October 7: appointment at Pine Lake. I am to see Lisa Alvey, a CNM there, for my prenatal visits. When we first arrive we talk to the nurse. She goes over my chart and asks all her questions. When she sees we had a homebirth previously, she too, was surprised. And again, even more so when we said we were doing it again. Go figure huh? Anyway, she said it was time to get changed and ready for the exam. I said I had a few questions about that, as I despise all those invasive procedures. So she said she'd send Lisa in to answer them. Lisa came in and we went over the same stuff with her. Previous pregnancy, medical history, etc. She asked about our homebirth. We told her everything was normal, everything went fine. She actually seemed rather impressed and intrigued by the whole thing. Then she answered all our questions about the vaginal exam. She answered them sufficiently so I agreed to the exam. She left the room for me to change.
When she returned, she said, "I'm sorry, I just talked to Dr. Jirak and he said we can't treat you if you choose to have a homebirth." Then she and my husband proceeded to argue about the reasons for our denial of services. I don't remember all that was said, I just know that nothing became of it. I was now without a prenatal doctor. I had been denied prenatal care by the doctor who was supposed to do all the prenatal care for this area. Oh well, I wasn't worried about it. My mid-wife is capable of doing that. So she can't do blood work, no biggy, I hate getting stuck with needles anyway! So, off we go, to my mid-wife's house. We just had to discuss our visit with her.
Lisa, of course, says "they are just crazy!" Oh sorry to confuse you, there are 2 Lisa's. The first, is the CNM at Pine Lake, the second one is a lay mid-wife, who will help deliver my child. Anyway, we tell her what happened at Pine Lake. She says not to worry about it, she can do my prenatal care. We said Great! So, we made plans to meet with her again in a month.
Ok, it's been about a month now. I have been feeling a bit sick with this one. I wasn't sick at all with Levi so this is very different for me. It hasn't been too bad. I just get to feeling a little queasy so I lie down for a bit and it goes away. Time for my apointment with Lisa. We go to her house one afternoon and she checks for the baby's heartbeat. We hear it! I'm only about 9 weeks at this time but we hear it loud and clear! Lisa was surprised, she was not expecting to hear it yet. She placed the doppler on my belly and immediately we heard the heartbeat, 157! From what we've heard lately, that's a sign of a girl. (but I guess we'll just have to wait and see won't we?) She checks my blood pressure and everything seems fine. So we just sit around and talk for a while. No pregnancy/birth questions to ask as of yet, I guess we pretty well took care of all those the first time around. From there we go home and I start feeling a little yucky again, so I sit and rest, it goes away.
Now, a little bit further down the road, so to speak. Please forgive me for being a tad unorganized, I haven't kept written record of all this stuff. I am now approximately 19 weeks and have just decided to do this page, so this is all coming from memory. Ok...well, I've been a bit sicker as the weeks have passed. Some days are better than others but none are very good. I constantly feel "yucky" I don't have morning sickness, I have 24 hour sickness!! I haven't thrown up very much at all, just always feel like I have to. At this point, I don't know which is worse, feeling like it or doing it. But everything else seems to be just fine. I haven't lost any weight to speak of. I think, maybe 1 lb. So, that's good. I was hounded last pregnancy because I wasn't gaining enough weight to suit them. Sorry, I just don't gain weight easily, but I do eat...all the time!
I don't remeber the date here but I am at the health department for an appointment. Everytime I go in they all ask if I have found a doctor yet. One nurse has even offered to make a few calls for me. I tell her to go ahead, I'm not worried about it but if she wants to, go ahead. So, she does and within a week she calls me back. She says she got ahold of a doctor in Fulton, KY, that's about 30 minutes away from here. He says he'll do my prenatal care if I want, just call and set up an appointment. So I do so after I get off the phone with her.
