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This is sort of a spin off from the birth plan thread. Didn't want to hijack that one.
Some of you seem very set on certain birth plans in regards to definitely wanting a natural birth, or an epi, or whether or not you want a c section. I am just wondering if you could elaborate more on why. First time pregnant and I have no idea what type of birth I want so wondering how the rest of you came to be so clear on your plans. Is it from past pregnancies or just what you think is best?
Also what is the delaying the cord clamping all about? I guess my doc will cover this stuff eventually but I like a variety of opinions from people who have gone through it.
For me, possibly having a VBAC is something I'm still contemplating. I wouldn't be considering a c-section if my first one hadn't been an emergency c-section. I'd probably do an epidural-less water birth. As for the delayed cord blood clamping, I'm not sure how that would work out since I plan on banking my baby's cord blood again.
I've had a medicated and unmedicated birth, and the unmedicated birth was 100% better with virtually no recovery. So I'd like that again.
My first time I went into it not having a specific plan because I didn't know what to expect, so I just ranked what was important to me to my OB so she'd know. For example, my first point was I didn't want a csection if I could avoid one. My second was I wanted to nurse right away, etc.
I feel very strongly about this because of my past birth experiences. C section rates are appalling. A csection is suppose to be there for worst case scenarios NOT what its become being a "normal" thing.. here is a blog that posts the percentage rates by US states and the statistics are scary. Map of Cesarean Delivery Rates by State,*2007 - Blog -
All the contributing factors have a snowball effect for these unnecesareans. Inductions, pitocin, early epidurals, being forced to lay horizontal in a bed, etc. The main reasons for a csection a woman hears during labor are 1. Failure to progress (which is caused by the reasons previously stated) And 2. Babies heartrate is dipping during contractions which is usually caused by pitocin in the first place. Of course there are other times when a csection is a very needed outcome but 30% of all pregnancies definitely do not fall into those special circumstances.
u didnt post to the other thread but for me the only birth plan im going with is just delaying the meds, but if i have to have them.. like with my second where i was already in labor 3 days prior to going to the hospital and by then i was just exhuasted.. then ill take it.. but otherwise i prolong as far as possible if at all.. other than that... baby's have their own plan so whatever we have to do to keep baby healthy is what i do... prolonging the cord clamp i want to try, i havent with my other two.. it's supposed to be very beneficial.. but again that depends on the baby.. if baby needs to be whisked away immediately..then cut it... but if baby seems to be doing fine and is able to hold out in my arms until the placenta delivers then cool..
oh and i also don't allow any vaccines at the hospital (or at all period really), but i do do the vit K shot because i think that's important even though we don't circ (if it happens to be a boy anyways lol).. thats about it.. no real play by play labor and delivery.. i just do whatever im comfortable with doing at the time
i dont at all believe epidurals, pitocen, or any other inductions are the sole factors for delayed labors. i think that's a bunch of hippie bumbo jumbo crap... im a pretty natural person myself, i dont vaccinate, i don't circumsize, i rarely even use tylenol unless it's an absolute need.. but there are MANY other factors that play in delayed labors that have nothing to do with any of those things.. like with my second son for example, as i said.. i was in labor for 3 days before going to the hospital.. i was stuck at 4cm the entire time, (prior to any induction by the way, or epidural).. it was because his hand was above his head not allowing me to dilate because his head is supposed to be against my cervix to help dilate, not his hand... and we didnt find that out until i was already in the hospital for more than 12 hours, he reached up to check how dilated i was.. then all of a sudden felt his hand there and had to literally push it out of the way... many factors, like that one.. come in to play with delayed labors.. im rather tired of hearing inductions, pitocin, and epidurals being the reason why for a delayed labor... besides factors like mine.. usually the reason why for delayed labors is lack of activity.. every one knows to get labor moving you need to get active.. walk around, etc... you can walk around the hospital with inductions.. there are even some inductions you can go home with.. epidurals you can't walk around no.. but epidurals don't stop your contractions either, and contractions are what make you dilate, which makes you progress in labor.. im sorry, i just find it ridiculous to say those are the causes for delayed labors.. scaring people out of getting any medications or to even do an induction.. we might as well not eat or eat very little during pregnancy as to not let our babies to gain any weight during pregnancy either so that they don't happen to get to big to come through our vaginas causing us to need a c section
Like I said, there are other circumstances like yours with the hand at the cervix, that doesn't happen in a majority of cases. And I'm not spouting "hippy" mumbo jumbo or scaring anyone about medications like I said MY preferences come from MY personal experiences. And yes in my last birth the epidural completely stopped my contractions from every 2 minutes to zilch. They pumped me full to max dosage of pitocin to get them back and I went from dilating on my own fast to 4cm to then stalling my labor to 24 hours. If I would have declined the epi it would not have stopped my contrax and then I wouldn't have needed pitocin at all.
