Tammy's Recipes

Felt myself get worked up reading that and so thankful that i've been able to birth my last 3 (including twins) at home with wonderful midwives.

That's one of my fav blogs. I had a hospital birth with my first and NEVER again! It was that bad. I was blessed to learn better after that birth and my 2nd was a home waterbirth and it was fabulous! Being able to listen to my body and push when my BODY (not a doc) was telling me to was so empowering. I'm actually looking forward to birth next time (assuming we're blessed with another little one!)

Oh, wow...my midwife with Malachi attended hospital births as well as home births and once her apprentice was discussing with us how scary it was that the attending doctors always directed them to "grab and pull" when the head emerged. Scary because, like this story illustrates, a baby needs to rotate those shoulders and it was really counterintuitive for a natural-minded midwife to grab and pull! Not to mention counterproductive. My midwife said in the hospital she'd always find a way to delay it...by going, "Whoops, let me get my gloves on properly." or whatever and give that baby a chance to align itself properly. Funny and nice that some midwives found their way around doctor's instructions...but sad that they had to make excuses instead of doing what makes sense!!

Ruth

Thank you for sharing that link! With our daughter, we had a hospital birth ... and didn't like the experience at all (though nothing like what happened in that post happened to us). I'm not wanting to repeat that experience (or have it be worse) with baby #2 (due in Sept.).

Brandy
http://emergentmindedchristfollowers.com/brandy

My kids were born 20 and 17 years ago both in hospital. I can identify with that scary story with my first birth. Even though I went to birthing classes nothing can prepare you for it. I think its a learning experience. My second was much better just because I knew what to expect and felt prepared.My niece last year had a baby that had to be delivered right at the last stages of labor because his heart monitor showed him in distress, as it turned out the cord got wrapped around his neck and face. that also happened to someone else who had children around the time that mine were born. I like the idea that the medical facilities be there if needed. birth is amazing but still dangerous today whether you are in a hospital or not.I think theydont call it labor for nothing! its the hardest thing youll ever do. I remember saying I would never be afraid to die after that!I think people who try to pass it off as nothing much are not being for real. Im not perfect but Im real enough to tell the truth

I enjoyed wonderful care there. My midwife and my husband were there to 'coach' me through labor - the doctor only came in at the last minute to catch my kids! I was never forced to lie on my back. I was allowed to deliver in a way that was most 'comfortable' for me - even though my choice of position made it awkward for the doctor to catch the baby. And isn't that the way it should be? It seems that in US hospitals - the doctors choose what is most convenient for them and the laboring mother is forced to conform.

I am shocked to hear the stories of women who give birth in US hospitals. It makes me so thankful that God took us to Thailand for that time of our lives. After reading a story like this one - I'd be afraid to set foot in the labor and delivery unit of a US hospital!!!

I read the story you linked to. It made me feel ill. I DO NOT WANT a hospital birth, and I hate all the ignorance I'm going to have to fight when it comes time for us to have children. My nurse-practitioner said, "But what if the baby needs oxygen after it is born?" and I had to tell her that midwives (here in TN, where midwifery is legal) can carry oxygen. Ignorance everywhere. Argh.

I have to agree with the woman in Thailand. The thought of giving birth in America is very scarey. I have given birth to my 1st child in Hungary and my 2nd in Germany. Both in hospitals. Both were very good experiences and without medication. I was pretty much left alone to labor as I wished and was checked on occaisonally.

We would like to return to the States for a few years and I thought it would be "fun" to have 3 babies in 3 diff. countries but these stories always make me think twice about that. Maybe I'll stick with birthing in Europe(or Thailand)! Debra P.

Ok, I have had 5 hospital births and praise God none were like that! First 3 were with a doctor and she was wonderful. She knew I wanted everything natural with no medication and we did. No pulling baby out... Last two were with midwives and again all natural. I have really liked midwife care and will be using them if we are blessed with another baby. :) We are in Canada and the hospitals we used were the small local ones. Our birth experiences were almost like giving birth at home, the rooms are very homelike and cozy. It makes me sad to read others having such awful experiences when it was totally unnecessary. ~Tanya

I would like to see someone in the medical profession give thier opinion here. there must be someone out there?I appreciate the hospitals. I guess anyone would if you ever really needed one.

