I had dh, my midwife and an l&d nurse in the room when I had my ds. It hurt, but not like what I was expecting. I had taken childbirth classes and learned breathing patterns that could and it really did. I didn't use drugs and I spent 90% of my labor at home in comfort. We went to the hospital only after my water broke because I know that unfortunately if you're laboring in the hospital they can try to speed up labor with drugs which can lead to even more interventions. You can choose who you want in the room. If you have a "normal" pregnancy you can make many decisions.

I LOVED my birth. Loved it. Even though I had to get the stupid oxygen mask, and had to have pitocin, it was amazing. I recommend touring the hospitals you want. Find one that is very mother/baby centric. I also don't recommend a birth plan perse if you have anxiety, but birth guidelines. That mindset made it easier for me (with anxiety) to go with the flow. I had 2 nurses and 1 doctor and my DH in the room. I guess after the baby was born the ped came in, but honestly I never gave it any thought.

A birth plan is what you need. Get it to your nurse and there should be no questions asked. You should visit the hospital before you give birth to be familiar with where you'll go--if you get the vibe that they're not willing to work with you or your plan, find somewhere else.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I've got no problem with doctors and nurses, of course they need to be there. Its the family members, friends, and people who are practically strangers that just think it's ok and expected to pop into the hospital or by your house right after you've had a baby and just need a break. I see it happen to all my friends, and they don't feel like they can say no because it may offend someone. I know that I'm usually afraid to speak up for fear of alienating people, so I guess that's what I'm concerned about mostly. Sorry for causing confusion. Just looking for a sounding board. :-)

I'm sorry, but introversion is not a reason to not have a baby or give birth. You have to get intimate exams for your health no matter what. Find a doctor you trust and you'll be fine. You will not be spread-eagled in front of a lot of people; you have control over that as the patient. Nobody is interested in stopping by to see your birth for fun--nurses have enough to do. If that was your experience, I'm sorry that you didn't know you could have asked for more control over it. If you're going by hearsay, you're just hearing other people's pregnancy drama, which they love to exaggerate.

I have a new partner and just got all the tests done. I came back positive for Herpes Simplex 1, which the nurse on the phone said is the cold sore kind, not the sexually transmitted kind. I've never had a cold sore, but my ex-husband got them frequently. She said that's probably where I got it, and that it can just lie dormant in me, and that it's the same for her. Anyone know more about this? I've been reading what the World Health Organization and other places say about it, but I'd like some personal experiences here. This isn't a case of have to tell all my former partners, right? I'm not sure I've ever been tested for herpes before, come to think of it...

My sis in law is a anurse Practitioner. Her brother is in law school. Me and my sis work for the State of California and our brother is in the Army. My mom always brags how wonderful it is that my sis in law and her brother are "professionals." Makes me feel shitty... Sheesh mom.... :(

How much should I take doctor's orders? My daughter took such a growth spurt this year. She's 6, tallest girl in her grade. She's not even fat (and I've seen fat kids, I work at an elementary school). My daughter looks thick, but proportionate. Not obese. No belly. A little bit of face chub but nothing that would make anyone think we're eating Mcdonalds all day everyday. But our meals are healthy/homemade. This year, she snacked like crazy (but still on healthy things). Well, her nurse practitioner said she falls into the obese category of her height/weight/age. And I've looked at it from all ways. Forced myself to ask "Am I biased because this is my own kid?" She just doesn't look obese to me, looks like a healthy average kid She looks at least 10 pounds less than what she weighs. I've of course started pushing more activity (daughter's joining sports, we swim everyday) I've limited snacks, because I admit we can be healthier, but aren't very unhealthy. How serious should I take this?

I'm the OP with the SIL who was verbally abused by her daughter. Sorry, I forgot to state in my first confession that the reason the daughter was there was to get her stuff and move in with her newly-married son and DIL. She walked out the other night and said she wasn't coming back. All the drama since then has been when she was moving stuff out. My DH changed locks on the door today and DHS contacted the daughter at work (she's a nurse!) and told her not to go back to the house. So SIL is safe, and my visit with DHS went well. She should be able to stay in her home, and her family will be with her until she's better.

I don't care if it pisses doctors/nurses/etc off that I know my body. The only person 100% invested in my health is me and I'm going to do everything I can to get shit taken care of. I usually start my appointments with "I'm pretty sure I have ___" and then tell them my symptoms. I can't think of a time where a doctor has disagreed or been upset about my taking the time to try to learn about what's wrong with me. Though once I went to a clinic for a UTI, I told the PA that I had a UTI and she didn't seem to believe me, despite the fact that I had to go to the bathroom probably every 2 minutes just to trickle out a sharp drop while waiting to be seen. I wish certain drugs were OTC, I ended up having to pay $800 for that fucking appointment because I had a ridiculous deductible. If it's a new symptom, I don't really research because Google always leads to Cancer, but for the shit I've experienced, I don't want to spend 30 minutes waiting for the doctor/lab results to show that I'm right.