@knottieamusements I always tell people if I can see the top of baby’s head, it’s too late. But realistically around 8cm it gets really hard to sit still enough to get one placed.
@knottieamusements I always tell people if I can see the top of baby’s head, it’s too late. But realistically around 8cm it gets really hard to sit still enough to get one placed.
My sister had precipitous labor and got to the hospital at an 8. They let her get an epi although they cautioned it might slow labor down but she was like IDGAF. It wasn’t dangerous or else they wouldn’t have given her a choice I suspect. The baby still came within 30 min but it least it gave her a small break to rest.
I got my epi at 8 cm with my first. My bp was too high and they wanted me on it to help bring it down. I did get to sleep for an hour after getting it though! So that’s a plus.
Yep. If you are able to sit still, it really is possible to get one as long as you can’t see baby’s head. If you can see the head they could still place the epidural, it just wouldn’t have time to take effect before you delivered.
Is there a coping method that seems to work better during labor than others? Especially if we want to avoid an epidural. There’s several different methods and I’m not sure which one to learn/use.
@purplegoldfish2 it really depends person to person. I’ve seen women who do wonderfully with Hypnobirth-style, or focused breathing, some use a focus object or have their partner provide counter-pressure on there back. I honestly think just having something you focus on (whether it’s breathing, a mantra, an object/photo/image) takes your focus off the physical aspect of labour. If all you are thinking is “oh god, here comes the next contraction, ow this hurts, how long is this one going to last, oh good it’s over but when is the next one coming” you basically get yourself into a spiral of stress/tension and it’s hard to get back out that. Having something to break that cycle is the important part.
Where I plan to deliver is about 25 miles away, but depending on traffic could take 30 minutes or 1.5 hours during rush hour. How close together/long do you think contractions would need to be for them to tell me I can come into L&D if it’s rush hour? I’m worried they’ll tell me it’s too soon to come and end up giving birth on the side of the road or arriving at the hospital too far along for an epidural. I know labor is usually no where near that fast, but you hear those stories of people arriving at the hospital with the baby already coming out of them or worse.
@rabtaido1214 the usual recommendation is to head in is 5-1-1. Contractions every 5 minutes, lasting one minute each, for one hour. Usually by that point you’re in established labour (contractions are regular enough to cause your cervix to change). From that point they say average labour for a first time mom is 1cm of dilation every 1-2 hours, so if you’re 3-4 cm when you hit the 5-1-1 mark, you still likely have between 6-12 hour of labour yet until you get fully dilated. And then up to as long as 3 or 4 hours of pushing (that’s on the long side, average is 1-2 for FTMs).
So I'd still aim for that 5-1-1 stage, unless your water breaks earlier or you are getting to a point where you need something for pain. You should still make it to the hospital in plenty of time for an epidural.
I finally thought of a question!! Since I'm having twins I'll be delivering in the OR. I know if everything goes well I can still deliver vaginally but if something comes up were going into a c section. On that note, is it recommended to have an epidural? If I'm on no pain medication and have to go into a c section how is it typically gone about? My biggest concern is I want to be awake and alert for anything that happens.
Also this is becoming my favorite thread, I like getting all these answers from a perspective of someone who see it on the daily
@mamabearcj Most docs will recommend an epidural for someone having twins, mostly because if there is a situation between delivering A and B (a cord prolapse is more common than with singletons) where they need to do a true stat c-section, they will put you under a General Anesthetic for the delivery. If there is an emergency before A is born they should be able to place a quick spinal anesthetic (works faster than an epidural) which is what they use for elective c-sections.
With my 4 year old twins I had them place and test dose an epidural to make sure it was in the right spot and functional, then had them run it at a low enough rate that it wasn’t effective, but could be used for an emergency (normal rate is 15-20mL/h, mine ran at 6mL/h to keep the tubing open). There was a time between A and B where they thought they might need forceps and started the epidural again, and it wasn’t effective so I was lucky B repositioned into a deliverable position or I would have needed a GA.
@knottieamusements it doesn’t directly require a catheter, but it tends to happen. The problem without having one is that it’s hard to pee when you can’t feel anything from the bellybutton down. If we have moms who really don’t want a catheter our protocol is to get them on a bed pan every hour. If by the end of the second hour they aren’t able to pee a set amount (I think 150cc’s) then we do put in a catheter. So even though it’s not specifically a requirement, it is a norm.
My hospital basically told me I’d get a catheter if I had an epi, but they did the epi first and I didn’t feel a darn thing when the catheter was put in.
