natural birth

[barbben]

how to prepare myself for a natural birth? i rally want to experience a natural birth but can't stop stressing about the pain.. what worked for you?

[stargirl1701]

I planned a high level of intervention. Drugs, epidural, etc.

Ended up in a birth pool with 2 paracetamol after using a TENs machine. I didn't experience any pain just pressure. Not what expected at all.

Plan for the worst?

[Ooopsadaisy]

Imagine the contractions as waves - like you're surfing on them. The pain is just adrenalin helping you ride the wave. I felt completely in control throughout. The pain didn't stress me at all. Toothache is much worse if you've ever had that.

Sounds mad I know.

I've had 2 DCs with no pain relief, no gas and air, no stitches or anything. Wouldn't let the midwife near me as I didn't want the calm broken by intervention. She just caught the baby for me!

Do not be afraid at all. Just get into rhythm with your body.

Can't explain it any other way.

[cansu]

Oopsadaisy I think that it is such a daft post. Yes for you it may have been less painful than toothache but for the majority of women it is much more painful. Op I would read up on all the ways women manage pain in labour both natural and otherwise and then have an open mind. You can then see whether you feel like riding the waves in rhythm or in fact whether you need more help. Fwiw I think first labour are more painful and I was shocked by how much I struggled. Second labour was very different and I felt. Much more in control, it as shorter and the pain did feel more positive in a way. I honestly think keeping an open mind is the best option.

[thepartysover]

Agree with cansu. I'd recommend Juju Sundin's birth skills - it gives you lots of techniques for coping with the pain, as well as distracting yourself from it. I wish I'd had it during my first labour!

[TheYamiOfYawn]

Hypnosis is good. The two most common birth prep courses are hypnobirthing and natal hypnotherapy. They don't stop the pain or guarantee a natural birth, but it should be enough for you to cope fine without drugs for a straightforward birth and to help you feel calm and secure if things turn out to be more complex and you need extra help to birth your baby.

[Thewhingingdefective]

Read stuff by Ina May Gaskin.

[rubyslippers]

i had a water birth which was great and just had gas and air

trust your body

have great and supportive birth partners

[rubyslippers]

and yes it was painful (both times) but the pain is like nothing you've ever felt before or since

it's intense in a way other pain i've had wasn't

it STOPS the minute you give birth too

[RemindMeWhatSleepIs]

I've had both mine with no pain relief but both times I've kept an open mind. I read about every form of pain relief and every complication so I felt I could make informed choices. That helped me to stay calm which I think is the biggest help of all.

I got the Natal hypnotherapy CDs from eBay and listened to them a lot. (If nothing else they helped me to fall asleep when I was very pregnant and uncomfortable).

Keep active and read about how to get your baby in the best position for the birth.

Good luck! If natural birth doesn't work for you it's ok as long as you and the baby are healthy. And yes of course it hurts but its the only pain you get that's positive, every contraction is one nearer to your baby.

[Jojobump1986]

I read Ina May Gaskin's book - I think it's called A Guide to Childbirth & went from 'absolutely terrified, must be in hospital incase of anything' to having a homebirth without any medication/intervention! I really didn't find it painful at all, personally. It was just a squeezing sensation!

I think what really helped me, other than the book, was doing lots of research that I then shared with DH so I felt like we both knew what my preference would be if any interventions were needed. I felt in control because I felt like I understood what my body was doing & I trusted it to do what it was supposed to. DS1's birth wasn't perfect but I don't remember feeling scared at all.

[YcLaT]

Honestly? I planned for the worst but really wished for a natural births.. 2 babies within 18 months of each other.

24 hour labour ...pethidine...epidural...episiotomy...forceps.....torn ligaments....meconium waters...grumpy...pnd....

12 hour labour....c-section....baby in scu.....grumpy......badly healed scar...endometriosis...adenometriosis....hysterectomy....

Pain? I don't remember any pain really, just chuffed that i've got two gorgeous girlies, now early teens. If i could do it all again I really don't know what I would do differently, other than attempt to be more assertive.

[mylittlepuds]

Hmmm....

I had an epi and pethadine with DS (hormone drip required). 24 hours start to finish.

Just home after gas and air with DD. They took the gas and air off me towards the end. Two hours start to finish.

I have to say that the gas and air labour was heinous. Absolute writhing agony, screaming, heinousness.

The epi labour I thought was horrendous really wasn't anything compared pain wise.

However I've recovered sooooooooooo much quicker with the 'natural' birth. I don't know if it was to do with less intervention but there you go!

