After attending just a few Bradley Birth Classes, it really has got me thinking about the current doctor I am seeing and the choices I have and what has happened with past births. I feel already more informed about labor and how our bodies are meant to work and have babies. And so that got me thinking....
Before starting the classes I just already had my mind set on needing pitocin to get keep labor going. I just assumed it was normal and my body doesn't know how to labor on its own. Well after attending class and talking to the teacher a bit about my concerns, I have found out that it isn't me, doctors really like to use pitocin. It is hard for them to just around and wait for nature to do its thing. Now in some cases pitocin is necessary and I am open to it but if I am ok, baby is ok, and my water hasn't broke just send me back home to try to get contractions going again or just wait patiently. But trying to go without taking any type of drug during labor or even getting the epidural really makes it hard when you have pitocin running through the IV line. They are much harder which then makes it very difficult (for me anyway) to relax and breath through the contractions.
On Monday I had another doctor appt. with my current OB and I decided to ask him about pitocin and how I just really wanted to avoid it and be given a chance. Well he explained to me that they use it for inductions and augmenting labor. For instance if a woman's water breaks she will be immediately started on pitocin upon admittance. The idea is to get baby delivered asap due to risk of infection. No more waiting to see if contractions will start. He also said that if a woman's labor stalls he will break the water and that usually gets labor started but if that doesn't work then using pitocin is the next step. In the past I have had my water broken to attempt to get contractions going again but it doesn't work soon enough so pitocin is always started. This time I don't want my water broke. Plus the doctor told me that if a woman has only had pitocin for labor then she has nothing to compare too only from what she hears from others. Obviously he is a man and never had a baby but your own contractions are much easier to get through in my opinion. Then he throw in how his wife has had pitocin with all their kids. So to him it isn't a big deal and a drug that works. But to me I want to do this for the baby and myself.
Later that evening I had scheduled a tour at a birthcenter that is run by two midwives. Our teacher had told us about this place at our first class, and I thought it interesting so I looked more into and asked her more about it. She recommended that we take a tour of the place. That is what we did. We met just one of the midwives and she showed us around, explaining everything very throroughly. They have two birthrooms. They use just a doppler and listen to the baby every 30 minutes at first and then as mom gets closer to delivering it is every 15 minutes. They do transfer mom if there is a complication to the nearest hospital by ambulance. They view birth as a natural process. She did talk about pitocin and if my water were to break that they do have a 24 hour time frame to get baby delivered. So if I wasn't contracting by some point they would try other methods such as castrol oil to help get labor started. But if all else fells I would be transferred to the hospital where they go and then start pitocin.
I am keeping an open mind about the whole thing but at the same time I am going to look into all my options and find what I believe will fit my needs the best. I do feel pressure from a few family members about using a birthcenter to give birth and not the hospital. They think it unsafe if something goes wrong and there won't be time. Where in the hospital they have it all right there. It would make it easier if they were more supportive and really listen to me and why I am looking into to this. They have told me to just tell the doctor "no." or "can't that wait." A doctor is going to do what they want. They have their way of practice so to me it is more important to find the one that shares the same views as me instead of trying to convince them of news ones.
The birth center is considered out of network so insurance won't cover the entire the birth just a very little portion. I don't know what that portion would be. It is less expensive than going to the hospital. Whatever I decide I want to feel satisfied by my decision. I think the biggest thing holding me back is that I don't know what our out of pocket cost could be. And with two hip surgeries in the future, uncertain of what we will be spending there, I don't want a lot of medical bills.
Decisions, decisions, decisions. At least the hips are cooperating and not giving me problems.
