Today I got a call from the genetics department at Kaiser with the results of Amy’s amniocentesis. All tests came out normal, and we will be having another girl!
We couldn’t be more delighted. After getting so used to Courtney, and what a wonderful little princess she is, we weren’t sure we would know what to do with a boy. So now I’ll be (happily) outnumbered 3-1!
Scott
We went to Kaiser today to get Amy’s amniocentesis. Everything went great and the doctor said it was as normal as could be. It’s funny, Amy and I marvel at all the fear that some women mention about this procedure because of the “giant needle”. It’s really not that much bigger than a large sewing needle.
Anyway, we seem to be on track here at 16 weeks!
Scott
With Christmas approaching, most of us will be celebrating perhaps the most famous unhindered home birth. That of course would be the birth of Jesus. His birth was considered a miracle since his mother, Mary, was apparently a virgin. I still can’t figure that one out. Anyway, I consider the birth of every child to be a miracle. The idea that two people can make a little human being is truly amazing to me.
So, during this holiday season, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, take note and revel in the wonderful miracle that is your life, your family and your children.
Scott
I guess this could be considered the beginning of our new birth story. Last week Amy and I went to our HMO, Kaiser Permanente to get her first checkup and ultrasound at 13 weeks. Just like when we first saw Courtney in the ultrasound, we saw the little heart beating and we both got all teary eyed. This time we actually saw the cord pulsating.
This little life living and growing inside my wife is such an amazingly profound miracle. I have always believed that the ability to carry a child and give birth makes women superhuman. Because of just this ability alone, I think women should be running the world instead of men. If women ran the world, it would be a far better place and there would never be any wars. Think about it.
Scott
It wasn’t magic that I got used to the UBAC idea. I have been well trained by Amy, and she can be very persuasive when there is something she wants or feels strongly about. But what helped the most was being able to exchange a few emails with the husband of one of her friends in the Netherlands who had a C-section and then an unassisted birth with their second child. It was great to share fears and concerns and to get a wonderful perspective from somebody who had the same fears and then went through the whole process.
All I’d heard up until then was stories and anecdotes from the women’s point of view, by way of Amy. It was genuinely wonderful to get another husband’s insight and information from someone who had been there.
Scott
Well, after some initial hesitation, I have fully gotten on board with my wife and her intent to do a UBAC (Unassisted Birth After Cesarean Section).
Our first child, Courtney, was taken from my wife’s body by an unnecessary cesarean section almost three years ago. Amy is pregnant with our second child, and would rather die than have another cesarean. She would prefer never to go to the hospital, where there is one intervention after another.
We had planned a home birth with Courtney, but when we found out at 39 weeks that she was breech, our midwife backed out because she was not experienced with breech births. So we tried unsuccessfully to have an external version(trying to turn the baby by hand externally) performed at the hospital. The doctor said it was best to just have a cesarean since we were there already, or we could just go home and and wait to go into labor and risk getting pre-eclampsia(lie).
So, Amy has put as much research into having not only a home birth, but an unassisted home birth as she originally put into just the home birth with a midwife and a doula.
The fact is that children have been born successfully without hospitals and their interventions for thousands of years. Also, the infant mortality rate in hospitals is extremely high compared to home births without doctors sticking their fingers in where they don’t belong. Pregnancy and childbirth are sacred and private things that are meant to be held and experienced by only those involved.
Scott