IV

According to my midwife, I V is only needed. If you have to have it for strep B. Other than that, it’s only needed if you’re refusing to eat and drink while in labor. If you’re going to actively eat and drink, this is the best way to hydrate and feel yourself during laboras opposed to an IV, which is pretty standard at most hospitals, but as learned from my midwife for a home birth, not a requirement nor a necessity that would link to the outcome of the labor and delivery. If while you’re in labor, you find yourself unable to drink or eat. I would then opt for the IV.

The reason why the IV is necessary is because you can go downhill so fast. You can refuse it but in my opinion that's stupidly risking your life.

The reason for the IV is because it's so much harder to get access while someone is actively hemorrhaging/decompensating. For many medical emergencies IV medications are the first line of defense and it's harder to get access when someone is actively crashing. I'll take an IV over an IO (needle drilled straight into the bone when we can't get IV access in emergencies) any day!

I had to consent to a saline lock, but it ended up saving my life 🤷‍♀️ if nothing else, stress to them what you're comfortable with and if they won't let you have your birth the way you're comfortable i would say go for a birthing center instead of a hospital.

Why would I even try to refuse? its the quickest way to get hydration, nausea meds or pain meds or blood or any other thing I might need or want to be put in my system. With my son i was so nauseous the whole labor and couldn't drink anything. I was so greatful for the Zofran and fluids especially by the end when everything was ramping up. When you are busy giving birth the last thing on your mind is the IV

I guess I don’t understand why you’d want to refuse an IV? It’s generally just a saline drip until you need emergency medication. I’m not judging, I just don’t understand because I don’t know any cons to an IV.

The IV saved me and my baby’s life.

I never had one with my first but i delivered so fast after getting to the hospital i didnt have time to have anything, is there a reason you dont want IV or monitoring? I dont see the doctors refusing your delivery just because you dont want them.. seems so weird but like i said my first birth was so fast i didnt experiance it fully 😅

I can see why you wouldn’t want an IV but the thing I’m stuck on is why no fetal monitoring? I was at 8 cm and everything was going superrrr good until all the sudden my babies heart dropped. I had to rush for emergency c section or I wouldve lost my baby and without the monitoring, we wouldn’t have had any idea what was happening. It saved my babies life along with mine. After they had me in the operating room before they cut into me, my BP dropped to 70/40 which is dangerously low. He was perfectly healthy my whole pregnancy and when he was born so there was no previous indication that there might be a problem. Babies are under so much stress as they make their way into the world so anything can happen

I got one placed but it wasn’t actually used likely they didn’t connect it to anything

I feel you. I didn’t want anything extra or unnecessary, but I did change my mind. Here’s a little info just in case you change yours. They put mine on top of my wrist so it wouldn’t interfere with the laboring process. With the IV and the fetal monitoring (which was basically just two stretchy straps around my stomach), I was still able to move around the room, go to the bathroom etc. I just had to unhook everything from the machines or wall and walk rolling the IV stand around with me.

Low risk pregnancies don’t automatically equal no problem delivers and postpartum. I’ve been having trouble understanding why it’s been a trend to deny such simple necessary things. If theirs nothing in it you won’t even notice it’s there. Fetal monitoring is important, yes we make the decisions during childbirth but we put the babies first! Meaning allow them to monitor when necessary or get the mobile one. Lastly it’s great to labor at home but don’t wait until it’s “time to push” to go to the hospital! They still need time to get you a room and etc. Goodluck!

If you would have read other comments, home birth and birthing centers aren’t an option. I’m not against intervention/prevention of any kind. If it becomes medically necessary then of course I would like to have it. But as of now, it is not needed. And it does hurt. I don’t want it. I don’t have to have it. It may not be a big deal to you and that’s fine

So if IVs are a medical necessity, midwives and birthing centers would also highly recommend it. If a hospital denies me care because I don’t want an IV, then I don’t want that hospital. As of right now it’s not medically necessary, if the event it does become necessary, then I will get it. Just like hospitals push for moms to give birth on there back even though that’s actually the most unnatural position. If it’s not something I absolutely need or want, then I’m not doing it and I’m not going to change my mind bc someone doesn’t agree

Not to be rude, however I feel like you’re just being awkward, it’s not a big ask to had an IV😂

So what was the point of this post ? If nobody is changing your mind and you’re rejecting everything anyone says?

Hope it all works out for you!! You're genuinely being obstinate to be obstinate and do not care what people with more experience and information than you have so you're on my block list cause I don't have time nor energy to keep getting updates, but best of luck!