Can we have a hospital birthing support thread? - Page 3

[jshannyn519]

If I do end up in the hospital after all, I'm going to be waiting as long as possible as well. With my oldest I got there at 3 1/2 cm and with my second I was at about 4 1/2. My labors are pretty short anyway so I wasn't there forever in labor, but I'm more comfortable at home. I know my labor will go even faster here that it will anywhere else.

I'm trying to decide if I should have a bag packed for the hospital just in case. I guess I could do it and just unpack it if I don't go anywhere. Urgh. This means I have to decide what to put in the bag. lol

SG - my sister is a doc and neither she nor any of her doctor friends could start an IV if their lives depended on it. I also wouldn't let any of them near me to draw blood. The only thing my sister is allowed to do to me with needles is give me stitches. lol  When we learned how to start IVs they taught us how to use flat veins and to avoid the antecub starts because you end up having to DC the IV and restart it because the site doesn't work.

[erigeron]

While I'd like to, I'm concerned about staying at home as long as possible--our hospital is 20-30 minutes away and the prospect of driving there while in active labor sounds pretty lousy. Anybody have any thoughts/reassurances/anything to say on this?

[Bald_Bull's_Mama]

Originally Posted by springbride 

Getting a little nervous about it though!   What are you moms doing to mentally prepare yourself?  

 

I'm not getting nervous, but am getting excited! I've been listening to my Hypnobabies CDs (loooooove these, so worth it!). I've been visualizing the birth I want. I'm working on a detailed birth plan, talked a lot with my doula, a little with my birth photographer. Hypnobabies has you do a lot of visualizing being with your baby which makes me really excited to meet her.

Originally Posted by erigeron 

While I'd like to, I'm concerned about staying at home as long as possible--our hospital is 20-30 minutes away and the prospect of driving there while in active labor sounds pretty lousy. Anybody have any thoughts/reassurances/anything to say on this?

With DS, I only had a maybe 8 minute drive to the hospital. We still went too early and it REALLY slowed things down for me. I had 3 pressure waves in the car on the way. Once, there, they slowed down to 10 minutes apart. I was there forever. This time, we're farther away, maybe 20 minutes. I may see if we can take my doula's van so I can lay down in the back. Honestly, I'd rather accidentally UC than spend another 24 in the hospital. The car ride really wasn't that bad. Also, I just heard a super inspiring story about a local woman who had her baby on the side of the interstate on the way to the hospital.

[jshannyn519]

I'm only about 15 minutes from the hospital, but during rush hour that time could easily be the same 20-30 minutes that you're looking at, erigeron. Honestly, it doesn't concern me at all. With my first 2 babies we were 15-20 minutes away from the hospital and it wasn't bad at all. Of course, I wasn't as far into labor as I will be if I go to the hospital with this baby so there is that. I was contracting every 4-5 minutes so by the time that we actually got to the hospital I'd had at least 4 contractions in the car. I think the bumps in the road were the worst.

[SGVaughn]

Originally Posted by jshannyn519 

If I do end up in the hospital after all, I'm going to be waiting as long as possible as well. With my oldest I got there at 3 1/2 cm and with my second I was at about 4 1/2. My labors are pretty short anyway so I wasn't there forever in labor, but I'm more comfortable at home. I know my labor will go even faster here that it will anywhere else.

I'm trying to decide if I should have a bag packed for the hospital just in case. I guess I could do it and just unpack it if I don't go anywhere. Urgh. This means I have to decide what to put in the bag. lol

SG - my sister is a doc and neither she nor any of her doctor friends could start an IV if their lives depended on it. I also wouldn't let any of them near me to draw blood. The only thing my sister is allowed to do to me with needles is give me stitches. lol  When we learned how to start IVs they taught us how to use flat veins and to avoid the antecub starts because you end up having to DC the IV and restart it because the site doesn't work.

oh yeah, I hear ya...I had to backboard a pt that fell out of a gurney once in the ED..and none of the nurses or drs were of even the lightest bit of help..lol..I happened to be walking down the hall from decon and saw this poor guy out of the gurney on the floor stuck to the bed by a foley (ouch! kind of dangling by it really) me and my partner got a pretty big chuckle out of the drs and nurses flailing..not the pt. The pt was ok, just extreme altered mental status and a slight paper tear skin lac from his attempted wanderings..even his urethra was ok..poor guy.

