My good friend Katy is very into the "all natural" way of life. Her first two babies were born in the hospital, but she had no meds. Her third baby she was supposed to have at a birthing center with her midwife, where she pretty much would have given birth and then taken the baby home the same day. Well, on Sunday night she started having contractions. Here's her story instead of re-typing it all out I'm copying and pasting:
I had my first contraction at 6:15, right after I made a HUGE turkey dinner for the fam. An hour later I pushed her out and caught her while on all fours on my bathroom floor! We tried to make it to the birth center but it happened so fast I couldn't get to the truck. The midwife got here shortly after I delivered the placenta.
The contractions started out 7 minutes apart, then all of the sudden they were 3 minutes apart. Then all of the sudden they were 1 minute apart and I knew I had to do it at home. I feel like SuperWoman!
Mike was in the bathroom with me but the poor guy....he was so scared! He was sweating so much it looked like he had just jumped in the lake. My mom had called 911, scared to death too, but when they got she was already delivered and everything was under control. They stayed for liability issues until my midwife got here and we sent them on their way.
Crazy, huh? Also, for one last zinger, Katy is planning to have her placenta dried, ground up and put into pill form. She told me that we are the only mammals that do not eat their placenta and that it is supposed to help with the pp bleeding and pp depression. She's my friend, but she's a little nutty!
Re: s/o unassisted childbirth
Glad everyone is alright.
Regarding the placenta though, if it's so natural and all ask her why she needs it dried and ground to put into pill form?
Oh I feel sick now. Oh well to each their own.
I don't think there is anything wrong with an "all natural" way of life when it comes to child birth, or anything for that matter.
Both of my births were unmedicated, by choice. I considered having Ben at a birth center...but decided against it just in case there were complications (which there were after he was born). I was very happy with our decision to be at the hospital and have my midwife deliver him. Fortunately, our hospital does not push medical interventions, so we were able to have the natural birth we wanted.
I don't think there is anything wrong with your friend's decisions. If she didn't have time to make it to the birth center, she and her DH did what needed to be done. Although the placenta pill eating thing is quite 'out there', IMO.
My doula encouraged me to do that with my placenta. I said, "no thank you."
I know someone who had a midwife-assisted homebirth and decided at the last minute that she didn't want help. She went into the bathroom and did it herself.
I always wonder what if something goes wrong during a home birth. Your baby could be seriously hurt or the worse, not make it. It just seems crazy to me.
I've heard of some cultures eating the placenta. Not sure where, but someone was talking about it.
we ve certainly been doing it that way for millons of years. and when things happen that quickly what else can you do! i think she is a superwomen to do that on her own! but personally, i m all for those advances in science and medicine that make life a little safer!
what an amazing story!
Wow, she is superwoman. I can't imagine doing it all like that but thankgoodness she was calm. I guess when your in the moment, you would do what you had to right?
"I always wonder what if something goes wrong during a home birth. Your baby could be seriously hurt or the worse, not make it. It just seems crazy to me."
But the chances of "something going wrong" with your baby or the mom is still there when they're in the hospital, too. Most low-risk births don't have some fast-occuring issue, and midwives are trained to notice when things are going downhill, or if a mom/baby needs more than she can give at home.
That's a sweet story - I would love to have a birth as "easy" as that! And meeeeh, as long as no one's making me eat my placenta, to each her own, heeee.
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)