The Birth Story

Warning: This post contains details about labor and delivery. If you do not want specifics, do not read!! Do not say I did not warn you. Also- its very long!

Well here it is, the Birth Story....

I have put this off. Mainly because obviously the birth story is completely tied into the circumstances that unfolded afterwards with my son and thinking of all this just makes me an emotional wreck. But we will get to that. Lets start from the beginning, shall we?

Sunday the 17th, we got up and went to church just like every other Sunday. I felt the same I had for days. After church, we went to eat Mexican (I dont eat spicy food though, so dont go thinking it induced labor) like normal with some friends. Mr.Pate's Mom and Great Uncle came down too, so we then went back to Smiths Grove to unload some stuff they brought Dustin. After all the driving around, we went to Olive Garden. While we were there I started having these feelings in my lower abdomen, it kinda felt like Griffin was pushing out or something. But I noticed (from the outside) when it happened that my whole tummy was hard. Could this be a contraction I wondered?? This was 5 pm. After awhile I felt like they had been reoccurring, so I opened up my BabyBump app and started timing them at 6pm. We left Olive Garden and headed back to Smiths Grove one last time. These feelings were happening every 4 minutes or so I was pretty certain, but they werent super strong or painful. Mr.Pate's Mom was about to head back to Lousiville and I wondered if I should tell them, but since I wasnt sure I didnt.

I told Mr.Pate and we just decided to see what happened. We got home and he mowed the yard while I vacuumed. My contractions moved to every 2 minutes and were stronger. I had to stop moving during them. I was taken back bc they were so close together so soon. Weren't they supposed to take awhile?? At 7:30pm we called Dr.Gass to ask for advice. He wanted us to go in and get checked and have baby monitored since we were so far along, and then said  if we were still 3cm then we could come on home if we wanted. So we grab our bags and headed in. We got to the hospital at 8pm Sunday night.

When I got checked, I was still 3cm and 90% effaced. The same as I had been for several weeks now. The baby's heartbeat looked great and he seemed to be just fine. My contractions were still 2 minutes apart and consistent. The nurse (Aimee, she was awesome!) said my bag of waters was bulging and would prob break soon. We didnt know what to do- go home or stay? If we went home, what were we looking for to show us it was time to head in?? We had planned on gauging when to go in based on how far apart my contractions were. Normally when they are this close it means you are close to having a baby! So we just decided to stay. (I also had not enjoyed the car ride over with contractions, so I wasnt eager to do that again)

We gave our Birth Plan to Aimee and I was admitted. She was totally supportive of me wanting to go natural and was just a blessing. I got my hep-lock in and finally was allowed off the monitor for awhile. Dr.Gass told her just to make me get on it 20 min of the hour, which is much better than he had originally told me- score!  I was also allowed to drink gatorade or sprite all night bc I didnt have IV fluids, to keep me hydrated. Dr.Gass said he thought it would not be until the next night when I had the baby, so I need to try to rest. I just didnt know why it would take so long when I was having contractions so close together?? But ok.

We called our families and told them, but told them it would be awhile and they should probably wait. None of them listened and everyone headed to town. We sent my family to our house and Mr.Pate's family to Dustin's. No sense in coming to the hospital till we were pushing we thought.

So my contractions continued all night at 2 min apart. They were pretty intense and I had back labor too. We focused on breathing through them and relaxing all my other muscles to not make the pain worse (which works ps). I was surprised how the whole night I was in the zone. The TV was on and I never noticed it. I had no idea where my phone was and I didnt think about the internet once. Very unlike me. Ha! I constantly felt like i had to pee, and that was very uncomfortable. Most of the time I couldnt and just felt uncomfortable- this was bc of my bag of waters bulging down there. Contractions while I was in the bathroom were very hard for me. The toilet was tall and not very comfortable for me to sit on. Ugh.

At 1am I got checked again. No change. Are you kidding me?? What were these contractions doing?? One thing motivating me through this was that contractions serve a purpose- they dilate you so the baby can come out. If that wasnt happening then why was I going through this pain?? I was frustrated. Dr.Gass had suggested I take a sleeping pill to try to rest, so I did so. It didnt work and I couldnt rest. I couldnt lay down- super uncomfortable. I spent most of the night on my birth ball leaning onto the bed.

