Usually, here in the US, if you are 34 weeks, they will NOT stop your labour. They just load you with steroid to try and speed up lung development in the baby.
I used to be an L&D nurse for 7 years also, so I have some medical insight on this as well and not just a mother's insight.
I don't understand people having their babies in birthing centers or hospitals without NICN's. A perfectly normal halthy pregnancy can go bad in seconds and require all resources. I've seen situations of lifelong bad outcomes when it could have been avoided because people want to do the "in-yuppie thing" and have their baby at the beautiful private hospital/birthing center, which minimal emergency resources. Once those infant brain cells are damaged, they don't recover.
Most NICN's are at major trauma centers which tends to be the place for the indigent crowds and those hospitals have a negative stigma attached. I've heard people say that their friends may think that they are on "medicaid" if they go to that hospital. Well, what's more important? What your friends think or the best outcome for you and your baby? Did I mention that I coded (had to be resuscitated) during my C-section. Had I been a the local yuppie hospital I probably would have died and my baby died or been worse off.
Sorry...my passion.
~Sheila
