BirthWise Maternity Care, LC

Gentle Births Happen at Home    

Complications

This is probably the most frequently asked question when a couple is deciding if homebirth is the right choice for them.  There is the perception that pregnancy and birth complications happen mostly without warning and need very high-tech equipment to resolve them.  Even many doctors either believe this or are willing to have you believe this.  Certainly most TV births are shown in this light—some ER episodes come to mind!  As popular as this belief may be, it is simply not true.  The vast majority of complications develop slowly or are easily predictable with the regular prenatal screening—this is one of the reasons prenatal care is important. 

Seeing the same person during pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum (called continuity of care) combined with plenty of time with your midwife (prenatally and during labor) is the key to early recognition and treatment of actual or potential complications.  During pregnancy your midwife becomes very familiar with you and what is normal for you.  Lengthy appointments and easy phone access enable a trusting and open relationship to develop.  This helps both you and your midwife discuss everything that might be a potential concern.  During labor your midwife stays with you the entire time and doesn’t have to rely on a nurse to tell her what is going on and when to come.  Because your midwife is the one to see you and talk with you, important details don’t get lost in the telling resulting in an inaccurate understanding of your situation.  This allows a smooth transition between midwife/home care and doctor/hospital care if it becomes necessary.

Many times natural methods work very well to remedy or prevent a potential complication.  If the low-tech methods aren’t sufficient, a doctor’s visit and medical treatment would be in order.  Some women prefer to use mainstream medical treatments first rather than try natural methods.  This is completely compatible with midwife/homebirth care.

Some pregnancy conditions that you might need to see a doctor for:

             Blood sugar problems

             Bladder infections or other urinary tract problems

             Preterm labor

             Baby is not in a head-down position

             Too much or too little amniotic fluid

             Blood pressure problems or other signs of pre-eclampsia

             Vaginal bleeding

             Baby is not growing appropriately

             Pregnancy lasting more than 2 weeks past your due date

 

Some labor or birth conditions that you might need to transfer to a hospital for:

             Rupture of membranes with no labor

             Non-progressive labor

             Baby is not head down

             Meconium in the amniotic fluid

             Fever or other signs of infection

             Umbilical cord prolapse (cord comes before the baby—very rare)

             Hemorrhage

             Fetal distress (baby is not coping well with labor)

             Baby that does not breathe after birth

             Baby born with congenital defects

                         

Most complications develop slowly with plenty of time to arrange consultation with a medical provider or transfer to a hospital.  These represent the majority of doctor visits during pregnancy and transfers during labor.

There are a few complications that need to be managed immediately to avoid serious injury.  These are the ones most people are concerned with.  They occur rarely and your midwife is trained and equipped to resolve or stabilize these complications until medical help can be obtained.

P.S.  Did you notice that a cord around the neck is not listed anywhere?  At least 1/3 of all babies are born with the cord around their necks and it is almost never a problem.  If it is a problem, it will be easily detected with the routine monitoring of the baby’s heartbeat during labor.

To contact us:

Phone: 801-928-9089

E-mail: heather@birthwisemc.com