to think well done, Kate, but...

[bloodynurseries]

It's great she had a drug free birth.

But I've seen a few posts today implying that those of us who didn't manage a drug free birth or a 'drugged birth' as one person said somewhere else, are lesser mothers? It just seems like it's yet another stick for mothers to beat each other with.

I will never forget bursting out laughing whilst pregnant with ds1. Exps sister was 9 ( yes 9!) at the time and said " i think you should have no injections when you have the baby as you should feel what you are doing for your child" i realised there and then that pretty much everyone can have an opinion about childbirth but that opinion is based on precisely fuck all experience of what my body will go through during my labour.

I had an epidural with DS1. My mum made me feel like shit over it, because apparently I took "the easy way out" according to her. The fact that I had been in labour 2 days and it was 12 hours since my waters had gone and DS1 was back to back meant nothing.

With DS2 I had nothing, not a whiff of gas and air. That wasn't planned, I only just had enough time to get my knickers off before he came flying out with my waters.

This afternoon I have had a terrible migraine. I have taken painkillers. No-one would have said "well done" to me if I hadn't so I honestly don't get why labour is any different.

Oh god

I was unlucky enough not to have any time for drugs (4hr labour that came out of the clear blue sky with no warning) that ended in an episiotomy. I screamed from about 6cm til he was born.

I told anyone that would listen to take the drugs if they even had an inch of doubt about coping with the pain after that

It's really not a big deal and it's so sad that so many women feel they didn't do it 'properly'.

I'm impressed with myself for not murdering a midwife to be honest so I think more credit is due to anyone that manages to push a baby out under whatever circumstances or who has to go under the knife (which is often made out to be much easier than it is, considering it's a major bloody surgery).

This is what my birth plan said:

"Give me as much epidural as legally possible from as early as possible"

Pain and I don't make good bedfellows and anyone that even thinks I had less of a birth than them can fuck themselves and the horse they ride in on.

To clarify, that's all it said.

Pithy.

(I actually think it's part of the attitude that follows the trend of being a martyr for motherhood in general but that's another thread)!

Who gives a shit about Kate or any of them?

I had gas and air for all 3 of mine, one of which was a ventouse. I was just lucky that nothing more was needed and so terrified of needles that there was no way on this earth one was coming near me

Otoh, going for a even a small filling at the dentist fills me with fear and I have to be sedated. Take what you need in the way of drugs when you need them, that's what I say.

What impressed me more about Mrs Cambridge was that she was able to wear a light coloured short dress. I was pouring with blood and could barely walk with all the industrial sized towels I had stuffed in my knickers. Never mind the pain relief, what did underwear and sanitary towels was she using

I had as many drugs as I could get my hands on to get me through the births of mine.

I don't care who knows it and anyone judging me on it can jog on.

^ I did wonder what was going on with that?

I left a trail of blood everywhere I walked for the first 3 days (even with pads on etc)...

Oh God, I had all the drugs possible with DD and a spinal to top it all off...DS just gas & air and would have loooved for something more. Pain relief is there to relief pain...childbirth is painful. End of.

I had a frozen double thickness sanitary towel in my pants for a week afterwards. Not much Duchess-y about that

expat thats a perfect post

Oh that's just people talking bollocks on FB.

I has just gas and air but when it got to the scary bit near the end (you know the bit!) I'd have taken whatever was going unfortunately I was in a birth centre with no option but to er...push on

I found the best idea is just to never stop breathing the gas and air. Bollocks to timing it with contractions I only stopped breathing it every ten minutes to have some water or when the midwife told me to breathe some normal air for at least a few seconds!

My two pence.

Any birth, where at the end mother and baby are both doing well is the best and most prefect brith in the world!

P.S I made the mistake of trying to walk around town 2 days after the birth and a fanny full of stitches...I'm pretty sure that's how they fell apart too early so if anything I'd advise a mum to be to just take the bloody painkillers & try not to do anything that isn't life or death for the first few weeks

I am at 'drugged birth'. What a horrifically judgy, nasty expression.

Why shouldn't we have pain relief if we want it? What is this, the Dark Ages? Anaesthetics are probably the single greatest achievement of modern medicine. Why do people feel the need to piss all over women for using them in childbirth?

I look forward with great interest to all these people later in life detailing their 'natural', 'non-drugged' hysterectomies, heart bypasses, hip replacements, knee surgeries, mastectomies, transplants, bowel surgeries, dental surgeries and palliative care plans.

Who gives a monkey

I had all the drugs I could get, I do not feel embarrassed about it, and don't actually care what others think of this.

I always think people who judge mums on what kind of birth they had, whether they breastfed or not, if they did BLW, if they ever or never feed their kids mcDonalds etc etc must be quite inscure about their own parenting.

Really, who cares

Why are you annoyed at her? She isn't the one shouting it out and if it makes you feel inadequate that is your issue I'm afraid.

Maybe she is just like any other woman who felt she wanted to feel every minute of the labour and birth and felt she wanted to do it drug free.

Whoever had frozen maternity pads - that is a genius idea! Wish I'd thought of it last time. Will remember this time!

Nobody really gives a toss do they?

Jesus wept, if I knew then what I know now, I'd have had a 100% drug-fuelled birth first-time around.

The less pain, the better (I had a 31 hour labour and I'd have saved myself a lot of suffering; my baby a lot of stress).

And anyway, the Royal Family are not 'like us'.

STOP C

Who cares?

And I think there is a greater point here.
Some people have a high pain threshold, some have low.

I know a person with a high pain threshold. She was told, with the birth of her second, that the baby could come within two hours of her first feeling the pains. So as soon as she felt them, she was to rush into hospital.

Which made me realise that she would be having pains before that, but she wouldnt feel them. Which I realised is dangerous.

I have a low pain threshold. It means that I can feel pains, or feel pains sooner than most. I know when my body is in trouble, and go to the doctor accordingly.

Not at all saying that Kate has a high pain threshold. She may, or may not.