Cesarean Overview

I was recently on a parenting forum and I happened to see a post written by a woman whose child was delivered via c-section. She claimed that she didn't feel as though the child was really hers because it was not delivered vaginally. I felt the same way before I had my son and when he was first born. If any of you feel this way I just want to let you know that, in my case at least, the feeling fades. Sometimes a c-section is the only safe way your child can be delivered. It does not make you any less of a mother. The bond that you have with your child will not be any different than if you were to have your child vaginally. Some mothers have problems breastfeeding once they have delivered through cesarean. I had no problem getting my milk in and my son is eight months old and still breastfeeding. Remember that you are no less of a mother if you have a cesarean. You have the scar to prove your your baby's mother!

Trying to Turn A Breech Baby

When I found out that I was pregnant I was determined to have natural labor with absolutely no drugs what-so-ever. I knew I could handle it. I've always had a high pain tolerance and I'm very stubborn. I didn't want my baby being exposed to any drugs. At the time I thought a C-section was the easy way out. You get a spinal or epidural and your baby's cut out. Easy....Or so I thought.

During my pregnancy I was very careful and healthy. I cut coffee (my favorite drink) out of my diet because I didn't want my baby to be affected by the caffeine. I ate extremely well, had no contact with any drugs or alcohol and walked for an hour every day. When I walked I would clentch my stomach muscles so that when I went into labor my built up ab muscles would make it easy to push my baby out.

The worst news imaginable, considering I wanted to have natural child birth, came on week 34 of my pregnancy. I found out my baby was Frank breech. I was told there may be a possibility of him turning and I was determined to make it happen. I did not want to have a C-section!! And so the turning journey began...

Second Attempt at Turning Baby:

My next attempt was acupuncture. My doctor suggested this technique to me. Apparently acupuncture is a technique that is quite successful at turning babies. There is a point at the edge of your pinkie toe that, when it is focused on, can cause your uterus muscles to loosen and gives your baby room to move. My acupuncturist would burn moxi (moxibustion) sticks and prick needles into my pinkie toes. Sounds painful...and it was. During this procedure the baby would move quite a bit, as he did when we went swimming, however, it did not work in our situation.



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Third Attempt at Turning Baby:

After two failed attempts I thought physiotherapy might do some good. I thought it may help to loosen the muscles in my back and stomach thus making more room for my baby to turn. I was not told to do this by a physician. I went two or three times, but the scheduled C-section was getting closer and closer so I didn't have time to continue seeing my physiotherapist. I don't know if this technique would have worked had I stuck with it. I am glad that I tried it because even if it wasn't successful it was very relaxing and enjoyable.

Fourth Attempt at Turning Baby:

I went to the chiropractor to try Webster's Technique. With this technique the chiropractor safely cracks your back in order to loosen up the muscles in your stomach. My one leg came down lower than the other so the chiropractor suspected that the misalignment in my posture may have been creating less room for one side of my womb and that is why my son was breech. I went about five times. The chiropractor was very nice and helped align my back. This was another enjoyable and relaxing technique. The baby moved while I was at the chiropractor and after I left but he still did not do the flip.

Fifth Attempt at Turning Baby:

For my final attempt the doctor tried to manipulate the babies position. I went to the hospital, to the ER room, for this procedure. They set up an ultra sound machine. The doctor put his hands on my belly and pulled and pushed my son, trying to get him to flip. He didn't. This procedure is painful. At this point I gave up, obviously my son is as stubborn as I am.

Conclusion

My C-section was scheduled for May 16th. I went into labor on the night of mothers day, May 14. I was four centimeters dilated and dealing with contractions very well when I went in for the operation. One of the doctors told me that "it would have been a perfect and easy delivery if he wasn't breech" (that's nice to hear since I DID NOT want a C-section) I had my son Kolby at 3:50am on May 15th. It turns out that all the ab clenching I did while I was walking worked against me. Here I was trying to build up stomach muscles so that I could easily push my son out when what I did was strengthen my abs so that my sons head got stuck in them. I not only had a C-section but they had to cut open my ab muscles in order to get his head out of them. The doctors told me they had never seen anything like that before. I was famous during my stay at the hospital.

