Unmedicated Childbirth Advice

dani_0921

Please share any helpful tips, advice, resources, etc. for delivering without medication! I know I can't be the only one that is interested. Thanks!

gumby22c

With my first, my goal was to go unmedicated but I had no problems asking for pain meds if it got to that point. I mainly wanted to try for a birth without an epidural (for a few personal reasons). I was scared of a giant needle in my spine (I have major phobias surrounding going to the Dr and having things done), my anxiety makes me feel claustrophobic thinking about being confined to the bed and unable to walk, and in general I just wanted to try for as unmedicated of a birth as I could handle.

I did ask for IV pain meds near the end of labor but it did absolutely nothing for me. So when it ran out I didnt ask for more. I did start begging for an epidural at the end, but at that point I was already 10 cm and it was time to push. So I did end up delivering without an epidural. I had horrible back labor during the entire labor, so I'm hopeful for normal contractions this time and being able to go without an epidural again.

I am probably in the minority, in that I did nothing to prepare myself for attempting an unmedicated birth except just being stubborn and lettings my fears dictate that I held out as long as I did. 😂 I realize that isn't really helpful for people looking for advice. But I will say, dont doubt what you can handle until you are in the middle of it! While I went into my labor wanting to go unmedicated, I truly wasnt sure if I'd hold out completely because you just never know, especially as a FTM with zero clue what you are in for! But you are stronger than you think and you may be surprised by what you can handle in the moment!

Dancer688

Utilize the shower if your water hasn't broken yet and if it is still deemed safe to do so.  It helped a lot during my early laboring.  

I had a medicine ball we were suppose to bring but the hospital will have one sometimes, so definitely ask ahead of time.  Being able to change positions is key.  

Tell your nurses when you get in (and the new set if you deal with a change in nurses) which I did twice during my first labor, only once during my second.  

That being said, my 2 births (while wonderful and easy) did both end with epidurals.  Once I get the IV for GBS I was essentially bound to the bed so moving around and moving through the contractions got to be impossible for me.  I wish you all the luck!! 

kopp5988

So I’m a FTM as well and can’t really give advice for what works. But I figured I’d chime in with my plan. I am going to try for un-medicated. However a friend of mine had the same plan and just gave birth to an 8lb 11oz baby boy and ended up getting an epidural which she said was necessary for her (don’t know all the details yet). Anyway my plan is to use the labor tub in the hospital birthing center. I have been told it can do wonders. I plan to walk as much as I can to help the baby move down. I’m hoping to learn a bit more during the hospital birthing class I’m taking. I also have an anterior placenta though which I’ve read can result in longer and more painful back labor so while I want to try un-medicated I am fully aware my plan my change while I’m in labor.

emeraldcity1214

I have have had 2 unmedicated births and I tried with my second baby but gave up at transition. I think it had a lot to do with the methods I chose. With my first attempt, I tried using hypnobirthing. It requires a lot of meditation and full immersion into a meditative state. I’m way too adhd for that. Plus I like to laugh and goof off with my husband between contractions. With my third and fourth births I was successful at going completely unmedicated. With those I chose to do The Bradley Method. It focuses more on breathing techniques and positions. 

I practice ice the breathing when I hit third trimester and I reread all the important stuff that I need to remember during labor and delivery. I found that the position I got into last time took a ton of pressure off of my pelvis and made me much more comfortable. I laid at a 45 degree angle in the bed with pillows propped under my knees while my legs where in a butterfly position. When a contraction hit it literally looked like I was sleeping because I was focusing on my breathing and fully relaxing my muscles. 

The second time around I remembered to breathe through transition. The first time I completely forgot and it felt like my body was being ripped in half. The pain is intense and it is hard to think about anything else. Whoever is your birthing partner needs to be reminding you to stay calm and breathe. Even coaching you through the breathing at that point. I tend to shake really bad at transition and it is difficult for me to relax my muscles but I focus on the fact that I’m near the finish line. 

My best advice is to pick a method and practice it regularly. Also, have a good birthing partner. My husband was useless our first go around but he rocked the second and third time. He is hands down the best person for me to have by my side. He knows exactly when I have hit transition and he knows exactly what to say to me and what I need in those moments. He never tells me I can’t do it and to just get an epidural. Even when I was screaming for one with my son because I thought he was in distress, he stayed calm and helped me to calm down. 

