Wednesday, April 6

I Left The Hospital During Labor To Deliver At Home: Janelle's Birth Story

"I wanted to run away. I did not want to be at the hospital anymore. I had the strongest urge to 
get the hell out of there! My maternal instincts had kicked in."
{Lochlan & I}

With the anticipation of having my first child I decided, I wanted to be as informed as any parent could leading up to the labor and delivery process. I watched video after video on youtube of Mother’s giving birth in the hospital, at home, in water, on a bed, the floor, using medication, not using medication. I watched documentaries like “The Business of Being Born” and “Water Baby: Experiences of Waterbirth” just to name a few. I read so many books. The typical What to Expect When You’re Expecting (which I hated – made me terrified of being pregnant and having a baby). I loved everything by Dr. Sears, The Birth Book, The Baby Book, The Breastfeeding Book, Attachment Parenting. I read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding, but the book that helped me the most and radiated through my core was Birthing From Within by Pam England & Rob Horowitz. The books main emphasis is on women’s intuitive and natural ability to give birth. Women need to trust in their bodies and in essence “get out of the way” and let their body do the work. I believed this to be true and for me I was right.

I come from a long line of natural birthing women and decided I felt most comfortable delivering my son at the hospital. Although I knew it would be more of a challenge to go natural. I felt in case anything did happen we would be in good hands. I had a healthy pregnancy. I was 25, in good shape and ready to be a Mom. My son progressed and was developing, as he should. My due date was March 25th and on March 19th we went in for our final visit with my OB/GYN Dr. Harter who I had transferred to only 2 months before after finding out that my OB at the time would not allow me to do a water birth at the hospital. Dr. Harter did his usual exam and said that the baby looked good. Our son was head down and in the proper position. Now it was just of matter of waiting for him to come out.

On March 20th around 10:30pm I had a contraction. Having had multiple contractions in the previous weeks I did not think much about it. However, when it came I said to my body,
“Please keep it coming. I am ready.” I had prayed several times that day that my son would be born on March 21st, which is a special day because my little sister Emma was born on that day.
My partner David came home around 1:30am from work and I told him I had been having contractions. He said, “What can we do to keep them coming? I’m ready for our son to be here!” I asked him to do some reflexology on my feet, which he did for a little under an hour. At 2:00am I had another contraction that was stronger than the previous ones. I think it worked!

I decided to call my Doula Naomi O’ Callaghan to let her know I was having contractions about every twenty minutes. She told me to take a shower and try to get some sleep because if it were time for him to come I would need as much energy as I could get. I got off the phone with her and immediately had an intense contraction.

I could NOT sleep. I tried but I was so excited and the contractions kept coming every 10 minutes, then every 7 minutes and then they got down to every 5 minutes. I had David call Naomi to let her know the situation. Naomi decided it was a good time to come over. She showed up at the house around 7:30am with her assistance Sheree. They came into our room and I immediately felt more relaxed and excited knowing my son was on his way. The contractions kept coming on stronger and stronger and the best way for me to relax through them was on my hands and knees spiraling my hips or standing up with Naomi doing hip compression (these made the pain decrease by about 70%). After each contraction I allowed myself to relax and enjoy my down time. I thought about the journey my son was taking and reminded myself he needed me to be strong and brave and that my body knew was it was doing.

At one point Naomi made me go on a walk around the block to help my labor progress. We passed by a man that was watering his lawn. I had to stop due to a contraction and you could tell he had no idea what was going on. I remember the look on his face…shock and awe. When we got back to the house Naomi checked me and told me I was at a 4. She said if I wanted to get the most use out of the birthing tub that we should head to the hospital.

We got to the hospital around 10am. I walked in alone while David parked the car and Naomi got her supplies ready. I was going through the doors when a contraction came. A nurse rushed over to me and yelled for someone to get a wheel chair. I told her I was fine and she insisted. I said, “NO, I prefer to walk.” She looked at me and said, “You’re a warrior woman. I can respect that.” This charged me up. I was about to have a child! (Maybe she wasn't used to seeing woman walking, or rather laboring through labor?)

