Quoting JiLLiAN.:" " That said, if you have a low-risk pregnancy and no complications during labor, the American Congress ... [snip!] ... your preference with your practitioner." My doctor said it was fine. & my doctor ranks over some girls on the internet."

I feel similarly. Hospital birth absolutely has it's time and place and when it is truly necessary we are lucky to have these options available. But for the average woman, the average hospital birth is unnecessary and actually puts women and babies at higher risks.

Quoting Masturkate TTC:" Most women's issues with monitors are that they are unreliable. They were introduced to decrease rates ... [snip!] ... descend through the birth canal and subsequently while giving birth. Intermittent monitoring is a much more desirable option."

first... even with a monitor I don't allow my patients to just lay on their back. THey can get up, move around, sit on birthing ball, labor on hands and knees..

2nd... death rates have also gone down...

3rd... she didn't say intermittent monitoring.. she said she refused monitoring.

Quoting snglemama:" first... even with a monitor I don't allow my patients to just lay on their back. THey can get up, ... [snip!] ... 2nd... death rates have also gone down... 3rd... she didn't say intermittent monitoring.. she said she refused monitoring."

i meant, i refuse to wear the one the entire time. hence "i refuse a heart monitor," not "i refuse to let them check my child's heart rate." i just don't want to wear it the entire time. last time i was stuck in bed, on pitocin (didn't know why) and that monitor just kept digging, and digging in. ouch.

Quoting JiLLiAN.:" my first came out not breathing, and i had on a monitor the entire time. i think it was due to pitocin, ... [snip!] ... and my water isn't broken. there's no reason to go to the hospital right away, to be told i'm 3cm and turned away or something."

you actually sound very reasonable...

that is insane... I had a doctor want me to start pit on someone who came in at 7, and had a history of fast labors. that's when as a nurse... get other things I need to get done first..... and by the time we're ready to push... I tell the doc I didn't have time to start the pit...

Quoting Masturkate TTC:" Do you question women as to where they obtain their knowledge? How do you know where they developed ... [snip!] ... want the advice of a person who practices medicine when it pertains to pregnancy and birth and a lot of people feel similarly."

fantastic... deliver at home then and no problem.

L&D is one of the highest liability areas to work in a hospital.. for a reason. It's life and death, and can change with little to no notice. The thought that pregnancy is healthy, normal, and not dangerous simply is not true.

after going through training... even AFTER having 4 kids of my own.. I'm GLAD I'm done. I'd never want to be pregnant with all the knowlege I have of what could go wrong

Quoting snglemama:" you actually sound very reasonable... that is insane... I had a doctor want me to start pit on someone ... [snip!] ... I need to get done first..... and by the time we're ready to push... I tell the doc I didn't have time to start the pit..."

i wish my nurse had told them no. i vaguely remember asking them if i NEEDED it and they said yes. i had no idea i could tell them no. i was extremely clueless for my first, i didn't do any research or know what anything was for.   i just went along with it all. i'm glad i refused the epi though, and would like to again, this time.

Quoting snglemama:" first... even with a monitor I don't allow my patients to just lay on their back. THey can get up, ... [snip!] ... 2nd... death rates have also gone down... 3rd... she didn't say intermittent monitoring.. she said she refused monitoring."

That's good but unless the hospital where you work has different equipment than most, moving around with monitors is not easy. They can be disconnected briefly to use the bathroom etc but they are cumbersome and uncomfortable and freedom of movement just isn't possible. Death rates may have gone down but they are still abysmal. The US has the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality in the industrialized world... it's a terrifying fact considering we have significantly more obstetricians and neonatal specialists. Intermittent monitoring is a nice middle ground but I understand why women wouldn't want monitoring at all.

Quoting JiLLiAN.:" I have one, and have made it clear to my doctor(s) that I want it to be as natural as possible, no meds, ... [snip!] ... natural as possible, no meds, no heart monitor on my stomach, etc. It's not offensive. I wish I had one my first time around."

I'm not against intermittent monitoring. Your post clearly says "no heart monitor on my stomach"

almost every patient I have... I call the doctor and say... "she's xx cm dilated, contractions xx minutes.. how about we have her walk for awhile before getting her admitted"

I'm very anti-interventionalist..

but... if a patient refused all monitoring... (which is what your post implied)... I would NOT be ok with it.

