I can’t say enough good things about our experience with Breath of Life! I’ll never forget when we went to check them out for the first time when I was 20 weeks pregnant. We were hoping and praying it would meet our standards and that we’d feel comfortable transferring from my OB, but it far exceeded our expectations! From the moment we walked in the door it was so evident that they valued us, valued our unborn baby, and that they wanted to partner with us during this exciting time. We wondered if they were a Christian organization, and by the end of the video they show prospective clients we realized it was. We were thrilled! On top of it being an outstanding Birth Center they were Christ centered. We quickly became confident that this was the place and these were the people we wanted to entrust the care of our first baby with.

Each week our midwife Vikki (who we ended up seeing in prenatal appointments a lot more than Chris) took ample time to get to know us and make sure all of our concerns and questions were answered. Before long she felt like a good friend I was going to see. It was so apparent in her demeanor of grace and unconditional positive regard for us that she was a woman who loves the Lord. I can’t tell you how much this played into the positive experience of my birth. She was so patient, she radiated peace, she believed in me and I trusted her. Because of the relationship we built, I believe it helped me to progress much faster than I would have if I was in the care of someone I barely knew, or didn’t trust. I’ll never forget how loved and ministered to I felt as I left the Birth Center with baby Jackson in my arms. Despite how long my labor was, it was such a beautiful experience and this had a lot to do with how I had been treated by the midwives and birth assistants. This feeling of deep gratitude lasted for weeks after his birth. I was just so thankful that God led us to this wonderful place and allowed me to bring Jackson into the world under the care of such rare people. The midwives and staff truly love God and are being used by Him powerfully through their ministry of midwifery. I cannot more highly recommend choosing to birth at Breath of Life Birth Center!

It was Sunday afternoon, two days before my due date and I sat there trying to absorb it all, the week had finally arrived. On top of it being due date week, there was a new twist added to the mix, my husband Matt had out of town training for his new job, 2 hours away and he’d be in a hotel all week, Monday-Friday. The job was too good to pass up. The recruiter told him not to count on being able to leave training, even for my birth. We were praying hard that Jackson would come during the night or weekend so Matt could be there if the trainer was heartless enough not to let him leave. I was a bit stressed, to say the least, and what do pregnant women do when they’re stressed and almost 40 weeks? Clean. I decided to clean my entire house so it would finally stay perfect for Jackson’s arrival, and then go stay with my parents for a few days with our dog Dilly, whose hair I was in a constant war with cleaning up. Then at least I wouldn’t be alone all week either. I proceeded to deep clean my entire house, in true form of a semi-crazy, nesting pregnant woman. Matt got home from work in the nick of time because I had just gotten myself stuck on our bathroom floor where I was wiping the baseboards, and I had really hurt my back. It was all worth it though because the house was perfect! I doubted Jackson would be coming anytime soon or I never would have pushed myself so hard, but I think all the cleaning I did helped coax him out.

We woke around 4:45 am Monday morning because Matt was leaving early to drive down to training. I went to the bathroom to find blood, and quite a bit of it, which is a very alarming thing to see when you’re pregnant. I cried. Slightly alarmed and hating the timing of this, as Matt stood in his full suit ready to leave, and me in my jammies, we called my midwife and she wanted to see me immediately. I had also been having cramps all night, which I attributed to all the cleaning. Were those contractions? The timing of all this was terrible, but he decided to just go to training and hopefully get the clear to leave if he had to. Babies do no just pop out, they take time. My mom drove me the hour to the birth center, where I was checked and found to be 3 cm! The baby wasn’t in distress and my midwife said I was somebody who just has more “bloody show” as my cervix dilates, and did I ever, because the bleeding never stopped throughout my labor. She told us to stick around for awhile, go have breakfast, take a long walk, and see if we could get contractions going steadily. We did, but the contractions never materialized into any pattern, so I went home around 11 am.

Now I was just kind of anxious, but also hopeful. Was it a good sign that dilating to 3 cm felt like light period cramps, and maybe this trend would continue in labor? If that was true, will I know when it’s time to leave again for the birth center, since it’s an hour away? And what about Matt, who, thank the Lord, got an enthusiastic clear to leave training whenever he needed to by a spirited Grandma of 3 who had grown up in the southside of Chicago. “Honey, who told you that? You go be with your wife and baby, don’t you even hesitate!” At least that weight was off our shoulders, but I didn’t want to have him leave too early, it truly could still be days before I went into active labor. I continued to have contractions all day, but they never turned into a pattern although they were getting more painful. I decided to sleep, and was timing them when they woke me up on my trusty contraction timer app. I decided to have Matt come home that night because they were starting to get more regular, and I just had a feeling I’d be having the baby by the next day, or at least heading to the birth center.

Matt got home by 9 pm, and I had been trying to sleep and lay low so that I wouldn’t speed them up until he was there. Once he was home, I was ready to get my labor on! We went on a long walk and kicked them into gear. We decided we better try and sleep, and Matt immediately passed out, but of course this is when the real contractions decided to kick in. Before very long I could no longer stay in bed, and had to get up and labor on my birth ball, which was an absolute lifesaver throughout my entire labor. The counter pressure it gave was very relieving, and the ability for me to move through my contractions was a must.

By midnight, (Monday night/Tuesday morning) my contractions became regular at 8 minutes apart or less, had definitely gone to the next level of pain, and were interfering with my ability to sleep or lay down. They never stopped or slowed from this point until the birth. Around 3 am I called my midwife, Vikki, because I wasn’t getting any sleep and they were coming like clock work. She urged me to get some sleep while I still could and to come when they were 4-5 minutes apart, with our hour drive in mind. I was kind of worried about the morning traffic since we had to drive through Tampa, but they kept coming at 5, 6, or 8 minutes apart, and although they were painful and tiring, it’s a good thing they never sped up so that I didn’t have to labor in the car through morning traffic. I managed to get some rest, but not much sleep.

Slowly they picked up and by 11 am, we were finally ready to leave for the Birth Center with them being 2, 3, 4 and 5 minutes apart. It was also Tuesday the 27th, his due date, and I thought how ironic it was because this was the only day I didn’t expect him on. I just never allowed myself to expect him on the most expected day. Although I seemed so sure of his birth date at that time, he wasn’t actually born until Wednesday the 28th! I remember glancing at the clock near midnight that night and realizing he had in fact evaded his due date. I have to admit, I kind of like his style.

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Matt, my mom and I checked into the birth center near 1 pm. I was checked and found at a good, stretchy 4 cm, which was encouraging that I had made some progress and my sleepless night wasn’t in vain. We decided to go on a nice long walk at a near by forest preserve to get the contractions going more, and I had a little break down on our walk. They already seemed so painful, and I also felt tired from the lack of sleep from the two nights before. Could I really do this naturally? What did my midwife mean that I wasn’t in active labor yet? They were coming in a steady pattern. I would know what she meant very shortly after that- you basically hit a whole other level of pain where you can’t talk, and where it takes all of your concentration during and between contractions to manage the pain by focusing on relaxation. We headed back to the birth center and I labored on my blessed birthing ball for awhile. While they were continuing to get more intense, I still hadn’t reached “active labor” status.

Around 4 pm my midwife suggested taking this liquid herbal remedy that helps some women jumpstart labor, and did it ever for me! She mentioned taking more doses later, but all I could think at the time was this is all I can handle! Matt and my mom said after I took the herbal supplement that I totally changed, it was as if I went to another world, or another place in my mind. I was actually able to manage the pain of each contraction with relaxation, which comes and goes in intensity like a wave. I hardly said a word and never let out a yell or cry. I had to use all my energy to focus on keeping myself relaxed, especially my face. My mom and Matt said it was the most peaceful they had ever seen me, and it never looked like I was in pain because my face was completely relaxed. I only hummed, in a low-pitch tone through each contraction to keep myself calm and centered, a technique I had read about but didn’t plan on using. A few times I lost control during a contraction by letting my tone get higher pitched and tensing my body, the natural response to pain. This made the pain so, so much worse, and so I quickly learned not to let that happen again. The key really is surrendering to the pain, not fighting it.

From 5 pm on there was no talking, which were the only words I remember saying. My senses were so heightened during contractions that the lovely heating pad on my back would suddenly feel like fire, and whispers would become like screams. The eucalyptus-spearmint aromatherapy candle that I had so carefully selected also had to be put out because the smell was too much. I just wanted it quiet, besides the thunderstorm track I had running on repeat in the background. We had been sleeping to it for the past month, and it really helped relax me and remind me of home. It definitely set the mood of my labor too. Some people birth to Simon and Garfunkel, but I wanted it as serene and peaceful as possible. Matt was an absolute angel, never leaving my side and always intuitively interpreting what I needed without a word spoken. My mom and Vikki were awesome supports too, I don’t think I could have done it without them.

Ever since I swallowed the herbs I was really wanting to get in the tub, but also wanting to save it for when I really needed it. One of the hardest things about laboring for my first time was not knowing how bad it was going to get, and as it kept getting more and more intense, you can’t help but wonder how far it’s going to go and if you’re going to be able to handle it. All I could do was take it one contraction at a time. I knew the warm water was going to help my body stay relaxed, so I finally decided to get in. Vikki gave some great suggestions on labor positions. The one I used the most was leaning against the side of the tub while in the squatting position, and hanging the weight of my torso, while swaying from side to side. This took off a lot of pressure, and really helped ease the pain of each contraction.

