How to advocate for yourself during labor
If you haven’t listened to my podcast (Apple : Spotify) you will know I had to advocate for myself A LOT during my labor after I was transfer from a planned home birth to a hospital. One of the biggest difference between a hospital care and Midwife care for prenatal care is how long the appointments are. Midwife appointments range from 1-2+ hours where you talk about everything under the sun, where they are fully aware of what kind of birth you would like (from music, atmosphere, and care). Even after the base care they provide, if you don’t have any questions, they will provide education for you during that appointment. To name a few… Breastfeeding prep, Partner/Father education for both labor and baby care, nutrition for postpartum support and nutrition for strong breastfeeding.
Where with hospital births… you walk in they check your belly measurement, check the heart rate of the baby, they ask “any questions” and if you don’t have any, they will send you on your way. Normally only a 20 minute appointment. For me, it was something super impersonal and I wanted to know who my provider was going to be when the baby came. A lot of the time, you do not get the Dr. you had been working with through out your prenatal care.
In my situation I needed to be transferred due to the position of Stone, annnnd being in labor for 3 days. Because my new care team did not know what my wishes were for my labor, I needed to advocate HARD for myself through out my labor. If you have a Dr. that you do not know and does not know you here are some tips to help you.
Have a Physical Birth Plan Written Out
The Positive Birthing Company has a great form that helps you plan your birth. When writing your birth plan be SPECIFIC. The more specific the better. This way your care team will know exactly what you want. Have multiple printed out prior to arriving to the hospital (add this to your hospital bag must haves) so they can add it to your file as well as tape them up around the room to make sure when a new shift of Drs and nurses come onto your team, they know exactly what you want.
Have your husband know the birth plan inside and out
When you and your husband enter the hospital, you two are walking in like the most badass duo the world could ask for. You have each others back outside of the hospital, and inside… you are a duo that can not be broken. There will be times where you won’t be able to advocate for yourself, but your husband will be able to for you. By having him fully versed on what you want for your delivery will not only make him more confident in supporting you but will also bring you confidence to know that you will be supported while you are focused on brining your baby earth-side.
Tell your care team to ask before providing any care or administering any drugs
Something I learned while working in the hospital for 4 years is care providers just do. They are constantly on the go and at times on auto because the care or procedure is pretty routine, however they don’t always pause before providing care or giving drugs and ASK if its okay. For example, My care team was told to always ASK before bumping up my Pitocin (Pitocin is one hell of a drug and only contracts the outer-lay of the uterus… not both of the layers. Because of this, contractions are much more uncomfortable than natural contractions). Unfortunately, after a shift change and getting a new nurse… she did not get the memo of asking prior to bumping up any drugs (This is why #1 is so important to have multiple printouts) and because of this my PIT went from 2 -> 6 without any knowledge which in result caused Stone to be indefinitely stuck in my pelvis in an incorrect position to leading to a Cesarean.
Be Assertive
There is a huge difference between being an jerk and assertive. There will be times where Drs will use the scarce tactics to get you to do things THEY want even though they aren’t things YOU want. For example… when you step into the hospital… you are on a shot clock. If you don’t progress in their time they will tell you that you are “failing to progress” and will then tell you that they need to provide Pitocin to speed up the process. DO YOUR RESEARCH ON PITOCIN. If you do not what a drug or a proceeder done (checking dilation, vaginal baby heart monitor, epidural… and so many more things) YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO SAY NO!! One thing that I needed to be very assertive on was delayed cord clamping. The Dr. first told me that they couldn’t go any longer than 30 seconds (which isnt true). Once she realized that I was very knowledgable about the placenta ( 1/3 of the babies blood is in the placenta and not having delayed cord clamping can increase a babies risk of jaundice) she quickly changed her tone and allowed delay cord clamping.
Listen to your body and your intuition
You know your body more than ANY PERSON. Your body is truly the only thing you own and you know the ins and outs of it. There will be times where they will tell you what you “NEED” vs. what you actually need. It’s important to do research prior of entering the hospital of every possible outcome of labor and common proceeders. If you are healthy and have no medical issues with your pregnancy, you do not need medical intervention. For example, I knew my epidural was not working, I informed them and they said “your body just hasn’t gotten used to it yet..” no. The epidural was not placed correctly. I could tell based off of how my body was feeling and the fact that one leg was partially numb but I could feel everything on the other side of my body. After repeating myself and being firm with my nurse, they confirmed that the epidural was not placed correctly and the epidural was no longer used during my labor.
Advocating for yourself can be scary, however you will increase your chances of having your ideal birth when you do.