Our room did not have a chair that folded out into a bed for the guest, only rocking chairs. So poor Mr.Pate literally slept on the floor! The night was hard but manageable. The contractions were painful, but you knew they would come to an end and that helped you push through them. Once it was early morning I was losing some faith. I was telling Mr.Pate that if I hadnt made any progress next time we got checked then I wanted to think about pain meds. He just kept encouraging me and saying lets just see then.

Ours families ended up coming to the hospital at like 5 in the morning. Even though we told them not too. Because they didnt listen- they spent a long time in that waiting room! Ha!

At 7:30am Dr.Gass came and checked me. I was now 7 cm! I asked him if he thought I would get some relief from breaking my water, bc I was very uncomfortable down there. He said yes and we went ahead and did it. It did bring relief! Yay! I could pee! My water was meconium stained, so at this point we knew that we would need to watch Griffin closely at birth in case he swallowed some. (Side note: your water just keeps leaking after its broke. So bc mine was meconium stained, my bed had to be changed constantly. It was gross! But I barely noticed.) The NICU nurses would be on hand. Dr.Gass figured we would probably start pushing in about 3 hours. The baby's head wasnt in the greatest position and was not fully engaged. We kept on laboring. I was losing steam and did mention getting drugs a couple of times, but Mr.Pate would just say wait an hour and see where we are. So I would determine to make it another hour. It was effective.

At 9:30am they checked me and I was 9 cm!! Woo Hoo! We were so close! I just knew we would be meeting the boy soon! I had a second wind. His head was still not in a great spot, so I started doing knees to chest position to try to get him to move down and turn. This is when labor got really intense. All night it had hurt and been hard, but now the contractions were even more instense and the back labor was hardcore.  My nurse (who was now Jamie- also awesome) told me to tell her if I had the urge to push. A few times I really thought I had the urge and called her in to check. Every time I was still 9cm. Ugh! The pelvic pressure was intense and made me feel like I would split in two. Suddenly my contractions were right on top of each other. No rest. And because of the back labor and the intense pelvic pressure my body was spasming in pain. I could not move positions because I would try to wait for a break in contractions, but they never came (you cant move during contractions, it is torture!). This was the only part of labor that was just unbearable. I began to flip out. I was in sooo much pain.

Somewhere during this time I let my sister come in (until then only Mr.Pate had been back there). I let Mr.Pate go eat bc he really needed it! Both of them could see how bad I was losing it. I started snapping at Mr.Pate and I started constantly saying I couldnt do this. Even if I made it to 10cm, I could not push. I was so spent. It hurt sooo bad. I tried so hard to relax and breathe through it, but since the pain never ended I just felt like I was dying. I really did. It was horrible!!

Dr.Gass came in and he could tell I was struggling. He suggested me getting an epidural to try to relax and maybe that would help me progress, and I looked at Mr.Pate begging him to say yes. He did and I jumped on it! I think it surprised Dr.Gass how quickly I said ok. I knew I was at the end of my rope. I have never experienced pain like that- it wrapped all the way around my body and never ended. I was worried it would take forever to get the epidural, because usually you have to have a whole bag of fluids in you first. But they started the fluids, and I am pretty sure I only had like a third of the bag maybe before I got the epidural. It was 12pm when we decided to get the epidural and it was actually administered at 1pm. As I was waiting for it, I was most worried about sitting up and getting into the position to get it. I had been laying on my side and could not move because of the pain! But I knew I would have to, so finally I just told Mr.Pate to move me. It hurt!!

To get an epidural, they make you sit up on the side of the bed. They give you a pillow to hug, and you have to make a c shape with your back and be completely still. I was nervous about that bc of the pain. But I was able to stay still. The epidural didnt hurt, it just stung like any other shot does. The guy said it would take 10 minutes to take effect and 30 minutes for the full effect, but I didnt feel anything from then on! It was sooo weird. I went from being in horrid pain to not being able to feel anything. I could not feel the contractions at all. I could not feel my legs but I could move my feet, which I thought was strange. I asked my nurse if this is what labor is like for people who come in and immediately get an epidural and she said yes. That reality was so strange to me because of what I had just been feeling for the past 19ish hours. But it was a welcome feeling after the past 19ish hours too. My contractions spread out to 4 minutes apart after we started the epidural. That would figure right?! Ha!

