My Birth Story

Well, after much thinking, I decided that yes, I would share my birth story.  I originally wrote this for my midwife, and I've tweaked it just a little for everyone reading this.  I'm going to forewarn you, this isn't my usual topic, and it's a tad graphic.  It's not uber graphic, but it's a bit descriptive.  I'm sharing my war story here...of course there's gonna be details (and yes a picture or two for proof)!! :D  Never fear, it does contain bits of my quirky sense of humor.  Also, what you're reading is MY experience.  It's not intended to diss anyone's choices or what-not, so don't get your thong twisted if you don't like something I have to say.  Now...all technicalities aside...on with the post.

Motherhood brings about one of the biggest adventures in your life.  It all begins with pregnancy.  Your belly expands, a little person is rapidly growing inside of you, and your mind drifts to thoughts of what the future holds.  I was no exception, except that my pregnancy brought about a bigger adventure than I could have possibly foreseen.

In June of 2012, I visited my husband in New Zealand.  Little did I know, I had more than pictures and t-shirts for souvenirs.  In July, we found out I was pregnant!!  Ben and I were excited, and then the worry set in.  Ben was in New Zealand, and I was in the U.S.  What were we going to do?  Where were we going to live?  After talking and looking at our options, we decided that I would move to NZ.

The decision to move brought with it a separate list of hurdles which included immigration and finding a midwife, from the other side of the world.  I was a labor and delivery nurse.  I had a set way of thinking when it come to maternity care.  I worked with and trusted my OB doctor.  I had no idea what kind of care New Zealand offered, and I only had a short amount of time to find out because I really didn't need to make the flight to NZ during my 3rd trimester.  Ben reassured me everything would be fine, I started researching, and together, we poured through the lists of midwives looking for the perfect one.  I'm happy to say we found her!

Christina was immediately short listed after we read through her website, saw her credentials and experience, and heard recommendations.  I emailed her, and after Christina's response, I knew she was the one.  Christina was familiar with what I was accustomed to, gave me more information about NZ maternity care, and as a bonus, she had traveled through my small town in Alabama.  Christina agreed to take me on, and over the next few months, I was her 'internet patient'.

I would email Christina updates after my OB appointments and fill her in on how I was progressing.  She always responded quickly and offered advice, if I needed it.  She went above and beyond what I expected, and I was so thankful.  Because of her, I had one less thing to stress over.  I had confidence in her, and she put me at ease.  I knew I did not have to worry about the level of care I would receive, and instead, I could turn my thoughts to the nearly 14,000 kilometer flight back to New Zealand.

In December, at 26 weeks pregnant, I boarded the plane for the 20 hour journey back.  Things didn't slow down once landed, and for a while, our life was extremely hectic. On top of having a baby to prepare for, Ben and I married, I had a new country to adjust to, and I was finally able to meet my midwife!  Christina booked me in shortly after I arrived, and after meeting her, I was even more pleased that she had agreed to be my LMC provider.  Christina was not just my midwife, but she also helped me adjust to life in NZ. 

She recommended groups and activities to get me out of the house and to help me meet people.  She always made sure I was feeling well both physically and emotionally, and I knew that I could talk to her if I needed to.  We discussed the differences in care between NZ and the U.S., she explained the evidence behind some of the practices in NZ, and she made sure I was comfortable with the decisions we made regarding my care.  I looked forward to my appointments with Christina, and I think she looked forward to them as well (Ben and I provided a good laugh for her rather it be telling the story of how I ended up in New Zealand, or hearing about our random weekend trips...including one to Australia at nearly 35 weeks pregnant).   

As my due date grew closer, I began to have little worries again.  I planned on having an unmedicated water birth at Waterford Birth Centre,  I had no desire to birth in the hospital because for me it was a source of anxiety.  I was not afraid of the care I would receive in the hospital.  I was nervous that I would scare myself into wanting a c-section if I saw something on the monitor I didn't like...remember, I actually know how to read those things.  Luckily, Miss Priss decided to come on her own.

March 17, 2013 was a typical day.  Ben and I had watched movies, I sat on my yoga ball trying to get our little one to straighten up, and as usual, I had no contractions.  We had dinner, watched more movies, and finally decided to go to bed around 10:30.  I woke up hurting around midnight.  I got up because I couldn't get comfortable, and I didn't want to wake Ben since he had to work that morning.  I went into the living room and sat back on my ball.  I was definitely having contractions, but I wanted to make sure they were real and not Braxton Hicks.  By 12:30, I knew I was in labor.  My contractions were every 2 to 3 minutes.

