Hospitals no longer allowing partners or support people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We forget that, what, just 30-40 years ago men weren't allowed in L&D. It really, really sucks but we got this ladies. We'll make it through.

Women were drugged and “asleep” during labor. So they didn’t remember how they screamed. But more than that, women had their mothers and sisters with them before.

But I had two forced inductions. I’d assume they would not do those and let women go into labor naturally. So we could spend as much time as possible out of the hospital. My son had a shoulder dystocia that meant they sprained (luckily didn’t have to fully break) his clavicle to get him out. I’m a big nope on the home birth.

Not 30-40 years ago. That’s more like 60 years ago.

[Anonymous]

https://www.change.org/p/andrew-m-cuomo-safeguard-the-right-of-all-laboring-people-during-covid-19-crisis/u/26111159?cs_tk=AhK8g_6liBblAbZif14AAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvNFz6altrhifGuNDdfhqAJk%3D&utm_campaign=b73356ff66d444a8afc8bb72cfbc618d&utm_content=initial_v0_4_0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_term=cs

[Anonymous]

All Inova hospitals are down to 1 visitor “doulas are not permitted.”

Well, I guess we knew this would be coming.

[Anonymous]

Unless your doula IS your support person, right? This is the case for my sister's best friend, who is due in 2 weeks.

[Anonymous]

>>“Billions” is moms did not give birth fully awake in a room full of L&D nurses who are complete strangers <<


And that's why I had birthed my boys at home, with my SO, midwife, doula, and my sister in attendance. In today's conditions, this would be more important to me than ever. Nothing more calming than people you love and being in a warm birthing tub!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:>>“Billions” is moms did not give birth fully awake in a room full of L&D nurses who are complete strangers <<


And that's why I had birthed my boys at home, with my SO, midwife, doula, and my sister in attendance. In today's conditions, this would be more important to me than ever. Nothing more calming than people you love and being in a warm birthing tub!

]

Well, I just gave birth one month ago at INOVA and my baby almost certainly would have died without an experienced doctor supervising the delivery and some very skilled use of forceps. Backrubs and a warm tub only go so far

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:>>“Billions” is moms did not give birth fully awake in a room full of L&D nurses who are complete strangers <<


And that's why I had birthed my boys at home, with my SO, midwife, doula, and my sister in attendance. In today's conditions, this would be more important to me than ever. Nothing more calming than people you love and being in a warm birthing tub!

Yeah, well, mine is breech, so that isn't an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless your doula IS your support person, right? This is the case for my sister's best friend, who is due in 2 weeks.

Per Physicians and Midwives (delivering at Inova Alexandria) webpage as of 3/24:
Patients can only have one (1) support person in the hospital. Patients can choose to have your doula or your spouse but not both. It must be the same support person throughout the entire hospital stay – no switching out.

I think the Inova policy letter means you cannot have both a “support person” (partner/friend/etc. technically considered a visitor) AND a professional/paid certified doula who a patient could make an argument is a member of the clinical care team though obviously not employed by the hospital. It seems some (but fewer and fewer) hospitals are still allowing both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:>>“Billions” is moms did not give birth fully awake in a room full of L&D nurses who are complete strangers <<


And that's why I had birthed my boys at home, with my SO, midwife, doula, and my sister in attendance. In today's conditions, this would be more important to me than ever. Nothing more calming than people you love and being in a warm birthing tub!

Yeah, well, mine is breech, so that isn't an option.

Right, even I wanted to I would “risk out” of a home birth with any reasonably trained midwife given my prior delivery/previous pregnancy. I just want an epidural (my sister or my mom rubbing my back sounds actually pretty stressful lol) AND my husband, is that so much to ask? lol. Fingers crossed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:>>“Billions” is moms did not give birth fully awake in a room full of L&D nurses who are complete strangers <<


And that's why I had birthed my boys at home, with my SO, midwife, doula, and my sister in attendance. In today's conditions, this would be more important to me than ever. Nothing more calming than people you love and being in a warm birthing tub!

LOL, I love my family dearly but this sounds like hell. I imagine myself in a tub trying to calm other people as they all pass around the Xanax and whisper to each other about how they're pretty sure someone, me or the baby (or both!) is going to die that day.

[Anonymous]

I work in the Seattle area in a pediatric hospital and we are only allowing one caregiver at this time too. So if your newborn ended up being transferred to our NICU after birth, only one parent would be allowed at the bedside at one time.

[Anonymous]

And i know someone who got into a car one time and they died! And one time somebody got the flu and they died! And and and...

One hospital tour and i said no. They described belts or something strapped on to women. People you don't even know in the room. No peaceful place to walk around while laboring. Noooo thanks.

Another mom here with 2 births at home. No scare tactics. "Your baby will die if you don't deliver with us at the hospital!" But we now live in the Mountain West and far from DC (where we lived for 7 years), where people are far less judgemental.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And i know someone who got into a car one time and they died! And one time somebody got the flu and they died! And and and...

One hospital tour and i said no. They described belts or something strapped on to women. People you don't even know in the room. No peaceful place to walk around while laboring. Noooo thanks.

Another mom here with 2 births at home. No scare tactics. "Your baby will die if you don't deliver with us at the hospital!" But we now live in the Mountain West and far from DC (where we lived for 7 years), where people are far less judgemental.

Look, I'm not anti-home birth, but you do realize that there are many situations where a home birth is very ill advised, right? I mean, you can't possibly think that every single birth is complication free???? Just off the top of my head, from friends of mine who have given birth: preeclampsia, HELLP, breech, placental abruption, extreme prematurity.
Some of you who have had home births and are chiming in here to suggest that's the way to get around this situation seem dense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And i know someone who got into a car one time and they died! And one time somebody got the flu and they died! And and and...

One hospital tour and i said no. They described belts or something strapped on to women. People you don't even know in the room. No peaceful place to walk around while laboring. Noooo thanks.

Another mom here with 2 births at home. No scare tactics. "Your baby will die if you don't deliver with us at the hospital!" But we now live in the Mountain West and far from DC (where we lived for 7 years), where people are far less judgemental.

The only thing strapped to a woman is a fetal heart rate monitor. Something your homebirth midwife doesn’t have. It makes sure the baby’s heart is still beating. All hospitals in this area allow women to move in labor unless they decide on an epidural. Most l and d rooms are larger than many studio apartments. They have trained medical professionals, not some hippie with a High school degree and a CPM credential. You do you, PP, but you’re promoting misinformation. It’s not the 50s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m scheduled for an induction in 5 weeks and had a virtual visit with my WHC midwife this morning. We talked a little about the new NY hospital policy. She was of course horrified by it and gave me the impression that the practice would push back hard against something like that. She could make no promises but reiterated “we’re not even close to there yet” and talking to her about it made me feel a little better.

She did say that nitrous oxide was now off the table, which is unfortunate as that was a major draw for me to WHC and really helped me get through my 2018 labor there. But if we can keep our labor support, oh well, giving up the nitrous seems like a small thing.

Why is nitrous off the table?