Home Birthers & Hopefuls!

[cranberry987]

Ooh you found out the sex. More boys!!

 

[lynnikins]

yep i seem to be producing my own rugby team here

 

[ljo1984]

aw glad everythings been okayed. so exciting for you now! xx

 

[Rebaby]

I keep checking in to see if we've had any more homebirth babies arriving- hope those of you nearing the end of your pregnancies aren't feeling too fed up.

Great news that baby has turned Sam and that everything has been ok'd for your homebirth lynnikins.

I thought it might be worth mentioning that we're selling our birth pool (and accessories) in case any mamas are interested. Not sure if there are any homebirth hopeful mamas near enough to be able to collect it though, but if anyone is interested then pm me

Rudy is a week old already I'd forgotten how quickly these early weeks fly by! We're all doing well anyway, tired but very happy

 

[lynnikins]

if you didnt live in manchester and me in london id take you up on that Rebaby i still havent measured our bath but i think it would be a touch tight for a waterbirth

 

[fides]

welcome, whitbit!

afm, I'm 38 weeks!!! 1 week of term gone; only 4 left!

Hope you're all doing well!

 

[ljo1984]

aw rebaby! id of taken you up on the birth pool if i'd of thought! i won mine on ebay yesterday! xx

 

[chuck]

Got my labour notes today! Fairly short and sweet compared to the weighty tome of Dewi's 24 hour cascade of intervention.

Need to sit down and have a proper read when the boys are in bed but so far
10pm MW arrived
10:30pm - VE (7cm), ctx strong 3/4:10 lasting 60 secs
10:50pm 2nd MW called
11pm GnA offered but no mouthpiece in kit LOL
11:20 2nd MW arrives and GnA started
12:15am threw up - lots LOL
1am SRM
1:30am 2nd VE - fully dilated but baby OP
1:35am Ambulance called for transfer
1:48am ambulance arrived
1:55am leaving in ambulance
2:10 strong urges to push in ambulance and I pooped
2:40am arrived in hospital
2:55am3rd VE (WTF?? dont remember that one!) defo 10cm and Pushing well
3:30am still pushing well but minimal movement - put in lithotomy
3:45am good advancement of vertex
3:51am SVD of baby onto my tummy born screaming!
3:52am synto for 3rd stage - CCT administered
4:30am checked for tears
5am baby taken for checks
6:30am taken to ward

Finally I had no idea what time stuff happened LOL

 

[Blah11]

Why were you actually transferred chuck? Was it your decision?

 

[chuck]

I didnt want to move for teh VE let alone get into a friggin ambulance!

Baby had turned OP, no urge to push but bleeding lots.

Decision was made to go whiloe I had a rest adn be grateful in case the bleeding turned major rather than wait and have ti be rushed in at break neck speed as I live 30/40mins form either hospital.

I would have waited longer and 1 of the MW would have waited longer but hubby was very much right you've said go so make the call dammit.

 

[Blah11]

Thats ashame would you have waited in hindsight?

 

[chuck]

Absolutely.

I know I could have given birth within the hour had I stayed home and been given the support I needed to mobilise and move bubba around and push more effectively.

But hey, when you dont really have a birth partner what can you do?!?!?!

I did the best I could and got as much of what I wanted as I could by myself.

What did I get that I didnt want..
transfer
cannula
lithotomy
managed 3rd stage with CCT

 

[lesleyann]

I really want to get my notes now! Not because there was anything wrong but I would be intrested to read them..

Must remember to messaure up to buy a birthpool, all the ones on ebay I find are all full price anyway with like £20 postage when I know though Oh's work can post it for £5 so what £10 for random public.

 

[sun]

BnB is really getting away from me at the moment! I'm wayyyyy behind on every thread it seems.
I will have to go back and read asap - hopefully I didn't miss any new HBs!!

I just had my follow-up blood test today to check my iron. If I have brought the levels high enough in the last month, then all is a go for my HB!!! LO just has to stay inside for another 2 weeks and 5 days! Woo!

 

[chuck]

Good stuff Sun...keep up the good diet and make sure you get plenty of vit C aswell as Iron, it helps your body uptake the iron.