I woke Ben, and told him to get his things ready.  I stood in the shower letting the water run over my back while Ben gathered what he needed and checked to make sure all of my things were packed.  I finally got out of the shower and knelt at the side of my bed.  My contractions were getting stronger, and I was not really able to talk through them.  I had started to think I might be more comfortable at the birth centre, but I didn't want to go too soon.  I called my mom back in the U.S., but I couldn't talk to her very long.  Our conversation lasted 6 minutes, and I had 3 contractions during that time.  I told Ben I was calling Christina.

At 130 I placed the call, and after talking to me through a contraction, Christina told me to head to Waterford, and she would notify them I was coming in.  Ben loaded up the car, I huffed and puffed through my contractions, and finally we were on our way.  Thankfully, the drive was less than 10 minutes, but those 10 minutes were not comfortable.  My back hurt, and I wanted to be back on all fours.  At 2:00, I got my wish.  I was on the bean bag, Ben was rubbing my back, and I felt better being at the birth centre.  Christina arrived shortly thereafter, and she checked me to see how far I had progressed.  At 02:15 I was 7cm dilated with a bulging amniotic sac.

When she told me, I had a moment of panic inside my head.  There was no turning back, I had to do this naturally because at this point a hospital transfer and epidural were completely out of the picture.  Up until then, I had always told myself to relax and not worry about the pain being too much because I had a great support system, I was educated on child birth, and yes, I could always change my mind should I need to.  My moment of fear disappeared with the next contraction, and all I could think about then was getting off the bed and back to the bean bag.  Ben and Christina helped me up, and then Christina went to fill the tub for me.

At 2:30, I climbed into the tub.  The lighting in the room was low, the water was warm, and I was able to change positions more easily.  My contractions seemed to pick up and become more intense.  I felt like they were one right on top of the other, and I felt an enormous amount of pressure.  My water broke at 2:45, and at that point, I no longer wanted to change positions.  I relaxed against the tub.  Ben and Christina reassured me that I was doing a wonderful job, offered me water to keep me hydrated, and they reminded me to breath slow and deep through each contraction. 

I started to get a bit nauseated, and I knew what that meant, it wouldn't be long before my little girl was born.  Around 3:00 I began to feel a burning pressure, I told Christina and she encouraged me to push when I felt the urge.  I pushed a little, and when I did, I felt her move down; it scared me.  I had a mental image of where she was positioned, and I thought to myself that I didn't want to push because it was going to hurt.  I breathed through a few more contractions, and then I no longer cared if it hurt because the pressure and contractions were too much.  I knew pushing was the only way to make it all stop.

I started really pushing at 3:10.  Ben kept me grounded and reminded me to control my breathing between contractions.  Christina encouraged me to push through the pain, and when I was close to crowning, she started directing my pushing to prevent tearing as much as possible.  I focused on Christina.  I listened and did exactly as she instructed...push gently, pant, let the head slowly ease out.  Once her head was out, I pushed once more.  Less than 3 and a half hours from my first contraction, I was holding my baby girl.

Our little girl entered the world and was placed on my chest at 3:21 am on March 18th.  Her cord was cut once it stopped pulsing, and Ben held her while I delivered the placenta.  I was moved back to the bed, and Christina examined me.  I was completely intact.  Little Stevie was given back to me, and she immediately started breastfeeding.

There we are!!

Look...even smiling!

I went into this wondering what all the hoop-la was about.  I didn't think the medical community was out to "ruin" my birth experience or "force" me birth a certain way for liability issues.  I was just honestly curious why women chose to go this route.  I didn't have a lengthy birth plan, and the only reason I had one was because my medical record has a place for it to be filled in.  I was open to whatever worked.  I didn't take classes and read lots of books, and I didn't hound Ben to read certain books or make out "affirmation cards".  Nope, I was your laid back whatever goes patient. All of that other stuff would stress me out, I mean really, I don't think I wanted him shuffling through a deck of flash cards to tell me what position would be more comfortable to me (I'm in no way knocking those that do.  I just know it would stress me if my plan was being ruined by baby's time line).

So what did I learn?  During those moments, and looking back, I finally saw why women choose to have natural child births.  The experience was more than I could have ever imagined.  Did it hurt?  Oh yeah it did, but I didn't think I was dying, and thankfully we have these wonderful hormones that kinda dull your memory of what it was actually like...lol  I think probably the best way to describe it is to say it was intense.  That's a more accurate picture than just calling it painful.  Yes, there were a couple of times I asked Ben to make it stop, and I said "I'm having an epidural with the next one".  Mainly I just told Ben and Christina "It hurts" a few times.  I didn't scream like a banshee, I didn't curse and carry on like you see on tv, and really I just went with it.

