Natural Health - Essential Oils on a Budget

Before my pregnancy with Cora, I can honestly say I don't recall ever hearing about Essential Oils. During a prenatal with my birth doula, Susan, she mentioned EOs several times and we had a discussion about the different oils she may use during labor and we made sure I didn't have an adverse reaction to any of the scents before labor. I distinctly recall not understanding at all what the heck these silly 'voodoo oils' (as John fondly refers to them) were supposed to do to help during labor. I figured that it couldn't hurt and if it helped during contractions then I was all for it! 

As I soon learned, these oils were invaluable. It took me several months after my first encounter with them to make my first purchases, but I haven't looked back since!

Recently Essential Oils have become all the rage. There are a host of natural remedies floating around on Pinterest and I've seen lots of non-"crunchy" bloggy friends rave about finding EO's and all the wonder they are. I would estimate that 90% of the people I hear talking about EO's are recommending or using Young Living Essential Oils. While I have nothing against this Multi Level Marketing Company, I simply cannot swallow the price that they suggest their products are valued at!

Essential Oils went from a neat concept to something I'm working to incorporate into our daily lives as like many others, our health care costs have sky rocketed! This year our insurance plan changed from your typical health care plan where you pay your $30 or $40 copay and move on, to a plan where we pay full price for our visit until we reach our deductible for the year (praying we don't have cause to reach that deductible!). On average that price tag just to walk into the doctors office runs us about $150! We sincerely think twice and three times before we go to the doctor now. Essential Oils have given us the ability to heal ourselves naturally, with elements that God gave us without having to resort to the more extreme ways of modern medicine. 

Saving the day again was my doula, Susan. (She is my crunchy momma inspiration!) She has been using EOs for years and was running into the same price tag issue I was. She uses Butterfly Express Essential Oils and highly recommends them. I was really skeptical at first, everything I'd heard from both Young Living and Do Terra distributors made it sound like if I used another company that had "lesser quality" oils I was risking our health. Let me say, I don't doubt that using oils that are laced with pesticides and who-knows-what could have adverse effects. 

What I didn't realize is that there is no governing board for quality control on Essential Oils! (source) They market that they are "Certified Pure Theraputic Grade" or "100% Theraputic quality" so silly me, I believed them hook line and sinker. Surely there was no one that rivaled their quality, right?

Wrong! There are other companies out there that offer quality oils that are safe and effective and Butterfly Express is one of them! I did a quick run down of prices of the oils I was wanting/needing from Young Living verses Butterfly Express and was amazed at the difference.
(Note that I was comparing Butterfly Express' Retail prices against Young Living Wholesale Prices!)

Oil	Butterfly Express	Young Living (Wholesale)
Theives/Deliverance	16.63	33.75
Peppermint	7.44	21.5
Lavendar	7.44	23.5
Lemon	6.13	11.25
Valor/laMellinia	21	21.75
Peace and Calming	15.75	32.75
Purification/lePurify	12.25	18.75
Pan Away/le Paine	12.69	74.5
Frankincense	21	71.75
Joy/le Heart Song	18.81	39.75
Stress Away/le Intention	9.19	29.75
Grapefruit	6.56	16.75
Harmony/le Unity	21.88	64.75
Total	176.77	460.5

Do you see that? A difference of $283.73!

I'm certainly not knocking on Young Living. They have a great product. I absolutely love their Thieves Household Cleaning line and so far I can only find that through Young Living. I just really want to encourage you to look at your options if you are finding the price tag a bit hard to swallow as I do!

If you're just starting out with Essential Oils or not sure where to begin, I started with 3 oils. Two single oils and one blend - Peppermint, Lavender and Deliverance (all Butterfly Express brand) . I've used quite a bit of the Peppermint and Deliverance but I have used the fool out of Lavender! John who was is an even bigger skeptic than I was has even been converted, primarily over the effectiveness of Lavender Oil! Deliverance is Butterfly Express' blend that is comparable to Young Living's Thieves blend or Do Terras On Guard. 

Lavender Oil has been great this summer with the rash of bug bites and stings that go with the season. It's also been a great help in soothing Cora at night before bed. My next purchase will be Peace and Calming/le Tranquility to diffuse at bedtime with Cora! We were at a class about EO's recently and Cora was with me. She had already had her nap for the day and should have been wide awake but throughout the class I noticed that she seemed lethargic and sleepy. It wasn't until later that someone mentioned that they were diffusing Peace and Calming that I realized why she was acting that way! I can't wait to see how effective it is at night when she's supposed to be sleepy and calm! 

