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Post by kristenkay on May 18, 2015 15:38:07 GMT -5
Has anyone here done a med-free delivery?
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Post by kristenkay on May 18, 2015 17:03:53 GMT -5
@swimmy1988 @jennylee Good for you ladies! After taking our childbirth prep class over the weekend I've decided I want to try to avoid an epidural. Who knows if I'll quickly change my mind once I go into labor, but before I was certain I would get one and now I feel like I can do it without one. I'm going to use the TENS machine at the hospital and see if that helps with the pain. The midwife that led our class said the TENS machines are great and I thought it was weird that I'd never heard of them before.
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Post by kristenkay on May 18, 2015 17:25:41 GMT -5
@swimmy1988 Yeah the mobility is a big reason why I would like to go without an epidural. Here's a link to more detailed info about the TENS machine en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcutaneous_electrical_nerve_stimulation but it's basically a machine that has little hook ups to your back and sends a current to your nerves to relieve pain.
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Post by kristenkay on May 19, 2015 9:18:27 GMT -5
@jennylee, oh I was definitely shaky. I had to get out of the shower a couple times to sit on the toilet so I wouldn't pass out. But the maternity ward only had 2 showers for the whole ward, so I was glad to get a shower in L&D. I didn't get one again until the day they sent me home. Were they community style bathrooms or only 2 rooms had showers in them? Our hospital has showers in every room, my H would have a cow if they didn't. He is a nut about showering.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2015 10:39:32 GMT -5
I didn't have an epidural with either child. I was too far along when I asked. I think I had the fentanyl like @swimmy1988. All I know is it relieved a bit of the pressure. I was 6 cm with DD when I got to the hospital. I progressed quickly to 9 cm, then it took forever to get to 10 cm. I don't remember all the details with DS.
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Post by ktmac on May 20, 2015 9:36:06 GMT -5
Hopefully I will have a much more exciting answer soon!! Who is your person? We must stay informed! PRIORITIES PEOPLE
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Post by nsweare on May 20, 2015 11:41:16 GMT -5
Had an appointment with my OB this morning. Thankfully, my blood pressure is still good. My doctor took some blood to check my platelets. I won't have the results until tomorrow. Based on the results we'll decide when to schedule my C-section. If everything looks good I'll be scheduled for either 6/17 or 6/18. If my platelets are looking not so good, then we'll decide what to do. So now I just wait.
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Post by ktmac on May 20, 2015 12:28:35 GMT -5
nsweare good update. keep us posted on your blood results!
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Post by nsweare on May 21, 2015 8:22:48 GMT -5
Got the results of my bloodwork. My platelets are very low. My count is only 121. Normal is anything in between 150-400. Below 150 is when doctors usually start considering blood transfusions. Anything below 100 and I would no longer be a candidate for a VBAC, and I would have to undergo general anesthesia for my C-section. The good news is that my levels aren't dropping rapidly, so my doctor thinks if we just stay the course, I should be ok. I'll likely require a transfusion after BB2 is born, but that's ok. If my blood pressure goes wonky then that will be a whole new ball game.
We most likely will not be putting our eggs in the VBAC basket. A C-section is looking like our safest bet at this point, but the decision doesn't need to be made today or anything. I'm glad that my doctor took my concerns seriously and did the blood test. I was kind of hoping for a more definitive plan. After my birth experience with DD, I have a major fear of the unknown. It feels like I'm sort of in this limbo or waiting zone. Like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop or something. I guess I don't really know what news I was hoping to get this morning. I'm glad that things are stable. I don't like not knowing whether things are going to stay that way. I know that this is not in my control, so I need to work on just being calm, cool, and collected.
