[pixiesmommy]

I posted this in my DDC and I was directed to x-post here. Although I would love a UC, or even a homebirth with a midwife, my DH is not on board with that idea, so I'm compromising with a hospital/CNM/waterbirth... however.....

Does anyone have a good list of supplies to have on hand in the event that I do go so quickly that I deliver at home or (my real fear!) in the car in traffic on the way to the hospital??

Also, a step-by-step for my DH on "how to deliver the placenta, how to cut the cord, emergency resusitation, etc" would be good to have printed and on hand too.

Anyone?

I live an hour from the hospital we're delivering at, and I want to labor as long as possible at home and know that if something were to happen more quickly that we are prepared to handle it! Also, depending on the time of day and what the traffic is like, it could take us 2+ hours to actually GET to the hospital. I know it's unlikely to deliver in the car or deliver THAT quickly, but I want to cross it off my list, so I'm not carrying in that baggage while in labor, you know?

Thank you!!
Manda

 

[zjande]

I've been studying all those very questions for 6 months now & have a binder packed full of info, I wish I could show it to your or let you copy it!

I have found no one place that lists everything you're searching for, I just had to search & study each aspect individually. I read way, way back in this forum, Google constantly, & have reams of notes.

Some of the things I have in my UC binder are:

*A how to perform infant cpr sheet (plus notes from this thread on the back).
*Breech birth info
*Prolapsed cord info
*Meconium in the water info
*What to do if cord's around the baby's neck
*How soon to cut the cord, & how to do it
*A ton of post partum hemorrhage info because I did have that after my last birth & it's been my #1 fear for this birth. I've done a lot of research on different herbs & other ways to prevent it.
*A list of things to have on hand for birth & things to be done at the last minute (like putting some towels & blankets in the dryer to warm them up).
*A list I titled "Birth. Basic order of things."

*Lots of birth affirmations and endless related notes scrawled on paper!

I'm sure it all seems pretty ridiculous to some, but I guess I'm kind of of over-preparer.

: It makes me feel more empowered & less fearful. I am SO fearful of delivering in the car or being drug to the ER by an ambulance while attempting to birth on the side of the road or something that I created my binder of goodies. My official "plan" for the moment is still to make it to the hospital but I don't think there will be time. If my labor's even 10 minutes shorter than last time we won't make it. The more I research having a UC though, the more I'm drawn to making THAT my "official plan".

Here's just a mishmash of some links I have saved:
http://www.purebirth-australia.com/c...ariations.html
http://www.umbrellanoize.com/stuff/E...Childbirth.pdf (some of this is very helpful, some very outdated)
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=718302
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/thirdstg.html
http://www.moondragon.org/obgyn/preg...carebleed.html

Just Googling unassisted childbirth brings up good stuff.
Good luck with everything!

 

[Jenlaana]

If you were to deliver in a hurry, you would not necessarily need to deliver the placenta. It took me about 20 minutes to deliver mine after DD was born.

That being said, if i was to be in the car for any large amt of time and was concerned, I would have this with me:

wombstringe (for excessive bleeding)
some towels
baby blanket
cord clamps
something to cut the cord with

Basically an "emergency birth kit" (like the Emergency Birth Kit here: http://www.inhishands.com/html/birthkit.html ) plus wombstringe. I would use everything on there except maybe the apron (although never know if DH would want to wear one or not,

) I actually have this kit, thanks to a great momma here on MDC.

I would print out an emergency CPR sheet if you feel its necessary as far as that goes. Here is one of many I've seen: http://depts.washington.edu/learncpr/infantcpr.html

Birthing the placenta: this does need to be "done" it just happens. You'll have contractions generally and then push it out. Just make sure you have something to catch it on, and check for any tears/missing pieces/etc. Its kinda gross to me, but still really important to just verify that nothing has been retained. Your care provider may be interested as well (can contain it in a towel/chux/huge ziplock bag/whatever until you get where you're going) Medicalized people are a lot less interested in this than midwives etc IMO.

Cutting the cord: this is another easy one. If you are heading to the hospital anyways, you can either not cut it (it wont hurt anyone if babe's attached the the placenta for awhile otw there). Or you can cut it pretty much anywhere as long as you clamp very well first and then cut between the clamps. Its pretty straight forward.

