Our pregnancy and birth

Our Birth Poster

As part of our antenatal classes we were encourage to create a "Birth Poster" to help communicate our philosophy and the kind of care we hope to have for our birth.

Given my creative background we thought that this was a great way to express ourselves. The finished poster is approximately A3 size, took us about a week to create, and is a collage of illustrations, photocopies and pen and ink:

Each part of the image has specific meaning to us and our pregnancy:

Antenatal classes - The Bradley Method

After much investigation and consideration we decided to attend a 12wk program called "The Bradley Method", the three (3) key things that attracted us to the Bradley Method over other classes were:

1. A childbirth education and labour-management process, created to help women experience a natural, drug-free childbirth

2. The emphasis on educating partners (the baby's father) to be effective coaches e.g. to be an active participant in the birth, rather than a bewildered bystander

3. The range of subjects/information covered

I will make this disclaimer… if you Google "Bradley Method" you will notice that 99% of the results are US-based, and the information may seem a little American-preachy (which is not my cup of tea at all). But after completing the classes, although we have not yet given birth, I would highly recommend attending Bradley Method classes.

We now feel informed, confident, a team… truly empowered to embrace and manage our baby's birth!

Types of things covered in the classes:

Nutrition and how it affects a growing foetus
The importance of exercise during pregnancy
Common pregnancy symptoms and complaints, and how to cope with them
Techniques for relaxation during labour and birth, with an emphasis on breathing methods to help you "tune-in" and manage your pain, rather than trying to distract you from it
Methods to help your partner be an active participant and a skilled coach on labour day
The stages of labour, and how to cope with the changes your body will experience during each one
Medical interventions, and how to avoid unnecessary ones
How to reduce your risk of having a c-section, and what to do if it becomes medically necessary
Making a birth plan and how to communicate effectively with your medical team

More information:
Birth Steps (Dulwich Hill, Sydney, NSW)
Lea Mason

Website: http://www.birthsteps.com.au/index.htm
Email: lea@birthsteps.com.au
Phone: 0403 222 632
2006 Classes: http://www.birthsteps.com.au/birth.htm
Cost: $300

Watch the belly grow

Ultrasound pic's

19wks - Its a GIRL... they "think"!

Thursday 24 November 2005

12wks
Wednesday 5 October 2005

Healthcare options in Australia

The information on this page does not constitute medical practice or advice and will incur no legal or moral liabilities for anyone associated with this service. Always consult your personal physician for definitive answers to your medical questions.

I think a lot of people believe that their only option for health care when pregnant is an Obstetrician - this is not true, in Australia we are very fortunate to have a wide variety of care options. However, as we learnt, trying to found out what the options are and the differences between them can be very difficult.

So, to try and make it easier for others we offer the following information as a summary of the different types of care you can chose from for your pregnancy (in Australia) including Hospital antenatal clinic, Midwives clinic, Team midwifery, Birth centre midwives and Own Obstetrician and then for each type of care information on pregnancy visits, the birth, pain relief options, postnatal care, 6-8 week postnatal check and fees etc.

Healthcare Options

This information has been collated from various sources, but I would also highly recommend reading Birth Rights for more information.

Planning to conceive

Below are snippets of information which I have learnt along the way that have helped us significantly:

There are only a few days each cycle (each month) when conception is actually possible.
You should take Folic Acid 3-6mths before trying to conceive.
You may want to give yourself plenty of time when trying to pinpoint your cycle e.g. 6mths to 12mths before you actually want to conceive. This is because you only get one shot per month and it can take a while to get consistent results, especially if you need to try a few months per method to see which works best for you.

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METHODS TO PREDICT WHEN YOU OVULATE

1) OPK - Ovulation Prediction Kit: There are many different kinds of ovulation predictor kits on the market. Most work by measuring the level of luteinising hormone (LH) in your urine. LH levels rise about 24 to 36 hours before ovulation takes place. You need to estimate your approximate time of ovulation if you're to use these kits effectively.

