Precipitous Labor aka Fast or Rapid Labor, Not as Easy as it Seems

Precipitous Labor aka as Rapid or Fast Labor is a labor that last less than 3 hours from start to finish. Many moms with 6+ hour labors hear that and may pang with jealousy... well how easy is that? Such a short labor... let me tell you, not that easy.

While the labor and birth may be fast, unlike a normal length labor, it is much more intense and hard. I have, so far, had both, a prolonged labor of 28 hours and a precipitous labor of 2 hours 21 minutes. Both were definitely hard in their own ways, but my rapid labor was much harder, and here's why:

 With my longer labor I had the chance to ease into contractions, I felt them build. I had the chance to get excited, call my family and let them know... I was in labor, YAY.

With my longer labor I had breaks, I could feel the contractions come, peak, and subside and I had a short time to rest between them, I could feel my body doing it's job and could take advantage of labor techniques like massages, sitting on the birthing ball and even for a short time, laying down.

My long labor was more tiring from the lack of sleep and the abnormal length which made recovery harder and blood loss heavier. The labor was easy, recovery was hard.

With my rapid birth everything hit hard and fast. There was no build up, no real moment to be excited, "Yay, I'm in labor" The contractions were long and hard and close together with VERY short breaks, Contract 2 min, break 30 seconds, contract 1 min 40 sec break  for 20... it was hard. It felt hard to focus, hard to do anything but rock on my hands and knees in agony at how intense it was. It took all my focus just to breathe and not clench my teeth to the point of breaking.

It was scary wondering, will my midwives arrive in time? Is everything okay? My labor didn't hurt like this before... is the baby okay?

Pushing and delivery was the worst, so much more painful, so intense but it was over quick.
Recovery was a breeze. I felt great after my birth, almost like I barely had a baby. I was up and about the next day,

In comparison, I think 6 -8 hours is a great length of time. Just long enough to not be crazy intense, but just short enough not to take everything out of you. Rapid Labor may be shorter, but it was definitely more painful and emotionally taxing. Makes me nervous about my labor this December, seeing as I will likely have another rapid labor....


-Cass

Baby Colgan #4 Pregnancy Journal- Week 11

So much has happened in the past few weeks! First the usually morning sickness kicked in. Some days were harder than others. Lots of nausea, gagging, and sour stomach but nothing too unbearable thankfully. Very tired and my upper back still hurt. I had been dropping the hints for months... Hubby, we need a new bed, our just doesn't cut it anymore. 8 years and 3 pregnancies left quite a dip in it. Our new KING bed arrived today and is sitting in my front yard soaking up the sun and airing out... the delivery men thought I was nuts. :P

I had my first midwife appointment last week (5/18) and easily heard baby's little heart beat. That made me happy. Then Thursday I went to my one and only OB appt to have an initial ultrasound. Baby looked and sounded great. It was precious watching him/her bounce around and suck it's thumb. Awe Baby!!

Went to my BIL wedding this weekend, that was an exhausting trip. I was happy that the morning sickness was starting to subside but a new nasty symptom reared it's ugly head. Dizziness, weakness, and double vision. I would have spells of feeling really faint. Scary! Amy(midwife) suggestion lots of water and Iron. So Floradix was added to my vitamin regimen. I have only taken a few doses but I am already feeling a bit better! So thankful for that. So now, I take liquid Calcium Mag/Zinc with dinner, a dose of liquid iron before breakfast and lunch and my folate tab in the morning. I know, I know, not a "complete" prenatal, but it is something my belly can handle as I hate pills.

I also began seeing the Chiro for my back issues, Seems to be helping so far! I am going twice a week and it helps me feel better. (not to mention our awesome mattress that I am very excited to sleep on tonight.

I am trying so hard to stay committed to making this my best pregnancy. I want to start exercising again as soon as my energy returns. I need to, my poor body feels so weak and I need it to be strong for December!

-Cass

Colgan Baby #4 Pregnancy Journal- Week 5

When I first saw those 2 lines pop up instantly saying "pregnant" on April 8th I cried. No I take that back, I bawled. Then I went downstairs and told Scott the news and he held me while I bawled some more.

"I already have babies" I sobbed... "In diapers, crying, milk drinking babies..."

Asher was born in February of 2012 and only 10 months later I was pregnant with Azzie. I got severely overwhelmed, depressed, and suffered from anxiety and depression most of my pregnancy and for about 9 months after she was born. It was too much. Handling 3 children was too much. Now here I was 18 months after Azzie finding out I was pregnant with a fourth. Emotion overwhelmed me and for a second all I could think is... I can't feel like that again. I can't let depression get hold of me AGAIN.

