I had all five of mine in the US. I had my own OB/Gyn practice doctors for the first three deliveries and a hospital resident for my fourth as my practice doctor who was on call had a CS to attend to at 2.30 am just as DD3 made her appearance. For DD3, who was born about 40 minutes after I arrived at the hospital, my doctor arrived just in time for me to push, and a resident supervised the first 20 minutes of hospital labour. I went with a midwife practice and different hospital for DD4.
Throughout my pregnancies I had seen all of the practice doctors at one time or another so we weren't total strangers. Similarly, I met all of the midwives in the course of my pregnancy.
I had an epidural for DD1 -- my choice. I also had a pitocin drip to speed things up, and was monitored as her heartbeat was a bit dodgy, and she had a fetal scalp monitor too as there was a little meconium visible when my waters broke. I had an episiotomy and a few stitches bit I have no idea how many. My mother and all my Irish friends wanted to know exactly how many stitches I had and I sensed they were disappointed when I had no clue. I think they ranked birth experiences according to number of stitches.
I was induced for DS but had no epidural even though I asked for one as the hospital was snowed under that day. DS had a fetal scalp monitor too, as well as external monitoring; this was thanks to the pitocin. The anesthesiologist arrived just as they were weighing DS and announcing '9 lbs 4 ozs', and the poor man apologised profusely. Weirdly, he was a red haired Scot... My doctor used a vacuum extractor to keep DS moving in the right direction and I had a room full of students watching -- two of them allowed me to crush the bones in their hands as I pushed. I was asked if I would consent to students watching and had said yes.
After delivering DS I figured I could go without an epidural in future. For DD2 I arrived at the hospital too late for any pain relief anyway, but I had an episiotomy and a few stitches. DD3 was a fairly straightforward delivery and I snoozed for most of labour -- she was induced, gel worked immediately, I had an episiotomy and a few stitches. DD4's induction went slowly - gel pessary didn't result in much progress so I was on pitocin, monitoring, and confined to bed for about 36 hours but allowed up for the bathroom as long as I kept my cannula below the drip as I wheeled it along to my private loo in my own private labour and delivery room..
All pregnancies involved courteous treatment, getting to know the doctors and midwives, and hospital tours (the first hospital was remodelled twice over the years). All hospital stays involved nice food delivered with a smile, chosen from a menu that featured three choices for every meal. I had my own private room 3 out of 5 times, and the other two times I shared with one other woman and her baby. The rooms came with clean loo and shower ensuite. They also came with hospital robes for me and each baby, hospital supplied all diapers and maternity pads, perineal chemical ice packs, bed liners, knickers made of netting, a medela breast pump and nipple shields, a perineal water bottle, and a few little 2 oz glass bottles with ready mixed formula that came in handy at home when I expressed and stored milk. I never once brought a nightie of my own to hospital and just brought a onesie for each DC to go home in, and a big duffle bag for the freebies.
Above all, I experienced kindness from the nurses, and more than a perfunctory nod to my own preferences where delivery was concerned, and where there was a need for some medical action or intervention it was all clearly explained to my satisfaction. The no eating rule was explained to me as necessary in case a CS was required at some point. I had a drip for fluids and for pitocin when I was induced and pitocin was used. If necessary, the cannula would have been in place for a transfusion if it had become necessary. With DD1 I had the epidural needle inserted at a point early on in labour so it was there if I wanted it later, and also in case I had needed a CS I could have been partially numbed instead of knocked out.
My doctor's policy was only one ultrasound per pregnancy at 24ish weeks, but for DS I had three, one because I had bleeding early on due to suspected placenta previa and another when he showed signs of distress after his due date on top of the routine 20-24 week ultrasound. For DD3 I had four because I got pregnant immediately after MC so needed to establish dates, a routine scan at 20-24 weeks followed by another a few weeks later to see if the technician had been right and DD3 did in fact have a knot in her cord, and another at 40+5 as she was showing signs of distress in my non-stress tests, and with DD4 I had two because I was an old lady of 37 and a level 3 ultrasound was done in preference to amniocentesis to determine if there were any birth defects, as well as the routine 24ish week one. I had non-stress tests right at the end of each pregnancy.
(DD3 did in fact have a knot in her cord but the second ultrasound technician couldn't see anything but a blur as DD3 wouldn't stop with the somersaults. The resident marvelled at it when she was born, and he and the very experienced OB nurse there to assist him for the delivery chatted about odd cords and placentas the nurse had seen -- very entertaining for me..)
I had all of the tests listed by Bulbasaur during each pregnancy. For DD3 I had the second glucose test as I was borderline GD in the initial test, but passed. For DD4 I was diagnosed with GD after the second test.
I could turn down any test, and turned down amnio for DD4. I saw no reason not to have the tests recommended but amnio seemed to me to come with more risk than any other testing.
I was really glad to have the routine testing for GD and the follow up visits to the dietician who gave me great nutrition advice and who was always available for questions about food, my blood sugar testing, etc., when I was sent home with a testing kit and full instructions on testing.
The hospital I had DD4 in had bad soundproofing so throughout the night as I dozed and laboured I heard two other women delivering, along with much encouragement from family who seemed to be in the room with the women, and great cheering at the end along with crying of the babies. One family spoke Spanish and the other was from the Caribbean, judging from accents. It was all in all a happy night nice to eavesdrop on such joy. I had my midwife and her student and exH with me, along with a neo natal nurse, and DD4's arrival was a quieter affair. Apart from DS, all my other deliveries had only me and exH and the doctor or MW and nurse/s. Oh and a youthful and spotty lab technician bumbled in on the hectic scene just as I got to the pushing stage with DD2 he was supposed to do the routine bloodwork necessary upon admission. He was told in no uncertain terms to get out.. I can still see the look of astonishment on his face.
The only thing I found fault with in my first hospital was their policy of taking babies to the neo natal nursery for observation for a few hours after birth and recovery. The second hospital didn't do this.
Apart from that, I always felt I had choices, and that I was being listened to. Just a small example, but during DS's birth in front of an audience of OB/Gyn med students I asked for a student with small hands to do my internal exams after consenting to let a student do one, and also asked the small handed student to wait until a contraction was waning before getting going. There was only one nurse I encountered whom I thought was a lazy bitch. My sister's experience in Ireland was very different.