I went up to the labor and delivery floor where they checked me in to a triage room to monitor the baby and check my dilation. The nurse had me put on one of those awful hospital gowns and get into a bed. I immediately felt nervous and uncomfortable. It was not a welcoming and comfortable environment. A nurse came in and started asking me questions, which were hard to process and answer through contractions. The nurse checked my dilation and said she could not feel the head of the baby so she ordered for me to have an ultrasound. Before they did the ultrasound they informed me that my Dr. was out of town and so the on-call Dr. would be doing my delivery and she was not comfortable with water births. I felt so much disappointment at that point I could barely breathe. David came in and then the ultrasound technician came in. She immediately said, “Your baby is frank breech. I’m going to order an epidural for your caesarean.” I lost my breath and felt tears swelling in my eyes. I was confused, overwhelmed… I had such a healthy pregnancy and he was head down for so long. I asked her to wait a minute so I could process what was happening. Then the on-call Dr. came in and said she would be doing the surgery. She then said, “We need to get your epidural going now.” I asked her to wait and she said, “For what?!” I responded, “To get my head wrapped around this.” I was hysterical. She then said, “Your baby is breech do you know what that means?” David and I looked at each other, aggravated that she was talking to us like we were uninformed parents.

David held my hand and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him to get Naomi so I could talk to her. I did not want to have a cesarean but was not sure I had any other options. I asked the Dr. if I could get up and move around and try to adjust him myself (which I had read about) and she said no I had to stay in the bed. I felt like I was being tortured. I felt like my hands were tied. I felt like I had no control.

When Naomi came in I was crying. I could barely think through the contractions and being in the bed was making them so much worse. The nurse had been standing there staring at me, obviously wanting me to get a move on it. David asked Naomi what my options were and told her we did not want to have a cesarean. You could see the sympathy and sadness on her face. She immediately got on the phone calling Dr.’s to see if any of them would do a breech delivery at the hospital, none would.

I wanted to run away. I did not want to be at the hospital anymore. I had the strongest urge to get the hell out of there. My maternal instincts had kicked in. I felt like if I stayed there my child and I would be in danger. Naomi then started calling midwives to see if any of them were available that had experience in breech deliveries. She finally was able to get in touch with Marvelous Lopez, who had actually delivered Naomi’s last child, a VBAC homebirth. We were desperate. What was happening to me just didn't feel right.

Naomi informed Marvy of the situation and asked her if she felt comfortable and confident in delivering a frank breech. She said yes but wanted to talk to us about the risks. David spoke with her and got all the pros and cons. After weighing them I decided I wanted to leave the hospital and deliver at home. We informed Marvy that we were broke and would not be able to pay her right away and she said, “The most important thing is that this baby is born into the world with love and care.” David and I could not have agreed more. Those words were a glimmer of hope.
I told the nurse I was leaving and immediately asked to get unhooked from the machines. I had to sign an against medical advice form to leave. As we were walking out you could have heard a pin hit the floor. The nursing staff was in shock that I was leaving the hospital. I was so sure everything was going to be okay with the delivery. I knew it was a “risk” but I felt in my heart it was the right decision, and that my body could deliver my child, even if it was against medical advice. As I was walking to the car I had another very strong contraction. A nurse that was on break ran up to me and asked if I needed a wheelchair. I said, “No thank you, I’m going home.” I will never forget the look on her face. It was priceless, one of complete confusion and disdain.

Once we got home I was in active labor. I immediately went outside and laid over a chair to labor while waiting for the midwife. David’s parents and sister were helping David and Naomi move the outside furniture for the tub and getting towels handy. I had a few contractions and all of a sudden the midwife was there along with her assistant. I was so happy when she showed up because I knew the baby could come now. Even though I had never met Marvy she had a relaxing, soothing and nurturing energy about her. I knew the baby and I were in good hands. A moment later another midwife showed up, Kim Trower, to be of assistance to Marvy. I had five women to help me deliver my son. Incredible.

