- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Natural Birth
mrshall10210
member
Discouraged
mrshall10210
member
I was really feeling good about this whole natural birth in a hospital thing, until I talked to a co-worker whose granddaughter gave birth at the same hospital I'll be at over the past weekend.
I don't know what her specific wishes were, but according to co-worker, she had wanted a "natural" birth. Co-worker is an older lady, so I'm not sure she knows the whole story 100%, but what it sounds like to me is this: Granddaughter was scheduled to be induced but went into labor that morning. Contractions were too far apart and labor was progressing slowly. OB/CNM was impatient and freaked out, gave pitocin, broke her water, cord was compressed, baby's HR dropped with every contraction, baby passed meconium, "emergency" c-section with lots of frantic talk about a dead baby.
This is exactly what terrifies me, and I don't feel like I have a choice about where I deliver. I am not afraid of childbirth. I am afraid of intervention-happy doctors. I don't want to drive an hour or more to get to a hospital in labor, there are no doulas around here that I'm aware of, and no Bradley classes. I'm doing all the reading I can, but I'm so afraid that when things get going, I'm going to forget every rational thing I know and let them do whatever they want to me, and ruin my plans for a natural birth. DH is supportive, but I can't get him pinned down to do any reading of his own, so I feel like he isn't going to know anything.
I just want to crawl off into the woods somewhere when I go into labor, so I can be left alone. Someone reassure me.
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Discouraged
I'm in the same boat as you. SO and I keep having talks about what I want, and what I don't want. He knows that even in the heat of the moment, when I'm barking at him in pain not to give in and to stick to the plan. He told me it would be hard but he would do it if I'm that set on having natural birth.
You can do it! Make sure your support person is there to remind you of your original plan, and that you can do it without intervention! You'll do great!
Not to sound snarky but it sounds like your co-workers granddaughter did everything you should not do. It also sounds like she was not serious about having a natural birth. I delivered in a hospital with an OB and had an intervention free, med free birth. It can be done. One of the big things is to avoid going to the hopsital to early because they are more likely to push unneeded interventions on you. It sounds like the granddaughter should have labored at home longer, especially since her water was not broken. The granddaughter should have avoided cervical checks which can lead to the whole "failure to progress" label that doctors like to describe which then leads to rupture of the membranes, pitocin etc. Labor does not progress the same for every women and many women experience a natural alignment plateau. However, doctors get impatient and want to rush things along with unneeded interventions. Avoiding routine cervical checks will help prevent this from happening. Rupture of the membrane can cause chord prolapse which is a serious medical issue. The granddaughter should have denied membrane rupture which likely would have prevented this. It is unfortunate but it sounds like the granddaughter should have read up on interventions and decided which ones where important to avoid and which ones she may have needed.
Do not equate her situation with the situation you may encounter. Every birth is different and every experience is different. Just because you use the same hospital does not mean that you will have a similar birth experience. If you are educated and prepared for what can happen in childbirth then you will likely have a totally different out come then your co-workers granddaughter. Keep reading on natural birth and stay positive. You can do it!
Hang in there. First, don't agree to an unnecessary induction just because it's 3-4 days past your EDD - I think that's the biggest cause of unnecessary c-sections because once the induction fails, they can't just send you home with broken waters & pitocin running through your veins.
Second, labor at home til you know it's time. The time will not be when it hurts, but that time will be when you no longer feel safest at home - then go to the hospital. And make sure your support people know that you don't consent to. When the nurses are in your face saying that you need to lay in bed, get hooked up to an IV, etc, all you have to do is say "I do not consent to that" and if they press further, cue your husband to answer any further questions they have / generally get them out of your face so you can focus on your labor.
Do you have a written birth plan? If not, I would definitely encourage doing that. It helps you think through what you want and be better informed. Plus, having it in writing can keep you focused on game day.
We are so thankful that our second daughter, Lillian Elizabeth "Lily", was born healthy and happy on February 11, 2013. We love her to pieces.
We lost our first daughter, Hannah Grace on May 4, 2011. She was buried on May 14 during a beautiful service at my home church. We are grateful that if she could not be here with us, that she is healed and whole with the Lord. We look forward to the day when we will get to meet her. We love her so much.