Care Providers | Epidural Analgesia | Birthing Rooms | Cesarean Birth
Vaginal Birth After A Cesarean

There are many choices of healthcare providers and The Birthplace staff supports your choice to personalize your birth experience. You may select to have an obstetrician, family practice physician or a certified nurse midwife to provide your maternity care and to deliver your baby. In addition, we are fortunate to have residents from our Family Medicine Residency program on rotation in our department at all times.

The Birthplace offers epidural analgesia for vaginal deliveries. An epidural has been shown to significantly reduce the discomfort to the mother during labor while allowing her to participate in the delivery. You should discuss this option with your doctor or midwife.

Our goal is to make the birth experience as joyful, memorable and comfortable as possible. In keeping with this, The Birthplace and the department of Anesthesia offer you the epidural method of pain control during labor. For an epidural, a medicine is injected into the tough outer layer covering the spinal cord. The medicine numbs the lower half of your body, including the abdomen, legs and birth canal, to provide pain relief during labor and delivery while allowing you to remain awake for the birth of your baby.

Our birthing rooms are attractive and comfortable. They all have private showers, specialized birthing beds and necessary equipment for your labor and delivery.

Birthing Ball Provides Relaxation, Comfort Options
For Women In Labor

During labor, it is important for a woman to change position at least every hour to help move her baby down through her pelvis. At the Birthplace™, we can show you how the use of a birthing ball can help you relax and find comfortable position options during labor.

The birthing ball is useful in a sitting, standing and kneeling position. Some comfort options include:

• Sitting on the ball and gently swaying from side to side.
• Standing on the floor and leaning over a ball that is placed on a bed.
• .
Kneeling over the ball, allowing it to support the weight of your arms and upper body.

Cesarean deliveries are performed in an operating room that is located within the labor and delivery area. The labor and delivery nurses are specially trained to assist in the operating room and in recovery techniques for a Cesarean delivery.

Having a baby by cesarean section involves not only the emotional intensity of birth, but also the physical challenges of having abdominal surgery. A hospital stay for a cesarean birth is two to three days.

A cesarean section requires that an incision is made in your abdomen and uterus through which your baby is born. Your incision may be painful for two to three days, then tender for a week or two. The staples or sutures used to close your incision are removed and steri strips applied before your discharge. Six weeks following delivery you should be able to resume your physical activities.

The recovery from a cesarean birth is a gradual process. Within 24 hours, you should be up and walking, increasing your activity each day. During this time, the nurses assist with your care as well as that of your baby. Your abdominal dressing is usually removed after the first day.

During the initial postoperative period, you will need to take deep breaths every hour. You should continue to take deep breaths until you are up and about. Walking helps to lessen gas pains.

After you return home, be sure to check your incision daily. The edges of the incision should be together without redness, drainage or tenderness. Notify your doctor or midwife if your incision becomes painful and red or has pus draining from it. Showering is encouraged, but remember to keep the incision area clean and dry afterward. You may also trim the steri strips that cover your incision as needed.

Some mothers experience a feeling of loss or failure over not having a vaginal delivery. This is a perfectly normal reaction. You may find it helpful to discuss these feelings with those who are caring for you and with your family.

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (V.B.A.C.) is now a delivery choice for women who have had a previous Cesarean delivery. If you meet specific criteria, you may plan for a vaginal delivery with your obstetric practitioner. The labor and delivery nurses will work together with your physician to assist you in a vaginal delivery.