Pregnancy Today

[BigJon]

[quote]Originally posted by piqaboo:
[b] Plus, once the epi is in, it seems routine to screw that monitor into the baby's head. ick.

BigJon

[mmichaelson]

or trampolines

[RC]

pigaboo~

I was a 5' 3" baggage handler for six years before I got pregnant. My resting pulse was about 62. I could do about 40 regular guy style push-ups without too much trouble. 105lbs of pure muscle...lol...what a trip. That was a while ago...

But seriously, the back excercises are probably important. I recall having what my mom called "back labor" - that was actually the really painful part.
If you're a narrow type of woman, maybe its to do with how much your entire lower body has to morph during labor to allow enough room for the baby to get down the birth canal. I know my actual dimensions changed drastically after child birth even though my weight returned to original.

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by RC:
I STRONGLY suggest taking a child birth class just before you're due, not too early.
Study it like you would a college exam - take it seriously. Learn how to relax! Good for all kinds of motherly predicaments!

We are about to go to session #4 of 6 weeks of birthing classes. I get this nagging feeling the instructor is nothing more than a propagandist for the OB, and I'm getting the feeling she thinks I'm a troublemaker. So far, I've been asking the questions she seems to have the most disdain for answering(isn't this mainly about endurance and pain management? and, is the US still performing tons more episiotomies than the rest of the world?). We have discussed taking a different class to see if a different perspective is offered, but who knows?

BTW, thanks, we kind of felt like our timing seemed pretty good for taking the class.

<small>[ 06-28-2004, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[mmichaelson]

So I take it you two have not considered going with the water-birth idea? This is definitely not the way for me. . .but it seems to be gaining popularity.
Any opinions on that?

[piqaboo]

I've nothing against a water birth, i just dont know if my OB's hospital offers it. The tour is tomorrow. Somehow tho, I doubt it.
The shower sounds good - anything to create more nerve impulses, to take my mind off the ones my insides will be sending!

I'm wondering if I can train the Altoid to signal "Beam me out, Scotty" and save us both a hard time....

[mmichaelson]

Maybe if you let little Altoid listen to Star Trek music, she'd learn the "beam me up" phrase??

[monkeymd2b]

When I asked my residents about water birth they gave me looks then said simply "that's nasty! You've seen the crap and blood that floats in the fluid when the baby is born, do you REALLY want to sit in it for a few hours?!?" In my late grandma's words "That's crap. Just take the pain and deal with it." She had 5 kids - one breech. I'm personally intrigued by the idea but I doubt I'll get training in it at any point of my formal education. My OB experience was nothing like that on the TLC Baby Story...more like TLC maternity ward where it's not so pleasant and happy. Watch that for more realistic stuff and baby story to get the happy feeling inside.

AS for episiotomies...some of our OB attendings do em and the other half let the women tear if they will. The tissue down there heals quite quickly well and it's only the 3rd and 4th degree ones that are really nasty. Episiotomies increase the risk of 3rd and 4th degree tears and if you have a short perineum then that increases the risk further. One thing we were taught to do for our patients is that while they're in active labor pushing the kid out, we massage the vaginal walls and perineal tissue to help stretch things out a bit. One of my residents uses a gauze square to cover the tissue closest to the anus and he says that helps prevent tears too. And if there is a tear, there's topical stuff that helps dull the pain in the days after while it heals up. I mean, it's not like you're going to be showcasing that part of your body... unless you happen to be in the industry I guess. The key is knowing how experienced your doctor is at repairing the 3rd and 4th degree tears or if she/he has access to someone with a good rep for repairing them since those done poorly result in problems down the line. In the end, it's your body, you have the right to refuse any treatment and an episiotomy needs consent just like anything else.

needle phobias. I have had blood draws every 6 months since I was a baby (27 years next month). Just don't think about it. Yeah it hurts but it's over so quickly that it doesn't matter after a few minutes...no one will fault you if you feel the need to pass out during the process...my classmate faints all the time when she gets stuck and we only laughed at her for a few minutes.

[mmichaelson]

Yeah, I had that icky feeling about the water births. Of course, TLC leaves out all the "gorier" details and makes it look all happy, but I had a feeling about the dirty water myself.
Yuck.

[OperaTenor]

With our luck, we'll just get a reply, complete with a Scottish burr, "Aye, Cap'n, but I canna do it right now. The warp drive's busted & it'll take me at least five hours to fix!"

