Man! This reminded me that I forgot to talk to my OB about laboring in the tub at the hospital...currently I think the hospital says no for VBAC moms, but I also think that is because most OB like to have continuous monitoring on baby...so if I can get my OB to agree to intermittent monitoring and he says yes to the tub I may push for it!
hospital. we actually have birth centers around here, but my insurance doesn't cover everything equally (hospital and hospital-associated clinics are cheapest). as much as i'd like to think i want a more natural birth, i'm totally fine going to the hospital and having it standardized. and SO was less comfortable with midwives, so were having OBs instead (I personally didn't mind either way).
Birth centers aren't a thing here and no way would i want a home birth. I don't mind hospitals though. I quite enjoyed not having to cook or clean for 4 days
This is what inevitably comes to my mind every time someone mentions a home birth. NSFW if you're not wearing headphones. Also, it's Patton Oswalt so, it may not be everyone's cup of tea. The wolverine part makes me laugh so hard I cry.
I should point out that this is not how I feel about home births. I completely support however a woman chooses to give birth, as long as she takes the necessary precautions to do her best to ensure her baby's and her own health.
AFM: I plan to labour at home for as long as possible until moving to the hospital, where I will *try* to go unmedicated. (Try being the key word.) I'm going to allow myself to make that decision when I feel what a contraction feels like. I've had kidney stones and several other very painful injuries/sicknesses and I handled those well, but I'm not about to fool myself into thinking because I passed a 1 cm kidney stone that I can do labour unmedicated.
I delivered both kids at the hospital and will have to w/ this baby as well. I was hoping for a birth center experience but the midwife/OB office affiliated w/ the hospital I'm employed for, said they can't give me the care I need due to being very high risk. So... Another hospital birth it is. It's not horrible but the MDs there have different views on birth vs a midwife.
Hospital all the way. I had a sudden complication during my last delivery, and thankfully everything worked it's self out. However I came close to needing episiotomy and that would have been scary. I like to know that I'm at a place that is really for anything. But that is just my own experience. I know people choose birthing centers and love it. Go with your gut after checking into all your options.
Hospital all the way. I had a sudden complication during my last delivery, and thankfully everything worked it's self out. However I came close to needing episiotomy and that would have been scary. I like to know that I'm at a place that is really for anything. But that is just my own experience. I know people choose birthing centers and love it. Go with your gut after checking into all your options.
This is not a criticism of your preference or perspective at all, but I just want to clarify for anyone looking at non-hospital options--episiotomies can and are performed at home and in birth centers. Nurse midwives are fully prepared to suture when needed and to provide the appropriate postpartum care. So....don't go to the hospital just for episiotomies. I realize there are other interventions or complications that would make someone prefer a hospital setting, just wanted to clarify for anyone that's considering their options still.
DD1 (2008) DD2 (2010), #3 (DH's first bio kid) on the way in January 2017! Almost always mobile bumping--forgive my typos.
We will be delivering at a hospital. I had all 4 of my other children there. I have never really had any complications but it is just what I am comfortable with and what is available in my area.
@mandib07 I think there are significant mother-related reasons not to perform episiotomies, but I think if you have any training in how to perform one at all, there are relatively few risks to the baby. On top of this, OBs perform this procedure at much higher rates that MWs (though, to be fair, newer OBs seem to use them less often than older ones). And MWs tend to know and use more techniques that avoid episiotomies (less pressured 2nd stage of labor, different pushing positions etc). So if you are following the logic of episiotomies being risky and trying to avoid them, then you may be better off with MW care--I know this is not the only consideration, just saying that your reasoning doesn't follow.
Again, I don't mean any of this in a snarky way, I just would hate for someone who is on the fence to read this--there are plenty of valid reasons to prefer a hospital or a more medical model of care, but wanting access to episiotomies is not one of them.
DD1 (2008) DD2 (2010), #3 (DH's first bio kid) on the way in January 2017! Almost always mobile bumping--forgive my typos.
Wow, ok. I'm sorry that I trigger all these responses with my post. The last doctors appointment I had with my doctor, we discuss my last birth. I was in the hospital for 23 hours before delivering her. I didn't want to give tmi, but my baby was stuck chest deep which is not usual. The procedure for that case would not have been so dangerous since her head was out. Again sorry for the tmi, I just wanted to let you know where I'm coming from. I am worried that this baby could be bigger (but it might not be). We talked about needing to watch this baby's weight so the same thing won't happen. My doctor mentioned that episiotomies can harm the baby. I didn't go into drilling her for more information, but seeing how close the head would be to the incision I just assumed maybe that would be the reason. I never tried to upset people with my opinion. Most people seemed to honestly want to know where I heard my information from, and it seems like I hit a nerve with others. She asked for opinions, and I stated mine. Even if you don't agree with my point of view that is fine. That is what is so great about the world we live in today. People have information at their fingertips. She is free to look into the benefits of home birth, birthing centers, and hospitals. If she wants to know the opinions of others, she is free to ask.
@MandiB07 I don't think anyone was upset. I think it was mainly curiosity because many of us have never heard that before.
