@kiwi2628 I’m the same way under stress. I want people to shut up and go away. I actually yelled at a med student who was encouraging me while I was pushing with DD1 to shut up so I could listen to the nurse I liked better. I felt so badly for being rude to her that I let her deliver the baby, and she did wonderfully of course.
Anyway personally I know a doula would get on my nerves. I’m confident going into the birth experience and I don’t want extra people around. I want H to be there, and I know he won’t talk unless he’s told to do something. The crowd of people who immediately materialize once I’m crowning obviously doesn’t bother me, but otherwise I prefer as few people as possible in the room.
I’ll definitely be giving birth in a hospital (the hospital where I work actually), as I want to have every resource available to me if something should go wrong. We have an excellent NICU here, so that’s comforting in case we need it. The hospital is also really supportive of having unmedicated births, and even has the option of doing a water birth or using other laboring techniques, if that’s part of the birth plan.
I agree with the previous comments about how a hospital birth isn’t necessarily less intimate or personal than a birthing center or home birth. It can all vary so much depending on what complications arise, and if the sh*t hits the fan, I’d much rather have the resources of a hospital available to me than to have what some would consider a more “intimate” birth. Also, my experience sounds like it’s different than most, but with DS’s birth, my OB was actually with me in the room for almost the entire time after I got to the hospital. Maybe it was just a slow day for births, or maybe it was because I labored for a while at home so I was almost ready to push when we got there, but she was amazing, and stayed with me through all my contractions and pushing. It was a really intimate experience, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
@kiwi2628 I’m the same way. When my doula first showed up, she tried some different hands on techniques and I basically told her to stop touching me. I still love having her. She suggested positions. I did let her touch me to do some movements that were supposed to help reposition DS better (they worked and things picked up quickly from there). She looked in my toilet to reassure me the amount of blood was normal. She helped us make the call on when to go to the hospital based on how I was acting during contractions. She stayed with me in the hospital when DH has to go get the bag he forgot in the car. She wiped pee off my leg when I stood up mid pee because of a contraction (sitting on the toliet was agony). She knew how to turn the beeping off on all the stupid machines. She cleaned up the bed after my water broke instead of having to wait for nurses. She got the nurses when I was ready to push. She reminded nurses and doctors about parts of my birth plan, like delayed cord clamping, that were no where on my radar by that point.
So for me, it was more the comfort of having someone around who has seen this a million times. Less so the physical/emotional support. DH has that handeled. He would not have known what about of blood is normal vs an emergency.
@kiwi2628 - For me, one of the major reasons to have a doula (and my OB concurs with this rationale) is that I genuinely want an unmedicated birth, specifically because I want to fully experience all of the physical sensations associated with it. Having a doula is strongly correlated with less usage of medical interventions such as an epidural. (Not sure exactly how much I agree with the statistics thrown around about that, but my OB agrees that having a Doula is very helpful in an unmedicated birth.)
Yes, I am reading up on the Bradley Method, taking labor classes, watching videos on pain management (as is my labor partner), but when it is game time, I still want a coach.
However, I understand that not everyone has the same needs. Also, I don’t think doulas market themselves very well. I had to wade through a lot of touchy-feely profiles before I found a couple of people that seemed down to earth...
Also, I’m with you- when I’m stressed, I don’t want anyone touching me. And even when I’m not stressed, I hate massages.
A note on interventions. It seems in this discussion there's a lot of focus on c sections which I do understand. While not the norm there are definitely doctors and therefore hospitals with higher rates that have been traced back to dates prior to vacations, weekends etc. Then there's the previous mentions of more high risk mothers and other valid reasons. This isn't the norm and isn't as common anymore as there is such a strong push for mother baby friendly hospitals etc.
What is the norm is the typical progression of interventions in some hospitals. Traditionally hospitals without midwives but there are always exceptions. Unnecessary inductions (like many of my friends have been offered at 39 weeks without knowing the pros and cons), which may or may not work, can then lead to a failed induction and a c section. Use if epidurals which can slow down contractions and call for use of pitocin which can be too much for some babies to handle as the contractions can come on faster for longer and stronger. Use of pitocin in general, which often necessitates epidurals, which often slow down contractions, which calls for more pitocin, which can sometimes lead to minor distresses for a baby and therefore lead to emergency c sections. Tons of times these interventions are used and all is well. Other times a cascade of interventions can follow an initial intervention that may or may not have been necessary and then you may end up with a very different birth than you hoped. For many this isn't what they want if they can avoid it. Many OBs are low intervention, most midwives are so based on ideology, and many hospitals provide alternative resources to women who want to seek a low to no intervention birth. It's about what matters to you.
