Parenting: 4 & 5-Year-Olds Community

Orignally before I had DD I have had a Doula in a hospital.
But NEVER to dangerous but I had HBP Dd got stuck they tried to suction her that flew off she had to go back in then started to Desat while I waited for E C/s and she was born 24hrs later she started having seizures and stayed in the hospital for 3weeks. Obviously DS was a repeat C/S and his Apgar was 2 at first we needed a hospital. Its a beautiful idea but I'm wasn't willing to risk my babies lives.

DD was 13 days overdue and a very large baby with a very large head (9lbs 4oz with a head literally off the chart). My labor did stall after about 6 hours and they gave me pitocin - which I probably should have declined, but I was having horrendous back labor (she was face up instead of face down) and already had the epidural since they had confined me to the bed to monitor her heart rate which would dip into the 80s. after about 11 hours at the hospital i was fully dialated, but she wasn't progressing into the birth canal and her heart rate would dip into the 40s they decided time to go get her.

I didn't ask her apgar score, but she was purple (the cord had been wrapped twice around her neck) and didn't cry right away. Even when she did cry it was pretty pathetic and they took her up to the ward right away where they could give her some oxygen, and IV and chest x-ray to check her lungs (little big of fluid because of the c-section). Her head would have been too big to make it through the birth canal (which is why the distress), so if we had tried a home birth, we would have ended up in the hospital for a c-section anyway, but time might have been a factor and she might have ended up brain damaged from a lack of oxygen. not to mention the paperwork mess from our standpoint since I don't think the ambulance would have taken us to the army hospital, but the one in town.

Because of the c-section, i would never consider trying a subsequent birth at home. yes, risk of rupture is very small, but why take a chance. I vbaced DS. Overall a good experience and would have been fine at home, but why take the chance.

To me while risk of complication in birth for most women is low, many of these complications arise out of nowhere so why take a chance. Many hospitals now have birthing centers that try to recreate a home atmosphere. Sadly it was a busy night at the hospital and we didn't get to use one, but we might have gotten lucky. So my desire to labor in water or even walk around got taken away since we were in a room not much bigger than the bed. But we had the healthy baby, healthy mom outcome so does the journey there really matter?

I would never, ever, ever consider a home birth. If someone thinks it's for them that's fine.But not for me.

When we were taking childbirth classes, they talked about how you should wait as long as possible before going to the hospital to avoid too much medical intervention. I was thinking- I'm going at the time of the first labor pain ( I lived across the street from the hospital- a 7 or 8 minute walk!LOL!!!)

I, unlike most of the women in the class, knew I wanted drugs- epi all the way for me. I know people who got to the hospital too late for the epi- that was a thought I could not deal with that. It was second on my list of fears- after going into labor at home. I am a wimp!

I'm not religious, but there must be someone watching over me because I never went into labor with either kid. I was induced with DS when he was 6 days late - I was fully closed!!. With DD I hadn't dilated either, but I got induced on her due date ( having a baby at 40 has its advantages!).

I got balloon catheters, pitocin and epis with both. Despite all of the 'medical intevention' I delivered both vaginally - and I wouldn't have it any other way!

I completely agree with Vics!! It is definitely not for me!!!

My number two fears were waiting too long for the epi and my water breaking at home. I ALSO was very sure from day 1 I was getting lots and lots of drugs lol. DS1 was induced on his due date bc I had gestational diabetes and they didn't want him to get too big....and then DS2 was induced 2 days early...because I asked them to...My fears were too strong...plus he wound up being 9lbs without diabetes!!

But although both my boys had no complications...I would never do a home birth. God forbid me or my baby needed something and it caused damage or killed one of us....not worth it.

Vickie,
I love your stories about city living and walking everywhere. I think it is so interesting that you would be in labor and walk to the hossy lol...

the other thing is if It didn't turn out well. You have "ruined" your home for youself as a place of soliditude with the death of your baby

Everyone thinks I am nuts when I tell them that my plan was to walk to the hospital. I ahd to go to L&D several times when I was pregnant with my son because I kept having bleeding- they never figured out what was causing it, but I always had to go in and get monitored and checked to make sure my cervix was closed(Fisted by several peopl, actually- it's a teachign hospital!).

So I know for sure it was a 7-8 minute walk. I was scared to death of acutally having to walk that far while actually in labor- especially with DD because it was late December and cold.

During both pregnancies I always told DH that I was leaving home at the first caontraction, even if I had to wait in the lobby of the hosptial until labor progresses- I couldn't really imagine trying to walk when you contractions are close together!

But luckily, I never actually went in to labor with either of them. People have asked me if I eel liek I've missed somethign sicne I never naturally went into labor- I say my goal was to have 2 babies- if I coudl ahve been completely knocked out for the dleiveries, I woudl ahve been happier!

