Talk to me about hospital births!

[JamesMama]

Okay, with James I was woefully undereducated about...well everything. :gloomy:

So this go round, I do not want the Vit K (I'll do oral), I do not want the eye gunk, I do not want the Hep B, I do not want baby taken from the room for any reason, I do not want them to give baby a paci, I do not want them to threaten me with formula (the nurses at the hospital where DS was born claimed he'd lost a whole pound at 1 day old and needed formula because he was loosing too much weight...interesting considering he was born at 7lbs3oz and left the hospital at 6lbs8oz...and I only allowed them to give him 2oz in a cup...oh and he was back up to birth weight 48 hours after discharge and up over a pound by 11 days. :2bfbabe:

Any-hoo, how do I avoid all that after-birth stuff? It was so hectic with James I barely had time to blink before they did all that stuff without even asking me! (the eye gunk, vit k, hep b)...

Anything I should do? It will be in my birthplan but we all know how closely those are folowed. :rolleyes

So any tips? I was thinking of bringing 3x5 cards and writing "NO EYE TREATMENT!" "NO VITAMIN K INJECTION" "NO HEP B VACCINE" "NO BOTTLES NO PACIFIER" with a sharpie and taping them to the warming thing, taping them to my head board and taping them to the door and sticking them in his bassinet, anything else I can do? More than likely it will just be DH and I, we can't afford a Doula...I don't know how 'on the ball' DH will be. My mom is keeping James and DH's family is pretty pro-intervention...I could ask my one friend, but she'll be busy since she's due at the end of July. :help

[sorteep]

The notes everywhere are a great idea, don't forget NO CIRC (if you aren't doing it) use dayglo colored cards too, also, I think NEVER ever EVER letting baby out of site of one or both of you is really the most important thing, and question EVERYTHING they go to do to him/her and have the balls to STOP them, short of a medical emergency any treatment can wait until you have thoroughly discussed it and considered it. I found our hospital very respectful with Evan, not one person ever read our multi page birth plan so I found that only good to organize our thoughts and to make things "legal" incase they violated, the BP was in our file from teh OB so tehy could not claim "we did not know" .. be strong, calm and never argue, just "invoke" religious freedom and smile a lot and get the heck out of htere as soon as poss!
Laura

[scheelimama]

How about not birthing at the hospital? :lol Seriously, that's the best way to avoid it all. I'm really no help because I haven't had a hospital birth and never will unless it's medically necessary.

[Azuluna]

I am pretty much stuck between hospital birth and UC given the legal status of midwifery here. DP is not comfortable with hiring a midwife under the table (what if something happens, will she have O2 and other supplies, etc). This will be the first birth experience for him, and it is important to me that he feel comfortable, too, so that he can better support me. Soooo, I'm thinking I'm going to do one of two things:

1) Go to a highly recommended (yet small) OB/CNM practice across the river in Indiana, and birth at the fairly progressive hospital over there. The doctor herself is pretty crunchy - she doesn't push ultrasound, testing, drugs, etc. I had a sucky hospital birth last time, so this time around I won't hesitate to let the staff know what I want and what I don't. DP and my mom will both be my advocates and I'm going to have copies of a birth plan. The note cards are a GREAT idea, too!

2) See the same doctor mentioned above for all prenatal stuff, but labor at home and possibly just not make it to the hospital. If all was going smoothly, this would be my ideal outcome.

[mama_b]

Have someone there that can advocate for you. I ended up with an epidural, which I wasn't planning on. They ended up taking her away from me to the nursery and since I couldn't walk there wasn't a darn thing I could do about it. Dh was there and knew what I wanted though. He is not quite as outspoken as I am, and didn't tell them they couldn't take her, but he did say that she couldn't go without him. So he went with her and watched her like a hawk. He sat at her side the whole time she was in the nursery and made sure she got no eye goop, no hep b shot, no vitamin k. The only thing he let them do was the heel stick. So basically if your dh knows what you want and one of you is with the baby AT ALL TIMES, you should be okay.

ETA: I'm not in your ddc but I wanted to respond anyway. :)

[JamesMama]

Thanks ladies!

HB isn't an option right now with our financial and living situation, plus I really have no idea where to find a HB midwife here, I think they have an iffy legal status here.

DH is saying he'll be an advocate, but he's not really outspoken and he's very non-confrontational :rolleyes

Def no circ, but I have to sign a form for that and I won't be signing that one. Plus I'm telling my midwife so she will know and won't call the OB/Family doctor that does stuff like that. Seems like circ would be less routine for the nurses than the eye goop and the vit k/hep b injections...kwim?

I might have to find alternative care for James so my mom can be there, she likes to get b*tchy with people LOL

[Momma Aimee]

more tomorrow

a lot more

but in Iowa -- they do not do Hep B at the birth -- it is commonly done at teh 2 month weel baby. By Law, in Iowa, no vax are done at birth (you can REQUEST Hep B in advance, in case of mom being a carrier as a freind is, and did make that request) buttttttt it is no SOP

More tomorrow -- I just did this -- only an hour from you -- in 2005.....

:)

AImee

[Momma Aimee]

ok a few responses based on my hosptial birth in DM in 2005.

1. I was worried about refuseing Hep B -- Ped told me not to worry. By law in Iowa there are no vax till 2 monht well baby check -- unless, as i said before, there is a reason to request one early. but that has to be a special request. there will be NO attempted vax at the birth.

2. As far as refuseingf eye stuff, Vit K and circ -- we refused all three. and no grief. the vit was re-offered due to the forcept birth, and i re-refused and nothing was said again.

Circ is it's own concent form and for us it was in the apmit pack -- what I did -- and this is jsut me -- is put an X across it and wrote REFUSED -- I did this so they wouldn't bring it to me again with "oh you missed this". the admit nusre, fliped though, noted our refusal and went on, no comment either way.

