Who's birthing where and with whom?

[To-Fu]

Just wondering what everyone is planing for the Big Day. Where are you birthing and who will be there?

I just switched to a home birth at 28 weeks (yessss!), so we'll be at home with our midwife and her assistant, plus our awesome doula. My partner is the only "non-professional" who will be there.

[DoulaLMT]

Yup, at home with midwife, apprentice and DH.

[hadassah]

I will be at home with my husband and midwife.......possibly a friend but I'm not decided yet. With my last two births I had friends with me and it was wonderful.

[neverdoingitagain]

At the hospital, last moment : with Dh and no one else except maybe the doctor who will only be there for the last part.Thats the dream anyway

[*knittingmomma*]

At home, with midwive, her assistant, doula, dh, and dd. I'm getting so excited!

[feebeeglee]

At home with DH. I play the kids by ear each time.

[mama_y_sol]

At the hospital birthing center, with dh, dd, our doula, my mother and the midwife. My mother will be supporting dd, and there is a possibility SIL will also fly in to support/attend to dd. The doula is also not 100% yet...I am working on meeting with her and finalizing plans...

I am very excited to have my dd there

[zenma]

at the hospital with a midwife and dp. dd would like to be there when the baby comes out, and mil will be supporting dd, so it's possible they'll be there at the end.

last time i birthed at the hospital, the midwife and hospital staff left me alone most of the time, but when it was time to deliver i think several staff suddenly appeared. i was pretty distracted, so i don't really know who all was there (midwife, apprentice, and a few nurses, i think, plus dp and a doula who'd been with me the whole time). i'll have to ask dp, and the midwife at my next appt.

[Chavaleh]

At a hospital with a midwife and my DH, then my children and mother towards the end.

We have no birthing centers anywhere close to the city I live in (the closest one is like a 5/6 hour drive). I live in a 100 year old house divided into apartments with little soundproofing and another house about five feet outside of my windows. If I tried to have a home birth I'd be terrified of being heard and disturbing my neighbors. Would not be conducive to a relaxing comfortable birth. I also really want a waterbirth so we're going to the only hospital in the city who does them with a midwife group who has a good reputation. Having had two natural intervention free (apart from AROM which I didn't realize was a big deal) hospital births already I feel pretty secure that I can manage a third. Can you tell I feel a little defensive?

[Peacemamalove]

At home, with DH Midwife and doula we will see how things go with the kids ....

[KittyTheCat]

At home with DH, possibly my mum and DS. Midwife will be called after (for paperwork).

[leafwood]

We will be birthing at the local hospital (very samll, 3 miles away). I am seeing 2 MWs so one of them will be there. Dh and my Mom (if she can make it in time) will also be there. That's the plan anyway!

My plan is to stay at home for as long as possible and my MW agrees. The practice is only 2 miles away and she said that she prefers to meet her moms there first to check out progress before heading across the street to the hospital. I figure with such short distances I can manage to avoid the hospital until push time, or at least that's my hope.

[geck_07]

I'll be birthing in a hospital with DP, my mom, one of my sisters for sure (I hope my other sister can make it too), and possibly my MIL. It'll be pretty crowded in there!:

[momonthebeach]

I'll be birthing at home with DH, midwife, my sister (as long as baby comes from 1 week before to 1.5 weeks after due date). The kids we will play by ear so they may be there along with friends as needed.
Katie

[AngelaB]

At home with my dp (hopefully he will make it) my midwife, her assistant and my boys. I am looking for someone to call to take care of the kiddos while I labor and birth but I havent found anyone yet.
Angela

[SharonAnne]

At home, with dh, mw, and her assistant and my SIL, just like last time.

SIL will take pictures, provide support for dd, as necessary. If dd wants to leave, she can go to my parents' who live five miles away.

My best friend is flying up from FL right before my due date. She wants to be my post partum doula : (I'm still hoping that she'll be there for the birth, though )

[SeaDoula]

Birth

I will be having babe at the birthcenter @ my midwives clinic, with mw, my mom if she can fly up at the right time, my doula, and possibly another doula friend.

I have invited a few good friends, and the dad will be there...but I have asked that he not be in the room until we can see the head/crowning, because he and I have broken up and I have this feeling he would annoy me if there in the room while I labored. As for the friends, there is a nice waiting room in the birth center for anyone I choose to kick out, or for friends I would rather see after babe is air-side.

Some of the friends may do photography, and videotaping. Not quite sure yet.

[othersomethings]

At my midwife's birth center, with her, her midwife-in-training, DH and my mom (who I asked to be my doula - although she's not officially one, she's played one at a dozen other births.) That's all I've got planned so far.

I REALLY want to invite my friend Lori to be there too, because she has such a terrible and unnatural view of birth, and I feel she deserves to see what birth is SUPPOSED to look like (even if just to shut her up about how I'll be screaming for drugs by hour two.) - but she's also a high maintenance personality and might stress me out by her presence. So I probably won't invite her.

[tyisrrs]

Originally Posted by Chavaleh

Can you tell I feel a little defensive?

Yes! As I was reading your post, I kept thinking, "I'm so sorry she feels like she has to defend her choice..." Then I read that you do feel defensive. I hope you feel like you can get all the support you need here.

As for me, I"ll be at home with DH, hopefully both midwives (but at least one, haha!), and the apprentice. I'm imagining a very peaceful, intimate occasion with the midwives out of the room or out of the way in general unless I need them. Oh, and there will be a big birth tub so hopefully I can have a waterbirth.

[Free Thinker]

Mine sounds the worst so far Please keep in mind that there is only ONE midwife that I know of and she will not do twins, and I am one hour from our community hospital, and 3 hours from an NICU should we need it.

I am birthing in our community hospital (one hour from my home). Last time I had a completely drug free birth and they left us completely alone until we asked for them to either check me, help w/ breathing, ect. This time I don't think I will get that lucky, but I can hope! I plan to do the laboring w/ just DH there, and if I need a nurse to help me breathe at the end I'll call her in (that's what we did last time). This time I will not be delivering in the delivery rooms, but the OR incase something happens. I am pretty srue I am going to agree to put in an epidural line (no meds, just the line incase of emergency) b/c I cannot imagine having to be knocked out if something happens to the second baby and they have to do an emergency C (not likely, but more of a possibility w/ twins). I have went round and round w/ this decision and frankly it's a hard one to make, I feel any option has advantages and disadvantages. The last 'double whammy' (vag. followed by c-sec) my Dr. attended he felt could have probably been prevented if the mom had an epidural b/c they could have reached in and got baby out quicker than a C, but the mom came in complete and there was no time and baby #2 was in distress. My OB IS fine w/ my deliverying baby B in any way he presents (breech, ect.) and said it may also be easier to just reach in and pull baby out by his feet if he is in distress after baby A comes out. I hurt just thinking of it! We are HOPING this does not happen and both babies come out just fine. As for who all will be in the room, alot of that is hospital policy, and since we will be in the OR it will be crowded. This is who all is supposed to be there: DH as my support, a nurse for me, an anesth. incase of emergency, OB, one nurse for each baby, possibly more if babies are early or the need of a few extra sets of hands w/ the babies. If babies are really early possibly a ped. It sounds like a zoo to me, and I am TRYING to get it all straightened out in my mind so that I can mentally prepare.

Believe it or not I actually have a really good OB who's not into a ton of interventions. He won't even induce me until 39 weeks (unless some other medical problem presents), and is fine w/ me going the full 40 weeks!