If you think itws weird to walk to the hospital when you are abpout to give birth- its even stranger to peole that we walked home form the hosptial with both babies when they were only 2 days old! It wasn't worth the hassle of having soemone pick us up and install the carseat for a one minute drive. The funny thing is, no one at the hospitla thought it was odd- either time- so I must not be the only one to have done this

Funny you mention the car seat. DD was born at the army hospital and they were adamant about seeing her strapped in the seat. DH had a hard time getting it through their heads that we did not have a baby bucket for her, but a 3 in 1 car seat that was mounted rear facing in the car. He told them they could come down and see, but he wasn't taking the seat out of the car. They finally let us go with her in the stroller.

With DS it was the German hospital and no one cared. Heck for me it was odd to not have baby LoJack and have to do the ID verification any time someone came in the room let alone took him for tests. i got stuck in the army hospital once because the baby LoJack alarm went off and in the 4 days we were in the hospital after DD's birth, there were three alarms where i had to verify her - in my room. We did have the baby bucket for him because we thought we were moving back to the States and would need something that would rear face in the back seat of a Mustang. We aren't and we don't, but we had it at that point.

The ID verification thing is crz

I never wanted a home birth but I initially wanted as little medical intervention as possible, no drugs, no IV, etc, but I wanted to be at the hospital "just in case".

After going 10 days over with DS and being induced when I was 1cm and after having my water broken & full strength pitocin for 8-9 hours with absolutely no further dilation they asked me to get an epidural and said I had I think another 4 hours before they would do a c-section. Then b/c he was having latent heart rate drops, the doc said he wanted to do the c-section right then but would wait 2 hours to give the epi a chance to relax me & dilate if I really wanted to, well I thought a c-section at 6pm was better than calling him back at 10pm so I said just do it. Which was good b/c he found out I had a uterine "window" which is just doctor speak for a hole in my uterus where they could actually see him in there before they cut into it at all, so it was a blessing in disguise for me. If I had delivered him vag I potentially could have hemmoraged and ended up with a hysterectomy or if I had been at home I might have died from bleeding out before anyone figured it out if that happened.

So because of that, my docs in NC told me I should absolutely not attempt a vag delivery ever again and I should only try to have 1 more pregnancy and that if I ended up with twins I'd be at a great risk, etc, etc. So we got prego 1 more time planned a c-sect but my doc in CA was actually advising me to try a v-bac, um no, I'll trust my original OB with 40 years of experience, thanks, and not risk trying a v-bac then ending up with surgery anyways.

I never wanted a home birth - actually the whole pain of delivery scared me and I certainly took the Epi as soon as it was offered. But ended up w/ a c/s anyway. There was no chance they would have let me deliver DD (too many potential health issues). Of course I ended up with polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid) and had her 3 1/2 weeks early. I think I would be too worried about things going wrong to have a home birth. I am sure it is for some people but not me. Of course I am done having kids so not an issue.

Nope, I never considered having a baby at home and that didn't change for #2 or #3.

DD1 would have probably died if we'd tried a home birth because despite "good positioning" and an average birth weight she became lodged in my pelvis and her heart beat dropped off the monitor. They reacted in minutes and did an emergency c/s excepting the worse but after pushing her back up my pelvis and pulling her out of my abdomen she was born almost blue and totally silent but kicking like crazy.

DS was transverse from 18 weeks on and estimated to be well over 9 pounds so we never even debated anything but a repeat c/s.

Given my past births, there was no option for DD2. She was breech as well and a huge 9 pound baby.

I've heard great home birthing stories that were all warm and fuzzy but it's just not something I'd ever attempt or encourage.

I think its interesting that the articale says that people are willing to do it more fr 2nd and alter pregnacies. I guess it's either becuase the first one was a bad hospitla experince or becuase it was super easy with no complicaitons.

But to me, I was no less nervous about child birth with DD than I was was DS.

Considering I was induced without being dilated at all, DS's delivery was pretty smooth and relatively quick. He was born 13 hours after they broke my water (about 16 hours after they started the whole process)- which the OB said was pretty quick for a first baby. Nothing hurt, except when the epi started to wear off and I was waiting to get more meds. I think I only pushed for 2 hours. DS never had any issues, other than pooping onthe way out.

Even though thinks went as smoothly as they coudl with DS, I never considered anything other than doing the same thing again. Of course, DD took about 18 hours after they proke my water (almost 23 hours after got started withthe induction) to make her appearance- just as the doctors shift was changing! I got way more pitocin with her to keep things progressing and at one point her heart rate decelled,.

So although her birth was only slightly less easy than DS's I don't know how anyone could just assume that because the first one went easily, that will always be the case. It's just not something I could be confident with. But I'm sure itmust be good for the babies whose mothers are so calm and confident about the whole thing!