I went to a birth earlier this week for a doula client, Sarah*. It was her first baby and she was hoping to have a natural birth. Sarah called me in the morning and told told me that she had lost her mucus plug and that maybe her water had broken. She also called her OB's office and was told her to come to the office to get checked to see if her water was broken or not. She had been laboring comfortably at home with contractions every 5 minutes or so and didn't feel like she needed my (doula) support yet. I was wondering how this trip to the office was going to affect her labor. I also had a feeling that she would be talked into going right to the hospital and not given the opportunity to labor at home the way she had wanted.
I got a call back from her a little while later and she told me that she was 5 cm, that her water was broken and she was being admitted to the hospital. I was a little surprised to hear that she was already 5cm, but was not surprised that she was told to go right to the hospital. So, I got ready and met her at the hospital. When I arrived she was having frequent contractions and they were enough to catch her breath, but I could tell they weren't as intense as I've seen with some other women at 5cm. Within about an hour of my arrival her contractions changed and got much more intense.
After I had been there for about 2 hours her OB came in and wanted to check her cervix. She agreed only to be disappointed that she "was still only 5 cm". Then her OB sat down and began the talk....(ya know, when someone tells you, "we have to talk", it's never the talk you want it to be). I knew just what was coming. Things weren't progressing, it had been 4 hours with no change. It was time to think about "active management" because her labor was "dysfunctional". He even pointed out on the monitor how her contractions weren't regular, they were coupled together with a larger space in between. Before the doctor left the room, I asked him what position he thought the baby was in. He told me he wasn't sure, but thought ROA, baby facing mom's back, with baby's back tilted to mom's right. The doctor and nurse left the room to let my client and her husband think about what they wanted to do, to start pitocin (which is what her OB strongly recommended) or she could have some more time. By this time Sarah was having very strong contractions, she felt that if they were any more intense she wouldn't be able to handle them, so the thought of pitocin which would only intensify things more scared her. While I was listening to her OB talk about active management and dysfunctional labor, there were two little things that he slipped in that I almost missed! Shortly after I arrived her OB had peeked in and said hello, mentioning that she was doing really well for being 4-5cm. Also, when he checked her again (4 hours after the initial check at the office) he said, "You're still 5, well 5-6." I reminded Sarah of this, that at the office she was 4 to 5 cm and now she was 5 to 6cm. Even though she was being told that she was still 5, there was still some change. She also had a big disruption to her labor in the last 4 hours, she left her home, went to the doctor's office and then was admitted to the hospital. I had only witnessed about 1 hour of intense contractions. To me this was perfectly normal, not dysfunctional. I'm willing to bet she didn't do much dilating at all during all that transition time from home to office to hospital. And what about those coupled contractions? We decided to try some time on her hands and knees to see if that might help baby to find a better position.
About an hour and a half or 2 hours after "the talk", and after Sarah had spent time on her hands and knees and then standing and leaning forward, she was feeling a lot of pressure down low. We told her nurse, who told the doctor. He came back in the room to check her but this time instead of wearing scrubs, he had changed back into his shirt and tie, he was actually getting ready to leave the hospital since Sarah had decided against pitocin. He checked her and to his surprise, she was 8 cm. he looked right at me, and said, "Did you do this?" I just shrugged my shoulders and pointed to Sarah, for she had done all the work. Her baby was born 4 hours after she had been told that her labor was dysfunctional.
Here's a lesson or two in birthing: vaginal exams are relative, four to five centimeters and five to six centimeters might both be called 5. Disruptions like traveling to the hospital and office visits can hinder labor progress. Dysfunctional labor patterns could be a sign that baby needs a new position or mom needs a new position. Most importantly, moms needs encouragement while they are in labor, not to be told that their labor is dysfunctional. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.
Interesting article on back labor and positioning:
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/paininback.asp
*not her real name
Crunchy Cradle Catholic
Showing posts with label birth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birth. Show all posts
Friday, February 8, 2013
Monday, September 10, 2012
Home Birth and Insurance
This is just a rough post, that will be updated!
I had a homebirth with my last baby and am now fighting with our insurance company for reimbursement. I am trying to collect articles, research and anything else I can get to submit to them for consideration. I would like to make a mini-database for others to use. If you have any links for helpful information, please comment!
Thanks!
