Who Else is having an UC VERY SOON...??? I need some Woman support ;-)

[ooooooo]

Hi there ladies,

I am new here and have been reading around. To say the least about me, I have not even had the chance to talk to a single human being (except husband) about having an UC... (no real friends or family)

Our hearts are made up and we are having an UC. We have no money for a midwife and have been studying hard on how to do this on our own. We are planning on a water-birth. I absolutely love water, so this seems just perfect. This is also our first baby, so that also adds challenge and unknowns. Pregnancy has been completely normal, baby has been head-down for the past 2 months and I am due on February 24th! 

Any pointers? Advice? Encouragement? 

Also, I would love to hear from other ladies who are also due very soon and planning on an UC! What's your plan? 

Thanks for reading. 

[MotheringBliss]

Hey There, Welcome!

How ya feeling Mama?  This your first?  Water IS awesome...Found these helpful tips recently...

http://www.inspiredchildbirth.net/natural-birth.htm

Tons of info here just post!

[Everlong753]

How exciting for you! Learning and reading about the many aspects to birth is my only suggestion and since your husband is supportive it sounds like you are in a great position!

I'm due late March but it seems so close.  For our UC, we are just going to go with the flow like last time.  I have a lot to do before March, hopefully I can find a peaceful week before baby comes to just rest.  I think I'll birth in the tub or maybe my bedroom this time around. Just ordered some birth supplies and diaper sewing supplies.   I can't believe we're doing it again!

[Everlong753]

I just thought of something, since you are UC and UP you wont have anyone telling you or reminding you to take good care of yourself after the baby is born.  It's easy to get swept away and forget that we need to do just as well or better with our nutrition and well woman care after the baby comes.  This is something you should enlist your husband to do, or make yourself a chart or health plan and stick to it after baby comes.  That is my only regret of having a UC/UP last time, I just didn't remember to take care of me anymore and it wasn't good :(

[amberskyfire]

Aloha! :)

I'm having my second UC in March. My first baby was also a UC.

I think the best advice *I* could have gotten (which I didn't) was not to have so many expectations.  I read and read for years on UC and was fully, 100% certain that I was going to have a painless childbirth. I didn't think it could be any other way. My labor ended up being absolutely excruciating. It was horrible. I mean yes, it was the most wonderful experience of my life, but the pain was really bad. I felt like a failure during labor. I felt like I had been lied to by all those women who had painless childbirths.

I'm not saying you can't have a painless childbirth. What I'm really trying to say is that your birth will be YOUR birth. If it's not perfect, that's okay. If it hurts, that's okay. You can so totally do it. Now that I know not to expect anything, I'm really ready for this birth. I know it will probably hurt - a lot - and that's okay. I did it once, so I know I'm strong. I don't have to have a perfect and painless birth with candles and a steaming tub. On a towel on the floor growling like a cat is just fine for me.   If your birth isn't like you imagine or wanted, it's okay. If your birth goes a little awry, that's okay. If you have to transfer, that's okay too! However your birth is, know that it's YOURS. Own it. If you don't have strict expectations, you won't be able to be disappointed and it will make you better able to be happy with your birth rather than experience any disappointments.

Good luck! You are going to rock this birth!

[ErinMomma]

I had a UC waterbirth for my first child, I loved it!  We had a pool in our bedroom and had to do a lot of water changes to keep the water warm, thats something to figure out!  I am pregnant with our second, and our idea is to have a hose hooked up to a faucet to put warm water in while another hose siphens out the cold water.  We also could have used to have more towels on hand.  My husband put hot towels on my back and it felt amazing! Really relieved the back pain I was experiencing.  Excercise ball, hubby ran out in the beginning of my labor to get one and that was really great to bounce on!  Pressure on your pelvic floor feels good!  I am reading Ina May's, Guide to Childbirth and am finding some more good tips in there! Highly recomend! Of course, Spiritual MIdwifery by Ina May Gaskin is a fantastic book too.  Great to read all those birth stories and it has the midwifes section for the medical type stuff too.  Oh, and this time around I am making and freezing lots of food so hub can just heat it up, that will make things easier!  I had a long labor, 3 days almost, which I certainly did not expect, and was wiped out at the end of it, encouraging words from your supportive lover is so helpful!  He must also remind you to eat and drink, I lost my appetite and had no concept of how much time had passed since I last ate,  that definitely hurt me some!  You can do this! Women all over the world are giving birth unassisted all the time, I like to think tribally about birth!  If you think about collective consciousness, all the women who have given birth are with you through your birth.  Accept the unexpected and just flow! 

[Almi]

I'm planning my second UC (or third, technically) in April/May.

