Nicole Flockton

Be whatever you want to be.

29 November 2005

Natural Birth vs C-Section

A hot topic to some to others a cold topic.

Where I live we have the highest rate of C-Sections (I would spell it in full but don't have a dictionary handy) in the country. And I will say now both my children were born by C-Section. The first because she was breech which generally means that subsequent births are by the same method.

I had given serious thought to giving birth the "natural" way with my second but with the chance of scar tissue rupturing and other possible problems down the track I decided not to. Also, as it turned out, my boy was big so I'm glad I didn't have to squeeze him out. LOL

Not once and I can honestly say this, have I ever, ever felt cheated and didn't do the right thing by my kids. I will say for my daugther, that with her sitting breech with legs extended, C-Section was the only option. It was far safer for her to be taken that way than the "natural" way. If I was in this situation 40 years ago, there is every chance the my daughter and I would not have made it.

So why the feeling of being cheated? I just can't understand why you felt cheated when in the end you and your child might be cheated out of life. Isn't the most important thing the health and well being of yourself and your child?

Throughout my first pregnancy all I wanted to do was, what was best for my child and giving birth which ever way would have been fine with me. So long as I had a happy baby and I was healthy to look after it.

I guess alot of people would be worried about the pain side of it all, as a C-Section is major surgery. Again I think it depends on the person and how they handle pain. Someone giving birth the natural way may still be in pain or discomfort days after and then there could be someone who had had a C-Section and was up and off pain relief the very next day.

The reason for my blog is that a girl at work has a friend who is pregnant with her second. Had a scan recently showing the placenta lying low so covering the birth canal - result possible C-Section if the placenta doesn't move. She is disappointed that she has to have one. As far as I know she gave birth naturally the first time.

My dad is a big advocate of C-Sections. He says if you can do it why not. I will say I still have my pelvic floor muscles which is a plus to having a C-Section. LOL

I think the most amazing thing off all is to actually be able to fall pregnant. There are so many women out there who have so much trouble falling pregnant or even can't fall pregnant that the feeling of being 'cheated' just because you had to have a C-Section kind of falls by the wayside.

I feel totally blessed that I have 2 children and in the end giving birth to them is just the start of your life with your kids. It really does fade into insignificance when you have all the other things you can share with them throughout their lives.

On a final note I'm not saying that it's right or wrong either way. And I'm certainly not bagging anyone who has given birth naturally, the end result is the same. A baby to hold in your arms. All I'm saying is that I don't understand the frustration or disappointment that is felt by others.

This is just the way I feel and I welcome anyone who has comments either way on it.

JN

22 November 2005

Speak of what you know and not what you don't

Many months ago I was discussing schooling with a friend as both our children would start kindergarten in 2006. In my ignorance I was commenting on another friend's choice of school for her son saying it was a very expensive choice and why would they spend that sort of money on kindergarten.

Fast forward to second week of November when we had a meeting with the local school about kindergarten next year.

One thing that had changed since my earlier conversation is that I'm working fulltime. At the time of the phone conversation if my daughter ended up going to school 4 1/2 days I could cope with that. Working fulltime 4 1/2 days is just a logistical nightmare.

Also by working fulltime I have both my kids in fulltime daycare and that is quite expensive.

I walked out of that school meeting dreading sending my daughter there. The teacher was awful and also they had decided 4 1/2 days would be better than 2 full days even though the parents wanted the 2 full day option.

So I decided to look at alternatives. And one of the alternatives was my old high school which is a private school so quite costly. Ironically the same school my friend was going to send her son too. Like me her circumstances had changed, quite dramatically in fact and consequently her son wouldn't be going to that school.

This is the thing, it is going to be cheaper for me to send my daughter to a private school for 5 full days of kindergarten than for her to go to the local school for 4 1/2 days and daycare 1 full day and 4 1/2 days.

So in my ignorance of things I've shot off at the mouth in my early telephone conversation without knowing all the facts. Now here I am feeling like a fool and wondering exactly what my friend thinks of me now after a telephone conversation today.

