Thread for positive birth stories

[Melittlebee]

Is there any?!

Yep!
Lovely water birth with my first. Gave birth 2 1/2 hours after getting to hospital.
2nd was FAST! Like under an hour.
Not having a third.

My son fell out of me and I was eating fish and chips in a nice restaurant 3 hours later

I had a lovely birth with DD, laboured at home until 7pm, baby born at 11pm. Didn't need any pain relief until the evening and contractions started at 4am. I was told if I could talk I wasn't ready to come into hospital, I ignored them and sure enough I was 8cm dilated when we got there. Giving birth was honestly the most empowering time of my life, I have never felt so in tune with my body.

First born 45 mins after arriving in hospital was back to back as well, wasnt suffering too much pain when i arrived at the hospital it ramped up pretty fast but over very quickly ! gas and air only
2nd was an induction preterm because of some problems. Waters broke, drip put up and about 5 hours later baby in arms. it wasnt the horrific experience i thought it would be, all on gas and air.
i found my 2nd labour the induction better than the first it was all much more relaxed and controlled even though it was very high risk and pretty hairy near the end with talks of emergency c section etc it was still my preferred. the super quick first delivery felt a bit rushed and not under control every running around in a hurry being caught out by the fast arrival !

In contrast I needed a c section but it was calm and the staff were all amazing. It was painful but it was manageable and understandable pain. I've no bad memories of any of it.

I had two good hospital births. Even though I had a long labour & a forceps delivery with DC1 it was still a very positive experience. DC2's birth was quicker & easy. And the home birth I had with DS3 was the most amazing experience of my life.

My second was a home birth. Was lovely. Still hurt obviously but contractions progressed well so felt like the oain was positive (even though thats a bit woo sounding) and then 3 pushes and he was out.

I was so lucky with my DD. FTM. Laboured for 6 hours and she was born after 15 minutes of pushing. Only needed gas and air. Did have to have an episiotomy which wasn’t exactly pleasant but it was such a lovely experience. I would do it again tomorrow in a heartbeat

Was induced with both of mine. contractions got going quickly, midwives were great, I got high as a kite on the gas and air and they both pretty much flew out of me, 75 minute labour with my second. Needed stiches with both but they healed well and stitches meant more time on the G&A so I didn’t care (seriously, I would have a third baby just for a few hours on the stuff, loved it).

I had a lovely forceps VBAC delivery with my second (I shit you not) very quick and had a good recovery. I was treated with respect by all the HCPs invovled. I only needed gas and air and the local anaestetic for the forceps.

My first was not so good, but DS1 was the positive result

Fantastic water birth with DS1. Absolutely textbook. I got to catch him and bring him up from the water and then clearly remember sitting up while he latched on for the first time and thinking that this was one of the highlights of my life. And it was.
I loved labour and delivery, with all three of them. Not that there isn't pain, but it is an extraordinary experience.

I had a great birth, short labour, mainly at home, arrived at hospital and to my shock i was fully dilated, only had gas and air for the pushing part and baby was out in 40 mins. Overall i think it was 5 hours.

I was absolutely terrified of the giving birth part, don’t get me wrong it was bloody painful but not as painful as i thought it would be, i was expecting many more hours and more pain so was very happy to hear i was fully dialated when i got to the hospital.

Gorgeous labour with DD. First contraction approx 1am, born just after 3am, no drugs and entirely bearable pain levels.

There is a fantastic passage that Margaret Drabble wrote that just rings so true with me. I read it when I am feeling nostalgic.
'Being pregnant was horrible. I worried myself ill about eating an drinking the wrong things and fainted in telephone kiosks. I didn't feel much sense of communion with the unborn, although I know that others do. Labour wasn't that much fun either, until the last stages. But the last stages were spectacular. Ah, what an incomparable thrill. All that heaving, the amazing damp slippery wetness and hotness, the confused sight of dark grey ropes of cord, the blood, the baby's cry. The sheer pleasure of the feeling of a born baby on one's thighs is like nothing on earth."

my first labour was amazing! i’d had pains all night but because i wasn’t due for another three weeks my mum convinced me that i just had a bad stomach from the takeaway that night. by eight in the morning it was clear that i was in labour so we rushed around packing a bag and got the hospital for 8.45 and my son was born at 9.06! my second was the same - i had him at 2.14 in the afternoon and was home by bedtime. my third was a completely different story though and i ended up having an emergency c section.

Yes! Even my second birth that was back-to-back and they didn't know, then he was 9lb 9oz and they weren't expecting that either...Lovely experience (although mind-bendingly painful and I panicked at one point). I felt like my body was doing what it was made for and I felt ALIVE!

