please help birth with no pain relief ?

[justmee]

i live abroad in turkey and i have been told that when i do go into labour (4 weeks left) that my only pain relief is epidural they dont have gas and air i am just wondering does anyone know any natural ways tips on anything i can take myself please help :( x

Being in water (whether actual birthpool or just a bath) and breathing (sounds ridiculous to say breathing but the techniques taught in antenatal can be beneficial). Also, positive thinking is a very powerful tool.

get yourself some natal hypnotherapy CDs
Also aromatherapy and homeopathy. Some people think homeopathy is a load of rubbish but my mother delivered all her babies with no pain relief except homeopathy (and G&A at the very end) she has very little damage and healed extremely quickly too..... even if people want to argue its placebo, Who cares? if you believe in it and it helps you the great IMO

Also Tens machine
Birthing pool if you are allowed to use one?

Your body can and will make natural hormones / pain killers etc.... BUT you need to be calm and relaxed.... try and get hold of maggie howels effective birth preparation and get yourself in the right frame of mind for giving birth.... keep breathing and being calm, and you give yourself the best chance.

Good Luck

Perineal massage and evening primrose oil can help avoid tearing so avoid that pain, and some suggest that raspbery leaf tea can make the 2nd stage faster. wether there is proof or not, worth a try i reckon!

As the others have said, TENS machine as soon as contractions start then birthing pool if you're allowed to use it.

Would also second hypnobirthing or natal hypnotherapy CDs - start listening to them every night and hopefully it will help you feel more relaxed about the birth/be more relaxed on the day which helps with the pain.

Breathing is really important and remaining calm and relaxed as nannyl said. Easier said than done of course, but the hypno CDs should help.

I've had 2 DSs with minimal pain relief - it can be done. I used a bit of gas and air with the first but ended up pushing it away as the mouthpiece was irritating me. Second DS (5 1/2 weeks ago, so still fresh in my mind!) was a 2 hour labour - very very intense - no time for any pain relief at all.

It is a natural process and you CAN do it - you are designed to do it and your body knows exactly what to do, you just have to go with it and not fight it.

Also, just to say that it's great that there is the epidural option available and hopefully knowing that if you need it you DO have it as an option will help you relax and worry less during labour.

Good luck :)

Can you hire a doula to help you?

Am I right in thinking the C-section rate in Turkey is over 40%

[shock

You really need a doula!

Found you this link

here

I'd seriously consider the epidural! All being well you'll cope with nothing but if there are any problems, or if it is a long labour you'll find it hard. I did have dc 2 with 2 paracetamol and just 2 puffs of g & a and it wasn't so bad but it was a very fast (hence lack of pain relief) and straightforward labour. IME it makes a huge difference feeling safe and confident in your care.

In case this is useful to know, the situation is similar in the US: there is no gas and air and most hospitals are reluctant to give you Pethidine/ demerol as far as I can make out, so it's basically epidural or nothing. Just letting you know because you could look at US forums/ websites to hear advice from American women who have given birth with those options.

Don't rule the epidural out! Keep an open mind. I had one water birth which I found very painful and scary, and an epidural the second time which was bliss - calm (mostly), was able to sleep through chunks of labour, was rested when I woke up and pushed baby out quickly. In my experience it is better to get pain relief than to get stuck in a dark place mentally because you think you cannot cope with the pain.

Oh, and I completely disagree with StrandedBear, there is no 'best way' to give birth and no medals at the end, whichever way you choose/have to do it.

I did a hypnobirth. Very boring! I did consider having a snort of the gas to see if it really was laughing gas but couldn't be bothered to get out of bed to get the nozzle - I was THAT bored!

Keep an open mind, don't rule out epidural. Let them know that's your backup if all else fails. Science has made progress for us, use it if you want.
Tens, hypno and aroma help till 4cms IMO. Epi is good!! Very good

As other people have said, tens, hypnotherapy, water. Also, I used clary sage oil, you can burn it as aromatherapy or put it on a cloth and inhale - inhaling is supposed to mimic gas and air. And start on the raspberry leaf tea now!

I recommend keeping calm and trying not to think about it too much. carry on doing the same things you always do for as long as possible, push away any niggles keep busy and moving about. Hopefully this will get you as far as you can in dilation terms without stress. If you are unable to do this, get to the hospital in time for an epidural, there is not shame in this. Gas and air is only good for some people anyway, some people just do not get on with it anyway. Good luck.

You actually still have loads and loads of things you can do to manage the pain, so instead of thinking "help - no pain relief except epidural!" think "I have all these possible options:

breathing

visualisation - imagining something meaningful to you during each contraction, such as climbing up a steep hill, or a big wave coming towards you and surfing over the top of it, or anything which appeals

helpful positions to encourage the baby down (upright, forward, open positions such as standing up, kneeling up, on all-fours etc)

movement, such as kicking your legs, stomping, banging your fists, anything to distract you

vocalisation, such as determined "aarrhh"s, or counting, or saying (or thinking) positive phrases

water (as mentioned above) - a pool, a bath, a shower

hot water bottle on your back / tummy

massage of your lower back

TENS machine

Many many women in the UK get through labour without gas and air, so it's definitely not the end of the world. And at least you have the epidural option there, in case you need it. If you search previous threads here on "natural birth" or "Ina May Gaskin" or "pain management" or "pain relief ideas" I'm sure there are loads of more detailed threads about what you can do to help yourself.

Good luck - don't panic - gas and air is only one of many pain management / relief options even in the UK, rather than the only option.

I did natal hypnotherapy with my second and agree about it being boring.

When I was pushing I was a bit pissed off that I hadn't had any drama or much pain yet. I felt I was just getting started and then it was all over.

I screamed for the gas and air late in the second stage because I felt hard done by that I hadn't had any, but not because I needed it, - because I thought it was my right and I was going to miss my chance

I found my TENS machine really helpful, I was waiting at home for the pain to become unbereable before going to hospital, but before it got that bad I was needing to push, and when I got to hospital I was fully dialated and had no time for even gas and air. I would definatly use it again.
good luck with your impending birth! :)

I found this book very helpful.

I've had 3 with no pain relief at all. One water birth, all 3 hypnobirths. I practised relaxation and breathing every day at least once in the last couple of months then kind of zoned out on the day.

water is an excellent analgsia, look up gate theory, water needs to be deep enough to cover lower back so body releases natural endorphins, and as much of bump as possible, birthing pool ideal, do they have one you can use, if not a bath-not ideal but will help.
tens machine same principle blocks nerve receptors - not to use in water though. (i'm a newly qualified midwife)

and btw, gas and air doesn't do anything anyway, and even pethidine doesn't stop the pain, just your capacity to complain about it.

They are both pointless imo and actually make labour worse because you finally agree to them when you can cope no longer and then their ineffectivenss is quite a traumatic experience when you were depending on them. Better to know that there is just epi or nothing in the first place.