The tub was taking a long time to fill up so I asked if I could labor in the Jacuzzi. David came in with me. It was so intimate and loving having him behind me, holding my hips and rubbing my back. Then the doorbell rang and it was a police officer. The officer said there was a noise complaint and asked if “…people were F!@&ing in the back yard?” The neighbors called and said they thought a porno was being shot because a naked man and women were in a Jacuzzi while people were filming. David’s Dad informed him that it was not a porno that it was in fact a woman in labor. The police officer did not believe him and wanted to see. In the middle of a contraction I look up and see a cop standing there. We made eye contact and he looked a little scared. I smiled at him not quite sure what was going on and went back to laboring. He realized he could leave.

Then my water broke and I felt the baby drop. I had to get out of the Jacuzzi because it was not a sterile environment. The tub was not ready. Marvy asked me what I wanted to do. I wanted to be in water because I was scared it would hurt more if I were not. I suggested the master bath and they decided to get it ready for me. In between contractions I got out of the hot tub and rushed upstairs. When I got to the bedroom I threw my body over the bed because the tub was still not ready and I was having a very intense contraction. I had a few more and then I pushed once and the babies’ feet came out.

At that point they realized the baby was not frank breech but in fact footling breech which is a much more complicated type of delivery. David said the midwives and Doula’s looked worried. They asked me to get into the bathtub. Might I say walking with feet hanging out of you is bizarre. As soon as I got in the tub the baby kept coming faster and faster and the pain kicked in full force. I started pushing as hard as I could with each contraction and with each push I felt my energy level deplete. At one point I could no longer feel contractions and it did not seem like I was getting anywhere. I kept looking down and could see his legs hanging out of me but nothing else. I was not about to give up though. I was delivering this child!

Naomi kept telling me to push, push, push, which I was but he was stuck. Apparently, he had an arm caught by his neck and his cord had collapsed which meant he was no longer getting oxygen. All the midwives were doing what they could to support my perineum and stretch me while I pushed to help him out but nothing was working. I had lost steam.

After a couple minutes Marvy said, “We NEED to get this baby out.” She asked me to get out of the tub. She told me to lie on my back on the floor. I pulled my legs to my chest and with every ounce of energy left in my body, I gave one more push and she twisted the baby and he came out. He was very grey. He was not breathing on his own and they immediately began an Ambu bag to get him breathing.

At that point I thought to myself, what the hell did I do? Had I killed my son? Should I have had a c-section. I was scared but I knew I had to be there for him. I could not give up now. He was lying next to me looking so helpless. I held his hand and started talking to him. I told him how much I loved him and wanted him to be in my life. I told him I knew he had been through a hard journey but that everything was going to be okay, Mommy was here now. I was so afraid but strangely calm. Although he was not breathing he did have a heartbeat and that gave me hope.

At about five minutes his color had gone from grey to pink. I looked up at David and he had tears in his eyes. I knew I had to stay in the moment with the baby to help him come to. After about 10 minutes he started taking breaths. At 12 minutes he was breathing on his own. The air in the room got lighter and people started laughing and smiling. I loved my son so much and was beyond proud of him for being so strong and brave. We did it, together.

Lochlan Eugene was born on March 21st at 1:25pm on the bathroom floor in his Grandparents’ bedroom with the assistance of 2 Doula’s, 3 Midwives and the love of an entire family standing by. He weighed 6lbs and 8oz.

A true miracle birth.

My advice to parents out there, be informed but follow your instincts. My decision could have ended badly but no one knows what could have happened to my child or me if I had stayed and had the surgery. Only you can choose what is best for your family. I feel strongly that I made the right choice for me. My son is happy, healthy and thriving. He is now one year old!
He amazes me every second and I am so thankful and blessed to be his Mom.

33 comments:

  1. Janelle, I know exactly what that feels like to have the power and control taken from you, especially when you feel so powerful and ready to deliver your baby! If I could go back in time, with my last birth, I would have not obsessed over buying cute embroidered clothes and putting his nursery together perfectly, but instead, i would have read the books i'm reading now and watched the movies, and surrounded myself around woman who believed in the birthing process and my ability to birth. This time around, I haven't thought much about the baby actually, i've been so focused on having him/her to think about the cute clothes!

