THRIVING WIVES

2. SLIPPERS. Cooties are gross. Hospital cooties are the grossest. I keep my slippers right at next to that bed and slip them on and off for my bathroom trips. Clean feet = clean bed = happy mommy. I like my toes free and these floral cuties (with bow of course) are light weight, easy to fold/pack as needed and after a good wash can be re-worn once you get home.

CLICK & BUY!

 3. 40 BLINKS EYE MASK. Now this is not just a hospital favorite for me, but a life favorite. However, in the case of my hospital trip, it is great to block out stimuli during labor AND great to wear after when you want to send those sweet nurses a hard message to please, kindly F off and let you sleep in peace and darkness. Lash friendly, great price and wonderful when you want to "black out" and relax.

CLICK & BUY!

 4. EARTH MAMA PERINEAL BALM. Birth does quite a little number on your lady parts, as it should. I mean a human AND self created organ are leaving your body, so obvi it's going to be a little swollen for a bit. Thankfully, that magic vag muscle goes back, but while you wait for that to happen, why not alleviate some of that discomfort. This balm (you can get the spray too...it is like a spa day for down unda) makes it allllll better while nature takes its healing course. 

CLICK & BUY!

5.  EARTH MAMA NIPPLE BUTTER. Those of us who have breastfed in the past know that those first few weeks can be absolute torture!! Turning those nipples into leather is no easy feat and I am thrilled to be using this nipple butter yet again to make the process not so absolutely, positively miserable. Best of all it is not only super safe for mommy but baby too! No more having to wipe off raw nipples coated in lanolin while the baby goes back for seconds, thirds and pretty much sucks around the clock. Earth Mama does it again as always!

While I could continue this list forever, I will spare you and let you watch the details unfold on InstaTV. Season 1, Episode 3 in the Birth-y series is ready to be watched my Thrivers! Enjoy!

I am very open and honest about my first birth experience and how it was NOT at all what I wanted, prepared or planned for. While I knew that "special circumstances" could arise (especially with twins) and had said the affirmation over and over, I still hoped I wouldn't have go through a C-section, but I did.

Thankfully, with Dude, I was dedicated to making all my birth dreams come true. Starting with of course, him coming out of my lady parts. And that is exactly what he did. He was my birth dream come true (in terms of goals. Trust, it was no walk on the beach...unless your version of the beach is a lot of vomit). I successfully had the unmedicated VBAC I had set out to achieve.


What is a VBAC you ask?

VBAC stands for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. While I thought this was no big thang, I was in fact quite wrong. Maybe this was because whenever I talked about my next birth being totally different people "seemed" supportive. Maybe it was because I had laser-beam focus and was so committed to a natural, vaginal birth that I didn't realize that people weren't all that supportive. Whatever it was, it was not an easy task to find a doctor to take me on the first time around.

I had reached out to a number of local doctors and was denied by all of them, apparently having a VBAC was not an option in my "rural" community.


I was incredibly upset and thankfully had a locked and loaded birth guru in my corner 24/7, my doula and TW Nic. She hooked me up with some resources to check out (first on the list, ICAN, International Cesarean Awareness Network.) and I eventually found the doctor of my dreams, only a short drive away in San Diego. 

After successfully having Dude, I figured I would be like any other pregnant chick and no one would look at me twice when I said I was GOING to have my baby vaginally. Nooooot so much.

I again found myself fighting for the right to birth the baby inside MY body how I wanted. I gave a local doctor a good run in an effort to make it easier on myself and my boys (the appointments in San Diego can be tricky with so many kids not to mention my husband's panic about the hospital being nearly an hour away), but halfway through my pregnancy I realized that it was far more important to be supported unconditionally and went back with my AMAZING Dr. Cap.

So while I am ready for this guy to make his smooth, easy exit from my body in a few short weeks, I also know that not everyone is as lucky as I am when it comes to finding a match to support you and your wishes for birth.

With that said...

Here are my suggestions on how to best prepare for a VBAC - 

• Educate Yourself. Apparently there are some safety concerns surrounding VBACs (this was news to me of course), like uterine rupture. Well, the research indicates that the possibility of that is less than 1%. A risk I am more than willing to take. However, not all women feel the same which is of course understandable. But, take the time to educate yourself with evidence based research and make sure you are confident moving forward in whatever path you choose for you and your baby. 
• Take Classes. As a second time around mommy, I assumed I didn't need any classes besides a little HypnoBirthing refresher. Well, I was wrong. Not only did I freshen up on my Hypno skills but I also took an amazing class designed for VBAC moms. Not only was the class incredibly therapeutic as we connected and shared our stories, but it provided more information to boost my confidence levels even higher. I also took a Labor Comfort Measures class which allowed my TH and I to re-create what we saw for our next experience. The Birth Education Center of San Diego was an excellent resource and Care is an absolute dream!! Now that I am going in again, I didn't take the classes and more centered my mind around what was going to happen and refreshed some of my Hypno skills. 
• Release. I still have some negative memories with the twins birth (back labor nightmare) that sometimes haunts me, but I have to let it go. I try and focus on all the positive things that happened during Dude's labor and imagine that it will be the same...but faster! And he was FAST!
• Create A New Experience. I am now sending energy to my new experience. I see myself starting to feel surges and welcome them calmly. I let my family know it is time to go, kiss the boys and slowly walk to the car. We make an easy drive to the hospital, I get checked in, relax into my body and my baby...and two minutes later I am engaging in my favorite part of the whole experience...breathing him out and feeling him leave my body along with my purple leg syndrome...
• Find Support. Every pregnancy is different and every mother requires a different level of support. Since I had found a doctor who I trusted completely I knew the only other birth support person I needed besides my TH was a doula. My doula, Nic. I cannot recommend a doula enough. Granted, I am lucky enough to have a doula wrapped in a bestie, but this service is truly one I wouldn't want to be without. Having someone there to help not only you, but also your partner is huge. Whatever support you feel you need, you should get. It is well worth the investment.
• Get excited. Every birth is different and should be treated as such. For those of us who desperately want a VBAC (or a second one), this is the time to get super excited. I know I can do this, I've done it before. I know things may arise, but I am choosing to send energy to a smooth/easy birth...did I mention fast too?

It's almost a new year and what better way to ring in 2017 than to share a beautiful story of a 2016 birth?!

Nic had the great fortune of being reconnected with her little sister from Alpha Phi at San Francisco State when her midwife sent an email asking if she could help get another client's home birth reimbursed by insurance. She couldn't believe the coincidence and immediately arranged for a play date as they both had toddlers born in the same month. Of course the conversation quickly turned to birth, and Krystal decided to take Nic's HypnoBirthing class since her first birth had been a traumatic and medicalized hospital birth so she was hoping to learn some better coping skills. A friendship re-blossomed as Krystal's belly grew and the two met somewhat regularly for playdates and saw each other in class. 6 months after the birth of her little Juniper, Krystal wrote the most beautiful birth story so we couldn't dream of keeping it from you as it's just amazing! Read on to see for yourself, and grab some tissues while you are at it! 

(All photos taken by Krystal & Nic's amazing midwife Lindsey Meehleis.)

Strive to thrive, 

Em