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Labor Positions

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sourskittleashnut

984

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 26 August 2013 - 10:50

I delivered at Medcare, DDs heart rate dropped to a critical level so I had to be strapped in the bed so they could monitor her heart rate. This meant I couldnt get out of bed and do any of the exercises etc I had been practising! I couldn't even change sides while lying down, it was horrible because I had to just lie on my back and try to breathe but I got so stiff after 2 hours from not being able to move and taking contrations, I had to abandon my natural birth idea and get epidural to bear the pains - I think if I had been able to move around I might have been able to handle the pain better and use the ball etc (they had it at the hospital). They do support being able to move around etc, mine were just different circumstances.

101

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 August 2013 - 18:24

Thanks so much ChuckyDucky and maxmistry for sharing your experiences. I hope City Hospital is as open as the American Hospital is. My doctor is great but I really don't want to have another c-section and feel the need to surround myself with as much support as humanly possible!

101

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 August 2013 - 18:18

Is there anyone who has delivered naturally at City Hospital willing to share their experience??

101

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 August 2013 - 18:13

Are the hospitals here the same as they are in America? Soon as you walk through the door they want to tie you down to a bed and monitor you like crazy? This isn't an accurate description of American birth--just of birth with your particular medical provider. Sounds like you were treated by a fairly traditional medical practice. I had my daughter with hospital-based midwives in the US and they allow you to birth in any position you like so long as it's safe for baby. There are TONS of great hospitals and birthing centers in America that are GREAT in this regard. However, they are not the majority and, depending on the city you live in they can be quite non existent. Yes, that was my experience because i was high risk. I actually wasn't speaking on my experience but rather my experiences and observations with the majority of the members in my family and friend network. Its standard protocol to insert an iv and hook you up to a machine and keep you on your back most of the time as it makes things easiest for the hospital staff. I think it more safe to generalize towards the majority than towards the minority. I mean just think about it, how many of your family/friends have had the same experience? Especially for mothers who have done little to no research, it's simply the standard of care. I just feel that it should be the opposite, the hospital staff and doctors should be informing you and encouraging you to do what's best for you and your baby. Unfortunately the politics of most hospitals, their insurance premiums, doctors being sued etc. have led to the increase in policies that seek to control births in a way that minimize the hospitals risk instead of minimizing the c-section rate or episiotomies, etc. for example, I have a cousin who just recently posted on Facebook on how happy she was that she had convinced her doctor to induce her as SHE was ready to be done with pregnancy. Reading things like that make me sad, I wanted to respond but every other poster was soooo happy for her I didn't want to be the downer lol.

849

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 25 August 2013 - 10:32

Are the hospitals here the same as they are in America? Soon as you walk through the door they want to tie you down to a bed and monitor you like crazy? This isn't an accurate description of American birth--just of birth with your particular medical provider. Sounds like you were treated by a fairly traditional medical practice. I had my daughter with hospital-based midwives in the US and they allow you to birth in any position you like so long as it's safe for baby. I've heard good things about Al Zahra Hospital in al Barsha for natural childbirth. Believe there's an OB at Healthbay that delivers there and is very pro-natural childbirth. No first hand experience myself, however.

94

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 24 August 2013 - 10:25

Hi-in delivery at American, I asked for a Swiss ball which I got, and they put me on wireless sensors (had high BP) so I could wander around the room and bathroom in various positions. The sensors do lose signal in the bathroom but connected when I came back and it's no problem. Free to eat/walk/shower etc They did run low on pillows at AH (I was using 4 though!) so worth having extra in the back of the car so you can kneel on the floor etc and use on the bed etc t get (relatively) comfortable. The midwives were fab and very flexible on whatever I wanted to do and quick to respond. I would suggest the antenatal course as it'll ease your mind on concerns (same concerns I had-I'd heard all sorts and was equally worried!).

ChuckyDucky58465

195

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 23 August 2013 - 11:52

I gave birth in the American Hospital. When I came in they put the monitor on me to check baby's heartbeat, and because it was going up and down a lot they wanted to keep it on me, otherwise they would have taken it off. I could still walk, just in a smaller radius. They let me labor through contractions in whatever position I wanted, I went from on all fours to standing next to the bed to walking circles around the bed to sitting to I don't even remember. I didn't eat or take a shower but I'm pretty sure I would have been able to if I wanted. They didn't have Swiss balls in the AH but a friend told me the delivery suites in City do have them. When I got to push the midwife suggested a position where I was on my knees with my arms on the headboard of the bed, so upright. Definitely a position I recommend btw. I would have been able to deliver in that position, but my son's heart rate went down too much with every push and I ended up needing a vacuum assisted delivery, which unfortunately meant on my back :( Still, if that hadn't been necessary I would have been able to deliver upright, or however I wanted. A friend of mine had her baby girl in Abu Dhabi and delivered while crouching on the bed on all fours. It's definitely possible :)

101

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 23 August 2013 - 00:34

As I get nearer and nearer to my due date I'm wondering which hospitals give mothers who wish to deliver their babies naturally the most freedom when it comes to laboring. Are the hospitals here the same as they are in America? Soon as you walk through the door they want to tie you down to a bed and monitor you like crazy? Or do some hospitals offer more freedom than others? I'm currently with Dr. Elsa at City Hospital but I'm beginning to wonder which hospital is actually best for increasing the likelihood of a natural birth? I understand that I should stay home as long as I can as I will be able to labor as freely as I want to, take a bath, a shower, etc. But for those of you who HAVE successfully delivered naturally here in Dubai can you write of your labor experience? Were you allowed to walk around, labor in any position that felt best for you? Did you have other laboring options such as the Swiss ball etc? Were you able to take a shower/bath during labor? Eat? Has anyone ever delivered their baby here in a position other than on their back???

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