Unassisted Birth - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[IwannaBanRN]

Originally Posted by Lula's Mom 

But Becky, you will be bringing a newborn back home to the MRSA anyway!  And you and DH, if not the kids, will be touching the baby in the hospital (which itself is not guaranteed to be MRSA-free;  boys have contracted MRSA in their circumcision wounds at the hospital!)  If that's the reason for a hospital birth, it doesn't make much sense to me.  Are you all on an aggressive treatment, trying to get rid of the MRSA?  I would be worried about bringing in a baby if we all had it, but not really about the place of birth.

I think you really, really want a UC.  I understand your DH's reluctance, but I hope he will step up and support you.  You CAN do this, it's a really beautiful way to have a baby!

As far as the cord, I have found that the less you do to it, the faster it heals and falls off. Alcohol etc makes it take longer. The only thing I ever put on it is a little breastmilk, if it look a little gooey.

That's what I was trying to tell my mom and DH! People are more likely to catch MRSA in a hospital than anywhere else! I just don't think I can UC without his support. He's not this baby's dad, so him willing to even be at the hospital and advocate for me is pretty admirable in and of itself. I'm definitely NOT getting this one circ'd and that's a discussion in and of itself. lol DH keeps saying that he'll support me in what I want at the hospital but he won't support me at home. Am I asking too much of him, with this child not being his?

There is no treatment to get rid of the MRSA for good. It lives in your nose and from the nose, it lives on the skin until it can enter an open wound or in an ingrown hair. I COULD bleach every single thing in the house, but I haven't got the energy to do that by myself.

[birdhappy85]

Becky, do you happen to know by any chance how long the MRSA virus can live on surfaces? My nephew has had MRSA for a while (no idea where he contracted it, they think maybe the hospital) and my sister and mom keep trying to give me toys and other items that were his to use for our baby... I have OCD, to be honest, and it stresses me out to no end just the idea of anything of his having living viruses on it. I have declined toys but accepted his furniture because it's saving us a lot of money we don't have. She also gave us a baby bath tub that was his... None of the stuff given to us has been used by him in over a year, so do you know if the virus can live that long on various surfaces exposed to the open air? Everyone tells me to just bleach stuff, but I have issues with bleach in and of itself... Any other disinfectants that work?

I agree with a pp that you should be just as safe with your UC at home as if you were in the hospital, if not more so. I really do think viruses and bacteria are a real threat in hospital settings, more than at home where you're already adjusted to your surroundings.

[Krystal323]

I finally joined the group here and can post--yay!

Becky--first off, {{{hugs}}}.  As someone who attempted UC before and failed (went to the hospital in a state of fear at 43w and in transition), I'd say you are quite right to be worried about a lack of emotional support--but it doesn't have to come from your DH or your mom, necessarily.  As for the babe not being your DH's, why on earth should that matter?  Either he accepts you and this whole birth/family experience fully, or he doesn't, yk?  If he wants to be with you and support you, then he should actually do it, not just be open to doing it on his own terms.  This is your body and your experience, and you're the one who will suffer emotionally/mentally if you're being bullied and coerced into things you don't believe in, whether from him, your mom, or some random hospital staff.  I hope you can come up with a solution!  {{hugs}}

AFM:

Supplies--well, I have a list!  I reviewed the really awesome "not-so-basic homebirth supplies" thread on here to recall what I want to have on hand--it looks like a long list, but really most of it is just reminders, like "have juice on hand" or "put the baby blankets in the dryer to warm them when I'm in labor", etc.

Support--I have a lot of friends in the birth community, some of which are in support of UC and some of which aren't.  The two homebirth midwives that helped me with my last baby are quitting official practice, so I don't feel like I can oblige them to be involved this time, even tho we've been friends for years.  They're really awesome, but jaded, if that makes sense?  OTOH, I have two awesome doula-friends who said they'd come hang out--one of which is a placenta encapsulation specialist (YAY!), and one of which is a midwife-in-training.  And of course my DH, who's very supportive and who happens to be trained as an EMT.  So I am a LOT more supported than the last time I attempted UC (alone, not in my own home, and the few friends/family I had filling me with fear, doubt, and negativity).

