@grapefruits, do you know what your Dr's C/S rate is? Is your DR on board with you going natural?
I think the hospital's c/s rate is 40%, and their epidural rate is over 90%. I asked OB about going natural, and her response was that most people do get the epi, which was not particularly encouraging. I think she would let me go natural, but I wouldn't feel as confident if I didn't have a doula.
However, today I've been inspired by you all and some of my friends IRL. I just made some calls and found a very highly reviewed midwife group that has an opening for May delivery! They deliver at a birthing center which is attached to a hospital. They work with an OB for complications, and their c/s rate is 5%. It all seems pretty ideal. I set up an initial meeting with them for next Tuesday, 2/17. I'll let you all know how it goes. Wish me luck!
ahhh I didn't see we were onto a 3rd page so more to catch up with
snapdragon, welcome and congrats on your 2 Med free births so far. I had kind of a BTDT attitude with my 2nd prep and that birth I was definitely less in control, so it lit a fire in me this time to prepare more
@deziniki, what about having a trusted friend there to be your doula?
stargazerlily, yes it absolutely counts as med free even if you have an IV, that is usually pretty standard protocol (or at least a hep lock), continue to prepare, even if you do have GD , as long as you can keep your HBP in check all should be well
robotpcr, sounds like you have gotten a good start on things with you and your DH, I recommended it earlier but check out natural childbirth the bradley way and good for you for recognizing that you may have to stand up for yourself for some things. If you can convince your OB to do NST's vs inducing or waiting to see if you NEED pit then I think that is a good compromise
amelandre, sounds like you have taken great steps to help you achieve your VBAC , I hope you have a wonderful experience and awesome VBAC
cosmicav, welcome, sounds like you are planning really well already and have a great mindset, that will be super helpful!
j3nnyb3nny, people love to be negative, just stay positive and have your DH to help and you'll do great!
CatLady, welcome, hopefully you get lots of things to help you research and make your decision
brittneysandra, that is totally up to you, I personally have never had a doula, just DH and my 2 mw's who served as my doula. But I doula on the side and see how important it is! A m/w (depending on her style, if she is a mid wife vs a MED wife could serve as your doula if she is there the whole time) but I would look into a doula and see what you think will work best for you
claudizzle, welcome, a 4th homebirther, that is pretty high for our size group, very cool! Sounds like you are on your way to preparing and you have a solid group, awesome
Thank you so much for this boost! I was just telling MH I needed to get serious about making plans to get this baby out!
I am Veenie, a STM. I had an epi last time, and really didn't like not having any feeling. I labored down for an hour and still didn't have the urge to push. It's really difficult to know what /how yiu should push when you have no feeling. So I am hoping to go med free this time. I have selected a minimal intervention hospital to birth, but hope to do most of it at home.
I am 27+5.
I have set up appointments to interview Doulas, and will fully prepare in the methods our selected doula supports. I contacted our local Bradley method teacher about a refresher course, in case we decide to do that. Otherwise, reading (mainly what I can find on the internet) and talking to MH about why I want to do this. Hoping he will help me remember if I start to doubt.
No questions so far!
welcome veenie having your DH on board will be super helpful, they can help you push through (along with your doula) if you start to waver.
I was filling out the free check-the-box type birth plan on the earth mama angel baby website and there was a question about having pitocin AFTER the delivery to get the placenta out?? What would be the possible pros and cons of that? What's the point of that supposed to be?
it is becoming common practice (that I don't necessarily agree with unless the need arises) it helps your uterus to clamp down harder and to limit your bleeding, I think that you should let the placenta come out on its own and if you DO have a larger amount of blood (like I did with my 1st, but my homebirth m/w had me do a homeopathic tincture 2x first and that worked, but pitocin would have been the next step) then use the pitocin. It is just a way for them to speed up the process of the afterbirth.
If you want to take a preventative step you can start taking alfalfa pills (2 a day) from now until you give birth, my m/w makes everyone do it and she has had nearly no bleeding issues since implementing it in her care program
@grapefruits, do you know what your Dr's C/S rate is? Is your DR on board with you going natural?
I think the hospital's c/s rate is 40%, and their epidural rate is over 90%. I asked OB about going natural, and her response was that most people do get the epi, which was not particularly encouraging. I think she would let me go natural, but I wouldn't feel as confident if I didn't have a doula.
