"Twins By Surprise"

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Specializes in none yet!.

Just finished watching "Twins By Surprise". I'm just wondering why in the world anyone would insist on having an UNASSISTED home birth these days! Just b/c someone has had 3 kids prior, it does not mean that something can't or won't go wrong. This woman had no prenatal care, except urine strips she performed herself. She went into labor 6 weeks early (she knew she was 6 weeks early), and still would not call for help. She wouldn't allow her husband call for help either. Both babies were born in the footling breech position. One twin was significantly smaller than the other d/t an unfavorably attached umbilical cord. I just do not understand the rationale.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

I saw a show on "free birthing" about a month ago, and was just horrified. What if the baby had the cord around it's neck and it tightened during contractions? What if she started to bleed? Placenta previa, ecclampsia, correctable birth defects....are they out of their mind?

One of their big arguments is that "women have been having babies for millions of years" -- yep, and it's still one of the most dangerous times in a woman's life, and if you artificially revert to standards of 200 years ago, infant mortality/maternal mortality was sky high. They are playing Russian roulette with the life of their child, and their own lives as well.

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Specializes in nursery, L and D.

Maybe she didn't have a midwife in the area? If for some reason I decided to have a baby at home it would be unassisted b/c there are ZERO midwives here. Nurse midwives work at the hospitals in the area but won't deliver at home.

Not to get on a soapbox, but hospital births are very dangerous if you look at our neonatal/maternal death rates compared to countries that use primarly home births with midwives. Not condoning unassisted births, but we aren't doing a great job with what we're doing right now, either.

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Seriously, things don't go anymore "wrong" than they did when the majority of babies were born at home just a few centuries ago. I'm sure that she was aware of all the risks of having an unassisted home birth. It's her choice to be made (although the circumstances may see a little fishy, but who knows). I do hope that she was made aware of what could possibly happen. Not that I agree with her choice, knowing that it was not only a footling breech but a twin footling breech. Fortunately, everything turned out OK... but sometimes it may not turn out that way. She made her decision, and she shouldn't be villified for making a choice which does not agree with another one's values.

I saying this now, IF I ever get pregnant again, I'm staying far, far away from a hospital if my condition allows it. If in consultation with my midwife it's agreed that it would be safer for me to be in the hospital than attempt a birth center birth, I'm not going to risk a long fought out war to havea a baby just to get "my way." My husband and daughter need me to be healthy for them. For me to have an unassisted birth to satisfy my own desires would be selfish, but that's a decision which will have to be made. And like the woman in the story who made her choice, I, hopefully and prayfully, will make mine.

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I'm probably going to open up a can of worms with this one... :) I'm rather crunchy for a medical professional and have said for years that I will be my OB's worst nightmare.

I can COMPLETELY understand why women want to give birth at home, unassisted. Let's face it, doctors (and medical professionals in general) like to DO things. An uncomplicated pregnancy, in most cases, will progress properly to a favorable outcome without any of the typical interventions done on a L&D floor. In fact, many have proposed that interventions actually hinder a womans body from doing what it has been genetically programmed to do. At home a woman is in her natural environment, in control of her surroundings, and able to move and vocalize freely without the inhibition created by an audience. She can labor and give birth in whichever position is most comfortable, rather than flat on her back as mandated by many OB's. Bonding and breastfeeding can begin immediately. All good things in my book.

However, the above situation is just plain stupid and reckless. Without any prenatal care one cannot determine whether they have a 'typical' pregnancy with a low likelihood of complications. Women should understand that without the proper prenatal care they have a HIGH RISK pregnancy since we just don't know what's going on in there!

Just my :twocents:

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Specializes in none yet!.

She did not want a Midwife. She wanted no outside help at all. She also did not seek prenatal care. She is now pregnant with her 6th child, and will be having another unassisted home birth. She has had a sonogram (in her words) "to rule out twins". I see nothing wrong at all with having your child at home, I certainly would've loved that experience. I do however, think prenatal care is of the utmost importance. It would make me personally feel better if there was a Midwife there as well.

I am a bit sensitive to this b/c I'm a mother to a former 24weeker d/t placenta previa, preeclampsia, and subsequent abruption. Going to the hospital saved our lives. The hardest thing I've ever done was to watch my little 1 lb. daughter on an oscillator, and being told she wasn't going to make it, over and over again.

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

You can't understand stupid because you aren't.....

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You can't understand stupid because you aren't.....

Aww man... You just made me snort pop! Now I gotta go wipe the screen off, thanks a lot! LOL

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I guess we'll never know the answer to the multimillion dollar question: Why did she not want to have a midwife there in the first place? That's what I'm wanting to know. She taking the lives of innocents in her hands, and actually, that's what scares me. I have no problem with wanting an unassisted birth, ONLY AFTER finding out if she was a candidate for that type of situation. Is she hiding something in her MR? Only after I became a doula I find out about how not upfront people are with you. I have so many stories but lacking time.:D

Unfortunately, this last twin fooltling breech birth may have place a mindset in her that ths can do anything with gusto. After all, if nothing went wrong with the twins, then nothing will happen this time.

We can only hope and pray that she make the right decidions when it comes to her, husband, and children. They're going to have to live with the consequences of a poor deicision. And it makes me said. :crying2: If the situation was different, I might say, "More power to you." But with her last birth, I don't think I can say that anymore.

\\\

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I would give birth at home but definitely have prenatal care and a midwife present. No doubt about it. You need help in the event something goes wrong and a midwife is trained in that arena.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.

The fact that she wouldn't even let her DH call for help concerns me as well...I mean this is the father of the child as well (I would hope anyhow), and he only would want what's best for baby and mom

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Specializes in LTC, geriatric, psych, rehab.

I would love to have given birth at home, but if I had I would have bled to death with # 1 and # 6. And then # 5 would have died b/c of some comps. My bleeding was very questionable with # 3. So basically, I would have been good to go on #'s 2 and 4. My odds would not have been good! But I think it is neat that people can do so. At least some prenatal care needs to happen, and if in the end there is a problem, I certainly hope my daughters would have the sense God gave a goose and go to the hospital.

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