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Saturday, July 24, 2010

where will YOU give birth?

First: please, take my poll ---->

Second: where have you given birth to the children you have now? (If you have any)

Third: will where you give birth to any future children?

Fourth: why?



I'm going to write a post later with my reason for having a homebirth and I'm going to write a response to the poll results.

For now, your help and answers are much appreciated!

16 comments:

  1. 1) Took the poll
    2) I gave birth in a hospital
    3) I doubt I'll have any more biological children but if I do, it will also be in a hospital.
    4) My idea birth would be a water birth in a birthing center, but I'm high risk due to cardiac issues, so a hospital is where I have to be, with a maternal fetal medicine specialist (high risk OB).

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  2. 1) poll done
    2) I have one child born at home with midwives
    3) Home
    4) Birth is a natural process, I feel confident that my body knows what to do and how to do it, so for me giving birth at home is perfect, away from the medical interventions that could have changed my plans for a natural unmedicated birth. I have never been in the hospital, except when I was born, and saw no reason to give birth in the hospital. If/When we have another baby, our plans are to birth at home again under the care of our wonderful and caring midwives.

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  3. 1. Yes, ma'am!
    2. Liam was born in a hospital, Donovan and Rosie were successful planned unassisted home births.
    3. While we aren't planning to have more children, if we did, we would have another unassisted home birth (unless we were having multiples, in which case, we'd have a home birth assisted by my midwife-in-training friend Mandi)
    4. Read these: http://mcfamilies.com/donovan-birthstory.html
    http://mcfamilies.com/rosaline-birthstory.html
    Would you go back to the hospital after that? ;)

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  4. Morgan - I LOVE your birth stories. They make me grin from ear-to-ear. If it weren't for you, I might still be the girl skeptical of freebirthing. I don't 'fear' it now. Even if we had a situation where the midwife couldn't make it for some reason, I know I'd be calm because my body will lead me.

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  5. First child was a birth center transfer to a hospital (c-section). Second child was a HBAC. All future children will be HBACs.

    First child, I wanted a HB, DH wanted a hospital. Compromised with a FSBC. Second child, I told DH I was having baby at home because my best chances of VBAC were at home and after our hospital experience, he also thought it was the best decision.

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  6. 1) done
    2) my first was born in hospital with an ob (no midwives around, wasn't sure about how labour would go); my second was born in hospital when midwives were obligated by law to transfer my care to an ob a couple of days before due date and that meant I was "too late". (I had planned to not call them); my third was born unassisted at home.
    3) any future children would also be unassisted though a nice big birthing tub would be nice.
    4) I have no risk factors, I birth well and don't feel the need for unnecessary interferences. Home is comfortable and safe for me.
    Hope this helps!

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  7. 1. Took poll.
    2. Baby #1 unmedicated birth in hospital
    Baby #2 home waterbirth w/ midwives
    Baby #3 home waterbirth w/ midwives
    (Baby lost in between--missed miscarriage, D&C. In retrospect would have preferred to wait for natural delivery.)
    Baby #4 accidental unattended home waterbirth, with midwife on her way.

    3. Would have any future children at home with midwives (barring complications).

    4. Based on all my research and local circumstances (ghastly local hospitals), I feel that a planned homebirth with midwives is safest for me.

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  8. 1. Poll taken
    2. First baby born at a hospital w/OB, not mine since she forgot to mention her pending vacation, when I saw her 2 days b4 my water broke, 1 wk b4 my due date. Had pitocin, stadol & epidural but still managed a vaginal delivery even though I was forced to stay in bed. Second baby born at hospital w/midwives, even though I was high risk bc of IUGR. It was PERFECT. 3 hours of labor, only 45 minutes was at the hospital. No meds, no tear, perfect, beautiful, calm, peaceful birth!

    3. Any future babies would be born w/my midwives at the hospital unless it becomes legal in NE for CNM's to attend homebirths bc I'm very attached to my midwives from the hospital. I'd love a waterbirth though!

    4. I love the 3 midwives (&perinatologist) I saw w/my 2nd child. I can't imagine anyone else delivering me! We formed a special bond during my pregnancy bc it was a very difficult time for me & they were beyond supportive. If they could deliver me at home I would like that but its illegal in NE for CNMs to deliver outside of a hospital. I'm part of a group working to change this w/new legislation though. Maybe by the time I have another in a couple years! Having a birth center would be nice too!