I had gas and air available, and had I not been close to delivery, I had pethidine (demerol) as an option.  I didn't ask for either, nor did I think about asking for anything.   I knew fighting it would make it harder, so I focused on breathing and getting through one contraction at a time.  I'm saying my methods were successful because I can say I did it!!  I was able to see just what my body was capable of, and it was amazing!  My husband and Christina were everything I could have hoped for in a support system, and without them, I could not have done it.  The way I chose to deliver may not be for everyone, but having had an epidural with my first, I can say the choice I made with this birth was the best choice for me.

So you may be wondering, would I do it this way again?  You bet I would!!! ;)

Going Crunchy

I feel like I should be at some sort of 'Anonymous Addiction Meeting' as I admit this.  "Hello, I'm Callie, and I'm turning crunchy..." For those of you that know me, I'm sure there are a few gasps and slack jawed expressions going on as you read this.  I know, I found it hard to believe myself...well, initially.  After the shock wore off, I embraced my new found love of all things some things crunchy.  Hey, I'm a newbie to the granola world, I can't love all things.  There are places I draw the line...ie "no poo".  For those of you not into the lingo, no poo means no shampoo.  Yes, there are some people that don't use shampoo (no judement intended).  I've not researched it, so I don't know how it works.  Regardless, rest assured, I do still wash my hair...although at the end of the day, it really doesn't look like it (or smell like it) after Little Stevie's spit up in it a few times.

What has gotten into me, you are probably wondering.  Well, I like to blame it on New Zealand.  "WHAT?!" Yes, I'm blaming it on my new home.  Some of these changes were brought on by it being the norm (recycling/reusing) and some by force.  I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical to begin with.  I grew up with air conditioning.  When I realized that most people over here didn't have (or use) the a/c, I was a bit wary.  When I saw how many clothes lines were strung up, again, I was slightly O.o (that is googley eyed, in case you are wondering). I pouted a bit when I realized there are things from the States I can't get here, or what I can get is expensive/tastes different.  Since I was in a new country, there were two things I could have done.  I could have whined and resisted, and ultimately made adapting harder, or I could enthusiastically jump in with both feet and have a go of it.  Yes, I dove in, and giggled like a school girl as I hung out my first load of laundry.

Were there a few groans along the way, you betcha!  The weather here is very unpredictable, and I nor the weather man can determine if it's going to be a good drying day or not.  There have been many rain soaked clothes, and I have wanted to be like the lady that lives behind me and leave them out rain or shine because they will eventually dry....even if it is a week later. ;)  There were a couple of times that I wished for air con.  I went through summer pregnant, and not just pregnant, but my final trimester of pregnancy...you know, the most uncomfortable part.  Also, it wasn't just any summer, it was the hottest summer in history (click that link for proof). By the end of my pregnancy, I was waddling around scoffing at those complaining about the heat and humidity.  Pfft...amateurs!!  This Bama girl knows all about heat and humidity.  That being said, it's probably the only thing that saved me from whining, crying, and begging for a/c to be installed.

I started to learn to make things in order to replicate the taste of products I missed from the U.S.  It began with taco seasoning and Sloppy Joe's.  Yes, they have taco seasoning here, but I didn't have any on hand and refused to go to the market.  Hmmm...maybe laziness should be added to my list of reasons for becoming more crunchy.  A Facebook status made me have a craving for Sloppy Joe's, and I knew to not even bother with trying to find Manwich mix at the grocery store.  A base recipe, followed with a dash of this and sprinkle of that, and Voila!!!  I made my own!!!  They tasted just as good, if not better than the can mix.  The same goes for the taco seasoning, it tasted just like the packets of Old El Paso, but without all of the preservatives!!!!

That did me in, I was on a mission to make as many convenience products as I could.  I saw they tasted the same or better and they didn't have additives.  That's right; I said additives...I've also started calling them "nasty fillers" and ugh..."chemicals".  No, I nor anyone I know has died from the before mentioned, but if I have the option to buy versus make, I now choose to make it.  Since my initial kitchen diy experiments, I've also taken on the task of making cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, steak sauce, and chili mix, just to name a few.  All of my attempts have been successful.  It's started to become sort of like a game of Make It If You Can.  I don't bother looking for the pre-made ingredients for recipes any longer.  I make what-ever it is I need, toss the extras in the freezer or pantry, and it's very cost effective.  Win!!!