[lola88]

I was hoping for a natural birth but ended up with everything going due to DS pushing on nerves and mini contactions in between my real ones, killer pain 3 shots of pethidine and gas and air later nothing was working so i was begging for an epidural (which still didn't stop the pain) ended up with a spinal too just to top off the drugs, my friend planned for loads of pain relief due to storys of my horrible birth she was 2 hours with a few puffs of gas and air... moral of the story don't worry about it if you can handle the pain great if you can't thats ok too.

[DialMforMummy]

Don't put yourself under too much pressure about "natural birth".
You can't always control what is going on. Ultimately, despite the fact that a load of people say it's bad thing, sometimes, intervention is what is needed for the welfare of the baby/mother/both.
So do what you can to have the birth you want, but bear in mind that medical intervention (even for pain relief) does not equal failure and saves lives.

[Gorjuss]

I would go into it with an open mind. You are the only person that will know how you feel. Be careful about planning things too much incase it doesn't go exactly to plan x

[emsyj]

I can highly recommend Hypnobirthing. I agree with the earlier poster who said toothache is much worse... I found the relaxation techniques and the CDs (which I played throughout my labours) really helpful. With my first baby, I laboured to full dilation with nothing at all and then it ended in a crash section (foetal distress). My second baby was born at home, I had a bit of gas & air towards the end and an otherwise uneventful and easy birth with no tears or stitches.

Every labour is different, so the best thing you can do in my opinion is to be informed and read up about birth and your options generally. I read the Ina May Gaskin guide to childbirth book and it's a really good read and very informative.

[atrcts]

I found that a special way of slow deep breathing helped massively.

I would take deep breaths very slowly - every time a new contraction started - and count how many deep, slow breaths it took until the contractions had gone away. It was exactly 12 breaths every contraction.

It helped me because at about breath 8 it was really painful but I know in only 4 more breaths I'd be completely pain free again (til the next contraction!). I did this for 10 hours and did not need painkillers (gas and air) until induced at 7cm.

I was amazed it isn't taught in the NHS antenatal classes. It was so powerful. I'd recommend it to anyone.

[thepartysover]

atrcts - that's a great technique, definitely writing that one down...

[AMR73]

I had a natural birth in hospital birthing pool (no pain relief required). Went to hospital after my waters broke. Midwife put me on monitor to see how baby was doing but didn't check how far on I was. I had to ask to be checked when I felt my body wanting to push and by that stage I was 9cm. Baby was born not long thereafter and for me, was a positive experience.

While we don't know what Mother Nature has planned for us until the big day, what worked for me was-

1. My religious faith (trusting in God and Jesus)
   

1. My Mum used to be a midwife and encouraged me to go for a natural birth.
   

1. Hypnobirthing (Marie Mongan)- the breathing and relaxation techniques kept me calm and helped me deal with the contractions. They also explain how the birthing process works- for me, understanding what my body could do gave me a lot more confidence.
   

1. Keeping a reasonable level of fitness and eating an overall healthy diet.
   

1. Avoiding TV progammes and articles which portray childbirth in a dramatic, negative light.
   

1. Having a birthing plan in my notes- I wanted a quiet atmosphere, not having to converse with the midwives.
   

1. Keeping an open mind about the birth- I didn't rule out pain relief and it's always good to have a plan B!
   

Try to relax- if you are tense, your body won't work so effectively during the birth (it will divert energy to your "escape muscles" instead of the uterus).

Hope all goes well for you. It is your body and your baby and your experience so trust yourself to know what is best for you.

[HandMini]

I did what atrcts recommends. You just need to get totally in the zone, so every time a contractions starts, you do your 12 breaths, or whatever little ritual you like. I repeated a little poem I like in my head while gazing at one spot and breathing deeply, knowing that by the time I had finished the poem I would feel fine. The breaks between contractions are pain free (well, they were for me anyway). I almost felt hypnotised (or at least very calm) by doing this.

Disclaimer: for both births this worked for me until about 7cm dilated when I go knackered and had an epidural (which was brilliant too).

Getting knackered and dehydrated is a big cause of feeling as though the pain is too much for you, so try and stay rested and eat and drink. I was unlucky to have very long latent phases in both labours, but I don't think that's usual.

So, I guess I am a believer in both natural and medical pain relief.

[HandMini]

Oh and walking round in labour is great for pain relief too....sounds odd but bending over table or sofa to stretch your back out feels great after a contraction.

[TheYoniOfYawn]

Also, unless there are reasons to do otherwise, ignore labour until it can't be ignored. I was was doing stuff like grocery shopping, sorting out baby clothes, and cooking up until the contractions were every 4 minutes or so, at which point I automatically zoned out into a labour focus. Not everyone has the sort of labour that works like that, but lots of people start thinking if themselves as in labour really early on and go to hospital and get all excited and then everything stays the same for hours and they get sent home/ worn out/ induced. By the time I saw a midwife, I was pretty much ready to push.