Anyone had a natural birth in hospital?

[MrsHuxtable]

I'm wondering. I'd like to hear some positive and lovely birth stories. Has anyone on here managed to have a natural and intervention free birth at hospital?
If so, was it hard to get it?

I'm actually interested to know what anyone means by "natural" as IME everyone has a different definition.

DC1 was an induction at 36 weeks with syntocin, ARM and a mobile epidural gas and air.

DC2 was spontaneous, 1 examination G&A

DC4 was induction by pessary at 37 weeks, 1 exam, ARM and G&A.

I have met people who have described all of my deliveries as "normal" but equally people who say none of them were so it is clearly a very subjective term

OP I had an amazing delivery with DC2 - in hospital home from home unit I am almot evangelical about it DC4's delivery was also preety amazing not least because my waters were broken and she arrived 43 mins later

Yes I had a lovely relaxed waterbirth with DS, just gas and air, in the birthing centre at our local hospital - 12 days late, so slipped into the water about an hour before my induction had been booked! The lights were dimmed and we had our choice of music playing - it was just a lovely day. I felt a bit like Cleopatra in my bath, every so often someone would wander over and pop some fruit in my mouth, or give me a sip of water - I was in the water for about 10 hours so it was a bit of a long day but it was brilliant. The midwives (i went through three due to sloooooow dilation) were great and really hands-off and I delivered DS and the placenta in the water.

The two things i would really recommend are 1) hiring a doula, ours was magnificent and a massive support for both me and DH, and 2) practising hypnobirthing (marie mongan method) - I found that being prepared for and telling myself I would get a nice easy birth made me feel more relaxed going into labour so that I am sure helped a lot.

Of course luck is a massive factor, if DS had been breech, or posterior or in a brow presentation or had any difficulties then all my 'plans' would have gone out the window and I'd have been begging for a section, but I think you can help yourself a bit by being prepared for what your body will do so that you can stay relaxed when the surges start.

Other than the luck factor it was not hard to get what I wanted - the birthing suites were all empty when i went in, my blood pressure had been fine throughout and I was having a trouble-free pregnancy, so I was able to choose to deliver in the midwifery-led unit as opposed to the consultant-led unit. My community midwife was totally supportive of hypnobirthing and water birth so that helped give me confidence as well.

My second, was ace. Me, the student midwife, the space hopper and copious amounts of gas and air for a short time. Fabulous:)

Sorry, by "natural" I mean vaginal, no induction, no drugs during labour to make contractions stronger (oxytocin), no forceps, ventuse, epidural or pethidine. Not sure if I also mean gas and air. I guess people react differently to it and I wouldn't want anything that makes me feel out of control, so I don't know.

I know that one intervention often leads to the next and I also know that there are a lot of hospitals that are very intervention-happy doing things that might not be really necessary. Also that being encouraged to have an active birth hugely depends on the midwife telling you, you are able to do it etc.

So I was wondering how many women on here managed to have such a birth in a hospital environment. I'm due in early February but decided yesterday that I will be giving birth in the UK instead of abroad as I had first planned so I have no idea what to expect.

yes, great experience with dd3 at St mary's birth centre. No pain relief, just an encouraging midwife and relaxed environment. Agree with comments here though that luck does play a part plus this wasnt the case with dd1 which was a typical long first labour.

On the flip side, i read ina may gaskin employed an independant midwife and booked in for a home water birth. I was so pro natural birth i refused induction when i developed hypertension and went 11 days over. I used hypnobirthing cd's and had swatted up that the chance of intervention was higher if i had an epidural. I had notes all around the pool telling how my body was designed for this.

Dd was back to back, brow presentation sucking her thumb after three days labour i got a c section. Today i booked an elcs for dc2. I absolutely believe in natural birth but keep an open mind always. I was so anti intervention i think i was genuinely tramautised by dd's birth. Not from the physiology of it but because it was against everything i believed in. Make sure that you visit the hospital and all areas. I fobbed it off thinking that wont be me. I truly hope you get the birth you dream of. And its wonderful to read of so many positive stories.

I had a very lucky and easy birth in hospital, but with gas and air, and I also had artificial rupture of membranes. So not 'natural' technically but I don't care

I put it down to four things:

1. I didn't go to hospital until I was about 8cm dilated. This was because it progressed more quickly than I knew to expect (for the record I was upright and shuffling around because it hurt less that way, don't know if that got things going more quickly, will never know). So there was less time for protocols to be invoked iyswim, and no midwife shift change happened during my labour.