However, today I've been inspired by you all and some of my friends IRL. I just made some calls and found a very highly reviewed midwife group that has an opening for May delivery! They deliver at a birthing center which is attached to a hospital. They work with an OB for complications, and their c/s rate is 5%. It all seems pretty ideal. I set up an initial meeting with them for next Tuesday, 2/17. I'll let you all know how it goes. Wish me luck!
I was filling out the free check-the-box type birth plan on the earth mama angel baby website and there was a question about having pitocin AFTER the delivery to get the placenta out?? What would be the possible pros and cons of that? What's the point of that supposed to be?
it is becoming common practice (that I don't necessarily agree with unless the need arises) it helps your uterus to clamp down harder and to limit your bleeding, I think that you should let the placenta come out on its own and if you DO have a larger amount of blood (like I did with my 1st, but my homebirth m/w had me do a homeopathic tincture 2x first and that worked, but pitocin would have been the next step) then use the pitocin. It is just a way for them to speed up the process of the afterbirth.
If you want to take a preventative step you can start taking alfalfa pills (2 a day) from now until you give birth, my m/w makes everyone do it and she has had nearly no bleeding issues since implementing it in her care program
My doctor said this was the "standard of care" at the hospital where I'm delivering but that I could refuse if I wanted to and wait and see how it went. That's my plan. My mom had both me and my younger brother med-free and said the post painful contractions she ever had were pitocin ones after birth with my brother.
I was filling out the free check-the-box type birth plan on the earth mama angel baby website and there was a question about having pitocin AFTER the delivery to get the placenta out?? What would be the possible pros and cons of that? What's the point of that supposed to be?
I had it after my first baby (delivered by a midwife) but can't remember if I did after my 2nd. Like CTri17 said, it's to help the uterus contract, slow bleeding, and deliver the placenta. It's something that I had zero information or opinion on prior to giving birth.
So I don't want to overload the thread but I have lots of information/handouts etc from my doula that were so helpful. I'd like to share them with anyone who's interested. Here are some "titles" to name a few:
Advantages to Keeping the Bag of Waters Intact Coached Pushing Offers No Benefit to Moms or Babies and May Be Harmful Randomized Controlled Trial Supports Delayed Cord Clamping for Term Infants Delivery Positions How Fear Affects Labor and Birth Physiologic Pushing, Birth of the Head Between Contractions Reduce Genital Tract Trauma at Birth Study for Eating during labor Tips to avoid induction Tips to avoid cesarean Things to do to help avoid an episiotomy and tears
If anyone wants to see any of these let me know. I can post them here or email them to you as attachments
What an interesting thread, as a FTM I never thought about going Med Free, but I have to admit. I'm going to start reading Ina Mays book and suss this out. Thank you for starting this thread
Ee I had back labor with both of my girls, one of my placentas was anterior, but neither of my babies were posterior. I always experience pain in my back (when I'm sick or hurt) so apparently that is just where my body feels pain. It is a different pain, but it is manageable with some techniques (counter pressure on lower back, squeezing the tops of your hips together etc) I would definitely teach your husband some of those techniques (and your doula will know them as well), I would have him read the books with you, my husband got so excited about "his" part of the job when he read the books and it helped him to understand that what I was going to experience was normal.
beeorange, read above about how to help your DH, as far as what helped me the most was getting into "my zone" focusing on my breathing and only taking 1 contraction at a time. The more relaxed you are the more your body will open up and more quickly.
@deziniki, there will be lots of great advice in these threads over the next few months, just read (birth stories are great) and learn!
@grapefruits, do you know what your Dr's C/S rate is? Is your DR on board with you going natural?
Starbuck128, I don't think I remembered you had a homebirth, it's nice to have a few of us here to chat. I did NOT get a picture (wah) but I will tell you as cool as it is, she had both her hands by her face and along with the bag of waters plus her, it was a lot to push out! With DD1 my water didn't break until I was 9cm so I'm hoping for a similar experience this time around and we will have a photog friend taking pictures...oh and I don't think she has any super powers that I know of, unless you count her ability to go from super happy to crying in a moment!
mpiemont, having your water break late is so nice from a pain standpoint, who knows maybe you will have a baby born in the caul , what kind of physician are you and your DH?
