What (natural) choices/options do I have with a hospital birth?

[MyKzooFamily]

What choices do I have with a hospital birth? I know that I can decline immunizations of baby, delay cord clamping and cutting.

For labor, I am refusing to lay on the table and want to labor around the room freely. Can I decline cervical checks? I HATE them and they are painful. I personally feel like if I'm in labor, it doesn't matter if it takes me 2 hours or 10, I'm progressing. I don't want them to tell me when to push, or when to get on the bed to push, that's not happening (again). I don't want the monitor on my belly to watch for contractions and the babies heart beat, because then I can't labor freely. Can I decline having them do blood tests on the baby? And which ones? I HATE that they poke and prod so much. It seems they want to come in to draw blood for a test every 4-6 hours, there is no way I have to have all those done. Can I decline them checking my own parts every 4 hours? This angered me. It's a swollen vagina, it's looks the same as it did 4 hours ago. I had relatives visiting and they literally had to go outside every few hours so the nurse could "check" me. Really?! I also plan on wearing my own clothes and not being in the hospital gown.

I'm so nervous that I will seem like a total b*tch for wanting things my way, but it's what I had with my last home birth. I would do another home birth, but we really don't have the money for it. I think I may consider it, though, for sanity's sake. I just wish a hospital birth could be more natural and hands-off. It's really not a 'medical emergency' of any kind. It's natural. Our bodies naturally can do this, without help.

Just curious what your experience has been, and what choices you were able to make with your hospital births.

[babylovinmama]

In all honesty, I think it depends on what the situation is with your provider and what kind of relationship you have with him/her. Are you seeing a mw, or ob. Have you gone over your wishes with them. That would be a great place to start. You may want to put together a specific birth plan and bring it to your next appt, as well as bringing a copy with you to the hossie.

We have had all 4 of our babes at a hossie (the same one for all) and will be there for # 5 as well. Our mw's practice therem, so one of the 4 of them will be at the hossie with us through the entire labor/birth and will be the ones doing the pp vag check (they only do 1 the day after delivery). We have presented our, very specific, birth plan to them in advance of the birth and they were supportive of all of it. The hossie also gets a copy that the attending nurse looks at, and, in our case, they were always supportive as well. This hossie is very natural birth friendly.

Our labor plan contained things such as request for birthing ball, labor in the tub, wear own clothes, very minimal monitoring (they used a wireless for checks every couple of hours when I was in the tub and such), no offer of pain meds by the hossie staff, ability to eat/drink during labor, no breaking of water, very minimal vag checks during labor.

Our post-delivery requests were baby on chest immediately after birth (unless emergency) with all APGAR tests done while babe is on my chest, delayed clamping and cutting of cord, delayed deliveryof placenta, delay of all weighing, measuring, etc., do not bathe baby, decline of hep b vaccine and vit. k.

Don't be afraid to be you and your baby's own advocate and push back if they are saying or doing things you don't like. This is your birth experience and they have to honor your wishes. This needs to be a relaxing, stress free time for you!

[MyKzooFamily]

Thanks! Yeah, I have 4 OB's that I see, so it will be a toss up with who I get. One of them is very natural-friendly, the other one was trying to talk me into a c-section and sterilization at my last appointment. I have no idea where she got that from, as I have had all natural births, and did NOT ask to be sterilized!! I'm only 25! If she ends up being the DR at my birth, I might cry. The other 2 I'm not sure about, as I haven't even met one, and the other one I've seen once.

I have an appt. on Friday (with the crazy DR), and plan to bring them my birth plan then. Hopefully they will all get to read it, and talk to me if they had any problems with it. Maybe I have just had horrible experiences because I didn't have a birth plan, and they thought I was young and unknowledgable, so they could push me around. Hopefully it will go better this time.

[Michelle_M]

I would write out a VERY detailed birth plan. Make sure one is in your file, and bring several to the hospital with you. I'd hand them to every nurse who walks in the door. And your SO will need to be on board.

I said "No," to pitocin when I was in labor with DS2, and they gave it to me anyway. DH was out of town working and I had no one to keep an eye out for me.

Basically, what it comes down to is that you and your labor partner are going to have to stand your ground. Be very clear on what you want and what you don't want.

