Know Your Worth

From the Mindfulness Coach

 

 

Know your worth! You are amazing so don't accept anything less!

Birth Story of the Week!

 ***Disclaimer- This post was written by a guest blogger and are the opinions/ideas/views of the author and not necessarily that of Truly Fit. ***

 

My plan was to wait as long as I could before heading to the hospital. Well, I kinda screwed up my own plan...lol.  I convinced hubby to have sex Sunday morning to see if we could get things moving (I was 40w 1d at that point). I had walked 3 miles a day for the past few days and did squats, but she wasn't ready yet. Well, after sex, I was bleeding - period heavy blood, not just spotting. So I called Labor and Delivery. They had me monitor it for an hour. I showered and ate. An hour later, there was still heavier blood and very slight cramping. I wasn't feeling any contractions or anything at this point. When I called back, they said I should come in to get checked out. We took our time getting everything together and headed to the hospital. I was checked when I got there and was 6 cm and having mild contractions 2 minutes apart (that I couldn't feel) and still bleeding. (This was Sunday and on Tuesday, I was checked at my appointment – I was 5cm dilated and 100% effaced but not having any contractions.) They admitted me. I gave the nurse my birth plan and she discussed it with me. The doc got there about an hour after I did. He checked me and said he could break my water and we would have the baby today or it could be tomorrow until she came. Either way, I wasn't going home. They mentioned that my birth plan requested my water not be broken. They gave us time to discuss it and didn't pressure us. Since I wasn't going home and now all my diet could be was ice chips and a graham cracker here and there for who knows how long, I decided to let him break my water. This was at 1250pm. They pretty much followed my birth plan and if something that came up that they recommended something different, they discussed it with me and gave me the opportunity to make the decision.

After my water broke, my contractions gradually got stronger. The nurse didn’t push me to get an epidural – she asked once and when I said no, she never asked again. She left the room and let me labor. I did ask to not be continually monitored and they agreed as long as I was hooked up for at least 20 minutes every hour. I ended up just keeping the monitors on and unplugging them when I went to the bathroom. I was curious what the readings were and it was too much of a hassle to take them off.  I had plenty of range to walk, squat and move around without feeling constrained by them.  I called the nurse in at one point when the contractions were getting stronger. I think it was around 345pm. She checked me again for dilation and I was 8cm at this point. I continued to labor with my mom in the room and Jmy husband by my side. About an hour later, I was overcome with a different feeling during a contraction. About this time was the worst part for me, but I knew I made it this far without meds and the rest wouldn’t take long and I could do it.  I kinda felt like I had to puke and then needed to push, but wasn’t exactly sure if that was the “urge to push” they always talk about. I called the nurse back in and she checked me again and I was 10cm. She called the doc and he showed up 10 min later. She came back in right away and said we are going to start pushing. I did have them count for me and pushed three times through each contraction. It took Alex a bit to get fully engaged in the birth canal. I did lay down in the bed to push, but I was at an angle and had a birthing bar in place instead of using stirrups which I think helped. I didn’t have the lights dim in the room or music playing. I had Fox pregame on since the Super Bowl was coming on soon. During the earlier contractions, I was using my phone to text/message and check facebook. I guess that was my way of focusing. While pushing, at one point, I looked up at the tv and saw kickoff and said “at least I didn’t miss kickoff.” Everyone laughed and my doctor responded with who got the ball? I said Denver, but it wasn’t a very good return. Then I said here comes another contraction. I pushed and it was either this contraction or the one right after that she crowned and immediately came the rest of the way out. She was born at 535pm – 3 minutes after kickoff of the Super Bowl.

They did wrap her in a towel before putting her on me which we did discuss and I did feed her a little bit right away (the initial latch hurt and wasn’t good!)   They waited for the cord to stop pulsing and then clamped it and my husband cut it. They gave me a Pitocin IV to help prevent hemorrhaging after delivering the placenta. This also was slightly different from my plan, but we talked about it beforehand. I don’t feel like it negatively affected me.

Overall, I was extremely happy with my experience. I had an amazing nurse and doctor that were pro-natural birth. From the time my water broke to the time I had my baby girl was 4.5 hours!

 

Jennifer Doherty is an officer in the Coast Guard and is stationed in New Orleans, LA. She is currently finishing up her Master’s Degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Jennifer and her husband have been married for 10 years and just welcomed their first child, Alexandra, in February. She loves to be outdoors and is an avid runner and triathlete.

Birth Story of the week!