When it comes to deciding what matters to you, a safe and healthy outcome is always on the list. I do not believe any medical provider wishes differently but it is important to understand the choices you're making along the way (as you near full term, in labor etc) because there are so many ways things can go based on one decision that was neither good nor bad but was a valid option that may or may not have more risks as it plays out. My pregnancies have all gone post-dates, one almost to 42 weeks, so I've been in the position to need to accept options I didn't plan for and i would do so in a heartbeat. My intent here isn't to shame anyone regarding openness to interventions from the get go but to share some info about how being aware is important regardless of the building you give birth in.
My water broke but I never went into labor. So they had to induce me. I can only speak anecdotally, but I do think pitocin was the cause of my long and complicated labor that ended up in foreceps. I had no choice last time, but if I do this time, I’m not going to get induced unless it’s a medical necessity.
@HoosOnFirst ugh that really sucks. Fx your labor starts naturally this time! I’m going to add my story even though it’s not really relevant though just so people aren’t *too* scared of pitocin. My situation was the same, both times. My water broke but labor never started so I had to be induced with both girls. In both cases it was easy, uncomplicated and wonderful. My worst fear was rushing to the hospital in fear of a highway delivery, so I found both labors very low stress. Everything was right there when I needed it.
@chopchop25 I’m fully anticipating another induction this time too. My BFF has had two easy, uncomplicated inductions too. You never hear those stories because there isn’t much to tell, but they’re definitely worth telling to expectant moms. I think my friend pushed twice with her first and once with her second. I had to push for a couple hours with DD1 but only two or three times with DD2.
I was induced with cervadil and pitocin the first time, just pitocin the second time. My friend was the same, though she needed the cervadil both times and a foley bulb for a bit the second time around. Epidurals all around.
@chopchop25 dang I am leaving home for a few days (I will still be bumping but won't have access to all of my notes!) otherwise I would try and copy info from my birth classes as we went over some different types of interventions.
I was induced with Cervidil the first time (I think) and was on pitocin. From start to finish (started at midnight), it took 26 hours but contractions didn’t start until early afternoon after my doctor broke my water. The second time, I was induced with cytotec, but didn’t need the pitocin. That labor ended up being 32 hours with contractions starting immediately (probably because I was a second time mom). Water broke naturally though. I had epidurals for both, the first time my doctor actually ordered it to help bring my bp down. The second time I agreed to it to be on the safe side with my bp.
@SweetSweetTooth aw thanks that is such a nice offer! Thankfully we won’t need this info for awhile Good to know your birth classes went over this - I signed up for some later this summer so it will be great if that’s covered! I feel like I missed where you are going in the 300 some posts I still have to catch up on? Hope it’s a great time!
@chopchop25 not sure all birth classes go over them. I am in the Bradley class and it is 12 weeks long so they go over a lot of info and in detail! Saw some birth videos and wow, I must say pretty cool! Learned stuff I didn't know, like baby's have the instinct and ability to crawl up to the breast to start suckling on their own shortly after birth! We are headed to the Austin area looking forward to some time away and a chance to get in a pool!
@HoosOnFirst ugh that really sucks. Fx your labor starts naturally this time! I’m going to add my story even though it’s not really relevant though just so people aren’t *too* scared of pitocin. My situation was the same, both times. My water broke but labor never started so I had to be induced with both girls. In both cases it was easy, uncomplicated and wonderful. My worst fear was rushing to the hospital in fear of a highway delivery, so I found both labors very low stress. Everything was right there when I needed it.
Seriously, I appreciate your post. I hope I didn’t freak anyone out. At the end of the day, the baby needs to come out and the are a hundred ways it could go. I also kinda was happy to miss the “rush to the hopital in labor” part. Very leisurely drive for us since I never went into labor! We live 50 min from the hospital so that might be different this time. Or not, who knows!
@HoosOnFirst I actually went out for lunch before I went up to be admitted the first time, and the second time they discharged me and I went home and organized all my pictures or something and came back in the evening bc contractions still hadn’t started. Leisurely, if nothing else!
My Pitocin birth probably would have been a lot easier if the nurses in charge of my care hadn't been giving me double the dose they were supposed to every time they came in. I feel like my birth was only as bad as it was because of the incompetence.
