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I would totally push back. They can't force you to lay down if you don't want to (though FTR my most comfortable position was sitting upright on the bed). They can't force you to have an IV drip, though maybe a hep lock isn't a terrible idea to appease them. Maybe try to make another appt with your OB that you loved and see what he has to say.

Do you have another hospital you can go to? Mine has monitors that are wireless - you can still walk around with them, go in the birthing tub, etc. And I 2nd declining the IV. I HATE IV's, because my veins always collapse and it gets painful.

@ZombieBullfrogHoller: This is why I plan homebirths, seriously.

I totally agree with prettylizzy though! See if you can see the ob you liked again & talk through the things you'd like as part of your birth...

Heplock, intermittent monitoring, freedom to move, tub/shower, etc

Have him sign off on it & just take that with you... Take some baked goodies for the nurses & see if you can request the nurse with the most natural birth experience... It would definitely be worth getting a doula too & if you can swing it maybe just stay out of the hospital all together (there are homebirth MW's that work with insurances).

Remember that you can say no to anything! They can't force you into anything without your consent. It's sucky, especially if they give you crap about it. That's when you gotta know what you want and WHY. The things they are "requiring" are not evidence-based care and there are statistics to back that up. And things like eating and drinking? I'd just do it anyways. Sometimes it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Also, having to go to the bathroom often is one way I've heard of women beating the system and being able to get out of bed and move around. They can't not let you go to the bathroom!

A heplock is an IV that is not hooked up to fluid, so you can be up moving around.

As for the continuos fetal monitoring... Evidence actually does show that it increases risk of unnecessary cesarean (it hasn't lowered mortality rates though)....

As for the doula, see if you can find a student doula in your area... Alot of time they will offer their services for free or very minimal. And idk what ins you have but I do know homebirth MW that have managed to work with quite a few different carriers (I'd definitely call around & ask if that's the only reason you aren't doing hb)

@FarmWifeGina: is totally correct, but just to clarify, the needle does not stay in your arm in a heplock, just the flexible plastic tube. (I'm only saying because people ask me about this all the time.)

If it makes you feel better my hospital tour said the exact same thing. However if they forced me to not eat or to not get out of bed I would've told them to go climb a tree. I know how hospitals work, and I know why they tell you all the stuff. Primarily it's a CYA maneuver that is for some people's benefit but not all.

A hospital not a prison. You can say no.

In a situation where you are concerned about such it really helps to have either a doula or your husband on board to run interference. You maybe in a situation where you are too stressed to ask questions or to get full clarification of certain things. That being said, I will also say that it's absolutely best to mentally prepare yourself for every possibility. Most people don't go in wanting to have a cesarean section, per se, however people who are mentally prepared for this possibility generally have a more favorable view of their birth experience, no matter what happens.

I wish you exactly the birth experience you want, mama. You are so close!!

@Espion: Oh, baha, I totally forgot that it was just the tube, lol. Derp.

I too had a great hospital in a podunk, tiny country hospital (the maternity ward consisted of 3 beds) that was not used to wild crunchy mommas like me, but my doctor pretty much turned a blind eye as broke every rule in the book and wrote orders for things like a heplock and intermittent monitoring. I was in labor for 21 hours before we got to the hospital too and waited until I was sure I was in active labor before we left for the hospital. We could have waited longer, but we were 50 miles from the hospital and since it was my second baby, I was freaked out about going fast and giving birth on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere North Dakota in February, lol.

What a giant bummer. I don't think it's hopeless and maybe you did just get a cranky-pants nurse. My advice:

1) Don't give up on intermittent monitoring. Ask your OB about it, ask your nurse about it, ask for a new nurse & ask her about it, insist they give you a good reason why you can't do that. Med-free labor will be harder if you're stuck to that machine. And you CAN be out of the bed if you're continuously monitored. The nurses aren't in the room all the time, so get out of that bed if you want!

2) Go with the IV. I had to have it and it was generally annoying, but no big deal. If you're not continuously monitored, you can take the IV with you while you walk, move about, even in the shower (I did - it just sat outside the shower area.

