HypnoBirthing® UK

[Teapot]

Hello all. I'm new to this site but have been attending sessions with Justina O'Leary for the last few months and have really begun looking forward to a calm hypnobirth in water at home in June. I have just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and told that I can no longer have a home birth, that my baby could die if I do!!! (talk about scare tactics!) My husband and I left the clinic in shock at the sheer lack of consideration for our wishes and the assumption that if we would even consider alternatives to NHS intervention that we therefore mustn't care about the well-being of our baby. Thank goodness for hypno-birthing and the fantastic information we've been fed by Justina so far. This at least enabled me to gather some confidence and belief that I was still able to retrieve the controls of my daughter's entry into the world. With this being baby no. 1 for me I am definitely having a bit of a wobble now as to what to do and I'm waiting for an independent midwife to get in touch as well as putting out the feelers here. Just wondered if anyone could share any of their experiences or advice under the circumstances. Sadly, the idea of a hospital birth fills me with dread and if I must accept it then I shall, but simply need to know that it's imperative and not just "less inconvenient" for others..

Thanks v much

Teri

[gordon_mullan]

Hi

My wife Jenny (a HypnoBirthing practitioner and one of the trainers) had borderline gestational diabetes with both pregnancies.

With the second one Jenny found that eating a controlled diet (i.e. low sugar, etc.) helped reduce the size of the baby (8lb 13oz girl, after a 10lb 9.5oz boy), and she delivered the second one safely at home (after having a Caesarean first time).

I'm sure other practitioners will offer advice (I'm just the webmaster but passionate about all this!) but don't let them scare you. Yes, left untreated gestational diabetes can lead to a larger-than-otherwise baby, but women without gestational diabetes can have big babies too. Eat a sensible diet (get some nutritional advice) and there's no reason why you shouldn't have a relatively 'normal' size baby.

Jenny is 5' 0.5", and petite, and she delivered Grace safely at home with no problem. She has had other mothers that have delivered considerably bigger babies at home.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical expert, or a HypnoBirthing practitioner. Please take advice from qualified professionals but make sure that your obstetrician/midwife/etc. are being honest about the risks, rather than simply using it as an excuse to talk you out of a homebirth.

Best of luck

Gordon

[Teapot]

Hi Gordon

Thank you so much for this feedback. I was interested to know if the idea of low blood sugar in the baby at birth was ever raised with you. It's something that the 'scary lady' labored on about yesterday. She mentioned that if my blood sugar suddenly goes up which could happen, then the babies would be caused to drop dangerously low and would then need to be rushed to the special care unit. I've not heard this from anybody else so just wondered if you had.

Really grateful to you for sharing your familiy's experiences. I am determined to stick to my guns and have a comfortable homebirth and this really helps me to arm myself with the tools to stand firm in the face of all this negativity!

Best wishes

Teri

[gordon_mullan]

A quick Google turned up the following, which you might find useful:
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6361
http://www.radmid.demon.co.uk/gdrefs.htm
http://www.homebirth.org.uk/youcant.htm#13

Best wishes
Gordon

[ockysmith]

I think it depends on the severity/extent of your diabetes to be honest.

How is it controlled? (diet or insulin?) what are your average glucose levels? The big baby issue would worry me far less (seeing as I have 11lbers at home ) than the stabilisation of the baby after birth if yours isn't a particularly well controlled/more severe case. I have known people whose babies did need very quick treatment after the birth (transfer time from your home to hospital is another issue to consider) and equally those (much more commonly) whose babies are totally fine. The homebirth.org.uk link Gordon posted is a great source of information, I would also suggest that you speak with Justina and find out who the most pro homebirth consultants/midwives are at your hospital/in the community and request a meeting with them to discuss the *real* evidence and pros and cons of a homebirth.

In the meantime make sure you stick to the diet in the HypnoBirthing book (which will probably be pretty similar to the one your diabetic nurse has given you anyway).

Good luck!

Sarah

[Teapot]

Thank you Sarah.

My levels range from 5.9 after fasting to 9.2 2hrs after the glucose test. I've been monitoring at home the last 2 days and it ranges from 4.6 to 6.0 before meals and between 6.4 and 7.5 after meals (except for one reading at 8.9 after a large bowl of muesli which I ate without knowledge of it's sugar content!). I'm certainly not at the point where I require insulin! I am sticking to the diet very closely and exercising daily. A midwife at The Birth Centre in London today told me that those stats were truly nothing to worry about so long as they stay at those levels, obviously I will continue to monitor them throughout. Sadly The Birth Centre are fully booked for June or I might well have gone there. My community midwife has sadly had to conform to the NHS stance and recommend the hospital birth to me and so I'm yet to secure an obliging Independent Midwife as they are all booked up for June! I guess I'll keep looking.

Thanks for all your feedback.

Teri x

[talkhealer]

Hi Teri,
I taught a mum recently who had a scare about gestational diabetes following her GTT test. However, she was only .1 above the accepted level when she had the test and was normal after. She went on the diet and her levels continued within normal range.
However, due to the test results there was some difficulty with her proposed home birth after.
She eventually negotiated she would start labour at home and transfer if there were any problems - which there weren't - so she had her baby at home. She did however, agree to go to hospital immediately after delivery so the baby could be monitored. Baby was fine.
She went from an obstetrician who told her - like you - that she was putting her baby in danger and midwives who said she 'couldn't have' her home birth - to another obstetrician who was perfectly happy with a home birth and midwives who were happy to attend her homebirth. Once they realised she had 'done her homework' and was taking responsibility they respected her decision. Like Gordon says - it's about discerning whether it's hospital protocols or your circumstances which are informing the medical advice. She did have to fight to get what she wanted but her intuition told her to stick to her homebirth; what's your intuition telling you?
I notice your midwife has 'recommended ' the hospital birth ; is she simply following hospital protocols - would she be willing to attend you at home if you stick to your guns? Would the Independant midwives you've talked to be happy to support your homebirth? As Sarah says, transfer time seems important and how severe and unstable your blood sugar levels are.
It does sound however as if you're getting a lot of conflicting advice.
Have you read 'The thinking woman's guide to a better birth' by Henci Goer; it's a wonderful resource for just such issues; it gives you the low-down and the best research so you can decide for yourself and helps you through the maze of medical advice - especially when that advice is against your birth preferences.
By the way, I believe one of the concerns raised can be is that a GD baby may also be harder to 'deliver' due to size ; however the 'hands and knees' position has been shown in research to be effective for delivering 'big babies' ' shoulders (shoulder dystocia) - so sometimes there can be a very simple solution.
Good luck with your birth - whatever you decide.
Denise
Persephone Hypnobirthing Clinic
Sharing the Secret of Blissful Birth
01525 850334
www.myhypnobirthing.co.uk
denise@myhypnobirthing.co.uk