That night I sat in bed thinking. I need to change my thinking. I knew I wanted another baby later down the road so what are the benefits of having this baby a little sooner?

1. I get to have the same midwives that delivered Azzie and Asher attend this baby's birth. (instead of trying to figure out who to go to after we move to Tennessee.)

2.I will have given birth to my last child by the age of 27 meaning I will be 45 when my last baby graduates high school. So young still and able to enjoy life!

3.My kids will all go to school together and be close in age. My brother and I were 6 years apart and were never in school together, It definitely affected things.

4.We already have all the baby things we need for both a boy or girl so we can keep the sex of this baby a surprise.... so lots of positives.

Once I got my mind leaning towards the positive I had to think, how can I proactively keep my mind this way... and it hit me... I need to take care of me this time around! I didn't want to mope around focusing on something I can't (or rather won't) change.Who knew taking care of myself could feel so good! I want to do everything "right". I'm actually taking those yucky prenatal vitamins and folate, adding fruits and veggies to EVERY meal, and drinking water and hot tea like a fish. I have begun an exercise routine and try to rest for an hour in the afternoon... I have to say I feel wonderful! I am focusing on being happy and pregnant.

I also feel relieved. Knowing that this will be my last baby has given me a sense of calm. I know after this my body will be my own again forever. After this no more worries about "surprises" and I can enjoy watching my children grow. I expect I will get those twinges every now and again, but at 4 I feel complete. I feel relaxed. It's like somehow things will be easier now. Haha.

Due December 10-12th... somewhere in there.. :)

The Ultimate, Hand-made, Mama Giveaway! Nov. 10th- Nov. 14th

Woohoo! Christmas Season is coming, you know what that means? Time to start shopping! Some of you may say... "It's WAY too early to shop." For some of you, that may be so BUT it is never too early to start looking and if you plan to buy handmade, the earlier you get your gift picked out, the better...
This giveaway features 5 AWESOME, hand-made shops. At the conclusion of each feature there is a Random.org generator for you to enter to win a free gift from that shop owner! Entering is easy and you can enter every single one if you like! So sit back, read a bit, and enter for a chance to WIN!

First up:
Meet the Shop: Brigid's Grove-

Brigid’s Grove is a partnership between husband and wife team, Molly and Mark. We’ve been happily married since 1998 and have four energetic children. Molly has had a lifelong interest in women’s issues and women’s empowerment. With time, that passion came to focus on birth and breastfeeding and has continued to evolve into a commitment to the entire spectrum of Women’s Mysteries throughout the seasons of a woman’s life. Molly has maintained a birth information website for many years called Talk Birth (talkbirth.me). While Molly created birth art during each of her pregnancies, with their third child she began making a series of polymer clay birth art goddesses to express and explore her feelings during the childbearing year. After 15 years of professional work in Computer Information Systems and ten years of metal-working as a hobby, Mark took the leap into self-employment to join the rest of his family in our home-based life in the woods of central Missouri. He expanded his interest in metalwork into pewter casting and together we began translating Molly’s birth art and goddess sculptures into an original series of handmade pewter figurines and pendants as well as resin birth goddess sculptures (perfect for birth altars!). 
Why Brigid?
Brigid is the Irish triple goddess of smithcraft/metalwork, poetry, and midwifery. She is also a Christian saint associated with midwives, birthing mothers, and infants. We chose our shop name based on how beautifully Brigid represents the interests and skills of our whole family.
Shop: brigidsgrove.etsy.com
Website: brigidsgrove.com
Facebook: facebook.com/brigidsgrove 


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Meet the Shop: Home Baby Crafts-

My name is Cassandra and I am the owner of Home Baby Crafts.
What inspired you to open up shop?
I opened my business in November of 2011 while pregnant with my second child. One day I was admiring an Uncommon Goods magazine and saw a beautiful tree of life pendant made by Ethora. They were stunning but way out of my price range and I wanted a more realistic look,  so I decided to make my own. Who knew that a few short years later I would have my own line of unique trees and a thriving business!

