Question about med free birth
This is my first pregnancy and I regret that I have not had as much time to prepare for the actual birthing process.
It's been really difficult, so the main concerns have literally just been my health throughout the pregnancy. Had horrible hyperemesis and the list goes on. It's been difficult as husband was on travel at times for work (mandatory) and no family for me...
Anyway, is it ignorant to think without any "prep" that I would prefer not to have any pain meds and ask not to have an epidural? I'm still keeping an open mind.
The mother that adopted me had both her children without any and said of course it's painful, but it's one day of your life and once he's here, you forget about what you went through...
Would love to hear about others' experiences. Thanks.
Re: Question about med free birth
Even at 35 weeks I think you could get a good bit of reading done in preparation for the impending labor & birth. I went into my first labor not wanting any pain meds but because I was woefully underprepared I ended up getting the epidural. Not to say that you can't and that many women don't follow through with their preparations but for me, it was critical to my second birth that I was more educated on the birth process and what I could expect.
Can I ask at what military hospital you'll be delivering? More for my curiosity than any insight I can give. I chose to switch to Standard to avoid delivering at a military hospital.
I did very little prep for my birth in terms of "techniques" or "methods"
I did do a general ante-natal course.
Things that were useful to me:
1) Understanding the birth process so I didn't panic as I moved through different stages.
2) Understanding about various interventions and knowing the language so that on the day I wasn't having to learn new info.
3) A chart they showed us in the ante-natal course of various labouring and birthing positions, that are good for helping the baby move down the birth canal. I didn't move into these positions deliberately, I simply moved into positions that were most comfortable at the time. In the back of my mind though I could remember the pictures and knew that what I was doing instinctively was also helping the birth process.
4) Being open to different pain relief ideas and being relaxed if it didn't work. I thought a heat pack would be fabulous, but on the day it just made me too hot. I loved the shower and the hot tub.
As much as I enjoyed the classes, all of it was stuff I could have read about online.
So i think you still have plenty of time to read up on things and to consider what way you want to go.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
Thanks so much for your reply. You're right. I can do a lot of reading until he's here.
I'll be at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. It just opened within the past couple months. As it's my first, I didn't really know what to expect, but I've been really happy. They've answered every question I've ever had and been very understanding.
I'm very small, 4'11" and just made it over the 100 lb. mark. That would be my biggest concern. Husband is an average size person, though, 5'8", 175 lbs., but initially twice my size. But the midwife told me she has seen a lot of 100 lb. girls deliver very large babies with no problems naturally.
Having a midwife who is skilled and patient will make a big difference for you, but the support staff at the hospital can have a big impact on you as well.
I highly recommend you and your DH read Penny Simkin's "Birth Partner" together - as it is a great guide to what to expect and gives you some helpful lists to use when preparing.
If you're going to use any self-taught birth techniques then I'd highly recommend you look at purchasing "Hypnobirthing" by Marie Mongan. Its not unreasonable to think you could potentially get through the book and do some practice on your own in the next 5 weeks.
I've seen moms come in unprepared (not having taken any classes) and I've seen moms who have prepared like crazy... and what it boils down to is how high is your threshold for "pain" and how determined are you to get through the birth without meds? Birth is very significantly a "mind over matter" experience in many many cases.
Have you talked to your midwife about your desire to go med-free? Has she given any indication of whether or not she or other hospital staff are supportive of women wanting to go med-free?
I chose to switch to Standard so I don't have to deliver on base here. Of ALL the women I know to have to delivered there, ALL of them were induced, and all but one ended up with a c-sec. I'm not prepared to go that route unless it's a necessity.
Belvoir has really made a great effort in midwifery care in the last few years. I've attended one birth there and the midwife was amazing! Let mom push for five hours! I couldn't believe it. Have you thought about hiring a doula? I don't know if your husband is deployed or not but there is always Operation Special Delivery (OSD) that you can use as a volunteer doula service to moms with deployed husbands.
My advice, get an Ina May book and read as much as you can about the birth process (what happens in first, second, and third stage), take a look at some comfort measures (what positions to get into, tools you can use), and stay home as long as possible and you can be successful. :-) Good Luck!
As a side note...just be glad you aren't at the old hospital...incredibly old rooms with no showers!
Thanks so much! I've heard a lot of horror stories about the old hospital and had many friends who outsourced to civilian because of that!
The midwife I'm working with is the most understanding person ever and she seems to be all for natural birth.The decision is mine...
Husband is not deployed but he has to devote ALL of his time to work and school now (Thankfully he finishes his entire degree in three weeks so he'll have more time soon.). He's in transportation for the Fed and has at least a couple mandatory trips, possibly overseas after I hit full-term. However, very thankful for his employment now!
I will do a lot of reading. I just had the thought that if my mother and so many others were able to do it without meds, I'd sure like to give it my best effort.
Ohh, and I'm so sorry to anyone who has had to deal with any sort of hyperemesis! I'd rather have a fever haha. I can commiserate with you. I was so ill and by myself and after a week once - husband finally got home and helped me wash my hair while I was throwing up everywhere!!!