Deciding on a Natural Birth at 32 Weeks

jill0986

When I first got pregnant I immediately assumed that I would get an epidural and that would be it. At 29 weeks a friend started asking me about my birth plan and I had no idea what to say because up until that point I hadn't given much thought to actually having to have the baby. So I decided to research birth plans. As I began to research I learned more and more about drug interventions and how a lot of them lead to csections. So I decided to do more research reading and watching anything I could on a natural birth vs a medicated birth. I have come to the conclusion that a natural birth is defiantly something I want to do. My only worry now (besides having to fight the hospital on this) is can I prepare myself mentally to have a natural birth with less then 7 weeks to go. Any helpful suggestions? Or things I should start doing would be very appreciated!

aylafsu88

Yes you can! Your body was made to give birth and you can do it. I would suggest reading up on the birth process in general so you know what to expect. Having an idea of what to expect will help calm your fears and give you an idea of how things could go. Every birth is different but if you know what to expect at each stage of labor it can help.
 I would also suggest reading a book or two on natural birth. I liked Ina Mays books and felt that they were helpful. I also read the book "The thinking womans guide to a better birth" by Henci Goer. It focused on hospital births and what interventions you may encounter. It talks about the pros and cons of each intervention and when it is truly needed. I liked it a lot since i had a natural birth in a hospital with an OB.
Have you considered a doula? I had one and she was worth her weight in gold. We loved having her there and she was a huge reason I had a successful birth.

HannahsHope

Oh yeah, you can totally do it! I like the Ina May books, but also my husband read The Birth Partner (disclaimer: he did NOT read the whole book - its huge - but he did read the "Comfort Measures" section, and he found that really helpful and informative). I didn't do hypnobirthing, so I can't give an indication if that can be done in 8 weeks, but you definitely have time to prepare yourself mentally for a natural birth. Research, read positive stories, etc. Also, check out the website www.birthwithoutfearblog.com they have a website, facebook, and instagram

IdyllicPursuit

Get a doula! You won't regret it.

ncbelle

You can totally do it!  You've already taken the most important step which is educating yourself on the options and deciding that you'd like to go intervention free.  I agree that a doula would be a great choice and could help you prepare in the home stretch.

thegosiers

@jill0986 thanks for asking this question.  Due to some medical complications (low platelets) I may be facing an unintended non-medicated birth (and I'm 36 weeks),  The book recommendations (and people who say they didn't do hypnobirthing) are super helpful!

L0L0

I think having your medical team on board is a huge plus. I would even consider switching now if you think they aren't. I switched last time at 24 weeks because I asked my doctor what I could do to minimize my risk of a csection, and she said "nothing." And that practice had a 40% csection rate. The hospital midwife practice I switched to has like a 6% rate, and a very, very high rate of unmedicated births. It was way easier not to cave in when my nurses and midwife all knew my wishes and believed in them. Maybe you should write up a birth plan to get everyone on board with your plan. Also consider hiring a doula. Good luck!