Anyone else planning a Unassisted Birth ?

[SoCaliMommy]

 Just wondering if anyone else is planning a unassisted birth ?

[MsVyky]

tentatively, yes, we are. It's becoming highly unlikely that I will be accepted into midwifery care (10 midwives, 1 million + population). The hospital is not an option for me. So I'm readying myself for a UBAC

[SoCaliMommy]

 Are you going to do your own prenatal care?

[justamama]

Me! I've had two homebirths, one an unintentional UC...but I had wanted a UC all along, so it worked out perfectly (fast labor, midwife was at another birth). With fast labors, there's no way we're risking leaving the house...my last birth I woke up with a contraction at 7:48am, realized it was really labor (I have prodromal stuff at the end) at 8:24am, and had a baby at 9:58am.

We'll be seeing the doctor we used for our backup last time. Probably once first trimester, for a 20 week ultrasound to make sure there are no health conditions we need to know about, and then once in the third trimester. But beyond the ultrasound, we're not going to do any testing or anything.

[MsVyky]

Originally Posted by SoCaliMommy 

 Are you going to do your own prenatal care?

haven't decided yet if I'm going to do it myself or see a GP to do it.  

[Lula's Mom]

We are. This will be our 3rd UP & UC.

[SoCaliMommy]

   I'll be doing prenatal care through our insurance mainly as a just in case sort of thing like if i need to go to the hospital. If i was to deliver at the hospital it's a 45 min freeway without traffic. In a major emergency there is a  hospital that i can go to and my insurance would have to have me transferred from, it's 30-35mins away side street traffic.

Edited by SoCaliMommy - 3/30/11 at 8:47pm

[bubbagirl]

Originally Posted by justamama 

We'll be seeing the doctor we used for our backup last time. Probably once first trimester, for a 20 week ultrasound to make sure there are no health conditions we need to know about, and then once in the third trimester. But beyond the ultrasound, we're not going to do any testing or anything.

I think this is just about what we are going to do. I planned on a UC last time but dh got cold feet after our families and his friends got to him, and we live quite a ways from the hopsital. I also had iffy bp, so we used midwives at a hospital and it was way more invasive than I had invisioned for myself, but it was still very hands off and beautiful at the same time.

I am so excited about being and staying at home this time and having the privacy we really wanted last time. 

[bubbagirl]

Lula's Mom, I just had to comment on one of your ds's name - Cormac. It was almost our sons name last time and on my short list this time :) How awesome to see it!

[Lula's Mom]

Thank you! I really love it, and so far we don't know any other Cormacs around here.  We had been looking and looking for an Irish name, and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it in a name book. Not one minute later, my husband walked up to me with a Cormac McCarthy book under his arm, and that was that.

[justamama]

Went to coffee tonight with two of my birthy mama friends. One has had 2 UC's, the other is planning her first as well (I am technically planning my second, but hadn't intended on the first, so...). It was SO NICE!! I've been so uncertain lately. 90% of the birthing energy around me was negative. Just to sit and talk and have people who know those same fears and doubts and talking through them with these ladies. It helped. I am so stoked now. I may be only 6 weeks, but I'm looking forward to birthing again. I was even able to cast away fear about a longer labor (for me, that'd be over 4 hours), and just feel better about things.

[tank]

I was just wondering if any of you had a (planned) unassisted birth as your first birth experience or if anyone is planning that.  i always thought that is what I would want until I actually became pregnant and realized I know nothing about birth.  I also thought I would want a homebirth until I realized that people would be in my house and in my comfort zone which I don't think I would like.  I am kind of a private person when it comes to my house.  It's weird I am actually hoping to do this if I decide to have a 2nd child but am not comfortable with it now.  Does that make sence?

[SoCaliMommy]

 Tank~ You might want to search through the unassisted forum area there are stories of women who have had a unassisted birth for their first birth.

[SoCaliMommy]

 Bump

[Jaimee]

It's a possibility for us, but I'm not sure it's what I really want.  With my second, my midwife had some personal issues toward the end of my pregnancy, which was making her very unfocused (like she couldn't remember the gender of our baby at each prenatal visit).  She was also a CNM and had certain protocols she felt she had to follow and wouldn't budge on them.  So basically we parted ways at 36 weeks and we had to decide if we wanted to hire another midwife or have a UC.  We decided on a UC.  I had to tell my mom and sister b/c I had already invited them to the birth months earlier to take care of dd and be a birth assistant to the mw who required one.  When I told them they flipped out- like drug addict intervention style.  I was on the phone every night with one of them or spending hours responding to emails where they tried to convince me that I was risking my life and the life of my baby for no reason; that a UC was ridiculously dangerous, extreme, and selfish; and that they would not come out to visit us even postpartum (in other words I would have no help after the birth) if we decided to go through with it.  Basically a family apocalypse.  It was so stressful during a time that I should have been preparing, focusing, relaxing.  We gave in and hired a different midwife.  The mw turned out to be great.  She was very hands off, allowing us to labor and deliver by ourselves with absolutely no interference.  But the family crap that followed and continued for months was awful.  I'm still bitter.

So, this time around I would like to avoid all that by hiring a compatible mw from the start, but unfortunately we are moving to IL in just a few months where the home birth climate is not good.  My choices are extremely limited.  If we end up not liking one of the two midwives I can locate within 2 hours of our home, we may need to revisit the idea of a UC.  Only this time, we will not be telling my family!

[Xerxella]

Maybe.  I'll be doing a VBA2C, so my plan is to hook up with the only midwifery practice that does VBA2C (in a hospital) and do my prenatal care with them.  But, they're an hour away.  Last time I had a long, hard labor.  So, this time I figure I'll wait until I start throwing up before going into the hospital.  Hopefully, it'll be an easier labor and I'l never get to that point and instead just have a beautiful baby!  So, I guess instead of planning a UC, it's more like a very acceptable outcome. 

SSSsssssoooo, can anyone recommend a good book on how to UC?  I would like to be armed with knowledge if it does happen.  Thanks

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by Xerxella 
SSSsssssoooo, can anyone recommend a good book on how to UC?  I would like to be armed with knowledge if it does happen.  Thanks

Definitely check out the UC section for more information.  But I would say that I enjoyed reading Unassisted Home Birth for the most part and you can download Emergency Childbirth.  I also read Laura Shanley's book, but frankly, she's a bit out there for me. 

[mama2mmj]

We are planning one too :)

[mrsrayray]

(nevermind!) :)

Edited by mrsrayray - 5/3/11 at 11:11am

[Azadehhast]

Hi, November Mamas! Just visiting here from the December DDC.

Tank, this is my first, and I'm also planning a UP/UC, and if you search the UC forum, you'll find other people asking about first time UCers also. I so wish I could find some near me!