    It's a shame that more breech babies aren't being delivered vaginally anymore like they once were. It's almost like doctors aren't being taught how to deliver them, OR how to move the baby. You were lucky to have Marvy (an ex-labor and delivery Dr who became a midwife to help woman deliver how they wanted to deliver and not the hospital way anylonger.) I love that!

    If I could go back and do anything differently with my birth with Conrad, I would have also had an advicate there for me to speak on my behalf when the decisions were being made that I wasnt' comfortable with.

    I still can't believe that my dr never did an actual exam on me before deciding to do my cesarean. It's almost like it was more convenient for her than to help me accomplish a vaginal birth.

    This time will be different.

    again, thank you for your story! I am so glad everything went well and little Lochlan is such a stud muffin!

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  2. What an incredible story! Thank you so much for sharing and Chelsea for hosting this. You were so brave to follow your instincts and so lucky to have such an amazing team with you. I wonder if the hospital knows how well things turned out. I'm glad they allowed you to leave. I have heard that women have been arrested or been charged with child abuse for refusing unnecessary c-sections! (How horrific is that!) But let's focus on the positive (and there is so much!), thank you for your incredible, inspiring story.

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  3. i don't know how any one could say that wouldn't have been a necessary c-section after her son was born grey and not breathing. i'm not trying to downplay her intuition or her right to choose how she wanted to birth him...that is just how i feel about it.

    i had two very beautiful, calm, and wonderful hospital births. despite what some women may think they aren't all bad! i saw several doctors through my pregnancy because i go to a larger practice and i can honestly say i liked each one of them.

    anyway, she is blessed beyond belief that her baby boy was okay. God must have some big plans for that sweet, little man.

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  4. You're prefectly right rachel. She is blessed that everything went well and that she was surrounded by birth professionals who knew how to deal with what could have been a really bad situation.

    What bothers me most about her story was that cutting her open was the first option. The hospital staff made no attempts to turn her baby or get her into a position to where the baby could flip, the cesarean was the first option. In most cases when problems arise, cesareans ARE the first option and that's where the system is broken. Had they tried EVERYTHING and still the baby was breech, that would maybe have been different, but they left her no options and no support. Her and many other woman's hospital experiences were not pleasant. BUT that doesn't mean hospitals are bad! Lots of friends of mine have had great experiences with wonderful nurses and doctors who stuck to the birth plan just as long as the baby was safe, then again, you could have a doctor who laughs in your face about your idea of what you want your birth to be like (me) I could also list ten of my friends right now who had "emergency" cesareans... it poses a question, why are they happening so often? What is being done to protect a mom's instinct and choices when she labors?

    It's sad to me that they wouldn't try to turn the baby. I feel like she would have stayed had they been more supportive.

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  5. WOW! What an amazing story. I had tears well up. I am so happy for you that you made the decision that you felt was best for you and your baby and that, although challenging, your experience was beautiful and your baby is healthy. You are an amazing woman to stand up for yourself in the hospital. That is not an easy thing to do.

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  6. I too agree with you Rachel. I am blessed that everything turned out ok. I had an amazing team to help me deliver my son.
    I am not against hospital births by any means. Most women in my family had natural, vaginal births in the hospital and felt comfortable with that. That was my plan. But alot of factors went in to my leaving. If my Dr. had been there and he had allowed me options with my son. If I could have walked around and tried some adjustments and then he was still breech I would have had the c-section. But the fact that they made me feel helpless and intimidating me and gave me no other options I felt the need to leave. I knew I could deliver him.
    He did come out gray and not breathing but he is not the first child to be born that way nor the last. I am truly blessed that we both are ok. Cesareans are a major surgery which most people don't like to admit and women and children do die from that as well.

    Chelsea thank you for letting me share my story. I know it's not a story for everyone. People in my own family are very upset or were upset with the decision that I made. And that is ok. It was my decision to make. I was prepared to deal with whatever outcome came my way. I am just thankful that it was a positive one.

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  7. This story empowers yet frightens me all at the same time. It is one of the reasons I feel I couldn't have a home birth.. the what if's just run through my head because of stories like this one below http://elmcitydad.wordpress.com/the-birth-of-silas-orion/

    I do think that Dr need to be more informed about how to do a delivery without medical intervention unless 100% necessary - why wouldn't they try to turn the baby seeing as they already had the ultrasound hooked up?

