Our Sixth Birth - Evangeline Daisy Part 1: The Pink Sweater Set STRIKE!

The PSS Strike Begins!

Oh my goodness.  I thought she would never come.  I thought maybe my body forgot what to do this time.  She was taking --s-o- -l-o-n-g--!!  I assumed she would be born early.  Last 2 babies were 2 days before their EDDs. This was my sixth birth.  Surely that meant I'd have her between 39 and 40 weeks!

My sweet Mama with Ana

NOPE.

39 weeks came and went.

40 weeks came and went.

My best birthie friend made a special trip to see me.  She encouraged me, made me take a hot shower, massaged my feet and calves (OUCH!!).  That's what would make her come, right?!

NOPE.

Grama and Silas were buddies. They are discussing
their chocolate milk he

My mom and "Grama" (97.5 years old at the time and came very close to passing away just a couple weeks before) traveled down from Michigan to be here for me.  Surely that's all I needed.  She'll come now!

NOPE.

Matt starts school on Monday!  Surely she'll be born by then!

NOPE.

Still great with child, I sent Matt off to school on Monday morning.

41 weeks came and went. It was then when my Grama began her Pink Sweater Set Strike.  She decided that she would wear her pink sweater set to let the baby know it was okay to come now.  She refused to wear anything else.  My mom had to wash it at night and have it ready for her in the morning on Wednesday. . .

and Thursday. . .

and Friday. . .

and Saturday.

 I got to go the The Renaissance Festival that Saturday.  That was an unexpected surprise.  My mom and my pink-sweater-set-wearing Grama sent us off to the faire. I got to hang out with my gypsies, and I got the most gorgeous henna you'll ever see from my friend and favorite gypsy of all: Raven (Fox Moon Henna).

I just needed some belly henna therapy.  I'll have her tomorrow, right???

 

NOPE.

While Mom and Grama (you guessed it, in her pink sweater set) stayed home; Matt, the kids, and I went to church 2 days before I would hit 42 weeks.  I had accepted the fact that I would be pregnant F.O.R.E.V.E.R.

Then, the next day. . .

And my Grama's pink sweatered arms were finally filled with her little namesake, Evangeline Daisy:

(Details in next post!)

Written 5 days before my baby was born at 42 weeks

I can't believe I haven't written since April!  So much has been on my heart, but I couldn't write about it.  What is on my heart now, I must write about because as soon as I have this baby, I will certainly forget most of it.

 I am 41 weeks and almost 2 days along with baby #6.  I am healthy.  She is healthy.  We've already named her Evangeline.  My mom is here.  My Grandma ("Grama") is here.  One of my best friends is in town, and is able to come support me for this birth.  I have a loving supportive husband.  Our older 5 children are so precious and are very eager to welcome their newest sister.  I have a great church, midwife, and my closest friend at the church is my midwife's assistant.  I have so much to be happy about.  So, why do I feel like this?

Today, I recognized it.  This feels like postpartum depression before I'm postpartum.

The weekend before Evangeline's birth, my friend
gave me this beautiful daffodil henna.

Our last 2 babies were born 2 days before their due dates.  That and the fact that this is my 6th birth made me assume this baby would be born right around or before her due date.  I won't make that mistake again!  My EDD (estimated due date) was August 13th.  Since I found out that I was pregnant, I wanted so badly to have her on my little brother's birthday (August 5th).  That day came and went.  I was disappointed.  Then, my older brother reminded me that my nephew's birthday was on the 10th.  Oh this is it!!!  I can give him a special little birthday buddy! . . . No.  That day came and went.  I was so disappointed.  Well, one of my best friends' birthday was just 5 days later on the 15th.  No birth. . . Ugh!  The biggest stress on me was that my husband was going back to nursing school on the 19th.  I just had to have her by then!  But, no.  I sent him off to class. . . still pregnant.  Everyday seems to last a week.  I get contractions.  Then, they stop.  I walk 2 or 3 times a day.  Nothing.  What is wrong with me?!  I know my body successfully got 5 babies out before.  So, surely this one will come out eventually?!

24 Weeks and No Midwife

I haven't felt like a good example for BWB lately.  It's not that I am behaving recklessly or carelessly.  It's just that I have no professional caregiver right now, and I would never recommend that to any of my followers.  It's complicated.  Matt and I are keeping track of lots of things at home: blood pressure, blood sugar, oxygen, pulse, heart sounds, respiratory, fundal height, swelling (none at all), and urinalysis.  We can't hear Evangeline's heart rate on his stethoscope yet, and plan to get a fetoscope soon. Her movements get more frequent and stronger everyday, though. I need to do better on my diet and water intake as usual.  I eat so slowly and because there are so many other things pressing on me, I don't always eat as much as I should.  I'm working on it.  My weight gain is good.  I am 24 weeks along right now.

