An Updated Picture!

Here you go, the Matchbox van is for scale. :-) If I were to take it off the needles, it would be a big circle with a diameter of about 30". Still too small to be anything, but much bigger than it used to be. Right now I'm all out of contributor yarn, so I think I'll just go around and around with the main yarn until I get any more (if I get any more, that is). I haven't been to the Post Office since Monday, so if you sent something in very recently it may be waiting for me in the box.

Here's a close-up with the labels:

(click for a bigger picture in a new window)

17. Pam of teh interwebz :-)

18. Mona & Sara. Mona's one of my 76-er cousins, there were four of us born in 1976. Mona and Sara have a brand new baby girl, so everyone send out huge congrats to them. Rumor has it I'm going to get to squish her next week. I.can't.wait. Oh, and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Mona today, too.

19. Shosh. Shosh is planning a VBAC very soon so she need some GO SHOSH!'s GO SHOSH!

20. Kathy. Matt's aunt and a wonderful woman. We love Kathy.

21. Rhea. Another mom of a Gabriel. :-)

22. Jos. Jos's yarn is all crazy and colorful, just like Jos. This yarn was really fun to knit in.

23. Gina & Michelle. Gina's also a 76-er, and it's also her birthday today. Happy birthday Gina!

24. Christina. I miss Christina. Move back!

25. Angela. Another great interwebz friend. Angela, you're a sweetheart.


So there it is. That's everyone. If you're still thinking about sending in yarn I would suggest you do it SOON. I'm 33 weeks today, which means time is ticking away. This Sunday we have a "get organized" home visit with the entire birth team and our home birth supply box is getting filled with all the necessities. We only have a few things left to get, including getting all the baby stuff out of the attic.

Time flies man, time flies.

21 Weeks and All is Well

We had another prenatal visit with the "real" midwife this morning and everything is going great. The baby is doing fantastic and seems to be happy as can be. My blood pressure has dipped nicely and my insane craving for RED MEAT has settled in, so that means my blood volume is increasing nicely. Everything's just great.

Not much other news. Boring pregnancies are a gift, for sure.

As for my project, I am *this close* to getting it on the needles. I have one more i-cord tie to put on a baby gift that I won't describe, since there's a chance this little girl's mommies are going to read this blog. I'm just happy I'm going to finish on time! Too bad the OTHER part of the gift is stuck in limbo and will probably arrive after the baby. Oh well, points for trying, right?

As soon as I post this I'm going to settle into the big chair and knock out that tie, assuming my little monster doesn't cut his nap short. I hope to have pictures of the project actually on the needles tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Stages of Recovery from Birth Trauma

http://observantmidwife.blogspot.com/2008/02/gray-grey-messenger-recovery.html
(Possibly NSFW pic in header -- lots of boobies)

Navelgazing Midwife has a beautiful post on her blog about the stages of recovery from a difficult/traumatic birth. It's really a beautiful post, and I highly recommend it for any of you out there who have been through a birth that tore at your heart.

This midwife is a local midwife and is very active with our local ICAN chapter. I remember calling her out of the blue one day about a year ago when I was deep in the middle of my "Sadness for Experience" stage. She reached out to the blubbering strange woman on the phone and gave me some really powerful words. Those words settled into my heart and nourished it, pushing me along to reframing and accepting my son's birth.

I like to think I'm in the "Preparation" stage now. I guess this blog is part of that. I want to help other mothers, but I realize that everyone has their own path to walk. If they want my help, they will reach for it. I'm also gathering a cocoon of support for my next birth, something I don't think I've ever done in my entire life.

So, go read the post. Tell me what you think.

Midwife Questions

We've been working to find our perfect midwife. In fact, we believe we have found her! Yay! I'll let you guys know who it is after we get everything settled (she's reviewing the records from my son's pregnancy and birth and we're going to have one more meeting before getting it set in stone). I thought it might be interesting to share with you the list of questions I prepared for our interviews this time.