Ladybug - April 2013 Dandelion - October 2018 Angel "Aurora" - July 2020 Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021 Angel "Maxine" - January 2022 Angel "Violet" - March 2022 Baby Dove due March 2023
Fun fact about pitocin - it doesn’t work for everyone. I was almost four weeks late. They tried to induce my mom twice. Each time they maxed her out on pitocin and nothing happened. They’d send her home, wait a week, and try again. I’m sure today they would have just scheduled and C and moved on. But I eventually showed up on my own nearly a month late.
You never hear those stories because there isn’t much to tell, but they’re definitely worth telling to expectant moms.
I was talking to one of my coworkers (who is childless and not trying) about how easy my first trimester went. We got onto how at baby showers women often like to trot out their pregnancy horror stories. I told her that I firmly believe that part of the reason expectant moms don’t hear the easy stories is because when you are sitting next to someone talking about throwing up every morning, you think it would be kind of shitty to say that you only threw up twice because of your tooth brush.
But I think you are absolutely right. There is a lot of fear around having babies simply because the stories about things going easy are rarely told.
@knottieamusements for real. I feel like most people I’ve talked to don’t have kids think childbirth is the hardest, scariest thing ever. I mean, I know it can be for some people in some situations, but that absolutely wasn’t my experience. Writing my college thesis was way harder, and if I’m being totally honest I kinda phoned it in on that paper.
Media probably plays a role in that too. All you see on TV shows and movies is sweaty, panting, screaming women making horrible faces and looking terrible.
Ladybug - April 2013 Dandelion - October 2018 Angel "Aurora" - July 2020 Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021 Angel "Maxine" - January 2022 Angel "Violet" - March 2022 Baby Dove due March 2023
FTM here but I don't think a doctor or hospital is going to "push" C sections onto people as it is a major surgery and has more complications and recovery time. They should not be preformed unless required medically to ensure the safety of the baby being born. Also agree with why the stats of C sections at a hospital would be higher due to most birthing centers and midwives not being able to preform C sections. So basing your decision on the % of C sections at a hospital isn't really a good idea. As long as your OB or Dr. Understands your birth plan they usually try to follow it unless something comes up that requires medical intervention. At least in Ontario/ Canada the doctor doesn't go around pushing C sections on to women.
TW** Not to scare people but I have some FTM friends who decided to not deliver in a hospital that should have and suffered due to not having the resources close enough to save themselves or their baby. One mother almost died bleeding out and another the baby has brain damage due to them waiting to long to get to a hospital to have a Dr. Intervene and preform an emergency C section. **TW
I personally think that with medical advancement in this day and age we should be birthing in hospitals to ensure the safety of us and our baby is maximized. You just never know what will happen and the peace of mind out weighs the comfort of at home birth or birthing center in my opinion.
*lurker*
I had my baby at a free-standing birth center and will do so with any and all future children assuming I stay low risk.
To your first paragraph, how do you explain the US stats as a whole (which includes all births - high risk, low risk, home, birth center, hospital, etc.) showing a 33% c-section rate when the World Health Organization recommends 10-15%? The cascade of interventions is a real thing. Are women pushed into c-sections as in a doctor tells a low risk woman to have one? No. But the fact is at least half if not 2/3 of the women who get c-sections do not need them. And the FACT is that women are pushed into other interventions. Women can safely go well beyond their due date to 42 or 43 weeks or even longer with no complications. But you'll see doctors pushing for inductions at that point, and inductions can lead to complications that can lead to c-sections.
To your second point, and I know a dozen people (yes, a dozen! I know a lot of people who've had out of hospital births) who've safely had babies outside the hospital with no problems. I don't know anyone who has had complications outside the hospital.
And to your final paragraph, I'm curious why you think hospitals maximize the safety of mother and baby. I entirely disagree as evidenced by mothers being pushed into interventions. Not that long ago (15-20 years), episiotomies were routine in hospital births. They are unnecessary in most cases, yet hospitals were performing them routinely. That is also not maximizing the safety of the mother. And the fact that csections (which only happen in the hospital, and hospital births account for more than 98% of births in the US) are performed at the very least twice as often as they should be tells me hospitals in general absolutely do not have the best interest of the woman at heart.
^^ no offense, but you are stating a lot of facts without ya know... citations. Appreciate your perspective but unless you are a doctor, you can’t possibly know that “2/3” of c-sections aren’t necessary. I’m glad you had a good experience with your choices, I truly am, but your post comes across as very anti-hospital, which is a bit of a slap in the face to those of us who are actively choosing them because we believe in what they offer us as much as what your choices offered you. We are all making our choices based on what we will be most comfortable with.
