Personal Motivation

ClairasMommy · January 2013

I'm planning on having my dd #2 naturally- pain med free. I have decided to do this after a lot of research, reading a lot of books, and trying to minimize interventions since I will be having her at the hospital. With dd#1 I did have an epidural and had some issues with (tmi) going pee for months after. I also hated being confined to the bed and not able to eat or drink water.

Anyways, my reason for this post is to see what has personally motivated all of you to do things naturally. Being that I am so close to my due date I am extremely nervous. Im hoping that hearing why others have such a strong desire to labor/birth naturally will motivate me further. Thanks in advance!:)

KdgTeacher · January 2013

One of my biggest things (and it won't apply to 98% of the board), is that because we had so much medical intervention to get pregnant (IVF, 4+ months of medication), I'd like to welcome this baby into the world with as little medical intervention as possible.

There are other things too, like a (hopefully) easier recovery for me, knowing that my body was made for this, etc.

AmyRI · January 2013

I like being in control. Not having full use of my legs scares the crap out of me. I also hate needles.

I also know the other benefits of it, but those are the honest reasons that drugs never entered my mind in either of my labors.

joecubed · January 2013

I had an epi with my first and had a bad experience. I didn't really want one, but caved at 8.5cms because I didn't know I was in transition. Avoiding a repeat of that and the possible side effects of an epi and pitocin are all the motivation I need! My second was born med-free, and I'm planning another med-free birth in a few weeks.

headgear03 · January 2013

I have had three natural water births . For me the biggest motivation is my babies. I believe it's the best choice regarding the health of my children . I do not like the side effects of intervention and I'm not willing to take the risks. I believe that for un complicated pregnancies natural birth is completely safe and with the right support decreases the risks of complications. I go to a free standing birth center where drugs are not an option so that helps while I'm in labor but beyond that I try during labor to focus on the contraction at hand and avoid looking at clocks . I also forgo cervical checks so I don't feel like I'm on some time clock. Remember during labor to try to relax in between the contractions its almost impossible to do this during the contractions themselves if you can go into the contractions relaxed it will help take the edge off the pain which will allow you to handle more intense contractions longer. Above all just believe you can do it that's your biggest tool !

aylafsu88 · January 2013

For me it was a combination of things. First, I am scared of needles and the thought of an epi scared the crap out of me. I also did a lot of research and found that unneeded intervetnions significantly increased your chance of having a C/S. I decided that natural was the best way to go to avoid interventions which may lead to a C/S. Finally, I like challenges and I like to test myself. Women have been giving birth for thousands of years without pain medication or C/S. If they can do it then I figured I could do it to. By reading natural birth stories I found that birth could be a positve, enjoyable experience and not the scary, horrible experience so many women describe. I went natural with no pain medication and no interventions. I loved my birth and I had an amazing experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

catsinawindow · January 2013

For DS my motivation was mostly wanting to avoid a C-section. I knew that epidurals were linked to an increased rate of C-section. Additionally, I wanted to experience labor fully and give my baby the best start at life.

For the next LO, DS's birth is my motivation to avoid an epidural. With him, I was induced with PreE, got an epidural for a reason other than pain management, and ended up with a high-intervention, unpleasant birth. It was not a good experience and my recovery was very difficult. If I am able to stay low-risk with the next LO, I'm planning to do things differently: birth center, midwife, etc, to avoid a medicalized birth like I had with DS. It's not really the epidural that bothered me, but rather everything that went along with it.

ally2011 · January 2013

If you have not already, read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. It has really helped my confidence level and made me feel calm.

My main reasons for wanting to go med free are not to be restricted to a bed, not to experience the possible intervention spiral and to recover as quickly as possible.

Good luck! You CAN do it....your body was made to

bunnie712 · January 2013

aylafsu88:
For me it was a combination of things. First, I am scared of needles and the thought of an epi scared the crap out of me. I also did a lot of research and found that unneeded intervetnions significantly increased your chance of having a C/S. I decided that natural was the best way to go to avoid interventions which may lead to a C/S. Finally, I like challenges and I like to test myself. Women have been giving birth for thousands of years without pain medication or C/S. If they can do it then I figured I could do it to. By reading natural birth stories I found that birth could be a positve, enjoyable experience and not the scary, horrible experience so many women describe. I went natural with no pain medication and no interventions. I loved my birth and I had an amazing experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Pretty much all of this for me. Plus I have a fear of being one of the few to get a spinal heachache from it. During labor I kept telling myself "I can do anything for a day."

KatKimberly · January 2013

ally2011:
If you have not already, read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. It has really helped my confidence level and made me feel calm.
My main reasons for wanting to go med free are not to be restricted to a bed, not to experience the possible intervention spiral and to recover as quickly as possible.
Good luck! You CAN do it....your body was made to

All of this! And as far as Ina May's G2C, the whole first chapter is story after story of natural births. They make me feel empowered and really excited when I read them. Best of luck.

ClairasMommy · January 2013

Thank you all! Im feeling more confident as I read your posts!:)

hollandmama · January 2013

I am not completely sure yet, but I would love to do it... I'm not sure because I basically have no idea how it works (my books are on their way from Amazon)...

My main motivation until now is that I live in Holland and here almost no one get the epidurial, I guess if they can do it then I also can. I can handle pain quite well and I think I would be proud of myself if I can pull it off. In adition I think it's easier to recover after going all natural and I really want to avoid complications because of interventions if everything is going so well (Thanks God).

jennyelf · January 2013

Variety of reasons.

1) I've had a spinal tap before and the experience and post-tap headache were things I in no way every wanted to replicate. The idea of a needle in my back again just freaked me out.

2) I've had my fair share of medical issues, I really don't like hospitals as a result. I will tolerate them, but I don't like being hooked up to things, stuck in a bed, or being told I can't eat etc.

3) My pregnancy was healthy. I was healthy, I was still exercising and doing well. I didn't see a reason I shouldn't be able to handle giving birth. I biked 50 miles when I was 9 weeks pregnant. I knew I was strong and had a high pain tolerance and good endurance. So basically, I decided that I was capable of an intervention free birth, so therefor I was going to do it.

4) I really didn't want a c-section and the healing time associated with it, and I'd read about cascading interventions so I figured that not having any interventions from the start would give me the best chance of not having a c-section.

erb82 · January 2013

My mother was a strong natural birth advocate (she had 4, as well as 2 emergency C-sections), so I grew up hearing about the cascade of interventions. Once one intervention is introduced, you're much more likely to need a second, and a third, etc. My main motivation for having natural births is to stay out of that cycle. Pitocin or an epidural, when not medically necessary, are just not worth the risk to me. Birth is temporary and I know I'm strong enough to get through it- it won't last forever!

RJM050705 · February 2013

My primary motivation is to avoid a c-section unless one of us is in major distress. My BFF has done it 3 times and hearing her talk about it gave me confidence that I could do it too. Everything I read showed that once you get one intervention, you're likely to have more. If possible, I'd like to skip them all. I think it's better for me and better for LO.

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