stardust599
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Hey
I read your birth story and thought it was an amazing experience. I actually thought it was illegal though, I read a story recently where a couple were prosecuted after their baby became stuck during delivery and they didn't take medical help.
I'm not having a homebirth (I will next time) but having a natural birth in hospital instead so I hope you don't mind me asking questions for my own curiosity!! Please tell me to go away if you'd rather not as I don't want to be rude - I just love reading and learning.
Who did you have at the birth and did anyone have any medical training in case of an emergency? What would you have done if, for example, the babys shoulders were stuck, the cord prolapsed or the placenta would not come away? Did you have your own doppler or anything to monitor the baby during labour? Did you have any training on how to check the cord for loops etc. before the final pushes and did you have any equipment for resuscitating your baby or any training on this?
How did you know your baby wasn't breech? Did you ever consider having a midwife or doctor present but asking them not to intervene unless necessary?
Thanks xxx
EDIT - sorry i didn't mean that i thought your actual birth was illegal, i meant i thought to refuse medical assistance for a birth or pregnancy was illegal?
Don't worry, I don't take offense easy!! Which is one reason why I created this thread, so people could candidly ask questions.
There were five people in the house while I was giving birth: me, DH, DS1, my MIL and FIL (we live in the same house). However, only my DH was present in the room when I gave birth. My FIL has had a ton of medical training throughout his life. He is very well versed in CPR and emergency medicine.
I studied thoroughly on the what-ifs and was very confident that I could recognize an emergency should it arise. For example, if the shoulders were stuck, I would have gone to the hands and knees position. It helps open up the pelvis and rotate the baby. In the case of a prolapsed cord, more than likely I would have transported to a hospital, along with the case of a retained placenta. We have emergency services that can reach our house in less than five minutes.
We did our own prenatal care. I took my BP and weight on a weekly basis, as well as checking my urine at home. We monitored baby with a stethoscope, as we don't believe in using ultrasound technology on our baby. (personal choice, no offense meant to anyone who does!)
As for checking for loops, its unnecessary in most cases. In fact, our LO did have the cord around his neck but as he came out in one push, there was no time to check for it!!
I knew my LO wasn't breech by where I was picking up the heartbeat. (It was way down in the pelvis. However, I would not hesitate to deliver a breech baby at home, unassisted, so it really didn't matter to me.
I did consider having a mw present... for about one second. My previous birth experience put me totally off the one in my area, and I feel that even their presence causes a difference in the birth environment. The feeling of being watched has a profound effect on my body, and would have changed the birth experience completely.
Hope that answered your questions... keep them coming!
Thanks for answering, glad I didn't cause any offense!!