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tct1219
member
gp mamas and anyone else- natural birth
tct1219
member
this is just out of curiosity and boredom:
if you are considering having a natural birth someday, are you afraid of changing your mind at the last minute?
i know a lot of people here don't like 'putting the cart before the horse' but if you've thought about it, i'm interested. and of course, if any of you gp mamas have any light to shed on the topic i'd appreciate it! i'm just wondering what most women prepare for the whole process.
thanks!
eta: i know it is one of the most painful things imaginable but i have also been told by my drs. that i seem to have a pretty high tolerance for pain so i think i should be able to do it.
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Re: gp mamas and anyone else- natural birth
Hello! I am going to take a bunch of classes and do my best to go vaginal and natural (no meds) I feel this is really important to myself, but of course if things go south, i will be willing to do what i have to, to have a safe delivery!
about only 5% of births are No meds! Eeekkk..... I still have a lot of preparing to do, Its like training for a marathon!
I would like to rec the book PUSHED to you. It is a great read and I think you'd enjoy it.
I would like to have a natural birth, but without knowing what it feels like, I am not setting unrealistic expectations for myself. I plan to take some pain mgmt classes and read up on different methods to prepare myself the best I can, but if I need drugs... no hard feelings, ya know? I do know, however, that Pitocin greatly increases the pain you feel during contractions and I believe that it is greatly over used (in the book). Most woman that receive Pitocin will get an epidural. I do feel strongly about finding a doctor that won't push Pitocin into me "to speed things up" unnecessarily. The woman's body knows what to do and 90% of the time only needs time and not drugs.
Also, I want to explore options with my doctor like free movement during labor around my room (I don't want to me confined to the bed as this makes pain mgmt more difficult) and birthing standing up rather than laying on my back. Laying on your back is just an unnatural position that is more convenient for doctors. Laying flat actually closes your pelvis vs standing/sitting. In the old days, before hospitals, woman NEVER gave birth laying down.
i don't think having drugs is the end of the world but i'd like to start it off the right way. plus, my mom accidentally had a natural birth with me [waited too long to ask for meds] and she's a big baby. if she can do it and so many others can, there's no reason i shouldn't be able to as well.
the only thing about water birth is it really grosses me out when the blood mixes with the water ::gag::
One of my good friends was hands down going to have an all natural birth she told me. 8 hours later, only 4 cm, water broken, she caved and had the epidural...2 hours later baby was born.
I am going to try to go for as long as I can without the epidural and try to get through as much of the active labor on my own before getting the epidural.
My plan is to go drug/intervention free. In an ideal world.
I've never given birth, I have no clue how it feels.
That said, I'm not completely against the idea of something to take the edge off (like staydol), but it certainly isn't my ideal plan.
I think (and this is coming from someone who has never given birth) that I want to have my plan A (a completely natural birth) but remain flexible if the situation goes less than stellar.
I plan on taking the Bradley classes and working with a midwife.
As far as changing my mind in the heat of the moment, I think that is what the written out birth plan is for. I want to be held accountable and the plan I prepare is the plan I want to follow. Hopefully I will be surrounded by people who are supportive and encouraging about my plan.
I wish I could but I have asthma and am older (will be 35 when I give birth). They monitor me as it is and I don't think we have a birthing center in our area.
I would have loved to have done this but I don't handle pain well either. I will try to go w/o the drugs but it just depends on how things go.
I am planning on a natural birth at a birthing center and not a hospital, that is, as long as everything is okay. I kind of do not even want the drugs in the same building as me in case I feel like changing my mind. I spoke with other people, and have read up on the Bradley method, and I think DH and I will go with that system. I had some pretty terrible cramps last month and I got really scared that I wouldn't be able to handle labor pain, but I have not changed my mind. If I do suffer, in any amount, I will gladly take it for the benefit of my baby.
But, for the record, I think it is a really personal decision, and what is best for each woman and child is not the same, and I do not think my decision is better than anyone elses, just better for me.
Ditto this.
My plan is to go med-free. I read and reasearched the pros and cons of the epi and I just think med-free is the right choice for me. However, I also recognize that I've never done this before and if an epi will help things progress, or relieve me after hours of stress, I'm open to it.
LOL. You're a brave woman...I work for a hospital so I'm drinking the kool-aid, I think natural would be so amazing though.
I've been researching water birth and am kinda leaning towards that route, but I'm so with you about the nasty water you're left laying in afterwards. Yuck.
I'm planning to go natural, but I'm open to the fact that it may not work out. Almost every woman just a generation or two before us delivered naturally and they're still standing, so I know it's possible.
I am using a midwife and taking Bradley birth prep classes to help make it happen. Over 80% of Bradley class participants do end up delivering naturally.
That being said, I made sure my midwife would give me meds if I feel I need them.
I went into my daughter's birth with the conviction that I did not want any interventions. It was something I felt strongly about (for myself, couldn't care less what others choose) and I made this known to my dr, my husband and my mother (she helped DH coach me). I think the fact that I went into it feeling strongly about it helped push me through the moments that I would have chosen to have some drugs.
There was a moment at the end of pushing that my dr said the word forceps and I freaked on her. She told me 2 more pushes and if she's not out I'm getting her out. It was the push I needed to get Ella out.
It was an amazing experience. I don't really remember the pain although I remember there was pain. But definitely tolerable. Honestly I thought the post partum recovery was more uncomfortable. I knew the labour was a definite finite amount of time but had no idea how long recovery would last.
I do plan on going natural this time around as well.
ETA: DD was 8lbs 14 oz
I have always wanted a doula but my INS requires I have a baby at a hospital. I asked my dr if he knew any that worked at his affiliated hospital and one works in his office as a nurse as well. That was a pleasant surprise.
I had a natural birth with my first because he came too fast to get anything. I am really happy that it turned out that way and although it was extremely painful, once the pushing started I forgot all about it, and as soon as he was out the pain went away immediately. I think the healing process went a lot faster, and I enjoyed being able to be up and moving right after.
The only thing I would recommend is reading books and taking classes so you are prepared. I wasn't planning on going natural, so I think it hurt worse because I was a little freaked out about how fast it was all going. If I had been better prepared the stuff I learned about breathing techniques would have helped a ton. I plan on going natural with #2 as well.
I read a book on hypnobirthing and found that it helped even without taking the classes that go along with it. I have friends that used the Bradley method and took classes and found those to be helpful as well.
I was all set for an epidural filled pain free birth, but labor went so fast that I had no pain meds at all. I was terrified it was going to be unbearable...especially since they had predicted my ds was over 9 lbs, but it was relatively painless...my midwife was shocked at how easy I made it seem...4 hours of labor and 17 minutes of pushing, no ring of fire at all.
If we are blessed with #2, I will try natural again (the recovery was super easy, and I loved being mobile right away), but if it hurts the next time I will get an epidural. I want birth and labor to be a pleasant experience, so I will do whatever it takes to make that happen:o)