Would you do it again??

IamAmom2B

Hey ladies,

For those of you who have had natural births would you do it again?  Or was the pain so intense that you will definitely need drugs the next time around? 

Temp76535187505890

I've had one of each.  My first I got an epidural and with my second I did not.  Hands down, I would do the med-free again in a heart beat.  I have repeatedly said that I wish i could be pregnant, labor and give birth again except for the one pesky detail of not wanting any more children. 

JLG95

I'm definitely going natural again.

Yes, it was painful, but:

1. I've felt worse pain/discomfort than childbirth. 

2. The side effects of an epidural seem really awful to me.

3. I won't have any fear this time, since I know exactly what's going on, that should reduce the discomfort for me.

4. I'm tough, and I won't risk losing my natural childbirth, hippy-dippy, bad-@ss street cred with the other natural birth mothers I know.

5. I want DH to get me that medal I deserve for birthing his babies the old fashioned way.

tokenhoser

I plan to do it again. The pain was intense, but it also had breaks. I also expect next time, I probably won't have an OP baby and second labours usually go faster. Even if I had to do my first birth over, I wouldn't opt for drugs.

barnwife

I would absolutely (and am planning on) do it again. We had a homebirth with J. which was absolutely incredible. We are planning on the same for this LO.

Yes, I had excruciating pain for a short while. But the pain is never bigger than you. It is part of you. It's just your cervix/uterus working to get baby out. (Note: my excruciating back labor was most likely due to the fact that J.had a very large head-the largest my MW had seen in a while- and was born with both hands up by his head.) Oh, and with DH's back rub, the pain was totally manageable.

Yes, having a med-free birth was totally worth it to me (and DH)!

LindseyJW

i doubt you will find anyone (still) on the natural birth board who no longer wanted to have an unmedicated birth!

i had a c/s following an unmedicated labor (planned homebirth) and an hbac. hands down i prefer the unmedicated birth.

i would never in a million years opt for a medicated birth unless there was some medical need.

the pain was never that bad that i couldn't handle it. i read, took a class and prepared my body and mind for labor. i think had i gone into it totally unprepared, i may not have had such a great experience. (and, aside from being a vbac, my labor was uneventful and totally normal).

if it's something you are thinking about, rather than asking this question, you need to be asking questions about how women prepared for their unmedicated labor, how to determine how supportive of your rights in labor your care provider will be (and how to select a new one if the current one is not supportive), how to find a good doula, what books to read, classes that are available, exercises that are good for pregnant women, etc. just my 2 cents!

 

kali55

I just wanted to thank the PPs!  It's wonderful going into my first labor and wanting to do it naturally to hear all of the positivity from you ladies!

Sharon21

I already did it again. I have had two pain med-free births and plan to have one more baby and want to do it a third time. I know I don't need the epi so why would I get it next time?

Wilwarin

For sure!  Due in July!

IamAmom2B

I am currently taking childbirth classes and considering having a natural child birth.  I guess I did come to the right board if I wanted to surround myself with positive thoughts about natural child birth.  Negatively poisons the mind and that would never allow me to survive a natural child birth.  

LindseyJW

IamAmom2B:

I am currently taking childbirth classes and considering having a natural child birth.  I guess I did come to the right board if I wanted to surround myself with positive thoughts about natural child birth.  Negatively poisons the mind and that would never allow me to survive a natural child birth.  

absolutely!

there are some women here who found their births to be more painful than others, and some who worked really hard to have an unmedicated birth and others for whom labor and birth seemed to be a cakewalk. where ever you find yourself in that spectrum, you can know that you will be supported here and have answers to your questions. 

there is a link to our FAQs in my siggie...check it out and read the posts there. most of the questions i suggested for you above are already answered in those FAQ posts.

are you taking a childbirth class that focuses on unmedicated birth? or just a normal childbirth class? natural birth classes will do a better job preparing you and teaching you relaxation methods to use during labor. regular childbirth classes (imo, and from what i've read here from women who have taken them) more often prepare you for a medicated labor/birth and teach you how to be a good patient (the latter especially at hospital classes). it's not necessary to take a class, but it can be really helpful.

ETA: welcome to the board! 

iris427

Yes, I would definitely do it again.  It hurt a lot, but nothing I couldn't handle.  The important thing to remember is usually the pain will only last for short spurts.  A contraction will hurt but in between them, you will not be in pain.  Crowning will hurt but it's over quickly and then your baby is out.  Plus you know the pain is normal and helping bring your baby closer, instead of it being pain that means something is wrong--that can make a big difference in how you cope mentally.  I was a lot more miserable when I had the stomach flu during my pregnancy than I was during the labor and birth.

