Yesterday I went to a childbirth education class that was
held at a child birthing center
Before I go on I'll remind everyone that I'm currently
going to school for my RN and am in my OB
rotation right now
me = believe in the science of medicine
At the beginning of the class everyone had to introduce
themselves and say if we had children and if yes, did we use
an epidural during labor
The instructor starts with the 3 of us students first
Do we have kids? yes
Did we have an epidural? absolutely
Within about 15 minutes the vibe of the class was no
pain relief, no hospital
I understand that everyone has their own birth plan,
and I am all for that
However, I don't feel that a person should
deliver their baby in a birthing center with no
doctors and no way to get a baby out immediately if
that becomes necessary
My question to the instructor, how do you monitor the baby?
There's a little thing called decelerations, variables... it's
all medical slang but it's important
Instructors response, use a doppler once an hour
Seriously?
Cause if that was me I would not feel confident in the
safety for baby and myself
In the last 2 weeks I have seen 4 deliveries
I know, only 4
but out of those 4 only 1 had a normal delivery!
One led to an emergency c-section due to infection,
the other 2 babies ended up in NICU
There is no NICU at the birthing center
Also, you get sent home after only 6 hours!
One mother and baby that I took care of had a textbook
pregnancy and delivery
At 24 hours old the baby coded
Thankfully they were in a hospital where adequate care
could be provided and now the baby is still alive
2 weeks later the baby is still in the NICU but
at least he's alive
Now I know that I have readers who are pregnant
This posting is in no way meant to scare you!
There are thousands of deliveries that go perfectly
every day
According to yesterday's instructor, out of 300 births
only 1 had to be transferred to the hospital to deliver
Those are pretty good odds
My point I guess is just to remind people that bad things
do happen
You can't know that it will be you
More than likely everything will be fine
I think that if someone does not want any medical interventions
than that is their choice
However, you can still deliver in a hospital where
immediate interventions can be taken
that would result in saving your child's life and
your own
Contrary to what some believe, if you go to a
hospital to deliver, we (the nurse & doctor) will
not try to persuade you into any pain medication
Every doctor does not have a timeline of when you
will deliver, and if you haven't gone by then you
end up in a section
Silly silly beliefs
We are there as your coaches and support
If you need help we are able to help you
Maybe this posting is because I was so offended by
the class I attended yesterday
If I have offended anyone I apologize
Definitely did not mean to scare anyone
Also! If someone wanted to do a water birth,
hospitals have fabulous birthing suites
to accommodate that
Midwifes also have privileges in hospitals,
as do doulas
Make sure to weigh all of your options!!!
2 comments:
I'm with ya'... no out of hospital birth for me, but I am using a midwife instead of a dr (and will still deliver in a hospital and have 7 doctor's in the practice ready to take over if I need it). I know that most would argue the question of why did those women's deliveries wind up with medical intervention? Many believe in the domino effect, usually pinning pitocin as the kick off then the next intervention then the next until they wind up with a c-section. I think that is the biggest fear is that if they are in the hospital they will get pushed into doing something they didn't want to, which ultimately leaves them forced to choose other interventions they didn't want.
My neighbor across the street did home births with both of her kids. The first one, she was in labor for 24 hours and ended up in the hospital to deliver anyways. The second one was a normal home birth. I feel EXACTLY like you do. Why risk it!?!? I had both of my boys at the hospital with awesome epidurals and my nurses/doctor can attest to the fact that I called both of my deliveries "fun!" =)
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