I had a homebirth with my last baby and am now fighting with our insurance company for reimbursement. I am trying to collect articles, research and anything else I can get to submit to them for consideration. I would like to make a mini-database for others to use. If you have any links for helpful information, please comment!
Thanks!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Birth Choices and Morality
This is a post that I have been considering writing for quite some time. I just haven't been quite sure of how to tackle it.
I am a birth fanatic....I love to read about birth, watch videos of women giving birth, go to births, birth children of my own...you get the picture. I even teach classes on how to give birth.
As a Catholic I bring important decisions to prayer, and pray for God's will. In my prayer about the births of my own children, I began to reflect on the ways in which women give birth and care for their babies. My conclusions, and where I think God has led me through prayer, is contrary to the main stream (popular) thought of how women are supposed to birth their babies and how they're supposed to care for them.
God made a woman's body to be able to birth a baby. Even before there were doctors and hospitals, women got pregnant, labored and birthed well enough to populate the earth. Women and babies have died during childbirth, (we no longer live in the Garden of Eden) but we have discovered ways to monitor them and to prevent some things from going wrong. But, in the name of technology and in order to try to escape the pain of birthing, we have interfered with God's design. For example, the majority of women in the United States chose an epidural for pain relief during labor. There are many hormones that orchestrate the birthing process. When a woman has an epidural we change the amount and the way these hormones are released in the body. (www.sarahbuckley.com). When we interfere with hormones, we interfere with bonding and breastfeeding, and "mothering". I would go so far as to say that we can interfere with the potential relationship and parenting of that mother and child. Is it a sin to get an epidural during labor? I would say no, but perhaps there is a better way.
(I often hear to argument that you wouldn't have a root canal done without anesthesia, so why would you want to have a baby without an epidural? These things are so different that they cannot compare. Birth is a normal body process that involves many normal hormones. Having a root canal is a remedy for a sick or dying tooth, birth is just the opposite, it is the transition to new life).
The reason the devil is to be greatly feared, is not so much that evil is always obvious, but because he is sneaky, the "father of lies", things often appear good on the outside, but underneath the fruit is rotten. What if getting an epidural during labor (numbing the pain seems good, right?) is really an attempt to interfere with God's design for mothers, babies, and families?
The next step would be to interfere with Breastfeeding. It's no secret that most mother's in the United States use formula or use bottles to feed breastmilk to their babies. Breastfeeding is the way God made a woman's body to be able to care for her child. It is so much more than just food. Breastfeeding, is about bonding, parenting, and loving your child. Again, there are so many intricate hormones that are at play in both the mother's and the baby's body. Why do we think that we can do it better than the way God made it? Is it a sin to give your baby a bottle? No, but perhaps there is a best way (God's way) and an other way that Satan tries to make popular, in order to create yet another division in the family.
It's no secret that our culture is hurting, Families are hurting. Families are broken and many children in our country are hurting. Divorce isn't the only thing that is tearing our families apart, I would dare to go back even farther, to birth. Satan attacks the unborn in the womb, of course he tries everything he can to tear these precious ones from their parents even at birth and during infancy.
Parenting is difficult, I am learning everyday how to be a better parent, but I do believe that I have given my children the very best start to life that they could get!
I am a birth fanatic....I love to read about birth, watch videos of women giving birth, go to births, birth children of my own...you get the picture. I even teach classes on how to give birth.
As a Catholic I bring important decisions to prayer, and pray for God's will. In my prayer about the births of my own children, I began to reflect on the ways in which women give birth and care for their babies. My conclusions, and where I think God has led me through prayer, is contrary to the main stream (popular) thought of how women are supposed to birth their babies and how they're supposed to care for them.
God made a woman's body to be able to birth a baby. Even before there were doctors and hospitals, women got pregnant, labored and birthed well enough to populate the earth. Women and babies have died during childbirth, (we no longer live in the Garden of Eden) but we have discovered ways to monitor them and to prevent some things from going wrong. But, in the name of technology and in order to try to escape the pain of birthing, we have interfered with God's design. For example, the majority of women in the United States chose an epidural for pain relief during labor. There are many hormones that orchestrate the birthing process. When a woman has an epidural we change the amount and the way these hormones are released in the body. (www.sarahbuckley.com). When we interfere with hormones, we interfere with bonding and breastfeeding, and "mothering". I would go so far as to say that we can interfere with the potential relationship and parenting of that mother and child. Is it a sin to get an epidural during labor? I would say no, but perhaps there is a better way.
