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I don’t have any children yet, but as soon as I get healthy and Dr. B says my body is ready I am going to try and get pregnant with my Husband.
My older sister had 2 children in her own home all natural. She only had her mid-wife, and her husband there. She said it was good because it’s more comfortable and after the baby is born they are not taken away to get vaccines or anything else. She just got to bond with her children, and not stress about everyone around her. She didn’t worry about having an IV or being stuck on a hospital bed. She was able to do what she wanted in the privacy of her own home. She told me I should consider it, if she did it anyone can do it. But it really scares me.
I have been concerned because of everything I have read about vaccines, and about medicine being used for the Mother during delivery. I want to be as natural as possible, but also safe & comfortable.
My question is, have any of you delivered your children naturally without medication? If so how did it feel, was it worth it? and... Did any of you refuse to have your children vaccinated? and..... If so, did the Dr.s and nurses give you a hard time about it and try and talk you out of it?
What scares me the most is the pain, I hate dealing with Urethra burning as it is, and if giving birth is anything like that. I don’t think I can handle it. I have had enough pain down there then I can deal with.
I am totally pro natural
I am totally pro natural birth for so many reasons. your sister sounds like a good resource!!
I loved my natural childbirths. It was hard work but I truly loved it. I'd take labor and birth over IC any day!! LOL
My kids are partially vaxed and the baby not at all.
I could write a book about this so if you want to email me- feel free!
deirfinnegan@gmail.com
Great Topic!
Hi! I believe that the bottom line is that you you have to do what feels right for YOU! I have two healthy little girls and I had wonderful child birth experiences with both of them.
It's tough to know what to do... with so many options (thank goodness we have them). I hear you, though, child birth pain is real and until you know how your body handles it... I think it's tough to make a decision.
My oldest is 8 and was 9lbs when she was born. Of my 12 hour delivery I went 7 without an epidural then decided to have one. I also had an epidural with my second. The epidural worked flawlessly for me and I regularly joke that I would have it put in me in the parking lot if we decide to have a third.
I denied the vaccinations (Hep B) in the hospital and it was no problem. I did have my girls vaccinated (I passed on the Varicella and all flu shots, I will pass on Guardasil with my oldest too) BUT what I did do is have my pediatrician order the single dose vaccinations for me.... those are the ones that come without preservatives in them.
What a great goal to have to get you through this journey,
Katie
An alternative to natural
An alternative to natural delivery at home is doula services. I wish I hired one for my last delivery. Doula serves as a natural delivery guide, woman's health advocate, mediator between doctors and you.
My last delivery was in a large hospital. When contractions became pretty painful, I started rolling and moving around the bed. One of the doctors came in and insisted I have epidural because the monitor was not picking up my contractions and baby's heart beat. They prefer to have me sedated, so I wouldn't make too many moves.
Of course, I was unable to make sound decision in pain. My husband proved not to be relied on in that situation ;). We had an agreement that he would be my advocate, but he gave in to doctor's pressure without a second thought. He was extra exited, plus he sees doctors 'orders' as a must. So, there was noone to speak for me. I picture that doula would have been helpful. Not only she would probably minimize pain and avoided epidural, she would be an additional source of emotional support as well as a voice of reason.
Not to scare anyone, but… my last delivery was pretty nerve wracking. I never saw an anesthesiologist. The anesthesiology nurse overdosed on anesthesia and I almost went into cardiac arrest. They declared code red and there were around thirty people in the delivery room. A sweet priest came in to serve last rights.
A probable contributing factor is that the body was weak and unbalanced. I didn’t know my IC was brewing. Please don't be scared. I do not think that experience will be repeated by anyone else. If I had to do it again, I personally would go into delivery strong and faithful , with doula’s help, of course :). I love the idea of non medicated delivery!
My first pregnancy ended in
My first pregnancy ended in acute pre-eclampsia so I had to be induced and was VERY sick so ended up with an epidural. It took me 2 months to really recover from that birth but of course it was still mind blowing!. the second birth - i was so prepared and psyched and it was lovely. I labored at home for a long time and then went to the Birth Center. I was in the jacuzzi listening to a recording of tibetan bowls and then delivered my sweet big (!)son kneeling. There was only one 3-5 minute span that felt scary and then it was pushing time! I felt amazing after that birth and was home within 10 hours in my own comfortable bed surrounded by my family. The 3rd birth was truly magical and I cry when I think about it because I was so happy and healthy-compared to now. I labored at home, my water broke, the car ride stunk and then I was in the tub chilling out with my husband sitting quietly beside me. The midwife checked the baby's heart rate every so often and then less than 2 hrs later I felt like the baby was pushing out and voila! My beautiful girl was born in 5 minutes. She never left my arms the first hour or 2 and started nursing immediately. So so special. Ahh- what an incredible time!