So after I got the epidural I was ordered to sleep! So I gladly did. At 1:45pm they decided to start pitocin to try to get my contractions closer together again and finish dilation. The baby didnt seem to like this, probably because it was too many changes close together (the epidural lowers my blood pressure and then the pitocin too) so we stopped the pitocin at 2:20ish and gave me oxygen. Griffin did great after that. They also made me turn on my side to help him too, and I couldnt feel my legs enough to turn. Mr.Pate and the nurse turned me, but I kept going because I did not think I had turned. I almost feel off the bed! Ha! Once we did this the baby was fine. At this point we started letting family and friends who had been waiting outside forever come in to visit.

At 5:20pm I was still at 9cm with some cervical lip showing. Dr.Gass and my nurse decided I should push to try to move the lip out of the way. So Mr.Pate and my sister as well as the nurse were my cheerleaders and I started pushing. I could feel nothing, but pushing is hard work because of the breathing (or lack there of!)! Even though I could not feel, Dr.Gass said I was a great pusher. I pushed for about 20 or 30 minutes 3 different times with some breaks in between. The cervix would move, and then once we stopped it was right back. The nurse told me I get an award for strangest cervix ever. Yay.

After the last bout of pushing, I could tell Dr.Gass did not look optimistic. I just said, "Dr.Gass, is this going to happen? Am I going to be able to do this?" He looked at me real honestly and said he had his doubts and that he would feel better about me and the baby if we did a c-section at this point. I told him I was ready, that I just wanted my boy out and safe. And so we began prepping for a c-section. Mr.Pate was supportive and felt it was what we needed to do. Dr.Gass kept encouraging me that I had given it the best effort. I surprisingly wasnt sad or nervous, I felt calm and ready. I think my body knew it was just time.

We ended up going into surgery around 7 something. The room was sooooo cold! They put warm blankets all over me. The screen they put up (like in the movies) was like only 2 cm from my face, I was surprised it was so close. And it was hard to hear in there. I could barely stay awake and I felt very detached from what was happening. They finally let Mr.Pate in (they make them wait in some room until everything is prepped) and he was in a chair next to my head, but I didnt even know it at first. I couldnt feel anything. After what only felt like a few minutes, I heard a baby crying and knew my son was born. 8:21pm. He sounded like he was quaking!

Dr.Gass brought him over to me to see, but I didnt have my glasses on so I could barely see him! Then they took him over and were suctioning out his lungs. Mr.Pate took some pictures and then they let him take him to the nursery. I of course was still there getting sewn up. Afterwards, they took me to recovery. They had told us before that I would be there for an hour. But when I got there and asked the nurse, she said more like an hour and a half. Turns out I was there for 2 hours. I drifted in and out of sleep and begged for water. I was sooo thirsty! She wouldnt let me have any yet. Anyhow, my numbing wore off and she pressed on my stomach every ten minutes to prevent hemorrhaging.

While I was in recovery, my nurse got a call from the NICU. She then came over and told me that Griffin was admitted to the NICU for breathing problems. Strangely, I didnt freak out. I knew lots of babies were admitted to the NICU for short periods bc of this, and I figured this would be the same. Not quite. When it was finally time for me to get out of recovery, they wheeled me down. My family was in the hallway waiting on me. I stopped and got my glasses, then Mr.Pate made them wheel me into the NICU in my hospital bed! Griffin was on a bed thats called a giraffe, so it was tall. I could barely see him. He had the CPAP on him and wires everywhere. I reached out and held his little hand and just couldnt believe this was my baby. He was beautiful. And apparently sick. I felt confused and out of it and really didnt know what to think.

