Ok, so a few people have asked about water birth. Seeing as how there is nothing new going on around here I will fill you in on water birthing. First of all it doesn't look anything like the picture above. A lot of people were concerned that we had a little blow up contraption in our living room with candles and Enya playing in the background. NO. We were actually in a normal hospital room with a huge tub about the size of a twin bed.Questions people always ask:
Were you naked? No I had a shirt on.
Was Tovey in there and was he naked? Yes, he was in there and no he was not naked, he had shorts on.
Could the baby breathe after it was born? Tovey actually "caught her" under water and immediately took her to the surface.
How long did you sit in there after she was born? There was a hospital bed flush with the tub, we stayed in the water for just a few minutes after she was born then I rolled onto the bed.
Wait where was the midwife? There was a nurse, a midwife and a midwifery student all in a circle around the tub with huge gloves on.
Did you have an epidural? No, the drawback to water births is you can't have any drugs. You can't be hooked up to any machines. So, they check your baby's heart rate every few minutes but other than that it's all up to you and what you remember from labor hypnotherapy class.
What was the best part? I loved that the room was dark and peaceful and that she was born into such a calm environment. I love that I had freedom to move around and wasn't stuck in stirrups. I loved feeling the adrenalin rush after I delivered a child completely on my own. I loved the warm water and the feeling of being weightless. I loved that it was just me and Tovey in the water figuring it out, and I love that he got to play such a role in it.
Were there any drawbacks? Well...I hated the part where I had 2 hours of stitches with surgeons who treated me like a medical patient. I hated that I felt everything during those 2 hours. I hated that I got endometritis (infected uterus) and had to be hospitalized for another week. Mostly I got really tired of knowing everyone from the surgeon to the housekeeper (one downfall to delivering in the hospital you work in). Lastly, I've decided to deliver at another hospital in the area and Saree's hospital is the only one in the area that does water births.