[Daisy420]

We are about 25 mins away from the hosp we used for all our births, and the ride does suck if in true labor : (.  This most recent time I was 6-7 when I arrived, so prob why I was so miserable lol!  I'll have to lay in the back this time....never thought of that b4, duh!!000

[SGVaughn]

I dont even like the car during braxton hicks.....

the ride in is miserable for me..no matter when I go or how long it takes

[rach03]

I'm going to be having my third hospital birth, but this will be my first with no drugs!  With my first I hadn't found Mothering yet and didn't know I was really crunchy inside. :)  I had every intervention known to man except a c-section, and I felt like crap for days afterward.  My current OB told me all of it was completely unnecessary.  With my second my water broke and my contractions wouldn't stop spacing apart, so I ended up with Pitocin and got an epidural because I was scared of the Pitocin from the first experience!  The epidural ended up failing completely, and amazingly I felt great afterward.  Luckily this time I am 30 minutes closer to the hospital (only 25 minutes away this time) so I don't have to head in so early.

So this time I'm doing it without drugs...my doctor said I can have a hep lock, the hospital has a couple sets of wireless monitors.  That's the only thing I'm really worried about is one of those monitors not being available and having to be hooked up to the monitors.  The only thing my OB is kind of sticking on is that she likes constant monitoring.  There are laboring tubs that I can use if my water hasn't broken yet, so hopefully it won't.

Does anyone know...if I bring my laboring ball, should I bring some kind of yoga mat or something to put it on so it's not touching the hospital floor?  Or for if I want to get down on my knees and lay on it?  And did your doctors ever allow for non-constant monitoring?

[jshannyn519]

Originally Posted by rach03 

Does anyone know...if I bring my laboring ball, should I bring some kind of yoga mat or something to put it on so it's not touching the hospital floor?  Or for if I want to get down on my knees and lay on it?  And did your doctors ever allow for non-constant monitoring?

The hospital has lots of extra blankets and sheets, I would just put one of those on the floor and put the ball on top of it. That way if you want to be on your knees you can be on the blanket instead of the floor. You can also put pillows on top of the blanket on top of the floor for extra cushion if you need it. A blanket is a bigger surface area than a yoga mat too, which allows you more flexibility to move around on the "clean" space.

With my first 2 babies I was only on the monitors for about 10 minutes every hour. I never discussed it with my OB, I just told the nurses at the hospital that I didn't want continuous monitoring. Plus, I wasn't in the bed and kept refusing, very politely, to get in the bed. I was walking around or sitting in the rocking chair for most of my labors. The doctor may prefer that you are constantly monitored, but she can't force it on you.

[rach03]

Jenni, thanks!  I didn't think of just using their blankets and pillows, that's a good idea.

Yeah, I have no plans of being in the bed at any time...if I do have to wear the non-wireless monitors, I'll be right next to the computer on the floor with my ball or in a chair or whatever!  Luckily this hospital is natural birthing friendly, I just don't know what to expect since I haven't ever done it this way before.  Good to know I can tell them I don't want to be continuously monitored.

[springbride]

So what sort of things are you mamas planning on packing for the hospital?

With DD I had a bag, but don't really remember using much of anything in it during the labor.  

I do remember wishing that I had brought more comfy clothes for me for the recovery period.  DD was born at nearly 10 pm and I tore quite badly and was really out of it the next morning, so I ended up being stuck there for 2 days Blech!  

I want to be better prepared this time.  

