Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Original poster

who gave birth lying on a bed in hospital?

160 replies

ratclare · 27/10/2006 15:43

why do they make us do this ? surely standing or squatting would make this easier ,what with gravity and everything . I am a nurse and i would only make some one have a poo in bed if there was no physical way of getting them out !

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

mears · 27/10/2006 18:57

Maybe wasn't clear there - midwives should know that the position you describe labouring in is best avoided with SPD.

misdee · 27/10/2006 18:58

i did with all 3 of mine actually. with dd1 i was induced and wired to the monitor, with dd2 i climbed onto the bed to give birth, was laying down. with dd3, again induced but spent all but the final minutes walking about. but then wanted to get on the bed to push.

Judy1234 · 27/10/2006 18:59

Birth chair in hospital with the first two felt a bit fake. With the twins first one I was standing up, squatting - much more comfortable. With second twins I was lying on the bed it was fine. I don't know how anyone can stand contractions whilst lying down and all that pushing against gravity. It's bizarre anyone does it.

Bozza · 27/10/2006 18:59

And my midwife for DD was fabulous. Really went with the flow with me. DH was totally shocked when the baby was born. So was my Mum when she realised I had been talking to her on the phone 20 mins prior to delivery.

Greensleeves · 27/10/2006 19:00

Thanks, mears, I appreciate that. So I would have had to have ds2 on my back because of shoulder dystocia (I remember the McRoberts manoeuvre! And the Woods screw, is it called? Hazy memory) but that would have been OK because I didn't have SPD with ds2. I still don't really understand why they made me lie on the bed for 24 hours with ds1, I was screaming to be allowed to get up just for a minute but they wouldn't allow it .

Suppose I will never know now - it's in the past.

Thanks for answering.

madmarchscare · 27/10/2006 19:07

I had an epidural and was managing quite nicely on my side but was asked to lie on my back (which made me throw up constantly), supposedly something to do with DSs positioning. I went on to have a section after ventouse and forceps .

JoolsToo · 27/10/2006 19:08

me, 3 times and I think it's barmy

cece · 27/10/2006 19:25

I'm not sure why but gave birth both times lying on bed AND with legs in stirrups.

3andnomore · 27/10/2006 19:25

I know what ya mean, with es I was monitored a lot, but not because it was necessary, I think they just forgot about the darn thing, then when I was 10cm's dilated they broke my waters and all hell broke loose as ds turned op and wrapped himself in his cord so, i ended up on my back and in stirrups (which I even asked back for once they felt they weren't necessary anymore, because, I supppose my legs had gotten used to that position and it was painful with es position to ave them down then)....hohum, luckily all was well anyway and I pushed him out easy enough without to much help, i.e. no need for forceps or ventouse and only a teensy tear!
MS I was adament to deliver kneeling , well, stupid m/w felt the need to give me an internal when I said I am pushin by the way, when they broke my waters I was already 9cm's anyway, so, surely that Internal was stupid, and apparently a good m/w would be able to tell by a line on your perineum(sp?) anyway's by the time the Internal was done I had no strenght to go back on all fours and pushed ds out ratehr fast, m/w was only able to get her gloves on....just, lol...poor boy was born with a bruised nose!
So, I suppose it didn't do me any harm, but it certainly was never the position I would have chosen instinctively!

funnypeculiar · 27/10/2006 19:30

Me once , for ds - but had been in EVRY position in the book for the previous 2 hours! M/w gamely had me piroutting round the room, after I'd insisted on active labour, despite being continously monitored (ds was month early). She finally suggested stirups, I beleive the phrase was 'well, we've tried everything else...' - one push. done & dusted.

Dd - didn't spend anytime on my back at all - kneeling over the bed. All too quick to do anything else!!

mamamaaargh · 27/10/2006 20:03

Yes, against all the advice, I ended up on my back. They had no room for me, so left me in the recovery room outside the operating room by myself for 4 hours . By the time a delivery room was available I was so consumed by what I was doing, it never occurred to me to move. Wish someone had reminded me

southeastastra · 27/10/2006 20:05

i can't remember i was all over the place!

helsy · 27/10/2006 20:08

Both times.
First time I was induced (didn't want to be but the Dr wouldn't let me wait - thought my "old" placenta would give up after a couple of weeks), started off in the midwife unit the second time, lots of nice bouncy stuff to roll around on and showers and baths, but as soon as my bp went up - it is incredibly low and was still low - they sent me down to lie on a bed with a monitor on for the remaining 20 hours.