Yes, this--like I said in my posts, it's not a criticism of your perspective or experience. I just didn't want to leave misinformation floating around (which isn't really your fault, you're just repeating what your OB said)
DD1 (2008) DD2 (2010), #3 (DH's first bio kid) on the way in January 2017! Almost always mobile bumping--forgive my typos.
@MandiB07 I don't think anyone was upset. I think it was mainly curiosity because many of us have never heard that before.
Yes, this--like I said in my posts, it's not a criticism of your perspective or experience. I just didn't want to leave misinformation floating around (which isn't really your fault, you're just repeating what your OB said)
I know some of you were honestly just wondering. No worries
@MandiB07 I don't think anyone was really upset either, but if your baby's head was already out I can see how you would want to be cautious as the OB to not get the baby while performing an episiotomy. But under normal circumstances episiotomies are safe for mom and baby and as others have said lots of OBs are getting away from them except for in certain circumstances
@MandiB07 I had a similar situation with the birth of my son (head came out, shoulders got stuck, we're doing later term growth scans on this baby to monitor size too, etc) and I needed an episiotomy to get him out. With him this complication was called shoulder dystocia and that was the very dangerous part, not the epis. I feel similarly to you in that this dangerous and sudden complication is one of the reasons I'm very much pro-hospital birth. Fingers crossed both of our babies don't get stuck this time!
The thought of an episiotomy sends a chill down my spine. I don't know if it was the superb skill of my midwife, or that I have an incredibly elastic vag area, but I didn't tear nor get an episiotomy when I had my daughter. Since I have an ob-gyn this time around, I'm TERRIFIED I won't be so lucky this time. All I've heard is how doctors always just do an episiotomy, as though it were routine. It's just another thing on my list to discuss with my doctor.
@jlea05 I didn't have one with my OB attended delivery. I did have a small tear because of the way my baby was positioned (face up) coming out but it wasn't even painful when healing. Nobody said anything to me ever about an episiotomy. And when I asked my OB about it she laughed and said hardly anyone preforms them anymore because tears heal better so unless a baby is stuck doctors stay away from them.
@jlea05 I asked about episiotomies at my first visit when I was pregnant with DD and the OB (who had been practicing for 15 years at that point) said she had never done one. She said if medically indicated and necessary she would certainly do one, but she had never personally encountered a situation where it was warranted. I go to a group practice, so I knew this response was specific to the one doctor, but I believed it was indicative of the culture.
I had a 2nd degree tear with DD (which was no picnic) but I prefer this over an episiotomy, which gives me the chills just thinking about.
Re: Home pregnancy? Birth Center? Or Hospital?
DS1 - 03/31/2006
DS2 - 12/31/2008
DS3 - 06/26/2012
DS4 - 08/07/2014
I should point out that this is not how I feel about home births. I completely support however a woman chooses to give birth, as long as she takes the necessary precautions to do her best to ensure her baby's and her own health.
AFM: I plan to labour at home for as long as possible until moving to the hospital, where I will *try* to go unmedicated. (Try being the key word.) I'm going to allow myself to make that decision when I feel what a contraction feels like. I've had kidney stones and several other very painful injuries/sicknesses and I handled those well, but I'm not about to fool myself into thinking because I passed a 1 cm kidney stone that I can do labour unmedicated.
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
DS1 - 03/31/2006
DS2 - 12/31/2008
DS3 - 06/26/2012
DS4 - 08/07/2014
I realize there are other interventions or complications that would make someone prefer a hospital setting, just wanted to clarify for anyone that's considering their options still.
Almost always mobile bumping--forgive my typos.
BFP#5 5/22/17 EDD:1/27/17 It's a GIRL!!!!
DS1 - 03/31/2006
DS2 - 12/31/2008
DS3 - 06/26/2012
DS4 - 08/07/2014
I think there are significant mother-related reasons not to perform episiotomies, but I think if you have any training in how to perform one at all, there are relatively few risks to the baby. On top of this, OBs perform this procedure at much higher rates that MWs (though, to be fair, newer OBs seem to use them less often than older ones). And MWs tend to know and use more techniques that avoid episiotomies (less pressured 2nd stage of labor, different pushing positions etc). So if you are following the logic of episiotomies being risky and trying to avoid them, then you may be better off with MW care--I know this is not the only consideration, just saying that your reasoning doesn't follow.
Again, I don't mean any of this in a snarky way, I just would hate for someone who is on the fence to read this--there are plenty of valid reasons to prefer a hospital or a more medical model of care, but wanting access to episiotomies is not one of them.
Almost always mobile bumping--forgive my typos.
I never tried to upset people with my opinion. Most people seemed to honestly want to know where I heard my information from, and it seems like I hit a nerve with others. She asked for opinions, and I stated mine. Even if you don't agree with my point of view that is fine. That is what is so great about the world we live in today. People have information at their fingertips. She is free to look into the benefits of home birth, birthing centers, and hospitals. If she wants to know the opinions of others, she is free to ask.
Almost always mobile bumping--forgive my typos.
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I had a 2nd degree tear with DD (which was no picnic) but I prefer this over an episiotomy, which gives me the chills just thinking about.