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Mary Lynn Rajskub on Last-Minute Birth Plans

The actress not only had to change her birth plan once, but twice!

I tried to have a home birth. But it became a problem because I didn't start out planning it that way. Most of my pregnancy, I went to my traditional OB/GYN without even really thinking about it. Now, I had nothing against my doctor, but he and I hadn't really built a relationship. Then during a normal prenatal visit, two weeks before my due date, he said out of nowhere, "He's not getting any smaller. So let's schedule a C-section, because I'm leaving town." My boyfriend and I were just completely shell-shocked. There wasn't anything wrong with my baby, so what gives? I literally just walked out.

But at 38 weeks pregnant, what was I going to do? When you're that far along, it's almost impossible to find someone who'll take you. Still, I made up my mind that I was going to have my baby at home. We rushed and met a doula, and I took a hypnotherapy class, as a method of learning to breathe and find a focal point, that sort of thing. We had talked to the teacher and she helped me meet a midwife who agreed to deliver the baby.

But my labor didn't go as planned, either. I labored at home for 24 hours, and I just wasn't making any progress. My baby was stuck in my birth canal and I just couldn't push anymore. So I ended up being rushed to the hospital. And guess what? The doctor on call was the SAME doctor who I'd fired just two weeks before! Talk about awkward! So, there I was, having an emergency C-section with the doctor I'd severed ties with, the midwife, the doula, and my boyfriend. I went through the pain of the C-section but also all that labor beforehand. But for some reason, that's what my body wanted to do.

Maybe I should've realized earlier on what kind of birth I wanted. Still, even if I had planned a home birth from the beginning, it doesn't mean I wouldn't have ended up in the hospital, right? I don't regret my decision at all, and I know I was really lucky. But honestly, I knew I took it to both extremes, and I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle. What do you think?

Besides being a mom, actress Mary Lynn Rajskub is best known as Chloe on 24.

What else is on Mary's mind?
  • Baby Separation Problem


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    wendydaria
    wendydaria
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    6/17/2009 - 12:43PM
    Report Abuse     		One of my friends had a similar experience, but switched to a birthcenter and midwife around 30 weeks. She labored there in a birthing tub for 40 hours before being transferred for an ER c-section. I know her recovery was intense since she'd been through a good part of normal labor and then the surgery. I feel for you! That said- I'm still opting for a homebirth from the get go. I realize the baby may have other plans, but I figure at least I'll start with the birth I have in my head as being most natural for me personally. I think you're really brave for switching up your plan so late and following your gut as a woman and a mother. For me, a big part of using a midwife is that spiritual connection to what I am doing and allowing my body to be in whatever position or comfort zone it needs to do this most monumental event. And having a CAREgiver who is a woman there to guide me just feels right. I tend to be an anxious little monkey, so whatever I can do to alleviate that has got to be better for baby boy! I'm 19 weeks and couldn't be happier that I found the midwife of my dreams!
    ljzmami
    ljzmami
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    4/12/2009 - 8:00PM
    Report Abuse     		This story is totally amazing. Just goes to show you that when it comes to childbirth, you plan for the best, but prepare for the worst. I changed OBs at 20 weeks for similar reasons. But I think the moral of the story is, yes, do your research earlier!


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