Hospitals aren't technically supposed to force surgery like they did with me but it happens. It's illegal to force surgery unless they have a judge's order to do so, but even then I'm pretty sure you can switch hospitals to avoid it and it's not all that common as far as I know. Look up the definitions of consent under duress and informed refusal, know your rights. The American College of Gynecology has a page on their website saying doctors can't force any treatment on pregnant women, I'll post the link to that below. Don't sign consent forms even if it seems like a way out of the room. They had me stuck to an IV, which is why I didn't walk out, and they lied to my husband to get him out of the room, wouldn't let him back in after. To avoid getting stuck you could either refuse IV or get a hep lock/saline lock/j loop which would let you walk around without an IV stand. An epidural would get you stuck too but those are sooo dangerous anyway. Also most labor drugs used for induction like Pitocin can cause complications that lead to c section or even rupture, dangerous for the baby too, they didn't explain that to me with my 1st. Record everything on your phone starting right before you enter the hospital, make sure your phone is fully charged and bring a charger. Have your husband stay in the room the whole time without leaving if possible, even if they ask him to step out. Call the police if they try to force surgery or won't let you leave, remember without a court order forced surgery is illegal. You should be able to sign an Against Medical Advice form to protect the hospital from liability if you leave. I wish I had more info on home birth for you. All this sounds so complicated compared to just staying home lol but understand why you wouldn't want an unassisted home birth. Despite hospitals being sketchy, if you're too nervous or uncomfortable at home that's not right either. If you're set on a home birth you might want to check out home birth Facebook pages for information and support. I've learned a lot from the VBAC group I'm in. If you choose a hospital you'll probably have a better experience than I did knowing your rights and taking precautions to protect yourself. They caught me off guard and I didn't know how to react. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Hospitals aren't technically supposed to force surgery like they did with me but it happens. It's illegal to force surgery unless they have a judge's order to do so, but even then I'm pretty sure you can switch hospitals to avoid it and it's not all that common as far as I know. Look up the definitions of consent under duress and informed refusal, know your rights. The American College of Gynecology has a page on their website saying doctors can't force any treatment on pregnant women, I'll post the link to that below. Don't sign consent forms even if it seems like a way out of the room. They had me stuck to an IV, which is why I didn't walk out, and they lied to my husband to get him out of the room, wouldn't let him back in after. To avoid getting stuck you could either refuse IV or get a hep lock/saline lock/j loop which would let you walk around without an IV stand. An epidural would get you stuck too but those are sooo dangerous anyway. Also most labor drugs used for induction like Pitocin can cause complications that lead to c section or even rupture, dangerous for the baby too, they didn't explain that to me with my 1st. Record everything on your phone starting right before you enter the hospital, make sure your phone is fully charged and bring a charger. Have your husband stay in the room the whole time without leaving if possible, even if they ask him to step out. Call the police if they try to force surgery or won't let you leave, remember without a court order forced surgery is illegal. You should be able to sign an Against Medical Advice form to protect the hospital from liability if you leave. I wish I had more info on home birth for you. All this sounds so complicated compared to just staying home lol but understand why you wouldn't want an unassisted home birth. Despite hospitals being sketchy, if you're too nervous or uncomfortable at home that's not right either. If you're set on a home birth you might want to check out home birth Facebook pages for information and support. I've learned a lot from the VBAC group I'm in. If you choose a hospital you'll probably have a better experience than I did knowing your rights and taking precautions to protect yourself. They caught me off guard and I didn't know how to react. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2016/06/refusal-of-medically-recommended-treatment-during-pregnancy
(post is archived)