Arriving at hospital right before birth

[dmpmercury]

I have a really great OB and I had a really great empowering natural hospital birth with my ds. It went perfectly exactly how I wanted it to. There is a chance I might end up with someone other than my OB in labor. He makes a lot of his births but there are days he isn't on call. I have a friend acting as my doula and hopefully that will help. I am worried that I will get a care provider I don't like. I really want another experience like my ds because this is my last birth.

My plan is to get to the hospital as close to the delivery as possible. I live 5 minutes away from the hospital. I got there about an hour before my ds was born. I just had a bit of cervix that was stubborn and my OB helped move it out of the way. I wondering if I could time it even closer this time. I like to labor by myself for the most part anyway but I want someone there at the end.

Did anyone time things really close? How did you do it? I don't want to give birth in a car or at home since I am not prepared for that but I don't want to be at the hospital long especially if it isn't my OB.

[MegBoz]

Have you met the other OBs who might be there instead? If so, have you been able to go over your birth plan with them? Have you asked your OB what his knowledge is of their style (I would bet he's familiar & if any of them are UAVs, he'll probably know. Not that he'll come right out & say, "Oh yeah, Dr. X is a ," but you could probably read in between the lines based on what he would say.)

As long as they're fine with the basics of your birth plan, and you already know the nurses at this place are likely to be cool & NCB-friendly, are you sure you want to time it this close?

I've just read lots of birth stories where subsequent babies come super fast in the 2nd stage. Like, mama is barely aware of the urge to push & suddenly baby's crowning! So 5 min, plus the time to get out to the car, from the car into the hospital, into an L&D room would be more like 8-10 min & that wouldn't be enough. I'd be nervous cutting it so close.

With my 1st, I wanted to labor at home as long as possible & my doula said she'd help with that. She said she was good at helping her clients time it just right, so whether that meant arriving with a good 4-5 hours to spare to have time for IV ABTs if you were GBS+, or only having 30-60 min to spare. turns out 1st stage went so fast for me, she still wasn't at my house when I felt the urge to push! I didn't see the signs, I had no idea I was in transition. I figured I had hours more to go ahead of me (I never figured 1st stage would be less than 5 hours for a first-timer like me.) I was shocked when I felt the urge to push.

I realized it's even riskier to push it with a 2nd baby, but I'm planning an HB this time, so need to worry about it.

Sorry that's not too much help, just some thoughts.

[dmpmercury]

I can't meet with the other doctors because they are at a different practice. I went to that practice with my dd and I know I love one of the doctors and have a strong dislike for another. The rest I don't know.

My ds did come really fast in the pushing stage. He shot out with me having no control over it. Transition wasn't partically fast for either of my kids because I get stuck in a NAP at 6 with dd and with my ds I arrived at a very stretchy 8 but had trouble with the last bit of cervix until I had help which I was thankful for.

[honeybee]

However you decide to try to time it, I would just prepare for an accidental home or car birth anyways. I think everyone should know the basics of what to do in a precipitous labor. Really, there isn't much you have to "do"... it's more knowing that you don't have to freak out and worry about things like cutting the chord. It's pretty basic... get baby skin-to-skin and keep warm. Don't touch the umbilical chord and let it keep pulsating.

[mrsdewees]

Have you considered hiring a monitrice? Or a realllly experienced doula?