Well, you have a good backgound of information right now! Yes? We have covered a great deal from learning about The Gate Control Theory, to creating a great "Tool box" to help you relax during labor. Now we will go to go to the heart of the matter. But, first, there are a couple of topics to briefly cover before the section Labor + Birth are discussed. Please take this time to review any information up to this point.
There are many choices today for the expectant family planning the delivery of their baby. The choices you make will reflect your personal values, and what you feel comfortable with. Not everyone is comfortable with a home birth, for instance, and yet for some that is the only way to experience the birth of their child! For others, a hospital environment is best, guided by an obstetrician , midwife, or both. Others seek the services of doulas. Even in childbirth education, there are choices, like Lamaze(R) International, Bradley(R), and other methods. There are waterbirths, and even hypnosis can be learned to use in labor.
It has already been mentioned that the hospital enviornment is quite different than what you would experience at home, or in a birthing center. It is a controlled enviornment, with lots of technology, and medical interventions available to use during the birthing process. Hot arguments circulate in the medical community as well as within the general public as to the justifications of medical interventions, procedures, tests, medications used in labor, and the place of technology in childbirth, such as the use of fetal monitors.
Because a majority of births do take place in a hospital, it is wise to be familiar with their labor and delivery procedures. Knowing what they are gives you the opportunity to make educated choices, to reject, accept or compromise a procedure, depending on your situation. These choices range from difficult to simple. Only you and your partner can weigh the importance of the choice, your decision, how it will affect your baby, and its affect on you.
B i r t h P l a n s
A good exercise in learning about your options, and discovering what you would like to experience during childbirth is writing a birth plan. There are pros and cons.
Pros
- You learn about procedures, and can pretty much anticipate what procedures will be used during your labor, what you can, and can not do, such as walking the halls with an IV pole, or having intermittent fetal monitoring.
- What can you do in your labor room to make you feel comfortable, such as dimming the lights, playing music, having a doula - visit DONA.com, etc.
- Planning how many people you want to share the birth experience with, and of course, check with your health care provider about that too, and the hospital's policy.
- It helps you to decide what you want, and where you want to deliver. You might discover that you don't want to deliver in a hospital, afterall ! Now what? You will need to find other facililities, such as a birthing center, etc, and what their policies are.
- Start early in your pregnancy! Don't wait until you are in the 7th month and decide you want to change from your doctor to a midwife! Yikes!
- If you know your options, you'll have some!
Cons
- Birth Plans can be disappointing. Why? Because your expectations can be high, this is how you want it, and it doesn't happen! Use birth plans as an exercise in researching the facts, and options. keep an open mind to events as they unfold, be flexible, and make educated choices based on what you know and have discussed with your partner, and health care provider.
- Life rarely behaves the way you want it to, but it is full of surprises!
N u t r i t i o n
One hospital policy you'll find in many hospitals is a diet of ice chips during labor (another hot debate)! Why is this? Well, because if there is an emergency, and you need to be medicated, or need surgery they (doctors) don't want you to throw-up and aspirate (breathe in the contents into your lungs). So what can you do? When you go into labor, and you are at home, drink lot's of fluid - juices, water, no caffine, etc. Eat light; soups, sandwiches, crackers. You know, food that won't weigh a ton and sit in your stomach. Food you know won't give you heartburn, or make you uncomfortable.
Although, this is slowly changing, if you are in the hospital during early labor, some hospitals will allow you to eat "lightly"; jello, juice, etc.
Good nutrition is important during your pregnancy right up to labor, delivery, and after during postpartum!
You want to be healthy, so that you'll have the energy when you need it, and when your body is healing after delivery.
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Choices
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" Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. " Benjamin Franklin
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