 

[suazie1]

Seems like many ladies on this thread had a similar hospital experience as myself, that is, having labor slow down significantly after getting to the hospital. My midwife advised me to stay home as long as possible. I am planning to have a hospital water birth this time around.  Last time my water broke at home and I think I stayed at home for about 5 hours or so after my water broke.  when I got to the hospital I was already 5 cm and totally effaced, baby's head was in good position.  We thought we would have our baby soon.  it took me another 16 hours or so before I gave birth because my labor slowed down and basically stalled after getting to the hospital.  So with this second one, I will try to stay home as long as i can, and not get there too soon.   I wish there was an easy way to check myself during labor.  But I know there are other indicators to figure out when to go to the hospital...any ideas of what those are?

[Bald_Bull's_Mama]

Originally Posted by suazie1 

Seems like many ladies on this thread had a similar hospital experience as myself, that is, having labor slow down significantly after getting to the hospital. My midwife advised me to stay home as long as possible. I am planning to have a hospital water birth this time around.  Last time my water broke at home and I think I stayed at home for about 5 hours or so after my water broke.  when I got to the hospital I was already 5 cm and totally effaced, baby's head was in good position.  We thought we would have our baby soon.  it took me another 16 hours or so before I gave birth because my labor slowed down and basically stalled after getting to the hospital.  So with this second one, I will try to stay home as long as i can, and not get there too soon.   I wish there was an easy way to check myself during labor.  But I know there are other indicators to figure out when to go to the hospital...any ideas of what those are?

If it's during office hours, my midwife can check me at the office. Also, I've heard of midwife's swinging by your (on the way) house on their way to the hospital to check you. There's also some stuff about not being able to talk through however many pressure waves (contractions to you non-hypnobabiers). Usually your midwife can tell from how you sound on the phone. Mine gives me her cell so I can call her when I'm thinking about going in.
 

[rach03]

Yeah, going to the hospital early is what really messed up my plans last time.  I was just so scared of getting stuck in traffic since I was an hour away, as soon as my water broke I headed in.  This time I will definitely stay home as long as possible, although I'm worried I won't know when the right time is to go in.  I will have a doula, so I'm sure she will help me know when it's time.  Luckily I'm only 25 minutes away this time, so I'm much more calm about the drive and getting there.

[jshannyn519]

I'll be packing some snacks for myself and the kids, because I know they won't feed any of us while I'm in labor. A couple of my cute nightgowns that can be tossed if necessary since they were bought at Wal-Mart. I can nurse in them too, which is a bonus. My own shampoo, conditioner, and soap (in small containers) since the hospital stuff is atrocious. Hair brush, tooth brush, tooth paste. Clean comfy clothes for baby and I to go home in. Camera & charger. iPhone & charger w/ cord extension. Sports bra/bikini top for the tub. A pad of paper and some pens, since I always seem to need paper and pens where ever I am and I hate to be left without it. I might also bring some colored cardstock cut into small rectangles, like business card sized, so people who visit can write little notes on them to baby. I had a friend who did that and she would take a picture of the visitor holding baby and the pictures were matched with the card and put into the baby's scrapbook. It was super cute. LOTS of my favorite Burt's Bees chapstick. A trashy romance novel to read and entertain myself with. I know there is a TV there, but there's never anything good on and after a while the noise from the TV is totally annoying. Maybe my iPod dock thingy so I can hear my music through bigger speakers. It's kind of bulky though and it doesn't work all that great. Maybe I'll use a gift card I got to buy something more portable. I also have a pack of Depends that I'll pull a few out of and bring with me. They just work so much better for the first 24-48 hours after birth than pads do. Especially those mesh panties with a pad. Yuck. Oh, and my good lotion.

All in all, it's really not a lot. All of that will fit neatly into one bag, which is ideal. The last thing you want is to have to haul a bunch of stuff in to the hospital while in labor, and then have to haul it all back out again, plus all the stuff that visitors usually bring like flowers, plants, stuffed animals and balloons.

With my doula clients, I would wait to head in to the hospital until they would stop speaking during each contraction. If you can't talk through a contraction at all because you're focusing so much on it, that's usually a pretty good indicator that there is some real progress being made.