^^ no offense, but you are stating a lot of facts without ya know... citations. Appreciate your perspective but unless you are a doctor, you can’t possibly know that “2/3” of c-sections aren’t necessary. I’m glad you had a good experience with your choices, I truly am, but your post comes across as very anti-hospital, which is a bit of a slap in the face to those of us who are actively choosing them because we believe in what they offer us as much as what your choices offered you.
I am not anti hospital. I support hospital births when they're necessary. I support women in choosing the birth experience they want even if it's not what I would choose. I have many friends who had low risk births in the hospital and were quite happy with their choice. I do think women should have more choice surrounding birth (more birth centers and less of a stigma associated with out of hospital births) and be able to make fully informed choices.
Re: the 2/3 statistic, that comes from the World Health Organization and US csection rates.
And the US csection rates. I was wrong above. The rate is not 33% as I said (I was remembering off the top of my head and didn't look it up), it is just below 32%. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/delivery.htm
ETA: The reason I was so strong in my post was because it was in response to a post that very strongly opposed the type of birth I had and basically said I should not have had my child that way.
@lovesclimbing as a L&D nurse, I can tell you that the rate of still birth starts to greatly increase past 42 weeks gestation (5x greater at 42 weeks than at 37 weeks), and I’ve been with the women who refused induction and come in with no fetal heart rate.
I agree that there are woman who are good candidates for home birth, or birth centres, but I also see the flip side where women who attempt a home birth are rushed in to us when things go wrong.
Are c-section rates higher than they should be, absolutely. Are interventions overdone, in many cases yes. But a huge part of that is because obstetrics is the most highly litigated field in medicine. If something goes wrong with a vaginal delivery, and the baby has long term complications from it, the legal question is always “would a c-section have prevented or mitigated this outcome”? So doctors aren’t as willing to put their license/livelihood on the line if there is a chance a c-section may prevent a poor outcome. Would all of those cazes have resulted in a poor outcome for baby/mom, not necessarily - but they tend to err on the side that covers them in a legal case.
Basically, each mom needs to look at their options, and make a decision that suits them, their partner, and their own situation. Low risk moms who choose to deliver at home, in a birth centre, in a hospital with a midwife - great! Moms who prefer a hospital birth with a GP, or OB - awesome!
With DD, I had Cervidil and Pitocin (I was at 0 cm and not effaced at all, but had preeclampsia so it was necessary to induce) and it wasn't great for me. I had an awful reaction to the Cervidil patch (which they told me isn't common) and was in excruciating pain all night. With DS, I was already at 3 cm and like 50% effaced so they just gave me Pitocin. Both labors were quick once they gave me Pit...2.5-ish hours with DD, 3.5-ish with DS.
I’m with @chyvie in that FTMs need to be well informed on the choices they make. While many moms do have successful out of hospital births, there are risks involved.
When a FTM asks my advice about Home birth vs hospital I’m a pretty big advocate for the hospital (at least with your first). TW** Basically I’m the “poster child” against Home births since I check all the boxes for a low-risk birth and had an easy labor and delivery... But after my placenta was delivered I lost almost half my blood in a matter of minutes due to post-partum hemorrhaging. I would not have survived a rush to the hospital. **END TW I try to encourage people to give birth in a hospital for their first, and after they have done that successfully I’m all for them going wherever they like.
Also, it’s a bit of a pet peeve when people use the saying “women have been giving birth at home for thousands of years!” Yes. Yes they have. Many women have also died that way. So yeah.
Long story short. Just be aware of all of the risks involved with whatever choice you make.
@lovesclimbing Appreciate that you might have thought my post was anti- home birth or birthing center but I was only trying to provide some information on why I personally think hospital births are more safe from two experiences that could have benefited from them. Ultimately it is up to the mother to select which method works best, but for me I would prefer to have all the resources available at my finger tips. I thought I was very clear in that it was my opinion and the ladies didn't take it as me bashing the other methods.
My post was really about me expressing I didn't believe that doctor's can just force a C section as some of the above posters were suggesting and my thoughts as to why a hospital C section rate would be higher than a birthing center because most can't preform them. I don't think your selection of birth plan and where you birth should revolve soley on statistics of a hospital or birthing center as everyone is completely different and the way they give birth.
Also just looked it up and here in Canada the C section rate is only 26% (which is an increase of 45% since 1998) so it appears that we don't intervene as much on that aspect. Perhaps it has something to do with the US medical system and doctor's/ hospitals making more money on a C section which is really unfortunate. I also read that US is the only country that you can elect to have a C section so your rates could be higher due to that. Also with the advancement in technology doctors have more information on hand than 10 years ago so they can make more informed decisions if a C section is required.
