Alternatives to BirthCare?

One thing you may want to note .. (just in case you are not aware)

You cant have an epidural if you give birth at birthcare .. also if you have anything other than a relatively straight forward delivery (eg if baby is breech, or very large) you cant deliver there and will be sent to Auckland Hospital.

Also, if you give birth at birthcare, the private room is free .. you only have to pay if you deliver at another facility and transfer. Oh and finally the private rooms are allocated on a first in first served basis (and there are only a few), so even if you book one you may not get one.

Thanks for the tips. What are the facilities/staff like at Auckland Hospital? I'm thinking that my wife may want/need an epidural (this is a strong form of pain killer right?) or possibly even a C section in which case she'd end up delivering at the Hosp.

Any downside to an Epi? why wouldn't you want one?

I had both children without pain relief other than gas with Jack, and let me tell you I have a VERY low pain threshold normally!
So I am not 100% up on Epi's but my understanding is that there is a "window of opportunity" to have one and if the birth progresses past a certain point then you can't get one and they require an anthesitist (sp??) to insert them so I assume that you may not always be able to get one straight away if there isn't anyone available. Please someone correct me if I am wrong

ETA:

Mamma2N wrote: firsttimedad wrote: Any downside to an Epi? why wouldn't you want one? Plenty of reasons - for me personally there are more valid reasons to birth naturally than opting for an epi.

I have to agree there. IMO I think there is a time and place for an epi, my SIL had one after a VERY long labour in which baby was not progressing and then got stuck. I think that it is an option but not necessarily one you should reach for straight away. Yes childbirth is very painful but it really is an honour and a privilege to experieince it and it is great if you can do it as natually as you are able IMO

Edited by Linzy

Can I just say-
As you guys are only 8 weeks (?) Its easy to become overwhelmed with info, and feel like its all a bit daunting etc... we found that anyways. There is plenty of time to think about things like pain killers, over the next few months. By all means arm yourself with knowledge... but dont forget to enjoy the pregnancy stage.
I know some will totally disagree with me here- so here goes-
My mw suggested it was best not to write up a 'birthplan' or get too set on a 'plan for the day' because plans can go out the window with childbirth and the dissapointment of not following the plan can be devastating.
Stay open to all options, and all opinions and advise.... (not that you arent) and enjoy it all.

KitKat wrote: Can I just say- As you guys are only 8 weeks (?) Its easy to become overwhelmed with info, and feel like its all a bit daunting etc... we found that anyways. There is plenty of time to think about things like pain killers, over the next few months. By all means arm yourself with knowledge... but dont forget to enjoy the pregnancy stage. I know some will totally disagree with me here- so here goes- My mw suggested it was best not to write up a 'birthplan' or get too set on a 'plan for the day' because plans can go out the window with childbirth and the dissapointment of not following the plan can be devastating. Stay open to all options, and all opinions and advise.... (not that you arent) and enjoy it all.

I don't disagree at all , I think staying open to the fact that pregnancy and babies things can change in an instant and be completly out of your control is very sensible advice .
The best advice I ever got given was to go with the flow , takes a lot of pressure off :-)

[QUOTE=Linzy] So I am not 100% up on Epi's but my understanding is that there is a "window of opportunity" to have one and if the birth progresses past a certain point then you can't get one and they require an anthesitist (sp??) to insert them so I assume that you may not always be able to get one straight away if there isn't anyone available. Please someone correct me if I am wrong

I have always thought this too and asked exactly that yesterday, apparently thats not the case. Tey can be given later in labour than i was led to believe.

I would suggest if money is no option private - assuming you can give birth at the likes of ascot etc?
And also using an obstrtricain at the same.

Your wife is entitled to a certain amount of leave to attend appointment. You may also want to attend a meeting with whoever you choose and then talk about pain relief options and what ifs - like a c section

As kitkat said, your only a wee way in, you have plenty of time to explore your options. Good luck with your pregnancy and new babe

KitKat wrote: I know some will totally disagree with me here- so here goes- My mw suggested it was best not to write up a 'birthplan' or get too set on a 'plan for the day' because plans can go out the window with childbirth and the dissapointment of not following the plan can be devastating. Stay open to all options, and all opinions and advise.... (not that you arent) and enjoy it all.

Best advice ever. No plan = no disappointment! Just be aware and have knowledge of all options etc.

Epis are great and I don't feel any less honoured or priviledged for having them with either of my births. Infact, I loved both my birth experiences as I am sure those that didn't have drugs do to.

You really just need to run with whatever YOU are confortable with not what others think you should do.

Edited by Peanut

firsttimedad - This website and many others have so much info on your options during pregnancy and birth (including your options of where to birth, etc).
Have a look around but don't take every piece of info as gospel.
And also try not to overwhelm yourselves with too much info (it's a fine line between educating yourself and scaring yourself).

Read over everything with an open mind, then sit down as a couple and decide what you think is best.


BTW: Don't mean to underestimate you and what you may or may not know, but just so you're aware, an Epidural is probably the strongest form of painkiller available during pregnancy. It's inserted between the vertebrae in the spine (correct me if I'm wrong anyone) and it, like any other drug or medical procedures, has it's own set of pro's and con's. You need to weigh these up and gauge them against your own personal situation.
Personally, the idea of someone shoving a needle in my spine was enough to send me into sheer panic. But thats just me.

The thought of EPIs scare the crap out of me but when it come to the cruch i would have prefered it Josh had other ideas and there wasnt time.

I cant help with the where to birth or who to use stuff as im about as far away from AKL as you can get but i really think you need to set up interviews with a couple of MW's and see what they have to say and what their advice is as to what route you chose.

Definitely have a birth plan to put your mind at ease but dont expect it to be what will happen to the the letter. My plan was to go to bed preg one night and wake up with a baby in a cot next to me after a good night sleep (ok so that was my denial plan it was actually to have a straight forward birth with drugs on arrival at the hospital) the reality was rather different with the labour being very quick complicated and a lack of the hard drugs i would have prefered. Im a huge wuss and as bad as my last experience was as you can see by my ticker im actually doing it again and thanks to an early plan feeling ok about labouring again (despite after having josh swearing anyone who did it more than once needs to be commited to an insane ward and that they could stitch me closed).

I may have gone off topic im not sure i am tired and just typed what came to me