Just so you moms to be know,

If you are delivering in a hospital,

You do not need to wear a hospital gown if you don’t want to. You can wear your own clothes to labor in.

Your baby does not need to ever leave your hospital room, every test can be done in your room with you present. The nurses will bug and be pissy about it, but it’s YOUR baby. Unless your baby is in urgent need of medical care (like an emergency is happening) your baby can stay in the room with you at all times, even for tests.

Your baby does not HAVE to go to the nursery, tell them you don’t want the baby to leave the room.

Tell them you want to hold him/her after the baby is born, skin to skin contact right after birth is SO important.

Don’t let them give your baby his/her first bath. It’s such a great moment you’ll have that memory forever of giving your baby his/her first bath.

If you want to breastfeed, make sure they know that so they don’t give your baby formula.

If you are having a boy and do not want him to be circumcised, tell them. It’s happened before that nurses will take babies to the nursery and they will come back circumcised.

Before you let the hospital give your baby the Vitamin K shot or Hep B shot, make sure you know what’s in them and the pros and cons of it. You do not have to give your baby those shots.

Do not let them break your water at 3cm to “speed the process” (unless there is no other option to speed the process).. Wait until you are at 6cm or so, that much makes such a huge difference.

If you do not want to be induced, do not let them coax you into it. They will. Pitocin makes contractions harder, stronger, and closer together. You will be in so much pain that the only way to cope is with an epidural. It is also known to put your baby in distress and increases your chances of a C-section. Unless there is no other option and you need pitocin, fight the nurses and doctor about it. You have every right to let your body do what it is made to do. But like I said, if there is no other option: go for it.

If you don’t want an epidural, don’t let the nurses coax you into it. The longer you are in labor, the more painful it will be and you may change your decision and want an epidural.. But if you still want to go naturally, the nurses will push constantly and ask many many times if you want an epidural. Stick to your guns.

Also, before you leave the hospital make sure you stock up on the pads they have and probably the mesh granny panties. I highly doubt you want to ruin your own because you will continue to bleed for days or weeks after birth.

These are strictly my opinions and things I have learned from the birthing classes I took. Please do not get bent out of shape if you do not agree, simply move on.