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Hospital UC?

post #1 of 25
7/21/10 at 11:24am
Thread Starter 
I'm still too nervous to try any type of UC outside of a hospital so are their any hospitals REALLY allow and encourage UC?

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post #2 of 25
7/21/10 at 3:30pm
not to be snarky, but isn't having it at a hospital mean it isn't a UC? i am sure there are hospitals that will let you labor more naturally... you know get up and walk, drink, move around, find positions that are comfy, but in the end i am going to guess there will be at the very least a nurse in there. they do monitor the pt pretty well, usually on a screen outside the rooms (at all the hospitals i have worked at they have anyway.)

if you are nervous, maybe a homebirth with a midwife would be better? i know many midwives take insurance even state offered insurance. good luck no matter what you choose!

h
post #3 of 25
7/21/10 at 3:37pm
UC means unassisted childbirth..can't imagine any hospital would just let you walk in, do your thing and not try any interventions. May want to do as the previous poster said and get a midwife if you want home birth, or try a birthing center. Just watch out, because some of them have rules and regs, time limits, etc. Maybe do soul searching and find out why you would be nervous about home birth? Trust your feelings, they are your best guide.

Me, I'd be freaking out about having to have a baby in a hospital. But, that's me.
post #4 of 25
7/21/10 at 7:46pm
I'd agree. I think there are tons of resources on here about making a hospital birth as good as possible if you search through threads (not in the UC forum, but on MDC in general).

UC however is not really about location of birth so much as the fact that it is not being messed with by anyone else. That isn't going to happen in the hospital. There is no chance you are going to be able to check into the hospital and have noone monitor you (even for BP and heart tones) and usually they are doing way more than that, and you don't really have a say (you do in theory but in actuality it's not usually how it works).

So no, I'd say a UC is definitely not possible in the hospital. That being said UC is not the be all end all of birthing options and there are a lot of options between intervention filled hospital birth and UC. Do you have a midwife? That is your best bet usually. A doula if you are planning a hospital birth can also be invaluable.
post #5 of 25
7/21/10 at 9:00pm
Maybe you could look into a hands off midwife or a doula to help you at home if you want a UC.
post #6 of 25
7/21/10 at 11:10pm
Did you maybe post in the wrong section? I think you must either have mistyped or be completely misunderstanding what UC means?
post #7 of 25
7/22/10 at 9:44am
I completely understand what you're talking about. My mom's best friend had her fourth son in a "UC Suite" at a hospital in Louisiana. You could go in there, make yourself comfortable, have the baby - and there was a call button in case you needed help. It was a beautiful thing for lots of women.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that insurance would never allow that these days. I understand your desire, and your concern. I mean, we've been trained since birth that childbirth is life-threatening and hospitals are safe. If you don't mind, I'd like to give you a little advice.

If you are afraid, don't try to fake it. The biggest factor in the success of birth is your fight or flight instinct. If you are afraid at home, you are safer in a hospital - if that is where you feel safe. The end goal here is a healthy baby and a healthy momma.

Please, feel free to ask ANY questions you'd like - on the UC board - about anything birth...hospital or midwife or UC.

Lori
post #8 of 25
7/22/10 at 10:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacksonmom View Post
I completely understand what you're talking about. My mom's best friend had her fourth son in a "UC Suite" at a hospital in Louisiana. You could go in there, make yourself comfortable, have the baby - and there was a call button in case you needed help. It was a beautiful thing for lots of women.
Seriously?! What decade was this?
post #9 of 25
7/22/10 at 10:11am
I had 2 uc in a hospital. One time they refused to listen to me on needing to push and went to call my doc, came back 10 mins later to tell me my doc would be right over and the baby was born already. The other time I told her I needed to push and the lady in the next room alarms started going crazy, she said one sec she would send in a nurse to check me(other lady was a very watched vb2c) and by the time the other lady come in I had the baby. Even DH was there that time and wasn't fast enough to catch baby(1 push with her).
I wouldn't count on it, but you can miss lead them easy depending on how you labor and how big/busy they are at lest for the pushing part.
post #10 of 25
7/22/10 at 11:27am
Thread Starter 
Sorry to have offended anyone if I did. I am just now looking into all of this stuff and don't know everything about it yet. Only way to find out is to ask questions, right? I was taught the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.......
Maybe I will do more reasearch before asking more questions.
post #11 of 25
7/22/10 at 11:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2ID_Wife View Post
I had 2 uc in a hospital. One time they refused to listen to me on needing to push and went to call my doc, came back 10 mins later to tell me my doc would be right over and the baby was born already. The other time I told her I needed to push and the lady in the next room alarms started going crazy, she said one sec she would send in a nurse to check me(other lady was a very watched vb2c) and by the time the other lady come in I had the baby. Even DH was there that time and wasn't fast enough to catch baby(1 push with her).
I wouldn't count on it, but you can miss lead them easy depending on how you labor and how big/busy they are at lest for the pushing part.
I don't know how long you were at the hospital but that you had people refusing to listen to you about what you knew to be happening would make this not very UC for me. The whole point of a UC as I understand is to be completely free to do your own thing. There is no fight, there is no someone "letting you" do something. There is no being messed with during labour, during pushing, or during the postpartum with routine checks (of anything... BP, blood work, dilation, even heart tones although some people do check themselves by choice at home, it's not being determined by someone else).

