Our home birth!

     Well, we are expecting our first little one!  It is supposedly a girl, although our last ultrasound was in December so things could have changed.  We are hoping not though because Lincoln would have to wear alot of pink at first.  :)  As it stands we have chosen to name her Lucy May Postak.  I'm due April 15th, but that is based on 40 weeks, but more modern research has shown that an actual gestation is 41 1/7 weeks.  If that is the case my actual due date is the 23rd.  But Lucy will come whenever she decides her birthday should be.
     So I just want to document everything that we have learned and why we have made the choices we have in this 9 month journey.
    I've always wanted to have an unmedicated birth, because natural is ALWAYS better right?  That's not really debatable.  If they would've proven that an epidural is safe for mother and baby, than perhaps I might've considered it, but they haven't.  Women have been giving birth at home, unmedicated, attended by a midwife forever, well at least until the 1900's in the U.S.  Women all over the world are still giving birth at home.  If all of these wonderful women have been doing it the "hard" way, than why not me?
    We were going to a midwife that would deliver the baby at Davis Hospital, I was under the impression that having a midwife would give encouragement of an unmedicated birth, and to be able to be up and moving around in the delivery room, (why not let gravity help me?) but to my dismay, my midwife said I would have a pic line in my arm, just in case I needed an epidural...  The thought of moving around dragging an IV along with me was not very appealing.
     Jesse and I felt unsettled the entire time about going to the hospital, but so many people said for our first baby it would be smart, just in case an emergency happened, etc.  We felt so stuck, wanting to have a natural birth but feel safe in our decision.  So we prayed and felt like if it's important to us to have a natural experience, and make these decisions based on what we feel is the best for me and the baby, than Heavenly Father will bless us that it will all go smoothly.  I just have to trust in the body that I've been blessed with.  My body is making the baby's body purely by instinct, so why can it not give birth to her by instinct?
    So I set up an appointment with a very well known home birth midwife, Chris Miller.  The moment I began to talk to her, I felt such peace.  Every appointment, she gives us an hour to just sit and ask questions.  She knows her stuff, after practicing for 40 years she should.  All of her answers to my questions just make so much sense.  I feel like everyone around me complicates everything that goes along with pregnancy, birth, breast-feeding, etc.  But she just explains it in a way that a two year old could understand.  Our bodies just know what to do, no intervention from doctors, nurses, medication, formula, etc.  I love it!!
   Everyone always asks why we would EVER think about giving birth without an epidural, much less A HOME BIRTH!  And my final answer is always, "we prayed about it and it feels right for us."  Can't dispute that right?
  We have learned so much in the last 9 months, more specifically the last 12 weeks as we have taken "The Bradley Method" birth classes.  This method focuses on having a husband coached birth, which completely makes sense to have your husband there helping you in every way, finishing what he helped start. :)  The method also focuses on good nutrition and exercise.  I have been having to keep track of all that I eat (fruits, veggies, grains, dairy, eggs and 80-100 grams of protein) and what exercises I've been doing (daily exercise, kegels, pelvic rocks, butterflies, squatting, etc.)  I can honestly give credit to being so strict to why I feel so great!  I'm almost 39 weeks and I really feel so good.
  The thing that I want women to know above everything else, is that there are so many CHOICES!!!  I'm sure you are rolling your eyes thinking "I know that home birth is an option out there, but it's just not for me"  But I think if more research was done on the whole birthing subject, I wouldn't be the only "CRAZY" person around doing a home birth.  There are birthing centers as well!  One of my favorite quotes from Dr. Bradley is "If you were going to be tossed into a pool at the end of 9 months, wouldn't you use that time to learn everything possible about swimming?"  People take more time to research when buying a new car than they do in choosing a doctor or hospital or choices with birthing in general.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION YOU'LL MAKE FOR YOUR BABY!!!
   Maybe you are wondering about the PAIN OF CHILDBIRTH?  I've spent the last 12 weeks learning how to completely relax my body, Jesse has learned what to do to help me relax as well.  Think about it, pain is always worse if you tense up!  That's why drunk drivers always survive wrecks, their bodies are relaxed.  Whereas other people tense up and get their bones broken.  Make sense?  I'm not saying that there won't be a certain amount of pain.  But it's not the bad sort of pain!  All a contraction is, is your uterus flexing and helping move the baby into place.  Then the pushing stage is my turn to work.  When you work out at a gym or train for an athletic event, it's painful right?  But a good kind of pain!  Childbirth is labor (work), it's going to hurt a bit.  BUT THEN YOU HAVE A SWEET PERFECT LITTLE BABY AFTERWARDS!!!  Heavenly Father knows what he's doing, trust him!
    Maybe you've been told by your doctor that you have to have a c-section... I'm no medical expert but I can almost guarantee that it's not true.
If the reason is because you are "too small" GET UP! when you are laying flat on your back on a delivery table, your pelvis is smaller, so the vaginal opening is smaller.  The tip of the tailbone is flexible and when you are laying on it, it curves in, also making the opening smaller.  GET UP!  or at least sit up in a semi squat position. If you let gravity help you, there will more than likely be plenty of room for that baby to get out.  Before birth was moved into the hospital (and even now in other countries) the women would be squatting or in an upright position.  The only reason delivery tables are designed how they are now is convenience for the doctor.
  Maybe they say your baby is breech and cannot get it to turn.  Guess what?  Midwives deliver breech babies all the time!  That is no reason for a c section.
   Maybe you've had a c- section before and so they say a v-bac (vaginal birth after c-section) is impossible.  FALSE!!  My midwife has delivered tons of v-bac babies.  One woman had had 6 c-sections, and then for her 7th had a home birth, no problem.
   Ok so maybe the cord is wrapped around the babies neck, in some cases I know that they can reach up and unwrap it.  Obviously if it's around like 5 times, than yes a c-section is amazing!  That's why we have c- sections for the small percentage of emergencies that can't be dealt with otherwise.  NOT 1 IN 3!  that is the current c- section rate in the US.  out of every 3 births, 1 is a c- section.  THAT'S CRAZY!!!!
   A really great documentary on netflix is called "The business of being born."  Watch the entire thing!!  It just gives alot of great information on the hospital system and on birth in general.
   I am not writing this post to say that natural childbirth is the best way to give birth, any way that a baby gets here is perfect and such a great experience!  And if an emergency does occur, Jesse and I will be ready for it and rejoice in modern healthcare and that we can have a healthy happy baby!!

    I hope I didn't offend anyone, if you know me than you know that that was not my intent.  I merely want people to understand that there are tons of choices out there, Jesse and I have done our research and made our choice for what we feel is best for us.  I would love to hear questions!  I want to just share all of this amazing information I've learned with the world!
    I will be documenting the entire birthday story of Lucy when she gets here, which I'm so excited to share with each of you!  I know that it is going to be so great!

Until next time!  Kayla, Jesse and Lucy (or Lincoln.. lol) Postak