I am writing up my birth plan and don't get a couple of things.
Why do people prefer a "natural" birth of the placenta?
Why is it preferred to delay the cutting of the cord?
Why do some people request that the circumcision be done later rather than sooner? When SHOULD it be done in order to make sure nothing will potentially affect baby's willingness to breast-feed easily?
Why do some people prefer not to have a "pulling" of the cord during removal?
Re: Please Explain These Things to Me as Though I were Five and Mentally Disabled...
I have no ideas...
::sits to see answers::
This makes sense.
Why would it be done any other way then?
because some people are smarter than doctors. they read books and googled a whole bunch, so they feel qualified.
ok, for reals... some people want as little intervention as possible. fine. but guess what, my OB feels that way too. he does what he needs to and lets me do the rest.
Because doctors don't feel like having to sit there. There's a lot of stuff done unnecessarily because the doctors are so ready to get your birth over and done with. It's pathetic.
I don't get what you're saying. Come again?
see this is one of those statements that makes my blood boil. have you asked your doctor? is your doctor just chomping at the bit to cut your kid's cord as soon as he/she sees it? i doubt it. and i challenge anyone to prove that the majority of OBs are interested in rushing labor and birth. seriously.
please relay the statistic that shows this is what "most" doctors do?
I have to agree with this! She is all for as all natural as we can be so I trust her to make the right decisions.
My OB wanted to rush my labor and birth as fast as possible BOTH times in fact my midwife calls them the "fab five" because they don't care what your birth plan is or anything they pump you full of pitocin instead of letting you walk around and they get done with you as fast as possible. My mom's OB on the other hand was wonderful and did everything she wanted to do.
so why do you choose that OB?
You're letting your blood boil over nothing...
Actually yes I did ask my doctor. I'm giving birth in a military hospital where they are all about getting the job done. Fortunately though they do have one of the lowest c-section rates in the state.
I never said that ALL doctors had that attitude. I know a lot of people in the medical field in different state, and from the circles we belong to that seems to be a collective feeling. A lot of the older fashioned doctors I've talked to feel that a lot of the more recent things that have come up are silly and unfounded. I'm sure that even more of them do it that way just because it's just how they've always done it.
Kim asked a general question, and I gave a general answer. If it's in your birth plan then most doctors will try to accommodate you as best as possible.
It all boils down to you need to pick an OB that fits your birthing plan. If he/she doesn't fell the same way you do then you will have a problem birth plan or not. I personally picked my OB because for a DR she is all about it being as natural as possible. Every OB is very different.
Kim your OB sucks LMAO I love you Chili
My OB does blow. With my HMO, baby will be delivered by whichever of the 12 doctors are on-call so the nursing staff encourages having a birth plan.
(Disclaimer: this is a serious comment, I'm not trying to be argumentative.)
There is an excellent book out there called "Pushed," and there are a lot of statistics about what is typically done in hospitals / birthing centers / home births etc., both in the US and in other countries. It's a very interesting and I highly recommend it. Of course there are doctors that go for less intervention, but in a lot of situations hospitals and insurance companies really pressure doctors to intervene more than they might normally....
Love you crouton. I can smell your cheesy garlic-licious self from over here!
I want to lick chili off your chin!
Mmmmm!!!
So, the circumcision thing: as I understand it there are two issues...one medical (babies don't clot right away....which is why they get the Vit K shot) and one emotional (don't want to do this to Baby before he gets used to the world).
I haven't heard anything about circumcision affecting breast-feeding...has anyone else? The things that I've heard that can potentially interfere with breast-feeding are pitocin and epis...
Thanks a lot Kim. Every time you call Murfy "crouton" it makes me want to run to walmart and get the Texas Toast brand Garlic Cheese croutons. I can eat a whole bag of them alone.
I think I figured out at least part of the placenta thing too. It's probable that people who want natural/low intervention births want it to birth itself naturally. Also, I'd like to hazard a guess that there is something similar to the cord thing about letting it detach itself naturally.
ok, i'm retracting my claws and taking a breath. i've heard about this book. not read it. i've read many natural birth books and had a mile long birth plan for DD1. when i sat down with my OB and went over it he cleared up a lot of stuff for me. there are things he and my hospital just don't push. he thought a lot of the stuff on the checklist was outdated.
when it came time to have my baby, the birth plan never made it out of the bag. i was able to discuss each step of labor with my OB and the nurses who were there and they were 100% for doing whatever i wanted.
i think a lot of the things on the checklist give people this battle mentality that it's them vs the hospital. it's unnecessary anxiety about an already stressful event. and if you think, really believe, that doctors are there to hurry you up and get the birth over with, then you have picked the wrong OB/hospital. vent over. i promise.
My doctor told me that the hospital will try to accommodate any wishes we have as long as it isn't something they feel is unnecessary or out of their limits. Like I said, with a military hospital they aren't really as variety friendly when it comes to births. Hell the one I'm delivering at doesn't even do foot prints at birth.
I have to deliver there because it's a Military Treatment Facility and I have Tricare Prime. The other hospital in town is at least 20 minutes away, and they have just as many bad stories/reviews as WAMC. Also, we'd be paying out of pocket which is something we can't afford to do right now.
So unfortunately it's not always as easy as just picking another hospital.
Responses inline...
Why do people prefer a "natural" birth of the placenta?
You mean without pitocin, right? Similar reasons why someone would decline it during the childbirth, to avoid associated risks. Plus, if you delivered a baby without it, why would you want to get it just to deliver some afterbirth?
Why is it preferred to delay the cutting of the cord?
Baby gets more nutrients, including iron, which can reduce risks of anemia.
Why do some people request that the circumcision be done later rather than sooner?
If you wait about a week the baby will be producing his own Vit K, which helps with clotting. If you decline the Vit K shot at birth this is pretty important.
When SHOULD it be done in order to make sure nothing will potentially affect baby's willingness to breast-feed easily?
Umm, I'm skipping that one.
Why do some people prefer not to have a "pulling" of the cord during removal?
Because you should be able to push and it'll slide out on its own. Personally, after pushing out a baby I doubt I'll want anything yanked out of me forcefully.
There are several studies I've read which support the nutrient benefits of delayed cord cutting. Here are a few links:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(06)68889-2/abstract
https://www.news-medical.net/news/2004/10/18/5623.aspx
https://www.thestar.com/News/article/194281
Also, consider asking them to hold off on the erythromycin eye drops for minute. It makes their vision blurry and can affect bonding.
Keeping the cord for a little longer allows the baby to get more of his blood and can lead to decrease in hyperbilirubemia.
Circ and placenta not sure on...