Week 12

I had another appointment with my midwife today! Jeff and I met with the other midwife (Kyla) today, and she was super nice!! I really liked her. Nothing much to report today though... The midwife basically did a short physical, checked my vitals, checked to make sure baby is growing appropriately... and then she wanted to see if we could find the heart beat!! 

It was so exciting to get to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time. It never gets old! Joey was so excited that he got to hear the baby! He was right up there with the midwife listening intently. I was really relieved that we were able to hear baby's heart beat this early... I'm not quite 12 weeks yet so I wasn't expecting to hear it, but it was definitely music to my ears!! I loved every second!! 

As far as my symptoms go... things have been a little bit easier. I haven't been as tired this week as I had been the last couple of months. I'm still fighting hunger and occasional nausea, but other than that everything is great! I'm praising God for that!! 

I have an ultrasound in a few days so if I get any pictures from that I'll be sure to post some. That's all for updates, dear friends!! God bless!!

Be nice, people!!

I just have to put this out there... people make different decisions than others in regards to the way they deliver their babies. Also, people need to count their blessings and stop whining about being pregnant. It's making me cranky.

Anyway, my point to this was mainly to address the issue of out of hospital deliveries. People have this idea that it's extremely dangerous to deliver outside of a doctor's care. That is wrong in regards to women with low risk pregnancies. Yes things do go wrong sometimes, but it's so very rare... In most parts of the world women deliver their babies in the care of a midwife and are only taken to the hospital for serious complications. Women have been delivering babies since God created us. We're all still here and thriving, so birth is nothing but a normal process and should not be feared or treated like it's a serious condition.

People like to do things differently than others, and I get that. I fully support a woman who makes different choices than me as long as she's made educated decisions and feels confident that she's making the best choices for her and her baby. That's totally fine. No judgement from me... It's okay to have opinions on things, it's also okay to share information as long as it doesn't come off to other's as an attack on their personal preferences... People don't like to feel attacked. If people feel attacked they will not hear you... they will only be on the defense.

So... that being said, because of my different choices this time around, I've had a lot of people give mixed feedback about my decision and question my knowledge level. While I take this as a loving response because I know these people care, the reality is that they are likely uninformed or have been given the wrong idea about these particular choices... and that's okay. I expected these reactions. It doesn't hurt my feelings, but since people are worried about it, I do try to put their minds at ease with helpful information.

Below is some home birth data I have uncovered during my time researching birth options... It is basically a summary of data that a midwife compiled from an article out of the British Medical Journal. I have included the exact link to the actual article and study findings at the end of the data summary. While I do not plan to home birth this time, I think it's good information worthy of being shared with people who may have otherwise been misinformed or given the wrong idea about home birth. (And birth centers for that matter, as their stats are trending to be about the same as home birth). This information is not intended to convince people they should home birth, or that it's the best route... I'm simply putting it out there so people can see the facts that these methods of prenatal care and delivery are safe.

Safety of Home Births
Home Birth Statistics

A new landmark study* shows that planned home births are safe. The largest study of home births attended by Certified Professional Midwives (CPM), as published in the British Medical Journal, has found that home birth is safe for low risk women and involves far fewer interventions than similar births in hospitals.

Safe & Healthy Outcomes

• Results are consistent with most studies of planned home births and low risk hospital births
• Zero maternal deaths
• Intrapartum and neonatal mortality: 2.0 per 1000 intended home births (only 1.7 per 1000 intended home births when planned breech and twin births are excluded)
• Immediate neonatal concerns resulted in just 2.4% of newborns being placed in neonatal intensive care
• At six weeks well over 90% of mothers were still breastfeeding their babies

Home Birth Statistics: Low Rates of Medical Intervention

Much lower rates of interventions for intended home births compared to low risk hospital births:

Interventions	Planned Home Birth	Hospital Birth
Induction of labor (only with oxytocin or prostaglandins)	2.1%*	21.0%
Stimulation of labor (only with oxytocin)	2.7%*	18.9%
Electronic fetal monitoring	9.6%	84.3%
Episiotomy	2.1%	33.0%
Vacuum Extraction	0.6%	5.5%
Cesarean Section	3.7%	19.0%

* These numbers differ from the BMJ article where data for CPMs included forms of induction and stimulation only used by midwives and not comparable to hospital births.

