How did you Birth?

[shelley4]

just curious.. since many of us have more than 1 child, make it about your most recent birth :D

[eleven]

I had a cesarean.

[ashleep]

nak

HB, MW, WB. :wink

[Mom2baldie]

I had a midwife-attended home waterbirth. :love

[KaliD]

I had a CNM attended vaginal birth, in the hospital, without pain meds (if Stadol doesn't count) and without the benefit of drinking much or eating.

I think that covers it all :D

~Angela

[burke-a-bee]

oopps! I voted for all of my births.
My last birth was a homebirth with a midwife.

[Storm Bride]

A doctor "assisted" c-section in the hospital. (I guess just c-section answers all of those, doesn't it? I think a midwife assisted homebirth c-section is a bit of a stretch.)

[jessanddanny]

Seth was born at 36wks and was induced since my water had been leaking for 2+weeks. I was induced over the course of 2 days. Other than the stupid pit and abx for GBS, there were no other interventions. My midwife didn't even make it. The student midwife walking the halls ran in 2 minutes before Seth came out. Even though it really was an ok birth (very hands-off considering the circumstances), I learned A LOT from that birth as to what I will DEMAND for the birth of this new baby!

[DreamsInDigital]

Hospital birth with a MEDwife, induction, AROM, epidural.

[G&B'sMama]

Except for "no pain medication" My last birth does not fit any of those descriptions. I birthed on the side of the road after a less than two hour labor while DH tried to convince the state patrol I needed to get to my midwife. A volunteer firefighter threatened me with violence for not getting out of my car, and the EMT showed up just in time to catch the baby.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=310801

[stafl]

if I had voted for both of my births, I would have checked every box except the episiotomy.

for my most recent birth, I chose:

I had a Doctor (just for prenatal care and back-up in case my homebirth-away-from-home didn't work out as planned)
I had a Midwife
I birthed at Home
I birthed at a Birth Centre (well, not really, but it was a BC for insurance purposes)
I had no pain medication
I had a vaginal birth
I ate/drank during labour
I had a doula (but she didn't make it to the birth itself)

[Elastagirl]

If I had voted with my first birth, it would've been Dr, pain meds, all the way. I was so much happier with my second birth! Still in the hospital, but with a midwife and NO pain meds...painful, but I LOVED it because of the sense of accomplishment...and the endorphins afterwords! Yippee! :LOL

[EmmalinesMom]

Hospital, Midwife, Doula, No Pain Meds, Ate and Drank. :)

[sarahlynne]

I birthed in a hospital, with a Midwife - never so much as caught sight of an OB, no pain meds, didn't eat at the hospital(didn't want to), but had all the liquids I wanted, did end up with pitocin during 2nd stage, no episiotomy.

[bobandjess99]

I had a CNM attended vaginal birth, in the hospital, without pain meds (if Stadol doesn't count) and without the benefit of drinking much or eating.

I think that covers it all :D

~Angela


Uuumm, why would you say stadol doesn't count? I'm confused. Stadol isn't an Epidural, certainly, but I think IV drugs count as "pain meds", right?? Anyone else, opinions?

[wannabe]

Stadol counts, as does gas

[mrzmeg]

My last birth was midwife-assisted (well, MW didn't make it in time, so labor nurse-assisted), without pain meds or interventions, while drinking water and with a friend acting as doula, in the hospital :love

[USAmma]

I had a Doctor who delivered my babies. He partnered with a midwife in his practice.

I had a Midwife, who was not yet certified to deliver at that hospital. She got certified 2 weeks after the birth. :( She saw me for the latter half of the pregnancy.

I birthed at a Birth Centre attached to a hospital.

I had pain medication, epidural, but nothing else-- no other meds at all.

I had a vaginal birth, very easy delivery, no complications.

I ate/drank during labour-- planned to but didn't feel hungry except for popscicles.

I had a doula, 2 girlfriends, and my dh present during the labor and birth. :) We had a small party!

[thismama]

I had a med-free vaginal birth at the hospital with a midwife and doula... ate and drank, tho not much coz I had no appetite.

[annakiss]

Annakiss with the revolver in the drawing room.

[Belle]

Annakiss with the revolver in the drawing room.:LOL

I had a doctor assisted hospital vaginal birth with no drugs/no pit and I ate and drank during labor.

