Isaiah, #1

Isaiah

There was a time when there was just one.  One who stole my heart.  One I spent every moment of every day and night with.  One child.  I was always holding him, rocking him, laying down with him, nursing him, bathing him, "slinging" him, changing him, kissing him, reading to him, singing to him, or dancing with him.  He was my day and night.  He was our baby, the one and only.  So special.  What an amazing, smart little guy.

I remember nursing him when I was pregnant with Ana until my belly filled my lap and it was pretty awkward to hold him sometimes.  Then it would bring on the contractions, OUCH.  The night Ana was born, Isaiah got right in the pool with us.  He loved her instantly.  I nursed them together right there in the pool, the expert and the rookie.  He was still sleeping in our bed when Ana came along.  I put a mattress next to the bed a couple months earlier so he could get used to his own bed.  He did a really good job because I was right there and he knew he could count on me if he needed me for any reason at all.  He often climbed up to our bed or I went down to his.

Isaiah holding me through my labor with Elijah

A couple more years past and I was having our third child, Elijah.  Isaiah wanted to help me so much, and held me through each contraction.  His little pajama shirt was getting wet from my arms.  He held me tight.  He was such a great big brother to Ana already and was so happy to now have a little brother.

When Eli was 4 months old, we found out that he had hemophilia.  We were so scared.  I didn't know anything about hemophilia.  Isaiah was scared too.  It became apparent that he was having some anxiety about keeping his baby brother safe.  He was worried that he or someone else would do something that would hurt him and make him bleed.  Isaiah was only 4 years old.  That is a heavy burden for such a little guy.  Of course, we talked a lot about it, but nothing could really take it completely away.  The fact remained.  His baby brother had hemophilia.

Isaiah and Elijah at NHF Denver 2008

The next year was the hardest for our family:  My husband lost his job. Eli had his port surgery.  I found out I was expecting #4.  We moved from the West coast to the East coast.  In my third trimester, I had to make quick decisions for a birth plan that now included possible hemophilia in the mix.  Ultimately, we decided on a hospital birth with a midwife, but fought for a waterbirth.  A few weeks later, our fourth child, Malakai was born making history as the first waterbaby at Women's and Children's Hospital of Buffalo.  He did not have hemophilia after all.  We brought him home the next day.  Isaiah, Ana, and Elijah were absolutely thrilled with their new baby brother.

A year later, I was expecting again, and we were moving again.  My husband was going back to school to get an RN, and eventually go into hematology to help other families with hemophilia.  So, we moved to the midwest and had an awesome homebirth for our fifth child, Silas.  Cord blood testing showed that he did have hemophilia.  When I told Isaiah, you know what he said?  His eyes lit up and he ran out to tell Eli that he had a hemophilia buddy now.  That boy is just amazing and full of love.

My dad, Isaiah, Me
Eli, Ana
Malakai, Silas

He is 8 now, and older brother to 4 little ones.  He is a cub scout, brilliant mathematician, avid reader, scooter and bike rider, gardener, my righthand man, video game champion, and he loves to take care of people.  Sometimes, his "older kid" needs are set aside because the baby's or another little one's needs are more pressing at the time.  I want that to be different.  Not only is Isaiah loved and important just because he is our son, he has given so much to his family.  He has dealt with a lot in 8 years.  I love him so much, and I appreciate him.   Tonight, after the younger 4 were in bed, I hung out with Isaiah on his bed.  We read his Sonic the Hedgehog comic book together.  It was so nice to have that special fun time with just him.  We need more moments like that.  And I really need to learn to catch properly with a glove because the last time Isaiah was trying to teach me. . . I totally stunk.  ;o)

"Why Home Birth?" by Stacey Rainer

The following was written by a hemophilia mom who worked as an OB nurse.  With her permission, I have republished it here from where she originally posted it on "cafe' mom" back in June 2007. 

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So, someone asked me why I choose home birth, so I decided to write a journal entry to explain it, as I think it's too long for a reply to a previous entry.

First, my birth history. My first three pregnancies were induced because I had high blood pressure. The first was the worst, but the other two were not far behind. I was over 39 weeks each time, so no preemies or anything. I was never sick enough to need meds for my blood pressure. The first two times, I had Pitocin to start my labors. The third time, I did not want it, so I requested to be induced by rupture of membranes. By this point, I had been an OB nurse for a year, so I had a pretty decent working knowledge of the birth process from more than just a participant. During my pregnancy, I began to question circumcision. I talked to several doctors about it in the course of my work, and decided I'd not do it to my children. I had all girls up to this point. After that third baby was born, during my foray into the anti-circ world, I became acquainted with things like not vaccinating your children and home birth. When that child was 9 months old, we made the decision to stop vaccinations. I also decided that my future children would be born at home.

Two years later, I was pregnant again. I could not find a midwife in my new state, Illinois. So, I called a midwife I knew back home in Kansas, and asked her if she would attend my birth. I would travel there at 37 weeks or so, and hang out with my sister until I went into labor. It was all arranged and working well, until 7 weeks along. A sonogram showed twins. I immediately dismissed my home birth plans and while I hoped desperately for a vaginal birth, I knew my chances were slim. I was right. C-section for "unfavorable" position. After that, I'd had it. No matter what happened, I was having a home birth next time. Of course, I still have not found a midwife. Not to be one to wait until I needed, I got on the internet and began searching shortly after my boys were born. Didn't find a midwife, but became acquainted with something else new. Unassisted home birth. This was cool! By this point, I'd been working in OB for 4 years. I felt confident that we could do this. So, two years later, when I was pregnant again, this was the plan. I opted for an unassisted pregnancy as well. I did my own prenatal care. I did finally meet a midwife, just 2 weeks before she was born, but I had already made my plans, so stuck with them. I had a fantastic, 2 1/2 hour birth, in a pool in my family room. It was the most amazing thing ever! I knew then, that I'd never have another baby in the hospital again. So, two years later again (yeah, I know. I have a pattern), when I became pregnant, we didn't even discuss it. We knew we'd be having another unassisted home birth. The time came when labor started, and it was a long, grueling, 52 hour labor. I required a bit of assistance this time. I was ready to throw in the towel and head to the hospital at 50 hours. A midwife friend came over, broke my water and left. Two hours later, I was holding my screaming baby boy.