I felt like my son wouldn't really be mine because I didnt have him vaginally. It was almost as if I felt like since I wouldn't be doing the work to get him out, by pushing, that he wouldn't be mine. I couldn't have been more wrong. He is mine as much as any other baby is his or her mothers. I have the scar to prove it! In the end, after all the work I had done, I realized that it doesn't matter how you bare your child. Whether they are born naturally or by cesarean they are still your little precious baby

C-sections are hard to recover from. I was going for walks again two weeks after the surgery but that's only because I had walked so much before. Most women recover and can walk eight weeks after. Anyway you choose, or have, to deliver your child isn't easy. The recovery takes awhile but in the end it's all worth it.

A note:
I tried the pelvic tilt and slant and it did not work in my situation.

References:

Home 4 Birth: http://www.home4birth.com/pregnancy/Breech/index.html

Sounds Like Pushkin:http://www.soundslikepushkin.com/

Acupuncture and Pregnancy: http://www.nycacupuncture.com/glpreg.html


Parenting Support:
Home Based Working Moms
Your Baby's First Year
Your New Baby- Unlock Inner Mother Code

Maternity and Post Pregnancy Wear

Don't Worry about those extra pounds you gain while you are pregnant. Enjoy your pregnancy! There are a lot of, small to plus size, maternity clothes sold on the market today. They can make you look good at the office or at home, at an elegant party or a casual affair. You just have to know where to find the maternity clothes you want. The Internet is the best place to start your shopping experience for maternity clothes.

Maternity clothes are there keep you fashionable and comfortable from long knit sweaters all the way through to sexy lingerie. Remember you won't need maternity wear forever although it may seem like it in the last few months.

To look great and feel sexy before and after your little one arrives there are two places I highly recommend you check out. I bought my maternity wear, post pregnancy and much more from these two places:

Motherwear designs an exclusive line of nursing clothes for breastfeeding moms, plus offers maternity / nursing bras and related products. They are the only catalog exclusively supporting nursing moms and moms-to-be. Motherwear has been a trusted brand for over 22 years and their products are 100% guaranteed.

Click here to visit Motherwear

eBay is a perfect place to get new and second hand maternity clothes. I love eBay and do a lot of my shopping there because of all the great deals.

Click here to visit eBay

Changing Our Children's Future

Right now we have a very huge global warming scare going on. Thank God the documentary, staring Al Gore, "An Inconvenient Truth" came out and opened our eyes to the fact that we are contributing to global warning and the eventual in habitation of the world. As a mother this is a very important topic for me because I want my son to have a wonderful and enjoyable life and I don't want him to have to worry about dying at a young age due to the effects of global warming. Any and every step counts. From recycling, to buying organic, to riding a bicycle or driving a fuel efficient car. I personally recycle, walk and try to buy organic as much as I possibly can. I also buy clothing made of natural fibre that grows naturally without the use of pesticides.

These my natural, Eco friendly and organic resources:

NaturalEco Organics is there to help future, new and current mothers create a safe, natural, toxin-free environment for themselves and their babies from the early stages of pregnancy all the way through breastfeeding. We have products to aid with conception, ease the physical toll that pregnancy takes on your body, and help your state of mind. Once you have your baby, we are your source for breastfeeding help, toxin-free mattresses and organic bedding for your little one, and creams and salves to ease common afflictions like teething pain and diaper rash. You can even come to us for in-depth information on what to expect during each trimester and during the labor process."

Click here to visit NaturalEco Organics

I'm Organic "Did you know it takes about a third of a pound of synthetic agricultural chemicals to grow enough cotton for one T-shirt? What impact do all of those chemicals have on our health, farm worker’s health, our soils, and our water sources that must accept the toxic runoff? Science may be slow to offer us absolute answers, but sometimes common sense and wisdom must be used. At I’m Organic, we are proud to offer you products that were created with your values at the heart of our mission. From our 100% certified organic cotton clothing line, tote bags, and lunch bags, to the soy inks our magnets and stickers are printed with, to our 100% post consumer waste recycled greeting card line, you’ll find the only sweat that was used in creating these products came from our brow to create for you the best, cleanest products available."

Click here to visit I'm Organic

Shirts of Bamboo "Soft Bamboo fiber is softer than the softest cotton, has a natural sheen to the surface and feels similar to silk or cashmere.
Unlike other anti-microbial fabrics, which require a chemical treatment, bamboo fiber clothing is naturally anti-microbial and requires no harmful chemicals. It contains an agent, ‘bamboo kunh’, that prevents bacteria from cultivating on it. Bamboo apparel is comfortable, thermal regulating and will keep you cooler, drier, warmer and odor free.
Natural Bamboo is one of the world’s most prolific and fastest-growing plants, and is able to reach maturity in about four years, compared to the typical 25 to 70 years for commercial tree species in the U.S.
Bamboo is nature’s most sustainable resource. It is grown without pesticides or chemicals, is 100% biodegradable, and is naturally regenerative. Bamboo is actually a tropical grass with an extensive root system that sends out an average of four to six new shoots per year, naturally replenishing itself and growing to heights of 60 feet or more. Some bamboo species grow up to 4 feet per day and can be harvested every 3 to 4 years."