Cost is another factor that lead to me "going to the green side".  Have you seen the cost of diapers?!?!?!  They're not cheap, but I am.  After seeing what they cost when Root Toot was a baby, I decided I wanted to forgo that added expense.  Hello cloth diapers!!  After researching and reading and more researching and reading, I decided to go with BumGenius 4.0 diaper...or nappies as they're called here.  They seemed the most user friendly, had great reviews, and the best part...I got them when they were buy 5 get 1 free with free shipping!!!!  Woohoo!!  We did use disposable for about 3 weeks, so including that cost of around $100 and the cost of her BG nappies, she has been diapered from birth to potty for less than $450.

BumGenius 4.0 on smallest setting

I also decided to save money by forgoing disposable wipes.  I make a wipe solution of water and a few drops of  tea tree oil.  Tea tree oil is great, and when she did get nappy rash while wearing disposables, it helped clear her bum right up!!  Also effective at clearing up a red bum and diaper rash...COCONUT OIL!!!

Coconut Oil...versatile natural product

Coconut oil is anti-fungal and safe for cloth nappies.  It's also inexpensive and easily found.  Go check out the cooking oil or international food aisle at your local market, cheaper than all the other creams and just as good.  It's also great for use as a moisturizer and hair treatment...that's why I have a big jar of it. ;)

To be on the safe side, and to make nappy clean up easier, I did buy fleece to use as a liner.  It's really easy to make your own, which is what I did.  Since I was at the craft store, I also bought felt to make Stevie a mobile and hangy things for her car seat.  Cheap, and I can make more so she doesn't have to see the same one over and over.

Sewing, laundry detergent making, and soap making are next on my diy/crunchy living list.  Ben's going to get me a sewing machine, so we'll see how that goes.  I'm picking up the dedicated soap making pots and pans this weekend when we head to market.  I would say my poor family, but Ben is a good sport, and actually encourages me...lol  We'll see how encouraging he is if I mess up the pH in the soap and he gets a chemical peel.  Muahahahahaha!!  Yes, that was my evil villian laugh.

Perhaps the biggest change for me came with my maternity care and Stevie's birth.  I'm not going to get into the maternity services of New Zealand right now, but I will say that as long as you're having a normal pregnancy, it is less medicalized than the States.  I had an amazing midwife for my maternity care.  I also chose to not give birth in the hospital.  I had Little Stevie at Waterford Birth Centre.  I had an unmedicated waterbirth.  Yep, I opted to go all natural...no epidural, no iv pain meds (or iv for that matter), and no air & gas.  I had her in the birthing tub, delayed cord cutting, delayed her bath, and brought home her placenta (not to eat or encapsulate..I'm not that crunchy, but kudos to those who are).

On that note, I'm going to leave you to mull over that last paragraph.  The little monster is awake, and I have laundry to do, which I accomplish by wearing my baby in a wrap.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!!  I'm going to think about rather or not to post up my birth story and get busy with a few diy things...Cheers!

Wow!! It's Been a While!!

My how life has changed since my last post!!  The last time I wrote, I was running around trying to finish up last minute things before Little Stevie's arrival.  Yes, that's what we call her Little Stevie...short for Little Stevie Wonder.  You should see her head groove!!  LOL  Sometimes she's referred to as Snaggle Tooth, but that's a whole different story.  Back to my original train of thought...life changing.  I was heading into my midwife appointments, buying a few little last minute things that she "needed" (ie. cute gowns), buying a few last minute things that I needed, and trying my hardest to get her to turn and drop.  The closer I got to my due date, the harder I worked to achieve the latter of the before mentioned...and then I saw my due date approach...and then I saw my due date pass.

Let me tell you, it's not exactly exciting to watch your due date go by.  All I could do was think "OMG!!  I don't want to be induced!!  I'm a labor and delivery nurse with a BIRTH PLAN!!!!!"  For those of you unaware....being a nurse pretty much ensures that something is going to go wrong, and having a birth plan is kinda like signing consents for a c-section.  So yeah, I was pretty much the poster child for an induction followed by a stat c-section.  To all of my ob friends...I did NOT sit down and write a formal birth plan...let me repeat...I did NOT write a formal birth plan.  The birth plan was filled in by my midwife and was part of my medical record.  I am happy to report, I did not get induced, nor did I have a c-section!!  Woohoo!!!  The U.S. nurse/birth plan juju did not cross the Pacific Ocean with me!!!! :D :D :D  I had a short and sweet labor followed by the arrival of Little Stevie!!!

