Home birth after pre-clampsia and c-section at 34 weeks?

[Heavenly]

I had pre-eclampsia (which I have since discovered was caused by my eating habits) in my first pregnancy which ended in a c-section at 34 weeks (DS was breech). I have gotten so into the natural lifestyle since his birth and I am totally against any technology in pregnancy and childbirth. I want to go with the midwives again (I'm in Ontario, Canada by the way) but they said I can't unless I see a high risk specialist as well and deliver in hospital. I really want a homebirth! I live rural so it's only those midwives. How can I be forced to leave my own home to give birth if I don't want to? Is it really that high-risk? I have since found a diet that supposedly has 0% pre-eclampsia rate. I am not pregnant right now but trying very hard and I want to know what I should do before hand. Oh and if I do go witht he midwives I have to deliver in hospital 1 hour away. If not I have to go with the OB/GYN who delivered my son and was helping with my fertility problems who I have since fired. What to do?! How can I convince the midwives to take a chance on me?

[Hoosky]

Direct entry midwives?

Have you looked into direct entry or lay midwives in your area? They are different than Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM), but sometimes harder to find. They would almost assuredly not consider you high-risk right off the bat. Good luck.

[elismom]

I don't have too much to say, but just that my guess is the reason another birth would be considered high-risk is not because of the pre-eclampsia but because of the VBAC.

[maybebaby]

Hi Shawna!! (m)

I have to agree with the last post, probably the high risk is due to the VBAC. *But* since it was just because the baby was breech, and it wasn't medical complications, I would think they'd need to "wait and see" if that recurrs with the next pregnancy. Otherwise, you should be low risk until they determine if breech is going to be a problem again...hmmm. I would check into direct entry midwives, that's probably the route I'm going to have to go to.

And just wondering, could you tell me more about the diet for avoiding preeclampsia?? Very interested in that...if you'd rather, you can email me at [e-mail].

good luck!!!

[hawleyclan]

Hi! Most midwives should be quite familiar with the fact that pre-eclampsia is brought on by dietary deficiency. If the diet you are speaking of is Dr. Brewer's Diet, then it should speak for itself. His research has saved many women from death... literally!

There are many warning signs for pre-eclampsia that your midwives will be able to watch for by charting your pregnancy results carefully. There is a wonderful issue of Midwifery Today which gives a detailed account...

Anyway, let them know that you are following the Brewer Diet, and that you are willing to transfer to a hopital caregiver if your body becomes pre-eclamptic again (which won't happen on the diet... but it will reassure your caregiver that you aren't determined to the point of irrational... )

(Are your area midwives allowed to attend VBACs?)

Oh, if the diet you referred to isn't the Brewer diet go to:
http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/index/shtml

The Lord bless you with a wonderful birth,
Zoie

[Bekka]

Hi,
I'm sorry to barge in, but this has really been an issue for me. I haven't had a caesarean, but I have been induced twice for "pre" pre-eclampsia, and I didn't learn about the Brewer diet until I was about six months pg with #2. After that, during my Bradley class, I followed the Brewer diet really well until the last couple of weeks. I plan on being extremely rigid in my next pregnancy, because I feel that I can't blame my increased bp on diet because I messed up a bit at the end (bp went up anyhow, felt like it wasn't so helpful) as well as coming up with some kind of anti-stress activities for every day. And I won't work the last month--just be a mom and enjoy pregnancy!

Anyhow, the mw who delivered #2 said I may just always have elevated pressure and may always have to be induced. I would rather not, but even though I have faith in women's bodies in general, I don't have faith in my own to be able to give birth w/o induction, w/o pre-eclampsia. It didn't happen either time until around 37 or 38 weeks.

The issue about all this is that I would like to look into homebirth, and I worry that all this would be an issue.

[Clare]

I had planned a home birth with my first, but ended up with a hospital C-section b/c of what we thought was toxemia. Turns out, my blood pressure never went back down after he was born, so it was simply adult-onset hypertension (genetic from my Dad's family).

Second baby attended by OB in hospital, induced, had fourteen hour labor on Pit and magnesium sulfate (so I was bedridden) with no painkillers (except 5 mg morphine which I couldn't even feel). Tore 7cm in vaginal wall, also other tears, BP plummeted after birth, lost blood & required 4 unit transfusion. It was bad.

I have been informed of a few things by my lay midwife and/ or OB....
1. Toxemia, if it happens, *usually* only happens with first baby and doesn't reoccur with subsequent ones.
2. Diet makes a huge difference (Brewer's). In my case it didn't seem to work because, as we found out later, it wasn't actually toxemia.
3. VBAC is a risk in later deliveries but only if you're induced. If it's a natural labor there is almost zero risk of rupture. Lay midwives in my area are more than willing to undertake VBACs. It's totally normal for them. However, OB's and CNM's would definitely consider VBACs a high risk and you'd probably be precluded from even using a CNM. Also, it seems that although the risk is reduced after a subsequent natural birth, once a VBAC, always a VBAC to the medical community.
4. Lay midwives in my area are also more than willing to undertake a woman who has had toxemia or pre-eclampsia. The key is diet and monitoring your BP for trouble. You can always transfer to an OB if you need to. That's what they're there for - true illnesses!

I am now pregnant with my third (due in August) and am truly conflicted about who will attend the birth. I still have high BP, am scared to go back to the hospital because of the terrible experience last time, but at the same time am losing confidence in my own ability to birth/ safety of birthing at home, for me. Let me say that I am STRONGLY supportive of homebirth in general and believe that it is the safest alternative for most women. If I had had true toxemia you'd better believe I'd have birthed my second at home.