Every labor snd and delivery is different. Every single one of mine have been. So just don’t be so stubborn that you put your life or your baby’s life at risk but also advocate for yourself. It is ok to decline cervical checks. In fact, I highly recommend it. I let them check me once when I arrive and that is it until I am certain I have hit transition. No need for them to tell you that you aren’t progressing and start pressuring you to get interventions. 

alwayseloquent

Thank you for posting this thread! I've mentioned elsewhere that I want to do an unmedicated birth (or at least no epidural). My reasons are very much like yours @gumby22c - I am terrified of a needle in my spine, I know not being able to move will drive me insane (possibly more than the pain), and I know my body and how I react to painkillers and anesthesia (granted, I have never had an epidural or a spinal before, but I have had a lot of surgeries and I always end up reacting poorly and wind up with uncontrollable shaking...not something I want to deal with while trying to manage labor). I am very much looking forward to the birthing class and the labor pain management class my husband and I signed up for through our hospital. We are both first time parents. I'm hoping I can avoid an epidural and my husband just doesn't want me to suffer. I look forward to reading more on this thread!

gumby22c

@alwayseloquent I forgot to mention I did labor in the tub for a bit last time. I definitely think it helped me relax through the tough contractions  make it to the transition stage and be ready to push at the end! My chosen hospital this time doesnt have a tub, but I plan to try the shower and hope it will have the same effect!

mimigarden

I'm hoping for this too!  It's my first time so I don't have much advice to offer.  But, my midwives suggested the book "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" which has a lot of birth stories and great information on the birth process from a natural standpoint.  It's been great to read and I would highly recommend.  

perfectoops

The hardest part for me is breathing thru the pain.  With my last delivery, I tensed up and the lack of oxygen made my hands tingle.  That was a big red flag for me to concentrate on my breathing.  I had an anterior placenta (as I do now with this one).  The back labor was no joke.  I was curled up in the fetal position and went from a 2 to a 10 in the space of an hour.  The pain was unreal.  I did have an epidural with both of my previous pregnancies, and I'm really hoping to avoid it this time around.  I've been borrowing books from the library and watching videos on The Bradley Method on youtube.  

bmmims

I appreciate this post being made. 

I am going to try *again* to go unmedicated. I have to admit, with my first I was very uneducated; in regards to what I could turn down (intervention wise) and how to properly manage my pain. I had pitocin early on and did not question it. I am NOT saying I received inadequate care, I just think that a hospital will intervene with all things medical before truly understanding if its what is 100% needed at the moment. 

I have been reading a book given by a friend titled Natural Hospital Birth. I am enjoying it but I also need to do practicing on my own for the breathing exercises. I am not getting a doula but DH is going to read the same materials as I do to try to be prepared with me.

blg116

So epidurals. I was reading (may have been here, may have been Google, dont remember) that they make it impossible to move your legs. Is that like, every single time always? Cause that's gonna be a hard NO from me, I panic if my dog falls asleep on my and I don't want to wake her, I'd freak the hell out if I literally could not move. 

creamcheeseplease

@angieeeeee I don't remember not being able to feel my legs, I remember I couldn't get up and move around because of the IV and such, but I am pretty sure if they do a low dose of it you can feel your legs. Maybe someone else remembers? I know my dose was pretty low until they upped it when I ended up with a c/s.

I don't really go here, since I'm fully fine with getting an epidural again especially since if my previa resolves I'll be attempting a VBAC but I'd like to hold out longer without one this time, so I'm going to do some reading on Bradley Method/other techniques soon. 

BNBT

@angieeeeee I could feel my legs until they decided to up the dosage in hopes they could give my dr time to get in and deliver. I will fight this higher dosage this time around if they try it because I couldn't even feel how hard I was pushing once they up'd it. I think (I could be wrong, I don't have a medical degree) this led to it taking so long for my daughter to get delivered and since she was sunny-side up, it ended up causing concerns that she was face up too long before I could fully deliver her. 

I'm in the same boat as @creamcheeseplease, I don't think I'm wanting an unmedicated birth, but I definitely want to make it longer without the meds this time around!

emeraldcity1214

Epidurals are dose specific. They can be strong enough to numb everything. In fact, my last one had me numb up to my chest (*TW I ended up with an epidural when I delivered my angel baby because it was just taking so long and I couldn’t take anymore emotional/physical discomfort  *end TW*). I didn’t like it at all. I’m pretty sure the epidural I ended up with when I delivered DD1 caused me to struggle to get her out which ended with me getting a huge episiotomy. She was getting into distress. Her cord was being compressed every time I pushed. 

My unmedicated births have have been much better as far as pushing and recover afterwards. 

Edit: my iPhone keeps autocorrecting words that don’t need to be corrected. 

rogro118

@angieeeeee I could feel my legs and move them to get into position, and could feel pretty much everything else, but I had a low dose since I went into it not wanting an epidural and needing one when we almost went into c-section.  They can up the dose during labor if necessary.  

I hope not to get one this time around mainly because of how much it stalled everything for me.  That also saved my son’s life and inadvertently avoided a c-section, and I would make the same decision again over being completely under for a section, but I’m aiming not to electively choose an epidural.  

