What are your wishes for your birth?

[MonkeyPrincess]

Like do you have issues from past births that you are working through? Or do you have something in particular you want to happen at your birth?

I'll be back later to post my list.

[WendyC]

Oh man.... I have TONS of baggage from my first birth - see here:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=516678

That has a link to my birth story as well - but the good news is - I GET A SECOND CHANCE!!!

I get to try another homebirth!!!!!! I am sooooo excited. You will be hearing LOTS and LOTS from me on this topic!!!

[GuavaLava]

I have issues. Definitely. I just pulled the labor flow sheet out from when dd was born so I copy and highlight the "issues" I would like to never be involved in again.

I will be delivering at a military hospital. Thankfully, they have a midwife program. You have to interview and be accepted. I am hoping I qualify. I want this birth to be as natural as possible in a hospital setting. I hope to avoid number three altogether. I'd like to avoid all of these by not being induced to begin with.

1. No induction unless it is an e-mer-gen-cy! or I am actually overdue

2. No cytotec

3. No imcompetent staff. I want trained professionals. I'm not interested in 11 IV attempts by 5 different people, 2 epidural placements, 2 IUCP's because the first one fell out, or being catheterized twice because the first one didn't work.

4. If I decide to have an epidural, I'd like the staff to be aware if I haven't had an entire bag of IV fluids in almost 24 hours so we can avoid the whole oh-my-her-pressure-is-dropping-get-the-ephedrine

5. I'd like to be informed of what's being done to me and what the risks are. (see number 1)

6. I do not want to lay in a hospital bed for 24 hours, contracting every two minutes.

Do you think that's too much to ask??

[momto l&a]

No issues here.

My 3 children have all been born at home, wonderful births. :

The only challenge I may be having is we may be moving 800 miles away so I will have to find a new mw. Have found someone though who has some recommendations for a wonderful mw The good news is I know what I am looking for in a mw and know to voice what I want and don't want and am strong enough to stand up for my desires.

[clavicula]

my dream is a homebirth, but...
here in hungary you are not allowed to have one unless you live in the capital. and i don't.
so i have to choose the hospital birth, where i gave birth to nora. i am okay with it, if they will leave me and dh alone. they did last time (i had toxemia w/my first pg, so it way a big deal). no meds, nothing. no induction.
that is all i want.
i just hope that everything will be okay and uneventful w/ this pg!

[LKath]

I had really bad back labor with my ds and ended up having an epidural. I'd like to avoid that this time (the back labor and the epidural! ). Also, after ds was born, the nurses took him to clean him up, weigh him, etc. before I even got to hold him. : He was in the same room, but it seemed like an eternity before they gave him back to me. I'm going to make sure this time that everyone knows that I want my baby before anyone else gets him. There's no reason that all the stupid procedures (weight, etc.) can't wait a while for me to bond with my child. I switched to a family doctor that has been trained in midwifery and have already made my wishes known to her. She is completely supportive, which makes me feel more positive about this birth.

[crazyknitter]

Mine is plain & simple, for a live living baby. That is all. I do not care how it comes, just that it lives.

[sedalbj]

I can't say that I want any do-over's because of a bad experience, I had a nice BC delivery last time, this time I want a nice HB delivery w/ the same or different m/w.

[Goldiemom]

I want a nice relaxing home birth. I have had 3 all natural hospital births, so it is time to bring this experience home. I just want a nice uncomplicated birth that hopefully will only last as long as my others, though I suppose I could deal with it being shorter... Otherwise, healthy happy baby. That's it.

[stacey0402]

I've had 2 good experiences with hospital births, so we'll probably go that route this time as well. I'd love to go to a birthing center, but I have no clue what our insurance will cover.

Last two deliveries I let anybody who wanted to be present to come on in. This time I only want me and dh...maybe my mom. Last delivery they just stressed me out. I was worried about how they were feeling and if they were okay, and that's just nuts :

Absolutley no forceps/suction, fetal scalp electrodes, arom, or obnoxious staff.

Carzyknitter, I couldn't agree more

[zak]

The plan is a homebirth. My other child was born at a free-standing birthing center... it was the single best experience of my life! If everything had to happen the exact same way... I'd be super pleased!

