It's been a while since we've posted. That's partially because we haven't done much, so we haven't taken any new pictures. The one above I took on my phone the other day to share with my mom, so I thought I'd post it here. The other reason is because I wasn't sure Lydianne would want to share this stuff with everyone, but I kinda want your thoughts now that we've made a decision. But before I get into it, here are some old pictures I have had on my phone that I am just now adding to the computer. I am, at the moment, backing up my phone memory since I am likely going to have to replace my phone this evening. Long story short, toddler + iphone + tile = bad idea. So enjoy some older pictures from this spring and early summer:
What is most frustrating is that with Harrison, the doctors never discussed with us how large of a family we wanted. Harrison was a big baby, so they just said, you need to have a C-section and that was it. There was never a question or discussion about the risks or the consequences this would have on Lydianne's ability to have future children, nor how it would affect our future delivery options. Looking back, it is pretty infuriating to think that the patient's needs/wants were never really considered, and instead the doctors just decided what would happen. So after ALOT of research and discussion, we have finally decided on a doctor that we (mostly) like, and that will support our decision. I am comfortable with his experience in this procedure, as well as his plan for handling any potential problems/complications. In addition, we intend to do it naturally, so we will begin taking classes for the Bradley Method beginning in September.
So what I am interested in are your experiences with VBAC's and/or the Bradley Method. What I don't want is a bunch of negative comments about this decision. It is made, and that's that. So what do you have to offer?
15 comments:
Ok...well I know lot's people that have VBAC's however I have never heard of the Bradly method.....so my input is.......the decision is totally Lydianne's and yours AND of course the little peanut's.....It is a personal choice and you both have to make that decision based on the health and safety of Lydianne and of course the "bean"as Grandpa callsher/him!! If you have already made the decision go to the Lord for confirmation he will give you direction!!
Love you all bunches,
Grandma
Oh yeah....I wanted to ask/add please just say the delivery will be at the hospital and not at home....right??? Thanks for sharing the pictures of BOTH little ones....HeHe!!
Love you guys!!
Grandma
I have no experience at all whatsoever in either of these, but I believe that if you have made this decision and feel comfortable and secure, then things will work out. I feel like I would want to make this same decision if I was in Lydianne's situation as well. I would want a vaginal birth over a C-section. Good luck!! I know things will work out just how they should and you will be prepared for whatever comes of it:) (which will hopefully be all good things!!)
what a cute little cardinal fan! love aunt kathy
He is all boy! He looks so adorable with the baseball cap.
Abuela
You seeem to have made the decision you feel most comfortable with so you need to stick with it. You'll know the right thing to do! I can't wait to meet him/her.!!!! :)
You seeem to have made the decision you feel most comfortable with so you need to stick with it. You'll know the right thing to do! I can't wait to meet him/her.!!!! :)
Ahhhh...lovely post my friend. I'm afraid my two cents on the matter of VBAC will be useless since I have never experienced a C-Section before to NEED a VBAC. ALTHOUGH, I will say that I know many who have done it in the past and they turned out just fine.
It would frustrate me as well if the doctor hadn't explained the issues with having a C section before hand with me only for me to find out that having multiple births afterwards woul dbe dangerous. Amber is actually about to have her 4th C-section and they even told her after her 3rd, that it would be in her best interest to not have any more kids due to safety for her.
Again, I know nothing on the matter but I DO know that you know what is best for you (Lydianne) and you'll follow that path.
No on to bigger and better topics...BRADLEY. MMMmmm. I'm assuming you have purchased the book, 'Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way' and are becoming familiar with the whole esperience that lies ahead of you. If not, go get the book. But let me give you fair warning (because J. Kempton did not for me!) the pictures in that book will make for a Friday night activity ALONE.
THEY.
ARE.
GRAPHIC.
Oh my word. Like I was almost in tears at how funny the pictures are. And how AGED they are. "Barbara" and her husband make me nervous. What's with his no shirt and mustache?
When I showed them to Austin not only did he about DIE, but he promised me that if I have a dirty home birth in a blow up tub then he'll take his shirt off and grow a child molestor mustache like Barbara's lover. Eww....*shiver*
Okay, about the actual METHOD. I'm a full believer that Lydianne can do it! Anyone can do it, I know they can...but only very few WILL do it (am I in that few? we will soon see). My situation is different because I KNOW I'll be induced which means I'll have to have pitocin so I can't follow the method to a T, but I DO plan on having it natural.
And that's another thing. I learned from my good friend Kempy (which Lydianne should talk to because she's super motivating!!!) that you have to go in with the mindset that you WILL DO THIS. There is no other option. If you even have a SLIGHT feeling in your head that you would use drugs if it got too bad, you WILL use drugs. Practice, Practice, Practice...be support to her like the book says.
I feel weird preaching to you sinc I haven't even done it myself yet (besides what happened with Kora's birth) but I'm pretty positive she can do it!
SERIOUSLY, have her give Jessica Kempton a call and she will be a total rockstar cheerleader for Lydianne and pump her up like none other. She did it with Brad and used the Bradley method and LOVED it.
DO IT!! I DARE YOU!! LETS DO IT TOGETHER!!!
You rock Lydianne!
Oh and one more thing. I know the duggars (that woman with like 18 kids and counting) has had several VBACS and she talks about them on her website. google her and then go to FAQ.
OH and if you're bored and wanna see a really gross home birth. Go here...
http://april-adayinthelife.blogspot.com/2008/11/here-comes-sun-montage.html
It's heinous. you'll love it and you'll wanna show all your friends so they can be grossed out too. and at the end, if you're unsure what lotus birth means, it's when you don't cut the cord but keep the baby attached to the stinky nasty placenta until it falls off like a belly button would. YES, that means carrying it around with you every where you go for up to two weeks. GAG...
it's awesome...
okay, i think i've scared your commenters enough. i'm out.
