Norah's Birth Story - Part Three

Part Three

We kept going. The heart monitor was not doing its job while I moved around. I was getting pretty annoyed about having to wear it and didn’t mind much when it dropped out but the doctors were getting antsy. Each time I had a contraction I would move and the monitor would cut out making it look like a dip in the heart rate. They started talking about putting a clip on our little ones head. That did it for me. I remembered the same thing happening with Lucy and it was the worst pain I have ever experienced. The stubborn angry lady came out of me. I declared I would not be having the clip and made up my mind to do each contraction standing. (The best position for the monitor.) I longed to lean over the bed or the balance ball or just crawl into a corner but I just couldn’t bring myself to have that clip. I laboured on growing more and more tired but finding the energy to work through each contraction.

Myles was amazing. We talked before this day about what I would like him to do and as I went through it all he was so good at meeting my requests. We spent many contractions staring into each other’s eyes, breathing together. It was all very Ina May. I’m so glad we got to labour together. I think it really strengthened our marriage no matter how hard the following hours would be.

The contractions were coming quickly. I was breathing and moving through them but had barely any time to rest in between. I was getting excited. Having not been through labour before I thought that this must be what it is like. I was sure I’d be at least eight centimetres dilated. But at 2am another check told me I was only three, maybe four centimetres and still barely effaced.

I was exhausted. Physically and mentally. For almost two whole days I had been gearing up to have this baby. I’d been totally absorbed in getting labour going and after nine hours on the drip I was chugging along very slowly. I’d been standing up for the last five or so hours. I’d been pleading with my body to let my baby out and it just wasn’t working.

The doctors came in a number of times telling me what I already knew. They wanted to take me to surgery. Our girl wasn’t distressed but she also wasn’t budging. My contractions, though they were coming close together were not particularly strong. I could have slapped the doctor when he told me I didn’t look like the contractions were uncomfortable. “This is what nine months of training for a calm birth get you!” I should have yelled. But he meant well.

I’d been texting my mum through the whole process. She was at home with Lucy. She gave me so much encouragement. It felt like having her in the room not just receiving her texts but remembering all the words she has spoken to me in my pregnancy and in my life. What a blessing to grow up with a midwife mother. She taught me about birth, about how to prepare yourself and deal with the marathon of labour. She taught me about natural childbirth and how to stick up for your rights as a pregnant woman. Though she was looking after my firstborn she was right there with me in the wisdom she embedded in my heart and soul. She is the reason I knew I had to fight for my natural birth. I knew I would have to exhaust every option so that I would feel empowered about my birth experience the next day.

I collapsed into Myles arms. So much of me wanted to give up. But I knew that I had to give my all. I had to know that I did all I could do. So I asked for more time.

They gave me two hours. I could go for a caesarean now or in two hours. It didn’t seem like very long and in fact it wasn’t. During the two hours they kept checking and checking. Nothing improved. The decision was taken out of my hands. I would go in for surgery again.

It took longer this time than with Lucy. Because our girl wasn’t distressed they had more time.  I signed the form and the midwives prepped me for surgery. They took out my drip and I sat down. It felt so good to sit down. The contractions all but stopped. Another blow. It was all the drugs. My body hadn’t taken over. Myles and I chatted. Despite the disappointment in my body it was pretty exciting. We would see our little girl soon. By hook or by crook she’d be out soon. I couldn’t wait to meet her.

Off to surgery I went on my stretcher bed with my chin held high. It was all very casual and friendly. The surgeons made jokes as they wheeled me in. Nice ones. It was the most familiar part of my labour so far. Once again I surrendered my body to the hospital machine. I sat up on the bed while they put in the spinal block. The anaesthetist took a good few goes to get it in. I began to feel very nervous. I tried not to think about the knife or the needle for that matter. My body went numb, they called Myles in and began.

In high tradition Myles and I sung our little girl into the world. Lord of Lords, Let the Weak Say I Am Strong, Jesus Paid it All. My voice was weak but my heart was willing. Myles will tell you I seemed quite out of it. I think after all that time I was just happy for the lie down.

After what seemed like not long at all I heard that blessed sound. Our girls first cry. She was gurgling and spluttering a bit. A bit of something had gone down the wrong pipe. But she was out! My heart filled up and ran over. There is no sweeter noise. Myles went over to cut the cord and then brought our girl straight over to me. We had told the doctors that I wanted skin to skin straight away. They had laid all the dressings so that we could. 

