Ask Me Anything

britvahok

@jengibre_zorro I'm a puker also. They didn't give me anything right away  but as soon as I started puking my nurse put something in my IV and I stopped within minutes. 

jennybean80

@britvahok usually 24 hours is the minimum for a vaginal delivery, and it’s mostly so baby can have any necessary testing done. I stayed only about 11 hours after my twins were born, but they were in the NICU so all their testing was done there. 

@jengibre_zorro
1) a lot. Of the ones who say they don’t want an epidural at the start, probably over 75-80% change their minds. 

2) I'd definitely bring it up. There’s no reason they can’t give you anti nausea meds, there isn’t any reason to make you puke before giving them. 

mytrueloves

Personally, I'm really looking forward to taking advantage of the 48 hour elective stay my insurance covers lol. The 2 days I spent in the hospital after ODD's birth was the best part of the labor and delivery process (besides having ODD of course). 2 days of having no responsibilities, no chores, food delivered right to my room, and nothing to do but relax, rest, and bond with baby. I can't wait. 

kiwi2628

God, I wanna sign myself out of there ASAP. I hate being in a hospital- I hate the checks they have to do on you, I hate the constant lights and noise and wondering who is gonna pop into your room. I know I am just gonna want to be home.

sliztee

Also...I just wanna be home. I'm actually dreading the hospital stay the most. Introverts NEED THEIR HOMES.

britvahok

I hate the hospital stay. I try and get out of there ASAP!

knottieamusements

I’m going to throw a wringer into the “I want out of the hospital now!” thing.  

My understanding is that pre-e is still a risk even after delivery.  As I am at risk for developing it, I am okay with being monitored even if hospital stays suck.  

nasalot188

+1 to hating the hospital stay. I was stuck there for 3 NIGHTS with DS and it was the worst. I cried, and cried, and cried some more. Hormones suck. It's so much nicer in the comfort of your own home.

Getting food delivered is a bonus tho!

Lisa3379

@mytrueloves same here! I'm looking forward to doing nothing but cuddling the new kid and being able to lie down and not have to make people food and pick up toys. 

britvahok

@knottieamusements my hospital monitors moms for pre-e after delivery. The nurses will still come in and check all your vitals a few times a day. If you have a higher risk they will probably tell you what to look for when you get home. I have a friend who delivered in May and had pre-e after she was released. She had a really high fever and bp so she went back to the hospital and was readmitted for a few days. 

tlmill

mytrueloves said:

Personally, I'm really looking forward to taking advantage of the 48 hour elective stay my insurance covers lol. The 2 days I spent in the hospital after ODD's birth was the best part of the labor and delivery process (besides having ODD of course). 2 days of having no responsibilities, no chores, food delivered right to my room, and nothing to do but relax, rest, and bond with baby. I can't wait. 

For. Real. This hospital stay is my break from DD and DS and also DH because I’m making him stay home with the kids instead of spending the night with me it’s like a vacation. And I’ll be able to pee without having two tiny humans watching me. 

I only stayed for about 28 hours after DD was born. I stayed for about 30 hours after DS was born, but he also had to have a kidney ultrasound and be seen by a nephrologist before they’d discharge us. 

mytrueloves

So I'm revising my birth plan after getting some of the policies of the hospital I'm delivering at, and I remembered one of the suggested graphics was "consult before food or meds". I remember thinking it was an odd suggestion because I was under the impression that health care providers had to always get consent before giving medication to minors. 
I guess my question is whether that graphic is unnecessary like I believe it is? I put that we're breastfeeding exclusively and I feel that adequately conveys that we don't want formula.

