OH, yeah, they go together. We are definitely on the mend, which is wonderful. As with most colds there is the ever-lingering need to hack up cough up nasty loogies from deep within. Are you grossed out yet? If not keep reading and you will be. If you are then skip down a few lines and read again and it will get better. We blow our noses and blow our noses and still blow our noses some more as we try to get this mucus crap out of our heads. Every time I blow my nose I need to blow it five more times. I blow out buckets full of total grossness and it still feels like I haven’t moved a thing out of my nasal passages. How can this be? Then I try to say something and my voice cracks because my throat is lined and layered with thick looginess and I have to go spit that out and it starts all over again. UGH!
Today Princerella’s nose had some thickness to it and few dried up boogers too that she needed to blow out. She came to me today and said, “Mama, what’s that in my nose?” Me, thinking about this said, “Come here and let me see.” She walked over, tilted her chin up high in the air and stuck her nose just inches away from my face. I told her that was just boogers and she needed to go blow here nose. “Boogers? Gross, Mama. Get them out! Give me a tissue. I don’t want no boogers up my nose.” She then proceeded to tell any sibling that would listen that she had boogers up her nose. Well, the one who seemed to care the most decided to spend the rest of his afternoon with his finger up his nose to see if he had boogers too. Yes, no need to ask, it was CowBoy. He thought it was cool to have boogers up the nose.
On to better and brighter things. We had an ultrasound a few weeks ago (pic and notes in previous post) and we tried to find out if the Pea is a boy or a girl. No dice, couldn’t tell. The Pea was breech and giving us a hard time. The Pea has turned deciding to give the head down position a try, but I guess the Pea didn’t like it. The Pea decided to turn back to a lovely butt down position and continue to kick me in the bladder and other soft tissue areas of the lower region. Goro did this to me too and by the time I delivered him, my bladder was so bruised that all my urine had blood in it. This has begun again. It is so painful. I’m going to be going back soon for a follow up Ultrasound to make sure the placenta has moved. If the Pea is still breech I will need to talk to the doctor about delivery. The midwife has never assisted in a breech birth and I refuse to be cut open just for the baby being breech. My doctor back in Hattiesburg was going to let me deliver CowBoy breech if he hadn’t turned or we couldn’t get him to stay turned. The fact that he was baby number five played a big role in that decision. I am hoping to find similar agreement here (but I’m not hopeful, everything here is weird, medically speaking and way behind the times). I don’t want to schedule an induction; I think they cause more harm than good when unnecessary. If there are too many issues for the midwife to continue then I need to make a decision about a doctor and a hospital. But there are so many logistic that keep causing me problems.
1) the EDD -which I know is not usually the arrival date because they come when they want to come - is November 21. The problems with that date - the obvious is that it is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We have no earthly idea what to do about the other children if we need to go to the hospital for this birth. Also, if the Pea should decide to arrive on or after the EDD, the doctor we saw and so liked is leaving that very day for her family’s Thanksgiving holiday. I will get stuck with whomever is on call and I can not afford to go visit every single doctor that she rotates with in her private practice just so I can meet them and discuss the plans should they be on call.
2) There is one hospital about an hour away that will allow me to deliver naturally and go home that same day. This is a good thing, but only if we get the doctor we like. If we don’t get the doctor we like I’ll be staying in a hospital room more than an hour away and the children won’t be able to come see me and meet the new little one easily.
3) If the baby decides to stay breech and I can’t find a doctor who will still let me deliver naturally and insists on a c-section then the next question is: Do I go back to Hattiesburg to see my old doctor or just make plans right here at the “local first aid station” so at least I will not be far from home? Hattiesburg it probably will be. And in Hattiesburg, all babies stay with mama whenever and for as long as mama likes. Mama gets to nurse her baby right away. We get to let all the cord blood pulse into baby before the cord is cut. We get to give the first bath and babies don’t get glucose water Even if baby’s body temp registers a bit low, then mama gets to put baby next to her skin and nurse because no naked baby without covers and attention under a heat lamp will get warmer than being next to mama’s breast. And c-section babies are brought into the room with mama ASAP to be held by dad if mama isn’t ready and awake yet.
