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Indiana Babies
msBlackandGold
member
IU North (Clarian) and Natural birth
msBlackandGold
member
I saw someone comment (a while back) that Dr. Weber was on call for her delivery at IU North.
Could you please tell me more about your birth story? Did you have a med-free birth, or did you want the epi?
And then anyone else who is planning/has already delivered there, can you tell me about your experience?
I plan to have a med-free birth, and I'm wondering how med-free friendly this hospital/these Drs are.
TIA!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: IU North (Clarian) and Natural birth
That was me. I was so very happy with my med-free birth and the way I was treated at IU North. I had a doula to help me through the birthing process. I also created a birth plan (using birthplan.com - made sure it was not much longer than 1 page) that specified that I wanted to go drug-free and had DH hand out a copy to any nurse who came in the room. They were VERY respectful of the fact that I wanted to go drug-free and made lots of notes so that anyone new coming in would know that. (I also made sure to profusely thank the staff for their help in my birth plan. I figure you can't be too nice in that situation.)
I was 5 cm when I got to the hospital (around 4) and Dr. Weber thought he'd have hours before I was ready to push, so he went home. They did put the IV starter thing in my hand, just in case they needed to administer meds in an emergency situation. I labored in the tub for a while after they checked how much I was dilated and if my water had broken (it hadn't). They also checked the baby's hb before I got into the tub. I labored in the tub for about an hour and a half, so it was around 6:30 at that point. I needed to use the restroom, which I did, and then decided to have them check me again before I got back into the tub. I was 8 cm at that point so no more tub labor for me. In fact, I didn't have time to change into a hospital gown and went through the rest of labor with just a towel covering me. At 7:00, I was ready to push, but Dr. Weber wasn't there yet and the doc on call for L&D in general was doing an emergency c-section. So I had to hold the pushing.
Dr. Weber finally got there around 7:15 and I delivered just after 8:00. I asked for no episiotomy (sp?) and he respected that, too. I asked that DD be placed on my chest immediately after delivery, which they did. After about 30 minutes, they took her to get her measurements and weight and clean her up a bit.
I would definitely let Dr. Weber know in advance that you want to go med-free. I talked to Dr. Priddy about it (she is my regular OB) and she was fine with that, as well. DD's birth was exactly what I'd hoped it would be and I am so happy that I had supportive staff there through the process.
ETA: Best of luck to you! If you have any more questions or are interested in a doula rec, just let me know.
I didn't necessarily plan on a med-free birth. I figured I would be prepared and just go with the flow. The nurse I had was pushing pitocin and an epidural on me almost immediately. I was rating my pain a "2/10" at that point. They did start the pitocin (my water had broken and my contractions weren't regular) after talking to my doctor, but I declined the epidural. The never suggested that I walk or do anything else to make the contractions more regular (though they do have wireless monitoring available). (Had my water not broken, I wouldn't have even gone in. I was group B strep positive though and they wanted me to get my 1st dose of antibiotics so they send me in.) When my nurses changed over, the new nurse was more supportive of me going natural and was so sure that I was going to that she got the local numbing anesthetic out and ready (in case I had a tear).
I felt great until 9cm when I suddenly developed back labor and I requested an epidural at that point. My labor was 23 hours long and I got the epi dural about an hour before delivery.
I wouldn't say that either of my nurses were extremely supportive of me possibly going med-free, although the 2nd one was more positive about it. I got the last labor & delivery room available and it didn't have a whirlpool tub. I was told that every single person currently in labor had already gotten an epidural, so I was a little annoyed that I didn't have a whirlpool tub in case I wanted that option. I will say that 1 very pleasant nurse (not assigned to me) stepped into the room after I requested the epidural and asked if I maybe wanted to try getting in the shower to see if the warmth would help. By this point, I was dead set on the epidural so I didn't even attempt it. My I almost wonder if maybe I would have been able to go natural if I had had her to start with. I ended up tearing quite a bit though, so I was rather glad to have the epidural while getting sutured. It took quite a while and with a medical backround, I'm pretty aware of what local anesthetic would have probably been like.
I think it would be a good idea to have people that are very pro med-free birth around you. Don't count on the nurses or staff being really supportive. My mom and sister were both in the room throughout my labor and it was helpful (they have had 9 med-free births between the two of them). I think, like any hospital, there are going to be great/supportive staff and there are going to be others that aren't. I would say that a doula would be a good choice if you're really set on having a med-free birth.
fwiw, I plan on "going with the flow" for my next baby and I will deliver at IU North again.
ETA: I had a similar experience to the previous poster in terms of after birth. The baby was places on my chest for quite awhile. They then briefly took her to weigh her and clean her up and then she BF. I don't remember for sure but I think they waited until after BFing to give her a bath. My care in general was very good.
I used Dr. Patricia Johnson for my OB care and delivery but a different doctor was on call when I first came in.
I really recommend having a birth plan and getting a doula! I wanted to have a natural birth at IU North and I think I would have gotten one if I had gone into labor naturally. Unfortunately, my doctor diagnosed me with Pre-eclampsia and I had to be induced. Because of that I had a VERY long labor, went in on Thursday and had my baby on Sunday. The majority of the nurses I worked with (and I had a LOT) were very supportive of me not having pain meds. A couple were even excited and well educated on natural child birth. I wasn't allowed to leave my room, but they let me walk around the room and be monitored wirelessly (due to being on pitocin I had to be monitored).
No one ever suggested I get an epidural. After two days on pitocin I had only dilated to 4cm and the pitocin contractions were so painful I got an epidural. The nurse was extremely helpful ( I was very afraid of getting one).
After 8 hours I was dilated to 10 cm and stopped the epidural. I then pushed for 5 hours, the nurse told me usually after 3 hours they suggest "alternatives", but because I was actively pushing and not losing strength too much they let me keep pushing. The nurse who help with that part was incredible. She believed me when I said I could feel my legs again and let me try all kinds of pushing positions (kneeling, swatting, ect.) And was a great cheerleader. As everyone else commented I help my baby as soon as he came out. They were also very respectful of me not wanting eye ointment or the hep b shot. Nobody said a word!
I was very happy with my experience under those conditions. I was also very pleased with my postpartum nurses and experiences.
Good Luck!