The reason the devil is to be greatly feared, is not so much that evil is always obvious, but because he is sneaky, the "father of lies", things often appear good on the outside, but underneath the fruit is rotten. What if getting an epidural during labor (numbing the pain seems good, right?) is really an attempt to interfere with God's design for mothers, babies, and families?
Parenting is difficult, I am learning everyday how to be a better parent, but I do believe that I have given my children the very best start to life that they could get!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Every Birth is Different
I have recently been to a couple births with second time moms. Neither of them had the experience they were expecting the first time around. Although, I dare to say that not many of us know exactly how our birth will be ahead of time. In preparing for their next birth, both of these women prepared to have a repeat of their first birth.
I did this same thing when I was pregnant for the second time. My first labor was fast and furious. With my second baby, I prepared myself to have a repeat experience. My second son, however, taught me that he had his own unique personality and was not going to be like my first son. Labor is a dance between mother and baby. I believe that I have seen a glimmer of each of my baby's personalities during his/her labor. My second labor was twice as long as my first.
When I was pregnant for the third time, I let go of all expectations. I know that my labor could bring anything, and I prepared myself to welcome whatever it might bring. My third and fourth labors were each unique, and I tried to approach them the same way I did my first, without any preconceptions, and open to whatever my body and baby needed in order to birth safely.
Now, I do think that women who have had many interventions during their labors, might prepare for a second baby, by learning what a normal, natural birth usually looks like, and learning when those interventions are truly necessary.
If you are preparing for birth, welcome it with open arms, just as you welcome your baby's unique personality with open arms.
I did this same thing when I was pregnant for the second time. My first labor was fast and furious. With my second baby, I prepared myself to have a repeat experience. My second son, however, taught me that he had his own unique personality and was not going to be like my first son. Labor is a dance between mother and baby. I believe that I have seen a glimmer of each of my baby's personalities during his/her labor. My second labor was twice as long as my first.
When I was pregnant for the third time, I let go of all expectations. I know that my labor could bring anything, and I prepared myself to welcome whatever it might bring. My third and fourth labors were each unique, and I tried to approach them the same way I did my first, without any preconceptions, and open to whatever my body and baby needed in order to birth safely.
Now, I do think that women who have had many interventions during their labors, might prepare for a second baby, by learning what a normal, natural birth usually looks like, and learning when those interventions are truly necessary.
If you are preparing for birth, welcome it with open arms, just as you welcome your baby's unique personality with open arms.
New Series of Childbirth Classes
I am starting up a new series of childbirth classes and a breastfeeding class. Details on my website!
www.newbornnaturally.com
www.newbornnaturally.com
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Dads and Doulas
Each of my pregnancies was such an exciting time. It was a time of preparing, reflecting and growing (more than just physically). My husband shared in my joy and excitement during pregnancy. He took childbirth classes with me and was confident that he knew me better than anyone else and therefore would be able to support me during labor.
I am a nurse, so I felt like I had a good understanding of the physiology of birth, but I wanted my husband to understand what would be happening to my body during labor. I found some books on childbirth and gave them to him to read. There was one thing that I was a little worried about....him fainting while I was giving birth. My fears weren't all that irrational, my husband actually passed out, sitting on the light rail train, while reading a book about birth.
So, we decided that we wanted someone else to be present with us during the birth of our first baby, a labor support person (a doula!), someone who was familiar with birth and would NOT be fainting. My husband was afraid that a doula would take his place is supporting me, but it wasn't like that at all. A doula is familiar with labor and birth, and my husband was familiar with my needs, likes, wants, etc. They were a great team, two experts to help support me and guide me through one of the best days of my life!
I do truly believe that Dads and Doulas make the best support team a woman could have during labor.
PS-my husband did great and hasn't fainted at the births of any of our 4 children!
I am a nurse, so I felt like I had a good understanding of the physiology of birth, but I wanted my husband to understand what would be happening to my body during labor. I found some books on childbirth and gave them to him to read. There was one thing that I was a little worried about....him fainting while I was giving birth. My fears weren't all that irrational, my husband actually passed out, sitting on the light rail train, while reading a book about birth.