But again she was asking about why we stated our birth plans. So if you don't like my reasoning for MY birth plan, then don't read it thank you very much.
i dont mind that being your reason for your birth plan at all... i read your post with you saying failure to progress being caused by inductions, pitocin, and epis... and that there are other circumstances for C SECTIONS.. not other circumstances for delayed labors.. so if you meant it differently like you claimed just now then i apologize but the way you worded it initially you said those are the causes for delayed labors
not to argue.. genuine question here.. but are those even proven that they trigger delayed labors is that all theory.. i dont know how it can be tested to know, or if we only assume so because of a coincidence
It is a fact that inductions and the use of drugs like pitocin increase the risk of having a csection by double. There will always be exceptions to the rule, but in general they do increase the risk for a lot of reasons. That is one reason I wouldn't agree to an induction again until I was 42 weeks or baby was in distress. I knew 3 people who were induced right when I was, and I was the only one of the 4 of us who didn't have to go have a csection, and I am so grateful for that.
ahh okay!!! i know we have always said it.. but not sure if it was ever actually tested! but i do know those are not the sole reasons to delayed labors..
i had an induction with both mine and was fine no problems at all.. though with Van his heart rate was dropping drastically, i was almost rushed in to a c section. but it had nothing to do with the induction or epidural.. he had his cord wrapped around his neck and his HR only dropped during a contraction.. which is common for wrapped cords
i do how ever believe that the doctor i had with my son was c section happy.. he was the same doctor a friend of mine had, who was also induced.. and after only 4 hours was told shes not progressing so she needs to have a c section.. which anyone would say is freaking ridiculous...... it makes me wonder how often doctors like these BLAME the inductions and epis for the cause of delayed labor for the sole reason JUST to do a c section so they can get more $$ and be done sooner instead of having to stick around... there are a lot of doctors like this
i also noticed that in that link of the c section rates.. a lot of those states that have higher c section rates are also states with small populated cities in the middle of no where, where there is usually just a reg hospital that doesnt support any NICUs, and sometimes c sections need to be done to lessen the risks of needing to go into NICUs.. like a large baby for example, have the risk of shoulder dysplasia if birthed naturally.. and if this happens, needs to go into a NICU following there after.. but can be avoided if a c section was preformed instead.. it's all a lot more than just black and white... but giving that there are a lot of nut doctors out there who your ruining their golfing time would rather a c section to get in and out quicker, sadly
i think all newbies to pregnancy, and even those who just didnt know.... so long as baby is doing fine in there via the monitors, and your water hasnt broken yet.. you can sit in labor for how ever long you want to.. you don't need to go straight to do a c section.. like i said so long as baby is fine and water isnt broken yet.. your good to go... and waters don't need to be broken via doctors immediately like some like to do either.. breaking the water does help contractions, its basically the "natural induction".. but if your contracting fine without it being broken then i'd personally prolong it as long as possible.. since there is the risk of infections if it's passed 24hrs since water broke
For me, I would like to go natural again, only because it seemed that my labor/delivery with DS went much smoother and seemed less painful than my labor/delivery with DD where they had to induce with pitocin & I had IV pain meds... I am definitely NOT opposed to pain meds, but would prefer IV meds because I am afraid of getting a needle shoved in my spine- I would also like to never have a c-section because I don't think I am patient enough to deal with the recovery, but obviously if necessary I will have it. Aside from that I'll take it as it comes, because none of my 3 deliveries happened as I planned them.
__________________ Thank you Katie (.:Shortcake:.) for my beautiful siggy!!
I would talk to your dr about delayed cord clamping, mine has never brought it up. I've only heard of it from message boards.
I've been induced w/ all but my 1st labor. My 2cnd I got to a 4 almost 5 dilated and nothing I had an appt that friday and he induced me I was 2 days past my dd, and my labor was pretty quick everything hooked up by 11 and baby was born 3:36. My 3rd I was 2 weeks late no dilation and that took 2 induction attempts. My 5th I also was induced 1 week late (bigger baby and the dr didn't feel comfortable waiting) I had no progress, dialtion nothing, and her labor took forever, from 8 pm 10/22 until she was born 10 pm 10/23. The nurses thought for sure 5th baby I would go quick. My girls seem to give me trouble, lol.
From my experiance my labors were I had made no progress definetly took forever after being induced. The ones where I started dilating or efacing on my own, even the smallest bit went so much quicker , even w/ the pitocin and epi. I have to say though that my 6th child I went from 5 centimeters to 10 in under 10 minutes waiting for my epi so who knows?