I remember asking her at this point what I was supposed to be looking for, was I just waiting for the urge to push? That seemed so far off. She reminded me that my body wasn’t broken, and so nothing needed to be fixed. She told me to listen and trust my body and this process. There was so much freedom in hearing this. There was no pressure to be dilating at a certain rate. As long as me and baby were never in distress, which they monitored frequently, all I had to do was trust this natural process. This also meant that they didn’t check me, which I understood was crucial to my mental and emotional state. There is no mathematical formula to how fast a woman dilates, meaning if it took me 4 hours to get to 3 cm that first night, that didn’t mean the rest of my labor would fall in that pattern, and it obviously hadn’t already. Checking my progress can’t help me progress, but it definitely can help me digress or lose heart. There were so many times I wanted to know how far I was, but at the same time I didn’t want to know because I knew it had the potential to be so discouraging. She said they only checked if we needed to make a decision.

It was about 2:30 am and I hit a wall, the point where I didn’t think I could do it anymore. Despite my strong feelings against delivering in a hospital, and never once wanting that epidural, even in that moment, I felt like I had no other choice. Looking back, I wish I would have remembered that this is a textbook emotion once you’re getting close to transition, and been able to remind myself of that. I was just so exhausted that I felt I had no other choice but to go to the hospital because I didn’t have the energy to be laboring by changing positions anymore. I even had a period where I was laboring on my side, sleeping in between contractions, but I knew this position wasn’t helping me progress, I needed to be moving and eliciting gravity’s help. Since a decision was needing to be made, she checked me and I was 7 cm, which was good, but I couldn’t help but use that non-existent mathematical principle and assume it would take another day for me to accomplish the final 3 cm. Matt and Vikki left the room to discuss what I had said, and they weren’t about to let me give up, Matt told me later. Vikki was so good about hearing what I had to say, but helping me explore all the options before any decisions were made. She reminded me of all the interventions and restrictions that I would likely receive at the hospital, and I remember not being able to talk, but thinking, I know, I know, I don’t want any of that, but I don’t know what else to do! I had been laboring since midnight Tuesday morning and it was now 2:30 am Wednesday morning, and I hadn’t gotten a good night sleep since Saturday night. I was beyond tired.

Vikki encouraged me to get up, try to change positions and at least go to the bathroom. While I was sitting there next to the tub I decided to give it one more try, partially because the warm water was my only immediate source of relief, and I was still dreading the seemingly inevitable transfer to the hospital. I had to give it one more try. The water eased my aching body, and I got sort of a second wind, and was able to labor in the positions I had earlier in the tub. This was by far the most intense three hours of my labor. I was hot and then cold, but couldn’t heat the tub up much more because of the baby. My mom or Matt had to be constantly fanning me and putting cold wash cloths on my face. I kept glancing at the clock. The birth assistant, Mary arrived around 3:30 am, and I took this as a good sign that perhaps I was getting close. Then it was 4 am. Then 5 am. Time seemed to fade by quickly, yet slowly. I remember at one point while leaning against the side of the tub, swaying in the squatting position, that I had an urge to push, but I was so exhausted and felt too defeated to do or say anything. I wish I would have told my midwife, or acted on the urge, but it didn’t matter because soon after they made me get out of the tub so that I wasn’t at risk of dehydrating. Luckily I had been drinking tons of water and gatorade, and was force fed so much honey, I wonder if I’ll ever be able to eat it again.

I dreaded getting out of the tub. Being in there had felt sort of like a dream. I remained in the zone, humming through every contraction. I suppose I had never truly given up because I never quit laboring. I was not looking forward to facing the cold air outside the water because it caused me to tense and that made the contractions hurt so much more. Soon I was out, wrapped in my robe and laying on my side on the bed. It was only a few minutes before I was throwing up, another common sign of transition, but of course I forgot that textbook sign too. We decided to check me again, it was just before 6 am. Talking still took too much energy, but I tried to convey to Matt somehow that I was ok with going to the hospital. I had tried my best and he was released from his duty to not let me quit.

Suddenly Vikki interrupted my thoughts and announced that I was fully dilated, fully effaced, and that my water had never broken! It was time to push! I had made a lot of progress in only 3 hours, a whole 3 cm! The excitement from Vikki, Matt, my mom and Mary seemed to fill the room, but I was too exhausted to match their emotion. I seriously couldn’t believe it, but I quickly realized the new hurdle I had to clear, pushing my baby out in my extremely exhausted state. Vikki pressed on my tummy near my bladder and asked me if I needed to pee, because this would definitely make pushing and the contractions harder and more painful. They moved me to the toilet so I could go and try pushing in that nice vertical position, as they joked, assuring me that he wouldn’t fall out, but something wasn’t right- I couldn’t pee. A bit alarmed, I realized how badly I had to pee, and started to feel panicked. My midwife suggested before that I might need a catheter if I couldn’t go and I was so incredibly uncomfortable that I was practically begging them to get it as fast as they could! I moved to the bed, noticing the daylight now. They warned me it might burn, but I could have cared less, I just needed to relieve the pain and pressure. They drained my poor bladder and then removed the catheter. Now I was finally ready to push, they recorded the start time was 6:20 am.

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Finally the stage I had been working so hard for, the time to push! I’ve heard so many different stories about pushing. For some it’s so natural, within minutes the baby is here and the mom can’t stop saying how good it felt to push. For others, the pushing does not come naturally, and it takes time to get the hang of it. My friend who had given birth exactly two weeks before told me that it took her awhile to figure out how to push, and as we talked, we both realized our expectation was to push the baby out within minutes, or even seconds. I’m glad that we talked about this and I was able to adjust my unrealistic expectation before I was in the moment, and it’s a good thing I did because I ended up pushing for 2 hours and 20 minutes. I took her advice and tried pushing on all fours, which worked for her, but not me. The toilet wasn’t working either, even with gravity’s help and my natural instinct to relax there. It was at this point I realized that I couldn’t do a water birth, which I thought I really wanted. There was no way I’d be able to figure out how to push in there if I couldn’t do it out here. They moved me to the bed, and I laid down, but not entirely, propped up at a 45 degree angle, and held my legs back. I still wasn’t quite getting the hang of it, and asked for help. As soon as Vikki pushed on the bottom of the birth canal, giving me some counter pressure, I finally figured out where and what muscle I was supposed to be pushing with. It actually is a lot like pooping, as disgusting as that sounds, and I’ll have you know that I did not poop while pushing, thank the Lord!

It was business time. Everyone’s loud encouragement at my new found ability seemed to help, at least I was finally doing it right. Soon both midwives were in the room, since it was 8 o’clock and Chris had just arrived to work. Chris came in with lots of fresh energy and at one point erupted in prayer, which gave me a sense of peace. I remember feeling so completely drained that I wondered if I’d have the energy to push during the next contraction. I also hated pushing. It was so counter intuitive to what I had being doing for the past 30 some hours- relaxing through pain, not tensing and pushing against it, which only made the contraction hurt more. Although this pain and all the pain of my labor was suddenly trumped by the infamous ring of fire. Oh. my. word. It was so unexpected at the time, and I have no idea why. Obviously the whole point of this ordeal is for the baby to come out!

Finally, when I could feel his head I got the uncontrollable urge to push! They asked me if I wanted a mirror, and I enthusiastically refused. The last thing I needed was to scar myself or make myself pass out. There couldn’t have been a greater contrast between my exhaustion and everyone else’s excitement. They were all smiling so big, putting on protective smocks to cover their clothes because my water still hadn’t broken, although they even tried to break it, and were telling Matt to let someone else hold my leg, and get over there. “Welcome to the splash zone!” Vikki said. I just love her, she’s hilarious. “Keep your mouth closed,” she half jokingly told him. My water bag never did splash anyone, thankfully. They rotated my hips to the side a bit and it was the oddest thing having to wait for the contractions to push. From what you see on T.V. this point of labor always seems so fast and intense, but we were at the mercy of their timing. I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared or as conflicted as I was when having to push at this point. Of course I wanted to push my baby out, but I also felt myself stretching and I wondered how much farther I could go before I’d explode.

It was 8:40 am and suddenly I felt Jackson burst out and within seconds, Matt was placing him on my abdomen. His cry made me tear up, he was just gorgeous! I was breathing so fast, and wanting to cry, but couldn’t. I was just overwhelmed with love. This surge of energy rushed through my body, and within moments, I felt like I had the most energy I’ve ever had in my life! This was a major reason why I wanted to have a natural birth, to experience this rush of oxytocin which Jackson was also experiencing, and that God created to bond us in a special way. Jackson was so alert, and just as I had seen on the videos in my natural birth class, he crawled, found his way to my breast and started suckling, the perfect latch. My pain was worth these moments, so worth these first moments, and by now pain was a distant memory of the past.

All I could think as I glanced around the room, with my mom to the right, the midwives still tending to me and telling me what they were doing, Matt just finishing cutting the cord- was this is how it’s supposed to be. The natural process of birth had been respected and sure enough, the baby was born when he was ready. No one was ever in distress. Nobody ever told me to do anything, we all trusted the process. I felt so ministered to by the midwives and staff at Breath of Life, and now I couldn’t imagine anyone else caring for us during such tender, rare moments of our lives. This deep feeling of gratitude lasted for days. My mom was able to video tape throughout and capture Jackson’s debut into the world, something I never thought I wanted until days before the birth after my good friend taped hers, and it ended up meaning so much to her. I love that Matt was the first to touch Jackson as he came into the world. Before long we were left alone to bond and have skin to skin time, which is crucial for bonding and establishing a good breastfeeding latch, and just good for us to be together, those measurements can wait a few hours! I just remember thinking over and over, this is how it’s supposed to be. It was totally worth all my hours of laboring. I couldn’t imagine numbing any moment, even the painful ones, and I’m so glad both Jackson and I were so very present when we met each other for the first time.