[emiLy]

I had a good hospital birth with #1. Good in that there were no drugs, I got to labor on my own. But the actual delivery could have gone much better IMO. This time I plan on a lot less medicalization of the pregnancy overall. I am not sure I'll go to my doctor or to a midwife (nearest ones are two hours away) or what. I don't feel like having blood drawn or peeing in a cup at all this time - why?! It doesn't change anything I do, it's just a pita. Especially now that I have an almost-three year old it's not two hour long clinic visits are going to be enjoyable at ALL. It's still so early I feel like I have a lot of time to think it through. I'd love to have an unassisted birth at home, but my husband is not on board with that so we will see what we can come up with to make us all happy and comfortable. Maybe a midwife somewhere nearby? Or I call the hospital when I go into labor so they know I could come in at any moment (they probably wouldn't think of me coming in with a newborn ROFL). We live across the street from the hospital, so that's convenient.

[ColinsMommy]

Overall I had a good birth with DS at a free-standing birth center. This time I'm having a homebirth with the same midwife.

This time around I do NOT want to be induced (cytotec last time) and hopefully won't tear as bad! I had some weird tear up by my cervix and had to go to the hospital to be stitched up by an OB.

I was almost 2 weeks overdue with DS when I consented to the cytotec. I think I would go a MONTH overdue with this one before I would be induced!

[lolalola]

Both of my births were fairly uneventful in terms of anything dramatic. One thing I would like is for dh to cut the cord this time. He is very squeamish, and almost passed out when my doctor asked him in the past. But I have 9 months to work on him.

[Rico'sAlice]

This will be my first birth, so I don't really have any prior baggage. I am planning on a UC at home with my DH. He is on board. I think I should also have my mom at the house, but not in the room, to help with our three dogs and stuff like that. He is confident that he can support me and take care of everything else as well. I am glad that it will be May, b/c I would like to spend some of the time laboring outside.

[chrissy]

i'm planning another homebirth with the midwife who delivered lilah. sometimes i think about seeing my midwife for prenatal care, because i love her and enjoy the care, but not calling her until after the birth. i don't know. last time my labor was super fast and my midwife got there about 15 minutes before she was born. her birth was totally uncomplicated BUT i bled like crazy afterwards. i ended up passing out and that was really really scary. after trying herbs and homeopathics, i needed a shot of pitocin to help my uterus clamp down. i'm sure it was because of my super fast labor so maybe if i have a slower labor i wouldn't feel like i needed her there just in case. hmmmm, i don't know. i guess i'm still working it out. i've got plenty of time though, right?

i do know that i will be at home, probably in a pool and quite possibly outside.

[darsmama]

Another home waterbirth for me. I was to use Pamamidwives definition of unassisted (but not unattended) the last two times (IE: only got what I asked for was left alone the rest of the time because I requested or whatnot), and...well, I really would like an unattended birth but DH is not at all wanting that. So, I am doing a lot of soul searching now. Having no medical makes it kind of a....Hmm..Wth do I do?
I don't really want to shell out $2k for midwife + the extra fees to my doula, when I'd rather just have my doula/friends and husband there. One thing I want different this birth is to use my damn birthball like I did with my first. Also, to drink up the RRL tea when labor first starts. Curious if it makes labor quicker and less painful.

[MizLiz]

I want a VBAC this time! I've had two sections and am so ready to deliver this baby naturally! If only my dr felt as determined as I do about this...

[scheelimama]

Well, I've had two wonderful births. The first was induced with cytotec and it made the contractions nearly unbearable, but that was totally my choice. I won't be induced again unless it's absolutely necessary. The second was a wonderful gentle delivery, both at a BC with the most amazing midwife. We have moved away and will be moving again in December. I'm not sure yet what I want to do, since a) this pregnancy is a total shocker for me, b) I'm probably going to be labeled high risk since I have an IUD and I've been bleeding, and c) our insurance (Tricare) will only cover hospital births. And since I dont' really know what our options are yet, where we will be moving I'm not going to worry about it yet. I'll just be under the care of an OB until after the move.

[Jposey]

I do have a little baggage from my first (hospital but medicated vaginal) birth.

We are planning a homebirth (possibly waterbirth) for this one. I am so excited. As I said in my other posts, we wanted to wait for #2 but I have been planning his/her birth since the birth of DS1