VBAC support

The following is not meant to replace the advice from your medical doctor. :)

For anyone who doesn't know, a VBAC is a "Vaginal Birth after Cesarean".  I had a cesarean with Samuel due to fetal distress.  I had hoped for a VBAC with Sydney but unfortunately she was showing signs of distress before birth so my Dr., and the second Dr. whom I sought an opinion from, both highly recommended a repeat c-section the next morning.  They said they'd allow for labor if it occurred naturally by the next morning but if it wouldn't they felt a c-section was required to get baby girl out quickly and ensure she continued to thrive (they didn't see induction as an option for me due to increased chance of uterine rupture given the fact that I had a previous cesarean, and I agreed with them).

Anyway, a friend of mine is about to attempt a VBAC and I promised her I'd put up some great information that was sent to me by a local hospital.  This information supports VBACS, something that can be hard to find these days in our lawsuit-happy world.  

I believe that doctors and patients need to make it a priority to attempt the most natural birth possible, including VBAC attempts (provided both mother and baby are healthy).  (When I say natural, that doesn't mean I'm opposed to some help with the pain along the way ladies!  Though I admire anyone who does a medication-free delivery and I do see that as an ideal birth plan.).  Baby and Mom experience many physical benefits from a vaginal birth that I think are often overlooked.  Likewise, I think risks to cesarean (which is a major surgery), and the recovery effort from them, are often underestimated.  There are risks to cesareans too.  I had a friend who contracted an infection from her c-section and was in and out of the hospital for 3 months and was not able to care for her newborn baby.  I have another friend who had to have a transfusion after delivery.  And while my c-sections didn't have any complications, my second section was very difficult for me to recover from and my incision kept showing signs of the beginnings of potential opening (though luckily I was able to mitigate with some intense rest).

I do want to make it clear that I'm thankful the Doctors were able to help ensure I delivered 2 healthy babies, regardless of their route to the world and I do believe most often c-sections are warranted.  In the end, the goal of any birth plan should be the health of mom and baby.  My point is that for women who have had a cesarean, I want them to know that the 2nd time around they do have a choice.  They can choose VBAC.  Yes, there are risks to VBACs, and yes this risk has a small potential to be catastrophic.  However, their are catastrophic risks to any birth and the increase in catastrophic risk from VBAC is quite small.  Mostly I want people to be aware that there are risks to c-section too.  Whether you choose a repeat-C (which I also support as long as it's what the mother and her doctor feel is best for her and baby), or a VBAC, the point is:  Get informed.  Do your research.  Their are risks to both and you need to weigh the pros and cons against your own situation and beliefs.

For the power point on benefits/risks of VBACs click here.

happy 4th of july!

I hope this post finds you relaxing on the 4th.  We have some friends coming over with their kids and plan to do fireworks right on the beach after a day of playing on the lake, boating & BBQing.  It should be a great time with good company and lots of food as usual.  Good thing our Bowflex is arriving next week.  LOL!

In baby news... after my co-op run I'm stocked up on veggies and fruit and have decided to make Syd some home-made baby food, something I often did for Sam too.  This may be a huge mistake as so far she hasn't taken to ANY food.  I thought she was ready for food because, well, she's almost 7 months old and she has been eyeing the food on my plate for quite some time!  But every time I give her baby food she spits it right back out.  I don't know if she doesn't like it or if she's not ready.  I've tried rice cereal, pears, and avocado.  I had the best luck with the avocado.  But even when she has eaten food, it only came back up a half hour later. *sigh*

Anyway, thought I'd pass along a great site for making your own baby food!  It's much easier than you'd think.  Just whip it up in a blender and freeze in old glass baby food jars or ice cube trays (to be later stored in freezer bags once frozen).

And a few Sam-isms to share:

Anytime he's too little for something I tend to say, "That's for adults only."  Well this morning he said to me, "Mom, I'm an adult; you can be a little boy."

As I was putting sunscreen on him today he said, "Don't frost me like a cake!"

His little imagination just blows me away.  I certainly didn't pass down that trait.

oh Canada!

A shout out to my Canadian friends!  HAPPY CANADA DAY!  

And in breaking news... I found my LilyPadz!  WOO HOO!  Though I still better get another pair soon to avoid future embarrassment!

I just got back from a very nice service for my friend's mother.  What a beautiful job they did honoring a wonderful woman.

And for a random tidbit of the day... yesterday I got Sydney's eyes checked free of charge as part of the InfantSee program.  Click here to find an ophthalmologist participating in the program.  By the way, both kid's eyes checked out good.  Sam is seeing at approximately 20/30, totally normal for his age.  I was also concerned he might be color blind as we've made absolutely no progress in teaching him colors even though he's done well at learning other areas.  We won't know for sure for a few years, but it's looking like he can differentiate between colors.  So that's great news!  And it turns out color-blindness is passed down via the Mother's side, which is a relief since Tad's Grandfather was colorblind.  Though there are a host of other vision problems that may be passed on from my end.  LOL.  As for Sydney, she passed her exam too.  And her occasional cross-eyed look is also normal and she should outgrow it.