[mmichaelson]

Hey, be happy for five hours and not eighteen, right Piq?

[piqaboo]

5 < 18, yes thats good!

water births -
I was thinking of it more as a way to get thru labor than a place to actually deliver a baby.
Unlike whales and dolphins, we come out headfirst.
I'd prefer that entrance was into a breathable atmosphere.

Monkeymd2be, good to hear from you - thanks!

BTW- my mom and your grandmother are on about the same page. Of course, my mom's second delivery was all lovely and natural <no pain killers> until about 10 min after my sister was born - then she hemorrhaged like hell and ended up in hospital intensive care for 2 weeks, with 100% bedrest and home nursing after that..... Since Im fond of her, Im glad she was in hospital and not at home when all hell broke loose!

The only way I can see an episiotomy dimishing risk of a tear is if they made it a T-shaped cut -
and that would be a pig to heal!

[EJA]

Re: needles

In my experience, 90% of the pain associated with getting bled with a needle arises from the fact that phlebotomists seem to love to stick you before the alcohol they use to clean your skin has fully evaporated. If a phleobtomist is about to do this, distract them with conversation, sneeze (not on your arm though -- they'll just alcohol it again), cough, or just move your arm every time they get ready to stick and keep doing such things till your arm is dry. It's amazing how much less painful the stick is then. Not only that, it won't hurt at all once they're done with the jab (provided that you don't move and they aren't a klutz). On the other hand, it will sting and ache for at least 10 minutes if they succeed in getting alcohol in the wound.

Also, don't get the idea that just because you have two or three catheters in you they will take blood from a catheter. That doesn't cause enough pain; they will stick you every time. Just resign yourself.

[piqaboo]

I have veins in my arms that make phlebotomists drool and cross the room asking to bleed me.
The stick pain seems minor.
The major pain is in drawing multiple tubes, if they dont keep the needle in place, but let it move deeper in.
I've had em go all the way thru the vein by the 5th tube, once or twice. I'm none to fond of those who wiggle the needle once its in, either.

But blood draws never hurt like many shots do, because they are never trying to put a new thing (fluid) into a space already occupied by by something (my tissue).
Gamma globulin was a particular joy. It took a fair amount of discipline not to kick the nurse thru the wall. Tetanus is good (not), but most vaccines arent bad.

WHEEEEEE!

What do people know about eating etc during labor? is it common, do most hospitals support it or force IV's or? ? ?

[mmichaelson]

That's a good question Piq. . .I've just seen them give ice chips. . .

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Originally posted by piqaboo:
What do people know about eating etc during labor? is it common, do most hospitals support it or force IV's or? ? ?

First, bear in mind that my firsthand experience is not recent. However, Melle's experiences rather closely parallel my own.

1. You probably won't want to eat in active labor. Your abdominal muscles are repeatedly contracting and this does not improve digestion. It would be like going into a sit-up marathon after Thanksgiving dinner.

2. Full stomachs and anesthesia are not a good mix. Should you be one of the ladies nauseated by labor or anesthesia, this could get ugly.

3. The IV line is pretty much standard practice. Partly, at prevents dehydration. Mostly, it's a convenient medication pathway, in a hurry, in case it's necessary.

Items 2 and 3 apply mostly if things suddenly go south, as they occasionally do. In early labor, I always nibbled as I was hungry. It seemed to work out OK.

[Serenity]

Not to complicate things any further but, is OT "squeamish"? Is he gonna pass out or hyperventilate while he's breathing with you?

[OperaTenor]

I don't faint at the sight of blood or hurl, etc., I just have seen way too much of my own, so I'd rather not be at the foot of the table, if you know what I mean. I'll be fine at the head of the table. Besides, I feel being at the head of the table is for her, being at the foot would be for me, and I'm there for her primarily.
I won't panic/freak out at the sight of Piq being in pain, either. I won't like it(of course), but I won't run from it.

[Serenity]

Just bustin' your chops! I know I can watch the most gruesome medical procedure on a complete stranger but I become extremely squeamish when the patient is someone I care about. Does anyone else experience this?

[OperaTenor]

I thought so, but wanted to be perfectly clear jic.
However, the one thing I'll have to carefully monitor in myself is that if the Dr. isn't doing the right thing by Piq, IMO, I'll get rabid on her.