Kaseyrn2b

3) Nothing in life is without risk. Getting pregnant entails risk. Avoiding pregnancy entails risk. Driving a car and walking across the street entail risk. Like it or not, every medical procedure has risks, and there are NEVER guarantees as to outcomes. The vast majority of the time, things turn out fine. . well said...which is why pts choose epis. Its not that we are all uninformed ignoramuses. I've researched this to death ALL over the net. THere is conflicting 'evidence'. One study pointed out the fact that most epidural studies are based on very small population groups, and there are benefits, like shortening labor in some pts ( this happened to me w/ both my kiddos) Plus, if you're a pt whose had 2 epidurals already w/ no negative outcome ,its harder to justify going 'natural' .I also have to add w/ both my labors is was the nursing staff who pushed pain relief. My docs weren't even there yet... 2) NO ONE is forced to have an epidural. NO ONE. You wanna go without? Go without. There is not an anesthesia provider anywhere that's going to walk in the room and stick a big needle in your back against your will. Get real. this is true, however when you are in a lot of pain and the nurse working w/ you keeps telling you 'If you don't get this now, you won't be able to, and you're gonna need it!!' its hard ( no not impossible) to stick to your natural birth plan! Just my 2 cents, but honestly, I think nurses ( some ) play a role in advocating epi use. Perhaps the rns who visit this board are more consciensious ( sp?) but the attitudes I encounter here are vastly different from what I've seen in the hospitals, or what my natural birthing friends report. Look at it this way. If you are an avg pt, everyone you know has had labors w/ pain meds, that turned out fine and the drs and rns keep telling you its relatively safe, whats the incentive to go natural?

My dd is Sydney, my ds is Jack and my soon to be dd will be named Natalie :) I also like Katharine, Sam, Caroline, Max and Charlie. Jen

I agree. How 'bout the married woman whose spouse cheats on her? Or the woman whose had an STD since high school? No correlation to risky behavior there. I am assuming ALL pts, not just OB get drug tested, if not then this too is very discriminatory. I don't know ,I can understand how heartbreaking it must be to see babies suffer b/c of their drug abusing mothers, but it could get very legally and ethically murky very quickly. How 'bout the woman who doesn't know she's pg until 12 + weeks. If FL is talking about taking babies away from 'enadngering' parents, where do you draw the line? What if Mom has more than 2 cups of coffee/ day? Or a glass of wine? Seems like a slippery slope to me. JMHO. Jen

Thanks again for the advice. Actually, I saw my OB thurs and he said even if my placenta doesn't move at all, its not dangerous enough to warrant scheduling a c/s. He said we'll let you go into labor and only do a c/s if you start bleeding. Sounds fair enough to me :) On a different note, I told him I was a bit apprehensive about post-partum, my ds was a marathon nurser and I had a bit of the blues as I really didn't sleep at all for such along time (my dd was much easier) He grinned a bit sheepishly and said " Well, you know those boys love the boobs from the get go!" had to share Jen

U/s tech said it wasn't previa, just low-lying. I don't completely understand the difference, and I tend not to trust what I read online ( not here, just in general) but, I have my OB app't Thursday, so I'm sure to be picking his brain then :) My OBs are great, they are newly on their own and don't have a million pts so they spend LOTS of time w/ me on questions and whatnot. Plus they treat the nurses they work w/ really well, so you gotta love that! thanks for the input!! Jen

Hmmm very interesting thread. I guess there's no easy answer here. My ds had it done, 3yrs ago now. I was very reluctant, but in the end DH 'won' that argument. DS had anesthesia and pain relief afterwards. I can honestly say if it weren't for the fact that 90% of the boys in my area get it done, I probably would have fought DH harder. Probably sounds strange from someone who had surgery done on their son, but I do hope the occurance continues to decline. ANd , I am very happy to not have to make that decision again, as I am pg w/ a girl.

Visualization doesn't sound weird at all My DH will be there regardless, but if I know I will need a c/s, the grandmothers have already said they'd come before hand to watch my other 2. I am hoping it 'moves' I think maybe they should have waited a bit for this u/s...next one's in 4 weeks. We'll see ! Thanks to everyone for the advice!! Jen

Hope you won't mind me asking this, complete opinion Q. If I end up needing a c-section ( I am 28 weeks, placenta as of today is still low-lying) which I know my drs aren't sure of yet, what would you recommend bringing to the hosp/ having after deliv? I have had 2 uncomplicated vag births and have always been nervous about the prospect of a c/s but, whatever is needed I'll deal w/. However, I like to plan, helps me feel better, so just in case, I was wondering what an exp RN would recommend for his/her pts both in terms of recovery and preparation. For example, are there any great products out there, special pillows etc? Thanks in Advance!! Jen