3) I wasn't able to eat during my labor and it wasn't awful. Honestly, I didn't *want* food. But I was able to drink water - they insisted upon it! I can't imagine they won't want you to drink water! Bring your own water bottle and drink when they're not in the room. Our hospital also let me drink broth. Ask your OB about that maybe?

4)Get your husband on board with your preferences, so he can advocate for you. But remember they are *preferences* and be prepared to have things change. Have you read any birthing books? The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin has really good pro/con/alternatives info for all the different hospital interventions.

5) Stay home as long as you can, if you can! With any luck, you'll be far enough along that many of your concerns will be minimized.

i remember being disappointed when i found out i would be connected to something and not have total freedom of movement. however at least if i wanted to, the cord to the fetal monitor was about 8 feet long.

in the end it didn't matter because despite all the books i read and prep i did (even bringing a yoga ball to the hospital), i asked for an epidural within 10 minutes of arriving. i had to be in bed after that, but surprisingly that didn't bother me--there was enough on my mind and adrenaline pumping that time flew.

Call the OB ward at the hospital and verify that you would need to be connected to the cabinet machine for continuous monitoring. The hospital I delivered at required continuous monitoring but they had a portable monitor that hung on an IV pole so I could move around the room (or walk around the floor) if I wanted to.

You may also want to verify the you must stay in bed once your water breaks; the hospital I used would have required I get out of the tub/shower once my water broke but didn't say I had to stay in bed.

@ZombieBullfrogHoller: I would definitely question all of that stuff though. It sounds so archaic and backwards!!! Very weird for sure. I'd fight it I just wanted to offer some reassurance I guess, that if you end up needing an iv it probably won't faze you

@ZombieBullfrogHoller: Any luck in reaching out to the woman who taught your class at the hospital? Perhaps she might be able to give you something helpful to speak to the OB about your requests!

@ZombieBullfrogHoller: My hospital 'requires' you to come in as soon as your water breaks too because they start a clock and give you 24 hours to deliver then they want to section to get the bub out for fear of infection. FWIW, I just didn't go in! lol!
My water broke on Thrusday night at 9pm, I went in on Friday at 10am, still wasn't in active labour and was barely 2 and still thick so even though I was given attitude by the nurse, I voluntarily checked myself out and went back home until the next day at 10am again. DD was born the Saturday night at 11:50pm and we had no infection issues.

I haven't read all the responses but from my experience at my hospital tour I will tell you the following about IVs, Food & Monitors. When she (the nurse) initially was going through things that are not worth putting on your birth plan she mentioned IVs and Monitors as a hospital requirement. She rattled on - when she got to a stopping point, the other girl and I questioned her on them and she responded with:

1) Saying you dont want an IV is not an option. Saying you'd prefer not to be hooked up to one or have the heplock (others mentioned) is the alternative. Which she said under appropriate circumstances the hospital is totally open to. She basically said the IV is a precaution that is placed early in the event it is needed later its already in place this way. I am no opposed to or afraid of needles so this was a good enough response for me. I just didn't want to be tied to a bed. She also said if you do have an iv for fluids you can still move around with the cart thing.

2) Fetal Monitors...she said generally speaking you are going to get hooked up pretty quickly - and while hooked up you are restricted from moving around. However, when we questioned her she showed us how the cords unplug so you can walk around or move about your room for agreed upon periods of time based on your doctors thoughts and your wishes. But she said dont bother saying you dont want the monitors on because again - they just want them in place for future use as needed.

As for the food - everyone has pretty much told me to eat something right before leaving for or on the way to the hospital. But again, the idea of throwing up while dealing with labor is not appealing to me - so I have no issues with the no food rule!

Maybe you cought a "bad" nurse or a nurse on a bad day when she was just negative. My hospital is a pretty old fashioned one (strict when it comes to the rules) so I'd imagine most hospitals are open to deviations from the policy but not complete refusals...Keep asking and maybe try calling L&D and asking a few questions of a different nurse and see if you get a different response!

I think hiring a doula would be wonderful!

As others have said, the hospital cannot force you to do anything. My OB required constant fetal monitoring b/c of liability issues. sad but true. When the time came, the nurse didn't even have it strapped on me all the time. I was able to go to the bathroom and get up and stuff. I think she strapped it on when I sat on the bed, but I don't remember. I was also able to get a heplock in my hand and IV fluids were not required.