My Norah girl was put on my tummy and there we lay looking at one another. She was a dark purply pink colour and had a thick mop of black hair. She was covered in gloop but she was mine. My sweet girl. It was just after four in the morning. The twenty first of March.

She nosed around for a while and then leapt her way over to her first feed. They took us up into recovery and then to my room. I had lost a fair bit of blood in the operation but didn’t need a transfusion. We settled in to our shared room and Myles fell asleep on the floor. The sun came up on Norah’s birthday and I held her in my arms so glad that she had come safely into the world.

Attachment Parenting, Part Two: Birth Bonding

Source: mariolacamacho.com via Eileen on Pinterest

As we learned in Part One, Attachment Parenting is a caregiving philosophy based on attempting to build a strong and intuitive relationship between parents and their child(ren).  The way that attachment begins is through a physical, chemical and emotional process referred to as ‘bonding’, which describes the way in which parent/s and child get to know each other.

 

The bonding process begins well before birth - for some parents, even before conception!  During pregnancy, most parents will find themselves beginning to bond with their baby, becoming attached to their child along with their hopes and dreams for their family.  For mothers, the hormonal and physical changes going on in her body give a biological boost to the beginning of this bonding process, a boost which is supercharged during labour, birth and the hours immediately following delivery.

 

According to a number of studies, the hormones and emotions present in the hours immediately following birth make them particularly prime time for bonding to occur between parents and their newborn.  Most parents (or babies!) don’t really need to be told what to do during this time, but if you are keen there are lots of ways to make the most of this unique point in your relationship.

 

First, inform your care providers that you would like some time alone with your baby.  Ask if it’s ok for routine procedures such as weighing, cleaning, and any tests or injections to be delayed for a couple of hours (don’t forget Vitamin K can be administered orally).  Your baby will find it easier to keep her eyes open in dim lighting so see if it’s possible to turn the lights down or bring in a lamp.  Then just spend some time exploring and enjoying each other!

 

Things like holding your baby skin-to-skin, stroking and touching their body, making and holding eye contact with your baby, talking or singing to your baby, are all really enjoyable and beneficial ways to begin getting to know each other.  Breastfeeding during the first hour after birth is recommended for lots of reasons, including that it’s really great for the bonding process.  And while most hospitals now have a ‘rooming-in’ policy, you can take it one step further by bringing your baby out of the bassinet and into your arms as much as possible J

 

Now in an ideal world, every baby would be easily born into a quiet place where time can immediately be spent doing nothing other than resting and enjoying each other. But we all know that the ‘dream birth’ is rarely achieved!  Instrumental delivery, c-sections, stitches, medical complications, or even just sheer exhaustion may mean that other concerns need to take precedence before parents and baby are ready or able to begin getting to know each other.

 

It’s important to remember, then, that while the first few hours after birth are a great boost to the bonding process, they're by no means all-or-nothing! There are plenty of creative ways to get to know your baby in difficult or unexpected circumstances, and the early days and weeks are still an important and special time.  The idea of birth bonding is simply to be aware of the uniqueness of the first few hours after birth, and if possible, to be intentional about maximising the potential of this time to begin bonding with your baby.  But no matter how it begins, you’ve got the rest of your lives together to enjoy strengthening that bond!

 

Love, Nic

 

Resources

William Sears, M.D., and Martha Sears, R.N.  The Attachment Parenting Book. Chapter 4: Bonding at Birth and Beyond

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/T101100.asp (link title: Ask Dr Sears: Bonding with your Newborn)

natural caesarian

I was (and still am) pretty keen on natural birth. I love that birth can be such a natural and beautiful process without medical intervention. But my experience of birth was far from natural.

I was only 1cm dilated when my little girl and I were rushed into theatre for an emergency caesarian. I had barley spent any time labouring and most of that time was spent hooked up to a machine that goes ping.

My biggest fear that came with the thought of having a caesarian and medicated labour was that I would miss out on all of the wonderful hormones produced naturally by the labouring process. That I wouldn't attatch properly to my little one and that breastfeeding would go terribly. I had heard that a woman might not see her baby for a long time after surgery and that the important contact in the first hour would be missed out on.

I guess these fears are pretty valid. While I don't want to make a judgement call on those who choose to use any form of medical intervention in the birth of their babies (each to their own) there is a natural/active birth movement for a reason. I was really looking forward to going through the pain of labour and experiencing that amazing rush I had read about in books like Ina May Gaskins guide to childbirth.

But it didn't happen exactly as I had hoped. In fact it went quite the opposite.