Me 33 DH 41 TTC since 2016 Due: October 12, 2018 Location: Ontario, Canada
I’m too lazy to clip all of that post just to get to the part I want to comment on, but I absolutely feel a hospital is the safest place for me and my baby. Proximity to a NICU and an OR is an absolute must for me, even being low risk, because low risk isn’t NO risk. I also flatly reject your assertion that moms can safely be allowed to progress past 42 weeks without induction. Of course some babies are born safely after that time, but the placenta starts dying and the rate of stillbirth skyrockets. The risk of continuing a pregnancy is significant at that point, and the risk of induction is minor. I will concede that there may be an increased risk of c-section, but there’s a wayyy decreased risk of stillbirth. That doesn’t seem like a tough call.
I was induced with both of my pregnancies. With DS1 I was given Cervidil then pitocin. DS1 heartbeat started dropping after about 8 hours on pitocin. I was rushed to the OR for a csection but his heartrate increased and I pushed for 2 hours before he was born on the operating table. With DS2 I was only given pitocin and DS2 was born a few hours later. My body responds very quickly to Pitocin. I was obsessed with reading birth stories when I was pregnant with DS1. FTM, remember your birth story will be different from anything you've read and the goal is to leave the hospital with a healthy baby regardless if you have a natural birth or csection.
@lovesclimbing as a L&D nurse, I can tell you that the rate of still birth starts to greatly increase past 42 weeks gestation (5x greater at 42 weeks than at 37 weeks), and I’ve been with the women who refused induction and come in with no fetal heart rate.
I agree that there are woman who are good candidates for home birth, or birth centres, but I also see the flip side where women who attempt a home birth are rushed in to us when things go wrong.
Are c-section rates higher than they should be, absolutely. Are interventions overdone, in many cases yes. But a huge part of that is because obstetrics is the most highly litigated field in medicine. If something goes wrong with a vaginal delivery, and the baby has long term complications from it, the legal question is always “would a c-section have prevented or mitigated this outcome”? So doctors aren’t as willing to put their license/livelihood on the line if there is a chance a c-section may prevent a poor outcome. Would all of those cazes have resulted in a poor outcome for baby/mom, not necessarily - but they tend to err on the side that covers them in a legal case.
Basically, each mom needs to look at their options, and make a decision that suits them, their partner, and their own situation. Low risk moms who choose to deliver at home, in a birth centre, in a hospital with a midwife - great! Moms who prefer a hospital birth with a GP, or OB - awesome!
I'm not saying no women who go late should be induced, I just don't think they should be pushed into it and it should be an automatics induction. And that was just one example, not covering everything.
To your third paragraph, and this is part of my issue. When the US csection rate is more than double, at least, what it should be, it shows that something is wrong with the way we give birth in this country, and that includes issues around litigation and doctors wanting to cover their butts. I get why they want to! But it's worth noting that there are complications to c sections also. They're just harder to sue over.
Ahh, Tb, and your lovely quoting issues!
"HoosonFirst said: @lovesclimbing super appreciate the response and I totally hear you. I wish you well on your next birth experience!"
Thank you and you as well! What it all comes down to is women should be informed of their options and give birth where they feel the safest, most supported and heard. That is the most important thing for a safe, complication-free delivery in low-risk women. For many women, and of course in high-risk situations, that is the hospital.
"Don't remember who? @lovesclimbing Appreciate that you might have thought my post was anti- home birth or birthing center but I was only trying to provide some information on why I personally think hospital births are more safe from two experiences that could have benefited from them. Ultimately it is up to the mother to select which method works best, but for me I would prefer to have all the resources available at my finger tips. I thought I was very clear in that it was my opinion and the ladies didn't take it as me bashing the other methods.
My post was really about me expressing I didn't believe that doctor's can just force a C section as some of the above posters were suggesting and my thoughts as to why a hospital C section rate would be higher than a birthing center because most can't preform them. I don't think your selection of birth plan and where you birth should revolve soley on statistics of a hospital or birthing center as everyone is completely different and the way they give birth.
Also just looked it up and here in Canada the C section rate is only 26% (which is an increase of 45% since 1998) so it appears that we don't intervene as much on that aspect. Perhaps it has something to do with the US medical system and doctor's/ hospitals making more money on a C section which is really unfortunate. I also read that US is the only country that you can elect to have a C section so your rates could be higher due to that. Also with the advancement in technology doctors have more information on hand than 10 years ago so they can make more informed decisions if a C section is required."
