Resources for Natural Pregnancy & Childbirth for High Risk Moms/Babies?

[hsofia]

Hello all,
I'm trying to find any natural pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting resources - websites, listservs, books, groups - for moms-to-be who are either high risk themselves, or having babies with special needs.

Does anyone know of any such resources?

[sbrinton]

There's not much out there from what I've found. It's hard.

I'm 24 weeks pregnant and at high risk for preterm labor. I've had a complicated pregnancy so far. I am a fan of natural pregnancy and childbirth, but in reality my pregnancies are not very natural. I have to take several medications through my whole pregnancy, have weekly ultrasounds, I may end up with a C section because of a placenta issue, will probably spend 1-3 of the next months in the hospital on bed rest, etc.

The best resource I have, to be honest, is my perinatologist. He is European and is a big supporter of natural pregnancy and birth when possible. He prefers to address issues like nutrition, hydration and rest before trying drugs to prevent or treat preterm labor. He says things like, "You know your body better than anyone. You need to trust what you are feeling."

In this way, he sounds just like the midwives I can't see anymore...

Anyway, I'm curious if there are other resources out there too!

[sparklett]

Sorry... I don't have any concrete resources, but this sure would be an excellent topic for an article in Mothering (ahem, are any of the Mothering mavens listening? )

You would have to scour the archives for this thread, but I recall that occasionally some mamas have posted about some of the natural parenting techniques, such as cranio-sacral therapy,that they used in the NICU.

One other consideration would be to hire a midwife just for maternal support during your pregnancy. Of course, you wouldn't leave your peri, but you may be able to find a midwife or doula who would see you for regular exams and offer you a more holistic and personal approach to your care. My midwife said that she would happily take this approach with me during my next pregnancy (assuming I'm high-risk).

I had the same question after my c-section and DS' NICU stay. I often wondered if mamas and babies who were high-risk even had a place in the natural parenting community, because it's so hard to find resources and support.

I'll search around or other resources. If anything comes up, I'll let y'all know!

[hsofia]

Thanks a lot, Sparklett. Yes, this WOULD be a great topic for Mothering magazine!

I fortunately do have midwives for my prenatal care; I'd planned on doing a water birth at a nearby center. We didn't find out about our daughter's heart defect until week 31 - and I'd already been going to the midwives for over a month or two by that point. I've continued seeing them even whilst checking in with a perinatologist. My midwives will be with me at the hospital as personal support, and I fully intend to have a non medicated, non surgical birth experience.

I will look up the cranio-sacral therapy - I don't know what that is. If you come across anything in the meantime, definitely pass it on! Thanks!

Originally Posted by sparklett

Sorry... I don't have any concrete resources, but this sure would be an excellent topic for an article in Mothering (ahem, are any of the Mothering mavens listening? )

You would have to scour the archives for this thread, but I recall that occasionally some mamas have posted about some of the natural parenting techniques, such as cranio-sacral therapy,that they used in the NICU.

One other consideration would be to hire a midwife just for maternal support during your pregnancy. Of course, you wouldn't leave your peri, but you may be able to find a midwife or doula who would see you for regular exams and offer you a more holistic and personal approach to your care. My midwife said that she would happily take this approach with me during my next pregnancy (assuming I'm high-risk).

I had the same question after my c-section and DS' NICU stay. I often wondered if mamas and babies who were high-risk even had a place in the natural parenting community, because it's so hard to find resources and support.

I'll search around or other resources. If anything comes up, I'll let y'all know!