MarieD wrote:
Today my neice had her second baby. It was a hospital birth. Every
single nurse who came in either asked if she wanted an epidural or tried
to convince her to have one, and when she turned it down they made a
snotty face and stupid jokes like, "If I had a nickel for every mom who
said she didn't want one and ended up having one anyway, I'd be rich"
and said my neice was definately in the minority in not having one! She
had been very clear on this subject to everyone so I had to ward off the
pushes for her. I do not get why they feel the need to be so pushy about
an epidural. If the mom asks for one, fine, but there's no need to be
pushy and rude.

This is interesting to read. Thanks for posting it.

While hospitals, even in the same area vary quite a bit, it seems that
in general the SE United States is much less friendly towards natural
birth and towards breastfeeding than many other parts of the country.
I'm glad you were there to support her in having the kind of birth she
wanted.

It seems like hospitals in our area have become more friendly towards
patients in general and especially during birth. I've seen a bit more
of hospitals recently as my 4 yo was ill. One hospital used the
"hold-them-down" method for blood tests, while the other took the time
to numb the spot first. I stayed in the hospital room with my 4 yo and
nursing 13 mo. Everyone was very nice to us. There was a couch bed
built into the room and they automatically ordered caregiver meals for me.

--Betsy