[Sarah Wadford]

Ok so brief back story....

I've had three children, all medicated hospital vaginal births. The birth of my second daughter was the only one out of the three that was traumatic and I think it was just due to the staff in the labor and delivery department when we were there.

My partner and I are currently pregnant with what will be my fourth child (His first) and I want to do an unassisted home birth. He however is absolutely terrified of the idea.

I think I have a pretty good plan in place. I'm going to labor and deliver at home and then be transferred to E.D for evaluation (I know it will make him feel better)

I'm planning on having someone at home with us that will manage a time sheet to record start and stop times of each contraction, when and if my water breaks, each push and it's duration, crown time, birth time, first response time (first cry), delivery of the placenta, and cord clamp time. After all of that then either I or my partner will perform the apgar and do a sugar check, take measurements and what not and then nurse for a bit before notifying EMS and requesting transport to our hospital which is literally about a minute from our house.

I've drawn up a list of possible complications (I've had great pregnancies in the past and no complications with delivery)

- Excessive fatigue
- Water breaking followed by 24 hours without contractions
- Fever
- Uncontrolled vomiting
- Pushing time greater than 2-3 hours with no progress
- Excessive bleeding
- Unresponsive baby
- Uterine prolapse
- Or if I just change my mind

All of the above would be a reason that I would go to the hospital. Are there any that I'm forgetting?

Also I've got a basic list of supplies that I'm going to have on hand, towels, plastic sheeting, plastic cord clamps, a bulb syringe, scissors to cut the cord, Gatorade, light snacks, EV olive oil for use to prevent tearing.

I know that my body is capable of birthing the daughter that I've spent the last 8 and a half months making. Just trying to get the boyfriend on board with it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm loving reading all the threads here!

 

[BlessedOne]

Welcome! And congrats! It sounds like you have all the bases covered. I was very meticulous with my first uc too..... but with having 2 more and now planning my 4th...I have found that a lot of that is not needed...... but obviously it isn't going to hurt and could make your boyfriend be more apt to agree. =)

Ps. if you plan to transfer after birth, I personally wouldn't make it a big ambulance scene if not an emergency......I think it will work smoother for you if you dont... keep in mind much of the medical world considers birth to be a dangerous situation and could make it a big deal that you uc birthed. A lot of moms just take their baby to normal pediatrician within first week..providing there is no emergency..... and you will be able to tell if something is wrong. Also a lot of hb babies don't cry after birth because of how peaceful it is...... hospital births are way more stressful for baby. The nice thing about hb is it is more laid back... not as much poking, prodding and checking..... just letting our bodies do what it knows to do. =) Hope it works out!

 

[cyclamen]

meh

 

[BlessedOne]

Yes, there is a slight chance of cord prolapse.....although a cord prolapse, or cord presentation, is a rare complication (0.2 to 0.4% of pregnancies when the baby's head is down), because normally the baby's head takes up most of the room in the woman's pelvis and adequately covers her cervix, preventing the cord from going down into the vagina. The umbilical cord normally lies beside, or behind, the baby in the uterus. Even if the baby's head is not fully engaged, their larger head will normally come to rest on the woman's cervix first, once the waters have broken. Most prolapse incidents are due to breech babies..... which in most instances, could be found out a head of time. Also, unless frank breech, then a breech baby is more unlikely to be putting pressure on the cord. But medical help should still be acquired quickly.

Cyclamen, I understand you had this issue and of course want to make her aware of the risk and prevent her from having the tragedy that you did... that is very kind of you. Yes, she should know what to do in that situation. If a cord prolapse occurs, the baby should be birthed as quick as possible. If choosing to call ambulance to transfer, then remain on hands and knees with head down and butt up ....it helps keep pressure off the cord.

 

[cyclamen]

meh

 

[BlessedOne]

I understand =) I am sure it has been a rough time for you. Prayers for peace to you and yours~
@)~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Viola P]

Cyclamen I think I remember you saying in a previous thread that you weren't planning a hb when the accident happened? I think it was the dr Amy thread.

OP cord prolapse is (I believe) the most dangerous complication as there is a good chance of a negative outcome. However, like BO said, this complication is very rare and personally for me wasn't enough to make me go back to the hositpal where I was birth raped with my first. If it does happen go bum up in the air right away unless you can push that baby out in seconds. There's also a way to get someone (your hubby?) to stick a finger up there and hold the baby off the cord but I didn't discuss this with my dh as I didn't want to give him a heart attack.

When I was planning for a hb I thought of what could I wrong and what I would do in each. I still have my notes and some of the things I considered were presence of mecomium (I decided I wouldn't transfer unless it was v thick or there was evidence of fetal distress); mal presentation (say an arm or brow starts coming out); footling breech; cord prolapse. Are you going to do an ultrasound? If not placenta previa is something to watch for.

I have 2. The first was an awful hospital birth and the second was a beautiful amazing unassisted birth (me arrived 8 mins after baby was born).

 

[cyclamen]

...