December 15, I have my first appointment with Dr.Elliot. This guy seems pretty cool! He is being real supportive. Not once has he tried to talk us out of a homebirth. He says, of course, he can't support this homebirth, but he does support our decsion and right to have a homebirth. Alright! This is much better than any other experience we've had with the medical profession. He checks my chart and figures up my due date. He says June 7. Then he answers my questions, as well as my husbands, about the vaginal exam before I agree to it. He answers these questions very well. So, I agree to the exam. After the exam he says that things seem a bit bigger. That he thinks I'm further along than the pregnancy wheel has calculated. About 2 or 3 weeks further actually. So, he orders an ultrasound. He says if this baby's going to be born at home, he wants to know just when that's supposed to be! Haha But the thing is, he wants it ASAP because right now I am at the best time to judge the baby's due date. Well, there comes a bit of a problem, Brad has taken off work to be here and can only afford to lose so much work ya know? So we ask if there's anyway we could have it done today. So the nurse makes a call over to the hospital to see if they have a cancellation or an opening. They do! So we go grab a bite to eat then come back in about 2 hours for my ultrasound an blood work. First, we do blood work. I hate this! Little finger pricks, I can deal with those, but a big needle stuck in a vein in my arm, no way! So, I just hold on to Brad's hand and try to relax. Whew..I made it! She had to take 2 or 3 viles but hey, it's done now. I won't have to have anymore taken again! Now, it's off to get my ultrasound. Well, this gets off to a horrible start. The lady tells Brad to, "sit out here I'll take her in here then call you in in a few minutes" that's it, that's all she said. Practically pulled me in the room and quickly closed the door. This made me rather uncomfortable, I didn't like the way we were being treated. This made Brad enraged! No one tells him to just do something, especially when it involves his wife and kids, without an explaination. So, I'm in there getting a few pictures taken while Brad gets to sit out in the hall stewing over it all. Then she tells me my bladder isn't full enough to finish. I need to go sit and drink some more. She'd check back with me in 15 minutes and we'd finish the ultrasounds.
It's been about 10 minutes, I guess, and I'm about to die here. I have to pee so bad! Finally, the lady comes back and asks if I'm ready, to which I reply a resounding, "Yes!" This time Brad and my son, Levi are allowed in the room. She takes lots of pictures. They didn't take this long with Levi, just a few quick shots and that was it. This lady is all over the place, I'm sure she covered my entire belly! She lets us see the monitor a few times. We see the baby moving and kicking around in there. Wow, this baby looks so big, but then again, Levi's ultrasound was at 9 weeks 2 days. Haha So of course this one looks bigger! Anyway, she takes a few more pictures then dismisses us. Brad asks if the baby is ok, she says everything looks fine but she's not allowed to discuss the ultrasounds with us, that we have to get the complete results from the doctor. So, we leave the room. Then Brad asks why he wasn't allowed in earlier. She tells him it was because they only allow one person in when doing measurements, no kids, because it's too distracting otherwise. Brad says, "well, you could have just told me that. I didn't appreciate the way you treated me or handled that back there. If you had simply told me that when you took my wife, I would have udnerstood. However, my son would not have been a problem, he is very well behaved, and had he started to be lod I would have taken him out." She just said that she couldn't rely on that, because she doesn't know our child or how we control him, or something stupid like that. Brad just says, "well, you still should have explained it to me. I don't like when someone takes off with my wife and unborn child and tells me to just sit here, without telling me why!" He told her she should have handled things differently and that he was very upset with her. She didn't care. I mean she apologized but she still didn't care. So, anyway, our visit is over, so we go home.
Well, guess what? It's the second trimester already! And as soon as it hit, my 24 hour sickness just stopped. I haven't been sick at all since then. This is wonderful! I love the 2nd trimester. You're not sick anymore, not big enough to be uncomfortable yet, you can still breathe and sleep. Plus, this is when the baby starts moving! At around 17 weeks I feel the baby moving. It may have been a little earlier than that when I first felt some flutters. But now, you can usually feel the moves from the outside. Oh and remember, when I say how many weeks I am, I'm going by OUR estimation, not the doctor's pregnancy wheel, according to that I would have been 19 weeks already. Anyway, this baby is moving more and more each day. At night, though, is when s/he moves the most, when I first lie in bed, s/he starts squirming around. One night, I laid down for bed after eating some Jell-o, boy did that critter move then! At this point only I have felt the baby move from the outside. I tell Brad that the baby is kicking like crazy. He feels and is amazed because s/he just keeps going! It was so funny. A couple weeks later I was talking to my friend Karen, who is due in April, and she said the same thing happened to her. So, we've decided they should put warning labels on Jell-o.
Well, I guess I'm about caught up now. There was one other appointment with my mid-wife in there somewhere, but all we did was check the heartbeat, still there, loud and clear. Now I am 19 weeks. Everything is going great! No more sickness. I'm gaining weight. I gained 8 lb. in 6 weeks! I'm already up to 116. I started out at the same weight this time as I did with Levi, but with that pregnancy, I only got up to about 121. That was my weight at my last appointment! Now, here I am, only half way there and I'm just 5 lb away from my full pregnancy weight from last time. I love it though. My belly is quite a bit bigger than it was last time. I just hope this doesn't mean my baby is going to be bigger. I think Levi was big enough, over 8 lb. But oh well, I'll make it. The Lord will pull me through, somehow. Haha I have another appointment with Dr. Elliot next month. So, I'll be back to give you that update as soon as I can.