Having no care provider in the room when baby comes out certainly makes it an unattended birth, but not really a UC as many of us are planning on here. It's the purpose behind it. I'd consider showing up to the hospital pushing and having the nurse leave the room to get the doctor very lucky for myself. It's someone I'd want if I were hospital birthing, but it's absolutely not something you can count on or plan for. It's not the same as planning a birth with no routine or unasked for interference IMO...
post #12 of 25
7/22/10 at 11:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lexibaby View Post
Sorry to have offended anyone if I did. I am just now looking into all of this stuff and don't know everything about it yet. Only way to find out is to ask questions, right? I was taught the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.......
Maybe I will do more reasearch before asking more questions.
No offense taken at all. I think we were just trying to establish what exactly you are looking for in your birth so we can help you try and find the best path to get there. There is absolutely no "right" birth, or "best" birth... just the one that is right and best for the Mama/baby pair who are experiencing it
post #13 of 25
7/22/10 at 11:38am
Don't worry Lexibaby! Ask away - I agree that you should ask any question, even if it seems "silly". And if you are misinformed most people here will gently set you on the right path. Don't let a few people get you down!
post #14 of 25
7/22/10 at 12:32pm
I never fought them with anything. I thought i was ready she said I wasn't yet and said she would call the doc anyway.
I was there for 6 hours or so, and had them check me once at about 2 hours after I got there. Other then that no one did any exams and only come in once cause I had the monitor off. It had been off for 20 or 30mins at that point told them I was going bathroom and they said ok. It was off for almost an hour It didn't bother me unless I wanted to get up or move for the most part.
It was my 5th baby and they were very busy, my past labors were all very long and other the nurses told me if I needed anything to let them know but they wouldn't be in much if that was ok. I told them I was fine alone and would let them know if I needed anything. And really that was it I had 3 of my other 4 babies there and they had more laboring moms then labor rooms so me and 2 others in labor were in regular rooms still when I had her.
Although a friend was waiting in triage for them to see if she was in labor, no one had even come in once while she was there 30(mins when she started pushing) and her son was already nursing with placenta out too when the nurse stopped in to check on her.
post #15 of 25
7/22/10 at 12:38pm
Quote:
My mom's best friend had her fourth son in a "UC Suite" at a hospital in Louisiana.
Wow. I live in Louisiana now. I have never heard of something like this before.

OP: Don't be intimdated to ask anything you want.
post #16 of 25
7/22/10 at 1:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ambivalent Dreams View Post
Wow. I live in Louisiana now. I have never heard of something like this before.
Yep, Lafayette General in the early eighties. Too bad LA has swung so far in the other direction. That same lady was attended by Kathy (one of the founders of the birthing center) for her third birth back when she first started attending homebirths...
post #17 of 25
7/22/10 at 5:22pm
The hospital that used to allow UCs sounds awesome! man, my DH would totally go for that!

OP, another option you have is finding a hands off midwife. Quite a few midwives are 100% fine sitting in another room, or even staying at their own home, or somewhere nearby, and will only intervene if you ask for help.

If you feel 100% comfortable with UC, and dealing with any problems that might occur, but want someone their for DH's sake, maybe you should consider a doula. Keep in mind that doula's are non-medical care providers, so on the off chance that there is a problem, they really can't do anything but call 911 or accompany you to the hospital.

if you are trying to have a uc at the hospital, don't count on it. nowadays, I can promise you that you will get a blank stare, a grumpy frown, and maybe even a crazy laugh from a nurse if you ask her about it.

if you want to UC at the hospital because you live far from the nearest hospital than is comfortable for labor, then consider a hotel birth, or, like pps have said, a birth center. Some birth centers may even be comfortable with UC.
post #18 of 25
7/22/10 at 5:24pm
Lexibaby, WHY do you feel nervous to UC out of a hospital? and WHY do you want to UC? Do you feel nervous about a homebirth with a midwife?

just some questions to ask yourself, and you might just have your solution already! if you answer them here, we may just be able to help you!
post #19 of 25
7/23/10 at 3:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacksonmom View Post
Yep, Lafayette General in the early eighties. Too bad LA has swung so far in the other direction. That same lady was attended by Kathy (one of the founders of the birthing center) for her third birth back when she first started attending homebirths...
haha, I WISH they still did that.. Lafayette General is the hospital that i'll deliver at if i transfer or just get too scared to UC. They're alot better than they used to be as for interventions but they're far from letting you be.. They won't push IVs but Heplocks are required (for example). It's been revamped in the last few years into a "birthing center" called the Pavilion.. its the most friendly of the hospitals here as far as rooming in and what not is concerned but def. not for a UC. Kathy no longer attends births either.. There are 2 midwives in the area and neither of which are allowed in the hospital to assist. (maybe as a doula)
post #20 of 25
7/26/10 at 9:14am
Right. Last year my sister transferred for her UC (baby was posterior, and she has a liberal dose of white-coat syndrome, so she was afraid). We went to Women's and Children's and I literally had a yelling match with the nurses because her baby weighed 9 lbs at birth and they demanded that he be transferred to the NICU and tested for GD and an ultrasound done because of the formation of his cord - all before they would allow her to leave the hospital. They even threatened CPS if she signed out AMA. Finally, after pointing out that they had absolutely no legal grounds for all of their stupidity, the oh-so-rude OB said, "look, this is your fourth baby, do what you want."

Very very very frustrating....especially for my poor sister, who showed up, pushed on her back for 10 minutes and the baby was there. When her hubby and her oldest daughter told the OB NOT to cut the cord, she said, "back up, this is MY job, you get out of the way!" Ugh. Yeah, I despise the birth climate in the Lafayette area!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Illiana View Post
haha, I WISH they still did that.. Lafayette General is the hospital that i'll deliver at if i transfer or just get too scared to UC. They're alot better than they used to be as for interventions but they're far from letting you be.. They won't push IVs but Heplocks are required (for example). It's been revamped in the last few years into a "birthing center" called the Pavilion.. its the most friendly of the hospitals here as far as rooming in and what not is concerned but def. not for a UC. Kathy no longer attends births either.. There are 2 midwives in the area and neither of which are allowed in the hospital to assist. (maybe as a doula)

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