I guess that was my comment about Kate arriving at the hospital in early labour?
I think a natural birth is totally possible though less likely than at home due to the pressures of the hospital time lines for labour. I arrived at the hospital in very established labour so I didn't have as many time pressures and had a natural birth... until the 3rd stage where the MWs wanted to give me syntocinon due to large blood loss. Maybe it was necessary but I personally think I would have been fine without it as the blood loss was actually not that large. I think there are a bunch of little ways that hospital 'anxiousness' about erring on the side of caution can make you less likely to have a natural birth.
As for an empowered birth in hospital I think they're pretty much non-existent. You are not the true decision maker in hospital. You might make choices but only within their guidelines. My own birth seemed amazing to me at first but then I realised about those little times the power was clearly not placed in my hands. My lovely MW still said things about being able to "let me" or her "having to" etc. Again, I think going into hospital in established labour can help avoid this as the body can take over and make the birth progress in a way that no policy or timelines have to be dealt with. But the fact that they are there as the final decision makers means the mother is already the dis-empowered party.
Also, following from Meow's points, I think that whenever you have to birth in hospital you *need* to be aware of the staff around you trying to intervene (whether that be to have CTG, BP, catheter, internals and so on), you cannot just let go. I am not sure that i would even be able to just 'let go' even with my IM at my side. I would still feel that i would need to protect myself and the baby and our birth while in there...even if there is a 'hands off' approach. because I am not in my space, i am in theirs. The thing with having a baby at home, and i do feel that this is hard for those that do not have or have never had a planned birth at home is that when you do finally go into labour, you completely surrender: and that is the greatest, most empowered feeling i have ever personally experienced. People mention that they dont need to go to hospital, they dont need to disrupt the birth to move to the hospital but that really, is not what it is about, it is much much deeper. with a homebirth you create your birth space, you prepare for it. you dont just turn up to it and make do with what is on offer. every living animal works towards creating a safe birth space and we should be no different and since having had 2 HBs i now realise just how important that is to birth process as well.
Thank you all for addressing my ponderings. With this pregnancy, and getting closer to 12 weeks (where it seems real), my mind is starting to do its thing again.
I was thinking this morning, the thought to go to hospital never entered my mind during my labour and birth. I know that in the BOBB, one or two of them mentioned that they got to a point where they wanted to transfer, but it just wasn't there at all for me. Maybe because i was so sure that i was doing the right thing, and i had the right people with me??
Did heading in to hospital for any reason come in to your consciousness?
At a recent hospital birth, almost everytime someone came in the room they would put their hands on the woman's tummy, usually during a contraction. There was no asking if this was ok, or even what they were looking for. It was overkill, and didn't seem to have a beneficial purpose. When my DD was born, she was placed on my tummy and then rubbed down with towels. Sounds lovely, eh (for a hospital birth), but then when my son was born, there was no rubbing or banging him around, and i realised how unneccessary the first handling of my DD was.
Thank you all for addressing my ponderings. With this pregnancy, and getting closer to 12 weeks (where it seems real), my mind is starting to do its thing again.
I was thinking this morning, the thought to go to hospital never entered my mind during my labour and birth. I know that in the BOBB, one or two of them mentioned that they got to a point where they wanted to transfer, but it just wasn't there at all for me. Maybe because i was so sure that i was doing the right thing, and i had the right people with me??
Did heading in to hospital for any reason come in to your consciousness?
At a recent hospital birth, almost everytime someone came in the room they would put their hands on the woman's tummy, usually during a contraction. There was no asking if this was ok, or even what they were looking for. It was overkill, and didn't seem to have a beneficial purpose. When my DD was born, she was placed on my tummy and then rubbed down with towels. Sounds lovely, eh (for a hospital birth), but then when my son was born, there was no rubbing or banging him around, and i realised how unneccessary the first handling of my DD was.
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