The Imperfect Community

[Scout]

It's not so much that I felt bad about getting the epi. It's more like dissatisfaction with that whole hospital environment and the way it affects me. I do so well up until transition, and really that doesn't last that long. If I could just keep from falling apart at that point, I'd be home free.
After I had Somerset, the asshole anasthesiologist said to me "Yeah, you really were close. You probably could have made it without the epidural if you just hung in there." Thanks, dick head.

My thing with wanting home birth is more about the way I want the environment to be. I don't want to have to worry about when to go and all that--it's so disruptive to me. And I do feel like we will be safer at home.

My SIL's sister just had her 4th and she totally got screwed. Her first was a C like 12 years ago, then she has like a 6 and 3 yo that she had vaginally. SO then with the fourth, the OB told her the new laws require the doc to stay present the entire time for VBAC, and they just didn't have the staff to do that, so she had to get another section. I would have raised hell, but she went along with it. So they basically forced her to have unnecessary major surgery for their convenience.

[DietCokeHead]

I just didn't like the fact I couldn't feel my lower half w/the epi. I felt paralyzed.

Yea, that part was wierd. We still laugh about how they went to put my feet in the stirrups to push and my legs just flopped over to the sides, I had NO control over them at all! Maybe my dosage was a wee bit high but I sure as heck still felt the baby come out and was begging dh to "please help me!" LOL!!!

[Scout]

I wasn't numb or paralyzed with the first two, but with SOmerset's I was, and I hated it.

[DietCokeHead]

Hey Scout- they had a homebirth on A Baby Story 2 days ago! This girl had like 25 family members present too. Nothing like a big audience, I guess.

[Scout]

Wow, I'm surprised Baby Story would show a home birth, lol. But yeah, I would not want that many people around. That's what my hospital room was like when I had calvin, but it wasn't because I issued invitations! They just came and stayed. I was too pissed and miserable to do anything about it, though. I hated my first birth. I was induced and it sucked.

[ThreeWashburns]

I have to say not having the epidural was a blessing in the end because I was up and walking around immediately. I definitely wanted the epi at the time but I didn't realize I would be having the baby so quickly. So, since she came out so quickly it was just as well the anesthesiologist showed up so late.
I can definitely understand wanting to have it at home or at least a birthing center. I HATE being in the hospital. Every minute of it. Once she was out and we were both deemed fine I wanted out of there. At least I was only there a little over 24 hours. The nurses kept saying "you can stay another night if you want". UGH! Let me go home.
But I think once you go to the hospital they want you in the bed with an IV and I think that makes the pain worse. I was really handling the contractions pretty well until they put me on that rock hard thing they call a bed. Standing up and walking around I think was best for me. Maybe gravity helps!

[DietCokeHead]

I have heard of people that say they werent able to get up and around after an epidural but by the time both my babies were cleaned up, I was stitched up, etc, I was able to get up very shortly. Not that I wanted to, but the nurses wanted to hustle me to the bathroom and get me cleaned up! Maybe it depends on how long they leave it on afterwards??

[Sewingsiren]

[DietCokeHead]

OK, speaking of A Baby Story, I just saw the most nontraditional one yet!

It was 2 gay men and one of their sisters was carrying the baby for them. AND it was her egg. They did at home insemination from one of the guys (not her brother, the other one!) with a freshly produced sample and a syringe. And this was the 2nd baby they had produced that way.

See, Baby Story is getting all alternative!

[Sewingsiren]

[Scout]

It's funny--my friend Stacey and her dh donated sperm to a friend who is in a lesbian marriage. They Fed Exed it to San Francisco, the mom-to-be did it herself (she is a CNM and had access to the whole kit and caboodle. You mix the sperm with a preservative before shipping, then when she got it she had to centrifuge it to get the preservative separated out), and it worked THE FIRSt TIME! The baby is right at a year now. When you think of all the money people spend on multiple tries under the most ideal circumstances. It's kinda crazy how that worked.

[mommy2three]

[new053105]