Mind-Opening
I just watched The Business of Being Born. Like all the books I've been reading, it was recommended to me by my sister, who is a doula.
I thought I was pretty sure about what I wanted my first birth to be like, but the more I read and watch and listen, the more I know that I want a better birth than what I can most likely expect in the hospital.
I don't want interventions that aren't necessary. I'm not good with pain, but a woman's body was designed to give birth, and it knows what it's doing and what it needs, so I know I can trust my body to get through it. I also know that most hospitals don't allow a woman's body to take charge of the birthing process. Does that leave me with the option of a home birth in Canada? More specifically, in Kelowna BC, where I am?
Of those on this board who have had a birth experience already, can I ask what you thought of it? How did it go? Were you satisfied with your experience?
Re: Mind-Opening
Hi, is your sister going to be your Doula for the birth?
This is my first so I do not have any experience myself, but I have a Doula who has attended many births at the hospital, and both the nurses I have talked to and my Doula have said that the hospital is very happy to go with what you want to do, if you do not have a clear plan, then they may go toward a more medicated route (the nurse at our classes said this is mostly because 80% of births happen this way), but they will respect your wishes if you let them know what you want.
My Doula said the same thing, but she will be there when I go to hospital, and I think this is going to help me to keep to my plan (I hope to use hypnobirthing techniques and don't plan on using pain medication, I also want the baby to be put on my chest as soon as he is born, rather than being cleaned off first), as she can help to get across what I want from the birth.
Also, although I will be going to hospital (I am high risk, so I have no choice), I plan to labour at home as long as possible, which the hospital also recomended.
Hopefully this is what will happen, and someone who has been through the process can confirm.
Diagnosed with Anti little c antibodies. DS1 7.11.11 - Anaemia and Jaundice. 10 days in the NICU, 1 exchange transfusion and 4 blood transfusions. DS2 29.8.13 - Anaemia 7 days in the NICU and 1 exchange transfusion. Both are now happy and healthy.My sister will be my doula. We haven't had a chance yet to sit down and make a birth plan. I'm just trying to figure out what I want, exactly. I know I want what my body knows is best, not what medicine dictates. Most of what I've read is from the US, so I don't know how well it indicates what happens here. I will be talking to my sister and doctor more about this.
I'm so excited that my sister will be part of the birth! We have always been close, and I trust her to be my voice when I'm unable to communicate my wishes!
I had my DS in hospital, under the care of a midwife (in Victoria,BC). It was a great experience. I attribute a lot of that to having a midwife vs. a physician. We were able to follow our birth plan, but we also went into it knowing that it may change depending on how the labour went. I ended up just using some of the gas for pain relief (although I honestly don't think it helped much, just made me dizzy, and I didn't like the mask over my face). I went home the same day, which I also wanted.
I felt going into it, that I would be more comfortable (and therefore more able to relax) in a hospital (just in case), but I think having a midwife promoted a birth with fewer interventions. So I really felt like I had the best of both worlds. I would love to have a midwife again, but there aren't very many around here. When the time comes, I'll definitely be doing my homework to find a doctor who is willing to work with me to at least attempt the birth I want.
I just keep telling myself that that movie is about the US and that it doesn't necessarily reflect Canadian drs....Mostly I do this because there are no midwives within 100km of me, and there's only one hospital/one obgyn within that same 100km radius of my that do births. I'm pretty much stuck with whatever the rules are there. Damn rural area.
I'm currently trying to figure out the best way to convince MH to drive the extra distance to another hospital that employs midwives, for the added comfort of knowing I won't get unnecessary interventions. The C/S rate in NS is like 26% or something awful.
~Fitness Blog~
I would love to have a midwife, but the cost is more than I can afford, and there aren't very many where I am, either.
Had a dr's appointment today, and my sister came along to meet my OB. They got along very well, and my OB is excited that my sister will be my doula. She said she has worked with a few doula's before, and was happy with the experience, and feels like because my sister and I are so close, it will be even more beneficial for me to have her there. We will be talking more in the next couple of months about my birth plan. I'm becoming more comfortable with the idea of a hospital birth here, since my doula and OB get along so well!
And I agree, one has to keep in mind that most of these books and videos are written or made in the US, and not necessarily reflective of Canadian statistics or conditions. It still makes a person apprehensive, though, since North American culture, Canadian or American, is very similar. I'm looking forward to getting a tour of the hospital, to see what's what around there!
From what I've heard, the Okanagan, where I am, has a lower C-section rate, so that makes me happy! I only know one person who has had one, because both her pregnancies were high-risk to begin with. My sister has had only one birth result in a c-section, and from what I understand about that one, the poor young girl was very stressed through the entire labor.
I didn't know that BCMSP covers midwives! I may look into this a little more, if that is the case. Thanks for the tip!