"My dream birth would be..."

[mamagrits]

As I was sitting here daydreaming about what I'd love to happen during this birth, I thought, "Hey, that'd be a fun thread to read!"

I know one of the best preparation you can have for birth is to not set up any expectations & just let it be, but we all have our own little thoughts about what would just be awesome, right?  Let's share a little bit, just for the heck of it.  ;)

My dream birth would be.....

...in the middle of the night.  Well, it can get started maybe late afternoon, but not kick into high gear until after we get the kids in bed.  Then it'd be nice to have her born, & everything cleaned up & be a little rested for when the kids wake up in the morning.  Then Daddy can one by one tell them mommy is in bed with their little sister & they can come see.  Then after breakfast we can call our parents to "come get the kids"..... but when they arrive, oh by the way, here's your newest grandchild, too!  Then they can take the kids for the rest of the day so mommy & daddy & baby can rest!

This is my dream b/c my 3 current children will be (almost) 2, 3, and 4 yrs old when this one is born.  My youngest has CF/high needs & my soon-to-be 3yr old son is all boy (read=hyper!) so I'll have to split up my kids between grandma's to be babysat during labor b/c they are too much to handle all together for any length of time.  I'd really rather have my children home with me, I know it would help my psyche to have them here, but on the other hand I cannot even potty in peace for 2 minutes during the day, I know there is no way I'd be able to handle them plus labor/birth!  Thus, if they were asleep in their beds I would have peace of mind of where they are & what they are doing w/o having to actually deal w/ em (as long as my vocalization didn't wake them up, oooo that could be nasty...).  Also wouldn't have to deal w/ explaining that we weren't going to the hospital, if it came up, since I'm still not sure if we're going to tell anyone beforehand.  Also, that would be a "short" labor for sure in my book if it all happened within 12hrs or so-- my past labors have been 24hrs, almost 48hrs, & the last one almost 72hrs!

Oh, and of course, NO tears & NO retained placenta or excessive bleeding!  And to be GBS negative, so I can have my UC instead of being faced w/ the hard decision to birth in the hospital to get antibiotics.  I've had all 4 of those my 2 vaginal births, ugh!

One can dream, can't they? 

How bout you?  :)

[dayiscoming2006]

I'd rather go into labor in the morning and deliver by the evening. In my dream birth, of course everything would go well with me and baby's health. And clean up wouldn't be too much. And I'm excited to have my boys witness the birth if they are awake, as I believe that would be really neat for them. They've seen some birth videos and they appear to be really interested. Now, if it scares them, I'll have daddy set them up with a show or other activity instead. I'm really feeling like things will be fine, though. I'm on the home stretch. 

[L J]

This is going to be a fun read!

My situation is very different this time than it was during my first and "perfect" UC. My oldest son's birth was just about as good as it gets, but I know what I dream of for this time.

I would go into labor around 9am, just after DH leaves for work. Even though in theory, he is on board with UC, I am afraid that in practice he is going to freak out. He is not my oldest son's bio dad, so he didn't get to experience that birth. Selfishly, I would really like only myself and my son to be there while I labor. I would text him (not call, because who can talk at that point?) when its almost time. Ideally he would show up right as she crowns.

I know, from my last birth, that my son is strangely calm while I'm in labor. He wants to be there, and I want him to be there with me. I am not a loud, scary birther, and he knows its all normal. I would catch the baby with ds looking on just as DH walked in the door - after about a 2 hours labor. My first was 6 hours and my second 3, so a girl can hope, right? ;)

And - the best part - at the end, she would be perfectly alive and healthy with a strong set of lungs!

[rajahkat]

So, I think I'm a little backwards from most here in that I think my "ideal" birth would involve a midwife/mother/best friend/doula type person that I felt really close to and would be there for me during the birth. She would be an amazing cook and would clean my house too. . My kids would all be bathed and fed and happy and occupied. My husband would be well rested and charming and would take amazing photographs in which I looked goddess like. Baby (no, BABIES!!) because it would be surprise twins born healthy and easily and I would immediately be back to my high school weight and look like I had never given birth. And the babies would sleep all night. . And someone would gift us a brand new vehicle into which I could fit all these glorious children.........

