Time to Make the Birth Plan

So I'm officially past the half way point in my pregnancy (21+ weeks), and I'm to that point where I have to start thinking about planning for delivery and all the details associated with the birth plan.  A lot of my mommy friends are obsessed with parenting and birthing books when it comes to getting advice for making these decisions.  Some are consumed by the concept of doing everything "natural." While others have declared that they want the least painful approach to childbirth as possible.  All I can say to my friends is this: to each her own.  My personal goal in choosing a birth method is to do what is safest for my baby.

As a nurse attorney who has spent most of the last 3 years working in medical malpractice, I have my own unique perspective on child birth.  It seems that every month or so I get a new birth injury case across my desk.   I have seen a trend among these cases.  Too often something went wrong somewhere, somebody wasn't paying good enough attention, and the caregiver waited way too long to do a c-section, which if performed earlier would have prevented the birth injury and associated complications.  Based on the evidence in these cases (and my personal observations while rotating through L & D in nursing school), C-sections are not the horrible, unnecessary, monstrous procedures that many women view them to be.  In many cases, the c-section is the difference between a baby with brain damage vs. a healthy baby. 

My first delivery was a necessary and urgent c-section in light of some blood pressure and kidney problems I was experiencing.  But the 2nd time around, the ball was in my court and I was given the option of a repeat C-section or a VBAC.  In light of my experience with birth injury cases, I actually consulted one of my firm's medical experts to help me make my decision.  He said that the safest decision I could make for my baby was to deliver him via C-section.  Subsequently, I consulted other professionals on the matter who all agreed that there is no medical advantage to a VBAC.  Thus, I chose the safety first method and had a repeat C-section.  Ultimately this turned out to be a great decision since there was meconium in my water when it spontaneously broke at home.  A quicker delivery turned out to be a good thing for my baby.

This time around, I'm sticking with the decision to choose the safest delivery for my baby. I can honestly say that I don't feel the guilt and grief that other mothers do about not ever having a natural or pain-med free delivery.  For the life of me, I can't figure out why this bothers women.  I mean, I've never heard anyone complain about having their wisdom teeth removed under general anesthesia or having to have a surgical appendectomy.  So this whole mommy guilt that people feel about their deliveries is crazy.  Mommies should realize that the bottom line is this: your goal should be to deliver a healthy and happy baby.  Some mommies do this naturally. Some mommies do this with epidurals. And some mommies do this with surgery.  But regardless of how you deliver, you can still be an awesome mommy.

Praying for Him

Have you ever noticed that some people are hard to pray for?   It's not that you don't want to pray for that person, but sometimes you don't know how to go about praying for that person.   Or maybe you pray for that person frequently, but you kind of pray the same thing every day.  I've noticed that it's really easy to fall into this rut when you're praying for family members.

Our church started a prayer system this spring, and I've found it extremely helpful.  The men of our church have been praying for their wives, and us wives have been praying for our husbands with the assistance of websites: http://www.prayingforher.com/ and http://www.prayingforhim.com/. Both websites are sponsored by the National Prayer Room.  And when you sign up for the program, you are sent a daily challenge and scripture to help guide your prayers for your spouse for that day. 

I haven't quite finished my 31 day challenge, but my husband (who started his prayer program a month before I even knew about it) says that you can continue the prayer emails after the first month for free (although you might be asked for an optional donation at that point--just thought I'd warn you). 

Anyway, if you're looking for a way to spice up your prayer life or just want to pray for your spouse differently than you have been praying, consider starting your own 31 day program.  We've enjoyed discussing our prayer assignments together and have really appreciated the accountability. 

Daddy's Project

I just have to brag on my husband a little bit.  We found out 3 weeks ago that we're having a little girl, and he's already got her room ready to go!  He spent his 4th of July break transforming my nautical boy nursery to a girly room.  Not only did he do a fabulous job, but he also managed to paint straight, colorful stripes on one textured nursery wall (you know, the kind of wall that paint tape doesn't stick to very well). 

We've got a few more projects for this room before Baby G comes, but if she decided to show up sooner rather than later, she definitely has her own space now.  Yeah for Daddy!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

I'm almost to the half way point of this pregnancy, and it's been a rough few months.  I certainly couldn't have accomplished half of what I've done (which honestly isn't that much) without the help of my family.  So today, I just wanted to say Thank You to everyone who has aided me in some way.

Thank you to my my mom for helping me with housework, laundry, and for painting my nursery.  Thanks to my dad for helping us fix things around the house.  Thanks to my father-in-law for saving the day when my fence collapsed.  Thanks to my mother-in-law for helping with housework.  Thanks to both my parents and in-laws for all of your babysitting services. Thanks to my grandparents for helping organize and clean the little boys' room, cleaning my kitchen, and helping me sort through boxes of baby boy clothes.  Thank you to my little boys for becoming little helpers too.  And especially, thank you to my wonderful husband for being an awesome team player.  Not only have you jumped in and helped with all the housework, but you've gone above and beyond by helping with meals, hiring a lawn service, and working super hard to get the nursery transformed into a beautiful little girl's space. 

Most importantly, thank you to my dear friends and family for all of your prayers.  My Heavenly Father has been helping me get through each day and He's given me relief when I've needed it.  I have been blessed with a sweet baby girl, a wonderful and supportive family, a skilled physician, and a Great Provider who is always there. 

I know that I'll have to say thank you many more times to all of you before this pregnancy is over, but I just wanted you all to know that I appreciate you and love you all!