So, we decided that we wanted someone else to be present with us during the birth of our first baby, a labor support person (a doula!), someone who was familiar with birth and would NOT be fainting. My husband was afraid that a doula would take his place is supporting me, but it wasn't like that at all. A doula is familiar with labor and birth, and my husband was familiar with my needs, likes, wants, etc. They were a great team, two experts to help support me and guide me through one of the best days of my life!
I do truly believe that Dads and Doulas make the best support team a woman could have during labor.
PS-my husband did great and hasn't fainted at the births of any of our 4 children!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Cesareans and family size
The rate of Cesarean section in the US is at an all time high, with almost 1 in 3 women haveing C-sections. I believe that part of the reason for so many cesareans is that we are anxious. We cannot wait to meet our babies or for labor to begin, so we induce labors. And, let's face it, labor takes a long time...so we use medication to speed up labor, and other medicines to take away the pain of a labor that we are trying to rush through. I think that we sometimes create problems due to a lack of patience. There are also many ligitmate reasons for a cesarean, but whatever the reason, many women are having this common surgery.
One thing that doesn't seem to come up until after the fact is that the first cesarean can dictate your family size. Many doctors are resistant to Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC), even thought ACOG has stated that VBAC is safe even after two previous c-sections. And some womean are scared to choose VBAC. I remember talking to a friend when she was pregnant for the second time, her first birth was via cesarean. She was scared to try for a VBAC. We hear a lot of talk about uterine "rupture" and that just sounds really scary. One of the things that surprised me, after doing to research, looking just at the stats, the risk of a complication from cesarean was higher than the risk of a complication from a VBAC. The risk of a uterine rupture or tear is real, but it is very small.
The point that I am getting to, is that more and more women are having multiple cesareans. How many ceseareans are too many? I cannot find a concrete answer. I met a woman once, who had had 5, the last two were against her doctor's wishes. A quick Google search, led me to a discussion board, where a woman had 9! I know of doctor's who have limited women to 3. There is not always a choice when it comes to needing a cesarean or not, but there is a choice with subsequent pregnancies to choose VBAC. Choosing to have multiple c-sections can limit family size. Even if you think you don't want more than 1 or 2 children now, doesn't mean that you won't change your mind in the future.
I feel that this is an important aspect that is too often over looked until it is too late. A great resource on this issue is the International Cesearan Awareness Network. http://www.ican-online.org/
One thing that doesn't seem to come up until after the fact is that the first cesarean can dictate your family size. Many doctors are resistant to Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC), even thought ACOG has stated that VBAC is safe even after two previous c-sections. And some womean are scared to choose VBAC. I remember talking to a friend when she was pregnant for the second time, her first birth was via cesarean. She was scared to try for a VBAC. We hear a lot of talk about uterine "rupture" and that just sounds really scary. One of the things that surprised me, after doing to research, looking just at the stats, the risk of a complication from cesarean was higher than the risk of a complication from a VBAC. The risk of a uterine rupture or tear is real, but it is very small.
The point that I am getting to, is that more and more women are having multiple cesareans. How many ceseareans are too many? I cannot find a concrete answer. I met a woman once, who had had 5, the last two were against her doctor's wishes. A quick Google search, led me to a discussion board, where a woman had 9! I know of doctor's who have limited women to 3. There is not always a choice when it comes to needing a cesarean or not, but there is a choice with subsequent pregnancies to choose VBAC. Choosing to have multiple c-sections can limit family size. Even if you think you don't want more than 1 or 2 children now, doesn't mean that you won't change your mind in the future.
I feel that this is an important aspect that is too often over looked until it is too late. A great resource on this issue is the International Cesearan Awareness Network. http://www.ican-online.org/
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Breech babies
This study says that a vaginal breech birth is safer for the mother and no more risky for baby than cesarean.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101026141510.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101026141510.htm
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
It's a girl!
I just gave birth to my 4th baby, a little girl! Each of my children are so unique and special, and they have all made their entrance into this world in a unique way as well. My previous births were in the hospital, so during my pregnancy, I was really looking forward to this birth, as we were planning an out of hospital birth at a birthing center.
My labor started on my youngest son's birthday, I woke up around 2:30am with some contractions, that were strong enough to wake me up, yet not too uncomfortable either. I was thinking to myself that we might have two children with the same birthday. I continued to have contractions throughout the day, they came every 20-30 minutes, and again, were strong enough that I knew they were labor contractions, but I was still able to go for a walk, do some last minute cleaning around the house, and rest.
