If you are a doctor etc what kind of birth did you have?

[TheBeesKnee]

Was it natural/unmedicated, did you have an epidural, an elective CS, etc?

Just curious what choices people who work in medicine have made.

One hospital birth with epidural, three home births with birthing pool. Doctor of Education though 😁

@CoffeeBoy the Lancet article is more than 20 years old!

Hospital pharmacist here- having thought I’d manage on gas and air I ended up with an epidural. Best decision I could have made for myself and DD. Having researched the effects of drugs (given via various methods- PO, SC, IV etc..this was definitely the best option for us. No long lasting effects for myself or DD and straightforward discharge less than 24hrs post birth despite requiring forceps and stitches.
DD nearly 10 months now and don’t regret a thing.

Do you think anything has changed?

Senior midwife here.

ELLSCS for breech. 2 x unsuccessful ECVs.
Very difficult recovery

Probably as straight forward as could be. Next time opting for VBAC.

I have delivered 3 babies of obstetricians in my time (1 epidural, 1 pool, 1 gas & air)
2 x ELLSCS for obstetricians (breech, maternal choice)
3 x vaginal delivery for midwife colleagues or friends ( 2 x home water birth, 1 x epidural)
2 x vaginal delivery for anaesthetic friends (both epidural)
1 x vaginal delivery for neonatologist (epidural & episiotomy, PPH)

My cousin is an obstetrician, she said they all had elective c sections due to reduced risk of birth injuries. Unfortunately she told me this after I had a serious birth injury! My second was a planned c section.

Midwife here. 2 home births, second unassisted (by accident!)

Nurse who had 4 vaginal deliveries before working a while on a maternity unit. If I had my time again I would 💯 have an elective section. Also I breastfed all of mine but if I had my time again I would feed them a sneaky bottle at birth after their bath before bedtime to help get them into a settled sleep pattern

GP.
Number 1 - birth plan "have a baby safely". Got preeclampsia, induced at 32+5, got to 8cm, crash section (GA) due to fetal distress. Everybody ok.

Number 2 - birth plan "try vbac if natural labour, low threshold to abandon ship, otherwise elective section". Totally expected a recurrence of BP problems and an early section, ended up plain sailing and term elective section.

Physio here:

1st unmedicated, uncomplicated water birth, no tearing etc. loved it.

2nd home birth…a bit of a surprise, wanted another water birth at the hospital but didn’t get there in time.

Partner is anaesthetist and was pushing me to book elective c—section due to his ward experience. I really didn’t want a c-section due to my professional experience!

Most midwives I know had home births, most anaesthetists and obstetricians have had elective C-sections.

My dh is a GP who had done a 6 month obstetric rotation on the unit where dd1 and ds were born.

Dd1 - spontaneous labour at 39+3, ventouse delivery
Ds - spontaneous labour at 38+4, SVD

Dd2 was born in a larger hospital due to kidney issues I had in pregnancy.
Induced at 36+6, SVD.

No epidurals, and only had diamorph with dd1, just gas and air for the next 2.

Hosp HCP, Emcs, forceps, gas&air

I’m an obstetrician (name changed for this!)

I had two vaginal births - both induced by breaking waters, both had epidural, needed synto for second baby and episiotomy for first. I didn’t want to go past my due date.

Among colleagues, it’s probably 60-40 in favour of CS.