We chose a midwife in New York, Michelle Doyle, and all systems seem to be go for a homebirth for baby #2! We're pretty excited! The link to her website is http://www.localcaremidwifery.com/. We both get along with her really well, and her philosophy is in line with ours. One good thing about New York is that insurance pays for homebirth - YEAH!
On that same line of thought, I found out that my maternity leave will be covered! I'll get 2 weeks before the due date and 6 weeks after the birth (8 if some complication leads to C-section). Then, I'll take a week of vacation, and still have one week vacation left! Things for this baby are working out so much better than we had hoped. We have no idea what we'll name it if it's a boy, but the baby is healthy, growing, and active!
This pregnancy has been much different than my pregnancy with Cecilia. For one, I'm carrying this baby higher, so I frequently have a foot in my diaphragm or stomach - sometimes for days! I don't have as much pain in my pelvis because the baby is higher, but now that I'm getting big I'm having much more frequent heartburn and some nausea when the baby compresses my stomach. At least the feet are up, which means the baby is head down. Yeah! I'm also now understanding the exhaustion many women experience with pregnancy. With Celia, I could adjust my work schedule, nap, or go to bed early. Not with this baby! Now, our schedule is fixed and my rest is subject to Cecila's sleeping - or not sleeping - times.
The coolest part about this pregnancy is that Celia knows something is going on with Mommy. In the last few weeks, she's become very curious about my belly. She'll point to mine, then try to look at hers. We've told her there's a baby in there and she'll give my belly kisses, too. I really wonder sometimes if she understands because she's not at all incredulous about there being a baby in Mommy's tummy. The concept of the baby coming out is certainly not there, but maybe she does know there's one on the way.
It's all exciting! We do need boy name suggestions, though. Any good ideas?
So exciting! Kudos to you for homebirth! I don't think I have it in me to do homebirth (plus I don't think it's legal in Nebraska but I might be wrong) but I will be going medfree and using a midwife and doula if we have another baby. Hmmmm boy names... I loved Oliver and Henry when we were discussing Jude's name. They were vetoed by Phil, so I want someone I know to use them! :)
ReplyDeleteI believe that it isn't illegal in Nebraska to have a home birth, but it may be illegal for midwives to practice outside of a hospital. It's all about state's licensing. It's sad how many places try to limit the rights and choices of women trying to make informed decisions. I'm really looking forward to a home birth, though, and we're sure it's right for us. Everyone needs to make their own best decisions for their babies and themselves, though, and kudos to you for going medfree! I totally recommend learning the Bradley method if you have another baby. It's all about informed choices, and they focus on effective relaxation techniques, learning the emotional signposts of labor, and having your partner as your primary support. The success rate of unmedicated birth using the Braley method is near 90% (compared to 30% with Lamaze). We really loved it and learned a lot. I think more than anything, it gave us confidence. We never doubted we could have a natural birth and we were sure we could make decisions for unexpected things that may come up. For labor, the mindset is half the battle.
ReplyDeleteI really love that you chose Jude, it's a great name. Oliver and Henry - hmmm - I'll have to run that by Ben. I really love August and Royce (both family names), but they've been vetoed by Ben. I'll let you know if your suggestions make the short list.