I feel very strongly about this because of my past birth experiences. C section rates are appalling. A csection is suppose to be there for worst case scenarios NOT what its become being a "normal" thing.. here is a blog that posts the percentage rates by US states and the statistics are scary. Map of Cesarean Delivery Rates by State,*2007 - Blog -
All the contributing factors have a snowball effect for these unnecesareans. Inductions, pitocin, early epidurals, being forced to lay horizontal in a bed, etc. The main reasons for a csection a woman hears during labor are 1. Failure to progress (which is caused by the reasons previously stated) And 2. Babies heartrate is dipping during contractions which is usually caused by pitocin in the first place. Of course there are other times when a csection is a very needed outcome but 30% of all pregnancies definitely do not fall into those special circumstances.
Exactly! I too had my first daughter with no birth plan and here is how it went: my water broke at 9am. At 11am I arrive at the hospital and for no good reason they start pitocin. It was so excruciating, I begged for the epic. After that I was high as a kite and couldn't feel much when I pushed so I ended up with a major tear down there. This was so painful I could barely move for a week and then developed a uterine infection which I was nearly hospitalized for.
With my son I did some reasearch and carefully wrote my plan. I wanted an intervention free birth...if possible. I was in laborious for 15 hours after my water broke and it was so much better than with the Eli! My hubby and I really bonded during it and when our little guy was born he was so peaceful and I could enjoy every second because I was present and not up in space! I did not let them put that gunk in his eyes and we bonded right away. It was such a great experience I am actually looking forward to laborious more than any other part of pregnancy...and so is dh!
Watch "the business of being born" nonlinear and it will give you lots of clarity. Good luck!
That was supposed to say watch on line...stupid auto correct. I am a little offended by the "hippie mumbo jumbo comment" not because it alligns me with billies but because it underlines the posters ignorance. Numerous studies have been conducted on early unnecessary interventions during birth and their often harmful ramifications. Besides delaying laborious and increasing chances of cesarean there is a lot to be said for moms body knowing inherently how to birth her young and not need a doctor to control the process. We don't even know what long term effects these drugs have on our babies but we do know the incidence of autism has increased at a startling rate...could there be a connection? Idk but I don't plan to experiment with my baby if it isn't a critical situation!
The main thing is to be informed and know how to ask questions and make the best decisions for your situation. Don't just believe your doctor is always doing what is best.
I feel very strongly about this because of my past birth experiences. C section rates are appalling. A csection is suppose to be there for worst case scenarios NOT what its become being a "normal" thing.. here is a blog that posts the percentage rates by US states and the statistics are scary. Map of Cesarean Delivery Rates by State,*2007 - Blog -
All the contributing factors have a snowball effect for these unnecesareans. Inductions, pitocin, early epidurals, being forced to lay horizontal in a bed, etc. The main reasons for a csection a woman hears during labor are 1. Failure to progress (which is caused by the reasons previously stated) And 2. Babies heartrate is dipping during contractions which is usually caused by pitocin in the first place. Of course there are other times when a csection is a very needed outcome but 30% of all pregnancies definitely do not fall into those special circumstances.
I agree with this completely and feel the same way!
Definitely a snowball effect going on in a lot of labors.
I definitely think there are circumstances where there IS a true need for a c-section or other interventions. I am not against intervention at all. I am against unnecessary intervention
I was going to get all into this but I don't feel like it lol. You said it pretty much how I would have said it.
Also, we won't be doing the eye drops because they do not apply to us and he/she won't need em
i dont at all believe epidurals, pitocen, or any other inductions are the sole factors for delayed labors. i think that's a bunch of hippie bumbo jumbo crap...
She actually did mention some of the other reasons. Her sentence was actually "All the contributing factors have a snowball effect for these unnecesareans. Inductions, pitocin, early epidurals, being forced to lay horizontal in a bed, etc." laying in bed being one of the reasons you have listed
There are definitely other reasons for needing to have a c-section or interventions.. but a big big portion of the complications are from interventions. I know that my OB was going to induce me a week before my due date if he didn't come before then. Just say yay we will induce you! Not even my due date yet! And this happens a LOT. When first time mothers usually go beyond their due date.. inducing a not-yet-ready mother doesn't always work .
An epidural actually can stall labor, which makes matters even worse if the baby wasn't ready to come in the first place.
How can my epidural affect labor? Your epidural can cause your labor to slow down and make your contractions weaker. If this happens you may be given the medicine Pitocin to help speed up labor
More interventions= even more interventions, unfortunately
Not always. I agree. But a lot of the time.
