Teatopia

As a labor and delivery nurse and your sister, i say go for whatever you want! BUT about a birth plan that you might not be aware of....the medical field dislikes them (and before you say, well its MY experience not theirs) its the hospital, not the staff, that dictates whether you can or cannot do certain things. For example, a water birth is not permitted because the hospital regulates these rules. A birth plan, for the most part, is not practical because there are only so many requests the hospital will not accomonate. My suggestion is to pick a few things that are important to you, and just let your care-takers know so that they can help make the experience as close to what you want as they can. Having a mirror for example is something we can do! Walking however, depends on the status of the baby (as im sure you know) so something like that will depend on how the baby handles it!

Well, Hannah, I hear you on a lot of this. As a mom who had a very medicated birth, since I had an induction due to complications, I would say that you should go for what you feel is right. I've never heard a mom that had a natural birth say that she wished she'd done it differently, however you often hear moms who had epidurals (like me b/c mine didn't work) say they wished that they'd been able to have a natural birth. Soooo...I say go for the natural birth...what a touching struggle to experience right before the birth of your child! Of course, if it gets to be too much you can always ask for an epidural, but hopefully you'll get through it without.

As far as midwifes go, I'm shocked that your OB's office doesn't have one. I thought they all did. I chose my OB partially b/c of how open he is to the mother's opinions and choices about delivery. I think I told you before that he's a D.O. instead of an M.D., and his approach is much more relaxed and open. My aunt used a midwife with her last pregnancy about five years ago, and she really loved her. She ended up having an epidural in the end, and the midwife ended up having to turn over the reigns to an OB doctor b/c the placenta wouldn't detach from the uterine wall, but the midwife did deliver the baby and I think my aunt was more comfortable than she had been with her OB. I think part of that stemmed from the fact that her OB was an old man who wasn't really in touch with today's mothers, but either way, she was happy she chose her midwife. Soooo...go with your gut! If you really, really want this natural birth, go with the midwife or find an OB that is more open to your beliefs. BTW, if you read or hear anything about hypnobirthing let me know, I'm very curious about it and think it might be the technique I go for next time.

I had an unmedicated birth and no IV, with an OB and a doula, in a hospital. I was allowed to move and change positions as much as I wanted, though I was completely dilated by the time I arrived at the hospital, so I wasn't too into walking around at that point.

This setup is what felt right to me and my husband and the time. It was my first baby, and I was scared, and it was comforting to know that the pain meds and other interventions were there if I really needed them. My doula was so wonderful and I can't imagine having done it without her support, knowledge and advocacy for me. The nurses and doc actually paid close attention to my birth plan (my doula later told me she saw them referring to the printout several times to be sure they were keeping with my wishes). But then, I gave birth in Berkeley, CA, so there you go. ;-)

The delivering OB (not my doc, who was out of town--I was 2 1/2 weeks early), however, used a vacuuum at the last minute and I wish that could have been avoided. For that reason, I am considering a midwife and even a home birth for my next baby, but I still think a hospital birth with a doula and/or a midwife is a great middle ground. What I've always said is that the doc may have been the one between my legs, but my husband and my doula were the ones who had my back, and that was way more important.

As for going drug-free, you can totally do it and don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. I'll admit, transition was difficult, but once I got past it, I really did have the "runner's high", and the pain was not as bad. It was excruciating when my boy emerged, but that part lasted such a short while, and then I was so elated and in love with him that it was quickly gotten over (though I have never forgotten that feeling--ow). My recovery was really fast and breastfeeding was great from the beginning, and I think the fact that I went natural had a lot to do with that.

Just choose what feels right for you and James. We're behind you whatever you decide!

Hannah, you NEVER have to explain yourself... anybody who challenges your decisions should explain THEMSELVES!!! You are strong, opinionated, intelligent and very educated, you are 100% perfectly capable of making this decision for you and your family!

Again a totally very personal decision. I hope you can find a midwife's office who can return calls as faster but who you also liked to deal with the same as your old doctor. Will check out the movie you suggested. Good luck!!

Definitely go with what you & James are comfortable with! There is no right or wrong here, it's such a personal decision.

I don't know if you remember but I had an unmedicated 41-hour labor & birth at a birth center. I can say it was my favorite part of my entire pregnancy! I was so comfortable in the enironment & I was able to relax more knowing ahead of time that I wasn't going to have a rushed episiotomy/forceps/vacuum/pitocin, etc. I labored in the water for about 10 hours off & on which helped tremendously! I had a 8.5 pound baby & didn't teat at all, I'm sure in great part due to my midwife massaging the area & being in the water.

I can say that one thing that I also loved about the place was how personal the experience was, unlike the midwife office you're talking about. For me, they would return my calls even if they were at home. It's been over a year since I gave birth & I can still walk in the door & the office staff know my name. Those were definitely things that I loved about the place.

Overall, Ray & I had peace about our decision & I think that's incredibly important for something as big as this. I know you'll make the right choice for you!

It really sounds like you've already made your decision. This sounds like a pro-midwife entry. I hope it's what you choose. I think you'd be happy. And isn't that what it's all about? Being happy!

I can't believe your OBGYN practice won't let you have a natural birth... mine lets you do whatever you want as long as your health and the baby's health is fine... I know that I will only be able to have c-sections because of my small pelvis... I have no choice but I'm at peace with it... and you have to do what is right for you!

But on the whole circumcision thing... talk to your pastor... not sure if there is anything in the Bible about having it or not (I know there is if you are Jewish)... but he might be able to put a different set of eyes on the situation...

I had three natural births. BUT my births were short, and I dilated quickly. I walked around, and that surely helped.

I know that c-section rates are increasing once again, but I am surprised to read that medicated, controlled births are de rigeur. Or are they only in your part of the country? I delivered naturally 22, 16, and 11 years ago. I even had a detailed "birth plan" 22 years ago. (By the second time I had an abbreviated version, if I remember correctly.)

We took the ASPO Lamaze class (three times; you forget things when it's 5.5 years between births!). It helped a lot.

If I had a very long, agonizing labor I probably would have gone for the epidural. I never liked the idea of having a needle stuck in my back (how on earth can you hold still if contractions come very frequently?), and am glad I didn't have to have one!

I don't know ~ my thought about labor and delivery was just to see what happened and deal with each moment as it came. I didn't want to go into the whole process with a preconceived notion of what I wanted to happen. I thought, "The epidural is there if I want/need it; if not, that's fine, too." I feel extremely fortunate to have had the labors and deliveries that I had; it just happened that they were both natural. (Well, I had some Stadol in my IV with Lucas.) I didn't know what to expect. Sometimes I think about the possibility of having a third child and wonder, "OMG ~ we've been lucky twice ~ what if the third time would be horrible?" Scares me! I hope that wouldn't be the case! But it's not like we're thinking about a 3rd ANYTIME soon! LOL! :)