Ideal birth scenario

[Erika]

Of course, we all want a healthy baby at the end of the labour. But if you could choose exactly how you give birth (regardless of any pre-existing condition you may have), how would you do it. Assume a very healthy pregnancy and labour.

[giana]

C-section with raq anesthesy + morphin....painless and quick !

[Mary]

Well, hopefully what I have coming up here in the next week or so will be my ideal birth scenario -- home birth in water. I won't know till afterward, though; I have to wait and see if it's as great as I'm expecting to be. My answer may change after I've gone through it. LOL

[Intuition]

The one I was aiming for would have been my ideal scenario: homebirth at the midwives' office. They work out of a beautiful old character house, I would have laboured in the pool and then given birth in whichever room I felt most comfortable in. I would have had my two midwives there with me, who I've grown extremely close to since having James, my husband and my best friend, I would have been able to stay snuggled in as long as I wanted to after birth, and then gone home with no mess to clean up and no hospital stuff to deal with.

[Shasta]

I would like to have a natural, uncomplicated birth, the kind that's 3 pushes and they're out, no tears. I've had friends and family with that kind of birth and I so wish I could have something like that.

[Desirae]

I'd have loved to labor in the tub and then given birth either in the tub or in whatever position I was most comfy in. All natural for me also. I am gonna cry. :( :sigh

[wendygrace]

I too would love an all natural homebirth although Intuition's ideal birth sounds wonderful! That may be nice as well. I did a waterbirth with Danae and it was great. Just seemed "right" but then, I'm an aquarius and water just calls to me.

[Polly]

I want to blink my eyes like in "I Dream of Jeannie and have the baby pop out. :lmao I also want to come home to a perfectly clean house. And have Santa bring me a unicorn! OK-wishful thinking over.

I don't have any ideal birth. I just want a minimal amount of pain. Drugs are good. (Just not as many as last time) I gained a lot of weight with Elizabeth. However, no one knew it was mostly water until the incision when it came spilling out. Why does this make a difference? Well, the morphine they give you during a C-section affects blood/flesh differently than water. And since the doctors base the amount they give you on your weight, more water weight gives a false reading. I had too much. I kept wanting to go to sleep during the C but thought, "Hmm...I'll be really pissed at myself for missing this." DH says I giggled a lot. I also don't remember what I said to people for the next hour or two but I think it was funny. At least I remember thinking it was! Ask Jo. I called her and sounded loopy.

Polly

[Beka]

At the risk of sounding entirely sucky and twee I have had my ideal birth 4 times over, i wanted a hospital birth with active labour and drug free- i got that all 4 times, no stitches, no being restricted to bed, no being tripped out on drugs and just a little gas and air for the really wretched bits. Being able to be up and about immediately after birth, shower and get on with caring for my new baby, only thing i might change is i might chose to have a private/quieter room for post-birth as i've been on a really busy, 10-12 person ward after 2 of my births which has been pretty overwhelming.

[Veronica]

My ideal birth was pretty much what I experienced with Cadence. It was only 3 hours, at the hospital, but relaxed and drug free. Jeff and I shared in the experience more than I was able to with the first. I felt confident and in control. I have such beautiful memories of that time.

[Desirae]

Polly, I got super sleepy with both boys. With Aidan I assumed that it was just because I'd been up for like 48 hours and finally was not in pain. I was super shocked when I got so sleepy with Colin till I looked and saw how much my BP had dropped.

[Heather]

I think that a homebirth would've been really cool. Obviously, with me being such a high risk patient the last 3 times, that wasn't any kind of option. I think a home birth, with just me and dh and a midwife or two would've been nice and intimate. Not the busy hospital rooms all of my kids were born in with tons of extra people that I'd never seen before in my life.

Although.. my last 2 were born just like I'd hoped. FAST! lol and with no drugs for #3 and no drugs til the very very end(when I really didn't need them anymore) with #4, fast is all I could ask for ;). I'd be afraid to have another for fear of delivering in the van.

[Christine]

My last birth was ideal for me. I went in to the hospital in the morning, managed through labor just fine, got my epidural and giggled while I pushed her out.

I never experienced any bad reactions from my epidurals. The only one that gave me any trouble was with Kailyn because she came so quickly after. I was only dulled on one side, which was a strange sensation. But I never felt high or numb. I could walk fine afterward, although I didn't much want to. And I LOVED having nurses to care for her during the night and bring me my baby when it was time to breastfeed.

[Lori]

i wanted a hospital birth with active labour and drug free

That's basically what I would like, too, and what I got with Thomas. I would happily cut down the pushing time by, oh, four hours or so, but other than that, it went better than I'd hoped for.