Another thing that wasn't brought up.. I don't think so anyway, is that a "long" labor is usually just a normal labor. Sometimes it's normal for women to go into labor for a long time.. but for an OB 24 hours is usually the cut off limit in a lot of the hospitals I have looked at. Then they say it's lasting too long and mom needs a section. Sometimes the delay is from interventions.. but sometimes it's just a normal, typical labor!
And the real sad thing is, when the labor fails to progress, they blame mom, saying "your body just didn't dilate". I see this so often and it's sad because then mom thinks there's something wrong with her body, when really baby wasn't ready yet, or was just taking his/her time etc etc .
I will be having a c-section. I had to have an emergency c-section with my first - here's that story:
I had a GREAT pregnancy. No m/s, was physically active (up at the barn where I board my horse cleaning stalls the day my water broke!), and just generally enjoyed being pregnant.
On April 8th, 2009 my water broke around noon. We were on the way to my hubby's dental appointment, and I knew that labor can take a while, so he still went ahead with the appointment. I walked around the office, walked outside - had tiny contractions, but nothing painful, more like menstrual cramps. Called my doctor - she suggested that I do head to the hospital as my water had broken on its own, and things can progress quickly. So, when hub's appointment was over, we grabbed something to eat, packed a bag (she was a week early, and I hadn't even packed a hospital bag yet! oops!) and went to the hospital. Contractions were continuing, but nothing terrible. I was still very calm.
We got the hospital around 7:00 pm-ish. I was 3 cm dilated. Got checked in, went into the room, kept pacing... By about 4 am my contractions were excruciating. I opted to get an epidural. I was only 6 cm dilated.
By noon on April 9th, I was still only 6 cm dilated, and my doc talked to me about getting a c-section. She said that because my water had broken on its own, and it had been almost 24 hours since that happened, that I may develop an infection in my amniotic fluid - which would require me getting a c-section. I told her I wanted to keep trying, and she said they would monitor me closely.
Well, around 3:45 things went bad - all of a sudden, I had a high fever (about 104.5), I was shaking from the fever, and stress, and the baby's heart rate dropped. Machines started beeping, and they whisked me away, and had to do an emergency c-section. It honestly was the worst, scariest experience of my life. Amber was born at 4:06pm. She was immediately taken to the NICU and given antibiotics, as the infection in my amniotic fluid traveled to her - she was sick, and had a fever. They wouldn't let me hold her until my fever and hers had broken. I finally got to hold her around 3am - almost 12 hours after she was born.
Luckily, we were both ok. I recovered very quickly from my c-section, and my daughter was able to go home when I did.
My doctor, whom I trust completely, discussed the pros and cons of a repeat c-section vs. a VBAC. I feel, weighing the pros and cons, risks vs rewards, a c-section is the (safest) way for us to go.
But thats just me Everyone has their opinions and experiences that will influence their birth plans - This works best for my family.
I too will be getting repeat c-section due to an emergency section the first time.
I was 41 weeks, DS was measuring 9lbs on the ultrasound with a margin of error of 1lb either way. I was 0% thinned and my body was showing no signs of starting anything on it's own. My OB said if we didn't do something to start labor then he would be too large by the next week to have him without a section. So I was put in the hospital at 6pm and given the cervidil string to start the thinning process. I went thru 2 rounds of that with no thinning whatsoever. They then inserted this little pill behind my cervix again to start the thinning. That seemed to work because by 9am my water had broken on it's own, and I went into immediate hard labor. I was never given piticon or anything to speed the actual labor process. I had an epi around 1pm because my contractions were 1min apart and lasted for 1min each time. That was how they had started also. I went from nothing to that as soon as my water broke. All I was hooked up to was the IV saline. At 8pm they checked me and my contractions were the same as before, and I was dilated to 8cm. They checked at 9pm and there was no progress, at 10pm with still no progress they decided to go ahead with the section since my water had broken so long before and I had virtually stopped progressing even though I was still strongly contracting. It took till 11pm to get me into the OR and I still was at 8cm. DS was born at 11:45pm and taken straight to the NICU because he had swallowed and breathed in too much IV fluids that I was on since my water broke. He was not breathing right and grunting with all that in his body. He was kept in NICU till 10pm the next night and had to have 3 chest xrays in that time to make sure his lungs were clearing. I only got to see him from my hospital bed for a min when they wheeled me in on my way to my room after recovery, and I didn't get to see him again or hold him until 6pm the next night since they wouldn't let him leave NICU, and they wouldn't let me get up for so long after coming off the catheter, and IV pain meds.
If I had started with the section things would have been completely different and I would have had my baby with me the first night. I didn't even get to breast feed for the first 24hrs. I had to pump and let them feed him in NICU. This time I will go straight for the section so I won't have any worries about the baby swallowing/ breathing IV fluids and being put in NICU.
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