What are my options now...

So you've stalled, now what?  Something many don't talk about is not doing anything.  Just wait.  Labor is not only about dialating.  You and baby have alot to do in preparing for baby's birthday. It may appear that labor is stalled but your body is working in other ways that it needs.  So if given the opportunity, wait a bit before doing anything.  Sometimes that's all you need and then bam, contractions kick in and you dialate quick.  If waiting isn't an option or you have already waited and feel like something needs to be done, here are some options for you.

-Rest!  Take this time to simply relax.  Your body might just be a little tired for all the work and need a little break.
-Change positions.  Maybe baby can't move or isn't comfy in the position you're in and just needs a new position to get out.
-Walk or stand.  Gravity, it's our friend. :)  Walking may also jostle your body and baby.
-Change your environment. 
-Eat/drink.  Your body might need some nourishment/hydration for all the work it's doing. 
-Take a shower or bath.
-Talk.  Express any feelings your have.  Strong emotions, stress or discouragement are enough to slow down or stop labor.
-Avoid vaginal exams.  Sometimes this creates more of an emotional hurdle than help.
-Nipple stimulation, massage, pressure.  This can get oxytocin going which can help start contractions.
-Sex.  Did you know that one of the drugs used to augment or induce labor, Cervidil, is actually pig sperm.  So why not use the real thing (and maybe have some fun) instead. 
-WAIT!  I say this again because it's important to let your body do what it needs to do before rushing for any intervention.  Recognize that this could be an example of a Natural Alignment Plateau, when labor is still progressing but dilation doesn’t necessarily increase. Sometimes a mom can seem to be “stuck” for many hours, only to rapidly progress to pushing after a long wait. Recognize that this could be prodromal labor, or a long “practice labor” pattern. Rest and nourishment are in order in this case. If mom and baby are fine, there is no reason that the baby has to be born right away.

Those are some non medical options.  Hopefully you can try some (or all) of those before jumping to medical options.
-Break your bag of waters (aka rupture your membranes.)  This can kick your contractions into high gear and quickly!  This will also mostly likely put you on a strick clock of delivery because of the doctors fear of infection.  Depending on the doctor and hospital you might only have 12 hours from the point of breaking your water to having the baby before a C-section occurs.
-Pitocin.  This cow hormone is used to produce oxytocin and kicks your contractions into SUPER high gear.   It is difficult to handle the intensity of a pitocin contraction on your own and often times this will lead to the need for an epidural.  Pitocin contractions are not like natural contractions so be prepared.  Be sure to read up on pitocin before going to the hospital so you are familiar with it.
-C-section.  This should be a last resort after everything else has been done.  Unfortunately, at times starting medical options leads to a C-section.  Again, please educate yourself thoroughly about your options.

Remember there are different stages to your labor.  The first stage has 2 parts, part 1:Early labor.  This is the stage when everything is starting, you might be dialited a few cm.  This is also the stage where it's most common to stall.  That's ok.  As I stated earlier, you and baby are doing alot to prepare and contractions are only one indication of that.   This is the time to rest, relax, eat, don't rush to the hospital and just let your body do what it was built to do.  Your body is not a machine and doesn't work on a clock or always in the same manner as someone elses so let it do it's thing.  It really does know what to do.  Part 2: Active labor.  You are really going now!  It's not as common to stall during this stage but it happens.  Again, if you can rest, relax or eat at this stage do that.  Also, talk through any feelings you might have.  This is an intense stage and the fear of what's happening or what's going to happen can get in the way.  Also, remember gravity is your friend if you can move around.   Stages 2 and 3 are when you've dialated and baby is born and then the placenta.

As always, educated yourself.  There are many resources at your fingertips so utilize them.  Read, research, ask questions. 

Did you know...

What causes a stalled labor?  Different things can do it but did you know that some of those things are you and your surroundings?  If you are uncomfortable with where you are, you can stall.  If you have a fear of what to expect, you can stall.  If the lights are too bright, you can stall.  If someone new walks into your room, you can stall.  It's not uncommon for a women to walk into a hospital and have her labor slow down or stall?  Why would this happen time and time again?  Many rooms are not comfortable, they are too bright, nurses you've never met, maybe the doctor on call is some man you've never seen before in your life, perhaps you are forced to lay on a bed on your back, maybe you're scared about labor/delivery/being a parent.   Did you know that way back in the day the doctor was not allowed into the room of a laboring woman until the very last moment because they knew that a man entering the room could stop/stall the labor.  Perhaps that's why husband/father's weren't allowed in the room either but they soon learned that your husband/baby's father is actually an asset while laboring because of your connection, trust and intimacy with each other.  Typically that connection, trust and intimacy is not there with your doctor...not to the extent of what you have with your partner.  The best person/people to have in a room with you to keep you calm is a woman/women, preferably  one that has children of her own.  She can relate to you, comfort you, encourage you.  What man can truly understand what you are going through?  Yet, in labor and delivery today there are men telling us what we can and can not do.  Something as simple as turning out the lights so that the woman can relax, and focus on her labor can keep it from stalling.  Something as simple as letting a woman walk around or be in any position she wants to while she labors instead of telling her she needs to be on her back (which by the way is the best position for the doctors viewing, not for laboring or delivering) can keep labor from stalling.  Educating yourself about what could happen during labor so you are prepared can help remove any fears you may have and keep labor from stalling. 

