POLL - for those of you who have had a baby in hospital...

[electra]

When you went into hospital;

1 On arrival, were you asked to lie down while examined to see how dilated you were?

2 Were you encouraged to lie down / labour on a bed?

The childbirth / pain relief threads have got me thinking about this and in 2001, at my hospital birth nobody told me I might find labour a bit easier if I figured out how to breathe through the contractions.

I am wondering if this was just my hospital / whether today the approach in a hospital has changed at all?

1. Both times I had to lie done to check how dilated

1. Pretty much left to me what position I wanted to be in and where - although sort of presumed I'd stay on the bed (which I did)

ds1 2004 yes and yes
ds2 2007 yes and no

I think it is slowly getting better - they will let you stand, squat whatever more now for normal birth without monitoring (might have to fight for it otherwise) but still try and force you to lie down for exams ime and that of friends. However, the more births you do the more you realise they cant actually make you do anything and you can labour how you want - it is much easier to be assertive about this second and subsequent times. I will never, ever lie on a bed during labour again should I experience another one.

I went to a NCT labour day where the woman running it told us that a good midwife should be able to examine you in any position and if they can't it is their problem and you should refuse to lie down

oooh I've tried to examine in all fours and I can't make head nor tale of what I'm feeling. I cant get my fingers to follow the sacrum so it's like tring to go the wrong way through a u bend for me

I only take a few mins though so would soon have you back up and squatting!

1. DS1 - N/A (waters gone, no contractions ended up with dubious CS (2000)

DS2 - yes, again waters had gone, checked the day waters had gone, then again 72hrs later when I went in for induction (2003)

Ds3 - yes, but only the once (only had one internal) (2007)

1. DS1 N/a

DS2 - yes ended up lying flat on my back for the entire duation, was sheer hell

DS2 - no they found me a birthing ball for the first part of my labour, and then when I felt I wanted to move let me choose whatever position Iw as happy with (ended up kneeling leanig over the back of the bed)

DS2 and 3 were born at the same hospital, but couldn't have been more different from each other in terms of how my choices were respected and how much control I had.

1- yes
2- no

in 2004

agree with xfabba's comments about being assertive and 2nd and subsequent pg's.

Yes and yes, first time mum, when i arrived at hospital i was 10cm ready to go. didnt know what i was doing was v. stressed, in pain and scared and now looking back i wish the mw could have calmed me down a little bit (she was v. quiet and made me thing something was wrong or i was doing something wrong).

1. yes
2. yes

I wanted to press my feet on the bed rest during contractions but the mws wouldn't let me.
Does anyone know if there was a particular reason for that.
I feel I'd have coped with the pain better in a different position, but I'd had an ineffective epidural (non-mobile) and they didn't seem keen for me to be other thaan laid own position

laid down position*

1. Yes
2. Yes, but to be fair my blood pressure was very high and they were trying to prevent me having cs.

no & no (for 2 births)

1. Yes - a painful waste of time.
2. Nowhere else to go.

1987, so a bit out of date, admittedly. But I have avoided hospitals and examinations ever since.

yes

yes - but i had an epidural, and in 1989, you couldn't walk around with an apidural - i hear that you can now with all this new fangled technology

Ds1 1991 yes and yes,was awful
Ds2 1995 yes and no,was good birth
Dd1 2004 yes and no,was good birth
Dd2 2006 yes and no,was good birth

Moved around a lot during last 3 births but ended up having all 3 sitting up on the bed (my choice)

MW's great (except 1st dc) and all encouraged moving around and breathed with me if i was struggling.

Yes and yes (2003)

1 On arrival, were you asked to lie down while examined to see how dilated you were?

Yes, both times in 2004 and 2006, but was told could move to whatever position I felt comfortable in afterwards.

2 Were you encouraged to lie down / labour on a bed?

No, was told to do what I liked to feel more comfortable, birthing ball/all fours/walk around. Ended up both times with a ventouse so did end up on my back, despite previously having an active labour.

DS1 - yes and yes ( i was incredibly ill though so couldn't have been in any other position if i wanted.)

DS2 - Yes and No.

1. Yes, though they had the head of the bed propped up so I wasn't lying flat, more in a half sitting position
2. No I was encouraged to do what felt comfortable. There was a birthing ball and a special chair which had a seat for my DH and a u shaped seat for me to sit on. There was a hoist as well that I could hang off too.

1. Yes both times (2006 and 2008). But I was only examined twice in 2008 - at my request both times. 2006 I had regular exams at the request of the midwife.

1. Not in the birthing centres that I used, they encouraged me to move around and get into upright or forward leaning positions. But when I was transferred to the consultant led unit in 2006 with DD1 they insisted that I was on my back on the bed. It was agony.

with DS, i was induced, so i was monitored, and had my waters broken and given an drip. I was in bed, with monitor on and drip in and i had diamporphine and an epidural, at no point was i encouraged to be mobile, to try gas & air or be active. I had a c.s for failure to progress , quelle surprise

with DD, I was asked to lie down to be examined , and was made to get off the bed and be active and upright and they took the g&A away as i was too relaxed grin] i did deliver on the bed, but mostly sat up and it was my choice

You should find more encouragment of active birth and birth balls available and less emphasis on lying on the bed. you can use the bed to lean on though, they can be raised or lowered. you can decline VEs too.

I had DS in 1999 and DD in 2005. With dd, i was a lot more clued up and so were my birth partners, so that made a difference.

Actually in the birthing centres that I used both times, I couldn't have gone onto the bed if I'd wanted to - there wasn't one!

1. Yes
2. No, I was encouraged to keep mobile to bring the baby down.

Electra, I think I gave birth at the same hospital.