It seems like ASAC and the other proponents of midwifery services have been successful! As of April 2009, you will now be able to have a midwife at home, or in a hospital, and have it covered by Alberta Health! Of course, this doesn't affect this birth at all, since I don't think this baby will wait until April. So we are still footing the $3000 bill. But for all those people out there who are like us, and really had to think hard about shelling out that kind of money to have the birth experience that they wanted, midwifery care is now an option :)
Government of Alberta Link:
http://www.alberta.ca/home/NewsFrame.cfm?ReleaseID=/acn/200810/24550063EBE33-96F3-5ED1-46942B3A9CB6A7DE.html
Local News Link:
http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081016/EDM_midwife_081016/20081016/?hub=EdmontonHome
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Why are maternal mortality/morbidity rates not dropping?
Reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (see post of best pregnancy book ever), I was really suprised at the statistics that the book presents on maternal mortality and morbidity. Hers' are stats from the States, but I got curious as to what it was like in Canada. (all of this is from a published paper, by the way... here's the link http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1216316).
This paper had some interesting results.
"In summary, we found that severe maternal morbidity occurs in about 1 of 250 deliveries in Canada. Considerable increases have occurred over the past decade in rates of venous thromboembolism, uterine rupture, adult respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary edema, myocardial infarction, severe postpartum hemorrhage requiring hysterectomy, and the need for assisted ventilation. Because adjustment for maternal age, multifetal pregnancy and previous cesarean delivery did not change the overall results, these changes are unlikely to be caused by demographic trends; investigational attention should be paid to the reasons for these increases."
This is better than in the US, but the fact that morbidity is increasing is alarming. You would think that it would be going down, that all the docters and interventions involved in pregnancy/labour/delivery now would make it safer to have a baby. But the rates are going up. In her book, Ina May discusses reasons for this. Things like amniotic fluid embolism (major cause of maternal death) occur naturally about 1 in 50, 000 - 1 in 80, 000 births. Being induced increases this. One hospital in Phoenix had a AFE rate of 1 in 6000. If you get this complication, you have a 50% chance of dying. Other complications, such as uterine rupture, also increase with interventions like c-sections and induction.
On the WHO database of maternal mortality stats (http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/global_monitoring/RHRxmls/RHRmainpage.htm), Canada did pretty well for maternal mortality (6 per 100,000 births). Other countries like Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Ireland, Sweden and Spain did better. As it turns out , Sweden, Denmark, and Norway all have most of their babies delivered by midwives, not obstitricians. I couldn't find out anything about Iceland. Ireland and Spain both have midwives, but babies are delivered in hospitals, much the same way it is in Canada. I wonder what causes the very high infant/maternal death/morbidity rates in the US, as compared to Canada? I would have to guess at the lack of universal health care and prenatal care. One more reason to not privatize health care in Canada.
Not a very eloquent blog entry tonight, but i'm kind of tired, and i'm writing this as i'm doing the research, instead of putting it all together,and writing it out logically.
Only 2.5 weeks left :) Baby is posterior (facing my tummy instead of my back), by the way. I hope he/she turns around, or it might be a long, tough haul for me.
This paper had some interesting results.
"In summary, we found that severe maternal morbidity occurs in about 1 of 250 deliveries in Canada. Considerable increases have occurred over the past decade in rates of venous thromboembolism, uterine rupture, adult respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary edema, myocardial infarction, severe postpartum hemorrhage requiring hysterectomy, and the need for assisted ventilation. Because adjustment for maternal age, multifetal pregnancy and previous cesarean delivery did not change the overall results, these changes are unlikely to be caused by demographic trends; investigational attention should be paid to the reasons for these increases."
This is better than in the US, but the fact that morbidity is increasing is alarming. You would think that it would be going down, that all the docters and interventions involved in pregnancy/labour/delivery now would make it safer to have a baby. But the rates are going up. In her book, Ina May discusses reasons for this. Things like amniotic fluid embolism (major cause of maternal death) occur naturally about 1 in 50, 000 - 1 in 80, 000 births. Being induced increases this. One hospital in Phoenix had a AFE rate of 1 in 6000. If you get this complication, you have a 50% chance of dying. Other complications, such as uterine rupture, also increase with interventions like c-sections and induction.
On the WHO database of maternal mortality stats (http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/global_monitoring/RHRxmls/RHRmainpage.htm), Canada did pretty well for maternal mortality (6 per 100,000 births). Other countries like Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Ireland, Sweden and Spain did better. As it turns out , Sweden, Denmark, and Norway all have most of their babies delivered by midwives, not obstitricians. I couldn't find out anything about Iceland. Ireland and Spain both have midwives, but babies are delivered in hospitals, much the same way it is in Canada. I wonder what causes the very high infant/maternal death/morbidity rates in the US, as compared to Canada? I would have to guess at the lack of universal health care and prenatal care. One more reason to not privatize health care in Canada.
