homebirth/low intervention moms

[catballou24]

how many here are planning a homebirth and having very little testing, etc.? i'm just curious as we are going that route again. with both my girls i didn't do any testing and had only one u/s...same with this new bean! that's the plan for now anyway...

what are your pregnancy/birth plans?

[LotusBirthMama]

i am planning a UC, but will be receiving basic prenatal care from an OB. The only thing i "do" is an early u/s and then a gender determining one.

[andi-mama]

I am planning a UP and UC. Well, a mostly UP- I would like an ultrasound at 20 weeks and a "checkup" at 36 weeks, but other than that, it will be all unassisted.

[mochimama]

I am hoping for a homebirth after a non-ideal hospital birth last time. I've been asking myself how much/what I should do. So far I have done nothing but try to eat healthy and exercise. I feel like I *should* go to the ob to confirm the pregnancy, get a blood test, etc., but wonder what difference it would make. I would like to do a 20 week u/s I think, but I remember my other pregnancy visits being rather pointless.
We have two midwives in my town, one of which I have already spoken to. I need to interview them both and see which one suits us better. I'm going on vacation next week, though, and don't feel like doing anything until I get back. My brain says that's too long to wait before seeing an expert, but my heart says it isn't.
So I'm thinking the homebirth with midwife assist route with maybe an u/s.

[Patchfire]

I'm doing a UP and planning a UC... no u/s, no nothing. I'm really excited about it. I'm also lucky enough to know a few other UC'ers IRL.

We had a mw-assisted hb last time, so basic prenatal care - fundal height, urine dipsticks, weight, BP, and fetal hb - but no u/s then either. I've gotten to the point where even if I felt there was no risk with an u/s, I don't want one. If we find one becomes necessary, I'll have one, but, yeah.

I may or may not check BP myself. I plan to get a fetoscope just because I want to - same with fundal height, no doubt I'll want to get a feel for it, just for fun. Other than that, just eating well and exercising and relaxing.

[two bricks shy]

we're attempting a hb after a hospital transport was required with our first baby (planned hb).

We're getting all our prenatal and postpartum care through our midwife... so urine tests, fundal height, dopper fhr, bp, blood tests/cultures. I know she would like to do an ultrasound but we're still negotiating on that one. Limited vag exams though.

Though I understand her position, she had some suprise twins from a woman that refused ultrasound this past year...and she doesn't want to have a shocker like that again. (Though everyone was healthy and happy!)

I don't want the US because 1-I'm not convinced they are safe and 2-I don't want anyone to blow the suprise of the baby's gender until their birthday!

[clavicula]

I am gonna have only 1 u/s soon, no other u/s, tests, and planning a FSBC birth with a hands off mw, no intervention.

[goylesgirl]

I am planning a homebirth and forgoing the battery of test they would probably want from me, especially being over 35. However, I have been battling going in for early testing this time. After a couple of misses, my OB (not my midwife) said he would see me immediately. I know they would check my HCG levels, and my progesterone, but I'm not sure I believe it would make a difference.

[MommaGreenBean]

I visited our naturopath for advice on nutrition last week. Last pregnancy, I feel like my nutrition could have been better, and she gave me a few pointers. I'll go back in and get a hemoglobin check around 7 or 8 months (I had too much blood loss last time, so I'm being cautious). That's the only outside care I'm planning on. I have a post here about what she went over, if anyone wanted to see.

On my own I check my fundal height, and use a fetoscope to listen to baby's heartrate after about 20 weeks. I'm going to buy Emergency Childbirth and read that with DH. I track my weight as well, and I'll buy urine sticks if I feel the need to check that.

I wouldn't hesitate to go in for an ultrasound or even a C-section if I thought it was needed, but I really don't think it will be.

ETA: I'll get a pregnancy confirmation at our local 'crisis pregnancy center' just to have on file. I do like to have that. I also have a friend (and MDC mama) who's a midwife, so my bases are covered there if the state gave me any issues. I didn't have any trouble with my DD who was UP/UC, so I don't expect it will be a problem with this one either.

Cara

[starkyld]

I'm planning on a homebirth (this will be my first) and will be declining most testing and interventions. I'm trying to decide if I feel like I should have one ultrasound and, if so, when.

[Patchfire]

Originally Posted by MommaGreenBean

ETA: I'll get a pregnancy confirmation at our local 'crisis pregnancy center' just to have on file. I do like to have that. I also have a friend (and MDC mama) who's a midwife, so my bases are covered there if the state gave me any issues. I didn't have any trouble with my DD who was UP/UC, so I don't expect it will be a problem with this one either.

Do you have to have that to get a birth certificate in your state?

I am still trying to decide if I want to get an official confirmation, or if I want to go the "personal prenatal record" route. Last time, even though we had a mw, we filed as if we were UC'ers, because of the lovely laws in GA, and the "personal prenatal record" was enough - but I would hate to find out AFTER I gave birth that I needed a confirmation of pregnancy! Granted, the law says "confirmation of pregnancy" OR "personal prenatal record," but.

[MommaGreenBean]

Originally Posted by Patchfire

Do you have to have that to get a birth certificate in your state?