1. No medical problems and no back labour. DS was OP and rotated to OA during second stage. I stayed kneeling upright the whole time inc delivery.

1. An absolutely fabulous midwife who monitored me intermittently and sat behind me very quietly as I laboured, asked me what I wanted to do and basically never put a foot wrong. I heart her still.

1. The delivery suite was nearly empty so staff were not stretched. That was just a fluke.

Impossible to say precisely what makes the difference, but those were things I valued at the time.

TheQueenof - Your 2nd birth sounds pretty natural to me. I'm sad we don't have a midwife-lead unit here. I'd be there in a shot.

lionmummy im under st marys, where are you?

The good thing about gas and air is that you can try it, and if you don't like it you can stop and it wears off really quickly. If you dislike feeling a bit drunk or stoned then you might not like it.

I was happy with my hospital birth, but I found that I did have to push them a bit to fill up the birth pool (they were going "oh it takes ages to fill up"etc) But once I was in the water they pretty much left me to it.

Yes, two (plus one HB, my first birth was hospital induced but medically necessary so that's fine)

DS2 was OP position but the MW worked ahrd to help shift him and deliver on all fours, was a fab birth all in all

#2 and #3 were both born in hospital with no intervention and gas and air for transition and second stage only (used TENS up to that point).

#1 was unplanned c-section (in the same hospital) after long labour with every drug going. But he was in a really lousy position.

I think that largely the days of hospitals being intervention-happy are over in the UK. Have a clear birth plan, a clued up birth partner, and q vey open mind!

seeker, that's re-assuring to hear. If things go wrong, I'll do whatever it takes to get my baby out safely but I'd like to have the best shot possible at having a natural birth.

I'm not sure about my birth partner yet, maybe I should think about a doula.

Hi not actually read this thread but I had a great and fast completely intervention free birth in the midwife led unit at Ninewells. Had a water birth which helps as it less easy to be examined, basically the midwife just told me to do what felt right for me and I did. No drugs. But do think this was down to luck to certain extent as it was a quick and uncomplicated birth.
Dont think midwifes generally interfere that much as my sister just gave birth and despite being in for observation when labour started could not get any midwife to examine her till she was 9cm dilated, no time for drugs except gas and air and the husband almost missed it. SO seems like your more likely to have not enough intervention than the other way around!

Yes - two natural births in hospital !

DD1 was born in water pool at Tooting Hospital - no other pain relief (not even a G&A !) Only minor grazing too and so no stitches. Even a natural 3rd stage but didn't bother with that with DC2 because ended up needing the injection a little later anyway. Great though ! Some nice music, partner in pool to lean on, and friendly midwifes - slightly too many though, would have preferred one or two throughout - but was a longer first labour, took a while to get established too < fussy cow, but very proud >

DS (DC2) was born within half hour of arriving at hospital as was fast 2nd labour which took us by surprise, and we'd left it a bit late going in ( not as late as dear sis though who had her 3rd virtually on her own in the bath at home - teenage DS1 was around somewhere ) So, another natural birth apart from a few handy minutes of G&A. Best thing was lovely long skin to skin cuddle with breast-feeding straight afterwards - plenty of milk for him as still BFing DD1 !

Happy memories of both days, though wouldn't necessarily do it again - twice is enough ! I know I'm very lucky. Unmumsnetty ? love to all & good luck to OP.
And yes, I found going to NCT and hospital antenatal classes and writing a birth plan was all, for me, very helpful - as well as helping me meet some lovely people to share the early days and weeks with

Only did gas and air. There is no way on earth I would have had a epidural they have gave a couple of my friends persistetly probably life long back pain.

Statistically, you have a good chance of having a natural birth in hospital. However, what I'd like to point out is that if you don't have a natural delivery, it's bot because you didn't 'get one'. In your question, you ask "was it hard to get it (a natural delivery)?"

I have had two positive c-secs, both emergencies, but it's not because I didn't want natural deliveries and it is certainly not because I didn't 'get' one. And it's not because I was not prepared. Or because I didn't have a clued up birth partner. Or because of the books I have read.

