Planning

Since I’ve had to put of cycling this month and can’t seem to make myself ovulate, I have found myself needing to feel like I was doing something –ANYTHING– productive to prepare for a new member of our family.

So, I contacted our new insurance company to inquire about hospitals and cost for a vaginal delivery. Our coverage, while better than what we had through my old job, is not fantastic and we have a rather high deductible. Of the four hospitals near us, only one is less than our total deductible. Surprisingly, it is also the closest facility.

(I did have a preference for an independent birthing center but the only one in our area is an hour away and rather expensive. Also, R is really uncomfortable with the idea of me giving birth outside a hospital. Guess a home birth is out!)  

I called the birth center at the facility and spoke to one of the L&D nurses. She was able to answer my questions and provide a recommendation for a midwife practice that has delivery rights at the hospital. It is a very small facility and only delivery 30-35 babies per month. When Little K was born, that would have scared me. However, I had more confidence in my body’s abilities now and, since I’m hoping for a medication-free birth, I think the smaller center could be just right. The only downside is that they do not have tubs (or even a protocol) for water birth, which I really wanted to try.

If the DS cycle works, I’m going to tour the facility early so I can decide whether or not to hook up with the midwife practice.

Speaking of midwives, I did place a call with the practice and am expecting to hear back early next week. I’m not 100% sure of the difference between a certified midwife and an OB, except that the L&D nurse I spoke with recommended a midwife if I want to go natural. So, we’ll see.

Of course, my husband thinks it’s hilarious that I would want to delivery without an epidural. I’ll admit that it surprised me, too. What it comes down to, for me, is PPD.

My PPD was triggered with Little K by how long it took my milk to come in. We had an ugly 10 days, during which she became dehydrated and jaundiced, submitted to painful tests that only proved that she wasn’t getting any nourishment from me. Although my milk did eventually come in and we nursed for 13 months, those first few days were enough to send me into PPD that lasted until she was almost three months old. I feel that, if I were to deliver without the epidural, both the baby and my body will be able to lock down this nursing thing faster.

Also, this would be my last chance to deliver a child. I would like to at least TRY to go natural.

So, to begin preparing for THAT, I’ve been researching labor/pain management techniques and found one that I’m really interested in: Hypno.Babies. From all of the reading, birth stories, etc. that I’ve read, I think this would be my best shot. At the very least, I’m hoping that the techniques they teach would allow me to labor effectively at home for a longer period than I did with Little K. My thought is, if I can labor at home for a decent amount of time plus the 30 minute drive to the hospital, I have a better chance at being further dilated at admission which could give me the confidence I need in order to refuse the epidural. At least, that’s the plan. We’ll see.

I also subjected myself to online videos of un-medicated births. YOWZA. However, I found two videos of Hypno.Babies births and they were amazing! Mostly quiet, mostly calm. The mother seemed completely in control of herself, going through laboring and pushing with relative ease. Watching those has given me the confidence to stand up to certain naysayers (*cough*RandDad*cough*) and decide that I would at least order the materials to study. You know, IF we get that far.

I also really enjoyed their “Hypnosis and Christianity” section. The idea of incorporating scripture into a laboring technique is incredibly appealing to me, especially considering how special scripture has been to me regarding TTC over the past three years.

I keep thinking that this (having another child) could be the opportunity to let go of some regrets. Although cloth diapering isn’t wildly supported in my family, I would like to try it. Although unmedicated childbirth isn’t wildly supported, I would like to try it. Although extended nursing isn’t wildly supported… You get the picture. These are things I didn’t attempt with Little K that I now wish I had tried.

If you’re only going to do it once… Or, in my case, once more...

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How do YOU pass the wait between cycles?