Not a very eloquent blog entry tonight, but i'm kind of tired, and i'm writing this as i'm doing the research, instead of putting it all together,and writing it out logically.
Only 2.5 weeks left :) Baby is posterior (facing my tummy instead of my back), by the way. I hope he/she turns around, or it might be a long, tough haul for me.
Belly Shots
Most of the people who read this are probably on my Facebook, and have seen all these, but I know a few who boycott facebook. A friend of ours took these about 2 weeks ago down in Millcreek Ravine, a few blocks from our house.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
October has arrived.
Everytime someone has asked when I am due, I have answered just, 'October' for simplicity's sake. Now that has to change. Today I responded by saying, 'A few weeks'. Wow. It sort of creeps up on you in the end. In a few weeks, Justin and I will be bringing an entirely new person into the world, who will one day actually do things and affect other people's lives. It can be hard to imagine that this little baby wiggling around will love, teach and influence the same way that we all do now. I'm having an easier time with this concept this time around, since Maddy is now at the age where she has really started influencing the world around her.
By the way, thanks Carly, for telling me how to fix that comments thing. Now you no longer need a google blogger account to leave a comment. It should make it a lot easier.
By the way, thanks Carly, for telling me how to fix that comments thing. Now you no longer need a google blogger account to leave a comment. It should make it a lot easier.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Blogger sucks. sorry.
So I have been wondering why I get no comments on my blog, not even from Justin, who I know reads it. So I asked him. As it turns out, you need to have a blogger account (I think gmail will work too) in order to leave a comment! It used to be that you could leave a comment as 'anonymous' and not have to sign in to anything. Anyway, what a pain in the ass. I harbour no hard feelings for receiving no comments. I blame it all on blogger.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Vitamin K injections? with a short note about the inadequacy of the Canadian voting system
All babies born in hospitals (and many born at home) are given a vitamin K injection at birth to prevent hemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN). This is one that i'm kind of stuck on.
HDN - Newborns are born with low levels of vitamin K (it doesn't cross the placenta well, and their gut flora is not well developed, which is where much of our vitamin K comes from), a necessary factor in clotting. It developes more often in breastfed babies, since formula contains higher levels of vitamin K than breastmilk does. From what I can find, it affects anwhere from 2-10 babies per 100,000, but it can be deadly since bleeding can happed in the brain. With the injection, rates can go as low as 0.25 babies per 100,000.
There might be some problems with the injection. Two studies done in the 90's (and several since then) linked vitamin K injection at birth to higher rate of childhood leukemia later on, but other studies have not found this connection. Vitamin K causes high rates of cell division in the fetus and newborn. The amount in the injection is about 20,000 times the amount naturally found in the baby. This high rate of cell division so close after birth is though to be what increases the risk of cancer. The risk of cancer is increased somewhere between 10-80%. It has been given to babies since the 60's in western countries. Apparantly, it can also cause newborn jaundice (although i couldn't find any studies to back that up).
The main reason that I wouldn't do it, is it just doesn't seem natural to me. I don't understand how evolution could have gotten it wrong. There is one alternative to the injection (oral administration) which has not been studied to show that it actually decreases HDN or to see if it still causes cancer (at least not that I can find). Lots of natural health websites seem to prefer the oral route, but without any evidence either way, I would kind of prefer the evil I know to the evil I don't.
Any opinions on the matter are greatly appreciated.
By the way, the midwife told me at our last appointment that the baby has dropped (kind of). If you imagine your pelvis divided into 5th's, 1/5 being baby kind of floating just inside the pelvis and 5/5 being the baby right at the cervix, this baby is now at 3/5. It is my prediction that this baby is not going to wait until Oct 27. Maybe it will be Oct 14. Maddy was born just days before a federal election too, and I COULDN'T VOTE!! If I left the hospital to vote, they would not let me back, and since Maddy wasn't being released yet, and I was breastfeeding, that wasn't really an option. I think its stupid that people in hospitals can't vote (unless they vote early, or by mail, but I could do neither). Anyway, that's a different topic alltogether.
HDN - Newborns are born with low levels of vitamin K (it doesn't cross the placenta well, and their gut flora is not well developed, which is where much of our vitamin K comes from), a necessary factor in clotting. It developes more often in breastfed babies, since formula contains higher levels of vitamin K than breastmilk does. From what I can find, it affects anwhere from 2-10 babies per 100,000, but it can be deadly since bleeding can happed in the brain. With the injection, rates can go as low as 0.25 babies per 100,000.
