I'm new and would love some opinions :)

[Doodlepants]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the natural birthing section and would just like some advice/ opinions if you don't mind?

When I had my daughter I was induced in hospital. When they broke my waters there was meconium in there. I had also been having monitering for reduced movements leading up to being induced.
I was put on a drip to speed things up (I think that was why- my daughter's HB was indicating that she was in stress?) and advised to have an epidural- all I had heard through pregnancy was that induction was even more painful so I agreed- I did ask if I would be getting my water birth before all of this- I was told no as I would need monitering. So I spent my time in labour strapped to the bed and ended up with a vontouse and forceps delivery.

Well done if you managed to get this far!
Basically, what I want to know (and haven't had any luck asking my MW) is this- Would it be completely selfish of me to want a water birth? I'd love a homebirth but I'm so so frightened because of last time. The birth centre is in the hospital so I guess it's there if worst came to worst.
I live about 30 mins away from the nearest hospital which is why I'm leaning towards the birth centre rather than home birth.

Any advice would be much appreciated, I feel quite lost and I am going to do everything in my power not to have a birth like last time.

Sorry if I sound so uneducated about all of this xxx

 

[Bournefree]

You don’t’ sound uneducated at all!! Make no apologises for asking questions - hey some of us have spent rather a long time researching all that is to do with pregnancy , labour and birth (perhaps a bit tooo much!)

Meconium staining isn’t necessary an indicator of fetal distress in your waters - NICE state that only fresh meconium should be considered for a transfer to an obst unit and constant fetal monitoring to establish if there is fetal distress. Essentially a HR of below 100bmp or over 160bpm, would indicate if baby is in distress. Interestingly if you had this from you trace ?(post staining) you would have been a crash-section, so I think it is safe to assume you didn’t.

So, from what you have given us, you didn’t fit into this emergent category. You could labour on, without the induction drip, and I would be inclined to say (I hope you don’t mind) that the constant monitoring, as well as the epi you wanted (and your right that lots of women report pain from an induction drip but, as the epi would inhibit your natural feedback responses to labour to produce more oxytocin in your brain to further labour and birth, so your labour was naturally restricted), meant that the induction drip would go hand-in-hand, which in turn according to guidelines, gives you 2 hours to produce your baby (for first labour, which I’m wholly against these silly guideline restrictions) which in-turn lead to your forceps delivery, because you couldn’t feel F-all (excuse my language!) and put under enormous pressure and made to feel inadequate, vulnerable, and powerless

It is never selfish to want a healthy birth, both for you and baby! Please don’t think that way. I know that your are scared, and you have your experience of your first labour and birth to make you feel that way - but you should be questioning, why it turned out as it did?

Every pregnancy is very different, however (certainly as I see it) there were no physiological reasons for your forceps delivery the first time round. And even if you did have; such as mal positioning (breach, transverse lie) shoulder and pelvic-cephalic disproportion - I would be telling these ladies with that presentation, they are unlikely to be apparent again.

You do what you feel comfortable with - however sometimes if I’m being really honest with you - interventions in your bodies process of birth lead to more interventions and eventually complications (I know this doesn’t happen in every instance, but it does increase your risk of them happening)

What rings true to me; is that the first level of intervention a women in labour takes, is walking through the hospital doors….….I’m perhaps going to get lynched for this!!!.. But I do feel this way:…..
If I want treatment, then I want to have a health problem first, not to have no problems what-so-ever, then get some treatment because it is policy to offer it, which will lead me to having a realistic major health problem requiring intervention treatment and emergency procedures.

Gosh, I’m so sorry.. my only excuse is that you did ask for opinion.
It truly, really saddens me you have been through this.
XxX

 

[Doodlepants]

Thank you.

I've always felt so badly about my daughter's birth and I really don't want to go through it again.
I'm seeing my midwife next month and am going to discuss the possibilty of a homebirth with her. I just have this horrible feeling in the back of my head that if something were to go wrong would I get to the hospital in time?
I do think you're right though- they give you all sorts of things in hospital and I just don't want anything. I will never ever have an epidural again because to this day I'm sure that is why I had to have forceps- not a nice way to enter the world is it?
My general fitness is better this time round and I feel more prepared.
I know I can do it
Thank you again
x

 

[PeanutBean]

Hi Doodle. Some of your story rings true with mine. My waters went naturally and I was told I would have to go to hospital for antibiotics if I hadn't delivered the baby (I was more naive then). Naturally that meant I couldn't 'perform' and I ended up going in which in turn left me so crushed with failure and self-condemnation I still couldn't get going. Time went by and various decisions were made (badly) by the hospital staff. By 20 late something hours there was a decision that I wasn't progressing and would have to go on syntocinon. I was then given four hours to dilate and the hospital had bets on an emergency section for me apparently. This will've been about 30 hours and I was beat having had regular painful contractions from the outset so I accepted an epidural. It didn't work (I felt all the contractions) but did very successfully paralyse me which meant I couldn't push at all and ended up with a ventouse delivery. Now that I have had time to analyse the birth I see how unnecessary every single medical intervention was. I am planning a home waterbirth and my MW is totally supportive of this. I am now much better informed (though I thought I was last time) and fully expect this birth to go the way I want it, assuming the baby doesnt go transverse!

The point of my post is that based on my own experience anyway I see no reason at all for you to not have a water birth. You might even with more research and analysis of your last experience that you want a homebirth after all.

 

[Doodlepants]

Thanks Peanutbean, I feel better knowing that others in similar situations are going for natural, homebirths. It makes me feel that I can do it too
xxx

 

[Bournefree]

PB - you say it so much better! As it can mean next to nothing from me... YOU are the lady for this.
XxX

 

[kiwimama]

I'm not nearly as clued up as the other ladies on here, and don't think I'll be able to offer any better advice then they have already given. I will just offer my support and say you can and will have a better birth than your last one. Just researching the possible reasons why it went the way it did last time brings you one step closer to having a calmer, safer and more natural birth this time around. Every women deserves to have the birth experience they desire.
OT - but your avatar looks delicious. Oh how I wish that donut could be teleported to me right now... :drool: (we need a drool smiley I think.)