Okay, do not look at Jessica's link to the nasty homebirth! It will give you nightmares for weeks.
Since we have already talked about this subject in detail, I'm sure you don't want any more of my opinions on the VBAC! Let me say that I am happy that you guys found a doctor you (mostly) like. Also--I honestly don't remember the pictures in that book being so bad! But any book dealing with childbirth is bound to have something questionable. So beware!
Have you watched North Shore yet? Let us know when you want to borrow it :)
I'm sure Lydianne has talked to David about this, but his sister-in-law would be a great resource. She had her baby naturally, and I'm pretty sure she used the Bradley method, but I can't say for sure. She also had never had a c section.
We support your decision! Good luck in finding all the necessary people and places for a perfect VBAC.
And, we're counting on your experiences to help guide us when it's our turn. :-)
I have a friend who just had her second baby via a natural VBAC. I was so happy for her. I never had a c-section but Molly was close- after 21 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing they wheeled me into the OR and said if she didn't come out with forceps, they'd do a section. I'm glad I got her out, but my awful episiotomy still makes me a little angry. Will came out in 2 pushes and he was 9 1/2 lbs, so big babies can come out the normal way. I read a great book recently, maybe you have already- it's called PUSHED. Don't remember the author but it's at the library. It's pro-natural/homebirth but gives very clear and good reasons as to why, backed up with stats and info about why so many c-sections happen. Anyway- that's my 2 cents. I'm going to go drug free next time. With Will I made it to 9.5 cm, then gave in. A nurse scared me with the thought of any stitching having to be done. Oh well. Good luck! Sorry to ramble- I hope you're not tired of hearing everyone's opinions on such a controversial topic.
Hi! I am David's sister-in-law (Lauren mentioned me in her comments), and I couldn't help but throw in my two cents ;)
We used the Bradley Method for the birth of our daughter, and it was the most amazing experience of my life. Not sure who in the posts said that "few will actually achieve natural birth", but I disagree wholeheartedly! I spent a lot of time preparing for our daughters birth and really educating myself on this natural process. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask!! I suggest finding a good Bradley instructor in your area (I would send you the materials, but a friend has them now; I will have them back in October if that helps?)
Be sure that you 100% trust your healthcare provider!! We switched to a midwife (with hospital privileges) because of this.
Also, check out www.ican-online.org for some great info on VBACs.
You can do this!! Block out every negative comment and remark that you receive; these help no one! Remember to see birth for what it is: a beautiful natural process!!
Again, let me know if there is anything that I can do to help!
(Check the movie: "The Business of Being Born" it is excellent)
So, I'm a little late on this post, but I have strong feelings about it. It looks like you've gotten a lot of good advice from others, and I'll try not to repeat them. Easton is a Bradley Baby and I loved the Bradley method. Brady was completely skeptical at first, but once he saw the size of that epidural needle in class, he was all for Bradley, and then once he started reading about it, he actually liked it for health reasons, and not just the lesser of 2 evils.
I had several family members tell me I was crazy and that I couldn't do it and blah, blah, blah...that just fueled my fire. I LOVED telling them I had Easton un-medicated (9 healthy lbs), and made them eat their words. I'm prideful like that. :)
My instructor was AMAZING and I think that made a huge difference. She gave us tons of material, tons of reading to do because she really promoted education. What I liked best about her was that she was really open-minded. She didn't believe medicine was evil (neither do I), and so as long as someone is educated on all their birthing options, they can make the decision best for them. Everyone is SO different as far as pain tolerance, how their labor goes, etc., and so no woman can judge another woman's choices on birth. So, I went into it knowing that I absolutely wanted to go natural, but if I had an epidural for whatever unseen reason, my birth was not a failure. If there's one time in life to not feel like a failure and feel disappointed, it's at the birth of your child, which we all know is one of the most amazing experiences we have. So, there's my advice.
Oh, and definitely VBAC. I think statistics are more favorable for VBAC than multiple C-Sections, but you obviously know that. Good luck! I can't wait to hear how it goes!
I guess you are seeing how passionate everyone is. I think everyone gave some great information. People will tell you that if you get induced, you will have to have an epidural because the pain is too unbearable...don't believe them...people will say that if you get water broken the pain will be too much and don't feel bad about getting something for the pain...you can do it. You definitely have to psyche yourself up for it. I like what one person said about going in there committed to it, that helped. I also think the more people tell you can't do it, the more it fueled my fire to do it. My doctor practically rolled her eyes when I told her and she pushed it the whole labor experience.
I did not use the Bradley method, but my husband was my coach, and I am somewhat familiar with the method. I looked it up (to see if the bradley method supports this) and I would suggest using a doula, that can help Kris know how to help you become more comfortable . It really helped us. She helped Aaron know what to do when and helped him know how to help me manage the pain. He was able to relax and just focus on me because someone was helping him remember all the things he learned in the class.
I know that I would have had a C-section if I didn't have all my wits about me to push him out. They wanted him out and they gave me a time limit. My little baby and I worked together to get him out into this world before the Doctors decided what was best for us.
If you already know you have the aptitude for having larger babies, being in tune with your body and what it is doing is so important to keeping in control of the situation.
Natural labor is AMAZING.I mean, it is painful but you are apart of something amazing that you will only be apart of a few times in your life. They didn't have to explain how to push...I knew how to push, because I could listen to my body. Go in there, knowing it will hurt because your body will be doing something spectacular. You guys are amazing.
A book suggested to me by my doula is The Birthing Partner...I had my baby before I was able to read it, but I have my eye on it for next time!
Love,
Cecilia
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