hotcoconuts82, it sounds like your previous labor experiences will definitely help you try to go med-free. Being out of bed can be super important (though I spent much of my labor in the bradley sidelying birth position and that worked wonderfully for me but it wasn't like that with my 2nd)
chailife34, that is cool that you are delivering at a birth center, I think they are a great option, you have a wonderful attitude as well which I think goes a LONG way!
smilz4782,is your Dr/MW on board for you VBAC'ing? Are they putting any restrictions on you in regards to going into labor or timetables to give birth- there are so many different thoughts out there. I hope you get your VBAC!
fikmama1986, welcome, The bradley method book is a great place to start, now I'd get Natural Childbirth the bradley way and read that, as it has much more practical advice. and yes, I think you CAN be prepared, obviously we can never know exactly what will happen in labor, but you can prepare just as you do for a marathon/triathlon/etc
I hope I got everyone, it looks like we have a solid group here
if you have any questions you'd like to see us talk about over the coming weeks as a QOTW put it here.
I think one thing we should talk about is whether you should break your water or not and in what situations.
I did have my water broken after confirming with the midwife on call that they didn't have any strict associated timelines that would lead to pressure to have a c-section. Later, DD was having severe variable heart decelerations with each contraction and breaking my water actually made those worse as she lost some of the cushioning that the fluid provided. They actually ended up doing an amnioinfusion where they put fluids back in my uterus (who knew they could do that!) to help with the heart rate dips.
I would love to hear more ladies' experiences with having their water broken or their decision not to and the various situations they were in.
What have you done so far in your prep for a med-free birth? I've been talking to people who have had them and read a little on birth blogs like Birth Without Fear.
What do you WANT to do? I want to have a med-free birth, but if I beg for the epidural at 7+ centimeters I'll be okay with that.
Any Questions/Comments? Any suggestions for reading materials? I'm going to take a Lamaze class but I'm always looking for more to read. Specifically, I'm having a hospital birth and I'm very trusting of doctors' expertise, but the only "natural birth" reading I've been able to find so far has been pretty suspicious of doctors and hospitals. (Note: I haven't read through the thread yet - posting before class and I'll read the rest after)
Hey everyone! STM here, looking for a med free birth this time around. I had a 37 hour labor with DS, made it to 30 hours med free. I was not progressing because he was stuck in posterior position. I got the epi due to exhaustion and was induced at that time (my water had broke over 24 hours ago). I had a pretty traumatic birth, the OB had to manually turn DS inside of me and then forceps were used resulting in a 3rd degree tear.
I'm 27 weeks today!
This time I have secured a midwife (very hard to do up in western Canada as there is a huge shortage - I was out on a waitlist at 4 weeks pregnant) and plan to have a water birth or at least labor in the water. I'm going to birth at the only free standing birth centre in the city with a ginormous tub! Our hospitals do not have tubs and only one will let you rent a tub but you cannot birth in it. I feel the water would have helped me last labor - the shower felt so good but only hit on side of me.
Not too much for prep besides spinning babies and prenatal yoga. I've read Ina mays books last pregnancy but it might help to refresh. I'm going to see a chiropractor once I hit 32 weeks to make sure my pelvis is aligned (last pregnancy it wasn't). RRL and Nettle tea at 30 weeks.
Hi! FTM at 25weeks today I've been preparing for a med-free birth for years. I've read (in no particular order): -Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin -Holistic Midwifery Vol 1 by Anne Frye -The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin -The Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger -Heart & Hands: A Midwife's guide to Pregnancy and Birth by Elizabeth Davis -Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding -Ina May's Guide to Childbirth -The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer *Highly recommend this for everyone that's ever going to give birth in any way. There's so much info about all the possible procedures -Primal Moms Look Good Naked by Peggy Emch (all about nutrition during pregnancy) -Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide by (A whole bunch of people) Also, a couple fiction books regarding pregnancy and birth from different perspectives; a mom, an MD, and a midwife
I've watched videos of birth, read countless birth stories, watched The Business of being Born 1 & 2, watched Breastmilk, and shamelessly grilled my mother and sisters on their birth experiences.
I'm currently seeing a midwife group that runs an independent birthing center and have been working with a doula since first tri. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with placenta previa at my A/S and may be facing a C section if it doesn't resolve. My midwives are very confident that my placenta will move and statistically I have a 90% chance of that happening being a FTM with no prior uterine surgery. Hopefully that happens and I get my med-free birth.