I loved being able to move freely in labor and do what felt right for my body.  You can't do that with an epidural so I actually felt much more in control during my med-free labor than with my epidural one.

cros8380

ArmyQM:

I've had one of each.  My first I got an epidural and with my second I did not.  Hands down, I would do the med-free again in a heart beat.  I have repeatedly said that I wish i could be pregnant, labor and give birth again except for the one pesky detail of not wanting any more children. 

This, 100%!

There was NEVER a moment, in my 28.5 hours of labor where I thought the pain was going to kill me. I always knew it would never be more than my body was meant to handle, it wouldn't last forever (she was going to come out at SOME point!), and it was pain with a purpose (seriously, as amazing as our bodies are, it's going to hurt to birth another human!!)

sandy02

The pain is VERY intense, but I think what makes it manageable is you know the reward at the end, your baby!  And as crazy as it sounds, as much pain as you are in it is GONE after the baby is born.  It is amazing.

nosoup4u

My first son's birth was low-intervention with no pain meds...until I had a c-section! I pushed 4+ hours with him. Even after all that, I still planned a med-free VBAC with my second. If anything, the actual labor was easier to deal with, bc I knew what to expect, and I remembered how to deal w contractions.

If we have more kids, I will definitely go med-free again.

pinksweetpea2

Absolutely.  I can't imagine choosing to give birth any other way...and FWIW, my labor and delivery was not a piece of cake. 

Sawyerplus1

I will, and have, done it again. My 1st labor was 30 hours long and my second was only 8, but much more painful than #1. I did them both naturally. As much as labor can hurt, the benefits of going natural still outweigh the potential risks for me. Plus, now I've done it twice, I'm fairly confident I can do it again! 

MawrtyrB

Absolutely!!! It got easier the second time because I could relax more and I knew what to expect. I was so panicked the first time because I didn't know how my body was responding. I'm feeling this ridiculous pain and thinking that I wasn't progressing (but I was) and just getting hysterical thinking that I couldn't do that for 16 straight hours. But it was only so bad because I was going so fast. Knowing that the second time made it much easier to manage. 

rosiemomma

I will not have an epidural! I loved my natural birth and plan to birth at home next time!!!

Nechie122

I would definitely do it again.  I labored at home until almost the very end, which was great.  I was so much more comfortable in my own living room/shower than I would have been in a less familiar environment.

And once it was all over, I felt great.  I got out of bed right away, I didn't have any needles or tubes in me (not even an IV) and I would have been eligible to go home in 12 hours (except the baby needed extra monitoring -- she was fine though.)

I feel very lucky that I had the birth that I did. 

MammaBear81

I've done it 5 times, and I would do it a 6th if I have the opportunity!

katcarls

I'm definitely planning to go med-free again with this baby.  I'm actually kind of looking forward to labor and delivery.

stahlop

I would definitely do med-free and home birth again.  It was seriously one of the best experiences of my life.  I can't wait to do it again when we decide to have another child.  Even though I had terrible back labor (posterior baby), I never once thought that I needed pain medication (I did think the baby would never come out though :P).  Good luck to you and I hope you have the birth experience you want.

IamAmom2B

LindseyJW:

IamAmom2B:

I am currently taking childbirth classes and considering having a natural child birth.  I guess I did come to the right board if I wanted to surround myself with positive thoughts about natural child birth.  Negatively poisons the mind and that would never allow me to survive a natural child birth.  

absolutely!

there are some women here who found their births to be more painful than others, and some who worked really hard to have an unmedicated birth and others for whom labor and birth seemed to be a cakewalk. where ever you find yourself in that spectrum, you can know that you will be supported here and have answers to your questions. 

there is a link to our FAQs in my siggie...check it out and read the posts there. most of the questions i suggested for you above are already answered in those FAQ posts.

are you taking a childbirth class that focuses on unmedicated birth? or just a normal childbirth class? natural birth classes will do a better job preparing you and teaching you relaxation methods to use during labor. regular childbirth classes (imo, and from what i've read here from women who have taken them) more often prepare you for a medicated labor/birth and teach you how to be a good patient (the latter especially at hospital classes). it's not necessary to take a class, but it can be really helpful.

ETA: welcome to the board! 

Thanks for pointing out the link.

Unfortunately I'm from a small island and there are no natural birth classes offered.  The childbirth class that I am taking supplies us with all the different options birthing options.  I have you guys and the rest of the internet world for support and encouragement.

IamAmom2B

Thank you all so much.  Reading your posts were very encouraging :-)

tokenhoser

I didn't take any natural childbirth classes, just the one offered by the hospital. I read lots of books instead, and did have the luxury of hiring a doula. If you can't do that, get your husband and best friend/mom/sister/whoever to read "The Birth Partner" and be ready to help you out. It's a fabulous book.