After that I got taken to my room. To be honest, the next few days are somewhat blurry. I was still on meds and sleep deprived and it all runs together. I started pumping every three hours that night. By mid-day the next day I got to get up and go down to the NICU to see Griffin. I got to hold him either that day or the next day. And the rest I think has been blogged.

This is Griffins birth story. It was nothing like I could have imagined. I am still processing through all of the emotions that come along with it, so that will have to be another blog for another day. For now, this is what I have. I praise the Lord that He kept me and Griffin safe. It may have been hard and different than I wanted it, but I am sitting here today with a healthy boy who is about ready to eat. How can I complain??

Finally a Griffin Update & Pictures!

Well our little boy is finally here! It has been a whirlwind week to say the least, and I feel like I have run a marathon. I have so many things I want to share, but there is just no time right now. My days are filled with pumping, going down to see our little (big) guy in the NICU, visitors and trying to keep the family updated on how Griffin is. But we are settling in to a nice routine.

Soon I do plan to share my birth story, but I think I have a lot more processing to do over that whole experience before I can share a ton. I feel like I experienced three births. Ha!

Griffin ended up in the NICU shortly after birth because he was showing signs of a breathing problem. They put him on a breathing machine called a CAP and he was doing great. He breathes a little harder than he should, but nothing crazy. So as we have been here longer and they have been able to test things and assess everything, we have found out Griffin has meningitis. He was started on an antibiotic shortly after birth, so he is well on his way to recovery now. He will have to be on these antibiotics for 14 days, so we have 11 days left. If all goes well then he should get out on August 1st. But with these types of things, anything can happen so it is important to take it a day at a time.

Griffin does not look like a sickly baby. He was 8 lbs 4 oz and 21" long when he was born- he was a big boy for such a  small momma! He has improved everyday and is not showing signs of sickness anymore. These are all good signs that the infection is on its way out soon!

I will give more details later but for now- here are pictures of my fabulous son (if I do say so myself!):

My Fourth

Still no baby, just for the record.

I had a great weekend though! My family came up and we had a blast. Sunday we swam at the hotel pool. My mom found an inflatable bat and baseball at dollar general, and me, my nieces, my dad, mr.pate and Dustin all played. It was so fun! But I over did it and was hardcore hobbling the next morning. Then we grilled and played the wii (well they did, I conked out).

Then yesterday we were going to go to Beech Bend park, but the weather wasn't so great so we did a movie instead. Then more swimming. After that we were all going to head to our house to cook dinner. I was there first by myself and the chest pains I had been having off and on came back hardcore. So bad in fact, that when Mr.Pate got there I was double over in pain and crying. It was stabbing pains in my chest that sent shooting pains down my left arm. Ugh!! So we called Dr.Gass and he set us to labor and delivery to get checked out. Happy Fourth of July!

So we got there and they hooked me up to some monitors and did an EKG. Everything looked great and baby looked great. So it was either heartburn or pressure from me having no more space. They gave me some heartburn medicine and made me rest for awhile. It didn't help. Problem number one- they made me lay on my back, which made it hurt worse. Problem number two- they couldn't fix my problem so we just sat there for no reason.

The good news of this trip? They had me on a contractions monitor and what I thought was him moving is apparently a contraction. Good to know. This doesn't match anything I have been told they will feel like. When it happened my whole belly was not rock hard, but there was just a part of my belly sticking out. I thought it was griff pushing. Who knows?

But we went home and I proceeded to have the chest pains for the rest of the night and today. Which to me means it is not heartburn, but is just me running out of space. I didn't sleep at all. Blah! But I went to work today an I am learning to deal with the pain better.

I mean my child will come sometime soon. I wont feel this forever. The Lord will sustain me. He had a plan for when Griffin should be born, and it will come to pass just as He wants.

That was our 4th in a nutshell. Tonight we were supposed to go to a 4th party in Smiths Grove, but we ended up staying at Dustins school all night helping him move classrooms. It is making progress.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor for my weekly checkup. I have a non-stress test (they will put a monitor on to check baby's heartbeat, movement, and contractions) and then I will see Dr. Stice. I'll keep you posted!


- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone

Bradley Birth: Second Stage Labor

Let's talk about the second stage of labor, shall we?