That's the birth history. Now for the whys of it all. During my career as an RN, I began to see how much stuff is done to women simply because it's what's easiest for the care providers (OB and RN). It's much easier to watch a continuous feed of fetal monitoring at the nurse's desk than it is to hunt down the walking mom every 15 min. to listen and count with a doppler. It's certainly more convenient to break mom's water or give her Pitocin when things are going a bit slower than the OB would like so he can "get that mom delivered" by a decent hour. Those late nights are hard, after all. I began to realize that birth is so much less traumatic both for mom and baby when it's left alone. However, it's nearly impossible for birth to be left alone in the hospital. Everyone's got to get their hands in it, literally. That's not something I want. My first baby was taken to the nursery for the first 6 hours of her life. I needed to rest, you see, because of my blood pressure. It was the longest 6 hours of my life (longer than that labor had been, actually). I hated it. My second was given for adoption. My third, the took her from me, put her in a baby warmer where I could see her. She was messed with, poke with a vit. k needle and a hep b needle. Junk was put into her eyes... she was exhausted by the time I finally got to hold her. She was way too tired to breastfeed. Fortunately, it didn't hamper future attempts and she nursed fine. My twins were taken from me since I had to go to recovery. But, by then, I knew to request no needles, no goop. I wanted them alert when I got them back, so they would nurse and so I could meet them. That was fine. I only had to wait an hour to finally hold my babies. It was better than before, but still not ideal. When my twins were 5 months old, one of them was diagnosed with hemophilia. His blood does not clot properly. So, things like a circumcision, or an intramuscular injection can cause bleeding that won't stop. Thankfully, we'd avoided that. However, the question then became, is it safe to have a home birth when this is a possibility for future children? Well, the next baby was a girl and I knew she was before she was born, so no worries. Then came Ian. There is a 5% risk of bleeding on the brain with vaginal birth. After some reading, I discovered that the risk of this bleeding without the use of instruments to deliver goes down to less than 1%. Well, that's a no brainer. I don't own forceps or a vacuum extractor so there was no concern about an instrument delivery (however much I thought I wanted one by the third day of labor). Well, I knew this baby was a boy, and I knew he had hemophilia. I did not know this through any tests of any kind. I just have a great gut instinct for this kind of thing. Well, he was born, I drew blood from the placenta as we'd arranged, and my husband took it to the clinic for testing. I was right, but my baby was fine. Some would suggest I got lucky. I would say I planned things in such as way as to be sure my baby would be born gently so that there was no risk of bleeding of any kind. Let's talk about risk of bleeding, since this was a question asked of me. Besides that less than 1% risk of brain bleed jumping to 5% in the hospital, there are many other opportunities for a hospital birth to actually cause bleeding. Artificial rupture of membranes - bleeding from the big scrape that is now on the scalp. How about that deep suctioning they do after birth? GI bleed. Rough handling, flicking of the feet, vigorously rubbing the back all to stimulate crying - muscle bleeds. IM injections - muscle bleeds. Of course, there is ample opportunity in all of this for big ugly bruising to be left behind by uneducated staff. This all just addresses the hemophilia. But why home birth at all?

Ultimately, I have a very strong faith in my Maker and the way He created me. I am a strong, healthy woman. My body was designed to conceive, grow, carry and finally birth a baby all on it's own. I also believe that a vast majority of fetal distress and failure to progress cases are caused by hospital intervention. The use of continuous fetal monitoring has NOT improved outcomes when it comes to fetal mortality. It has, however, increased the incidence of c-sections 3 fold. Pitocin has become a drug of convenience rather than emergencies. Docs going out of town? No problem We'll induce before she goes. Mom is only here to help you for one more week? Ok. Let's induce. You're due tomorrow? Well, let's just get you scheduled. Something like 90% of all inductions are not medically necessary. Labor's going to slow? We'll augment with Pit. Why? Oh, just to get it over and done with for you. Sheesh! No one even talks about the RISKS!! Yes! That's right! There are RISKS to this drug! In fact, it's not even approved by the FDA to use for augmentation! But, who needs to follow labels? Let's use this great new blood pressure drug, Cytotec to stimulate labor! So what if it causes ruptured uteruses? That doesn't happen to every one. Think of all the time that can be saved by getting labor started on a time table. Obstetrics is the only medical specialty that is not evidenced based. It's tradition based. There have been multiple studies that have proven the old ways are wrong but it's still going on! Why? Why is there such a need to manage something that works just fine on it's own? Pregnancy is not a disease. It's not a sickness. It's not an emergency waiting to happen. It's a normal function of life. We go to the doctor when normal functions aren't happening normally. Your hearts not working right? See a cardiologist. Blood not working right, as in our family? See a hematologist. Birth IS working right? See an OB anyway. Do you get it? Do you understand why someone might choose to flee as far and as fast as possible? Because what I DON'T get, is the American practice of obstetrics. I don't get it, and I won't have it. Home, where there is peace and gentleness surrounding the entrance of my baby into this world. There's enough violence throughout life. It doesn't need to start with the first breath of life.

The Last Few Days / Weeks Before the Big Day

Everything is ready except for a few more towels that we are getting from Matt's mom.  The pool is blown up and cleaned.  The liner is on and cleaned.  A sheet is laying over the pool to keep it clean.  All the birth supplies are gathered and organized.  Our midwife and doula have both been to our home making sure they know the route well.  We have Silas's clothes washed up and in his drawer, the blankets washed up, and we have diapers ready for him.  The HTC sent the blue capped tubes for collecting the cord blood to be tested, and things are set up with the local hospital.  The carseat should arrive today. . .  Lets's see, anything else?

We are as prepared as we can be.  Now, we just wait.  This last bit of pregnancy always seems to be the longest, and it is very hard to focus on anything except for baby and birth.  However, I can't just neglect everything else.  I have a husband and four other children!  We homeschool, there are dishes and laundry to be done, and messes to clean up. 

The unknown is always aggravating to a certain extent.  I was just talking to another mom about her birth, and it has me puzzled.  Her baby's cord was wrapped around his neck twice close to the placenta.  Everytime she stood up, his heartrate dropped.  Pushing him out was strangling him.  I will talk to my midwife about this, and find out what is the best thing to do in a scenario like this.  One of my weaknesses is trying to figure everything out.  I want to understand what happened, and why, and how to best deal with it if it happens to me or someone else. 


Meanwhile, it's time for breakfast and everyone needs to get dressed.  We need to have a great school day and lots of housework is needing to be done.  I love my job.  It is not easy, but being a mom and devoting all of my time to taking care of my family is the best job I could have.

Silas will be here very soon!!  I'll be 39 weeks in just 4 days! 

I Have a Dream. . .

Well, it is very late, and I should be dreaming in my sleep.  Instead, here I write on this blog that holds so much of my heart.  We are officially 38 weeks now that it has hit midnight.  Birth is on my mind even more than usual.  Why do I do this?  Why did I even start Bubble Wrapped Birth?  Why bother?  I'll tell you why.  This is something I believe in with all my heart.  I learned about gently birthing my babies before I knew what the word hemophilia meant.  I want to get the attention of those who have a voice that can make a difference or be that voice myself.  There is a better way, a safer way to protect our little ones through the birth process.  I have a dream that someday our recommendations for delivery will include more than they do now.  Things like:  no pitocyn, avoiding epidurals, getting us up off of our backs, keeping the mom comfortable and making freedom of movement an essential priority, considering water birth, and no forceful pushing.  We can work with our bodies.  We do not need to fear birth.  God did create our bodies to do this.  We are strong.  Our babies are affected so much from birth.  Birth does matter!  Someday, my little girl may have the honor of motherhood, and she will need to choose what is the safest way to birth a possible hemophiliac.  I am doing this for me, for you, but mostly for her.  Goodnight, dear readers.  Sweet Dreams. . .