The only compromise I might consider making, is allowing them to put the hep-lock in you arm just in case there is an emergency and you need fluids or meds. But that's totally up to you.

Like I said.. have EVERYTHING written out and hand it out to EVERYONE! And make your SO memorize it. LOL

Wishing you the best of luck!

God bless!

[Minniebees]

Originally Posted by MyKzooFamily What choices do I have with a hospital birth? I know that I can decline immunizations of baby, delay cord clamping and cutting. For labor, I am refusing to lay on the table and want to labor around the room freely. Can I decline cervical checks? I HATE them and they are painful. I personally feel like if I'm in labor, it doesn't matter if it takes me 2 hours or 10, I'm progressing. I don't want them to tell me when to push, or when to get on the bed to push, that's not happening (again). I don't want the monitor on my belly to watch for contractions and the babies heart beat, because then I can't labor freely. Can I decline having them do blood tests on the baby? And which ones? I HATE that they poke and prod so much. It seems they want to come in to draw blood for a test every 4-6 hours, there is no way I have to have all those done. Can I decline them checking my own parts every 4 hours? This angered me. It's a swollen vagina, it's looks the same as it did 4 hours ago. I had relatives visiting and they literally had to go outside every few hours so the nurse could "check" me. Really?! I also plan on wearing my own clothes and not being in the hospital gown. I'm so nervous that I will seem like a total b*tch for wanting things my way, but it's what I had with my last home birth. I would do another home birth, but we really don't have the money for it. I think I may consider it, though, for sanity's sake. I just wish a hospital birth could be more natural and hands-off. It's really not a 'medical emergency' of any kind. It's natural. Our bodies naturally can do this, without help. Just curious what your experience has been, and what choices you were able to make with your hospital births.

It really depends on the hospital policies, and often, on your health and the baby's health as well. Like, if your baby is born floppy and not breathing, they aren't going to delay cutting the cord, they are going to start working on the baby, KWIM?

I'm honestly not a fan of birth plans. For one thing, I doubt that busy doctors and nurses are really going to sit down and go through them point by point. Secondly, I think it gives off this vibe that you're another birth-zilla. I tend to talk in person with the people I am actually dealing with, and depending on their jobs. For instance, we decline the newborn bath, but I'm not telling the OB that because they have nothing to do with it. So I tell the post partum nurse. I'm really picky about the pushing stage, and I just tell them what I want. I've never had any problems with anyone. But I'm also not asking for stuff that is unreasonable, like eating Mc Donalds while in labor. In general my requests are to shut up and leave me alone. I really hate cheerleaders. Shut your pie hole and let me have a baby, for Pete's sake. I had one nurse when I had my son start in with the "Great job, Mom! 1, 2,...." And dh cut her off and told her that I wasn't joking about everyone being quiet. I'm not joking. I don't want to hear it thankyouverymuch.

Anyway, I've never had a nurse ask to do a cervical check, they are always only done if I ask.

I prefer fetal monitoring, and I would rather rest in bed during labor. It helps keep me relaxed.

I really would not decline the newborn screens. My kids never had a lot of blood draws. They do a Vit K injection, which I personally believe is really important, and they do the Hep B, and we fully vax, so they get that. My kids get billi checks (heel sticks) for jaundice because I'm rh sensitized. But they should not be doing actual blood draws. I think they do a PKU, which is super important as well, but it's just a heel stick. I really don't think this is a lot of poking and prodding, but really, I guess my thoughts on this are skewed because I know what dh does with the NICU babies, and those babies ARE poked and prodded a lot. As for blood tests for mom, I don't think I ever had one, except for when ds's cord blood came back positive for antibodies, and they had to figure that out.

As far as checking your parts, they are checking for bleeding, usually. They want to make sure you are not bleeding too much. I have a blood clotting disorder, I clot too much, so after the first check they just leave me alone. I am not a bleeder, lol. But you can decline, they will probably want to check your blood pressure more often, then. But this is something they may have a hard time with. Honestly, L&D nurses see them all the time, so it's just part of the regular work day, and to them not a big deal.