We've been in this position before.  When I was pregnant with Malakai, we were in a huge transition that was physically and emotionally stressful.  We ended up moving from CA to NY in my 3rd trimester, and decided on a midwife after we arrived.  Then, she couldn't help us with a home birth. So, I had to fight for the birth I wanted in the hospital.  It worked.  Malakai was the first water birth in that hospital, and it was nearly unattended (I say this as a good thing)!  It is good for me to reflect on that because it reminds me of how God has taken care of us in the past, and I can trust He will take care of us again this time.  That being said, I still firmly believe that his birth would've been handled better at home.  He had a meconium issue that you can see in the video below.  
At home, we would've suctioned and if he needed breaths, we have a warm tray (for a warm flat surface) ready right there so that he wouldn't have had to leave me at all and we wouldn't have had to cut his cord.  When a baby isn't breathing, he especially needs all the oxygen from his cord blood.  However, we were in the hospital.  So, they weren't set up to handle things like that.  I can't really complain as many many things were handled the way we wanted and they didn't give me much trouble at all.  We had zero separation, he slept with me and never in the crib thing, and when they were supposed to have him in the crib while we were being transported from delivery to recovery, they supported my decision to carry Malakai skin to skin inside my gown under blankets.  It's cold in the hospital!!  All things considered, we have a lot to be thankful for with our hospital birth experience.

A homebirth midwife such as a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) is my preference of caregiver.  I personally believe that CPMs are better trained in the natural birthing process, and how to most effectively care for complications without the restraints of hospital protocols.  The care they provide prevents most complications in the first place.  On the other hand, they are skilled to know when things are not safe to stay home and when to transport to the nearest hospital.  They are passionate about what they do, and are not motivated by money or time (There are exceptions, of course.), but rather are motivated to provide customized care to mom and baby/babies.  Of course, I would never argue that CPMs are the only ones that provide this level of care.  I just feel like I have the best chance of getting the care I want, if I choose a midwife such as a CPM.

Because of the ridiculous legal situation with CPMs in our area, I can't share any of the details you may be wondering about.  I will say that I will continue to take care of myself, improve my diet and water intake, and we will plan Evangeline's bubble wrapped birth as soon as we can.  There are some options we are considering.  I hate that I can't just be open and share all the details with you.  Please just pray for wisdom in these decisions that need to be made very soon.  Please pray that the best midwife for this birth will be available and we will be able to relax and just enjoy the next few months before Evangeline's birth.

Thank you so much for your support.  I know that there are many BWB mamas who would make very different choices than I am right now.  I completely respect that, and I hope you can do the same for me in return. 

Support Carol Velasquez CPM!

BWB family, I am posting this link hoping that some of you would be able to join me to support Carol Velasquez. Carol is a certified professional midwife who has over 20 years experience providing optimal care for women, babies, and families. She is a dear friend to me and my family. ~Sarah

PLEASE READ:

"On March 28th, 2013 Carol Velasquez, CPM was indicted by a grand jury for practicing midwifery during her time in Indianapolis. Carol is a Certified Professional Midwife with over 20 years experience attending births. The care that Carol provided her clients was unparalleled by the Obstetric community and hospitals in Indiana. The women she attended received prenatal care according to the same schedule and yet she spent an average of 700% more time with us! This was acheived by scheduling 2 hour long appointments (as opposed to the 15 minutes OB/GYN's allot for patients.) She provided women with detailed nutritional counseling, recommended supplements according to the individual needs of the mother, and practical as well as emotional support to women facing difficult circumstances (myself included). Because the State of Indiana refuses to license CPM's Carol put her freedom on the line for each of the families she helped. Let's show our support for this brave woman on Tuesday morning as she surrenders herself to the court!"

*I am going to try my best to be there. I may have all my children with me. If you are in or near Indianapolis and want to help, please meet me at the courthouse on Tuesday morning (4/2/13)! If you can't be there, please share this event in as many homebirth friendly circles as you can, and please please pray. ~Sarah

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EVENT ON FACEBOOK

Thank you all so much for reading this blog.  This is an unusual post calling you to action, but I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important.

-----> PLEASE SEE UPDATED POST HERE!

A Letter to My Uncle Patrick

70 years ago now, my sweet grandma carried a precious baby boy in her womb.  He was her first baby.  Grandma and Grandpa had been married for a couple years, and I can just imagine the dreamy excitement they shared about their first child.

Then, on St. Patrick's Day, Grandma went into premature labor.  I believe she was in her 2nd trimester.  They called the doctor, but things happened too quickly, and there was nothing they could do to save him.

He passed away before his birth.  Grandma saw that he was a boy.  Things were so different back then.  They never named him, and Grandma was never able to properly grieve.  Because he was born on St Patrick's Day, my mom started referring to him as Patrick.  If I could send a message to my dear Uncle Patrick in heaven, this is what I would say:

_______________________________________________________________

Dear Uncle Patrick, 

You may or may not know who I am, but I know you.  You had a very short life, but your world was my grandma.  That's a pretty sweet world.  All you knew in life was the warmth and love of your mother's womb.  Then, you suddenly went from her womb to the warm loving arms of Jesus.  You stayed in her heart, though.  Your life has been celebrated for all these years.  Since your birth, Grandma gave birth to one more boy and four girls.  You are also uncle to 13 nieces and nephews, and I am carrying your 37th great niece/nephew!  She's a girl.  We're naming her Evangeline Emma.

Our first baby didn't make it to our arms either.  I don't know if I was carrying a girl or a boy, but I felt like it was a girl, and we named her Faith.  I immediately felt an even stronger bond with both my grandmothers when I was going through that.  They had both lost babies.  They gave me comfort and strength during that dark time.  Have you met Faith?  I think about what she's doing up in heaven often.  I bet you're a really fun uncle to her.

We all miss you.  You are so loved.  I am so glad God blessed this family with you.


Your loving niece,

Sarah

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~ Here's some pictures of Grandma when she was a young mom of a bunch of little ones. ~

I love her style in this one.  She's the cutie on the left.