"Pushing" for a Gentle Birth

My husband and I have had 4 beautiful all natural water births, and are looking forward to our 5th in the next few weeks.  If you've read my birth plan, then you may have noticed #6: "I will not start pushing until my body starts pushing on its own. If I get an undesirable urge to push before then, my midwife will check to make sure I am fully dilated. Ideally, I will try not to ever push to make sure the baby comes out as easy as possible."  I want to use this BWB post to talk about my experiences with pushing.

Isaiah still in water seconds after his birth

With Isaiah, our first born, I pushed with every contraction as soon as I found out I was 10 cms dilated.  I felt like I was pushing against a brick wall.  Now, I know that I should've waited until my body started pushing on its own.  Of course, my midwife wasn't intending on my forced pushing.  She told me to push if it felt good.  I was pushing because I thought that my baby would get into my arms faster if I did.  Well, that pushing lasted for 4 hours.  Isaiah was fine.  Our midwife kept a close watch on his heartrate, and when he started crowning, she kept a close eye on his skin coloring.  The only issue he had was that the plates in his skull were very overlapped, and even caused the roof of his mouth to not be smooth which effected his ability to latch on well.  Isaiah does not have hemophilia, and I am so glad because I think all that time in the birth canal may have caused problems if he had hemophilia.  As it was, the overlapping issue was resolved in a few days, and he was just fine.

Right after Ana's birth

Ana, our second, was another story!  I didn't mention in the previous paragraph that Isaiah was 9#8oz at birth!  Well, Ana was only 7#4oz.  That is a significant difference!  My midwife would not tell me when to push.  She said, I would let them know when it was time for me to push.  So, I waited.  It didn't take long at all until all of a sudden I was pushing with a contraction.  It just happened!  I wasn't trying to push or anything.  It was a natural response to my body's birthing process.  Within 6 minutes, she was born.  It was amazing!  Ana is a carrier of severe hemophilia A like I am, and did not have any issues at birth.

Elijah hours after delivery

Our third birth, Elijah was very different from Ana's birth.  If you read his story, you'll get a better idea.  One thing I did right was that I "tested" pushing with a few contractions, not a lot, just a very little start of a push.  It did not feel right.  So, I did not push.  I only started pushing when it felt right.  Which brings up the issue of epidurals.  Yes, they occasionally have their place, but they should be avoided for so many reasons.  Knowing when it feels right to push being one of those main reasons.  I learned in my first birth, that you can push too soon even after you're dilated to 10cms!  Ok, off the soapbox and back to Eli's birth.  When it did feel right to push, I quickly realized that this baby was BIG.  He wasn't coming out easy like Ana did, and I didn't want him to be in the birth canal as long as Isaiah was.  So, I P-U-S-H-E-D harder than I had ever pushed before!  When his head came out, my body rested as it always does.  It felt like forever!!  When I began pushing again and his shoulders and torso came out, I thought he was totally out, and went to scoop him into my arms.  "One more push! one more push!" my midwife and husband said.  I gave another little push, and that big 10#14oz bubba was in my arms!!  He was pink, and had no bruising at all.  If you read this blog, you know that Eli is our hemohiliac.  We didn't know until he was 4 months old that he had hemophilia.  I believe with all my heart that God's grace, the gentleness of his birth and my management of the pushing stage of his birth are credited with his safety.  It blows me away that our severe hemophiliac was the one that was almost 11#s at birth! 

Malakai just minutes after delivery

Malakai's birth was a breeze.  Like Ana, I didn't have to actually push at all.  My body just pushed him right out.  He was only 7#12oz.  He did have a meconium issue after his birth, and he was fine once they got it all suctioned out of him.  If you would like to see one of our births for yourself, we have a very non-graphic video of Malakai's birth on youtube.  His birth was the first one that we planned in the knowledge that our baby had a 50% chance of having hemophilia. 

All of our births have been water births.  I am a true believer in water birth.  I think it is a major cause of the gentleness of our births.  I have blogged about this before in:  Why I Love Water Birth:part 1 and Why I Love Water Birth: part 2.

The conclusions I draw from all my various pushing experiences are these:

1.  Don't push just because you are 10 cms.

2.  Focus on relaxing and staying "on top" of the intensity of your contractions.  If you are working with your body, your body will naturally start pushing on it's own, and you may not have to push at all.

3.  Only push when it feels right.  Sometimes, with very large babies, it may be necessary to push with your body.  I personally do not believe it is good for a hemophiliac to stay in the birth canal for a long time based on seeing what happened to Isaiah's head.  So, I do believe I did the right thing in pushing very hard with my body to get Eli out as soon as possible.

4.  Being as relaxed as possible, and in a position that allows gravity to help the process helps the pushing stage be much easier on mom and baby.

Thank you for your interest in Bubble Wrapped Birth.  As always, please don't just take my word for anything.  Do your own research.  Talk to your doctor or midwife.  This is what I believe and what I know works for me.  However, I do hope I have sparked some thoughts about the 2nd stage of labor that you may not have had before.  Thanks for reading!

Details, details, details!! (Of our hemo birth plan)

We put padding in our little hemo's clothes, use a helmet, and don't have a coffee table. We do these things to control our little hemo's surroundings to avoid bleeds in early life.  To the best of my ability, I need to control my baby's surroundings when it comes to birth.  Well, I am my baby's surroundings!  If I am tense, my muscles are tense and less flexible.  If I am lying on my back, my pelvis is up to 30% smaller, and my baby has to hit my tailbone and fight gravity to get out.  If I do not have freedom of movement in any way, I am compromising the ease of my baby's birth because I am not able to move with my baby's descent and delivery.  If I force pushing, I am potentially forcing my baby into the birth canal before he is ready and putting more pressure on his head.  If I am induced with Pitocin, my contractions are much more severe than natural contractions, making a lot more trauma for baby.  If I am drugged with an epidural, I am not as aware of my body throughout the birth and cannot respond to my body's cues (position, pushing, etc) In this light, we have designed a very careful birth plan with hemophilia in mind. 

Here's the details:

1.  I will be having a water birth.  Being in the warm water helps me fully relax and have full freedom of movement.  The warm water even helps me stretch more easily, preventing tearing.  It is also so pain relieving for me that it removes the need for an epidural (which usually leads to pitocin). 

2.  I will birth in an upright position: hands and knees, squatting, standing, or sitting on a birth stool.  The last two being out of the pool if I choose to get out.  The only exception would be laying on my side if for some reason I felt like laying down.  These positions let gravity help my baby and let my body open to the max!

3.  I will have intermittent monitoring as opposed to having a monitor strapped on my belly.  This also helps me have total freedom of movement.

4.  I have an IV available if needed, but I'm not planning on using it otherwise. This is also to help with freedom of movement.

