular basis, we invest time and energy and lots of emotions anticipating the grand  event, and now, it seems that things are piling up and only by the grace of God will I have the time to focus on one family at a time. We are all trusting in the Lord for his perfect timing for each family. Stay tuned for Mrs. Singing mom.

Marathon Mom

Prenatal visits are a time of excitement and anticipation for mothers.  Excitement to hear the heartbeat, and to check another month off the calendar countdown!  With this anticipation comes getting on the scales and watching the dial edge into numbers that nobody wants to see!  Then there is the barrage of questions. “How’s your diet? Are you drinking plenty of water? Are you exercising? “  Really?? Are you serious?? Exercise with this giant belly??  I can’t even get my tennis shoes tied!!

Often we remind moms that labor and delivery is like a marathon.  Imagine the outcome of attempting to run a marathon after spending 9 months sitting on the sofa, eating anything you wanted, and gaining  40 lbs.  No one in their right mind would attempt that! Yet, time and time again, mothers show up the day of delivery expecting the baby to painlessly slip out after a few hours of contractions and then complain that they are tired, even exhausted, worn out, hungry and weak.  Even to the point of feeling like they won’t have the energy to push out the baby.

This particular mom, let’s call her Marathon Mom, was excited for her second birth.  She had heard that usually the second birth is the “best” birth.  The “door” had already been opened and surely this wouldn’t be another 24 hour labor!

Marathon Mom is a very strong mom.  She is fit and has very good muscle tone. She maintained a healthy diet and exercised daily. She is very determined and purposeful.  She had specific instructions for us and a timeline that she expected.  It seemed reasonable that the baby should be here by 4 pm.  She wanted to push twice, and when the baby was born, she wanted me to hold up the baby and announce, “It’s a GIRL!”

Marathon Mom walked all morning.  By 1:30 contractions were picking up, but is was 3:00 before she was ready to call for help.  When we arrived at 3:30, mom complained of back pain.  We tried changing her position several times trying to encourage the baby to turn into an anterior position.  4:00 came and went and mom was dilated to 7cm still complaining of back pain.

The clock ticked on; minute after minute turned into hour after hour.  Finally around 9pm it was time to push…..and push, and push and push.  It was well past the 4pm time that Marathon Mom had picked to deliver.  In fact, it was just an hour before midnight when she pushed out the 9lb 8oz baby that was looking straight up at the ceiling.  One more push and the baby was out.  I held it up and announced……”It’s a BOY!”

In pregnancy a mom can hope, plan and prepare for the birth.  But sometimes our best laid plans don’t turn out like we hope.  That is when preparation comes into play.  Prepare for delivery like an athlete prepares for an event.  This is how Marathon Mom prepared, and when the time came and her strength was challenged, she was able to go the distance and come out smiling on the other side….holding her precious prize.

Mrs Thiseasy

Mothers choose the care of a midwife for many different reasons.  Some because that is what their mom did, some out of fear of hospitals, and some for financial reasons.  For others it’s a journey.  A desire to have a birth different than the one(s) before.  Our mom, Mrs. Thiseasy, came to us pregnant with her second child.  Her first baby was born in the hospital and she had an epidural. The second pregnancy came a little sooner than planned, so in addition to the anticipation of having a home birth, Mrs Thiseasy was a little nervous about having two babies so close together. 

We pray for all of out moms, but with some, we know of more specific things to pray about.  With Mrs Thiseasy we prayed that God would bless her with an easy birth and that she wouldn’t have fear. (As you know, fear equals more pain and a longer labor)  It was late June when Mrs Thiseasy started having contractions.  She timed them and waited for them to intensify, but time after time they fizzled out.  July 2^nd was different.  This time, the contractions continued even when she rested.  Finally she decided it was time to make the hour+ drive to where she was going to deliver.  By the time she arrived the contractions were further and further apart, but still coming.  She decided to rest and by early morning it was clear….false alarm.

She was discouraged. “How will I know when it’s the real thing?” she wondered.  July 11^th she called sounding as chipper as ever.  Was this another case of wishful thinking?  She paused, “Hang on, I need to sit down.” she said.   Eyebrows raised, I told her to come on in.  But to first stop by the office for a check.  She arrived an hour and a half later.  She was smiling as usual. I checked her.  “You are at least a 7,” I said, “Lets get ready to have a baby!”  She and her husband headed over to the Birth Inn……I didn’t tell her, but  really, she was more like an 8!!  I just didn’t want her to panic.

Once settled, she asked to sit in the whirlpool.  We gladly obliged.  Once the tub was full she got in and immediately felt the relaxing distraction of pulsating jets.  After several minutes she tried to move to a hands and knees position, but the pressure was starting to build.  She closed her eyes during the contraction and gently swayed side to side.  When the contractions was over she smiled big and said, “This really doesn’t hurt that bad!”  We laughed, God had answered our prayers!

After a few minutes on hands and knees she moved back to a sitting position.  We folded a towel for her to sit on and did a check…complete.  We told her she could push if she wanted.  And she did…a little.  Between contractions she smiled and questioned why she ever had an epidural in the hospital with her first birth.

She gently pushed through each contraction and at 6:39 she gracefully delivered an 8lb 4oz baby boy!