4) Other things that annoy me about the hospitals here:
- the babies don’t get to stay in the room with mama
- all babies get a bottle of glucose water (needed or not) before they ever get to nurse - this is incredibly stupid!!!!!!! god knew what he was doing. Colostrum is the first thing that should EVER go in a baby’s stomach and intestines. It’s the first thing that should reach the intestines and coat them with all it’s protective goodness. Once something else reaches the intestines, the colostrum doesn’t get to be used to it’s fullness.
- Ill stop there for now because I am only getting angry with it.
Now for the most important baby news or info yet . . . drum roll please . . . if, IF, I say, IF this baby is a girl then she has a name! We decided tonight on a girl’s name. Poor Pea. IF he’s a boy, then he’s out of luck with a name - we aren’t there yet.
Oh, and don’t ask, we won’t be telling names until the Pea arrives. But if we find out for sure if she a girl or he’s a boy, then we’ll tell that. But not all babies are so willing to share the info. We knew with two of the others, were pretty sure about one, and had no idea with the other two. We’ll see, or should I say, we’ll try to see.
Updated a little Thursday, 10:00am
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Glucose Water? I’m so sorry! With my first baby, I didn’t ask–they handed her to me right after she was born, intending to take her to the nursery in a few minutes. I started nursing her right then and there, and doctor, nurses, etc. were very surprised! They didn’t dare take her away for her bath until later! And yes, a nurse did sneak her some glucose water. My mom caught her when she came to visit us!
Best wishes finding what is best for you!–And I’m thinking of changing my name to Mom2Six, as it is more accurate now.
I nearly swallowed my tongue- with all the solid evidence about colostrum and the benefits of putting the baby to breast immediately, their standard POLICY is to force glucose water on the baby? Is this the ICE AGE? GRRRR! Seriously Smocklady, nothing gets me madder than stupid, outdated, stubborn rules like that. FIGHT IT!! Go in as a mama tiger and refuse to do anything you don’t want to. This is YOUR baby, you are PAYING them, you are the CUSTOMER. YOU are in charge.
Okay, sorry. I tend to get a little riled over these topics.
*stomps off, muttering about moronic medical practices
Well, thanks WonderGirl. These are the reasons we want a homebirth. I don’t even want to put up with the crap to have to fight it. I just want peace and quiet around me and the baby and the family. It’s all gonna depend on whether or not the placenta moves and the baby’s position right before birth.
I nursed in the delivery room. She did get a bottle of the stupid glucose water, even though we said we didn’t want her to have it, but she did nurse first. If you do have to deliver in a hospital, just call up all your friends (who aren’t out of town for turkey). We’ll follow the Pea around and scream at anyone who approaches with a bottle. It’ll be fun! Maybe after that we can throw a sheet over you, add a toe tag, and smuggle you out as a dead body! Sounds fun, right?
Hey, I like adventure - I’m all for it! what we have learned is that it is really up to the pediatrician as to whether or not the baby gets the glucoase water. Our pediatrician over here does not see the need until 24 hours later and only if there is a real problem with the baby’s sugar level and that is usually only if the baby’s mother has had gestational diabetes. But . . . the OB/GYNs over here at this same little first aid station won’t have anything to do with me because I have chosen a midwife at home as first option. So I am not thrilled about any scheduling c-section possibilities or last minute emergencies that would need to be handled by these OBs. I know I’m putting the cart before the horse, so I’ll keep thinking thoughts of placenta moving and baby turning. Maybe we’ll never have to go at all. ;)
Glenwood let me decide whether we wanted to room in or not. My doctor repeatedly told me that the birth was “my party” not his. I hate that you haven’t been given the same options. I got the nurses to “plaster no artifical nipples or supplements” on the crib. I personally chose a more contemporary route with a few things but was given the choice all along the way. Only monitored five minutes every hour instead of constantly, massage versus automatic episiotomy (even though my 9lb 8oz monster made me tear)and meeting with the pediatrician on-call before any tests/procedures were conducted, laboring walking around and in rocking chair. I hope you can find a place/person/environment that will work for you, girl. Keep up the hard work of booger blasting. Hope I get to see your mug soon.
