Homebirth General Discussion #14

[Beatrix]

Arimeh- I'm sure Zoe was breach at her 30 week app my midwife wasn't and said she wouldn't have been concerned until 36 weeks. Thankfully she turned on her and boy did I feel it!!

I'm kinda sad now. I am realizing that this is it. No more babies for me. I will never get that moment of giving birth again and meeting the tiny human I have grown.
Hoping if I get into midwifery that it will take the edge of my love of birthing and satisfy it.

[Arimeh]

I don't think it matters how big/small you are - that's a terrible position to get into and maintain! I was doing it to try to give my posterior baby room to turn with my last pregnancy, and I thought my eyeballs were going to explode!

Hahaha yeah sometimes I feel my brain is going to pop out my ears or something!!!! Too much pressure. Hope your insomnia goes away soon, I normally get that around 40 weeks - not pleasant at all!

I agree, the spinning babies positions are not easy for any normal person.! My DS was very mobile until the end, even though he was over 10lb. lots of time being transverse, breech at 38 and 40 weeks. we could move him head down with rebozo, but he would move again. I worry for this little one, my tummy muscles are probably in worse condition. I was fortunate to have midwife comfortable with breech birth, and a baby who got his shiz together at the right time.
both mine have been 41 weekers and I would be reluctant to consent to c section early too. c,mon baby, be nice to your mum.

Yeah both girls were really mobile, thats why I wasn't worried. DD3 was still mobile and floating high when I went into labour with her and 2 hours later I was pushing her out, so I know they can move - this one just feels different because he isn't mobile, he's just sitting there. I think he tilts his head forward sometimes because I feel it between my ribs, but mostly its under my left rib. Its the fact that he isn't mobile that concerns me I think.

Arimeh- I'm sure Zoe was breach at her 30 week app my midwife wasn't and said she wouldn't have been concerned until 36 weeks. Thankfully she turned on her and boy did I feel it!!

Yeah I normally wouldn't be concerned except for the whole not mobile thing! I haven't talked to my midwife yet - she's in Germany at the moment, and I have an appointment at 32 weeks with the other midwives that work with her, but I know they get a little antsy if they haven't turned at 37 weeks. So I know I've got time, but I've never had one that wasn't mobile! And I think its the unknown thats scaring me, so I'm sort of getting into the mind frame that if it turns into a c-section then it was meant to be.

I hope you do become a midwife - I think everyone who is passionate about birth should be! Its the only way change will be made in our system, if more people who are passionate about natural birthing and no-intervention births become midwives!

[HotI]

Maybe if you can get him to move, then he might be happy enough to stay there. Ask your midwife if she can do rebozo.

[TeniBear]

Had my little cousin (my cousin's 17-year-old daughter) ask me yesterday if I was "still planning on that homebirth thing?" I said yes, and she grinned at me and went "that's SO COOL!" She was so excited I felt like asking her to come along to watch She's so interested in it all, I hope she remembers when (if) she has babies of her own

[Cricket]

Hey ladies! Does anyone know if there's anything I can do to minimize the likelihood of PPH? That's one thing I worry about a bit with this being baby #7. Would drinking RLT, or taking raspberry leaf capsules do anything? I'll be having a CBC done soon to make sure that my hemoglobin is at a good level, but if there's anything else I can do to help, I'd be interested to hear it.
I've never had a PPH before, but I definitely don't want this to be the first time!

[Cassius2]

Cricket: arnica and some placenta in the immediate post birth moment.

I took a single dose arnica of 200Ch immediately after. you could get your midwife to give you a bit of your placenta...i heard that smoothies are a great way to go. i will do that if there is a next time me thinks.

Teni: that is so cool that family is on board

[Arimeh]

I don't think RLT helps - I've read it actually increases the likelihood of it occurring? I dunno, but I took RLT in my pregnancy with Eden and Sahti, had a bleed of 400ml with Eden, and 800ml with Sahti...... so I'm tossing up whether or not I should take it again this time round....

[PumpkinZulu]

I've taken RLT both times and I'd say not to for you Cricket. I won't be taking it again myself. I definitely agree with arnica and a placenta smoothie right after. My midwife made mine with milk, yogurt, frozen berries and placenta, couldn't taste it at all.