There might be some problems with the injection. Two studies done in the 90's (and several since then) linked vitamin K injection at birth to higher rate of childhood leukemia later on, but other studies have not found this connection. Vitamin K causes high rates of cell division in the fetus and newborn. The amount in the injection is about 20,000 times the amount naturally found in the baby. This high rate of cell division so close after birth is though to be what increases the risk of cancer. The risk of cancer is increased somewhere between 10-80%. It has been given to babies since the 60's in western countries. Apparantly, it can also cause newborn jaundice (although i couldn't find any studies to back that up).
The main reason that I wouldn't do it, is it just doesn't seem natural to me. I don't understand how evolution could have gotten it wrong. There is one alternative to the injection (oral administration) which has not been studied to show that it actually decreases HDN or to see if it still causes cancer (at least not that I can find). Lots of natural health websites seem to prefer the oral route, but without any evidence either way, I would kind of prefer the evil I know to the evil I don't.
Any opinions on the matter are greatly appreciated.
By the way, the midwife told me at our last appointment that the baby has dropped (kind of). If you imagine your pelvis divided into 5th's, 1/5 being baby kind of floating just inside the pelvis and 5/5 being the baby right at the cervix, this baby is now at 3/5. It is my prediction that this baby is not going to wait until Oct 27. Maybe it will be Oct 14. Maddy was born just days before a federal election too, and I COULDN'T VOTE!! If I left the hospital to vote, they would not let me back, and since Maddy wasn't being released yet, and I was breastfeeding, that wasn't really an option. I think its stupid that people in hospitals can't vote (unless they vote early, or by mail, but I could do neither). Anyway, that's a different topic alltogether.
Monday, September 15, 2008
We are our own solution.
I think that our society has become too dependent on others to solve our problems for us. My recent insomnia will be my example. I have not been sleeping well (never more than 4-5 hours a night) for a few weeks now. That kind of sleep deprivation really takes its toll on you physically, and emotionally. I would find myself totally losing it, over nothing, just from sheer exhaustion. I didn't have the energy to do anything, so I would often end up doing nothing but the bare minimum (laundry only when we ran out of underwear etc etc) every day, and feeling worse as each day passed. I can see how many women end up depressed in late pregnancy/postpartum. Lack of sleep will do that to you! Anyway, I went to Calgary withmy Mum this past weekend, to do some serious shopping/eating. It was awesome, and we were on our feet, walking around all day Saturday and Sunday and guess what? I slept like a baby! All this time, I have been asking my midwife what I can take (herbal teas, etc) to help me sleep, when really all it took was enough exercise to beat me out. I expected the solution to this problem to come from some outside source, when it was in me all along to fix this. I wonder how much better everyone would feel if they got out for a nice, long walk everyday. So i'm going to start walking the dog. It has been Justin's job the last few months, but I obviously need the exercise. I think the solutions to many (most?) of our health problems are already there, we just need to get off the couch and do it.
On a side note, the baby's room (aka. junk room for the last 6 months) is starting to take shape. I actually cleaned out some of the junk today, put blankets away and gave us some room to work. Now Justin can put the crib together. I need to find a nice quilt for the crib, so I can start some kind of decorating scheme in there. Rental house beige just doesn't do it for me.
Six weeks to go! (Although my internal clock is telling me it might be sooner.)
On a side note, the baby's room (aka. junk room for the last 6 months) is starting to take shape. I actually cleaned out some of the junk today, put blankets away and gave us some room to work. Now Justin can put the crib together. I need to find a nice quilt for the crib, so I can start some kind of decorating scheme in there. Rental house beige just doesn't do it for me.
Six weeks to go! (Although my internal clock is telling me it might be sooner.)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Too many tests
I had forgotten how many tests pregnant women take. Pee tests, blood tests, glucose level tests, vaginal exams, Group B Strep tests, etc etc. Cathy (midwife) is obligated to offer me all of the tests that are available (and in fact mandatory, if I were under the care of most docters) and I have started to decline all of them. I still pee on a stick every few weeks to check for protein and glucose (i think?) but I find these fairly unobtrusive. No ultrasounds, no blood tests, no group B strep test, no vaginal exams, no gestational diabetes tests. If pregnancy was that bad for you, we would not have a population problem. I think the tests themselves may be part of the problem to begin with.
Lets take group B strep. Here is a bacteria found in a quater of women. In Canada, they test everyone for it around 36 weeks. One problem with this is that your status (positive or negative for the bacteria) can change, so a + or - at 36 weeks does not mean you are + or - when you give birth. If you are + when you give birth, your baby has a REALLY small chance of getting sick (very sick though, it kills 1 in 10 babies it infects). Things that increase the risk to the baby include:
-breaking the water artificially (done in almost all labours in the
hospital to speed it up) and
-having multiple vaginal exams during pregnancy/labour (I have not had one, nor will I have one, even when i'm in labour, unless something is wrong, or really unclear. i'm sure the docter "checked me" at least once an hour during labour, and at every
appointment when I was pregnant with Maddy.)