Do you use Essential Oils?

What brands do you like/use?

After writing the majority of this post (it's been sitting in my draft folder for the better part of 3 months...) I've stumbled on an EO company I'm interested in trying - Edens Garden. I'm reading some mixed reviews (I've not yet found a bad review of Butterfly Express) but their prices are unbeatable! Have you heard of them? What are your experiences with them? 

**I am not a doctor or a health care professional. This post is not intended to diagnose or treat any ailment or illness. It is simply a product recommendation based on my own personal experiences. I am in no way compensated for mentioning any of these companies. I am not a representative of Young Living Essential Oils, Do Terra Essential Oils or Butterfly Express Essential Oils.**

Cloth Diapering, done cheap!

 

We decided to try cloth diapers when we realized that at the rate we were going through Disposables, we would spend about $50 a month on diapers (on the low end). I also found that a particularly economical brand of Sposies (disposables) that actually fit our daughter well put off this odd chemical odor when she wet the diaper. It was faint, but there, not very comforting. Buying cloth diapers on a budget was a big issue, we already had enough disposables from showers to get us through for a little while so we decided to buy cloth diapers one or two at a time, starting with the cheapest, quality ones I could find.

We picked Pocket Diapers because it seemed easiest! Easy is key in our house! I also knew that if it wasn't easy-peasy John wouldn't really be interested in it. All in Ones would honestly be easier, but line drying diapers helps them last longer and I read over and over again that it took a long time to get All in Ones to dry. As we expand our collection I plan to add a few AIOs here and there, but for now I'm really happy with the pockets. After you wash & dry them, stuff the insert in the little pouch (I do this while I watch TV or while Cora plays in her jumparoo) and they're ready to go! When it's time to change I just put the whole diaper in the wet bag. On washing day I just pull the inserts out of the diaper as I toss it in the washer.

Prefolds (& covers) are significantly cheaper! This is probably what you think of when you hear Cloth diapering, the flat piece of fabric you pin to the baby. I actually really considered doing this! Now there are these nifty things called snappis that replace the pins, I was totally sold! Problem was, I knew I would end up being the only one in the house actually putting cloth diapers on the baby if I picked this style. It was only going to end up being practical & economical if I could get my husband and any caretakers (ie my father!) on board!

The three brands we initially purchased were, Alva Baby, Kawaii, and Sun Baby. (I wish I could find a reputable dealer for Happy Flute diapers, if you have suggestions I'd love to hear them!) These brands are the cheapest options I found out there. Eventually we plan to try the more expensive options one at a time. Each of these brands runs roughly $7 a diaper.

If you want to try these diaper brands out one at a time, I found that Amazon was a great resource, except for the Kawaii diapers - just order those from their website (Amazon had them for twice the price!). (Fair warning, shipping these diapers one at a time is pretty pricey as far as shipping is concerned, they're coming from Canada.) This is particularly relevant for trying out Sun Baby diapers. On their website, you have to order them in bundles, which is great if you know it will work for you, not so hot if you just want to check them out.

A note about these sellers - The Kawaii diapers shipped out of Canada and always got to me in a very reasonable time frame (roughly a week from ordering). The Sun Baby diaper I ordered was off Amazon, so I can't speak to the shipping times from the actual company. Alva Baby diapers shipped out of China and their shipping times showed it. They shipped the day after I ordered them, but I got them 3 weeks, 6 days later. Considering I paid like $.06 for shipping - I'll order again, you just shouldn't count on getting them quickly.

We decided we needed roughly 9 diapers to get through a day based on what we went through a day in disposables. Obviously, I'm not a fan of doing laundry every single day, and I've read that hang drying the diapers will make them last longer so ideally we will get our stock up to 18 or more diapers. For now I'm diapering Cora in cloth on the days I'm home with her during the week, so Tuesdays and Thursdays. I wash on Wednesday between so that I'm good for Thursday and again on Friday or Saturday. I try to get at least one weekend day in cloth, this will get easier as we get more diapers.

