I just realized there were some posts here and I wanted to respond.
I think homebirth is illegal in Ohio, for CNMs. But you can have a lay midwife I think... I wasn't able to have a home birth because dh is "against" it.
My birth in the hospital, needless to say went very well. I didn't need to have my birth plan with me, because it went the way I wanted!!! But I had about 5 copies in my bag! LOL
I will explain what happened. I started having irregular contrax in the afternoon of November 14th. I had to finish some loose ends for our house closing and ran around getting those done. My contrax felt like strong BH contrax, so I didn't really think that I was in pre labor, but I was! Around 6 pm, I gave my ds#1 a bath, and got in the tub with him. (I told dh a bit before that that I thought he wouldn't be going to work the next day!) My friend called me and said that I could call her if I needed to. I didn't really think I needed her at that point. I was calm, and relaxed, but contrax were coming more frequently, and I had to be on my hands and knees during every contrax!
A little while later I called my friend because I couldn't get through a contraction and dress my son! LOL She came over around 7 pm I think, and watched my then 21 month old and timed my contractions. I was about 5 min apart consistently. I decided to call the midwife around 7:30- 7:45 pm, and she asked if I was comfortable to labor at home. I said that I was. Pretty soon my contrax were getting 3 minutes apart, so my friend called the midwife back on my behalf and she called within minutes! (You have to call the answering service.) There wasn't much time between the first time I called, and the second time! LOL I think I went to the hospital around 9 pm, and I rode in my mom's car on my hands and knees in the back! LOL It must have looked pretty silly!
When I got to the hospital, I asked if I could push the wheelchair because there was no way I could have sat down. I flustered the ER girl! But I got to walk and push the chair!!! It took a long time to get to the maternity area, because I had to stop walking during a contraction to breathe. They put me right in my room- no triage!
The midwife got there and checked me- well the student midwife did, and announced that I was 8 cm and my bag was bulging! I couldn't believe it! The baby was a bit posterior (sidelying, but head down) so I had to turn him. She had me rock my pelvis on the bed for what seemed like forever. I kept asking, when can I get in the tub? Finally, I got in the tub...it was heavenly! It slowed down my contractions, and I was having conversations. I was still really calm, and not much pain. At 10:25 pm, my water broke...in the tub! After tha, things really went fast. A few contractions, I was 10 cm and ready to push. He was born at 10:40 pm. My friend video taped everything. My mom was there. My dad was watching my other son at home. Dh and my sister missed getting there... they were each driving a distance. All in all, my "labor" lasted about 4 hours. Pre labor started around 2 pm that day, but I didn't count it in the labor. I have no idea when I transitioned... things went really fast. But I did it. I had an easy hospital water birth.
Yes- there was a birthing center near me, but it was in Michigan, and my insurance only covers OHIO.
Baby #3 I hope to have at home. If I could just convince dh...
Thanks for all the well wishes!
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