Intervention...

[Jay91]

How do you Ladies feel about intervention, forceps/episiotomy etc...?!
I'm really looking forward to labour - I know that probably sounds odd - and usually I'm quietly confident about it, but when I start to think about the possibility of intervention I get quite panicky.
I know it's irrational and pointless but I really can't help it.
X

 

[Amygdala]

I'll do anything I can to avoid intervention again, like refuse induction or drugs and keep upright and active in labour. But if it is necessary for the health or safety of my baby, then I'll obviously let them do whatever they need to do. In the end, you won't care how baby got here as long as they're safe. That said, with the right preparation and mind set, there's no reason to expect you'll need intervention. Your body was made for birthing babies after all and if you make sure you're left to get on with it as much as possible, you've got a good chance of not needing any help. Just don't beat yourself up if you do. After all, we're very lucky to live in an age where help is available when needed.

 

[Amygdala]

PS: While some interventions are necessary of course, there's an element of choice to a lot of them (induction, pain meds, episiotomy, medical third stage for example) so I'd suggest researching those and making it clear in your birth plan what you would and would not consent to.

 

[girlnboots]

I'm basically putting in my birth plan to let me labor the way I want and don't offer me any meds or interventions. The only way I'll accept an epidural is if i'm in hard labor for hours and hours and hours and I need rest. I'd have to be pretty desperate since catheters and needles are the worst feelings in the world to me, plus I'm the type of person to get every possible side effect.

 

[EYD]

I want an epidural, but that's it. I need to write a birth plan or at least a do's and absolutely don'ts list since I just found out that it could be any of 12 practicitioners that will deliver me. I feel like I really need to make my wishes clear as at least one doc in my practice has an "I'm going to do whatever I want" attitude.

 

[Jessica0907]

I've never even been offered an episiotomy. I dont think they're as common as they used to be but maybe it just depends on the doctor. I'm quite glad I've never had one offered to me as I was completely ignorant when I had my first kid. Had they offered it, I would have gone right on along with it.

I'm refusing any interventions this time around. Laboring as much as you can at home reduces the amount of interventions you'll be offered at the hospital.

I just plan on chilling at home for a while until I really can't talk through the contractions. I'm just afraid ill end up with a baby in my arms at home. I say "afraid" only because we don't have the equipment for a home birth.

 

[Jay91]

Thank you Ladies!
I want to labour as long as I can at home but this worries me as we have an hours drive - traffic depending - to the hospital, and you can never tell how fast or slow babies are going to come, I don't want to pop her out in traffic on the A1! Haha! X

 

[CatherineK]

I have a good relationship with my doc, he knows I prefer as little intervention as needed, and he's respected this decision in my two births so far. But if he said I needed something (forceps, etc) I would trust his decision.

 

[d_b]

The thought of any intervention is very scary to me. I want to labour mostly at home but I'm also afraid of not making it to the hospital in time after a quick labour with #2 so I'm going to have to play it by ear! Hoping to go drug-free again, the drugs seem to increase risk of interventions.

Forceps are my biggest fear but they're not too common here. Only one doctor at my hospital does them very often, and usually you're given the choice of section or forceps.

 

[babyhopes2010]

i had a painrelief free labour and it was v active and v quick. BUT when i was pushing for over 2 hours i was pleased with an episiotomy however ill try aviod it this time as the healing after felt worse then the labour

 

[Smiler82]

I don't know if you would be interested in something like this, but I am doing hypnobirthing and it is doing a lot to build my self-confidence and calm any fears as you learn a lot about how your body works, how your hormones work and then breathing and relaxation techniques to help you stay calm when you're in labour. Classes are a bit pricey but you can just buy the book and CD and do it at home. People who do hypnobirthing aren't guaranteed a perfect birth, but if they do require intervention then the techniques help them to stay calm and deal with whatever is going on. My teacher ended up in hospital having intervention but she said she was able to stay calm and focussed by using the things she'd learnt.

It's also worth talking to your midwife - perhaps if they know you have a long trip to hospital they will advise you to set off a little earlier when you're in labour than they normally do. You can also talk with her about your birth plan and get something in there about interventions being discussed with you and your partner, then ask them to leave the room for a few minutes whilst you discuss it and come to a decision.

Personally I would love to have a drug-free home birth but we're lucky that we're only a 5 min drive to the hospital so if anything goes wrong I will totally accept whatever they advise me to have done, but it's still a scary prospect! If anything does happen then I'm pleased I'm learning some techniques to help me stay calm

 

[Evansangel]

At my pregnancy group yesterday the midwife was telling us about something called BRAIN.

B - Benefits - what are the benefits of intervention?
R - Risks - what are the risks of intervention?
A - Alternatives - are there any other alternatives?
I - Intuition - what is your intuition? Do you feel that invervention could be avoided?
N - Nothing - what happens if they do nothing?


A woman she was attending to was pushing for 2 hours and the doctor came in and said "forceps" and the woman used this to help her decision. She said "am I fine?" He said yes. She said "is the baby fine?" And he said yes.
So she said she wanted to carry on pushing the baby out without forceps.

30/40 minutes later, she squatted down and out popped the baby

 

[babyhopes2010]

At my pregnancy group yesterday the midwife was telling us about something called BRAIN.

B - Benefits - what are the benefits of intervention?
R - Risks - what are the risks of intervention?
A - Alternatives - are there any other alternatives?
I - Intuition - what is your intuition? Do you feel that invervention could be avoided?
N - Nothing - what happens if they do nothing?


A woman she was attending to was pushing for 2 hours and the doctor came in and said "forceps" and the woman used this to help her decision. She said "am I fine?" He said yes. She said "is the baby fine?" And he said yes.
So she said she wanted to carry on pushing the baby out without forceps.

30/40 minutes later, she squatted down and out popped the baby

exactly! i had an episitomy (sp?) i believe if id had refused she would have been born a lil later but i dont believe id have torn

 

[clever_blond]

There are many things to do to avoid intervention.
. Labour in a position which gives the pelvis the most room to open, like squatting or on all fours - labouring on your back is the absolute worst position.
. Avoid an epidural if you can as this increases your chance of intervention hugely.
. Try to relax as much as you can as this helps your muscles contract more effectively as they are not already tense.
. Know your options and have someone with you who will support your decisions as this will decrease the chance of you being pushed into something.

I am sure there are others but these are the ones I can think of.

I hope everything goes well for you and you have the birth experience you want.