5.  I will be eating and drinking through my labor, keeping my energy up and staying hydrated.

6.  I will not start pushing until my body starts pushing on its own.  If I get an undesirable urge to push before then, my midwife will check to make sure I am fully dilated. Ideally, I will try not to ever push to make sure the baby comes out as easy as possible.  This seems to be a small baby anyway.  So, there's a good chance he will be born without me pushing at all. 

7.  When Silas is born, we will not cut his cord.  We will allow him to receive all of his blood and stem cells.  We will wait until his cord is empty of blood, and his natural "Wharton's Jelly" has naturally sealed (clamped) his cord.  Then, we will cut the cord.  I believe that this approach will help him in many ways including reducing/eliminating bleeding from cord site if he has hemophilia.

8.  Our midwife will draw tubes of blood from the placenta to have his factor 8 level tested.  She has experience with this and I am confident that she knows what she is doing.  We have worked with her before and she is amazing!

9.  We are working with our HTC to arrange getting his blood tested right after his delivery.

10.  If Silas has any bruising or any sign of a bleed we will take him to the ER immediately to get him checked out. The hospital is less than a mile and a half away. Since we already have a hemophiliac, we do have factor on hand as well. 

11.  We've asked another hemo mom to attend the birth as our doula.  She is also a trained L&D nurse. 

12.  Also, I will be going to a chiropractor weekly until the birth to be sure my pelvis is in perfect alignment.  This will help the birth be easier on Silas as well.

Our approach is to do everything we can to give Silas the most gentle, non-traumatic birth possible to prevent a bleed in the first place.  We have hired a midwife who is highly skilled, and carries emergency equipment, drugs, and herbs.  I am pleased that we'll have another hemophilia mom attending the birth, and that she is a trained L&D nurse.  I am so excited and looking forward to an incredible birth!!

As always, I want to remind all my readers that I am sharing what we have decided for our family.  In no way do I think someone should use this as a blueprint for their own birth.  I only want to share what I've learned and spark thought.  If anything on this page interests you, look into it for yourself and discuss it with your doctor/s.  Thanks for reading!

We're having a boy!

I am now 17 weeks pregnant.  Yesterday, my husband and I went to our ultrasound appointment and found out that our baby is a boy!  So, that makes 4 boys and 1 girl now for our family.  We were shocked silly.  Yes, of course we weren't truly shocked, but we did laugh a lot!  Another boy?!!  So much for having a break with birth planning, right?!  No, we are very happy about our little guy.  He even has a name:  Silas Martin Reeves.  He is a sweetie, about 6 ounces, and quite a wiggle worm.  We absolutely love him!! 

So, now for planning Silas' bubble wrapped birth. . .

We are hoping to move to MI in a couple months.  By then, I will be about 6 months along.  I spoke to our midwife there, and she gave me the name of a CNM who works in a birthing center there.  I will speak to her today.  The big hospital connected to Children's Hospital of Michigan says they offer water birth with midwives as well.  This hospital also happens to be one of the best in the country for hemophilia.  I will definitely be looking into that! 

The problem with homebirth is getting the cord blood tested.  Our midwife can draw it, and Matt could run it to a hospital lab to be tested, but they can't accept it without a prescription.  We would have to find someone who would write a prescription for us, and a 24 hour lab that would accept it from my husband/midwife. 

What we are looking for in a birth is:

• a totally hands-off approach
• water birth
• cord blood testing
• gentle baby care afterwards (ZERO separation, no heel prick, no vit k injection, etc.)

Obviously, if we could work out the cord blood testing, homebirth would be great.  If not, we have to find the most gentle hospital/birth center situation.  Getting the cord blood tested is very important because if we don't get it done, then we have to take our newborn in for a blood draw.  That is miserable torture for a baby, as any hemo parent knows! 

It will all work out.  I will not fear.  Although, I know I will have my moments. 

~Silas, we will make the safest birth for you, sweetie.  We love you so much!~

Why I Love Water Birth: part 2

Before Ana could start walking, we were looking at two happy pink lines again!  We had been in IL for Isaiah's birth, MI for Ana's birth, and now we were in CA looking for a midwife.  We couldn't possibly have more than one baby in any state, could we?  We found the best midwife for us, and began planning another home water birth. 

I knew I was in labor at about 1:30am.  I labored in bed for a while on my side.  I got on my knees and leaned over a chair, all the time moaning through contractions.  By now, Isaiah was about 1 month from being 4, and Ana was about 2 months from being 2.  I had practiced these birth noises with them so they wouldn't be scared when the time came.  It worked.  They weren't scared at all.  I had nice breaks between contractions too, which really helped.  Isaiah wanted to help me so badly, but kept getting in people's way.  So, I asked him if he could hug me through my contractions.  He was my doula for this birth!   

The pushing stage for this birth was way more intense than it had been with Ana's birth.  For the first time during active labor, I called out to God, thanked Him for this baby, and that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13).  When it was time to push, I pushed like I had never pushed before.  His head came out.  There was a small break before the next contraction (seemed like forever!).  Then, I was pushing again.  He was so huge that I thought he was completely out when he was only out to his waist!  Elijah was 10lbs 14oz!  I couldn't believe it!  His birth was so gentle, and he was a beautiful chubby newborn.  Four months later, we found out he had severe hemophilia.  I am so thankful that we had such a gentle birth for him.  I believe the water birth was a major reason why he was so big and did not have any bleeds or bruising, and I did not tear at all. 

By the time we were expecting our fourth little one, we knew that I was a carrier of hemophilia.  I have written all these stories before, and have recently posted the story of "Our Journey".  Please read it to get the full story of how we began birth planning with the knowledge of hemophilia being a possiblility.  We moved from CA to NY when I was 6 months pregnant.  I found a midwife, and we started planning a homebirth with the goal of drawing cord blood and transporting the specimen from home to a lab.  That plan did not work out.  We had to consider a hospital birth.  I met with the perinataltologist.  I explained to her that water birth was the safest, most gentle way I knew how to birth, our large hemophiliac baby had been born in water at home with no problems at all, and I insisted that our fourth baby's birth was just as gentle.  Malakai was the first water birth ever for this hospital.  His birth was so gentle that his water never broke until his shoulders were born. 

I know I've shared all these stories in length before, but I wanted to give a fresh review to illustrate where I'm coming from with water birth.  Based on my experience, I love water birth because:

• It calms my pain and discomfort.
• It relaxes my body.
• It softens my perineum, and helps me not tear.
• Because I am so relaxed, I can get in the best possible position for my pelvis to be at maximum size.
• I can easily move to different positions at will.
• Because I am so relaxed, my whole body opens to birth my baby as gently as possible.
• It gives me my own space, and I feel safe. 
• Being in the water helps me feel covered, and I don't feel so exposed and vulnerable.