[erigeron]

I definitely plan to bring snacks, something to read (for after birth), chapstick and lotion, and various other things. I keep hearing people go on about how stuff like chapstick and hair ties are invaluable. For guys, the not-so-obvious item to bring is swim trunks so they don't have to get naked or get their clothes wet to accompany their partner into the shower. Our Bradley method instructor advised us to get travel bottles of toiletries so we can pack them well ahead of time and not have to worry about them later, and she recommended comfy flip-flops or Crocs for the guys (something easy to clean and that they can stand in for as long as necessary). I think that her water broke all over her husband's sneakers when she had her son.

[Bald_Bull's_Mama]

Can we spin the packing thread off into a separate post? I'd love to be able to easily reference it when I'm packing!

[lookingforaname]

I had slow-downs with two of my births (but thankfully the hospital is less than a 10 minute jump away from home, never any traffic).  If I had to do it with a longer commute time - one of the birthing centers I interviewed when I was in a different city said that they often sent people who came to early to a Barnes and Noble 5 minutes away. 

With my last birth, we went to the hospital, but I sat in the foyer on a birthing ball while my husband read a magazine until I realized my labor had definitely slowed and I went back home and played a mindless computer game until I knew I was really ready.  Again, this was with a really short commute.  Another friend of mine who has a longer commute (45 minutes), said they walked around outside the hospital grounds (they have park benches and a garden area) with some books and magazines until she knew she was really ready. 

So I guess I'd just suggest to you ladies so you don't have to suffer a long and traffic-ed car trip at the very very end, maybe look around the hospital and see if there's somewhere where you could just walk and distract yourself until you're really ready. 

[Lidamama84]

This will be my second hospital birth, first time with a midwife, though. I am feeling really calm this time around, mostly because I know most of the what-if scenarios are not true emergencies, and I can always take five to breathe and think. Last time around, I was induced and had a typical "medicalized" birth. This time, from the get-go, I let my midwife know that I accept that there are things out of my control, but I would like a natural birth.  Our birth plan talks have come up in each visit, and I am re-assured that she remembers what we talked about 6 weeks ago and that she took notes in my chart about birth preferences as they came up in the course of our conversations. The nice thing about our midwifery practice is that there are teams of 2 midwives, and you do your prenatal care with both of them, and they rotate being on-call, so I know I will deliver with either one of them. The other plus, is that the hospital where they have privileges does not assign you a nurse/other care provider if you are with a midwife, unless there is an emergency. So it's just you and the midwife. And, if everything's ok a few hours after the birth you can go home, but have the option to stay if you want that.

I am also super-excited about the jacuzzi tub, and the midwife said if I wanted to deliver in there, I could :)

[msmiranda]

Originally Posted by lookingforaname 

I had slow-downs with two of my births (but thankfully the hospital is less than a 10 minute jump away from home, never any traffic).  If I had to do it with a longer commute time - one of the birthing centers I interviewed when I was in a different city said that they often sent people who came to early to a Barnes and Noble 5 minutes away. 

With my last birth, we went to the hospital, but I sat in the foyer on a birthing ball while my husband read a magazine until I realized my labor had definitely slowed and I went back home and played a mindless computer game until I knew I was really ready.  Again, this was with a really short commute.  Another friend of mine who has a longer commute (45 minutes), said they walked around outside the hospital grounds (they have park benches and a garden area) with some books and magazines until she knew she was really ready. 

So I guess I'd just suggest to you ladies so you don't have to suffer a long and traffic-ed car trip at the very very end, maybe look around the hospital and see if there's somewhere where you could just walk and distract yourself until you're really ready. 

I am going to have a super-long commute time (45 minutes minimum, up to an hour or even longer depending on whether I have to go during morning rush hour, which is actually about a 4-hour block of time), for insurance reasons my choice of hospitals is limited.  I am feeling pretty nervous about it because I don't want to go too early and end up with a slowdown, but at the same time would prefer not to have the baby in the car on the side of the interstate.  We are definitely checking out nearby places where we can walk around.  So many wild cards with labor and birth!  I will admit that this is where home birth has its advantages -- you don't have to worry about traffic or car trouble or weather or what hour of the day it is (except with respect to your midwife getting to you of course, but it's much easier not to think about someone else's traffic issues and focus on laboring).