We did sing either one or two forms, refuseing the eye stuff and the vit K. I THINK I was allowed to sign them before the birth, but Scott may have had to sign them after then birth -- that or he had to sign a 2nd Vit K refusal after it was suggested again.

3. the Ped who visited in the hos, 2 nurses and the LC allk suggested "supplmenting" with formual "inbetween" feedings just to get weight on Theo -- born at 5 9 and lost down to 5 before he left the hosptial. I refused at first politley, then less so. I pointed out to the LC and one nurse and the Ped "tereh is no inbtween feeding for a BF baby, it is jsut the next feeding" duhhhhhhhhhhh. Theo left my room / sight ONLY once -- with Scott for his hearing test -- and I may refuse to let the new one do even that.

I was thinking of bringing 3x5 cards and writing "NO EYE TREATMENT!" "NO VITAMIN K INJECTION" "NO HEP B VACCINE" "NO BOTTLES NO PACIFIER" with a sharpie and taping them to the warming thing, taping them to my head board and taping them to the door and sticking them in his bassinet,

I did this -- on room door and bassent-thing............and in birth plan.......really though we didn't have any problmes (one stupid nurse, but hey, i just told her to go away)

Aimee

[JamesMama]

Thanks so much!

My best friend is delievering at the same hospital as me (with the same m/w) and refusing all the same things (well except for circ since her baby is a girl) so I'll just use her LOL...see how it goes for her, how forceful I (and DH) need to be.

Will also most def go get the admit pack this time. I had the nurse asking me 5 million questions about pre-pregnancy weight, current weight, birth date, SSN, etc, etc while I was dealing with contractions. Not fun.

My mom kept saying "Can't you fill this crap out AFTER she has the baby? Not while she's dealing with contractions 4 minutes apart?" and the nurse just said "I'm sorry, it has to be done." hag...

[Momma Aimee]

do ALL the paper work before hand -- but be warned -- they still asked me a lot of questions -- some I kow were on the paperwork -- when i got there......but Scott answered some, Angi answered some.....i did answer some -- but actually -- just me -- i liked talking and thinkin g-- it seemed to help distract from the contractions -- 3 minutes apart at teh time -- otehrwise i just sat there and waited for them, making them worse, cuz they were all i was thinking about........so i was glad to talk to the nurse.........

[Momma Aimee]

one other thought

since you are working with a CNM -- that will help over all too -- i was told by the nurses when i birthed with a cnm that the nurses that want to workw ith the cnms are already very natural birth supportive -- or else they would not work with the CNM (apperantly the nurses at our hos have a little leeway was to assingments -- since each nurse -- L and D -- has one mom and stays with them the whole time ).... also delieverying with a CNM is the biggeest sign you can post that you are seeking a natrual birth -- and that you are not there for an elevtive C-section ... KWIM?

so that will work in your favor too

A

[sarahn4639]

Hi, just lurking over here and wanted to add: don't let anyone take baby from you to assess, check out, do APGARs or any of that. Unless there is a true medical reason there is nothing that needs done that can't be done on your chest. That way when you DO feel ready for baby to be weighed, measured, and given the once over, you are settled and able to pay attention and voice your desires with out worry of it being done out of habit or anything. We had it in our birth plan and mentioned it during all the check-in stuff and kept dd with us for about an hour before she left our arms and there was no problem at all with all our refusals, just a few forms to sign.

Aimee-Is that Hep B vax status up to date? I was thinking I had a client's baby get it, maybe not. Interesting info, thanks!

Renee-If you are interested in a doula, I can find out if there are any doulas training that will do free or greatly reduced doulaing. Just let me know if you'd like me to check on it.

[Momma Aimee]

that is what i was told by our ped in 05 -- when we were preping fpr theo. the 'law' says at 2 months -- we refused it then too. According to our Ped there are no Vax at the hopital. and I did not have to refuse any. I have not asked Dr Amy for new facts on this one, i kinda figured she'd have brought it up if it changed.

T -- playgroup -- had E have the first Hep B at birth (within 12 hours i think) -- but she had to make a speical request of Mercry to have it done.

I TOTALLY second THAT BABY DOES NOT LEVE MY ROOM. Theo left ONCE with Scott to have his blood work done and his hearing test, Scott was physically with him at all times....never out of his sight for even one second, not even blocked by anything..........and that I am hard core about -- I do Not not not trust ANYONE with my child.

If there is a medical emergency -- Scott or someone else named by us will be the child AT ALL TIMES.......

(we jsut had a sad life lesson in this with eh new born, ne day old, taken in TX by a fake nurse -- gotta wonder why the parents let the fake nurse take the baby? but non-the-less a reminder to us all to keep our eyes on our babies all the time)

Aimee

[Motherwolf]

Hey mamas, I just had my son 9 weeks ago, and with my situation I ended up with a CNM in Bardstown at Flaget Hospital. Super nice eartha-birtha nurses. Most of the nurses their even had natural births themselves.
I wanted to go with Beth, cnm across the river, but due to insurance reasons I could not. That is another reason I did not birth at home either time... money for a midwife. However I was able to have two short unmedicated births. The other birth was with a cnm in Boone, NC.
Also, Jamesmama, I am a trained doula and I am willing to talk with you about free services. If you want to email me, we can talk!
nichole:bfs :goorg: :2bfbabe: :fuzdad :hang :dishes :cd: :sunshine :broc: :carrot :dog:

[sarahn4639]

*** -- playgroup -- had *** have the first Hep B at birth (within 12 hours i think) as she (***) is a carrier -- but she had to make a speical request of Mercry to have it done.
wow, amiee, tmi to share!