Taigan's Birth Story

3/15/2005 ~ I woke up this morning feeling normal. I had to be to work at Capn' Morgans at 10 so I got in the shower. While in the shower, I felt some tightenings in my belly. I had not felt any pre-labor warm ups ("Braxton-Hicks) at all through out this pregnancy, so this tightening sensation I was feeling made me wonder if this is what the surges ("contractions") would feel like. They were not uncomfortable, just strange. When I was done with the shower, I called Deb, my wonderful midwife just because I wanted to describe what I was feeling and get her thoughts. She explained that it could be the start of the birthing process, but what nothing to be alarmed at since they were not regular. She said that it was perfectly safe to go about my day. So, I got dressed and went to work. I was a waitress/bartender during the lunch time at the restaurant. We were so busy that day, I didn't have time to stop and think about the fact that I was still having surges. They certainly were not close together and I could walk and carry on like normal while I was experiencing them. I told Denise, my boss, that I was having surges, but I was fine and felt as though I was going to be able to finish out the shift. She was a little alarmed, but I told her that I trusted my body and that it would be fine. There were only a few times when I actually had to stop and breathe, luckily I wasn't at a table with customers when this happened. My biggest fear at this point was that my membranes were going to release ("water break") either in the kitchen or behind the bar or while at a table! I didn't think that would be very sanitary!

I made it through the shift and went home to relax. Once I was home, and sitting, the surges stopped. "Most not have been the real thing", I thought. At about 9pm, I went up to take my nightly soak in a Lavender bath and intended to go to bed after that. Around 11, I got up to go to the bathroom, and when I wiped I saw some birth show ("bloody show")....I knew that I would be meeting my baby boy soon and would have to get some rest tonight.

I went back to my bedroom, and turned on my "Rainbow Relaxation" HypnoBirthing CD and went into my zone. My surges were starting and were about 11-15 minutes apart. I remember thinking about how this was happening at night, and I was so tired from working that day and that I needed to pay less attention to how close the surges were and more attention on resting and relaxing. So that is what I did. I fell asleep.

I woke up at about 1 and felt a lot of pressure in my back, so I decided to take a bath. I ended up on all 4's with the shower head blasting down on my back. It felt great! The surges were starting to become a tad bit more intense and closer together, so I decided to get out and see how close they were. 7 minutes. Still had some time to rest. Back to sleep I went.

At 3:45, I woke up again. This time the pressure in my back was worse. So, I called Deb. She asked how close my surges were, and I told her that I had no idea, that about 2 hours before that they were about 7 min. apart. She told me to try the bath/shower again and to call her back when the surges were 5 minutes apart consistently. So, back to the bath/shower I went. It was in there for about another hour or so, and decided I wanted to try sleep one more time. I laid down, and the surges were close. So, I timed a few. 5 minutes, 5 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 of them total. So, the phone call to Deb was made. This was at 5:00. She told me to start getting things around and that she would meet me at the hospital.

I chose to birth with September Hill midwives at Schuyler Hospital in Montour Falls, NY. They were recommended to me by a cousin who was a L & D nurse there at that time. She knew that I wanted a natural, intervention free birth, and that Deb and Kay (the other midwife at that time) were very accepting, and actually pushed for the most natural births possible. And they were both HypnoBirthing Practitioners, so they knew how to support me in having the most calm, peaceful birth imaginable. My mom was my Birth Companion, and a great one! She was my biggest advocate when it came to birthing without drugs and breastfeeding. She had always talked about her drug-fee births and how she loved breastfeeding her babies. I knew that was the best for me and my baby, as well.

