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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
macaroni1979
member
If you went med-free...
macaroni1979
member
have any advice for me??? I am about 80% thinking I can do it, or at least try.
I have been reading different birthing methods, listening to Hypnobabies and have a doula. Thinking of incorporating some of the different ideas and creating something that will work for me, hopefully.
So, please share anything you can!
Josie Cailin 7/25/08
Asher Mason 7/19/10
This discussion has been closed.
Re: If you went med-free...
I had a doula with my second and it was really easy to go med free. She was such an encouragement, knew exactly where to put pressure to help alleviate pain, reminded me to breathe, etc. Plus, she helped my husband and eased his fears. I still keep in contact with her because she was nsuch a blessing.
If you have the doula, you're going to do fine! Just trust your body.
My only other word of advice is to avoid all intervention if you want to go naturally. The nurses were trying to pressure me into having my water broken. They said I wouldn't progress without it. My doula talked me out of having it done. The bag of waters acted as a cushion and kept the pain manageable. It didn't break until the last push. I am so thankful I listened to my doula, because I think the skull grinding on bone without that cushion there would have made me want the epi!!!
Good luck!
I went FAST, which helped
But I tried visualizing the cervix opening. I didn't let myself clench against the pain (which is counter productive) but tried to welcome it and open to it. I walked, a LOT. I changed positions, labored at home until I was a 9 (didn't know it though!) and wasn't in REAL pain until I was a 10 and pushing.
Mind over matter. If you tell yourself you can do it, that helps!
I'd recommend a childbirth class. I took a quick 6 hour class over a 2 day period and just that helped tremendously. The nurse that taught it had all med-free births and discussed how a woman's body is built to give birth, used props (sample pelvic girdle, baby doll, etc) to show how the body naturally works to birth the baby. Understanding the labor process and knowing what to expect helped tremendously. There is a pain-fear cycle where when people feel pain but don't understand what is going on or how to manage it, become afraid which leads to more pain, then more fear, etc. She also taught non-medicinal pain management (massage, accupressure, aromatherapy), stretching, and breathing exercises. Besides the class, I read lots of bible verses related to strength, confidence, and faith- to me this was the most helpful.
I spent most of my labor at home (~5 hours) and 3 in the hospital which really helped because once I got there they had to keep the external fetal monitor on and I couldn't walk around. Proper breathing is *essential*. Make sure you have a good labor partner, but with a doula- you should be good. All in all, the most important thing is to have a healthy LO, try not to stress it.
i just read Ina May's book and some of the bradley books. honestly i just knew I could do it. I wasn't scared of the pain and kept reminding myself it was fleeting.
i was in labor for 36 hours and i just embraced the contraction and stayed calm. my OB kept saying "you're not in enough pain" until right before i was pushing so...but i labored how i felt most comfortable and joked with my h, mom and sister in between contrax.
i stood up, water broke, peed on myself and went from 8cm to ready to push in about 1 minute. b/c i didn't start pushing until my body was totally ready, i only pushed 3 times - i hurt - it was over fast and i was ready to dance a jig about a minute later.
i just told myself over and over - mind over matter!
The doula will definitely help! I used the Hypnobirthing (by Marie Mongan) method for both deliveries. I don't know Hypnobabies, but it might be similar. If you feel up to it, check out the Hypnobirthing book. It comes with a cd, or I could send you a copy of mine.
Make sure to take deep, not shallow breaths. Breathe in slowly, like you're inflating a balloon in your abdomen, when a contraction starts, and then let it out slowly. Don't tense your body or fight your body. Don't let the doctors medically manage you...
Good luck!!
oh and i agree with AW about no intervention. i let them strip my membranes b/c they kept telling me how much it would help. nope still took 36 hours and i doubt anything terribly different would have happened if i hadn't. also don't let them tell you when you're 5 cm that "oh it'll be awhile" b/c I kept getting that and I was in a birthing center with a midwife minded OB and CMW.
the fact is people progress differently and I agree it might be better not to know where you are really.
Hypnobirthing was amazing. Practice a lot! I ended up with a super long labor (stalled at 8 cm for 7 hours) and epi, but even at 8 cm my MW, nurse, doula, and DH were commenting on how relaxed I was. The doula is a huuuuge help. Ask for a nurse that likes natural births. My nurse was so helpful. She talked me through a few contractions and helped when we were trying different positions. Don't let them break your water. It's a lot harder once your water breaks. It might speed up your labor by an hour or two but it's not worth it, imo. The tub was awesome once I hit transition.
Lots of things people said to me helped me, too. Things like "That one is over, you never have to do that contraction again." "you are over the peak." "now is your time to relax, don't think about the last contraction or the next one." and pointing out specific muscles that I was tensing up during contractions. DH would say "relax your shoulders" and when I did it was soo relieving. In between contractions I literally felt fine. I kept telling DH "it's like I'm not even in labor!" and that was during transition, lol.
I think the biggest hurdle for me is getting over tired. I didn't sleep in early labor and I should have. Sleep while you can, even if it is only in between contractions.
My midwife recommended a book called Birthing From Within, that had some things that helped me prepare, but like other people said, just having nurses that knew that my plan was for no meds helped a lot. They were really helpful and suggested things like the bath (which was the most wonderful part of the whole process) and a birthing ball.
I think that the biggest thing for me was just deciding that I could do it. I kept telling myself that women do it every day and that it was going to end.
I like the HypnoBirthing book and found it a true source of encouragement for me. Just know YOU CAN DO IT, and I really believe you will! Your doula should be a tremendous help, too.
My only other piece of advice is to wait as long as you can before you go to L&D. I arrived at the hospital at 8cm, which was great because it was go-time from the minute we got there. There wasn't any time for meds!
Good luck!
Think 100% that you can do it. Think of it like a roller coaster...even when you want to get off, you can't until the ride is over...don't think of an epi as an option. Your doula will be great help. The hypnobabies method I think will work wonders...I had a moment during Gavin's birth where I was able to fully use the techniques and it was awesome...too bad I didn't study it more!!
Also, if you get to a point where you think you can't do it anymore, you're almost done!!
Here is my birth story if that will be helpful.
1. Think positively: you can TOTALLY do it!
2. For me, I liked staring at the wall during contractions. Just the white wall, helped me focus and concentrate rather than get overwhelmed on the pain.
3. I second no interventions, my OB broke my bag of waters the rest of the way, and I don't think it was the best thing for my body.
4. Wait to go into the hospital as long as possible- I was 6 cm when I got there and it totally boosted my feelings of "I can do this!"
5. Be open to interventions if you TRULY need them. I ended up needing a C-section after a super short labor (5 hours), combined with 2.5 hours of pushing (and no progress made after the 1st 15 minutes). I had not really even THOUGHT of the idea that I might need a C-section once I got to the pushing part...I figured I was all set, so I was a bit disappointed in myself for a while. I suggest preparing for all possibilities so you won't be disappointed in yourself if you end up needing an epidural to progress, or a C-section, or whatever. That was the hardest part for me, giving up the med-free birth I'd hoped and planned for...so I personally wish I'd been more prepared for other outcomes.
6. I, too, did not use any specific method. I just read up a lot, and went with what felt right during labor (as much as possible, my OB was a little unsupportive and not who I'll be seeing this time around).
Seriously though, the labor was not as bad as I thought, totally manageable with some concentration. Even the pushing was welcome relief (at first...).
Good luck! I hope you get the labor you wish for!
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