Questions from a newbie

[cat2223]

Hi,

I'm new to the world of UC. I'm due july 8th, with my 3rd child. I've looked into homebirthing with a midwife, but finding one to assist in the Bahamas is turning out to be harder than i thought! If i can't find one by the end of January, i will start preparing for a UC. 

Both my sons were born in the hospital, and while they were not traumatizing experiences, they are not the experiences i wanted, or want.

One of the main ones: No kids allowed under 15 in the OB ward. That's a tough one for me, as i want to have my children there with me. And, even though it's only an 1 night stay, i still rather not.

My questions with UC are not about the laboring, but more about the delivery, and even more the delivery of the placenta.

I'm not sure how to catch, when to stop pushing, what to do if cord is wrapped around neck, if the baby gets stuck, etc. I really do  believe that the body does all that it needs to do without me, but others doubt it, which knocks me off sometimes.

Also with the placenta, what do i do while waiting? People tell me i'll bleed out if i don't get the placenta out right away. How long is to long. How do i know if the placenta is retained?

I know this seems like alot of questions! lol. So if anyone has any links or websites i can read that will help loads!

Thanks for reading!

[Almi]

Originally Posted by cat2223 

I'm not sure how to catch, when to stop pushing, what to do if cord is wrapped around neck, if the baby gets stuck, etc. I really do  believe that the body does all that it needs to do without me, but others doubt it, which knocks me off sometimes.

Also with the placenta, what do i do while waiting? People tell me i'll bleed out if i don't get the placenta out right away. How long is to long. How do i know if the placenta is retained?

There is no one way to catch a baby - just make sure it doesn't hit the ground.  My husband had never attended a birth let alone held a newborn before and he caught our twin daughters like he'd been doing it for years.  On that note, you can have someone else catch the baby for you (if you're in an unfavorable position for example), or you can birth the baby close to the floor on some blankets and/or pillows.  It's totally up to you.

One tip I might give you is to keep your hand on your baby's head as it is crowning and being born.  You will then already have a hand on the baby and will naturally catch when he/she is born. :)

As far as pushing, you just need to do what you feel is best.  Do not push if you don't feel the urge to push, unless your intuition tells you it won't hurt to give it a try.  If you are pushing forever with no baby, it might be a good idea to move around, change positions, and try breathing through the pushy feelings - if you can.  Otherwise I don't have much advice in this area.  Generally when you feel the urge to push, it's time to push!

If the cord is wrapped around the neck, you simply unwrap the cord when the baby is born.  If the cord is short and is keeping the baby's body from being born, you can hold the baby's head to your thigh and let the body be born while keeping the head by your vagina.  Alternatively, once the baby's head has been born, you can stick your finger in and loop the cord over the head or loosen it enough so the baby's body can slide through.  If none of the above is possible, if you can reach the cord, cut it, and get baby out ASAP.

If the baby is having trouble coming down through your pelvis, you can do hip presses (I am unfamiliar with the technique, someone might be able to elaborate on it, or you could probably look it up), squats, change positions, etc.

If the baby's shoulder gets caught, usually you just need to change positions (squatting or hands and knees works well).  Do not pull on the baby.  If the baby won't budge, slip your finger under the baby's armpit and rotate the baby counterclockwise, just like dialing a telephone, until the shoulder is dislodged.

You might not even notice any of these complications - you will just know what to do automatically if you just listen to your body and don't stop to think about it.  Why did I suddenly assume a leaning forward position on my knees when it was time to push my own babies out?  Who knows, but I didn't ask questions, and babies were born easily.

While you are waiting for the placenta to come, find a comfortable place to cuddle baby, stay warm and relaxed, and nurse the baby if you can (otherwise manual nipple stimulation works).  The best way to gauge blood loss on an individual basis is to monitor how you look and feel.  If you are turning white and feeling faint, sleepy, or cold, that is not a good sign.

How long is too long?  That depends on what you are comfortable with and how you are doing.  Obviously if you are bleeding too much, you need to seek some sort of aid.  Otherwise I have heard of women going several hours to several days before delivering the placenta, and they had no problems whatsoever.  Make sure to monitor yourself for infection if you choose to wait this long.

There are ways you can help the placenta out.  Besides nursing your baby and relaxing, you can try squatting and pushing, uterine massage, very GENTLE tugging on the cord to see if it just needs a little help, or you can try natural herbs.  You can order a mixture called Placenta Out online.  I forget what is in it.

If the placenta doesn't come out despite waiting and your best efforts, and you have had any previous trauma on your uterus such as D&C or c-section, there is a chance that the placenta may have grown into some scar tissue or is otherwise stuck in/on the uterine wall, in which case it will need to be surgically removed.  But even with a uterus that has undergone this sort of trauma (and ample time between then and getting pregnant), true retained placenta is rather rare.

[Countrygirl10]

Great advice there can I add look at the exercises on Spinning babies it can help a lot with understanding the babies position Wet cloth nappies microwaved for 30 secs are great for pain relief

[mleawicks]

also some people have better luck getting placenta out if they sit on toilet. Some just don't have the easy of stuff coming out without being their. I've read this on to sites and noted it for my birth as when I'm hiking and have to go I have to REALLY will myself to go somewhere besides toilet.

[BlessedOne]

Out of my 4 deliveries I have never had any issue with pushing out the placenta (I just birth it out just like I did the baby). I am learning that it is apparently harder for some woman....but from what little I have read on it from people's experiences on here....it doesn't seem like anyone really had any life threatening issues with it....even if they did have to wait a little longer to get it out. And I don't recall any of them being more than a day. So I personally wouldn't worry about it much. But of course it is good to have some knowledge under your belt as to how to tell if you are loosing too much blood and what to do if something goes wrong. =)

My general rule is.....If I feel fine, then I am fine. If I feel blah.....then I keep a close eye out for any issue.

[mleawicks]

Yah we as women have been doing this for 6000 years. fine if you believe longer then that like millions, to each her belief. point being been done with little problem for long time. like Blessed one says if you feel blah watch for signs of problems. strong med science and their ways have only been around sense 50. they had very little to do with birth of the mass whole of society before that. most were either at home doing UC or had friend or mom there as midwife before that.