Water birth question

[Daisybell1]

I'm only 15 weeks along, but the only way I can even think about the birth is if its in my local MW led unit and a water birth. Anything else fills me with terror, even being in the unit but on 'dry land'.

But I have one question about the water birth scenario - what happens if the cord is round the baby's neck in a water birth? Are the MW so closely involved that they are able to detangle things as on 'dry land'?

Thank you!

Yes, the do keep an eye, most MW have a mirror to check as baby is born. It's possibly even easier to unravel too as it is easier to manoeuvre the baby with the support of the water.

Thanks for the advice about the cord, I feel a bit more relaxed about that now. Loopy I take your point about a home birth but I feel a bit worried about it as its my first, and we're about 1.5hrs from a hospital if there's a problem.

The MW led unit is closer, does less than 1 delivery a day, and two out of the three rooms have birthing pools, so fingers crossed they're not too busy on the day!

Daisybell,
Midwives are trained not to feel for a cord with a waterbirth. The baby can still be born 'through the loop' as it were. Do still consider a home birth. If your birth centre is a stand alone unit and there was a problem it would still require a transfer to the hospital so it would be exactly the same if you were at home! Hope things go well for you. :)

Probably not relevant to OP, but worth adding for others. If your hospital or MLU has limited birth pools, but you don't want a HB, some hospitals are happy for you to bring your own birth pool in with you, and set it up in the delivery room.

Thanks for the advice peeps.

I would consider a home birth but I think my OH is nervous. Plus we live in his house, and I don't feel quite secure enough here to contemplate giving birth here yet. Does that make sense?

I'll talk to the MWs about the options for water, and the likelihood of getting a pool. They are strict about care though - its definitely at least 1:1, they do seem to be very well staffed. I understand that they can't offer more help at the unit, than they could at home, its just that they are so much closer to the hospital in case of an emergency transfer (only 20 mins).

But I'll definitely consider a private hired pool, thanks for the tip off.

dd2 was a waterbirth and had the cord around her neck. i delivered her myself and unwrapped the cord.

the mw was right there and would have taken the cord off if i had not done it automatically.

I had a water birth and the cord was all tangled round DS but they very easily sorted it out in a matter of seconds. The water birth was definitely the best option for me - I found it much easier to cope with the pain in the water and it somehow all felt a bit more dignified than legs up on a bed!

DaisyBell-

I can understand your anxiety, but I'd really suggest you work on your feelings that you are filled with terror with anything other than a water birth. I hope that things go well for you, but there are situations where even if you remain in the MLU they may advise that water is not a good idea, or that you should get out for a while - including I believe some situations of meconium, if it seems to be slowing progress or if you are not very far along. Some units have very firm rules about you getting in before 5cms, so you might have to labour for a while on dry land anyway, depending how quickly you get to 5cm.

If you feel petrified about being anywhere other than water then if any of those issues arise, you will feel out of control and scared. It is great to want a water birth, but I would try not to go into it feeling that it is the only way you can feel confident with your labour.

Is there someone you can talk to about this? Your midwife? A doula? I would really recommend that you develop some other strategies - massage, positioning, use of ropes/birth balls, etc, TENS, hypnotherapy. Even if (as I hope you will) you have a lovely waterbirth, you will feel less tense about 'what if I don't get a pool', you might find it useful in the early stages and you will have something to fall back on if, for some reason, you aren't in the water (or aren't in it all the time).

when i first got pregnant, in fact even before i was, i was filled with dread at the thought of anyone coming anywhere near my nether regions let alone giving birth. i honestly expected to give birth locked in the bathroom on my own! 3yrs later i have had 3 amazing home births using hypnotherapy and a water pool. hypnotherapy was the best thing i did to change the way i thought about things and i loved the whole things so much i am seriously considering becoming a surrogate mother so i can give birth again. i delivered all my babies myself - the midwives just cleaned up the mess and filled in paperwork . i was also worried about the cord being around the neck but all my cords were really short for some reason so couldn't have happened.

I don't write this to try and put a dampner on your hopes, but just wanted to contribute. I, like you, was adamant that I wanted first birth to be a water one, preferably at home; had the pool in, used it for relaxation leading up to the birth, it was going to be blissful. Then my BP started to rise and (long story short) I ended up on the consultant ward, not allowed to use any pool at all (I believe this is standard practice) - I hadn't even considered NOT being able to use it; to the extent that DH and I were bullied into consenting to the induction (and we were only 10mins from hosp) and the disappointment was huge.

As I said, I don't want to scare you or startle you or P* you off, but my complete focus and unswerving hopes led to a massive anxiety and battle. I'm not sure if I'd have paid much attention to someone saying to you what I am (I'm a stubborn so and so!) but most people would say "you might not get the pool" which is why I went for the home option.

I hope it all goes well for you, but at present, you have plenty of time to consider some back up plans and/or coping strategies.