[DoomaYula]

My mw is 2.5-3h away, so I know there's a possibility the baby could come before she gets here.

The only thing I'm genuinely concerned about is pph -- had a bad experience recently with a client whose mw didn't make it, and even though she thought she hadn't lost much blood, she ended up needing a few units.

So if the mw doesn't make it in time, how will I know if I'm bleeding too much? Are there other concerns?

 

[Jilian]

You could eat a piece of placenta to be on the safe side, it is said to help with pph.

I'll be lurking on this thread because I'm also worried about my MW not making it in time due to a fast labor. PPH is the only issue that worries me.

 

[koru]

i'm right here with you, ladies! i actually bled quite a bit after dd1 (don't know the exact amount but i required a shot of pitocin followed by a shot of methergine because it didn't slow. the midwife was massaging my uterus the whole time, as well). i was fine with dd2 but now that i'm having a hb i'm starting to worry a bit. i've been drinking TMs pregnancy tea which has alfalfa & nettles and have been mentally preparing myself to munch on placenta but it kinda grosses me out.

 

[Full Heart]

I knew I was loosing too much blood when I had my hemmorage. I could feel it just pouring out of me. Everyone just poo pooed it though till I passed out - and that was at a hospital! If you feel light headed, if sounds are funny like far away, if your uterus is above your umbiscus and floopy feeling instead of a hard ball, then you might be hemmoraging. I am sure your mw can give you guidelines too.

Have shephards purse on stand by. My mw leaves all the birth kit supplies with me including pit. And shes only 20m in away. So thats an option.

Know how to do fundal massage as well. You can also try nipple stimulation to contract the uterus. If you even think you are having a hemmorage call 911. Better safe than sorry. Esp if your mw still has a long way to go before she gets to you.

 

[sirref]

Talk to your midwife about how big a puddle of blood on a chux pad is too big. I'd rest on a chux after the birth & if you find yourself in a big pool of blood, if it suddenly gushes a lot (& isn't just your placenta coming out) then have someone (or you) feel for your uterus. Often better if someone else does ecause it makes you cramp & doesn't feel good, but that is what you need. It should feel really hard roughly grapefruit sized after the placenta is out. MAssaging makes it contract. So does nursing baby, grabbing a breast pump or nipple stim if baby won't latch on & suck.

Have faith, it will work out. Having this kind of info is responsible, and often not needed in the end. I'm sure you will have a wonderful birth.

 

[Jenlaana]

There is a certain amount of blood that you should expect to loose (up to) after birth. It doesnt sound like a lot, but the advice that I got was to take some heavily colored liquid (food coloring in water etc) and dump it on a towel/chux pad/etc and see what it looks like, because it looks like a lot more than it really is. Has your midwife given you any kind of "what to do if the midwife isnt there on time" print outs at all? I have one that I can forward you if you want that covers some of the what ifs. Just PM me.

I would probably not be the placenta eating variety of birthing woman, but if I was bleeding badly I would probably do it. First thing I would do is try to nurse, or if that is not successful, try to pump. Either of those, or nipple stimulation, helps the utereus clamp down. If the placenta had not yet expelled I would use Placenta Out (dong quai (angelica), blue cohosh, shepherd's purse), which would also help things along. I don't favor using pitocin, only because as a VBAC I feel that its harmful for me, because of the stress on the utereus. I wonder though if Placenta Out could be used after the placenta is out, as I know that shepherd's purse is used.

 

[momto l&a]

I nursed right away.

 

[aylaanne]

I agree with the pps, talk to your midwife about what you should look for. Chances are even if she doesn't come in time for the birth, if you call her when you start laboring, she should be there at least soon after the baby's born. Talk with her about your concerns and see what she can do to address them.

When I was working in a hospital I was taught that the difference between pph and regular pp bleeding is that a hemorrhage is going to be bright red, while normal uterine shedding is going to be darker. Also feel for your uterus, it should be a hard ball in your abdomen. And, as with any homebirth, make sure you have a vehicle gassed up, a cellphone charged, and a driver who isn't exhausted.

 

[christyc]

I'm sure this is something everyone's already thought of, but can't keeping those iron levels in good shape during pregnancy help prevent PPH, too? Man, I hope so! I've been taking my floradix and alfalfa every day.

 

[flyjawn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by christyc I'm sure this is something everyone's already thought of, but can't keeping those iron levels in good shape during pregnancy help prevent PPH, too? Man, I hope so! I've been taking my floradix and alfalfa every day.

i took floradix and alfalfa with both pregnancies and nursed immediately but still needed a shot of pitocin both times. i inherited low iron from my mother and the supplements barely made a dent in my levels.

yumadoula- have you had your hemaglobin checked?

 

[attachedmamaof3]

Nurse immediately after birth. Do NOT let anyone TOUCH your umbilical cord (pulling/tugging/massaging) just let your body birth your placenta naturally....Do not be in a hurry, do your research...

 

[AKmoose]

Have you spoken with your midwife about this concern? There's always the chance she could leave you with a birth kit...just in case. My last MW did this, knowing I would likely have a fast birth and she might not make it (she did, with about 5 minutes to spare). She left me with oxygen, suction, etc. - actually her whole birth kit - including methergine. I know how to draw up a syringe, but she was going to show me, again "just in case." I'm all about having herbs on hand as well - google hemhalt and wombstringe for two I've heard good things about. Also, in regards to the placenta, I've also heard you can just take a small piece and put it under your tongue, if you can't stomach (literally) chewing it. However, if your MW has extra supplies, it might be worth a "crash course" on using them...especially if this will help ease any anxiety you or your partner/attendants might have regarding the mw coming from far away. Best to you!

 

[DoomaYula]

My iron is -- I have Alpha Thalassemia so my iron always appears low. However this is my third birth and I've never had a problem with pph. It's just the last birth I was at that is making me concerned... I'm still working through it. Thanks for all your suggestions mamas!

 

[umami_mommy]

you can read my birthstory, my mw didn't make in time for my very fast birth 5 weeks ago.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=623639

(BTW, she chaecked my hemocrit at 38 weeks and it was good)

 

[celestialdreamer]

My MW didn't make it for my ds's very rapid birth (almost a year ago, how'd that happen!?) and I felt like I started bleeding too heavily. The cord was short and when we tried to move the baby up to nurse, thats when I started feeling like I was bleeding too much. After that slight accidental tug to the cord, I could feel the blood just pouring out. Since ds wasn't interested in nursing and the cord was too short anyway, I gently massaged my fundus, stimulated my nipples and told my body to quit bleeding (sounds weird but I think it helped too). Instinctively I just knew I needed to take it seriously. The bleeding slowed down dramatically after I did those things, but I was extremely light headed and very pale for a couple days after his birth.

My MW didn't seem to be overly concerned with the amount of blood she saw when she arrived, but I definitely think that my intuition kicked in and helped me do what was needed before the situation became dangerous. If I have another baby, I'd be planning for another possible UC since my last birth was so fast (2.5hrs from start to finish, and only an 1.5 of active labor) so I would also have on hand some herbal supplies if needed. I would prefer not to eat a piece of placenta, but if I thought I needed to do so, I would have no problem with it.

ETA: My iron levels were really good throughout my pregnancy, since I eat organic dark leafy greens every day. I think that helped me bounce back pp too. I definitely recommend eating them as much as you can!