Delivering at Sibley

[Anonymous]

I had a natural childbirth a year ago with RHJ (re: not the most natural childbirth friendly OB office). The nurse asked when I got there if I wanted her to call the anesthesiologist for an epidural and I said no. That was the last she mentioned the epidural. She encouraged me to push on my side rather than flat on my back even though I never asked if I could (turned out I hated it but that's a different story).

I'd be more worried about your doctor than Sibley. The nurses are going to take their cues from the OB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP again, I plan to do this as well. Follow-up question, if not Sibley then where. Is there a "natural birth friendly" hospital. A birth center will not work for me for two reasons a) my husband is against it and I do not think it is a fight worth having and b) I want to have a medical procedure done as soon as possible after delivery.

I don't have any personal experiences with this, but you might want to consider the midwives at the DC Birth Center who deliver at Washington Hospital Center.

[Anonymous]

Just had a wonderful birth experience at Sibley. Had 2 shifts of L&D nurses and both were amazing. No one mentioned an epidural to me except to ask how my pain was and when I finally said I wanted one at about 7cm they got one for me. At that point I got an IV and had to be on monitor. Agree that it matters more who your OB is. He really was the one who I felt was advocating for me.

[Anonymous]

I had a fantastic experience at Sibley. I had a very long labor and nobody (not the nurses or my OB) ever pushed me to get an epidural or anything. I eventually did get one because my labor was progressing very slowly and, after more than 50 hours, I just couldn't focus enough to use my hypnobirthing techniques anymore. But it was MY decision. I suggest that when you do your birth plan that you include that you would like to be assigned a nurse that has experience and/or an interest in unmedicated childbirth. That's something the woman who gave us the hospital tour suggested and my L&D nurses couldn't have been more supportive (I was there long enough to cover 3 different shifts!).

[Anonymous]

Get a birth midwife from Midwifery Care Associates (they are in a practice with OBs and other non-birth attending midwives). They will be accompany you through your pregnancy and delivery at Shady Grove Hospital, which has rooms with tubs for you to labour in.

[Anonymous]

My experience was similar to the PP's (although I got an epi after 10 hrs, not 50!). With the exception of one, I thought all the nurses were fantastic. Unfortunately because I had to be induced and had to have antibiotics and continuous pitocin, I have to be continuously monitored and hooked up to the IV, but if that had not been the case I would have done intermittent monitoring. When we arrived we told L and D that we preferred not to have drugs offered, they never mentioned it again until we asked for it. The OBs on call were a different story. The first one basically told me that I was unlikely to have a vaginal birth (not dilated or effaced, water had broken for over 12 hours, i had no contractions, etc_) and should plan for a C section. Luckily after a crapload of pitocin and eventually an epidural, I ended up delivering vaginally--and pushed in the position my doula suggested (on my side) not according to the L and D nurse (who was great). Still, if we do it again I might consider a midwife practice--if you're really supremely committed to natural childbirth, you'll probably have an easier go of it with a midwive, but plenty of people have natural childbirth experiences in hospital. In my case, I would likely have ended up at the hospital anyway since water broke and labor didn't start./

[Anonymous]

I've delivered two babies in the past three years st Sibley and both were natural. I would say the nurses went above and beyond to meet the guidelines of my birth plan and the only thing I missed was a tub to immerse myself in. The second time the first thing the nurse actually asked us was whether we were planning on a natural birth! We kept the lights low or off, plugged in our iPod speakers and relaxed. And when I struggled a bit at the end the nurse provided additional relaxation suggestions and even helped my husband massge my back.

[Anonymous]

OP -- regarding your question of where to go if not Sibley....

Shady Grove has a decent reputation for natural birth. There is a practice who attends birth there called Midwifery Care Associates. They are partners with the OBs Simmonds and Simmonds. They have tubs available for mothers to labor in, and other options and protocols that are more natural birth friendly than at some other hospitals or with some other practices.
http://www.midwiferycareassociates.com/

Another good compromise might be what another PP suggested -- using the midwives who catch babies at the Family Health and Birth Center, but having them come to you at Washington Hospital Center, where they also catch babies. That way you'd get birth center midwives but be in the hospital, maybe a nice compromise between you and your husband.
http://www.yourfhbc.org/services.html

Whitney Pinger is also highly regarded. She's a midwife also at Washington Hospital Center.
http://www.whcenter.org/body.cfm?id=557811

best of luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Not the OP but I'm considering switching to the Arlington Women's Center OB practice at Virginia Hospital Center which also staffs a midwife (Karen King). Does anyone have any experience on whether this route is considered a better way of having a natural birth in a hospital environment too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP -- regarding your question of where to go if not Sibley....

