While in stirrups getting my annual exam, I figured why not strike up a conversation with my ob-gyn about every possible question that could pop into my head. The following are seven hidden truths (and some labor and delivery tips) that Dr. Tristan Bickman, MD, revealed to me about childbirth. Please note that every hospital is different, so you’ll want to make sure these things fly with your ob-gyn.
More from Mom.com: 8 Birthing Myths We Need to Forget
We Chat While You Give Birth
Doctors and nurses will chat during your delivery about things completely unrelated to you or the fact that you are giving birth. “We talk. We are friends,” Dr. Bickman says. “The procedure is not stressful for us, so we can talk at the same time. It’s probably the equivalent level of concentration that you need to eat a pizza.” Obviously, if something out of the ordinary happens or there are special circumstances, your doctor kicks it into high gear.
Feel Free to Bring a Cooler
Dr. Bickman estimates that 15-25% of patients are doing something with their placenta these days (encapsulating, planting it, etc.). All you need to do is show up with a cooler when you arrive at the hospital to give birth and you can take it home. The doctor just needs to sign an order for you to take it.
More from Mom.com: Why (and How) You Should Eat Your Placenta
Dads Get Involved
We’re all familiar with the notion that dads can cut the umbilical cord, but did you know they can be far more involved? Dr. Bickman allows dads to help pull the baby out during a vaginal birth! All they have to do is ask. Wow, talk about a fantastic memory that your husband will have for the rest of his life!
Get Pretty
Hospital paperwork says to arrive without makeup on and sans jewelry, but Dr. Bickman tells me she doesn’t care about that at all. “Makeup, nail polish, jewelry, whatever you want … even for a C-section,” she reveals. So feel free to get glammed up if you’d like.
The Scoop on Photos and Videos
Every hospital is different, but at UCLA Medical Center, in Santa Monica, and St. John’s Health Center, also in Santa Monica, where Dr. Bickman has hospital affiliations, you cannot video the procedure. This goes for vaginal or C-section births. They do allow you to take still shots if you’d like.
Make It a Party
Would you like your partner, mom, sister, cousin, best friend, and aunt in the room when you give birth? Dr. Bickman says that ultimately the doctor is in charge of who can be there, but she’s open to having whomever you want in the room. What’s important to her is that she can get to the mom and the baby. That applies to a vaginal birth. When it comes to a C-section, typically it’s one or two additional people max in the room.
Poop Happens
There’s no need to crawl into a hole and die if you should happen to poop or fart during vaginal delivery. Your doctor won’t even flinch. Seeing a woman poop or fart during birth is the equivalent of you seeing a squirrel at the park. “Some people poop, others fart,” Dr. Bickman says. “It’s not uncommon. No big deal.” Hear that, ladies? No. Big. Deal.
