Baby Daisy - LOA
Wednesday afternoon, Zane and I visited a birth center. I had been pretty anxious about delivering in a hospital ever since I saw The Business of Being Born. I think my hospital is way more open to natural deliveries than the ones in the documentary, but I didn't want to risk arguing with the medical staff in the middle of labor.
Plus, I want to be able to drink water during labor. I don't think ice chips are gonna cut it.
So here we are, five weeks from my due date, making the switch. I've had a really healthy pregnancy and the birth center is 600 yards from a hospital in case of emergency. We loved the midwife, insurance covers it, and my anxiety about my labor and delivery has gone away. We'll see if it comes back when contractions start!
We walked in and Zane said, "This looks like a bed and breakfast." No joke. Calm, neutral colors. Antique furniture. Whirlpool jacuzzis in the labor rooms. It's totally like a bed and breakfast. Except they don't give you breakfast; they give you a baby.
After our consultation, the midwife checked Daisy's heartbeat, felt around my belly and said she was LOA, a good position for delivery.
I did some research and found this page on fetal positions. It gives more information about how the LOA position is good for the onstart of labor, if you're interested in that sort of thing.
I already knew she was sitting like this, because my last ultrasound showed her head down, which meant that the big bulge I felt in my belly was her butt. One way she moves is by straightening her legs, placing her feet in my right hip and her butt into the "air" or toward the top, left side of my uterus. My belly gets all wonky and misshapen when she does it. She's pretty strong! Sometimes I feel like she's trying to get her feet between my hip bone and the skin around it.
When it feels like there are two butts, I realize I'm having a Braxton Hicks contraction. At first it's like, "What is she doing?" Then I notice that my whole belly is hard and smaller than usual. No pain yet with those.
Praise the Lord for one more great thing about this pregnancy. We've been so blessed by a healthy baby and healthy mom. She's head down and ready to go. Natural birth shouldn't be a problem at all.
Five weeks until my due date!
Plus, I want to be able to drink water during labor. I don't think ice chips are gonna cut it.
So here we are, five weeks from my due date, making the switch. I've had a really healthy pregnancy and the birth center is 600 yards from a hospital in case of emergency. We loved the midwife, insurance covers it, and my anxiety about my labor and delivery has gone away. We'll see if it comes back when contractions start!
We walked in and Zane said, "This looks like a bed and breakfast." No joke. Calm, neutral colors. Antique furniture. Whirlpool jacuzzis in the labor rooms. It's totally like a bed and breakfast. Except they don't give you breakfast; they give you a baby.
After our consultation, the midwife checked Daisy's heartbeat, felt around my belly and said she was LOA, a good position for delivery.
I did some research and found this page on fetal positions. It gives more information about how the LOA position is good for the onstart of labor, if you're interested in that sort of thing.
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| A little visual of how Daisy's chilling out in my belly. via |
I already knew she was sitting like this, because my last ultrasound showed her head down, which meant that the big bulge I felt in my belly was her butt. One way she moves is by straightening her legs, placing her feet in my right hip and her butt into the "air" or toward the top, left side of my uterus. My belly gets all wonky and misshapen when she does it. She's pretty strong! Sometimes I feel like she's trying to get her feet between my hip bone and the skin around it.
When it feels like there are two butts, I realize I'm having a Braxton Hicks contraction. At first it's like, "What is she doing?" Then I notice that my whole belly is hard and smaller than usual. No pain yet with those.
Praise the Lord for one more great thing about this pregnancy. We've been so blessed by a healthy baby and healthy mom. She's head down and ready to go. Natural birth shouldn't be a problem at all.
Five weeks until my due date!
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