I started with questions I found online, and then added more (and removed a few). I didn't ask about licensing and experience this time, since I found that information on everyone's website. Last time we figured out pretty quickly that the answers to these questions below told us what we needed to know about the midwives' experience and general "plan of action." There are some questions that relate specifically to my situation with my son's birth, and other questions I ask as "screeners" to get a clearer picture of what the midwife believes about birth and pregnancy.

If this this is your first foray into homebirth, you'll probably want to ask more questions about safety and how the midwife deals with issues during pregnancy and birth. We asked tons last time to the six midwives we interviewed, but didn't feel the need to this time. Having been through the wonderful homebirth midwife prenatal care and birth support, as well as transport to the hospital, we feel pretty comfortable with how the process generally works.

How many births have you attended as primary midwife?

What is your basic philosophy about birth?

What do you think about unassisted birth? What do you feel a midwife adds that a mother cannot provide on her own?

Who attends births with you? Do they also come to the prenatal appointments? Do I have a choice in who assists you at my birth?

Do you have a relationship with a physician should we need to transfer care or arrange a consult?

What are your feelings about parallel/shadow care?

What kind of childbirth education programs do you recommend?

Are you familiar with the Pink Kit?

What are the things that will risk out a mother from homebirth?

What is your fee?How are payments made?

What are your feelings on waterbirth? Do you have a tub that clients can use?

What do prenatal visits consist of?

Where do these visits take place? How often?

Do you require any internal exams during pregnancy or labor? Do you strip membranes?

What are your thoughts on VBAC? VBA2C?

What, if anything, is different when caring for a VBAC mom? Is the fee the same?

Do you have an opinion on single vs. double-layer stitching?

How do you feel about fathers catching the baby?

What is your protocol if a client goes past her due date?

When do you come to the home during labor? At what point do you decide to stay?

What sort of monitoring of the baby do you use during labor? Are you comfortable using a fetoscope during pregnancy?

How often do you listen to baby during labor?

What happens if you have two clients in labor at once?

What are your expectations of clients during pregnancy and birth?

What complications require a transport to the hospital? What is your role during a transport and once we're at the hospital? Have you ever met any resistance from hospital staff?

Do you have a preference for transport hospital?

What is your transport rate? Cesarean rate?

What experience do you have with resolving malpositions? Any experience with deep transverse arrest (as either the midwife for the malpositioned baby or as the midwife for the next baby)?

What tests do you require prenatally? What tests on the baby after the birth?

How do you assist a woman through the pushing stage? Do you do directed pushing?

When do you like to cut the cord? Are you comfortable with waiting until the placenta has been delivered?

Do you have a limit on the number of clients you accept a month?

How do you feel about siblings at birth?

What do you provide as far as postpartum services (breastfeeding support, newborn care, etc.)?

What are your thoughts on jaundice in the breastfed baby?

How do you feel about having a doula at a homebirth? What role, if any, do you think a doula plays at a homebirth?

Are there any books you strongly recommend we read (or DON'T read)?

Do you have any experience dealing with moms with white coat hypertension?

Late-ish August / Early September

That's when I'm due. In order to save you from my rant about due dates, I'll just say this kid is probably going to be a Virgo.

My son's birth was rough. Really rough. He was born by cesarean section after a very long, very hard labor and a transfer from a planned homebirth. Last time I went it alone. I didn't reach out much at all. I'm not good about asking for help.

I've learned a lot since then.

This blog will be a place for me to reach out. I have some things planned, some ways to connect with my friends scattered around the country and across the globe. I will have a couple projects going that you, kind readers, can help out with. I still have some details to iron out, but should be ready to get started after the new year.

I'm planning another homebirth, with a new midwife since mine has moved away. I'm setting up interviews now, and am quite nervous. Finding a midwife is like looking for a spouse. You're looking for Ms. Right. I'll let you know how it goes.

So now all there is to do is try to enjoy feeling queasy and tired. Oh, and chase after my two-year-old. There's always that.