Birth Choices - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[Willovia]

Originally Posted by lactomom 


The decision should really come down to where you will be most comfortable, because that's where you will have the best birth experience!
 

Agreed. For me, I had my heart set on a homebirth and when we were told we fell outside the midwives' radius of coverage for HB, all care being equal, just knowing I will have access to that type of tub makes me at peace with birthing there. Regardless of whether or not I use it for long, their tub is better than anything I could fit in our little condo, and that kinda helps me psychologically, I guess? We'll see.

[lactomom]

Originally Posted by Willovia 

Regardless of whether or not I use it for long, their tub is better than anything I could fit in our little condo, and that kinda helps me psychologically, I guess? We'll see.

Do you have another midwife option for a home birth?

The more you go to the facilities, the more comfortable you will get with them. That will also be a huge help! 

We have no birth center option around here. The closest one is 2-2.5 hours away and there is no way I'm riding that far during my birth time (or for every appointment). Our midwife lives 2 hours away from us, but attends many births in our area. So I find a way to make the birth tub fit (small house) or just use the large tub again. I have plenty of time to get that all figured out!

[Willovia]

Originally Posted by lactomom 

Do you have another midwife option for a home birth?

The more you go to the facilities, the more comfortable you will get with them. That will also be a huge help! 

We have no birth center option around here. The closest one is 2-2.5 hours away and there is no way I'm riding that far during my birth time (or for every appointment). Our midwife lives 2 hours away from us, but attends many births in our area. So I find a way to make the birth tub fit (small house) or just use the large tub again. I have plenty of time to get that all figured out!

We do have other home birth midwives around, but the reason I sought out this group was because of the resources/community that they have. They offer a lot of networking options, a couple different childbirth classes, and they do prenatal group care (in addition to regular appointments). Group care is one night a month for 2 hrs or so, moms/partners come in and moms take their own vitals and measurements, and they supplement the night with a training/workshop of some sort (film/movie, presentations, guest speakers, etc.). And it's free. They also hold LLL meetings on site. And their Facebook page is full of local moms and is another awesome resource. So, I'd be trading a bit of that if we went with someone else. And in this area, the closest person would still be about 25 miles away.

I'm hoping you're right - once we start going there regularly, it'll start to feel more comfortable. I wish they'd come to us (the MW themselves live about 1.5 hours away) but they said they can't logistically take on a homebirth that far away from where they live.

Oh how nice it would be to have the midwife come to our house for our prenatal appointments. But I know I want to connect with people and their facility and staff will give me so many opportunities to do so.

[lactomom]

They do have a great amount if resources and a fantastic sounding birth community there! I'm sure that will also help with your comfort level with them and the facility! 

That is one thing I do LOVE about this midwife, all the appointments are in our home and her birth assistant is with her. Our previous midwife (loved her too), we had to travel to see her. Not far, only 30-45 minutes depending on traffic, but she was only in our home once before the birth. Once my previous midwife stopped practicing, this other midwife took on most of her clients in my area. I would hate to drive as much as she does, that is for sure! 

This midwife doesn't offer childbirth classes, which is fine with me because I'm a childbirth educator , but it would be nice to get together with other local expecting moms. 

[ilovetchotchkes]

My hope is a natural birth in a hospital with an attached "alternative" birthing center. My first one ended with a vaginal but not natural birth. My son was asynclitic and after almost 30 hours in labor 48+ hours without sleep or food (I was SO nauseated the whole time I couldn't' bear to eat!), I was so exhausted it was surreal. I requested an epidural, slept for 2 hours and my son was crowning. 6 pushes later and I was holding his squishy screaming self! 

My poor midwife was superwoman that day too. 4 other women from her practice went into labor that night. Had I not procrastinated and hired a freaking doula I may have done better, but I don't think so. Malpositioning is BRUTAL. Thank goodness I did the spinning babies, because until 12 hours prior to labor he was also posterior. 

I know that had I had an OBGYN in my area, I would have had a c-section for sure, if not for his positioning but for failure to progress as well. Thankfully my midwives were SUPER and supported letting me ride it through as long as I  and the baby were  OK. 

My midwife G-d bless her, said to me yesterday "We'll do this again, it'll be FUN, it won't be like last time, I promise, we will have an awesome time this time"

I fully believe her, she's not one to mince words or coddle you. She's really frank and up front which I find refreshing in a medical professional. Ironically the only other medical professional whose been up front like that with me was the fertility dr who helped me conceive my first kid.  

[joy2grow]

Our first child was born at home and I'd love to be able to do that again, however we are too far away from the resources to make that possible so I'm hoping to use a birth center.  My sister, who is an anesthesiologist, seems to think I will be seen as a high risk though so I'm curious to see what they think at the center.  My feeling is even if I am higher risk (advanced maternal age, big baby last time, hemorrhaged after the birth) the hospital is 5 minutes away.  She says hospitals are more "crunchy" than I think, but I'm not buying it!  Will be making an appt when I get back from traveling at the end of the year. 

[Tizzy]

We are definitely heading for a home birth, perhaps even a 3rd UC. My first was a C/S (I had been planning a homebirth but it didn't work out that way).

Unfortunately the way I prefer to labour and birth is a huge liability to have a midwife in attendance. So I'm up in the air.

I'm actually considering inviting a student doula to attend, for the experience of observing a completely normal and unhindered birth. But I don't know...I do prefer to be alone...

[BaileyB]

Why is it a liability? If you can share that.

[dancinganne]

Hoping for a natural, midwife-assisted hospital birth.  And I might add a doula to this mix this time too, so I'll hopefully have more luck with the 'drug-free' route this time.

[ceriserenee]

Found out today we are having twins! So I feel much more comfortable with some of the birth choices we are making...so excited today, what a Christmas gift!