Shady Grove has a decent reputation for natural birth. There is a practice who attends birth there called Midwifery Care Associates. They are partners with the OBs Simmonds and Simmonds. They have tubs available for mothers to labor in, and other options and protocols that are more natural birth friendly than at some other hospitals or with some other practices.
http://www.midwiferycareassociates.com/

Another good compromise might be what another PP suggested -- using the midwives who catch babies at the Family Health and Birth Center, but having them come to you at Washington Hospital Center, where they also catch babies. That way you'd get birth center midwives but be in the hospital, maybe a nice compromise between you and your husband.
http://www.yourfhbc.org/services.html

Whitney Pinger is also highly regarded. She's a midwife also at Washington Hospital Center.
http://www.whcenter.org/body.cfm?id=557811

best of luck to you!

Thanks this was very helpful. I contacted MCA (they take my insurance, yah!) and will do a consult with them - Shady Grove is only 30 mins from my house so I think it will be a good alternative. I hate to have to kick my OB to the curb - I really like her and she is a great GYN, but hey gotta do what you gotta do. Thanks all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a former L&D nurse and pregnant with my third so this post is somewhat entertaining to me. The L&D nurses are not going to force you to have an epidural but many woman come in saying they want a non-medicated birth experience and once the first contraction hits- they want medication. Then, they complain later that they were not encouraged more by the staff. I would say 4 out of 5 women who want 'natural, no pain medication, intervention free' births change their mind very quickly and then blame the staff.

Same experience. Most of the patients I had with a birth plan or who wanted to go without any type of pain management but then changed their minds often blamed the staff or felt the hospital staff was responsible that things didn't turn out the way they had planned. The reality is that every labor is different, sometimes it's intense, and lasts hours so at the end of the day, it's a process you cannot totally control. If you end of changing your mind and then decide to have an epidural, there's no need to be so hard on yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a former L&D nurse and pregnant with my third so this post is somewhat entertaining to me. The L&D nurses are not going to force you to have an epidural but many woman come in saying they want a non-medicated birth experience and once the first contraction hits- they want medication. Then, they complain later that they were not encouraged more by the staff. I would say 4 out of 5 women who want 'natural, no pain medication, intervention free' births change their mind very quickly and then blame the staff.

Same experience. Most of the patients I had with a birth plan or who wanted to go without any type of pain management but then changed their minds often blamed the staff or felt the hospital staff was responsible that things didn't turn out the way they had planned. The reality is that every labor is different, sometimes it's intense, and lasts hours so at the end of the day, it's a process you cannot totally control. If you end of changing your mind and then decide to have an epidural, there's no need to be so hard on yourself.

Well, I think that some hospital staff are to blame. For my first, I delivered at a hospital in New York. When my water broke it had meconium so I had to stay on a monitor (luckily I was able to convince the nurses to let me sit on a birthing ball instead of staying in bed). Since I was sitting the monitor occassionally slipped and each time it happended I got threatened with getting stuck in bed. I mean why not just adjust the monitor and move along. Also, despite my birth plan clearing stating in bold and all caps that I did not want to be offerred any medication it seemed that the nurses would come in every 15 minutes with the same question - "how is the pain, are you managing, are you ready for the epidural yet". I consider myself a strong person, but if I did not have a doula and my mother in the room, I could have seen myself giving in at some point - who needs that kind of stress. I never did have the epi and delivered a happy and heathly little girl who is now 4.5. Willingly changing your mind is one thing, being harrassed into a decision while you are in excruitiating pain is another matter entirely.

[Anonymous]

I have sympathy for the nurses who feel they get a raw deal because my best friend is one. But I also have sympathy for the patients who feel that their requests were not honored. If someone's birth plan states something to the effect of "yes, I'm aware that there are medical ways to deal with pain but please do not mention them to me" being asked if you're ready for the epi now is not following the birth plan.

There are a lot of really great L&D nurses out there. There are also some that are not so good. Kudos to you guys for being the good ones and not the bad ones, but I am a lawyer and I don't deny the fact that there are really bad lawyers out there just because I'm not one of them.

[Anonymous]

I had an unplanned natural childbirth at Sibley. I planned on having an epidural but my labor had progressed so fast that by the time I got to the hospital there wasn't time to get the epidural. The Sibley nurse who assisted was outstanding. I hadn't taken any natural childbirth classes, which I was really regretting at the moment, and she really helped me get through it.

I remember thinking afterwards that I don't think I could have done it without her. I'm not sure they are all like that. I made a mental note to find a doula if I planned to do it again. I am planning to do the epidural this time. Hopefully it works out.