Natural and home birth and un natural hospital births

[nancy2394]

Originally Posted by ihartgonzo

I agree, Nancy. I cannot even imagine being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance or trying to get to a car with a baby coming out in the middle of an emergency... so scary. My friend keeps saying "Why would you have a baby in a hospital? That's where you go when you're sick!" Umm, having a baby is a much bigger deal than having the flu. To me at least. I'd like to hear her say that when/if she's about to have a baby.

LOL Stephy, I wonder if they let you take shots in labor? I would probably vom. I haven't drank at all, even before I realized I was pregnant, but that's because I just don't find anything appealing about it right now. I think I've naturally developed a disgust for alcohol and smoke.

Wow Paige. You look like you're relaxing on the beach, not having a baby! But you're far more badass than me in countless aspects.



Me too! I guess it's kind of immature to care that much, but omg, I hope this doesn't happen. My sisters didn't so I'm hoping it's a trend for us.

people try to sneak drinks and food during their labor when they're only suppose to have ice chips.... we do that for a reason...lol EVERY SINGLE time someone does that, they vomit. And when they do, we just smile and remind them that they were only suppose to have ice chips..lol A lot of women tend to vomit when they get to the last stage of labor. Another reason we only allow ice chips is for the emergency factor. If an emergency happened and they had to do an immediate c-section (and it happens) they don't want anything in your belly because if they had to intubate mom during the surgery.... the risk for aspiration would be significant.

[LindaJD]

I had different experiences with all 3 of my children. The 1st was all natural, the second was c-section and the third I had an epidural. If I ever had another it would be hands down epidural. With the epidural I enjoyed the experience so much more. We were laughing and joking with the Dr. as the baby was delivered and I wasn't exhausted afterwards. I enjoyed the baby more, because I wasn't so tired. I had no side effects and much more energy. I had the choice of having a c-section, but I remembered how sore I was for a week after the last one and wanted to avoid that if possible.
Everybody is different every labor is different. Whatever a woman chooses, the most important thing is the end result and what we all want the most is a healthy baby.

[nancy2394]

Originally Posted by Dizzy

The idea of giving birth scares me... and totally irrationally, more because I'm petrified of pooing myself

Oh dizzy... this was one of my fears. When that baby is coming down the birth canal, and you are having to "push" the baby out... you are literally pushing with all your strength to get the baby out. It's the same "pushing" you would do if you were trying to have a bowel movement. So... if you have poop in your colon, it's gonna come out..lol

I didn't know until years after I had my daughter that I pooped a little "nugget" when I was pushing and Tj reached over and grabbed it with his BARE hands when the doctor turned around to get something I asked him what he did with it once he grabbed it and he said "I put it in my pocket" ewwwwww And I'll bet he didn't wash his hands either because I don't remember him leaving my side! When I asked him why he would do such a nasty thing, he said "you were so worried about pooping and I didn't want you to be embarrassed"

It happens, most of the time the momma doesn't have a clue she's even doing it because she's so caught up in the moment. When they do poop during child birth, the doctor or nurse (whoever is right there at the moment) is very quick to be discreet and wipe it away immediately.

[jenv101]

I agree that everyone is different and we all just have to do what is most comfortable for us and in the best interests of ourselves and the baby. I've been doing a lot of research on this topic lately, I've seen that video and I have a bunch of books I'm reading right now on natural childbirth. I am seeing a Midwife and I have the option of home or hospital birth with her. So, I haven't fully decided yet. It will obviously depend on how things go and how we are doing closer to the time of birth. The bonus is that I live literally 3 blocks from the hospital so I am more comfortable in that it would only take us like 1-2 minutes to get there if something did happen. Also I do know that midwives bring with them an arsenal of medical supplies and are prepared for resuscitation and a lot of minor complications, and they are fully capable and qualified to handle them in the home.