I'm good with monitoring 10-15 minutes (or enough to get a reassuring strip) every hour on a healthy mom with no epidural, no pit.

natural deliveries are my favorites. and.. if you knew me at all even here.. You'd know I often tell moms to labor longer at home.. so they won't be tied down to IV's and monitors.

but... I'm also very pro- TRUST your healthcare providers... as they actually DO want the best for you and your LO. even the ones who don't care... want the best for liability sake

Quoting snglemama:" I'm not against intermittent monitoring. Your post clearly says "no heart monitor on my stomach" almost ... [snip!] ... as they actually DO want the best for you and your LO. even the ones who don't care... want the best for liability sake"

sorry for the misunderstanding. i definitely don't mind them coming in and monitoring and checking him. i just don't want it to be like it was with my first, i was miserable.

how long would you recommend staying at home for? with my first, my contractions were 7 minutes apart right off the bat, and on the way to the hospital they were 4-5 minutes apart. and i had him 5 hours after being admitted, and that was being stuck laying down the whole time. i don't want to be immobile in the hospital this time around, assuming everything is going well and there are no risks or extra precautions i need to take into consideration.

My mom is a midwife, and she said she hates birth plans because if you have your mind set in stone that your birth is going to be a certain way, it won't happen. If you specify that you don't want a c-section, it will happen. I know so many people that this has happened to. It's just a Murphy's law sort of thing, I guess.

For me, my midwife asked me to fill out a birth plan. I didn't really do it. I told my midwife that my plan was to do whatever was necessary to make sure my babies got here safely. Anything I wanted came secondary to safety. I made her aware that I wanted to attempt to do things naturally, but was open to options. I managed to do both deliveries with no pain meds (I did have to be induced.) They almost had to use suction on my son because his heart rate was dangerously low, but I managed to get him out before she could get the suction hooked up. lol

Quoting JiLLiAN.:" sorry for the misunderstanding. i definitely don't mind them coming in and monitoring and checking him. ... [snip!] ... time around, assuming everything is going well and there are no risks or extra precautions i need to take into consideration."

I can't really give recommendation after the first time... because you never know how fast it will happen. Just.. trust your body and go in when you feel you need to. I'm sorry that's not more specific...

how long did you push with your last? don't be afraid to speak up and tell them what you want... just also be willing to listen when they say why they want something else.

like...even if you're stuck.. and not progressing.... a good compromise might be allowing them to monitor... and refusing interventions as long as baby looks ok.

with my first... (before I was a nurse).. I was ADAMANT about no c-section. I was in the hospital for 39 hours in labor.. stuck at a 3.5 for 38 of them. They started pit, stopped pit, my water broke etc... I kept telling them I didnt' care how long I was in labor.. as LONG as baby looked ok... they were not sectioning me for failure to progress. I suddenly went from 3.5 t0 complete, and pushed him out in 15 minutes.

Quoting Vincent&Me (Laura):" My mom is a midwife, and she said she hates birth plans because if you have your mind set in stone that ... [snip!] ... my son because his heart rate was dangerously low, but I managed to get him out before she could get the suction hooked up. lol"

Yeah. I think if you understand the fact that birth plans aren't set in stone and things will more than likely need to change, then they are good to have.

my biggest fear is a c-section. and pooping during delivery. but that's not written on my birth plan hahaha

Quoting snglemama:" I can't really give recommendation after the first time... because you never know how fast it will ... [snip!] ... were not sectioning me for failure to progress. I suddenly went from 3.5 t0 complete, and pushed him out in 15 minutes. "

I pushed 10-15 minutes. & i definitely know now that i can speak up. i definitely don't want a c-section either, i don't know why, but it's one of my worst fears.

Quoting JiLLiAN.:" Yeah. I think if you understand the fact that birth plans aren't set in stone and things will more ... [snip!] ... are good to have. my biggest fear is a c-section. and pooping during delivery. but that's not written on my birth plan hahaha"

I like when patients poop during delivery... I know they're pushing right!

Quoting snglemama:" I like when patients poop during delivery... I know they're pushing right!"

all i had the day i had carson was a bagel, in the hospital they gave me popsicles. so i just think i got lucky and didn't have anything to poop out lol