Here are just some random things I learned in class about Second Stage Labor. Those that have experienced this, please feel free to add your wisdom. It is so important to remember that no two labors are alike, so take all of this with a grain of salt. This is just info to help you become familiar with the birth process and maybe make you less intimidated by it all.

Some Definitions:

• Afterbirth: The birth of the placenta and membranes after the birth
• Episiotomy: Surgical incision made in the perineum (the skin and tissues between the vagina and anus) to "prevent tearing"
• Cord Clamping: Clamping down on the Umbilical cord to stop the flow of blood and oxygen from the mom to baby so you can cut the cord. The baby then starts breathing on its own for the first time. 
• Ferguson Reflex: When baby presses onto the Ferguson Plexus of nerves, creating Ferguson's reflex, the urge to push

The Second Stage of Labor is when you are ready to push. At this point you are fully dilated (10cm) and fully effaced (100%), which means the cervix is completely thinned and open and ready to let baby out. Baby has descended down the birth canal and is ready to emerge. Some women will feel what is called an urge to push. This is generally caused by the baby pressed onto the Ferguson Plexus of nerves, creating Ferguson's reflex, the urge to push. It is important to note that some women may have a break between becoming completely dilated and feeling the urge to push (this urge feels the same as when you have to "go"). Baby may be getting into a better position. So use this time to rest and get ready for the next stage. 

Upright positioning is usually favorable for the second stage, allowing gravity to assist the mother. There are numerous positions available in modern birth beds, including the squat bar, and foot pedals.

Out of bed positions are wonderful and becoming more popular, particularly for women having trouble pushing in the bed. Including:

Squatting (Opens the pelvic outlet an additional 10%)

Birth Stools

Birth Balls

Water Pools

Birth Chair

Dangling

Toilet

Side lying positions are used to slow down a very rapid labor and are great for protecting the perineum during a rapid birth.

Semi-reclined, or laying on your back with stirrups are still very common in many hospitals, particularly if you have regional anesthesia, or will be having a forceps or vacuum delivery. This position does not use gravity and increases the length of the pushing stage and increases the use of episiotomy, vacuum extraction, and forceps. You can request a different position.

I would recommend googling "pushing positions for labor" or "positions for second stage labor" to get other ideas. Because all we ever see in movies and mostly in real life is women laying on their backs in the bed, it is hard to figure out what else you could do. 

When you are asked to hold your breath to a count of ten, numerous times during one contractions, we call this purple pushing. Purple pushing came into play as the epidural rates increased and women never got an urge to bear down. We now extend it to nearly everyone having a baby.

The options are:

Laboring Down: Allowing your body to push the baby out on its own. Not really assisting the pushing efforts of the uterus, unless you have an overwhelming urge to push. This is particularly useful for women with epidurals because then they are not pushing against a baby who is still in a malpresentation.

Spontaneous Bearing Down (Positive Pushing): Allowing your body to tell you when to push. When this technique is used we never find mom holding her breath more than about 6 seconds, allowing more oxygen for the baby.

Bradley definitely recommends positive pushing so you are working with your body and contractions to be more effective. 

When baby's head crowns, some people experience the "ring of fire", which is a burning sensation. After baby's head is through the rest of pushing is generally much easier. 

Once the baby is born, the doctors will probably suction out their mouth and cut the cord. You have the option to cut immediately or wait for the cord to stop pulsing. (If baby is having any issues, they will cut immediately so they can move baby to the NICU station and tend to the issues.) Reasons to wait for the pulsing to stop would be that baby is getting the last bit of blood that was intended for them, they are still get oxygen from mom for a moment, and studies have shown the stem cells in the cord (ie why we cord bank now) can protect against lots of crazy sickness. You can ask that baby is immediately laid on mom to do skin to skin at this point (bonding of mom and baby skin to skin, which helps baby regulate their blood temp). 