My wet bag from Sweet Bobbins

The Extras -  Beyond the diapers you will have at least one more need. Wet bags. To get started I purchased a medium sized wet bag that is big enough for my needs. Since then I've added a pail liner for my diaper pail, but that isn't necessary! If you plan on using cloth diapers outside of the house, you'll also need a wet bag that can go in your diaper bag. I recommend this amazing Etsy shop for your wet bag needs!





If you are really interested in saving money I recommend looking into cloth wipes! I looked at buying some but as cute as they are I just couldn't justify spending so much money on wipes, even if they are reusable. I made my own - I'll post about that another day. It was so easy and I have more wipes than I can use in several days and the cost was very reasonable! They don't add any more work to my diapering routine because I just toss them in the wet bag and then the wash with the rest of the diaper laundry!

I'm loving cloth so much! I hardly notice the added "work" of using cloth over disposables and I'm so much happier with putting them on my daughter!

Baby Girl's Birth Story (Part 3)

 

To catch up, part 1 and part 2

Susan and I made it to Labor and Delivery (after a quick confusing detour into the wrong hallway) and got me checked in.  Then nurses asked a series of annoying questions that I fail to understand the necessity of. (WHY did I preregister if you're just going to ask all this junk again??) This was all before they moved me into a room. During this time, I rode out a contraction and spent so much energy trying to breathe and not groan loudly, worrying about disturbing any others on the floor. In retrospect, if I had groaned, maybe they would have picked up the pace!

Just after getting into the room I had my next contraction as I tried to step out of the wheelchair and move to the bed. Right in the middle of loudly moaning through the contraction was when Kathy, my midwife came into the room. She praised my labor progression and instructed me to get into a gown. I considered asking to stick to my birth plan and continue laboring in my own clothes, but by this time I didn't care about the immodest hospital gowns. John met us in the room and helped me change in the restroom and then get into the bed.

I was coming into the hospital at shift change so my first nurse started everything, I can't even remember her name, then Jessica joined us and stayed through the rest of day. They wanted 20 minutes of monitored contractions so they had a baseline to if we needed continuous fetal monitoring later, so into bed I went. As I laid in bed Jessica, the other nurse and the head nurse asked me various questions. I was really struggling to deal with the contractions at this point, laying in bed was not helping anything and the fetal monitor pushing on my belly during contractions was painful. Kathy came in and saved the day! She was less than impressed that I was told I had to be in bed for this monitoring and Kathy set them straight that they are perfectly capable of running the tape with me out of the bed. After Kathy checked to see how dialated I was (7 cm!!), we were just about finished with the 20 minute requirement and at Susan's suggestion, we moved back into the bathroom.

I feel like we were in the bathroom for five minutes, but John assures me that it was at least an hour. At this point, Holli, the other Midwife came on shift and wanted to check how I had progressed since Kathy had left. I slowly made my way to the bed (can I just say that moving in contractions is no bueno!), I was at 10 cm and almost fully efaced!!

Holli worked with me on how to push and wanted me to do a few "practice pushes". I remember her telling me to "blow the baby out", encouraging me to use breathing to push down rather than yelling and wasting energy. During these practice pushes, my water broke but it really wasn't much. Unfortunatly they were pretty sure that it was myconium stained. Under hospital policy, Holli had to break the water a little more so they could be sure whether or not Cora had passed myconium in the water. This was something I didn't want but couldn't avoid. The exact reason I didn't want my water broken was the effect we found - Coras head shifted slightly as the water flowed out and now I had a lip of cervix that wasn't fully effaced.

Technically, I could have worked hard, pushed forever and gotten the baby out then with someone pushing that "lip" aside. BUT Holli is awesome and gave us some time to get the babys head moved back center and clear up that effacement issue. I say that she's awesome now, but I was so very disappointed when I knew I was fully dialated and she announced that she was going back to the office to see "a patient or two". I couldn't believe that she had time to see patients before I had a baby!

Susan & Cora

This is when I will forever be grateful for having an amazing Doula! Susan, being well educated in birth and understanding all the mumbo jumbo Holli was saying about how Cora's head shifted got me out of bed to shift the baby back to center! {I'd also like to point out that as great as my nurse, Jessica, was - she didn't understand what Holli was saying, she would have been no help to us in getting Cora's head straightened out} Since we knew my water was miconium stained, I had to have constant fetal monitoring (hospital policy), but the straps were just hurting so badly, so Jessica, my awesome nurse stood with me and held them in place as I lunged and squated for the next while. I was terrified my legs wouldn't support me as I squatted so John squatted right behind me holding me steady while Susan held the other end of Robozo across the bed from me. We were this way for about four contractions, until I started feeling Cora crown.

