No IV? Quick help!

[homebirthbaby]

Can someone tell me quick why I wouldn't want an IV during labor?
(other than the fact that it limits your mobility)

Quick?!
Thanks!

[Turquesa]

Frankly . . . because they can stick a bunch of garbage in there w/o your informed consent (e.g. pitocin). Not sure how often it happens, but plenty of MDC users can tell you about their experiences.

If you need to arm yourself with an explanation for an HCP, I say don't bother. You owe them no explanation for what you decline or refuse.

[Alyantavid]

I refused one with my second because I didn't see any point in it. My labors were both very short and I didn't need any medical help moving things along.

And with my first the nurses were too busy to check on me so the iv ran out of fluid and started sucking blood up the tubes. It weirded me out alot and I figured if the nursing staff didn't care enough to pay attention to it, I didn't need it. Plus that I hate being stabbed 15 times to get it in. I have small veins and it always happens. I was just fine without it.

[kitkat5505]

IV fluids can dilute the natural hormones that your body is producing, plus it offers them easier access to put things in that you don't want.

[jennyfah]

And in addition, I think it makes you *feel* like a patient: sick---dependent---more vulnerable---perhaps opening the door to more interventions.

Never underestimate the power that your mind can have over labor! Just say NO!

Peace,
Jen

[Fujiko]

Everything everyone else said, plus mine left a scar. Little, yes, but every time I see it I'm reminded.

[rockportmama]

You can also get water intoxication if they dump too much fluid in your veins. if you need a compromise, offer to accept a heparin lock. This way they have access to your veins *if* they need them, and you can still move around. If you don't need a compromise, just refuse. You're much better off with some light snacks and juices than dumping crap in your veins. Something about God/evolution designed us to eat by mouth... LOL!

[sapphire_chan]

You know the swelling your feet do during pregnancy? Imagine that over your entire body. Even if they "just" use an IV to hydrate you, there's a tendency to dump too much fluid in too quickly and instead of getting hydrated you could end up with full body pitting edema.

(And still experience symptoms of dehydration.)

[SalmonBayDoula]

Edema in breast tissue makes breastfeeding more difficult

too much fluid, poured in during your labor via an IV can make the breast tissue swollen and edamatous, potentially causing latching issues in the beginning.

If there is a need, you can insist on a hep lock for easy access, but no IV.

I agree with pp, this is a routine intervention that has not been proven to help and can often make things more difficult for mom and make the birth feel more medicalized.

Sharon

[thixle]

All of that and it hurts!
The nurse put mine down the back of my hand and (I had back labor) I was trying to get relief during contrax by holding Dh's hand and he was pushing on my back. My wrist would involuntarily twist (natural position) and hurt almost as much as the back pain... as in, the IV needle twisting hurt so much more than contrax or pushing, or even getting stitched up.

Oh, and it can inflate the baby's birth weight (water retention, just like the uncomfortable edema for mom)... which will make many peds push formula or simply give mom a hard time because baby looses "too much" weight in the first few days : It's a slippery slope to start down when genetically, your kid is going to be small anyway.

[Mommal]

Reasons not to have an IV:
- Limits movement, which can slow labor and make it much more painful.
- Not necessary for hydration if the woman is allowed to eat and drink as she chooses.
- Can be painful- not all practitioners are skilled at putting them in!
- Once practitioners have vein access, it's easy to add other substances to the IV- Pitocin, narcotics, etc.
- IV fluids can bloat not just the mom but the baby as well. The fluids are quickly excreted, making neonatal weight loss appear more severe than it really is and often leading to calls for formula supplementation which can derail breastfeeding.

[KD's Momma]

I agree with all that has been said. I absolutly hate needles, and I'm a nurse!! With DS#2 I had an IV - for just in case - and it was in my wrist - seriously it hurt more than my contractions!! I had back labor and was leaning over the bed and chairs and every time my wrist hurt so bad!! I remember thinking with my last contx before I started pushing that I was going to pull the IV because it hurt so much! You don't need it, even for emergencies - IVs can be started very quickly when they need to be.

[nashvillemidwife]

Originally Posted by rockportmama

You can also get water intoxication if they dump too much fluid in your veins.

Not true. "Water intoxication" is caused by dangerously low sodium from ingesting plain water. IV fluids have balanced electrolytes.

[rockportmama]

Really? Hm.... wonder where I read that. Sorry!

[Katerz2u]

Just jumping in...
The inflated/deflated/too much weight loss happened to me with DS2. Led us down a road of possible failure to thrive because he didn't regain fast enough. He gained, but not by his birth weight standard. :

[rockportmama]

Oh, hey! I found the reference where I read about the water intoxication. Perhaps I misread it. Now, I'm not going to argue if this source is correct or not, I'm really just impressed with myself I managed to find the reference so quickly!

Ok, this is from Sheila Kitzinger's Homebirth: The Essential Guide to Giving Birth Outside of the Hospital from 1991 (p 21).
"Because induction is often given in a package deal with epidural anesthesia, other interventions may take place which add new risks with an add-on effect. Having a catheter inserted in the bladder increases the risk of infection, for example. Being immobilized makes it more likely that dilatation is slow, and so the drip is turned up and more artificial oxytocin is fed into the bloodstream. Large quantities of fluid may produce water intoxication. a woman who drinks as much fluid as she wants during labor does not take too much. But, if fluids are introduced through an intravenous drip, her metabolism is altered and, if she receives an excessive quantity, she may suffer convulsions, and even coma. When oxytocin is being dripped into a woman's bloodstream in addition to glucose solution, she is further at risk of water intoxication."

[kltroy]

Mostly... why would you want one? I did have a hep-lock (start of one, not connected to anything) fior my hosp. VBAC but was happy that it was NEVER used. They yanked it right after Claire was born. I wouldn't want to have an aIV inless mdically necessary. besides, even a heplock is uncomfortable. But it made them happy and I had a really great birth,m so whatever. Youy pick your battles sometimes.

[nashvillemidwife]

Originally Posted by rockportmama

Large quantities of fluid may produce water intoxication. a woman who drinks as much fluid as she wants during labor does not take too much. But, if fluids are introduced through an intravenous drip, her metabolism is altered and, if she receives an excessive quantity, she may suffer convulsions, and even coma.

Thanks for sharing the source. Unfortunately in this case she is just plan wrong. I learned this the hard way last year when a home birth client, drinking as much plain water as she wanted during labor, suffered hyponatremia ("water intoxication") and had a seizure as a result of potentially fatal electrolyte imbalance. Here it is standard for routine IVs to be saline (sodium), which most certainly would not lead to low sodium! The usual alternative to a saline drip is lactated ringers, which is a balance of all electrolytes and so acts to prevent electrolyte imbalance.

Water intoxication is very rare, virtually unheard of outside of marathon runners and psychiatric patients. The woman had to have had low sodium for a while before the birth, and the exertion of labor and normal blood loss put her over the edge. However, Kitzinger is still wrong in this assertion.

[paquerette]

Originally Posted by Turquesa

Frankly . . . because they can stick a bunch of garbage in there w/o your informed consent (e.g. pitocin). Not sure how often it happens, but plenty of MDC users can tell you about their experiences.

:

[meganmarie]

For me it was all the reasons listed here plus - the needle and IV would have seriously disrupted my labor focus and relaxation - which was critical to letting contractions do their work and having a smoothly progressing birth. I hate needles, and everything about an IV would have set my teeth on edge.

Agree with pp's. You shouldn't need a reason to refuse a routine procedure with no benefits to a woman undertaking a drug-free, intervention-free birth.