HarperK

I didn't do any classes, either. They're offered in our area but they didn't work with my and DH's work schedules, so I did the Hypnobabies home-study course, and both DH and I read a number of books. The Hypnobabies course doesn't recommend combining the hypnosis lessons with other birthing techniques, but, FWIW, reading Bradley books was really helpful in learning more about the scientific end of what happens during labor, and in providing DH with a lot of support techniques. We had a great natural birth, and would absolutely do it again!

I'm not sure if any of the PPs mentioned this above, but the HUGE endorphin rush you get upon delivery was, to me, worth the contraction pain. The contractions were very uncomfortable for me, but overall manageable, but when I delivered DS, I couldn't believe that I felt better instantly. It was amazing!

McAllie5

I would also do it again in a heartbeat. I didn't take any classes either. I highly recommend reading "Natural Childbirth: The Bradley Method" if you can get your hands on a copy. I like that it has drawings of what your uterus is doing at different stages. It was helpful to me to visualize it that way. It's also helpful for your SO/mom/friend/whoever is helping you. Good luck!

chillyupnorth

Yes, in a heart beat. It was an amazing experience, and honestly, I thought the contractions during transition were worse than the actual birth. Immediately after DD was born, the midwife commented on how she loved that natural birth babies were so alert right after being born. So true, and DD has been alert ever since that day!!

julyjennifer

Yes, definitely.  My births were very hard work (#1 - DD, who was positioned posterior) and intense (#2 - DS), respectively, but I really don't think of what I felt as "pain."  Of course, how you perceive the sensations has a lot to do with your state of mind.

For me, I experienced labor mainly as just super intense sensations from my body doing big work. 

With birth #2 I remember them being SUPER intense sensations that I didn't really like and very much wished I could take a 20 minute break from... but then suddenly it was over and he was born and I was like "What?  it's done already? that's ALL?"

jcsumm0

I absolutely would.  It was the most powerful and empowering experience of my life. 

Unfortunately, due the fact that I have a rare platelet type that will cause future babies to possibly be born w/low platelets, I will probably have to have a c/s next time, which really sucks because I know how awesome birth can be.

OP, you can absolutely do it and I bet you'll be thrilled that you did.

kaeti_su

Yes, I would absolutely do it again. I still feel strongly that I want to be able to be mobile in order to help the baby down into the best position possible, and going without medication allows for that. As far as pain goes-- 8 hours of renal colic from a kidney stone was far worse, and I got through that, even when the pain medication my doc had prescribed didn't touch it, all the way up to finally getting an IV of dilaudid in the emergency department. Childbirth was intense, but it wasn't misery.

flyer23

Have already done it again. Planning to do it one more time.

I don't find labor very painful. Intense? Yes. Challenging? Yes. But few things worth doing are NOT intense and challenging, and birth is no exception.

Kristine Schilling

My sister is a major part of the reason i am going for a natural VBAC.

She used Bradley method for her first PG, had a wonderful exp. and would have done so again except that one of her twins was breech and stuck, so emergency CS had to happen for her 2nd PG.

She loved her NB. She has an incredibly strong bond with her daughter, which may or may not be due to the NB. She also had no PPD for the NB, even though, like me she has issues with Anxiety and Depression before. I on the other hand with my CS for DD had major PPD. Hense the Nat VBAC attempt.

amanicen

I would, but I had a pretty easy labor with DD. I labored at home for most of it, had an easy 2 hours at the hospital (where the worst things happened after DD was born), and only pushed for 1/2 hour. If I'd had a harder labor I might have a different opinion for #2.

I do think we should have gone to the hospital sooner. By the time I was ready to leave we still had to load the car & drive 20 minutes through snow. I was going through transition in the backseat & when we got there it was a huge rush to get an IV in so I could have a round of GBS meds before she was born.

Lina1030

YES! In fact I CANNOT wait to do it again without meds (is that crazy of me or what? LOL).  There are moments of "pain" but nothing that was too bad or that I did not overcome very fast.

xnbride

Without a doubt!

abell77

I've done it twice and would do it again.  It was easier the second time around.

star173

ArmyQM:

I've had one of each.  My first I got an epidural and with my second I did not.  Hands down, I would do the med-free again in a heart beat.  I have repeatedly said that I wish i could be pregnant, labor and give birth again except for the one pesky detail of not wanting any more children. 

This exactly...except I found myself unexpectedly expecting so now I will be doing it again!!

tchubirubi

Yes. Except next time I'll be doing it at home.

kerryholmes

I'm getting ready to do it again in just a few weeks! The pain was more than bearable for me, knowing where it came from and why it was there and that I just needed to let it run it's course. I didn't try to get away from the pain, but worked with it.  I hope this birth is as amazing as my last one!