To think this could be the reason why......

[wonderingdotcom]

or am I just trying to find an explanation when there isn't one.

I have 3 DC's. My DD and DS1 were both born in birth centre in a birthing pool. With my DD, I was upright in the pool, with my arms over the side facing outwards. DD came out and the m/w grabbed her and brought her out behind me.

With DS1 I was in exactly the same position. After the final push, the m/w said to me, you get your baby. I looked (obviously a bit dazed) and he was on the bottom of the pool just beneath me, so I picked him up and passed him to the m/w. Apgar scores were normal I think.

DS2 I ended up in our local hospital as the birth centre has now closed due to funding and had a normal land birth.

DD and DS2 are both very typical kids but DS1 has always had some problems. He has hyper laxity (double jointedness) and had severe glue ear which meant he didn't speak more than 6 words until he was around 3 and even then didn't speak in sentences until he started school. Not only that, but his receptive language was the same so he didnt understand anything either. He was slow to sit up and walk, although rolling and crawling were ok

He is now statemented and classed as having moderate learning difficulties but is a lovely loving sociable little boy and he is an absolute joy but while discussing my births with a newbie mum, I just had an awful thought. Could this be why? Should it have happened?? Or is what happened normal. Any thoughts?

I haven't had children nor am I a midwife, however I'm sure that's not why. They go from being in water to into more water.

i dont think that causes it im afraid if it did there would be more instances?

Wondering, I'm not a medical professional, but from everything I've been told and read it doesn't sound like there was anything wrong with your ds1's birth. I think it is perfectly normal for the midwife to allow the mother to 'collect the baby' in a water birth.

Reading between the lines, I guess you're worried that he was under the water for too long? As I understand it, babies don't breathe until they come into the air for the first time, so he would not have been inhaling water for those seconds after he was delivered. During that time, the placenta and umbilical cord would still have been providing him with oxygen, as they did while he was inside.

Hopefully this is reassuring. I know how horrible it is to have these unanswered questions.

I don't see how glue ear or double jointedness could possibly be related to his birth. It's easy to understand how his ear problems could affect speech development, my niece had glue ear and also had delays. You say he has moderate learning difficulties but don't say what these are...Is it possible that his glue ear caused infection which could have resulted in minor hearing loss? I assume his hearing's been checked etc.

My DD (now 16) has Moderate LD's and Speech and language issues, she to had Glue Ear. She had a straight forward birth, as did most of her SN peers.

I also have three children.

Every parent, especially Mums search for answers why their children are the way they are, it's perfectly natural and something you will probably do, but to a lesser extent, all of your life.

Him being in the pool won't be the reason for his issues.

I have a friend who had a waterbirth and lifted her DS up from the bottom of the pool herself, he's not had any issues. Apparently the umbilical cord wasn't very long either, so she couldn't lift him out fully and there was some fumbling about while the midwives cut the cord, he is fine though. I think they like to bring babies to the surface slowly anyway.

I have seen this before on a TV documentary on giving birth. It seemed empowering and natural at the time. I would have thought if it was dangerous they wouldn't have shown the birth.

I totally understand looking for a "reason" for his struggles, but I don't think that is one.

No. When he was born he would have gone from being in amniotic fluid in the uterus into water in the pool. The umbilical cord would not have been cut before you brought him out of the water. So he would have been in the same conditions as in the uterus. When brought into the air the pressure changes the baby's circulation and triggers the lungs to support the baby independently from the mother, when the baby first takes a breath by crying.Therefore the baby would have still been receiving oxygen from you and not breathing independently until he came out of the water.

Sounds like the midwife wanted you to hold him first which is quite sweet.

I would prefer it, if it wasn't caused by anything and is just one of those things so your posts make me feel a bit better.

His hearing is fine now. He was signed off just after he was 5. He has severe speech delay. His understanding is that of a 5 year old but his speech is 3.5 yo. He is 6.5 now. He is learning how to read slowly but surely but finds writing a struggle. He is coming along now that he has a 1:1 TA with him most of the school day but it breaks my heart when I see him struggling with something that others his age would find so easy.

His behaviour is more like a child of 3/4 but he can work stuff out on a computer really easily.

He is definitely unique and I wouldn't change him for the world but would hate that something I had done or been a part of, had contributed to his problems. No-one can say if he will catch up or if he will just stop at a certain level. He may never leave home, find a partner and settle down and that makes me sad for him.

I had read that if a baby is underwater for too long after birth, then they will breathe in and could inhale water. Not sure if what I read was right. Will try and find it.

Dd came out so quickly that the midwife didn't have time to catch her! She stayed under the water and was fished out by my dh, having "swum" to the far end of the birthing pool, and was put on me. Babies don't try and breathe until they have their head above water. Until then, they are still "breathing" through the umbilical cord.

homebirthdebate.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/irish-hospitals-suspend-waterbirths.html

My DS1 and DD were "land" births. DS2 was a water birth and he was delivered as you have described, left under water while still attached by the cord.
He is bright as a button, lazy as school but quite capable and is a complete sweetheart! He has never been behind developmentally.
Until a baby reaches the cold air outside of the womb they won't breathe and their oxygen is supplied by the umbilical cord. The pool water and temperature replicates this so he won't have been affected by leaving one one wet area into another!

You are all making me feel much better. I'm glad that it is unlikely that my special birth of my first little boy was not the start of his problems.

Mumsnet is great. I am a regular by the way but name changed as quite a lot of info that could out me.