    I am so happy that she listened to her body and everything turned out ok :)

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  8. Janelle, I think your reply was very honest.. I think you felt like you needed to be able to control your labour (as we all should ITS OURS) yet they were taking the control..

    somehow we have allowed the medical professional take of the birthing process in society when they should just be an aid for the "just in case" situations

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  9. Wow Eva, that story was so heartbreaking! It makes me want to pray pray PRAY even more for my birth!

    You're totally right about the birthing process being taken away. With Conrad, I never thought too much about my labor, I just figured i'd go to the hospital and the staff would guide me to give birth, after all, it seems easy as that! You see mom's screaming on a baby story and figure that it's going to be tough, but they'll give you the epidural-piece of cake!

    Often times, they treat ALL of the mothers as if they are high risk mom's by giving them ALL pitosin and epidurals, when each woman is an individual and should be treated as so. I hate the feeling of being given pitocin (like me taking too long in labor is an inconvenience...) when it's not always necessary.

    In a perfect world, we wouldn't grow up thinking birth is this big scary medical event, we would be surrounded by woman who believe in us and we would be able to birth without unnecessary medical intervention.

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  10. What an incredibly amazing story.

    I have never given birth, but since I plan to in the next couple of years I have been very interested in home births and midwifery. My husband is not okay with the idea of a home birth, but I've been trying to get him on board. I don't know if I ever will, but I hope that when I am pregnant my instincts and body will tell me what I need to do.

    Thank you for sharing this amazing story. I loved reading it!
    ~Andrea

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  11. p.s. I forgot to address it to Janelle herself. sorry!

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  12. Thank you to Janelle for sharing, and to Chelsea for hosting. All these stories have been helpful, to see births from different views.

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  13. Dr.'s these days are NOT trained to deliver breech babies. They never do it - it is ALWAYS a medical procedure. Only midwives are still trained in this.

    Chelsea you are right. For Dr.'s it's an inconvenience if you are taking a long time. If you look at statistics more c-sections happen on Friday than any other day and more happen between 3-7pm and on major Holidays...wonder why that is?

    The Business of Being Born is a great documentary to watch as well as Pregnant In America.

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  14. I'm so happy that it turned out so well and mom and baby are healthy! ( I realized this is the cute boy I saw at the park the other day, he is a sweet baby!)

    I have had 2 c-sections ( after a vaginal birth) that were actual premeditated choices and beautiful experiences. I feel extremely blessed to live in an age of technology that provided a way for me to have another baby. I would have died with my first if I was at home or even if I was born a generation earlier. My baby would have been fine...but motherless. (Long story short...RARE condition, there is not even an official name for it caused me to bleed out from 7 different places that were very hard to find. Massive emergency surgery where they just tried to keep enough blood going in my body faster than it was going out to keep me alive. I basically ended up with a transfusion that equaled the entire amount of blood in my body. Poor Ryan was BESIDE himself with fear that I would die. Afterward, nurses were whispering about me and treated me like a very breakable object, some even came in to see "that girl" even though they were not assigned to me.)

    I also felt so blessed to have gotten an epidural when I did! I felt calm and at peace with the decision to have one, and if I hadn't, I would not have been able to enjoy the precious first few hours with my baby. Because of my complications, which there was absolutely no way for anyone to have foreseen, I would have been in such excruciating pain I probably would have passed out or at the very least been unable to even hold my baby.

    The system is broken in many ways, but still is so much better than the alternative for many people like me. (Thank goodness I had an WONDERFUL doctor!)

    I think those who choose natural labor are AMAZING and I have total respect for such strong women! I LOVE to hear their stories. My message to women is, if it doesn't work out exactly as planned, but your baby gets here healthy, don't feel guilty or ashamed! Your body carried that baby, nourished him, provided a safe place full of love to grow for 10 months. You still have much to be proud of and their is no shame in having to go "off plan" if necessary. Your journey of being a mother is just beginning! Be informed, be strong, have an advocate, but be flexible so you can enjoy your amazing, beautiful moment no matter what happens.