I am now 13 1/2 weeks pregnant with our fifth baby.  Malakai is 16 months old, Eli is 3, Ana is 5, and Isaiah is 7.  In about 5 weeks we will find out if this baby is a boy or a girl.  There is no question that we will be planning another water birth.  We hope to have a home birth, but if we must consider a hospital, we will plan a water birth there.  Hemophilia babies need a gentle birth even more than other babies do, and I am so thankful that we already practiced such a gentle way of birthing even before we knew hemophilia was a part of our lives.

Why I Love Water Birth: part 1

I first heard of water birth when I was a teenager.  My first thought was "That's crazy!  Won't the baby drown?!".  I really didn't think of it much more until I was married and we were expecting our firstborn.  The first midwife we interviewed told us that she almost exclusively did water births.  She told us that water birth was a lot gentler on both the baby and the mom.  "For the baby, the difference is like waking up at your own leisure on a Saturday morning vs. being woken up with an alarm clock on Monday morning."  The baby is born from warm fluid into warm fluid, and is gently lifted up to the air, and the baby is not stimulated to breathe until he/she comes in contact with the air.  The warm water helps mom relax, and her body opens up more.  The warm water is also great pain relief, and allows the mom to move to different positions effortlessly.  We were impressed with all the benefits she shared with us, and decided to go with a water birth.

Our first birth was at home.  My husband (Matt) and I were in the birth pool together.  Isaiah was crowning for an hour.  Our midwife kept close watch on his heart rate and skin color which was fine, and Matt played with his hair.  After 4 hours of pushing, Isaiah was born into his daddy's hands.  Matt passed him to me, and I lifted him up out of the water.  He was big!  9lbs 8oz, broad shoulders and big chest.  No wonder he took so long to come out!

Baby #2 was also born at home.  Things went a lot faster this time.  I knew I was in labor around 11:00pm and she was born at 1:30am.  My mom called our midwife, Matt got the pool ready, and I was laboring on the toilet, tailorsitting on the floor, hanging on people. . .  I couldn't wait for the pool to be ready!!  Finally, it was warm enough and full enough for me to get in.  Ahhhhhhhhh. . . .   instant relief!  My sister acted as my doula, and my sis-in-law was there to take care of Isaiah (then 2 years old).  Matt and I were in the pool.  My midwife would not tell me when to push.  She said I would tell them when it was time to push.  Suddenly, one contraction caused me to bear down!  I told my sis-in-law to wake up Isaiah.  He wanted us to wake him up for the birth.  She did.  She told him that the baby was coming.  He got up, unzipped his pajamas, and started taking off his diaper, and climbing in the pool!  My midwife said it was fine.  So, we let him in.  Within 6 minutes of the first pushing contraction, Ana was born into my own hands.  Matt was holding Isaiah, my sister was right outside the pool next to me.  With one hand on my sister's shoulder, and one hand on Ana's head, I told everyone when she was crowning, when her head was out, and brought her up out of the water when she was born.  She was pink and looked so little at 7lbs 4oz (2lbs less than her brother was!)

Our Journey

I was an avid natural birth advocate way before I knew what the word hemophilia meant.  After our third child was diagnosed with severe hemophilia and I found out I was a carrier, I began to ask people a lot of questions.  I asked other hemo moms, doctors, nurses, midwives, anyone!!  I wanted to know if my beautiful home birth days were over, and I wanted to know the real risks posed to baby hemophiliacs at birth.  It was then that my Bubble Wrapped Birth journey began. 

I have heard many stories, read the studies, looked at medical reports, and read our recommendations published in Hemaware magazine.  I have never once read a birth story where a baby had a gentle birth with no drugs or interventions of any kind, and ended up with a bleed.  In fact, all the birth bleed stories I've read have been births with drugs or interventions such as vacuum or forceps. 

I am committed to planning safe deliveries for each of my children.  I've learned a lot from other hemo families, midwives, and my own experience.  My husband and I have learned what works best for us and allows us to have the most gentle birth as possible.  We use water birth.  It allows me to fully relax, move effortlessly, and be in the greatest positions that open my pelvis to maximum size.  There are some situations that we have decided would mean the safest delivery would be a c-section.  These include placenta previa and a breech boy (maybe girl, not decided yet). 

The bottom line is this.  We believe that a gentle vaginal birth is most beneficial to our children unless one of the above complications become evident.  In this Bubble Wrapped Birth journey, I may come across other reasons for scheduling a c-section.  My concern is what is best for my babies.  Period.

As far as home birth, I birth at home when I believe the hospital situation threatens dangerous interventions and does not support our birth plan.  One hard thing we've come across is how to get the cord blood tested from a home birth.  It was for this reason our fourth child was born in the hospital. 

His birth was perfect, and just as gentle as a home birth.  After he was born, he had a meconium issue, and needed suction and breaths.  That was a first, and not fun.  He was ok, and I thought the staff did a fine job taking care of the situation.  If we had been home, we would've been set up right at the side of the pool.  He would've been able to be suctioned, and get breaths on a flat warm surface without cutting the cord or leaving me.  The baby care at the hospital was also something new for us.  Home is much gentler on the baby, and we are in full control of what happens with our baby.  In a hospital, we dealt with required procedures, sometimes dangerous for a baby with a bleeding disorder (ie:  rough personnel and the heel prick).  We were there for one reason, and that was the cord blood testing.  He did not have hemophilia.

Now, we are 12 weeks along with baby #5.  We will find out around Easter time if baby is a boy or a girl.  Plan A is a home birth with cord blood testing and a trained professional with emergency equipment.  Plan B is a gentle water birth in a hospital with a midwife where our birth plan is respected and we can get the cord blood tested for factor 8 level.  We will continue to grow and learn, and we will never compromise our baby's safety.  If we are having a girl, we will probably plan a home birth. 

Bubble Wrapped Birth is a passion of my heart.  Thank you for joining me on this amazing and precious journey!

Sorry for the L-O-N-G absence!! I'm back!

Since last May, I have started a BWB facebook page.  That seems to be the best way to contact people, but I want to get back to writing!  I really don't get too much feedback on my page, but I hope some of the topics make some people think.  I have gotten a few birth stories.  One thing that continues to dominate my thinking is the fact that bleeds are caused by interventions!!  My husband and I want to have more children.  We did have an awesome birth with Malakai at the hospital, but the newborn care protocols are not very hemophilia safe.  For example:  if he'd had hemophilia, the heel prick would've probably caused a bleed.  We were able to get oral vitamin K, though.  That was very good since they wouldn't let us refuse it.  If we could be guaranteed that our baby would not be handled roughly or be poked, I would definitely have another hospital water birth, and consider that our best choice.  Until I can have that guaranteed, I still have my doubts.  #5 is not on his/her way yet, but if we get any exiting news, you are welcome to join us in planning for another bubble wrapped birth!  ;o)

My Bubble Wrapped Birth

If I were putting together a birth plan for another baby, I would look at my options and decide where my baby would be the safest.  That is simple enough, but what is "safest" to me?  I choose water birth with a midwife nearby who is trained in newborn and adult emergency response.  I would choose to be in a place that does not interfere with my natural birth process.   If you have read my birth stories, you know that I have had 3 home water births, and one hospital water birth.  I prefer home because there are no hospital protocols to deal with.  Some could even cause a bleed.  I want to have the cord blood tested immediately after birth as opposed to getting it drawn a few days later.  That's rough.  My motivation is my baby's safety.  So, I would draw from my experience, assess my options, and choose the birth plan that keeps my baby the safest.  The purpose of this blog is to gather and discuss information that would help make this careful decision.