@mimigarden I read Ina May’s book before having my son and loved it.  It’s still on my kindle so I’ll likely reread.  Penny Simkin also has some good books too, my husband and I read her Birth Partner book last time and found it helpful, especially since it’s mostly bullet points, like a sparknotes of birthing books!

purplefan1

I ended up getting an epidural even though I really didnt want to but nothing went according to my original plan so it is what it is. Between pitocin ti start labor since she wasnt growing any more (I was only dilated at a 1 when I went in. No where near ready to start labor) and I wasnt progressing. The back labor was terrible and I couldnt relax. So I went for one because I thought it would be best to try to sleep in case labor took forever. Im actually glad I did because it ended up speeding everything up. I asked for the epidural about 1045pm, it took them about 30 minutes to come in and place it, and my kiddo was born at 1143. I could feel my legs the entire time (i definitely did NOT want to feel paralyzed. Thats part of the reason I was against one because just thinking about not being able to move terrifies me). I was able to move the whole time and could transfer myself and use the bathroom myself when I got to my room. So I dont know if that is normal or not. I actually wasnt even sure if it worked because other than feeling relaxed (which may have been partly from the pain meds they pushed in my IV before I got the epidural) I could feel everything. But end of the day she came out healthy and I am more open to requesting an epidural this time around if I feel like it would help. Otherwise my plan is to go unmedicated if possible and start with IV pain meds and give them time to work to see if it helps me relax.

blg116

That makes me feel a bit better. I haven't put much thought into how I want things to go labor wise- I've said give me ALL the drugs and if I can be asleep to deliver that would be even better. But now that it's actually becoming like, a real thing, I figure I should have an idea what I want. So I've been reading the pros and cons of epidurals and such, and starting to lean towards skipping it unless it becomes totally necessary. 

emeraldcity1214

@angieeeeee you don’t want to be asleep and miss the birth of your first child. Their is really nothing like it. It was one of the best days of my life seeing my son for the first time and knowing that I grew him in my body. That this is the little baby I had been feeling for so long. It is a great experience and you should be present for it! 

gadzooks_3

I don't know where I "belong" in these discussions.   I *wanted* as "natural" (a term I now despise -UO probably) a birth as possible.  I wanted very much to go into labor spontaneously, labor at home as long as possible, skip pitocin and any other meds, no water breaking, and all that.   I took some classes, read everything that Anna May Gaskin has published and other books on "natural hospital births" 

Those are all good resources, but for me they also made me so focused on that goal and hostile to interventions that I felt intense frustration and like a failure when I couldn't live up to that standard. So, just remember to be kind to yourself. 

Due to age, hypothyroidism/GD, and baby size I agreed to an induction.  The preferred course of action for my birth team was scheduled c-section but they supported a trial of labor.  So, I had medication to soften my cervix and Pitocin to start labor but no other intervention (until the c-section). I was in the hospital almost 48 hours leading up to the c-section and in active labor for 24 -30 hours before the c-section.  I didn't use any pain meds or an epidural.  

I walked a lot to try to spir labor on and have gravity help out, but the continuous monitoring got in the way and eventually they required that I stay in the room. I tried pacing and I bounced on a birth ball.  I did not know you could fire your nurse, I wish I had. She was completely unsupportive of my wishes and had decided that I was having a c-section and I wasting her time.  The hospital I went to had a volunteer Doula program and I put off having one come, but that was a mistake.  I think a Doula advocate would have helped.  Eventually they confined me to bed, even though i did not have an epidural because the monitoring stuff kept shifting. 

I found that meditation, breathing techniques, and movement was important for pain control. 

If I am able to VBAC I will be certain to have a doula and not be afraid to switch out the nurse if they aren't being supportive. I would keep pushing to move etc even if it is inconvenient to the staff. I would also be willing to have my waters broken this time, I declined and by the time I was willing the baby had changed position so it was no longer an option.

For prep reading up on options, practicing the breathing techniques helps, and doing things to prepare your body for the physicality of birth helps (squats etc). Also, having your birth partner on board and willing to advocate for you really helps. I am very practiced at advocating for myself but in the midst of labor and exhaustion you need others to help in that role.  

I also would say that going in with some flexibility would have helped.  It is a balancing act. You want to advocate for yourself but you need the medical staff on your side too. So making them allies helps.

I think if I had been able to qualify for the birth center it would have been different. I was so frustrated that there seem to be two camps: totally "natiral" or a high intervention birth.  I knew I needed certain interventions, but I wanted to be supported in as few interventions as possible.  The system just isn't set up for that right now. 

mimigarden

@drama_llama thank you for sharing your story.  

kyapplb

Hi! FTM and I’m pregnant with twins, but I am trying for a natural unmedicated birth (although in the hospital!)
My husband and I are starting a Bradley birth class on Tuesday, but we read the husband coached birthing in advance, as well as birthing the bradley way. We both work in the medical field, and both found a lot of really great info in the books we didn’t know. It also gives you exercises to work on and food goals (protein protein protein) to grow healthy babies and be ready for childbirth.
I know for me at least it helped calm me down about pushing out two. Even if you don’t hit a class I really recommend the books. Gives you and your coach information to be prepared and know what is going on!
i dont know how much I’ll get to do given that I am having twins and a million things could switch it to a c-section, but at least I am giving myself the tools to get through a natural labor if the stars align correctly.