There are other risk factors as well, but the others cannot be controlled (such as preterm labour, and your water breaking more than 18 hours before the baby is born). Maybe we could lower the risk to babies by not having docters stick their hands inside you every chance they get!
Anyway, pregnancy is normal, and there is no need for me to be poked, prodded and "checked" to make sure everything is going properly. The chances of it not going properly are pretty low, and there are other signs for how well a labour is doing besides how your cervix is. This whole midwife thing feels so much better than having a docter ever did. I am more comfortable/confident with her care than I was with the docter. Justin is actually going to be able to be part of it, instead of just watching it unfold, and I will be able to feel like i'm a part of it, instead of just a tool in the delivery of this baby. Of course, maybe i'm totally deluding myself as to my abilities of pain managment, but we'll see :)
Lets take group B strep. Here is a bacteria found in a quater of women. In Canada, they test everyone for it around 36 weeks. One problem with this is that your status (positive or negative for the bacteria) can change, so a + or - at 36 weeks does not mean you are + or - when you give birth. If you are + when you give birth, your baby has a REALLY small chance of getting sick (very sick though, it kills 1 in 10 babies it infects). Things that increase the risk to the baby include:
-breaking the water artificially (done in almost all labours in the
hospital to speed it up) and
-having multiple vaginal exams during pregnancy/labour (I have not had one, nor will I have one, even when i'm in labour, unless something is wrong, or really unclear. i'm sure the docter "checked me" at least once an hour during labour, and at every
appointment when I was pregnant with Maddy.)
There are other risk factors as well, but the others cannot be controlled (such as preterm labour, and your water breaking more than 18 hours before the baby is born). Maybe we could lower the risk to babies by not having docters stick their hands inside you every chance they get!
Anyway, pregnancy is normal, and there is no need for me to be poked, prodded and "checked" to make sure everything is going properly. The chances of it not going properly are pretty low, and there are other signs for how well a labour is doing besides how your cervix is. This whole midwife thing feels so much better than having a docter ever did. I am more comfortable/confident with her care than I was with the docter. Justin is actually going to be able to be part of it, instead of just watching it unfold, and I will be able to feel like i'm a part of it, instead of just a tool in the delivery of this baby. Of course, maybe i'm totally deluding myself as to my abilities of pain managment, but we'll see :)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
My 4am ramblings
Over the past few months, I have been doing a lot of reading on homebirth, and midwifery care, and there is quite a political movement going on right now (with good reason) to get midwifery care accepted by the medical establishment and funded by the government. This can sometimes make it a little tough to separate fact from rumour when it comes to the actual medical benefits of midwifery care to the mother and baby. One area of research where i'm finding this so is in the research linking the use of pitocin to brain development in the baby later in life.
Pitocin is used in a huge number of births in Canada (and around the world) to induce labour, or to speed it up when docters think it is going too slowly. I had it with Maddy after the epidural effectively stopped my labour. Almost all my friends who I know have had it with their babies, even those who have given birth in what are supposed to be "intervention free" birth centers. It is the synthetic version of a natural hormone produced during labour (for one, its also released during orgasm. Example of a full circle, I think :). Anyway here is the wikipedia article on oxytocin, if anyone cares http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytocin I can't find anything better right now, but it is 4 am and I can't sleep, so it will have to do.
Pitocin does not cross the blood-brain barrier in adults, and docters have always assumed that it is the same for the baby, but they are starting to realize that a fetus' brain does not work quite the same as ours (duh) and things that don't affect our brain, affect theirs (again, duh). They have no idea, nor have they done much research into what long term effects there may be on brain development by giving the baby HUGE quantities of hormone during birth. One thing they are starting to look at is connection between Autism and pitocin induction/augmentation at birth. Some say there is no connection ( 1, abstract only, sorry, I don't have subscriptions to these journals. I'll have to use my university connections and get them emailed to me sometime when i'm feeling ambitious)
Many/most others agree there is enough evidence to warrant a big-time study (2, 3, 4, 5) which I have yet to find. Here are a few non-scholerly articles I found interesting...
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/autism/article/10168/57071
http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/ATTN_Researchers.htm
Anyway, it makes sense to me. Oxytoxin is known to be a major player in autism once it develops so it seems natural to me that it may play a role in development of this disorder as well. Of course, i'm having a homebirth, so this already puts me on the fringe and makes my ideas "crunchy" (thanks Vicky, for introducing me to that term). It's now 5 am, so i'm going back to bed.
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12757361
2. J Autism Dev Disord. 1993 Sep;23(3):567-9
3. Med Hypotheses. 2004;63(3):456-60
4. Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154:438-9
5. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004 Jun;61(6):618-27.