Well all I can say is that things change and that is the way of the world. And I'll be the first one to admit that I made a mistake of talking of things I didn't know about.

JN

21 November 2005

How far we've come!

Just the other week I purchased a duo book by a Harlequin Presents Author. One of the stories was a story written in 1997 and was the style classic to the author. I enjoy her books immensely but I can pretty much guarantee how the storyline will pan out.

The second book was the author's first book and it was written in 1975! Now I admit I was tempted not to bother reading it. Even went so far as to put another book in my handbag just in case.

So on the bus I get down and open the book. Well I have to say I'm having a great time reading it. I'm giggling away as I read.

Now that is in no way anything against the author, just the time it was written in. As a side note the book is based in Australia.

Here are the things I've noticed:

  • The Hero is a smoker! He would finish one cigarette and then light up another. I dont read too many heroes nowadays that are smokers.
  • The Heroine worked in the office as a typist and came back from lunch, rolled foolscap and carbon paper into the typewriter and was on her way. One would imagine that the typewriter would have been a manual one too! Quite a few heroines these days have university/college educations and can pretty much hold their own in the boardroom. LOL
  • When they went out for dinner they both had a beer. Today it would have a been a crisp dry chardonnay or a smooth merlot.
  • Dinner was T-Bone steak with vegetables, not pan roasted chicken breast on a bed of sweet potato and pumpkin mash, with seared asparagus and finally a creme brulee.
The thing that I'm amazed about really is the smoking bit. This guy is a serious chain smoker! Lying in bed with a cigarette and a newspaper. I shudder at thinking of kissing the guy!

The interesting thing will be if there are any 'intimate' moments. I imagine it will be just made in passing and not in the detail that some authors go into today. I'm about eight chapters in and they are married so I shall see what happens

Also she is pretty much the 'housekeeper'. He is a tobacco farmer (irony there with the smoking) and she is basically chief cook and bottlewasher.

Surprisingly too is that there have been a couple of times it has slipped into his point of view. Just a few lines and very very subtle but there all the same.

Having said all that, this author has written a great deal of books and as I said it is a fascinating read to see how much we have progressed as a society ie computers, A4 paper and white out.

And in the writing sense how far the line has come. As I said above non-smoker heroes and heroines that really do hold there own.

So even though I was extremely skeptical at first about reading the story I will say that I'm really glad that I did.

JN

01 November 2005

Here I am Again

What an exciting time I've had the last few days.

My boy has finally worked out that legs have a use afterall. He has started to toddle and walk around. He is feeling very proud of himself too. Looks at you with a big smile and a look that says, now praise me because I'm extra clever.

It's certainly going to make leaving the daycare centre an awful lot easier as he can now walk out and I don't have to carry him. Just for the record he is a heavy boy and I'm on the slight side, so holding him, two backpacks and try to turn two knobs to get out of the centre is a challenge!

But he is very cute. Has a stagger about him as he tries to gain his balance.

I'll just say this though, what out big sister! She's has been able to assert her authority over him for the last 12 months but now, he will fight back. I think he is probably heavier than his sister. She takes after her petite mum! LOL

But it will be fun and games and I for one am sort of looking forward to it.

The other exciting thing is that yesterday saw history being made when a horse, Makybe Diva, won her third Melbourne Cup. What's so special about that you may ask. Well it's the 3rd one in a row. She won in 2003, 2004 and 2005. No other horse has ever done that in the history of the cup. The first race being run in 1861. Many horses have won 2 of the races including the great Phar Lap. The trainer of the horse had it right when he said that in the majority of people's lifetime who were at the track or watching it that day will never see it again. It really was a most exciting day. Especially for someone who is not a big horse fan!

And finally a new baby was born in the family when my cousin gave birth today to a big, bouncing baby boy. Owen Michael weighed in at 8lb 7oz and was born 2 November 2005. Welcome to the family little Owen!

JN