Are there ANY positive childbirth stories you want to share?

[Dozeyland]

I know its called labour for a reason. And of course positive definitely means that the baby is healthy. but do any of you have a positive labour & birth experiences?

I am totally realistic and expecting the worst & hoping for the best (first-timer) but Horror stories are not what i need to keep hearing!!

any joy??

I had a really positive birth experience a week ago today :) A home birth with my first baby, weighing a healthy 7lb 15oz....

Woke up with a start at quarter past midnight, midwife told me later this was my hindwaters breaking...had 3 contractions between 12:15 and 1...woke DP up and we had a chat about whether this was "it" Decided to run a bath and see what happened...By the time the bath was filled, I'd had 3 more contractions and we rang the labour ward. Had booked a home birth so midwife rang back and after speaking to me, said she'd come and check me out (also later told me she fully intended to send me back to bed and come back in the morning!!) By the time she got to ours, which was about 2:15, I couldn't get out of the bath as contractions were so strong and midwife sat with me talking to me and DP about our birthplan until I could manage to get out...Next she examined me, and I remember the most painful bit was getting on the bed for the exam-but was cheered to find out I was already 7cms Midwife then advised me as only 20 mins g&a per cannister (of which there were 2) might be best to wait a little longer. As I felt I could manage, I agreed (I also had 2 vials of pethidine ready to use if necessary) Midwife was fantastic and encouraged me to keep moving around-she involved DP tonnes and I was comforted by the fact that he was kept busy, as I know he was worried about me being in pain...The rest of the birth went by in a blur of changing position and getting a space prepped to deliver the baby...Baby was born at 5:45 in our bedroom and DP assisted midwife as second midwife didn't make it in time....I am well aware I'm very lucky re home brith and no pain relief but be re-assured that I'm not superwoman, just a normal 26yr old and I managed it! Good luck!!

Early labour was really trippy. I spent an hour staring at a purple wall the night before ds was born (not in my house, I might add). I couldn't believe how PURPLE it was. Then I heard Let it Be over the PA in a shop and refused to go home until dh had bought the album. Then we went out into the street and the church bells were ringing... I'll never forget how incredible it sounded. THEN four hours before ds was born we went to McDonalds. Sensory overload

I am a big coward and a bit cup half empty, tbh, but the last three just dropped out, water births at home, very cosy, felt great afterwards. One of them was so easy I could have done it all over again half an hour later.

Babyroosmum

That does sound just perfct :)

I'm due next Friday, & I am hoping to stay relaxed and calm. have my nervous days where i worry. but i just hope i dont freak out (=tense up) i intend on using the birth pool at the hospital.

You ae a lucky one :)

Congrats

I think you just have to mentally surf the situation, get in the zone, ignore anything that's annoying you, and enjoy the good bits.

ooh..one of my birth stories here

I am also a mum who actually enjoyed the births. I have 2 DD, my labour and birth with DD1 was 8 hours and 5 mins in total, I had gas & air after 5 hours of just deep breathing, then had pethadine as was very tired (I was having full on contractions every minute throughout the entire labour), I was pushing for about an hour and a half (but didn't feel like that long) and had a cut. I was surprised how little pain I experienced during the actual giving birth stage. I found the labour much more painful. With my second daughter, I made it to the examination room and got no further as I delivered her in there...! 1 hour 48 mins start to finish. Again, the labour far worse than the birth (which took about 10 mins?).
I think if you go in there with the attitude of 'this is going to be a very uncomfortable experience' then you are going to be fine. Labour & birth pain is like no other, not in the sense that it is awful (because I dont think it is), but because it is 'good' pain. I always inagined what was going on in there during the contractions, I imagined my cervix dilating (gross I know, but it helped) and kept thinking about my baby. There did come a point when I was pleading for an epidural - as they were telling me to push (I was convinced I would have a C-section and horrified when I realised I would have to do it myself AND feel it all). But that was not because of the pain, it was fear of feeling more pain. I found the birth hard work but nowhere near as bad as I had imagined.
When my 1st daughter was about 3 minutes old, I turned to my DH and said 'I'd do that again' - 16 months later, I did it again. And 2 years later, I am hoping to do it again!
Best of luck to you. Enjoy your experience! Nobody will ever have one the same, every birth is unique, and your own are always the most special xx

Yeah - definitely. Had homebirths for all three of my children. Uncomplicated pregnancies, labour 6 hours, no tears, felt like I could run a marathon afterwards. 2nd and 3rd similar but shorter labour. I was lucky, but also I do think that having a homebirth contributed to it. (I am for homebirth if that is where you feel most comfortable). I wouldn't say that it was pleasurable, but was definitely a wonderful experience.
Best of luck for you.

I had to have inductions with both of mine as my waters broke and then I didn't go into labour, but both my labours were relatively quick. You might find a book called 'Stand and Deliver' helpful because although it's aimed at women who are looking for natural or alternative birth methods it has positive stories about induction, planned cs, emergency cs etc. and shows that intervention doesn't necessarily have to lead to a negative experience.