Here she is...a couple of hours after birth.

Don't Swaddle My Hands!!!

Here's some more photos of her throughout the past weeks.  You can see how much she's changed and how time really has flown by!!

Snoozing at the birth centre

I'm Getting Sleepy

Pitching a Fit!!

Crashed

Night Night

Since her arrival, we've been pretty busy, to say the least!!  Ben was home to take care of us for a while, and I am so thankful for that.  I got to rest, we got our nursing routine down pat, and we had time to bond before the day to day activities kicked in.  She had her first outing (to the library), has been to the grocery store, to the markets, and she has even made a quick trip to The Base (the mall).  We've embarked on our journey with cloth diapers and wipes.  We've figured out a bath routine...the longer it lasts the happier she is.  We're getting more sleep at night, and she's awake more during the day.  All in all, life is good.

Now that we have somewhat of a schedule, I'll have a little more free time and be back to blogging more frequently.  She's telling me she's ready to eat again, so that's all for now.

I hope everyone is doing great!! 

Week Review

So, this week has been pretty eventful.  It all began on Tuesday when Ben and I got married.  I know...I know...we didn't exactly advertise that we were going to, we just up and did it!  It was nice, quiet, and simple...no fussing, or all the stress that goes into wedding planning.  We couldn't be happier!  

On Wednesday, I saw my midwife for the first time.  Yes, I said midwife.  In NZ, you pay out of pocket to see an OBGYN if it isn't medically necessary, or you see a midwife for free.  This girl decided tot take the free option.  I found her and was in contact with her before I came over.  She is really nice, and I couldn't be happier with her.  I'll talk more on midwifery in a later post.  I do have to have an ultrasound next week because the chunky monkey is measuring a little ahead, but no worries..it's not uncommon for that to happen.  All in all everything is fine on the baby front.  I see her again on Monday, and then every two weeks until I get closer to term.

Wednesday night was Christmas lights night!  Ben, his mother, and I went to see the pretty lights around Hamilton.  There's a subdivision called Harrowfield, and they really go all out with the Christmas lights.  I'm talking these people rival the Griswold's from Christmas Vacation!  There were so many people there viewing the lights..some drive through and others struggle to find a parking place and walk through.  We accepted the park and walk challenge, and really got to enjoy the pretty lights.  We saw just about everything you could think of.  One house was all lit up with someone dressed as Santa sitting on the front porch.  There were kids lined up having their pictures taken with him.  Another house had a projector set up, and they were playing the story of Christmas on a screen on the side of their house.  There was a caravan (camper) all decked out with a Santa scene inside for you to see.  Someone had a fake snow machine set up right off the side of the street.  When you walked up to see the little polar bear they had set up, you triggered a sensor, and got covered in fake snow!  It was fun, and I was glad to see some people still go all out! It kinda reminded me of Christmas City when it first started out...I know some of you remember Christmas City!!

After we left there, we went to the Mormon Temple to see their pretty light display.  The Temple lights are the gift to New Zealand from the Mormon Church.  You get to park and walk there.  Lights are everywhere...including on the palm trees.  One side has the Temple itself with all the trees and shrubs  surrounding it in lights.  The other side of the street has trees in lights, boards lining the sidewalk telling the story of Christmas, and a beautiful ivory colored nativity scene.  They also have a the New Zealand Visitor's Center open with various pictures of Christ on display.  We didn't go through, it was pretty packed.

Here are a couple of pictures from the Temple.  Most of the ones I took blurred out, so you can't see exactly how pretty it really is.

The Temple

Hillside Lights

Lit Up Palm Trees

 If you want to see how pretty the lights are, click here.  If you want to read more about the Temple, this link will tell you more.

We also saw the Hamilton Christmas tree downtown.  That thing is massive!!  By massive, I mean 88 1/2 feet tall.  It's the tallest tree in New Zealand!  No, I didn't get any pictures of it because someone *coughBencough* was busy pretending he was a NASCAR driver while we were going through the downtown area.  Here's a link to the tree if you want to see it, and I will get pics of it before Christmas is over!

I think that about sums up my week.  I'll update everyone again soon!  Have a great day tomorrow, and no, you can't be off work because it is the end of the world.  It' already 12/21 here, and if it were gonna happen, I would know first! LOL! XoXo Until next time!