Marathon of a Birth

3/6/2013

We had ourselves a little Christmas baby just over 2 months ago. Little Kenzo arrived at 1:19 PM on Christmas day after a grueling 50 hour labor. With the help of Hypnobabies, I labored at home with my husband until hour 40, when I finally reached the point where contractions were close enough by the midwife's instructions (2-3 minutes apart for a few hours) to head to the hospital. We delivered at Manhattan's St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital's Birthing Center which was a wonderful experience!! You labor, deliver, and stay one night postpartum in a private room with a jacuzzi and queen size bed where dad and baby can stay with you the entire time. It's natural births only there, so there wasn't even a suggestion about pain meds and the midwife and nurse were AMAZING at getting me through the labor and getting my little one to progress down and out. They had me (and my husband!!) doing lunges and squat/sways up and down the hallways. That was TORTURE but I guess it did the trick. After breaking my water (the only intervention) and 1.5 hours of pushing, out he came and straight on my chest for kangaroo care. We both got the OK from the professionals and were discharged a mere 28 hours after birth.

Yes, it was incredibly painful. Yes, it was exhausting. But I am glad I went the natural route and it was a truly empowering experience. I knew the pain was productive and not due to sickness or injury (well, maybe the pain immediately AFTER the birth was injury-related pain, haha), and I knew it had a definitive end point. Each "pressure wave" (what hypnobabies moms call contractions) worked its way up to the intolerable point, but only stayed there for about 30 seconds or so and then eased its way back down and gave me a minute or two respite before the next one. Anyone can get through 30 seconds of excruciating pain, knowing it will go away (and come back, yuck), especially with wonderful and patient coaching.

If I could have had an epidural with the 100% guarantee that it wouldn't slow down my progress and lead to the need for pitocin, wouldn't hinder my ability to push, wouldn't take away my right to eat and drink and move about on my own, and wouldn't ultimately end in a c-section, then yes, I most definitely would have gone for it! And it seems most women in America do go for it (and most doctors and nurses encourage or even push it). Unfortunately, the risks I mentioned are quite frequent with epidurals (if you haven't seen it, watch "The Business of Being Born" - an amazing documentary about childbirth in America). I do not judge anyone who goes that route, in fact, up until a year ago when I watched that documentary I had no doubt that it would be epidural city for me!! But in the end, it just wasn't worth the risk for me and luckily I was able to endure the "discomfort" (another hypnobabies term, which looking back, is freaking HILARIOUS).

I could not wrap my head around was the price tag associated with this natural birth and short hospital stay. A whopping $25,000 was billed to my insurance company!! After paring that down using their "contracted rates", $15,000 was paid out by my insurance company to the hospital and my midwives' practice, and $3,000 was owed by my own little pocket. My city/county/state employed teacher friends like to brag that they paid a mere $25-100 for each of their births. My UK friends brag that it's entirely free over there!! In Japan, childbirth is not covered by insurance, but your city pays you a healthy stipend after you report the birth (part of their attempt to reverse their ever decreasing birth rate), usually around $3,000 I believe, which basically covers prenatal visits, birth, and ONE WEEK (luxurious and relaxing) stay at the birth clinic. But America's ridiculously problematic health care system is no surprise, after all...

So, what was your birth experience like? Gimme the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Our private room at the Birthing Center, one floor away from the regular labor and delivery just in case - thankfully, we didn't need to transfer!

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28 Comments

Sophie S

3/6/2013 01:35:27 pm

My two experiences here in Japan have been polar opposites, though both did require pitocin!

My first was due on Christmas day and I feared being caught between public holidays and traffic as did the doctor who suggested I be induced just shy of 2 weeks earlier than the due date. The clinic was constantly packed and they feared not having enough bed space so they fit me in where they could. I got pitocin and a saline balloon to dilate me and bring on contractions which was in for a whole night. It didn't do much so they did another in the morning along with an enema (ew!) and some poking around. I was scared and only used to what I had heard in Australia. I asked for an epidural and they gave me one however it was not common practice for them.. of course it went completely wrong! I ended up being numb around the abdomen and one of my arms yet could feel everything down below. I wasn't allowed a drink and spent 5 hours begging for one while delivering DD1. Being the classy lady that I am, I ended up asking the nurse to get me a wet towel for my head... as soon as she brought it back I snatched it and drank the water out of it! To top it all off I required an episiotomy and felt it ALL. 5 hours of struggling to push because I couldn't control my abs was hard but I was determined not to go under the knife. What would have helped was having the proper birthing bed... instead a woman from hours before refused to leave hers and was in my birthing suite the whole time, laying there on the birthing chair that I needed.