Satisfied Mothers

Only 1.7% of mothers said they would choose a different type of caregiver for a future pregnancy.

Few Transfers to Hospital Care

• Only 12.1% transferred to hospital intrapartum or postpartum
• Five out of six transfers were before delivery, most for failure to progress, pain relief or exhaustion
• Midwife considered transfer urgent in only 3.4% of intended home births

High Credibility

• Included all home births involving Certified Professional Midwives in the year 2000
• 5,418 women in U.S. and Canada who intended to give birth at home as of the start of labor
• Prospective - every planned home birth was registered in the study prior to labor and delivery

* "Outcomes of Planned Home Births with Certified Professional Midwives: Large Prospective Study in North America." Kenneth C. Johnson and Betty-Anne Daviss.BMJ 2005;330:1416 (16 June). This article and related letters to the editor are available online, free, at http://www.bmj.com. The actual article and results from this study can be found here: http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7505/1416#T1 

Week 9 update

Well, I'm not going to lie, it's been a rough couple of weeks. We had a major scare with the baby and thought for sure he or she had gone to heaven... On top of that, my nausea and vomiting is back with a vengeance and my fatigue has intensified a lot. I'm so tired lately that it's all I can do to make it to 8 pm. I don't mean to sound like a complainer, because these are not complaints... just my symptoms. I am very thankful for every symptom I encounter (minus the scary ones) because that indicates a healthy pregnancy and high hormone levels.

Anyway... about that scare. I will try to be as conservative with details as I can since I know there will probably be readers that don't care to know ALL the gory details. It started on the weekend of the super bowl... I noticed some similar symptoms that I had with my previous pregnancies which alerted me of the possibility of another sub-chorionic hemorrhage. I kind of brushed it off as the symptoms were very very mild... that is until super bowl Sunday. We were at Jeff's parents house ready to eat and watch the game when something felt off to me. Sure enough, my symptoms intensified which prompted a trip to the ER to confirm wether or not baby was still with us.

When we got to the hospital we were taken back to an exam room fairly quickly. They did the usual... vitals, questions, blood work, etc. Then the dr came in, performed his exam and ordered an ultrasound. I couldn't have been more nervous, but I feel so fortunate to have a husband who has been through this with me two other times and was able to feel somewhat at peace about it.

After a while, the ultrasound tech came to get us and took us back for our exam. After some questions and set up of the machine, she was able to get a good look at the baby. I was sooooooo happy to see baby with a healthy heart beating on the screen!!! (Heart rate was 164 bpm) What a relief that was indeed.

As soon as we finished the ultrasound, she took us back to our room where we waited for what seemed like forever. Finally the doctor came in and told us that the baby looked okay, but that they found a larger than normal bleed behind the placenta. He called it a "peri-gestational hemorrhage." From what I understand that's basically the same thing as a sub-chorionic hemorrhage like I had in my previous pregnancies. This particular bleed was somewhat concerning to him, so after he ruled it out as a threatened miscarriage he then recommended we follow up on it in a week.

After I had alerted my midwives, they basically just told me to take it easy and we will just play it by ear. Which was fine with me. They said most of the time these bleeds correct themselves. Sometimes over a short period of time, and sometimes they take longer. It just depends.

But as it turns out, I already had an appointment set up with my regular OB about a week from the day to go over our care plan in case I need to go back to his care for any reason. He performed a quick ultrasound to determine the exact gestational age of the baby. Baby was fine with a good strong heart beat! He also noted the bleed and did not seem the least bit concerned. He told me it should heal up on its own pretty soon. It made me feel a lot better knowing the bleed had either gotten smaller, or the ER doctor just really over emphasized his concern over it. Either way, we're in good shape for now.

We still aren't out of the woods yet as far as the miscarriage risks go... they say the risk goes down significantly after 12 weeks!! At that point I feel like I'll be able to relax a little. For now though, I have just found that prayer and reading Philippians 4:4-9 and Isaiah 41:10 has really helped me a lot. It's so reassuring to me to read God's word in times like this... even if it's just a few verses.

