How Important is walking around during labor? - Page 5

[EchoSoul]

Originally Posted by JudiAU 

I would be very very uncomfortable with a doctor that said that. I get the "everyone has an epidural" or "that is not real life" because, yes, that is hospital birth for many women. That is the doctor's experience. But someone who thinks that a woman should not move in labor if unmedicated is um, crazy? totally unexperienced with natural birth?

We still haven't clarified with him exactly what he meant. Either he meant walk around the hallways, or walk around the room. Given that there's a squat bar, and birthing ball and birthing stool available, I now have a hard time believing he meant one couldn't walk around the delivery room, and instead meant the hallway. As near as I figure the hospital probably fears that if a laboring women were to walk around the hallways, and suffered a particularly hard contraction, she could take a fall and hurt herself and/or the baby.

[Ldavis24]

...edited to delete everything I wrote because I should have read the whole thread first.

Goodluck with your birth mama. I hope everyone is happy and healthy.

Edited by Ldavis24 - 3/10/11 at 9:16am

[EchoSoul]

Originally Posted by Ldavis24 

...edited to delete everything I wrote because I should have read the whole thread first.

Goodluck with your birth mama. I hope everyone is happy and healthy.

Thanks! My fiance actually clarified something today that had me worried - he said months ago if there was a problem he'd fold like a bad deck of cards - but failed to mention he trusts my instincts and would only fold to the OB if I felt something was wrong. Otherwise he's behind me 100% of the way. This makes me feel much better.
 

[Ldavis24]

Originally Posted by EchoSoul 

Thanks! My fiance actually clarified something today that had me worried - he said months ago if there was a problem he'd fold like a bad deck of cards - but failed to mention he trusts my instincts and would only fold to the OB if I felt something was wrong. Otherwise he's behind me 100% of the way. This makes me feel much better.
 

I know about frustrations with the spouse. I have my whole own thread devoted to my DH's utter panic at the idea that I want a HB...I am working on bit by bit and he is coming around but when it is your first baby it is very very different. I actually had a hospital birth for baby 1 and used a midwife....he's seen me birth, he knows I can do it without meds because I didn't have any.

Your fiance will see you in a way he never thought he would. A woman who is TRULY capable of anything.  If you ever have more children I think the panic (assuming all goes well) is greatly reduced. 

Have fun and goodluck! I think what helped me through the worst parts was remembering or trying to remember that each ctx brought me closer to meeting my LO. 
 

[Lilygoose]

You might be.  I had a natural hospital birth at a branch of our hospital system that was a women's hospital.  Although they were honest about not specializing in natural birth, they presented themselves as being natural birth friendly.  And in many ways they were (it helped that my midwife had done a fair amount of natural births-especially when my 11 pounder got stuck and she was able to safely continue my natural birth and help get that baby unstuck pronto).  However, I had to yell at a random OB to stop asking me if I wanted an epidural-my birth plan distinctly stated not only to not offer one, but to try to persuade me to wait if I started asking, which I never did.  The nurses were kind and supportive for the most part, but it was easy to tell by their reactions that they did not have much, if any, experience with natural birth and did not quite know what to do with me.  I handled it all really well for the most, they had a tub, which I spent a huge portion of my labor in, but I was in the pushing stage with an 11 pound baby for over 2 hours-I had a really hard time finding my rythm.  I should have paid better attention at my Bradley classes.  It was painful, and while I wasn't screaming or anything it was still apparent that it hurt, alot.  This kind of freaked them out.  They were overly impressed after my labor with what had happened.  Several of them admtited to having no experience with natural birth. Yes it was a difficult thing, but women have been doing this since the dawn of time and painkillers are only a recent invention.  So you could very easily be the only woman there who does not want an epidural or to just take it laying on your back.Also you might want to learn about the cascade of interventions-so while one thing may not seem that important to you-such as walking around-it may be thing that leds to another thing, that leads eventually to interventions you really don't want. I started out simply not wanting pain meds.  Before learning about birth through my Bradley classes (and it doesn't have to be Bradley-there are lots of other approaches) I would have consented to an IV, pitocin, etc. without realizing the effects they can have and how labor can be stalled when not allowed to simply flow along its natural progression.  And definitely check the c-section rates of your hospital-it doesn't have to be a deal breaker if you have the right supports and knowledge, but if it is high (mine was 30%) you will need that help and support to prevent the potential for people who aren't knowledgeable about natural birth from coercing you into things you don't want, b/c scarily they really do think some of these things are necessary even for women whose births are low risk and going fine all on their own.
 

Originally Posted by EchoSoul 

That makes sense.. Because I cannot possibly imagine that I'm the ONLY woman there who doesn't want any epidural, and I can't possibly imagine that I'm the only woman there that would take this "laying down", ....literally.

Then I certainly will exercise my right in my birth plan to move around! And goodness knows my husband will back me up.

[EchoSoul]

Thanks for the advice, :) According to the internal check yesterday at my doctor's office, I'm 2 - almost 3 cm dilated, :) It's 2 days past the due date from the original ultrasound our OB was so hung up on, and so far my only signs have been a random, dull ache at the pit of my uterus that happens randomly throughout the day for a moment. We're still thinking the March 28th due date is gonna be more accurate, even though I still don't think I'm gonna give birth until April. I didn't know it was so common(from google searches) to be 2 cm dilated at 35 weeks - HAH! More proof that we've been right about how far along I am, and that the ultrasound gave inaccurate information, :)

Edited by EchoSoul - 3/19/11 at 2:41pm