In the evening, after our older children went to bed my contractions started to get a little bit closer together, 10-20 minutes between them. I went to bed early because I was starting to get uncomfortable, and had to actively try to relax with them. I was able to sleep a little bit, but every contraction woke me up. Rather than get closer together my contractions just seemed to get longer, lasting from 1.5-2.5 minutes each. Around 1am I was starting to get very uncomfortable (we turned the clocks back that night, so I'm a little confused about what time it really was), my contractions were variable from 7-10 minutes apart, but long and hard. They started to double peak or come 2 in a row without any break in between them. I was starting to feel more pressure in my pelvis, so we called our midwife and left for the birthing center.
On our way to the birthing center (about a 20 minute drive) I only had one contraction. I was a little afraid that we would get there and I would only be 3cm dilated, but something just told me it was time to go.
Once we arrived, I was able to relax knowing that I was in the place where I would give birth. The lights were low and it was quiet. My midwife told me that I was 9cm dilated!! I just couldn't believe it. I got into the birthing pool and the warm water felt amazing. I was wishing that we had come sooner so that I could have relaxed in the water with some of the hard contractions I was having at home. My body was able to just float in the water, and that made relaxing all my muscles to just let my uterus work, much easier. My contractions however, were still very intense. Soon after getting in the water I felt like I needed to bear down. I started slowly with some small pushes, grunting through the contractions, however that "urge to push" just took over. I had to push much harder to relieve the intensity of the contraction. It wasn't very long before I could feel my baby moving down the birth canal, I remembered this feeling from my other births and knew that it wouldn't be long before she was here.
My husband, midwife and nurse were present in the room. I pushed hard with my contractions and suddenly felt my baby's head crowning. I had a moment of fear, I just wanted to stop because everything was so intense, but I knew I had to do it, I had to give that final push and birth my baby. I reached down into the water and felt the baby's head about to emerge and my body pushed again and her head was born. There was one more push and my baby was here at 2:38am (the day after contractions had started). I don't remember my midwife saying much to me during this time, but I knew that she was there and had confidence in me. She didn't tell me what to do or how to do it, but instead let me push the way my body needed to in order to birth my precious baby.
My husband looked to see if we had a boy or girl, and announced that we had a girl. There were tears all around the room. We were only at the birth center for about 45 minutes before she was born!
We are so happy to have had a birth in an environment that supported us, gave us confidence, and allowed us to go home that same morning. We were able to have breakfast as a family with our older children, and then get some rest in our own bed. This experience was everything that I had been wanting with my hospital births, I was just looking in the wrong place. The births of my older children are precious memories that I will never forget, but this birth was just the icing on the cake.
Our birth center: www.mountainmidwifery.com
My labor started on my youngest son's birthday, I woke up around 2:30am with some contractions, that were strong enough to wake me up, yet not too uncomfortable either. I was thinking to myself that we might have two children with the same birthday. I continued to have contractions throughout the day, they came every 20-30 minutes, and again, were strong enough that I knew they were labor contractions, but I was still able to go for a walk, do some last minute cleaning around the house, and rest.
In the evening, after our older children went to bed my contractions started to get a little bit closer together, 10-20 minutes between them. I went to bed early because I was starting to get uncomfortable, and had to actively try to relax with them. I was able to sleep a little bit, but every contraction woke me up. Rather than get closer together my contractions just seemed to get longer, lasting from 1.5-2.5 minutes each. Around 1am I was starting to get very uncomfortable (we turned the clocks back that night, so I'm a little confused about what time it really was), my contractions were variable from 7-10 minutes apart, but long and hard. They started to double peak or come 2 in a row without any break in between them. I was starting to feel more pressure in my pelvis, so we called our midwife and left for the birthing center.
On our way to the birthing center (about a 20 minute drive) I only had one contraction. I was a little afraid that we would get there and I would only be 3cm dilated, but something just told me it was time to go.
Once we arrived, I was able to relax knowing that I was in the place where I would give birth. The lights were low and it was quiet. My midwife told me that I was 9cm dilated!! I just couldn't believe it. I got into the birthing pool and the warm water felt amazing. I was wishing that we had come sooner so that I could have relaxed in the water with some of the hard contractions I was having at home. My body was able to just float in the water, and that made relaxing all my muscles to just let my uterus work, much easier. My contractions however, were still very intense. Soon after getting in the water I felt like I needed to bear down. I started slowly with some small pushes, grunting through the contractions, however that "urge to push" just took over. I had to push much harder to relieve the intensity of the contraction. It wasn't very long before I could feel my baby moving down the birth canal, I remembered this feeling from my other births and knew that it wouldn't be long before she was here.
