RE: [ozmidwifery] effects of contractions on the fetus???

[Sally Westbury]

Title: Message

Oh Cas,   You will never really know.   It is a bit like thinking if I had not take my child to the beach today he wouldn’t have been drowned and therefore it is all my fault….   No one can be sure that you could not have birthed your baby vaginally, safely. No one can be sure that you would survive a c/s!!   My gut feeling is… you made a good decision.. too many not quite right things.. and your gut feeling about no induction…   You did wait 16 days…   If you had been completely confident that your baby was well you could have waited but the information that you were being given did not seem to indicate that there were a few odd things… I’d be anxious with low amniotic fluid and a slightly lowered heart rate..   Weighing up the risk… good call.   Love Sally Westbury Homebirth Midwife.     -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Wayne and Caroline McCullough Sent: Wednesday, 5 November 2003 7:10 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] effects of contractions on the fetus???   that refers to the increased moulding of the fetal head, the increased possibility of cord compression and a possible decrease in pH as a result with ruptured membranes.   Six months after Dan's birth, this is something I wonder about... I was 17 days past my due date, ripe cervix, head well down in pelvis and in anterior position (had been posterior for a week and a half with ctx getting to five minutes then stopping), had good foetal movements but sometimes got a bit worried if I didn't feel anything for a couple of hours, had no amniotic fluid whatsoever, the sonogram at 16 days PD showed chord wrapped around bub's neck and a tiny bit of amniotic fluid in bub's stomach, no foetal distress but a slightly lowered heartrate (around 90 to 110 average when not active), was having ctx but nothing regular at that stage... was my baby likely to go into distress if I tried to birth him normally? At that stage the only choices offered to me were induction with half strength prost., no syntoncinon or scheduled caesarean... I feel like I should have waited a couple more days but I realise that you can only make decisions based on the circumstances you are in. I didn't want to induce with no amniotic fluid.   Thing is, he came out with perfect appearance (no postmaturity) and perfect lung function and near perfect Apgars 8 and 9. There was some green mec. staining on placenta and a couple of calcium deposits and bub's head showed signs of moulding.   I would really like to know if I had any other choice? Please be brutally honest. Did I just give in to the pressure or did I make a choice that saved my baby's life?   I am really grieving this at the moment and it would help to understand things better.   Cheers,   Cas.       Cas McCullough [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.casmccullough.com