Why Water Births Rule!

It just dawned on me that I had yet to REALLY write about how Baby Bean came into the world and why my husband, CJ, and I chose the all natural water birth route. Now that she's been out of me almost half as long as she was inside I realized it was time to share before it becomes a foggy memory.  

Although I seriously doubt the birth of your kid, especially the first one, is ever foggy- unless you were higher than Keith Richards on any given Saturday night in the 60's, 70's, 80's or 90's- oh hell, who are we kidding that man would probably drop dead if he didn't still get his groove on- now it's just probably laced with calcium and Metamucil.

From the moment I learned that a woman could have a baby in water I wanted to do it. Maybe it’s because I’m a Cancerian with my Rising and Moon Signs in Scorpio -which of course makes me a “triple water threat”. 

But I also thought that it would help make one of the most intense experiences of my and my baby’s life relaxing and calming; and when you think about it what better way to come into the world? Heck, you’ve been in water for 9 months- talk about a smooth transition. So when we got pregnant my CJ and I found a birthing center that would let us have the all-natural delivery we dreamed of.

 

The ACTUAL Birthing Tub Where Baby Bean Was Born 

When my daughter was born I don’t know if she’d heard us talking and knew she was going to come out into water, but thank God she did because that little creature launched out of me like a submarine torpedo. I swear if we’d been in a regular hospital delivery room this kid would have shot clear across the room like a bad scene from a National Lampoon movie. I can totally picture her slipping through Chevy Chase's hands. 

Fortunately, Baby Bean had a short umbilical cord so she didn’t hit the other side of the tub. Instead, she ricocheted right back and CJ literally caught her on the rebound. I for one had no idea newborns were such thrill seekers I mean really you're gonna baby bungee jump out of the womb. Really?!

Aside from the comfort and ease that being in water afforded me and my baby I think one of the best parts of a water birth is that when you bring them up out of the water for their very first breath they don’t look like something out of “Alien”. They’re squeaky clean!!! Ba-bam!!! No more maintenance required—well, except for the whole feeding and raising them thing.

 

I had no idea how fortunate I was to have such an amazing birthing experience.  I give two thumbs and a uterus up to water births. I think every woman should have one or at least seriously consider it. 

*Oh and one last little caveat- EVERYONE who meets the Bean comments on how alert she is. I swear it's because she was born drug-free and in such an awesome environment.

Everyone Should "Do It" In Water

Hello my amazing followers please forgive little hiatus I've taken from this blog. If it's any consolation I've missed you as much as you've hopefully missed me. But I'm back in full force so, let me catch you up to date- but don't get overly excited, it's going to take a few more blogs to do so.

On October 19, 2012  at 9:10 a.m. my life changed forever in the grandest way because I had THE BEST birth I've EVER had!!! Granted it's the ONLY birth I've had, but since I have nothing to compare it to I'm giving it that ranking and two thumbs up. Seriously, on a scale of 1 - 10 it was an 11! But- especially so considering some of the horror stories I've heard.

Exactly 10 weeks and a day ago I gave birth EXACTLY the way I wanted to to a beautiful baby girl even though there were several opposing medical forces at hand that could have made it happen another way. (But that's a story for another time.) 

I did what I said I was going to do, as crazy as some people thought I was, and I had my baby the good old fashioned way. No, I wasn't strapped to a bed, drugged and knocked out and then when I came to had a baby thrust into my arms. Go further back. I mean the REALLY old fashioned way- au natural i.e. with no drugs or pain medication whatsoever. But to make it as comfortable as I could for myself and the baby I did it in water. I mean, when you think about it what better way to come into the world, right?! Water is soothing and relaxing and the kid is already in fluid so what a great transition and welcome to their new world. Plus a bonus I didn't even think about was that the baby comes out completely clean like they used to on TV shows before stuff started gettin' real. Thank you Grey's Anatomy.

 
My husband, CJ was a trooper and a great birthing partner. He got in the tub with me. Helped me stay calm and utilize the skills we learned in our hypnobirthing class. In fact he was so on the ball he caught our daughter after she came out. Although torpedoed out is more accurate- y'all it was like baby bungee cord jumping. Thank God her umbilical cord was short  because she would have hit the other side of the tub had it not been. CJ caught her on the rebound and handed her to our midwife who made sure all was well. Then she handed her back to me and we started bonding as a family.

We were at the birthing center until about 5 pm and on the way home we stopped at Sprouts to pick up a rotisserie chicken 'cause I sure as hell wasn't cooking that night.

An Orgasmic Birth? Um, Yeah, I'll Have What She's Having!

With the due date of my baby steadily creeping up. I've been inundated with checking things off my MUST DO/ MUST HAVE list. Found a pediatrician I'm in love with. Check. Been accumulating cloth diapers and accessories. Check. Secured a midwife and birthing center. Check. If you read my previous post Apparently Midwife is a Bad Word, then you know my husband CJ and I are planning to go as natural a route a possible with Baby Bean's arrival. That means ideally there will be no hospitalization, doctors, forceps, vacuums, IV drips or needles i.e. EPIDURALS involved. 

I've had plenty of needles in my life for allergy shots and blood tests etc, but is that not the scariest f*#king thing you've ever seen?