 

[Viola P]

I agree with cyclamen, there is an element of luck for sure. But I also think theres an element of luck in a hospital setting. I have a friend who was given a dose 400x the max limit for a human when baby was being born and as a result he flatlined. Obviously that wouldn't have happened at home. There's an amnesty international report on the atrocious quality of maternity care in us hospitals that also looks at cases where women or babies were hurt by the hospital care itself. With birth there truly are no risk free options.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/deadlydelivery.pdf

 

[BlessedOne]

I dont think Viola is meaning anything against you or your situation. I think she just doesn't want your story to scare anyone out of a homebirth, as most homebirths don't end in tragedy.
We all can't even imagine what you went through and pray for healing to come to you and your family.

 

[Viola P]

Yes I'm sorry again cyclamen, I didn't mean to sound insensitive or harsh. It's what BO said, I don't want your story to scare women out of hb.

 

[BlessedOne]

And I will try not to be upset that you call me "BO"....bahahahaha
ok right now I am not helping this thread stay on topic 0~o

 

[Viola P]

And I will try not to be upset that you call me "BO"....bahahahaha
ok right now I am not helping this thread stay on topic 0~o

Haha i should call you blessed if I don't want to type the whole thing

 

[Mandybrknstocks]

Helpppppp

I'm having so much trouble finding out how to go about having a UC, I can't figure out what to buy or what I should be doing to prep. I feel like the info is out there I just don't know where to start looking.

 

[firmfoot]

I think there is not a whole lot needed for a uc.

 

[sillysapling]

I'm having so much trouble finding out how to go about having a UC, I can't figure out what to buy or what I should be doing to prep. I feel like the info is out there I just don't know where to start looking.

UCs are very much individual. Some don't do any prep and just trust nature, some take loads of courses, do a lot of readings on how to recognize problems, get all the medical appointments and tests, etc. Because fo that, you won't be getting a solid answer because the answer varies from birth to birth and person to person.

It really depends on your situation and needs. The biggest thing I think you need for any birth is towels or something for cleanup afterwards! (chux pads/puppy training pads are also very useful)

 

[BlessedOne]

one note about chux....if you or baby will be on them, go with the ones that are for diaper changing not puppy training ....the ones with puppy training have chemicals on them......if you just plan to have them on the floor to catch mess, then it shouldn't matter, but in reality I doubt there is much of a cost difference

There are a lot of good posts that will help you on here...it might just take some digging. I have a list of items I like to have on hand running around here somewhere and so do others. But honestly most answers can be found on google..lol. But I know you would probably rather feel like you are talking to a person not just looking up answers on the internet =) If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask...we will help as much as possible. =)


I personally am one that prefers to know a little about what to do if an "what if" happens. All of that can be found on the internet. I printed it off and have it in my birth folder. I like the idea of printing, just because in the heat of the moment, sometimes people can forget what they know. I like to be over prepared. I personally have a "birth box", which is pretty much a Rubbermaid filled with the things I might need for birth. There are chux, towels, sterilized scissors and string to tie off the cord (as well as rubberband to be final tie off), suction bulb, birth outfit, babies first items (clothes, dipe, blanket and such), peribottle, my clothes for after birth and birth music. Those are the things that I always use... I have a lot more in my box, but much of it goes unused...but I like having it their instead of me having to think of where it is if I need it. I will try to bump a post that has my full list and suggestions. =)

 

[3lilchunklins]

I also have a birth box. Also with a 3 ring binder of info I felt is important if an emergency should arise. Actually mostly identical to BlessedOne. The only addition things I plan on buying to add to my box is some herbal tinctures that I want on hand just in case. I'm buying from cascade1.com and getting shepherds purse, afterease, b&b labor, and the smooth transitions one. I know I'll end up using the afterease, but everything else is just precautionary.

 

[sillysapling]

I can't remember exactly what it was called... something like 'happy tushy' or something, but there was a post-partum herbal bath salts that I was happy with. My midwives also did an herbal "tea" that they soaked the post-partum pads with, then froze them. That was a really good idea. The 'tea' was also put in a perinatal (?) bottle and used to flush the area after urinating/whenever. Lunapads has post-partum pads if you want to do cloth. I think 1cascade.com also has post-partum pads. That's one thing: you may not realize how much you bleed after birth, you need more than the regular pads.

1cascade.com has some birth kits. They have their own and also ones compiled by specific midwives for their clients. You could take a look at them and either just order one or use it as a "jumping off" point. The only warning about them is that they calculate shipping after you put in the order, so when you checkout it says "$0 shipping" and then after they ship they tell you how much it'd cost- they say it on their website, but it still really threw me off. I don't know why they don't say "shipping TBD insted of $0"...

I never sat directly on the chux pads so I didn't think about the chemicals, but good point.

There are a few herbs that are really good for during labor. Can't think off-hand which, but it may be a good idea to look into them. Red Raspberry Leaf tea is useful during pregnancy and some people drink a lot of strong RRL tea at the start of labor to speed it along (be warned: it increases contractions, so it's faster but also more intense).

 

[firmfoot]

I am going to have a few supplies on hand but for me the preparation is 90% mental and the rest material.
I need to chase all the doubts and fears away to get the confidence to birth UC. My stumbling block is shoulder dystocia/sticky shoulders. I need to read a ton about that and settle my fears.