Pitocin is used in a huge number of births in Canada (and around the world) to induce labour, or to speed it up when docters think it is going too slowly. I had it with Maddy after the epidural effectively stopped my labour. Almost all my friends who I know have had it with their babies, even those who have given birth in what are supposed to be "intervention free" birth centers. It is the synthetic version of a natural hormone produced during labour (for one, its also released during orgasm. Example of a full circle, I think :). Anyway here is the wikipedia article on oxytocin, if anyone cares http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytocin I can't find anything better right now, but it is 4 am and I can't sleep, so it will have to do.
Pitocin does not cross the blood-brain barrier in adults, and docters have always assumed that it is the same for the baby, but they are starting to realize that a fetus' brain does not work quite the same as ours (duh) and things that don't affect our brain, affect theirs (again, duh). They have no idea, nor have they done much research into what long term effects there may be on brain development by giving the baby HUGE quantities of hormone during birth. One thing they are starting to look at is connection between Autism and pitocin induction/augmentation at birth. Some say there is no connection ( 1, abstract only, sorry, I don't have subscriptions to these journals. I'll have to use my university connections and get them emailed to me sometime when i'm feeling ambitious)
Many/most others agree there is enough evidence to warrant a big-time study (2, 3, 4, 5) which I have yet to find. Here are a few non-scholerly articles I found interesting...
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/autism/article/10168/57071
http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/ATTN_Researchers.htm
Anyway, it makes sense to me. Oxytoxin is known to be a major player in autism once it develops so it seems natural to me that it may play a role in development of this disorder as well. Of course, i'm having a homebirth, so this already puts me on the fringe and makes my ideas "crunchy" (thanks Vicky, for introducing me to that term). It's now 5 am, so i'm going back to bed.
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12757361
2. J Autism Dev Disord. 1993 Sep;23(3):567-9
3. Med Hypotheses. 2004;63(3):456-60
4. Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154:438-9
5. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004 Jun;61(6):618-27.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Summer is over, time to get back to reality.
So my 2 month break on this blog is over. I was so busy with the little boys I was watching this summer (watching other people's kids is way harder than watching your own!), that I neglected this blog, but no more! I will faithfully write everyday (or three) about interesting topics (probably not so much) and post new pictures.
But first.... to catch everyone up on the summer goings-on in Edmonton...
It was a busy summer. The Sasquatch Gathering at Pembina River was great, it will now be an annual event for our family I think. Edmonton Folk Festival was also awesome, another keeper. The Taste of Edmonton Festival, Street Performers Festival, Fringe Festival etc etc were all good times. Maddy got picked to go up on stage twice at the Fringe for being the cute little kid in the front row.
The hot days here were a bit too hot for me, I spent a fair number of days in the hammock in the backyard under the apple tree, just swinging back and forth, playing with the various children (our backyard became the neighbourhood hangout for the 3-6 crowd).
We also got a bunch of donations this summer! Yay! THANK YOU!! to Vicky, Amie and Jason, Michelle and Shawn, Mandy, and Anita.
Hope that everyone had a wonderful summer :)
Love to all
Leah.
Friday, July 4, 2008
I need to slow down.
We are back from our camping trip to Jasper, it was great :) The dog had a great time trying to play with the Elk that walked through our campsite on an almost daily basis. We did a bit of hiking, and a quite a bit of driving to get to the hiking spots and viewpoints. On one of these drives, I noticed something that relates (kind of) to a major difference between homebirth and hospital birth, and made me understand a little bit more about our society in general.
In our culture, it is not the journey that is important, but what you get to at the end. What a terrible way to live. On on our drive up to Edith Cavell Mountain, Justin was driving about 30-40 km/hour (on a winding, narrow, mountain road) and looking at the awe-inspiring scenery around us. We had 4 different vehicles come up behind us, and tailgate until Justin pulled over to let them pass. These cars/SUV's were all going 60+ (dangerous, if you ask me, given the condition of the road), trying to get to the top of the mountain as quickly as possible, to see the view. They missed some of the most amazing sights by rushing through.
I think having a baby in a hospital is kind of the same thing. We are so focused on the desired outcome (healthy baby, of course) of this pregnancy/birth thing, that we don't take the time/energy to experience this as a whole event (pregnancy itself, the labour experience, birth, and a healthy baby). By having a caregiver like a midwife, it focuses the energy more on the experience itself I think.
So once again, I have learned (as I have many times already) that it is not always the destination that is important, but how you get there. How many times do I need to relearn this before I put it into practice in my daily life, instead of always rushing around, trying to get things done. I guess I should just slow down, and not be in a hurry all the time. This is probably the best start.
