Success: 2nd Med-Free/Natural Birth!!

LindseyH033

At 9:11pm on October 16th, DH and I welcomed DD2 (Teagan Rae) to the world! I had been having mild contractions all day (15-20 minutes apart at first, growing to 5-7 minutes apart), around 6:30pm they were getting closer together so we decided it was time to head to the Birth Center. After getting checked in my contractions started coming on stronger, one on top of the next. I had always wanted to try a water birth, in the tub, and wasn't able to with DD1, so I requested this as soon as we arrived. I got in the tub around 7:30, my water finally broke at 9:07 and she was born after 2 pushes at 9:11, completely intervention free. I had a natural birth with DD1 and had been planning to do the same with DD2 but in the weeks leading up to L&D I was growing more and more nervous about my ability to do it the second time around. Luckily, I was only asked once, when the nurse was getting me checked in, if I wanted any interventions. I hesitantly said "No", and she never asked me again. I had my wonderful midwife who was with me the entire time, as well as DH. I must say, I have very quick L&D's, both DD's born in less than 5 hours. However, the second time around the pain was almost unbearable and I felt as though I would cave and take the Epi just to get some relief. Luckily, I kept thinking  "just ride the wave" during each contraction, with the thought that I was one step closer to meeting my new princess. Also, with DD1 my water broke immediately and then the contractions started. With DD2 contractions started first and my water was the last thing to break. I believe the pressure from my water bag not breaking is what made it that much more painful the second time around. All in all, I am so thrilled I managed to fight through the pain, med-free. DD2 and I were alert, healthy and full of energy IMMEDIATELY after her birth. Within an hour I was having a late dinner and taking a shower. I don't think this would have been possible if I had opted for medical interventions. Also, the high you get from delivering naturally is like no other, I felt like a warrior, super-woman even!! It's truly the most amazing feeling in the entire world!

I hope my story gives the soon-to-be mommy's some confidence and hope that you can get through it, naturally, if that's your goal. Its hard work, but the payoff in the end is so worth it! Good Luck!!

ETA: I don't want to imply that interventions are necessarily bad, I whole-heartedly believe in certain situations, they have their place and purpose in L&D. However, if your goal is for a natural birth, and you are healthy and medically capable of doing so, I completely believe it is possible without medication. 

rooftop

congrats

TheBorg7of9

Thanks for writing your story! Congrats and good work!

rayandbrit

Congrats! I found it interesting that you felt this labor was harder due to having the pressure from your bag of waters. This was my first med-free birth, but my water didn't break until seconds before the baby was born, so I'm curious if it would have been less painful had it broken earlier...

wintersong

Congratulations! :-) Thanks for sharing.

LindseyH033

@rayandbrit yes, in my case it was more painful the second time and all I could equate it to was my water not breaking, initially. As soon as it broke I felt tremendous relief. I think it added to the pressure I felt since I was dilating very fast but couldn't necessarily help the baby's descent since my bag of waters was sort of holding things up. Idk, just my theory! On the other hand, I only pushed for 4 minutes this time (immediately after my water broke), whereas with DD1 my water broke in the very beginning and I pushed for 45 minutes..who knows if one relates to the other!

LindseyH033

Thank you all for your supportive responses! @jennish11 you will do great! Just remember, we are built to do this, with women successfully delivering their children naturally for hundreds and hundreds of years. While the process may seem intimidating and scary, trust me the end result is soooo worth it! GL and if you have any questions feel free to message me!

LindseyH033

@herbabymama I really liked delivering in the water, however, by the time I got in the tub I was having back to back, super intense contractions. Due to this, I could have literally been laboring anywhere and probably wouldn't have noticed a difference. I wish I had gone in the tub sooner as it would have helped me relax more, early on. That said, delivering in the tub was really nice. I felt like the warm water really relaxed and soothed "down there" and I strongly believe it prevented me from tearing. When I delivered DD1 it was in a hospital bed and while I only had a small amount of tearing, it hurt so much more (pushing and crowning wise) than with DD2 in the tub. 

I highly recommend the tub but don't get discouraged if it ends up being something you don't like. A friend of mine was dead set on L&Ding in the tub and when she got in she hated it, it just wasn't for her. My best advice is find what makes you the most comfortable and relaxed and go with it, even if you have to try a couple different things. GL!!

robyn2201

Congratulations!