In my latest bout of pregnancy insomnia, I trolled the message boards on UrbanBaby.com to see about people's experiences at the NYU hospital, where I am to give birth in November and with my OB/Gyn, Downtown Women's OB/Gyn. 

What I read was mostly positive.  The one thing I kept seeing was stay home until the surges (using the hypnobirthing term) are 3 minutes apart to avoid a lot of medical intervention.  This is the one thing I think I would have changed about Simon's birth, which became an emergency C-Section after his heart rate dropped dangerously low.  I'm still on the fence as to whether his heart rate dropped because I wasn't moving enough or if it would have happened no matter what I did.  I never dilated completely either.  There were other people there who will remember better than I will.  I suspended time and memory during the birth.

I went to the hospital when my contractions were 5 minutes apart.  What's funny is that I was able to bear the contractions for most of the time without pain killers.  They were very uncomfortable and I definitely could not sleep through them, though I tried.   They eventually slipped me some morphine after I continued to refuse an epidural even after pitocin.  They put me under for the c-section.  I think I could have moved around more, but I thought it would be better to completely relax.  This time I think I will use relaxing movements like cat-cows and child's pose and leg stretching type poses.  I've been having Braxton-Hicks "practice" contractions since the very beginning and am teaching my body to relax through those as they get a little longer and stronger. 

The important thing to remember for me is that hospitals are made for intervention.  So I have to be steadfast in my desires and extremely self-sufficient.  And keep moving and breathing slowly.  Tension-free, drug-free birth.

Tags: birth, c-section, hospital, ob/gyn
Current Location: United States, New York, Port Jefferson Station
I feel: good
I'm listening to: golf course fountains