[ainh]

Congrats, congrats!  Yes, it's nice to have your birth choices confirmed too!  Very exciting!!

[texasfarmom]

Originally Posted by Tizzy 

We are definitely heading for a home birth, perhaps even a 3rd UC. My first was a C/S (I had been planning a homebirth but it didn't work out that way).

Unfortunately the way I prefer to labour and birth is a huge liability to have a midwife in attendance. So I'm up in the air.

I'm actually considering inviting a student doula to attend, for the experience of observing a completely normal and unhindered birth. But I don't know...I do prefer to be alone...

I'm wondering too, why is it a liability? Can you tell us more?
 

Originally Posted by ceriserenee 

Found out today we are having twins! So I feel much more comfortable with some of the birth choices we are making...so excited today, what a Christmas gift!

 Congratulations! How are you feeling about two at once?

[ceriserenee]

Texasfarmom - I am much more nervous in one way, because I now have two babies to worry about. I am also feeling so blessed on another, like in some way I am being extra blessed because of the loss of our son. I am just taking one day at a time and trying to remember that the majority of pregnancies work out just fine, and the majority of twin pregnancies work out fine as well...we are very happy and excited also! It is a roller coaster of emotions :)

[Tizzy]

Long story short, I cannot labor with company present. Since our midwives are covered by our health care system, they are also heavily regulated and must monitor frequently.

My body completely shuts down if anyone is around which doesn't mesh with their checks every 15min.

A classic example was how the midwife arrived after baby last time, but before the placenta. I had to lock myself away from everyone to birth the placenta.

I know that if I want anyone (aside from DH) present, I will have to get over that mental hurdle.

[Thandiwe]

I had my first in a hospital with all the bells and whistles, but a lot of complications arose which were directly related to my semi-incompetent doctor, so I knew the next time had to be different.  I delivered our 11.3#, 23.25" baby at home in water for our second, then had our 3rd (a much healthier 8#10oz) at home accidentally unassisted.  The midwife was coming, but the contrx were never more than 7 minutes apart, so I thought I had time despite the 24 hours of labor.  When he started coming, he was out in 3 short pushes, less than 2 minutes.  He had a 2x nuchal cord and that's what we believe kept him from moving down and urging more frequent contractions.  This next one will be a home birth as well.  We're also hiring a doula to help us out because last time (we had 3 as well, since we were fostering a little girl then) my husband was so busy with the kids that I was left unsupported all through the night in labor.  This way he can focus on the kids while I still get support during contractions.

[Babymakesfour]

I am planning on a hospital birth. My first delivery was after a routine uncomplicated pregnancy. I laboured at home in the tub, went to the hospital and delivered in under 45 minutes naturally with my midwife, but I ended up tearing up to my cervix and hemorrhaging very badly. I lost consciousness and started convulsing and was rushed into emergency surgery. My care was transferred to an OB, who said if I had delivered at home, there would not have been sufficient time to get me to the hospital and treat me (including surgery and blood transfusions). I would have died. That scares me enough to not for a minute contemplate a home birth ever.

[rebecca10]

Sorry to hear about your experience Babymakesfour. That sounds terrifying.  I'm so glad everything worked out.

We are planning on an unmedicated hospital birth, hopefully as intervention free as possible. I actuallly had a wonderful birth experience with my first at the hospital (despite ending up on low levels of pitocin and antibiotics), where my husband and I were almost entirely left to ourselves until I started to push and I was never once asked if I wanted an epidural or other pain medication or felt the need to ask for them. Hoping this one will be similar, except without the antibotics and hopefully no pitocin.    The antibotics did turn out to be a problem--not during the birth itself, but a few days later when I caught c. diff from having been on the antibotics and got really sick. I'm thinking I'll refuse them this time even if I am Strep B positive again. 

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

We will be birthing at a free standing birth center.  For our first, I labored for 18 hours at home, 10 at the birth center, and eventually transferred due to physical exhaustion and inability to cope with the pain - I stalled at 8cm for about 4 hours.  Basically I was in transition for 4 hours and never made it past that until after we transferred.  DD was delivered in the hospital with an epidural and pitocin 8 hours later.

I was so terrified that by going to the hospital I would lose control and be treated cruelly for my choices (med free, crunchy birth), but the total opposite was true.  Absolutely everyone at the hospital was kind and supportive and no one criticized us or questioned us even once.  

There is a point at which the pain is simply unnecessary suffering and is no longer helpful or worthwhile.  When I took control back and decided to have the epidural it was a turning point for me and made labor manageable again. I was able to sleep for six hours while I finally fully dilated and then pushed DD out.  I felt everything, just not sharply.  

My plan is to start the same way, labor at home as long as possible, head to the birth center, and give birth naturally and med free in their tub.  If I have another 36 hour labor, however, I won't wait so long to transfer because the reason I want to avoid an epidural is to avoid a C-section, and other interventions that can have a negative effect on me and the baby.  When it becomes clear I am heading for that WITHOUT the epidural, I really have nothing left to lose.  

[Thandiwe]

@Rebecca10: Have you considered doing a strep B regimen in the weeks prior to testing for GBS?

[Lizbiz]

Hey 1st Time Mom - I had a super long 1st labor too - 31 hours - it was sooo tough.  When I had my second, I was anxious that the labor would be as intense as my first, and I wasn't sure I could cope with that again.  I was blessed with a 9 hour second labor - which was also very challenging, but a walk in the park compared with my first.  My recovery was better too... I felt like I had gotten run over by a freight train after I gave birth to my first :).  Whereas, with my second, I had much more energy right away. 

I hear it's pretty typical for labors to get shorter, so I'm hoping for an even shorter go of it this time too.  And for you too!