My ideal birth at this point in time is a home water birth. It's very appealing to me. So we'll see how things go! I also need to actually go to the hospital birth centre, tour around, and talk to my midwife about how things go there, and how accommodating they would be if I were to go there and want to still do things naturally.

There is so much info to take in right now! I want to be fully informed about all of my options both naturally and medically just in case. It is a bit intimidating and scary when it's your first, just fear of the unknown I guess. But I am gaining a lot of confidence in my body and it's ability to do this the way it was designed to through my research.

Anyways, great topic! Love hearing everyone's viewpoints!

[darkchild16]

Originally Posted by nancy2394

I've attended several deliveries where there was nothing wrong with the baby until the baby came down the birth canal and aspirated a mouth full of amniotic fluid on the way out with the first breath and ended up in respiratory distress within minutes of being born. And some of them got so bad they had to spend time in the nicu on a vent.

That happened to Savannah. We had a 5 hr birth (from water breaking to out) only trouble was she liked my pelvic bone. They didnt have a chance for me to actually hold her until she was prepped for the severe NICU (the best in the area). They didnt even really have time to explain what was going on, size her or anything she was still covered in vernix (i think thats what the white stuff is called). She spent a week in NICU 2 days on vents and 2 more on CPAP. (if i remember correctly)

My last two hospital births COULD have been water births fyi. Both rooms had a birthing tub in every room and wont medicate until you ask. I may as well have been with Savannah because it never helped with the real pain of her head on my pelvic bone LOL.

FWIW I did want a birth cottage birth with Savannah I even talked to them but they wouldnt take me with my propr issues. I ended up with placenta previa, anemia, hyperemesis (extreme morning sickness), high blood pressure, dehydration, and started having signs of preeclampsia all with Savannah. Needless to say Savannah is IT lol.

[nancy2394]

I am just playing devils advocate here... mostly because i've seen this happen more than once. If you are only a few blocks from the hospital and you are having a home birth... the baby's head delivers but the shoulders won't because there is shoulder dystocia. That few minutes it takes to get to the hospital for an emergency delivery can make all the difference in the world for a live birth. Those have been some of the most scary deliveries i've been to. Or what happens if as the baby is coming out and they aspirate meconium and need to be intubated BEFORE they take their first breath? Midwives are wonderful... but they specialize in taking care of the mother, not the baby. I work with midwives all the time... and there is a lot they can not do in emergency situations. They are wonderful and attentive to the laboring mother when labor and delivery is going as expected. Yes, they are trained in emergencies.. but how often do they actually participate in reviving a newborn? It's kind of like me having to be trained to intubate, but it's not something i'd have to do in my scope of my job...

[Fran101]

Personally, I would go to a hospital. I would try to do as much med-free as possible while I'm still below my pain threshold but.. I am not taking the risk of a home-birth if me having children is ever an option. Too many things can wrong and I appreciate having the doctors/facilities/equipment necessary around if something DID go wrong.

I met a mother once who lost a child on the way to the hospital when her home birth went wrong. It wasn't her fault, wasn't the mid-wifes fault, wasn't anyones fault.. but the look in her eyes as she told me how much she wished she was in a hospital where that baby could've been treated was a kind of sadness/anguish I never EVER EVER want to experience.
I've also met mothers who have had peaceful great home-births and wouldn't consider it any other way.
It's a very personal decision that relies on so many factors.

BUT I will say this. I do think it's a tad irresponsible to plan to do a home-birth in the MIDDLE of nowhere if you aren't even reasonable driving distance from a hospital. Sometime things go wrong.. there needs to be an emergency plan.