My third baby kind of popped out. No trouble at all apart from the standard pain

I did hypnobirthing, and experienced no pain or tearing etc with either of mine.

Both home births, both quick. First was a beautiful water birth. Second was delivered by my husband as the midwife didn't get there in time.

Amazing experiences which left me feeing euphoric and able to take on the world!

Dd1 - Long labour and very tiring but not really painful.

Dd2 - hard and fast, lots of gas and air (pool was unavailable), and boyish there's a baby.

Both great labours and births, healthy babies, healthy me. I am very thankful for them.

Two lovely homebirths. I genuinely enjoyed my second, 5 weeks ago and would love to do it again. Very different labours, second actually longer and more stop start unusually but I felt calm and relaxed through nearly all of both, pain was totally manageable. I've decided I'm not very good at the pushing stage, I find the sheer power of your body involuntarily pushing a bit scary and both times I've panicked a bit. But, getting into my own bed with tea and chocolate biscuits two hours after delivery was bliss

I've had 4 and they were not all exactly what I'd imagined, but all good.
Ds1 - quick (too quick for my planned water birth), the pain was a bit of a shock after all the hypnobirthing 'its just intense pressure' guff, but the techniques really did help and ended up with a totally drug free natural birth, with no tearing despite the speed and a big headed baby. I felt like superwoman afterwards, and shocked DH by saying I wished I could do it all again

Ds2 - back to back and pretty uncomfortable. Had an epidural which was ace, then started enjoying myself again! A small tear but no stitches, healed well.

DS3 - unexpected caesarian before even starting labour after he had a last minute spin and got stuck transverse - not at all what I'd wanted but actually ended up ok. It was officially classes as 'emergency' but it wasn't rushed or scary, the doctors were great and he was happy and healthy. The scar took a while to heal properly, but I think that was also because with 3 DC's I couldn't rest well. No ill effects now!
Ds4 - finally got my water birth!!! It was brilliant, no drugs, very calm until the last bit, which was painful but first, no tearing and a lovely recovery.

Just thinking about them all makes me want a ds5, I must stop!!!

I loved my birth! 12 hours of labour in hospital for 6. Had gas and air for an hour before I got into the pool but once I was there the water felt so amazing I didn't need it so I did the actual delivery without any pain relief I pushed for two hours and apart from a terrible minute or two during transition where I thought I was going to die there it was all very calm and happy.
It was actually a relief to start pushing as it took the pain away.

When baby was born I was the only one to touch her, I floated her up to my chest and sat there with her I had skin to skin for about 20 minutes when the midwife offered me the shot for the placenta, I'd originally refused it but just wanted it all done with. She told DH to strip his top off and he got some one on one time with dd doing skin on skin while I delivered the placenta.
After I was stitched up (which was worse than the labour and birth combined) they just left us in the birthing room for two hours to just decompress and be with her.

Apart from the stitches the whole experience was just amazing

Baby 1 arrived 7 hours from waters breaking, under 2 hours active labour with just gas and air for pushing and no stitches.
Baby 2 shot out 45mins from first very mild pains! Only 4 bad contractions and pushed him out in the bath at home.
Baby 3 flew out a week ago! Again very quick but had an hour from waters breaking to first twinge so there was time to mentally prepare and call midwife. 4 contractions and 2 pushes and he was born at home on my bed.
Had no pain relief at all for both home births as they were so speedy. I would do it all again tomorrow!

Sorry and meant to say that baby 3 took 15mins from 1st proper 'oh shit it's really happening' contraction to being born!

I was induced but it didn't work and big discussions about what to do then I went into labour.Skiped stag 1 and straight into back to back contractions,my babies head hadn't descended and not dilatstion..After 2 hrs a senior midwife managed to break my waters.
I then needed to push,I found this bit not painful as my body knew what to do.The head crowning did sting like buggery and dds elbow was the thing that tore me and that stung too.
I did not get the hormonal rush that others talk about and because the birth was quick and my junior midwife was unprepared for this nothing that was going on was explained and the speed of it all left me feeling a bit numb.
However ,once home the bond was slowly made,wounds healed and all well.
My baby is now 15,totally worth it although I am ore aware that she is mine temporarily and is moving towards independence.
For anyone who needs it ,traumatic or not ,do call the hospital to be talked through your birth,,if you haven't been given a number call the hospital to put you through to the right people.

Forgot to say first twinges at 1030 delivered at 1300.