Intervention during Birth

[spnfan]

hello everyone!

I was just hoping for some advice/experiences on how much intervention I can refuse after DC is born?

I'm pregnant with DC1 so I really don't know much at all!

If things don't go as smoothly as they should and I or DC be at risk or in danger then I absolutely want medical intervention.

I mean, if (when!) the birth goes smoothly I'm so keen for baby and I to just be left alone to do what we need to do. I know that breastfeeding stimulates the uterus to expel the placenta and stuff and I'd rather that than have the injection to stimulate it.

So can I ask to be left alone with husband and baby for an hour immediately after the birth or are there things the doctors will insist on doing?

Thank you.

You will quite likely require some stitching as a little tear at least will be common. You can choose to give birth to the placenta naturally I think but not alone with your DP, a midwife will presumably have to be present. They do have a certain amount of checks they have to do on you and the baby but they will all being well get these done and check/help with BF latch etc they will leave you alone together. There is an inevitable amount of stuff to do after the birth even with the easiest and most complication free ones. I ended up in theatre having ventouse birth after DS got stuck but after he was handed to me, taken to get checked, I was stitched up and placenta was apparently birthed (no idea when I only remembered after about it and guessed it must have happened!) and then was in recovery breastfeeding for a bit, I had to be observed and checked because of the epidural, then went to the ward, but even with all this I was alone in my cubical with DS and DH in about an hour.

Also best to not think of it as 'intervention' to be 'refused', honestly no one is there to do things for the sake of it! It's a hard thing pushing a baby out, and while it's great to go in trying as natural as possible, it's still a difficult and medical process. I was happy as anything after the birth even with my intervention, even if I spent my whole pregnancy being told it was to be dreaded an open mind can help. They are only going be around afterwards to make sure you and the baby are healthy and happy.

They won't intervene if there is no need to.

I really doubt you will bf right after you delivered your baby - at least I didn't, maybe someone did, I don't know.

You can certainly tell them you want to deliver your placenta yourself. However, if you start bleeding they will encourage you to have an injection.

I hope all goes well for you

Thank you!

Yes, I don't expect no intervention at all, and I can imagine that once I'm there and I'm in pain I won't care what happens so long as DC and I are healthy and safe.

Just trying to figure out what happens and how much say I can have in things.

In my head I've got a wonderfully romanticised notion of what it will be like and whilst I'd like to cling on to that as long as I can I also am trying to be realistic as to what to expect!

I don't really anticipate BFing right away but I work with a breastfeeding team who are so supportive and got me watching videos on 'baby breast crawl' which was just amazing and I would love for DC and I to experience that.

Thank you for sharing with me. :)

I chose the injection to deliver the placenta, as wanted to get that part over with and focus on my little girl. Once that was delivered, they left us for about forty minutes doing skin to skin and taking it all in, then the midwife came back in to do our stitches. It was so amazing finally having her in my arms that I was quite oblivious.

We were also on the MLU, so I didn't see it as intervention, as it was a nice room, lovely midwife and a calm environment.

*my stitches not ours..

At our local hospital they're very good, as long as you and your baby are happy and healthy (no risk of bleeding etc) they just leave you alone to bond. Another way of looking at that may be that they are too busy to interfere unnecessarily?! Just take it as it comes, good luck

One of mine did actually breastfeed before the cord had even been cut -- just sort of swarmed up there and went for it. Always has been a greedy little bugger...

spn I was induced with my first after going two weeks over (it wasn't what I initially imagined but it was absolutely fine), it ended with a spinal forceps delivery and episiotomy so I was stitched after which took about 20 mins. DS was delivered onto my chest and this part went really quickly! I was then taken with my partner to a side room, DS was weighed then they have gave him to me an asked me to BF him (which he did straight away- the little piggy). They then left us to it for a good hour or so before I was wheeled to the post delivery ward.

I really enjoyed that little bit of time to ourselves before going to the ward, although the peaceful/quiet bit was probably about 30/40 minutes after his delivery it honestly all felt so quick to get to that bit! Hopefully your hospital will have similar resources to offer you this bit of privacy.

As for intervention, as others have said, they generally only do so if needed and it gets a bad rep but having had a fairly 'medicalised' birth in the end, it was a great experience. The best thing to do is go with the flow. I'm due my second in 2 months and am actually feeling quite excited about the birth however it ends up happening!

Good luck!

There are things they will likely insist on doing, though not necessarily immediately.

You won't be able to deliver the placenta unattended. You can hold the baby / feed it while you are waiting. Though with #1 I remember delivering the placenta being a bit painful! Have no such memory with #2, though he was very big so probably didn't even notice it

They will at some point want to weight the baby, with both of mine this was done when they did the stitching (I had 1 stitch with #1 and 4 with #2, in each case for minor 1st degree tears - I am not sure why they were so specific when telling me?? anyway I digress - and in both cases it took about ten minues). If any tear is more severe this bit would take longer I guess.

