Psalm 128 July 2, 2007

Listen to the tune here

And Sing Along:

Blessed the man that fears Jehovah

 and that walketh in His way

Thou shalt eat of thy hand’s labor

and be prospered all thy days.

Like a vine with fruit abounding

in thy house, thy wife is found.

And like olive plants thy children

compassing  thy table round.

And like olive plants thy children

compassing  thy table round.

 

Lo on him that fears Jehovah

shall this blessedness attend

For Jehovah out of Zion

shall to thee His blessings send.

Thou shalt see Jerusalem prosper

all thy days ’til life shall cease.

Thou shalt see they children’s children

unto Israel be peace.

Thou shalt see they children’s children

unto Israel be peace.

I sang this song every week (I think it was on Mondays) with the 2nd – 5th graders where I taught school.  Emmy heard this song probably daily in the womb.  This was the first song I sang to my little girl after her birth:  she was crying and I started singing.  Her eyes widened and she quieted down.  She still loves this Psalm.

 

 

“Empty” July 2, 2007

 “A slideshow depicting the journey of several moms through the hopeful anticipation of pregnancy, the hard work of labor, and the hollow emptiness of an unwanted cesarean. All of the pregnancy and labor pictures were donated by mothers whose labors ended in cesarean; in fact the majority of the pictures you see during the labors are from VBAC attempts that ended in another cesarean.”

I sit and watch Elaine’s (an ICAN – er) slide-show every so often.  This — like Cesarean Art — helped me understand that I wasn’t the only one who felt disappointed [understatement] in my C-section. I was in disbelief for months…. not sure how to come to grips with the reality I hadn’t planned on.  The first time I stumbled on “Empty,” I couldn’t move.  I hit “replay” and sobbed.  “Replay” again.

“Some scars never heal” 

Interviewing a doctor for your VBAC July 2, 2007

Here is the list of questions I roughly used when I interviewed my new doctor.  Remember that you are shopping around.  You are doing the interview!

I gathered these questions from all over the web, from friends, and from my own personal experiences.  I hope you can find them useful:

Consultation & Pregnancy

1. Approximately how many VBACs have you attended?
2. Of those patients in your practice who wanted a VBAC, how many were successful?
3. What do you think my chances are of a VBAC success, given my childbirth history?
4. What is your rate of cesarean sections and under what circumstances do you usually advise them?
5. Who is your back-up?  Is he/she VBAC friendly?  Would he/she support my birth plan?
6. What hospital(s) do you have privileges at?  (Which would you recommend for a VBAC?)  (Natural birth?)
7. What book(s) would you recommend that I read?
8. Are you familiar with ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network?)
9. What prenatal tests/procedures do you usually require?  Recommend?
10. What do you think of Birth Plans/ Preferences?
11. How do you usually manage a postdate pregnancy?  Or a suspected Cephalopelvic Disproportion (CPD)?
12. Do you have a vacation scheduled near my estimated due date?

 Labor & Delivery

1. What’s a reasonable length of time for a VBAC labor if I’m healthy and my baby appears to be healthy?
2.  Do you know any kind of restriction I should expect from the hospital on a VBAC?  (Who do I need to have policy exceptions approved through?)
3. How many people can I have with me during the labor and birth? 
4. How do you feel about doulas? 
5. What is your usual recommendation for IVs?  Pitocin?  Confinement to bed? 
6. What’s your approach if the bag of waters has broken at full term but the mothers feels no contractions?
7. How often do women in your care give birth un-medicated?  How many with minimal medication?  In what percentage of your patients do you induce labor?
8. Approximately how many of your patients have un-medicated births?
9. Do you do breech deliveries?
10. What would you suggest if I had another breech baby?  (Before labor?  During?)
11. At what point do you arrive at the hospital during labor/delivery?
12. What labor positions do you recommend to your patients? Do you encourage movement during labor?
13. How much fetal monitoring do you routinely use during labor?  Intermittent?
14. Do you allow light eating/ drinking during labor?
15. Are you OK with No IV – but a Hep Lock?

 By the way, these questions should be asked fully clothed, in an office.  This is your baby’s birth — there are no repeats, so make sure you are comfortable and on the same page with your care provider.

3D animation of vaginal birth July 2, 2007

Look at this!

This really helped me understand all that goes into coming out

Jury Duty July 2, 2007

I got a phone call from my mom today saying “I can’t believe we forgot to tell you… but you got some mail this weekend that’s from the Jury Pool.”

Oops. I’ve not lived at home since my husband and I were married 3-plus years ago. The summons was made out to the old-me (my maiden name), living at my old-home.

Well, being a breastfeeding, stay-at-home mom and all, I am going to have to ask for my civic duty to be postponed. I do think — when I’m able — that being a part of the jury process would be a very interesting thing to do (If I’d even be chosen…). But, it’ll have to wait.

[In addition to the fact that Emmy is still breastfeeding, I am her sole care provider during the work week. Jury pay is $12.50 ($5 is actually the "pay," and $7.50 is reimbursement for expenses). So, I would need to find a babysitter who would work for a whole day, for $12.50, or less. Know any 7 year olds in need of some summer cash?]

Kentucky’s Governor signed a bill (SB 111) this March exempting breastfeeding (and pumping) mothers from jury duty.

Section 1. KRS 29A.100 was amended with the following addition:

(4) The judge shall excuse a mother who is breastfeeding a child or expressing breastmilk from jury service until such time as the child is old enough that the mother is no longer breastfeeding the child.

You can read the 7 year history of this bill here. According to KentuckyLawBlog.com, the law went into effect on June 26th — whew!

 

 

Other new laws:
Assistance dogs. Senate Bill 23 will prohibit the denial of emergency medical treatment to an assistance dog because of a handler’s inability to pay prior to treatment.
Bluegrass music. House Bill 71 will designate bluegrass music as the official state music of Kentucky.
Deceptive business practices. HB 246 will prohibit flower shops from misrepresenting their business locations in telephone directories.
Human trafficking. SB 43 takes aim at human trafficking by making it a felony in Kentucky to force someone into labor, domestic work or the sex trade.
Jury duty. SB 111 will allow a mother who is breastfeeding a child to be excused from jury duty.
License plates. HB 390 will eliminate all fees for special Gold Star Mothers license plates that are available to mothers who lost a son or daughter in service to the United States.
Methamphetamine lab cleanup. HB 94 will establish standards and procedures for authorities to follow to ensure proper cleanup of the toxic materials left behind by illegal methamphetamine labs.
Minimum Wage. HB 305 will increase the current minimum wage of $5.15 by $2.10 over the next two years. The legislation requires that the state’s minimum wage increase to $5.85 on June 26; $6.55 on July 1, 2008; and $7.25 on July 1, 2009. If the federal minimum wage is increased beyond the amounts called for in HB 305, Kentucky’s minimum wage will mirror the federal level.
Military burial. HB 280 will require that a funeral director involved in arrangements for a deceased veteran provide a fact sheet stating military burial rights.
School bus safety. HB 230 will prohibit school bus drivers from using cell phones while transporting students. Exceptions would be made for drivers without two-way radios who need to communicate with their dispatchers and in times of emergency.
Sex offender registry. SB 65 will require registered sex offenders to include their e-mail, instant message and other Internet identities on the state’s sex offender registry.
Speed limits. SB 83 will allow the Transportation Cabinet to increase the speed limits on interstates and parkways in Kentucky to 70 miles per hour in areas where it is determined that vehicles can travel safely at that speed.
Veterans’ families. HB 128 will expand the eligibility for education benefits available to family members of deceased or disabled veterans.