Natural birth w/OBGYN

LimaD · July 2012

This is my first pregnancy and after doing some research I've made the decision to have a natural birth. However there are no midwives in the city I live in. Well there is one but she only does home births and I know I want to be in the hospital.. just my personal preference.

Have any of you done this before or have any tips on how to go about having a natural birth w/a doctor who probably doesn't typically deliver babies naturally w/o pain meds? Is that what these 'birth plans' people are writing is all about?

runrinserepeat · July 2012

My OB was generally pretty supportive. And when I say that, I mean she was totally fine with me *trying* to have a natural birth. That's about all I needed. My OB wasn't there when I gave birth, and I didn't have a birth plan. They left me alone and came to catch the baby when it was time. I do live in a "crunchier" town, tho, so the culture of the hospital staff may reflect that.

MamaP19 · July 2012

I asked around and ended up switching to an OB that is more supportive of natural birth. I HIGHLY recommend getting a doula. Mine has been incredibly supportive and has helped educate me on a lot of the common practices at hospitals. She helped me make a birth plan just so the nurses and hospital staff are aware of what I do and don't want during the birth.

zaramarie81 · July 2012

I think OBs and hospitals are getting a little more savvy and open to natural birth these days (or at least respecting attempts at unmedicated births). And also, the more supportive folks you have around you (like a doula, a supportive family member), the more likely the hospital will defer to your wishes. So shop around. We lucked out with our OB. He has been my gyn for years, and was supportive of our attempts at naturally conceiving w/out ART (we were having some trouble TTC). I knew given his respect for our decisions prior to conceiving, he would be respectful of my l&d decisions. Throughout the pregnancy, he has even made a point to remind me that pregnancy is not a disease, it's a natural, healthy state. So yeah, interview OBs and find one who will be supportive - they do exist!

CurbsideProphet · July 2012

You may need to switch OBs, but it is certainly possible. I would just start asking lots of questions.

chicagojackie · July 2012

Depends on what you mean by "natural" birth.

If you just mean you don't want to have an epidural or pharmacologic pain control; and are planning on a NSVD, there are plenty of providers and hospitals who can do that for you.

If you want to have a water birth, give birth in a squatting position or on a birth chair or something, you have to check really careful at the hospitals to see what they will allow. Hospitals generally want you to have continuous monitoring which means that you need to stay in bed with the two belts on. Some hospitals have alternative birthing centers which provide more options for laboring.

You need to decide what your priorities are and then start asking lots of questions. A doula could help you out, make sure that your hospital is good with that too.

RMama2012 · July 2012

It's totally possible and I gave birth in a hospital with an over 90% epi rate in a city where scheduling a csection is pretty typical. No one bothered me...actually they didn't pay much attention to be except for the heart rate monitor issue but it was fine.

I chose my dr bc he has a very low csection rate. I figured that as long as he wasn't rushing me into a csection, I could handle the pain med part. There are midwives available but honestly, I wasn't sure I would do it naturally at the beginning of my pregnancy.

Although it may be necessary for some people, I didn't make a birth plan and only told my OB about my plans to skip the EPi that morning. I didn't study any method although I would like to do hypnobirthing next time. I read Ina May's book as well as natural hospital birth and prepared mentally as well as learned some basic pain mgmt techniques. I don't mean to make light of it because it was the most intense (and painful) experience of my life but I plan to do it again.

Here's an awesome quote from Ane Defranco-

I believe the act of giving birth to be the single most miraculous thing a human being can do and it is surely the moment when a lot of women finally understand the depth of their power and connection to all of nature. You think it can?t possibly be done, you think you can?t possibly take the pain, and then you do ? and afterward you look at yourself in a whole new way. If you can do that, you can do anything.

tokenhoser · July 2012

I gave birth with my family doctor in the hospital. My hospital is somewhere in the middle - no fancy birthing suites or tubs or much by way of equipment, but they did do intermittent monitoring and actually used the breakaway bed to my advantage (I delivered on all fours).

Talk to your OB early about some key things. I would ask about delivering in a not-on-your-back position and intermittent monitoring to get a feel for their style. If they claim that being in bed is for your own good, get a new one. You could also ask when they induce - mine was willing to let me go at least 10 days past due before we talked induction.

tlew12778 · July 2012

Totally possible. I am not a candidate for a birth center birth or a home birth bc in the country where I live, MWs cannot attend a VBAC. So OB it is. Mine is extremely natural oriented. The entire hospital is. I first researched which hospital I wanted to deliver at (low CS rate, low episiotomy rate, high VBAC success rate, etc) then chose an OB affiliated with that hospital.

AmyRI · July 2012

I had a natural birth in a hospital with an OBGYN.

Your doc does matter, so you might need to choose your OB wisely. Ask about c-section rates. Ask when they would schedule you for an induction or c-section. Ask if they've ever told a patient to get pain medication. The answers will tell you a lot about their style.

Also tour the hospital where your OB delivers. Ask them about facilities - mine recommended use of showers, birthing balls, etc but didn't have tubs to labor in. Ask about any requirements for hep lock or continious IV, monitoring of the baby, eating/drinking during labor... ask how often they see a natural birth. Talk to the nurses about it. They are the ones that you'll have to deal with for most of your labor. The OB really only comes in at the end, or if there are any complications, so while their opinion does matter it's really the nurses who will help you labor.

erb82 · July 2012

I had 2 natural births in a hospital with an OBGYN, and had 2 very positive experiences. I barely saw the doctor in the hospital, so the most important part for me was having my husband there to advocate our wishes to the nurses. Make sure that your partner or a friend or a doula is there to run interference with the nursing staff during labor. Take a natural birth class or read books on pain management techniques, and know the hospital policies regarding IVs/eating during labor/laboring positions, etc. ahead of time and discuss any concerns with your doctor.

LimaD · July 2012

Thanks everyone! I feel much better...and as long as I have supportive people around me it should be ok. Plus now that I think about it, the hospital I'm going to give birth in does have tubs in each room for laboring in so I don't foresee any problems with them letting me move around

I have an appointment soon and will bring it up w/my OBGYN... it's encouraging to hear that others had positive experiences doing this. Thanks!

Rosebud2587 · July 2012

I didn't have a birth plan written out. I just told the nurses I wanted to do it med free and that was it; no mention of epidurals or pain meds for the duration of my labor. I actually think they were excited to be part of a med free birth since it doesn't happen very often these days.

Want a personalized experience?

Natural birth w/OBGYN

Re: Natural birth w/OBGYN

Choose Another Board

Search Boards