After this comes the birthing of the placenta. Some call this the third stage. It is when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus, and is delivered through the vaginal canal. You will still be having contractions at this time, but they are much less intense than before. For some women, they’re still strong enough that it helps to use labor breathing techniques to cope with the discomfort of these contractions.  Some women are so enraptured with the baby that they barely notice the cramping. Your caregiver may ask you to push a few times to deliver the placenta. Again, this pushing is less intense than the delivery of the baby. Third stage usually lasts ten to thirty minutes. If it lasts longer than this, you may be given Pitocin to increase contractions to encourage the delivery of the placenta, and help the uterus to begin involution (shrinking back down to the non-pregnant size.) During third stage is also the time when your caregiver will clean your genital area, examine your perineum, and will stitch up your perineum if you’ve torn or had an episiotomy. A local anesthetic is used if you haven’t had an epidural. In this period after birth, most of the parents’ attention centers on the baby, and not so much on the final stage of labor. In the first hour after birth, you will want to begin breastfeeding.

Ok moms that have been through this- what else can you share with us who haven't??

Bradley Birth: First Stage Labor

Let's talk about the first stage of labor, shall we?

Here are just some random things I learned in class about First Stage Labor. Those that have experienced this, please feel free to add your wisdom. It is so important to remember that no two labors are alike, so take all of this with a grain of salt. This is just info to help you become familiar with the birth process and maybe make you less intimidated by it all.

Some definitions:

- Anterior Presentation: this is when baby is facing the back of mom, and it's the most common and easiest to deliver (its what you want)
- Cervix: this is the neck of the uterus and at the lower end of it
- Dilation: the opening of the cervix, which they measure in cm
- Effacement: the thinning of the cervix, which they tell you in percentages

So first stage labor is when labor starts until you are ready to start pushing baby out. To prepare for labor, your body may have Braxton-Hicks contractions (practice contractions), softening of the cervix, loss of the mucous plug, etc. If you are unsure if this is real labor or pre-labor, then when you get contractions do these five things: eat, drink, walk, shower and nap. If the contractions continue on after these things then this is the real deal baby.

Once early labor begins, your uterus starts contracting. This could happen before or after your water breaks (for some women, their water never breaks on its own). When the uterus contracts, it tips forward. This is why laboring by laying on your back is supposed to be so painful, because gravity is pulling the uterus back down and causing a great deal of pain.

Today, we tend to focus on the vaginal exams to see how we are progressing during first stage. But watching the outward signs can be very helpful as well. A woman will go from being able to talk during contractions and being a very busy body, to a very inward focus where she doesn't seem to notice all that is going on around her. This is a sign that labor is progressing well. Also, the further labor gets the more modesty a woman loses. Another good outward indicator that things are moving along. Most women are hungry during the early labor and then not hungry later on.

Just before pushing, most women go through transition (but not all). Transition can suddenly change how the woman is feeling drastically. Suddenly she is defeated and saying she cant do this, talking irrationally and possibly very irritable. This is a good sign that pushing is very close! Transition is generally the hardest part of First Stage, but it usually does not last long. This is where she will need a coach who believes in her and can encourage her the most.

Things Bradley Classes commend you do to cope with First Stage:

• Change positions often! Try to get in positions that help gravity, so try not to lay on your back! Sit on a birth ball, sit leaning forward in the bed, get on hands and knees, squat, walk, lean over a chair, etc. 
• Urinate often! This will alleviate discomfort and wont hinder baby from coming down the birth canal. 
• Eat and Drink as needed. Not some big fatty meal, but small things that can give you some much needed energy. 
• Dim the lights so you can concentrate. 
• Abdominal breathing- not chest breathing. Deep breaths will calm you and short breaths will make you feel anxious. 
• Shower. This helps with the pain. 
• Try not to tense up! When a contraction comes on, try hard to relax all other muscles in your body. Tensing up makes the pain worse throughout. Having a coach that can look for tense muscles and gently remind you to relax will help.
• Do not get caught up on numbers. So much of birth is a mental thing. Dilation does not happen in a regularly scheduled pattern ( a 1cm an hour or something). Your body can go from 2 cm to 10 cm in 5 minutes if it wants to. So focus on these other things and believe your body knows what its doing. 
• Have a birth plan. This will help you remain focused during this time. To see ours, click here. (If you have any questions about ours, just let me know). Your birth plan can be very simple or complex. But having it will enable you to focus on the task at hand and not have to make decisions on the fly. Just google birth plan and you will get all kinds of info on this. 

