Jan. 17, 2020.
I’m now almost 29 weeks pregnant with baby number two and I’ve been writing about the differences in care I’ve received this time around (because of my choices) and how I’m prepping for my vbac home birth. Today I’ve been thinking about how my previous experiences with OB’s and CNM’s in a hospital group (at great hospitals in major cities) compare with my care under a midwife now. I am not blaming previous providers as I konw to take responsibility myself to gain information now in regards to birth within our healthcare system BUT in all honestly, they were not great at teaching how to take “preventative” measures for concerns such as breech positioning or nutrition or exercise stipulations in general. Which probably doesn’t come as a shock as these are things they don’t really emphasize in their studies. This pregnancy, besides just taking responsibility myself to gather all the information I can, and I have, I have also been with a provider, a licensed midwife (LM) who practices in out of hospital births (home births or birth centers) who has put emphasis on measures to be taken EARLY to prevent the whole, “oh fuck, it’s now 37/38 weeks and baby is… or mommy is…what can we do to change it?”
Here’s a quick list of things I am now grateful to be more aware of because of both my own research being stepped up about 100 notches and my midwife’s thorough care. (She provided me with a thick binder with info to read before each appointment that carries me through to the end). Right away, first section of the binder there was an emphasis on how to achieve optimal fetal positioning for a smooth birth. FETAL POSITION DOES MATTER if you are trying to have a smooth, natural birth. It’s important even if you aren’t trying to have a natural birth but are trying to avoid an unnecessary cesarean or just a labor that might qualify as a “tough one.”
- POSTURE
I was never aware how much my posture and slouching in a chair or a couch could contribute to less than ideal positioning of the baby for birth. I think I was more aware of it at the very end of the pregnancy the first time but now I know it is something to consider from the beginning and one in which I believe has helped position my little guy in the optimal fetal positioning (LOA) since at least 27 weeks. I am going to keep paying attention to posture and although it feels like a pain in the butt sometimes to not just slouch into the couch, I understand and believe the importance of it now. I feel a bit awkward sometimes sitting with such good posture as everyone around me rests into the back of a chair…but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. I do want to slouch sometimes and sometimes I do briefly, but I’ve now developed a good amount of muscle memory with good posture or choosing to stand (as I am now) so when I do slouch, I can feel it my lower back and how my hips aren’t tilting forward anymore. The Spinning Babies website labels this as “Maternal Positioning.” Which leads me to the number 2 thing I’m most grateful for being more aware of now…
2. SPINNING BABIES
The main homepage of this website says “Easier birth with fetal positioning. Use this site and videos to improve fetal position (breech, transverse, posterior) and birth. Reduce the chance of cesarean.” I won’t copy and paste their knowledge here but go to the site and read read read! In my first pregnancy, I was made aware of this website from my prenatal yoga teacher and my doula at the time. My OB’s and CNM’s never directed me to this information except at the very end the CNM’s mentioned it with trying some exercises for how to flip a breech baby. It is much more effective to just be knowledgeable and practicing some of these exercises/suggestions EARLY on in the pregnancy and throughout, and not just at the end when it’s like…”oh shit…” 🙂 Before I also didn’t take it as seriously as I do now. I thought it could be used more as a measure taken if something went wrong as opposed to just optimal health for the pregnancy.
3. Acupuncture
I have seen an acupuncturist 3 or 4 times so far and I swear it is the best stress reliever I’ve ever experienced. You’re basically forced to rest and meditate for an hour without moving much so it is super super helpful to me to get some self care rest time as I have an almost 1.5 year old AND I believe the practice really works to prepare the body for birth. My body needs to be in balance and without tight muscles and ligaments obstructing or hindering baby’s positioning for birth. It was highly suggested to seek acupuncture from numerous Licensed Midwives I’ve met on this journey. Again, it was not suggested in my experience with OB’s or CNM’s until again at the very end last time when my CNM suggested I do that to try to solve the issue. I’ve found it to be helpful as a preventative measure so far.
4. Webster Certified Chiroporactic Care
This time around I’ve been seeing a chiropractor since the beginning… before, I tried to go 2-3 times around 38 weeks…which… when your body is out of balance, super tight, etc. a few times aren’t going to help. (First pregnancy I was probably the fittest I’ve ever been leading into it and had very tight ligaments around my pelvis and abdomen (and everywhere).) I love getting these adjustments and yes, I do think they have been helping enormously.
There you have it… The top 4 things I am grateful to be aware of during this pregnancy and doing things differently.
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Birth and Botox 