Did it bother you to be "risked out" of certain birth options?

[JanB]

Just curious if anyone else experienced this particular pitfall of being considered "high-risk". When I got pregnant the first time, I went with an OB/GYN, but as I learned more about birthing options, I thought maybe a midwife would have been better. So when I was preparing for my second pregnancy, I looked into midwifery practices in my area. Surprise, surprise, not a single one of them would take me on as an insulin-dependent diabetic. I was considered too high-risk. So all of the more "alternative" birth options that I hear other people talking about, such as midwives, homebirths, etc., were basically closed off to me.

I have more or less made my peace with this but wonder if anyone else has dealt with/is dealing with similar issues.

[RLB]

Hmmmm. As far as I remember it did bother me for a while in the beginning. None of the local hospitals will accept liability for a VBAC, so unless you want to come in with your labor nearly done with no monitoring, you're out of luck. I had some other complicating factors by the end, so I suppose it might have been out of my league anyway, but I would have appreciated the right to seek alternatives. By the time I got to the actual delivery, I just accepted that it was the way it had to be. I don't really regret it, as I just wanted him to be o.k. (It was a long strange pregnancy....)

[Melanie]

I looked all over town for a CNM that would take me; apparently they can't, legally. I don't know. I just wanted a vaginal birth, for Pete's sake.

[aliboo]

I was just glad to give birth and for us both to be alive.

Since then, on occasions, I've felt sad at times for not having an easy pregnancy and holding my new born and bonding during those early days...etc etc... But that wasn't to be and I'm sure that what happened has a purpose for now and the future.

I also had loads of ideas about natural birth etc, etc, before I had any children. But once pregnant I just wanted them to be safe...... and they both were. That's how I look at it.

[lizamac]

Id love to have a midwife (CNM) but I cant find one that I can use because of my MILD heart condition.

[Sheryl]

I kind of feel like I missed out on having a "normal" pregnancy. I didn't mind being high risk, but now I see all these pregnant moms walking around late in their pregnancy and it makes me feel a bit sad that I didn't get to do that. I was in the hospital for the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy and on bedrest at home for 6 weeks before that. So the last time I got to walk around in public while pregnant, I was 20 weeks. Although I was pretty big so people probably thought I was near the end of my pregnancy, LOL!

[aliboo]

(((((((((((Sheryl)))))))))))))

I relate to how you're feeling. I felt very very similar in my heart and still do at times. In my head I feel different. And it's hard to rationalise the two at times.