Herding cattle (with a mini-van), then intense discussions on midwifery, homebirth, and yeast

I herded cattle that had gotten loose today, with my in-laws' mini-van, on the way home from an appointment with my midwife. They are so funny!! Cows really stick together; there was only one straggler and a big truck herded her back in with the crowd. Never would you see something like that in Minneapolis. Loose cows! I'm not sure what kind they were, but most of them were a pretty chocolate brown color with a few black ones peppered in. I wish Starbeans had been awake to see: he would have loved it.

The appointment with my midwife went very well. We've decided that her apprentice will be the midwife-in-charge during our labor and delivery: she needs to be head-midwife for 20 births to be certified by NARM. Her name is Kara, she is 27 years old, and I like her quite a bit. Judy, the midwife she is apprenticing with, will be there as her support person (although still ultimately in charge, should things get iffy). She has delivered somewhere in the numbers of 600 babies throughout her career. I am very pleased to be working with both of them. They are lovely ladies.

Our meeting lasted almost 2 hours. Can you imagine that in a doctors' office?? My appointments at the OBGYN (before transferring to the HCMC midwives) topped out at 15 minutes, and that was for the 21 week ultrasound. Other than that, it pretty much hovered around 5 minutes, leaving me feeling rushed and perplexed. Not to mention the fact that I never saw the same doctor twice!

We talked about the birth, expectations, the general flow of things, when to call, and everything in between. Up until this point, I always just thought, "We're having a homebirth" but not necessarily all the details it would entail. Even on the Midwife Unit at HCMC, I saw 4 different midwives throughout the course of my labor and even more nurses. We were trapped in 1 room, as I had no desire for even the potential of interacting with anyone, and we had to go to the hospital at 9 am (not delivering until the following morning at 1:15 am) because my water had broken and had previously tested positive for Group B Strep. Standard procedure for this = antibiotics during labor and delivery. Ugh, how I hated being attached to a needle and tube!

Judy and Kara said that they were there to support me in any way I needed. If Squeeze and I needed privacy through most of the labor, so be it. She said some women want them nearby during the entire event: that is ok too. I am in charge of my own labor and we will do what my body is telling me I need to do, whatever that is. She said, too, that the nice thing about being at home is that we can easily go on walks outside. I thought that sounded very nice: a big space to meander through, and while physically helping labor progress, maybe also providing a bit of balm for my brain and soul? We'll see...although, I would think it will be better than being trapped in a sterile room, no matter how comfy it is made to feel.

They also said that the more vocal I am about 1) where I'm at, and 2) what I need, the more they will know what to do for me. And finally, because they are 2 hours away, she wants me to call as soon as I know it is "the real thing". We will then be in communication as to how to proceed. They would rather get here a little early and have time to settle in and get comfortable rather than rush in while I'm crowning. I think that makes sense.

On a more dismal note...

My yeast. I was back up to +500 -- zero being normal. That was quite discouraging. Judy said that once yeast takes a hold it is very hard to get rid of, especially when pregnant or nursing because you can't take as extreme of measures. I've figured as much through my reading and conversations with others. Additionally, I was "dropping ketones" as she said it, which means that I am not getting enough complex carbohydrates to sustain my energy levels. So instead my body is burning fat, something which I don't have a lot of. She thought it could have coincided with a growth spurt in the baby, where even more of my energy would be going to him/her and not me. In fact, after examining the urine strip, she wondered if I hadn't eaten breakfast this morning! I had -- scrambled eggs with cheese, a small piece of toast with peanut butter, a few cherry tomatoes, and a glass of milk. Yikes. But the ketones would explain why I've been feeling a lack of energy and some serious cravings for carbs.

Bah...it is just so depressing. So our new route will be this: up my intake of carbs (whole grains, obviously) to 5 servings per day. I would say that I've been getting maybe 1-2 servings per day, plus an apple (sugar). I obviously need more complex carbohydrates, not to mention my wee one in the cooker. So in addition to the massive probiotic (which I ran out of and just started taking again last week) and Zymex (which is supposed to up my lactic acid...not good for yeast), I will be doing douches with tanalbit followed by Nature's Cleanse. Nature's Cleanse is a melaleuca [tea tree] oil "Refreshing Douche Concentrate". We'll see how that goes! While I don't have any vaginal issues, or at least -- I have an Iron Vag -- it is important that area is clear, so when the baby comes it will be as yeast-free as possible. She said it could have a positive effect on my whole system as well. Although...and I dread this...the Nature's Cleanse in particular will only intensify what I like to call, The Swamp. You know what I'm talking about. The end-of-pregnancy swamp. The most annoying thing about pregnancy (in my book).

I meet with them again next Tuesday. I will be interested in seeing my yeast levels, not to mention how I'm feeling and where I'm at with this whole pregnancy thing. LOL. Tomorrow is 37 weeks.