3rd pregnancy natural?

mamatruth

I am pregnant with my third boy. With my first 2 I had an epid. however I was much younger and the more I research and soul search the more I really would like to have a natural birth. My cousin had an at home birth and loved it and my best friend went natural at a hospital and I was in the room so I know it is totally doable and not a scary as I am probably convincing myself it is. I am very nervous. Any insight or experiences you would like to share would be helpful. thanks

sschwege

Have you considered taking a class?  We did Hypnobirthing and had a great experience.  Also you might want to check out "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" the first half has the most beautiful, inspirational stories and the second half has a lot of practical information.  Best of luck!

mamatruth

Thanks, I don't know why I didn't consider looking into Ina May's work. She has turned up in so much of my research.

sourapplemartini

My 3rd was med free after 2 epis. I read the hypnobirth stuff but never practiced. Labor from start to finish was 6.5 hours so that probably helped a lot

CLLDLL

I had an epi with my first and a med free birth with my 2nd.  Don't get me wrong my first birth was a special experience, but the 2nd was so much more fulfilling.  Not to mention LO2 and I recovered so much more quickly than my experience with LO1.

I like PPs suggestion of taking a class and/or reading Ina May's work.  Also consider hiring a doula and/or using a midwife instead of an OB.  Educate yourself and your partner on what your options are.  For me anyway, knowing what could/would happen helped me feel more in control which alleviated a lot of my fear.  In your research you'll learn that fear contributes to pain and slows down labor.

Also do your research when choosing a hospital.  I think a lot of why I was able to have the birth I wanted was because I chose a hospital that wasn't necessarily NB friendly but it wasn't anti-NB like a lot of the other hospitals in my city.