Natural Birth at Hospital

chelseakoch · February 2014

It sounds like a lot of you gave birth using a doula or midwife and had baby at home or a bc. I just made the decision to do a natural birth, so I don't have a doula or midwife and I'll be delivering at a hospital.

Does anyone have any tips or success stories for having a NB at a hospital with a doctor?

MollyHooper · February 2014

ooh I do!

First thing first make sure your Dr. knows your wishes
I went unmedicated with my second and will with this one as well. I had a Certified Nurse Midwife instead of a Dr. but the principle is the same.

The first things first is you have to be your own advocate. I found being nice but assertive went a long way. Ask your hospital or doctor if you can have use of a birthing ball, shower or tub.
The second thing is get moving. Being able to move or sway my hips or have someone apply counter pressure during contractions goes a long way in helping you cope.
The third is be confident. I don't necessarily mean be arrogant. But you should go in knowing that you can do this.

A hospital doesn't have to be a battle. Just make your wishes known and if someone wan'ts you to do something that you are not comfortable with a simple "No Thank You" or "ask me again in 10 minuets" should suffice. If it doesn't, have your labor partner step up and be the bad guy.

Hope that helps!

JessaPrimate · February 2014

I'm mobile, so I can't see if you have a siggy saying where you're at in your pregnancy.

The first thing I did was find an ob supportive of natural birth. It did mean switching from my original ob, but after she had a very negative reaction to my very innocent question about pitocin usage I had major qualms.

Throughout the pregnancy I did a ton of research on natural births. I labored at home as long as possible (only 5.5 hours) and when we got to the hospital, I made sure everyone knew I wanted a natural birth. I asked for a heplock vs immediate iv. They did unfortunately require constant monitoring, but I had a great nurse who literally sat wherever she needed to, holding the band in place.

I never had a nurse ask if I wanted anything drug-wise and I never asked for anything. My hospital labor was only 4.5 hours.

We don't have birth centers or midwives locally and I wasn't really interested in a doula.

Now I am expecting twins. My ob is supportive of a vaginal birth, but we are going to have to discuss the epidural further.

aylafsu88 · February 2014

We had a great hospital birth. I think the thing with hospital births is that they really depend on your provider and your nurse. Some are great and some not so much. You have to make sure your provider supports your decisions and your wishes. I had an OB. IMO I just wanted someone to catch my baby and stitch me up. I went to a big practice (8 OBs) and never even met the on call OB before I was in labor. The practice as a whole was great and very natural birth friendly so the on call OB respected all of my wishes. I also labored at home for a long time and only went to the hospital when I knew LO would be here soon. By avoiding excess time in the hopsital I avoided them pushing/suggesting interventions. The on call OB and nurses were great. I refused Heplock and they did not argue with me, I ate and drank as I wanted, and started pushing in the tub. When it came time to deliver the OB just sat on the bed while I was in the side position to massage my perineum and use warm compresses.
I have absolutely no complaints and had a wonderful experience.

ETA: The nurse read my birth plan when I arrived and never asked about pain medication or continuous monitoring. She respected my wished and only checked me when I requested it.

MommyAtty · February 2014

I had a natural birth in a hospital and plan to this time around too. My nurse wasn't great, but my OB was. When the nurse was urging an epidural, he said there was absolutely no reason to believe I needed one and not to mention it again unless I brought it up. I had a great experience, and in a hospital where less than 2% of births are natural.

LimaD · February 2014

I had a great experience having a natural birth in a hospital. My OB was very supportive of my decision, but guess what, my OB didn't deliver DD. In fact the odds that she would be the OB on staff at the hospital the day I'd go into labor was kind of a crap shoot! But the nurse I had that day was SO awesome.
My advice would be to make it clear to the nurse who's helping you when you arrive at the hospital that you are wanting a natural birth. You can write a birth plan if you want (I didn't but know a lot of people do). Also, do what you can to labor at home for a while before heading to the hospital. As long as you know what you do and do not want, and let them know, you should be good. It also helps to have support. My DH and mom were there with me and I couldn't have done it without them!

sschwege · February 2014

I had two med-free births in a hospital without a doula. Though I was under the care of CNMs. I had a great experience both times. There's a book called, "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" that I think is great for someone planning a med-free hospital birth.

I think the key is trying to find a doctor who will be supportive. Also doing your own research, drawing up a birth plan, having a supportive birth partner, and this is a big one, laboring at home as long as possible! I had a supportive provider and was delivering in a hospital known for low-intervention and still I labored at home. With DD I arrived at 6cm and with DS arrived fully dilated.

mrsblueeyes · February 2014

I had a med-free birth with an OB at the hospital and it went great. I didn't go in until labor was well underway. I had a copy of my birth plan, as did the doula, but honestly I never showed it to anyone. I told the nurse right away I would be going med free and wanted to use the tub. I agree with being friendly, but assertive. She placed the mandatory heplock and put me on the monitor for 20 minutes. After that she filled the tub and helped me waterproof the heplock. She left us alone till I started pushing. My OB didn't make it for delivery, and I had never been asked about or volunteered info about birth plans prior to L&D

chelseakoch · February 2014

Thanks everyone, this helps a lot!!

Chichigo · February 2014

I didn't do a birth plan. I did know that the OB practice had a low c-section rate, and would confer with one another before beginning interventions. The hospital policies regarding newborn care matched my preferences.

The only policy I disliked was mandatory IV, but I will not fight that in the future. It took 6 people several hours to get my IV in, (my veins suck). I also had continuous monitoring, but it was because of my health issues.

The nurse was awesome, and completely on board with helping me through a pain-med free delivery.

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