Did You Want Friends With You While In Labor?

[Polly]

I never had the choice, due to a C-section. Although, with a scheduled C, the hospital offers to broadcast the C on closed circuit TV to a private viewing room for your family. I found this to be kind of creepy. My mom is still ticked I wouldn't do it-she really wanted to watch. (Yes, my mom is missing a few screws.)

What about you? Did you want family or friends with you?

[freebiemom]

No, I didn't want anyone in the room. Except for DH. And I wanted him to be there but to sit far away from me and not make a noise. I got so mad when anyone would come into the room talking. I did not deal with the pain very well and just wanted everyone to leave me alone to labor in peace and quiet! But even after my epidurals, I just wanted DH there.

For my two sections, I only wanted DH there as well. I personally feel that the birth of a child is personal and the joy should be shared between me & DH before others get to join in. And with subsequent births, I wanted my kids there as soon as possible and before anyone else so they were able to share a special moment with their new sibling before others got to meet our new family memeber.

Having a c-section viewed by others via circuit t.v. would have been creepy and something I would have opted out of.

[Beka]

Only person I ever wanted (and ever had) in the delivery room with me all four times was David, when I was pg with Chase my mil and mother had it all planned out who would be with me when David couldn't handle it :rolleyes but he did just great and has done everytime since, we make a good birthing team :giggle

I didn't want anyone else there, to me it's one of the most intimate things you ever experience as a couple and other people would have felt like an invasion.

[Kristi]

I didn't mind. When I had Dylan my parents were there and tim's dad and stepmom. It was actually nice to have them there and I knew they were both excited about their first grandchild.

I really enjoyeed my labor with Caleb when it was just me and DH too though.

Izzy was a scheduled Csection so there was really no need to have anyone there. But I am glad no one came I just wanted to rest after I had her and enjoy some peace from the other two :rofl)

[Kristen]

No! I wanted Steve and Steve alone. I could maybe have put up with having some female members of the family in the room, but the idea of having, say, my father-in-law in the room viewing my hoo-ha is very repulsive to me. LOL I know it's not a sexy sort of view, but still! I'm too modest for that. :o

Not to mention, I really wouldn't want to have to be bothered with worrying about what they'd think about how much I screamed, or why I didn't have an epidural or whatever. My labors aren't the quietest things ever, especially the pushing, and I'd really be quite mortified if any male members of my family were there for that.

[Tamika]

Kristen - I 'hear ya' on not being quiet! LOL I am VERY vocal when I'm in labor - the closer it gets to B-Time (Birth Time) the more animalistic I sound.

I only had Robin, the midwife and a nurse for Kaylyn, for Kieran it was Robin, my midwife and two midwifery students and for Treyce it was my midwife (same one as Kieran) and the backup midwife whom I'd met three times before.

I did not want any friends/family in the room - but if Robin could not have been there for Kaylyn's birth I had my Mum lined up to be there - that would have been fine.

[kcmomma]

I ended up with an emergency c-section. Our hospital only allows one person in the OR with a c-section. DH hadn't arrived at the hospital yet, since he didn't want to be in the delivery room with me and missed Madison's birth arriving at the hospital just after I was returned to my room (recovery was in my room NOT in recovery). My good friend, who was my second labor coach and my mom were with me while I was laboring in my room. Mary Ruth actually watched the c-section through the small window in the OR door (she used to work at the hospital with the little kids who were just identified as Deaf and her DH is in charge of the HVAC for the Women's and Children's hospital part of the hospital). My mom was with me in the OR.

My MIL and FIL weren't into that kind of stuff anyway, and I can't imagine MIL even wanting to be there. My sister is the only other person, than having DH, there that I would have considered, more for the fact that she had just had a baby 2 yrs before that....but she was VERY pregnant and due 12 weeks later anyway.

[Kristen]

Kristen - I 'hear ya' on not being quiet! LOL I am VERY vocal when I'm in labor - the closer it gets to B-Time (Birth Time) the more animalistic I sound.

Yep. :o The labor nurse I had the last time said that pushing without an epidural is usually much noiser that with one, so I felt a little better after I heard that. LOL

I usually have a hoarse voice the next day, mostly from the pushing, but also from the labor.

[stormy]

I would never want anyone but my husband in there for the actual delivery. I just couldn't imagine anyone else seeing me that way. My sister-in-law was there for a little bit. Because I went into labor at work she went and got my stuff from our apartment. She was perfectly fine, but it was annoying me anyway. And that was before the real pain started.

I really wanted my sister there and she did come in for a little bit. She's very calming to me. But I didn't want my mom. She's awesome, but just not in that situation. I didn't want to hurt my mom's feelings so I didn't ask for my sister.

Polly, find that sort of creepy too. I know it's the birth of a baby, but it's also surgery. I don't know that I'd want my relatives (or especially my in-laws) watching my insides on television.

[Mary]

Not only did I not care about having friends there, I honestly could've done without dh. I know that's probably not PC or means there's something wrong with me, but it's the truth. The first two times I had an epidural so I was in no pain and happy as a lark to watch t.v. or read or whatever I was doing. I didn't mind having him there for company but it wasn't like I needed him for support or anything. I pretty much ignored him during the pushing and births.

The third time, of course, was no drugs but I still turned inward and didn't especially want anyone around. I wasn't in that much pain, anyway. I sent him off to do some errands and pick the kids up from school. He got back about an hour-and-a-half before Eliza was born. He asked if I wanted him to fill up the tub then and I told him yes....it was starting to get rough and anything was better than him sitting there staring at me. LOL Don't get me wrong; it was handy to have him there to call 911 and all that, so I did want/need him there at the end to help out. During the labor, though, couldn't have cared less. No insult meant to him or anything. I just had it handled by myself.

[Val]

The only people I wanted there was dh and the doctor. Of course, once it was time I would have given birth in front of the pope if I had to.
I also don't think any of my friends would have been interested in being there LOL

[Erika]

Just James. I am another extremely loud woman in labour (even had my midwife tell me I was scaring the other women :rofl) and I turn inwards completely. To be honest I just want to be left alone and I want to be completely relaxed and not worrying about anyone else or what they might be thinking.

[Shana]

The first time, absolutely not. It was just Mike. My parents were just outside the delivery room and my mom was DYING to come in for the birth but I didn't let her :giggle

When Rachel was born I had softened up somewhat and had my mom been in the freaking country:rolleyes I would have had her there. As it was, I had my best friend at the time, Mike and my sister Marie - who was Rachel's L&D Nurse :D

When Kara was born, it was Mike and my sister Heather.