[Cricket]

Interesting - I thought RLT was supposed to tone the uterus and make contractions more efficient, etc. I would have thought it would be beneficial for keeping it clamped down hard after delivery too. I never have taken it - was just thinking about it. Thanks for the info though, ladies - that really helps!
I don't think I'll be having placenta smoothie. I think my DH would die. Honestly. That's the one thing that grosses him right out about birth - the placenta. Weird, but that's how it is. Arnica though, we can probably do. And I have had the syntocin shot after birth too, which I'm OK with.

[PumpkinZulu]

It absolutely makes them more efficient, which is why I won't be taking it again. I've had two 6 hour labours, which were both horribly painful, contractions 2 mins apart from 1-2 hours in and no build up in pain or intensity. I figure the harder your uterus is working, the more blood etc it's pushing out. I had around 600ml losses both times.

[TeniBear]

I didn't really drink it as often as I was "supposed to" with Amelia, so I'm thinking I'll just do the same this time since I like the taste with honey anyway. Perhaps I'd get a small benefit from it, but not to the point of it being potentially problematic? I think my labour's going to be short-ish but I don't want to fool myself too much JIC it goes for much longer... Can't really predict it, hey?

I bought a new day planner today so I don't have to rely on my phone to see when appointments should be made, because I was caught out last time and had to guess at DH's work roster. Turns out I guessed correctly, but still. I want to know.

Only a couple more days until my next appointment, I actually have a few things I want to discuss! Yay, no "uh, no, that's it really" this time around when Kelly asks

[meow]

I had RLT in both pregnancies. I had amazing labours with textbook buildup of contractions and a very well functioning uterus. I had some blood loss at the end of the first labour but honestly I think that was more that my waters broke as baby was born and there was so much blood and muck everywhere the MWs erred on the side of caution. Blissful Herbs has a tea you can drink straight after birth to help prevent PPH and I know there is a tincture you can have on hand too, I'm just not sure what exactly.

[Eenee]

Am going to get some stuff from blissful herbs this time I think. I had a 800-900ml know it was 800 or 900 but can't remember which) loss with DS. And will try the placenta smoothie...will have to make myself though I think as DH not keen, he's happy for me to drink it just not make it.

[TeniBear]

I'm glad I now know what arnica does after this discussion The list of things I should get on the MAMA website says arnica but I hadn't got around to asking why

I'm also glad I can go to them for appointments, because my house is an utter dump at the moment and I'd be scared they'd tell me it wasn't suitable for a HB I really need to get rid of one of the couches from the loungeroom, move the bookcases, and give the floor a really good scrub. It's too cramped at the moment to get the floor clean enough for my liking. I kick myself every time I go in there, I had the chance to dump that couch but I thought I could make it work. Nope, it's gotta go.

[meow]

Arnica is the bomb. I took a high dose of it every 20mins after birth then every hour then a few times a day for about a week.

[TeniBear]

Ah boo. There's going to be a story on homebirth on that Sunday Night show tomorrow. The title is "When Birth Is A Crime" - reckon it's going to be overly positive? The preview says it's about HB gone wrong, and seems possibly sympathetic towards the parents, but it could go either way when it comes to midwives etc... Exactly what I need my mum to see before she meets Kelly on Wednesday She's the one I have to convince the most. She's supportive-ish but doesn't get why I won't just go to hospital. I'm hoping a good talk with Kelly will set her mind at ease, and I'd prefer her to meet Jan as well. I think she'll respect and listen to Jan a little more because of the age/experience thing...

[Beatrix]

Teni- I saw the ad for the story as well.. and cant say i believe they will paint home birth in a positive light

BUT I am going to say that whole its sad from what I can see that the police too the baby as part of evidence etc and by the sounds of it in not a nice way I do understand why they needed to take it. I don't believe its a crime but it is a coroners case because the baby passed outside of the hospital environment. My BIL was recently found deceased in his house and it too was treated like a crime scene and he was taken away.
They need to make sure no foul play occurred unfortunately and if it could have been prevented.

[TeniBear]

Yeah, they do the same with SIDS cases too I understand the legal reasons behind it - they need to see if someone's at fault - but they're not always nice about it. The parents (or whoever else is there) are treated as guilty until proven innocent rather than the other way around. Awful all around. I just can see this devolving into another HB attack, especially if the parents turn out to be of the opinion the midwives could have done more. Even if they could have saved this baby in particular, not everyone should be tarred with the same brush.