STMs, what are you doing to prepare?

BakerMommy · June 2012

For DD1, I took hypnobirthing class, read a lot, did all the recommended cat/cow, kegels, etc.

I ended up with an induction, threw my headphones across the room when they bothered my ears, hypnobirthing went out the window, and I had an epi.

For this DD, I feel like a total slacker. I started interviewing doulas today and have started reading about the Bradley method. On the one hand, I feel like I've basically done this before (and got to 8 cm on pitocin before getting the epi). On the other, I want to go natural this time and feel unprepared since I didn't push unmedicated.

STMs, what are you doing to prepare for a natural birth? Any suggestions in my situation?

poison489 · June 2012

I took Bradley with my first child and ended up getting an epidural. I had a hospital birth and was really stressed out by all of the hospital staff using their fear tactics to try to get me to give in to interventions even though both baby and myself were doing fine. Labor was not progressing fast enough and my water had been broken for about 32 hours. I was only 3 cm dilated. Do to not being able to relax I chose to get the epidural, in the hopes that it alone would help me get things moving. It didn't and another 10 hours later, and 1 cm more of dilation, I agreed to the smallest dose of pitocin (The small dose worked, but they tried bumping it up a notch, and it slowed things down again). I figured that allowing for these interventions were better than getting a c-section if things really didn't start moving.

This time around I am hoping to go with a birth center, so that I don't have to deal with the hospital stressors. I think that was the key component in what was not allowing me to progress as I should have. It also I think made me tense up more and thus made contractions more painful. Now I have read the hypnobirthing book and am reading Childbirth Without Fear. I have also been practicing relaxation techniques on my own. This will also be my last child, so it would be really nice if I can have a great birth experience to remember labor on a positive note.

My suggestion is to keep educating yourself. Look back at what you learned from your first birthing experience. What you liked, what could have gone better, what you want to work on for your next experience? Best of luck to you!

superned · June 2012

I had a med-free birth with DD, so I'm kind of just rolling with it this time. I am taking yoga again and trying to keep up with exercise (mostly walking), but we're in the middle of some renovations and moving, so DD and I are living with my parents...I am so overwhelmed with all of that that I literally forget that I'm pregnant a lot of the time.

I've kind of accepted that even if I do everything as close to how I did it with DD, I could have a completely different birth experience this time. It's something I have no control over whatsoever, so I'm trying not to worry about it too much. I'm sure as the weeks go by and I get more pregnant and closer to my EDD that that will change!

jillms413 · June 2012

I am actually doing a lot more this time than I did with my first. With my first, I was adamant about going natural but didn't do much planning with the exception of the hospital birth class. I ended up with an epidural which I blame completely on fear and unpreparedness. So this time I am taking a different approach and am taking bradley classes, reading many books, etc. I am still very nervous about trying to go natural in a hospital setting where I feel like so much is out of my control. But I am hoping that with the extra preparation I am doing now that I will feel in more control.

Everyone thinks I am crazy and respond, "don't you already know what to do?" when I tell them I am taking Bradley classes.

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STMs, what are you doing to prepare?

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