labor

SaraFaye715 · April 2015

I know it's early, but are you guys thinking about labor yet? I'm oddly excited for it. I mean, I know it's going to be painful, but I'm leaning towards trying to do it unmediated and in a tub. Not sure about actually giving birth in the tub, or just laboring in there for awhile, do you guys have any plans? I'm not anti-epidural or judgey about any of it, I just kinda want to see what my body can do. (It's the same reason I want to make the jump from 1/2 marathons to marathons, but that's obviously not hapenning this year.)

jkarayusuf · April 2015

I've heard that giving birth is the pain equivalent of being burned alive. Im getting meds.

naka92 · April 2015

Im dead set on not having an epidural, but to each their own. Its just not something id personally want done if i can avoid it. Im with you on laboring in the tub as welll, OP! Seems to me like a great way of doing things. Will it hurt? Of course! But i feel like I'll be able to do it

ajhellmuth · April 2015

I tried going no med with my first....i couldn't do it. With #3 my epidural wasn't strong enough and I never want to feel that pain ever again!!! The epidural is my friend

I just gave birth 8 mo ago and honestly I am NOT ready to do it again...

FatPony · April 2015

My nightmare is being in labour for 36 hours and then having an emergency c-section. If I must have a c-section, that's fine, but I don't want to suffer through several days of labour first. This very thing happened to my mother when she had me, and she had a terrible recovery. :S

sugarplum513 · April 2015

@jkarayusuf LOL!

My epi did not work and I felt everything. I am getting an epi, 2 if necessary this time.

kimberlygo · April 2015

Same as @sugarplum513. Drug me up!

MrsHark122 · April 2015

I had no pain meds and I labored on pitocin. I am a bonafide wimp if I can do it anyone can! However my labor was only 5.5 hours

LiveNLove44 · April 2015

I went into labor with DD on a Monday night close to midnight, labor stalled mid-day Tuesday, and picked up again Tuesday night. It was emotionally exhausting. I think as a FTM, I wasn't as prepared as I am now to deal with that part! When labor picked up Tuesday morning (still at home), I headed to my doctor appointment Wednesday morning where she confirmed I'd be having a baby that day (bulging bag of water, other good stuff). Not wanting to be at the hospital longer than I'd have to, I went home to get a little closer to "go time" and then headed to the hospital. Checked in around 4:30, epidural around 7:00. There were complications with my water emptying (NBD, just a time-waster and annoying), so I didn't progress from 7-10 as quickly as they anticipated. I pushed from 3:15 to 4:40 and baby arrived! I could have never anticipated a labor like that! This time around, I will be planning for anything (so very little planning).

What I learned:

I will labor at home again for as long as possible. I will play it by ear again and decide at the hospital if I want the epidural. I plan on WILLING baby to come after a good night's sleep (haha) because I was past the point of exhaustion after days without real sleep. Labor/delivery is the easy part. Recovery is mentally and physically more challenging for me than any other part.

ALSO:

I had a birth plan all typed up and ready to go, and I am fairly certain that DH and I bother forgot to give it to those involved in bringing DD into this world. I wasn't too upset about it because I realized very quickly that I was 1) in good hands and 2) not in control of God's plan.

eljayare · April 2015

Flexibility is really important. I went in with the mentality that I'm a pretty tough cookie and will do the best I can with tolerating the pain. I prepped and prepped... Birthing classes and prenatal yoga. Once labor hit, I was surprised at first at how "easy" it was. However, when the contractions really started to escalate, I had a really tough time with it. I do think breathing is key and to be honest, I believe everyone has a different experience with how painful it can be. I jumped in the tub about 10 times but couldn't get comfortable enough in there to stay for an extended period. I would advise to go in with an open mind and be ready for any possibilities. It's a scary but also beautiful and amazing process. I agree with PP, stay at home as long as possible. I know it's hard as a FTM because you don't understand what's happening to your body and if it's "normal". But just try your best to stay in tune to your body and do whatever you need to cope

deanna1313 · April 2015

My son just turned 10 months and although I'm can't believe I'm doing it all over again so soon, I'm not freaking out either.
I wasn't nervous with my son until it got close to go time. I kind of looked forward to it.
My plan was get an epidural, hopefully deliver vaginally and get the baby out safely.
It really wasn't bad at all. The contractions were getting painful before I got the epidural, but once I got the epidural it was smooth sailing and although I pushed for about two hours it wasn't tiring or bad. Got my 8lb 10 ouncer out safe. Only issue was my hemmorraghing, but I lived through it! Lol

VWhite91 · April 2015

With my daughter I was induced the day after my due date. After 4hours of labour I got an epi, the petocin case my contraction to be right on top of each other. So when I was pushing I barely got a break in between. Her head was turned the wrong way, so the doctor kept reaching up and turning it. I did like 4 different positions (squating, on all fours, side ways). With the final push the doctor cut me with scissors. I lost a lot of blood and was so lightheaded that I was so out of it. Oh yeah and what they don't tell you is with all the pushing your eyes dang near pop out your head, well at least mine almost did and were so swollen afterwards. I even popped a few vessels in my face. The episiotomy is the only thing I'm scared of cause it was the hardest part of healing. But other than that you forget all the pain and you have a beautiful little baby. It made my bond with my husband even stronger, he was so supportive. Good luck ladies, it's exciting.

dlbello23 · April 2015

I also suffered through two days of labor and then had to have an emergency c section! I am very glad to just be having another c section I do NOT want to go through that pain again, it was horrible. Sorry if this post is scary to some but its the truth!

ClaireBear90 · April 2015

jkarayusuf said:
I've heard that giving birth is the pain equivalent of being burned alive. Im getting meds.