I just read an article that said assisted births (foreceps or vaccum) only account for 3% of deliveries. I didn’t realize it was in such a minority the first time around! In what you’ve seen, would you take a c-section over assisted delivery ? Or vice versa (knowing you are not a doc and it’s just your opinion)?
@HoosOnFirst it would have to be a pretty immediate situation for me to agree to forceps. There is definitely a time and place for them, but unless it was a true life or death moment where the forceps were likely to be successful (like head is out to the ears, heart rate drops to 40bpm), I’d go for a c-section in a heartbeat. I’d hate to have “failed forceps” and then a c-section - which does happen.
Also related, when it comes to a decision between a vacuum or forceps, one isn’t better than the other as long as the practitioner is skilled in which ever one they choose. BUT they should only use one, not both in the same delivery. If one fails, the next choice should be a c-section.
A had to be vacuum assisted out. But every time a nurse looked at him, they were totally surprised because he had no marks or anything on him. My doctor said he always makes sure that the mother did most of the work. To be honest, I don’t remember that at all.
My last recovery was very abnormal, so I have no idea what “normal” postpartum hospital stays are like. Has me wondering...
Do people usually shower in hospital during c section recovery? Do most moms need a stool or stand? Do nurses help? What shower items do you recommend people bring?
@BabyRobbinsAdventure most women will shower in Post-Partum, and on the whole they are able to stand (but be careful, the change in body temperature + blood loss can make you lightheaded) so have either a nurse or your partner there to make sure you’re okay. The bandages we use for our c-sections are waterproof so they are fine to be showered with. If you are feeling unsteady ask for a shower stool (and get a soaker pad or towel to sit on you don’t have your bare butt on hospital plastic). I’d only bring basics - travel size shampoo/conditioner, soap or body wash, and then whatever you want for other toiletries (gel, mousse, lotion, basic makeup if you want).
@BabyRobbinsAdventure From my personal experience with a c section - I showered 1 time while I was there and basically stood in the water and washed my face/hair and arms and then had MH very gently wash the rest of me while I stood there. Getting up and down from sitting was difficult so I didn’t want to sit in the shower once I was already standing. A nurse did not help, but I’m sure if I had asked or if I was alone, one of them would have.
What are the usual reasons you'd see an extended stay for mom? I know a normal vaginal delivery is only like 48 hours or so. How long do you stay for a C-section? Is it longer if you have GD or Pre-E?
My nurse was fucking terrible and when I asked for help with the shower she literally was like “ask your husband”. One of the reasons this time I’m gonna advocate for myself. Which begs the question for jennybean - if my nurse is really bad, can I ask for a new one? How much will the staff hate me? Or us there a way I can ask without sounding like a bitch? I had a million great ones last time but one was so bad it’s all I can remember and it’s clouded my memory of the hospital.
To clarify it wasn’t the shower issue per se - but as you can tell from my foreceps question, my body was completely fucked up and I was in immense pain and on heavy drugs in the recovery room. The nurse gave me shit for not breastfeeding, gave me bad instructions on baby care - like told me to do a certain thing and when the doctor saw me do it he was like “who told you to ever do that?” and was generally hands off and acted like she was put out on the few things we asked for. It was horrible. I cried.
So follow up question. Is it weird for a nurse to help you with stuff like that? I assume DH will be there to help, but it’s possible he could be tied up with DD or at home when I want to shower.
How important is it for me to bring my medical records with me when I travel? We’re going on a road trip next week and I forgot to ask for them at my last appointment. Is it something I need to call and get? I’ll be 26 weeks.
On the forceps issue: I have it on my birth plan that in the event that forceps or vacuum would be needed, I'd prefer a c-section instead. But I'm a little worried that in a situation where baby needs to be delivered ASAP, which I'm under the impression assisted delivery is for, there wouldn't be time for a c-section. Is that a valid concern or should I expect that in that situation they'd be able to do the C instead?
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
@sammierose464 I had an extended stay due to PPH/massive blood transfusion. I think that’s pretty rare though, so I’m interested to see what other reasons there are.
On the forceps issue: I have it on my birth plan that in the event that forceps or vacuum would be needed, I'd prefer a c-section instead. But I'm a little worried that in a situation where baby needs to be delivered ASAP, which I'm under the impression assisted delivery is for, there wouldn't be time for a c-section. Is that a valid concern or should I expect that in that situation they'd be able to do the C instead?