As for UCs, I've been lucky enough to have really smooth, short, easy births and healthy babies, so I can't really ask for much more.

[sharita]

My dream birth would start labor in the morning, or afternoon depending on what shift DH was working that day.  I would rather him be at work and have to come home than be there, I am worried about his nerves as well and don't need the negative energy.  I'd call my mom when it started kicking into high gear.  She would help with my other kids but hopefully it would be a day where my middle 3 are at their dads house so I just have the oldest and youngest so my mother can also help me if needed.  I will labor in the tub and delivery quickly like always.  No placenta or bleeding issues, baby will be perfect and alert and need no help.  I wont get any grief from my ped office (which is in the same office as my OB) for not showing up aat the hospital for birth, or if I do, I handle it well.  I also have several days of relaxing to recover unlike last time where DH got called back for a 2 yr lay off the same day son was born and had to go the next day and I was home alone with a baby and no help.

[Mamatoabunch]

Most of my births have been dream births. This time I'd like to birth when it was more quiet, so maybe night or when my toddler is napping. Otherwise I am good for whatever.

[howdeepistheocean]

My dream birth:

   To give birth shortly after we got the kiddo's all tucked into bed and asleep. My last labor was only 2 hrs long, and very intense, so my dream would be that my labor took longer, maybe 6 hrs, and a lot less intense and more relaxed for the major portion of it. To have an easy labor with little pain, or at least a lot less! And have no tears and no concerns and spend the rest of the night relaxing, nursing, bonding, sleeping etc. In the morning, show all of the boys their new baby brother/sister, then have my friend come pick them up so I have a day or two of peace and rest and bonding time. Too bad we can just tell our bodies when to give birth! And how long/intense!

 

[Jynuine]

I always joke around with my husband about heading over to Pottery Barn at the mall nearby when I go into labor and then giving birth on their most expensive bed, hahaha! Large companies eat that sort of media attention up and they would probably donate the bed I delivered on AND a nursery just for more media attention! :P *giggle*

But in reality- my dream birth would be feeling more consistant contractions and realizing I was actually in labor (yeah it might evade me this time) and then just heading to my whirlpool tub to relax a bit while calling out to the kids to take their stations and get my things. Calling my husband in and then as transition suddenly overtakes me and Justus makes his grand entrance into our dimly lit bathroom- the oohs and aahs of my kiddos with my daughter filming would be so heavenly.

We havent decided on a UC yet although my husband was the one more insistant on it than me in the beginning, and he just says, "Whatever the Lord's plan is...."
I had a waterbirth with Emmalia 20 mos ago and it was okay other than the nurses with nothing better to do than poke at me... I have a birth plan in store to prevent the issues I oppose and something that worries me a LOT is the afterpains that torment me in having my 7th and having pain meds available so that I can enjoy my newborn. Im kind of selfish I think on that aspect mostly because I know with Emma ,Percocet didnt even barely touch the aferpains and those lasted 30 min long or longer at a time.

I'm literally neurotic on researching everything these last few months and am more or less preparing for an 'oops!' birth.

I'm just hoping it doesnt happen at church... or... in public... O.o

[PlanningAhead]

Hoo, I've been daydreaming about this for the past couple of days.

Maybe I'm finishing up college in Ohio and staying at my aunt and her husband's house. She's a registered nurse, and one I'd most certainly be comfortable with ICE.

So, I'm staying in a room on the lower floor, late-ish and go into labor. I've been training for estatic/orgasmic birth and have put together a collection of my favorite film soundtracks to listen to as the labor goes on (working on the list as we speak!).

My parents AND my husband's parents are there to help get everything set up.

Really, the part I've been focusing most on is when Baby finally comes out, JUST as some climax in the music comes up (remember when Sam carries Frodo up the mountain in Return of the King? THAT kind of music climax. I've found it's that kind of music that just takes my breath away and I just want to melt into its 'awesome'.)

I'd move into a tub from the now-incredibly messy pool, but my aunt only has a shower. Yet another reason why I wish they still had the ol' clawfooted bathtub.