Now keep in mind this is my first kid- and I'm still a bit weary. I'm not gonna lie. Since I've not had the experience of squeezing something the size of a small watermelon out of a hole the size of a lemon I'm a touch nervous. I do not have ANY reference whatsoever to the pain that will most likely be involved. 

But I really want to go the no drug route for my sake and Baby Bean's. I have no doubt that it will be better for both of us. So I plan to get my relaxation, meditation, and "Hypnobirthing" on... See, I've been doing my research. Which is actually why I had to write about this as soon as I heard about it: Orgasmic Births! (I kid you not.)

As far as I know- none of my friends have had one- at least they haven't shared if they did. But there are women out there who would swear on a stack of O Magazines that they've experienced the sensation of an orgasm while giving birth. That may creep some people out, but grow up- it's not sexual, just as breast feeding your little one ISN'T sexual. 

From what I gather it's just this warm tingling feeling that permeates your whole body and releases the "feel good" chemicals that come with the "Big O". But since it's never happened to me  (the orgasmic birth not the Big O), but fingers crossed it does, I don't know if it's fact or fiction. But IF there is even the slightest possibility that I can feel that much pleasure from this magical but otherwise extremely uncomfortable experience- sign me up 'cause I'm ALL for it. Who the heck wouldn't be?!

Apparently Midwife is a BAD Word...

***So I'm in a contest for the 25 Top Mom Blogs of NY- would SO appreciate your vote ONLY a 13 days left. You don't have to give any personal info just click the button: http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/Top-25-New-York-Moms-2012?trk=t25_Top-25-New-York-Moms-2012

I say this because as soon as I told my doctor that I had a midwife and was planning to use her. She gave me an attitude like I'd just dropped the C-bomb in her office. 

My doctor's demeanor completely changed; she went from this super-friendly lady I'd met 6 months ago to Omarosa. She didn't come right out and say, "So, Karith when did you become a traitor to the medical profession?" But she did ask me what my reasoning was. When I proclaimed that I wanted to do as natural a birth as possible, you would have thought I'd just removed my panties and peed right there on her floor (something that could have happened had I sneezed too hard - see: Didja Pee A Little?) Then to add insult to injury I said, "Plus I don't want to be shot up with Pitocin if I don't need it." Well, that was the dump on her floor heard 'round the world.

Since becoming pregnant and trying to do as much research as we could without becoming overly obsessed (which can happen) my husband CJ and I have found that there is a HUGE disparity between how women should be allowed to have babies in America and what years of medicine and the people who practice medicine want women to give birth. And what it seems to come down to is $$$ MONEY $$$ and a matter of convenience for doctors. 

It's not just my opinion- it's fact- women are NOT meant to be lying flat on their backs pushing a 6 -10lb baby out of their vaginas. The pelvis gets in the way big time and makes it harder and more painful for the body to do what it was designed to do.

We're supposed to squat or lie on our sides or contort our bodies to the most comfortable positions we can like MOST women outside of America currently do now and how women have been doing it for centuries. We're only supposed to have cesarean sections when absolutely necessary- not for convenience- the doctors or our own designer baby birthdates. 

It is MAJOR surgery meant to save either the woman's life or the life of the baby. (It also happens to be faster and more money can be made from doing them.) I'm not judging anyone who chooses to do it that way. It absolutely should be "your body, your choice"; but it's not set up that way in hospitals today.

After making dozens of calls I couldn't find ONE SINGLE hospital in NYC or SoCal that would let me a) use a birthing bar or b) have Baby Bean in water. Hence why we made the decision going to a birthing center and pay thousands of dollars out of pocket. But ironically what we're paying is still 1/4 of what the hospitals charge and the insurance pays. So you'd think from a financial standpoint insurance companies would be behind midwifery 110%. So not the case and it's SO incredibly frustrating when you really get to look at the facts and stats. 

Here's the deal: hospitals are for SICK people and EMERGENCIES - I visited them frequently as a patient while a teenager so I can speak to this. Having a baby is one of THE most natural things that can happen and if it's treated that way- not rushed because Dr. So-and-so wants to go on get to the Katy Perry concert on time or go vacay a little early. Don't get me wrong I 100% believe hospitals have their place which is why I won't be more than 15 minutes from one when Baby Bean does come into the world. 

But I don't want someone rushing me OR my baby. I don't want extra bacteria exposure (because hospitals ARE for sick people!) I don't want drugs shot into me to make my contractions come harder and faster because America's Got Talent Finals are on. I don't want florescent lights shining down on me and Baby Bean when we're trying to be as relaxed as possible. I also don't want different strangers coming in and out of my room telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing.

Not ACTUALLY Karith & CJ, but the image we hope to capture.

I want to be free to move around, to have my husband behind me, rubbing my back and loving me and cheering me on in a giant tub of warm water. (We're Cancerians- so nothing could be more soothing). I want to be comfortable and fully cognizant when I'm experiencing the most magical amazing thing I will EVER do on this planet. And I want more than anything to bring a happy healthy alert baby into the world. I pray that that isn't just my birth "plan" but reality. And I hope that everyone has or has had an equally wonderful birth experience.