Each kit contains approx 5 tests (1 per day) and each test can only be used once.
Costs between $16 and $30

2) Maybe Baby: Maybe Baby is a mini microscope. It works as the increased oestrogen levels which occur in the period around ovulation can be identified by examining dried saliva. As the saliva dries the hormone causes a fern-leaf pattern to develop and this pattern can be seen through the Maybe Baby microscope.

Can be reused
Costs about $80

3) Fertility Charting or Basal Body Temperature Charting: Fertility charting involves observing and recording your fertility signs so that you can easily see your daily fertility status and identify your most fertile time.

This is one of the oldest and most basic of fertility tests, involving the woman measuring her body temperature every morning throughout her cycle and creating a chart which indicates when, and if, she ovulates. Approximately 24 hours before ovulation occurs there is a fall in body temperature, followed swiftly by a recognisable rise (accompanying a rise in the hormone progesterone) which usually indicates ovulation.

Basal Thermometer costs $40
Can be reused

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What happen for us....

I first started with OPK, but after 3mths of testing (for many days either side of when I "thought" I should be testing) I was unable to get any indication of ovulation.
Then I tried Maybe-baby for 3mths and still no results... so for 6mths NOTHING :(
- This subsequently caused me to panic and think that OMG I'm not ovulating!!!! So off to my doctor I went.
- My doctor informed me that there are simple blood tests, sometimes taken over several days and most usually on day 21 of your cycle, to measure the level of progesterone in the blood. Progesterone rises a few hours after ovulation and peaks about seven days later, so any increase would indicate that ovulation had taken place in that particular cycle.
- After a quick bloodtest and a few days wait, my doctor called and confirmed that I was/am a fully functioning ovulating machine :))
Out of all of the methods I had greatest success with the "Fertility Charting/Basal Body Temperature Charting" technique.
- You must use a special Basal Thermometer which you can get from a chemist for approx $40
- You must take the readings everyday and at the same time (give or take 30min)
- You need at least 4-6 cycles (eg 4-6 months) worth of data to really start to see a "pattern" to your cycle
- I charted my cycles for 5mths before trying to conceive, and used a great website called Fertility Friend to record all my details. It automatically generates all the charts/graphs and is full of useful information
  - Fertility Friend Website
  - Fertility Friend Handbook

Using the Fertility Charting or Basal Body Temperature Charting
technique we fell pregnant the first cycle we tried!

Questions I asked my doctor

Q. How long should I take folic acid?
A.1st trimester

Q. Can I take magnesium bio for my headaches?
A. Unsure (so I've stopped)

Q. Can I take Panadol?
A. Yes, and if it's a sever headache I can take something with codeine in it. AVOID aspirin or ibuprofen

Q. Can I dye my hair?
A. Yes

Q. Can I drink carrot juice or is it too high in vitamin A?
A. Yes, as long as it's only a small amount per day.

Q. Can I fly internationally/locally?
A. Yes, up until 36wks most airlines have specific rules so contact them before paying for flight

Q. Are there activities that I should avoid over the 1st trimester?
A. Don't over heat eg no saunas or running a marathon

Q. Are there foods I should avoid?
A. Unpasteurised cheeses, anything with liver. Limited deep sea fish to 1 serve every 3wks

Q. What are the chances of miscarriage?
A. 15%

Q. Can I take Ventolin?
A. Yes

Q. When can twins/multiple births be detected?
A. Sometime as early as 6wks but usually at 12/13wk or 18wk ultrasound

Q. My parents had a child with Spina bifida and the pregnancy was terminated:
i. Does this increase my chance of having a child with the same disease?
ii. Are there tests that can detect this disease?
A.
i) It puts you in a higher "chance" but is not definate
ii) An optional blood test and scan (ultrasound) at 10-13wks called an NT Scan can be done. Involves a Blood test (3days before scan) + Ultrasound and you need a referral
" Need to increase Folic Acid to 5ml per day immediately and continue taking Elevit

Q. When does morning sickness kick-in?
A. Week 6-7

Q. When will we be pass the high risk of miscarriage?
A. 12-13wks

Misc info
- May experience some spot bleeding in the 1st trimester on the dates that my period would normally have been due
- Blood and urine test taken, need to come back for results