I’m like a big sponge. I soak something in that’s new and different every day. I am certainly a “life long” learner, and my current subject is ethical and noninvasive maternal care for pregnant and laboring women. Sometimes this blog is a place for me to “dump” my ideas about pregnancy and childbirth, and certainly this post fits into that category.
First Trimester Dos and Don’ts
- Because I am planning a VBAC and know when I ovulated (I track my basal body temperature and other fertility signs), I will not have a first trimester ultrasound unless I deem it medically necessary. An ultrasound will not give me any information with regard to childbirth outcomes, but it will give care providers ammunition for intervention should a baby gestate past 40 weeks.
- I will not pee in a cup. What’s the point?
- I may request a quantitative hcg test just to put my mind at ease with regard to progesterone levels in early pregnancy.
- I will continue to see my chiropractor as my spinal and pelvic health and nervous system function is essential for a healthy pregnancy.
- I will try to exercise and make better nutritional choices.
- I will continue taking a liquid fish oil supplement recommended by my chiropractor, taking prenatal vitamins, and drinking lots of herbal tea.
- I will get to know my pelvis by working with the Pink Kit.
- I will be primarily responsible for my health and health indicators (such as blood pressure readings).
- I will request medical records from my previous hospital and previous care providers so that I may be better informed of what may or may not have contributed to the eventual cesarean section with my daughter.
- I will not submit myself and my gestating baby to nonessential testing. I will not contribute to the outrageous cost for maternal health care in this country. I will not financially support this inherently subversive and paternalistic industry (and childbirth is a well-crafted industry at this point in our nation’s umm . . . “development”).
