Freebirth - what are your concerns?

[nats]

I just thought i might start this thread so we could pool resources/experiences.

It's a thread to put out your medical and emotional issues.

Obviously some of us have birthed unassisted, at home or wish to - others have never even pushed a baby out of their vagina

It's not to perpetuate the fear factor but we often do have some reserves about birthing a baby unassisted, so deeply ingrained is our belief that child birth is a medical event (and worse - that we have no right, as women, to take birth in to our own hands... literally )

So lets get them out - what are you afraid of?

Say it here, it'll make you feel better to get it out and to gain some encouragement



I am most afraid that I wont feel comfortable or safe in my own home and that labour will stall or I wont be able to open up. I'm afraid I wont be able to let go of that idea that there should be a qualified person there.
As though the midwife is the senrty to the rite of passage to birth. (However I have the same fear when I envisage myself in a hospital setting.)
But maybe that thought wouldn't occur to me when I was actually in labour IYKWIM ?

[borntobemummy]

mainly my biggest hesitation is DH and his fears. The main one being if something goes wrong with the baby and we don't know until too late. Plus it will be a VBA2C, so whatever added risks.

[bronny-jane]

im worried about bleeding.... or if the baby was stuck or needed resuscitation
i was worried about my blood loss in hospital, so i know i'd freak at home too

[nats]

mainly my biggest hesitation is DH and his fears. The main one being if something goes wrong with the baby and we don't know until too late. Plus it will be a VBA2C, so whatever added risks.

It would be good to have your partner on board. He needs time to get used to the idea.

What are the added risks of vba2c?

im worried about bleeding.... or if the baby was stuck or needed resuscitation
i was worried about my blood loss in hospital, so i know i'd freak at home too

BJ, what did they do to stop your bleeding at the hospy?
As for being stuck I assume you're concerned about shoulder dystocia. I've thought about that to - I came across this http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/...ocia.html#Beds

On further thoughts I think that in the absense of interference there will be no cause for shoulder dystocia to happen. I wont be stuck in the lithomy position, I wont be induced....just my body responding and moving in accordance with labour.

It's just the mental hurdle that gets me - how can I move and be natural if I'm scared? Being sabotaged by my own fears. That would be 'interference' IYKWIM.

I'm hoping this tread will help me dispel these fears, I can gain the confidence i need.

If I feel confident and dispel those fears then I my body will function as it is meant to. I wont be hindered by my own neocortex SWIM?

[borntobemummy]

What are the added risks of vba2c?

I feel much safer with VBA2C than another C/S, but I have no idea how to give birth, and my hospital will not let me try in there, so they must be worried about something (but as you said, I think it is mainly fear of litigation)

[unhindered]

Great thread idea Nats. It is so important to deal with any fears now. As fear has a huge impact on how you labour and birth.

Nats you are right you own fears would hinder you which is great that you are exploring all of this now. Yes a midwife has a formal qualification, but there is no one and i mean no one more qualified about your body, your vagina and your baby than YOU. You have the added benefit of listening to your body and baby, that intuition and primal instinct that we all as woman have for birthing is what keeps you safe. You will know if anything is wrong with you and your baby as you would of had a whole pregnancy to connect with you body and baby, to trust and to listen. Can you be more specific about what mentally would make you feel less safe at home without a mw?

Bronny-Jane these are common worries, when exactly are you worried about bleeding? Is it only after the birth? There are some herbs and tinctures that can aid blood loss. The most commonly used and most beneficial is the use of placenta, now you don't have to consume it just a bit held against the cheek or under the tongue will help. Being in a totally unhindered environment both physically and mentally will allow you to totally surrender and let your body and baby work together. By choosing the best positions for you to be in to keep you open, to let you know if you need a rest, to eat/drink. By doing this it is highly unlikely your baby would get true shoulder dystocia. As for baby needing resus, well as long as you do not cut the cord it will still be providing oxygenated blood to your baby via the placenta so if in a true emergency which is also very rare, you would have enough time to call for ambos. Now having said that baby's are born blue which can freak a lot of people out, this means that the baby is still on the in utero circulation and has not moved over to out of utero circulation. This is where it is also very important for you to remain unhindered with the baby as you will intuitively bring you baby forthe. That is through your skin to skin contact, caressing, rubbing, licking, talking to your baby. You may if you notice your baby is still congested with mucous either turn the baby over to let it drain or simply suck it out of their nose/mouth (only if you felt it was absolutely needed). My dh still wanted to do apgar checking which he did while i was holding her of course. This was something he could do to ease his mind, but i knew she was fine.

Born to be mummy yes it is often the fear that other's put onto us which stops us from following our hearts. With you researching and looking into all of this now you are gaining info and knowledge for yourself and your dh. When you feel it is right then talk with him about it, pass on info, get the books and videos/dvd's. My dh raised an eyebrow and after me telling him about info he was on board. Basically it comes down to his ability to trust you to know if and when medical help may be needed. This is why the work you do on yourself is very important. Also as i may ask you your specific fears ask him what his are, research the likelyhood of it happening during a totally unhindered labour and then what you need to do if it happens. For you perhaps you need to really look at why the c-sects happened and how those things are less likely to happen at home does that make sense. These things i think would need to be explored deeply when having a VBAC no matter where it takes place.

[unhindered]

Born to be mummy of course you know how to give birth, even if you have not experienced labour and vaginal birth

You have a uterus and you have a vagina and also the primal brain the older part of the brain which is solely activated for labour and birth. The uterus is a whole muscle whose whole purpose is to house the baby and then draw up the cervix during labour. Your body can then initiate the fetal ejection reflex where the uterus pushes the baby through past the cervix and the muscles in the vagina push the baby down to the perinium and of course out the
vagina. Labour and birth really is a sensual bodily function and i believe is supposed to be pleasurable for the woman. When a woman feels safe and secure, she remains unhindered by those around her and her environment this is when birth is most safe.

Woman in comas birth babies vaginally with no intervention from medical careproviders. A womans body ALWAYS knows what to do as does her baby.

It is giving back the woman of today this knowledge, this trust within themselves.

[Pippi Longstocking]

Oooh, great thread! I'm not pregnant but have every intention of birthing my next bub the same way s/he will be conceived - at home in bed with just mummy and daddy there. Valentine
I do have one fear that I need to work through before it happens though. All of my babies have had cords around the neck. Some had their cords cut before they were fully born. Will I "strangle" my baby? I know that they aren't breathing air straight away so I won't choke them but will I know what to do? How will I know that the cord is around the neck and how will I untangle it?

[kymmy]

My fears were never realised looking back on what I wrote. Two freebirths without tearing and mess was dealt with by my husband.
Breastfeeding - I found my best support came from friends who breastfed with my first baby. I didn't feel I had the same support with my last babies but I think it helped me initially so maybe that was just about normalising it for me.

[mummaofspecialneedsx]

im scared about alot of things but this thread has made me calmer an answered alot of questions for me