What is one thing you would want everyone to know about Home Baby Crafts?I am a one woman show. While I may seek assistance in cutting out jewelry cards or putting clasps on chains, each piece is hand created by myself. I have made almost 4,000 pieces of jewelry in the past 2 ½ years! From each of these pieces, a portion of the earnings was donated to birth and mother related charity. Whether it was helping a few moms pay for doulas or purchasing books and supplies for training midwives in third world countries, or life wraps to prevent hemorrhage, each purchase made gives back… and possibly saved the lives of mothers. To read my learn more about my HBAC experience and what fuels the passion, click here.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeBabyCrafts
Shop: www.homebabycrafts.com
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/homebabycrafts

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Meet the Shop: Monkey Mama Necklaces- 

What inspired you to open up shop?
When my son was about a year old, I became frustrated at the choice of nursing necklaces that were out there. I wanted something that would keep him focused, and keep his twiddly fingers occupied and out of my bra. However, I also wanted something robust and non toxic that I could wear as a regular piece of attractive jewellery. I'd tried necklaces with breakaway clasps, but it had become a game for Isaac to yank these off my neck at the start of a feed, and as such they'd become useless - these wouldn't be a feature of my designs!

The search began for suitable beads, and I spent months coming looking for some that didn't look childlike and plasticky and wasn't made in a Chinese factory. I finally came across the lovely handmade resin beads I use, which are made in a cottage Industry in Indonesia and ethically traded. I was over the moon when they arrived to discover that they were even more beautiful in person. After a few failed prototypes, the first Twiddle Buster necklace was eventually born.

I tentatively wondered if other mamas were also frustrated by the current choices on the market and would be interested in my necklaces to help occupy their little nurselings and sling riders. I dipped my toes in the water, listing 20 necklaces in an Etsy shop at the end of July 2011. A couple of days later, I made my first sale, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

What is one thing you would want everyone to know about Monkey Mama?
On a number of occasions I've considered expanding my business and taking on helpers, but I always come back to the decision to keep it small and personal. Monkey Mama is me, Nat. It's my values, my personality, my aesthetic and my slightly disorganized working practices. ;) I like that it's personal, that everything is designed, made and packaged by me, and I like the personal relationships with my customers. My range of styles and colorways has expanded hugely since those early days, but the same core principles remain - Monkey Mama necklaces are beautiful, functional, safe and ethical.
Facebook: www.fb.com/monkeymamanecklaces
Etsy Shop:https://www.etsy.com/shop/monkeymamanecklaces
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Meet the Shop: EcoAlternatives-

Greetings! My name is Traci Chandler and I am the sole proprietor of Eco Alternatives. I was inspired to open Eco Alternatives after years of cloth diapering our boys. I was having sensitivities to the traditional products sold in stores and thought, "If I use cloth for my boys, why not for me?"I have always treasured goods made by hand. The time, thought, energy, and love that is spent on a single handmade good is priceless. Whether it is a needlepoint pillow, ceramic vase, a cloth pad, or a handwritten letter, giving something handmade exudes love and thought. If I could share a few things about my business, it would be that I love what I do. I enjoy creating unique and custom products for women around the world. Embrace womanhood and treat yourself to a chuckle each month. Whether you pick pretty floral pads or a pad with owls, you are bound to view your monthly cycle a bit differently when you choose to use cloth. Enjoy the freedom from the ‘sanitary napkin’ aisle. Remember, life is full of choices!

Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ecoalternatives

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoAlternatives

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ecoaltonetsy

Twitter: @ECOALTonETSY

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Meet the Shop: Tank’s Treasures-

Tank’s Treasures was created shortly after we lost our son in May 2013. It’s a way for me to put my energy in to something while creating art for others. I get my best creative inspiration in the evenings when the house is quiet and I can connect with Tank. Tank’s Treasures is a way for me to honor our son and keep his beauty alive.

This season I am focusing on the hand knit infinity scarves I make. They are so beautiful, with lots of color options, and are very warm and cozy. Its therapeutic for me to sit and arm knit these scarves. I get lost in thought and think about how our story can provide peace for other families walking the road of child loss. Each piece leaves with a part of my heart and the love of our dear angel. 

I am new to this business side, and I have enjoyed doing a few craft shows and being apart of different opportunities to donate and raise funds for certain organizations. 
I look forward to meeting so many amazingly crafty people while on this journey. I'm excited to be apart of this opportunity to spread the Tank's Treasures Love. Its all for our son who grew his wings far too soon.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tanks-Treasures/625182657545930
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TanksTreasures

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My second home birth after cesarean- The birth of Azalea "Azzie"

October 1st-
5pm- Extremely frustrated at the idea of being 5 days past my "due" date. That night before I had several hours of contractions, mildly intense, every 10 min, and thought for sure I was in early labor  but at roughly 7 am that morning everything stopped, so I was a little grumpy. I reluctantly called my midwife and let her know that I would be there at my 7pm appointment and agreed to meet with Greg to be adjusted.