ETA: I just realized that putting "exclusively breastfeeding" might not even be necessary at a certified baby friendly hospital since they're so pro-breastfeeding. I formulated my first draft of my birth plan when I wasn't sure which hospital I'd be delivering at.

jennybean80

@mytrueloves that depends on what you consider “meds”. What about oral glucose? Or emergency situations?
For an example when DS1 was born he was wisked off the the NICU which is a different floor of a separate building in the hospital due to his level of prematurity. DH went with him to see where he was, and then came back to make sure I was alright. During the time he was gone D was given a med called BLES (a surfactant to keep his lungs open, developed from bovine surfactant). Now if I had a “no meds without consent” it would have delayed him getting the med which likely saved his life, or at least helped prevent him developing severe long-term respiratory complications.
They are able to give minors (or unconscious/incapable adults) meds without consent in a “life saving situation”, so just be aware of what withdrawing that ability from them.  

knottieamusements

@mytrueloves - Also, my understanding is that in certain states, some things like the eye ointment are mandated by law.  Refusal to allow the hospital to administer those can result in CPS being called.  

mytrueloves

Thanks for that perspective. I was never worried about what they might potentially give baby in an emergency situation so I didn't think about the potential of that request impacting it. I just remember being really confused as to why a graphic like that might be necessary. 
I know a lot of people can be against oral glucose, but I'm not one of them so it wouldn't bother me if they deemed it necessary for the baby. The only thing I could think of besides that would be hospital staff potentially giving baby formula, but I realized I don't have to worry about that now that I know I'll be delivering at a certified baby friendly hospital.

mytrueloves

@knottieamusements Yeah I read that when I was originally researching for my birth plan and thought it was crazy. My state isn't one of them but I took it off the birth plan anyway because I was neutral on the subject of the eye ointment and didn't want to put up a fuss over something that wasn't important to me.

missmaehurt

@mytrueloves I would make sure that you’re very clear about breastfeeding. I told everyone that I wanted to BF, I even pumped a decent amount of colostrum and the nurses let it go to waste and fed her formula instead against my wishes.

sammierose464

@missmaehurt I would be so ticked if they did that

jengibre_zorro

@mytrueloves - i feel like a baby-friendly hospital won't push formula.  My first was at a baby friendly hospital, and they send a lactation consultant to see you within an hour of birth (unless there are complications, obvi) and generally won't even suggest formula until you have spoken with the LC.  

cdepperschmidt

I totally agree with @jengibre_zorro . DS was delivered at a baby friendly hospital. They asked my preference before birth and he never left my side the whole stay except for his circ. We did end up doing some formula because he was over 9lbs and had low blood sugar, but that followed our nursing sessions and was done by H. 

HoosOnFirst

sorry to be that person, but can we possibly use the term “breastfeeding-friendly” instead of “baby-friendly” to describe such hospital beahvlor? Because any hospital that makes sure the baby is fed is baby friendly in my book

KFrob

@HoosOnFirst I think people are using "baby friendly" because that's the actual term the hospitals use.  It includes the rooming in, skin to skin, etc.  But I see what you mean about the term 

acciocoffee

Ok so I have a couple of questions. Is there anything that helps your body prepare for labor? With DD I had zero signs of labor at 41 weeks. No dilating. Not effaced. Not softened. Nothing. I tried a chiropractor, walking multiple times a day, bouncing on an exercise ball, etc. I pretty much tried everything that was safe to try. So I'm also wondering if that means I'm more likely to need another induction this time? I'm just curious if there is anything I can do to help persuade my body to at least recognize that it's supposed to do something. 

For those of you who don't like hospital stays, they let us do a 24 hour release with DD. She had to pass a few tests when she was 24 hours old, then we went home. We actually didn't even know this was an option until the nurse mentioned that the people next door were doing that. I was ready to get home and sleep in my own bed. We are hoping to do the same thing this time. 

kiwi2628

@HoosOnFirst yea, its an actual term and designation for specific hospitals that do certain things/meet specific requirements (for better or worse), so using that term is actually accurate

bel194

@HoosOnFirst The "Baby Friendly" thing is an actual designation that hospitals have to go through a process to receive, but it is all centered around creating an environment that is very pro-breastfeeding.  I thought it was an odd phrase to describe the designation as well.. https://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/  

jennybean80

@acciocoffee I know people who swear by things like Red Raspberry Leaf Tea or Evening Primrose Oil capsules, but they aren’t much better than anecdotes, and I would strongly recommend talking to your doctor before trying either. 
The fact that you’ve laboured before tends to mean your body is a little more prepared for what labour is. We often see women who were induced for postdates with their first going a bit earlier with second (and subsequent) pregnancies. 

norahkate

@acciocoffee or on the other side of the coin, even with my fourth there was never a single sign of progress at any of my checkups. that being said, when i went into labor it was very clear and all of my deliveries were relatively routine/trouble-free, so it is not all bad. but it became a joke with my dr because everyone would talk about how i needed to be ready because by number four things would move so quickly, and he figured i was probably fine with monthly appointments right up until the end! (jokingly, of course, but not far off).
ETA obviously this is anecdotal and @jennybean80 's answer is far more helpful (by the way, thank you for this thread! ) but i just thought i would share my story.

knottieamusements

Back to the post-natal pre-e thing...

