Ease my mind please

chicsub

Even before TTCing I had a game plan for LO#2's birth (barring any complications of course).  Right after my c/s with DS we decided that we'd hire a doula for our next baby and stay at home as long as possible (we're 7 min. from the hospital).  I planned on staying home as long as possible with #1, but didn't trust my body and felt more comfortable heading in to be w. my midwife (I arrived at 5cm).  Anyways, my big fear is that we'd stay home and labor and won't know if something is wrong with the baby.  What if he/she isn't handling labor well and I can't tell?  I know it's a big IF, but it gets me nervous nonetheless. 

I don't have a fear of delivering at home or delivering in the car on the way to the hospital, it's all about something happening to the baby while in labor and not knowing until it's too late.  I really want to get over this mental hurdle!

AshasaurusRex

That's a great question, I'm interested in reading what others post. The only thing I can think of is to get a Doppler and monitor the baby's heartbeat intermittently like they would at the hospital.

katcarls

I had a really fast labor, 6.5 hours total, and was only at the hospital for an hour before LO was born.  His heart rate was really low when they put the monitor on so they had me get on all fours and wear an oxygen mask.  My midwife "tickled" the baby's head during contractions to also help keep his heart rate up.  He ended up having the cord around his neck and body which was causing the low heart rate.  He was perfectly fine after being born and started screaming right away.

You could ask your midwife what you should watch for that could indicate that the baby is having problems, such as noticing meconium when your water breaks.  As long as you arrive before delivering, I think the chances are pretty low of having something so seriously wrong that getting to the hospital a few hours sooner would have made a difference.

OliveBaby

Interesting question. I have no idea, but I plan to labor at home as long as possible, so I'm going to have a discussion with my m/w about that as I get closer to my due date. I'd suggest talking to your mw/ob about it.

GL!

Fun2Dream

My doula carries a doppler with her, and would do checks if she had come to our house.  We felt like everything was fine and we didn't need her, so she met us at the hospital.  I was 4 cm at that point, but my water had broken more than 8 hours before, so the OB on call wanted me there at that point, otherwise we would have stayed home longer.

CTL2005

Well, from what I understand, most of the time when babies are stressed during labor it is because of interventions (ie. they are not responding well to the strength of pitocin contractions or to the artificial rupture of membranes.)  I would ask your DR or midwife what to look for to ensure that baby is responding well (such as fetal movement) but I would remind yourself that just like your body is designed and well equipped to give birth, your baby's body is perfectly designed and well equipped to tolerate labor and birth.  Trust yourself and your body.    Good luck!