Your birth experience

I've become very interested in other people's birth experiences.  Was it everything you wanted?  Did things go the way you hoped?  Were any interventions needed?  Did you have a birth plan?  Please share any and all regarding your experience!  (if you don't feel comfortable putting it online for all to see, send me a private message)  Thanks!

My pendulum shift

When I was younger, I was very excited to have kids! I wanted a whole bunch of them (still do :)). Whenever I thought about how those kids would arrive, I would get very VERY scared and nervous thinking how in the world could I do that and oh my that is going to be way to painful. It got to the point where I decided when it was time to have kids I would simply have c-sections every time, no matter what. Of course I didn't think about what that entailed, all I thought about was how that would eliminate the pain of delivery. As my friends began having children and I began hearing about their experiences it forced me to begin thinking about my previous conclusions. It really challenged me and I started to listen to what pregnancy, labor and deliver were really about. Over time, I realized that my ideas had swung to the other end of the pendulum. When I became pregnant with my first child it hit me that I now had to follow through with those ideas. At first, I was scared! The idea of delivering a baby is a scary thought! As women, we truly aren't prepared for this. How many of us have seen a delivery, heard about a delivery in detail or have done much research in the area? That's when it hit me: I had do educate myself, do research on my own and prepare myself. As I began to read the nerves began to cease. The more educated and prepared I felt, the less fear there was within. I'm lucky enough to have a group of women that had delivered with no drugs and had previously done research and were willing to share with me. I know that not all women have that at their disposal and that is a shame. Luckily, there are many books and forums.

As I said in my previous post, I am now preparing for baby #2. Even though I’ve done it all before, it’s still a little scary but I know it’s absolutely possible. I wish more women realized that. I wish there was more education about the reality of labor and delivery. I HATE all those baby tv shows! In fact, my husband bans me from watching them because all they do is exemplify the negatives of labor and delivery as if that’s how it is and will be and it infuriates me!!! Without the education of what’s to come, it is a very scary experience. Without hearing the positive experiences of other women, it can be very scary. Without a good coach on your side and without an experienced person trained in the natural process of labor and delivery, it will be lonely and scary!

Natural Birth

 Birth is a natural process and a woman's body is built to carry and deliver her child.  I am pregnant with my second child and am doing a natural birth with no drugs.  My first child was delivered the same way.  Here is the story:

the whole process went pretty quickly. i woke up that morning and something felt different about that day but i wasn't sure. so  i text my husband, jim to let him know i'd had a bit of show, and i was unusually uncomfortable. i tried to take a nap shortly after that and missed numerous of jims calls and since i'd told him things were different for me that day, he quickly left work to check on me and stay working from home that day to make sure i was ok. around 11:30 i went out and started having contractions but since i wasn't home, i didn't think anything of it. when i got home around 3pm, i told jim i had some contractions and he suggested timing them. they were like 3 mins apart but not very long. so i went on my day but definitely felt them getting stronger and my back was starting to hurt. around 7 they were still 3 mins apart but longer like 45-50 sec. we went to the grocery store and when we came back i called the midwife for advice on what to do cause my back was really hurting. she gave me some suggestions but before the conversation was over i decided i should go in...they were a bit painful.  we arrived at the hospital about 8:30/9 and i quickly got into the tub for some relief. not too long after that the contractions were intense and one on top of the other.  i thought for sure there was no way i was going to make it if it continued to get worse...but that was the peak (ie, transition) and shortly after that it was time to push. i pushed for about 2 hours in total...they had me pushing on my hands & knees cause the baby's heartbeat dropped in any other position but that was a very difficult position for me and i was having a VERY hard time getting in good pushes and was getting very frustrated cause i didn't think i'd be able to push her out if i stayed in this position. luckily the midwife suggested pushing on the toilet. that made all the difference. a few pushes there and baby was coming! i had to quickly waddle back to the bed while crowning to get her out! lol a few pushes later and little aria was brought into this world. it was a bit hard to get her shoulders out cause her arms were crossed...guess she wasn't too happy about having to get out! unfortunately that caused a bit of tearing on my inside...but no tearing or ripping on the outside!!
it was quite an experience and even as i write it, it's hard to believe that i actually went through it!!
it was worth every minute of it and the one thing that helped the most was having an idea of what to expect throughout the whole labor.  if i didn't know what to expect, i would have freaked out and not let my body do the work it needed to do but would have fought it and made the whole experience more difficult than necessary.

I would love to hear your story!  Please share :)