Natural Chld Birth....

LilMamaV

With my last two I had REALLY bad experiences with the epidurals.

With my first son the epidural wore off at 8cm and WOULD NOT give me any more. With my second son it took them 30 minutes to find the "spot" and they shocked me! Only to find that as soon as they found the spot and I laid back it was time to deliver so they never "turned it on".

 With this Baby I want to try everything possible except the epidural. ie: Water Birth, other IV drugs (maybe) and breathing. Is there any class that someone could recommend taking before baby is born? My husband is a total baby when it comes to me being in pain.

ckolak:-)

I would recommend xp-ing this on the Natural Birth board. It seems that Bradley and Hypnobabies are the big "methods"/classes to do. I am leaning toward some hypnobabies type stuff myself, but haven't decided yet. I also recommend reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. It was a very empowering book to read and very honest about the birth experiences covered, IMO.

everydayeve

In addition to the two that PP mentioned, there's also Hypnobabies which is what I'm doing. If your husband has a hard time seeing you in pain, then the best route might be Bradley. They teach husband-led coaching and it might help him to be a big part of you pain management efforts.

I had an epi that didn't take initially and had to be reset as well. For weeks after birth, my back ached at the insertion point. I hope to avoid an epi at all costs this time around. GL to you!

citychicks

They almost always "turn off" the epi around or just after transition so you can feel when you need to push. I wouldn't really call IV meds a "natural birth," but I personally loved having a little morphine with DD. With DS, I had a "natural birth" ie no drugs or interventions what so ever. I didn't even have the petocin shot post baby. I would recommend you talk to a birth Doula, she will likely be cheaper than classes and can give you a better idea about what YOU want for YOUR labour. Try finding one in your area using DONA.org. Even if you don't want a Doula during your labour, they can help you to get a better idea of what will work for you and can get you the info on books and classes, if you don't want an actual Doula.

AshasaurusRex

I am studying hypnoses for childbirth www.hypnobabies.com is the curriculum I'm using. It's a complete home study childbirth class and self hypnoses class. I absolutely love it! The home study course is much less expensive than most classes ($150.00) and right now they are having a 20% off promotion. There are lots of women on the natural birth board who are doing a range of different classes, you'll have a lot of luck posting over there too.

Green*Flamingo

I am doing the hypnobabies home study course and hiring a doula.

Nurselorie

I too had a bad experience with my epidural and am going natural this time.  I wasn't sure until I read Ina Mae Gaskin's Guide to Birthing and it was very empowering!  My DH and I have opposite schedule to care for DS so I need to do a home study- I'm thinking Hypnobabies since I've heard good things.  Best of luck to you (and me

CoffeeGirlJ

The Bradley Method is great from what DH and I have read/studied so far. The classes are 12 weeks long though so you do need to sign up early. We don't have any classes in our area but have the Bradley workbook and "Husband Coached Childbirth" book and feel confident that it's preparing us as well as the class. We also took a class that our hospital offered which gave other breathing/position techniques, etc. Hope this helps!

eisenberg0814

Bradley Classes - my husband got so strong and empowered from it and he managed the entire birth, while I just was in my zone and gave birth. It was great!

brunette mac

I'm going to sign up for Hypnobabies. My sister used it for her last pregnancy and she was successful! Complete fast natural birth and only 1 hr of discomfort.

MallratsMom

did my first 2 babies natural with Bradley. We took the class with DS and just reread some stuff for DD and I read Ina May's Guild to Childbirth as well. My husband loved the Bradley class and so did I. It put him in charge which is nice because you are just trying to ride the waves of contractions and not think about much else. I liked the partner aspect of it.