Drug free ladies...

NicoleAnne416 · January 2014

Any good book rec's to share? I was very pro epidural, but recent research on breastfeeding has me second guessing my previous choices. My two littles wouldn't latch for the life of them. I quit too early, etc. So anyways, I am rethinking the epi and considering going drug free. Any rec's would be great!

JNova78 · January 2014

I am a FTM, but I want to try drug free and am looking for a good book rec too (there are so many out there). When I'm not mobile, I am going to search the Natural Birth board too.

pineconey · January 2014

We are doing Bradley method- the books are "natural childbirth the Bradley way" and "husband coached childbirth"

Rrrrrachel · January 2014

There've been several threads along the way. The birth partner by penny simkin (anything by penny simkin) and Ina mays guide to child birth by Ina May gaskin are my top two.

cd92007 · January 2014

I have always been pro-epidural but we are starting Bradley classes on the 30th and I have a feeling it will maybe change my mind. What's the research you've heard about epidurals and breast feeding? I'm really curious.

Rrrrrachel · January 2014

Baby catcher is terrific too. Memoirs of a home birth midwife that reads like a novel. Loved it during my first pregnancy. There are some sad parts, though.

RedDawnsRevenge · January 2014

Anything by Ina May

pigtails1031777 · January 2014

I had both. 1st was preemie birth natural and 2nd was a c with epi

Both girls did fine with latching and nursing. My 1st child I had a hard time nursing because of supplementing. Biggest mistake ever. Baby 2 I never supplemented and did fine. I also have a dud and stud boob so it's hard

You just have to stick with it. Many hours of. Nursing and crying

abbeylanecb · January 2014

I also love reading real birth stories on birth with out fear Facebook and blog.

Kumori · January 2014

I loved to read Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein. I can't remember if Skinny Bitch had info about natural birth or if it was just breast feeding. Either way that one was hilarious and worth a read.

Lauraa00 · January 2014

I'm just starting to read "Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method" by Marie Mongan and so far so good! Granted, I'm a FTM but I've heard that the breathing and relaxation techniques are very valuable if you're planning on going med free.

Twirple · January 2014

Lauraa00 said:

I'm just starting to read "Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method" by Marie Mongan and so far so good! Granted, I'm a FTM but I've heard that the breathing and relaxation techniques are very valuable if you're planning on going med free.

I read this and then took the class. I found the book far more valuable than the actual class. The only day of the class that I really found useful was the last day, when they brought in a couple who had been through it. We were able to ask questions and get answers from both the mother and father.

I loved hypnobirthing and will be doing it again. If anyone has any questions, they can feel free to PM me.

Lauraa00 · January 2014

Twirple said:

Lauraa00 said:

I'm just starting to read "Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method" by Marie Mongan and so far so good! Granted, I'm a FTM but I've heard that the breathing and relaxation techniques are very valuable if you're planning on going med free.

I read this and then took the class. I found the book far more valuable than the actual class. The only day of the class that I really found useful was the last day, when they brought in a couple who had been through it. We were able to ask questions and get answers from both the mother and father.

I loved hypnobirthing and will be doing it again. If anyone has any questions, they can feel free to PM me.

I'm taking a class starting in February and they gave us the book as prereading. Now I'll definitely try to finish the book in advance! Thanks for the insight!

Linz4373 · January 2014

I'm currently reading 'Adventures in Natural Childbirth' edited by Janet Schwegel. It's a compilation of mothers natural labor and delivery stories and experiences. It's been helpful in defining my own birth plan.

Check with your delievry hospital too! My hospital has a library of DVDs that are free to check out. They had a really good selection of non medicated labor and deliveries and mental and physical pain management DVDs.

NicoleAnne416 · January 2014

Thanks ladies! I'm currently reading "The womanly guide to breastfeeding" by LLL etc. That's one place that I read about how in general, an epidural means a lot of IV fluid, which alone can effect the hormone after birth, that it increases chances of pitocin being used, which can stress the baby out, and even the epi can cause baby to be more sleepy and out of it for up to 2 weeks or so after birth and effecting latch.

I watched Ricki Lake's The Business of Being Born on youtube the other day and they had a part on there where a doctor was talking about the meds as well and how they effect the baby.

Again, I need to do more research yet, but I'd like to look into some of these book rec's you ladies have given! Without researching any coping methods, I had issues with my first and my epi shut off for a few hours during pushing, with pitocin going. Oh goodness. This is what scares me and makes me think I can possibly do this without pitocin added in at the same time.

DaisyJanie · January 2014

Definitely recommend Pushed, and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I liked the Mongan method Hypnobirthing book, but ended up taking the Hypnobabies class, which I loved.

CalinAZ · January 2014

I'm reading Birthing From Within. Very, very hippie, and I skimmed/skipped a bunch of the beginning (it was all about making pregnancy art to explore your fears of childbirth), but I am enjoying the second half. It'd make a good library book or book to borrow

.

And seconding the Bradley book, Ina May (I really liked a Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesto).

Good luck in your research!