I love the idea of a homebirth, but I think I'd be too nervous. I like the security of knowing that the resources of the hospital are right there. Actually, though, some sort of birth center would probably be the ideal for me, since it would be a less medical environment but still have the resources.

[Erika]

My ideal birth is a homebirth. I would just love to have the baby at home, as a waterbirth. Then cuddle and climb back into my own bed and be relaxed. And have a shower in my own home. I just don't relax very well in hospitals. Plus the food sucks LOL I'm very pro-natural birth and the only pain relief I want is gas and air.

However, I am not a candidate for homebirth due to blood clotting issues and the fact that Sasha got so sick. It is possible that my next baby will have the same blood issues and platelet issues and even if s/he doesn't, s/he will have to be checked to make sure.

That said, as hospital births go, mine was my ideal. I may have had to put my foot down with the midwife about not speeding it up and not allowing certain procedures, but in the end I had my natural birth, in the position that was most comfortable for me at the time (ironically on my back - we had hoped it would be on all fours and initially I was in that position but back labour killed me and on my back was the easiest position for me to push). I got to feel that incredible feeling of Sasha being born and the utter lightness afterwards. And I got to do my primal screaming LOL (freaked the crap out of some of the other mothers and my midwife but I don't give a toss). The head midwife even congratulated me on going natural. Made me feel all chuffed, though not as much as holding Sasha did :)

[Mary]

Okay, I'm back with my opinion, and it would be: unassisted home birth = NOT my idea of an ideal scenario! LOL

I'm the world's biggest wuss but, right now, at 2 days postpartum, I'm going to have to say that I'm giving the BIG edge to the epidural in the hospital. I wanted to see if the grass was greener on the other side. It wasn't -- not for me, anyway. If (God forbid) I found myself pregnant again there's almost no chance I'd do it unmedicated. But, hey, at least that would be an informed and educated decision, right? I mean, no one could ever accuse me of making unfounded assumptions about how I'd handle an unmedicated birth. I know both sides of the coin now! And perhaps that is my ideal situation, in the end -- that I got to see both sides of it. :) I definitely do NOT regret how Eliza's birth happened. :)

Actually, if we weren't in the Dark Ages of medical care over here I would consider trying unmedicated in the hospital but with nitrous oxide.

[Kristen]

I'd say the four of mine were pretty darn ideal, esp. #2. I had a super hospital with awesome nurses, my dh was there the whole time, the only painkiller I've ever had has been Stadol, and I've had to have almost no intervention, aside from them breaking my water. I've been up walking around and showering shortly after birth.

I LOVED staying in the hospital...it was so so great to have almost nothing to do, and people to wait on me hand and foot. Sometimes I wish I could go back. :giggle

The only thing I might change is that I'd maybe use a midwife who had hospital privileges, but that would have more to do with wanting less rushed prenatal care.

[Danielle]

My ideal birth is a homebirth. I would just love to have the baby at home, as a waterbirth. Then cuddle and climb back into my own bed and be relaxed. And have a shower in my own home. I just don't relax very well in hospitals. Plus the food sucks LOL I'm very pro-natural birth and the only pain relief I want is gas and air.



That's mine 100%!

[Mary]

Oh yes, and I have to say that the midwife was full of baloney when she told me the water would help. Puh-leeze. It didn't help squat! (Pain-wise, I mean.) I guess maybe if I'd gotten in before transition it might've been different but I will tell you that getting in five minutes before she pushed herself out was NO help. It sucked in the water just as much as it would've sucked out of the water.

[Sam]

I had ideal births. Just gas and air and very quick labours.

I was all booked for a homebirth but ended up induced. I have no regrets what so ever.

[Lisa]

Having a natural birth LOL

[YourMom]

Home waterbirth - makes me want to be pregnant and give birth over and over again. Seriously, it was that wonderful!

[Amber]

I think I'd like a birth center birth. Something less prone to intervention than a hospital, but also something where I wouldn't stress myself out about potential complications (since my babies are freakishly large). I would prefer a natural childbirth where I was free to move around. Shower & birthing tub available. DEFINITELY no IV.

[Mary]

Home waterbirth - makes me want to be pregnant and give birth over and over again. Seriously, it was that wonderful!

I sure wish I'd had the same experience! Perhaps, though, my problem was that I had NO freaking idea what was going on with me since my stinking help wasn't here. Perhaps if someone who knew what was going on had been here to tell me what my body was doing I wouldn't have gone into panic mode. I really think that I had the whole fight-or-flight thing going on which I'm sure did NOT help me deal with the pain or the situation in a rational manner.

[YourMom]

oh yeah, my care providers were a big part of why my birth was successful. it would've been another C-section if they hadn't been there :hugs