Hi Everyone!
I am currently 12 weeks pregnant with our 3rd and final child, and am seriously considering having a UC birth this time. The more I learn about birth, the more secure and confident I become in the possibility that I can do this with only my husband's help.
I have already done some research on UCing on the Australian web site, also contemplating the items we would need for a UC, how to get the birth certificate, what to do if something goes wrong, etc.. I really want to go over everything and research & learn as much as humanly possible, before comitting entirely to this decision.
I think my main questions that I have (and I will try to ask in a way that is appropriate to this board and its rules without being in violation) are:
1. How did you handle telling your mother? Did you keep it a secret from everyone else? (I'm 100% positive that no one else will know ahead of time if we do this, with the exception of my midwife who will obviously find out when we don't use her for the birth. I kept our homebirth with my daughter a secret from everyone besides my mother and my MIL too. My mom freaked when my daughter got stuck and came out not breathing on her own, and I know she'll freak if we UC.)
2. What resource did you use, or can you tell me what you personally used, to figure out which supplies you wanted/needed at your UC? (I have a catalog from In His Hands birthing supply store and have already started trying to make list of what we'll need. I also know what we used during my daughter's homebirth too.)
3. Did you personally take an infant CPR class to prepare for your UC?
4. Did you find a good resource for researching what could possibly go wrong, and how to handle those situations should they arise? (I do know what to do should shoulder dystocia occur, a prolapsed cord, and also if baby comes out blue/purple, but am wondering what else I should prepare myself for.)
5. Did you personally rent an oxygen tank for your UC? Is this something that most UCers believe should be on hand for their births?
6. Are there any books, web sites, articles, etc., that you found to be of the utmost importance in preparing for your UC? (I read so many books and visited so many web sites when preparing for my homebirth with my daughter, including Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, which I found to be the most helpful.)
Thank you for any help that anyone can offer. I am really excited about the possibility of birthing here at home alone (my husband will assist), and not having to worry about interference from anyone. Although I am 90% happy with how my daughter's birth went, there were a few things that my midwife did that I was not happy about. She had not discussed with me ahead of time that she would use cohosh or castor oil if the baby wasn't coming as soon as she would like. She had me out walking all day long too in 85 degree weather, to the point that I was beyond exhausted. My water hadn't been broken for anywhere near 24 hours at that point, and 24 hours was about her cut off point for wanting the baby to be out by. Again, never discussed with me ahead of time. Ironically, none of those things worked, and it wasn't until after I had told her no more and that I was going to go lay down for a while, that my body finally felt safe, and began to labor intently. My hard labor only lasted for 4ish hours, and I pushed for 35 minutes.
Thanks again for any suggestions and information that is given. I want to be as prepared as possible!
I am currently 12 weeks pregnant with our 3rd and final child, and am seriously considering having a UC birth this time. The more I learn about birth, the more secure and confident I become in the possibility that I can do this with only my husband's help.
I have already done some research on UCing on the Australian web site, also contemplating the items we would need for a UC, how to get the birth certificate, what to do if something goes wrong, etc.. I really want to go over everything and research & learn as much as humanly possible, before comitting entirely to this decision.
I think my main questions that I have (and I will try to ask in a way that is appropriate to this board and its rules without being in violation) are:
1. How did you handle telling your mother? Did you keep it a secret from everyone else? (I'm 100% positive that no one else will know ahead of time if we do this, with the exception of my midwife who will obviously find out when we don't use her for the birth. I kept our homebirth with my daughter a secret from everyone besides my mother and my MIL too. My mom freaked when my daughter got stuck and came out not breathing on her own, and I know she'll freak if we UC.)
2. What resource did you use, or can you tell me what you personally used, to figure out which supplies you wanted/needed at your UC? (I have a catalog from In His Hands birthing supply store and have already started trying to make list of what we'll need. I also know what we used during my daughter's homebirth too.)
3. Did you personally take an infant CPR class to prepare for your UC?
4. Did you find a good resource for researching what could possibly go wrong, and how to handle those situations should they arise? (I do know what to do should shoulder dystocia occur, a prolapsed cord, and also if baby comes out blue/purple, but am wondering what else I should prepare myself for.)
5. Did you personally rent an oxygen tank for your UC? Is this something that most UCers believe should be on hand for their births?
6. Are there any books, web sites, articles, etc., that you found to be of the utmost importance in preparing for your UC? (I read so many books and visited so many web sites when preparing for my homebirth with my daughter, including Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, which I found to be the most helpful.)
Thank you for any help that anyone can offer. I am really excited about the possibility of birthing here at home alone (my husband will assist), and not having to worry about interference from anyone. Although I am 90% happy with how my daughter's birth went, there were a few things that my midwife did that I was not happy about. She had not discussed with me ahead of time that she would use cohosh or castor oil if the baby wasn't coming as soon as she would like. She had me out walking all day long too in 85 degree weather, to the point that I was beyond exhausted. My water hadn't been broken for anywhere near 24 hours at that point, and 24 hours was about her cut off point for wanting the baby to be out by. Again, never discussed with me ahead of time. Ironically, none of those things worked, and it wasn't until after I had told her no more and that I was going to go lay down for a while, that my body finally felt safe, and began to labor intently. My hard labor only lasted for 4ish hours, and I pushed for 35 minutes.
Thanks again for any suggestions and information that is given. I want to be as prepared as possible!