Susan started asking me questions about what I was feeling, I knew the baby was coming but I had trouble vocalizing that between contractions. As I squatted I was bearing down and Susan had noticed but Jessica didn't realize how close we were. Jessica checked and said I had a quarter size amount of baby's head showing and at her insistence we moved back into the bed. Susan suggested we call Holli back but Jessica thought we had more time to "labor down".

The thing about natural labor is, your body pushes that baby and the only way I found to cope with that intensity is to push and help that natural laboring of pushing the baby down and out. Once up in that bed I got on my side and started pushing. The room quickly filled with tons of hospital staff! I had okay-ed some nurses observing (later we learned they wanted to watch because they hadn't seen a natural birth before), plus Nursery staff that was doubled by the concerns about the myconium stains in the amniotic water. As I pushed I was encouraged to not push, to wait for the midwife to get there. About the third announcement of "wait" I yelled at no one in particular that I couldn't. All the while I laid there knowing full well that everyone in that room was trained to catch, I knew that if no one else stepped up Susan could catch the baby. I wasn't going to not push just because my midwife wasn't called in time. At some point they grabbed the on-call OB, she gowned up and stood at the ready incase Holli didn't make it in time.

When Holli arrived there was a giant sigh of relief in the room, She tossed her coat one direction while stepping into a gown being held open by a nurse. Two more pushes or so and we had our baby girl!!

When Cora was born she wasn't crying, this is somewhat common with natural born babies as I understand it. That compounded with the myconium stained fluid and the nursery staff insisted that the cord be cut immediately. They whisked her over to the warmer and started suctioning fluid from her mouth. John joined them while I finished up delivery. After they cleaned her up and worked on her for a while I got to hold her skin-to-skin for just a moment, long enough for Susan to snap a few pictures and then they whisked her off to the NICU.

Cora & Kathy

Turns out that Cora had TTN (transient tachypnea of the newborn) and had to spend some time in the NICU. Her first Apgar was a 6, second one was an 8. She improved greatly in the first 7 hours and was weaned off oxygen by just over 24 hours. Antibiotics were administered as a precaution for infection from the Myconium but all cultures came back negative for infection. I was ready for discharge at 24 hours after birth but stayed in-patient an extra day to make it easier to be with our daughter. Cora was discharged from the hospital four days after birth.

I loved my birthing experience, not so much right in the trenches of it - but coming out on the other side I knew within hours of being finished that not only could I do it again, I'm excited for it! I found birthing empowering and beautiful. All the major points of our birth plan were followed up until the complications surrounding Cora once she was born and none of those complications were as a result of birth. Looking back there are very few things we would change that are in our control. Doing it again I will for-sure hire a birth photographer!! I'm so sad we don't have more pictures of everything! I wouldn't change anything in our birth plan and really the only big thing that we would do differently is possibly the location of our birth. I'm seriously contemplating using a Birthing Center for our next child! I'm just sad that we would have to change midwifes for a different facility.

Coralie

8 lbs, 12 ounces

20 inches

Baby Girl's Birth Story (Part 2)

{See Part 1 Here}

I rode out several contractions in the tub, until the water began to grow cold. I knew that I could always get back in the tub later, as long as my water was intact, so we decided I'd get out and maybe walk around the house. We talked about a possible walk around the neighborhood, but it was cold & the middle of the night. My contractions were lasting roughly a minute each and were mostly four minutes apart, but weren't terribly consistent. John was still a little on the edge of believing that I was really in labor, he kept looking for a more set pattern in the time of my contractions. I knew I was in true labor (finally!) but was also aware that it could be a long haul before our daughter was born. I took a shower, knowing that it could be quite a while before I had the opportunity for another one.

Out of the tub the contractions were much more intense but reduced in time to about 30 seconds each. I was frustrated but was still certain this was it. The intensity was making me nervous about when we should go to the hospital and we wanted to labor at home as long as possible, ideally until I was dilated to a 6 or a 7. Susan, our Doula lives in Fort Worth, which is about an hour drive from our house so we decided to go ahead and call her to give her time to get to us. I called her at 2:47 am, while I was on the phone I had another contraction and was able to ride it out with deep breaths. Susan agreed that I was in early active labor and that she would go ahead and come our way.

