Comments on: Birthcenter vs. Hospital

By: Kerrin

Kerrin — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 22:24:32 +0000

Well I have never had a home birth or a birth center birth but I have had three hospital births. I really think each hospital is so different and so are the people that attend to you at your birth. I had all three of my babies delivered at Sierra Vista and sometimes I think that hospital gets a bad rap. But all three of my births were uneventful and the staff were very accommodating to what I wanted.
I used the shower with my first and hung out in there for hours.
I used the tub with my second and hung out there for hours though I didn’t feel that it helped much. My nurse with my second was AWESOME and I requested her again for my third….and got her!
With my third I went against the grain and got an epidural. I just really wanted to try one. The hospital again did what I wanted even though my nurse said I was the poster girl for natural birth. And no haters, but I LOVED that epidural. I felt so much more present then with my other two.
And Kelly, I am like you. I loved staying at the hospitals and always asked to stay as long as I could. Cable TV, meals, meds, lactation help, someone to watch the baby at night, were all things I loved and wanted. I felt so physically vulnerable after each birth I couldn’t have imagined having to get up and leave.
But like you said, each woman has different wants and desires and things that are important to them. I am glad there are options available for all types.

By: themrscone

themrscone — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 16:42:11 +0000

Hannah, thanks for weighing in! Where you live sounds so different and interesting! I’d love to hear more about– maybe a series of posts about how different your island is in many ways that we call take for granted?

Every birth IS different! It’s so good to remember that, as mothers, because everyone compares. It’s natural, especially when faced with such an important task as birth, something only women CAN do. We want to get it “right”

By: Hannah

Hannah — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 15:33:07 +0000

Really proud of you for sharing this. You’re right that it can be a sensitive subject, and as with everything in “motherhood” we are usually trying to justify ourselves. Everything, and I mean everything is coloured by our own experience.

So with that I will say that in my area there is no option for a home birth, or birth centre. We do not have midwives here on my little island, so the hospital is your only option.
That being said, as a Doula I have had wonderful experiences in a hospital setting. I have had both women who are vehemently opposed to any form of intervention and have their guard up toward any Doctor and nurse, only to be met with patience and understanding, I have also experience these women who have been met with resistance to their preferences. I have also experienced women who have a more laissez faire attitude toward their birth and have have had both excellent and poor experiences. All of this is basically saying that no birth is alike. It is all dependant on your caregivers who happen to be in the room.
I DO believe though that you can prepare yourself for your birth, wherever it will be. I believe that having a Doula, who’s sole role is to be there to support you and you wishes is KEY! This way no matter what “goes down” with your other care providers you know that there is someone who is there just for you, who knows your wishes and preferences and who will advocate for you, calm you and educate you.
Before I became a mom I thought that the only way to go was a home birth. In some ways I still have a romanticized view of home births, and one day I would love to experience it. However. Hospitals certainly have their place. Hazel was breech and was turned at 38 weeks, her umbilical cord was down close to my cervix and her head was pushing on it each time I had a contraction, essentially causing her heart rate to drop significantly. Because of all of this, I did not have the birth that I wanted to have. She also had an issue with her lungs that had we not been at the hospital, would have been life threatening.
Untimately I think that if you can find a hospital that is geared toward women, that is doing their best to make the experience easier on the mom and not on the doctor, than I think you will be doing well!
Sorry that I just wrote a book! haha!

By: themrscone

themrscone — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 04:51:09 +0000

Would you mind sharing the names of the hospitals? Just in case I ever wind up in another city? Good hospitals are there, you just have to find them (my mom’s a nurse, and she would agree with me).

By: themrscone

themrscone — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 04:49:20 +0000

“When a woman crosses the line between laboring and real suffering”…so true. I remember being mad around the time of your birth, because I knew 3 people who’s homebirths ended poorly. I think there’s a lot of hype and a lot of “you SHOULD do this as a responsible mother” stuff thrown in, and the reality is that first babies are just HARD!

By: Lyn

Lyn — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 03:00:05 +0000

I had both of my children in a hospital with a nurse midwife (the same midwife for both kids). Both births were fairly uneventful in regard to my kids, but both times my blood pressure went way down & I needed oxygen & meds. The hospitals (I had them at 2different hospitals) respected all of my wishes & like you I really enjoyed that time with just my husband & my newborn & not having to worry about anything else!

By: sarah marie

sarah marie — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 02:19:11 +0000

I know I’ve read both your boys’ birth stories before, but I’m reminded again how your first reminds me of Nell’s birth, too — baby who refused to turn and midwife I ended up hating. Although mine wasn’t too aggressive — she was too hands off! I thought I wanted someone hands off i.e. not prone to unnecessary interventions but she didn’t do much of anything, didn’t even tell me what was going on or explain how Nell being posterior was affecting things. I ended up spending days being confused about why my labor wasn’t following any labor patterns I had learned about, and my midwife just patted my back and said, “You’re doing great.” In the end I think any good midwife should be able to tell when a woman crosses the line between laboring and real suffering… I reached the suffering point and thankfully, my CNM friend with me (sort of serving as a doula) really advocated for a hospital transfer at the point, and things started improving. Phew, I still have anxiety over how that whole birth went, even though Nell is fine and all ended up okay.

With # 2 on the way we are tentatively planning on using a birth center, but I’m keeping my options open while I process and think a little more. However, our nearby birth center is actually on the campus of the hospital where I ended up delivering Nell, so if there are problems or a laboring mama wants drugs, it’s just a wheeled ride across the street and you’re in the hospital. You can also choose between going right home after the birth (when you’re ready) or going to stay at the hospital for up to two nights.

With my first pregnancy I was totally convinced that a birth center was the ‘worst of both worlds’ – lacking the sterility and clean, reassuring environment of the hospital should someone want that, and lacking the comforts of home as many of them are more like outdated hospital rooms. But having had a not-so-great home birth attempt I’m reconsidering my stance.

I totally agree with the above commenter about potential benefits of home birth though, and while my own attempt was kind of traumatizing, I still agree with home births in theory!

IF we ever have more kids after this one it’ll be interesting to see what we decide.

By: themrscone

themrscone — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 22:07:43 +0000

9 births! Wow. What made her choose Twin Cities for the final one? I’ve thought many times about a home birth for our 3rd (haha, I’ll be able to comment on all 3 then!). We’ll see what happens. I’m the kind of person who likes to be waited on hand and foot though, so I liked the hospital

By: Steph

Steph — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:28:29 +0000

I’ve never had a birth center birth so maybe it’s not fair for me to judge, but to me it always seemed like the worst of both worlds. The best part of a home birth is you’re at HOME. With all your own things and in your own environment. You don’t have to pack anything, you don’t have to go anywhere while in labor or shortly after birth. You have the baby, hop in your own shower, grab pjs out of your own dresser and fall asleep in your own bed. There’s no worrying about what to pack or when to leave because everyone comes to you. If we absolutely couldn’t afford a home birth, I think I’d choose hospital. Like you said, it’s all about the attendant. Theres horrible midwives, amazing ones, and a bunch in the middle. same with doctors. I have a friend who just had her 9th child at twin cities and had the most amazing experience. The doctor sat back and let her husband catch the baby, clamp and cut the cord etc. her first was a horrible hospital experience, her 2nd was a home birth with a midwife, her next 6 were unassisted home births and she said the last one was one of her most peaceful births. Ultimately I think it’s up to the woman giving birth. If they haven’t done any research, or aren’t willing to refuse to consent to things they don’t want then the chances for a traumatic birth experience go way up.