Hmmm, this is a very intersting disscussion. My thoughts as a mere 2x pt are as follows; I think there are perhaps some uneccessary procedures pushed on pts, I also think unfortunately a lot of anti MD and RN vibes are out there. On my expecting boards there's a lot of 'The drs will make you do this, BE CAREFUL, the nurses will take your baby away etc' Don't you think that contributes to stress esp of a first timer? W/ my first I read all the natural earth mama stuff. I was convinced I was going to squat in the corner and be done with it. My dd was 2 weeks late and my mw said my placenta was 'breaking down', I trusted her, and was induced later that day. It went fine, wasn't what I expected, I had lots of interventions, an epi, but labor lasted only 7 hrs start to finish and I still remember it as the best day of my life ( well, one of them My ds was easier, I mostly labored at home, and was in the hosp only 4 hrs before he made his appearance. Anyway, my point is sometimes, I guess I wonder if we, as pts ,perhaps get too caught up in having the 'perfect birth' .KWIM? Of course, its incredibly important, but in my humble opinion, by no means the most important shaping determinant of a child's relationship w/their parents, future personality etc, as some suggest ( not necc. here, but I'm sure you've heard it) There are some 50+ years to share w/ a child after that. I don't know, guess I am rambling, but it just seems like its getting more and more difficult, from a pts view point, to know who to trust. I have never had a doula b/c it always seemed they were more interested in pushing natural birth instead of really listeing to their pts. That beig said I have also had some OBs who it seemed were more interested in their schedules than my comfort. My MW was great b/c she tried to help me as much as possible w/ my desire for a natural birth, but also had the exp to know when interventions were necessary. Anyway, I think if somehow there was a meeting of the minds, pts would benefit. Hope this makes some sense Just the musings of a pg woman!!! Jen

YES! thank you thank you!!! I have heard RAVES about these from my NICU RN friends. I hope these work w/ her highness We'll see in July!

THis is a little OT, but where CAN just a regular mom like myself find those magic pacifiers? I am absolutely going to try the swaddling thing too. I tried w/ my 2nd, a very coliky ds, but the blankets I had always seemed to be too small ( he was 9 lbs at birth) and he escaped every time. This time I am going to the fabric stores and buying some lightweight stuff that's big enough, but still light enough for the South in mid July btw...w/ my second I was really unsettled at the way my son reacted to some handling. Turns out,though, he had a broken collar bone, which I know heals on its own( he was fine in 3 weeks) His pediatrician didn't discover this until after 3 exams, 48 hrs, and we were just about out the door. This time I am going to be very polite, but ask that the staff humor me until I make sure baby#3 doesn't have same thing. I know its rare, but still... Jen

Right now, I'm thinkin three is enough...but that's just b/c I sit here 26 weeks pg w/ my third w/ an aching back, sore hips and an in the way belly:lol2: Seriously, I agree that what ever you can mentally/financially take care of is fine. I also have much more appreciation for moms who have had to deal w/ rude comments about more than 2!!! hth Jen

I think babies play a big role too. My first, my dd, was so easy to nurse, I thought people were nuts for having all those 'problems'. Enter child #2, my DS. He was just harder, i think he never really did latch on right, even though I bf'ed him for 12 months ( during which time I had mastitis three times ) I went almost entirely to formula around month 4, just b/c i was having so many probs and then back to exclusive BF ( honestly mostly b/c of guilt :) He never seemed to care, just wanted his dinner thankyouverymuch. Just my exp....Hoping #3 is another 'good' nurser!! Jen

Superfly, I totally get this, which is why I said, in my pp I know they are just doing what is necessary! I never thought for one minute it was just to annoy me I am just saying, its silly of any pts to think they'll sleep much in the hospital, just the way it goes, thats all :) Sleep deprivation is just the price you pay for a baby, I figure I'll sleep as long as I want and my house will be clean and quiet when my little ones are grown & gone...then, I'll miss them like crazy! Jen

Mom get Sleep? In a L/D unit? Are you kidding? it wasn't my babies who kept me up in the hospital, it was the nurses ( I know, I know, its their job, not saying they were doing anything wrong, don't flame me) ! I had a nurse coming in every 2 hrs to take vitals, ask how long baby fed, about how many oz did I think she/he was getting? Huh? I was breastfeeding!!! I was exhausted, certainly not watching the clock, and I really have no idea how many oz my breasts hold...still makes me laugh to think of it :)lol!! I am due this July w/ baby #3, I am def. asking for early discharge if possible! I get so much more rest at home These comments are too funny...I can't believe what some people say to you ladies and gents( are there any here?) As for the cursing, I can't relate, I am very quiet and introspective during labor, but I don't think I'd mind someone telling me to tone it down, there are other people around, esp. on that unit, kids visiting new sibs etc. Just some random thoughts from a pt... Jen