What do I still have to do? I am required to take a class by my birthing center sometime around 28 weeks. I also plan on researching some more specific pain management techniques.
It's nice to have such a big group! I think it might be a good idea to have some of our broader discussions on the Natural Birth board. There are some more ladies over there that could offer additional perspective and we could just link the thread here...just a thought
So I don't want to overload the thread but I have lots of information/handouts etc from my doula that were so helpful. I'd like to share them with anyone who's interested. Here are some "titles" to name a few:
Advantages to Keeping the Bag of Waters Intact Coached Pushing Offers No Benefit to Moms or Babies and May Be Harmful Randomized Controlled Trial Supports Delayed Cord Clamping for Term Infants Delivery Positions How Fear Affects Labor and Birth Physiologic Pushing, Birth of the Head Between Contractions Reduce Genital Tract Trauma at Birth Study for Eating during labor Tips to avoid induction Tips to avoid cesarean Things to do to help avoid an episiotomy and tears
If anyone wants to see any of these let me know. I can post them here or email them to you as attachments
I want to read all of these handouts tbh! (especially the fear and the ones with tips) Maybe you could post like one a week or something so that you aren't too overworked with all the extra posting and stuff?
Post by brittneysandra on Feb 9, 2015 17:41:14 GMT -5
Im not sure If I'm crazy but I looked up some natural birth classes and hypo birthing classes in my area and they are like $250-300 ... Does this seem outrageous ? I just can't seem to justify paying for these..
cosmicav My doula gave me this excerpt from the full article- I'm trying to find the whole thing but here's a start
How Fear Affects Labor and Birth
The emotional state of fear on the part of the birthing woman can have a negative impact on the progress of her labor and her overall experience of birth…. Slowing down or arrest of labor [is a] physiological phenomenon observable in animals, whose bodies instinctively cease to labor when a threat is perceived. …The same [response is] noted in women upon arrival at the hospital…. Emotional changes are shown to affect the physiological state of the birthing woman…. This is a difficult concept to accept and integrate into current US culture, where the separation of mind and body has been universally accepted under the tenets of Cartesian Dualism…. Modern US biomedicine is deeply entrenched in this concept and rarely focuses its care on the mental side of medical situations.
…Scientific studies, however, indicate that certain hormonal changes take place in the presence of fear, stress and anxiety…. Adrenaline has been referred to as the antithesis of oxytocin, the naturally produced hormone that stimulates uterine contractions.(Gaskin 2003) Another category of hormones (catecholamines, which include epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine) is indicated by other studies as one of the causative factors in fetal distress as well as problematic labor. Catecholamines…circulate when the pregnant mother is anxious or afraid [and pass through the placenta to the baby, affecting] the baby's environment. [Under these conditions, the risks of fetal distress during labor are increased, and medical intervention ensues.]
The level of fear experienced by women today may be in part due to the removal of birth from the natural feminine realm…. The medicalization of birth in part causes fear, which causes the rising hormone levels, which in turn causes complications that lead to medical intervention. The resulting circular logic normalizes birth as a medical event.
— Colleen Bak, excerpted and paraphrased from "The Role of Fear in the US Birthing Process," Midwifery Today Issue 67
Im not sure If I'm crazy but I looked up some natural birth classes and hypo birthing classes in my area and they are like $250-300 ... Does this seem outrageous ? I just can't seem to justify paying for these..
that is pretty common, I personally don't think you NEED to have a class you can learn plenty through reading/researching.
if you were going to choose between a class and a doula I would HANDS DOWN do a doula
Please introduce yourself, any previous births/experiences you want to share.
2 previous med free births. First was mostly uncomplicated, SROM, 3-8cm in an hour, pushed for 20 minutes. Total time in labor, 4.5 hours. Second was complicated, but not unmanageable. Arrived at the hospital already at 7cm after 2 weeks of early labor. Labored in the tub mostly. Had a posterior, then transverse, then asynclitic baby. Took 12 hours to get from 7-9.5cm. Pushed for an hour (MW manually moved cervical lip, yikes). Aprox 16 hours of real labor.
How many weeks are you?
26.5
What have you done so far in your prep for a med-free birth?
Hired my doula. Seeing a chiro for back pain and potentially to get babe in a good position. Also doing exercises at night for optimal positioning. Eating plenty of good nutrition, esp protein.