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Post by nsweare on May 21, 2015 9:44:17 GMT -5
Got the results of my bloodwork. My platelets are very low. My count is only 121. Normal is anything in between 150-400. Below 150 is when doctors usually start considering blood transfusions. Anything below 100 and I would no longer be a candidate for a VBAC, and I would have to undergo general anesthesia for my C-section. The good news is that my levels aren't dropping rapidly, so my doctor thinks if we just stay the course, I should be ok. I'll likely require a transfusion after BB2 is born, but that's ok. If my blood pressure goes wonky then that will be a whole new ball game. We most likely will not be putting our eggs in the VBAC basket. A C-section is looking like our safest bet at this point, but the decision doesn't need to be made today or anything. I'm glad that my doctor took my concerns seriously and did the blood test. I was kind of hoping for a more definitive plan. After my birth experience with DD, I have a major fear of the unknown. It feels like I'm sort of in this limbo or waiting zone. Like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop or something. I guess I don't really know what news I was hoping to get this morning. I'm glad that things are stable. I don't like not knowing whether things are going to stay that way. I know that this is not in my control, so I need to work on just being calm, cool, and collected. I know that you were hoping for something set in stone, but I think this is actually kind of awesome. You still have options. You know that your birth will be heavily monitored, but at this point, you still have options - and that's a good thing. To me, it seems like you're in a better place than you hoped you'd be. Even if VBAC ends up not being right for you at that time, it's still a possibility right now; meaning your doctor thinks you're doing fine. It must be very scary to be thinking about all of this all the time. Can you opt for a transfusion now, to get your counts back up? Will your donor be someone you know, of from the blood bank? I'm not entirely sure how HELLP works in terms of pre-delivery or preventative care, but is that an option? Does your platelet count affect how you're feeling? I know that it primarily affects bleeding and the ability to clot, but does it affect your current health? Thank you @jennylee. My OB said we can discuss my options more at my next appointment. They could do a transfusion now, but if my platelets were to start dropping rapidly, then it would be more useful to do it closer to birth. So at this point, we're going to try and wait it out. Most likely my donor would be from the blood bank, though I suppose my mom could be an option since she is O negative. When I had a transfusion after DD the blood came from the bank.
I'm not sure if the platelets alone affect how I'm feeling or not. In addition to the low platelets I'm also anemic, so I think that's why I'm sooooooo tired all the time. Unfortunately I just cannot tolerate an iron supplement, so it's something that will have to be dealt with after the baby is born. I was anemic with DD. I was still anemic after the transfusion, but it resolved itself within a few months after she was born. I anticipate it will be the same this time around. Luckily I'm so close to being done with this pregnancy that I think most of this can just be waited out. I just need to be monitored. My doctor has been fantastic at balancing my need to be monitored with my need to NOT have a million doctor's appointments. It's just too hard with DD because our closest babysitter is an hour away. I end up having to take her with me to a lot of my appointments and she can be difficult for me to handle on my own. (Exhaustion will do that haha) My next appointment is in 2 weeks instead of 1, with the caveat that I call immediately if I notice any new symptoms.
Really I just need to settle down and relax because this is all going to be over before I know it. At the very most I have 4 weeks left. I need to just count my blessings that things are going so well right now and to stop looking for trouble.
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Post by nsweare on May 21, 2015 10:32:49 GMT -5
You sound like you're in a really good place with all this nsweare. You do sound really calm to me and I admire you for that! Thanks! I'm glad I sound calm because inside I'm not at all! My control freak tendencies are coming out for sure, and my anxiety is in full swing. I am chock full of crazy, but I'm trying to keep it under wraps as much as possible. I'm trying not to drive away my very nice, very accommodating doctor. Haha.
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Post by nsweare on May 21, 2015 10:40:30 GMT -5
Thanks! I'm glad I sound calm because inside I'm not at all! My control freak tendencies are coming out for sure, and my anxiety is in full swing. I am chock full of crazy, but I'm trying to keep it under wraps as much as possible. I'm trying not to drive away my very nice, very accommodating doctor. Haha. Well then remind me not to play poker with you. If your "fake it til you make it" is this convincing, your poker face must be on point. I CANNOT hide my crazy. I have an AMAZING poker face. Mostly because I have no idea whether I have a good hand or not.
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Post by ktmac on May 21, 2015 10:44:13 GMT -5
hugs nsweare - it sounds like you have a wonderful OB on your side who is listening to you. that is so important! you're doing great
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