7pm- I melted down at my appointment. There was cervical change, I was a good 4cm baby was at 0 station and cervix was favorable for labor BUT no contractions... I was so frustrated! I also expressed my fears to them. After a 29 hour labor and hard recovery with Asher I was a little less than thrilled at the idea of going through all of that again...

7:30pm- Went down and got adjusted by Greg. It felt ah-mazing to have some of the pressure in my back released and my pelvis put back into place after weeks of being in pain. Why didn't I get adjusted sooner?!

8pm- Hour drive home... I focused on releasing my fears of giving birth again. I focused on the joy not the pain and knew that no matter what she was coming out so I needed to just let go and deal with it. I felt much better when I got home.

9:15pm I ate half a PB&J some cottage cheese, and a little vitajuice and headed to bed. I was exhausted from the day.

10:45pm Hubby and baby come join me in bed. I was less than thrilled, I was finally sleeping soundly and they came in and took over the bed... I kicked them out. As I was trying to go back to sleep I started having some of those same annoying mild contractions roughly every 10 min and I stayed in a half sleep state through them for about and hour and a half.

October 2nd- 

12:30pm I decided I could not sleep anymore. I felt sort of yucky so I decided to take a shower.While in the shower contractions intensified slightly but were still 9-10 minutes apart and not unbearable.

1:15am I decided to call Jill and let her know I was having some mild contractions and that I AGAIN might be in early labor. She told me to either rest up or shower I told her I was already ahead of her and that I would let her know if anything changed.

1:17am- AS SOON as I hung up the phone the next contraction hit me hard... I decided at that point to start timing them when I could...  the next few contractions were 4-5 minutes apart and HARD to bear. I felt wet and when I went to see why I found lots of cervix and bloody show.

1:45am(ish) I called Jill back, I told her she needed to come.

2:30am- Jill arrives, At this point my contractions are very hard and I am hollering mildly through them. They were getting bad and the tub was just finishing up. Jill asked me if I wanted to be checked. I said yes. I assumed at this point (seeing I was only in "active" labor for roughly an hour) I expected to be at roughly 6 cm dilated. Jill checked. I was at 8! 8!!!  I could not believe what she was telling me! How the heck was this going so fast?! Jill instantly called Amy, " You need to come!"

2:40am- I got into the birth tub. the water was a little too cool so we started boiling water to add to it.  I found my sweet spot against the heating element in the tub and the next few contractions were bearable and had a little more of a break between them. I enjoyed the short rest period.

3:10am- Amy arrives (I'm convinced she sped... tisk tisk) and my contractions start hitting hard again. Really hard with very little break in between. I told Jill I was feeling a bit pushy and I could feel Azzie's head half a finger away from the opening. There was a tiny bit of cervix left but that was gone in the next contraction.

3:23am I could no longer control myself. I was pushing. Contractions felt almost back to back and the pain of her coming down and out was intense! I could not help but scream. First she crowned, then her whole head... a small break ( which I FORCED myself to try to breathe and not scream through) and finally the last push of relief.

3:33am Azzie was born. It took a little somersaulting to get her up and out seeing as she had herself all wrapped up in her cord, but she was lifted up to me and I greeted my new baby girl. I was over flowed with joy and relief.

3:36am- I stand up to get out of the birth tub and head to my bed and my placenta "falls" out... *splash* Well that was easy....

3:40am- I begin to spend my golden hour with Azzie. She still had lots of vernix, a tiny bit of hair, a beautiful face... pure perfection. Within minutes she was latched on and nursing! She has quite a strong suck reflex for someone so new! while I was enjoying my new one the midwives began clean up and occasionally came in to check my bleeding and uterus. Only 1 1/2 cups blood loss! A huge difference in comparison to Asher's birth where I lost 3 1/2!


4:40am- Midwives came in and began to check up on Azzie. She wieghed in at 7 pounds 1 ounce and 19 1/4" long. 10 fingers, 10 toes, perfection!

 

Aiden helped cut the cord and investigate the placenta. He was fascinated with the entire thing. :)
Asher somehow managed to sleep through the whole ordeal... After the midwives were done checking out Azzie, she went to meet daddy while midwives checked me... NO tears! I barely had any swelling! I was able to use the bathroom with NO pain. This momma then soaked her bottom real quick in an Epsom salt bath and cleaned off any ickies. I came back to a freshly made bed. and the midwives made their leave around 5:45 am.