I totally get that, and my post was mainly to provide another side. I want women to be better informed to have the best possible outcome for both them AND their babies, and major surgery should be avoided if it all possible.
My post was also slightly colored by having been told that I was wrong in the past on XO Group forums to have my baby outside the hospital and that I put my baby and my health at risk by doing so, which I do not believe to be the case. Unfortunately, I think, there is a stigma around out of hospital births, and that sometimes comes through with defensiveness.
I'm not sure that's true that the US is the only country where you can have an elective. I have a friend in Great Britain who was a candidate for a VBAC but told the doctors she wanted another csection. Not quite the same thing as a first time elective csection, but interesting.
To be clear, csections definitely have a place and hospital births in general. I'm glad we have them, and I never said (as a different poster alluded to above) that we should go back to having babies the way we did even 50 years ago. (Have you seen Call the Midwife? The hospital births are horrific, and even the home births aren't great with the mother not allowed to have her husband in the room and not given her baby to hold right away. Every time I watch that show I am sooooo thankful I am having babies now and not at any time in the past!)
@lovesclimbing I’m Canadian as well, and in Canada you can opt to have a repeat elective c-section, but you can’t just ask for a primary elective c-section without a medical reason. You also can’t ask to be induced without a medical reason (well, you can ask but they won’t accommodate).
Doctors can't force a c section but I have heard some have used medical speak to make you think it is needed when it isn't needed. Again not my experience as I am a FTM and I am birthing at a birth center IN a hospital. All women need to do lots of research to be informed and know their options. If I Dr says you needs some thing make sure to ask questions. Is baby or me in danger? Are there other options ? What could happen if we wait 30-60 minutes? What are the risks to doing what they suggest.is there time for DH or partner to talk it over alone. Just like if you need Petocin, if it does get your labor started you can ask for it to be turned off. Try and be fully informed regardless of where or how you choose to birth
Re: Doula/midwife/Obgyn? Hospital/birthing center?
Anyway personally I know a doula would get on my nerves. I’m confident going into the birth experience and I don’t want extra people around. I want H to be there, and I know he won’t talk unless he’s told to do something. The crowd of people who immediately materialize once I’m crowning obviously doesn’t bother me, but otherwise I prefer as few people as possible in the room.
I agree with the previous comments about how a hospital birth isn’t necessarily less intimate or personal than a birthing center or home birth. It can all vary so much depending on what complications arise, and if the sh*t hits the fan, I’d much rather have the resources of a hospital available to me than to have what some would consider a more “intimate” birth. Also, my experience sounds like it’s different than most, but with DS’s birth, my OB was actually with me in the room for almost the entire time after I got to the hospital. Maybe it was just a slow day for births, or maybe it was because I labored for a while at home so I was almost ready to push when we got there, but she was amazing, and stayed with me through all my contractions and pushing. It was a really intimate experience, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
So for me, it was more the comfort of having someone around who has seen this a million times. Less so the physical/emotional support. DH has that handeled. He would not have known what about of blood is normal vs an emergency.
Yes, I am reading up on the Bradley Method, taking labor classes, watching videos on pain management (as is my labor partner), but when it is game time, I still want a coach.
However, I understand that not everyone has the same needs. Also, I don’t think doulas market themselves very well. I had to wade through a lot of touchy-feely profiles before I found a couple of people that seemed down to earth...
Also, I’m with you- when I’m stressed, I don’t want anyone touching me. And even when I’m not stressed, I hate massages.
What is the norm is the typical progression of interventions in some hospitals. Traditionally hospitals without midwives but there are always exceptions. Unnecessary inductions (like many of my friends have been offered at 39 weeks without knowing the pros and cons), which may or may not work, can then lead to a failed induction and a c section. Use if epidurals which can slow down contractions and call for use of pitocin which can be too much for some babies to handle as the contractions can come on faster for longer and stronger. Use of pitocin in general, which often necessitates epidurals, which often slow down contractions, which calls for more pitocin, which can sometimes lead to minor distresses for a baby and therefore lead to emergency c sections. Tons of times these interventions are used and all is well. Other times a cascade of interventions can follow an initial intervention that may or may not have been necessary and then you may end up with a very different birth than you hoped. For many this isn't what they want if they can avoid it. Many OBs are low intervention, most midwives are so based on ideology, and many hospitals provide alternative resources to women who want to seek a low to no intervention birth. It's about what matters to you.