[juliasmom]

I agree that it probably is very hospital and OB/MW policy dependent. My hospital is very natural birth friendly, with birthing tubs, balls, gliders, all sorts of handle bars on the bed and walls, etc in every labor suite to help Moms change positions and move around during labor. The nurses encourage you to not lay in bed and won't offer interventions/meds/checks if you tell them not to. Hospital policy requires fetal monitoring once per hour... if you have a MW using the doppler is sufficient, but they have wireless telemetry monitors that the nurses use on Moms who are out of bed (you only have to wear it 10 minutes out of the hour and can even use them in the tub/shower). I have friends who declined IVs without much hassle. My OB would be supportive of natural labor, but their practice doesn't do water births... all births occur in the bed though I have a friends who delivered in a squatting position using the birthing bar with my OB. I have no idea whether they would allow you to decline post-delivery checks... I never even thought of that... they are making sure you don't show signs of hemorrhage or infection which is important (and could be liability?). I declined hep B vaccine and the eye goop but got the vitamin K for my DD and no one batted an eye when I declined those things. I think the only thing required for a very healthy looking baby that can't be declined is the PKU (which is a heel stick), and of course if your pedi sees a health concern you could be required to do tests/treatments.

Have you considered using a Doula to help you advocate for you birth plan so you don't have to be the one fighting the fight?

[juliasmom]

Originally Posted by MyKzooFamily Thanks! Yeah, I have 4 OB's that I see, so it will be a toss up with who I get. One of them is very natural-friendly, the other one was trying to talk me into a c-section and sterilization at my last appointment. I have no idea where she got that from, as I have had all natural births, and did NOT ask to be sterilized!! I'm only 25! If she ends up being the DR at my birth, I might cry. The other 2 I'm not sure about, as I haven't even met one, and the other one I've seen once. I have an appt. on Friday (with the crazy DR), and plan to bring them my birth plan then. Hopefully they will all get to read it, and talk to me if they had any problems with it. Maybe I have just had horrible experiences because I didn't have a birth plan, and they thought I was young and unknowledgable, so they could push me around. Hopefully it will go better this time.

I would almost say don't bother harping on your birth plan too much with your OB (Especially since you are seeing the one that seems least supportive). I would hate to see you get upset by her brushing you off or poo-pooing your plan. I would talk to her generally about your desire for a minimal intervention, natural delivery, but leave it if that if she isn't supportive. If you find a doula who has attended a lot of natural births at your hospital, she would probably be the best one to help you go over your birth plan and determine what is feasible and what won't fly. IME, most of labor is under nurse supervision and even if your OB OKs your plan beforehand the nurse might give you crap if it doesn't go along with hospital policy. In the end, you are in control and you can request or decline almost everything when the time comes. I hope you get the birth you want!

[bluedaisyma]

Originally Posted by juliasmom . I think the only thing required for a very healthy looking baby that can't be declined is the PKU (which is a heel stick), and of course if your pedi sees a health concern you could be required to do tests/treatments.

You can decline the PKU. It's actually not accurate if done on breastfed babies before the mom's milk comes in and since that can take up to 5 days, doing a PKU before they leave the hospital is not an accurate measure of if they present with some of the symptoms. The best thing to do is get it done at the ped or come to the hospital lab about 24 hrs after your milk comes in. They do it before discharge to cover their butts, but if you read the literature they hand out, it even says it's not accurate to do it before the mom's milk comes in.
And even though it is a "law" in my state, you still don't have to do it.

[bluedaisyma]

Oh at my last birth, which was at a hospital, they were awesome. they gave me the placenta to take home, they didn't do anything for the 1st 3 hrs (like, I said to them, "you can come weigh the baby now "), we left same day, they didn't do any pokes, prods or tests besides the hearing test which they did in our room...I only had monitoring more than I would have liked (but still not a lot) bc I had a huge bleed when I went into labor.

Oh and I can't have homebirths anymore bc of my kidney disease (well I can, but I risk stroke ) but I would have a homebirth with a MW or unassisted if I could!

[JustSomeChickVee]

I had to be induced with pitocin (water broke, labor didn't start ugh.) So they made me wear the monitor. I was able to labor freely until I caved and got the epidural after 6 hours and basically one giant non-stop contraction with horrible back labor. I didn't wear the hospital gown after I was moved to my postpartum room. I declined some of the checks. They can't force you to submit to that.