Anyone have a great hospital birth?

[HeatherRD]

Have any of you had a great hospital birth? Is so, I'd like to hear your stories, and find out what you did to prepare and make it a good experience. I'm trying to decide if I want a homebirth or hospital birth. I'd like a homebirth, but I'm not completely sure. If you have good hospital birth stories, I'd like to hear them.

Thanks!

[FiberLover]

Yep.

Natural, no intervention waterbirth, I caught my baby, attended by a mw and my assigned nurse loved waterbirths and was in mw school.

Delayed cord clamping, bfing friendly, hospital even used a cloth diaper service.

Of course, my hospital is probably in like the 1-5% minority in this country in supporting these practices. I only really picked it because of these kinds of things.

I posted my birth story in the birth story forum a while back.

[XanaduMama]

It totally depends on the hospital and esp on the doctor/MW you choose, IMO. I had a pretty good hospital birth with ds--pit augmented but no epidural, was able to labor (but not birth) in the tub, etc--but overall it wasn't optimal. It just felt like a foreign environment, in which everything is set up for their convenience and security, not for what's best for you and your baby. No matter how well-meaning the care providers (and the nurses we had were fabulous), it just doesn't seem to me like a natural or welcoming environment to give birth.

What made it a positive experience: my absolute unshakeable determination/stubbornness in my desire for a natural birth (though it's hard to maintain this determination in the midst of labor); having a relatively quick labor (baby in good position: read about optimal fetal positioning/spinning babies); knowing what to do to help labor along (walking, staying upright, getting in the tub...nobody there told me or encouraged me to do any of this). If you go with a hospital birth, I'd say (1) be thoroughly prepared and confident in your knowledge; (1a) research things that might go "wrong" and what to do about them: contractions stop/slow? baby's heartrate dips? baby is jaundiced? you go 42+ weeks without going into labor and doc wants to induce? etc etc; (2) have a doula who will advocate for you; (3) stay home until the very very last minute.

I had an amazing homebirth with #2, and can't rave enough about how incredible it was. Truly: it was a beautiful, peaceful, and happy experience from start to finish. Feel free to PM me if you want to hear about the comparison.

[kitkat5505]

I had a good hospital experience with DS#2, the only interventions I had were a hep lock and a shot of lidocaine for a tear. I was allowed to move around how I wanted, and they had a tub available to labor in but I chose not to because it was the size of a regular bathtub and I didn't think it would help. There were a few things I would change, but overall it was a very good experience.
Here's a link to my birth story:
http://healingfromcesarean.blogspot....econd-son.html

[Murihiku]

Maybe I should write and post my birth stories one day because I had two great hospital births, both in Ontario hospitals.

The first was with a family doctor. I arrived at 6 am after labouring at home for three hours. I got in the jacuzzi tub which moved things along very quickly and then walked around and tried different positions until my hour of pushing--baby was born at 9.20 am. When I arrived I was asked if I wanted any pain relief. I said "Not yet," and that was the last time it was ever mentioned. My wonderful L&D nurse apologized for offering me an IV after the birth was over when I fainted twice on trying to get out of bed. I was glad of it though. I didn't enjoy the 48-hour stay afterwards, but it was good in that I really needed the help of the excellent Lactation Consultant there.

The second birth was with a midwife. I arrived at 5pm after labouring at home for 1.5 hours. No pain relief was ever mentioned. I gave birth at 8 pm and could have left at 10 pm if I had wanted. But I was comfortable where I was and we left at 8 am the next day.

No worries, no hassles, no interventions, no fear. But also, no complications and fast labours.

ETA: to prepare for the first birth we went to a birth preparation course run by a woman who was very big on "natural" birth and I read a few books on my own and talked to my mother--and I decided to "go with the flow" and not have a birth plan (just my personality).

[milosmomma]

I had a great hospital VBAC experience. I'll admit though, we completely lucked out. Our L&D nurse was actually a midwife whose practice had recently been dissolved (she working as a nurse to fill the gap), so we essentially had 2 midwives (who had a lot of history together). I consider it the perfect scenario.

The biggest thing is that you need to have complete confidence in yourself and know what YOU want. My M.O. is to be polite, smile, nod....and then do exactly what I want to do.


ETA: "I read a few books on my own and talked to my mother--and I decided to "go with the flow" and not have a birth plan (just my personality). " PRECISELY!!! I echo everything that Murihiku just said.

[lifeguard]

I was very happy with my hospital birth. Nothing was done without my thought out consent. I discussed ALL my concerns & desires with my ob (a couple at each appt) in advance.

I did switch ob's at about 4 months for one that was more geared to natural birth.

The other thing to note though; I'm in Costa Rica & the doctors here are more involved. He was there, in the room with me, for hours. No doctor sharing - I was guaranteed the doctor I chose.

[Kappa]

I had a great hospital birth. I labored at home, and arrived at the hospital in time to push. If you have a hospital birth, I recommend for you to labor at home. There are too many factors you can't control at the hospital, I will always labor at home and travel to the hospital to push. I am willing to risk a "car birth" for that. My doc was supportive of natural birth, was not on call, when I arrived and my doc that caught the baby was wonderful and ensured that I did not tear much and respected the process. His mother was a midwife There was a lot of poking and prodding post delivery, but I didn't care much as I was so happy with my new babe and my natural delivery.