When it comes to deciding what matters to you, a safe and healthy outcome is always on the list. I do not believe any medical provider wishes differently but it is important to understand the choices you're making along the way (as you near full term, in labor etc) because there are so many ways things can go based on one decision that was neither good nor bad but was a valid option that may or may not have more risks as it plays out. My pregnancies have all gone post-dates, one almost to 42 weeks, so I've been in the position to need to accept options I didn't plan for and i would do so in a heartbeat. My intent here isn't to shame anyone regarding openness to interventions from the get go but to share some info about how being aware is important regardless of the building you give birth in.
My situation was the same, both times. My water broke but labor never started so I had to be induced with both girls. In both cases it was easy, uncomplicated and wonderful. My worst fear was rushing to the hospital in fear of a highway delivery, so I found both labors very low stress. Everything was right there when I needed it.
I feel like I missed where you are going in the 300 some posts I still have to catch up on? Hope it’s a great time!
We are headed to the Austin area
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
But I think you are absolutely right. There is a lot of fear around having babies simply because the stories about things going easy are rarely told.
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
I had my baby at a free-standing birth center and will do so with any and all future children assuming I stay low risk.
To your first paragraph, how do you explain the US stats as a whole (which includes all births - high risk, low risk, home, birth center, hospital, etc.) showing a 33% c-section rate when the World Health Organization recommends 10-15%? The cascade of interventions is a real thing. Are women pushed into c-sections as in a doctor tells a low risk woman to have one? No. But the fact is at least half if not 2/3 of the women who get c-sections do not need them. And the FACT is that women are pushed into other interventions. Women can safely go well beyond their due date to 42 or 43 weeks or even longer with no complications. But you'll see doctors pushing for inductions at that point, and inductions can lead to complications that can lead to c-sections.
To your second point, and I know a dozen people (yes, a dozen! I know a lot of people who've had out of hospital births) who've safely had babies outside the hospital with no problems. I don't know anyone who has had complications outside the hospital.
And to your final paragraph, I'm curious why you think hospitals maximize the safety of mother and baby. I entirely disagree as evidenced by mothers being pushed into interventions. Not that long ago (15-20 years), episiotomies were routine in hospital births. They are unnecessary in most cases, yet hospitals were performing them routinely. That is also not maximizing the safety of the mother. And the fact that csections (which only happen in the hospital, and hospital births account for more than 98% of births in the US) are performed at the very least twice as often as they should be tells me hospitals in general absolutely do not have the best interest of the woman at heart.
Re: the 2/3 statistic, that comes from the World Health Organization and US csection rates.
"Since 1985, the international healthcare community has considered the ideal rate for caesarean sections to be between 10-15%. ... When the rate goes above 10%, there is no evidence that mortality rates improve."
https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/maternal_perinatal_health/cs-statement/en/
And the US csection rates. I was wrong above. The rate is not 33% as I said (I was remembering off the top of my head and didn't look it up), it is just below 32%.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/delivery.htm
ETA: The reason I was so strong in my post was because it was in response to a post that very strongly opposed the type of birth I had and basically said I should not have had my child that way.
I agree that there are woman who are good candidates for home birth, or birth centres, but I also see the flip side where women who attempt a home birth are rushed in to us when things go wrong.
Are c-section rates higher than they should be, absolutely. Are interventions overdone, in many cases yes. But a huge part of that is because obstetrics is the most highly litigated field in medicine. If something goes wrong with a vaginal delivery, and the baby has long term complications from it, the legal question is always “would a c-section have prevented or mitigated this outcome”? So doctors aren’t as willing to put their license/livelihood on the line if there is a chance a c-section may prevent a poor outcome. Would all of those cazes have resulted in a poor outcome for baby/mom, not necessarily - but they tend to err on the side that covers them in a legal case.
Basically, each mom needs to look at their options, and make a decision that suits them, their partner, and their own situation. Low risk moms who choose to deliver at home, in a birth centre, in a hospital with a midwife - great! Moms who prefer a hospital birth with a GP, or OB - awesome!
With DD, I had Cervidil and Pitocin (I was at 0 cm and not effaced at all, but had preeclampsia so it was necessary to induce) and it wasn't great for me. I had an awful reaction to the Cervidil patch (which they told me isn't common) and was in excruciating pain all night. With DS, I was already at 3 cm and like 50% effaced so they just gave me Pitocin. Both labors were quick once they gave me Pit...2.5-ish hours with DD, 3.5-ish with DS.