I woke up mom and told her that it was time to start getting around to go to the hospital. She was so excited to meet her little grandson, her first. When we got in the car, I called Maria. Maria taught me HypnoBirthing and I wanted her to be at my birth. She played to role of my doula, my other support. I was to be supported by 3 of the best women possible. My mom, my midwife, and my HypnoBirthing Practitioner. I could not have asked for better support. When arrived at the hospital at around 6am. Deb wanted to check my cervix to to get an idea where I was at. She said "A solid 6 centimeters!". I was very pleased at that. For the next couple of hours, I was in several different positions, including all 4's, sitting on the birth ball, laying over the birth ball, and sitting straight up...all while my "Rainbow Relaxation" played in the back round. I started to feel the intense shift in my birthing (which is what the medical field would call "transition") and knew that I needed to really focus on my relaxation and to become one with my baby. At this point, I knew that if I didn't breathe and relax, I was going to lose it. My favorite part of the CD came on, and that was a great sign. I remember the nurse coming in at some point wanting to check the babe's heart rate and not wanting to disturb me because she thought I was sleeping. I am told that at this point, I had been sitting straight up on the end of the bed almost snoring because I was so relaxed. And that this had been going on for quite some time. I heard the nurse and everyone whispering around me but did not want to open my eyes and acknowledge it. But, I did, I knew the nurse wanted to check the heart rate and thought that I would let her and then get right back into that relaxed state. I was still dealing with major pressure in my back, so I decided to get back into the birthing tub to see if it would help. I really wanted to have him in the water. Water has many benefits for the birthing mom and the baby. I could not get comfortable. At all. I was also getting the urge to bear down. So I got on the bed, and Deb decided to check and see what my cervix was at. 9, with a little lip of cervix in the way...almost 10! I needed to bear down, so with the next surge, that is what I did. I was following the lead of my body, it knew what to do. I took another breath, and bore down again. He was coming! There are a couple of things I remember in this short moment. I remember telling my mom that I couldn't do this anymore, and both she and Deb telling me that I WAS doing it, and I remember Deb telling me to stop bearing down for a moment, to slow down, and I told her I couldn't. Seconds later, I hear "Bethany, reach down here and get your baby!" And that is what I did! It was one of the greatest moment of my life. He was here, and I had done it! I had birthed my baby boy! He was born 3/16/2005 at 10:35 an. He latched right on to my breast for his first feeding. It was magical!

Taigan's new perspective on life

Taigan: "Mom, do you know why I really want to grow?"
Me: "No, why?"
T: "Because girls are made for boys. And I know that girls grow and boys grow and then girls smile at boys."

So innocent!!!! God love him!

Another birhtday down!

So, my middle baby is 3...oh boy! He had such a good day. He woke up and we had birthday snuggles. When I told him "Happy Birthday!", he said "Tanks, mom!" So cute. When he walked down stairs, he was so excited to see his "prensent and birtday tard!" sitting on the table. "Tanks for my tard, mom!" haha. Taigan helped him open his presents, which is a talking Buzz Lightyear ("Buzz Buzz") which all 3 of them were excited about.

Figuring that I would make him something special for breakfast, I asked him what he wanted. He replied "toast". I decided to interpret that as French Toast, and asked him if he would like to go to the bakery with me. So, Brendan, Buzz, and I went to the bakery to get some yummy, fresh bread. He told the ladt at the bakery it was his birthday, and was able to pick out a cookie.

A little later, we left for Chuck E Cheese (which is where we took Taigan for his 3rd birthday). My Mom and Dad, and my Mother-in-Law joined us. Brendan really enjoyed the ride-on bus. He told me he was going to school and would get in. He would get in with other children, too. Mr. Sociable! I think he thought that all the people were there to celebrate his birthday. He walked up to one lady and asked her for a token! He followed the same lady and her family throught the tunnel on the ceiling. I am pretty sure he thought he belonged to them some how. The children (even Evan) were running around that place like I never let them leave the house. Oh, the excitment!! I say the children, but I must include to 2 older children in that also. Eric and my Dad. Everytime I turned around, my Dad was holding his hand out for another token! He approached me at one point, and I told him that there was only 1 token left, and he didn't understand why I wouldn't give it to him. Umm...because I was going to give it to one of the little children! Then, Eric says "I think we should get some more tokens because they are having so much fun and behaving really well". I agreed. The next time I looked up, Eric and my Dad are standing together at a game! Who did we get the extra tokens for?? Boys will be boys I guess, no matter how old ☺

I had meant to call Chuck E Cheese and ask them ahead of time if we could bring cupcakes. One of the things that Brendan loves most in this world is the Happy Birthday song! He ♥♥♥'s it!! He gets flushed, and giggles and it is the cutest reaction to anything I think I have ever seen. So, while we are standing in the parking lot getting ready to head back to Corning, I suggested that we go get some sort of dessert and sing to him. I was not letting my baby go to bed on his birthday without having the song sung to him! Of course, I was sobbing to my family, they must all think I am loco by now. So, we found a Wegmas (grocery store) and bought him a cake and some candles and had a really nice moment outside in the cafe eatery.