Me? I like hospitals.I like how clean they are. I like the doctors. I like the drugs lol

Oh and C-SECTION ALL THE WAY. Now they kind of make an insicion and then push the baby out like toothpaste. The scarring is minimal, recovery time isn't too bad. and best of all.. YAY FOR MY VAJAYJAY

lol I once attended a c-section party. We got mani/pedis and then all went to the hospital together, it was over in a few hours..everyone was happy lol

Now her tummy looks great, you can barely see the scar.. and the baby came out all cute and unsquished! lol

[sparks19]

Hospital birth here. went in for an ultrasound (I was overdue so they just wanted to check on her size... they were surprisingly accurate... only 2 oz off) My fluid was low (turns out that was an even bigger deal than we thought but not for the reason they were concerned about) so they decided to send me up and have me induced that morning.

I was induced at 10 am. slow and steady. I didn't feel my first contraction until about 4 pm. Things were progressing quite slowly. The contractions slowly got a little worse and a little worse. Finally around 7 pm I asked for the epidural. the pain wasn't very bad by that point or anything but I knew before going in I wanted the epidural and at that time I felt it was a good time to get it and they gave it to me.

After that things started happening a lot faster. I was relaxed so my body did what it needed to do without me fighting it. We sat around, watched tv, surfed the net, posted on chaz lol. It was very laid back and relaxed. Around midnight the epidural started to wear off just as the Doc said it would. When it came time to push the epidural was no longer effective and the doc told me that was their goal. The epidural was only to get me through the contractions not to get me through pushing. so I pushed with full feeling but you are SO busy in that moment that it isn't really that bad. Yeah there was a lot of noise coming from me between pushes. I hesitate to say screaming because it wasn't really like I was screaming in pain. I was just hollering out because it was exhausting.

18 minutes later Hannah was born. no muss no fuss and I don't think I look that bad. this photo was 5-10 minutes after she was born.



I was allowed to have juice and italian ice and even some applesauce throughout my labor.

I can also assure you ladies... if you do poop... you won't even know it. you will have absolutely no idea if you did or not. I have no idea if I did.

my labor was smooth and easy it was the days that followed that made me really happy that I gave birth in the hospital. After the birth the doc sent my placenta for tests. two days later Hannah had Pneumonia and ended up with a one week Nicu stay... at that same time my placenta came back with two infections in two different layers. so the doctors knew exactly what they were dealing with and why. I was SO glad I was still at the hospital when they discovered she was having difficulty breathing otherwise she would have gotten a lot sicker before I figured out something was wrong with her.

I also wouldn't do a home birth because I don't want to be responsible for the clean up lol.

[darkchild16]

Originally Posted by nancy2394

I am just playing devils advocate here... mostly because i've seen this happen more than once. If you are only a few blocks from the hospital and you are having a home birth... the baby's head delivers but the shoulders won't because there is shoulder dystocia. That few minutes it takes to get to the hospital for an emergency delivery can make all the difference in the world for a live birth. Those have been some of the most scary deliveries i've been to. Or what happens if as the baby is coming out and they aspirate meconium and need to be intubated BEFORE they take their first breath? Midwives are wonderful... but they specialize in taking care of the mother, not the baby. I work with midwives all the time... and there is a lot they can not do in emergency situations. They are wonderful and attentive to the laboring mother when labor and delivery is going as expected. Yes, they are trained in emergencies.. but how often do they actually participate in reviving a newborn? It's kind of like me having to be trained to intubate, but it's not something i'd have to do in my scope of my job...

I will say I only had a midwife attend my birth with Savannah and she was GREAT!!!!!! She did help the nursing staff with Savannah until NICU got there She was FAR better then any OB i have EVER had. She actually LISTENED to me and let me pace my induction the best she could, didnt do ANYTHING I felt uncomfortable with. After I had her and didnt need pain meds after they didnt make me feel silly for it like the mother/baby nurses did. When we thought Savannah was going to be csectioned (no one wanted my vaginally birthing any bigger then 8 lb) they simply said we will be there for you and your husband in the OR. They never made me feel less then because I contemplated csection they supported me and empowered ME to make the choice. It was nice to have BOTH ob and midwife in the office.