Older kids--mine are gonna hang out, probably not in the room tho.  That's the way we did it with my last homebirth, and it was fine.  My 4yo says she wants to watch, and my 12yo son says he absolutely does NOT want to watch (go figure, hehe!).  My 9yo is on the fence about it.  I think the 2yo will just hang out with his sibs, and/or be asleep--tho he might be right up in the thick of things!  I'm open to however it unfolds.  I do have fast births tho--by the time it's "believable" to me that I'm in labor, I might have 3 hours--or less.

I am still sort-of contemplating a water birth tho.  I wonder if it'd be worth the trouble and potential flood-risk, lol.  I have unsavory memories of my attempted-UC labor, going into the tub thinking "this is it!  it's happening now!" only to have labor stall out after I got in--again and again and again...  >:(  Not that they're connected at all, but maybe I should just avoid that sort of bad mojo. :p

[Lula's Mom]

Really!?  That's not been my impression from the things I've read about it!  What I understood is that it is very hard to kill, since by definition it's resistant to the usual antibiotics.  But it's still bacteria, which is alive and can be killed, I have always thought, by the appropriate course(s) of drugs. 

And I know, yes, everyone has staph on their skin, but not everyone has the strain of MR-staph aureus.  Some people get regular staph infections in cuts too, while others don't.  It makes you wonder why, and if it's an issue of strong immune systems?  If you can't get rid of it entirely, what can you do to bolster your family's natural immune response, and help keep from having an out break?

[IwannaBanRN]

It can live on open surfaces for days, weeks even months. Anyone and anything can catch it, even pets. My daughter had her first one at 7 months of age. I would use an alcohol based anti-septic. Bleach won't always kill it. I honestly think the risk factor bringing baby home vs. birthing at home is just the same. I don't plan on birthing in the bath tub which is probably the most risky when you have MRSA. It'll be on a new sheet with a new shower curtain liner. I don't know what to do..........

[birdhappy85]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lula's Mom 

Really!?  That's not been my impression from the things I've read about it!  What I understood is that it is very hard to kill, since by definition it's resistant to the usual antibiotics.  But it's still bacteria, which is alive and can be killed, I have always thought, by the appropriate course(s) of drugs. 

And I know, yes, everyone has staph on their skin, but not everyone has the strain of MR-staph aureus.  Some people get regular staph infections in cuts too, while others don't.  It makes you wonder why, and if it's an issue of strong immune systems?  If you can't get rid of it entirely, what can you do to bolster your family's natural immune response, and help keep from having an out break?

Yep, Becky is right. MRSA can't just be eradicated from the body. Once you have it, you have it; it just doesn't end up in an outbreak all of the time. My nephew who I mentioned has MRSA lives with my sister at my parents' house and they've all had to do some sort of nasal inhalation preventative treatment on a regular basis to improve their chances of not having it passed to them. My poor nephew ended up with impetigo likely caused by his MRSA. I've never seen such a difficult skin infection to treat. He had to go to a ton of specialists to find a diagnosis and try to get it under control.

[Lula's Mom]

Wow!  How awful!

Yeah. The baby will be living with MRSA from the start, because he will be with you, DH & the kids.  With you, for a day or two in the hospital before going home? vs with you, from the beginning at home. I'm... not seeing their logic.

And I totally agree with Krystal- him not being the baby's dad should be a separate issue from where you give birth!  Is he hanging that over your head, or are you?

[IwannaBanRN]

Originally Posted by Lula's Mom 

Wow!  How awful!

Yeah. The baby will be living with MRSA from the start, because he will be with you, DH & the kids.  With you, for a day or two in the hospital before going home? vs with you, from the beginning at home. I'm... not seeing their logic.

And I totally agree with Krystal- him not being the baby's dad should be a separate issue from where you give birth!  Is he hanging that over your head, or are you?

You know, my daughter didn't have her first outbreak of MRSA infection until I stopped breastfeeding her. I didn't realize that until now. I'm half thinking about just being stubborn and staying home. If he's at work, I may not call him until the last minute. I guess I'm holding him not being the father over my own head because I respect him for taking me back and taking care of me even though I'm carrying another man's baby.