“The knowledge that each and every childbirth is a spiritual experience has been forgotten by too many people.”

-Ina May Gaskin, Spiritual Midwifery.

During our pregnancy, my husband Jeremiah and I prayed long and hard about where we should birth our first baby girl.  Like most women, I was seeing my OBGYN for regular prenatal visits and was planning to deliver at a hospital.  But, every visit seemed rushed, my care was not personal, and I kept feeling an overwhelming sense of nervousness and anxiety every time I left my appointments.  So I began to research other options for our birth and the more I researched the more I learned about the possibility of having an un-medicated, natural birth.  We attended Bradley Method birthing classes with a fantastic Bradley instructor Melissa Taylor.  The classes were a 12 week series focused on preparing for a husband-coached natural birth.  Bradley Method teaches fathers how to coach and support their wives through labor and teaches mothers how to effectively manage labor through various relaxation and position techniques.  By the end of the series, I knew a medicated birth was not an option for us.  I wrote a birth plan and presented it to my OBGYN the day of my glucose screening test.  The only time she spent longer than 5 minutes with me during a visit was that day, the day I told her I wanted an un-medicated birth.  I’ll never forget the criticism and rejection I felt as she angrily told me the dangers of natural birth and how she was unwilling to accommodate our desires for birth.  I remember her saying in a demeaning tone “why don’t you just go to a birth center if you want to take all these risks?”  Although at the time I was incredibly hurt by her argumentative attitude and her defensive tone, today I am thankful.  Had she been the least bit interested in accommodating our birth requests, I may have made the biggest mistake of my life and stayed with the practice.  But, her anger and judgment made the decision easy.  At 28 weeks I transferred care to Breath of Life birth center, a Christian birth center dedicated to providing Christ-centered, holistic care to moms who desire a natural birth.

My first visit to Breath of Life was overwhelming.  I was filled with a sense of calmness and reassurance.  I didn’t know it back then, but this was the beginning of a long journey of learning to listen to my mommy instincts and being confident enough to follow them.  My husband and I met with Sol, one of founders Breath of Life and New Life Solutions, and he gave us a tour of the facility.  He introduced us to the staff and spent time praying with us.  The birth center was just bathed in prayer and I could sense God’s presence was evident there.  I was amazed that the staff members were all believers and that they used their gifts as midwives and birth assistants to minister to moms and families seeking natural birth.  We left the birth center that day with confidence that Breath of Life was the right place for us to birth our baby.

My first appointment at Breath of Life was unforgettable.  I met with Chris, the director of Breath of Life and one of two God-fearing midwives.  She spent about an hour with me, just getting to know me.  She asked me about my personal life, about my pregnancy, she wanted to know my fears and my joys, she just wanted to know me.  I couldn’t believe that she sat down next to me and just talked to me, like a friend rather than a patient.  I remember feeling like I was on the verge of crying during the entire visit because I was so overwhelmed with the nurturing care I was receiving.  It was such a change from my past prenatal care.  From that time on I looked forward to my visits with Chris and Vikki and I enjoyed getting to know the nurses and office staff.  The rest of my pregnancy was a joy and I felt more confident each day as we anticipated the arrival of our daughter.

I woke up on Saturday morning St. Patrick’s day at 7am and walked into the bathroom to get started with my day when my water suddenly broke and gushed all over the bathroom floor.  I hadn’t experienced any contractions thus far in my pregnancy so I was completely surprised.  Also, it was 5 days before our due date and I had always heard first babies are never early, so I was not expecting this day to be the day we would meet our daughter.  My husband was showering at the time and I just stood there in the bathroom saying “my water broke, my water broke, my water broke, we’re going to have this baby today, it’s today..!”  I called my midwife Vikki.  She confirmed my water had broken and suggested I start walking to jumpstart my labor.  She reminded me that I needed to be in active labor, showing steady signs of progression by 7am the next morning in order to birth at Breath of Life or I would have to be transferred to the hospital due to risk of infection.  So I went to Publix and bought food and drinks for us to have during and after labor.  Then I went to Joanne’s to finish buying items for my friend’s bridal shower.  Throughout the day I took several walks with Jeremiah and our dog Kylie and I baked a quiche to bring with me to the birth center.   I remember timing each little contraction, hoping each one would last longer than the previous.  Although walking seemed to help my early labor start, the contractions were light, sporadic, and short.  Vikki was faithful in contacting me about every 3 to 4 hours to get an update on the progress of my labor, which was nothing.  After I would take a walk, contractions would start very mildly and very inconsistently.  But, as time passed they would fade and I was back to square one.  The rest of the evening progressed slowly and uneventfully.

I spoke with Vikki again at 8pm when my contractions were still inconsistent and mild.  At this point I was getting nervous because I was already passed the 12 hour mark and was still not showing any signs of active labor.  Vikki gave me the option of coming to the birth center to receive antibiotics, but I didn’t think it was necessary since I hadn’t had any vaginal exams.  She also suggested I take the labor-inducing  methods to the next level and drink castor oil or do nipple stimulation.  I did both.  An hour later I lost all of the ziti I had eaten for dinner and the horrible process of the emptying of the bowels began.  But, my labor did pick up.  By 10pm I was beginning to experience more consistent contractions which were closer together and lasting longer than they had been the entire day.  We decided it was time to drive to the birth center, so I called Vikki and told her we were on our way.

We arrived at Breath of Life at midnight where we were greeted by our lovely, energetic midwife.  Unfortunately, I was also feeling lovely and energetic because my contractions had yet again subsided.  Vikki knew I was not in active labor, but she remained encouraging and uplifting.  Never once did she mention that we were on a time clock and that I may need to transfer to the hospital if labor did not progress quickly, although we both knew this was a possibility.  I knew I had to be in active labor and steadily progressing  before 7am Sunday morning if I was going to birth at Breath of Life, but Vikki’s calm spirit helped me focus on what I could do to help my labor, not what I should do if my labor didn’t start.  We started praying that my labor would pick up.  One of the many amazing aspects of Breath of Life of which I did not know until after I had birthed is their “prayer warriors” group.  The “prayer warriors” are a group of mom’s who have birthed at Breath of Life who pray for the laboring moms currently at the center.  Throughout the labor process, Vikki updated the” prayer warrior” Facebook page with the status and progress of labor as well as specific prayer requests.  So throughout the day on Saturday while we were waiting for active labor to begin, women I did not even know were praying on my behalf.

The environment in the birth suite was very calming.  The lights were dim, candles were lit, and soft instrumental hymns were playing.  After we had gotten settled in the suite, I undressed and stood in the shower to try more nipple stimulation.  Also, Vikki gave me some labor-inducing herbal mixtures to help move things along.  It was slow going, but we were patient and faithful in prayer.  By 3am I had finally moved into active labor.  My contractions were consistently coming every 3-4 minutes and were lasting at least a minute.   Since I was experiencing pretty intense back labor, I stayed in the shower letting the warm water run on my back and Jeremiah was supporting me by rubbing my back.  Vikki and Jeremiah helped me try moving to different positions, but I found that laboring on my hands and knees in the shower was the most comfortable.  Throughout my labor Vikki and Jeremiah were faithful in continually massaging my back with oil to relieve the pain.  Their support was incredible.  Several times throughout my labor I remember Vikki giving Jeremiah breaks (his poor hands were sore from massaging so much!) and she steadily and firmly rubbed my lower back with oil during my contractions.  It is truly amazing how encouraging it was to have such incredible support from them.  They both gave me the confidence to continue laboring and I was able to maintain a fairly relaxed state throughout.

In my Bradley Method birthing classes I had learned about the stages of labor and signs of when the next stage was coming.  So, I regularly would ask Vikki which stage of labor I was in, how much longer I had to go, and when she thought the baby would be here.  I checked the clock often because I was always conscience of the 7am deadline.  I was just praying that I was progressing enough to be able to stay at the center.  I had heard so much about the pain of active labor, and since I wasn’t experiencing horrible, breath-taking pain, I thought I wasn’t progressing well.  Little did I know that I was progressing just fine and thanks to the support of my husband and my midwife, the pain was quite manageable.  Vikki did a fantastic job of redirecting my thoughts back to my labor and relaxing through contractions and away from the timeline of labor.  Every time I asked about my progress or how much longer I had to go she would appropriately respond by saying something like “you know I can’t answer that” or “whenever your body is ready.”  Although at the time all I wanted was for her to tell me how long I had left until I could push, now I am so thankful she redirected my attention back to my current stage so I could focus on my present labor.  She remained calm and encouraging, only answering my questions when I had them but otherwise letting me labor how I needed to labor.  Once active stage finally started, my labor progressed fairly rapidly and only lasted about five hours until I felt ready to push.  During this time though, I kept worrying that I wasn’t moving fast enough and that I would have to be transferred to the hospital.  I’m so thankful Vikki kept me focused on my labor and ignored my questions about how far along I was in labor.