If you were to give birth outside of the hospital, I think you'd be amazed at how easy it all really is. I spent hundreds of hours researching DD's birth and used almost zero of the knowledge gained.

 

[MamaRabbit]

the purebirth-australia link is what we had printed out in case of emergencies. all those who came for my birth read it.

 

[SublimeBirthGirl]

I had hardly anything for my planned UC. Tell your husband to keep his hands off of you. He doesn't deliver the placenta. Since you're going to go to the hospital anyway, leave the cord alone. If you decide not to go in once the baby's out, you can wait til it's shriveled and just cut it, or you can tie it off w/ a shoelace. Don't do anything with it til the placenta is out.

I always have to ask this, because the logic still eludes me and i'm hoping someday someone can explain it in a way I understand.

A woman is giving birth. Her body doing the work and taking the risk. She wants a homebirth.

Husband is not giving birth. He wants a hospital birth.

Woman gives in, has a hospital birth, and calls it a "compromise." I have looked up the definition of compromise and one person giving in, particularly the one who is most affected by the decision, simply doesn't fit. I'm always confused by this.

 

[zjande]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenlaana If you were to give birth outside of the hospital, I think you'd be amazed at how easy it all really is. I spent hundreds of hours researching DD's birth and used almost zero of the knowledge gained.

This made me giggle! I just said something like this to dh last night while I was galavanting around with my binder of info I'll have spent hundreds of hours putting together by the time my birth comes. I was like "I've spent sooo much time on this thing & I'm so proud of it but just watch, I'll end up not needing to utilize one bit of it".

And yeah, you got some good advice here re dh's role. He won't "deliver the placenta" etc, YOU will!

He doesn't need to do one thing besides whatever makes you more comfortable. You're birthing your baby, he's there for love & support.

 

[vesper0]

It looks like the other ladies already gave you links to birth supplies. One of the ladies posted it above, but you should read it, so here it is again--- Emergency Childbirth by Gregory J. White, M.D. :
http://www.umbrellanoize.com/stuff/E...Childbirth.pdf

It should answer your cord questions and anything else that you might encounter in a birth situation like yours(whether it is uncomplicated or complicated), as it was written as a manual for emergency workers(ambulance drivers, policemen, firemen, etc.) that would be called upon to aid a woman in childbirth.

And, Sublime Girl, I totally feel you on this, "I always have to ask this, because the logic still eludes me and i'm hoping someday someone can explain it in a way I understand.

A woman is giving birth. Her body doing the work and taking the risk. She wants a homebirth.

Husband is not giving birth. He wants a hospital birth.

Woman gives in, has a hospital birth, and calls it a "compromise." I have looked up the definition of compromise and one person giving in, particularly the one who is most affected by the decision, simply doesn't fit. I'm always confused by this."

 

[reducereuserecycle]

ummm, you really don't need anything

You don't have to cut the cord (lotus birth) and so really you don't need anything for that.

You can read Emergency Childbirth for some info on common and not so common birth complications.

My husband was a bystander during my daughter's birth. He was in the other room during the 36 hours of hard labor and during the birth. He did check on me frequently and i called him in a few times to bring me water, block the light that was coming in the windows and to turn on the heat, but I didn't want him around most of the time cause it helped me to concentrate. I caught the baby and then called him in.

 

[crittersmom]

I went to the beach on the other side of the island knowing that I was very likely to have the baby that day.I packed pretty much the same kit I was going to use at home.A pair of scissors to cut the cord.Two shoelaces sterlized in aplastic bag.An outfit for the baby.Puppy training pads(they were easier for me to find).My bowel for the placenta.Hibiclens wash (can be bought at walgreen's) and a skirt bottle.2 trash bags.I just threw that stuff in a carry bag and had it ready.
As for the DH info.I found a pretty cool link looking back in the history on here that went to an emergency childbirth booklet.
Its good to be prepared.I have fast births too and wouldn't have made it through all the hoops if I had tried to dash to the hospital.

 

[pixiesmommy]

First, thank you for the wonderful advice and links you gave!