If Mom has to be readmitted to the hospital for complications, what happens with baby, especially with breastfeeding?  Can Mom keep baby in the room with her, or would she need to start pumping to establish supply?

(I know this is likely hospital dependent, so will take any comments as such.)

jennybean80

@knottieamusements it would be very hospital dependent. We try and re-admit people to post-partum in that situation, so the nurses are able to deal with having baby there (and there are bassinets/supplies etc). But if mom is really sick and needs to be admitted to ICU (very, very rare) baby can’t stay which is a crappy situation for everyone. The hospital would likely have a hospital grade pump that could be used during a stay. 

HoosOnFirst

bel194 said:

@HoosOnFirst The "Baby Friendly" thing is an actual designation that hospitals have to go through a process to receive, but it is all centered around creating an environment that is very pro-breastfeeding.  I thought it was an odd phrase to describe the designation as well.. https://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/  

And @kiwi2628 thanks for clarifying. It’s so strange, I’m a STM and a lot of my friends are colleagues are low-intervention birth types and I live near 8 hospitals within an hour of me and somehow I still never heard of this before! I’m all pro-breastfeeding, but it’s a weirdly judgy-sounding term to describe it. I appreciate the education.

ETA I just checked and it seems like a new initiative with only 527 hospitals certified right now. Not even the very pro-BF hospital in Boston has it yet - so I imagine it’s just continuing to grow to be a “thing”. My hospital isn’t on there yet either even though I know they have these practices.

mytrueloves

@HoosOnFirst They're not very common right now. In my entire state there is only 1 hospital that is certified "baby-friendly". It takes a lot to get that certification.

HoosOnFirst

Ps sorry to hijack the thread everyone! “As you were”

quiltandknit

https://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/

Info in case anyone is curious like me!

knottieamusements

@HoosOnFirst - Also, from what little I have read, some hospitals may choose not to go the certification route even though they are pro-bf, because they may believe that the certification’s requirements interfere with what they think is a better standard of care.  

sammierose464

I was looking at the list last night. 3 of the Henry Ford hospitals near me have it, but they are the bigger ones. And only one of our Beaumont (again a bigger one) have it. Neither of the hospitals I can deliver at  have it. However, I know that the one I chose is very BF friendly. however, a friend said the nurse made her feel like crap when she couldn't get any milk during her short hospital stay.

mytrueloves

@sammierose464 as cool as the baby-friendly status is at my hospital, I have a friend who works there and he says one of the lactation consultants is so anti pacifier that she'll just rip them out of babies' mouths, regardless of parents' wishes. She tries it with lil' monster and this will be me:

sammierose464

I am all for being baby friendly, however it should come down to MY wishes. Yes, I want to BF, however I accept it might be difficult and I am completely okay with supplementing. I have no concerns about pacifiers. 

What I find interesting is how of the two hospitals I could go to, the one I chose exclusively swaddles and the other one exclusively uses sleep sacks. 

kiwi2628

@knottieamusements thats my hospital! They talk about how they actively have chosen to not get certified as baby friendly because they don't agree with some of the standards being 'the best' for everyone so they refuse to standardize

norahkate

@mytrueloves i am so with you. we are pushing pacifier big time because none of our kids so far have taken one and i am determined to try my hardest to get this little one to take it! easy to talk big because i have also never had to take one away at some point, but with two of them i was a human pacifier for far too long and really want to avoid that. 
we will see how i feel about this down the road...another example of how experience clearly does not make me any more of an expert.   

pumpkinpancake

I was just looking on the website for my hospital, and apparently they’re in the process of getting certified as baby-friendly, but they’re not there yet. I do like the idea of it, but hopefully they’re not super pushy and judgemental about everything if things don’t go to plan.