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@ Spectrum labor/delivery question from a lurker
Hi all,
I normally lurk, but have a burning question that's pulling me out of lurkdom :-)
I am planning to deliver at Spectrum but truly have NO idea what kind of L & D accommodations are available. We are planning a tour, etc.. but not quite at at that point yet. Can anyone offer info on the following questions?
Are labor tubs available? I think there are private showers available, right?
Did anyone have a plan for a med-free labor? How well did the nursing staff support/respect your wishes? Did you find the nurses were helpful during your labor?
Can anyone speak to L & D experience with Dr. John LaGrand? He is my OB, and it's going well. I just have some mixed questions about birthing with him while attempting a low intervention birth (only my gut instinct, nothing concrete).
Thanks in advance for any experiences you can share!
Re: @ Spectrum labor/delivery question from a lurker
I can't answer all your questions, but I'll do my best.
I didn't use it, but the shower is a pretty big tub with jets. Yes, you have a private bath in your room.
I did not plan for a med-free birth. But there is a white board in your room, and the first nurse asked me questions to fill it out. My plan was to go as long as possible without pain meds. I tried the Stadol in the IV before getting the epidural. And I loved my nurses. I remember their names better than the nurses that were there for my recovery. The white board is there so that when shift changes the next nurse knows what your plan is.
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From what I heard there is a section of rooms that do not have private showers. There is a shower at the end of the hall. And from that, I've heard kiss up to your L&D nurses and see what they can do for you when it comes time to putting you in your recovery room.
If you want a low intervention birth, you may want to consider getting a doula. For the most part your doctor will be there "catch the baby". It will be the hour leading up to delivery that will matter the most and a doula will give you the most assistance. You know that person will be there the whole time and won't have a shift change like nurses will and you will already have a relationship built up. I didn't use one, so I can't recommend one, other than I hear a lot about Sue something. Maybe call Baby Beloved to ask if they have a list of resources.
In our room, we did have a private shower and tub with jets. It was really, really nice to just sit there (especially after the birth). I didn't know they had rooms without them! Yikes, I liked the privacy of my whole room.
We did plan on a med-free labor and we did have a med-free labor. The nursing staff was really respectful of our wishes, and very happy to accommodate. The anesthesiologist, though, looked at me like, "good luck", when I declined to fill out the epidural paperwork before hand. Whatever. Everyone else was great, they never tried to offer me meds or painkillers. We also wrote a birth-plan and gave it to the nurses, and they had it in our chart so that they all knew what was going on, and what exactly our wishes for the birth were.
I can't say much about using an OB, or Dr. LaGrand. We used a group of midwives in the area, and the one that was there for the birth was awesome and supportive. I agree with the above poster that you should check into using a doula for extra support if you feel you need it, especially if you are second guessing how supportive your OB will be on his own. You could also look into taking a Lamaze class if you wanted to!
Good luck
Thanks for the replies -- I really appreciate it!
I'm so glad to know about the shower/baths! I actually work at Spectrum, but hardly ever go to the L & D floors. I know I need to just start asking around, but I was off work for a few days, when I realized there was probably a wealth of knowledge on this board :-)
I think we've decided that we are going to have my sister present. She is Bradley-trained and had a med-free birth with her child. She is also a nurse and is a very calming and supportive presence to me (and my husband!). We (H & I) are also doing a bunch of prep work, and are trying to formulate our plan. We know that we would definitely like to have a med-free delivery, and will prepare ourselves as much as possible, but I am not going to get too uptight about the alternatives. I figure that if the baby comes out... success has happened :-)
I am due on March 7th so we are viewing the hospital next week. We took the Bradley Class and loved it. We are also taking the hospital class and I absolutely am utterly disappointed with it. The focus with the hospital classes of course are the medical model. They covered positions and relaxationf for about 30 minutes. Last night I learned that in 2009, 12% of women did a natural birth
makes me sad.
Our bradley instructor is going to be our oncall Doula if she is available. I am just being transferred to the OBGYN practice at 34 weeks for delivery since I chose my PCP for my prenatal care.
How many of the remaining percentages had complications that resulted in interventions? I planned on as few interventions as possible and ended up with a c-section. I guess I'm on of those terrible 88% of mothers who needed meds.
I am sure you weren't meaning to take a jab at those of us who had meds by choice or whose non-med birth plan didn't work out. But I did want to make sure that we are all aware that being a parent is all about choices that we make that are what we think are best for our children based on our values and goals. The way I delivered was perfect for me and it has been proved three times that my children are perfectly fine. Please try to respect the decisions that other parents make and not look down upon those that don't make the same choice as yours. There is rarely a clear "right way" on things relating to children because every parent and every child is unique and everyone has a different situation, need, goal, etc.
I had my daughter at Spectrum (almost 2 year ago) and LOVED the care I had there! Like the others mentioned you have your own bathroom with a shower and jet tub. I had planned to go without pain medications and the nurses were very supportive. The nurses were also pleased that we brought in our birth wish with us. They made several copies so that everyone was aware of what we wanted. I brought in homemade cookies for my nurses, support staff, ect. I don't know if that helped but I had a very nice recovery room.
) I requested a birthing ball during my first day of labor and they were more then happy to bring me one. My nurses also suggested ways to help make me more comfortable, ect. I had 4 support people with me and the hospital staff were very nice to them. They made sure they had plenty to drink, eat, ect.
Ultimately, I decided to have pain medications but I was not pushed in any way by the hospital staff or my doctor (Dr. Klyn). Even my husband left the decision completely up to me. I had a rough 36+ hours without pain meds that helped me make my decision.
) In the end the results were everything I wanted - a healthy baby!