questions to ask doc as due date approaches?

pugznploons · June 2012

we discussed my desire to go natural early on, his c-section rate, when he feels induction is necessary, etc. I want to ask some more specific questions tomorrow at my 32 week appt. I have not written up a birth plan yet but plan to before my 34 week appt.

some questions I have for tomorrow:

-can I opt for a hep-lock instead of an IV?

-are you okay with intermittent rather than continuous monitoring?

-if my water breaks before labor begins, how many hours do you feel comfortable with me going before active labor begins? How long until you feel a c-section would be appropriate? (basically I want to find out what kind of "clock" he runs on, if any, he is super laid back so maybe he will surprise me).

any others you suggest I bring up at this appt? I don't want to bombard him with a huge long list, just a few important ones, and then firm things up when I bring my birth plan in 2 weeks. Hospital tour/class is this weekend (led by a doula) so I am sure I can get general L&D questions answered there.

Justnooch · June 2012

"how often and when do you feel it's necessary to perform an episiotomy?"

Good luck!

sinisforgiven · June 2012

This is exactly the type of question I came here to look for and/or post! Some of the questions I have (in addition to the ones you listed) are:

Am I allowed to use the tub/shower after membranes are ruptured?

Can I opt to stay hydrated with clear liquids during labor to avoid IV fluids? (instead of just ice chips)

What positions are you comfortable with me being in for delivery? (Squatting/hands and knees/etc)

kbares323 · June 2012

I am actually freaking out about the same thing. My doctor has not discussed anything except she only wants to do natural birth. She wouldn't discuss c-section with me at all and all she said about natural birth was "you will be fine. We have plenty of good nurses to help out and I will be there" Not exactly helping me out too much doc! I hope you don't mind but I may use some of your questions and other questions here when I go to visit my doctor.

AC830 · June 2012

I would also ask if you are allowed to eat while you are in labor.

Another thing to remember is that the hospital will have policies too and even though your doctor is ok with certain things, the hospital and nurses might be more restrictive. The hospital tour might clear up a lot of these things and make it a lot easier to finalize your birth plan.

jennyann28 · June 2012

Definitely ask about eating during labor (and then eat while you're in labor!). Why do you think your doctor will immediately jump to c-section if you have prolonged rupture of membranes? That alone would scare me into a new doc. My water broke, but contractions did not start, so I was "on the clock". C-section was never discussed though, induction was. I wanted minimal intervention, so I was given the minimal dose (1/4 tablet) of Cytotec to see if that would get me going before moving to more drastic measures (like pitocin). It worked, so I avoided all other interventions. I'd ask your doctor how he would proceed if an induction were necessary. Would he go right to pit? AROM? Would he allow you to take the induction process slowly, starting with the smallest intervention possible, giving your body a chance to take over, and only increasing interventions in the smallest steps if necessary?

pugznploons · June 2012

oh my doc wouldn't jump right to a c-section, I really meant if water broke, how long til they wanted to start induction/pit, how long after that til c-section. I know some doctors feel the baby has to be out by a certain number of hours after the water breaks due to the increased risk of infection. But getting you into active labor is the first goal of course. Really I just want to know how he approaches things if your water breaks before labor starts, as that has happened to several of my friends now, and several ended up with c-sections (different hospital/doctors).

I do plan to ask him more about his induction methods as we get closer to the due date, I do know he will let me go past 41 weeks, but not past 42.

pugznploons · June 2012

thanks for the suggestions! It went really well My doctor is very laid back and I appreciate that.

-hep lock is fine

-intermittent monitoring cool

-okay to labor in shower (no tubs at the hospital, which I did not know)

-he says water is fine by him but he knows the anesthesiologists get pissy over it. I got the impression he wouldn't care if I was sneaking water if I had to. I am gonna see if I can get him to okay it on my actual birth plan, we'll see. He recommended hard candy to suck on as well.

-he said he is fine with me tearing naturally if that's what I'd prefer, he has no preference.

-we talked quite a bit about what would happen if my water broke first. He said he definitely does not hold to any kind of hard and fast clock i.e. gotta get a c-section at 24 hours or anything crazy like that that I've read about. He said the important thing will be that I'm progressing, but if I go a couple of hours and I haven't progressed at all he wouldn't automatically talk pitocin, he could give me more time after we discuss the options.

-don't have to deliver on my back if it's not working for me/comfortable.

So I am going to write up my actual birth plan now and take it in at my 34 week appointment!

tokenhoser · June 2012

Don't forget to consider all the post-birth stuff: delayed cord clamping, eye goop, vaccinations, time to do skin-to-skin and breastfeed, first bath (consider delaying, as bath makes the baby cold, and then it's a big emergency to warm her up), etc.

Sounds like you've got a pretty good doctor. Odds are you'll labour at home for a while - I did all my eating at home, and then just chugged about 4L of water at the hospital over the 3 hours I was there.

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questions to ask doc as due date approaches?

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