Fast forward 5 years to the birth of DD2. I was 2 weeks overdue and had spent about a month trying to get labour started on my own as the doctor informed me that I was already 4cm dilated and could enter the active labor phase at the drop of a hat. She was supposed to be a small baby but as she got more and more overdue she got plumper and more comfy in my womb. Ended up having to book again for an induction as she was getting closer to the 4kg mark and Japanese doctors like to deliver smaller babies. Turns out that when I got there I had already dilated to 6cm and didn't require the balloon. I was given my drip of pitocin and set up on the birthing chair I missed out on last time. Feeling much more positive and ready helped. The pitocin was set to low and It all started to happen. The doctor said I probably didn't need it anyway but he turned it up. I was able to drink, I had my smartphone out and got some moral support from my lovely lady friends on facebook... and next thing you know, A baby came! I had no pain meds at all and felt completely fine. Hardly any pain despite the pitocin (which is supposed to make the contractions more painful) and It all only took an hour. From the moment I had that drip inserted to the moment she was in my arms. No tearing, no need for an episiotomy and I was up and walking within 2 hours.

I would like to think the second time was better thanks to the power of positive thinking!

Heather

3/6/2013 01:56:58 pm

Thanks for sharing, Sophie!! Thank goodness DD2 came out easier and gave you the lovely birthing experience you deserved. DD1 was also born in Japan, and at the same center as DD2? Did the government's reimbursement completely cover the bills?

Sophie S

3/7/2013 06:41:19 pm

They were born at the same clinic and delivered by the same doctor :)

Things have changed within the past few years. With DD1 we had to pay up front (about $5,000) when I was discharged. The hospital gave us paperwork to file at the town office to receive a reimbursement though we lost about $1,500 due to the electives like epidural and a private room. It took a little while to file and get the money back but no longer than a month :)

When DD2 was born the clinic did paperwork prior to her being born. The government now covers the cost without having to give reimbursements which is much easier. They only cover up to a certain amount (My town now only covers $4,300 per birth) and any extras are paid when discharging. Because DD2 ended up in ICU for a few hours after a sudden and very high fever which required a specialist doctor from one of the bigger hospitals to come in, we owed an extra $900 on top of my suite room and medicine charges from when I had a gall bladder attack 2 days after giving birth.

Julia Higashio

3/7/2013 11:22:05 am

Heather has heard this story before, but might as well just write it out to share with everyone on the Internet. :)

I was ambivalent about using pain medication during labor while pregnant. I wanted to try to do it without, but I was not completely against it either. A week before I went into labor, my doctor warned me that my baby was very high for a first child and that if he didn't descend, I would probably end up with a c-section. I freaked out, I DID NOT want surgery. I did everything I could to get that little sucker to come down, like squats, walking, and sitting on our exercise ball for hours.

About 6 days later, I went in for a check and doctor said I was in early labor. She said that the baby had come down a lot compared the the previous week but he was still high. She said that was OK because I would probably be in this early labor stage for a while. Well, that was not the case. About 12 hours after that doctor visit, I was having very strong contractions every 3-5 minutes. We called the on call doctor and she said to go to the hospital at about 1 AM. We get there, I am having very painful contractions, but unfortunately they were not strong enough to cause dilation (was only 2 cm at 3 AM), so they sent us back home around 3:30.

Well...about half way home, my water broke in my husband's (company) car. I have to say, having your water break is a horrible feeling, like you are peeing yourself every 3 minutes with the contractions. Also, the pain skyrocketed. We went home so I could take a quick shower and change (I had to lean against the wall and sit down in the shower because the pain was so bad), and then we were back at the hospital at 5 AM, magically 6 cm dilated. I could barely stand the pain so I got the epidural. It was really nice, I was able to sleep through most of active labor.

I think it was around noon or 1 PM that resident said I was over 9 cm and she was going to get my doctor. Unfortunately, while baby broke my water, he decided not to descend like he should. By this time, I was actually experiencing breakthrough pain (pain despite the epidural), so the on call doc upped my epidural and let me "labor down."