Overall, I think he had the best day ever! (and so did everyone else involved!) I will post some pictures as soon as I can.

I really need to get better at this

4 months has gone by since my last blog post. I need to get better, maybe I will shoot for once a month!

Things have been great! I just ended another HypnoBirthing session, this was my first session with 2 couples. That makes 5 couples that I have taught! I am also pleased that 3 of those couples have had their beautiful babies. 1 boys, and 2 girls. I love what I do, I could not be happier with the progress I have made. I am truly passionate about natural birth and love sharing that passion with families. I am also going to start teaching Cloth Diapering classes, and assisting new moms and dads with Babywearing. I recently starting offering photography as well. I am not a photographer, but I look at it like this; I have a really good camera and can take pretty good pictures and I know how to use Photoshop. So, if couples want pictures taken during pregnancy, birth or after, but can't afford to pay a professional, they can pay me a lot less and get pretty good photos. Perfect, right? If you haven't seen the maternity pictures I took, check them out: http://www.freewebs.com/southerntierhypnobirthing/apps/photos/. I think they turned out really well! Hoping to be invited to a birth at some point, to help support them with HypnoBirthing and to take photos of the birthing process. To get an idea of what I am talking about for birth photos, check out this slide show: http://blueberryskyphotography.com/when-words-arent-enough/?awesm=fbshare.me_APjlL, absolutely breathtaking photos set to music. Oh, I just love birth!

Taigan is good. He played T-ball this year, and is getting excited for Kindergarten. I can't believe my baby boy is starting Kindergarten!! Brendan will be 3 next week, July 28th! Seriously...3. Evan is 16 months going on 16 years old. He has a little "attitude problem". I guess he needs to be feisty so he can stick up for himself with 2 older brothers! I am planning on taking the to do a "photo shoot" sometime soon, so I will be sure to post those pictures.

So, there is a little update for you all! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

I have been blessed...

with SO much! We have alot going on lately. All good things, and hopefully they don't come to an end.

Taigan started "playing" soccer at the end of January. He is a Mini-Mav(erick). Coach Jonny is an Englishman who lives for the game. He has a long list of credentials, and Taigan LOVES him. He teaches the kids basic skills, and they have so much fun. There aren't any teams, and he doesn't play "games", but at the end of each session the kids are divided up and they do have "the big game". It was a 6-week session, and he loved it so much, we signed him up again. He is also registered for T-ball. This will start at the end of April.

Tuesday, he will turn 5. Yes, 5. I am not handling it so well. That same day, I have to register him, my baby, in Kindergarten. Seriously? The same day he turns 5. It is going to be an emotional day for Mom. (For those of you who know me well...yes, I am crying right now!)

He loves school. He is doing really well writing his letters and numbers, and he wants to do it. He is also learning letter sounds, too. His teacher mentioned to me that he is doing better than a few of his fellow classmates. We have been a little worried lately about his speech. He had therapy from about 2 until 3 years old. The therapist asked me during an evaluation how I felt about his speech progress, and I was happy with it at that time. I thought that he had come a long way in the little bit of time she had been visiting him. She concluded that he was at age level, and that services could stop. Well, that's what happened to his progression, too. I don't feel that he continued to grow after that. His language is unbelievable. He is such an intelligent child. We went for an evaluation the other day, and they agree with me on that. They think that he is being lazy with his tongue. So, he will start therapy again. This is a good thing, I am happy about it. Sometimes, his articulation is not clear. There are a couple times a day that I have to say to him: "I did not understand a word you just said, slow down and try again." The sad part is that he is used to not being understood. This is so normal for him, that he just starts over and either repeats what he said, or says it slightly different so we can understand. I guess it's good that he doesn't get frustrated.

