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I've considered having a doula if I could find someone who would do it for free or really cheap, maybe a doula in training or something. I'm going to ask the MW I see at my appointment in the morning how much of the labor time they spend with women. With their on call system, it seems like they probably would be available to spend most of the time at the hospital with me, which would probably mean I wouldn't really need someone else.
Is your mom or MIL coming out to help you or around the time of birth?
How much time a doula spends with you will probably have more to do with the doula herself, than anything & how much time you'd like her to be with you. My doula was with me for Seamus' birth from the time I was admitted, to when I delivered & if I have one with this pregnancy, I'm hoping for the same :)
I'm pretty sure you'd be able to find a doula who is still training who would do it for free, or for a smaller fee than usual. Hopefully your midwife will have some resources for you.
The picture of your wedding is absolutely lovely! :D And its good to hear that you are taking the bull by the horns and going the whole hog - midwives, natural birth, maybe a doula. All I can say is good for you :D
I just got back from my MW appointment. The CNM I saw today is actually on call on my due date, so if I go on my due date, she'll be the one who attends the birth. I had made a list of questions about some birth plan stuff that I wanted to ask, but I forgot to bring it, but I managed to remember a few questions. I asked about pre-labor SROM and she said that they usually allow 6 hours from SROM for labor to begin until intervening, which is better than doing something immediately. I also asked how it usually works with how much time the CNMs spend with laboring patients and she says it just depends on how many of their patients go into labor that day. She said they try to be with you and help you as much as possible, but if they have someone else laboring at the other hospital they attend births at at the same time as you, they have to split their time. She said typically she sees 2 to 4 births in the 24 hours of each of her on call shifts, but she said February is usually a slower month for some reason, so there might be less. She says she recommends a doula, but she was really understanding about my worries about the money. She said a doula in training could be a good option, or a friend or family member who has done a natural birth.
My MIL lives only about 45 min. away from us, and the hospital is between where they live and where we live. I have thought a lot about having her come to the birth and be my advocate as her first SEVEN babies were born without any pain medications (she got epidurals with her last two, with the 8th, she said the epidural was totally ineffective, and she regrets getting it with the 9th because, although it was nice not to have pain during birthing, she says she has back pain from it still and she didn't like that she recovered slower).
My mom is coming after the birth to help take care of things like cooking and cleaning so I can focus on the baby.
I just realized I forgot to post about my appointment other than my conversation with Abby. I weighed in at 126.4, up about a pound and a half from my appointment 2 weeks ago, which is not bad (I only weighted about 100 lbs pre-pregnancy, so I'm supposed to gain a lot, having started out "underweight") My blood pressure was 120/70. It is still in the healthy range, but it has gotten higher since early pregnancy (I have written down that at my 10 wk appointment, it was 100/56). My abdomen measurement was right on, baby is still head down, and we heard the heartbeat nice and strong. I got swabbed for a Group B Strep test, so send me some negative GBS vibes! I'll get the results at my next appointment, which I scheduled for next friday because DH doesn't have any classes on Fridays.
That is all good news... Glad she had some options for you. Did she give you a list of girls in training? I usually have my MIL with me. I love the experience and would love for her to be with me again, but she will be watching my other children. I am just thankful to have her with me period whether watching my children or in the hospital.
Whatever you decide - it will be the best for you!!! I hope you can find someone that will be able to attend with you. HUGS!
Yeah, she asked about our preparation, and I told her some about what we're doing, and she said that if we're really prepared, we'd probably be okay just the 2 of us. I think it would work to have MIL as an advocate and female supporter because even though she's not a professional, I would have the MW on call there at least some of the time and she would be able to offer the tips and tricks that professional doulas have. My MIL kind of intimidates me, though...so I don't know.
Oh, and I added a new belly pic to my slideshow, which is on my intro post.
you know, I asked my MW about SROM as well, and she said they would interveneafter...12 hours maybe? I don't remember. She did say to call when the waters break so they'd have a time. I said, what if I don't want intervention that soon? She said, well, it all depends on when I call; but if I don't want them to interfere, I mean intervene, then don't call until I'm ready for it, lol. Basically she said to lie about when it broke so that labor can start on its own...Quote:
they usually allow 6 hours from SROM for labor to begin until intervening
Anyway 6 hours sounds awfully fast for them to intervene. JMO though.
I think it's normal for BP to go up even without pre-e. Mine always did but never got out of normal range (mine is normally pretty low like yours, 100/60 or so). But also you can measure it 5 times a day and get 5 very different numbers. If you're worried, try taking it at the drug store (or whatever store has the free BP machine) next time you drive by, just for kicks.
Your belly looks spectacular!
Glad you had a great appt. Beautiful belly pics!