What to pack in Labour Bag?

Jay-Jay_4

Greenstuff wrote:

I agree, they do it as there was a study done years ago when they first developed the drug which showed that Mums not given the drug were more prone to haemorrhaging so much so that the study was abandoned half way through and all were then given the drug as routine.
Trouble was that firstly the study was done by the drug company, and more importantly it was done when the vast majority of babies were bottlefed.
Putting the baby to the breast at birth (which is really encouraged now - even if you intend to bottle feed they encourage you to do a one off feed) releases the natural gentle amounts of syntometrine that contracts everything just as it should.

I couldn't agree more! A susequent study has shown that Syntometrine causes blood vessels in the womb to 'shear off' causing problems with pain and bleeding in later life, in extreme circumstances leading to hysterectomy.....no thanks, I think I'll spend an extra 10 minutes delivering my placenta!

As for breast feeding after the birth, this releases oxytocin which naturally contracts the womb, after all syntometrine is the synthetic form of oxytocin....I'm positive that you already know this but just claryfying for those who don't.

If the medical profession explained this to women maybe more would choose to do it the natural way. Just another aspect of labour that has been needlessly medicalised...... why have a drug by injection to expel the placenta then give baby artificial milk when you can just put baby to the booby and do it the natural way

Also if you ask for the cord to stop pulsing before it's clamped and cut not only does baby get massive doses of zinc and vitamin K that come in the last few pumps but the placenta has stopped working so is not so filled with blood.

My midwife forgot to do this :rolleyes: ! We captured on video camera the other midwife saying "aren't you going to wait for it to stop pulsating before you.........oh.... too late" :rolleyes:

I decided not to have the syntometrine this time as last time my uterus contracted down so hard the placenta couldnt be born.

It's sometimes tough to get your midwife to agree not to give Syntometrine as they try to tell you that you'll likely bleed to death if you don't :rolleyes: my argument was "well if I'm bleeding to death then you can give it.... if I'm not then LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!"



Woe betide anyone who tried to get me to do anything I didn't want to do when I was in labour :rotfl:

Greenstuff_2

I'm going to put it all in my birth plan in a clear and simple way in the hope they will just follow it, I shall stress that it's really important to us and I don't really have many requests so hopefully they will take it seriously.
I'll show it to my midwife beforehand in case there's anything thats dead against their policy so we can hammer it out beforehand, if that doesn't work can I borrow you please?

Jay-Jay_4

Greenstuff wrote:

, if that doesn't work can I borrow you please?

Just tell me when and where.......I'll get right onto making banners and protest placards

me

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> your midwife

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....I love midwives really

gravitytolls

I personally found I liked th esecurity of the thickest pad I could gte. I would say that for the first few days, you really wnt to avoid the thin ones.

Make sure you take a couple of mars bars too. I always find I crave them within a couple of hours of birth, even though I hate them, my body needs the glucose I guess.

Plenty of big knickers too, as your tummy feels like jelly for a while, and it's a very disconcerting feeling to have what was previously a huge hard swelling, a wobbly mass - it's nice to have something to hang onto it all, hangs onto your pads too.



If you're well enough, an dall goes according to plan, you may be bale to leave the same day. This is nice, as hospitals feel al little lonely, especially at night; it's just nice to be tucked up into your own bed with your loved ones around you to fuss over you and bring you tea.

Good luck and enjoy every precious moment.

VixxAnn

A really good tip I was given by my midwife for my 3rd baby... sounds strange but works fantastically... Take in some vaseline and smear very liberally around babys bits before you put nappy on. The poo that they do in the first day or two is vile stuff (meconium I think its called??) its a bit tar like in substance and is an absolute !!!!!! to get off. The vaseline however stops it sticking to skin and you can clean them easily. If you are a new mum especially and not used to nappies it just makes the whole thing so much easier and quicker.

Its handy stuff to keep around anyway (the vaseline!) as you can use it on yourself and its great as a lip salve.