[IwannaBanRN]

So, update on DH's standpoint on me having the baby at home unassisted: I talked to him some more last night about the risks of infection and told him how I could lessen the risks to me and baby. I have a brand new shower curtain liner and getting a new white sheet for the birth so I can have everything sterile that I'm birthing on. I was thinking of doing it on the bed and pinning the the sheet and liner down on the mattress so they wouldn't get messed up with me changing positions. Anyway, boiling the new scissors and cord ribbons. Having sanitizer on hand. Gloves. His only other concern is the baby being breech. I can't really educate him on breech without showing him pictures and diagrams and when he sees feet first instead of head, it makes him nauseous. lol So I think I might meet him in the middle, in that if the baby turns out breech right up until I go into labor I'll birth in the hospital and not at home. Other than that, I won't budge on birthing at home vs. hospital birth.

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by Lula's Mom 
I don't know what kind of nose sucker you plan to get, but I highly recommend something like the NoseFrida or Baby Comfy Nose, instead of a bulb aspirator.  They don't enter the nostril at all, and you get sooo much more out!  Plus they are easy to clean.  It's a bit of an adjustment, imagining yourself actually sucking the snot with your mouth, but trust me, nothing can get near you.

I second the rec for the NoseFrida... awesome!!
 

[IwannaBanRN]

I bought a shower curtain liner and a twin flat sheet today to lay on the bed for when I'm giving birth. Getting excited! And since most of the stuff will be happening in the bedroom and the bathroom, I don't think it's too much to try to sterilize everything in those two rooms.

[Jaimee]

Yeah, I need to get some shower curtain liners or table cloths and a bunch of vinegar for cleaning out the jetted tub.  I think I'm pretty set on everything else.

[IwannaBanRN]

So, would vinegar be the "best" (safest) to use for cleaning out the shower/tub? I plan on tearing the bathroom apart at 35 or 36 weeks to clean it from top to bottom. Not sure what I'll do for the bed, except wash the bedding. Is there anything I could do to sterilize the mattress? It's extremely important to me to have just about any or all germs out of those two rooms just because of the MRSA.

[Jaimee]

I don't personally plan on sterilizing anything beforehand, but after the birth if I end up birthing in the jetted tub, I'll need to clean out the jets by running vinegar water through them.  Vinegar is great for general cleaning, but I don't think that it would take care of MRSA.  For that I would assume you need full on bleach or something very strong like Thyme or Grapeseed extract (GE).  I've heard that some hospitals even use GE in place of bleach.  Mattresses are very difficult to clean and sterilize.  I really don't think there is much you can do b/c things get way inside.  But you could spray it down with GE or bleach (in water) and let it dry out in direct sunlight.  Are you still getting intense sun where you are?  Probably not, but if you are the UV rays can kill a lot of things.  Then you could wrap your mattress in one of those antibacterial covers to try and prevent further infection.

[IwannaBanRN]

I just want to be super cautious, ya know?

[Paigekitten]

Ordered my birth supplies, they should be here any day.  I still need to make my "birth blanket" and inflate my tub and clean it and make sure I still have the right hardware to fill it from my sink.

[IwannaBanRN]

So, I told DH last night that if the baby was still breech by 38 weeks, I'd go to the hospital to have this baby. I think the compromise was pretty fair, since breech seems to be both of our biggest concerns. I also showed him the emergency birth book so that he could know what to do in certain situations. He's still uncomfortable, but said he feels better about the breech thing.

[Jaimee]

Becky, you wouldn't go for moxibustion or Webster before pulling your whole UC plan?  Babies turn after 38 weeks, some just need a little help.

[IwannaBanRN]

Well, I'm sure that those procedures aren't covered by Medicaid, (which I've been fighting to get off and on this whole pregnancy) especially if they are done by a chiro, which I won't have Billy pay out of pocket for. It's not his baby that would need turning.

[Paigekitten]

Either he's on board with being your birth support, or he's not, ya know?  Why would pitching in financially to help prevent a c-section for you be about who fathered the baby?