All Natural Birth....what is the verdict!

faith_urz4eva

THis is my first baby, and I am planning on a natural birth. I feel like it is less complicated for me, and the baby if there are no drugs involved, and it is a healthier way to enter the world. I am very nervous and wondering if there is support and encouragment out there!!

enail5

If going unmedicated is your goal it's very possible.  Your best way to accomplish it is to educate yourself and have a doctor/midwife who supports your choices.  We did Hypnobirth and had a great experience.  I was very relaxed and I lost all sense of time.  I pushed for 2 hours, and it only felt like 10 minutes.  Good luck, I hope you get the experience you want.

ilovemygirls

I think that is wonderful you plan an unmedicated birth.  Make sure you are with a provider and partner who support that wholeheartedly.  I know there are different ways of thinking about this, but I always feel it is important to keep all options open. I think someone who gets so set in their 'plan' sets themselves up for feeling like a failure if it doesn't happen for some reason. For instance, if your baby is breech- or if the heartrate drops during labor & you need a c-section.  So plan 100% for the birth you want, but also prepare yourself that is not necessarily the birth you will have and that's totally fine.  Ultimate goal is healthy mom, healthy baby, of course.

I planned for an epi with my first- funny enough, she ended up coming so fast there wasn't time for one.  So I've had one unmedicated & one medicated birth (epi with my second).  Best of luck to you. 

PDX_GAL

I think it's a great choice! I watched 'The Business of Being Born' and found it informative and inspirational! It seems that learning how to breath, meditate, and/or some other alternative to meds it was helps women through it!

estherandgeoff2

I think it is a wonderful thing to strive for. If you can do it without meds that's a great accomplishment. I just want to stress what another poster also said, and that is that you never know how your birth will go. So if for some reason you can't take it w/o meds anymore, or you need a c/s or episiotomy to get your baby out safely, it is nothing to be ashamed of and it will not make you a bad mother or make your birth any less special. I read too many stories of women who were dissapointed in their birth, and I think a lot of it has to do with unrealistic expectations.

I went into the hospital with an open mind. I wanted to stay med-free as long as possible, but once the contractions were 2 minutes apart it was getting really painful for me and I decided to get the epi. While that probably slowed down my birth and took me down the path of getting meds to speed up my contractions and an episiotomy in the end, I don't have any regrets.

faith_urz4eva

Thanks for the wonderful advice! I will definitly rememer to keep and open mind, and know that anything can happen once you're in labor.

peachypear

DH's sister, who had her two children in natural births, just told me to "not be superwoman." Basically what pp said - in the end, do what's best for you and baby. I'm set on going natural, but because of family history I realize that I'll probably end up having a c-section. I feel like it's worth a try, though! You never know.

mjmaycrew

I am doing it all natural too, i just feel it is the right way to go! Riverbend Hospital offers a 5 week natural birthing class that i am taking, it is awsome

almostmrslopez

I'm due in June with my first and  I am planning on a water birth. I think that no matter how you plan to do it it's going to be a little scary. Just research and find something that works for you and get a good doctor/midwife. a good support system is a must!

Good luck!

deemariegirlie

For me it was the fear that made an unmedicated labor difficult. There wasn't much "pain" but once transition hit I was deathly afraid of my insides busting open. What's funny is that was just my body's primal reaction, I am a nurse and know that can't happen. I used a huge gamut of relaxation techniques and some hypnobabies, it worked because contractions didn't bother me at all and I actually enjoyed most of my labor. Pushing for 2+ hours didn't hurt until the bitter end. Next time I might go for an epidural at transition. It was NOT any fun being totally unmedicated while my midwife had both hands up in my uterus trying to stop a hemmorhage after delivery. I'm glad I went unmedicated for the experience, but there were no special rewards to it.