NicoleAnne416 · January 2014

cd92007 said:

I have always been pro-epidural but we are starting Bradley classes on the 30th and I have a feeling it will maybe change my mind. What's the research you've heard about epidurals and breast feeding? I'm really curious.

Aside from the book and movie I watched,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12583645
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1523-536x.2001.00005.x/abstract;jsessionid=16577C3B8DB0B431E0EBB2969DAE22CD.f04t04?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false
under disadvantages, last bullet: https://americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/epidural.html

Now, I had epi's with my first two, I'm not saying it's bad to do so! Just trying to weigh my options here.

acrookston · January 2014

Rrrrrachel said:

There've been several threads along the way. The birth partner by penny simkin (anything by penny simkin) and Ina mays guide to child birth by Ina May gaskin are my top two.

Have them, read them, love them. These are my recommendations too!

Rrrrrachel · January 2014

I loved reading birth stories. There was a little book I read by an independent publisher that I think was called birth stories that was just all kinds of birth stories. They had the full range from the ultimate hippy home birth to scheduled c sections! It was great. I'll see if I can find it.

Rogue237 · January 2014

I'm a FTM but planning all natural. My husband and I are reading the Bradley Method book together and I'm reading Ina May's book. I got about halfway through Hypnobirthing and it wasn't for me, but a lot of people seem to like it.

luvU2theMoon · January 2014

the natural birth page has helped me alot and i am reading Ina mays guide to childbirth. I have been doing a lot of research to prepare and and i am going to take a hypnobirthing class and natural birthing class. Ina may's books are so great! i would start there.

pdilly2b · January 2014

LalaMama81 said:

Ina May Gaskin books for more of the feel good stories that are empowering. I like Pushed by Jennifer Block and The Thinking woman's guide to a better birth by Henci Goer, as well. They had more stats, research, etc. Both pretty easy reads.

This exactly. It depends on what you're going for. For DS, I wanted cold hard facts and information about normal labor, possible interventions, and when they may be necessary or not. So I loved Henci Goer's book, which we read as part of my Bradley classes. I read the Ina May birth stories but they were a little to "hippy" for me at the time and didn't include much about the timelines of when women experienced what, which were the kinds of facts I wanted. This time, what I really need is encouragement and reminders about how awesome our bodies are and how birth is normal, so I'm loving Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I also need a refresher on coping mechanisms, which I'm hoping to get from the 2nd half of the Ina May book (starting that part tonight) and Birthing From Within, which my midwife recommended and is in the mail. I'm also thinking about getting Birth Matters and Spiritual Midwifery if I finish my current books and want more.

J&NL · January 2014

I was told the Ina May books as well.

CurlieWhirlie · January 2014

RedDawnsRevenge said: Anything by Ina May This. I found reading the birth stories in her childbirth book very helpful in knowing what to expect and what is possible.

Rrrrrachel · January 2014

I thought Ina mays guide to child birth was a hippy book until I tried to read spiritual midwifery. Woooooo buddy! But yeah, it's not for everyone, and that's ok! It's your birth, no one else's.

Cecilbear · January 2014

I will echo previous posters and say anything by Ina May Gaskin, in particular her Natural Guide to Childbirth. The whole front half of the book is dedicated to positive birth stories. It's really empowering!

If you haven't seen it yet, there's a great documentary on Netflix called The Business of Being Born. The second film isn't as great, so definitely make sure you catch the first one.

DaisyJanie · January 2014

I thought Ina mays guide to child birth was a hippy book until I tried to read spiritual midwifery. Woooooo buddy! But yeah, it's not for everyone, and that's ok! It's your birth, no one else's.

That's what I was about to say! Spiritual Midwifery is way out there in terms of hippie-ness. It's also, I feel, geared more toward midwives, nurses, and birth educators than to the average pregnant women, in my opinion.

StefanieFacchini · January 2014

I had my son natural and hope to repeat it with my daughter this time as well. I really didn't want the epi during pregnancy but did say I wanted it during labor then he came too fast and there was no time anyhow. I was so glad in the end I didn't get it.

My son was 7 lbs 12 at 8 days early. First contraction to being born was 8 hours.

I try to remind myself the pain is short term and won't last forever.

It wasn't easy at times with no meds but as I said I was so glad in the end nature took things into her own hands.

macynsnoop · January 2014

I'm reading the birth partner by penny simkin, it is really awesome. I'm a FTM wanting to do med-free & this book gives you an idea of the range of emotions that are possible at each stage. It also offers coping mechanisms as well. It describes the role of a doula too, I was on the fence about having a doula, but this book convinced me. I would def recommend this one.

RebeccaY1 · January 2014

There are a ton of books out there discussing natural childbirth.

Penny Simkin, Ina May Gaskin, Dr. Bradley are all good authors

A thinking woman's guide to natural childbirth

Complete Idiot's guide to natural childbirth gives a little information about a bunch of different topics that you can look into further with other books

NicoleAnne416 · January 2014

Thanks so much, ladies!

HNRomance · January 2014

I have the book "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way" by Susan McCutcheon. Some of it is a little dated but the basic info is all still relevant. I also like the "business of being born". I didn't think it was too biased. Both are good resources for med-free!

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