My husband, midwife and nurse were present in the room. I pushed hard with my contractions and suddenly felt my baby's head crowning. I had a moment of fear, I just wanted to stop because everything was so intense, but I knew I had to do it, I had to give that final push and birth my baby. I reached down into the water and felt the baby's head about to emerge and my body pushed again and her head was born. There was one more push and my baby was here at 2:38am (the day after contractions had started). I don't remember my midwife saying much to me during this time, but I knew that she was there and had confidence in me. She didn't tell me what to do or how to do it, but instead let me push the way my body needed to in order to birth my precious baby.
We are so happy to have had a birth in an environment that supported us, gave us confidence, and allowed us to go home that same morning. We were able to have breakfast as a family with our older children, and then get some rest in our own bed. This experience was everything that I had been wanting with my hospital births, I was just looking in the wrong place. The births of my older children are precious memories that I will never forget, but this birth was just the icing on the cake.
Our birth center: www.mountainmidwifery.com
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Meconium
This is a great post about meconium, baby's first bowel movement.
http://midwifethinking.com/2010/10/09/the-curse-of-meconium-stained-liquor/
http://midwifethinking.com/2010/10/09/the-curse-of-meconium-stained-liquor/
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Why I chose a Midwife
I have my 20 week check up with a midwife tomorrow. I'm very excited about it, not the appointment necessarily, but midwives!
When I was pregnant with my first baby, we had just moved to a new city, and for me a new state, so I had no idea who to chose for my pre-natal care. I knew about midwives, but I was too scared to have a home birth and there were no birthing centers in our area. I guess I just did what most women do and I found an OB who was close to where we lived and worked at to the hospital near us. The doctors at the practice were nice, I liked them and felt like I was getting good care, even though the one doctor I primarily saw, laughed a little when I told him I was hoping for a natural birth. I did have a natural birth, at the hospital with an OB, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. My doctor was only there for the last 10-20 minutes of my birth, and since I had an uncomplicated labor and no pain medication, he really only needed to catch my baby. But even that he did not do, he dropped my son into the bag at the end of the hospital bed, ya know that one that is there to catch fluids, blood etc during birth?!
I was happy with my birth, ecstatic with my new baby, but disappointed with the lack of personal attention and care from my OBs. And, seriously, couldn't they even catch my baby???
When I got pregnant for a second time, I asked around and found another practice that was more open to natural birth, and there was even a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) who worked in the office. This group of doctors, again, were all very nice and caring and were a little bit more supportive of me wanting a natural birth (ie-no laughing when I put the words, "natural" and "birth" in the same sentence). I again, had a natural birth at the hospital, and this time my doctor did manage to catch my baby, but I still felt a little disappointed that the person I hired to be my care provider only walked into the room 10 minutes before my baby was born. How did he earn all the money when I did all the work?
Ok, so when I got pregnant for a third time, I knew I wanted something different, I actually considered a home birth this time around, but my husband was NOT at all comfortable with that. I found a family practice doctor who I was very happy with. He was on the same page as I was as far as not wanting to do unnecessary interventions, was willing to wait for me to go into labor on my own (my other 2 doctors were pressuring to induce me, even though I never even made it to 41 weeks with either baby), and very supportive of my birth plan. So, what was the problem this time around, I was still going to the hospital, but hoping for a more home-like experience (dim lights, candles lit, music playing in the background....) What I remember most about this birth was my poor, scared nurse, sitting on the end of my bed, telling me no to push until my doctor arrived, and my husband telling her that everything was alright and that he would catch the baby if the baby arrived before the doctor. My doctor was great and stood at the end of the bed with his hands folded, encouraging me and telling me that everything was normal and ok. It really sticks out in my mind that his hands were folded together, and not holding a pair of scissors or any other medical instruments.
So, I'm pregnant again and expecting our 4th baby in a few more months. This time around, I chose a midwife and to birth at a free standing birthing center. This is what I was searching for with my previous births!! I happen to know this birthing center well, as I also work there, so I have seen many births in this atmosphere. The midwife, is present throughout labor, not only for the last 10 minutes or so. There are no hospital beds or gowns, but a real bed, and I can wear my own clothes, play my own music, light candles and dim the lights if I want. There are even birthing tubs, birthing balls, and birthing stools. When you walk into one of the birthing rooms, there is a peaceful feeling, not a feeling of sterility.