What do you WANT to do?
Not have a malpositioned baby and have a water birth in a birthing center.
#1 - 10/10 | #2 - lost but not forgotten 10/12 | #3 - 7/13 | #4 - 5/15 Diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer 12/19/16 Finished with chemo 4/27/17! Double mastectomy summer 17 Radiation fall 17
Without knowing what you're looking for I'd say Spiritual Midwifery and the Thinking Woman's Guide to A Better Birth. The former has tons of birth stories and lots of practical information about natural birth. The latter is DENSE with information about all modern procedures, pro con lists, and references for the information. You can "skip around" in both and read them more like text books to make it easier to digest the info. This is especially true with the Thinking Woman's Guide.
If you're looking for something a little easier to digest I'd recommend both of Ina May's "Guide to..." books. They are much shorter and less technical.
If you haven't seen The Business of Being Born yet I would recommend that as well; both the original and the follow up "episodes". Especially the original, actually. A lot of people dislike it but I think it has value in the birth stories it shares even if you think some of the claims it makes are alarmist.
Im not sure If I'm crazy but I looked up some natural birth classes and hypo birthing classes in my area and they are like $250-300 ... Does this seem outrageous ? I just can't seem to justify paying for these..
How often and for how long do the classes meet? My hypnobirthing class is a bit more than that, but it includes five 2-hour sessions (10 hours total) and books and CDs.
viola I hope your Placenta previa resolves soon, when is your re-scan?
Did you like the Primal moms look good naked? I might check that one out
The rescan is somewhere around 32 weeks. I think I'm going to push for an "in between" scan to see if I've made progress though. I need some tangible hope.
I LOVED Primal Moms Look Good Naked. I gobbled it up in two nights of before-bed reading and am currently re-reading. It's great if you have an interest in diet/nutrition.
Post by sarahchrismck on Feb 9, 2015 18:21:07 GMT -5
I'm a FTM, 28 weeks pregnant. I've only ever wanted to do a med-free birth because, to be perfectly honest, the idea of an epidural scares me way more than hours of painful labor and pushing. Plus, I want to be in complete control during the process. I've had people (such as my SIL) tell me that I will want the epidural, but I'm not sure I will. I guess it depends on the situation, but at this point, I'm planning on doing it as med-free as possible.
I've been reading some books and talking to people about their experiences. DH and I have classes coming up in March to help us prepare. He has been and will be supportive of my choices during birth.
It's super scary, but I know I can do it (assuming no complications occur).
ETA: I've always wanted a water birth as well, but there are no places in my area that do that, and it would all be an out-of-pocket expense. My insurance covers everything at the hospital, so I feel kind of stuck with that choice. My hospital does have tubs in their rooms, so I plan on using that.
Another thing, I already know I'm GBS positive. I tested positive with my urine at my first prenatal appointment. I'm not sure how that affects me laboring as much as I can at home, but I plan on asking my doctor at the next appointment.
Im not sure If I'm crazy but I looked up some natural birth classes and hypo birthing classes in my area and they are like $250-300 ... Does this seem outrageous ? I just can't seem to justify paying for these..
That doesnt seem crazy for what I have seen. Do you have a flex spending account. You could call and see if the class would be covered under birth education. Mine will cover it, so might be worth a shot!
I think doing a question on the NB board might be great, if they are up for it, We could do our check in here and have a link to the post on the NB board and have a discussion there.
Thoughts? I haven't ventured over there yet, so I don't know how they are as a group.
I think doing a question on the NB board might be great, if they are up for it, We could do our check in here and have a link to the post on the NB board and have a discussion there.
Thoughts? I haven't ventured over there yet, so I don't know how they are as a group.
I don't know the group dynamics over there, but as long as they would be cool with it, it would be nice to get more input on our questions
I think doing a question on the NB board might be great, if they are up for it, We could do our check in here and have a link to the post on the NB board and have a discussion there.
Thoughts? I haven't ventured over there yet, so I don't know how they are as a group.
I'm over there and there doesn't seem to be much of a regular group. It seems like more of a pure resource board for the topic and anyone can post there. I've started a couple threads that got a decent response (I don't think it has too much traffic)
I just think it would help keep our board free of too much NB talk for those that don't want to see it. Also, it would allow people other than M15 to not only respond but reference the information
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