Hudson was in the breech position during our class time and we were beginning to get concerned that he would never flip over into the birthing position.  At class we discussed this concern to which Trish and Beagle offered some exercises that midwifes use to motivate babies to turn.  We took these suggestions and some others offered by our primary OBGYN and practiced them on a regular basis.  Hudson flipped for us around the 35 week mark and was in position for a vaginal birth.  What a relief!

     Throughout the pregnancy Autumn's blood pressure had fluctuated up and down causing some concern towards the middle of the third trimester.  The concern was that Autumn would become Eclamptic causing danger to her and Hudson's health.  There were several occasions during the third trimester when the doctor asked us to come in twice a week to monitor her blood pressure.  As our due date neared we had one final check up on Monday, July 20th for one last blood pressure check.  We did not see our primary OBGYN (whom we desperately wanted to deliver our son), because they were out of town that week.  As usual, Autumn's bloodpressure was high and the consensus from the doctors was that we needed to have the baby then, as waiting could potentially result in a more complicated labor and possible health risks to mom and baby.  Basically there was only one cure for Autumn's high blood pressure and that was delivering the baby.  This was a bit of a shock to us, and the reality set in that we were fixing to go have the baby we had wondered if he would ever get here.  We were scared to death. 

     The doctor asked us to go straight to the hospital, but we requested enough time to get some lunch, since neither of us had eaten.  We learned in class that child birth is very demanding for the mother, and your body should be properly fueled.  They allowed us to eat and then report to the hospital.  We arrived at Mission Hospital at 1:30 Monday afternoon and began answering the first of 10,000 questions as part of the admissions process.  Our spirits were high and the stress and fear had left us.  We joked around, took pictures of the room, laughed, and made the most of the time before the induction was to begin.  When we arrived at the hospital Autumn was dilated to 1 cm, where she had been for two weeks.

     Pitocin was started at 3:25 pm at a rate of about 1 teaspoon per hour, and was to be increased by 1 teaspoon per hour every hour, in an attempt to avoid an immediate onset of contractions and pain.  Autumn was tethered to several machines monitoring her blood pressure, the baby's heart beat, her contractions, and the IV's providing the Pitocin, and some fluids.  The contractions didn't really cause much discomfort until around 8:00 pm Monday evening.  We began using the skills we learned at the Empowered Birthing class and practiced breathing through the pain, and attempting to move Autumn's mind to a more peaceful place.  These were very helpful in allowing her to focus and not succumb to the pain.  Around 12:00 am Tuesday morning the doctor and nurse recommended that Autumn take a sleeping pill to allow her to get some much needed rest between contractions.  Autumn and I discussed this and felt that some rest would be a good thing, so Autumn took an Ambien.  HUGE MISTAKE!!!!!  The contractions were growing stronger and stronger and coming with such frequency that Autumn could not fall asleep.  The only thing the Ambien did was make her even more tired than she already was.

     Around 3:00 am Autumn had progressed to 5 cm, and her contractions were causing indescribable pain, as was the back labor.  We had requested that an epidural not be mentioned or offered and the medical staff adhered to our requests even though it was obvious that Autumn was in severe pain.  At around 3:30 am or so Autumn vomited for about 5 minutes and her spirit was beginning to fade.  She was starting to doubt whether or not she could stick to our birth plan.  She fought me a little when I would try to coach her breathing, and just didn't seem to be in her "zone" any longer.  She agreed with my suggestion that we focus on the end result and we went back to work.  The doctor and nurse were pleased with Autumn's labor progression, so they reduced the dosage of Pitocin in an attempt to relieve some of the pain she was having.  This helped tremendously. 

     Due to the necessary monitoring devices Autumn was very limited in her freedom to move and find more comfortable positions.  She was able to stand and bend at the waist as I held her up which eased some of the pain.  The only other thing I could do that made her feel a little better was to lean on her hips as she laid on her side with all my weight, and cram my knee into her lower back (which no matter how hard I crammed my knee in her back she would inform me that it wasn't hard enough).