For mine, they said, we are trying foreceps but if it goes beyond 3 pushes we are doing a CS. So for at least me they gave themselves enough time to change to a CS. I imagine that every case is different though. Their position was that avoiding surgery was the goal so CS was last resort.
For the catheter thing, I wouldn’t worry about it if you’re getting an epidural. They didn’t even tell me I’d had a catheter placed with DD1 until they were removing it. If I’d known I’m sure I’d have been a little nervous, but it’s really nbd.
@sammierose464 the things that delay leaving are usually complications for mom. Bad tears, and heavy blood loss mostly, or someone having a really hard time with breastfeeding. For us a normal stay for vaginal delivery is 24 hours, and a c-section is 3 days (surgery day counts as day 0). Pre-e sometimes means a longer stay if the blood pressures and lab work don’t regulate after delivery, but GD typically doesn’t.
@HoosOnFirst honestly if you need to ask for a new nurse, do it. Ask to speak to the charge nurse and just request a different nurse assignment. You can just say “I don’t think s/he is a good fit for us”. And as staff we know which nurses are difficult or don’t mesh well with patients, so we aren’t shocked when a nurse is “fired” by a patient.
@BabyRobbinsAdventure we’re pretty used to getting asked for help with a lot of things, so it’s typically not a big deal. But you might need to wait and do it on the nurse’s schedule (ie not when she’s doing rounds or helping another mom breastfeed).
@mytrueloves the time difference between a c-section and a forceps delivery is less than you would think. In order to do forceps they first need to heavily top up your epidural (if you have one) and wait for that to take effect, which takes 10+ minutes anyway. If they top you up in your room and take you to the OR by the time that same 10 minutes has passed for you to be comfortable enough for the c-section, the OR is set up and the team assembled. And in a true stat we can get baby out in under 2 minutes (the important part), and be closing the skin at the end in 7 minutes from cut time. Typically we run c-sections in closer to 30 - 45 minutes, but we can be crazy fast if needed.
a) request closure with sutures as opposed to staples? b) request a plastic surgeon do the closure (assuming mom and baby are both fine and not in an emergent situation)
I know, I am being reaaaaaal petty. Just asking, lol
@kiwi2628 you can request staples vs suture, but probably not to have a plastics involved (I can’t imagine one agreeing to it, or an OB willing to share their billing).
Another question that I am not sure if you will know the answer to, but it always made me curious. Why do they do c-section cuts across the abdomen as opposed to up the linea alba? I find it bizarre and in my mind it makes it harder to heal since it is going parallel to lines of tension as opposed to perpendicular to them.
Old “classical” c-sections have a vertical incision on both the skin and the uterus Vertical skin incisions need to be quite a bit longer to allow them to spread the tissue enough to get to the low segment of the uterus (think 4-5 inches for a horizontal skin incision and closer to 9 for a vertical one).
The uterine incisions are almost always horizontal these days (unless very preterm since the low segment isn’t prominent enough, or there are big fibroids in the way) they heal much stronger being across the muscle fibre rather than along the fibres, and are much less likely to rupture in subsequent pregnancies/labours. But a big part for the skin incision is the aesthetic. A horizontal incision is smaller and sits along the top of the pubic hair line, tends to heal pretty well for most, and is the “bikini-cut” that can be easily hidden by most undies/bottoms.
@purplegoldfish2 (sorry I forgot about your’s!) I wouldn’t worry too much about having your papers, if something does happen while your gone the hospital you end up at wouldn’t expect you to have prenatal papers yet at 26 weeks anyway, and can always contact your doctor to get a copy faxed over. We don’t expect anyone less than 36 weeks to have theirs.
@jennybean80 Is it true that you can leave the hospital after 24 hours if you have an unmedicated natural delivery? A former coworker told me she was able to leave after 24 hours. If the baby's newborn test comeback normal and there are no issues are there any reasons you would recommend staying in the hospital the full 48 hours. I delivered DS2 at 5:25pm on a Monday and was discharged at 11am on Wednesday. I'm hoping to be able to leave in around the same amount of time with DS3.
Ok, super late to the party due to work travel, but this thread is life.
2 questions: 1. How many people come in wanting a med-free birth and totally reneg on that half way through labor? Ballpark number. (asking for a friend) 2. If i know i am a puker, can i just come in when i'm in labor and ask for Zofran off the bat? Like, is that something they would give me, or would they rather just have me puke? i know that seems vain and shallow to ask, but i missed holding my newborn son because i was projectile vomiting, and i would like to not do that this time.