I’m not sure exactly what time it was, but I eventually did get out of the shower and go to the bed.  My contractions had started to slow down a bit so I needed to move.  When I got to the bed I stood at the end of it and leaned on a birth ball which was placed on top of the bed.  I swayed my hips from side to side.  This also really helped my back labor since Jeremiah and Vikki could easily oil and massage my back, applying tons of pressure.  At this point, I think I began to move into transition, although it’s hard to say because Vikki continued to give me non-descript answers about my progress so I would continue to focus on each contraction rather than worry about the future.  These contractions were definitely intense, coming every 2-3 minutes and lasting 90 seconds or so.  The worst part of the pain was my back pain.  I tried side-lying on the bed and Jeremiah applied pressure with a heat pad.  I was really able to relax during this time, which was great because I was on the verge of getting ready to push and I needed the rest for what was about to come.  I was getting pretty uncomfortable with my back labor and asked to move back to the shower.  I stood in the shower for about 20 minutes, contractions really picking up.  Jeremiah was incredibly supportive during this time.  He stood right outside of the shower holding me up as I rested all of my body weight (I weighed almost as much as him!) on him during contractions.  He never let me know how tired he was or how heavy I was.  He just kept holding me up, giving me fluids to drink, and rubbing my back.

I remember telling Vikki I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom and I was convinced the castor oil was beginning its horrible process on my bowels again.  She told me that I needed to listen to my body and if it was time to push then she would call Mary, my birth assistant.  I really appreciated how Vikki encouraged me to be the one to tell her when I was ready to push, not the other way around.  She gave me the confidence to really listen to what my body was telling me and to follow my instincts, something I would certainly need to learn for motherhood.  So she called Mary and told her to come to the birth center.  During this time, I asked Vikki to check my dilation as I really wanted to know my progress.  I was 9 cm.  When Mary got to the suite I was definitely “in labor-land” as Vikki says.  I didn’t even realize she was there until I opened my eyes.  Mary has a sweet way of comforting and soothing a laboring woman, so I wasn’t even aware of her presence.  I was very focused on each contraction and was trying to breathe and relax through the pain.  I wanted to stay in the shower because it was helping my back pain, but I couldn’t hold myself up and I really needed to push.  Jeremiah was getting very tired also as he had been standing next to me holding up all my body weight for so long.  So around 8am I again moved to the bed.

I got on my hands and knees on the bed and started pushing.  Again, my contractions started to slow down.  They were coming less frequently and were subsiding in intensity.  This made pushing incredibly difficult as I didn’t have the support from my body that I needed.  I remembered from my Bradley Method classes that pushing is oftentimes easier than transition and active labor because your body takes over and does the work for you.  This wasn’t the case for me.  I found pushing to be incredibly difficult because my contractions were weak.  I felt like I was forcing my uterus to do something it just didn’t want to do.   At this time, Vikki was actively monitoring Mercy’s heartbeat to make sure she was not in distress.  I continued trying to push but we were getting nowhere and Mercy’s heartbeat began to slow down.  Mary gave me the oxygen mask so I could help bring oxygen to Mercy and help get her heartbeat speeding up again.  There is nothing scarier and more stressful than hearing your baby’s heartbeat slow down and knowing you are the only one who can help your baby breath and move through the birth canal into the world.  The oxygen helped her tremendously and it was comforting to know that what we were doing was working.  Mary just kept reminding me to take slow deep breaths and throughout this time Vikki and Mary both stayed calm.  To this day I don’t know if either of them were worried, but the carried themselves which such confidence and they provided such encouraging support that I was able to relax and focus on my contractions.

After what seemed like forever, Vikki recommended I move to the birth stool because Mercy was just not coming and the hands and knees position on the bed, although comfortable, was not helpful in moving her along.  Although I hated to sit, Vikki insisted that this would help move Mercy as gravity would bring her down.  Immediately when I sat down my back labor grew more intense and I remember trying to get up telling Vikki that this position wasn’t going to work for me.  She remained calm but firm with me and told me this was where I needed to be to get Mercy to come quickly, and sure enough she was right.  My contractions picked up slightly, just enough to help me push.  I needed the oxygen mask still because I was getting very tired.  At this point I had been pushing for an hour making very little progress.  Mercy’s head was slowly emerging, but with every step forward, she took two steps back.  It is incredibly hard to push a baby out without the help of effective contractions!  I was praying my contractions would get more intense so I could just push and help Mercy come.  This was the hardest part of labor for me.  I was sweating, shaking, and incredibly tired.  I remember saying several times “I can’t do this anymore” but Vikki and Mary just kept telling me I can and I was doing it, I was the only one who could.  At one point Vikki told me Mercy’s head was beginning to crown more.  She and Jeremiah looked very excited as they told me they could see her head and a few hairs.  In my excitement and anticipation to finally meet our baby girl I wanted to know everything I could, so I asked Vikki “who does she look like?”  A bit of humor made that moment more bearable.  Mary and Vikki prayed out loud over me several times, all the while encouraging me to move my body and push with the contractions to help Mercy.  I remember with every push Mary telling me how great I was doing, how they could see Mercy’s head, and giving me instructions on how I could continue to push effectively.  Vikki also provided a lot of support with oil massage and perineum stretching as I pushed.   Mercy certainly took her time crowning, and at one point I felt her pop back in again which was very frustrating.  But eventually, she crowned to the point that I could feel her head.  Vikki showed me with the mirror how much progress we were making and I was very encouraged to see Mercy’s head emerging.   With a few more painful pushes, Mercy Claire was born into this world with beautiful pink skin and a loud cry.

I remember Vikki telling me “reach down and catch your baby!” I couldn’t believe that the time had finally come!  No more slow heartbeat, no more pushing, and no more worrying.  I was exhausted, but the minute I heard my baby cry, I felt like I was suddenly rejuvenated.  I had such a rush of energy and a wave of relief swept over me.  We had a compound birth, Mercy’s right hand came out next to her face making the crowning and pushing process much more difficult, and the fact that I didn’t tear even more amazing.  I credit the health of my perineum to Vikki and her amazing oil massage and stretching skills.  I was pushing pretty hard and thought for sure, with all that burning, that I had torn.  The risk of tearing is also higher with compound births, but praise God I was just fine.  As soon as Mercy’s head and hand came out, the rest of her body just slid right out along with her.  Jeremiah was sitting next to Vikki in front of me and he just cried as he watched his daughter being born.  I pulled her onto my chest and held her as Mary and Vikki did their business cleaning me and attending to Mercy while she cried on my chest.  She scored all 8 and 9 on her APGAR tests.  Mary gave me pitocin to help me deliver my placenta because my contractions had weakened again.  11 minutes later I had delivered it without any trouble.  My uterus clamped down well with Mary’s help and bleeding was controlled.

Vikki and Mary moved Mercy and I to the bed and continued to clean and care for us. They put warm blankets over Mercy who was skin to skin with me and within the hour she was nursing. They let Jeremiah, Mercy, and I be together for the first two hours as a family, nursing, resting, and eating.  Then they weighed and measured Mercy.  She was born at 9:32 am weighing 6lb 14 oz and was 21″ long. After the birth, Vikki, Mary, Jeremiah, and myself all ate the quiche I had made the day before after my water broke.  We spent time together talking about the birth, reliving special (and scary) moments, and hearing each other’s perspectives on the entire event.  After resting for some time, Mary prepared us for newborn care at home and we left the birth center 6 hours after Mercy was born.

We are so blessed to have a healthy beautiful baby and so thankful to have enjoyed the birth God gave us.  I was prepared to feel incredible bonding with my baby, but I wasn’t prepared to feel such a bond with my midwife and birth assistant, two godly women who helped us experience such an amazing event in our lives.  Jeremiah and I still talk every day about them and how wonderfully blessed we were to have been cared for by them.  I am convinced that had I birthed in a hospital I would have ended up having a c-section either for “failure to progress” or “fetal distress”.  I’m incredibly thankful to my birth team for their patience, encouragement, support, and knowledge.  They knew what to do to help me birth our baby, and they gave me the confidence to trust that I also knew what to do.  We will forever look back at the birth of our daughter with fond memories.  Mercy Claire’s birth was an amazing experience, one we will never forget.

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/birthcontrol.html

http://naturalfamilyplanningandmore.org/

http://ccli.org/breastfeeding/

http://ccli.org/nfp/

http://onemoresoul.com/category/contraception/risks-consequences

http://www.paragard.com/what-is-paragard/Default.aspx

http://onemoresoul.com/contraception/risks-consequences/what-a-woman-should-know-about-birth-control.html

http://tcoyf.com/

http://www.womentowomen.com/sexualityandfertility/birthcontrolmethods.aspx ]]> http://iheartbaby.breathoflife.cc/?feed=rss2&p=1053 0 http://iheartbaby.breathoflife.cc/?p=1048 http://iheartbaby.breathoflife.cc/?p=1048#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:08:38 +0000 Emily http://iheartbaby.breathoflife.cc/?p=1048 Over the next few weeks, I will be writing about different aspects of  Postpartum Fertility.  I will cover options for birth control, natural  family planning/fertility awareness, ecological breastfeeding, and sex  in your marriage.  I will also do a post that compiles all of the  resources (books, websites, etc) so you can look further into each of  the topics.  As always, the  wonderful midwives at Breath of Life are more than happy to answer  questions you may have.

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I once read that it is difficult for new moms to remember (or comprehend) that while their entire hormonal selves have shifted into lactation mode, their husbands’ hormones are just the same as ever.

Which is to say, husbands are still interested in having sex with the same regularity that they were having it sans baby.  Most women, though, are not interested.  At all.