Ok, well I've had my second appointment with the doctor. All he had to say was, "everything is fine" Seriously, that's all I was told. As of Feb. 15 I am 22 weeks, going by date of conception, and I weigh more than I did at full term with Levi. Once again, all the weight is in my belly. That was the only thing I heard anything about. The nurse told me my weight. She checked my blood pressure and urine all she said was "doing fine" The doctor came and measured my belly, didn't tell me what the measurement was, just that it was "fine" that I "seemed to be right on schedule" Gee, good thing I don't really care what the Dr has to say about me huh? HaHa So, that was a rather dull doctor's visit but oh well I guess. I have another appointment in 8 weeks. I will see my midwife probably next month.
Otherwise, everything really is doing just fine. This little critter is kicking me all the time! Hardly ever takes a break. But I love it! I think it's so cool to feel the baby move around, just not on my bladder! I'm one who has to go to the bathroom a lot anyway, so pregnancy just increases that for me. I feel like I never leave. Haha I guess that about does it for this entry. Hopefully next time I'll have more to talk about. :o)
Ok, well, today is Friday, April 9, 1999. I am 29 weeks, as usual, going by date of conception so that would be 31 "dr weeks" as we call them. I have a bit to catch ya'll up on. For starters, we went to Louisville a while ago to get some things straightened out about our move there. So, now Brad has a job lined up there at a pool company and we got things started with seminary housing. This means, we are definitely moving. We plan to move May 8, the day after Brad graduates from Mid-Continent. That left us with having to find a new midwife, 4 hours is a bit of a drive for mine, plus it is better to have someone local to keep up on prenatals. Well, luckily I've met a fellow homebirther online. She lives in Louisville and just so happens to be due a few days after me. Anyway, she talked to her midwife and she said they'd help me out. Either Juliet (the midwife) would take me personally or help me find someone else. Well, I've emailed Juliet a couple of times, things seem to be working out just fine. I plan to call her next week so we can talk on the phone. You know, make things a bit more personal. So, I am relieved that we're getting that going. I was a bit nervous about moving before the baby because of changing midwives.
Today, we went to see my midwife, Lisa. As usual, we mostly just chatted but we did measure my uterus: 29 1/2, right on schedule. She also checked the baby's heartbeat which ranged between 136 and 143. Good and strong!! As always, we heard it as soon as she placed the doppler on my belly. We also heard good placental noises. Lisa is a bit sad about us leaving but she's been invited to come to the birth still. We told her we'd still love for her to be there if possible. That perked her up a bit. She said, "oh yeah, I could do that, it would give me a good excuse to get out of here for a few days, just the baby and me!" I can totally understand that. *L* Oh, almost forgot to put my current weight down here: 127, I've been holding out around here for a while now. But my belly sure seems to still be growing.
Spring fever is setting in. It's been so nice outside. Sun shining, so beautiful and warm, makes me want to hurry up and have this kid so I can get my into my normal clothes. You can only wear maternity stuff so long ya know. These jeans are about to drive me nuts! I'll be so glad to wear my Levi's again. *L* Well, I have an appointment with Dr. Elliot Monday. Not that he's really gonna do/tell me anything but oh well. This will be my last visit with him so I don't really care anyway. He seems to be an ok guy and all but I just don't really care for doctors, much prefer a midwife!! If anything spectacular happens Monday I'll get it down here as soon as I can otherwise it may be a little bit before I have another update. Oh by the way, kid is doing just fine...still kicking me like crazy! Before too long though, this little critter isn't going to have all that room left for those flip flops. :o) I guess s/he is taking advantage of it while s/he can.
Well, it's been a while since I updated this page. I have since had a midwife appointment or two. Everything went just fine. Surprise!! We had our baby. Joel Bradley was born 4:40 am Thursday June 3, 1999. So, I guess that pretty much does it for this page. On to the next. Here's Joel's birth story.
Back to Levi's Birth Story.
To Special Delivery, Brad's story of Levi's birth.
Home.
Thank you so much for visiting!
You are visitor number
since February 2 1999.
Please check back for updates
Last updated April 9, 1999
