Ok. the background is this- I HAVE a midwife, btu she cannot legally do homebirth. which is fine, last time, we discussed that if things went too fast, she would come out afterwards and help with paperwork and check out me and baby... so I never stressed too much about it... and last time, I DID wind up having time and just went on to the hospital. (the one she works out of is 45 mintues away, and my labors are very short)
This time, I was planning the same thing. that if there was time, I would go there, and if not, then I would stay home and she could come out after.
BUT... here is the kicker. Now, she is on vacation. and I am due in the next 2 weeks (while she is on vacation) and while I have known for a while that she was going to be on vaca, there was another midwife who would be covering.
PROBLEM: TODAY, the office called to let me know that the covering midwife is not covered by my insurance.
THis means it gives me the options (since we can't afford out of network covereage) of 1, use the doctor that backs up my midwife-- not really an option for me because I HATE doctors... and I am not fond of men not my husband seeing me down there... and I have only met him once in 2 pregnancies, etc..., or 2, UC at home.
Now, since I am here, of course my choice (assuming that the baby comes while my regualr midwife is gone, which is likely, since she will be gone till nearly a week after my due date, and is leaving I think tommorrow) is to go with the UC.
But what do I need to know?
I wasn't worried at all about it while it was just an option... but with it now being my only option I am willing to think much about... now it makes me want to be more ready, to know more even than I thought I knew... etc...
I have looked into what paperwork will be needed, and will be picking up the forms from the city clerks office tommorrow...
I know that NYS requires certain blood tests, but those can be done several days after birth, and I see no reason why my regualr midwife can't handle those when she gets back, or the peds office when I take baby in a few days after birth.
I know I should have warm blankets available, and to keep baby close to me and warm, and I know that I should have a nose suctioner on hand in case it is needed.
I have 2 other babies who were exclusively nursed, so I know what to expect from early nursing, etc... and I have plenty of PP mama cloth ready on hand waiting that i used very successfully last time from day one, so I am not at all worried about that silly facet of things.
I am a little concerned about what if I tear though? Last time, I only had one small tear, and my midwife said that it was from my DD sucking her thumb on the way out. but she DID stitcth it up. can a small tear be just left and not stitched? will it heal ok on its own? The first birth (the one where I was a stupid first timer who LISTENED to the hospital people and got epidural) I wound up with episiotomy AND bad tearing... and the epeisotomy sites STILL cause me pain now and then, 4 years later. Last time I did no drugs and water birth... and it was much better.
This time, if I am at home, a true waterbirth is not an option... because my tub is far too small. I could birth in the shower maybe... would that be as helpful as the birth tub was last time?
What about bleeding? how much is too much? agian, the first birth, with the stupid epi and stupid hospital people, I bled a lot, but I strongly feel that that was due to the tons of pitocin, the epi, the pushing with no feeling, and the episiotomy and tearing... in the second birth, I did not bleed any more than normal, or at least my midwife did not seem to think so...
I remember being told the one pad an hour thing... that if you were soaking more than one pad an hour that it was too much... is that right?
I am confused on all this stuff now and at the same time... kind of looking forward to it... because I have always wanted a homebirth... though I never actually expected to do it COMPLETELY on my own...
what about the placenta... how do you know if it has all come out, or if there is retained placenta in there? thats bad, isn't it?
and after the birth, the placenta... the cord.. its just a matter of tying off the cord and cutting it, right? ther should not be any big deal with that... I want to wait till the cord stops pulsing anyway... I don't geuss that there is a time limit on when to cut, since I know I have read about lotus birht... would a nice cotton thread do the job well enough to tie off the cord? how far form baby do you usually cut?
Oy... this is looking to be such a differnt experience than my last 2 birhts, and I thought that THEY were polar opposites of one another...
Ok... sorry this is such a long post. I am, after all, in the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy, though, so I am trying to get all my ducks in a row as fast as possible, since the option to plan more ahead of time was taken from me... stupid people who don't make sure that their covereage takes the same insurances as they do untill the LAST day!
This time, I was planning the same thing. that if there was time, I would go there, and if not, then I would stay home and she could come out after.
BUT... here is the kicker. Now, she is on vacation. and I am due in the next 2 weeks (while she is on vacation) and while I have known for a while that she was going to be on vaca, there was another midwife who would be covering.
PROBLEM: TODAY, the office called to let me know that the covering midwife is not covered by my insurance.
THis means it gives me the options (since we can't afford out of network covereage) of 1, use the doctor that backs up my midwife-- not really an option for me because I HATE doctors... and I am not fond of men not my husband seeing me down there... and I have only met him once in 2 pregnancies, etc..., or 2, UC at home.
Now, since I am here, of course my choice (assuming that the baby comes while my regualr midwife is gone, which is likely, since she will be gone till nearly a week after my due date, and is leaving I think tommorrow) is to go with the UC.
But what do I need to know?
I wasn't worried at all about it while it was just an option... but with it now being my only option I am willing to think much about... now it makes me want to be more ready, to know more even than I thought I knew... etc...
I have looked into what paperwork will be needed, and will be picking up the forms from the city clerks office tommorrow...
I know that NYS requires certain blood tests, but those can be done several days after birth, and I see no reason why my regualr midwife can't handle those when she gets back, or the peds office when I take baby in a few days after birth.
I know I should have warm blankets available, and to keep baby close to me and warm, and I know that I should have a nose suctioner on hand in case it is needed.
I have 2 other babies who were exclusively nursed, so I know what to expect from early nursing, etc... and I have plenty of PP mama cloth ready on hand waiting that i used very successfully last time from day one, so I am not at all worried about that silly facet of things.
I am a little concerned about what if I tear though? Last time, I only had one small tear, and my midwife said that it was from my DD sucking her thumb on the way out. but she DID stitcth it up. can a small tear be just left and not stitched? will it heal ok on its own? The first birth (the one where I was a stupid first timer who LISTENED to the hospital people and got epidural) I wound up with episiotomy AND bad tearing... and the epeisotomy sites STILL cause me pain now and then, 4 years later. Last time I did no drugs and water birth... and it was much better.
This time, if I am at home, a true waterbirth is not an option... because my tub is far too small. I could birth in the shower maybe... would that be as helpful as the birth tub was last time?
What about bleeding? how much is too much? agian, the first birth, with the stupid epi and stupid hospital people, I bled a lot, but I strongly feel that that was due to the tons of pitocin, the epi, the pushing with no feeling, and the episiotomy and tearing... in the second birth, I did not bleed any more than normal, or at least my midwife did not seem to think so...
I remember being told the one pad an hour thing... that if you were soaking more than one pad an hour that it was too much... is that right?
I am confused on all this stuff now and at the same time... kind of looking forward to it... because I have always wanted a homebirth... though I never actually expected to do it COMPLETELY on my own...
what about the placenta... how do you know if it has all come out, or if there is retained placenta in there? thats bad, isn't it?
and after the birth, the placenta... the cord.. its just a matter of tying off the cord and cutting it, right? ther should not be any big deal with that... I want to wait till the cord stops pulsing anyway... I don't geuss that there is a time limit on when to cut, since I know I have read about lotus birht... would a nice cotton thread do the job well enough to tie off the cord? how far form baby do you usually cut?
Oy... this is looking to be such a differnt experience than my last 2 birhts, and I thought that THEY were polar opposites of one another...
Ok... sorry this is such a long post. I am, after all, in the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy, though, so I am trying to get all my ducks in a row as fast as possible, since the option to plan more ahead of time was taken from me... stupid people who don't make sure that their covereage takes the same insurances as they do untill the LAST day!