[annakiss]

Annakiss with the revolver in the drawing room.
oops! I meant at home, through my vagina, with a midwife, no pain medication and ate & drank.

[3daughters]

These stats are great! Where else but at MCD would you see the majority of women giving birth out of hospital and with a midwife :thumb ????

My last birth was at a freestanding birth center with a CNM and zero interventions. I labored in water and ate and drank as I pleased.

No doula, just dh, and the midwife left us along and spent most of the time I was in the tub KNITTING in the living room! She joined us when she sensed that I was in transition but was just a calm presence in the room.

What a great experience.

[wasabi]

just curious.. since many of us have more than 1 child, make it about your most recent birth :D
Whoops didn't read before I voted. I voted to cover all my births which covers quite a few things. For my most recent birth I should have voted I had a midwife attended vaginal birth in a hospital with no pain meds or any other interventions (barring a hep lock and very limited fetal monitoring for the brief time I was at the hospital-mainly labored at home). I had a doula (for the last few hours anyway), no episiotomy and I ate and drank during labor.

I thought Stadol was a narcotic so I would certainly think that it counted though from what I have heard it doesn't do diddly for your pain just makes you feel drunk in between contractions.

[the_lissa]

I had a midwife assisted home birth attempt-hospital transfer, with no interventions. I ate and drank until I got to the hospital more than 24 hours later.

[arimama]

home waterbirth, midwife

[UUMom]

Dang! I answered wrong! All of mine were born at home--but my last was unassisted. Dang!

First- HB Didn't feel hungry or thirsty- midwide kept offerring liquids and kept saying no.

Second-- Same

Third- UC and I didn't eat the whole day. I am never hungry in labor. Drank a lot of water that i didn't really want.

I love to eat right after, however. Whole wheat toast with butter is my absolute fac thing right after birth.

[celestialdreamer]

With my dd I had a doctor attended, vaginal birth in the hospital, which was induced, I had an epidural (which didn't work by the way!), AROM, and an episotomy. Very traumatizing for me since I really wanted a natural birth :irked: Hence the reasons we are planning a homebirth this time (maybe a waterbirth?) with a wonderful midwife and I shouldn't have to deal with any of that crap!

Someone needs to do this poll again after I have my next baby in April! :LOL Then I can answer HB with a midwife and thats it :D

[massagemom]

i used a midwife, in a hospital, used pain meds after 24 hours of labor, delivered vaginally, had a doula and drank/ate during labor.

[DoulaLyndsey]

My most recent birth was attended by a midwife in a birth center, no pain meds, ate and drank during labor, had a doula, but she missed the birth, but my midwife brought along the birth centers doula so I still had one.

[yequanamama]

Ate meatloaf somewhere around 8 cm - and didn't throw up during transition like I did the first time, when I hadn't eaten for hours. Go figure!

[Ruthla]

First birth: midwife, doula, homebirth
second birth: midwife, home birth
third birth: UC (but CNM for prenatal care and post-birth hospital transfer for no good reason.)

I ate and drank normally through all 3 labors, no interventions, very slight tearing that required no stitches for the first 2 births, no tearing at all with ds.

[bri276]

the anti-birthplan birth lol:

midwife, hospital, induced, epidural, sort of arom (water started trickling, it was a high leak so she helped it along), but I did get to drink juice and water. I didn't want to eat but would have if I felt like it (I snuck stuff in, lol)

I'm happy w/ it even though it wasn't what I planned- I felt very in control and made very informed decisions though of course I wish it could have been different- it's over and done with now!

[LoveChild421]

midwife, HB, no interventions, ate an apple, drank a lot of energy drinks

[famousmockngbrd]

Annakiss with the revolver in the drawing room.

Darn, I thought it was the candlestick. :LOL

I had an accidental unassisted birth - the midwife didn't make it in time. At home, obviously, no meds or interventions. My DH was not in any frame of mind to be giving me an episiotomy, har har. ;)

[RubyWild]

cesarean for a breechling that couldn't be turned, couldn't descend, and was basically tethered to the placenta at the fundus. She was 9 pounds. Her first apgar, even with the cesarean, was a 4.

