MW or Hospital I cant decide

[starbound25]

ok so with dd1 &2 I had hypertension and borderline preeclampsia so I was induced for both and put on partial bedrest for both
now it is 2yrs+ later and I am 70lbs less than I was back then and I'm pregnant (duh) and now I want to pick between a mw or the hospital again
I really like my hospital it is very earthy, has a birthing tub, does not believe in offering pain medications unless requested, tries to only do c-sections if absolutly neccessary and is great right after baby is born, you hold them on your chest for a long time before they take them
BUT I'm wondering if for my last one I would prefer a midwife
we are super tight on money and both would cost about the same out of pocket the mw a little more and if she had to transfer me to the hospital if the preeclampsia showed up I would loose $500 she said my odds are on the high side since I had it before (and they wouldnt put me back on b/c pills last year because it was still hight) so I dont know what to do, if I'm probably going to end up at the hospital should I just start out there anyway?
and if there was an emergency during delivery I would be transported to a different hospital not my own
any thoughts? sorry for rambling

[ebethmom]

I had preeclampsia with my ds, then I lost 70 pounds before TTC my dd. Having an easier pregnancy was one of my main motivators for losing weight. My pregnancy with ds was long, hard and mostly miserable. They induced labor at 38 weeks. Even though I didn't have an epidural, calling that birth unmedicated would be a huge stretch!

I did have a homebirth with dd. I started off with a hospital based CNM, but was not pleased with her office or with the level of care. The hospital had a 98% epidural rate and 28% C-section rate. My midwife had only been on staff for a few months, and was incredibly overloaded. If she was unavailable for my dd's birth, I would have been assigned to the doctor on call. I didn't want to take that chance.

Just my story - I would write more, but dd is desperate to *help* me!

[grapejuicemama]

I really love my midwife and look forward to having a third homebirth. Normally, I encourage everyone to shoot for homebirth because hospitals are not friendly around here.

BUT it sounds like you have a great hospital and like you think you'd end up there anyway? Maybe you could talk with a midwife AND your previous care providers to see what will make you the most comfortable.

Is there a way for you to manage the pre-e? What can you do to become low-risk?

You've got a tough choice ahead, but I'm sure if you feel it out and really explore the possibilities, you'll know what to do! :Hug

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[Pandora114]

Look into the Brewer Diet (I know I'm not in your DDC) It's supposed to prevent Pre-E and GD..

I'm following it (to the best of my abilities) and I feel great.

Barring any allergies to the reccomendations, go for it. It's a high protein diet, but you need lots of protein to build a bub anyway ;)

but really http://www.blueribbonbaby.org

And stay home!

[maxmama]

There's nothing that's really been documented (including the Brewer diet) to prevent preeclampsia. That you have chronic HTN and a history of PE in two pregnancies (rather than one) makes you higher-risk for PE. There's not really much you can do about that. That your BP was still elevated after losing so much weight (good work, BTW) suggests that weight may not, for you, be the deciding factor in either HTN or PE (there are thin people with both!).

Personally, I would choose a hospital in which you clearly feel comfortable over a possible emergent transfer to another hospital that you don't seem as comfortable with. Home birth is very safe for low-risk women. Given what you've shared about your history, I think you might fall into a gray area, which makesthe decision that much more difficult.

Good luck making your decision.