Birth experiences

[ArtemisBow]

I’m 6 weeks pregnant with baby number 2. Obviously early days yet but I didn’t have a great birth experience last time and I’d like this one to be better.

Essentially last time I was induced at 37+6, and owing to a very busy labour ward they kept slowing things down and then trying to speed them up again. I ended up on syntocinin in one hand, a sliding scale in the other, monitor on the bump and no movement allowed. If I hadn’t been T1D I would have been aiming for plenty of movement and a birthing pool, so this was far from where I wanted to be. Ended up tearing quite badly and losing a lot of blood.

Just interested to know if anyone else with T1D has managed to get a birthing pool or at least avoided so many of the movement restrictions?

 

[Juicyj]

Hello @ArtemisBow giving your post a bump, I also wanted the birthing pool but fate was decided by the doctors instead and was induced at 37 weeks due to high birth weight, I haven't come across any type 1's with a boring pool experience so would be curious to see if any has had this experience too.

 

[JBlaza]

Hi @ArtemisBow, I'm currently 33 weeks pregnant with number 2. I also didn't have a great experience with number 1, I was induced at 34 weeks as my insulin requirements dropped and they thought safest to get her out. It was fine really until my waters broke and I went from 4 to 8cm dilated in an hour and they wanted to permanently monitor the baby so I was stuck on the bed on my back too as any movement meant the monitors lost connection. I also just wanted to be able to move so had an epidural as the discomfort of having to lie down was too much for me. I didn't tear but my placenta didn't fully detach so I also lost a lot of blood and got rushed to surgery. And don't get me started on the midwife who told me early on in the induction that I couldn't have any paracetamol, even though I couldn't sit down due to discomfort!

They do have mobile monitors ie without wires and these should enable full movement, however at my hospital for a labour ward with 10 rooms I think they only had 2 sets. I asked about a water birth, you need the mobile monitors to be available and apparently there is too much risk of infection if you have any kind of drip in. But definitely ask at your hospital as it all seems to vary depending on where you are.

 

[ArtemisBow]

Thanks both for your responses - I’m considering using a different hospital this time, not that I feel there was anything incompetent at the first one, just I now realise looking at statistics they handle more births with fewer rooms than a lot of others locally, and it was the lack of available rooms that meant I couldn’t progress at a steady rate. Normally distance would be a concern but if I’m being induced anyway it doesn’t really matter.

And I’ll definitely be getting an epidural if that horrendous drip goes in!

 

[Tilly_S]

I had a bloody awful first birth nearly 9 years ago now ... gave birth on operating table for a c section ... luckily I didn’t .... I had episiotomy the drip etc I was induced at 38 weeks he was 7lb 3 as I’m type 1... second birth 2017 lovely I was induced at 35 weeks tho ... it was along labour due to gestation 22 hours but I had no painkillers and just 3 pessarys thankgod ! No tearing either I was very mobile 6lb 3rd birth (my youngest is 10 weeks old ) induced at 38 weeks I wanted 39 but they pushed me to 37 I agreed at 38... anyway lovely birth 2 hour labour , I was mobile I didn’t have a drip just one pessary as I was already 2 cm dilated on arrival they said I could have waters broken first or the pessary just to get my cervix more effaced .... I chose pessary and 2 hours later they broke my waters and my active labour was 2 hours long and no sliding scale no drip just gas and air and no tearing down there I couldn’t of asked for better he was 9lb 1

 

[Diakat]

My hospital said water birth a no go for diabetic pregnancy.