The next little while I spent time between contractions stacking our last minute items for the hospital next to the door, making the bed etc. Our room is always warmer than the rest of the house and I was getting too hot so we moved to the living room. We let our dogs come into the house and sit with us in the living room. I just found something nice about having a "normal" family moment in the middle of this experience.

Once settled into the living room, I was under the delusion that sitting on my exercise ball would help me get through some of these contractions. Boy was I wrong! I loved it in false labor, but now that it was the real deal I could have drop kicked the darn ball down the street! (In retrospect, it was because it opened up my pelvis and made the contractions more intense - a good thing but I wasn't prepared for it!)

I knew I needed to be resting through contractions but I couldn't get comfortable anywhere. Finally I found that I could close my eyes and relax in the rocking chair, but sitting through a contraction was painful for me. Each time I had a contraction I would stand up as it began, which made it easier to handle but the movement itself was so painful! I was wearing out quickly and knew I was at a point that I needed Susan to get there. During one of these transitions from chair to standing, I yelled loudly in pain - that was the point John recalls knowing we were really in labor and going to have a baby. (Looking back, this is the only time I would say I was in "pain" during labor. Honestly the majority of the time the physical feelings were "intense" but so different from any other discomfort I had felt at any other time in my life) At some point during my time in the rocking chair, I threw up. I knew that vomiting was just part of labor but it was certainly less than fun heaving during a contraction.

When Susan arrived just before 4 am, I was loudly moaning through each contraction just to cope and I was quickly getting discouraged with our natural approach. I hadn't pulled out the "I can't" words yet, but I had them ready to go if whatever Susan was going to do didn't work. Just after walking in the door, I told her what was going on & where we were at in the process between contractions. She told me she hated the exercise ball in her labors too & that moving in a contraction always makes them worse in real labor - that movement brings on contractions. (WHY is this not common knowledge?!?) The first contraction she watched me in she recognized that I was tensing up in anticipation of the intensity. She gently reminded me to relax, and like a miracle when I encouraged my muscles to release the tension in a contraction, the intensity was much more manageable!

Susan set up her diffuser (Lavender & Geranium) and it was like the best medicine ever! It was so easy to relax my muscles through the contractions and I rode them out in the rocker for a while. At some point I stood through a few of them and Susan taught John how to do hip squeezes. Hip squeezes = amazing! It was so special that John was able to help me through each contraction in such a 'hands on' kind of way.

Susan suggested moving to the bathroom and sitting backwards on the toilet. She explained that it would make the contractions more intense because it would open up my pelvis and help labor along, but it would give me the wall and back of the toilet to relax on between contractions and John would have access to do hip squeezes. I agreed and it was the best idea ever. The time I spent on the toilet (both at home and later at the hospital) were honestly the easiest and best periods of labor! I was able to doze off laying on a pillow propped up on the tank of the toilet. It was quiet, dark and calming with the diffuser sitting just a couple of feet away on the sink. Between each contraction I would close my eyes and silently pray for strength "Strength, Jesus, Strength" as I drifted off until the next contraction.

Somewhere around 5:15 am I knew I was getting close to Transition in labor & Susan did too. We knew that it was time to get me to the hospital before contractions were too close or intense to make the move. I was dreading the 25 minute drive to the hospital, but we wanted to make sure we had plenty of time for the drive, I really didn't want a home birth (nor were we prepared for one) and I sure didn't want to deliver on the side of the road! At 5:35 am John called Kathy, our Midwife and told her my contractions were just over a minute long each with three minutes between and had been going on like this for roughly two hours. Kathy instructed to come on into the hospital we planned to deliver at and she'd meet us there.

I've never wanted a home birth, but it was beyond less than fun moving to the hospital this far into labor. I went to the restroom while John threw the last of our stuff into the van & made sure the dogs were good for the night and into the next day. Susan tied her Robozo around my hips nice and tight to help keep pressure there during the car ride and suggested sitting on the floor of the van and leaning into a seat. I rode out one more contraction in our living room, I remember being very aware that our neighbors were about to be leaving for work and I didn't want to be the crazy moaning lady in my front yard! After the contraction John got me situated in the back of the van & we headed off to the hospital with Susan following. The 20 minute ride to the hospital was honestly pretty uncomfortable. I was much less successful at relaxing during each contraction, I'd read that transitioning from home to the hospital can result in a regression of labor. Thinking about or my nagging worry that we'd get pulled over & I'd get a seat belt ticket sure wasn't helping the relaxation much! At some point, about half way through the drive I shifted and caught a whiff of the lingering essential oils from my hair and was able to relax and resist yelling & scaring the poo out of John for the rest of the drive in.