Brendan is silly old Brendan. He may be one of the funniest kids I have ever known. He may also be one of the most mischievous kids I have ever known. One minute I am telling him to stop and the next I am laughing at him. It is so hard to discipline while laughing! Potty learning is going very well. He still has accidents, but we can leave the house in underwear, and return in the same dry pair. Almost there! I am going to start researching to see if there is something fun for him to do in this town. We are doing this and that with Big Brother, and poor Brendan WANTS to do it, too.

Evan is 1. He turned 1 on 3/2. Eric made homemade wheat noodles and I made a lasagna and a lion cake. He thought it was yummy. All of it. He does allot for only being 1. He really wants to join in with his brothers in every way possible. He is spoiled by Taigan, they absolutely adore each other. I think Evan is going to be our sports guy. As much as Taigan enjoys it as the age of 4 (he is STILL 4), Evan enjoys it now. You can tell. Anything that can be a "hockey stick" is used to hit anything that can be a "puck". All day long, this is what Evan does. Eric saw him kicking the soccer ball the other day.

Eric is really enjoying his job. He was the number 1 sales person in the store for the month of February. For that, he received a $150 gift card to Target. It helped with birthday presents, for sure. He has been taking Taigan ice skating every Thursday. It is something fun for the both of them. Eric loves to skate. Better him than me. Taigan is becoming better and better on a pair of hockey skates. Maybe he will be able to play the most expensive sport out there next year, we will see. I still say that teaching them piano is the cheapest way to go!

I have started watching 2 children Monday through Friday. Keegan is 2, and Kianna just turned 4 the other day. They are wild and crazy, but are starting to adapt. A little less testing to see how far they can get with me. The hours are awesome, 9ish until 2:30. Perfect. Hypnobirthing is going great! I have found what makes me happy, and what I was meant to do. The passion in me is so intense I feel like I could burst. I just finished with my first couple. They took so much away from the class, they really enjoyed it. And I enjoyed them. They are expecting their little man to be born sometime late April, early May. We teach them to not focus on a "due date", but a due time, or due month. It is only a guess, and can set them up for disappointment when baby is not born on that day. I have a new session starting on Monday with another couple, and one set to start April 19th with a 3rd couple. I am going to go around to all the doctors/midwives offices a give them my information now that I am certified. (Check it out: http://hypnobirthing.com/new_york.htm) You can also visit my website,too, if you haven't already: http://www.southerntierhypnobirthing.webs.com.

So, I guess that is all for now. I am sure there will be more soon :)

What's new?

It has been way too long since I wrote a blog. I thought I would do so and update everyone on what is happening in our lives. The problem is that I am not sure where to start! So, I will go in birth order and fill you in that way.

~Eric lost his job again on November 5. It was a good thing at the time, though, because his hours had been cut so badly that he could make more on unemployment and work on finding a new job. He found one with the help of my mom's neighbor. He got to work at the DeMet's Chocolate Factory. Sounds fun, right? Think again. He said that next to the week he spent trying to sell cars, this was the second worst job he had ever had. He would have to stand (on a hard, cement floor) for almost 12 hours and watch the candy boxes come out onto the conveyor belt and make sure they were lined up where they should be. Oh boy! Needless to say, he worked extra hard for those 2 weeks to find another job, any job. On December 14, he left to go away on training for that new job! He had to stay for a week in Amherst (about 3 hours away) and train to be the best furniture salesperson in the southern tier! He has been on the sales floor since Christmas Eve and was #3 in the store this past weekend. I think he has found his calling!
He will still be attending courses this upcoming semester. He finished last semester with an A- and an A. So, with the new job and classes, he is going to be a busy boy for the next couple of months. He wants to get into writing and is thinking about writing children books. He actually has one in the works!

