Sometimes parents believe that they will need to go to the hospital with gloves on, ready to fight for their ideal hospital birth. As your doula, Amanda will support all of your birth choices whether you give birth at home, a birth center, or a hospital.
Hospital Birth in Chattanooga
If you are considering giving birth at one of the two Erlanger hospital locations, you are in good hands. They are one of the first Baby-Friendly accredited hospitals in Tennessee. Erlanger Women’s East has been voted Chattanooga’s #1 place to have a baby for 8 years in a row. Erlanger Baroness Hospital downtown has the highest level of neonatal intensive care in the region. But if you find yourself worrying about your upcoming hospital birth, here are four hospital myths debunked:1. Hospital births are cold and clinical
There are lots of ways to make your room more comfortable. Bring your own clothing to wear during labor. Consider a robe or a dress tailored for labor like this. Bring your own blanket. Prepare a playlist for the day. Or place LED candles around the room.
2. Hospital staff won’t respect my birth wishes
Birth plans can be extensive, so let’s break it down into smaller parts, and see what a labor/delivery nurse at Erlanger had to say:
I won’t be able to eat or drink
The hospital has no policy on eating/drinking during labor if you are laboring without an epidural. Your labor nurse will refer to your doctor or midwife. And there are certainly care providers in the area who will encourage you to eat or drink during labor.I will have to get an IV
Again, your labor nurse will refer to your doctor or midwife on this one. You can labor with a saline-lock instead of an IV as long as your care provider gives approval.I will have to stay in bed
It is hospital policy to monitor a baby’s heart rate and contractions (NST) for 20 minutes out of every hour for a woman laboring without an epidural. But even on the monitor, your doula can help hold the monitor in place if need be so that you can move around near the bed. When not on the monitor, do what works for you: sway, walk, shower, spend time on the toilet, hands and knees, lay on your side. The hospital also has labor balls and peanut balls available.
I had two totally different but both wonderful experiences at the hospital with my two boys! I delivered at what was Skyridge at the time and I could not have asked for better treatment! My 6yr old was born in 2010 and I had a natural birth with an epidural. My 1 year old born in 2015 was born natural also but without. We were only at the hospital(time machines were turned on) 33 min before he arrived! I hope others have similar experiences with them!