Deirdre
omg
Why did you need an anisthsiologist?! That is sooooo scary! You poor thing!!!!!
I'm assuming it was just for
I'm assuming it was just for the epidural right? Blondy- that is so scary and you're right- a doula would be so helpful. SOme doctors and nurses are very dismissive and downright hostile towrds doulas though. My friend is a nurse in the post-birth dept- (what is that called?) and the stories she tells are horrendous. She won't work in labor and delivery because of ethics. This hospital near us has an over 45% c-section rate.
Well, I would prefer to
Well, I would prefer to have anesthesia administered by a doctor not a nurse. It is a delicate procedure. Plus, I was charged doctor’s anesthesiologist MD fee, so… He came in only after they declared emergency.
Conversely, I was in a smaller local hospital when I was having cystoscopy. Anesthesiologist MD met with me before the procedure and was within reach during entire procedure. She was attending to several patients in the same department, but not running from floor to floor not to be found until there is emergency, which could have been avoided by someone with MD expertise. Interesting thing is that they sent me a huuuge bill and I told them no way I will pay that much for what happened. They made adjustment. I had to write a detailed letter though.
I really can't believe a
I really can't believe a nurse admonistered anesthesia!! That can't be ok!
It is absolutely absurd that
It is absolutely absurd that a nurse would administer anesthesia. My first labor and delivery nurse gave me a great piece of advice... she said that if you request an attending physician to give you the epidural, it LEGALLY has to be honored. I did, the attending came... no problems. But, I think it is ridiculous in this day and age that something so important and possibly lethal.... could be left of untrained personnel.
What a great discussion:)
Oh Wow
Oh Wow! Thanks for all the posts. So many interesting stories. Thank you so much. It sounds like I need to get a Doula, and from what all of you are saying it really makes me want to shoot for a natural birth.
Even though I am not there yet. At least I know what to do when the day happens.
birthing center
Here in NY we have a birthing center thats a wing of the hospital and its all midwives. However, if you want the epidural, you just get wheeled into the regular hospital, but you can still have the midwife. So....its the best of both worlds!
My friend just did this (switching midway to the epidural in the birthing center).
I bet they have something like this in other cities!
That's neat
That's neat that they have that.
I have another question, how do you find a Doula?
I came across this blog
You can start with searching 'doula association' or somethig of that nature online.
I came across this blog
I came across this blog last night. It is a great resource for natural pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Super helpful.
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2011/10/04/the-evolution-of-a-birth-pl...
Anesthesia is a very scary
Anesthesia is a very scary thing. What happened in that situation is horrible, but it can happen whether it was a nurse anesthetist or an anesthesiologist. A nurse anesthetist has a masters degree and now has to have a PhD. It is a nurse that goes to school for three more consecutive years. They are just as experienced as a anesthesiologist. Anesthesia is very risky, especially epidurals. Experience with this procedure is needed and a new grad still needs a lot of supervision. It is important to ask questions and be sure you can trust your health care providers but I promise your bachelor degree nurses will not be doing epidurals.
Portia- you are so right. I
Portia- you are so right. I am surprssed I even wrote anything negative about nurses. In most cases, I would trust a nurse more! I think one of the sad things about birth intervention is that it is considered so commonplace that many people don't even think anything of it. Even a c-section isn't considered a big deal to many peole even though it is major abdominal surgery and carries wiht it all the risks of surgery.
wanted to add- epidurals
wanted to add- epidurals happen all the time safely and are occasionally totally necessary but people need to be fully prepared and aware of risks, benefits, and alternatives. I just talked to a woman who has had Fibro for 11 yrs and she and her drs believe it was sparked after an epidural that knicked her spinal cord causing a spinal headache. After that, the fibro started. There are many different choices in childbirth- it's just that alternatives to the hospital medicated model are not the norm so you need to actively seek it out if that is something you want.
cool
cool, thanks for the link Blondy!