And they know this HOW?

Sure it's painful, but the pains ends. Done. Finished. Beautiful baby in your arms. (Not trying to dissuade you, but birth is not a bad or scary thing and I'm sure being burned is both!)

vamomtobe · April 2015

I love the idea of laboring in a tub, I wish my hospital had that option! With my first, the pain was definitely worse laying down. SItting up, walking around, and standing in the shower (while laboring at home) were all really soothing. And sitting in a tub sounds divine. Go for it! I'm not thinking that far ahead yet!

ClaireBear90 · April 2015

I've shared thoughts and personal experience on other threads before, but . . .

Going with OP's marathon example: if you wake up one day and decide, "hey, I think I'll try running a marathon and see how far I get..." cool. But I'm not betting money that you'll finish. If you've been preparing yourself, getting training (support) from others more experienced than yourself, and you have a determination that you WILL run a marathon, I think you're going in with a much higher chance of achieving your goal.

Natural birth is sort of similar. Because let me tell you, if your mindset is "I'll just see how bad it gets" . . . it's going to get that bad and probably worse. Obviously there are women who have natural births with no plan to do so, but it seems like they're usually the ones who have no choice. I firmly believe every woman (barring complications) can give birth without meds, but only if she is determined to. Heck, I was determined to and if there had been an epidural available to me with my first I would have been like "give that to me, PLEASE!" during transition.

At the end of the day, it's not really about what you're capable of anyway, but what you believe is best for your baby.

OP, as far as water birth goes . . . I've never been able to push in the tub (for various reasons) but it's incredible for labor. And I always go into it with the hope that I'll be able to deliver in the water too, because I've heard that it's much easier to push in the water.

amberrmariee20 · April 2015

ajhellmuth said:
I tried going no med with my first....i couldn't do it. With #3 my epidural wasn't strong enough and I never want to feel that pain ever again!!! The epidural is my friend I just gave birth 8 mo ago and honestly I am NOT ready to do it again...

I also had an epidural, except they turned mine off ! I agree the pain is intense ! Definitely worth every bit though ! My son was born 9 lbs 7 oz I will be getting the epidural again this time as well, just hoping it works better !

amberrmariee20 · April 2015

MrsHark122 said:
I had no pain meds and I labored on pitocin. I am a bonafide wimp if I can do it anyone can! However my labor was only 5.5 hours

I couldn't imagine birthing my son without an epi ! He was 9 lbs 7 oz and my labor was 8 hours which isn't long ! But him being so big I can see it being worse without meds !

KyrBo1986 · April 2015

Clairebear90 is spot on!!
In my experience it is best to keep your mind open to all options. I swore I didn't want an epidural with my son but once I got labouring I would have given my left breast to have one just to stop the pain!! Nobody can describe the "pain" to you, it is worse than anything you can possibly imagine but the old cliche is true ITS WORTH IT!! And so easily forgotten, hence why we do it more than once. At 14 weeks I have had my labour for this time planned for about 8 weeks already. (Lol) water birth dependant on GBS result and I'm open to all pain relief options. One thing I know is I DO NOT want a home birth!! I wanna be where the doctors and the drugs are!!

jenn2132 · April 2015

jkarayusuf said:
I've heard that giving birth is the pain equivalent of being burned alive. Im getting meds.

jkarayusuf said:
This made me LOL!

morgy_bee · April 2015

I am doing a home birth so I will labor in the tub/shower/toilet/birth pool. I am receiving dual care from OB and midwife. If I need to transfer to the hospital, my OB will know my history. Just remember our bodies are made for this! :-)

TrendyTina · April 2015

ClaireBear90 said:
I've shared thoughts and personal experience on other threads before, but . . .

Going with OP's marathon example: if you wake up one day and decide, "hey, I think I'll try running a marathon and see how far I get..." cool. But I'm not betting money that you'll finish. If you've been preparing yourself, getting training (support) from others more experienced than yourself, and you have a determination that you WILL run a marathon, I think you're going in with a much higher chance of achieving your goal.

Natural birth is sort of similar. Because let me tell you, if your mindset is "I'll just see how bad it gets" . . . it's going to get that bad and probably worse. Obviously there are women who have natural births with no plan to do so, but it seems like they're usually the ones who have no choice. I firmly believe every woman (barring complications) can give birth without meds, but only if she is determined to. Heck, I was determined to and if there had been an epidural available to me with my first I would have been like "give that to me, PLEASE!" during transition. At the end of the day, it's not really about what you're capable of anyway, but what you believe is best for your baby.

OP, as far as water birth goes . . . I've never been able to push in the tub (for various reasons) but it's incredible for labor. And I always go into it with the hope that I'll be able to deliver in the water too, because I've heard that it's much easier to push in the water.

All of this. You have to prepare. I've done it both ways (first I labored for 26 hours and then took the epidural. #2 I didn't have any drugs at all) and I can tell you the unmediated birth was 100x better. The euphoria you feel when you first see your baby is beyond amazing. I think besides preparation, the key to success is the ability to move freely. If your health care provider (hopefully a midwife) does not support this in addition to intermittent monitoring, it will be an uphill battle.

Baby girl was born in the tub (see pic in my signature) and it was the most beautiful experience of my life. I cannot wait to experience it all again. It makes me so sad to hear how many other moms fear birth or have had such negative experiences, because, to me it was empowering, mind blowing, and just …. AMAZING!

You've got this! Read everything you can get your hands on, take classes, make sure your partner is on board, and HIRE A DOULA!

Want a personalized experience?

labor

Re: labor

Choose Another Board

Search Boards