waterbirth?! :(?

Question

Hi all,
im really upset because ive been told i cannot have a waterbirth because my baby is measuring small, therefore needs constantly monitored during labor. im also not allowed home if i go hospital with little pains and am proven to be in labor, as they need to check how he fully respoinds to the labor..
i really wanted a water birth, im so scared about the pain. ive had BH and i think there awful theres noway i can cope with real contractions..
also, the delivery room scares the life out of me!!! im only having 1 person in with me, my partner, because i am only allowed 2 and his mum and mine will argue over who that is to be..so im very nervous.what other choices can i have? or how can i deal with this im so nervous

Answer 1

hun i dont think there is anything that will prepare any woman for giving birth, you will learn to deal with the contractions as they come. just look into other forms of pain relief ... gas and air... epidural.. there are soo many. im 35+4 weeks preg with a little boy and 17 too. cant wait to be a young mum.

Answer 2

first- take a deep breath and step back from the situation. When we (women) are pregnant, we feel as though if things don't go our way- we panic. That is a very normal for any species. ESPECIALLY human. We want to be in control of our surroundings during a very scary time in your life. But lets look at this a different way. What is your main goal with this pregnancy? Usually people want a healthy baby, right? I have had a traumatic delivery and the baby was very sick. You don't want that.
This is YOUR delivery. Usually a doctor will rule out a water birth b/c the baby will have a hard time maintaining heat and can get into big trouble right away. Speak to the doctor about you plan. There is never a reason a mom should be frightened so badly about delivery.
Think of the doctor as someone YOU hired. He/she is working for you and must answer to you. If you have any questions to WHY the doctor is doing something, make them explain. Talk to them about pain control.
As far as who gets to go in the delivery room, thats your choice. If mom is going to help make YOU feel better- then make sure that she is there. You are going to have to make many decision about your baby. Now is the time to be in charge. YOU are the moma. No one else. And by all means, relax and enjoy this time. There is a life growing inside you.

Answer 3

I had a water birth and a regular one and I can tell you, the pain difference isn't that great that you should be worrying about it this soon.

First of all, your baby still has 6 more weeks to grow. Eat ALOT of protein. For every single meal you should be eating an entire chicken breast. Also, carbs.

If you are concerned that your doc/midwife is making this call for other reasons, (insurance, malpractice....etc), ask for a second opinion.

But I can tell you from experience that if they are ready to commit you to a non-water birth 6 weeks in advance, they probably have just cause.

So, relax, this gives you ample time to adjust your birth plan. Find other relaxation techniques that work for you. You weren't going to be in the water 100% of the time anyway, that's just usually for the actual birth (not the most painful part). So, what were you going to do for the other painful portions? Do you have access to a yoga ball? If so, bring it, some music, a deck of cards, a rice sock ( a brand new, soft sock filled with rice and you can add some lavendar oil) to be heated up and placed on your back, neck etc.

This isn't the worst thing in the world, it just feels like it. Trust me, if this is the only thing you have to worry about, you are lucky.

Take this time to think about what you will do, not to worry about what you aren't allowed to.

Answer 4

I would go to a different hospital. I did water birth, although I had to switch just before delivering to the stool because he wasnt clearing my pelvis.

Anyway, I had labored for like 37 hours up to that point, and my son HAD to be monitored the whole time because my water had broken early. They just monitored him while I was in the water.

Theyre only telling you that because some hospitals look for any reason at all to make things easier on themselves, not on you or the baby.

Water births are healthier and less stressful on babies, some women just have small babies, and if you name is true and you still have 6 weeks to go you havent reached the point where the baby starts doubling body fat for birth.

I'd get a different hospital if it were me, i dont like people mucking up my delivery.

Answer 5

First of all, don't let the mums argue & get you down !! You need support, not discouragment!
Tell them you won't let either in if they don't REALLY help!
Trade them in for a childbirth assistant!! There are MANY who volunteer at births!

Second of all, How small is the baby?
They are wrong a lot about these things...
Question them... How do they know this? Why is it beneficial to be monitored so much? Because monitioring that much is only setting you up for a "snowball" effect that can lead to an unecessary C-Section, statistics show.

I am sure many will not like this answer, but it is true, ya know??? WE SHOULD QUESTION DOCTORS... there is nothing wrong with asking why & how & what!

Answer 6

It definitely sucks that you are unable to have a water birth. Try to look at the bright side - at least you KNOW that your pregnancy and birth need to be monitored closely at a hospital. Imagine if you had a water birth and the complications occured and you couldn't get the baby to the hospital in time? That would be tragic.

Try not to stress out too much about the actual labour. Your baby responds to stress and you don't want to put that on your baby. When in labour, you are able to handle things you are not able to normally and you forget about the pain afterwards, otherwise no one would ever reproduce and our population would die off. There are plenty of drugs to take to lessen the pain and make it a more enjoyable experience. Maybe you will be lucky to have a water birth with your next child, but if not, it's not the way you give birth that matters (water birth, C-section, home birth), it is the baby that is in your arms afterwards that you and your husband have created. That's precious.

Answer 7

A doula is a good idea... I just had my baby last friday.. I was freaked out because I was induced... I will be honest with you... Once you are in the hospital and your contractions start...it's like a different part of your mind kicks in. All you think about is the baby. Well, for me anyways.. I hate hospitals and i have NEVER had surgery or even really been hospitalized...so i can understand your fear. Epidurals are a good idea and HONESTLY- they do NOT hurt at all! You can feel it but NO pain! It really helps you relax as well. Before I got the epidural, they gave me something in my IV, it wasn't stadol... Im sure the hospital will know, and it relaxed me and I fell asleep. I also think that your partner should be in there...Well, Good luck! If you have any questions or need some advice, email me!

Answer 8

You might consider a birthing center instead of a hospital.

Also, if you can afford it I'd highly recommend a doula.

Answer 9

to tell u the truth labour is very painful, but its all forgotten when you got ur baby, i should know i have had 5, and the last kid i had no pain relief. and a water birth does not make the pain easier. sorry

Answer 10

Have your mom anyway ok skrew what his mom wants! Your the one having the baby NOT her! Have who you want! Ok good luck!