***Disclaimer- This post was written by a guest blogger and are the opinions/ideas/views of the author and not necessarily that of Truly Fit. ***


On February 28, 2013, I spent the entire day nesting and preparing for our little one’s arrival. That day I was 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Surprisingly my water broke around 5:30pm. Contractions started within minutes. At the time, Cody (daddy) was at the commissary, and rushed home even though I told him to take his time. When he got home, I took some time to eat dinner (no telling when I would be able to eat again), while Cody got the entertainment stand we were trying to sell out of the car, and the carseat installed. Within an hour, we were at the hospital, strapped up, and monitoring contractions, which at the time were uncomfortable, but tolerable. At my first check around 6:45, I was 6cm dilated. By the time Cody came back from checking me in, 15 minutes later, I was already 8 cm dilated. Which, unfortunately for me, was too late for an epidural. The contractions were close and very painful. Even though I had to pee, my midwife would not let me up, and I had to use a bed pan and get my bladder drained. I tried anything to get comfortable, but the pain was so bad. Cody told me later I ripped is jeans (there were no bed rails to grab on to) and I could be heard all the way outside the maternity ward. Around 8:00 pm, I started getting the urge to push, and was 9 cm dilated. I pushed for nearly an hour and a half. Finally my doctor tells me the baby’s head was not coming down. He slapped me with the one thing I did not want to hear, C section. Thinking back, I wish I had tried more (walking, squatting, etc.) to get him to come down naturally. But at the time, the pain was so intense I quickly asked how long the spinal block would take, agreed and signed the forms. I was covered up and wheeled off to surgery with just a few minutes to say goodbye to Cody (husbands are not allowed in surgery here in Germany ). I was conveyered onto the surgical table and wheeled into the pre-op room. Still in extreme pain, I had to lie there flat on my back until all was set up, and my doctor came him. He held me as the anesthesiologist started my spinal block, the contractions went away, and my legs became warm and tingly. This was totally opposite from how my top and arms were feeling, which was an intense shivering cold. I was finally brought into the operation room and surgery began. At 10:13pm, Sean Michael Brown was born (18 days before his due date). He weigh 3310 grams(7 lbs 5 oz), was 50cm(19.7 in) long, and his head was 33 cm(13 in) around. Though I did not get to see him until a couple minutes later and then only a brief second before they whisked him off to be cleaned, and checked over. After what felt like forever, I was all stitched up, and taken to a recovery room to monitor as the block wore off. Nearly 2 hours after he was born, I was in my room, and in walks my husband with our precious little boy. 2 hours, and I finally got to hold, kiss, and snuggle the best gift in the entire world. Baby and I spent the next 5 days in the hospital recovering, and working hard to get him to breastfeed. On March 5th, we finally got to go home to begin our journey as a family.

Kristen is an Army wife and mother to 1 year old, Sean. She currently lives in Germany where she is learning to balance life between working, being a wife & mom, and getting fit. While the majority of her pregnancy was easy, she managed to gain 75 pounds, on top of already being several pounds overweight, and ended her labor with a c section. She has become determined to get healthy and fit for herself, her son, and future pregnancies. Not to mention getting beach body ready for their move to Hawaii. She is passionate about eating healthy and reaching goals, and is committed to make this a lifestyle change.

 

 

"There is no way to be a perfect mother but a million ways to be a good one!"- Unknown 

Birth Story of the Week!

***Disclaimer- This post was written by a guest blogger and are the opinions/ideas/views of the author and not necessarily that of Truly Fit. ***

Genevieve’s Birth: As told by Jessika Mason

Let me start by mentioning that I watched the Business of Being Born before I was ever pregnant and was absolutely adamant that I would NOT have any medical interventions. I was scared out of my mind that I would be yet another frightened mama with the deer-in-headlights look on my face just nodding and agreeing with whatever the doctor said to do. Pitocin? Ok, sure, whatever you say. Just don’t hurt me. Epidural? Ok, just please make this better. C-section? Y-y-yes doctor. If y-y-you think it’s for the b-b-b-best…

Well, I surprised myself. I won’t say it wasn’t that bad. But I did it just like the billions of mamas who have gone before me over the last however many years. My labor story isn’t special by historical means, but by modern means it’s a rarity.

My pregnancy with Genevieve was fairly easy, compared to a lot of the stories I’ve heard from friends. Barely any nausea, no back pain, slept like a rock most nights, and my mood swings were pretty mild. (Or at least that’s what my husband lets me believe.) Since she was my first pregnancy, I thought it was the worst pregnancy ever. I was a bit dramatic, but I felt like a stranger in my own body. I did not feel beautiful or glowing. I felt like a gigantic ball of constipated crap. (Pun intended.) I could NOT wait to be unpregnant! Do you know how much work it is to GROW a HUMAN?! Well, of course you do, if you’re reading this. (If you don’t, just know that it’s a lot of work. Painful work. Tiring work.) I wanted that baby girl OUT for more reasons than just wanting to hold her and kiss her.

I was petrified of OB/GYNs. I did not want to end up under the knife or be pressured into induction or an epidural. Luckily, my practice had a midwife. (Yes, I said midwife. Don’t freak out, folks.) And she. Was. AWESOME! It was all about what I wanted and making sure I and Genevieve were healthy.