Re: Ask Me Anything
Gave me some hope tho as with DS I got to hospital at 9.5cm and was SOL.
From that point they say average labour for a first time mom is 1cm of dilation every 1-2 hours, so if you’re 3-4 cm when you hit the 5-1-1 mark, you still likely have between 6-12 hour of labour yet until you get fully dilated. And then up to as long as 3 or 4 hours of pushing (that’s on the long side, average is 1-2 for FTMs).
So I'd still aim for that 5-1-1 stage, unless your water breaks earlier or you are getting to a point where you need something for pain. You should still make it to the hospital in plenty of time for an epidural.
On that note, is it recommended to have an epidural? If I'm on no pain medication and have to go into a c section how is it typically gone about? My biggest concern is I want to be awake and alert for anything that happens.
Also this is becoming my favorite thread, I like getting all these answers from a perspective of someone who see it on the daily
With my 4 year old twins I had them place and test dose an epidural to make sure it was in the right spot and functional, then had them run it at a low enough rate that it wasn’t effective, but could be used for an emergency (normal rate is 15-20mL/h, mine ran at 6mL/h to keep the tubing open). There was a time between A and B where they thought they might need forceps and started the epidural again, and it wasn’t effective so I was lucky B repositioned into a deliverable position or I would have needed a GA.
Also related, when it comes to a decision between a vacuum or forceps, one isn’t better than the other as long as the practitioner is skilled in which ever one they choose. BUT they should only use one, not both in the same delivery. If one fails, the next choice should be a c-section.
I was delivered with vacuum assist, but my mom had a rough year the year that I was born, and she doesn't remember a lot.
Do people usually shower in hospital during c section recovery? Do most moms need a stool or stand? Do nurses help? What shower items do you recommend people bring?
If you are feeling unsteady ask for a shower stool (and get a soaker pad or towel to sit on you don’t have your bare butt on hospital plastic).
I’d only bring basics - travel size shampoo/conditioner, soap or body wash, and then whatever you want for other toiletries (gel, mousse, lotion, basic makeup if you want).
To clarify it wasn’t the shower issue per se - but as you can tell from my foreceps question, my body was completely fucked up and I was in immense pain and on heavy drugs in the recovery room. The nurse gave me shit for not breastfeeding, gave me bad instructions on baby care - like told me to do a certain thing and when the doctor saw me do it he was like “who told you to ever do that?” and was generally hands off and acted like she was put out on the few things we asked for. It was horrible. I cried.
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
@BabyRobbinsAdventure we’re pretty used to getting asked for help with a lot of things, so it’s typically not a big deal. But you might need to wait and do it on the nurse’s schedule (ie not when she’s doing rounds or helping another mom breastfeed).
Typically we run c-sections in closer to 30 - 45 minutes, but we can be crazy fast if needed.
a) request closure with sutures as opposed to staples?
b) request a plastic surgeon do the closure (assuming mom and baby are both fine and not in an emergent situation)
I know, I am being reaaaaaal petty. Just asking, lol
Another question that I am not sure if you will know the answer to, but it always made me curious. Why do they do c-section cuts across the abdomen as opposed to up the linea alba? I find it bizarre and in my mind it makes it harder to heal since it is going parallel to lines of tension as opposed to perpendicular to them.
The uterine incisions are almost always horizontal these days (unless very preterm since the low segment isn’t prominent enough, or there are big fibroids in the way) they heal much stronger being across the muscle fibre rather than along the fibres, and are much less likely to rupture in subsequent pregnancies/labours. But a big part for the skin incision is the aesthetic. A horizontal incision is smaller and sits along the top of the pubic hair line, tends to heal pretty well for most, and is the “bikini-cut” that can be easily hidden by most undies/bottoms.
@purplegoldfish2 (sorry I forgot about your’s!) I wouldn’t worry too much about having your papers, if something does happen while your gone the hospital you end up at wouldn’t expect you to have prenatal papers yet at 26 weeks anyway, and can always contact your doctor to get a copy faxed over. We don’t expect anyone less than 36 weeks to have theirs.
2 questions:
1. How many people come in wanting a med-free birth and totally reneg on that half way through labor? Ballpark number. (asking for a friend)
2. If i know i am a puker, can i just come in when i'm in labor and ask for Zofran off the bat? Like, is that something they would give me, or would they rather just have me puke? i know that seems vain and shallow to ask, but i missed holding my newborn son because i was projectile vomiting, and i would like to not do that this time.