In our culture, it is not the journey that is important, but what you get to at the end. What a terrible way to live. On on our drive up to Edith Cavell Mountain, Justin was driving about 30-40 km/hour (on a winding, narrow, mountain road) and looking at the awe-inspiring scenery around us. We had 4 different vehicles come up behind us, and tailgate until Justin pulled over to let them pass. These cars/SUV's were all going 60+ (dangerous, if you ask me, given the condition of the road), trying to get to the top of the mountain as quickly as possible, to see the view. They missed some of the most amazing sights by rushing through.
I think having a baby in a hospital is kind of the same thing. We are so focused on the desired outcome (healthy baby, of course) of this pregnancy/birth thing, that we don't take the time/energy to experience this as a whole event (pregnancy itself, the labour experience, birth, and a healthy baby). By having a caregiver like a midwife, it focuses the energy more on the experience itself I think.
So once again, I have learned (as I have many times already) that it is not always the destination that is important, but how you get there. How many times do I need to relearn this before I put it into practice in my daily life, instead of always rushing around, trying to get things done. I guess I should just slow down, and not be in a hurry all the time. This is probably the best start.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Two-tiered health care system of Canada.
A friend of mine was by last night, after reading my blog for the first time, and commented on how its really sad that not everyone can afford to do this. By this, I mean of course, have a midwife attended homebirth. It's true. We can't afford to do this. It's only because we knew that family would contribute when it really came down to it that we have even attempted it. If you look at the studies that have been done (For those who actually care, here is one such study......Wiegers T, Keirse M, van der Zee J, Berghs G. Outcome of planned home and planned hospital births in low risk pregnancies: prospective study in midwifery practices in the Netherlands. BMJ 1996;313;1309-13. ), they show that for normal, healthy, low risk women/pregnancies, having a birth with a midwife will have a better outcome for both the mother and the baby. Less episiotomies, less caesarians, less infections etc etc etc. But this option, even though it is safer, is not available to many (and most that I know) women and thier families. $3500 is prohibitive.
This brings up a whole slew of questions that I'm looking into.
Is it cheaper for the government to just admit all women to the hospital to have thier babies?
Somehow, I doubt it. But I don't really know, so i'm going to see what I can find. Why, if its more expensive/less safe to admit women to hospitals, is it still the only funded way to have a baby (in Alberta, anyway, some provinces do pay for it)?
Do women actually want this option in Canada? Would they take it if it was available to them?
I'm going to do more research, and get back to you.
By the way, the friend of mine who brought this up with me happens to be a musician, and is donating her part of the proceeds of the bands next show to the homebirth. I love you Becky, you're awesome. http://www.reverbnation.com/thepantyhos
This brings up a whole slew of questions that I'm looking into.
Is it cheaper for the government to just admit all women to the hospital to have thier babies?
Somehow, I doubt it. But I don't really know, so i'm going to see what I can find. Why, if its more expensive/less safe to admit women to hospitals, is it still the only funded way to have a baby (in Alberta, anyway, some provinces do pay for it)?
Do women actually want this option in Canada? Would they take it if it was available to them?
I'm going to do more research, and get back to you.
By the way, the friend of mine who brought this up with me happens to be a musician, and is donating her part of the proceeds of the bands next show to the homebirth. I love you Becky, you're awesome. http://www.reverbnation.com/thepantyhos
Monday, June 23, 2008
Direction.
We received our first contribution for our homebirth yesterday, from my uncle Glenn and auntie Alex. They (with their daughter Morag) spent the weekend with us. This was the first time Alex had met Justin, which is hard to believe since we've been together almost 7 years, but tha'ts the way things are when a family is as spread out across the world as much as ours is, I guess.
I have been reading this blog, and wondering where I should be heading with it. How many silly stories do people want to hear about Maddy? I was talking with Alex about the lack of funding for private midwives, and the families that choose midwifery care in Alberta, and she gave me the idea of working this into the blog. I like it. I will try to keep my ranting about the health care system in Canada in general to a minimum and focus on prenatal/birth care, as this is what is closest to my heart right now.
The research I have done in the last few months to educate myself has been random, and disorganized, and therefore, my first few posts on the subject will probably be as well. I joined ASAC (Association for Safe Alternatives in Childbirth), a consumer advocacy group based here in Edmonton. Their website is http://www.asac.ab.ca/index.html for anyone who is interested.
more to come....
I have been reading this blog, and wondering where I should be heading with it. How many silly stories do people want to hear about Maddy? I was talking with Alex about the lack of funding for private midwives, and the families that choose midwifery care in Alberta, and she gave me the idea of working this into the blog. I like it. I will try to keep my ranting about the health care system in Canada in general to a minimum and focus on prenatal/birth care, as this is what is closest to my heart right now.