 

[cranberry987]

excellent news about the iron levels

ive decided baby being breech half the time is unacceptable (even tho I know its totally fine, its obviously next on my list of worries) so have spent the day doing headstands off the sofa. no idea if its working but Ive a stupid growth scan on monday and would like him to be head down for that so I know what it feels like. is so hard to tell, sometimes I wonder if its just that I cant feel the legs kicking me as theyre in my back? maybe its punches down low.

anyway, far too early to be worrying about it but its something to do innit.

chuck - did you feel like it was useful getting your notes? im unsure as I wonder if it would just dredge up loads of hurt and resentment with me if I had had things which didnt go 100% as I planned.

 

[Samantha675]

Cranberry I just got my MWs notes from the birth of my son. It was not easy to read and I just sat and sobbed when I finished. But it allowed me to address my fears better to my new mw. She read through them and I really feel it gave her a better understanding of my feelings. And now I think she can support ms better.

 

[chuck]

I cy my eyes out any time I look at Dewi's notes.

 

[cranberry987]

spose some hurt needs to be poked a bit tho so that you can work through it

Ive written a letter to my consultants, we shall see if anything improves because of it.

Spoiler

I have a consultant appointment and growth scan on Monday 24th Oct at the diabetic obstetrics clinic and there are some issues which I would like to talk about then so I am writing in the hope that you are able to give me enough time on the day. If the clinic is too busy for this conversation then I would be happy to receive a reply via letter/email. If a written response then please could I receive a reply by Nov 10th as I have a midwife appointment in which we will be discussing home birth.
As you are aware we are planning a home birth. This obviously means that we will be rejecting routine induction on the grounds of my being diabetic which has been mentioned at previous appointments. We would like to make it clear though that if any problems do become apparent or even mildly suspected then we are happy to accept interventions as needed. We have, however, done our research on this subject and believe this is the best option for us as things currently stand. Our baby and I are healthy and have had no problems throughout the pregnancy. My blood pressure and blood sugar (both hba1c and self monitoring pre/post meals) are well within target and so far our scans have all been normal. I’m sure you know the counter argument to the policy of being induced at 38w, but the most striking statement to me is that the RCOG state that it’s based on common practice rather than solid evidence.
As per the NICE guidelines we would like to have tests of fetal wellbeing from 38w and would like some information on how these are done ie frequency, what the test is looking for and more practical issues like where in the hospital are the tests done, who will be doing it etc.
We understand that it is the medical professionals’ responsibility to ensure that we are aware of all the risks however we have found that risks have been repeatedly brought up even when we have demonstrated that they are something we are aware of. This has led us to lose trust in the team which is a dangerous place to be in case there are any interventions which I really DO need, we are less likely to believe someone who we don’t trust which may lead to delays in accepting necessary treatment.
We would like to resolve this situation and propose a solution. At our next appointment in which I will be 32w pregnant we would like to have a full discussion of all the currently relevant issues, risks and benefits of our options, anything else which you might want to bring up at all (however please ensure that this is evidence based practice) with the aim to have a balanced and frank discussion. After this discussion we would like a note put in my maternity notes, prominent enough so that future health professionals will notice it, to the effect that the risks of x y and z have been explained and need not be repeated.
If the situation changes of course then we are happy to revisit the issues, if I develop high blood pressure, or pre eclampsia or the tests of fetal wellbeing discover some problem then by all means tell us what the risks are but as long as we both continue to be healthy we see no point in repeating the issues – we are adults and are able to make informed decisions.
Our worry is that approaching 40w is a vulnerable place to be. I would like to come into the hospital for tests as offered but if they consist of a Dr repeating the risks of our actions each time I come in with the aim to basically scare me into changing my mind then I feel that I will have to disengage from such tests which may mean that some real problem IS missed.
Our view is that we have made our decision based on our current health situation. If this changes then we can revisit the issues, if it (hopefully) doesn’t then we see no need to change our mind and repeatedly warning us of the risks seems to be trying to tap into our naturally heightened emotional state which will develop further as I reach full term.
We would also be grateful if someone from the team was able to discuss self monitoring of blood sugars both during labour and after birth. I self monitor at the moment and believe I have good awareness of my patterns, however, I know that these may change during labour. We also would like advice on what equipment we can use to monitor our baby’s sugar levels at home.
I hope that you see that this letter is meant as a way to resolve the issues which we have had with the clinic and work towards a relationship of trust and support. We have made our plans and would like to feel like your staff are able to support us in our path, whether they agree with our choices or not.

 

[Blah11]

ive read my notes from amelie (i photocopied them too) and some of it was quite wrong Like they had me down as term+12 for some reason (I was 39+1)! Other than that, it was a nice read



I have the MW tomorrow and im hopeful. I'm 90% sure hes head down and starting to engage.