Childbirth

What are my childbirth options?

The midwives at Holistic OB/GYN & Midwifery welcome your personal preferences for childbirth and work with you as a team to help you make informed decisions throughout your pregnancy as you prepare for your labor and delivery.

You have many choices to make about childbirth including where you want to deliver. You can choose a hospital, birthing center, or at home. You also can make decisions about whether you want to deliver vaginally or if a cesarean delivery is best and safest for you. Holistic OB/GYN & Midwifery Service performs gentle C-sections that are can help maintain the calmness of birth and maintain family centered care.

You have options of hydrotherapy and waterbirth; and delivering in the comfort of the position that suits your needs and comfort in labor.

These decisions should be made prior to labor, so delivering your baby is as smooth as possible, and you can focus on the important job of bringing a healthy baby into the world.

What are signs of labor?

There are many signs that your body is getting ready for childbirth. Your baby will drop and settle deeper into your pelvis, relieving some of the pressure on your lungs. Soon, the mucus plug that protects your cervix is expelled. Your water may break before or after your labor begins and it’s relatively rare for a dramatic release of fluid. Most women experience a leak or trickle.

Then, your labor begins when your cervix begins to dilate. As your cervix opens, you experience contraction cramps. Initially, your contractions might feel like back pain or a menstrual cramp, and they’re irregular. However, as your cervix widens, your contractions become more regular and frequent, while increasing in intensity.

When should I go to the birth center/ hospital?

Unless you have received different instructions from your midwife, you should call when your contractions are consistently five minutes apart and leave for the hospital or birthing center. Your midwife and childbirth team will meet you at your selected location.  For the child birth center 5 cms dilation is needed in order to be admited.

What should I expect during the childbirth process?

Your childbirth experience depends on what type of delivery you choose or may need depends on your risk factors and labor progress. Vaginal and cesarean deliveries are very different. C-sections are surgical procedures, and you are thoroughly numbed throughout the operation and won’t need to push.

Vaginal deliveries are more variable than C-sections. However, in general, there are three stages of labor. During the first stage, your contractions become more frequent and stronger as your cervix dilates. Eventually, when your cervix is fully dilated to 10 centimeters, you begin stage two of labor when you push with your contractions to propel your baby through the birth canal. Stage three of labor occurs after your baby is delivered and you expel the placenta.

To get started on your childbirth plan, call Holistic OB/GYN & Midwifery Service or make an appointment online today.