People putting me off homebirth... WWYD?

[warrior mama]

I went to see a trusted medical profession, who is not mainstream, doesn't advocate vaccines, is definately pro NFL/AP,
I told him I was pregnant and he asked me about a midwife, I told him because I am a VBAC none of the CNM will take me on: The I mentioned the homebirth MW's. He told me he has safety concerns with them, they let a woman labor with a transverse fetus, and that I should avoid them. I so wanted to try a homebirth but now I'm afraid.......please help. WWYD?

[alegna]

"let" ???? he actually said "let"???? My providers do not "let" me do things. They advise me. They may educate me. But by damn I make my own decisions. Frankly I think very little of any health-care provider with that outlook.

-Angela

[Ruthla]

I wouldn't let a medical professional turn you off to homebirthing. Just because somebody's cool with not vaxing, natural breastfeeding, co-sleeping, etc, doesn't automatically mean you'll agree about EVERYTHING! Many medical professionals are so trained to look for things that can go wrong that they have trouble trusting in natural processes. Being able to look at vaccine damage research and come to a "non mainstream" opinion is very different from trusting in raw emotion and hormones and "omgsomethingcouldgowrongandthebabycouldDIE!!! "

OK, so he personally doesn't like the idea of a homebirth with these particular midwives. You have his opinion, now continue doing research and make your own decision. I wouldn't make any judgements about a midwife until you speak to her directly. See if you click with her, ask her what she would do/has done in specific situations that could arrise during labor, etc.

[daughter9204]

i don't know how much i can really help but i will tell you i had a vbac almost 2 years ago and we're ttc #3 and if we're successful we will be staying at home for it. usually a dr. will try to convince you not to do a home birth, i think they're so caught up in modern medicine that they "forget" women have been doing this a long long time and many many years ago home birth was the "norm" ,,,your body knows what to do and does it well so i wouldn't worry about HVBAC, i'd be excited about it, just educate yourself about it and prepare yourself.

[huggerwocky]

Ask the midwife in question but don't rely on hearsay from a doctor.

[boscopup]

Originally Posted by warrior mama

He told me he has safety concerns with them, they let a woman labor with a transverse fetus, and that I should avoid them.

I have a friend whose OB didn't realize she had a transverse baby before INDUCING WITH PITOCIN!!!!! So she had horrible back labor for hours and hours, without pain meds (she was trying to VBAC, btw), and her doula could easily tell the position of the baby, but the OB and nurses had written "head down" on the chart, even though the baby was transverse the whole time! Ended up in a C-section, of course. Baby just wasn't coming out in that position. It wasn't ready to birth!

I would ignore this medical professional and have your homebirth. Find a good midwife and talk about various situations and what her plan would be (ie, what happens if baby is transverse?). Talk to the midwife about any concerns YOU have, and you'll feel better.

[heidi_m]

I agree with OP, esp about "letting" you do something. Also, anyone who bases their decision about something like homebirth on one experience they heard about seems a bit silly anyway. I'd imagine that this OB, like most people in general, hasn't really done any research on the safety of hb but just believes the hype he hears. You'd think someone open-minded enough to agree with you on vaxing, etc would know that self-educating is key, but ya just never know!

I'd recommend reading The Homebirth Advantage by Dr Mayer Eisentstein, MD - then maybe pass it along to your doc! If you have concerns about your potential midwives because of what you heard from this OB, interview the mw and tell them what you've heard and ask to hear what they have to say about it. That should allay any fears about them in particular - or give you the info you need to know to run in the opposite direction!

Good luck!

[warrior mama]

this doctor isn't an OB, he is a family practice doctor with very strong ties to the alternative health community. I would be very skeptical of an OB stating such thing's.
I do intend to interview the mw and to make up my own mind but it is difficult when such a seed has been sewn in a pregnant woman's brain.:

[LoveChild421]

When you talk to homebirth midwives tell them your concerns- you can see how they respond and judge yourself. Each midwife will vary as to how conservative their approach is.

[Defenestrator]

Even the crunchiest of doctors sometimes have a strong anti-homebirth bias. It is also easy for a story to get distorted when it passes through several people. It is hard to know how he heard this story about particular midwives (is there more than one practice in your area?) -- as a family practitioner, he might have heard it straight from his patient if she were the one with the transverse baby. If it was during an appointment, did he take the time to ask questions to flesh out the story or just make assumptions? Chances are, though, he heard it through gossip among other doctors -- I wouldn't trust that at all. The person who passes the gossip passes a whole lot of personal baggage along with it.

