Planning My First Hospital Birth
Today is my first prenatal appointment for baby 3. I’m a bit anxious for obvious reasons, I hope the baby is developing fine and that both baby and I are healthy. But I’m also anxious for other reasons. Mainly because this will be my first hospital birth and my first of many prenatal visits at an obstetrician’s office. See we had both Jude and Noah at home with a midwife so this hospital thing is going to be a big change.
Joe and I decided to have a hospital birth with #3 for several different reasons and we feel like it’s the right decision but it’s so weird and foreign. I have no idea what to expect so there is a level of uncertainty that adds to my anxiety. Doctors and hospitals make me anxious to begin with, I don’t like the smells, the needles, the sick people at the hospital. It just makes me nervous. One of the main reasons we chose to have home births with the first 2 was to be in the comfort of our own home. So I’m a little concerned about how relaxed I’ll be able to be in the hospital. (Feeling safe and relaxed is a huge key in have a successful delivery.) Secondly, the thought of epidurals, c-sections and other drugs freak me out. I like to be in control of my body or in the case of childbirth, let my body be in control. I don’t react well to anesthesia and I really don’t want a c-section unless absolutely necessary. (It’s major surgery you know, with knives and needles and stitches… yuck.) I know that if the situation arises we will do what needs to be done to ensure we have a healthy delivery but I am fulling planning to do another natural birth.
It will be interesting to see how things differ from my previous experience. I’m not expecting a similar experience because with you can’t compare births anyway. I think the biggest adjustment will be the relationship with the doctors. When you use a midwife there is only 1 person you see on a regular basis, appointments can last up to an hour because their goal is to aid you in your birth not only physically but emotionally. You build a relationship with your midwife and when it’s time to have the baby you’re not only in the comfort of your own home but also in the presence of friends who make you feel safe. With a obstetrician, there are several different doctors I will see. I don’t think my appointments will be nearly as in depth or personalized, but we’ll see. And who know which doctor will be on-call when I go into labor. So that kind of makes me nervous.
This will be a new experience and while it will be very different from my other 2 births I’m confident that God is watching out for baby 3 and me.
Has anyone done both a home birth and a hospital birth?
How did they compare?
What differences can I expect?
