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Re: the business of being born [AndyPants] [ In reply to ]
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I find it interesting that the thought of scheduling a c-section (without needing one) angers so many. I honestly don't know how many women do it, and I don't know ACOG's take on it. Is this within the realm of the standard of care in the US? I personally don't care one way or another as long as the mother is allowed to at least try to have the labor and delivery experience she seeks (with the outcome being a healthy baby, of course).

I had a nurse midwife friend who told me once that many women of higher socio-economic classes in South America choose a scheduled c-section because they don't want to get stretched out "down there." Please don't flame--I'm not the professional so I don't know if this is true or an urban legend--but I thought it was a perspective we don't hear much about in the US.
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Re: the business of being born [byrd] [ In reply to ]
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I'm only the father of two girls (now 9 and 4) who was actively involved with both "processes", so I may have a different perspective.

Giving birth is an athletic event. Seriously. Asking a mother to not eat during labor is nuts; I think it's only to make sure they don't get sued if you throw up something while under anesthesia during a c-section. To this day, my wife won't even consider drinking Boost :-) She was in labor for ~40 hours for the first; I was awake for 46 hours straight. Try holding up a 5'11" wife who is leaning on you while standing during contractions when you haven't slept in 40 hours. She skipped all pain medication as planned, refused the episiotomy (slight tearing ensued). As others have said, starting the drugs can really cascade into unwanted events. We went over everything with the ob/gyn team beforehand so they knew at least what we wanted. The more you know, the better patient you will be.

We did the Bradley thing, had a doula who wasn't much help, had a tub that helped. 7 lb. 13oz healthy girl.

Second one? Went to the hospital at ~4:40pm on a Sunday, Rebecca (9 lb even) born about 5:20pm.

Oh, you gotta trust your ob/gyn. My wife's practice has three ob/gyns; funny thing, the one we really wanted when it was time wasn't on when we had our kids. That guy delivered my friend's twins who each weighed over 7 lbs; the second one was so far back he reached in up to his elbow and pulled the kid out: no c-section for you!

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"Go yell at an M&M"
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Re: the business of being born [byrd] [ In reply to ]
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4 babies...1st was born in a free-standing birth center with a midwife, and the next 3 were born at home with a midwife. My smallest baby was 10 pounds, my largest was 11 pounds, and they were all born with no complications or drugs.
I was in college when my first was born, and a few months before I became pregnant a midwife came to talk to a Women's Studies class I was taking. That was still fresh on my mind when I got pregnant and I researched it a lot and decided it was the way to go for me. I almost decided to have my 4th in the hospital because at that point I REALLY knew what I was getting into and didn't feel like going through all that pain again, but then I found a midwife that I LOVED and decided to stay at home. She came to my house and did all my prenatals there. It was great! She had a doctor that she could send her patients to for ultrasounds and anything that might come up that would risk you out of homebirth (I was a cow when I was pregnant, gaining 50-100 pounds each time so that was something that required a consult with the doctor).

Jessica
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Re: the business of being born [byrd] [ In reply to ]
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My husband and I took the 12-week, $140 Bradley course, but due to unexpected complications I ended up with a C-section. (FTR, I did not have one bit of pain medicine until they were giving me anesthesia for the C-section.)

Taking Bradley classes does not ensure that no complications will happen. However, it will ensure that you've been exposed to people who think you're somehow a failure if you can't deliver your child without intervention.



"Real winners aren't content with yesterday's victories"
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Re: the business of being born [klehner] [ In reply to ]
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You are right, you have to totally trust your OB. I did, and was lucky she was on call for my entire session in hospital, she even did the c-section. If it had been any other OB, I might have tried to push it. AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: the business of being born [AndyPants] [ In reply to ]
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After lurking on ST for over a year, I finally had to register to respond to this thread.

My first birth was a failed induction ending in a c-section.

My second, I did a ton a research, hired a doula, and had an unmedicated hospital VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I still tore badly and required vacuum extraction to get my daughter out.

My third was born at home, with a midwife. No tears. Amazing delivery.

The homebirth was incredible. Seriously, the best experience of my life thus far. The experience of birthing as my body was intended to birth, in the hands of a very experienced midwife whom I totally trusted, made me wish I'd chosen homebirth from the first.

Kristina
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Re: the business of being born [JayGee] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for coming out of lurking to post - wow, I really did not think when I asked for different expereinces that I would have one person that covered such a wide variety of birth experiences. I think you are like the second person I have heard of having a a vaginal birth after an initial c-section. So many of my friends were scheduled for c-sections with their 2nd or 3rd child (after the 1st being a c-section).

So I am curious how you can across such an incredible midwife - did you know her before becoming pregnant with your 3rd child?
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Re: the business of being born [byrd] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
So I am curious how you can across such an incredible midwife - did you know her before becoming pregnant with your 3rd child?
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Re: the business of being born [JayGee] [ In reply to ]
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I'd love to read your answer to this question...but it didn't show up in your post :)
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Re: the business of being born [byrd] [ In reply to ]
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Well crud.....

Anyway, I found my midwife when I was pregnant with my second child. She was recommended to me by a friend who also had a csection, then a hospital vbac, and then a homebirth. She had been at over 2000 births and had two VBACs herself. She was my doula at my first vbac in the hospital and actually was at my house while I labored at home until almost complete, then went to the hospital with me. When I decided to have a homebirth for the third, she was a natural choice.
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Re: the business of being born [byrd] [ In reply to ]
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Another video you might want to research is Born in the USA at http://www.patchworksfilms.net/films/born_usa.html

summary: Three birth caregivers—a obstetrician, a nurse-midwife, and a licensed homebirth midwife—each with a dramatically different idea about what constitutes best care for birthing women.

Haven't seen the entire DVD but the online clip looks interesting.

--gary
Last edited by: gc: Mar 27, 08 14:11
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