This can be a really tough time in a couple’s relationship.  Moving from a family of 2 to a family of 3, or 3 to 4 or 4 to 5, or whatever, is a big transition.  A woman’s emotions and mind are centered on her new baby.  She is still biologically attached to him through breastfeeding.  She is exhausted because he is up all hours of the day and night, needing her.  She is constantly wearing, carrying, and nursing him, plus perhaps attending to other children, and sometimes her “touch meter” is pegged out.  I know that I sometimes thought “If one more person tries to touch me today, I am going to scream!”

And I was so tired.  I still am so tired.  So many nights, after I have nursed Rachel to sleep and settled her into the crib at the foot of our bed, it takes everything in me to drag myself out of the bedroom so that I can go be with Steve.

Steve and I had many disagreements and discussions about frequency of sex the first year of Rachel’s life.  He didn’t seem to understand how ridiculously tired I was.  And I didn’t seem to understand the depth of his desire and need for sex–not just because he is 25 years old and male!  But because he needed it for our marriage.

And frankly, even though I was in denial, I did, and do, too.

I hear so many women with young children complaining about “having to have sex” with their husbands.  I used to do that, too.  Now, please understand that I am not advocating having sex if you really, really don’t want to.  Sex should always be a mutual activity!  I know how hard it is, to feel like you are giving yourself to your children all day, and then feel like you need to appease your husband at the end of the day.

I needed to change how I approached sex.  I had been thinking of it as my “wifely duty” to Steve.  Sure, I wanted to make him happy.  But I honestly rated sex just above emptying the dishwasher in terms of desired activities at 9 pm.

What I came to realize, though, is that sex is a gift.  It is a gift of myself to Steve, it is a gift of Steve to me, it is the glue of our marriage, and it is, above all, a tremendous gift from God.  God certainly didn’t have to include orgasms as part of sex.  And we could have reproduced by binary fission, like bacteria.  I sure am thankful that He designed sexual intercourse the way that He did!

The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a sacrament; that is, an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to give Grace.  Furthermore, the Church teaches that while all aspects of marriage do this, it is the marriage bond–the “two becoming one”–the act of having sexual intercourse with your spouse–this is the core concept of marriage, and the main way of God pouring Grace into your marriage.

Sex is a total gift of yourself to your spouse.  Complete, with nothing held back–all of you to each other.  This so directly mirrors Christ’s love for us, his total giving of himself on Calvary to us and for us, forever, that you can see how amazing and sacred this covenant of marriage, and sex within marriage, truly is!  (Consequently, this is also why the Catholic Church teaches that artificial birth control is wrong: because it blocks the total giving of the spouses because the hold back their fertility and their procreative power from each other).

Realizing the amazing Gift that God has given us in sex as a way of renewing and strengthening the bond we made on our wedding day has helped me to appreciate sex rather than dread it.  I really do see how important it is for us as a couple, and how it brings us together in so many ways.  It makes us feel all “put back together” and whole and sure of who we are, together.

We have had to change some logistics to make this happen.  No matter how much I appreciate sex for the power that it has to solidfy and recharge our marriage, the fact is that I am still really tired, and sometimes quite “touched out.”  Steve takes Rachel one morning per week while I sleep in for a few hours.  I go to yoga once a week to use and feel my body in the way that I want, alone!  We are having sex less frequently than before Rachel was born, but we have reached a frequency level that we are both content with.  And we have had to relocate “adult time” to the other room, on a mat on the floor, since the bedroom is occupied by a certain Little Miss.  We had to determine how to make sex feel better for both us, but especially me, because even though I have long since healed from birthing Rachel, things just aren’t the same down there anymore!  And I prayed for passion.

Marriage changes, we change, sex changes–everything changes once you have a baby.  That’s ok–hopefully, the changes make you stronger.  Hopefully, the changes make your marriage stronger, too.  Let sex strengthen the bond of love with your spouse.  No matter how tired you are, this is how God designed marital love!

Life Giving Love by Scott and Kimberly Hahn
Sheet Music by Kevin Lehman
Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Birth of Henry Francis

January 11, 2011

Jessica Siebold

Before we even started trying to get pregnant I knew I wanted to have my baby in abirth center. As an operating room nurse, I have the experience of lots medicalemergencies and all of the drama that goes on with “sick” people. Even as a first-time mom I didn’t understand why people were flocking to the hospital to do the most natural thing on Earth- give birth. Luckily for me, I was able to experience the kind of birth I wished for, but I almost didn’t make it. Here’s the story of Henry’s birth.

In order to get to the birth story you’ll need some background. After a near-perfect 32 weeks and 3 days of pregnancy, I started having some lower back pain at work on a Friday afternoon. I didn’t think anything of it, really, until I sat down and it didn’t go away. At that moment I knew that it wasn’t good. I remembered reading multiple places about preterm labor signs and at every appointment I had been gently reminded to look out for these signs. I left work and got home and put my feet up and drank lots of water. After a few hours of the pain and a little spotting I decided to go into Breath of Lifebirth center, where my midwife Vikki quickly decided I was having contractions. My husband Michael and I went straight to the hospital. I was scared. I was monitored for several hours and sent home on Procardia to hopefully stop my contractions.

The next Monday morning I had an appointment with an OB. I had been feeling much better after a weekend of resting so it was a huge shock when the OB  checked me and told me that I was 80% effaced and 1cm dilated! They put me on the monitor in the office and, sure enough, I was having some contractions still. I was sent back to the hospital where I spent 36 hours as an inpatient.  I was sent home on bed rest with a hefty dose of the Procardia and an appointment with maternal fetal medicine. I was so worried that my perfect birth center birth would never happen.

I have to say, even though I didn’t want to be their patient, maternal fetalmedicine treated me like gold!  My ultimate goal was to make it to 37 weeks so I could deliver at Breath of Life and the nurses and docs cheered me on every appointment and respected that wish of mine.  Honestly, as positive as I could be, deep inside I never ever thought I would make it to 37 weeks. But time crept along and at 36 weeks and 6 days I had my final appointment with maternal fetal medicine. It was so nice to know that I could return to my “home” of Breath of Life  at any time because within hours I would be 37 weeks pregnant. The doctor told me to stop my Procardia that night but not to get my hopes up too much because oftentimes women who had been on the drug don’t immediately throw themselves into labor and sometimes even go over term. I called Mary at Breath of Life as soon as theappointment was over. She had been calling me every few days just to check on me and she was so important to keeping my spirits up. I couldn’t have done anyof this without her and I am quite positive she is an angel. I had an appointment with Breath of Life in two days and I was so happy to be going back. Well…

That night,only 1 hour after my first missed dose of Procardia, I started having contractions! I knew they were real contractions (because I had experienced them before!) but I didn’t think much of them, since I figured my uterus was just getting the memo about the Procardia being gone. I went to bed but I felt like something was happening. It didn’t matter to me because I knew at midnight I was “safe” to deliver at the birth center. The next morning just shy of 9 AM I went to the bathroom and felt a little pop and gush. It wasn’t a huge momentous occasion so I wondered if it was my water breaking or just me losing control of my bladder!  I called Michael and we went to the birth center so they would check me. We were greeted with an abundance of hugs. I missed those ladies so much! After our mini-reunion, Vikki took me back to examine me. Turns out I was leaking so much that she  only had to touch the litmus paper to the paper on the table where I had been sitting aftertaking my pants off to verify that, yes, that was amniotic fluid! My husbandand I were so excited to finally meet our baby and find out if we had a son or daughter! All of us were giddy and excited and just thrilled to be back at Breath of Life.

Vikki gave me instructions to try to get things going. The rule is that you have to be in”good, active labor” by 24 hours after your membranes have ruptured in order to deliver at Breath of Life. Because I was not showing any other signs of labor at the time, Vikki offered  me some herbs right away and a dose of antibiotics at 9 PM if I chose because my membranes would have been ruptured for 12 hours. I decided that I would probably do that if things weren’t in full-gear by then. On the drive home I started having the very tiniest contractions. I went home, got a pedicure (since I had been on bed rest I hadn’t had one in a while!) and bought some castor oil per Vikki’ssuggestion. I came home and emptied my bowels without the castor oil, so I knew something was happening and decided not to take it! This was an excellent decision, as you will read. I had contractions that increased in intensityt hroughout the afternoon but they didn’t get too tough to deal with. I called my other midwife Chris (who was now on call) at 5 PM to let her know what was going on. She said to call if my contractions got 3 minutes apart or when I wanted the antibiotics. At that point I was only having contractions about every 5-6 minutes apart and while I could definitely feel them, they weren’ttoo terrible,

 
Despite all of my walking around, bouncing on a ball, etc, I was not reallyfeeling any worse by 9 so I decided to go in for the antibiotics, which wereadministered within 5 minutes. Chris checked me and I was 3cm dilated and 100%effaced. I also had a forebag that was not yet ruptured. I had the option to gohome but I was already out there and I knew that I was going to have to getthings really going if I wanted to have this baby at the birth center, which Imost certainly did! So we got settled in and then got to work.

The rest ofthe night was spent walking, in the shower, on the various birth balls, and trying to rest in between, but I never really did. Yes, I was excited to havemy baby but I was so worried that I wouldn’t progress and that I would be sent to the hospital to be induced at 9 AM. After trying so hard to keep that babyin for 4 weeks now I was doing everything I could to get it out! At 2:30 AM I was still only 3cm and after a lot more walking and bouncing and a quick attempt at a nap I woke up at 5:40 with no contractions anymore. Not a one! I was so scared. I only had 3 hours to get things started again! I still to this day have no idea why but for some reason decided to bring the castor oil with me to the birth center as I was finishing packing my bag and I asked Chris if I should take it. She said that there was no harm in trying. I took it mixed withsome Gatorade (yuck!) and walked around for another half hour or so.