    A part of me does wish I could have the experience of a regular birth, but I don't feel bad, or have any regrets. To be totally honest, I sometimes feel judged for having an epidural, and having c-sections. It doesn't really bother me that much, because I am 100% okay with how it happened and why it happened for me, but I just don't want others in my position to feel inferior or ashamed.

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  15. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It about brought me to tears! You are a strong woman, Janelle, and what a beautiful story to tell!

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  16. But Jessica, you are totally the type who, like you said, would have died if you didn't have a cesarean. Cases like yours where it is a life or death situation aren't common i dont think. I agree that we are blessed to live in a world where this medical advancement is available to us, but i also feel like mom's who are healthy and able are getting cesareans and thats' where the system is broken. Sometimes these surgeries cause labor trama in the woman who wasn't able to birth, but in your case, it was a life saving matter and for that, i would never regret!

    Jessica, woman have to hear both sides of the story, your side and my side. Epidurals are NOT bad at all (i just couldn't feel my ass when they asked me to push and it made me feel like i had no control!) and cesareans aren't bad! Thank you for sharing your story.

    Thank you for your nuggets of advice! Love you friend! <3

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  17. Wow! What a beautiful and frightening story!

    I can totally get behind your intuitive need to birth your own way, and I commend you for doing so. To respond to Chelsea, if I'm not mistaken, the National C-section rate is around 36 percent of all births. My understanding is that only 12 percent of births *actually* medically require a c-section, and in my opinion, even then a true need for a c-section is a matter of medical opinion in many cases.

    I agree that childbirthing decisions should be made entirely by the expecting parents, after they have been fully (fully, fully, FULLY) informed. It sounds to me like these parents truly understood the risks and chose to completely trust their intuition, which turned out for the best in their case.

    While this situation was possibly well within that 12 percent range of "medically necessary" cesarean sections, I also think that the average person and/or medical professional underestimates a Midwife's ability to manage serious emergency situations, and it sounds to me like these women knew how to manage this situation very well.

    We need to remember that Midwives are indeed experts who are qualified to deal with prolapsed cords and other emergencies, but in a very different way than surgeons.

    Glad you're happy and healthy and had the birth *you* wanted! Congrats!

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  18. thank you for sharing your story! I'm proud of you for following your gut instinct.

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  19. Congrats and thank you for sharing your story! I had breech twins at home about 18 months ago and had a wonderful team of midwives who handled our complications beautifully and extremely competently. I am very grateful to them and for all their assistance in helping me achieve the birth I felt was best for me and my boys. :D

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  20. Just to be clear...I have not felt judged by any of the stories posted on this blog, but have had people judge me in other places. I totally agree with you that they over use C's for their own purposes. I just wanted to get my story out there so that any first timers that may not know what to think won't feel ashamed or bad about themselves if it happens to them. I've heard a lot of people say that about Epidurals...that made me lol! I was pushing at full strength, the nurses were actually surprised at how well I pushed with it. Another special blessing for me and my particular situation!
    Love you too...you are amazing! I can't wait to see your baby, you make em so dang cute!

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  21. Ooops, that last comment was from me, Jessica. I am on Sarita's computer!

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  22. Anyone who has a healthy baby is a lucky parent. I birthed both my children at the hospital; one natural, one emergency c-section. I love hearing all birth stories. However, I feel like people can be uneducated on both ends. The home birth option as well as the hospital. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a perfect home/birth center story. (speaking from experience). So when reading these stories do not feel ashamed to have a hospital birth. A home birth is NOT always in God's plan for each person. No matter what YOU want, the babies health is most important..and in my friend's case medical attention was not there in time to save her baby.
    Don't get me wrong, I support a mother and father's choice of birth. But when reading these stories, I just wish parents like myself who have beautiful experiences in the hospital could share too.

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  23. Yeah, Jess. I agree. Either way, whatever a woman's choice is, she should be supported and celebrated!

    xoxo

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  24. This overwhelms me a bit. I am glad everything went well and that mother and baby are happy -- in the end that is what matters most.