MumtoBen · 27/10/2006 20:14

Yes I gave birth on my back. In stirrups with forceps. However, my SPD was so bad in 2nd stage labour I literally could not change position from being on my back as I couldn't bear to open my legs at all. I know I would have been better off on all fours as that was the most comfortable position for me when heavily pregnant. And I spent all 1st stage on all fours or standing. Shame I couldn't move positions at the end.

Kidstrack · 27/10/2006 20:22

had to lie on the bed to have no2 as i had a previous em c/s so i had to be on the bed for monitoring but i had been active for 11hrs wandering about but as soon as i got to labour suite it was on the bed for 5hrs, after giving birth and trying to stand up the pain in my tail bone was excruciating, 3yrs later my tail bone is still sore

suedonim · 27/10/2006 21:14

I had first two lying flat on my back, as was usual in 1970's. I had an epidural with No1, with No2 I walked to a delivery room and as soon as I lay down ds2's head appeared so there was no time to do anything except yell!

With dd1 I had hoped to deliver on a Parker Knoll chair(!) but 'they' decided to break my waters and again the baby's head was there before anyoine could turn round.

I was on all fours, desperately hanging on to the bedhead with dd2. It turned out to be a bit of a sweat to get dd2 out and once she was born I was completely disoriented and couldn't find her! The MW said 'she's behind you' and I remember saying 'I dont know where behind me is.' I'd have liked the chance to deliver squatting, I think that might have been better, but I don't know I'd have had the strength by that stage.

expatinscotland · 27/10/2006 21:18

Bozza
I had a second stage of 26 minutes on my knees.

The midwives were fab! They just carried right on and told me to stay how I was comfortable.

It took a few minutes for the lip of my cervix to move off, and by then I felt huge amounts of pressure and they told me just to push into it.

I didn't have the baby delivered right onto me, as I said, but have NO regrets about that b/c I stayed in that position until my body told me it was okay to turn round.

My gran gave birth to all 6 of hers at home, squatting.

When she found out how births were handled in the US at that time - mid 1930s to 1950s - she was beyond shocked.

mmmmchocolate · 27/10/2006 21:20

i did on my side with dh holding leg in air - stage 8 mins.

Bozza · 27/10/2006 21:25

Sounds like it went well expat. I didn't have DD delivered onto me either due to being standing. And due to my delaying calling the midwives only had one with me so DH had to dive across the bed to catch DD!

3andnomore · 27/10/2006 21:31

suedomin(sp?) ...it is difficult birthing in a squatting position for most western women, as we are not used to that position on a daily basis, and this can actually bring it;s own probs...but bless you for being out of it so much that you didn't know where behind you was, saying that, in a squatting postion m/w's will usually put the Baby forward or coax the woman herself to do so, iykwim! Well, nowadyas that is ;)

sallyrosie · 27/10/2006 22:02

I agree with Alex: I stood and then knelt beside the bed (until the MW and 2 drs threw me over onto my back with my legs in the air cos his shoulders got stuck...)
The MW was very very keen to NOT let me lie on the bed - after getting onto it so she could check the position of the baby she and my DH virtually hauled me off and back onto my feet for the rest of the labour.

PumpkinMilkshake · 27/10/2006 22:04

Have'nt read all threads but I wanted to add I wanted an active labour and wanted to walk around, kneel over a chair, ball etc. But they insisted on strapping a sodding mionitor on me so I was confined to the bed!!! I could;'t even lean over the back of the bed - which was really comfortable. Baby was showing no signs of distress or anything - totally pointless .

Things are going to be a little different this time, I am considering a home birth - or gettin my community midwife to tell labour ward unless there are signs of a problem to leave me alone!

MerlinsBeard · 27/10/2006 22:07

haven't read the thread but i wasn't made to lie on the bed, 1st time i wanted to and secind time i had just got on for an examination when i gave birth!

suedonim · 27/10/2006 22:12

3andnomore, I agree, squatting isn't easy if you're not used to it and I'm so old I had pretty dodgy knees anyway when it came to having dd2!

Has anyone else read that book 'The Red Tent' where they talk about giving birth on bricks? I still haven't quite worked out what it entailed.

starshaker · 27/10/2006 22:16

i had to lie on a bed cos i was induced and on a drip. felt so uncomfy. next time i will try the pool

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7