for those who have given birth a question...

[zurgswife]

Childbirth is a medical procedure,

Not mine....No doctors, no drugs, no hospital, no epsiotomy, I was home sleeping in my own bed in a couple of hours....Not that my way is for everybody...but Mine was definatly not a medical procedure...it was a natural product of my body....

 

[SonjaB]

Medical professionals don't allow anything in a labor/delivery room they aren't comfortable with or feel isn't safe for their patients. Childbirth is procreation, not a medical procedure. Some women require medical procedures to aid in the safe, healthy birth of a child, but the birth itself is not a medical procedure. It will happen whether you are in a medical setting or not. You cannot remove your appendix from the back seat of a taxi (please, no one try this simply to prove me wrong, LOL), this would be a medical procedure. You can, however, give birth, as it is a force of nature and will happen irrespective of anyone in a white coat present.

 

[Dopey Sharon]

Just DH, my doctor and other medical people in with me. Not that my DH was any help...he sat in the chair most of the time reading a magazine! He denies it, but I remember it well (and that was over 21 years ago!). Back then, we also had to take childbirth classes for several weeks, that he got a certificate for. If he didn't take them, he wouldn't have been able to be in the room.

 

[aahmom1]

I have never given birth, but speaking from a medical professional's view, I think having family members in the room is a BAD idea.

If it was any other kind of operation/procedure, like a transplant, heart surgery, cyst removal, and so on, there would never be any family in the room. Why should childbirth be any different?


Family, and especially the husband/baby's father should be at the hospital near the room, but not IN the room.

You said yourself, you've never given birth, but you think it's wrong to have husbands in the room. Don't you think if it was 'wrong' Drs. wouldn't let it go on. If/when I ever need to get my appendix out somehow I don't think the Dr. would allow my husband in there. It's not a surgical procedure, if 'I' am giving birth the Dr. is there to catch the baby, which BTW when my daughter was born I caught the baby myself. I don't think any Dr. would let me reach down and grab out my own appendix, 2 VERY different things, and I really think you should get your facts straight before you 'decide' the rest of society is wrong.


BTW, what kind of 'medical professional' are you?

 

[mivvers]

Zurgswife .. wtg!! I'm right there with you. I planned to deliver my first at home, but because she was breech, went to the hospital, where I delivered her naturally, with NO episiotomy, bottom-first. The nurses all tried to persuade me to stay, but I went home with my midwife three hours later.

It's definitely NOT the same as surgery! Please!!!

Having said that, there is definitley NO way that my mother-in-law would ever be invited. My mom and my sister-in-law were there for our second though, and I'll tell you, it was the best decision I could have made. Having two women there who love me and who have been through it before made a wonderful experience even more magical!

 

[Planogirl]

I just had my DH, doctor and a few nurses present. MIL did come wandering in at one point but I knew that my baby wasn't EVER coming out with her there! Actually, I contemplated tossing DH out of the room before the lovely epidural took effect.

I could never handle a crowd like some of those I've seen on TV. I don't get that at all but to each their own!

 

[GEM]

quote:
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Childbirth is a medical procedure,
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Hmmm. I just got back from a check-up 10 minutes ago and my doctor's exact words to me as I left were, "Remember, this is a very natural process. I'm just here to keep and eye on things and make sure everything goes smoothly." Doesn't sound like he considers it a "medical procedure".

 

[tiggerlover]

Oh brother.....no brothers for me....eeewww!

I had DH and my best friend. DH had a camera, but he had strick instruction on what he could and could not take photo's of. If I hadn't been in Italy at the time of DS's birth my sisters would probably have been there instead of my friend.

And of course all the necessary medical people were there.

 

[minnie56]

Just my DH, Doctor and nurses...and it was the 'wee' hours of the morning (First time)so I think I saw a cleaning lady mopping the floor! Honest!

Second baby...same thing!! Except no cleaning lady!

 

[goofygirl]

which BTW when my daughter was born I caught the baby myself. I don't think any Dr. would let me reach down and grab out my own appendix, 2 VERY different things, and I really think you should get your facts straight before you 'decide' the rest of society is wrong.

Wow, I cant believe there's people out there who think that there's nothing medical about childbirth. Scary!

I'm not debating this any longer. Its like talking to the wall.

 

[becka]

Originally posted by goofygirl
Wow, I cant believe there's people out there who think that there's nothing medical about childbirth. Scary!

I'm not debating this any longer. Its like talking to the wall.