I have confidence in my midwives, I know their medical training and that they are capable of handling any situation that may arise during birth. I worked in the ICU as a nurse for 6 years, so my first instinct is always to plan for the worst case scenario. What if something goes wrong and I am not at the hospital? But they have already planned for the worst as well, emergency equipment and medications are on hand at all times, the hospital is one block away, and only low-risk women are allowed to birth at the birthing center.
I can't wait to share my next birth story. While I know that birth is unpredictable, I feel that I have finally found the environment that will be most supportive of me and my baby, throughout labor, not just for the climax of birth.
When I was pregnant with my first baby, we had just moved to a new city, and for me a new state, so I had no idea who to chose for my pre-natal care. I knew about midwives, but I was too scared to have a home birth and there were no birthing centers in our area. I guess I just did what most women do and I found an OB who was close to where we lived and worked at to the hospital near us. The doctors at the practice were nice, I liked them and felt like I was getting good care, even though the one doctor I primarily saw, laughed a little when I told him I was hoping for a natural birth. I did have a natural birth, at the hospital with an OB, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. My doctor was only there for the last 10-20 minutes of my birth, and since I had an uncomplicated labor and no pain medication, he really only needed to catch my baby. But even that he did not do, he dropped my son into the bag at the end of the hospital bed, ya know that one that is there to catch fluids, blood etc during birth?!
I was happy with my birth, ecstatic with my new baby, but disappointed with the lack of personal attention and care from my OBs. And, seriously, couldn't they even catch my baby???
When I got pregnant for a second time, I asked around and found another practice that was more open to natural birth, and there was even a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) who worked in the office. This group of doctors, again, were all very nice and caring and were a little bit more supportive of me wanting a natural birth (ie-no laughing when I put the words, "natural" and "birth" in the same sentence). I again, had a natural birth at the hospital, and this time my doctor did manage to catch my baby, but I still felt a little disappointed that the person I hired to be my care provider only walked into the room 10 minutes before my baby was born. How did he earn all the money when I did all the work?
Ok, so when I got pregnant for a third time, I knew I wanted something different, I actually considered a home birth this time around, but my husband was NOT at all comfortable with that. I found a family practice doctor who I was very happy with. He was on the same page as I was as far as not wanting to do unnecessary interventions, was willing to wait for me to go into labor on my own (my other 2 doctors were pressuring to induce me, even though I never even made it to 41 weeks with either baby), and very supportive of my birth plan. So, what was the problem this time around, I was still going to the hospital, but hoping for a more home-like experience (dim lights, candles lit, music playing in the background....) What I remember most about this birth was my poor, scared nurse, sitting on the end of my bed, telling me no to push until my doctor arrived, and my husband telling her that everything was alright and that he would catch the baby if the baby arrived before the doctor. My doctor was great and stood at the end of the bed with his hands folded, encouraging me and telling me that everything was normal and ok. It really sticks out in my mind that his hands were folded together, and not holding a pair of scissors or any other medical instruments.
So, I'm pregnant again and expecting our 4th baby in a few more months. This time around, I chose a midwife and to birth at a free standing birthing center. This is what I was searching for with my previous births!! I happen to know this birthing center well, as I also work there, so I have seen many births in this atmosphere. The midwife, is present throughout labor, not only for the last 10 minutes or so. There are no hospital beds or gowns, but a real bed, and I can wear my own clothes, play my own music, light candles and dim the lights if I want. There are even birthing tubs, birthing balls, and birthing stools. When you walk into one of the birthing rooms, there is a peaceful feeling, not a feeling of sterility.
I have confidence in my midwives, I know their medical training and that they are capable of handling any situation that may arise during birth. I worked in the ICU as a nurse for 6 years, so my first instinct is always to plan for the worst case scenario. What if something goes wrong and I am not at the hospital? But they have already planned for the worst as well, emergency equipment and medications are on hand at all times, the hospital is one block away, and only low-risk women are allowed to birth at the birthing center.
I can't wait to share my next birth story. While I know that birth is unpredictable, I feel that I have finally found the environment that will be most supportive of me and my baby, throughout labor, not just for the climax of birth.
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