Once at the hospital, John dropped me off at the entrance to the ER while Susan parked & grabbed a wheel chair to take me up to Labor & Delivery.

{Part 3}

Baby Girl's Birth Story (Part 1)

The last couple of weeks of pregnancy were less than fun for me, particularly because of all the contractions. We were also trying to do everything we could to naturally induce labor so I could get in the hospital we'd pre-registered at and have our Midwife or her backup deliver our daughter.

Friday 10/18, I took the day off work & went into the Midwife's office and had her sweep my membranes. I'd had the procedure before and each time it would result in some serious contractions that would last for hours. When I had been in her office the previous Wednesday, I was dilated to a 3, she said it was almost a 4. We were so hopeful that this last ditch effort Sweep would push me over the edge into active labor. After the sweep (at which I measured an easy 4, on my way to 5), I went and walked store after store and made my way over to the mall & walked the mall for a couple of hours trying to help the contractions along (it was raining). Unfortunately, my contractions never set up into a pattern. I'd had more intense contractions after the previous sweep, I was so disappointed. I spent the rest of the day Friday at home cleaning house and the rest of the weekend John and I just spent time together at home getting ready for the arrival of our Baby Girl.

Sunday (10/20) evening came & we had plans to go to some friends house for dinner (Brisket & fixings - yum! I ate a ton, which was very unusual for me to have an appetite). I hadn't really had any contractions all day, just one or two here & there. After dinner Momma Betty, Kim & I went for a walk around their farm talking about some of my concerns & nerves about becoming a mother. At the end of the walk, Betty prayed for the baby & I and some of my worries.

When John & I got home that night we watched TV & just hung out enjoying the time together. We talked about how we were worried that I'd be like my Mom & labor wouldn't progress the rest of the way naturally & we'd have to end up inducing. I was so frustrated that we were starting another work week and had "wasted" a weekend without going into labor. I was feeling really down that I was struggling to be productive at work because I was so uncomfortable and there would just be yet another wasted week in the office.

Neither of us was very tired but knew that we had to get some rest because Monday morning was quickly approaching. 11:30 or so I got up and gave John two Tylenol PM & I took one myself and we laid down to sleep. At midnight, like clockwork I had a contraction, the first in hours. I was so mad! I always had bouts of false labor throughout the night and I was just sure this was another repeat of every other night from the past few weeks. I breathed through the contraction & did my best to not disturb John. After several contractions I knew that they were much harder and just felt so different than what I'd previously experienced. To get through them I was groaning and John wasn't getting any rest.

I got out of bed and got in the bathtub to see if the hot water would calm them down so we could get some rest. Roughly two contractions into being in the tub I just knew it was real, that our baby girl was on the way! I called out to John and for about the next hour he poured water over my belly through the contractions and timed them starting at 12:50 am. With dark humor we realized we were probably in for a very long night and we'd both just taken Tylenol PM.

{Part 2}

Our Natural Birth Plan

 This is the birth plan that John and I have prepared. We want as natural of a birth as possible and will be having a hospital birth after we labor at home as long as we can. I'm happy to answer any questions about our preferences or why we made a particular selection or decision. 

(Look for my *notes* for commentary on a particular decision or wording)

I know that all over the internet you read that you shouldn't let your birth plan go more than one page. We talked to our Midwife about this - she said she didn't mind a longer birth plan. Particularly since we broke ours out into stages of labor, so if you don't have time to read it all - you can get the highlights of what is relevant at the time. We went ahead and broke out each part onto it's own page so that once we moved past that stage, it wasn't there as a distraction if someone needed to read it quickly.

