Natural Birth
High risk natural momma's
Hi there,
I have been lurking here for a little while and I was wondering if there are any high-risk natural momma's out there?
I have found some wonderful info on natural birth but have had a hard time finding info on natural birth for high risk mommas.
I know that their might be a need for certain interventions but I would like to have a natural birth as possible.
I would love to hear from any mom's with PCOS, Factor V, Hypothyroidism, that could offer some advice on the subject.
Thanks,
Nora
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Re: High risk natural momma's
I don't have any of the things you mentioned, but we're borderline high risk, since Bugbear and I have an umbilical cord with only one artery instead of the usual two. For us, it means some extra monitoring. It also means that I need to be more proactive and vocal about saying "NO" to certain interventions (for example, pit is more likely to cause fetal distress since s/he already has reduced blood exchange, so it's gone from "only if necessary" to "NO" for me). On the flip side, I also know that I need to be prepared for the possibility of being induced early if s/he shows growth restriction on two consecutive post-32 week ultrasounds. If I do go in for an induction, I'll probably wind up with a saline lock, which I really didn't want.
I've found that being informed really helps. I think my MW group expects to hear from me with questions about research about every two weeks, just because I want to know all I can so that I can be as full a participant in my birth as humanly possible. I'm still planning on intermittent monitoring, going drug free, etc, but I've also had to take the time to really adjust to the possibility of more tubes/needles/monitoring than I'd otherwise like if I want to be able to stick to the big things, like no drugs and no c-section, that are most important to me.
Mother's Day, 2011
I was high risk this last time due to a low-lying placenta, and I'm also hypothyroid (I'm normally hypothyroid, but although my dosage got adjusted it is generally well controlled in my pregnancies, so to be honest I never really thought of it as being much of a risk factor in my case).
I don't know anything about PCOS or Factor V. As far as it goes, it *really* depends on what you mean by "natural" and what implications your risk factors have. With DD #1, I went into labor spontaneously at 42 weeks, labored a long time at home, and arrived at the hospital (barely) in time. They had me hold off on pushing to get a Hep-Lock (no IV) in just in case, but otherwise there were no interventions whatsoever (hypothyroidism didn't matter at all). With the 'higher' risk #2, there were a lot more factors at play because there was an increased risk of hemorrhage. I also had a history of fast labors, increasing concerns about me getting to the hospital in a timely manner if there was a bleed, and LO was measuring large by US (and #1 was large), which increased the risk of the bleed happening. Because of that, at 39 weeks we (OB and I) decided that continuing the pregnancy would result in increasing the risk of a bleed/potential need for a c-section because of it to such a degree it was better to induce at that point. I did avoid pain meds, but had pitocin.
I think when you are high risk, it adds some other factors that need to be considered when you make your choices, because although intervention can have risk/negatives, you can't ignore that it isn't a perfect world and in this case there are already risks/negatives that need to be weighed.
I will be high risk. My mom had APS, a clotting disorder, which ultimately took her life and caused many pregnancy complications. I have had no symptoms but one test result came back as weakly positive for the lupus anticoagulant, which is one of the few clinical signs for APS. I talked to a great MFM who told me I can essentially choose to be treated as high risk and go on blood thinners, which I will do.
I also expressed my strong desire for a birth that is as completely natural as it can be, and she shared this desire. She said that if everything goes pretty much normally for me, she'd love to see me handed off to the midwives at the hospital in the very end. I'll be delivering at a hospital that has a HUGE VBAC success rate, even, and they are very proud of their natural leanings/midwifery program. My MFM is the head of the high risk OB teaching department, and even she wants to see me go without interventions if that's what I want.
blog! thescenery.net
Hi - I'm hypothyroid and Type 1 diabetic. You can read my birth story here: https://infinitesimalchange.blogspot.com/2009/09/evelyns-birth-story-unabridged-version.html
Hi - just curious why you can't have a HB? I thought I couldn't with my first, but it turns out there were at least 4 CPMs who were willing to work with me (at least for my second birth - maybe that's the issue?). Depending on how far along you are, I could give you their names. PM me if you'd like them.