Should we discuss variations of normal?

[Yummymummy74]

In lieu of some of the posts I have been reading and I think some mamas are really on edge rightnow.. I though it would be useful to make a list of things that can happen in birth that do NOT neccesarily mean anything is wrong at all! ( despite what medicos may tell you :LOL )

Ok I will start..

Posterior babies.. they can be very easy to birth.

Thick and or particulate meconium in waters..im convinced this is normal in post dates and am not willing to buy into the distress card.

Nuchal cords? how common IS this.. at least 3 of my own births.. my most recent baby had his wrapped 3 times around there.. I just unlooped him once I saw it and he was already breathing on his own when I discovered it BTW,..

What about waters that rupture SROM.. and labour does not start tight away? I have seen woman go DAYS with srom before labour kicked in..fluid constantly replenishes itself ...no such thing as a dry birth.

Um ok this is all I can think of right now.. (kinda tired) anyone else?

[ZeldasMom]

Hey MM,

This is kinda OT, but your post reminded me how much I like reading about the experiences of women who choose UC. For my son's birth when I was having doubts about whether I could do it and unsure about my birth attendants I went to a bunch of UC web sites and read UC birth stories. Can't explain why, but this helped me feel much better. We get so many messages that birth is dangerous and requires lots of high-tech interventions, that it can feel like this is the case for most births, when this is actually the case in only a small percentage of births. I think reading about the experiences of women who have so much trust in birth and their bodies that they go the UC route balances things even if that's not what you're planning (a homebirth with a midwife in my case--though my last birth went fast, so who knows!).

[sarahloughmiller]

ZeldasMom - I have done the same thing, I have especially liked reading about unexpected UC twins this time around. It makes me feel so much better about this birth and helps to see through all of the bs I hear from everyone about twin births and remember that this is normal and natural and twins have been born at home forever.

Ok, from ds's birth:

Labor started really strong and I dialated to 7 quickly, labor stopped for a day and a half, restarted and it took about 10 hours after that to be fully dialated. He was born about 60 hours after labor first started.

He was born with the cord around his neck 2x and his body once. He was very blue, but came around in about 1 min and started screaming (I think it is about 50% of babies that have the cord around their neck, I read that somewhere)

He was 10lb 5oz, which had I been at the hospital would have been grounds for a c-sec for that alone

[Goldiemom]

I know that breech babies can be delivered naturally {unless you are in a hospital}. I have read many, many stories from Mom's here who have done just that. Big babies CAN be born vaginally. Maverick is a good example of just such an accomplishment. Not to much from my overtired brain tonight.

[sarahloughmiller]

I forgot to add twins! I will be having my twins at home any day now and have not accepted that just because there are 2 in there I need to be at the hospital in the operating room delivering them (mandatory even if you are giving birth vaginally)

[Mama K]

Originally Posted by Goldiemom

I know that breech babies can be delivered naturally {unless you are in a hospital}.

Actually, my OB (who is AWESOME, btw ) had her boy/girl twins vaginally in the hospital. The first was head down and the second was breech.

This is a great thread and very reassuring!

[danaan]

Yes, this is a great post.

My brother was born breech, in a hospital, precipitously and w/o medication. This was in 1982, and has long been an inspiration to me.

I was born three hours after ctx woke up my mother. She had to call a ferry to take her to the mainland before driving to the hospital.

My favorite place to learn about "complications" that aren't so bad is in the stats list at the back of Spiritual Midwifery. We do not have to take what the medical industry, who is afraid and ignorant, tell us. We can trust our bodies and rely on medicine for support as we want it.