Anyway, here's a sweet little picture of our newest little one. (Taken on Super Bowl Sunday!) So, that's about it as far as updates go... Thanks for all the love and support dear friends (and family!!!). God bless!!!

Week 7 update

Today I am 7 weeks 1 day pregnant! I also had my first visit with our midwife (Darlene). It went really well!! I really enjoyed my visit. It was very laid back and low key, and the staff was super friendly and relaxed.

When I arrived my midwife gathered all of my paperwork and insurance information into a new chart, and led me back to one of the birth suites. I found it really cool to be able to conduct the appointment in one of the two rooms I get to deliver in. (I get my choice of either room if they're both available when labor starts).

After we went over my basic information and discussed my previous pregnancies and deliveries, as well as recent health concerns, she drew some blood for my prenatal lab work and gave me the paperwork for more prenatal testing/ultrasounds in the near future.

As far as prenatal procedures go, they were all the same as the ones I had done at my OB clinic... only with a midwife in a far more relaxed and personal setting. I really enjoyed the personal attention I got and the fact that my midwife was not in any hurry. It was a great first appointment and I can't wait until our next one!! We may get to hear our baby's heart beat at the next one!

So far symptom wise... I'm feeling pretty good. Struggling with hunger and fatigue mostly, but doing really well. No complaints!! :)

Just an update on Joey and Annabelle... Some people have asked about their reactions and responses to mommy and daddy having a new baby, or if they even understand. I think Joey and Annabelle do have an understanding of what's happening, but only to a certain extent. They both seem to understand that there's a baby in mommy's belly, but they are clearly a little confused as to why he or she is in there all of a sudden or how that applies to them. I've showed them pictures of when they were in my belly and when they were first born, but I don't think it really did much for them. Annie just pointed to the baby pictures saying "Baby!" and Joey just said "Awwww that's baby Annie!!" (or baby Joey, depending on the picture).

Joey was only 18 months old when I found out I was expecting Annabelle. The only thing he knew is that mommy's belly grew and that there was a baby in there. He was very curious about my growing belly, and he'd pat my belly and say "baby" but other than that he was oblivious to everything. He was too little, and he was too busy. Annabelle on the other hand (17 months old when we found out about this little one), shows more interest. She randomly comes up to me, pats my belly, says "baby" and gives the baby a kiss and carries on about her day. Far different from how Joey was but I suspect it's just because she's a girl. We'll see how she does as things progress.

Joey does seem to be very interested in the baby, and that makes me really excited!! He comes up to me with his toy stethoscope and says he's going to listen to the baby. So he places the stethoscope over my belly button and listens away. When I ask him if he hears the baby he always says yes then packs up his stethoscope and gives the baby a kiss. So cute!! Moments I will treasure forever. He seems to be somewhat excited though... Occasionally he will ask if we can go "check on the baby" at the doctors office. So cute! I'm really anxious to see his reaction at my next appointment when he gets to hear the baby's heartbeat. (Hopefully if they can find it). If he does well, I will probably bring him to each visit so he can be involved with the baby and the midwives. (Annie will come too, but I'm unsure of how interested she'll be or if she can handle the long appointments). I'm really excited to have him come with for my 20 week ultrasound. I'm so excited to see our little one... we won't be finding out the sex, but I'm still so excited to see our baby's little feet, hands, and profile.

Soooooo yeah. That's about all I have for an update!! God bless, dear friends!!

Blessed abundantly.

Okay dear friends! Just a little update on recent events at the Brenning household... About 7 weeks ago we made a very crazy, scary, awesome, exciting discovery... We haven't shared with very many people up until this point just as a precaution... but....