[snowmom5]

I was happy with my three hospital vbacs - one was twins, two were with epidurals and one med-free, all with different OBs, and in two different states. Hoping for one more.

My advice:
1. know what it is that you want and don't want (perhaps try to prioritize these things in your mind - what's negotiable, what's not)

2. know what to expect from your doc and the hospital for the things you have listed in #1 - what's negotiable for them, what's not.

3. In places where the doc (or midwife, or someone from their group) does all deliveries, the doc choice might be more important than the hospital. But it all depends...

I think that avoiding unrealistic expectations (whatever that may mean regarding a certain doc/hospital) is key to avoiding disappointment. This will involve information-gathering, going on a tour, etc. If no place near you offers what you want, better to find that out up front.

[bramblevine]

I had excellent hospital births. Not one complaint or regret. But my homebirth was better. I reccomend you give it a go.

[ollineeba]

My VBAC was a great hospital birth. I think a great hospital is possible, but not easy to come by. It takes careful planning (in terms of attendants and carefully spelling out what your expectations are) and even then, things aren't guaranteed, but it's possible.

[LittleLlama]

I had two great hospital births, basically intervention free other than a fluid IV with the first- I was feeling really queasy and weak until they let it drip, so that was nice!

Both times, it was the L&D nurse that made the experience. The first one, my first child, I had no idea what I was doing. I'd read tons, but when the contractions hit, I forgot everything. She was exactly what I needed when I needed it- calm and sweet and reassuring during the first part of labor and when it came time to push, she was vivacious and even a little bossy which was great because it kept me focused. She was as comitted to my ideal of an epidural-free birth as I was and never offered anything after I told her it was very important that I not have any interventions.

The only down side to that birth was that I was so out of sorts that I just felt glued to my bed. Sure, I moved around a lot, labored a lot on hands and knees thanks to the foot of the bed being able to drop down a bit, but I wish I had been walking more. I was hooked up to pretty much constant monitoring as a result.

#2, same hospital, The nurse was very hands off, totally followed my lead because I knew just what I wanted. She'd make suggestions every once in a while that I may or may not like- sit on the ball, get in the shower. The only thing she "asked" of me is that I be somewhere on the bed, even standing up (there were supports) to deliver the baby. I ended up doing a sort of Buddah squat on the (totally cool, still adjustable) end of the bed.

Both times, they put my baby immediately to my chest, wait to cut the cord (DH did it). they did the bath in the room, DH helped, but after the baby had nursed and the placenta was delivered and I was made comfortable. I had told them I never wanted my babies out of my sight and they were fine with that and waited for me to be awake in the morning so I could take them to the nursery for the Ped visit.

Both times the delivery doc commented how they had it so easy with me and would stay and chat (I am pretty chatty while in labor apparently) and then do their rounds and come right back to my "laid back" room.

I think the thing that led me to such a "friendly" hospital was that they have a significantly lower c-section rate than other area hospitals. After talking to the nurses, I learned that the head Doc (my OB) really has a "thing" against unnecessary inductions which drops the c-sec rate dramatically. I was 36 weeks with GD and an ultrasound put DS at over 11 pounds but since my sugars were good and BP was fine, the doc said inducing wasn't even something to consider at that time. (DS was 9.3, btw)

[ThomasWilliams]

Re:Anyone have a great hospital birth?

It was a lovely experience. I was the only woman in labour that night so had loads of one to one care and TLC, got my own room etc

[soxthecatrules]

I have a history of pre-eclampsia and chronic hbp so a hospital birth was definitely in store for me. DS birth was not optimal b/c he was born a month early due to the PE. HOWEVER, IMHO, DD birth was absolutely peaceful...even while hooked up to the pitocin. My OB has a very strict "hands out" policy so I had no unneeded checks. The lights were somewhat dimmed. The staff was incredibly relaxed and easy going. I remember my OB leaning back in a chair looking like he was relaxing in his Lazy Boy at home. I pushed for 15 minutes and DD was here. They quickly wiped her off a bit and handed her straight to me. DD must of been rooting b/c the nurse said "Lets get her to the breast." This was less than 10 minutes after birth. We had her in the room for at least an hour. I probably could have pushed for more time. I also had GD and they tested DD blood sugar in the room

When we were moved to the mother/baby floor....we were left alone for hours on end. I noted 7 hours one time before nursing staff bothered us. If we needed something we just pushed the button and they were ASAP. Our hospital recently expanded (big time) and there's a new maternity floor...complete w/telemetric monitoring and birthing tubs. Now it remains to be seen whether they will allow water births or if they'll just allow them for labor. We're done w/having babies so I guess I'll find out all of the info secondhand.