Second, let me clarify a bit. I believe there is a huge difference between a compromise and a sacrifice.

-I think that DH would have been happier in the beginning when I was bleeding and having all sorts of other problems, if I had been with an OB for care rather than a CNM. But he compromised on this- because at least I was getting care, which was the important thing.

-We both agreed that the CNMs I had in the beginning were a bit creepy, so we agreed to change. He helped me research and find another CNM. She was a "med-wife" and neither of us ended up liking her. It was at that point that I became uncomfortable with anyone "certified" giving me prenatal care and started thinking I would get an unlicensed and illegal midwife for homebirth. I knew that this was going to stress me out though, and continued to try to think through other options... Why? Because dealing with the stress of explaining and justifying my reasons to family and friends (though I realize it is not "their" birth, was just too much for me to deal with on top of the physical issues I was having.) DH was the one who stayed up til midnight online finding CNMs he thought I might like. He ultimately found an awesome practice that we both love and we're very satisfied that I have the opportunity to have a waterbirth in a hospital birthing center with a group of 3 very competent and non-interventionist CNMs that we really love.

-Would I have done it differently if I was doing it "my" way? Maybe. Maybe not. I didn't start out with this pregnancy wanting a UC. I think I'm too much of a nervous nelly to actually go through with it, even though I know in my heart of hearts it's not dangerous. But I think when you carry ANY fear into a birth it DOES make it harder and more dangerous. So, no, even though I can say, "Oh, I would love a UC!" and mean it... I'm not 100% sure I would ever attempt it. A home birth with a midwife? Yes, probably I would. But I do feel like I have the best of both worlds and something that we are BOTH comfortable with- I have a supportive DH who posts here, reads birth books, and strives to learn about natural birth; I have a terrific doula that I trust, and a group of 3 CNMs that I love, and a hospital that offers birth tubs.

So he did ultimately affect my decisions, but they WERE compromises on both our parts, not sacrifices. He encouraged me to seek out SOME medicalization because of my physical issues, not because he wants a medicalized birth. And that is completely different, IMO, from him saying he doesn't believe in my body's ability to birth.

Just thought I would clarify that!

Manda

 

[mittendrin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SublimeBirthGirl I always have to ask this, because the logic still eludes me and i'm hoping someday someone can explain it in a way I understand. A woman is giving birth. Her body doing the work and taking the risk. She wants a homebirth. Husband is not giving birth. He wants a hospital birth. Woman gives in, has a hospital birth, and calls it a "compromise." I have looked up the definition of compromise and one person giving in, particularly the one who is most affected by the decision, simply doesn't fit. I'm always confused by this.

If you're wondering about it, then why don't you start a thread w that question? The OP was merely coming here for info on how to prepare for an UC. Some people call it making decisions together, a partnership. Compromises happen and some people are ok with it.

 

[Ruthla]

You don't necessarily even need to cut the cord, especially if you plan to go to the hospital after the birth if you end up birthing in the car. They'll cut it there.

You need a few clean receiving blankets to wrap the baby in, and something for the baby to wear after being born (a hat, a few diapers, and then either keep the baby wrapped up in blankets or put the baby in a creeper. A creeper is probably a good idea for a car birth so you can strap the baby into the carseat for the drive home or to the hospital. Something that snaps in front leaves room for an uncut cord. You'll need baby clothes for the ride home from the hospital no matter where you give birth.

A bowl or plastic bag for the placenta- a gallon sized bag might work better in a car than a bowl would.

Maybe a manual breastpump in case you want to do nipple stimulation (helps contract the uterus) while you're driving and everybody is strapped in. I wouldn't bottlefeed a newborn (don't want to mess up breastfeeding) but you could sryinge feed while driving.

Is there a closer hospital than the one you're planning to birth in- so if there's some kind of emergency would it still take an hour to get to a hospital?

 

[pixiesmommy]

I'm actually within 3 blocks of a hospital should there be an emergency at home, but I have no idea about what would happen if we were stuck in traffic. I'm not worried at all about birthing at home, actually. It's not the "plan" and thus the questions about preparation, but I'm okay with it should it happen.

Manda