When I had Peanut, I thought that I would get everything I wanted from birth in a hospital. I was dead wrong. I think that it would have gone much differently if I had been able to keep my original doctor - she had a stroke, and probably if I would have chosen a different hospital.
Here are the 432 reasons I will be avoiding a hospital the next time around:
1. I was induced, this is because my doctor convinced me that I needed to be worried about the baby's size, I pushed for 12 minutes, I don't think he was too big at all.
2. My water was artificially broken. I would have really preferred for it to have broken on it's own, but my doctor was going to get the baby out that day before dinner.
3. I got an epidural. I didn't want one, and if I had been allowed to labor in the positions I wanted to, I could have dealt with it.
4. I wasn't allowed to deal with the pain by changing into different positions. The nurses kept trying to put me on my sides and I could not deal with it like that.
5. My doctor mentioned C-Sections every time he came in. He scared me into getting an epidural because he said that I wasn't progressing fast enough so we might have to do a C-Section but that the epidural would allow me to stop fighting the pain so that I would progress faster.
6. Peanut was not placed on my chest immediately after birth,.
7. The nurses would take him without asking me or telling me why. Then when I would ask they would say that they would bring him back in a few minutes and it usually took them at least 30.
8. I was not informed when they circumcised him. I didn't want to see it, but they did it without telling me. Note - please don't start about circumcision, I don't want to hear about it.
9. I was told that I would be discharged right after the doctors cleared us, that was at 9 am. I sat in my room until noon when I asked about it, and then sat for another 2 hours.
10. The nurses were not remotely helpful with feeding Peanut. They would get upset when he only nursed for a few minutes at a time and suggested that we supplement. For some reason the expected my milk to be in right then.
I know that the experience could have been worse, but it was not what I wanted and I don't want to have these issues ever again. The next child I have will ether be had at home or in a birth center. I do not care if my insurance will not cover it, that is fine, I will pay out of pocket.
Guess what else, guys! IT"S FLOG YO BLOG FRIDAY!!! I missed last week, well not again!
So for all of you other boogers, run over to Random Ramblings of a SAHM and follow Lori, then link to your post for the day and follow at least one person on the list. That's all you have to do and it'll hopefully get you a few new followers.
<3 Swt
Oh dear, another blogspot blog that won't let me link to my CURRENT blog (no name/URL option in the drop down list). Apologies for linking to old writings, Sarah. The link here is to my old blogspot ramblings; the last post will link to the new one at forks-in-the-road.com.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wanted to say was it sounds like you were pressured in a number of ways about your birth. I have no children, but I do work in a paramedical field in Australia. If anything, I get the impression that bottle feeding is taboo to many midwives (I know countless women sent on guilt trips for bottle feeding) and the expectant mums have been quite able to move around and labour as for several hours, if that's how things panned out. It's a pity your first experience was driven by someone who seems to have manipulated your feelings, rather than supported you. I hope subsequent births at home are more fulfilling with the support of a good midwife.
Hey Sarah, Ive been following you for ages now and this post was brilliant.
ReplyDeleteIt sucks you had such a negative experience with all the intervention, sometimes I think doctors forget our bodies are made to deal with labour & childbirth.
Anyway, Im hearing you on the circumcision deal, Im over hearing shit being slung towards those who choose to get their sons done.
My son was done. No regrets. I guess some people forget that we raise our children & make decisions on behalf of them until they're 18 years old.
Anyway fantastic blog, you do such a great job.
Hol.
Wow. What a horrid time you had. No wonder you don't want to go back to hospital.
ReplyDeleteI had my first at a hospital, the second at home, by accident because the labor was so quick. If I had a third, I'd definitely go a home birth again.
Thanks for flogging :D
i deff think it was the hospital that your were at that was your issue.... i had so many issues with the hospital my son was born in (every mom does), but what really shocks me is that they just circumcised your son without permission, anything when my son was born had to be signed off on
ReplyDeletebesides that constantly mentioning c-section.... that's just not chill its your choice how you want to labor in a bed or walking around or in a tub.... that's so not chill on the hospitals part
perfect reasons to have your baby at home. I hope the next time is much more enjoyable and peaceful for you :)
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyonr that left an encouraging comment on here. It really means the world to me. And thanks to my new followers. I am 7 away from 50!!
ReplyDeleteA great blog! I too had a crappy time in hospital, though I'd planned a homebirth so having to transfer to the hospital environment was DEFINITELY not part of my plans! My biggest regret was agreeing to completely unnecessary antibiotics for my baby, that meant she was stuck in a crib in another ward away from me for 48 hours. It made bonding difficult and I still grieve for that lost time together. I will definitely be having another go at homebirth next time!
ReplyDelete