But they were (in my mind and in my perception of myself) good positive experiences. Having a 'not-natural' birth does not take away or diminish in any way, shape or form any of my own sense of self worth and it doesn't mean that they are 'horror stories'.

radditionally think that in many hospitals it is so busy you are extremely lucky if you see a midwife or worker. I was in the water pool for hours just me and my husbadn and didnt see anyone. We couldnt even get anyone when he was repeatedly ringing the bell as her head was half out lol. Nowadays things are so busy and staff are so short it is often you dont see anyone for hours and hours.

Two "natural" births in hospital (2008 and 2011). Actually both in a midwife led birthing centre within the hospital.

In my case I think this was because:

Things I could control:
I was keen to have an intervention-free birth if possible.

I had prepared a bit (NCT classes the first time, this fantastic book called Birth Skills by Juju Sundin the second time). Actually I think that book was the single biggest factor in equipping me with skills which meant I could manage the pain and therefore not beg for an epidural.

I felt I could cope with the pain (just!). Although I'm not sure whether this counts as something I couldn't necessarily control!

I was happy with and supported by my birth partner.

Things I couldn't control:

The babies were in the best position, I went into labour naturally, almost on my due dates, I have no known medical issues at all which might affect birth.

The labours progressed normally with no problems on my part or the babies' parts.

So a healthy dose of luck too.

I'm not sure if a supportive midwife would be top of my list of things which helped me have a natural labour; I was so focused on dealing with the pain that I pretty much had no idea who was in the room at any one time. The midwives only piped up when necessary (eg to help me push, to suggest a position change), which was fine with me. I suppose some more cautious midwives would have been concerned that pushing with DD1 took 1hr 40mins, and I assume that it was because I had a good, well-trained midwife who was able to correctly assess that both me and the baby were coping that meant they didn't suggest any interventions.

Agree with others that not having a natural birth is not necessarily because "they" didn't "give" you one - there are many possible reasons for a birth with interventions beyond bad midwifery forcing interventions on you...

Yes - DS2 was totally natural and no interventions. I went into a midwife-led birthing centre in a hospital (best of both worlds, IMO), and the birth was very fast, so no time for anything even if I'd wanted it. Brilliant experience. Felt totally empowered by it and very happy afterwards.

yes no 2 and 3 'natural' imo - just some gas and air. mw just let me get on with it - but I think a lot of it is luck, they were easy, fast births and older,experienced midwifes. No 1 I had epidural but they then did everything they could to avoid other interventions - eg let me push a bit longer than hospital protocol, let me push against MW and my husband.

I cannot imagine anything worse than a birth without an epidural

Yes, several people I know. Thay are very keen on natural births at Barnsley. I am 37 wks pg with DC2 (DS was emcs) and am having a VBAC, would like to make it as natural as poss. have been going to pg yoga for months and have persuaded consultant that I don't need constant monitoring.

DS1 - avoided EMCS on arrival when I was misdiagnosed breech. My mother said I wasn't and they looked again and said - oh yeah. Avoided EMCS when monitoring belt slipped and picked up my HB instead of bubs'. Mother pointed that out, too. Then avoided forceps/potential EMCS in second stage when I wasn't progressing as fast as they wanted me too (despite no problems) because mother kept them away. G&A a couple of times but hates it, and paracetamol when still at home.

DS2 - refused ("declined") all vaginal examinations, declined continuous foetal monitoring, ignored them when they asked why I'd come in so early (because I was really labouring hard at home and the journey switched it off for a while but I was confident enough in myself and why it had happened to ignore them). Refused to be induced when I wasn't progressing fast enough apparently (which was utterly bizarre because my labour was 6 hours 1st stage and about 1/2 hour second stage but MW was panicking because I was quiet and in control). Had 1/2 labour very mobile (walking around ward) with TENS and second 1/2 in water. Delivered under water. No G&A, just a couple of paras at home. Water was amazing.

Had mother with me second time, too. She's a midwife .

So yes, "natural" labour for both but with the first by the skin of my teeth and only because I had a personal, very knowledgeable doula (mum). Second much better because I knew what I wanted (thanks to extensive reading and research), had the 100% support of my mother and also my husband. Because I knew my mum could judge if there was a genuine need for intervention I was confident to refuse everything because I knew she'd say if there was a problem.

I personally feel that to have the best chance of a natural birth you need a) things to genuinely not go wrong, eg mal presentation, b) to have a really effective and KNOWLEDGEABLE birth companion, someone who can actually make decisions at the time based on extensive knowledge but who isn't from the hospital!

Saying that, many hospital midwives are really supportive of natural birth, so you do have a good chance, anyway.