I had a really wonderful midwife named Kelly who was with me all through the c-section. She held my hand as they put the epidural in and let me know what was going on. I had told her I really wanted to have an active birth and she was there all along the way as my active birth options were pushed from my grasp.

Kelly made sure my little girl came over to me as soon as she could after being born. It wasn't immediate as I had hoped but it was pretty soon after. I got to gaze into her eyes, give her kisses and hold her (as best I could) with Myles by my side as they stitched me up.
In the recovery room she brought Lucy over for her first feed. I am so thankful we made it within the first hour. I had been anxiously watching the clock.
I got to have that important skin to skin contact in the recovery room and then in the hospital bed on the way up to the ward. According to my mum lots of hospitals don't do this as they think the baby will fall off the bed. Let me tell you I was holding on pretty tight. There was no chance of that.

I missed out on those natural hormones but still felt an overwhelming bond with my little girl. Myl, Lucy and I spent the next few days creating our new little family and starting it with lots of love and cuddles. I'm not really sure what those hormones are supposed to feel like but I feel as though we did pretty ok without them.


It was really hard in those early days to not be able to move around easily. I didn't change a nappy till the second day and while this may seem to be a lovely idea, I desperately longed to do this simple act for my little one. I felt like a helpless onlooker. I needed Myles to hold Lucy and pass her to me if she was in her crib and I in my bed. I couldn't lean over, bend down to pick things up off the floor or even walk properly. For the first few days I walked with a stoop. I would shuffle down the corridors and need to sit down after only a short walk. Getting out of bed or a chair was a big ordeal. I watched the other women on the ward walking with ease, sitting with ease, caring for their babies with ease and longed to be them.

Before seeing them I thought my helpless state was just a normal part of having a baby till I remembered that I had wanted to go straight home from the hospital only hours after having my little one. How far I had come. I felt scared at the thought of going home. The hospital felt safe, home felt dangerous. I didn't know how I would cope.

But I did want to go home. We went home on the fourth day with the early discharge program that has a midwife come to visit for the next three days. It felt lovely to be home. I could hold my girl in my lounge chair, sleep in my bed, change her on the table I had prepared for her and rest her down in her very own cot.

Yes, I did miss out on the beautiful active birth I wanted. I missed out on the natural hormones and the water birth but in the days and now weeks that have followed I have tried to continue with all the natural parenting ideas I had thought about during pregnancy. My little one and I have created our own natural bond and it's all working out wonderfully.

birth story (part three)

I really didn't have a lot of time to think about or process what was happening to me. I was about to go into surgery with ten minutes warning. I had never been in surgery before. I had never really been in the hospital before except for a few trips to emergency and of course my ante-natal care. I had never broken a bone, never been on a drip, I hardly even take panadol! I was about to have myself cut open while I was awake and have my little girl wrenched from the womb.

Before they wheeled me away I asked the midwives a few questions.
I wanted to know if it would hurt. They told me no, it would feel like someone doing the washing up in my tummy. This didn't really set me at ease.
I wanted to know if I could hold and breastfeed our girl once she was out. Kelly our midwife told me I would. This set me at ease. This was probably my biggest worry about a c-section. I had heard of little babies being taken away, washed and clothed and that all important first hour of attachment being missed out on.
I wanted to know how long it would take. They said about twenty minutes. That really rocked my socks. In twenty minutes my little one would be here.

I was wheeled into the operating theatre and Myles was told to wait outside. They needed to figure out if I was going to be put under general anesthetic or epidural. If the little ones heart rate was too low they would put me under and take her out quickly but if it wasn't too low they could take their time with an epidural. I was hoping they wouldn't need to put me under. I didn't like the thought of going to sleep and waking up with a baby. I didn't want to miss it all. All was well and they could do an epidural. I had spent my whole pregnancy saying I was not going to have one and it was very strange to now have no choice in the matter or even to prefer an epidural.

The theatre was a busy place. There were probably about ten people in there all with a different job to do. They were all rushing round getting ready. Someone was attaching cords to me and putting my finger in a heart rate monitor. Someone was preparing the place they would put our little girl when she came out. Doctors were prepping their instruments. The anesthetist was getting her stuff ready. It was all really surreal. I had well and truly surrendered my body and my birth to medicine. I had done all I could in the nine months of growing this little girl and could do no more. These people would help me the rest of the way. I was completely out of control. I should have been freaking out but back came that feeling of peace. I really think that God was carrying and sustaining me through the whole process. My whole world had been turned upside down but I just sat there and let them go ahead. All I could think about was that the little one would be here soon and she would be ok. That was all that mattered.