Docs and nurses kept coming in to check on me, but the baby just would not come down. Around 3 PM, I started trying to push, but the increased pain meds left me unable to feel if I was pushing correctly. My doctor ended up coming to relieve the on-call doc, which was great, but she told me that the baby really was not in a great position. She tried the vacuum, but he would not come out. By this time, I had lost a lot of amniotic fluid and had been 9+ cm dilated for more than 3 hours. The baby was not in distress, but the lack of water and being dilated for so long drastically increased my risk of infection. My doc told me honestly that when the vacuum did not work I needed to get a section. So, a bit after 5 PM, I went under the knife and my boy was born at 5:52.

Recovery was not fun. I could barely move for the first day post surgery and I was in a lot of pain. But, there are some benefits. First, I had 8 weeks disability rather than 6, giving me more paid time off. Also, things are still the same down there. No tears, no stretching, like I didn't have a baby. My incision scar is very small. Lastly, I probably will never feel labor pains again (do not want to even try a VBAC).

So, section is not everyone's #1 choice, but the ends definitely justify the means. :)

Erica

3/9/2013 10:24:44 am

Interesting to read all the birth stories! I was due on January 15th, but my doctor was concerned about a premature birth and kept me on strict bed rest (at home, luckily) from 28 weeks. He was very concerned about the baby coming during the new year holiday. On Jan. 4th, my doctor switched things around and decided to induce because the baby was approaching 4 kilos and his head was in an odd position (he thought it would correct itself during labor). So, for the next two days I was induced with laminaria sticks and two balloon catheters and pitocin. Despite the pitocin, I never felt any contractions and the baby never dropped. Still, the whole thing was painful for me. I feel bad saying that it was painful because I didn't feel contractions and I assume that would have been much worse.

I was in a private labor-delivery-recovery room and my husband stayed with me there for 3 nights. My parents and mother in law also visited, so it was nice to have company.

Because the baby just wasn't moving, we agreed to a c-section on the 7th and Keito was born! He was very healthy from the get go and cried before he even left the womb. He was over 3.9 kilos and everyone kept telling me how gigantic he was! The operation and the recovery was not as painful as I would have expected. I stayed in the hospital for another 8 nights. My husband stayed with me for one of the nights when I was going crazy from the lack of sleep. The worst thing was Keito wasn't allowed to room with me until his 3rd day (and only then because I insisted). I was not allowed to hold him much or nurse him until then. That's the reason I will at least research other hospitals if we have another baby. But everything else I absolutely loved. I can't imagine having kinder nurses.

I didn't think it was cheap to have a baby in Japan, but it's all about the choices you make. My hospital only offered private rooms and everything was kind of fancy and expensive. I chose it mainly because I wanted my husband to be able to stay with me for the birth, plus I didn't wanted something close by. Our bill for the birth and hospital stay was over 900,000 yen. I will get the standard 430,000 yen from the government, but we opted to pay the bill up front because there was a slight discount that way at my hospital. Since I had a c-section, my private insurance from Aflac also kicked in and I got 220,000 yen from them. So, I will pay over $2,500 US out of pocket. Plus, all of the check ups and tests ran well over $1,000 even after all the coupons from the city.

Heather

3/9/2013 11:35:14 am

A bit pricey, but thank goodness hubby could room-in with you. I still can't believe they would keep your baby from you for 3 days, that is truly ridiculous!! Did you pump in the meantime or they gave him formula? Hope it didn't interfere with your milk supply!

Erica

3/10/2013 08:50:38 pm

Yeah, they gave him formula. I was softly pressured to sign off on that when we checked in. There was no mention of pumping. I started breast feeding exclusively from the 3rd day. It's hard to tell for sure, but I don't think it interfered with my supply. He was slow to gain back his weight (was just 150 grams over his birth weight at the 1 month check up), but he gained steadily, so we probably would have dealt with that regardless.

advice link

4/23/2013 02:10:18 am

I really enjoy while I read your blogs and articles.

stephanie link

3/6/2014 02:14:34 pm

ugh! the price of pregnancy - it's out of control. I remember finding out that for the dad to even SPEND THE NIGHT in NYC we would have to pay for a private room that was $1000 a night. like really? you have a baby and bam, you're alone on the first night to figure it all out? not cool NYC. other than that, i loved roosevelt, the nurses were amazing and my doctor is THE BEST. i couldn't imagine having it any other way, but i guess that's the price you pay to live in the big apple!