So, current moms- what else should be know about First Stage Labor? 

Ill be back soon to discuss Second Stage Labor, which includes pushing baby out and delivering the placenta (yes you have to do this too and no one tells you about it!). 

- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone

Bradley Birth: A few labor tips

Warning: This post contains some "gross" topics or facts concerning labor. If you dont want to hear about specific bodily details, then dont read! Now dont say I didnt warn you...

One article we got during my Bradley class was focused on teaching you to notice outward signs of how far dilated you are without doing a vaginal exam. Allowing too many vaginal exams can really discourage a laboring mom (what I am not past 4 yet??!!) and invite bacteria in each time. 

So here are some tips it gives on how to assess the progress you are making during labor:

1. Sound: During early labor, you can still talk normally and chat in between contractions. Once active labor starts, you probably wont talk during contractions and seem in your own world in between as well. Once you get to transition, you will completely be in your own world and oblivious to those around you. This means you are about to start pushing. 

2. Smell: There is a smell that comes around the end of dilation. It is a mix between mown hay, semen, and dampness. 

3. Irrationality: This is a sign of hitting transition. You will begin saying things that make no sense or are the exact opposite of what you were saying. Its a good sign that you will be pushing soon. 

4. Feel: When your uterus starts thinning and dilating, the muscles of the uterus bunch up at the top of it. During a contraction, at the beginning of labor, check how many fingers you can fit between the fundus (top of the bump) and the bra line- you will prob be able to fit 5 fingers. When you can fit 3 fingers head to the hospital, you are prob 5 cm dilated. And at 1 finger you are fully dilated. 

5. Look: There is a shadow that extends from the anus up towards the back along the crease of the buttocks, which is called the 'bottom line'. It begins at 1 cm and lengthens to 10cm, and its length coordinates with cervical dilation. 

6. Gooey Stuff: The bloody show. (This is different than the mucus plug.) Usually this happens around 2-3 cm dilated and then a 2nd time around 8 cm dilated. It is up to a couple tablespoons in quantity, and can be clear but is usually streaked with pink, brown, or bright blood. The 2nd show means labor is very near. 

7. Opening of the Back: This is the spot above the tailbone and it will bulge out just before pushing. 

So there are some ways you can try to assess how your labor is going. Do not get caught up on numbers but instead look for other signs that your body is doing what it needs to do to get that baby safely out! 

Bradley Birth Class: Pros and Cons

Before I dive into sharing the info I am learning in my Bradley Birth Class, I want to just do an overall post on what I think the Pros and Cons are of the class so far.

Pros:

• I feel way more informed about pregnancy, labor, birth and the beginning of parenting. 
• They emphasis the role of the "Coach" during this process. Usually this role is the husband, but if you dont have one then it can be someone else you trust and lean on. This was important to me because Mr. Pate understands me and helps me through things better than anyone on this earth. He is and will be my rock through this. 
• It focuses on healthy nutrition and exercising during pregnancy. I love this. 
• It makes me feel empowered and reminds me my body was created to do this. Sometimes I feel like we treat labor like something really odd that we have to get through, but women have done this since the beginning of humanity. 
• They teach us coping strategies/ relaxation techniques to prepare us for actual labor. 

Cons:

• There is really an "us" vs "them" mentality against modern medicine and doctors. It comes across pretty strong in the material, the teaching, and even in the comments from the others in the class. You could really come out totally against your doctor if you weren't careful. I love our doctor so far, and I think he loves what he does and has our best interest in mind. I get that a lot of what they are teaching us is against how most doctors handle labor today, but we dont have to paint them in such a bad light. 
• If you are planning to labor in a traditional hospital with a traditional OB, you kinda feel like an oddball. This is funny to me because Dr.Bradley, the guy who started this shindig, was a regular OB who delivered babies in a hospital. 
• We have to drive to TN... this is getting old and we get super tired! 

Thats my thoughts so far. We are only 5 weeks in I think, so we have a ways to go. That means I have a ton more to learn! Ha!