Thinking about U/P

[getovermylife]

I am not pregnant yet but I have been thinking about it for a looonnnggg time. My family does not have health insurance and I had medicaid for DD(6)'s pregnancy. No Ob's were accepting new medicaid patients at the time so I had to go through the local health clinic which made me basically feel like trash. The appointments took forever just for a few minutes with a nurse who took my blood pressure, urine and weight. I felt like I was just another statistic teen pregnancy. Yes I was 19 but I had been married for a year before my pregnancy. I didn't know that I could refuse things like internal exams. Most things wouldn't have bothered me if it had been the same 1 or 2 nurses I saw each time and the same doctor because I'd at least feel more comfortable with the person. Anytime I had a question or concern I was given a textbook answer that I already basically read in one of my pregnancy books. My pregnancy was completely "normal" with no problems other than a lot of weight loss in the beginning from a lot of morning sickness. I don't see a reason to automatically jump to seeing a doctor for my care. I plan to still go to the hospital for the birth simply because DD had trouble getting oxygen during labor and I'd feel safer to keep it monitored. Who knows? I might change my mind about that as I go through pregnancy.

Anyways, like I said I'm not pregnant yet. I just want to figure out what I will do before I get pregnant. What made you decide to go unassisted? Did you self-monitor or just go with how you felt?

[newsolarmomma2]

I tried UC (didn't succeed) because I thought I could do it. I wanted to give it a try, at the time I didn't think through it any further.

I didn't U/P though, I wanted to be sure I was in the best possible condition and low risk for the UC. I didn't know much about birth and didn't think I could learn fast enough. My OB/CNM team was really good, and friendly, even though it didn't seem like they did much, they did catch a few thing I wouldn't have (e/E sensitization, which can cause hemolytic disease, like RH disease, and did), low blood count. when my UC turned transfer, I was happy to have them as back up.

This time around I don't have insurance, and will probably use Medicaid or Planned Parenthood for prenatal, and try again for UC. if the only providers I had access to were rude and not helpful, I might skip it, though I would be a little scared. Some mamas here UP and they do everything from full prenatal, to self checks, to nothing at all. I don't self check because I don't know what to look for, but that's just me.

I don't know if this helped or not, but it's my experience :-) BEST LUCK!

[weliveintheforest]

I went UP basically because I didn't like my other options. I don't want to use the registered midwives and then leave them at the end, and seeing a doctor didn't feel necessary. I mostly just go by how I feel, but I pay attention to my diet and check my blood pressure. Last pregnancy I did a lot of chiropractic, and hope to go a few times before my next baby is born. 

[ElizabethE]

I'm going to have to start learning this because I think perhaps a UP is in my future. I want to be able to pick and choose what I do, however, so maybe it won't be a complete UP. I would love to hear some experienced moms with UP come here and "teach" us how to UP, in terms of monitoring ourselves and what you've done for various things, etc.

[accountclosed3]

You could simply attend 2-3 appointments at a clinic to birth at a hospital with some connection to prenatal care.

and well, my UP was just nothing. I ate well, slept well, got massage every week, and that was it. :D

[mamagranola28]

My last pregnancy/birth was unassisted.  I contacted a Midwife that I know professionally (I had doula clients who had used her) at 33 wks to secure her services as a back up only.  That was the only time I saw her and I did ask her to listen to the baby's heart beat with a stethescope and confirm position.  For "prenatal" care I learned lots about normal pregnancy and birth, watched birth videos. read stories, read midwifery blogs etc.  I really enjoyed reading the threads here on MDC about prenatal care and I also thought Elizabeth Davis' book Heart and Hands was an excellent resource.  I ate really well, did yoga, got extra rest and tried to keep stress out of my life.  I saw a chiropractor a few times, and had accupuncture and homeopathic remedies for morning sickness.  I really enjoyed knowing that I was giving myself and my baby the best prenatal care possible.  I worked on connecting with my baby and tuning into my own intuition and listening to spiritual guidance from God.  I felt very secure in knowing that I could trust my body to let me know if I needed additional medical help.  I live 5 min from a hospital, 5 min. from two wonderful midwives and 15 min. from my Naturopathic Physician.  Knowing I could access medical help from a variety of sources was very important to me.  I really didn't want to have to go the hospital for something simple that I couldn't provide for myself (like stitches).  I am forever grateful to the midwife who agreed to be my go to girl if I needed anything.  In my opinion freedom of choice means being able to choose if you need care, at what level you need it and from whom.