I believe I was a day or two away from my due date, which was August 8. She checked me and found that I was 3cm dilated and about 90% effaced. “I doubt we’ll see you back in here next week.” And thank goodness she was right! I don’t think I could have made it through another week with my sanity intact. I just wanted to be able to walk up the stairs without being out of breath! And of course, I’m highly impatient. I wanted to know who she looked like, what she smelled like, how she sounded, how it felt to kiss her tiny noggin. Plus, I was tired of being constipated.

So, my due date came and went. I was bummed because my grandmother’s birthday was August 8, and I would have LOVED for Genevieve to share her birthday. No such luck! Contractions didn’t start until 4a on August 10. But guess what? No one had to put Pitocin in me to get them to start. That was 100% natural, and it’s one of the very few non-induced pregnancies I’ve heard of in the last 5 years. (I didn’t have very many “crunchy” mama friends back then!)

We timed the mild contractions all day. I was bored out of my mind. I will never time contractions again. Sitting around and waiting for the next one to come while watching the clock was keeping me from getting things done, which likely would have brought on more contractions. I was so anxious to get things going and was getting so irritated that each contraction felt the same as the last. I was ready for the pain! More pain meant less time before I got to meet my baby! Bring it on!

Around 9:30, I’d had enough waiting and went to the hospital to see if I had made any progress. We get there, get me in gowns, get me in a room, check me, and… 3cm. Still 3 cm. I am much, much too impatient to hear that I had not progressed at all! So, a very angry, pregnant mama walked out of that hospital. I felt like I was going to be in labor for days on end. (Yes, I was dramatic about it. But, like I said, I am not a patient person!)

I tried to go to sleep when I got home. Contractions slowed down to every 10 minutes when I was resting, so I figured I could get a couple of hours of rest. Then, about 2:30, about 30 minutes after I had laid down, my water broke. All over my bed. I sat up, smacked my husband, told him my water broke and to call the midwife, cleaned the mess, thanked myself for thinking to buy a mattress protector just in case, and waddled to the car. Contractions got more intense on the drive there, and I started getting this dreadful feeling that I would be in a great deal of pain for a very long time, considering how long it took to go from 3cm to 3cm. But at least I was in real pain! PROGRESS!

Thankfully, I was absolutely wrong. It took so little time to progress from that point on that I think I made the night shift nurses angry for making them do a delivery right before they were going home. I contracted so hard that there was no break between contractions. The nurses were watching the monitors and were astounded by my lack of screaming. I walked the halls and barely made a peep until the last 30 minutes when the only thing that got me through the constant contracting was humming. My midwife looked at me in amazement, and my nurses couldn’t stop commenting about how calm I was.

I won’t lie. I shocked myself. I thought I would never make it through labor without asking for medication! Well, ok, I did ask for medication about 5 minutes before I got the urge to push. I kinda felt like my body was imploding, but it was much too late. So, I took a deep breath and said, “Ok FINE!” I just thought to myself, “This sucks, but DAMN I am AWESOME! No epidural! BOOM! I’m a BEAST!”

My midwife then said, “When you feel the urge to push, let me know.” I said, “What is that supposed to feel like?” She replied, “Like you have to poop.” And we all got a good laugh because I happened to be laboring on the toilet. At least I was in a good spot for taking a dump.

So 5 minutes later, I started pushing, and I am still extremely bitter about this part of the laboring experience. Not because of the medical staff. They respected my wishes and didn’t coach me. There was total silence aside from my husband blubbering next to me. No one had told me that it was going to feel like my body was being ripped in half! Oh mah gawd! That was worse than the contractions! Not only did she have a big old noggin, her hand was up by her face! Holy frijoles! My poor vajayjay.

I pushed for a whopping 15 minutes. I felt like my loins were being ripped apart, but I’ve heard horror stories of women pushing for hours on end. I felt like the luckiest mama in the world to have such a quick delivery. Genevieve graced us with her amazing little life on August 11. She was 8lbs 1oz, 21 inches long, and had only the tiniest amount of hair. I can’t say that I remember her crying or even what she looked like in those first moments. It was all a complete blur. All I remember is my husband crying and thinking, “I’m not pregnant anymore! I’m a MOM!” I didn’t get to hold her at first because I lost a lot of blood, but about an hour later, everything was copasetic. I had my baby girl in my arms. My absolutely perfect and unconditionally loved baby Genevieve.

And I did it with zero interventions. Because I’m a beast!

 Jessika is a stay-at-home mother of two girls in a small country town outside of Buffalo, NY. Prior to starting a family, she assisted and educated developmentally disabled children and attended college. It is her dream, once they are finished building their family, to become a nutritionist who specializes in nutrition consultation and agricultural education.

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"A new baby is like the beginning of all things wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." - Eda J. Le Shan