Suddenly, out of nowhere at 8:30 I felt a HUGE pop and gush! I was soaked. The forebag had broken. This was the movie-scene moment I had been expecting. Out of absolutely nowhere and after a few hours of feeling like nothing was happening, here came the back pain. It was really perfect timing, seeing as I was going to need to be transferred if nothing happened, but I was still so worried I wouldn’t be close enough to having the baby to stay. I tried to get comfortable but it was suddenly not so easy to do so. About this time Vikki started her on-call shift and she popped her head in to say hello. I couldn’t believe that less than 24 hours ago I had been laughing and joking with her just a few rooms over. It had been the longest night. Chris and Vikki were worried that my pain may have only been from the castor oil, as I did have some diarrhea shortly after the onset of the pain. Later Vikki told me she had been reluctant to check me and that she and Mary were standing in the hall stalling. We were all going to be so disappointed to have to send me away after all of this.

I had been laboring on the toilet because, quite frankly, I was leaking all sorts of fluids and I was scared to get up! Never before have I sat on a toilet with a pillow behind my back but it was really comfortable and I am glad Vikki suggested it! Michael was a champ and kept me focused during contractions. W eused HypnoBirthing techniques to try and get me focused and more relaxed. At one point I told him that I wasn’t sure if I could do it. He looked at me calmly and sweetly and said, “You’re doing it now.” Thank goodness for such a supportive husband, birth partner, and daddy. He gave me the reassurance and energy to get through whatever else would come.  About 9:15 Vikkidecided that it had been put off long enough and that it was time to check my cervix. I was in quite a bit of discomfort and I knew that these had to be contractions. but I was still not quite sure if I was going to be far enough. I needed to be 5cm in order to stay, Vikki told me. At this point, looking back, I was obviously in transition. I don’t remember this exchange but according toeveryone present I told Vikki that I was “going to just die!” if Iwasn’t 5cm dilated. This statement was followed by a terribly dramatic sound effect and me sticking my tongue out. Again, that’s transition for you, thoughI didn’t realize at the time!

I got to the bed from the toilet as quickly as I could and it was almost unbearable to lay flat in that bed.  After I finally forced my body to lay flat Vikki wentto check me and got a strange look on her face. I thought for sure she wasgoing to apologize to me because I just wasn’t far enough, so it was a huge shock to hear her say slowly, in her perfectly wonderfully relaxing voice,”You are 8 to 9. No, 9.” All I could think was that I made it and my baby would be here soon. The discomfort and anxiety I had been feeling was all transition. No wonder! I scrambled into the tub for the first time and Michael frantically tried to call everyone to let them know the news.  We had held off on anyone coming just in case I was transferred. I made it into the tub by 9:25 and my contractions took over as my body began to push for me. I know that everyone says your body pushes for you but I never believed it! Vikki and Maryr an to change into scrubs. They clearly knew this baby was not going to wait but I was in my own little world. Thank goodness, Chris had stuck around to seewhat my fate would be even though Vikki had relieved her so she was able to be with me in this time. She reassured me that it was time for this baby to be born because I just couldn’t believe it. Things had gone from nothing at all to time to push in a matter of hours!

I have to say that the human body is amazing! I trusted in my body and let it do what it needed to do, just like HypnoBirthing had taught me. I kept on repeating in my head, “Mother and baby working together…” The”pushing” experience was almost surreal. Looking back on the video that we took of the birth (when Michael scrambled to set up the tripod in the shower pointing out) the entire ordeal was mostly silent. Whole minutes go by with not a word spoken, just me quietly humming low tones. Honestly, I am ashamed to say that after the high of his birth had started to fade into reality I was embarrassed because I thought I was screaming and making a ton of noise. I was quickly reassured (and I now have video evidence) that that wasn’t the case at all, which made me feel much better. I really was in the zone. I was still so relieved that I was doing this my way. Vikki, Mary, Chris and Michael were surrounding me like an aura of love but I never once felt like I was crowded or that I needed personal space. I just relaxed in my own little world and enjoyed my hyper-alert yet calm state.

Before I knew it everyone’s eyes migrated downward and they started smiling.Vikki asked me if I wanted to feel down there and I asked in an unbelieving way if there was anything to feel. Sure enough, there was my baby’s head and I reached down to touch him as he crowned. I felt all of this hair! As his head emerged I was in the most amazing state. There he was, half in and half out. It was strange to feel him kicking inside and to see him on the outside at the same time. It had only seemed like a few minutes since I had gotten in the tub. I almost couldn’t believe it. By this point I was even more on a high. It was really happening. Our baby was being born.

There was an almost strange moment of peace at this point, just moments beforehe was born. When the time felt right I birthed his shoulders and at that point Vikki intervened for the first time and unwrapped his cord from around his shoulder.  He had been wearing it like a messenger bag. I wanted Michaelto be the one to announce the gender but things had gone so quickly I was worried that no one knew that. I reminded everyone of this as I pushed him out and pulled him onto my chest myself. I will always remember Michael’s sweet voicecalling out, “It’s a BOY!” This is why we waited to find out the gender. I wanted a beautiful moment like that and it is something that touches my heart so deeply. Henry was born at 9:43 AM, just about 20 minutes after I got into the tub. He weighed 6 pounds, 15.5 ounces and was 19.25 inches long. He was absolutely beautiful with lots of light brown hair and an adorably smooshy nose!

What an amazing feeling to catch your own baby! Looking back on it now, I am so happy to know that the whole process of labor and birth was 100% on my terms .As Vikki and Chris have both told me, their job is to be the”lifeguard” in case something needs attention. Otherwise, I was in control of everything. I birthed my baby, not anyone else, and I am so proud to say that! Natural birth is indeed the most empowering thing I have ever done andwas so worth it! In fact, on camera after his birth I said, “I just havet o say, that was SO not that bad!” which elicited a chuckle from everyonein the room. I am so fortunate to have been able to do everything MY WAY and safely. We are so in love with our little guy and I will always consider Breathof Life our family. You were there for us in so many ways throughout the whole rollercoaster and we couldn’t have done this without you

breastfeeding Rachel, 14 months old

Over the next few weeks, I will be writing about different aspects of  Postpartum Fertility.  I will cover options for birth control, natural  family planning/fertility awareness, ecological breastfeeding, and sex  in your marriage.  I will also do a post that compiles all of the  resources (books, websites, etc) so you can look further into each of  the topics.  As always, the  wonderful midwives at Breath of Life are more than happy to answer  questions you may have.

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A lot of confusion swirls around when women get together and talk about breastfeeding and fertility.  Each woman seems to have heard different stories, and has a different story herself to tell!  We all know women who got pregnant one month after giving birth, or who got pregnant before they had gotten their period back, or who thought they knew where they were in their cycles, only to end up pregnant from early or late ovulation.  And then there are the women who get their periods back 6 weeks postpartum–or 6 months–or 2 1/2 years!

From talking with many different women, it seems that most of us hope to use breastfeeding as a means of birth control–at least for a little while.  But how reliable is breastfeeding as birth control?

If you hope to delay the return of your fertility, you have to use a distinct type or method of breastfeeding.  Ecological breastfeeding is a term that was coined by Sheila Kippley.  She uses this “to distinguish the type of breastfeeding that normally delays the return of fertility for a significant amount of time from thoese types of breastfeeding that do not delay the return of fertility.” (Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood page 60).

The 7 Standards of ecological breastfeding (EcoBF) are as follows:

1. Exclusively breastfeed for at least the first 6 months of life
2. Pacify your baby with your breasts
3. Don’t use obttles and pacifers.  This includes not using pumps.
4. Sleep with your baby for night feedings.
5. Sleep with your baby for a daily-nap feeding.
6. Nurse frequently day and night, and avoid strict schedules
7. Avoid any practice that restricts nursing or separates you from your baby.

Obviously, once your baby starts eating solids at 6 months of age, you only follow standards 2 – 7.

A bit of anatomy and physiolgy before we get started.  Prolactin is the hormone that essentially causes lactation (prolactin promotes lactation!)   Stimulating the breasts via sucking and milk removal increases prolactin levels.  Your baby, drinking milk directly out of your breasts, causes the highest prolactin levels.  When prolactin is high, estrogen is low.  Estrogen is responsible for fertility and ovulation.  So when your prolactin levels are high enough to suppress fertility, it is because your body thinks to itself, “Ah ha!  We are feeding a baby here!  Well, that’s a lot of work and energy.  Best to keep doing that, and ensure the survival of this little guy, before we try to get started on another baby.”

So let’s delve into each of these standards a bit more.

1.  Exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of life.  The American Academy of Pediatrics just published their most current stance on this issue: ONLY breastmilk, for the first 6 months.  Their official standing used to be 4 – 6 months, but it is now 6–which agrees with the World Health Organization recommendations.  A breastfed baby does not need juice, water, purees, or table food before 6 months.  In fact, introducing those things before 6 months can cause immune problems, allergies, malnutrition, and discomfort for your baby.  And can cause your period to return sooner for you!

