Midwifery

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Bridey

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I spent a couple of days in maternity and I have to say I really enjoyed it. So much so I am thinking of midwifery as a career. I got to see a waterbirth and it was fanbloodytastic 😀

I also observed on the delivery suite and boy the midwife I was with certainly knew her stuff. She did the following:

Canulated

Commenced Syntocinon

Topped up Epidural

Delivered the baby

Sutured a 2nd degree tear

Helped mum with BF

Warded them to PN ward

Oh and sent the dad to A&E as he fainted and cut his head...........
 
I have never seen a water birth but just the thought of it is horrifying to me - on so many different levels.
 
THP said:
I have never seen a water birth but just the thought of it is horrifying to me - on so many different levels.
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It was amazing, the baby did take a minute to cry but this is normal for babies born in water. The midwife did say that the doctors get twitchy....
 
THP said:
I have never seen a water birth but just the thought of it is horrifying to me - on so many different levels.
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It's actually quite safe if done properly (water the correct temperature, baby brought up to the surface promptly), and for those of us who don't want to have an epidural or don't have access to one, the pain relief can be substantial. (I had a waterbirth last spring, and it went extremely well. It really helped me relax, and I was able to deliver my 10 lb. son with minimal damage as a result.)

I'm not on these boards often these days with a 6 month old, but as someone who's been there, that's my $0.02. Epidurals are hardly risk-free; laboring and delivering in water can be a great alternative for many women.
 
Whirr said:
It's actually quite safe if done properly (water the correct temperature, baby brought up to the surface promptly), and for those of us who don't want to have an epidural or don't have access to one, the pain relief can be substantial. (I had a waterbirth last spring, and it went extremely well. It really helped me relax, and I was able to deliver my 10 lb. son with minimal damage as a result.)

I'm not on these boards often these days with a 6 month old, but as someone who's been there, that's my $0.02. Epidurals are hardly risk-free; laboring and delivering in water can be a great alternative for many women.
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You're one lucky mama. To those ladies with suspected large babies...DO NOT ATTEMPT home birth
 
drroberto said:
You're one lucky mama. To those ladies with suspected large babies...DO NOT ATTEMPT home birth
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I said I had a water birth; you assumed that I had a home birth. I don't really think that's relevant for the purposes of this discussion. :shrug:

Also, considering how many women end up with C-sections for suspected large babies (for which ultrasound estimations are notoriously inaccurate), but who could have had safe vaginal deliveries if they were allowed to move around and labor on their own terms, a typical hospital birth can be quite dangerous.

That being said, I don't want to stir up a dispute on the relative merits of home vs. hospital birth here on the OB/GYN section of SDN; I just wanted to give a little personal perspective on the benefit of water for labor and delivery, since it was brought up. I freely admit that although I've seriously considered following the OB/GYN path, I am a midwife at heart. 😀
 
Whirr said:
I said I had a water birth; you assumed that I had a home birth. I don't really think that's relevant for the purposes of this discussion. :shrug:

Also, considering how many women end up with C-sections for suspected large babies (for which ultrasound estimations are notoriously inaccurate), but who could have had safe vaginal deliveries if they were allowed to move around and labor on their own terms, a typical hospital birth can be quite dangerous.

That being said, I don't want to stir up a dispute on the relative merits of home vs. hospital birth here on the OB/GYN section of SDN; I just wanted to give a little personal perspective on the benefit of water for labor and delivery, since it was brought up. I freely admit that although I've seriously considered following the OB/GYN path, I am a midwife at heart. 😀
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Obviously you have never experienced or seen a shoulder dystocia. I have and trust me, those moms really regret their decision for not listening to their docs. What's more important....feeling like a woman because you experienced a vaginal birth (wow!) or have a healthy baby? If the fetus is able to speak to us, he/she would probably ask to be delivered safely, that's all! Now I am not suggesting that everyone has an elective C/D because that's BS. But for a suspected 10lb baby with shoulder dystocia rate of up to 23%, we should listen to the other patient, the fetus. You were the other 77%, good for you but don't simply write on the internet that "they were allowed to move around and labor on their own terms, a typical hospital birth can be quite dangerous", where did you get that from????? Allowed to move around and fall off the curve is a good thing???? A typical hospital birth can only be dangerous when the patient is difficult or if the doc is poorly equipped.
 
drroberto said:
You're one lucky mama. To those ladies with suspected large babies...DO NOT ATTEMPT home birth
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I don't know why I am taking the bait here. But anyway, many hospitals provide waterbirth services. I am in the Chicago area and can name quite a few.
 
Whirr said:
It's actually quite safe if done properly (water the correct temperature, baby brought up to the surface promptly), and for those of us who don't want to have an epidural or don't have access to one, the pain relief can be substantial. (I had a waterbirth last spring, and it went extremely well. It really helped me relax, and I was able to deliver my 10 lb. son with minimal damage as a result.)

I'm not on these boards often these days with a 6 month old, but as someone who's been there, that's my $0.02. Epidurals are hardly risk-free; laboring and delivering in water can be a great alternative for many women.
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Well put, I agree, epidurals are hardly risk free... Ancecdotally, the engorged labias of women pushing for hours with an epidural was enough to convince me to try to avoid one. Sure, labia swelling happens with those going natural but it seemed to me to happen more frequently to those with epidurals.

Congratulations on delivering such a large baby! Mine was 7.10 and I thought that was hard.

I have seen dystocia and complicated vaginal deliveries involving large babies, it's very unfortunate however.. I do think waterbirth is a good option for a low-risk patient.
 
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