[stardogs]

When all my friends started having kids I started researching, too, Hayley! I figure it's a huge life experience, why not research it *before* I have a real deadline. LOL

Personally, I know I'm going to lean toward drug-free, un-induced labor if at all possible because the cascade of interventions that can happen, especially those that tie you to the bed, sound super unpleasant to me.

Location will be determined closer to "go time" - I'd like a homebirth but may look into birth center birth because I do like the advantages of "hospital adjacent" if something happens. I know DH would prefer hospital, but it would have to be a VERY mom and baby friendly hospital (with a C-sec rate way lower than the US average of 30+%) for me to feel comfortable with that for an uncomplicated pregnancy. I'll def be using a midwife unless there's risk factors that require an OB.

One of the things I KNOW I'll be doing to reduce my desire/need for meds in birth is taking a good birth class, not sure what method, but so far I've looked into Hypnobabies, the Bradley Method, and several others. It seems like a class geared toward sharing info *and* emphacizing options for coping would be a great foundation - I hear of so many people who don't do *any* preparation that it boggles my mind, but I know I'm a research freak.

Because I want to set myself up for success as much as possible, I'm working on overhauling my diet and improving my fitness before I even get pregnant - I've been told that having a baby is like running a marathon and the fitter you are the better, so I'm running with that (pun intended lol).

I know that there is always the possibility of problems and events that may change ones options for birthing (a friend of mine wanted to go drug free but her daughter decided to arrive 6 weeks early, so obviously all of those plans went out the window, and there's nothing wrong with that - she has a wonderful, healthy daughter now ), but being informed about alllll the options out there is really important in my opinion.

Here are some of my fav resources and blogs on drug-free birth:


Books/DVDs (I found both books at the local library!)

DVD: "The Business of Being Born" - documentary on birth in america. About 90 minutes in length and I found it very informative. Available on netflix streaming.

Book: "BabyCatcher" - great, relatively easy read about the life of a midwife. I found it incredibly educational while also being entertaining.

Book: "Pushed" - book on modern american maternity care. Lots of great research-based info, but could be a bit startling for someone who is looking at birth in the near future because it does point out the flaws in the system.

Websites

http://wonderfullymadebelliesandbabi...read_4036.html - "What *Not* To Read When You're Expecting" (various reading suggestions based on your current feelings about birth)

http://www.yourbirthright.com/ - source of *free* telecourses on various pregnancy/birth topics.

http://www.pregnancybirthandbabies.c...th_stories.htm - positive birth stories of all kinds.

http://www.hypnobirthing.clairebushell.co.uk/ - info on the HypnoBirthing method.

http://bringbirthhome.com/ - extensive site on all things homebirth.

Blogs

http://atyourcervix.blogspot.com/ - L&D nurse's perspective on birth.

http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=663#more-663 - research-based blog from Lamaze International

http://www.theunnecesarean.com/ - blog striving to reduce unneccesary ceseareans by educating consumers; also publishes c-section rates for states in the US.

http://thefeministbreeder.com/ - much more extreme blog than what I usually gravitate toward, but I do find it very interesting and she has a great VBAC story IIRC.

http://obnurse35yrs.wordpress.com/ - another L&D nurse's perspective.

http://enjoybirth.wordpress.com/ - hypnobabies instructor, mother, etc. blogging about all things birth.

http://rixarixa.blogspot.com/ - one of my fav blogs, but I don't know exactly why...LOL. The author did a dissertation on unassisted child birth, so a bit more extreme natural birth than my own preferences, but I find it fascinating.

http://nursingbirth.com/ - a fairly slow blog written by a nurse. The "Don't Let This Happen to You" series is what started my odyssey into birth education, but can be a bit overwhelming in and of itself, though I found it quite educational.

http://birthingbeautifulideas.com/ - doula authored blog.

http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/ - The name says it all!

http://momstinfoilhat.wordpress.com/ - mom in medical school. A bit more snarky than some of the other blogs, but the perspective she has is very interesting.