I consider water birth a huge asset to hemophilia carrier moms who want to avoid a c-section. Most hemophilia "experts" recommend that we have scheduled c-sections. Yet, I have searched and searched on this subject and cannot find any proof that a normal, calm, un-intervened birth has ever caused a bleed in a severe hemophiliac. All bleeds I have read about are caused by interventions during labor and delivery. Water birth has so many benefits to mom and baby, but the most important is that the mother is more comfortable. This relaxes her muscles. The warm water makes her stretch much better. The buoyancy of the water makes it much easier to move anywhere at will weightlessly. You naturally ease your baby out. These facts make the birth more gentle on the baby, and isn't that always the goal with a hemophiliac?

Our Fourth Birth - Malakai (part 2 - Birth Day!!)

My mom and Grandma arrived Thursday morning. I was miserable! I felt so sick, and was so upset about not being able to fully focus on our soon coming birth. Everyone agreed that Matt should take me out to dinner, and get me out of the house. I hadn't been out for about 2 weeks due to flu season! We went to Red Robin for dinner. Then we walked around Target and Walmart. It was so refreshing to be out with Matt. Throughout the evening, my mild contractions became pretty regular at about 5 minutes apart. I told Matt that I bet Malakai's birthday would be November 6th! We came home, and I went to bed. Matt stayed up making sure everything was ready if we needed to go to the hospital in the morning. I had contractions all night, and also got some sleep.

In the morning, my contractions began to get better. I couldn't talk through them at about 8:30. We began timing them. They were between 5 and 7 minutes apart. They got a little closer together, and I decided to take a shower. That really helped! I had 6 good contractions while I was in the shower. When I got out, I called Matt at work, and told him it was time to come home! We left for the hospital in about 15 minutes or so. The ride really wasn't as bad as I had feared it would be. Matt did speed, and didn't exactly obey every traffic law!

We arrived at the hospital a little after 10:30 am. Our midwife, Eileen was waiting in our room. The pool was set up and filled. The bed had been moved out to the hallway. :o) We met our nurse. This was one of the many amazing things God had planned for us. Our nurse had had 4 homebirths. 3 in the water! She was so exited about us. She had requested to be called in to be our nurse whenever we checked in. She was awesome! I had to get some blood work done between contractions, but refused the IV. I am not sure when I got in the pool, but I fell in love with that pool! Oh, soooo nice!! I had to get more blood taken. It was ok. We just went with it.

Eileen knew I wanted lots of privacy and space. So, she and everyone else left Matt and I alone for a while. It was nice! She checked on us periodically. My contractions got better and better. It was getting nearly impossible to be in a comfortable position through them. Yay!! Then, I told Matt to kneel down in front of me. I grabbed his shirt and got through my much stronger contractions. Quietly in my heart, I was really hoping Malakai would be born with just the two of us there. A couple minutes later, I braced myself, gripped Matt's shirt and felt my body begin to push! Matt asked me if my water had broken, but I could not speak. My body bore down again very strongly. I felt my tailbone move up and out of the way as Malakai's head came out!! At that time, Eileen and another midwife came in to check on us. Eileen heard me make a grunting noise, and said, "Oh! Is it time?!". I said, "Yes, the head is out." In fact, his bag of waters was still intact around his head! When I felt his head, it felt so amazing being in a water balloon! I relaxed for a moment. Then, my body pushed the rest of his body out. His water broke as his shoulders were born. I lifted him up out of the water and to my chest!

His heart rate was good. He was limp and getting more purple, though. We rubbed him, kissed him, spoke to him, and he wasn't snapping out of it. It had only been a minute, and sometimes water babies don't breathe for a whole minute just because they are not stimulated to breath until they are out of the water. Eileen gave him a few breaths mouth to mouth. He gave a little gasp and squeaked, but not enough. Katherine (OB that works with Eileen) gave him a few more breaths, and they cut the cord to get him to a flat surface. When they suctioned him, they found that he had swallowed some meconium. He pinked up right away. This particular situation would've been handled well at home too. I am very pleased with the care he received at the hospital. Everyone was very calm and acted quickly. They were great!

They brought him back to me in the pool. It didn't take him long to show me he was a pro at nursing! Soon my placenta was born. Then, we got out of the pool.

So, that's it! All of the fear, planning, tears, praying, and frustration about Malakai's birth came down to a very unusual hospital birth! Matt and I got to share a moment between just the two of us that we couldn't have even had at home! His birth began as an unattended birth, and I caught him myself! Malakai's birth was definitely the easiest I have ever had. I guess it helps to have a 10# 14oz baby before to plow the way!! lol!

For the record, the birth itself was the best part of our hospital experience. We were not thrilled to have to deal with the many unnecessary hospital protocols that you don't have to deal with at home. It is definitely not as restful to stay at the hospital, and soooo many people have their hands on your baby. You don't have as much say in your baby's care as you do at home. Yes, I'm still partial to homebirth, but now I know hospital birth can be awesome too! For us, the baby care afterwards was the main headache. We had nice people. All the required tests and procedures and middle of the night disturbances are not nice though!

God totally blew me away! . . . and, Malakai doesn't even have hemophilia after all of that!

Malakai Thomas Reeves was born on November 6th, 2009 at 12:32pm in a birth pool at Women's and Children's Hospital in Buffalo, NY. He was 7lbs. 12oz. and 21 inches long. His actual birth was mainly attended by his Daddy, and he was caught by his own Mommy.  "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of POWER, and of LOVE, and of a SOUND MIND."  "I can do ALL things through Christ Who strengthens me."  God is truly awesome!!!  That was the beginning of Malakai Thomas Reeves!!  Whew!

Our Fourth Birth - Malakai (part 1 - pregnancy and planning)

I didn't realize how emotional it would be to revisit my pregnancy with Malakai.  I've shared my birth story with so many, but his story begins a few months before he was created. . .

One month before Elijah was a year old, I got the news that I was indeed a carrier of severe hemophilia A.  (For those who aren't as familiar with hemophilia:  It is possible that a hemophiliac is the result of a spontaneous mutation, and did not inherit the gene from a parent.)  That was November 2008.  In March 2009, we found out that we were expecting #4.  Within the next month or two after that, my husband learned that he was losing a huge part of his job that would make it impossible for us to stay in CA.  This was a very personal thing, and not just a business downsize.  Also, Elijah was one week from his port surgery.  I was under extreme stress, and had to choose where my energy would be spent.  That was not a hard choice.  I had to take care of my family.  My husband needed a lot of support, I was growing a baby that needed me, and I was gearing up to hand off my older baby to surgeons.  There was no room for anything else.  But, still, it didn't make all the other pressure go away.  On top of all that, I had to start planning my upcoming birth.  We got an ultrasound to determine the sex of the baby.  It was a boy!  I started doing extensive research on hemophilia and childbirth, and was not satisfied with what I found. I'll get into that in another post. 