2. Pacify your baby at your breasts.  Babies love to nurse.  It doesn’t matter that they aren’t “hungry.”  It doesn’t matter that they just spent the last 45 minutes nursing.  They probably want to nurse again!  Breastfeeding is the ultimate form of comfort and contentment for babies.  Your baby needs you.  Yes, you can probably get him to calm down and lie quietly if you swaddle him, give him a pacifier, and put him in a baby swing or vibrating bouncy seat.  But that isn’t what your baby really needs.  He needs you–he needs to be close to the person who loves him most, who holds him close and touches his skin with hers.  Even now, at 14 1/2 months, Rachel still considers nursing to be her ultimate comfort.  When she hurts herself (as all toddlers do!) or is scared or has a bad dream or feels like I have been gone for too long at my yoga class, nursing restores her equilibrium.

3. Don’t use bottles and pacifiers.  This includes not using pumps.  This standard goes hand in hand with number 2.  More than the extraction of milk from your breasts, nursing itself–the act of the baby suckling directly from your breasts to fill her little tummy and calm her down–is what keeps your fertility at bay.  When the baby sucks on something other than you, such as a pacifier or bottle nipple, your body is not getting the message to not ovulate–even if your baby is drinking pumped breastmilk in that bottle.

It all comes down to hormones.  When prolactin is high, estrogen is low.  Frequent sucking at the breast by the baby is what keeps prolactin up.  Yes, some moms will be able to pump at work and nurse at home and still not get their period for a while–but they cannot count on it.  Consequently, the breastfeeding/prolactin connection is why it is very, very hard for moms who exclusively pump and never latch the baby onto their breasts to maintain a full supply for even 6 months.

4.  Sleep with your baby for night feedings.  This is the best bit of advice ever: you get more sleep, the baby gets more sleep, your period stays away longer, and your husband is happier if you are happier.  Obviously, everyone needs to figure out the best sleeping arrangement for their family.  But in general, the more your baby nurses at night, the longer your period will stay away.  Prolactin levels are highest between 1 am and 6 am.  In order to keep those prolacin levels high, and estrogen (and fertility) low, you have to nurse at night.

5. Sleep with your baby for a daily-nap feeding.  Those long, sleepy feedings followed by comfort sucking put your baby to sleep–and probably put you to sleep, too!  If you can, let it!  Although comfort sucking or comfort nursing may not ellicit a let down and give your baby a large quanitity of milk, it does still stimulate your breasts to tell your body “no more babies right now!”  Plus, um, what mom doesn’t want some more sleep?  If you can’t nap with your baby because you have other children to attend to during the day, try to let it take as long as it needs to nurse your baby down for her nap–and if she wakes up before her nap is truly over, try to let it be ok to nurse her down again.  Many women, even those opposed to movies and TV for small children, find “screens” to be useful tools for older children during the time needed to settle the baby down for a nap.

6. Nurse frequently day and night, and avoid strict schedules.  It is ok that your baby seems to nurse round the clock.  In fact, it is perfectly normal!  In utero, your baby essentially received a constant IV of nutrition via the umbilical cord.  Now your breasts need to be the umbilical cord.  Wear clothing that is easy to nurse in.  Get comfortable nursing in public.  Pray for patience.  Remember that God did not issue babies a wristwatch upon exiting the womb–but He did give them a desire for closeness with you, warm yummy milk, and very tiny tummies.

7. Avoid any practice that restricts nursing or separates you from your baby.  Obviously, every family needs to work this one out on their own.  It may require some creativity, and it may require rethinking your preconceived notions of how you intended to parent.  If the baby is less than 6 months old, can he come with you and your husband on date night?  Perhaps you can then come home and watch a movie rather than going out to a movie where a baby would not be welcome.  Is there anyway that you could stay home with the baby full-time rather than return to work?  Not a possibility for everyone, of course, but do consider how staying home would save you childcare, clothing, transportation, and food costs; might you be able to swing it?

For myself, until Rachel was about 12 months old, I considered us a pair.  Scientific literature actually refers to the breastfeeding mother and her baby as a biological dyad, which is to say that they are essentially still the same organism.  If Rachel was not welcome somewhere, then I didn’t go, either, unless I was only going to be gone 30 minutes or less.  Some people may find that absurd or stifling, but my baby needed me–and I needed to be near her.

If all 7 (or 6) standards are applied, EcoBF has a stunning success rate for birth control.  For the first three months, as long as the mother is adhereing to the standards and has not had her period, the chances of becoming pregnant approach 0%.  From 3 – 6 months, as long as the mother is still adhering to the 7 standards and has not had her period, the chances of becoming pregnant are 1%.  At 12 months postpartum, 56% of women who practice EcoBF will still have not had their periods.  And close to 1/3 of women who use EcoBF will still be infertile at 18 months postpartum.

For some women, the lack of fertility at 18 months can be frustrating if they are hoping to become pregnant again soon, but nightweaning almost always causes a return in fertility in these cases.  Likewise, there are women who follow the EcoBF standards exactly and still have a return of fertility at 8 weeks.  However, this can be anticipated via fertility observations within NFP.

Although those 7 standards may sound like a lot of work, I can assure that they are not.  I have been EcoBF Rachel since day 1.  She has never received a bottle or a pacifier.  We still cosleep for part of the night.  I nurse her to sleep before her nap, and usually nurse her down again during her nap.  I napped with her until she was 8 months old.  We didn’t give Rachel any solid food until she was 1 week shy of 6 months–and we introduced foods gradually through the baby led weaning method. I follow Rachel’s cues for nursing; at this point I generally know when she will want to nurse, but I never limit her number of nursings or time spent nursing.  I gladly nurse in public.  In truth, the main principle of EcoBF, mother-baby togetherness, has made mothering easier for me.  I trust Rachel.  I trust my intuition and biological responses to Rachel.  And she is little for such a little time…this intense bond that we share is sweeter for being so fleeting.

And hey: Rachel is 14 1/2 months old and I haven’t had a period yet!

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/02/22/peds.2011-3552
Sleeping with Your Baby by James McKenna
Taking Charge of Your Ferility by Tonie Weschler
Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing by John and Sheila Kippley
Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood by Sheila Kippley
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League (8th ed)

This recipe is from my dear friend Brenna

Ingredients:
1 round of Brie
1 pie crust
jam, jelly, or preserves

Directions:
Place round of brie on pie crust, centred.  Scoop about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of jam/jelly/preserves on top.  Fold crust over as pictures.  Place in a pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Let cool 5 – 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

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When you hear the worlds “natural family planning” what do you think of?  A family with 17 children all one year apart?  A crazy conservative Catholic family?  All your friends who accidentally got pregnant even though they “just knew” when they were ovulating?  Luddites who eschew the enlightened path of birth control?  Your mother warning you that the “rhythm method” of birth control is a recipe for disaster?

Of do you evnsion about a happily married couple who sees children as gifts from God, no matter what?  Who views fertility as a blessing, not a curse that needs to be “cured” with prescription medication?  A woman who respects her body’s natural rhythms?  A husband who is enthusiastic about the scientific methodology of natural family planning (NFP)?

NFP is based on the fact that a woman is only fertile for about one week per month.  (Men are fertile all the time.)  It is called natural family planning because there are no devices or medications that prevent conception.  Nothing manmade is used to take away the unitive and procreative aspects of sexual intercourse.  God’s design of the human bodies is instead used to thoughtfully prevent or promote conception.  Timing is everything.

Within that basic framework, there are 3 main methods of NFP: sympto-thermal, Creighton, and Marquette.  There is also ecological breastfeeding, which is a subset of all 3 methods, and I will cover that more in depth in the next blog post.  This is just a very, very brief overview of NFP.  Please consult the resources listed below for further information.

Here are some basics on how women’s bodies and how things  change over the course of the menstrual cycle.

• A woman menstruates (has her period) for 4 – 8 days.  This is the shedding of the uterine lining that was not needed because conception did not occur.  If it had, all that lovely soft warm tissue would cushion a growing baby, hence no periods while you are pregnant!

• At this time, both progesterone and estrogen are low.  No fertile cervical fluid is produced.

• As a woman gets closer to ovulating, increasing estrogen levels cause her cervix to secrete fertile fluid.  This may start out as tacky and cloudy, but eventually progresses to clear, stretchy, and lubricative–it looks just like eggwhite!  Some women have just scant amounts of this, some produce copious amounts of eggwhite fluid that can stretch 5 inches or more, and some may never see anything more fertile than tacky and cloudy.

• Sperm require clear, stretchy, lubricative fluid in order to stay alive.  Also, this fertile cervical fluid has microscopic channels in it that promotes the travel of sperm up into the fallopian tubes, where fertilization occurs.

• Once a woman has ovulated, estrogen levels decrease while progesterone levels increase rapidly and dramatically.  This causes a cessation in production of fertile cervical fluid–obivously, it isn’t needed anymore!

• If an egg has been fertilized and implants in the uterine wall, progesterone levels continue to increase so that the woman’s body recognizes that a baby is present, and thus prevents the woman from menstruating.

• If there is no baby, then after about 14 days, the progesterone levels drop, and a woman has her period.

The traditional method of NFP is called sympto-thermal.  It uses a combination of basal body temperature, cervical position, and cervical fluid observations so that a woman knows when she is ovulating.  Basal body temperature is your temperature when you first awake after at least 4 hours of continuous sleep.  In order to use this method, a woman must take her temperature with the same thermometer at the exact same time every morning before she even thinks about getting out of bed.  Temperature follows the progesterone level curve: a relatively steady low before ovuation, then spike of at least .4 degrees to a new relatively steady level is sustained until the woman menstruates again.

Cervical position is an optional observation.  I won’t get into it here. 

Because women who are breastfeeding or who have small children to attend to during the night may not get the required 4 hours of consecutive sleep or wake up at the same time everyday, the Creighton or Marquette methods of NFP are recommended.