We wrote our birth plan using several different resources out there - there's no point in reinventing the wheel if you don't have to. Check out some of these other great natural birth plans that we used when researching: Our Biggest Influence - Young Nesters

A great printable Birthplan check list if you'd rather go that route! Ultimate Guide to Mommy Survival

Another great birth plan & some excellent ideas on what you should include - Going Green with the Grizls 
And in regards to what newborn procedures we wanted - Modern Alternative Pregnancy

Our Birth Preferences

Pre-Admission Requests

• To only entertain the idea of artificial induction of labor if: Labor is unusually delayed & there is medical urgency.
• If induction of labor is necessary, breaking the sack of waters and wait a reasonable period of time to see if labor can progress without the use of artificial induction medications (such as pitocin).
• If there are no signs of infection after the sac of water breaks, to delay induction for a reasonable period of time. 
  
  *We never intend for our birth preferences to be the final word, we recognize that birth is a natural process and at times "going with the flow" is necessary. By phrasing "reasonable period of time" we felt that we were flexible to what the doctors recommend, but still expressing that we'd really like to not use artificial induction if at all possible. I really like that it leaves a wide gap of flexibility to decide in the moment if necessary*
• To remain at home as long as possible before going to the hospital.

For Hospital Admission & Throughout Labor

We request:

• For our nurses, doctors and support staff to support our goal of a natural birth and in the absence of medical urgency, not preform any procedures that could unnecessarily prevent or prohibit our desire for the most natural birth possible. 
• The opportunity to discuss our birth preferences with our assigned nurse.
• To return home until labor progresses if less than 4 cm dilated and no medical reason to suggest a hospital admission is warranted.
• To self-hydrate after admission and opt for a Hep Lock rather than the routine IV preparations. 
  
  
  *I would have preferred to not have a Hep Lock either, I'm not a fan of stuff in my veins - it's very uncomfortable for me. However, it's our hospitals policy that at least a Hep lock be in place for an emergency situation. I can be flexible & I understand their concern so we conceited on this issue*
• To have only intermittent monitoring of FHR after admission & To be free of blood-pressure cuff between readings.
• Maintain dimmed lights and a quiet environment in the room during labor. 
  To be allowed to wear my own gown and be afforded as much modesty as possible.
  
  *I wish I didn't have to put the part about modesty in here, BUT, after a visit to L&D I learned the hard way that if I don't want to be exposed to a whole host of strangers that I still have no clue why they were in my room, I should go ahead and mention that I'd like my lady bits covered when possible.* 
   
• To have my husband, John and Doula, Susan present during birth.
• To respectfully decline to participate in the taking of pain scale information and any offer of medication or labor-enhancing procedures unless requested.
  *This was a hot topic issue for me! I did not want the distraction from focusing on things other than the pain or my coping techniques to have to stop and think about how much pain am I in to answer a question that I think is inaccurate anyway. My pain level 5 may not be anyone elses, the medical staff has nothing in my background to compare what I respond with to my ability to cope with pain and therefore is null in my opinion. I also don't want someone offering drugs because I look like I'm in "pain" or that what I'm doing is "hard". I don't want to be given the options to distract from what I'm working towards. I of course know that the options are there & what options there are so if I decide I need assistance, I know how to ask for it*
  

During First-Stage Labor

• To walk and move freely during labor.
• To change positions and assume labor positions of choice.
• Minimal number of vaginal exams-with permission-to avoid premature rupture of membranes and increased risk of infection.
• In the event labor stalls, I prefer to try as many natural methods as possible to stimulate labor.
• To be fully apprised, consulted and afforded the time to make an educated decision (barring medical urgency) before the introduction of any medical procedure.
• To enjoy labor tub or shower.
• The option for music (I will provide).
• My husband to be allowed to photograph or take video.

                     For Pain Relief I’d like to use:

• Acupressure
• Breathing techniques
• Self Hypnosis
• Massage
• Bath/Shower
• Natural suggestions given by Doula/Midwife.

During Birthing

• To assume a birthing position of choice.
• To push instinctively and to be allowed to progress without time constraints as long as Baby & Mom are doing fine.
• To not have an episiotomy.
• To allow amniotic sac to rupture on its own.
  
  

Following Birthing

• Immediate skin-to-skin contact, with baby placed on mom’s chest.
• Delayed Cord Cutting - the cord to be clamped and cut only after pulsation has ceased.
• Once the cord stops pulsating, Dad cuts cord.
• Wait for natural placenta delivery without intervention
• No cord traction, manual removal or use of Pitocin for removal of placenta unless necessary and only after consulting Mom.
 