Sarah Parisi link

3/6/2014 03:51:56 pm

I had 2 hospital births followed by a home birth. I would have liked to do all home births, but it took until the 3rd pregnancy to convince my husband!
My first birth my water broke, labor did not start, and there was meconium in the fluid. (I was told by midwives that if I had planned a home birth I would have been transferred to the hospital.) I was given pitocin and although I did not want the epidural I did wind up asking for it after several hours of labor and excruciating contractions that were only 45 seconds apart at only 4 cm. My baby needed the NICU so it was good we were at the hospital.
My second birth I waited until my contractions were 3 minutes apart and I was 5-6 cm. At the hospital they made me lay in a bed on my back and I did not progress for 5 hours. I gave in again and had an epidural when I realized I was to uncomfortable and tense to dilate. My 2nd was born healthy.
For both of the hospital births we had an HMO and the birth was covered 100%.
For my 3rd child I had a home birth and it was wonderful! I posted the full story on my blog - http://toddlingaroundchicagoland.com/2013/01/my-home-birth-story/
I had a PPO and we would have paid a couple thousand dollars for a hospital birth (the insurance estimated the total bill would be over $10,000). My home birth was only $2,500 but the insurance would not cover any of it. Completely ridiculous, but I'm so glad I opted to have my baby at home.
(P.S. Stopping by from the #TBTLinkup)

Christine link

3/6/2014 04:02:46 pm

Thanks for sharing! Everyone's story is so different :) In Australia you can deliver a baby in the public health system (which is amazingly good) and it won't cost you anything. Lucky for me I had great medical insurance here so I only paid for the private hospital room out of pocket. I was hoping to have a natural birth, but had a lot of complications and ended up with an emergency cesarean after 24 hours of labor. Not what I was hoping for, but that's the way life goes! Really interesting hearing your story :)

Destiny

3/6/2014 11:19:04 pm

I love hearing how others labored and yours is beautiful, it,s funny for my 1st ozone I paid $15 and the. To have my 2nd one I paid $2400 doesn't seem fair.

Rene link

3/6/2014 11:58:44 pm

Such a cute bubba. Wow, that is quite crazy how much you paid for a natural birth. Come to Australia for you next one ;)

Angel link

3/8/2014 02:29:14 am

Wow sounds like you are a champion! I also had natural births with both my children, it's something you never forget, but definitely easier the second time around! Looks like you had a wonderful place to stay! In Winnipeg our hospital rooms don't look anything like that, but they are also 100% free, so I can't complain ;) Thank you for sharing your story :)

kittyandellie

6/21/2014 03:19:37 am

I'm adding quite late to this thread. Thank you for sharing these experiences. I have a dilemma: to birth at Roosevelt birthing center in nyc, or home birth? The issue with nyc is that home birth midwives charge around 12k, although, with insurance you could pay as little as 6-10k. The other problem is, if you do have to transfer, they don't go to hospital with you, because nyc homebirth midwives don't have privileges anywhere. They drop you off. On the other hand, there's no pressure to progress at any specific pace, and they are very skilled at helping you through the experience so that you might end up feeling like it's more intense than painful. Roosevelt does put pressure on the mom to work within the standard parameters and the birthing center transfer rate to hospital is about 30%, some sites claim. Insurance will cover most of the fee, so out of pocket it's probably no more than 3k or so. This is what I got from reading about it. Not sure what to do!

Heather link

6/21/2014 10:03:25 am

I highly recommend Roosevelt Birth Center if you couldn't tell from my post LOL. They do have very strict requirements for being allowed to birth there, but some of them are a bit more flexible then they lead you to believe. Your care provider should be able to guide you through progressing at home as long as possible which will help you to not get stuck or go in reverse which sometimes happens when you go in too soon (the stress of the hospital can make that happen). I progressed super slowly at the hospital, took me 10 hours to go from 5cm til baby was born, but my team was AMAZING and no one ONCE mentioned anything about hurrying it up or a possibility of being transferred out. Not saying it doesn't happen, but in my case, it was just a wonderful experience all around!!!

kityandellie

6/29/2014 03:26:42 am

thank you so much for your reply. It really is reassuring, especially considering it doesn't sound like the easiest of labors :) After a tour of the hospital, I still didn't get the warm and cuddly feeling, but the jacuzzis do look amazing. And I spoke to a friend who turns out gave birth there. All the feedback is very positive, so I'm going to go with that. A doula would probably help as well. Anyways, in the end the most important thing is you have a beautiful baby! Kenzo is such a cutie. You guys look great.

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