I'm pregnant just four months after my first birth and desperately want a home birth

[sherriandtillie]

Hello all...not sure how often I'll post over here but somewhere offsite recommended I come here to get advice from a crunchier perspective so here I am.

I am currently 12 weeks pregnant with a 4 and a half month old baby girl. My daughter was born in a midwife-controlled homebirth and I had a spectacular experience. Matilda will be about 10 months old when I give birth this second time, and I'm having trouble finding a midwife who will oversee my birth. I live in the Jacksonville Texas area.

Is it possible to have a successful homebirth only ten months after your first birth? This baby was unplanned and quite a shock to my husband and I but I want the best birth possible, and for me that's a home birth.

Alternately if no midwife is going to see me for a home birth, do any of you have any advice on the freebirthing option? I have a good support network so I feel like it could be an option for us if all else fails.

[MamaMonica]

Welcome to MDC! I am moving this to the Homebirth forum, where I hope you get more replies.

[mommyfied]

I don't understand. Are midwives not wanting to take you because your babies are close together? If so, what is the reasoning?

If you're interesting in freebirthing, there is an unassisted forum here too that you might want to check out...
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...play.php?f=306

[jennica]

Why wont the midwife who assisted with your daughter take you on for this pregnancy?

[cathicog]

All other things being equal, I wouldn't see any reason why a mw wouldn't take you...No other health issues? PPH? Diet? Pre-Eclampsia, or anything like that? If you are healthy and had a good diet, then you should be a good candidate. The only other thing i can think of is if the first birth wasn't paid for- word gets around, and most mws won't take someone who didn't pay for the previous birth. It's the only roadblock I can think of...

[sweeetpea]

Congratulations on both your babies!

Unless you have an underlying medical issue, I cannot imagine why a midwife would decline to care for you.

You may have a couple of challenges due to lack of "recovery time", but if you take care of yourself and commit to excellent nutrition and supplements, you can control some of that. For example, if you think you might be at higher risk for pph, make sure you talk to midwife about alfalfa & nettle supplements during pregnancy to try to minimize pp bleeding.

Good luck!

[sherriandtillie]

The midwife who delivered my daughter has a totally separate reason for not overseeing the birth--we lived in Houston when Matilda was born, which is three hours away. Her birth was paid for and there were no issues, and she said she would have been happy to oversee the birth not for the travel issue. The midwives I've talked to here say they don't want the liability of a potentially risky birth and would be happy to give me prenatal care but not oversee the birth at home since there's an elevated potential for risk. Everything about my last birth went smoothly, and yes, I did pay for it.

[cathicog]

That's wierd. (i hope you didn't think I was insinuating anything,just mentioning items that came to mind). There's a lot of midwives in TX...maybe your former one can make a recommendation of someone nearby who shares her philosophy of normality? I wouldn't see any reason to refuse a client just cuz the births are a year apart- shucks, the Amish and Mennonites around here birth that often, and there is usually no issue with the birth itself, as long as the mom's diet is excellent...hope you can find someone, you sound like you would be a great candidate....I would ask the local mws you have talked to what SPECIFICALLY they mean by risk issues. What is their idea of risk? Are they being watched? Is there a "witch hunt" going on that makes them more cautious than normal? Just some thoughts....

[sherriandtillie]

Those are good questions, actually! I haven't done anything too extensive yet in terms of finding someone, but I'll have to make some phone calls today, I called a couple that people had used in the past, but I'm certain I'm looking in the wrong places.

[MyFillingQuiver]

I can understand your situation!

I had a VBA2C hospital/OB birth one year ago June 3rd. I am due on Aug 26th, so he'll be 14-15 months old. My second and third children are 12 months apart, with no issue.

This time I wanted a homebirth with a midwife. I found a great one, and she was very upfront that closely spaced babies, even when God brings them about while EBF, are a tax on the body. She said nutrition, protein and water intake were going to be a must..which is totally do-able for me, as I place a high value on these things anyway. When you become pregnant quickly and while EBF, sometimes all your stores aren't built up, and the main concern is just a tax on the body, resulting in PIH, Pre-e, or a placental situation.

With that said, she reassured me that our bodies are made for this, and nine times out of ten, there is no associated complication.

I'm 30 weeks pregnant right now, with a hemoglobin of 13.5 yesterday, good weight gain, little to no swelling, 112/72 BP, no urine issues, etc. Baby is head down, active and she's extremely pleased, and positive I'm going to have a great birth.

I hope you can find a MW that will take you on, as not having any other risks makes the minute risk of closely spaced pregnancies a non-factor for homebirth, in my mind.

Blessings!

[BirthTender]

Pregnant 4 months after first HB

I would not hesitate to midwife for you, given healthy diet & lifestyle. I've midwifed for several that were 11-13 months apart.

[homebirthing]

I was pregnant five months after my first was born and had an amazing birth at home!