There are some childbirths that are medical like mine since I was pre-eclamptic and I ended up with an emergency c-section. I will agree with you that my birth was quite medical. However, c-sections and the like are called medical interventions because the are intervening a natural process to use a medical technique. A regular birth is not medical just because you may be in a hospital and a doctor or nurse is there. Most people have kids in a hospital in case something goes wrong and a medical intervention is needed. When people gave birth before hospitals was it still a medical procedure?

Lets face it GG - you like to think of childbirth in the most horrific and least appealing manner because it reaffirms your desire to not have children. I think we all understand that by now so you can give it a little bit of a break. No one is trying to "convert" you over to the dark "kiddie full" side. You always seem to feel the need to reaffirm your decision on EVERY thread that in any way, shape or form mentions children. You are becoming the EROS of child threads.

 

[GEM]

Originally posted by goofygirl
I'm not debating this any longer. Its like talking to the wall.

Wow. I could have said the same thing.

By the way, at my appointment today, my doctor told my husband that he could "catch" our baby if he wanted to. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Oh, and for the original question - one of my closest friends just gave birth in the hospital here. She had her husband, her mom, and her sister with her. They are extremely close and she said that she loved having them there. She wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm really close to my mom and sister, too, but I still think I want that moment to be just me and DH. I do want my mom and sister there at the hospital, though.

 

[Lynn CC]

I had my DS. ALL Natural....no anything, maybe that's why I only have one. I was never brave enough to do that again!

My DH Mother and sister in laws were both there. My Mom and sister were late so they missed it. I had a big family affair!
I could have cared less who was there, I just wanted to get in the shower.

 

[awatt]

I am a doctor. My husband,dr and nurse were there and thats it. Forget modesty,its just a BIT distracting to the doctor trying to do his/her work when there's a crowd around,and that should be respected.

And the last time I delivered a baby,it was most definitely a medical procedure. I'd like to know what you'd do in the comfort of your own home if the cord is wrapped around the baby's neck and there's no doctor around.

 

[GEM]

Well, my husband was born in the comfort of his parent's own home and the cord was wrapped around his neck. The midwife unwrapped it. All 5 of my mother-in-laws children were born at home, as are most of the babies born in the country where my husband grew up. The nearest hospital is about three hours away. Three of her kids were born in the winter and the mountain roads were impassable, so they really didn't have any other choice. And this wasn't back in the "old days". All their kids were born in the 70s and 80s!

I don't think that anyone would argue that birth can become a medical emergency when complications arrise. I don't think most people would agree, though, that a normal problem-free delivery is a medical emergency that requires a woman to be isolated from her support system - which would include her husband and possibly a mother, sister, or whoever. Of course there shouldn't be so many people as to get in the way of the doctor. I think that's why most hospitals we checked out have very strict limits on how many people are allowed in the delivery room. All the hospitals we looked at set the limit at two or three.

 

[aahmom1]

Well, my husband was born in the comfort of his parent's own home and the cord was wrapped around his neck. The midwife unwrapped it. All 5 of my mother-in-laws children were born at home, as are most of the babies born in the country where my husband grew up. The nearest hospital is about three hours away. Three of her kids were born in the winter and the roads were impassable, so they really didn't have any other choice.

Well I certainly hope all those husbands and children were sent out into the cold so not to be around the woman giving birth. LOL It is just like surgery, haven't you heard?

 

[aahmom1]

BTW

I'm not debating this any longer. Its like talking to the wall.

I was thinking the very same thing. I think people should stick to debating subjects they know a little something about.

 

[GEM]

Originally posted by aahmom1
Well I certainly hope all those husbands and children were sent out into the cold so not to be around the woman giving birth. LOL It is just like surgery, haven't you heard?

Nope. They were all there. In fact, my husband vividly remembers the night his youngest sister was born. He was 8 years old. He was right there in the room and wasn't traumatized or anything. They have some really wonderful pictures of the whole family gathered around when the baby was only a few minutes old.

By the way, I guess my insurance company doesn't think the idea is too dangerous either, because they would pay for a home delivery with a midwife if I chose to have one, as long as I wasn't classified as "high risk". Fortunately, I have a doctor that I absolutely love, so I am happy to do it at the hospital with him attending.

 

[aahmom1]

What a nice story about your husband.

Fortunately, I have a doctor that I absolutely love, so I am happy to do it at the hospital with him attending.

I'm the same way with my Dr. I have a great respect for him and he is a very nice man. There's nobody I would trust more than him helping me deliver.

 

[awatt]

Yes I'm, sure your insurance company is far more concerned about your health than keeping costs down by keeping deliveries out of the hospital.
Recall that insurance companies wanted women to have same day surgery(23 hour stay) after a MASTECTOMY.