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Yay! I tried once before to get a friend over here and she never came... but look, this time I did it! :yahoo: Hi Jennifer!!! :wavehello:
So glad you decided to come over and get active! This is a great board.
Introduce yourself and let people know how they can help you! Everyone has great stories and experiences on here! :)
Hi Jenn! Welcome!
I'm the Nana around here and follow along when I can. My daughter is Sarahsunshine.
Awwwww!!! Thanks for the introduction Mara!! All these pregnancy hormones and I got chills! ;)
Hi All!!
My name is Jennifer and my husband's name is Scott. We have been married for almost 9 years. We have one beautiful (and very spirited) daughter, Katelyn Joy who turned 4 in December. We are expecting our son the end of April. We live in the Bay Area in California.
Katelyn was born naturally in a small hospital in Tahoe. It was a wonderful experience. When I first became pregnant with her, I recall telling people I would get whatever painkillers I could because I thought I could never withstand the pain of labor. Somehow, I read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth in the last month of my pregnancy and it completely changed my attitude. I think when we go in blind, we go in scared. And when we go in scared, we do whatever people tell us the "norm" is. I am so thankful that I picked up that book. After reading all the wonderful stories in the book, I realized what a beautiful, natural process labor and delivery are, and I knew, above all else, that I could do it, too!
Fortunately, I was in a hospital in an area where natural childbirth is more the norm than not. I gave birth to my 9 pound 1.2 oz baby girl with very little intervention. After 3 1/2 hours of pushing, we did end up doing a small episiotomy and vacuum suction. It wasn't what I had wanted, but at that point in time, I was losing energy fast and they were realizing the baby was a lot bigger than they had anticipated (they told me the day before she was born that she was around 7 pounds!)
Anyway, I was talking to Mara the other day about my concerns for my upcoming labor. We are now living in a big city and I will be delivering at a bigger hospital. I have heard some horror stories about these types of hospitals, particularly that they push women to have early intervention, especially when they anticipate the babies are going to be large, as we all anticipate this baby boy to be. I want to make sure that I am prepared and that I am strong going in so that I can stand up for my beliefs and desires. Mara told me about this forum and I am so glad I found it!
I am meeting in about an hour with a doula that was recommended by a friend who had a natural hospital birth in January. We did not have a doula with my daughter's birth, but I am hoping that it may allow me to stay home longer and thus eliminate any fear of early intervention!
I look forward to reading more of your stories and learning from the source--real women's stories! Thank you for welcoming me!
Welcome Jennifer! Congrats on your pregnancy, and on reaching out to this amazing community of empowered women.
I hope your doula interview goes well!
Welcome Jennifer! I hope your doula interview went well and you liked her!
Jennifer, I just realized that your due date for baby boy is exactly the same as mine was for Beni- well, two years later of course. :) Maybe I knew that before, but, I realized it again. :) I like it. :)
Did you add yourself to the expecting list? Do that, and then when you reach 36 weeks, we'll set up a lodge for you, which is honestly one of the coolest things on this board. It's so great having your own space to let it all out, have people support you, etc. :)
Welcome Jennifer! I'm glad you came over to join us.
I live in the same general region of CA that you do, but much farther out of any big city. I'm also due in April as well.
:clappy: Yay for a new member!! Hi Jennifer and welcome to p.o!
Hi Jennifer & Welcome!
I'm also in your neighborhood, I'm up in S.F. If you send me a private message with the hospital where you'll be delivering, I'll reply back with some specific information on whether it's natural birth-friendly or not. Surprisingly, some of the biggest hospitals here are the best, because they are teaching hospitals & have to have the most current information, and evidence-based medicine totally supports NCB.
Welcome!!!