 

For Baby

We request:

• To have bright lights temporarily removed at moment of birth and until baby is moved to mother’s chest.
• All Newborn procedures to be done in our presence:
• If birth went as planned and Baby is healthy: APGARs & cleaning to happen at my chest.
• Please only perform PKU, Vitamin K & hearing/sight test on baby after bonding time, no Prophylactic Eye Ointment administered
• Delay Hep B immunization until after hospital stay
  Option to delay or abstain from bath, or if administered, do so in the room with Mom 
• That father and baby stay with mother throughout the hospital stay.
• Breastfeeding several times during the first few hours of baby’s life.
• Breastfeeding only.  No bottles, formula, pacifier, or artificial nipples.
  
  *For newborn procedures we opted in for the Vitamin K shot & PKU tests because of our increased risk for Cystic Fibrosis. We would need to know ASAP if baby girl does have CF which would be made known through the PKU, or heel stick, test. As for Vit K; CF patients tend to have lower levels of naturally occurring Vit K, plus newborns tend to be Vit K deficient anyway. We figured it couldn't hurt.*

In the event of a C-Section I would like:

         
To make sure other options have been exhausted

An epidural for anesthesia

In the event that a C-Section is necessitated, that father will hold the baby after C-section birth and bring baby to mom for viewing and eye contact.  In absence of urgency, father continues to hold baby for bonding.

  *For the C-Section part, we put this on an entirely different page to stick behind the rest of the plan. I didn't really consider having an "incase of" plan for Cesarian, but our Doula encouraged it - she is a VBAC mom and never planned on having her own c-section. While I really don't want a C-section and lots would have to go wrong for us to make it to that point, it's still nice to know that the things that matter most to me in the event that it is necessary are noted & that I've given it thought.*

Prenatal Chiropractic Care

Yesterday I walked into my office smiling like a fool! 

I have always had back problems, but for one reason or another I hadn't ever gone to a chiropractor. I could usually stretch and exercise and clear up the pain. Pregnancy has really limited that for me so I finally had to resort to getting help.

I told the Bestie's mom that I felt like I was preaching the 'gospel' of chiropractic care after my appointment yesterday.

As my pregnancy has progressed back pain has become "normal" for me. It's part of what got me into such a pickle with our ER visit - I didn't recognize that I had a kidney infection because I assumed my back pain was just normal. Did you know that back pain in pregnancy is not normal?!?

A few weeks ago my Midwife suggested seeing a chiropractor when I had some trouble sitting up from laying on the exam table (another problem I had dismissed as "normal"). Then when we met with Susan, our Doula she couldn't sing enough praises of seeing a chiropractor for prenatal care. I was still pretty skeptical, then a friend who has had three children recommended it so I finally agreed to look into it. 

A little about my back pain - I had the common pregnancy ailments of aches and pains that come with your body changing to accommodate the belly's growth. Unfortunately, I also had this "catch" in my lower back from before I was pregnant that was just made worse with my changing body. I couldn't go from a laying position directly to sitting, or sitting with my legs extended to standing without horrible pain. More than once in the last few months I have bawled my eyes out as John attempts to help me out of bed because I had "pinched" something in my back in that "catch".

Kara, my chiropractor practices in our OB/Gyn & midwife office. She specializes in Prenatal care and holds special certifications and training to care for pregnant women and women in postpartum recovery. She was so sweet to explain everything she was doing to me and point out things as we went through the exam. She totally put me at ease! 

Turns out the "catch" in my back is a misalignment from my pelvis. I would have never figured that out, but as she adjusted it I could feel what normal felt like again. The feeling of things moving back where the belong was amazing! We still have some work to do, but at the end of the adjustment I was able to sit up straight without assistance or that darn "catch" causing problems for the first time in I can't even remember how long!

She was able to adjust and correct problems I didn't even realize I had. I'm breathing better (but hadn't realized I wasn't breathing well), my posture is substantially better (to the point that others have commented on it!), the range of motion I have in my neck hasn't been there in years and we think we may have found the source of my chronic headaches from pre-pregnancy. 

I'm 32 weeks pregnant and this is quite probably the best I have felt the entire pregnancy!

I had really wondered if I could make it to term because I was just so very uncomfortable already.  I'm sure there will still be discomfort but one adjustment has done so much for my quality of life, it's amazing! 

My pregnancy advice for you? See a Chiropractor, from day 1! I won't go through another pregnancy without one!

UPDATE - a great article about my chiropractor and her practice can be found here.