If you went med-free...

StrawberryAlarmClock · March 2010

...do you have any advice for me?

This is my first, I have not taken any special classes (my mom said, "Just listen to your body.") but now that we're down to the wire, I'm thinking I should have a little more guidance than that! LOL

TIA

KateLouise · March 2010

Breathing is really important and trying to stay relaxed. I got a yoga/labour book out of the library which had some great ideas.

I used the shower and the bath both were great.

DH did a lot of massage of my lower back.

I found that my body did a lot of its own thing...ie. in the shower at the hospital it just felt better to hold onto the bar going around the wall and lean forward and roll my hips.

I did use gas when I was pushing and that was great but I think if it hadn't been available I would have been fine.

Heat packs on my lower back were also good, but they made me too hot, so I also had to have a fan on me.

Try and keep your energy up with fluid and lollipops etc

Good luck

Mrs.BoomBoom · March 2010

Ditto pp

Breathe, relax, trust your body

wrenr · March 2010

Remember that it's normal so don't get scared. Scaring yourself over what's going on will make the pain feel worse. If the nurses and docs don't look worried then you have nothing to worry about so just keep going. And remember that the pain ends, it's only temporary and it won't bother you anymore the second you see the baby. Best of luck.

betsymarie · March 2010

I wanted to go med free but when it came down to the final window closing I almost changed my mind. I did however follow thru with no meds and I'm glad I did. They say its better for the baby! Like the reply before me says focus on breathing. I also found the bath to be very very helpful an relaxing me and shortly after I was in the bath and did get relaxed my son decided it was time to come!

nikll34 · March 2010

breath, breath, breath. Deep and slowly helped me. Also, sitting on the ball while rolling, stretching my hips and back helped tremendously. It's hard to listen to your body during labor, but you have to let it do it's work. The pain was awful and I hated it, but I had to try to go outside my body so I wouldn't just focus on the pain. I thought in my mind that the contractions wouldn't last too long and that a break would be coming. Goodluck!!

pammi2003 · March 2010

I went med-free but not by choice. The epidural completely wore off after 1 hour of working and the pain meds that were being given to me through IV were not helping me at all. I also had horrible back labor. The pain was so intense I thought I was going to pass out. The main thing is to BREATHE through your contractions. At times I was screaming my head off forgetting to breathe through them and it made labor 10 times worse. I wish I would have been more prepared by taking lamaze classes or something but I survived! Good luck to you!

yourmomwreckedmybike · March 2010

My plan was to go med free, but it didn't quite work out that way. I had a shot of morphine when I was about 4cm dilated, it didn't take away the pain of the contraction but it helped me to breathe more controlled. I didn't have anything until I was 9.5cm and the contractions were so strong and close together at that point that I couldn't catch my breath - I used the laughing gas, and it helped me to breathe slower. I didn't have anything once I started pushing. Listen to your doctor, they are there to help you. Don't be afraid to tell your partner what you need. The nurses are there to help too. Pushing hurt like hell but it was like a good pain. My doctor kept reminding me "when you feel burning, you are stretching and less likely to tear". Pushing was the scariest things I've ever done, but the most rewarding. I didn't know what to expect after he came out. I shook uncontrollably for a good half hour, I had DH there holding my hand and rubbing my legs.. Avoid getting an episiotomy if possible! Recovery is so much faster and easier if you can give your body time to adjust and stretch.

lindsayll · March 2010

Don't go to the hospital too soon. You'll have the best chance of going med free is if you check in already deep into active labor. The car ride to the hospital should SUCK. If it doesn't SUCK, you're probably going too soon.

If you show up at the hospital in early labor and barely dilated, the docs/nurses (with the best of intentions) will want to do things to get things moving (read: pitocin) and that will put your goal of med-free in jeopardy. Even if you are in active labor, things can slow down just because you made the transition from home to hospital. So you want to make sure things are good and on the way.

As my husband describes, when I was in labor, you could have asked me to sign away my right arm and I probably would have. They put consent forms in front of me, which I didn't read before signing. I was so intense in labor that I just wanted them to get.out.of.my.face.NOW. Point being, a woman in labor is very easily influenced.

Walk a lot. Helps the baby descend and get into a good position. My doula had me go up and down 6 flights of stairs, and do laps around our block. I arrived at the hospital in transition, and was only there an hour and a half before delivering DD. My midwives and nurses knew I wanted to go med-free, and nobody made a peep about any kind of meds. (Although after delivery, I did need some pitocin to help my uterus contract down and slow the bleeding. I was not aware this was pretty typical, so just giving you a head's up!)

Have confidence in your body's ability to do this and you will do it!

newlywed827 · March 2010

PP made a lot of good points. Here are my highlights...

- Relax...when a contraction is coming on thing "here it comes, relax" instead of tightening in anticipation.

- Stay home as long as possible. The less time you spend in the hospital laboring the better. You are much less likely to have any interventions and more likely to make it through.

-Trust your body and know that everything is fine. It can feel scary sometimes but you are ok. Ask your doc or nurses for reassurance that everything is normal.

-When you are ready to ask for the epidural (and you probably will get there) just know that you are in transition. This is the WORST part. But that is the beauty....it is the worst and once you are through it it will all get better from there. When you get to that point you are SO close....don't give up.

-Take it from me, a med free delivery is SO worth it. You are about to experience the biggest high of your life. The feeling right after the baby is born and in your arms is like nothing you have ever felt. The sense of accomplishment and the joy you will feel are worth all the pain...and guess what...the pain goes away instantly as soon as that baby is born. Keep this in your thoughts during the worst of it.

You can do it! Best of luck!

mejumpmore1 · March 2010

I would read, Husband coached childbirth or Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way but that's just me. They give you loads of info on labor and delivery and what to look for to kind of know where you are. For me, when I got to the point where I just didn't think I could make it any longer with out meds I was VERY close to pushing and that is exactly what the book described.

You do have to trust your body, but you also have to be mentally prepared for it and in my mind the best way to get to that point is knowledge of what to expect. You can't know how long it will take (but you can know that it WILL end), you can't know how much it will hurt (but you can know that the pain WILL end), you can't know the joy you will experience when it's over (but you can know that there WILL be joy! and you and your SO will both be SOOO proud of what you have accomplished)

StrawberryAlarmClock · March 2010

Thanks so much for all the awesome advice! In fact, I'm going to print this thread. I am reading the Bradley book and DH is supposed to be reading The Birth Partner but I haven't seen the bookmark move in weeks (grrr).

I really appreciate the insight! Thanks so very much!! Big Smile

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