Easy Labor Every Woman's Guide to Choosing a Less Painful and More Joy During Childbirth

One Choosing the Best Birth Environment for You Your choice of birth environment is the first decision you make that determines your pain-relief options. If you know you want to use modern medical pain-relief methods, you will need to select a birth environment that can accommodate these preferences. If you are leaning more toward a natural childbirth, but would like to keep your options open, you may want to be in a birth environment that offers not only nonmedical forms of pain relief but also allows accessibility to medical pain relief, should you change your mind during labor. If you are committed to using no medical pain-relief options and do not want to be in an environment where they are frequently used, you will need to choose a birth environment that has both the physical amenities and supportive caregivers you will need to successfully give birth free of any medications, using complementary and alternative pain-management techniques. The staff of caregivers available to you during labor and birth can also directly impact your pain-relief options. For instance, if you think you prefer to use an epidural but are in a hospital where the only anesthesiologist is on another unit at the time when you are in need of pain relief, this can significantly impact your birth experience. Conversely, if you prefer to delay or avoid the use of medications, a busy hospital with a high percentage of epidural usage may not be the ideal environment for you to achieve this goal. Pharmacologic methods (medications) should never replace personal attention and tender loving care of the woman in labor.1 Your birth environment and the people caring for you during your labor and delivery can dramatically impact how you will perceive your childbirth experience. By choosing the type of birth environment best for you, you are more likely to feel relaxed and comfortable when you arrive and throughout the rest of your labor and birth. If you are giving birth in the setting you desire, surrounded by people who are able to meet your needs, including your pain-management needs, you are more likely to have a satisfying "birth day." In this chapter we: List the most common birth environments. Describe what each has to offer with regard to pain-relief options. Provide a description of the various professionals who may (or may not) be with you during labor and birth. Provide an at-a-glance comparison between hospitals and birth centers. Hospitals Most women in the United States (approximately 98 percent) give birth in a hospital. But all hospitals are not alike, and maternity units vary greatly from hospital to hospital. In addition, the size of the hospital and its maternity unit can impact the type of birth experience you have. Reasons You May Want to Have Your Baby in a Hospital You want to be in a place where all or most medical pain-relief options will be available to you. You want to give birth in a setting that has equipment and staff ready to deal with an unlikely emergency. You feel more confident in a birth environment surrounded by a variety of medical professionals. You want a two- to four-day recovery period before returning home with your new baby. Larger hospitals typically offer more medical pain-management options than are found in smaller (community) hospitals. Larger hospitals are more likely to have an in-house, around-the-clock anesthesiology staff readily available if you are in need of an epidural. Often, these larger hospitals have anesthesiologists who are assigned specifically to the maternity unit. This reduces the likelihood of delays for women in need of pain relief that must be given bAlexander, Kathryn is the author of 'Easy Labor Every Woman's Guide to Choosing a Less Painful and More Joy During Childbirth', published 2006 under ISBN 9780345476630 and ISBN 0345476638.