Ashley
I went over to Glenwood and was told flat out that babies were not allowed to stay with the mother and unless they were nursing they were not to be anywhere but the nursery. I wish they would geive me choices, but the biggest problem is finding a doctor willing to work with me as a back up. None are willing to see me, therefore, I can’t even get in to discuss options. But the home birth is not out of the question, I just find myself thinking I need to prepare myself for other options if the placenta doesn’t or the midwife won’t deliver a breech baby. The biggest emotional issue about it for me is that I have no chioice in doctors if I the Pea decides to come so close to Thanksgiving. My doctor back in Hattiesburg, was there with us through all five babies. I never saw another doctor. He was there for the delivery of two of ours even while on his vacation. So while I know I’m spoiled, even before we concieved this little one, I was not finding any doctors I liked and were willing to discuss options with me, but tell me how it would be. That don’t fly with this girl. I know my patient’s rights, but why should I have to fight for them when I in the middle of labor. I don’t want that. As fast as my labors are I may not have time for this midwife to get over here anyway. This baby is just going to decide to make it’s presence known and drop through me. It’s a natural thing and women have done this for thousands of years without the men (and most women) in the medical world interferring. I got hips that babies love and I’ve never pushed more than five times with any of these kiddos. So knock on wood, this will go easy too.
At St. Fran we were able to have the baby in the room with us anytime we were awake. The only time she had to be in the nursery was when the pediatricians came by in the mornings. We kept her with us all day, but decided we wanted to sleep at night. After they brought her in at night to nurse, we had to call the nursery to take her back. I guess if we had wanted to stay up all night we could have kept her the whole time. Considering how crazy things were, it probably would have taken the nurses a while to notice they hadn’t seen her in a while.
Hey, no fair reporting the big news and then withholding it!
It is, too, fair. We can do what we wanna. Especially since this child’s gender isn’t known. We arent’ about to report a girl’s name and not a boy’s name and then not know the sex. That’s part of the fun - surprise! Nine months of not knowing compared to a lifetime of knowledge is just a drop in the bucket Besides, knowing takes away from the big moment. It’s much more fund to tell everyone what the baby is (in case it’s a puppy), the baby’s weight, and then the name.
I am so glad to see you guys are getting better! Hope the little pea cooperates next time around for you guys! I am so sorry about your hospital situation though…. that hospital does sound like it is still in the “dark ages”
Have you checked out St Francis? I had my last 2 babies there. The nurses let the babes stay in the room for as long as I wanted. I nursed them immediately after delivery. Everything was on my terms.
Hey, Hollie. Yes, I did. St. Francis is the first place we looked into. They only let babies stay with mothers when the mother is awake (if the mother chooses to sleep then the baby does not get to stay with her (which is utterly ridiculus since we all sleep at home - it’s not like I have some nurse standing by to take my baby if I decide at 11:00 at night to get some sleep). And they were the first to tell me that babies get glucose water whether they have nursed or not. Also, something else I really hated - St. F. doesn’t check the mom into a L&D room when she gets there; they move her to an L&D room once she’s ready to deliver. I realize that no everyone cares about sharing a room with other women in labor, but I do. I want my privacy and the quiet and stillness of our own family growing, not the hustle and bustle of many laboring women and their families and partners. This situation may depend on how busy they are at the time, but none the less, I want my own room, not a cattle call, wait my turn, room. Now, I know that I have not given birth there, I am basing this on what the L&D nurses told me would happen when I visited the place. This is our sixth and I’m really not about being hooked up and poked and prodded and having tons of stuff interefere with a very natural process that can happen much more peacefully and joyfully at home. Home is the first and best choice for us and should anything arise I want to be comfortable (as possible) in the hospital situation that is available. And we just find it very sad that the women of this area don’t get the opportunity OR CHOICE of a birthing experience that is so much less intervening and beautiful than what is offered around here. And it’s hard for us having had all that and then retreating to the ‘dark ages’.