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Natural Birth
Heavy momma = bed labor & monitors?
Was hoping for some input from curvy mommas. I hear that the docs in my group are very pro natural birthing and want laboring women to try standing, rocking, walking, squatting, warm baths and showers. BUT since i am a big girl does that automatically throw me into high risk and they make me stick to bed with monitors? My sister, also overweight was reassured many times by her group of the same things, but was immediately put to bed with monitors. Not high risk, no fetal distress, mostly uneventful births.
I am 5'1, 205lbs. Still in first trimester.
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Re: Heavy momma = bed labor & monitors?
I don't think my weight really made any difference in how I was treated (was about 260 and 5'6'' when I delivered, started out heavier but lost 20lbs in the first tri). I ended up on the monitors because of a premature rupture of membranes, but my doctor was great about letting me do it intermittently so long as baby's heartrate was good.
when I was in full blown about to push the baby out labor I was back on the monitors BUT I think that was because I wasn't 36 weeks yet and they wanted to watch closely for any signs of fetal distress.
Gretchen Evie, born 7/8/2012 at 35w5d
Being heavier means you'll have a bigger chance of being labeled high risk, but it is not a reason to be high risk on its own.
I am 5'5", was 210 pre-preg. I had no complications - no GD, no high blood pressure, no pre-e, spontaneous labor at 39w3d. They didn't treat me any differently. I was immediately put in bed with monitors - but that was standard hospital policy for admission. That only lasted 30 minutes or so (don't remember exactly) and since LO and I were both fine, I was allowed up to labor as I wished until the next monitoring period (which were shorter - only through a few closely spaced contractions, and they did it a few times with me kneeling next to the bed). I was so uncomfortable in bed that I was nagging the nurse to let me get up. I'm sure she wanted me out of bed, too, so I would stop whining at her!
Did your sister press them to let her get out of bed? Are you delivering at the same hospital?
They just repeatedly said she could not get up because it would interfere with the monitoring.
I will not be at either of her delivery hospitals.
I'm high risk but not because of my weight, even though I'm 5'10 and started out at 313, now at 293. I won't be kept in bed, and they will probably want to monitor me continuously because I'm high risk but they have telemetry monitors that will fit ANYONE. I'm told they're used on moms who are vastly larger than I am. This is the only reason I won't argue too much with monitoring--in most cases (not all) continuous monitoring has no advantages, so if it was going to tie me to a bed, I'd refuse.
blog! thescenery.net
I'd ask your hospital (in addition to your doc/mw) about their policies on it. Mine held to their word that as long as baby was tolerating contractions, I wouldn't need continuous monitoring.