ICAN of St Louis

The ICAN 2010 Calendar features beautiful photos of mothers, babies and families who have been touched by ICAN's work. This colorful calendar is offered only for a limited time and makes a great gift! Give it to your doula, your sister, your mom, your supportive care provider, your birth junkie friend...

I received dual pre-natal care during this pregnancy. First, in St. Louis with my family physician, Dr. Christine Salter, and also in Columbia, Missouri, with the Columbia Community Birth Center's physician Dr. Elizabeth Allemann and Certified Professional Midwife Ivy White. Our plans were to have the labor and delivery occur at the Birth Center. This facility is an alternative to a home birth in that there are no medical interventions available, which is exactly what we wanted. Chad and I have learned over the past 4 babies what it is that I "needed" to be able to deliver a child.

My first son was born by cesarean for what they like to call to failure to progress. I had labored 20 hours when my doctor decided the surgery was in my best interest. I had been at 8 cm for about 4 hours after allowing my doctor to break my water. Ignorant of the risks and exhausted from labor, I agreed.

I woke up around 4 am on Wednesday, March 2, 10 days past my due date, to intermittent pains in my back. I knew right then and there that it was labor, and thought about the baby boy we were getting ready to meet. I talked to him and told him I couldn’t wait to see him and hold him in my arms.

I timed my contractions, and they were 11 minutes apart. Soon they got to 8 minutes apart and I called my doula to let her know. I couldn’t sleep, so I followed her advice to take a bath and call her in an hour.

Editor's note: This story mentions a uterine rupture. Although we encourage all expectant parents to educate themselves on the benefits and risks of VBAC, and although both mom and baby ended up with no permanent damage, this story may not be appropriate for those wishing to gestate in peace.

When I got pregnant with my daughter in the spring of '03, I was nineteen. Instead of really educating myself on the current political and medical climate of birth, I took a referral from my mother's OBGYN service (The same practice the outfitted my mother with her 2 surgical births twenty years before, one needed, one not so needed.). I read a lot and learned a lot.

About 2 months prior to my due date of my 2nd daughter, Eleanor, a friend of mine encouraged me to do a VBAC. My doctor had already suggested it, and I was all for it. I was just completely unprepared to do it! I attended an ICAN meeting and got the scoop on VBAC's and natural childbirth. Then began my quest for birthing knowledge. I was reading all I could online and talking with other moms as much as possible to get a sense of what I wanted to happen and what was possible.