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natural birthers - a ?
so last time around w/ds, i did not really prepare for a natural birth. i figured i'd see how it went but would probably opt for an epi. well the pain was way more than i was ever prepared for (could be bc i labored really quickly) but my epi failed. after uping and uping the dose, they finally redid my epi and it finally worked for the last hour or so of my labor, but the rest of it was absolutely horrible for me.
so this time around, i want to be prepared for the chances of an epi fail. however, all of the birthing classes in my area are during a time when either dh won't be able to go with me, or we won't have anyone to take care of ds.... so basically i need something that can help me prepare that's a dvd or something like that.
did anyone go the natural birth route w/o taking a class? any techniques that would be good for self teaching?
TIA!
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Re: natural birthers - a ?
Have you checked out the Natural Birth board?
There is a hypnobabies homestudy course that you can buy. It's not cheap (it's $165 retail, I believe), but I've heard great things about it. The Bradley book by Susan McCutcheon (sp?) is very good if you think DH will work with you and read it with you.
I'm mostly just prepping myself by reading books on natural birth - Ina May's guide to natural birth is great. Offers quite a few of natural birth stories and her rates of safety and homebirth are phenomenal, and really made me think that I can do it.
Also - look into hiring a doula. Women with doulas are less likely (statistically) to get an epi, and report less pain during labor. My DH was a bit wary at first, but once he got to meet our first doula candidate at the interview, he was much more comfortable, and he really likes the woman we're going with.
HTH!
I did a lot of mental preparation. I never feared the pain and just took one contraction at a time. I did a lot of walking, using the birthing ball and swaying type motions in early labor (up to like 5 cms). My husband gave me a back rub with calming oils while I sat on the birthing ball and things were getting pretty intense at that time. Shortly after that the Doctor broke my water, I was pretty much glued to the bed because the contractions were too fast and strong for me to get up. I did a lot of slow breathing, I found the "hee hee hoo's" to be totally useless! Staying calm and trusting that my body could do this really helped me. We took a birthing class, but it was not based on natural birth, but more along the lines of the stages of labor, what to expect at the hospital, etc.
I did this homestudy and loved it. Granted I'm a failed VBAC, but I did a smidge over 39hrs pain med. free from the start of my foley induction until my c/s, which I consider pretty successful on the med. end. And I'll second a doula. Mine was immensely helpful during the brief period where I really started doubting myself and freaking out about pain.
GL!
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I labored naturally with all 3 of mine - no classes, but I did have some help with our last one. We had an amazing nurse who was so very helpful.
The things that helped me most were 'dancing with my husband' and laboring on my hands and knees (on the bed for comfort) while my DH rubbed my lower back. I cannot tell you how much him rubbing my lower back helped. It made such a huge difference IMO.
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I signed up for classes but never made it to them because I was put on bedrest, I ended up having a natural birth with my twins. I made some lavender/lemon frangrance beads that I inhaled through contractions- my husband massaged me and I used a focal point. Whenever I started feeling "weak" I would remind myself that this what my body was made to do and it could do it...
Hope you get the labor you're hoping for!
My second was born via natural VBAC. It was a fast labor (3 hours) but the thing that helped me the most was to move around. The first time around I just laid in the bed, and that made working with the contractions impossible. With YDS I did all my laboring at home. I had no idea I was as far along as I was until I found myself pushing on the bedroom floor. C. was born half an hour after we got to the hospital. Being able to move around, sitting on the ball etc. made world of difference as far as managing the contractions. I also am a big fan of the Hypnobabies course. I didn't follow it to a T but it helped a lot as far as relaxation and having positive affirmations repeated to me every day for nine months made me very confident that I could do this.
Good luck!!