I am still in shock at how quickly and smooth this birth went and how good I still feel. After a previous 29 hour, prolonged labor, tearing, and blood loss, Azzie's birth was more than what I could have hoped for!

Birth Stats-
Total time in Active labor- 2 hours 10 min
Total time pushing- 8 minutes
Time till delivery of placenta- 3 minutes
Total- 2 hours 21 minutes

Wanted to get this written before any more of the details faded! Now I am off to continue enjoying my babymoon.

<3
Cassie

Vintage Restoration- Restoring and Re-upholstering an Antique Settee Part One: Cleaning up the bottom and bands

As I sit here, overdue, WAITING for my baby to come I have been finding ways to pass the time. So this past Sunday I decided to take my trip to the local antique/this-and-that type store to walk up and down their stairs and to see if I found anything appealing. As I took my laps around the three story store I came upon this BEAUTIFUL piece of furniture...

Well, beautiful to me that is. All the detailing and the beautiful vintage look... I looked at the seat and saw the tag,

"1890's Settee- $55"

$55!!! For this!!! I was so excited I could barely control myself. I instantly saw so many gorgeous possibilities!

When I got to the desk, I kept my cool, and proceeded to knock down the price to $49.50... YES!

Now, don't get me wrong, it needs some love.... Well a lot of love. The bottom was destroyed. The banding was unraveling and falling apart, and it had quite a few "repair" jobs done to help "try" to support the springs, but I was not detoured. 

I brought it home and began to investigate.

Unfortunately there were no manufacturer markings or dating of any kind, but that's okay. Name or no name it is still a beauty. I took off the old cloth bottom, tore out the old banding, removed the MILLIONS (and no I am not over-exaggerating) of upholstery tacks and released the springs that someone had wrapped in wire and thought it wise to try to tack them to the side of the wood... *smacks forehead*

It took me roughly 2 hours but I got her all cleaned up.

The bands were literally turning to dust and tore all to bits so I decided it best to just tear it all out and start fresh. A big plus was the springs are in excellent condition, no rust! The underside burlap fabric is also in great condition...BUT I found one major flaw that will need to be repaired before I can re-band... See that middle piece of wood? 

At some point it popped out of the bottom and some one decided to just nail it to the bottom of the frame versus shim it back in between the frame.
*Again, smacks forehead*
-sigh-

So I will be removing that middle piece and replacing it...

As for the banding, instead of spending my hard earned money on new banding I decided to use some heavy duty canvas I had laying around. I measured the bottom of the bench and the thickness of the old banding and then cut it out of the canvas doubling my measurements so I could fold it for double thickness.

I zig zag stitched through the double layers for support and strength. I had 3 long pieces, and 6 short pieces to do... took me roughly 45 minutes to do it all. 

Tomorrow's goal (If I don't have a baby that is) will be to remove the center wood piece and replace it and re-band the bottom of the piece so the springs are back in their original positions, and I can begin the fun part of tearing off the old fabric, trim and nail heads... :)

I'm having an auction!

As some of you may or may not know.... I am currently 33 weeks pregnant with our third child! Yay!
After two sons we are excited to be expecting our first girl, Azalea (middle name to be decided). We plan to call her Azzie for short after my great-grandfather. You also may or may not know that my second child was a VBAC (Vaginal Birth after C-Section) and born at home with midwives. All of our local hospitals have VBAC bans so the only way to birth normal ( if you are healthy and able to) is to do so at home. The downfall... paying out of pocket. Insurance companies love to give the run around and make people work for their benefits when it comes to home birth, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and hold an auction to help cover my remaining costs. (Roughly $1900) I am working on some AMAZING one of a kind pieces to put in the auction and I have some wonderful mama friends that are helping out and donating things as well like a diaper from Jessica- Tags and Rags, Cute up-cycled pants from Kelly- WearLoveWashRepeat, A wetbag from Liz- Luna Mama Designs, a Hypnosis Fear Release for Pregnancy from hypno-birthing guru Sharon Gourlay and many other mamas who will be named soon that are doing their best to help us out by donating items for auction. I am so excited to host this auction and hope I can raise most if not all the money I need for Azzie's birth.

Auction dates
Starts 8-18
Ends 8-24

Don't miss your chance to catch some amazing items! :D