Click here to visit Shirts of Bamboo

Helping Hand

Having a baby is the most wonderful experiences you can have. There are so many questions that you my have in the first year of your child's life. It is hard to know what to do in every situation. What I found helped me out a lot with getting through the endless questions and worries that go along with having a baby was the ebook (book that is sent electronically once you order it) "Your New Baby - Unlock Inner Mother Code". I don't know what would have done without it.

Click here to be taken to "Your New Baby - Unlock Inner Mother Code" website

Baby Shower

There are few times in anyone's life as important as a baby. Giving birth is perhaps the one thing that will remain in our heart and mind for all eternity. When you have friends and family, you will usually have a baby shower thrown for you; if you have family or friends, you may actually throw a baby shower. All the baby shower gifts are superb and excellent, but the real work starts with baby shower invitations and making baby shower arrangements.

Finding the right baby shower invitations is probably one of the more important parts of a successful baby shower. Of course, the baby shower cake and games are important as well. To start, you will want to find the baby shower invitations that fit you and your particular needs. I have found many free printable baby shower invitations that are simply marvelous and can be personalized to suit your needs.

Now, you will find that you need to make other arrangements. At this point, a good baby shower game plan is in order. Do you want to have a baby shower cake, or do you prefer baby shower cupcakes? Well, you will also need to consider any baby shower favors as well. All the guests love party favors, and finding those can be easy if you know where to look.

Now, let's talk baby shower games because no party is complete without a good set of party games. I have found you can find a lot of those free printable baby shower games via the Internet. You will also be able to buy baby shower kits that will contain everything you need to have a successful baby shower.

Getting a good baby shower gift is important of course, but often, the baby shower is made up of numerous aspects covered by a good kit. Of course, you will want to send those free printable baby shower invitations to every friend and family member you can think of, and this means a lot more baby shower gifts for the party girl.

As is obvious, celebrating that special day is important. If you want to have a good baby shower, you need to make sure you have every aspect well planned out. You want a baby shower that will be remembered, right? Hopefully, that memory will remain a cherished treasure for many years to come.

When I was preparing for my baby shower I purchased two ebooks (electronic books) to get some tips on how to have a great baby shower. They are both extremely informative and fantastic:

The Baby Shower Kit: Brand New Step-By-Step Guide To Planning The Perfect Baby Shower!

Host The Perfect Baby Shower: Everything You Need To Host The Most 'talked About' Baby Shower Ever. The Package Includes Games, Invites, And Lots More.

Breast Feeding and Formula

I just read this article and thought I'd share it with you. Apparently the guy who wrote it owns a baby information site.

"The most important thing is to breastfeed the baby. Baby 'formula' is like junk food for babies, and you should avoid it at all costs it lacks most of the natural nutrients the baby needs, and will instead fill your baby with whatever chemicals you have in your water supply."

I am pointing this out because it is crap. Breastfeeding is wonderful, I know because I breast feed my son, however, formula is not "junk food for babies". Some women have to feed their babies formula because they have problems with milk production and feeding their child. There is nothing wrong with you if you can't breastfeed and formula, although lacking some of the nutrients that breast milk has, is still filled with many essential nutrients.

For help and support for breast feeding your baby visit http://forums.llli.org/.

Naming Your Baby

If you are searching for baby names feel free to check out my blog about baby names.

http://100topbabynames.blogspot.com

Change of Mind

Before and during my pregnancy I thought that I would be returning to work once I had my child; however, once I laid eyes on my son I knew it would be impossible to have the determination to go back to work. I had some time off when I first had my son and so I decided to work from home. I decided not to work 9-5 making someone else money. I also decided not take my son to daycare, pay an arm and a leg and have someone else raise him. My determination was and is my son.

Here is a blog that lists the methods I use to be a work at home mom:

http://youfinallyfoundit.blogspot.com

This blog will enable you to make extra cash or make a living at home. My e-mail is listed on that blog if you have any questions.