Homebirth General Discussion #14

[Cricket]

But newborn care... you have to add to your list of "do nots" things like no antibacterial cream in baby's eyes, no bath or else they wash them before even handing them over to the mother! If you choose not to have your baby washed then it's a biohazard and all the staff have to wear gloves when they hold it. Oh lordy!

Yeah, the antibiotic cream is mandatory in most places. It's to prevent blindness caused by syphilis (I think). Apparently Helen Keller was one of those who pushed to have it required by law. It would be nice if they could just treat those who actually are at risk for getting the disease though! Needless waste of antibiotics and needless exposure to it too.

And the "biohazard" thing is kind of annoying from a mother's perspective, but from the nurse's perspective, I can see it. You don't know what the mother may or may not have (or maybe you DO know, and that makes it worse!) and it's her bodily fluid on the baby. You wouldn't expect them to handle any of your other fluids without gloves, right?

[Cassius2]

oh meow that does suck massively

you will have another crack at having a baby, surely xx Move to LA and have a baby with the sanctuary people. if P!NK can do it (and me lol) then you can too

Also, there is, in a number of private hossys there the requirement to pump baby's gut after birth....making that first feed totally null and void. i was horrified and ran straight from that hospital.

Cricket: here in OZ midwives and OBs dont even have to wear gloves during labour and birth. there is no way that i would allow my midwives to wear gloves when handling my baby. i would think too, that the staff would know what you 'have' or dont have?? with routine BTs and all that jazz.

my babies have never really had a 'first bath'. we tend to think about it after 2 or 3 weeks. there is no residue or anything on bubs...maybe because i birth in water??

[meow]

I'm not concerned about having a baby here. The homebirth scene is good, there would just be a couple more things to list on the birth plan if we transferred

My non-waterbirth baby was born in a sea of muck as my waters broke as he was born and blood and gore even splashed up the walls... but he was dry and not mucky pretty much straight away. We didn't bath him for a week or so. The nurses should be washing their hands between patients in any case and it's not like a dry baby is gunky. No need for gloves.

Treating everybody for a condition caused by a disease they don't have and assuming they may not know they have it because their partner is unfaithful is crazy. But I do get that it's ahrd to then only the treat the people you do suspect of being in that situation. It's totally unnecessary though as blindness can now be avoided by treating the pink eye when and IF it occurs. Giving antibiotics at a birth to a generation of children who already have compromised gut flora is shocking.

[Cassius2]

My non-waterbirth baby was born in a sea of muck as my waters broke as he was born and blood and gore even splashed up the walls...

DH still reckons that cleaning up the birth pool after the birth was like a scene from the 'sopranos' lol. i told him to shuddup and keep cleaning lol.

can i ask why a baby wouldnt be allowed to the preschool? here they encourage siblings at reading times etc.

i had to giggle at the info night first-timers. they are also prevalent at the MN info nights. and the calmbirth course that i attended. i giggle and cry all at once. i have become a little more feisty in showing them that i am 'normal' and like them but just choose to have a baby at home and why. it might not change their mind, but at least sows a seed or two....hopefully.

[meow]

They're all about you being there to work when you do your parent participation hours and you have a job schedule for your entire time there so you're not allowed to be distracted looking after your baby/other child. We're currently going to a summer playgroup thing at one of the preschools and the people are lovely and the kids are all running around everywhere and there are some full-term breastfeeders and all that but I guess they just put you on the clock when you're there to work your shift.

I said a few things too to try and show the the other parents 'been there, done that, all still alive'... people we're like "but my ob is awesome, I've never met the hospital MWs and my husband is there for me... what do I want a doula for?" so at least I could say from a fellow mumma point of view that I agreed with the 'experts' that you DO want (at least) a doula and little tid-bits like that. But when they say "what's the best way for me to avoid a c-section?" and the experts say "have a homebirth!" then try and frame a 'helpful' response that is tailored to their birth care decision then I just shut up lol

[Cassius2]

i would of loved to have gone along with you! it all sounds quite fun and i just love birthy stuff lol.

[Cricket]

Cricket: here in OZ midwives and OBs dont even have to wear gloves during labour and birth. there is no way that i would allow my midwives to wear gloves when handling my baby. i would think too, that the staff would know what you 'have' or dont have?? with routine BTs and all that jazz.

Interesting. What do they do on other floors? When I was in nursing school, we were drilled on "standard precautions" which meant you wore gloves any time you could be in contact with bodily fluids or open wounds. It was for your own protection and the patient's. And knowing how often hand washing gets forgotten or missed in the rush of a busy day, I think I'd almost rather have my nurse put on clean gloves before she touched my baby at the hospital.

Just another reason I'm glad to have my babies at home. Hospitals are gross and dirty.

My homebirth babies first baths have been the post partum herbal bath with me. The herbs they use are supposed to be good for healing the umbilical stump too.

[Cricket]

double post...

[Cassius2]

maybe they are meant to in hospitals here...but not all follow it i guess

i too am soo glad that i have babies at home...sorts out all those icky problems quite easily