Myles was still not allowed in. I think they thought it would be too much for him. I really really wanted him there to hold my hand. I looked around for a familiar face in the crowd. I spotted Kelly, the one person in the room I had seen before. The anesthetist was telling me about the epidural. She asked me to sit up on the side of the bed. I remember when they told us about how they do epidurals in birth classes and I was completely put off but in actual fact it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Kelly came over and started talking me through it. They put in a local anesthetic to numb the area and then in went the needle. Kelly held my hand and I squeezed it tight. It didn't really hurt but it's not a nice idea to think of a needle going into your spine to numb your body. She was a real life saver.

When the epidural was in they laid me down. Someone said they needed to put a catheter in (oh boy). I asked for Myles. The anesthetist told me that it was a "lady" thing and that he wouldn't like to see the catheter go in. I thought differently. He is my husband I was sure he wouldn't mind but I wasn't in an arguing mood. My body had started to numb. The anesthetist put some ice on my face and then at different spots on my body to see if the epidural was working. Each time she put the ice higher and higher and each time I could feel it less and less. The feeling wasn't gone it was just numb. I couldn't feel my toes at all but higher up it was just very tingly. When it was numb right up to my chest they were all set to begin. I had begun to shiver. I don't know if it was nerves or the cool room or the medicine pumping through my body but I was shivering badly. I felt drowsy and pretty out of it. They put up a screen in front of my face so I couldn't see what was going on and I guess so they couldn't see me either. I was glad for that.

Suddenly Myles was at my side. He was a sight for sore eyes. I was so happy he was there. I held his hand tightly. When I talked to him my voice shivered. I don't know what he was thinking at the time but he just smiled at me and made me feel calm. Just before I was wheeled away I told Myles that I thought we would need to sing our way through the surgery. We had talked about singing in labour before. It seemed like a nice way to vocalise pain and get through the contractions. There were no longer any contractions but it seemed a nice way to forget that people were chopping me up.

So we sang. As I lay there alone the song "Indescribable" had come into my mind so we sang that. Then we sung "Jesus Paid it All," our little girls favourite song. It did indeed feel like washing up in my tummy. I could feel pressure and movement but no pain. I didn't want to think about what was going on behind the screen. I just wanted to sing, stare into the eyes of my husband and wait for that beautiful little cry.

We finished those songs and she still wasn't out so on we went to "Mighty to Save." It wasn't the worlds best rendition. My voice was shaky and soft. But it was heartfelt.

Saviour, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save
Forever, Author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.


Myles eyes started to water. I could see he looked so sad. I asked him what was wrong and he told me he just didn't like that I was being all cut up. I held his hand tightly and told him it was ok. That God was looking after us and our little girl would be there soon. Fancy that, a woman lying on a table with her guts hanging out consoling someone else. But that's how life rolls sometimes I guess.

We sang another chorus and remembered how good our God is. Singing those words we heard the doctor tell us our little girl was out. It was 4:18 am. We waited to hear her cry. It didn't come for what seemed like an eternity and then there it was. For the first time the voice of this precious little girl I had carried for so long. The voice I had waited so long to hear. The voice I had imagined hearing. I was filled with love. I couldn't see her, I could only hear her voice but Oh how I loved her. My little girl.

They asked Myles if he wanted to cut her cord and so he went and did that. I asked to hold her and feed her. They said she would be there soon. Another eternity passed and there was my little girl all bundled up in a blanket. She had the biggest, bluest eyes. She had such a sweet little face. She was so small and so new and so beautiful. She was just looking at us. She wasn't crying just looking. I only had one free arm. The other was having drugs pumped into it. I reached out to hold her. I lent in to kiss her and felt her soft skin on my lips. I looked at Myl and looked at her. We held her and talked to her and kissed each other. I wanted to so much to hold her properly but I was still all cut open. They needed to sew me up. She was so hungry. Her little mouth kept opening and she was making sucking noises. It was very sweet and I kept asking when I wold be able to feed her. They told me  would after we left theatre. I kept thinking about that crucial first hour but there was not a lot I could do.

When they had finished putting me back together I was put onto a different trolley. My little girl was taken away with Myl. I was still all numb and I will never forget the sensation of being moved from the operating table to the trolley. My body felt like a plank of wood. I was rocked over and lifted up and couldn't feel a thing. I was wheeled into the recovery room with Myl and our little girl following closely behind.