     Around 1:30 pm Tuesday afternoon Autumn had finally reached 9 1/2 cm where she stayed for about an hour and a half.  The nurse who was on duty that day (this was the 3rd nurse we had due to shift changes) was very creative and helpful with her attempts to get Autumn to progress that last 1/2 cm.  The nurse ran into a midwife friend in the hallway and informed her of the difficulty Autumn was having with that last 1/2 cm.  The midwife recommended a position called "extreme left" where Autumn laid on her left side and raised her right knee towards her chest as far as she could and hold it for about 10 minutes.  The pain of this position was nearly unbearable for Autumn, but when she rolled over the nurse checked her again and she was at 10 cm and ready to push.  Autumn pushed for about 45 minutes, which she described as the least painful part of the entire labor process.  She felt as though she was finally working towards delivery. 

     Hudson began to crown and as we requested on our birth plan, the medical staff allowed Autumn to push for as long as she felt comfortable, and as frequently as she felt comfortable.  There were no loud counts to ten, only a room with a few people encouraging Autumn and telling her what a good job she was doing.  At 3:55 pm Tuesday, July 21 Hudson Jaye Miall came into the world healthy and full of life!  As requested in our birth plan, Hudson was delivered straight onto Autumn's chest where he was dried and checked by the medical staff. 

     There is no doubt in either of our minds that the tools we gained in the Empowered Birthing class allowed Autumn to deliver our son free from pain medication, and allowed me to be an effective coach for her.  Her strong will, and desire to have a natural child birth made this an amazing journey that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.  We would like to thank the entire staff at the Women's Wellness & Education Center for walking with us through this monumental event in our lives.

 

Natalie Allard, L.Ac.

828~275~6816

Acupuncture offers a gentle and effective alternative method of inducing labor for women who are 40 weeks or more pregnant.

 

Acupuncture is different than western induction drugs and while we consider it an alternative to pitocin it acts in a very different way. First lets look at Pitocin. Pitocin creates an immediate reaction which begins contractions whether or not the mother's body and baby are ready.

 

Pitocin has many disadvantages including long labors if the cervix isn't ripe, painful contractions that can be difficult to manage without other drugs, requires continuous monitoring which reduces freedom and mobility, removes the option of using the tub for labor and relaxation.

 

Using acupuncture to induce labor is a whole different experience.

 

Acupuncture needles are inserted into strategic locations in the hands, lower leg, and feet during a scheduled treatment time at the Women's Wellness and Education Center. These needles are not like what the average person thinks of when they imagine getting a shot. The needles are solid, yet extremely thin (about 5 can fit inside the hole of your average hypodermic needle). For the most part the insertion does not produce pain. The needles create a stimulation in the body which is used to reprogram the mother's energy in such a way as to get her body ready for labor.

 

Acupuncture helps soften the cervix, strengthen contractions, and relax the mind and body to get ready for labor. Labor is rarely expected to start right away, although I have been lucky enough to witness it on several occasions. The more naturally ready the woman is, the faster the acupuncture works.

 

When comparing the advantages of acupuncture putting you into a labor that will continue spontaneously versus pitocin that will need continual adjustment and monitoring and inhibit one's natural coping mechanisms for labor it is clearly an option worth considering.

 

Acupuncture has no known side effects and as the needles do not come close to the abdomen, there is no potential negative side effect for the child. The down side is that the induction is not always an immediate process. In hospitals, the trend is to want to get women in and out of labor. A hospital bed is expensive and so is a physician's time. If you are considering acupuncture, expect to begin treatments to induce the labor just after your due date. An experienced acupuncturist will know how close you are to going into labor and can give you a clear view of how long you can expect to wait for labor to begin.

 

Labor is a spiritual journey. When your spirit, the spirit of your child, and the spirit of the father are ready the birth will begin. Have patients and see the experience as the most amazing passage you will most likely have as a family. You are ushering a new life into this world. Breathe and observe every second with awe, love and hope for the new life. Using acupuncture to induce labor does not push you through the experience prematurely or too quickly. Acupuncture balances you and prepares you for the passage. Take a deep breath and say hello to a new life.