[AngelBee]

Midwife, hospital, no pain meds, ate/drank during delivery (coffee :D ), vaginal

[teachinmaof3]

#1 - Hospital, Dr attended (not mine but the resident on call b/c my Dr didn't get there in time), vaginal birth, epidural for last 10 minutes, no complications, didn't eat/drink

#2 - Hospital, RN attended (my Dr didn't make it...AGAIN), vaginal birth, med-free, no complications, didn't eat/drink

#3 - Home waterbirth, mw attended, no complications, ate/drank some.

[spruce]

Voted for my last birth but I've had four (and one expected soonish).

1. Hospital, idiot dr who lied to me about listening during labor. Ate and drank anyway and pissed him off. He sliced me when I told him not to...episiotomy for a 6 lb baby. Grrrr. No pain meds, walked when I wanted, no IV.

2. DEM, freestanding BC, no drugs, no episiotomy, no interventions whatsoever. One cervical check, which I requested, and that was it. :) Wanted a waterbirth but the heat gave me hives bad enough to make me get out.

3. DEM, freestanding BC, same as #2's birth but he was born w/ a nuchal arm, punching his way out. ;) One cervical check at 9cm (requested by me). Only went to the BC for the water, then couldn't stand it.

4. CNM, homebirth in our hot tub outside, no interventions, one cervical check (again, requested by me...I seem to need some reassurance from an outside source during labor, lol). I birthed him into my own hands, I checked for the cord, I checked his heart tones under the water (w/ an underwater doppler), etc. It was pretty much me birthing my baby and doing all the "stuff" that goes with it, but it was a party as we had company, including friends who stayed for the birth. :) MW gave me pitocin afterwards, which was not necessary, IMHO, but I was woozy enough to say ok. :(

This birth: Hopefully more "unassisted" than the last, w/ DEMs who were at births 2 and 3. They might not make it :). Dh is comfy w/ an unassisted birth this time, but we'll see how I feel in labor. I like these women so I don't mind having another birth*day party with them around. :) Also looking forward to another hot-tub birth under the snow. :D

[busybusymomma]

Midwife
At Home
No pain meds (waterbirth though, ahhhh :thumb)
Ate and drank (but being middle of the night, I wasn't very hungry really)
Doula (a family friend needed one more birth for her certification, she gave great backrubs)

I did have AROM at 9cm, my choice because I had one heck of a strong bag of waters after walking around with a bulging bag of waters for weeks. I wonder now if ds would have been born in the caul otherwise.

[dukeswalker]

Ack! Sorry I voted based on all of my births witch included: Dr., induced,IV, EFM, AROM, pitocin, c-section in hospital; Dr., induced, IV, EFM, epidural, , AROM, episiotomy, VBAC in a hospital and finally no interventions w/ a MW in a hospital

[applejuice]

My fourth and last baby was UC, at home and vaginal...so wonderful and complete.

[loon13]

I have one child.

I birthed in a hospital.

I had no pain medication, no IV.

I ate/drank while in labor. Actually, this was at my house before we left for the hospital. But I still had a good breakfast! :LOL

I had a vaginal birth.

So essentially it was a natural birth in a hospital room. :thumb

ETA: Forgot to put it in the poll but I had a Doctor, too.

[mahogny]

Woops - I didn't read to make it about my most recent birth until after I answered the poll..

First birth:
PROM, with no ctx for 12 hrs, so recieved pit
4 hrs later recieved epidural, DS was born 45 minutes later
Had an OBGYN
no episiotomy, no tears
vacuum extraction
labor was 5 1/2 hours


With my most recent birth:

I labored at home
Arrived at the hospital in transition, (8 cm) DD was born 30 minutes later
no pain medication
I did have a heplock for antibiotics (heart murmur)
I ate and drank during labor (since I labored at home)
Had an OBGYN (but different one than my first birth)
no episiotomy, no tears
labor was 2 1/2 hrs
we had a doula, but since labor was so fast, she didn't make it to the hospital in time!

[Nabbe]

My number one was hospital, epidural, midwife (some doc came in from time to time, but usually here we use only midwifes)

My number two, hospital, epi due to breech, midwife only, and a babynurse who functioned as a doula, and vaginal birth of a huuuge baby boy hehe...

Number three was induced 15 days past duedate, vaginal birth, acupuncture only, in hospital, with 3 midwives and a medical student in the corner crying with my hubby... ;)