[snowy11480]

I had a very good hospital birth experience. I agree with what snowmom5 said it her points listed as 1 and 2, regarding knowing what you want and how and when. and also what to expect from OB and nurses. I would also advise having your spouse (or doula) be just as if not more prepared mentally for what you are wanting your experience to be because in the midst of labor (whew!), you need someone there coaching you, reminding you of the experience you're working for, etc. My husband read "The Birth Partner" and i read many books too but honestly, i think him being prepared was Key! and he said that book was great...

And of course, being comfortable with your delivery OB is crucial. I was able to say what i wanted, didn't want, things i wasn't sure about, and she was very respectful of my wishes. but when it came to things that she felt were something not to waiver on, she let me know, and i then respected her professional opinion. I didn't just feel like she was setting the tone and calling all the shots ya know. Definitely a group effort on the birthing process and decisions to be made. I can imagine if we did not have a good relationship, this part could have gone very differently.

[Girlprof]

I had two great hospital births. For the first, I arrived at 9cm after doing most of the labor at home. Our MW was great. She had me try a few different positions. The labor and delivery nurse counted for me during a contraction - like, ok push for the count of 10 - and then asked me if I liked that or if she should do something different. To my surprise, I found it quite helpful. No one ever offered pain relief of any kind. My MW did break my water at 9.5 cm with my permission to see if we could get the last little bit of cervix out of the way. That worked.

For the second hospital birth, I was a higher risk patient. I had been diagnosed with a clotting disorder and was on Lovenox. Then I also got PIH, which finally risked me out of the birth center where we hand been intending to go. I was also induced because of the PIH. Even under these circumstances, it was a great birth. This time I had to be on monitors but they have the wireless kind. My blood pressure kept me in bed - the hospital had a tub ready to go.

I can believe that home birth is nicer in many ways but I was happy to have such great experiences at the hospital. I would say definitely get a doula, be sure what you want, and pick your care providers to be sure you are a good match. I didn't have to fight for anything either time and no one ever offered me an epidural even while I was on the pitocin. But I had MWs (backed by OBs) who were true partners in care. That's invaluable.

[littlemomma]

Originally Posted by XanaduMama

(3) stay home until the very very last minute.

How do you know when it is the "last minute?"

[littlemomma]

Originally Posted by Kappa

I had a great hospital birth. I labored at home, and arrived at the hospital in time to push. If you have a hospital birth, I recommend for you to labor at home. There are too many factors you can't control at the hospital, I will always labor at home and travel to the hospital to push. I am willing to risk a "car birth" for that. My doc was supportive of natural birth, was not on call, when I arrived and my doc that caught the baby was wonderful and ensured that I did not tear much and respected the process. His mother was a midwife There was a lot of poking and prodding post delivery, but I didn't care much as I was so happy with my new babe and my natural delivery.

How did you know it was time to go to the hospital?

[Talula Fairie]

I had a pretty good birth with my second, who was induced, however, it still was a pita dealing with all their "rules." I had to birth on my back, on a monitor the entire time (well, that part was becuase of the induction, but my first birth was on the monitor the whole time, too. They SAY that it should only be 15 minutes out of every hour, but that's only if your baby has 3 heartrate "accelerations" during that period of time. So if they are asleep or something? You'll never get off the monitor, as I never EVER did in my first birth).

I also had a hard time refusing the eye drops, they were shoving papers in my face while I was nursing my newborn and finally I was like "OMG it's not worth it!" We had an entire labor where I said I didn't want them and they purposely had me sign at the worst possible time to pressure me into getting them.

I was also harassed by the nurses over my cloth diapers, cloth menstrual pads, not wearing a hospital gown. It felt like everything was a fight. I was so relieved that they let us out of there after only 20 hours or so. I also developed a UTI from the cathader, like I knew I would but they wouldn't preemptively prescribe antibiotics, so I ended up in the ER in the middle of the night in horrific pain about a week later. Funny, such a medicalized birth and they wouldn't even give me a medicine I very likely would need (I wasn't going to take them until I developed symptoms).

But the birth *itself* was peaceful, went off without a hitch, and was pain free becuase I got all the meds (I was too wimpy to even want to try a pit labor with no drugs).

I'm really excited to be having a homebirth this time.

Oh, and I might mention: my first hospital birth was very traumatic.

[jecombs]

Originally Posted by littlemomma

How do you know when it is the "last minute?"

You are feeling the urge to push .
Just kidding (sort of). When you feel like you can't take labor anymore and are starting to doubt your ability to give birth, you are probably in transition, which is also a good time to go to the hospital if you're waiting until "the last minute."

I had a pretty good hospital birth. I think one of the things that made is so good was my L & D nurse, who labored with me the whole time. She was very quiet and hands-off. She just made suggestions every once in a while for position changes. She did not restrict me in any way. I had an MW, but she was laboring with another patient, which actually turned out to be a good thing because I found out later that did not have faith in my ability to birth naturally (thought I'd need c/s for a "big baby").

Even though I had a pretty good hospital birth, I'm still looking at homebirth for the next one. I think the hospital environment really slowed down my labor. I had progressed from 3cm to 8cm in 3 hrs at home, but it took me another 3 hrs in transition to get from 8cm to 10cm after we arrived at the hospital. I agree with the pp who said it's not a natural or welcoming environment.