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  9. I gave birth to Joshua at Yale New Haven Hospital, with a very progressive and supportive OB. I plan to do the same for all my future children because it was a very positive experience. I felt I was well-prepared to labor naturally and I did for 36 hrs, staying at home for the most part, using Bradley positions, water, a rocking chair, a birthing ball, and impromptu lamaze breathing thanks to my mom and MIL's coaching. I finally opted for an epidural because I was afraid that I'd be too tired to push if I didn't get some rest, and I felt confident that I did everything in my power to stay natural before making that decision. I still think if it hadn't taken me 40 hours to dilate, I could have gone natural. I got some rest and then we let the epidural wear off, I felt the urge to push and pushed out my 9lb 8oz baby in an hour. My OB was very patient and supportive, letting me make decisions on my own because she knew I was educated. She never worried me about Josh's size, we thought he'd be big but she said "You have an awesomely wide pelvis!" She was so easy-going and even made Josh's hair into a mohawk before his head was totally out. Nobody ever pressured me or made me worry that labor was taking too long, and nobody ever acted like it was an emergency. The L&D nurses were awesome, too, so supportive and helpful, getting me drinks (and taking care of my husband and our moms, too). I had such a positive experience, I'm planning to stay with my OB and have all my future children at Yale, too. I plan to take a Lamaze class next time, since I did find the breathing helpful, and I really hope my labor is shorter and I'll be able to skip the epidural!

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  10. Oh, forgot to add that Yale is actively working to reduce C-sections and has an episiotomy rate of 5%. (C-section rate is still high, in part to high-risk births all going there). They also teach VBAC classes and encourage it. Also, they were constructing a L&D room with a birthing pool when I was there, and I really hope to have a hospital water birth next time. (And no, they didn't pay me to say anything, haha. My experience was really that good.)

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  11. Took the poll! I am single and childless, but am a homebirth midwife. I can't imagine voluntarily giving birth anywhere but my own home, with my husband by my side, midwives I love and trust, and the freedom to cocoon in my little nest, birthing the way my body instinctively chooses. As a low-risk woman, I choose the safety of homebirth over hospital birth. I choose to make decisions for myself, to have charge of my body and my birth. I choose to have my baby in my arms as soon as it slips from my womb, welcomed with smiles and love and gentle treatment.

    I recently had one of my heart "episodes" (not really heart problems, but that's a long story) while I was at my church. I know that I need to just rest and it will go away and I'll get my strenth back. A dear friend who I was midwife for stayed by my head, a loving protector/guardian, while a retired nurse took my blood pressure multiple times, spoke VERY loudly, pestered me with decisions, tried to guilt me into going to the hospital, twisted my words around to try to get an ambulance called, and mocked my choice of healthy eating and natural healing methods vs. allopathic medicince. I managed to speak up and say, "NO. It's my body, my decision, my responsibility." It only clarified my instincts as a midwife, and as a future birthing mother. I'm staying home!!

    Midwife in WV

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  12. 1. Took poll
    2. If I were to get pregnant I would have a homebirth with midwife and doula
    3. Had my son at home with a CNM and another midwife and a doula.
    4. Not planning on any other pregnancies. I am 42. We decided after I had a m/c after DS was born that we didn't want any other children. I had pretty bad PPD, which probably affects the decision as well. DH had vasectomy after that.

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  13. 1. Done

    2. My son was birthed naturally in hospital under midwifery care. The quick version of his birth story: Full dilation at home with only my husband for support, arrived at hospital, pushed him out in 30 min, went home 3 hrs later.

    3. Future babes will be born at home with midwives.

    4. After last time, I now have enough faith in myself to birth at home. I was on the fence with my first pregnancy, but my husband wanted the "safety" of the hospital and I allowed that to sway me. Next time I'll be able to sway him!

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  14. 1) Done.

    2) Birthing Center with a CNM for labor and birth, and then Hospital Postpartum/Pediatric unit post-birth. Quick version - LMP EDD February, ultrasound EDD January. Contractions measured from 22/26 weeks on. Went to hospital at 33/37 weeks. Morphine stopped contractions. Went to birthing center at 34/38 weeks, one bullet of Cervidil, no pain medication/Pitocin/epidural. Persistent posterior, 4hr and 28m from Cervidil placement to birth of 6lb baby in preemie diapers/clothes. CNM revised EDD upon seeing him and said I should watch out for future premature labor.

    3) Future children will be born at home. I'll prepare for an unassisted, but will be mindful of my health and status of baby - that comes first. Currently reside <5 minutes away from hospital with L&D unit and NICU. Grandmother has worked in L&D for 52 years - my son is the first child in the family she didn't deliver.

    4) I was 19, was scared, and didn't know what I was doing. Since becoming a parent, I've educated myself. The choices I made for my first birth were due to rebellion and being told, "Oh, no, you're going to get an epidural! You won't be able to take the pain!" I grit my teeth and got through it just so I could prove them wrong. Next birth, I'll be doing things for different reasons, and I'll actually have a birth I love.

    Now, if I could only find a husband... ;)

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  15. 1) check
    2) 1st baby was a beautiful, perfect, empowering homebirth with a midwife, 2nd baby was in a hospital with our family practitioner/OB because there were no midwives where we lived
    3) next baby will be born at home, I'm certain
    4) because, even though the hospital birth didn't end in any kind of trauma or even deviation from my birth plan, it was the most irritating place I could have possibly been. Everyone was standing around waiting for something to go wrong, nurses were griping at me for my refusals, and I felt hostility for being one of "those" types of patients. Birth is safe, and midwives are a lovely help.

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  16. I'm in the 12% category (at present).

    A simple birth at home.

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