Giving birth in the US

[Ontarkie 13,915]

1 hour ago, David & Zoila said:

 

 

Wow, I guess we are fortunate in Hawaii.  We have excellent hospitals, birthing suites, etc...  The cost of living here is very high but perhaps you get what you pay for?

If I haven't had my first 4 in Canada I would have thought the US hospital was great. But I did and was able to see how bad things are here. 

I went from a small town in the middle of nowhere in Canada where ppl would complain left right and centre about how that hospital was lacking in stuff. Plus this was also 19 yrs ago was when my last of the older kids was born. I expected some changes from then to now but not changes that take you backwards. 

 

The US hospital I was at is a top hospital. Natural birth friendly, very pro moms. Private rooms, and these rooms were great very welcoming. Had a couch and chairs comfy bed. Beautiful really beautiful. Phone TV everything you could want. Food sucked btw. Ewww catfish really ppl catfish!! 

 

But the Care I got was just ok and trust me if you didn't know any better you would have thought it was awesome care. I could labour in the shower or bathtub, had a great labour ball to sit on. Had many many pluses and extra's that I didn't have before. 

The Doctors and nurses where good not cold, rude or anything, but they did just the bare necessities. 

I was constantly pushed to get get pitocin to speed things up.(my water broke but I was not in labour yet)  Then they tried to scare me to get it after birth to clot things so I wouldn't hemorrhage. I never needed it for the first 5 why all of a sudden did I need it now. I turned it down. I was treated like a walking time bomb. They even came right out and said I was an emergency waiting to happen. 

 

Now after baby in my room, if I was a new mom I would have left the hospital clueless. They do much better teaching you how to care for baby in Canada, nursing help was available by every nurse on your floor. You didn't need to wait for the lactation consultant. (I didn't need one so no big deal but a friend of mine did. They sent her home with no clue how to feed her son.) 

 

 

Now this is hospital, I wanted a home birth and sad I didn't push my husband to let me to it. He was a first time dad so I humoured him as I already knew what I needed to do to get the hospital birth I wanted. Med free was a big thing for me, not being stuck in bed tied to a pole. I wasn't afraid that I wouldn't be able to stand up for myself or feel like I needed a doula to keep what I wanted.  Midwifes are not allowed to deliver in hospitals in Arkansas. They are also huge on c-sections here and pushing for you to schedule your delivery date. My OB knew better to even ask me. 

 

 

It's a pretty much you don't know how good you have it till it's gone. 

 

[Umka36 781]

1 hour ago, NikLR said:

Not all hospitals have nice birthing centers or maternity wards.  

I guess not, so we must have been fortunate.

[cyclone27 710]

Great experience for us though as I said previously not cheap. 

[Cam54 84]

Hey OP, what country is your partner originally from? As I also second the idea that the US is actually a poor place to birth compared to many other countries, their c-section rate is incredibly high and with so many interventions it's less safe than most developed countries