I back up all suggestions for salt in the bath water, also keep a jug in the bathroom and pour a warm salt solution over you after each time you go to the loo. with my first baby I was very niave and did nothing - bad mistake, painful stitches and infection. by time I had my third baby I did everything that people on here have suggested and it all helps tremendously.

will put any more tips on if I can remember them

jellyhead

Bargain_Rzl wrote:

Isn't Leo one of those names which has shot up in popularity recently? Perhaps one of the others is better from the point of view of not being one of 3 Leos in his class at school? I like Joe, that's my brother's name.

coincidentally i read somewhere today that leo has become a popular name, tony blair has a leo too. i also remembered that i already have a cousin called leo he's around 18 months old, he's in care and his parents (heroin addicts) are unlikely to ever get him back, there's also a ban on anyone from the family adopting him. although i'm not in touch with that side of the family i think naming my baby leo will upset my nan because she already has a grandson named leo that she'll never see so a great grandson named leo will be a constant reminder.

but yes, being called sharon in the 80's i don't ever want to give my child a name that he'll share with half the class. i like joe too :-)

jellyhead

there's a tub of vaseline in the 'baby welcome' pack by the bed for new mums, make sure your hospital gives you yours lol!

jay-jay what you say about 'shearing off' is interesting. before having my baby i never had a single problem with periods but afterwards it was agony and 5 times the bleeding of before. i've mentioned the tranexamic acid in another post. i bleed so much it causes problems with just getting to school, i need to take much more tranexamic acid on days when i have to work too. perhaps the jab was to blame :mad:

the miriam stoppard book mentions refusing the jab, that breastfeeding helps and also the cord - these are two advantages of a home birth apparently, that they don't automatically jab you and they wait for the cord to stop pulsating. i was on an oxytocin drip during labour (induced) - did i really need the jab?? it was agony, getting the placenta out hurt SO MUCH MORE than delivering a baby. sorry if i'm scaring any first time mums lol! i won't have many things to put in my birth plan, so as has been said i'll mention that as i really don't make many demands can they please take the ones i do make quite seriously

Jay-Jay_4

jellyhead wrote:

the miriam stoppard book mentions refusing the jab, that breastfeeding helps and also the cord - these are two advantages of a home birth apparently, that they don't automatically jab you and they wait for the cord to stop pulsating. i was on an oxytocin drip during labour (induced) - did i really need the jab?? it was agony, getting the placenta out hurt SO MUCH MORE than delivering a baby. sorry if i'm scaring any first time mums lol! i won't have many things to put in my birth plan, so as has been said i'll mention that as i really don't make many demands can they please take the ones i do make quite seriously

I think it depends on the midwife. My midwife had never done a homebirth before and was obviously on autopilot when she cut the cord :rolleyes: I hadn't done a birth plan because I know that very often they don't get read them so I had my partner tell the midwife that I wanted baby delivering into my arms, that HE was to announce the baby's sex, that I was not having Syntometrine and that I would be breastfeeding.

The good thing is that you don't get any drugs forced on you at home though I did have my own supply of pethadine on standby in case I felt that I wanted it. They understand that giving you any kind of drugs increases the risk of complications so at home they prefer to go without any intervention as it makes their life easier .

I think that everyones experience of delivering the placenta is different, just like having their baby. I was really shocked that mine only took 10 minutes. I just had a couple of contractions which gave me the urge to push again, and it was out. I know that some ladies take longer though.

Jellyhead, the afterpains were so much stronger after my second baby and were horrendous when I fed my baby. Get some good strong painkillers ready and prepare yourself for some deep breathing. (don't worry first time Mums, they're worse after a second baby)

jellyhead

and here was me thinking a second baby would be a doddle, i'm scared now lol! i don't remember any afterpains first time around actually, how long do they last? i slept for 2 days so the hospital dealt with everything, i was still being given bedbaths and having my pads and stuff changed by staff 4 days after giving birth, tied to the bed by tubes and a catheter. good job i didn't need the loo lol! i probably missed the worst of the pain and the catheter meant i didn't wee on my stitches lol! i think i probably had it easy :rotfl: (in case that worries anyone i was only so ill because i was living on my own during the week and i had sudden onset pre-eclampsia but thought it was a migraine - it won't happen to you, other people will notice if you swell up like michelin man and don't wake up for 2 days, so don't worry that you'll be tied to tubes and trying to cover your bag of wee over with the blankets when you have visitors lol!)

Jay-Jay_4

jellyhead wrote:

and here was me thinking a second baby would be a doddle, i'm scared now lol! i don't remember any afterpains first time around actually, how long do they last?

Sorry..... didn't mean to scare you. Everyone's different I suppose but the pains are supposed to get worse after each baby :rolleyes:

Mine lasted for about 3 or 4 days but were only really bad for a couple of days. I found them worse than labour and dreaded feeding my baby (I also had mastitis, bleeding nips and thrush in my boobies so I dreaded feeding anyway lol)

My midwife gave me the go ahead to take co-dydramol which I did, that took the edge off the pain for me.

I suppose it's a good thing really as the pains are caused by your uterus contracting down and when you consider that it goes from being the size of a baby in a bag of water to the size of an orange....in just a couple of days.... it's pretty amazing really and not surprising that it smarts a bit.