Eating and Drinking in Labor

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night bugged by something, and my thoughts swirl all around and make it hard to fall back asleep. Writing down the thoughts can help, and granted, publishing such thoughts isn't necessary, but I figured in this case it might be helpful to others. So here are my insomniac-producing musings:

I ate--a lot--while in labor with that Lo. I think without food, my body would have never had the strength to press on through the two+ days active labor spanned. Yes, I vomited during transition. But I wasn't worried about it at the time, since I had read that experts don't really know why women sometimes vomit in labor and it happens with equal frequency for women who eat in labor and those who do not eat in labor. Vomiting at transition is suspected by some to be a way of preparing the diaphragm for the pushing phase. I recalled that factoid at the time I threw up and actually felt thrilled to be throwing up. I did not throw up due to pain, btw, because I certainly would not describe transition as painful. It was intense rushing, swirling, shuddering feelings all over in my blood stream, kind of like every cell had a mind of its own all of a sudden. A good loopy feeling, now that I think about it. Closest thing this happy Mormon girl will ever feel to being high? =) But I digress.

Back to the food issue. My friend Chelsea is being induced in a matter of hours. Not sure if she'll read this blog entry before then. But at any rate, I'm not writing for her, just mentioning her since her situation is relevant to my insomnia thoughts. She seems like the kind of person who would just let the doctors and nurses do their thing anyway, regardless of anything I put on this blog.

I learned yesterday afternoon that Chelsea is looking forward to having that dreaded intrapartum diet of nothing but ice chips. I truly believe it might take a decade or two to see change, but eventually that policy will be viewed as laughably archaic by the whole world. For a few years now already, the official stance in the United States has been to let laboring women at least have clear liquids like chicken broth, fruit juice, etc. And in other countries the position is more and more to allow laboring women to have simple foods like yogurt, bread, and so forth. Most interesting to me was this article I just came across that discusses the psychological effects of women eating while in labor.

Remembering my own experience, I totally agree that food boosted my mood a lot during a basically wonderful birth that nonetheless had some difficult moments. For example, one of my fondest memories of Lo's birth is being dilated to 8 cm. while lounging in a hot tub, licking ice cream, and surrounded by beaming nurses, my doula, and husband who I think were all also eating ice cream. And somewhere in the background was a scowling midwife, but we won't dwell on her for now. lol. I recall this as such a regal moment--and the vanilla ice cream was an important part of why I felt so celebratory. Then, later in the birth I used food to bring comfort. I ordered beef stew from the hospital cafeteria, and though it tasted nasty and bland per hospital food standards, just the thought of getting to eat it conjured a psychological warmth that combated the emotional struggle I'd been having with my midwife. Lastly, during the pushing phase, when I felt a bit sad at how the midwife had rather rudely taken the reins and had me pushing in the lithotomy position, I used my food choices to once again restore some emotional health. I told Jerry "I want cranberry juice now," and then, a few minutes later asked him to switch to water, and kept alternating between the two beverages thereby retaining some element of my own autonomy.

To sum it up, I am a big fan of evidence-based health care. Hospitals and doctors evidently have some delay in implementing the most updated policies. And that is unfortunate. Because laboring women and their babies benefit from having more options.

Pray for my dad

My dad was admitted to St. Luke's hospital in Boise yesterday for blood clotting in his lungs, kidneys, and legs. I don't know any more details than that, because it is now the middle of the night in Boise so I want to wait before I telephone home to ask. But I have understood blood clotting like this can be potentially life threatening, and from the google search I just did, learned it often requires surgery. So any prayers/thoughts on my dad's behalf would be appreciated.

True Story

I read a book recently called Peace Like a River. As I do not have a copy handy, I’ll just paraphrase rather than quote from it. The author mused that sometimes people say, “What a miracle,” when they see something like a particularly beautiful sunset or a baby’s birth, etc. but while those are special events, they are still fairly explainable. This author argues that a real miracle is an event that leaves people squirming for justification. It most likely triggers some people to have an uncomfortable feeling—because miracles are events that stretch our understanding of reality.

Today I watched my doctor feel such consternation as he tried to talk about my latest test results. “I guess it is my job to give you some kind of explanation,” he shrugged. After lengthy pause, he described how sometimes an aggressive neck examination can cause thyroiditis. So maybe his examining my neck had caused my thyroid to fix itself?

He can take the credit if he insists, I suppose. But you and I—the praying sorts—know the source from whence miracles come. My hyperthyroidism is gone, and I can only thank God for it. The prospect of surgery seemed imminent, as two specialists agreed it was needed, and urgently so. But one final blood test last week declared otherwise.

Despite me being a person of faith, I have to admit part of me recognizes the uncomfortable side of this miraculous change. Because of the “fear of men,” perhaps?...I had already set in motion a plan to have help after the surgery, and now find myself struggling to explain to the dozen or so friends that I simply do not need surgery anymore and don’t know why. A month ago my thyroid was enlarged enough that perfect strangers commented on it; it caused discomfort and pain when I swallowed, and I did indeed feel at least half the symptoms of the hyperthyroidism my blood tests confirmed. But now my neck swelling has receded entirely, and it takes a specialist's trained fingers or an ultrasound to even detect the nodules.

Anyway, I’m scheduled to have a few more biopsies next month. Even though my thyroid nodules are no longer enlarged, they are still present. So it is something to keep an eye on. But I am thankful for the prayers of many, and the way a loving Heavenly Father has evidently seen fit to relieve my concerns. Being the primary caregiver of our young child, it was bad timing for me to have this surgery so even if I need to have it eventually down the road, any delay makes a big difference.

While I'm doing ho hum updating

Here's a new development from my neck of the woods (har, har, pun just came to me).

I was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. The good news: it's not Grave's disease. But the bad news: my doctor is recommending surgery to remove the thyroid. Ugh. I am seeing a second specialist in 2 weeks to get a second opinion, because I tend to not trust doctors much. Either way, it seems I need medication every day for the rest of my life--hardly helpful to my self-reliance/food storage/emergency prep ideals.

More good news: we have great insurance. The last bill reminded me chemical testing had been about $1,000, but was 100% covered by the insurance. *sigh of relief* And as long as I don't get too choosy with the surgeon, thyroid removal should be pretty much covered as well. If I choose that option. This is sort of a bummer decision to make.