The Creighton Model of Fertility (Creighton) simplifies things by just using cervical fluid observations (these are also done with the sympto thermal method).  Every time before and after urination, a bowel movement, a shower, sexual intercourse, and swimming, a woman wipes with flat layers of folded tissue from the urethra through the perineum and observes what is on the tissue.  She is looking for color, consistency, and change from less fertile to more fertile fluid.  Creighton then has a systemized code for describing the different variations of cervical fluid, and stickers to put on the chart that helps you to see the big picture and keep track of days and patterns.

Creighton partners with NaPro Technology to help women actually heal their reproductive and endocrive systems when something is wrong, rather than simply prescribing the birth control pill.  Working with a Creighton instructor, you can easily determine causes for PMS, repeat miscarriages, prolonged bleeding, migraines, and issues.

The Marquette method of NFP uses ovulation prediction strips in conjunction with cervical fluid observations.  It is a newer approach to NFP, and does require the purchase of the ClearBlue Fertility Monitor, but it can be helpful to have a “tool” confirming your observations.

So the real question, of course, is why would anyone want to use NFP?  What go to all that work of observing and figuring things out, if it just means you are going to be having less sex than if you use an IUD, the Pill, or a condom?

As I mentioned before, NFP is completely non-hormonal.  Many women are becoming cognizant of the dangers of altering natural body chemistry through the introduction of artficial hormones.  Even more women are concerned about using hormones while they are breastfeeding.  Many couples also despise using condoms or diaphragms, and NFP nullifies the need for either.  NFP is the only method of birth control accepted, condoned, and promoted by the Catholic Church.  Even Christians who aren’t Catholic are beginning to understand the lack of Biblical foundation for artifical birth control–in fact, until 1900, absolutely zero Christian denominations accepted birth control as morally acceptable.

Many couples who practice NFP talk about the positive effects it has had on their marriage.  Marriage isn’t about making you happy 100% of the time–it is about making you holy.  Respect, self-restraint, and prayer go a long way to making people holier.  If a couple isn’t open to a pregnancy at the moment, then NFP allows them to prevent conception through temporary abstinence.  When sex is no longer something that you can do anytime you feel like it, you come to treasure it a bit more.

Because you are aware of why you aren’t having sexual intercourse that night, even though you might like to, it reminds you of the amazing, cute, babbling, cooing, screaming consequences of sex.  In a society that thinks that sex and marriage are about fulfilling my needs all the time and shouldn’t carry any consequences, NFP, with its utmost respect for women, men, marriage, and the way that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” may be just the solution we need.

Sources
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jennifer-fulwiler/father-were-ready-for-that-homily-on-contraception-now/
http://www.creightonmodel.com/
http://nfp.marquette.edu/
http://www.stgiannacenter.com/ (Clearwater, FL resource for Creighton and NaPro)

http://naturalfamilyplanningandmore.org/

http://ccli.org/nfp/
http://onemoresoul.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Giving-Love-Embracing-Beautiful-ebook/dp/B005EHQJX6

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I hope you were able to enjoy lots of wonderful sexual intercourse while you were pregnant.  Isn’t it fun?  I mean, you don’t have to worry about not getting pregnant.  You don’t have to worry about trying to get pregnant.  Completely stress-free sex!  You probably had to invent some new positions.  And you never had to deal with having your period.  Yes, pregnancy is certainly a wonderful time…for a lot of reasons. 

But now your sweet Little One has arrived.  Your girly parts are just starting to finally feel like they are attaining normal proportions.  And your dear husband has “the look” in his eye.  Actually, he’s had that same pained, tortured expression for a few weeks now, but you didn’t really notice because you were propping your eyes open just long enough to latch Little One onto your breast 8 times a night.  But now your Beloved can no longer be ignored.

Holey Moley, though, you do NOT want to get pregnant again anytime soon!

Contraception, child spacing, and sex itself can be a major issue for couples with a new baby.

The three main types of artificial birth control are hormonal and nonhormonal.  The other option is what can be called a natural (non-artificial method of birth control, and this is natural family planning/fertility awareness.  A subheading of NFP is ecological breastfeeding.  If you practice ecological breastfeeding (there are 7 tenets, one of which is that you haven’t had your period yet) you have only a 2% chance of becoming pregnant during the first 6 months of your baby’s life.  More on that in an upcoming blog post!

Hormonal birth control works by overriding the body’s normal hormone production.  Essentially, the estrogen and Progestin released by The Pill, The Patch, hormonal IUDs, vaginal rings (like Nuvaring) and injections (like DepoProvera) fool a woman’s body into thinking that she is pregnant, thus preventing the release of an egg.  Because they aren’t always successful in doing that, these hormonal methods of birth control also alter the lining of the uterus so that if an egg is released and fertilized, it cannot implant.  This is why some people consider hormonal birth control to be an abortificient–which is why Breath of Life does not prescribe hormonal methods of birth control.

When you use The Pill and the vaginal ring, the “period” that you get is not really your period.  It is withdrawal bleeding from the cessation of hormones during that week.  Because of the continuous release of hormones in the Patch, hormonal IUDs, and injections, you never have your period or withdrawal bleeding, although you may have spotting and breakthrough bleeding.

Even ignoring all of the physical problems that hormonal birth control can cause you (such as an increased risk of breast cancer, intense moodiness, low libido, and vitamin deficiencies), hormonal birth control can be bad news for your freshly hatched Little One.  Because hormonal birth control mimics a pregnancy, it causes your milk supply to decrease, just like a normal pregnancy would.  Your body thinks that it needs to prepare for Little One Version 2.0, and that becomes its main priority.  Because of this, it is highly recommended that you not use hormonal birth control until you are willing to experience an artificial, premature drop in your milk supply.  Research shows that progestin-only hormonal methods, such as the Mini Pill, do not cause this drop in milk supply, but there is copious anecdotal evidence that even without the estrogen, you may produce less breastmilk for your Little One.

Nonhormonal methods of birth control include both barriers and chemicals.  Barrier methods do just that: put a physical barrier between the egg and sperm, thus preventing conception.  The most common options are condoms, diaphragms, and cervical caps.  Although there are no hormones involved, most of these devices require the use of spermicide.  Spermicide can also be used on its own but is less effective.  Many people are leery of hormonal methods of birth control, especially while they are nursing, and become more interested in other methods.

Barrier methods have no physical side effects, although the spermicide used does irritate some people.  Condoms can reduce sensation, especially for the man, and may require a “break in the action.”  Diaphragms and cervical caps can be put in hours before sex, and left in for a while afterward.  Some people think that this reduces the spontaneity of their sex lives, but I am here to assure you that with sweet Little One earthside, your sex life isn’t going to be all that spontaneous anyway.  You do need to be fitted for these, and they do take some practice to put in.  Some women aren’t comfortable doing that, or just can’t seem to get the hang of them.

Natural family planning, also called the fertility awareness method, is a highly scientific method that teaches a woman how to observe her signs of fertility so that she and her husband can dialogue together about their desire for children.  This is not the old “rhythm” method and your cycles do not have to be remotely “regular” in order to use it.  Although it does require learning, the couples who teach NFP are loving, helpful, and use NFP themselves so they are more than able to help newbies learn the method.  And trust me, it isn’t too complicated to learn…illiterate women in impoverished areas of Africa use NFP, too!  I will devote an entire blog post to NFP, so I won’t get into it too much now, but this is what it basically boils down to:

Throughout the course of her menstrual cycle, a woman produces different types of fluid (mucus) from her cervix.  True fact.  When you are nearing ovulation, the fluid becomes stretchy, clear, and lubricative–it kind of looks like egg white, actually!  Sperm can live in that type of cervical fluid for up to 5 days.  The egg itself  is only available for fertilization for about 24 hours out of one month.  Because of how long sperm can live in fertile cervical fluid, a woman is only truly fertile for about 1 week per month.  If you wish to avoid pregnancy, you abstain from sexual intercourse during this time.  If you want to get pregnant, make sure you have sex a few time during this fertile phase.  Couples choose to use a barrier method when the woman is fertile.  Like I said, more to come!

A method of birth control that seems defy the three major categories is the copper IUD.  The copper IUD is different from the hormonal IUD in that, obviously, it does not release artificial hormones into the body.  It can last for up to 10 years in the body, and has fewer side effects than the hormonal IUDs.  Because it is nonhormonal, a woman still has her normal menstrual cycles–meaning that she is still ovulating.  Thus, the copper IUD does not affect milk production in women who are breastfeeding.  Yay for Little One getting lots of wonderful milk!

Interestingly, your body treats copper like a poison.  The copper IUD, then, causes such irritation in the woman’s uterus that it becomes inflamed to the point that sperm essentially is halted on its path to the egg.    If the sperm does make it through the irritated uterus and fertilizes an egg, the inflammation in the uterus prevents implantation.  This is why some people consider the copper IUD to also be an abortificient.  Both the hormonal and nonhormonal IUDs carry an increased risk of a woman developing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy if fertilization does occur, and uterine perforation.

Sources:

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/birthcontrol.html

http://naturalfamilyplanningandmore.org/

http://ccli.org/breastfeeding/

http://ccli.org/nfp/

http://onemoresoul.com/category/contraception/risks-consequences

http://www.paragard.com/what-is-paragard/Default.aspx

http://onemoresoul.com/contraception/risks-consequences/what-a-woman-should-know-about-birth-control.html

http://tcoyf.com/

http://www.womentowomen.com/sexualityandfertility/birthcontrolmethods.aspx