Hello, I have an special appointment with my midwife next week to speak about the details of labor and delivery. I was planning on delivering at home but she mentioned last time that most FTMs end up at the hospital so maybe I'll just go that way. The hospital is super natural med-free friendly and they don't even offer pain meds unless you ask for them IN ADVANCE of your labor time, they also don't put you on a clock so I can labor as long as my body and baby need. Thus I am not afraid or nervous about birthing in the hospital but I would like to be prepared.
Which questions did you have for preparing for childbirth?
So far I have:
-How long can I go before induction is necessary?
-How do you induce in that case? Membrane sweep, water breaking, meds?
-Can I labor in the tub as long as my water is not broken?
-Can we do delayed cord clamping?
-Can I deliver in the position I am most comfortable with?
-Can I have skin-to-skin contact with LO right after he is born?
-Do you use medication for the delivery of the placenta, shrinking of uterus and/or stitching?
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Re: questions for midwife
What do they do to avoid tearing? (warm clothes, olive oil, massage)
How often does she perform episiotomies? In which situations does she feel it is necessary?
Can you labor in your own clothes?
What natural forms of pain control does the hospital/birthing center have there and what should you bring? (Birthing ball, music, oils, etc)
Another question I asked is what she will do if I start to beg for an epidural.
Thanks for your suggestions! I totally forgot food, drinks, episotomies, breech... I had them in mind at some point but when I actually started building the list my mind was basically blank :S
About the transfers, I definitely will ask why do these women end up in the hospital. Maybe they ask it themselves? I have read that in a low-risk pregnancy it should be safe to deliver at home so I also don't get her point. Anyhow I am very happy that she is being sincere with me, instead of assuring an easy home birth if she has seen too many complicated ones that end up in a hospital transfer.
Thanks! I will keep this in mind, I need to avoid an epi at all costs :P not only because it freaks me out but also because my insurance doesn't cover it and it's over 2,000 euro (apparently) so, yes, that's a trip back home and I prefer to be in pain for hours than spend that amount of money in comfort... but then again, this is my first time and "I may not know what I'm talking about"...
I'll anyhow labor at home as long as possible, here the procedure is that my MW needs to come to my home and check me before I even go to the hospital, otherwise they literally don't receive you until your MW is there and approves. Things are quite flexible here, she also said I don't have to choose home or hospital and that we can see at the moment how I feel. (I received a home delivery package weeks ago covered by insurance, so I don't need to prepare anything if I choose home at the last minute depending on how labor progresses)
You should still be able to labor in the tub after your water breaks. I know I did with my hospital birth and I was even GBS+
I'd also ask about how often they have to do monitoring, and cervical checks. And if you have to have a hep lock/IV