Request IV at homebirth

[oregongirlie]

I had surgery earlier this year and I LOVED my IV. I felt great with it (and it was pure saline). I just felt really, really, hydrated from it -- something that I never am regularly because I hate drinking. Would it be weird to ask for an IV?

[alegna]

Yes. It is actually not good to be IV hydrated for birth. It OVERhydrates you, leaving you puffy- you don't want to be puffy where you need to stretch. Also it inflates the baby's weight at birth.

-Angela

[pamamidwife]

I'd definitely go for keeping yourself hydrated through drinking. IVs can easily be used by midwives if the situation requires it, but it rarely does in normal birth. If you don't like water, drink Recharge or watered down juice.

But then again, this is something you should talk over with your mw. I know I wouldnt' feel comfortable with this, as one bag of fluids isn't going to be as beneficial as a woman drinking an electrolyte balanced drink during her labor. Not to mention the restriction of movement, the pain with the IV, etc. I think it would be good to really explore why you want it.

[oregongirlie]

Well, it didn't hurt more than 5 seconds. It was put in, I took a nap and woke up feeling great. I bet I was over hydrated, though. It makes perfect sense that that would "swell" you up down there! I just thought it would be a good way to stay hydrated. I throw up a lot with pain; I don't like drinking liquids much. I know that's weird, but I had to pee way less with the IV and normally I go all the time, not to mention now that I'm pregnant. Maybe it's a symbolic umbilical cord!

[grace's voice]

The biggest concern with IVs during labor is that the fluids actually dillute the hormones in your bloodstream, your body needs those in order to labor effectively. This can cause labor to "stall" or to be drawn out, or ineffective. Good question, but not the safest idea! I have a ton of trouble drinking and am always dehydrated, but during labor I had NO problem getting fluids down! I drank 3 pitchures of juice and I don't even know how much water (after my doula cut me off the juice ). Just make absolutly sure you have someone offering you a drink (or ice or frozen juice chips) after EVERY contraction. Labor will usually make a woman so thirsty she has no problems getting fluids down.

[kerikadi]

Originally Posted by oregongirlie

Well, it didn't hurt more than 5 seconds. It was put in, I took a nap and woke up feeling great.

It didn't hurt because you were laying down taking a nap. You weren't being active trying to cope with labor. The IV hurts when you try to move because you have a needle or catheter in your arm - well if you are trying to relieve your labor naturally you will be walking around, dancing, crawling, getting in and out of the tub/shower, rocking on a ball etc and that IV will be pulling at you the whole time. Just something else to think about.

Keri

[girlsmamma2]

wow, i've learned a lot about iv's! they sound awful. i always wondered about that tugging thing. sounds so uncomfortable. i too am not a big drinker but i get migraines if i don't drink enough, i think you can find your own personal motivation for drinking and use that to help you.

[theelfqueen]

Really my midwife and dH stayed on top of me having me take a drink after each contrax. Not always a huge drink but giving me the cup after each one... and it worked great. Especially since I ended up vomitting, I cannot imagine the horror of dry heaves during labor. ~~shudder~~ This was the only one of my three labors where I threw up. With #1 I was in a hospital with an epidural so I had an IV. With #2 I had precipitous labor (aka VERY fast) and that wasn't a real issue. With #3 I had a beautiful homebirth with a "perfect" (IMO) length of laboring and it worked out great.

[the_lissa]

My midwife had to help me stay hydrated too because I did not want to drink or eat, but I felt better when she got me to.

I have had a lot of IVs because of hyperemisis and dehydration, and they are one of the worst things I have experienced.

After my first dd was born, I had to have an iv with abx because I had a hemmorage and d&c and the iv was the worst part of everything. I would never willingly choose an iv.

[the_lissa]

Oh and the swelling was so ridiculous after. None of my shoes fit. I couldn't move my toes. Very disturbing.

[laohaire]

Ever since I was a child I had issues drinking enough when I wasn't feeling well. During pregnancy, thankfully, my thirst naturally picked up and it wasn't a problem. However, since I've had issues drinking enough in the past, I made plans prior to birth to ensure that it didn't become a problem during labor/delivery.

Here are the things I planned - some may make sense for you.

- When I was a kid, I was willing to crunch on ice chips even when I didn't want water. I made sure to have ice, plus I have a "Snoopy Sno-Cone machine" that grinds up the ice (it's a manual thing, it's great). I had that handy.
- I chose several drinks to have in my fridge and made sure DH didn't touch them - they were only for the birth. I had these just in case I decided I suddenly wanted this or that weird thing. I had 3 different kinds of juice, seltzer water (which I like when I'm nauseous), spring water, and I made sure to have my tea stash updated, plus a container to make iced tea. I chose juice that was 100% juice.
- I had straws. Sometimes drinking through a straw is nicer than sipping from a cup. You feel like you have more control that way.
- I told my birth attendants (MW, assistant, and reminded mom and DH) that sometimes I might have to be reminded to drink. They did indeed occassionally offer me a drink, and even one sip at a time helps.
- You can also have high-water food items, such as soup and fruit. If you find yourself willing to eat but not drink, those will keep you hydrated.

Hope these ideas help. I concur with the others, an IV isn't a good idea.

[Tofu the Geek]

Yes, try a straw and also try distilled or RO water. Fresh, pure water tastes MUCH different than tap or standard bottled water. It also doesn't seem to make me feel bloated like tap water. I could never glug down much tap water (and our city water is supposedly very "good" and has little taste).

[grace's voice]

Also, one of the most common complications that comes up after birth (concerning the medical model of care) is staph infection at the IV site.

[CrunchyKat]

My "craving" during pregnancy was always crushed ice, so getting enough of those wasn't a problem, but I was super thirsty during labor. My mw's kept giving me watered down gatorade, water, and they had me sit down and eat a couple times too. I'm sure you won't get dehydrated, as long as your mw is doing her job! I can't imagine wanting to get an IV, yeoww! When I got transfered to the hospital, they MADE me get an IV. And to make matters worse, when the nurse tried putting it in my hand, my vein "popped" or something like that and blood LITERALLY shot out of my hand! The nurse goes "oops, uhh here honey, let me see your other hand". It hurt so bad but at that point my contractions were less than 2 minutes apart and I was hallucinating (I was awake over 48 hours and over 22 hours of contractions!). laohaire had some really good ideas, I would see which ones work for you.

[grace's voice]

But remember to talk to your midwife before hand, not all of them do this (offer drinks and such). My mw is totally focused on the medical side of things, watching and monitoring to catch any problems early should they arise. Some midwives claim to offer "labor support" but their clients usually end up very dissatisfied, and I really wouldn't want my mw doing that since I hire her to oversee other things. Just make sure she's really willing to help you in this way, and if not hire a doula. Of course, I would hire a doula anyway for other reasons.