Originally Posted by
DoulaMama
Ack! Girlmom- Women's birthing choices are solely up to them!!Women need to research and make those decisions themselves(and not rely on your Dr etc)because at the end of the day, the Dr./midwife just goes home to his/her family and the woman is left with her birth experience. There's no such thing as being a wimp when it comes to labour/birth. A woman's past experiences etc shape her views on birth, everyone has different pain tolerances...every woman and every birth is different. I feel the need to be away from the hospital because they caused all my problems. If I had been home, my baby would not have needed to spend 5 days in the NICU. It's a decision I truly regret.
Another thing about problems with delivery etc- There are SO MANY things that happen inside our bodies when we birth. Oxytocin is a natural hormone that flows freely during an undisturbed birth, and when you interrupt that flow of hormone....hemorrhaging happens. If a Dr. were to start pulling a placenta out of a woman, even if it seems ready to come out, she could hemorrhage. If a woman's diet is low in iron or her diet has been kinda crappy through pregnancy...she could bleed. A shot of pitocin in the womans thigh before baby is born can also CAUSE a bleed. Pitocin throughout a birth, to induce or manage, causes bleeding after birth(tires out the uterus so it has a hard time clamping down and shrinking after birth)....All these things that we deal with in the hospital would never be an issue at home(other than diet).
My midwife has been to 1500 births and she has told me that out of all those births, only 20 times has she had a very bad bleed that needed transport. She has never lost a mother. Patience, a calm and private place/atmosphere, and a healthy mom are the ways to almost ensure that everything will be ok.
WP- I'm about 40 mins from the hospital and what my old midwife told me is true(from experience being at many births in the hospital)- it can take at least 30 mins for them to get an OR ready for you, so by the time you transported, it really wouldn't have mattered if you were in the hospital or not. Many homebirth transports are for long labours or pain relief. They aren't a medical emergency.
I know that there are issues that need to be dealt with right away- like a very bad bleed(over 2 cups) or a shoulder dystocia, or a newborn resus. These are all things that can be dealt with very well as long as you have the knowledge. I took a newborn resus. class and watch videos to help with that. Also, having baby attached to the cord/placenta until the cord is white and limp, is the absolute best way for baby to get oxygen and all of the blood it needs. When you clamp a cord before the cord is limp and white, you cut off access to 1/4 cup of blood, lots of oxygen, iron, etc.
Shoulder dystocia can be dealt with by doing the Gaskin manuever or birthing in a squat(opens up hips 2-3 inches wider)position. Changing positions is the most important part when solving a dystocia. These happen WAY more often in the hospital because OB's CAUSE the problem. A baby needs to rotate after the head is born(most times) and if a Dr. starts to pull them out before restitution happens(rotating) they can cause stuck shoulders. This where patience would come in handy for most Dr's....
Hemorrhage can be dealt with by taking certain tinctures, or Yunnan B. It's seriously a miracle herb:) I've watched it stop a gushing bleed(think garden hose at full force) in less than 30 seconds. Also, having baby skin to skin, nursing right away, no interruptions after birth(the highest oxytocin release in a woman's body happens right after the birth which is why interruption can cause a bleed) and also cutting off a piece of the placenta or cord and placing it in your cheek can really help with a bleed. The best way to make sure you don't bleed is your diet though:) Lots of great green veggies, alfalfa capsules, getting your iron levels up:) 98% of the time, when the mom has had a low risk pregnancy and she's healthy, birth will happen without a hitch:)
PM me if you want to know more about the herbs etc:) Take Care!! Julie
