Need advice of birthing method?

Question

I am 27 weeks along and this is my first. I thought that I would feel most comfortable giving birth for the first time in the hospital just to play it safe. I have a lot of anxiety about giving birth. ALOT. I went today for a prenatal massage and it was so calming and relaxing and it made me think that there are different options for birth that may be more calming.

Can you play relaxing music in the birhting rooms at the hospital? Are there ways of making the birthing process more relaxing in the hospital? I have already decided that I am going to get an epidural to help with the pain. My husband will be there. Hopefully my mother will be there too - we bought her plane ticket and as long as my son doesnt come more than two weeks early then she'll make it. I want to make it as calm and relaxing as possible to try to keep my anxiety level at a minimum.

Can you please share your experiences or suggestions? Thank you!

Answer 1

Different hospitals have different rules, but most will allow things like music, candles, even incense. Visit the hospital where you plan to deliver and ask for a tour of the nursing suite, and ask them all of these sorts of questions. They'll be more than happy to answer them for you.

By the way, I think you are right in playing it safe. While women have given birth at home for thousands of years, we have a much lower infant death rate now for a reason:because we have medical resources available. Your delivery will probably go smoothly, but why take chances?

Answer 2

Hey there. I am an L&D nurse at a hospital here in Houston. Hospitals can be scary places, but usually the birthing centers are geared towards being more relaxing than regular hospital rooms. You can definitely play music, bring some lotions so that family members can give you mini massages during the process. Overall, it is best to express your concerns and anxiety to the nurse taking care of you, and your MD. Bring a CD player with some relaxing sounds, like waterfalls, etc. Actually though, during labor, your body is doing so much work that once you get an epidural you will most likely sleep for a while. Remember one of the most important things is to keep an open mind. If you have a set plan of how you want things to go, that is ok, but just remember that based on keeping you and your baby safe, things may not always go exactly how you planned. :) Best of luck

Answer 3

It all depends on the hospital. You can call the hospital you plan on delivering at and ask what you can do as far as music or movies. The hospital I have and will be delivering at has a TV, DVD player, and CD player in the birthing rooms. They allow it if you want it. With my third I had the TV on and had and epidural for the first time and I was so relaxed it was amazing. Good Luck and Congrats

Answer 4

You can have many relaxation type stuff in the birthing room. I actually never really brought anything except my hubby! LOL I always felt safer in the hospital setting so for me that was the only way. I also had epidurals and I never totally planned but when I was in so much pain I figured that stress was worse than a epidural so the epidural relaxed me ALOT! LOL Good luck!

Answer 5

I think you would feel best with a birth plan.

Writing a birth plan lets you put on paper some of what you expect from the nurses, doctors, and other staff. It also lets you dictate your preferences. For example, mine says that my husband and I will be in there. If other people show up and say, "She won't care"... they KNOW that I already have a plan. Mine says things like, I wish to avoid an unnecessary episiotomy. An epidural is fine when I'm in active labor. I prefer to bring my own music. I don't want a giant mirror to watch. I want to be consulted on all decisions, regardless of my stage of labor. I do not want my baby to be fed any water or sugar water or be given any shots without my consent.

A birth plan is a guide, not a guarantee. But it is better to write it out than to show up and spend the whole time going, "But I wanted..." Call your hospital and ask for a tour. Ask lots and lots of questions about the doctors and their routines. Will you be guaranteed your physician, or whoever is on call? What does the hospital offer for relaxation (showers, birthing ball, tub, etc.).

I do think you're on your way, with dh by your side and mom on the way. You'll do fine. :)

Answer 6

I am 24 and have two children. My first is now 3 and my second is 4 months old. With my first..it was an ok experience. I was scared shitless and was absolutely terrified. I ended up getting the epidural at 8 cms. and did ok. I had my hubby and my mom with me. The after math sucked ***. A week after I was hospitalized with mastitis..*inflammation of my breasts from the breast milk*, and a uterine infection. If you are not going to breast feed here is the BEST tip on how to dry up your milk..use two ice packs in your bra with broken veined cabbage leaves attached..worked like a charm in two days. Anyways...my second was a BREEZE...I had the epidural put in at 4 cm's and they left it in my back the whole time..great thing to have. I pushed 5 times and she popped right out. Aftermath was a ton better because I had experience and knew what to expect. Now..while you are sitting in the hospital room and you are bored out of your mind...bring music..books..magazines..they have tv's....have visitors come in and see you...i swear to god..the waiting period for you to get to 10 cms is a life time so you will want to have something to do. If you are going to wait a while for the epidural you might not want visitors in there. You will also want to try and get as much sleep as you possibly can too. because you are going to be SOOOOOOO tired afterward. not immediately afterward but a few hours after you will feel like a zombie. but yes you can have music..some hospitals will allow you to sit in a rocking chair....you can bring your own pillows stuffed animals..anything. but if i were you..i would get there...get settled into the room...sit down on the bed for a minute and figure out what you really want and then send your hubby or mom to go back and get it. you never really know what might help you to feel better until you actually get there to feel the atmosphere and really know what it is like. the nurses are great! so use them and they will be great too. Have fun!

Answer 7

Discuss it with your doctor ahead of time so he or she knows what you prefer. They should be respectful of your wishes, but remember that labor and delivery can be unpredictable, so don't get too adamant about it ahead of time. If you have a birth plan, make sure your doctor and the hospital get a copy of it ahead of time. Also bring it with you to the hospital.

Check with the hospital to see if you can have a doula. That's someone that will help be your advocate if dad and grandma get overwhelmed. The hospital should also have information on what's available to you during labor and delivery.

Remember, women have been doing this for thousands of years and every one of them experienced it for the first time at some point. You will be fine. Keep your focus on bringing that new life into the world.

Good luck!