Natural childbirth?
ByI’m only 16 weeks with number one right now, so I’m sure I’ll probably change my mind later but I really wanna have a natural childbirth (mostly because I’ve seen an epidural cathater being place and it completely freaked me out). I just wanna hear how everyone else’s natural birth went and if anyone has any natural pain relief remedies to share. Thanks a bunch!
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10 Comments
January 26th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
I went natural with both my boys. I decided at the beginning that drugs weren’t something i wanted and i can’t even stand to watch an epidural on TV let alone let someone stick it in me. My cousin had one done for a c-section and it took them several tries then they hit a nerve along her spine so now she has permenant damage from it. I did ok. By the time the really bad pain came I was already 8 cm dialated so I went fast after that and only took a few pushes and they were out. I am pregnant with my 3rd now and will go natural again if everything goes as planned. I just did a lot of breathing through the pain and tried to focus on the fact that I was going to have a new baby to love and hold. It is hard I have to be honest about that, and it is painful and a lot of woman really just can’t handle it and go for the epidural especially if labor is taking a longer time. My bestfriend tried natural and she just couldn’t do it she ended up with the epidural but she also took painkillers for 2 wks afterwards because she can’t handle much pain at all
January 26th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Definitely make sure to take child birth classes. They help a whole lot. Most things that happen during child birth is different for everyone. So that is probably the only thing I can say that will be the same to help you. I don’t want to add anything that may not be one of your experiences because then it will be unnecessary.
January 26th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Good luck with your decision. I did not end up going natural. I had the epidural, but I fully support your plans and hope you are able to stick to them. The only advice I can give is to leave your options open. Don’t get it in your head that if you use an epidural you have somehow failed. I’ve known woman who have done that and they had to deal with disappointment during childbirth so they weren’t able to enjoy it as much. I’m not saying you will end up having the epidural, just don’t completely rule it out as an option so that if you end up asking for it, you won’t be so hard on yourself.
Good luck!!
January 26th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
well first off congratulations
i’ve NEVER had a baby but i will tell you what i know. My mother went through natural labor with both me and my sister. she was in labor for 38 hours with my sis and 26 hours with me. My sister had an epidural with her first and is planning on having one when she has the one she’s carrying now and i believe she was in labor for around maybe 2 hours. but then again everyone is different. i’m all about natural childbirth. if god didn’t want us to feel something when we have a baby, then he would have made it painless. plus if you have at least one child naturally, you’ll always remember that.
i wish you the best of luck
January 26th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
“natural” child birth is doing it by yourself out in the woods squatting over a hole in the ground where you bury the placenta.
Every since “medicine” was invented, it was to improve survival, promote health and relieve pain.
Pain causes stress. Stress causes a release of adrenalin. Adrenalin caused a decreased blood flow to the uterus and to the baby. An epidural is called the “gold standard” in pain relief in OB. All the other methods either do not provide pain relief or they allow drugs to get to the baby.
The worst case you will see is you try your “natural” crap, find out just how much it hurts and then start yelling for an epidural. So the person who has to put it in has to do it with an out of control woman.
Take a chill pill, get the epidural and enjoy your delivery.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
I had the same sentiments about an epidural before I had my baby.
When I discussed different pain management methods with my doctor, she actually was the one that said that eventhough I could have anything I wanted for the pain, she thought that one definately can handle the pain without medication.
Encouraged by this I went into labour and must say it wasn’t that bad. Of course it hurts but it’s not unbearable. I did have some nitrous-oxide during the very last part of labour because the nurse kept offering it to me, but if it hadn’t been there it would have been ok, too. In the earlier stages of labour I walked around and when a contraction came I leaned head first agianst a wall and breathed.
Focusing on the soon to arrive baby does help. I also tried to see the positive in the pain : that it was a sign of my body delivering the baby. I must add that it took three days for my contractions to progress to the real thing, so I was actually looking forward to finally being in true labour…..
And once the pushing begins it is not so bad anymore anyway, because you then can actively participte in the birthing process, at least that is what I experienced.
One thing that also helped me to put the pain in perspective was, that I told myself that there are millions of women in this world that deliver without painkillers and before that there were millions of women who delivered without painkillers simply because there weren’t any available let’s say 500 years ago. And if birth really was so unbearable humans would probably be extinct by now.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
I have had 3 babies without the epidural because I am terrified of having a needle in my back (needles freak me out in general). I did however have a relaxer through my IV and while it didn’t take away the pain completely, it helped a lot so I could rest. It’s not that bad, but then again all my labors have been 6 hours or less. My babies were 8lbs 10oz, 10lbs 10oz (that one hurt!), and 6lbs 11oz. You can always try not to have it and then if you feel you can’t handle the pain go ahead and get one. Child birth classes would probably help a lot. Believe me, once that baby’s out, you’ll be so happy you’ll forget all about whatever pain you had.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
I have three grown daughters. All natural births. The first one was 24 hours, breech, and natural. Second was transverse, 6 hours, natural. The last one was a whopper – 10 lbs, one hour, and natural.
I highly recommend interviewing your OB to see what his/her C-section rate is. It should be under 4%. Too many doctors rely on it these days and it usually is not necessary. They want you to have the baby on “their” schedule. So do the diligence and save yourself a C-section.
This pregnancy and birthing phenomena is how we all get here and drugging a woman in labor is counter productive to the birth experience and for the thousands of years women have been bearing children, drugging them is just a new thing. I think it contributes to many problems for the children throughout their lives. Some proved by longitudinal studies. Opt for natural if you can do it, for the health of your child and a smoother and faster recovery for you. That would include no ultrasounds unless risk is involved and not being induced to begin labor.
Babies come when they are “ripe”.
I took Bradley classes for the first one and used the Bradley techniques for the other two. It is a very effective natural method of childbirth and is a good educational tool for having a first child. My first grand baby was born using the Bradley method. All went well.
Just be strong in letting your doctor know what you expect and how they plan on responding to your needs during labor and delivery. A good support team helps too. LIke your husband/child’s father, midwife, best friend, mother, sister, and so on. They will help you through and help you to be as comfortable as possible during delivery and after, while you recover. They will also be there to stand up for your rights and desires during the more intense parts of labor.
It’s true that by the time the labor gets intense, that is the signal that you are almost done and will have the baby in your loving arms in no time.
One breath at a time and you can do it!
Congratulations by the way.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
I went to the docter for my check up when i was 34 weeks. That same day i went into labour. I gave natural birth. From the time I went into labour until my son was born was a total of 35 minutes. Sure, it was painful, but when the baby is out and you hold that tiny little body in your arms, you forget all about the pain. That is how it was for me. Some people expierence it in different ways. I am pregnant with my second baby now, and will give normal birth again.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:06 am
I had a natural birth but not really lol just Iv meds no epidurals heard to many storys about them messing you up with back pain for life..the natural birth I really didnt fill anything maybe cuz the meds lol but I filt his head pop out put it really didnt hurt but the worst part was when the baby and the placenta they push down on your stomach to get the rest of whatever out that shit hurt like hell……Do it natural dont be scared…Im gon have a another natural birth wit #2 lol NO EPIDURALS 4 ME