I put them both to the breast within a few minutes of them being born. #1 was slow to get the hang of BF and didn't really feed for about a day but #2 latched on straight away.

Once stitching / weighing was done, we were left to it. That time passes so quickly - with #1 we were left about 2 hours before we were moved to our room, with #2 it was 3/4 hours I think - it felt like about 20 mins in each case. That is the oddest thing about childbirth for me - the surreal quality time takes on! We did have private care however so that probably impacted how much space and time we were given to ourselves after the birth.

Good luck - I found childbirth such an amazing experience (I guess I was lucky, I know not everyone does), I hope you have a great time.

DD was breastfeeding before the cord had been cut! My placenta just came naturally within about 10 mins of the birth. The midwife was in the room though, they have to check the placenta is intact and there isn't excessive bleeding etc.
As a PP says, they won't do anything just for the sake of it.

Of course you can say that you would prefer not to have a medically managed third stage if possible (so no injection) but they just won't leave you to deliver the placenta alone-they will need to moniter blood loss and a retained placenta is very serious. As pp said with your first baby it is more likely than not that you'll need some stitching but you can hold your baby whilst that happens. I started out holding ds but passed him to dp so I could have gas and air.
Ironically if you're wanting to be physically left alone in the room with your baby the injection would probably be the quickest way.
At some point they will want to weight the baby and check them over, also you need to discuss the Vit K injection. If you don't have an epidural they might also want you up and about to try and do a wee. They'll bring you some (much needed!) tea and toast.
I was like stopeating- I remember the time in the delivery room after ds being born as about an hour but we were actually there 5 hours! Sorry op but you won't be left alone for an hour immediately after the birth. Please try not to get too clear an idea of "how it's going to be"- I know it's really hard but I think it's sometimes better with birth to go with the flow.

I breast fed within 5 minutes of getting out the pool with my second, so she was about ten mins old.
I chose not to have the injection second time but my placenta didn't come on its own after an hour so I chose to have the injection rather than risk a manual removal and trip to hospital (I was at home).

I think I was unusual though.

For what it's worth I felt I had more mw 'fussing' afterwards at my home birth than hospital birth. I think it's because of the issues with the placenta as second time I didn't need any stitches. The first time the mw went away and left us on and off for the hours following delivery, helped me to latch the baby then left us feeding etc but you will need someone there for probably the first hour while placenta is delivered and you're stitched up etc. tbh the time disappears and you're totally blissed out holding your baby anyway.

As a pp said, I think it would be better not to get too fixed an idea about how things are going to be, and what you would like to happen.

Before Ds was born I had some very strong ideas about stuff like the vitamin K injection, a non-managed third stage, etc.

When it came to it, after 24h of active labour I was so out of it that I had little clue what was happening. I was conscious but kind of zoned out, if that makes sense. Almost like my body had put my brain on another level to get through the intensity of the physical things that were happening.

As a result, I don't remember anything about delivering the placenta - I remember seeing it and commenting upon how big it was, but that was it.
I also don't remember DS being put to my breast, or holding him for the first time, or being stitched up. And drugs weren't to blame for any of that!

If asked, I'd have said we were in the delivery room for 10mins after Ds was born. Apparently it was three hours.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that what seems important now may not when it comes to it. And medics don't "intervene" for the sake of it, they generally just do what needs doing at the time.

With my next birth, I'm going in with no preconceptions at all.

I had a hospital birth for both my DCs. First one was premature so was whisked away after birth, but the DC2 was born onto the floor. I picked him, cut the cord myself, delivered the placenta naturally, and was encouraged to breastfeed as soon as DC2 was interested (he wasn't for a good twenty minutes or so). A doctor tried to examine me for tearing but I had the shivers really badly immediately after the birth and couldn't lie still. The doctor was pretty annoying (she said something like "well, it will be your fault if you're torn and it doesn't heal because you won't let me look at it!") but I didn't care at that point and in fact there was no damage anyway. Thankfully the doctor was only really in the room for a few minutes, and the midwife was great. For about forty minutes after DC2 was born he wasn't taken from me at all. Then DH took him so that the midwife could weigh and measure him, and got him dressed. He spent the rest of his first day lying in bed with me, and I took him home that evening. I think it's good to be prepared that things might not go how you want them to, but it's also not wrong to have a plan for a best-case scenario with no interventions - I had a really good experience and hope that I can have the same with DC3.

Thank you everyone! It's so very appreciated!

I don't have any really fixed ideas about it all - some ideals, yes but as I've never had a baby before I'm aware there is so much I don't know!!

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. xx