Questions on UC

[Emmama]

This sounds really appealling to me. I can't get over the little voices in the back of my head that bring all up of the 'what-if's'. Also what should I have at home for an UC?

What if something goes wrong? Keep in mind I have had three naturally so I don't think there should be a problem this time, but.........you never know.

Anyway, any wisdom you ladies can share with me??

Thanks.

[majazama]

Emmma... You will know if UC is right for you. Trust how you feel. No one should have to convince you about it. If that is really the way you want to go, then I am here to support you! I now know 2 women IRL who were wanting to have an UC, and didn't have anyone to support them in *their* decision till they talked to me.

Read my birth story in my signature (don't worry, it's short). I had my second baby unassisted, and I will have any other babies unassisted as well. I wanted to have my first babe unassisted, but my partner was uncomfortable with the idea. I ended up having (almost) just the kind of birth I didn't want (birthing while sitting back, MW catching my Babe, MW putting O2 on my NB's face while she was looking at me for the first time) I felt disempowered. But when I had my second baby the way *I* wanted to, I felt awesome.

I used arnica homeopathy during labour, and after for those aches all over, motherwort after she was born, as I started bleeding (which is normal, but I was in the bathtub, so it looked kind of scary and like a lot)

Problems to be aware of... I guess if you were bleeding *during* labour, that might be a dangerous situation, if your baby is born all pale and limp, suck out his mouth and nose with your mouth, and rub vigourously, try rescue remedy, Just trust your instincts.

just my POV.

[Emmama]

Thanks I know that UC is the way I want to go. I have not yet had the type of birth I want to have. I know that I will with an UC. My first question refers to supplies...I know I need clamps for the cord, but what else? Where can I get them, yk, those kinds of things. It is really good to know that there is support here. Dh is onboard with it, but my mom (a L&D RN) thinks I am completely irresponsible for wanting to do this

Anyway, thanks again!

[Aura_Kitten]

we had an unassisted birth ("freebirth!").

we had...

* clean towels
* a puke pot (which turned into the placenta pot, when i didn't throw up :LOL)
* sterilized scissors + cord (ok ok, we sterilized them after she was born, cuz we had been planning a lotus birth, which just didn't work out for us)
* thermometer, for monitoring my temperature


i think that was about it.

things to be aware of:
* dark meconium amniotic fluid
* bleeding (LOTS, not just like the pink-streaked mucous plug) during labor
* tons of bleeding after birth (like, soaking more than 2 large pads in a half an hour) ~ to prevent this altogether, nurse your baby immediately + drink shephards purse and bayberry bark tea (1 tsp each in hot water)
* water breaking more than 32 hours in advance of the start of labor / being in labor for more than 36 hours / running a fever while in labor (these indicate a risk of group B strep for the baby)

mostly just visualize a healthy, good birth, and listen fully to your intuition, and it will all go fine.

[NorCal Mama]

While pregnant and planning a u/c, I read a lot of books. One that sticks out in my mind is Spiritual Midwifery. In the back there is a checklist of good things to have around at a birth. To sterilize sheets and towels(for cleaning up birthing messes), you can put them in a paper bag and put them in the oven at 200 degrees for an hour. There's a great company called Cascade where you can order items from. You can reach them at www.1cascade.com or call1-800-443-9942.
Although I highly support having a midwife for those just in cases, I support you and hope you find everything you need. If you haven't looked into having a midwife, you should interview every one in your area to find a perfect match. That's what I did, and I was able to call ALL the shots, she was a great supporter and guide for me. I homebirthed my second with a midwife.
Good luck and blessing on your birthing journey!

[cottonwood]

(tired and nak...)

Do a search for "unassisted birth" here at MDC. Also check out the UC support thread in the homebirth forum.

The "what-ifs"... well, you can do as much preparation, really, as you feel you need to. I found parts of Spiritual Midwifery, Special Delivery, and Emergency Childbirth helpful for knowing what to do in the event of complications. But to be honest, most of my childbirth education (aside from that inherent in giving birth) came from surfing the internet. Just about anything you want to know (and plenty you don't) is out there. But no matter how educated you are there are still going to be "what-ifs". There are going to be what-ifs even if you give birth in a hospital with all the bells and whistles -- there are no guarantees no matter what your choice is. The most you can do to get as close as possible to your desired outcome is to make choices based on what you know of yourself and what makes the most sense in your individual situation.

Supplies -- I had a sterilized scissors and shoelace for the umbilical cord, and lots of towels (not sterilized, just clean.) That was it. Some people like to have herbs on hand (Susun Weed is a good resource for this,) maybe homeopathics, and items of comfort and convenience (bendy straws, for instance, or a crock pot for heating washcloths to put on the perineum.)

[Thmom]

Originally Posted by Emmama

This sounds really appealling to me. I can't get over the little voices in the back of my head that bring all up of the 'what-if's'. Also what should I have at home for an UC?

What if something goes wrong? Keep in mind I have had three naturally so I don't think there should be a problem this time, but.........you never know.

Anyway, any wisdom you ladies can share with me??

Thanks.

I had a few of these what ifs in my head with the first one (I've had 3 uc's) and IL's that had a ton of them so I wrote down all the things I had heard about that could go wrong and researched them. The CDC can you give statistics but it takes a bit to wade through it all. Basically I came to the conclusion that I was more likely to get in an accident on the way to the hospital than I was to have a major complication at home. Then I looked at the major complications (like placental abruption and hemorrage) and researched what made them life threatening (large blood loss) and how to recognize these things before they became a huge problem. There really aren't that many "what ifs" associated with birth and very few of them that don't have some warning signs that will give you time to get to the hospital.

as for birth supplies I get mine at http://www.inhishands.com/ I get a birth cert. kit just cause I like it. An eldon card cause I'm rh- and I like to test babies blood. clamps, 2 in case the first doesn't work or we have to clamp for some reason before the placenta is birthed. Scissors, though common household scissors will work. Chux pads to reduce the laundry and the "I was born at home" t-shirt