The C word

Most of you know that it's our hope that we have a vaginal birth.  Unless things go wrong and our midwives and nurses both feel that they have to call in the OB in which case we are open to having to do the surgery.

However, the problem seems to be that every time there's a Cesarean done, the mother has been told that it was in fact necessary.  And who's to argue?  I would assume that the doctor is making the decision based on all of their medical knowledge and experience, not worries of malpractice suits or when their shift ends.  This is where the controversy starts.  I'm not going to go into an open debate here because to be honest I'm not an expert.  But there is a lot of research and material out there that can help us educate ourselves into making the decision that's best for us.

Here's a quick video that we were asked to watch as homework for my birthing class and an article we read.  I thought that some of you might find the statistics interesting.

Birth by Numbers  - a little dry at times as it is talking numbers and stats but easy enough to follow along (~22 minutes)  The startling contrasts in where we are in % of neonatal death rates and maternal death rates compared to other countries is pretty sad.

Cesarean Birth in a Culture of Fear  - An article by Wendy Ponte

One of the things I noticed that both pointed out was that in fact there aren't that many women who request, in advance for c-sections for purely vanity's sake - a reason so often used to explain away the high rate of C-sections in the U.S.

Part 2 of BG's guide to pregnancy symptoms

Follow this link to read Section 2 of my Head Shoulders Knees and Toes post.

59 Days & Counting

A little over 31 weeks and I have not been more aware of having something/someone inside me as I have been over the past week. It seems with all 5 senses developed and most organs complete, all the baby wants to do now is dance. Turns out right about now babies also go through a pretty crazy growth spurt. I can feel him/her move constantly. I’m talking fist pumps, knee lifts, kicks at my ribs – this duckling is constantly on the move. The strangest part is just watching my belly move of its own accord. It’s creepy, in a total surreal but good way :)

Along with the uncomfortableness, tightness (aka Braxton hicks contractions) and pressure comes shortness of breath and a bit more fatigue then I’m accustomed to. All that pressure against the lungs as well as the increase in weight requires you to breathe a bit harder and take more breaks. My short torso doesn’t help either.

At this point you generally gain an average of 1 lb a week – since the baby is growing at its most in the 3rd trimester it makes sense that this is when you put on more weight. This is a bit harder than it sounds because the uterus is growing in a predefined space. Which means all of your other organs are getting squished, especially your stomach. The recommendation, and I can vouch for this, is to eat smaller meals more frequently. This helps you take in the calories you need, and reduces the chances of indigestion and heartburn.

Speaking of putting on the pounds, I’ve had a lot of people ask me about how much weight I’ve gained. Seems even in pregnancy we can’t cut ourselves a break and obsess about our size. From my research and reading, your optimal weight gain amount is based off of your Body Mass Index. If your BMI is normal then they say 25-35 is good. If it’s below normal, than you should gain a bit more and if it higher, you should gain a little less. Having said that it seems the average for many women is more like 30-40 so don’t sweat sticking to an exact number.  You can calculate your BMI and see the chart here.


In my opinion, yes you should keep track of your weight but more than the number it’s about what you’re putting into your body that you should focus on. You need an average of 300 calories more a day during your pregnancy for your baby. That’s it. You’re not really eating for 2, more like 1.125. Combine that with the recommended daily intake of protiens, calcium, whole grains, vitamins, minerals, folic acid etc you and the baby require means you need to be a little picky about what you choose to do with those 300 lovely delicious calories.  Lately for me, I’ve been giving into cravings for something sweet which is probably not the healthiest, but seeing as how for most of 2nd trimester I was craving raw veggies & fruit I’m giving myself a “get out of jail” pass. Plus I had my glucose test a few weeks back and seems my blood sugar levels are perfectly normal - HOORAY no gestational diabetes!

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes… and everything in between

I’m sure I’ve briefly hinted to the changes our bodies go through or can go through during this 9 month gestation in my previous posts but I don’t think I’ve really given you all the facts.  FACTS, a nickname my husband’s cousin has given me because supposedly I’m full of them.

So here it is – MY list of all you can/will go through. By no means exhaustive, but it does include ALL that I’ve gone through and/or others I personally know have gone through too.  Some are trimester specific, while others are lovely enough to stick around the whole time.  I’ve tried to include definitions for medical terms as well as any remedies that have worked for me.

Be warned, male readers, those squeamish or just believe ignorance is bliss – I get into some gory details and you may just be better off waiting for my next post.

I couldn’t figure out an easy way to categorize these so I decided to just start with the top and work my way down. **Also lets remember that browngirl has no medical training whatsoever, so please talk to your doctor before trying anything I might have mentioned**

Part 1 - Symptoms of the Head
Part 2 - Inner Ailments