If you're serious about UC, educated, unafraid, etc.  You will rock it, no problem.  Trust your body! :)

[BlessedOne]

I am having my 3rd UC sometime around the end of April beginning of May. I have done my last three births in water and I think it helps. This is my 5th child (first hospital (hated the experience), second birthing center water birth (that helped wean me from the hospital), third and fourth were UC water births.
To me knowledge is power in regards to this....research EVERYTHING....all of the ifs ands buts....leave no leaf unturned! I personally printed up all of the scenerios of if something went wrong....so if I couldn't think straight then I or my husband could just read the info. Praise God all of my births have been very uneventful (as in no bad things happened). I will say that with the first I did have a little while were I felt "in the dark" so to speak. I had gotten into the tub shortly after contrax started and so I didn't know if my water had broke or what....I felt like I didn't know what stage of delivery I was in. At that point I hadn't started pushing yet....but after a while of nothing happening except contrax....I decided to take matters into my own hands and start pushing.....which caused my water to break and then I felt like I was getting somewhere! But I won't lie...for a little bit I was questioning my decision to UC. With my second UC my water broke first and contrax didn't start for a little while (close to an hr).....once contrax started, I started pushing but it felt like I was getting no where. Finally after what seemed like forever of pushing (which really wasn't....delivery from start to finish (water break to baby out) was a little less than 3 hrs) I got to where the baby was crowning....and I knew that if I just gave a huge push it would all be over......so I did that....but it wasn't.....I kept pushing with all my might and it still wasn't working. I started to get nervous and began to pray. Finally I pushed enough to cause the baby to come out. After the baby came, accessed the situation and from best I can tell, baby had the cord wrapped behind her neck (not around her neck where she would have been choked) and around her leg......so THAT was why she wasn't coming out easly like all of my other did. But even with those few little things.....it was fairly uneventful. I don't even want to think of the trauma and drama they would have been putting me through in those scenerios in the hospital!!

Bottom line is ALL of my deliveries have been so different.
The first was easy contrax but I didn't have a clue how to push! I wasted hours just trying to figure that out! The pushing was the hard part for me. -24 hrs start of contrax to baby being out
The second my water broke and contrax started a couple of hrs later. Then they got BAD. It was way worse than my previous delivery. Then about an hr before birth my water broke again...this time much more than the first time and then my body just started pushing on its own! I swear it was the strangest thing! Oddly enough it felt better to push than it did prior with just contrax! But I was still in the car about an hr away from the birthing center so I was trying not to have my son.......I would have had him way sooner had I not been in the car! He was born 5 min after we arrived! So with that one my contrax was the horrible part and the pushing was the easy part! about 6 hrs from water breaking the first time to baby being out
So with my third I figured it would be like my previous.....unfortunately it wasn't as I stated earlier. It was painful through and through. I think it was about 7 hrs from start of contrax to baby out
As was my fourth. I think the last two I had back labor because my back felt so horrible! -Was less than 3 hrs from water breaking to baby being out
With this one I am praying for it to be quick and easy and comfortable. Maybe I can finally score an easy contrax and easy pushing =S

My point of saying all of that is that every delivery is different and not to freak out if yours doesn't seem exactly like what you expected. YOU CAN DO IT! Our bodies are made for this! I tell myself every delivery that and I reassure myself that I did it once....I can do it again! I survived and I will this one!

I don't buy birthing kits....I read what birthing kits contain...do a ton of research what people ACTUALLY used from the kits and buy things individually that I feel I will need. Then I put them in a big rubber maid ready for the big day! Everything is there at an arms length away. It makes it super easy! I personally don't even have my hubby in the room unless I need something that I can't do by myself.....which is basically go to the sink and get me water...lol. He does come in to hold the baby while I cut the cord and do the after birth....but really that is the most involved he gets ....outside of filling and unfilling the tub.
If you have any questions feel free to ask! Hope at least some of my ramblings helps!

Edited by BlessedOne - 2/9/12 at 7:31pm

[ooooooo]

Thank you all for your responses!!! They are all very encouraging. 

I am almost 39 weeks and it feels so close! I am a first time mom so I am just amazed at the idea of holding my daughter for the first time and seeing the same in my husband.

I have not felt any contractions or any signs of labor. A couple of weeks ago the OB told me that I was almost 2cm dilated. I am guessing I am more dilated by now? I have researched how to check myself and had my husband do it for us, but he just cant "find" the cervix opening, unless I am just completely effaced.

Anyways, I have all my supplies for the birth. I am ready. Just waiting and happy. 

I might post how things went once baby comes! 

[sunflower8]

Good luck! Know that water can relieve labour pain but if you get in before you are 8 cm dilated your labour will slow down or stop....

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by sunflower8 

Good luck! Know that water can relieve labour pain but if you get in before you are 8 cm dilated your labour will slow down or stop....

It would be more accurate to say that if you get in before 8 cm your labor MAY slow down or stop, definitely not that it will. That is simply not the case for everyone. I was hoping it would be the case for my last birth, which lasted 52 minutes from the time I first realized I was in labor until dd was born, and I wanted my midwife to make it in time, but it didn't stop a thing, nor did it slow anything down, as far as I could tell at the time.