Alternative Birth

Giving birth in a hospital seriously freaks me out. I really do not want to do it. I can't have a home birth b/c I have thyroid complications. This is my first child and I really don't know what to expect but I know that I do not want to be hooked up to all sorts of machines and stuff like that. I want the freedom to move around and I don't want to be forced to lie on my back. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am doing this as natural as possible with no drugs of any kind. Help!

 

What kind of thyroid complications? Many thyroid complications do not rule you out of a home birth.

 

Before you decide you can't have a homebirth due to your conditions, consult with a midwife! It will ease your mind and cheer you up!

I thought that because of my size I wouldn't be allowed a homebirth, or the ability to see a midwife. And like you, I was TERRIFIED of hospitals and having a birth that wouldn't be the greatest.

But the midwife reassured me that I was fine to have a homebirth and so throughout my pregnancy, I was only seen by midwifes. I still ended up delivering in a hospital, but for different reasons.

Definitely consult with a midwife, but keep your mind open to ALL options so that you take them better, should something alternative to your ideal birth be needed.

 

If you don't mind me asking HF, why would your size make it impossible for a homebirth? I mean, you have to chase a tyke around so you couldn't be that big/skinny(I have known some women who were warned for being "too" petite to deliver a healthy baby..which is total BS..one of them delived 6 healthy kids with no damage to her).

That miffs me a bit. Women of all shapes and sizes give birth successfully every day. I'm sorry that anyone made you feel that way!

 

Well, with the state of American healthcare and the very real prejudice against obese people in the medical profession, I'd always believed that in the eyes of ANY medical professional, I would be considered "too big" for birth.

I'm, right now, 340 lbs. I's a big girl.

And the prejudice against big people, again, became VERY real while I was in labour. When my midwife tried to find a hospital to take me after 30 something hours of labour, most of the hospitals refused to take me because I was "too big". They didn't have beds big enough for me. Hospitals can REFUSE to take you because of your size. Isn't that messed up?

 

In my prenatal class the instructor was taking us on a tour and stressing to us how much the beds could hold, that basically they could support about a ton of weight. My first thought was, "why should this have to be stressed? Hospital beds should easily accomidate everyone without it being a big deal."

 

spiralintolove~
i would definately explore homebirth further, but another option would be to find a midwife who does hospital deliveries. In the end i wasnt thrilled with my midwife, but i did have a hospital birth, on mostly my own terms. i took the bradley method for childbirth classes, and one of the things they teach is an assertive, yet tactful way to deal with doctors/hospital staff so you can almost always have your birth the way you want it. good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

you know what? Even if you don't want or can't have a homebirth, you are not a prisoner in the hospital! They can't force you to do anything. They do often employ the most low-down head games to get you to comply with what they want to do to you, but you can always refuse. If you have educated yourself to the point where you can explain exactly why you do not wish certain interventions and practices, you are entitled to make your own informed consent. You can take Bradley Childbirth Classes and hire a doula to be there and support you in advocating for yourself.

 

it's the medical profession that suffers from major size-ism. They see unhealthy overweight people all day long every day, and don't realize that healthy large people exist as well.

 

So true Mamaboogie. I am about 200 pounds and doctors,nurses,and paramedics make offhanded comments as if I can't hear them or even worse as if they were all healthy weights themselves. I have had doctors and nurses bigger then me taking care of me. What right do they have to critisize my weight?

I swim everyday and I always take the stairs when coming and going from my third floor aparment. I am rarely sick and the only things that I have problems with is my gall-bladder and my heart(I have a murmur from an OD)...neither are weight related.

It's nuts. we live in the fattest country in the world...it's not like I'm bed-ridden and will need to buried in a piano case when I die.

 

Last year I went to the doctor because I was bleeding every day and I'm supposed to be post-menopausal. The doctor looked at my chart, looked at me and said well we have a classic case of uterine cancer here. You'll have to have a hysterectomy. This was all before she ever looked at me. Gave me a referral to an oncologist before any tests came back. When I went to see an oncologist,(not the one she recommended),the first thing the new doc said after looking through my chart and the test results was, "Why are you here." She did more tests and did a d & c just to make sure everything was okay and to get the bleeding to stop. Turned out the meds the first doc put me on was making the bleeding worse. The only thing wrong with me is that I have too much estrogen in my body. The first doc based her whole devision on the fact that Iweigh almost 300 pounds and have high blood pressure. People just assumethat if you are fat, you're lazy and in poor health. In my case that's true, but not for everyone.

Kathi

 

Women tend to get pretty lousy health care in this country,regardless of size. There is an overwelming prejudice that it's "all in your head" if you are female. You are over emotional and need to go on anti-depressants,etc. Getting back to the original poster's question I wonder if there are any midwife birthing centers in your area? I had my kids in one,it's not exactly a home birth but it's not a hospital either. I hope you can find a midwife in your area,good luck!

 

I was fortunate with all of my births (3) in that my husband and family were behind my decisions 110% and when I would find myself busy with contractions and focusing, they were quick to speak up on my behalf with the hospital staff. I highly recommend using a midwife as they also side with the mother 100% on all issues. At the birth of my third baby, I had my husband, his mother, my mother, our two daughters aged 6 and 2 and three of my friends in the room. All of them were there with the blessing of my midwife who believed that just because we were in a hospital there was no reason this couldn't be a family moment. I was blessed. My advice is to seek out a midwife who agrees that you should run the show and make sure you have the backing of your family and whomever else will be there on your special day. Best of luck to you!

 

My medical card won't cover home births....that's what they told me, anyway.
Luckily, I have a pretty good hospital staff I'm dealing with. Right now, I'm deciding between two doctors I want to deliver my baby (At my special request, they agreed to be the one to deliver).

 

after the experience I had in the hospital with my first baby, I decided on a homebirth or going to a midwife-run birthing center no matter what. You only get one chance to give birth to this baby, and you will live with the memory of it forever. Don't let insurance dictate to you what that memory will be. Most midwives will work with you on payments or they may have a sliding scale fee. It just turned out my midwives were covered by my insurance (contrary to what the first person I talked to on the phone said about it) but as "out-of-network" providers. Either way, I didn't have to pay any more than my out of pocket maximum for the birth experience I wanted.

 

definitely talk to a midwife about what insurance takes her before deciding...and its never too late in a pregnancy to switch care!

 

Do they perform C-Sections? I was informed today that more than likely I'll have to have a c-section due to a recent discovery.

 

if you don't mind me asking, why might you have to have a c-section?
midwives don't perform sections, from what I know. They will only order one when baby or mama is in real danger.

 

I PM'd you with the reason.

 

hon, why would you need a csection? please pm me...