Several facts were in the mix: 

1. Our baby had a 50% chance of having severe hemophilia. 

2. I had to plan my birth with wisdom in the new knowledge that I may have passed on this gene. 

3. I could not base my decision on the success of Elijah's birth, although that did play a part in the decision.  All hemophiliacs are not the same, and have different bleeding patterns. 

4. Until my third trimester, I did not have any idea where we would be for the birth. 

5. We needed to have his blood tested right after his birth.


6. Our son's hematologist recommended that I schedule a c-section.  Then, when she could see that I was not welcoming that idea, she recommended a plan B:  Have my birth as natural as possible in a hospital where they can do an emergency c-section if needed.


Near the end of my second trimester, my husband was offered a job in NY.  He accepted the position, and we had to pack up our house in a week.  We decided to drive.  After all, when would we ever get the opportunity to drive from CA to NY again?!  So, Matt drove the big truck, and I drove the van.  Yeah, it was pretty crazy!  It was fun though.  We made lots of memories.   I met with the only licensed midwife in the Buffalo area a couple weeks later.  We were planning a homebirth, hoping the local hospital would support running the labs for us (Matt would take the blood to the hospital immediately).  In some cases, this does work. However, this time, it did not.  Our new pediatric hematologist tried to work out the labs for us, and even an on call emergency transport.  However, the hospital would not support this plan.  Our midwife, who we loved, could not help us with a homebirth.  She was under fire from the hospital, and could only offer to help us with a hospital birth.  I was devastated.  We met with another midwife, but we couldn't work out the labs.  I met with the nurse manager at the hospital.  I told her that I wanted a waterbirth.  She told me that they did not offer waterbirth, and the room was so small that it just wouldn't work.  I was determined to have the most relaxed non-traumatic birth possible even if that meant having my baby at home and compromising the immediate lab work.  I was trying to avoid causing my baby a bleed.  I would keep him safe!!  I met with the perinatologist who asked me about my birth history and what I wanted for this birth.  When she heard my reasoning and that my only concern was the safety of my baby, she told me that I should get exact measurements of the birth pool, and get them to the nurse manager.  I did, but the NM said there was simply no room.  I asked her if we could make room for the pool by moving the bed to the hallway.  She said I shouldn't hope for this to be approved, but she would speak to "the powers that be", and get back to me.  I again shared my heart for my baby's safety with her.  The next morning,   I wept tears of joy when the NM called me and told me to order the pool!! 

*All pictures are from our trip from California to New York in August 2009*

      

Our Third Birth - Elijah

We were in California at this time. My mom and grandma had flown all the way from MI to be with us for this birth! So, they were there.  Isaiah was almost 4 years old.  Ana was almost 2 years old.  I knew I was in labor around 1:00am.  I laid on my side in the bed for a short time.  I got up, walked around.  While Matt was filling up the birth pool, I asked for a chair in the room.  I got on my knees, and leaned on the seat of the chair with my arms bent.  I moaned softly through the contractions.  It was getting stronger.  I really wanted to get in the pool.  When it was finally filled, I got in.  Aaaaaaah. . . . so nice. . . Isaiah was getting concerned, and was hanging around me a lot.  He needed a job.  So, I asked him if he could give me a hug through my contractions.  He was happy to do it.  So, when I felt a contraction coming, I said to Isaiah, "Ok, come here"  He reached his arms as far around me as he could.  He was outside the pool, in front of me.  It was so sweet.  He really did help me.  I had prepped him and Ana about the funny sounds I would make during birth.  So, it didn't scare him.  We had practiced and laughed about it for weeks!  When my midwife got there, I was almost to transition.  She asked me, "Sarah, do you feel the urge to push?"  I said, "When I feel the urge to push, you'll know because I'LL BE PUSHING!!!!"  I was so nice.  ;o)  Soon after that, it got a lot harder.  I threw up (in a trash bin outside the pool).  The contractions were so intense.  I tried a little push with one contraction.  No, it wasn't time yet, but I could tell that this was going to be harder than Ana's birth.  I thought, "I CAN'T DO THIS".  At this time, God impressed on my heart not to speak and claim those words of defeat, but instead to call out to Him.  It was between contractions.  Everyone was totally quiet.  I was facing the wall and couldn't see anyone in front of me.  It was just God and me and my baby.  I prayed out loud, "Father, thank You for giving us this baby.  Thank you that he's coming today.  'I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.' Thank You, Lord.  You bring this baby out.  This is all You.  Come on, let's go!"   After that I was on top of my pain (because my Jesus was carrying me).  It was time to push.  How did I know that?  I felt like pushing, remember?!  Oh boy.  Wow.  This was another big one.  I could tell!!  I pushed like I have never pushed before or since.  After his head came out, my body needed rest.  I had a couple minutes before the next contraction.  I P-U-S-H-E-D!!!!!  I had to push this one.  I started with my hand on his head, but then put it down to brace myself.  THen his body popped out, and I said, "There's my boy!!" (I did not know what we where having before this!) I reached back to bring him up, and Matt and the midwife said, "One more push!" He wasn't even out yet, but by the time he was out to his waist, it was such a relief, I thought I was done!  So a little push, and he was out and in my arms!  That big bubba was 10lbs 14oz!!  No wonder I had to work so hard!!  Elijah was born to his Daddy's hands at 5:30am on December 23rd, 2007, exactly 5 years to the day that we moarned our precious Faith!!  God was so good to us.  I was so close to God during Elijah's birth.  It was completely amazing.  By the way, all that pushing took place within about 7 minutes.  I had no tearing either.  4 months later we learned that he had severe hemophilia A.  He had no bruising at birth.  That was the beginning of Elijah Jesse Reeves!