Someone was telling me about pain relief, someone was checking out my scar, someone took my blood pressure and temperature but I wasn't really paying attention. My body was still property of the medical profession but my mind was thinking about my new little girl. I wanted to see her again. Finally after they had done their stuff she came over for her very first feed. She was so hungry! I don't really remember how well it went. I think we did ok. It was just so nice to hold my little girl on my chest, cuddle her and smell her sweet baby smell.

They wheeled us up to the post-natal ward. I got to keep our little one on my chest for the ride. It was so nice. They wheeled us along the corridors and I was amazed to be wheeled into a single room. In classes they told us how unlikely we were to get one, that they usually saved them for people with problematic births. What I didn't realise at the time was that hey, emergency c-section = problematic birth. We got into the room and got settled in. Word had been sent to my poor mum waiting still in the labour ward and she would be arriving soon. I cuddled my little bundle and the midwives came in to do obs. Mum arrived and met her granddaughter. She was pretty pleased even though she missed out on the actual birth. She gave dad a call to tell him the news. He said he would be down after work. It was about 6am. We had been awake all night. Mum took our car home and went for a sleep. We had a sleep in our room. There was a pull out bed for Myl. I held my little girl on my chest while I slept. It was the nicest feeling.

Our little girl had arrived. She was safe and well. A little hungry but otherwise just dandy. The whole thing was less of a birth and more of a medical procedure but in the end we had our little girl out with us in the world and that is all that matters. The experience wasn't about what Myles or I wanted but about what needed to happen to bring Lucy to us. It was an incredibly humbling moment when I realised that. Our birth story went pretty much completely the opposite of how we "wanted" it to go except on one point. Our little girl is here and after that crazy birth adventure the real adventure began!

birth story (part one)

We had been waiting for our little girl a long time. My due date came and went and I was getting so eager to meet this little person who I knew was growing inside of me.

On Monday the 28th of March, my Mum and I went walking on King St Newtown. We were on a mission to get some buttons for a sweet little cardigan mum was making for the little one. There is a fantastic button shop right down the end of King St so we decided to walk down there looking at shops on the way. We thought this might be a nice way to bring on the little one. I guess we were right. I was feeling pretty pooped by the time we finished walking. We wound up at the Berkelouw book shop. I flopped down in a chair and made up my mind to stay there indefinitely.

Myles arrived and we had some ramen. The bookshop has a ramen bar. How cool is that. It felt a bit strange to be sipping noodles surrounded by books but the ramen was good. As we walked out of the shop all of a sudden I felt a strong cramp. The kind of cramp I needed to hang onto Myles to get through. It was about 6:30. I got excited. I hadn't felt anything like this before. It hurt so bad but so good at the same time. We got into the car and the cramp came back. Oh boy it hurt. On the way to Newtown that morning I had enjoyed going over the bumps, thinking they might bring our little one on but heading back every bump felt like torture. I writhed around in my seat and longed to be home already.

When we got home the contraction had ended. I got all pro active and finished packing my bag. I put in some baby clothes and a few last minute things. My excitement may have been a little premature as I had gone through a grand total of two contractions but I felt like doing something. After a little while of me prancing round the house doing labour exercises to encourage contractions and getting all maternal, we settled down to watch The Lord of The Rings - Return of the King. (as you do) I was desperately trying to not get my hopes up. I felt like something was  going to happen but had felt like that before.

The contractions weren't too strong but they were coming pretty regularly. About 5-7 minutes apart. I would have one and ask, "How long was that one?" getting more and more excited each time someone said, "five minutes." They were just not very strong. Frodo and Sam were so close to getting that ring into mount doom. I was watching but was so distracted. I was thinking of all my labour exercises and breathing techniques. I was wondering if ramen was a suitable food to keep my energy levels up. I kept getting up and needing to go to the bathroom. Just as old Shelob was sticking Frodo with her pincers I got up to go and my waters broke. All over the lounge room floor. (I'll leave it at that) Something was definitely happening.

I got in the shower and stood there till the water went lukewarm. (Darn small hot water heater) I was shivering with excitement. Myl and I exchanged some meaningful looks. We would be meeting our little one soon. The gears were all in motion. We called the birth centre full of anticipation. The midwife told me to try and go to sleep and call in the morning. My contractions were not strong enough. I was pretty gutted. I wanted to go in and get this baby out. I hung up the phone and went to go back to Frodo.