I am still trying to decide if I want to get an official confirmation, or if I want to go the "personal prenatal record" route. Last time, even though we had a mw, we filed as if we were UC'ers, because of the lovely laws in GA, and the "personal prenatal record" was enough - but I would hate to find out AFTER I gave birth that I needed a confirmation of pregnancy! Granted, the law says "confirmation of pregnancy" OR "personal prenatal record," but.

Not required, I just like to error on the side of caution I guess, and it's easy enough to just get. I'd also rather let them have a proof of pregnancy on letterhead than my own prenatals, I like to remain as anonymous as possible in the state's eyes. I'm slightly paranoid, I guess.

I did have to have a doctor's chart note with both her and my name on it to get the BC. I just did that when she was a few months old.

[guestmama9904]

I am honestly curious here so please don't take offense to this question but why, if you believe in unnassisted childbirth and low interventions would you gt two ultrasounds throughout your pregnancy? to me the us seems the most interventional thing to choose. i mean testing your urine or even a glucose tolerance test seem less of an intervention than 2 "standard" ultrasounds. is there a scientific benefit to having an us? does it produce better birth or infant mortality outcomes?

[guestmama9904]

Originally Posted by two bricks shy

we're attempting a hb after a hospital transport was required with our first baby (planned hb).

We're getting all our prenatal and postpartum care through our midwife... so urine tests, fundal height, dopper fhr, bp, blood tests/cultures. I know she would like to do an ultrasound but we're still negotiating on that one. Limited vag exams though.

Though I understand her position, she had some suprise twins from a woman that refused ultrasound this past year...and she doesn't want to have a shocker like that again. (Though everyone was healthy and happy!)

I don't want the US because 1-I'm not convinced they are safe and 2-I don't want anyone to blow the suprise of the baby's gender until their birthday!

I'm sorry to say this but shouldn't an experienced homebirth midwife be able to detect twins by feel?

[andi-mama]

Originally Posted by arismama!

I am honestly curious here so please don't take offense to this question but why, if you believe in unnassisted childbirth and low interventions would you gt two ultrasounds throughout your pregnancy? to me the us seems the most interventional thing to choose. i mean testing your urine or even a glucose tolerance test seem less of an intervention than 2 "standard" ultrasounds. is there a scientific benefit to having an us? does it produce better birth or infant mortality outcomes?

I only want one, but I mostly want it to rule out something like placenta previa. Obviously I cannot have a UC with a situation like that. If I thought the baby was breech I would have one in later pregnancy, as I am not comfortable UCing a breech baby.

[MommaGreenBean]

Originally Posted by andi-mama

I only want one, but I mostly want it to rule out something like placenta previa. Obviously I cannot have a UC with a situation like that. If I thought the baby was breech I would have one in later pregnancy, as I am not comfortable UCing a breech baby.

No pressure here either, but you can *for sure* tell where the placenta is with a fetascope or stethascope, it makes a 'whoosh whoosh' in the time of your own heartbeat.

As for breech, I was 95% certain that my daughter was head down posterior, and she was. I'm not going to say I can feel 100% by palpation where my baby is, but I was really pretty certain.

Spinningbabies.com has good instructions.

That said, we don't plan on doing an ultrasound unless I feel it's needed (and we didn't last time), but I totally understand getting one just for peace of mind.

[goodheartedmama]

I'm planning a homebirth with a midwife. I'll have regular appts with her. I'm foregoing the 20 week u/s.

[Erlaine]

I really want to be midwifed! I want to experience being under the care of a mw to see if I feel like it's something I'll be able to do, and whether I'll go on to study midwifery later.

I don't plan on having any tests that the mw doesn't think I need, including u/s.

[guestmama9904]

i actually had 2 ultrasounds with my son who is now 6 years old. I remember when I had the 5 month us his body swam away from that loud noice of the us as fast as a tiny baby could! he clearly was scared of it. I felt kind of awful seeing that. of course it is fun to see your baby in a picture but for melinia women have been producing healthy babies without the image. then when I was 38 weeks my midwife thought my amniotic fluid might be low due to decreased belly circumfrence. well, duh, I had "dropped" and DS was hanging out nearer to the birth canal so he could come out! so I had the us at 38 weeks and the OBGYN preforming it said she often sees less experienced docs and RN midwives worrying about low amniotic fluid when really the baby's just positioned lower. so to me it felt like neither of these us were neccesary in the least bit.

[LotusBirthMama]

Originally Posted by arismama!

I am honestly curious here so please don't take offense to this question but why, if you believe in unnassisted childbirth and low interventions would you gt two ultrasounds throughout your pregnancy? to me the us seems the most interventional thing to choose. i mean testing your urine or even a glucose tolerance test seem less of an intervention than 2 "standard" ultrasounds. is there a scientific benefit to having an us? does it produce better birth or infant mortality outcomes?

No offense taken! i have had numerous miscarriages. one was while under the care of a midwife. it was a missed m/c, meaning the baby died but my body continued along being pregnant. I am a bit gun shy now, and prefer to see that the pregnancy is viable right from the start. it eases my mind a little. and as far as the 20 week u/s...i really like to know the sex before birth. its a mental thing for me. it may not make a hoot of difference physically...but for me, the mental benefits are huge.