We are pleased to announce that we will be welcoming our third child sometime around mid-September (Due date is Sept. 16th)!! I am so excited to have another little one around this fall, as well as having a different experience this time. Instead of my care being based out of a hospital, I will be seen by a group of midwives and will deliver at their free-standing birth center. For those who do not know, a free standing birth center is not affiliated with a hospital. There are no doctors, there are no epidurals or operating rooms, it is simply a group of midwives who own and operate their own birth center with a more gentle and personal approach to the care they provide. These midwives will often times offer the option to birth at home. While home birth was very appealing to me, it is not an option for us as indicated by our insurance coverage... And that's okay!! I am happy with a birth center. My experience will be just as wonderful. 

If anyone has any questions about midwives, birth centers, safety, etc... please feel free to ask!! I have done a lot of research, read lots of books, and been to deliveries with midwives as well... I am not going into this blindly. 

I want to thank everyone for all your love and support!! I am excited to document and share my journey with all of you. My blog posts are about to get a lot more frequent.

God bless!!

Week 6

Hello friends!! I am now 6 weeks pregnant with baby number three. So far I'm feeling pretty good... my bout of morning sickness and vomiting has now turned to intense hunger and fatigue. I'm still very emotional, and thankfully I've been able to keep my cravings under control.

As of now, I am clearly not far enough along to start showing, but I definitely have some lovely baby bloat. It's not too bad though. All of my clothes still fit so I'm thankful for that. All in all, I'm feeling pretty darn good! I have a lot to be thankful for.

This week we had the opportunity to meet with a midwife at Cascade Midwives and Birth Center. Jeff was there with me, and so were our kids. The tour of the birth center was awesome. It's not very large, having two birth suites, an exam room, a waiting room, a kitchen, and the front desk area... but it is BEAUTIFUL and very well kept. I fell in love the moment I saw it, and even Jeff likes it too!!

Anyway, we were able to ask all of our many questions and discuss all things pregnancy and birth as well as just chit chat and get to know the midwife. She was so friendly and so sweet!! Just talking with her I felt so much peace and comfort in the amount of experience she has. She was also very calm and I could tell instantly that I would feel completely safe and comfortable with her attending my delivery. She reminds me a bit of my mom and that's really what made me feel so sure that this was the place we needed to be.

Just a few reasons why we decided to go with a midwife.. (Or why I decided to go with a midwife... Jeff is just going along for the ride!):

1.) They do not believe in unnecessary interventions. This is so very important to me as I have experience with unnecessary intervention and how risky these things can be. Thankfully my experience wasn't as bad as it could have been, but regardless of that, it could have been prevented.

2.) Birth centers offer a calm environment for labor and birth. Women who go to birth centers to deliver their babies typically don't have trouble with their labors stalling out because of stress, they're not strapped down to monitors (which I despised), the women are free to move about as they please thus allowing their labors to progress more efficiently, and there are no strangers running in and out of your room.

3.) Different delivery options... you aren't limited to the bed we'll just say that.

4.) More personalized care. Do NOT get me wrong, I had an AWESOME doctor. The guy gave up so much time to squeeze me in at a moments notice when I was concerned about things during my pregnancy with Annabelle. He even came in especially to deliver Annabelle, which was awesome!! I would truly recommend him to anyone in need of a good obstetrician. But really though, there's nothing more nerve wracking than when you're in full blown unmedicated labor and there are people you've never met in your entire life all down in your business looking around. Not very fun!! But needless to say, as a woman with low risk pregnancies, I wanted to have the experience of seeing a small group of midwives (there are two at this practice) and knowing exactly who will be attending my delivery... Also with midwives your appointments last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. You're given the time to ask all the questions you need to, express any and every concern you may have, and receive proper education and information from your provider in regards to your pregnancy and delivery.

5.) Midwives are more casual and laid back. While midwives are extremely professional (well most of them) they offer a low key vibe in their practice which is very relaxing and comfortable to me. You are never just another patient. When meeting with our midwife, one question I asked myself was "could I be friends with her?" My answer was most definitely yes.

6.) The thought of guaranteeing that everyone in attendance at my delivery (minus Jeff) will be women was very appealing to both of us. Having male doctors can be kind of uncomfortable sometimes.

For anyone curious about the birth center we're going to, here is the link to their site. Check it out!!
http://cascadebirthcenter.com/

Thanks for reading dear friends!! God bless!!