Our children have been born with midwives in a hospital setting. Sometimes we have to wrestle with the nurses who tend to resist allowing me use different positions, and walk around rather than being constantly hooked up to the fetal monitor... but since the midwife is in charge, they are sort of forced to let me go. :) All of our births have been natural (no medications, no pulling the baby out)and they have never given us a hard time about that. I am so glad we have been able to birth with them. It has been too dangerous for us to birth at home because I bleed a lot after birth (my uterus does not want to contract back after the baby is born, so the blood just keeps flowing). Otherwise, I would much rather give birth at home. As it is, we leave as quickly as possible, since hospitals are so depressing to me!

Another problem I often run into in dealing with hospitals is that there are almost always male doctors or nurses on board. While I do not doubt their competency in the slightest, I just absolutely do not believe any male besides my husband should be involved in my personal care, and certainly not in the room while I give birth. Now THAT is something they give us a hassle about.

Thank you Tammy for giving us the link to Mary's blog. I wrote to her with some questions; I hope she doesn't mind. :)

She is a great writer! I am also a doula, and it is hard to see the way some of the medical practices are going in the hospital. There was a book recently published about how many women's rights are being violated, taken away and basically trampled simply because of lawsuits. It is called Pushed by Jennifer Block.
I have volunteered on a ambulance crew and am a doula, my sister is a nurse, my mom is a midwife. I appreciate the medical community, but because of the many, many lawsuits our medical care is not the best. There are some great hospital births, I have seen some. The last birth I was at, was great! Yes, there were some interventions, but it was a great birth. She had a wonderful doctor who knows what he is doing and I really liked working with him. Now, there is another doctor I worked with her locally, who threatened the mom with "Your baby could die if you do not let us do such and such" which is against the law, when the baby was born, they were dressed in gowns, masks etc. the baby was whisked off to lay on the other side of room alone, screaming and not put on the mothers chest right away "He has to warm up!!" and on and on. I would never recommend this doctor. She was aloof, unavailable and wanted things to move along fast and not what was best for mom and baby.
There is a time and a place for hospitals, medical intervention and there is a time and place it is not needed.

It seems so unnecessary for that couple to have gone through all that stress! How frightened and helpless they must have felt!

I have known for a long time now that I do not want to have my children in a hospital, and this story just solidifies my resolve. I know some hospitals are good and they'll follow your birthplan, but you can't guarantee that and I don't want to risk it unless it's absolutely medically necessary.

-Beulah

I gave birth to my first and only child (so far) in a hospital, and I'm glad I did. After a few hours of being in labor, I was at 7 cm and fully effaced, and then my daughter's heart rate starting dropping. I was given oxygen and moved around to try to get her to relax, but every time I had a contraction, her heart rate would drop. A couple of times, it dropped so low that my heart rate was actually higher than hers. After quite a legnth of time of trying to improve the situation, my doctor and I decided that it was best to get the baby out by c-section so as not to prolong her distress. After the c-section, they remarked that my pelvic bones are shaped in such a way that I may not have been able to deliver her vaginally even if we had not had the other problems and I had continued to progress through labor. I have a friend who actually had to have a c-section solely for the reason that her pelvis did not allow her to deliver vaginally, and she labored for hours trying to do so. I would have hated to have been at home trying to give birth with problems I had.

I fully support that it is a woman's right to choose where and how she gives birth, and it is a shame that medical professions are scared by lawsuits into doing things that ultimately aren't natural when there is nothing otherwise preventing the course of natural events. But, I'm really thankful I was in a hospital, and my birth experience (c-section included) was amazing. My doctor and all of the nurses were such a blessing. They kept me extremely informed and calm, and I never felt as though I was not in control of what was taking place. The pediatrician in the OR even held my hand (my husband was still scrubbing up and didn't make it in time) and kept me calm while they were getting my daughter out.