Stuck run

[bronze]

I need info from a mw but one whos not mine and doing all that erring on the side of caution business. Is there anyone on here that can help?

[cordelia]

if no one can help...try phoning a midwife led unit for some advice...best of luck

[The Dogmother]

Try PMing Kate A Bron, she used to be a midwife

[Karen & co.]

I was a midwife if I can help?

 

Karen x

[cordelia]

wow...this really is a great place !!

 

(meant sincerely)

[Paola]

wow...this really is a great place !!

 

(meant sincerely)

 

I know This is usually my first point of contact if I need any advice etc.

 

Hope you get the advice you need Bronze

[bronze]

Oh thanks yeah just an opinion would be really good.

 

Basically I've always wanted a a homebirth but thats never been an option because dh doesnt agree. Fair enough. So I've tried for a waterbirth, problems in labour meant no with ds1. Ds2 arrived soon after arriving at hospital.

DD was prem and a crash section with GA.

I've seen the consultant this time and though they've agreed to a vbac they want me to be monitored the whole time which basically means being on my back the whole time

 

All I really want to know is whats the least amount of intervention I could push for safetly.

Obviously I dont want to put nugget in danger but the idea of being on my back in labour terrifies me. Do I really need to be monitored constantly? Any advice?

[BeckyBoo]

Can I just say I had a vbac and I was still able to walk around, I used a birthing ball, knelt down, everything just couldn't have a water birth (didn't really want one) and had the monitors on which was basically a VERY long wire so I was still mobile. Hope you get the answer you need

 

 

Mrs B

 

edited to add, I had ventouse and then forceps with number 1 and full on placenta previa (sp?) with number two hence the c-section under GA, I know everyones circs are different but that's how I ended up with a vbac, and can I just add, that by number 3 my body appeared to have got the hang of this "giving birth" lark and number 3 was perfect, a truly lovely experience even WITH the wire (which I had stopped noticing) so I really really hope you get a great experience this time, I finally felt like I'd had the experience all the other mums had been raving about and (if I wasn't so old knackered and broke) would do it all again at the drop of a hat!

Edited November 6, 2008 by Guest

[Jules.]

Bron I'm not a midwife, but can I suggest you contact AIMS about this (Association for Improvements in Midwifery Services) www.aims.org.uk

 

They were great with me when I was having battles with MW's while pregnant with Ethan. They konw all the latest info re clinical studies, & also your rights as a pregnant woman. They will give you unbiased advice.

[Cate in NZ]

I'd second the idea of contacting AIMS, they're really helpful & informative, and should be able to give you loads of advice.

I was a midwife, but quit a few years ago now, and hesitate to give too much advice myself, simply because I'm no longer up to date with the new research and stuff.

However the consultant will always be looking at the "worst case scenario", normal, straightforward births are assisted by midwives, doctors, & especially senior doctors, only get involved when things are going wrong......it gives them a slightly distorted perspective .

Also, sadly, litigation is going through the roof, we're following the American model, & drs are scared of getting sued if things don't go to plan......hence the rise in defensive medicine, more & more monitoring & intervention during labour in anticipation of problems that almost definitely won't happen....but that theoretically could.

Unfortunately you've already had a couple of high risk births, whilst that doesn't mean in any way that this birth will be high risk as well it does mean that you'll have made your consultant nervous, that's why he'll be ordering continuous monitoring.

I'm not saying that I agree with him by the way, but I don't know enough about your history etc to disagree completely, & I'd hate to give wrong or misleading information.

Talk to AIMS, they'll have the information to hand, and should be a great support for you in working out what is best for you.

[theherd123]

Great advice Kate - as always!

 

Bron i was rushed in a few times during my pregnancy with Bean (Isabelle) and the Dr's were not comfortable to 'rubber stamp' me for a home birth until i was 38/9 weeks - talk about last minute! The midwives were always happy for me to home birth and confident all was well but as previously stated the Dr's always see the traumatic side of birth and therefore always seem to look on the dark side.

 

As you know i eventually got my home birth but from speaking to other new mums the monitoring in hospital can be done and still enable you to have an active birth - birthing ball, walking round, yoga moves etc so dont feel you will be stuck on your back for hours.

If you want an active birth stick to your guns and say so to every Dr or midwife you see.

 

Good luck with it all!

[bronze]

Thats how I feel. that if I get to term then the danger is past anyway. Obviously if I went into prem labour again I would look at things differently.

The mw and consultant did say if I was on constant monitoring then I wouldnt be able to move around. I just want to feel I'm not putting nugget in danger if I dont have the constant monitoring.

[Bassett]

Hi Bronze,

 

Just to confirm what Mrs B said, I also had a vbac and had constant monitoring, but the wire on the monitor is very long and I was mobile throughout the whole process. The wire is long enough that you have quite a reasonable circumference around the bed you can move around in.

 

Hope yours works out how you want it to.

[Shirl]

Hi have you considered a hyp"Ooops, word censored!"irth? I had one and from what I've seen mothers tend to be happier to lie down because that is how we tend to relax naturally so it wouldn't feel so alien.

 

I was monitored with E and was made to lie on my back because the strap kept moving and was I not happy but with H I had a hyp"Ooops, word censored!"irth and stayed on my back out of choice. I had no reason to move around because I wasn't in pain

[Steve.]

Why do they need to monitor all the time? Any half-decent midwife can monitor using their ear trumpet thing. If there are problems then maybe constant monitoring would be suitable and that would be detected in good time by any decent midwife.

 

Giving birth on your back is not what nature intended.

 

All this is your choice. Put it in writing into a birth plan. Give the midwife a copy. Give the midwife a copy to put in your notes. Put a copy in your overnight bag.

 

Maybe we are lucky as our two boys hardly hit the sides on the way out and the overnight bag was packed back up within a few hours of being unpacked.

 

We wanted home births for both but didn't get them due to the underinvestment in Midwifes by the NHS. Needless to say many letters were written to the local MP, and NHS Trust director and I kicked up a stink.

 

Oh, and write to AIMs, and contact your the NCT (National Childbirth Trust) to see what advice they have got. You don't need to be a member.

[Egluntyne]

Maybe we are lucky as our two boys hardly hit the sides on the way out and the overnight bag was packed back up within a few hours of being unpacked.

 

I bet you hardly felt a thing Steve.

 

Great advice there from Kate in NZ, Bronze.

 

Good luck.