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  25. I know what you mean Erin. For me, having met these home birthing/natural birthing/vbac moms has been such a huge thing for me because in vegas, birthing centers or home births really aren't common, so to meet woman who have done them and don't look at me like I have a third eye when I say I'd like to "attempt" a home birth is a really good feeling.

    More than anything, i think it's important for a mom to feel supported in her choices and have all of the education and be fully informed on her choice. I think hospital births are perfectly fine. I had A LOT of birth trama from my hospital birth and wasn't cared for like I wanted to be. If I had an excellent experience at a hospital, you bet your britches i'd be having another hospital birth ;)

    ps, There are birth stories in hospitals, with epidurals that will be featured as all ;) Having a natural birth at home or whatever does not make anyone any more of a woman. For me, I'm just a control freak and I need to be able to respond to my body and what it's doing no matter how painful a natural birth may be. I support all types of birth just as long as the mother is being respected in her choices.

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  26. I am a former NICU nurse who has attended many c-section births. There is a reason why a NICU nurse has to be present at every c-section, vacuum, or forceps delivery. It's because these types of deliveries carry high risk of complications for the babies. Many c-section babies are born gray and limp and need oxygen support for a few minutes. In addition, sometimes they need to go to the NICU afterward to be observed for breathing difficulties or other problems.

    Not to mention all the complications and risks that c-sections pose for the mama. It's not just another way to deliver a baby. It's major abdominal surgery!

    So, to weigh in with my opinion, I would say that choosing to deliver at home with professionals who are confident in handling breech deliveries and are trained in neonatal resuscitation (as are all the midwives I know) was a less risky option than being whisked back to surgery.
    Yes, things can go badly at home. But they can go just as badly in the hospital.

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  27. I had a vaginal hospital birth and I have to say that the hospital staff was amazing. Both my midwife and my doctor were out on an emergency so they weren't there for me, but the doctor on call and the nurses did everything they could to ensure I had the birth I wanted. When I started asking for drugs the nurses tried keeping me going without. When my baby went into distress they assured me that a c-section was the last option for them and they stuck to their word. When it took me over an hour to push my son out the doctor patiently waited without hurrying me or making me feel pressured. Also my regular ob
    helped me turn my breech baby by recommending a great chiropractor and he regularly delivers breech babies at the hospital. I know most hospitals do rush to quickly into surgery but I need to give credit to those that do not. There are fantastic doctors and nurses out there who will empower and assist the mother in what she wants. You just have to go looking for them (I did a bunch of local research before choosing my doctor and hospital)

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  28. Thanks for your comment! I need to hear more positive stories like yours (above)! I love hearing that you were taken care of so well. That's amazing. There are lots of woman who have great stories, I just wasn't one of those (in the hospital)

    Again, thank you for sharing.

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  29. Wow, all the feedback has been amazing. Thank you so much. I think there are great hospital stories out there. Women need to come forward with them most definitely.

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  30. Most of all, thank you for posting my comment and even responding. I completely 100% agree with what you said. And adore you even more to your openness to my thoughts when we don't even know each other. I have been a long time follower and look forward to what your journey has in store. God bless. :)
    xo

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  31. WOW, this is truly an amazing birth story. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  32. There is not a bit of me that wants to have a home birth. I liked being in the hospital and taken care of... clean sheets and towels; there was so much blood, I would not have wanted it in my bed. Call me a freak, I guess.

    I am glad everything worked out for the best for this mother.

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  33. I don't think you're a freak at all Sarah. I think the vast majority of woman in america would prefer the pain be numbed and would rather induction and the medicine. Most woman trust the medical field, I am just not one of those woman who had a great experience in a hospital surrounded by people who were on my team. I wish that every woman had as lovely as a hospital stay as you did, it's not always the case though. Thankfully we have places like birthing centers and midwives who are extra gentle and concerned with womans needs (as your doctor was).

    It's important to post these stories even if not everyone agrees with them because for me, i needed to know that there were other woman out there who felt the same way as I did about birth. I think your opinion is valid and there's nothing wrong with disagreeing with homebirth or natural birth!

    ;)

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