The research I have done in the last few months to educate myself has been random, and disorganized, and therefore, my first few posts on the subject will probably be as well. I joined ASAC (Association for Safe Alternatives in Childbirth), a consumer advocacy group based here in Edmonton. Their website is http://www.asac.ab.ca/index.html for anyone who is interested.
more to come....
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monthy Python's Meaning of Life Hospital Sketch
I have tried and tried to upload this video to the blog, but it just doesn't want to work for me. Anyway, here is the like to the youtube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxOu1DyVQV8
This will have to do until I figure it out. Freaken' hillarious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxOu1DyVQV8
This will have to do until I figure it out. Freaken' hillarious.
Monday, June 16, 2008
The BEST pregnancy book EVER
When I was pregnant with Maddy, I searched out books about pregnancy (like most first time mothers-to-be, I think). I was given several by friends and family, such as the classic 'What to Expect When You're Expecting', 'The Mother of All Baby Books', etc, etc etc. These books gave me lots of helpful information, such as, what not to eat, what not to do, what complications I should always be on the lookout for and what possible deformities and diseases my baby could be born with. If I could give one piece of advice to first time pregnant women, it would be to STAY AWAY from those books. They totally scared the crap out of me, without me even realizing it.
There is one book that I would really recommend. This are 'Ina May's Guide to Childbirth', by Ina May Gaskin. It has changed the way I think about women in general, pregnancy, labour and delivery. I think all women of childbearing age should read this book, whether or not they are pregnant. I am going to start sending this book to every friend I know who is expecting a baby. The book starts with birth stories, not the horror stories that we are used to hearing, but positive stories of women who felt empowered, had their relationships with their partners strengthened, and more, all through the experience of bringing their baby into this world.
The book starts with a quote from Alice Walker, "There is nothing more important than how we are born. We have forgotten this simple fact for far too long." Anyway, please, read this book.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Ultrasound
I had an ultrasound yesterday. Justin and Maddy were really looking forward to seeing pictures of the baby, but if it weren't for that, i would have walked out 5 minutes in. What a demeaning experience. There is NO use whatsoever for those stupid gowns they make you wear, or most of thier policies, for that matter. I have never met a person with as little of a sense of humour as the woman who did my ultrasound. At one point, I was really uncomfortable (hip has been bothering me immensly) and wanted to draw my knees up slightly. I asked her if it would interfere, and she said no. So I started to move. She stopped me, and said I had to stay in the flat on your back position. Why? I ask. It's policy, she replies. I will not continue with this ultrasound if you move. Thanks a lot bitch. Anyway, they also charge you $15 !!! a photo. So I ask if I can get a multiple discount if I get 4 on a CD. With a complete strait face, she does the math outloud, and reports that it will be $60 for 4 photo's. Thanks again. Anyway, here is the picture we got. I am swearing off the entire medical establishment. I will never have another unneccessary ultrasound again.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
OK, doing this at home is going to be expensive.
So, after careful consideration, Justin and I both agree that we really want to do this. While midwives are at least recognized and legislated in Alberta (unlike Newfoundland!), they are in no way funded by the government health plan or our insurance, so this cost is totally on us. When all is said and done, this is going to cost between $3200 and $3500, depending on if we decide to have a water birth or not.
So we started thinking, what better way to include all of our friends and family in this event, than to let them pay for it? Seriously though, any contributions would be a great help. I mean, how many onesies and bottles of baby lotion does a baby really need? So forego the baby gifts, and instead, know that you are a part of one of the biggest events in our lives.
So we started thinking, what better way to include all of our friends and family in this event, than to let them pay for it? Seriously though, any contributions would be a great help. I mean, how many onesies and bottles of baby lotion does a baby really need? So forego the baby gifts, and instead, know that you are a part of one of the biggest events in our lives.
First Meeting with the Midwife, cont...
Justin really wanted to come to see the midwife with me, so we rescheduled for Monday afternoon (yesterday). It was nice to have all three of us there, asking questions. I love her. Maddy LOVES her. Justin loves her too. She is the kind of women that that puts you at ease just by being in the room, which I suppose is a good trait for a midwife to have. Maddy even gave her a big hug when we left (after talking for an hour and a half).
So the decision between homebirth and hospital birth has now been made. There are pro's and con's to each, but homebirth is the safer, more comfortable and relaxing way to do this, it seems. During the last week, I have really been examining my motavations for doing this. The first one was the desire to do this naturally, of course. I'm not a spiritual person, but connecting to the so many women who have birthed their babies without the help of a docter and forceps is really appealing to me. This seems like another stage in my own life, like my own birth itself.
The next big thing that was making me think of homebirth was Maddy's birth experience. This whole last week I have been almost feeling like this baby will be my first real birth, like I wasn't even really there for Maddy's, only a tool in the docters bag for bringing this life into the world. The midwife really picked up on this one, and told me a story of a women (who actually had her baby that morning) who felt very much the same way about her first child's birth. When I had the epidural, I could feel very little about what was going on. I was being told to push, stop pushing, the head's out, etc. Of course, I also didn't feel any pain, which was the whole point, but I think I missed something really important. I missed out.
