Things You May Not Know About C Sections

Whether you are planning a c – section or not, there is always the possibility that you could end up delivering that way. My second son, Blake, arrived via c – section after he began to show signs of stress during delivery. I had not been planning a c – section and knew next to nothing about it. There was no real time to anticipate it or become afraid, because I was moved out of my room and into the operating room with barely any time to think. Fortunately, the operation went well and both Blake and I recovered quickly. … Continue reading

How Many C Sections Can You Have?

In the United States, c section is often performed as a matter of choice for women. When a woman has had one c section, doctors sometimes offer a choice between VBAC and a repeat c section. In many cases, doctors pressure women into the repeat c section. This is often done because doctors worry about uterine rupture, which is a rare event. What few doctors do is inform their patients that having repeat c sections may limit the number of children they can have. Repeatedly cutting and stitching the uterus greatly increases the risk of uterine rupture in subsequent pregnancies. … Continue reading

Emotional Recovery After a C Section

Much has been written about the physical recovery period after a cesarean section. For some women, the emotional recovery after the c section takes much longer. This is especially true in emergency situations where the natural flow of the labor was quickly lost to the hurried atmosphere of the operating room. Just as with every aspect of pregnancy and birth, each woman has a unique experience after a c section. Many are able to move on and aren’t emotionally scarred from the experience. These women tend to view the c section as a necessary evil and don’t mourn the loss … Continue reading

Deciding Where to Give Birth

When you got pregnant, you took care to choose a prenatal health care provider or team of providers that you could trust to provide the best care for you and your baby throughout your pregnancy. As the time for baby’s arrival draws near, you may be faced with another major health care decision – where to give birth. For example, you may be working with midwives and preparing for a home birth until something happens late in the pregnancy which requires that your care be transferred to a hospital. That just happened to me. You could also be planning to … Continue reading

You May Still Have Bad Days

Maybe it has been a while since your divorce or separation or some other major life-altering experience? You may have spent a lot of time, effort, and personal work getting your life on track and, on the whole, you are feeling pretty darn good about where your life is as a single parent taking care of a family. Even those of us who feel basically happy and in control of our lives can still experience bad days. It can be a little scary and if you have weathered a particularly depressing or challenging time, a bad day dip might make … Continue reading

The Good, the Bad, and the UGH-ly

THE GOOD In a rare (and what will likely be brief) appearance under the “good” headline, singer Britney Spears is lending a hand to help those in need. The mother of two just announced that she is planning to aid the underprivileged children of the world by donating money to UNICEF. Spears is teaming up with photo agency X17 to raise money for the relief organization by auctioning an autographed copy of her latest CD, Blackout, on eBay. “I think it’s important to give back and with the release of Blackout, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give the … Continue reading

BYUCougars.com

It is fall and that means it is time for football. I grew up in the home of a diehard Cougar football fan. My dad is such a fan that last week he forced himself back to work after recovering from pneumonia so that he could attend the football game without any argument from my mom. While I love BYU football and basketball, it is difficult for me to keep up with it in North Carolina, especially since my husband is not a huge fan. However there is a great site that allows you to keep up with not only … Continue reading

New Moms Beware of Your Painkiller in the Hospital

An infant died this past week because his mother was breastfeeding while taking codeine for her post operative pain after her c-section. Apparently, some women have a genetic make up such that they metabolize codeine super efficiently. What happens is the codeine turns into morphine and because it is metabolized so quickly, you can overdose your baby with the drug in your system. The genetic ability to metabolize codeine in this way is extremely rare, but when it happens it can be fatal. However, the FDA was cautious to say that codeine has been used safely for post birth pain … Continue reading

Hospital Crosses Line

Note: When I originally wrote this article, there were no statements available except from the mother and father and those that represent them. I looked up several articles to do this blog. The hospital and the police department have now added statements to the story in backing their position. I obviously am concerned about the health and safety of babies. As a result of ‘new’ information, I have changed this blog and am adding a follow up blog on our own story of hospital staff bullies. Look for it soon! I’ve written an incendiary title and I know it. This … Continue reading

Home Repair: Balancing Spouse Responsibility

Is it really Friday already? It feels like this has been the longest and the shortest week on record. It’s been crazy busy here with my husband and I both working diligently on a variety of different projects, the not the least of which is getting our fence repaired. We’ve been trying to balance what the two of us have both done to get estimates, file the insurance claim and hire a contractor to do the work. Wind Storms & Storm Damage A few weeks back, just two days before I had my surgery, we had a major windstorm here … Continue reading