I think it is a good idea to find a midwife who practices good informed consent and who has a similar philosophy of risk-taking that you do, or at least who is willing to get to know you well enough to determine what is important to you.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

A transverse baby can turn in labor, anyway, so what's the big deal about that?

[cottonwood]

This is the scenario I'm envisioning:

The laboring mother recognizes that the baby can turn in labor, so chooses to stay home to allow that to happen, as far as the baby tolerates that choice. The midwife understands and respects that choice and agrees to continue to attend the woman.

Now, if you were that woman, you could choose not to stay home in such a situation. But which would you prefer, a care provider who would support you in whatever informed decision you make, or a care provider who thinks he ought to be in charge, save the woman from herself, that a woman cannot make those kinds of choices for herself?

I'd talk to the midwives and find out what the real story is.

[boscopup]

Originally Posted by fourlittlebirds

The laboring mother recognizes that the baby can turn in labor, so chooses to stay home to allow that to happen, as far as the baby tolerates that choice. The midwife understands and respects that choice and agrees to continue to attend the woman.

Yeah, I agree - that very well could be what happened, and in that case, the midwife would have done everything right if the mother knew the baby was transverse and chose to continue laboring in hopes of a baby turning. If baby won't turn, there's usually time to go to the hospital for a C-section if necessary.

In the case I mentioned of an OB inducing a transverse baby, I think the OB was very much wrong (the baby wasn't ready to come out, and thus was probably less likely to turn), especially since the induction was not done for good medical reason (the mother had pre-e with her previous pregnancy, and they were worried about it happening again, but her bp was fine at the time that they induced her). But a midwife allowing a woman to labor with a transverse baby that might turn, I totally agree with doing so as long as the mother knows about the situation and chooses to continue laboring.

[mama_at_home]

There are many people who consider homebirth too risky, even "crunchy" people. You need to give birth where you feel most confident and comfortable. If you are unsure about homebirth, hang around here and continue to research and you will see that it is just as safe, if not safer than a hospital birth. Don't let other people's opinions discourage you. Where is your mama's instinct telling you to birth?

[cathicog]

Originally Posted by warrior mama

I do intend to interview the mw and to make up my own mind but it is difficult when such a seed has been sewn in a pregnant woman's brain.:

This is your best protection. Do your own research, check with the mw and you are much safer VBACing at home, than you are in a hospital. Most homebirth mws do a lot of VBACs cuz there really isn't any other option in most places, if you want to not have surgery! ( I know about 40% or more of the clients we have are VBACs....)

[warrior mama]

Thanks for your replies. As time passes and I think and read more the thing her said bothers me less.
I think the problem with a transverse fetus is that with a shoulder presenting the fetus is unlikely to turn especially if the mothers at term which I am assuming she is (I doubt the MW would be happy with a preterm birth). There is a big risk of cord prolapse too.
But I don't know the story until I hear it first hand and I am thinking I will hear more such "stories" if I tell health care providers, etc my homebirth plans. I suppose it comes with the territory.

[bradleybirth2mom]

I don't know if I would trust the OB's word. Ask the homebirth MWs if they would ever consider that situation, which they never should, and they will probably tell you that they don't do transverse labors. Also, unusual presenting positions are less than 3% of women anyway, so it's probably nothing you have to worry about. You have a much healthier potential outcome with a homebirth than a hospital anyway, and if you can determine if your placenta is not growing over your previous incision, and if you're in good health, there is no reason not to have a homebirth. I can provide you with literature to support the safety of a homebirth, and you can give these papers to your OB, significant other, whomever. Send me a private message w/your email address and I can send them to you.

[velcromom]

This reminds me of the old game "Telephone" that demonstrates how difficult it is to get accurate information passed along thru several different people.

I'm glad that the scare factor is wearing off for you, I know how it crops up sometimes - I'm not even pg yet and sometimes I have a moment of "what the heck am I thinking, am I crazy!" and then I have to go read a chapter or two of Henci Goer and then I am normal again,

[AmyB]

Originally Posted by warrior mama

I so wanted to try a homebirth but now I'm afraid.......please help. WWYD?

What I actually did was, once I chose my midwife I stopped discussing my choice to have a homebirth with anyone because I had already made up my mind and I didn't want to listen to negativity.

I must say, since I wasn't discussing my homebirth plans much in person the Mothering.com boards were a tremendous source of non-judgemental support.

--AmyB

[DreamsInDigital]

I don't ever discuss my homebirth plans with anyone who wouldn't support my decision for this very reason.
Surround yourself with positive thoughts. Ignore the negative. Be aware of the risks, but know that the odds are with you that you will have a normal, beautiful birth at home, and it will be an experience you will never regret.