I'm really looking forward to actually being listened to, to being in control of this, instead of being told, "there's no medal for not having the epidural, you know" and being laughed at (literally) by the nurses at the hospital. Nothing against nurses, they just couldn't understand why I might want to feel this. Maddy and I spent five days in the hospital. It was terrible. Now I won't have to worry about it (hopefully).
So there it is, my reasons for a homebirth. I have only told a few people that I was even thinking about this, and I have gotten a lot of suprised reactions. Many people are wondering if its safe, so for anyone who is interested, this (http://www.homebirth.org.uk/) has a pretty good run down of research done on the safety of homebirth.
So the decision between homebirth and hospital birth has now been made. There are pro's and con's to each, but homebirth is the safer, more comfortable and relaxing way to do this, it seems. During the last week, I have really been examining my motavations for doing this. The first one was the desire to do this naturally, of course. I'm not a spiritual person, but connecting to the so many women who have birthed their babies without the help of a docter and forceps is really appealing to me. This seems like another stage in my own life, like my own birth itself.
The next big thing that was making me think of homebirth was Maddy's birth experience. This whole last week I have been almost feeling like this baby will be my first real birth, like I wasn't even really there for Maddy's, only a tool in the docters bag for bringing this life into the world. The midwife really picked up on this one, and told me a story of a women (who actually had her baby that morning) who felt very much the same way about her first child's birth. When I had the epidural, I could feel very little about what was going on. I was being told to push, stop pushing, the head's out, etc. Of course, I also didn't feel any pain, which was the whole point, but I think I missed something really important. I missed out.
I'm really looking forward to actually being listened to, to being in control of this, instead of being told, "there's no medal for not having the epidural, you know" and being laughed at (literally) by the nurses at the hospital. Nothing against nurses, they just couldn't understand why I might want to feel this. Maddy and I spent five days in the hospital. It was terrible. Now I won't have to worry about it (hopefully).
So there it is, my reasons for a homebirth. I have only told a few people that I was even thinking about this, and I have gotten a lot of suprised reactions. Many people are wondering if its safe, so for anyone who is interested, this (http://www.homebirth.org.uk/) has a pretty good run down of research done on the safety of homebirth.
Friday, June 6, 2008
First meeting with the Midwife
I am meeting with a midwife who does homebirths this morning. Maddy is coming, can't find a sitter. Justin can't make it, which is really too bad. I have been on the internet, looking up questions to ask the midwife, and homebirth in general, and the more I read, the more I think this is the option for me. I'll have to get Justin to weigh in later (although so far, he has been very supportive of the idea). I wish I knew women here in Edmonton who had delivered at home.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The start of my pregnancy journal....
I'm not the most eloquent writer, but having a record of what I was thinking and feeling during these next few months is pretty important to me. I didn't keep any kind of journal when I was pregnant with Madelyn, and now the whole time seems so fuzzy and far away. I'm famous for saying that i'll do it later, but now I really am.
The thing that has precipitated this journal is a decision about the upcoming birth of our baby that we are having a hard time making, and any input from anyone who happens to read this is greatly appreciated. I am now.. 19 weeks pregnant, and the decision for where to birth this baby is becoming a big one. Maddy was born in a hospital, with the whole intervention kit and kaboodle, starting with fetal monitoring, epidural, augmentation with pitocin, etc, etc. Luckily enough, it did not end in a ceasarian section, as so many births do. I came out of it feeling ignored, and bad that I couldn't handle the birth of my baby without all of this help from the docters and nurses. Looking back on the experience, I dread the idea of birthing in a hospital again. The other option is a homebirth, with a registered midwife, which brings up all sorts of new fears.
It's late, and I like short blogs, so I will continue this tomorrow. Goodnight :)
The thing that has precipitated this journal is a decision about the upcoming birth of our baby that we are having a hard time making, and any input from anyone who happens to read this is greatly appreciated. I am now.. 19 weeks pregnant, and the decision for where to birth this baby is becoming a big one. Maddy was born in a hospital, with the whole intervention kit and kaboodle, starting with fetal monitoring, epidural, augmentation with pitocin, etc, etc. Luckily enough, it did not end in a ceasarian section, as so many births do. I came out of it feeling ignored, and bad that I couldn't handle the birth of my baby without all of this help from the docters and nurses. Looking back on the experience, I dread the idea of birthing in a hospital again. The other option is a homebirth, with a registered midwife, which brings up all sorts of new fears.
It's late, and I like short blogs, so I will continue this tomorrow. Goodnight :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