When a FTM asks my advice about Home birth vs hospital I’m a pretty big advocate for the hospital (at least with your first). TW** Basically I’m the “poster child” against Home births since I check all the boxes for a low-risk birth and had an easy labor and delivery... But after my placenta was delivered I lost almost half my blood in a matter of minutes due to post-partum hemorrhaging. I would not have survived a rush to the hospital. **END TW
I try to encourage people to give birth in a hospital for their first, and after they have done that successfully I’m all for them going wherever they like.
Also, it’s a bit of a pet peeve when people use the saying “women have been giving birth at home for thousands of years!” Yes. Yes they have. Many women have also died that way. So yeah.
Long story short. Just be aware of all of the risks involved with whatever choice you make.
My post was really about me expressing I didn't believe that doctor's can just force a C section as some of the above posters were suggesting and my thoughts as to why a hospital C section rate would be higher than a birthing center because most can't preform them. I don't think your selection of birth plan and where you birth should revolve soley on statistics of a hospital or birthing center as everyone is completely different and the way they give birth.
Also just looked it up and here in Canada the C section rate is only 26% (which is an increase of 45% since 1998) so it appears that we don't intervene as much on that aspect. Perhaps it has something to do with the US medical system and doctor's/ hospitals making more money on a C section which is really unfortunate. I also read that US is the only country that you can elect to have a C section so your rates could be higher due to that. Also with the advancement in technology doctors have more information on hand than 10 years ago so they can make more informed decisions if a C section is required.
TTC since 2016
Due: October 12, 2018
Location: Ontario, Canada
To your third paragraph, and this is part of my issue. When the US csection rate is more than double, at least, what it should be, it shows that something is wrong with the way we give birth in this country, and that includes issues around litigation and doctors wanting to cover their butts. I get why they want to! But it's worth noting that there are complications to c sections also. They're just harder to sue over.
Ahh, Tb, and your lovely quoting issues!
"HoosonFirst said: @lovesclimbing super appreciate the response and I totally hear you. I wish you well on your next birth experience!"
Thank you and you as well! What it all comes down to is women should be informed of their options and give birth where they feel the safest, most supported and heard. That is the most important thing for a safe, complication-free delivery in low-risk women. For many women, and of course in high-risk situations, that is the hospital.
"Don't remember who? @lovesclimbing Appreciate that you might have thought my post was anti- home birth or birthing center but I was only trying to provide some information on why I personally think hospital births are more safe from two experiences that could have benefited from them. Ultimately it is up to the mother to select which method works best, but for me I would prefer to have all the resources available at my finger tips. I thought I was very clear in that it was my opinion and the ladies didn't take it as me bashing the other methods.
My post was really about me expressing I didn't believe that doctor's can just force a C section as some of the above posters were suggesting and my thoughts as to why a hospital C section rate would be higher than a birthing center because most can't preform them. I don't think your selection of birth plan and where you birth should revolve soley on statistics of a hospital or birthing center as everyone is completely different and the way they give birth.
Also just looked it up and here in Canada the C section rate is only 26% (which is an increase of 45% since 1998) so it appears that we don't intervene as much on that aspect. Perhaps it has something to do with the US medical system and doctor's/ hospitals making more money on a C section which is really unfortunate. I also read that US is the only country that you can elect to have a C section so your rates could be higher due to that. Also with the advancement in technology doctors have more information on hand than 10 years ago so they can make more informed decisions if a C section is required."
I totally get that, and my post was mainly to provide another side. I want women to be better informed to have the best possible outcome for both them AND their babies, and major surgery should be avoided if it all possible.
My post was also slightly colored by having been told that I was wrong in the past on XO Group forums to have my baby outside the hospital and that I put my baby and my health at risk by doing so, which I do not believe to be the case. Unfortunately, I think, there is a stigma around out of hospital births, and that sometimes comes through with defensiveness.
I'm not sure that's true that the US is the only country where you can have an elective. I have a friend in Great Britain who was a candidate for a VBAC but told the doctors she wanted another csection. Not quite the same thing as a first time elective csection, but interesting.
To be clear, csections definitely have a place and hospital births in general. I'm glad we have them, and I never said (as a different poster alluded to above) that we should go back to having babies the way we did even 50 years ago. (Have you seen Call the Midwife? The hospital births are horrific, and even the home births aren't great with the mother not allowed to have her husband in the room and not given her baby to hold right away. Every time I watch that show I am sooooo thankful I am having babies now and not at any time in the past!)