Now this was the point where I am eternally grateful to have a midwife for a mother. Mum pulled me aside and checked the colour of the waters. "I think there's some meconium in there." she said. I had not really noticed the colour at all. I would have happily gone to bed and waited for who knows what. I am so thankful my mum was there.

So we called the birth centre again and I told her what we had discovered. She told us to come in straight away to get checked out. We were back in action. I was excited and apprehensive. We got the bags together and went out to the car to go in.

to be continued...

packed!

I finally packed my bag for the hospital this week.

I'm assuming that I will be going straight home after the little one is born so I haven't packed extra clothes and things. I think if I decide to stay longer I'll just get Myl to bring the extra clothes.

And why am I crazy enough to not want to stay in hospital longer than I need to? Well a few reasons.

- I have my super midwife/early childhood nurse mum coming to look after me when the little one is born.
- Husbands aren't allowed to stay overnight at the postnatal ward unless you are lucky enough to get a single room. I don't anticipate being that lucky. I can't really handle being without Myles for that long. Especially when there is something as exciting as our baby in the world.
- Husbands are only allowed in during the hours of 9-11 and 2-8. (regular visiting hours) I know I will probably need sleep and things like that but I function so much better when someone I love (Myl) is around. He doesn't need to be in the same room.
- It's a hospital. It's cold, sterile and just not my comfy bed.
- I get to learn how to be a mama in the place where I am going to be a mama.
- The hospital has an excellent early discharge program.

Of course if there are complications I will stay in the ward. I have a room booked. I'm just hoping to not need it.

So anyway.

Here is what's in the bag.

Toiliteries
-makeup removal pads (for witch hazel)
-bar of soap
-massage oil
-comb
-face wash
-shower gel
-shampoo and conditioner
-witch hazel
-deoderant
-toothbrush
-toothpaste

-underwear x5
-maternity pads x4
-breast pads x4
-hairbands
-bobby pins
-headband




-oversized tshirt
-bikini
-singlet top
-pyjamas
-swimming shorts for Myl
-singlet bluey for Myl
-change of clothes for after birth. Very comfy dress.
-baby dress
-baby onesie
-baby wrap






-massager
-fruit and nut bars x6
-packet of poppers
-Frankie magazine
-computer and speakers (music)
-pregnancy folder
-camera
-mobile phone
-wallet
-Active Birth







Some of the things I haven't put in like my phone and wallet but I have written out a list of the last minute things to put in and put it on the top of my bag so that when the time comes we can just slip them in and off we go.

I also wrote on the sheet the number for the birth centre in BIG letters and what to do when I am in labour (for Myl). It says
-call the birth centre
-call my mum
-pack the last things into the bag

All set! Now all we need are contractions.

click click? I'll love you forever.

What I'm Reading

Labour of Love is a book about midwives and tells their stories of birth. It tells about many different places of birth in Australia whether they be busy understaffed rural hospitals, birth centres or hospitals full of nosy medical practitioners.

It gives an interesting perspective into childbirth from the people who see it day in day out. A behind the scenes look into the amazing world of birth.

I have really enjoyed reading the stories. It is nice reading the stories of the women going through labour knowing just as the midwives do that they are going to get through it and more times than not have a baby at the end.

Many of the stories tell of the medical model of childbirth with epidurals, inductions and  Syntocinon for the third stage. These stories have made me feel good about my decision to go natural if I can. I'm sure the book is a little biased but the natural birth loving midwives seem a lot nicer than the pushy stirrup loving obstetricians.

There is a section on birth in remote areas which, on the other side of the coin makes me feel so blessed to have those obstetricians around just in case. I know that my baby will have the best chance of surviving. So many babies and mamas around the world and even around this country are not as lucky.

I've had many a laugh and shed many a tear reading this book and it has opened my mind to the many many different ways that women give birth.

The other book I have been reading is New Active Birth by Janet Balaskas.

It is all about natural active birth which means birth in which the mother is the most active person. She controls the way she stands and labours depending on what her body is telling her it needs to do.

It had an interesting section on the history of birth. For most of history women birthed sitting in birthing stools, standing or squatting. It is only since the medicalisation of birth that women have done the deed on their backs.

It showed that your back is probably not the greatest place to give birth as it actually makes the birth canal smaller and does not make use of gravity.

The book has some great pictures that I loved scaring showing Myl and some helpful prenatal exercises to do to help for labour.

It goes through the stages of labour and talks about the things that can go right and wrong in a helpful way. It talks about pain relief methods other than epidural which I found really useful.

Two great books. I've got a whole pile more. My mum gave me about three on breastfeeding alone.