Women w/CF delivering Baby

[sarah4]

My question is just wanting some advise from someone with CF that has delivered a baby, I am 33 weeks and am trying to get any tips I can to make it easier!

 

[JazzysMom]

Due to my history of hemoptysis & the surge of pregnancies of CFers from my CF clinic around the same time it was recommended that I deliver by c-section 4 weeks early. I was given steroid shots to assure the baby's lungs were developed & I delivered at 35 weeks. I had some "bracstin hicks" (spelling is way off) contractions so I had a 'SLIGHT" idea of what labor would be like, but was very happy with how things turned out for me. I originally was upset because I wanted to be "normal" & deliver near my home with friends/family around. My CF doctor made me realize that even tho my pregnancy was great & the baby & I were doing well....its wasnt a "normal" pregnancy & precautions should be taken. So I delivered down in the hospital where my CF doctor is. It was hard being so far away with a baby, but my husband & 2 of my sisters were there the day I delivered. It worked out well for a few reasons. I got to choose the day my daughter was born & I had time to get things ready for her without any worries of when she would come. Either way I had a beauttiful little angel to bring home. She was 5 lbs 2.5 oz & 20" long at birth. She was 4 lbs 14oz when she came home, but hasnt stopped growing since. She is now 7 years old is 54" & weighs 62 pounds. She is only 11" shorter than me..............................

 

[anonymous]

Hi Sara4,
I am a cf woman who had a baby at 38 weeks at the age of 25 . I went for a checkup and was found to be 5cm dilated, with no serious contractions, just braxton hicks. No pain at all! So lucky.......They admitted me and induced me because the docs were afraid I would have the baby too quickly if I went home and had to come back to the hospital. No problems with labor/delivery, I had a much easier time than many 'normal' women! The only thing I found difficult was holding my breath to push when it came to that, but it didn't last that long. Otherwise everything went fine. I wish you luck!!

Kim
40 w/cf

 

[HollyCatheryn]

Here are just a few suggestions. You can find more at <A href="http://www.geocities.com/MurrensNatureMama/childbirth">www.geocities.com/MurrensNatureMama/childbirth</A>.1) stay at home as long as possible - labor tends to slow down once you get to the hospital, usually because you get tense and stressed. At home you are in your own space and can do whatever makes you comfortable. 2) If staying home for a long time (until well into active labor) isn't an option, go to somewhere near the hospital, like a friend's house. You can actually go to the hospital but stay outside walking, sitting, snacking until you are ready to go in.3) Hire a doula/labor assistant - they usually have lots of tricks for easing pain and stress. It is also nice to have someone other than your husband there supporting you. That way he can go to the bathroom or eat if he needs to without leaving you alone. Having a woman there as your support person, especially a woman skilled in labor support, is proven to shorten labor and lessen pain. If you can't find a "doula" in your area, check if the midwives in your area provide labor support/doula services. (<A href="http://www.doulaworld.com">www.doulaworld.com</A>)4) Keep snacking and drinking - as long as you are hungry or thirsty, you should keep taking food and drink. Make them light, nutritious, non-dairy items like crackers, fruit, fresh vegetables, juice, water or tea. This keeps your blood sugars normal and your energy and hydration up. If you stop eating at the beginning of an 8 hour labor, you will be hungry, shaky, stressed and weak by the time you are ready to birth.5) Walking - walking helps keep labor going in a good pattern ( what is a good normal pattern for you may differ from someone else's). It helps the baby get plenty of bloodflow and shortens labor by using gravity and activity to keep the baby working his way down. Walking also helps keep your pelvis open - lying back flattens it and causes the baby to push against your cervix unevenly so that dilation and effacement are slower and less effective.6) Water - Warm water, whether in the shower or a bath, is a very effective pain and stress reducer. A bath helps soften your perineum so that you stretch more easily and the bouyancy makes breathing easier.7) Alternative positions for laboring and birthing - lying on your back compresses your pelvis and makes birthing more difficult, reduces circulation to the baby, and pushes the baby up into your diaphragm so that breathing is more difficult. Think about sitting, like on the toilet, a birth stool or birth ball. Maybe kneeling or being on your hands and knees. Standing and leaning against your doula or husband may also work for you. Squatting can feel really good and make the birthing phase easier and shorter. 8) Take Bradley class (<A href="http://www.bradleybirth.com">www.bradleybirth.com</A>) - Bradley teaches not only relaxation, but education about what the different sensations of labor and birth mean. Knowing what you are feeling takes a lot of the fear out of the experience. Replacing the fear with knowledge is very powerful in reducing pain and stress and thereby making labor shorter and more enjoyable.9) Reframe your thinking - if you are thinking about pain or number of hours to endure or complications, try to reframe your thinking to something like the following: "A woman's body is made for birth. Women have done this for centuries. This is the moment my whole life has been building toward. I have endured X, Y, and Z and I can do this. At the end of this work I will have the most wonderful gift of my life! Today is my baby's birthday!10) Avoid epidurals for as long as possible - an epidural before 5cm and a good strong labor pattern often causes labor to stall and require pitocin. Epidurals also limit your movement because you must be on an electronic fetal monitor because baby's experience more stress and/or depression after the administration of epidurals.11) Avoid Pitocin - pitocin contractions are physically different from natural contractions. Natural contractions start at the top of the uterus and slowly squeeze down to the bottom - they are wave-like. Pitocin contractions are like making a fist. They squeeze all at once and usually last longer. This deprives the baby of oxygen for longer than natural contractions and there is a greater incidence of fetal distress and/or depression as a result.Feel free to email me if you have other questions.

 

[toomums]

Well I guess I will add my 2 cents here. I have some experience in this field. I have been a certified birth doula with ALACe for over 3 years . I have attended over 2 dozen births in that time. I also have CF, and two children of my own. Now granted I didn't know I had Cf while I was pregnant, or practising as a doula. I didn't find out I had CF until a few weeks ago when I got the gene results back from my daughters doctor at the Cf clinic. We did gene typing for her. We never even knew we were carriers let alone my status.
As far as holding your breath,for pushing. A big no no in the birth inductry. That counting to 10 crap is for the birds. your body will deliver that baby with nice gentle pushes and patience, but if you find yourself a good doula, they will tell you that. My last child I did hypnobirthing. The breathing practices help immensly!!!! ALACE website has some amazing doulas listed on it, in both the USA and CANADA. Shop around.
If you are having a homebirth, having a midwife isn't enough, you need someone who will focus on you and you alone.
Staying in control of your birth experience is important. C-Section is a last resort. It can be even more taxing on a womens body than natural childbirth. Do the research, and stand strong by your decisions.
Good Luck!
Kimberly w/cf 33 years old, wife of David wo/cf DF508 carrier and mother to Parker wo/cf (3) DF508 carrier, and Annika (4 months old) w/cf double DF508