Wow, Beth! You shared some GREAT info! Thanks for posting all of it. (Better your fingers than mine. )

Just a reminder to those of you who were "made" to do things you didn't want in labor (i.e., lying down in bed, routine monitoring, getting an IV, no food, etc.): Remember that you do not give up your rights when you check into the hospital! Just because your hospital has its protocols and your care provider has his/her standing orders, it does NOT mean you are required to follow them. (None of the examples I listed should be routine....thought they commonly are, they're not evidence-based.)T

The flip side of "informed consent" is "informed refusal". (It doesn't mean you have to refuse in a defiant way...better to discuss it with your care provider before going into labor.) If you find that what's important to you is something your doctor is unfamiliar/uncomfortable with, then you'll know you've got the wrong provider. Same with if the type of birth you want is a foreign concept at your hospital.

Lar