Our Second Birth - Ana

A couple months after Isaiah's first birthday, we were expecting again. We were so exited! At this time we were living with my parents. I was SO emotional during this pregnancy, a little scary at times actually. Yikes! My midwife just laughed at me. She said that it was so obvious that I was having a girl. My pregnancy with Ana was just very emotional! The day before her birth, my midwife noticed that my body looked so peaceful. I did feel really peaceful too. Later that night, I started getting real contractions. My sister in law came over to help with Isaiah, and my sister came too. When my contractions were getting on top of each other at about 11:00pm, they made the executive decision to call the midwife! She got there soon after that. I remember moaning softly through contractions, being so relaxed sitting in a yoga position, eating strawberries and yogurt when she came up the stairs. When the pool was ready, I got in. By then, my cousin was there too, and of course my mom was there! I asked my midwife if she needed to check me, and she said, I don't need to, but if you want me to, I can. I said I did, so she did. I said, "Well, what am I?" She said, "Sarah, you already know what you are. You tell me." I said, " I don't know, 8?" She said, "Yes! I told you you knew!" I asked her if she would tell me when I should push, and she said, "No. You will tell us when it's time for you to push!" I said, "Ok!" A short while after that, my body began to push. I asked Tammy (s-i-l) to wake Isaiah up (that's what he wanted). He got up out of bed, took off his pajamas, and diaper, and wanted to get in the pool. I asked my midwife if that was ok, and she said, "Sure!" So, Isaiah got in with us (Matt was in the pool). A couple minutes later, I felt Ana's head crowning. I kept my hand there, and told everyone when her head came out. Then, at 1:30am on Feb 26, 2006, that baby girl came right out into my hands!!! I caught her and brought her up. She looked so little! It was amazing and so precious! My Grandma and Dad came up to see her before the placenta was even born. Then, I started nursing her. Well, Isaiah came right over and I tandem nursed them right in the pool! The placenta was born, we got out, weighed her (7lbs 4oz), had our herb bath, and it was time for bed. That night she started crying in bed. I tried nursing her, and she wouldn't nurse. I got up, and took her to the other room, and she wouldn't nurse. I changed her diaper. Nothing would stop her crying and screaming! Then, I held her in front of me, and just listened to her. I agreed with her, responded to her, and do you know that little girl's cries softened into coos! She then nursed and went to sleep. She had a big day and needed to be heard! That was definitely the beginning of Ana Isabella Reeves!

Our First Birth - Isaiah

My pregnancy with Isaiah went very well up until the last trimester. I was dilating and contracting for four weeks. My midwife really pushed protien, water, and epsom salt baths. She also had me on a bunch of herbs. It worked! On Feb 1st (my brother's birthday), 2004, at 5:00am, I went into labor. My sister was there with her two little boys, and my mom was there. My midwife got there around 10:00am. I was already in transition. She checked me and I was fully dilated. I began pushing with my contractions because my midwife said I could if I wanted to. Looking back, I don't think I should have done that. I was wanting to get him out asap instead of waiting and listening to my body.  I didn't realize that at the time.  First birth, you know!  ;o)  I was pushing for 4 hours, and he was crowning for the last hour. My midwife kept a close eye on his skin color and heartrate. He was doing fine.  Matt was in the pool with me, and he played with Isaiah's hair in the water while he was crowning. It was very peaceful. My sister was in front of me, right outside the pool, nursing her baby.  I talked to him between pushes. It was kinda funny. Isaiah's head was half out, and I'm baby talking with my nephew! When his whole head came out, Matt says, "I think he has your lips!" haha (btw, he doesn't. He looks like a carbon copy of Matt) Well, I will never forget how amazing that felt when his body finally came out into Matt's hands. Matt passed him to me, and I brought him up out of the water. He was so big! 9lbs 8oz. His placenta was born soon after that. When I got out of the pool, I started losing big clots. I walked over to the rocking chair, but passed out as I sat down. My midwife slapped me in the face, and gave me a shot of pitocyn in my leg. That and my mom's roast beef and potatoes took care of it. I had been working so hard, and my body was just wore out! If I had Isaiah's birth to do over again, I wouldn't have forced the pushing. I should've just relaxed and waited until I felt like pushing. Because he was crowning so long, the plates in his skull overlapped so severely that it also affected the roof of his mouth. He had some trouble nursing the first few days. We massaged the roof of his mouth and the top of his head, and it worked out in just a few days. That was the beginning of Isaiah Matthew Reeves!

Homebirthing Hemophilia Mom Found!!

http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/259320/Why_home_birth

Check this out!!  A year ago, I sent out a question that Laurie Kelley made public to her broad base of hemophilia families.  I wanted to find a hemophilia homebirthing mom.  I recieved one response from a mom who planned a homebirth knowing that her baby had hemophilia.  A friend of mine just found her whole story in her own words!!

"Bubble Wrapped" Birth??? O_o

It is often said by hemophilia parents, "I want to just wrap him up in bubble wrap, you know?!"  It is a very big job to keep our little ones safe, especially when that little one has a severe bleeding disorder.  We make sure he wears his helmet and knee pads.  He is always in good supportive shoes.  We don't have coffee tables.  We put a little padding under his knees when he sits in his high chair.  Stairs and ladders are avoided.  You get the picture.  That loving protection begins when that little one is growing inside your belly.  When you are aware that your sweet baby has a 50% chance of having a severe bleeding disorder, your birth plan requires even more thought and consideration than usual.  I named my blog, "Bubble Wrapped Birth" because just like everything else in the life of a hemophiliac, your birth plan needs to be what you believe keeps your baby the safest.  The main concern with birthing a hemophiliac is intercranial hemorrage (bleeding in the brain).  Bubble wrapped births comes in many different forms: quiet midwife attended homebirths,  closely monitored hospital births, water births,  c-sections, and more.  I believe this is a very personal choice for each hemophilia carrier and their families.  The key is to make your decision based on truth, and never on fear.  So, what is your bubble wrapped birth?  and why?  What is your story?  I would love to hear your thoughts no matter what is your background.  I will share my birth stories with you, and my bubble wrapped birth choice in my next post.

This Blog is Dedicated to My Daughter

This blog is dedicated to my daughter, Ana, who is a carrier of severe hemophilia A, and my possible future granddaughters who will also carry the gene. I am passionate about birthing, and specifically safely birthing hemophiliacs. My hemophiliac son, Elijah was 10 lbs 14 oz at birth, born at home in a birthing pool with a midwife present. He did not have any bruising, and I did not have any tearing. He was diagnosed with severe hemophilia A at 4 months old because of 2 unexplainable hematomas along his waistline. It was pretty scary. I found out that I was a carrier just before his first birthday. A few months later, right before his port surgery, I was pregnant again. This was the first time I would plan a birth with the knowledge that I was a carrier of a severe bleeding disorder. Of course, I wanted to have another home waterbirth! After all, Elijah had an amazing birth, right?! I soon found out that it wouldn't be that easy this time. No licensed midwife could take me for a homebirth despite my birth history of 3 perfect waterbirths at home, one being a nearly 11 pound severe hemophiliac. My hemotologist even suggested that I schedule a c-section. I searched and searched the internet for information on hemophilia and childbirth. I found nothing on waterbirthing a hemophiliac, and I didn't find anything that convinced me that the normal natural birth process put a potential hemophiliac in danger for a bleed. In fact, all the bleeding problems I found were a result of using interventions during the birth. In the end, we had our fourth baby's birth in the hospital. This amazing hospital allowed us to bring our own birthing pool, and even made room for it by moving the bed to the hallway. We had a great midwife, and our baby boy had the most gentle birth yet! 2 hours later, we learned that he did not have hemophilia.

The purpose of this blog is to share stories and information to learn together about planning the safest birth possible as a hemophilia carrier, for our babies and ourselves. Wouldn't it make life easier if we could just keep them in bubble wrap?!!