~I am very excited about some things. To start, I went to Toronto at the beginning at October and attended a training to become a certified Hypnobirthing Childbirth Educator. It was such a powerful training. If I wasn't already passionate about birth and women having choices, I am now more than ever. I have been working the past couple of months to finish my review questions and send them in to get my certification. It is so exciting for me and, at the same time, scary. It can get discouraging working in this field because you are constantly battling with people and their negative attitudes towards birth, not to mention doctors and their "Save women" attitudes. Birthing is what our bodies are made to do. I like a quote that I read recently: "Midwives see birth as a miracle and only mess with it if there is a problem; doctors see it as a problem and if they don't mess with it, it is a miracle!" (Barbara Harper in her book Gentle Birth Choices). Anyway, I have a meeting in a couple of weeks with a local doula who is excited to work with me as she has clients who have asked her about Hypnobirthing and there are no other practitioners in the area. There is one is Ithaca, and my midwife who is in Burdett, both about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes from here. She also mentioned that I may be able to do classes at her business where she is a massage therapist. Her partner is a Pilate's instructor. The business is called New Beginnings. It is a great resource for me, as I will eventually be for them. I am calling myself "Southern Tier Hypnobirthing" and am working on a website (http://www.southerntierhypnobirthing.webs.com/). I am going to offer other services like Birth Assistant, Breastfeeding help, Cloth Diapering classes and Babywearing classes. These are all the things that I am passionate about and would love to share with women.
I finished this semester with an A and now have my second associate degree from Corning Community College. This one is in Early Childhood. I may have a 3 year old boy coming to hang out with us a couple days during the week. The extra money will definitely help.

~Taigan is very excited to be back in school. I hope that his excitement continues throughout the next 12+ years! He had a great Christmas and really got into it this year. It was very heart-warming to live Christmas through a child. He continuously asked for a "little kid laptop" and a "motorcycle". By motorcycle he meant The Smartcycle, a bike you ride while playing games at the tv. Then, about 2 weeks before Christmas, he started talking about "the Mario hockey game". He had seen a commercial for the Mario Winter Olympics game for the Wii and on it is a hockey game. He had played the Wii once at a friends house and really wanted it. It is all we heard about for 2 weeks. Santa brought it. He has been so happy since Christmas and is amazingly good at it, for a 4 year old. There isn't much he asked for that he didn't get. He got a little spoiled this Christmas. One day when he was being a little naughty and we told him that Santa was watching, he said "I wish Santa didn't have a list!"
I can't get over the fact that around the same time he turns 5 (!!!!!!), I have to sign him up for K...K....sorry it is hard for me to say. Ummmm...kindergarten. Ouch, it hurts. Why is it so hard to watch them grow up? We want them to grow and live and be healthy, right? So why am I actually tearing up right now as I type these words? That day, this September, is going to be one of the hardest and proudest days of my life, surely. For his 5th birthday, he wants a hockey party. He asked me the other day if he could "dress up like a hockey person." I let him dress up for his 3rd bday party like a pirate, and now he thinks he has to dress up for every party.

~Brendan....oh Brendan. He is lucky he is cute! No, I am kidding, sortof. haha He is 2, for sure. Sometimes, he is the most loving child, and sometimes he know how to push buttons. He is talking so much and is making us laugh with almost every word. He is a very funny child. And so stickin cute. His huge blue eyes are enough to make you melt. Every place we go, someone comments on how beautiful his eyes are.
We are trying to get him potty trained. We tried a couple of months ago and came to the conclusion that he was not ready and we would try again after a month or so. So, here we are again. I will say that he is doing better this time, but I am still wondering if he is ready. If I tell him to go about every 15-20 minutes, then he does good. He will not tell me that he has to go, I have to remind him. I know that he just has to get used to the feeling of needing to go and the holding it until he is at the potty instead of just going. It will happen. I just can't figure out why they can't just come out able to go in the potty. No diapers ever, ahhh.

~Evan is doing great. He is 10 months old now and growing like a leaf, as most kids do. He took 2 steps last night so he is going to be walking any day. So, ready or not, I am about to have 3 very active boys. He is the happiest baby I have ever met. He smiles all the time, and laughs more than that. He gives sloppy baby kisses, which I love! He has 6 teeth and loves to use them to eat! He likes his food. He is wearing 12 month clothes and has been for about a month, but we were just saying last night that we may have to get the 18 month clothes out sooner than we had thought. That's good, he is healthy. Cloth diapers make the butt a little extra fluffy, too.

So, there you have it. Our life in 60 seconds. I am sure there is so much more. I will be trying to do this a lot more often so that you don't have to sit here and read so much. I hope that you all had the best Christmas, and may 2010 be the best year ever!