Questions

Well, thanks for all of your comments on my last post!

**Warning: birth stories ahead.  LONG post ahead! You may want to turn back now!!**

4 Comments! I was so excited.  I felt really popular! 

Thanks for not hating me for my ridiculous labors and deliveries.

In this post,  I decided to answer any question you might have about my labors/deliveries.

How fun!

To start with, I had the same OB/GYN for 19 years.  His office was located just minutes from our house, and for many years he was the most wonderful doctor.

I've had 7 of my children at our local hospital that happens to be just three blocks and across the lake from our house.

When I went into labor with Russell, our first baby, I was 5 weeks early and when I called the doctor's office that morning at around 4:15 after I thought that my water had GUSHED and not merely broken, they told me I had probably just wet the bed and to come in the next day, which was a Monday, for a test that would determine whether I had a bladder/kidney infection or not.  I was pretty sure I had NOT wet the bed.  We decided I'd better go to the hospital.  Once we got there, the nurse on duty checked to see if it was really my water that had broken....yes, yes it was.....then she decided to check me to see if I was dilated......yes, yes I was, to 8.5 centimeters....the doctor wasn't there and when her fingers came away covered with blood, she decided to call him.  I heard her on the other side of the curtain talking to him, snatches of her conversation with words like "8.5", "almost complete", "head right there".....I knew it was serious.  The doctor got there in enough time, basically 20 minutes before he was born at 5:52 AM, an hour after I had gotten to the hospital.  Basically he sat down on his stool and caught our son!

With Samantha (baby #3) and Sofia (baby # 7), I had both of them in the hospital without the doctor present at all.  Samantha delivered herself under the blankets.  Sofia also delivered herself, and the cord was wrapped three times very, very tightly around her neck, so the team of three nurses who delivered her just cut it wherever they could find a spot and blood spurted everywhere, even on the nurses.  She was fine.  I was fine.

By this time in my childbirth scenario, I had been doing lots and lots of research. I noticed things happening at our local hospital that I didn't like.  I wanted to know such things as why they put the ointment in the baby's eyes and why they needed these shots right after their birth.....I wanted to know why the doctors dressed like aliens in preparation for the births......and we started to be looked on as weirdos because we were asking so many questions.

When I was pregnant with Lucie, Dave let it slip at one of our appointments that we had been looking into having her at home....and I became Persona Non Grata overnight.  I went from being one of my doctors favorite patients to a total scum.

He kept that attitude and when I was pregnant with Pennie, he decided, after a few ultrasounds that showed that "there really was only one baby in there" I needed higher risk care due to my past history, so he shared my care with a doctor down the road a bit.   When we found out we were having twins, and then Dave let it slip again that we would probably have them at home simply because I had a hard time making it to the hospital, that sealed his dislike of us and he dropped me like a hot potato.

So, I have had most of my babies at the hospital and have had three babies (Olivia included) at home.

No, I have never had an epidural.  Never.  I delivered Russell without any drugs just because it was so fast.  I had a shot of Demerol with Hannah and, after feeling totally in my right mind, in the middle of a conversation with the doctor and my husband, I began talking about the giraffes I saw in the room, no more Demerol for Mama! I do not remember having any drugs with any of my other babies.  

I did take pain killers afterwards, because as any mom of more than two babies knows, those nursing afterpains are worse than labor!!

Yes, I have cussed as I was pushing several of my babies out.  Those of you who do labor/delivery without drugs sympathize! I have a favorite word, and no, it is not the F Bomb.

I have told my husband on more than one occasion, as he faithfully stood at my side holding my hand, that I couldn't do it and wanted to go home.

After Russell was born, Dave had these bleeding, deep half moon marks on his hand.  I asked him what they were and he told me that I had clawed his hand badly when I was in labor.  Yikes.  When I was in labor with Hannah, he was actually cutting my fingernails!!

My husband never, ever leaves me during labor and delivery.  He divides his time between holding my hand and going down to the foot of the bed to check on Baby's progress. He always laughs joyfully and cries a bit after every single one of our babies comes out.

My husband delivered Lucie and Pennie.  He delivered Pennie with the help of a dear friend who came for the birth, and who was also 7 months pregnant herself at the time.

I almost bled to death after Samantha was born, due to the fact that the placenta refused to detach.  After she was born, I couldn't even sit up or talk without feeling like I was going to pass out.  Doctor did not order a blood transfusion, but at my 6 week check up, he admitted that he should have ordered blood for me.  I was so pale after she was born that I looked dead.  I couldn't hear because my ears were ringing so loudly.  Turning my head caused me to almost throw up.  I had a very bad tear with her also.  It was not very fun healing after she was born, but I did, without a blood transfusion at all.

In answer to any questions that you may have about whether I prefer hospital births over home births, the answer is: I will never, ever give birth in our local hospital ever again, barring any emergencies.  When I was told, at an appointment when I was pregnant with The Twins, that my local hospital would not let me leave without a social worker going over my file and telling me if I could leave or not, that sealed the deal for me.  Home births for me all the way.

That said, I am not stupid or foolish.  If there was any slight problem, I am glad the hospital is there.

I found out that the ointment the nurses put in the newborn's eyes is to kill any sexually transmitted bacteria.  Couples who are in charge of their birth plan and have been monogamous for many, many years ought to be able to opt out of having this stuff put into their babies eyes.  Sheesh, any parents in their right minds ought to be able to opt out!

If fact, you should be able to opt out of anything you want to before and after your baby is born.  Even the PKU heel stick.  Believe me, you do get treated differently if you opt out of anything after your baby is born.

So, I plan on having Baby Boy at home.  I have a midwife who has been delivering babies for over 30 years and is highly respected in our community and the county and beyond.  I also am under the care of a very, very good perinatologist who is okay with having the midwife scenario should everything in this pregnancy continue to go normally.  I really, really like both my midwife and my perinatologist.

These days there's talk about writing up Birth Plans......let me tell you, you can do that for your own peace of mind and as something to keep you occupied during your pregnancy, but once you get to the hospital, it goes out the window, at least in most hospitals it does.  A good hospital and good doctors and nurses will follow your plan to the letter.

I'm looking forward to having Baby Boy at home!!!!!