Anyone want to chat about active/natural births??

[tassis]

So I'm 35 weeks pregnant and want to have an active birth. Had one with ds but it kind of just happened that way as I'd had no fixed ideas beforehand. This time I have more of a clue what I want, and hope to write my birthing plan over the next few days...

Anyone want to share positive stories?

Sorry tassis didn't see it, what do you want to know exactly?

well what should I write on my birth plan?

talk me through how you do the pushing stage "actively" IYSWIM... (ds sort of popped out mid-contraction).

do you have to get up onto the bed for the midwives to see how dilated you are?

apart from dim lighting and birthing ball, what else might I want to request?

TIA

Hmm, I had a pool so the midwives had no clue how dilated I was. Iasked for as little intervetion as poss and they checked the h/b only 3 times once each hour with a doppler thingy with a condom on the end, when that broke (not designed to be put in water), they didn't bother.
As for the active pushing I just waited for my body to do it really. It's hard to say what you will do because your body will likely take over. I only tried to push when I had the contractions and tended to rest in between if that makes sense.
Request gas and air just in case.
When I wrote my birth plan I thought first of all the things that I wanted to happen and then all the things I wanted to avoid. The midwives were pretty good at sticking to it. I also designated Dh to make all decisions for me as he knew my wishes and I find I'm not entirely rational when in labour.
There's a good active labour book by Sheila Kitzinger I think, and that had a proforma of a birth plan in it which was useful.

thanks sorkycake, that's helpful

sadly no pool available

My advice would be to write whatever you want it to be but to be realistic. When I did mine I was advised the most important thing was to do whatever it took to give birth. I like you wanted an active birth which I did achieve to a point. I'd advise trying to keep mobile as long as you can as I think this helped me a lot in handling the pain and building up to push. I had music played throughout which really calmed me - not classical stuff but music I loved.

Oh what a shame as i had no pain at all when i got in mine.
I'm having it again this time as well, it was that good!

Would the hospital let you bring in your own pool - or have you considered a water bath at home with a midwife present? I deof agree with sorkycake comment re stuff you do want and stuff you don't. My midwife worked really hard in avoiding all the things I didn't want - even resorting to lies and blackmail to help me achieve it!!!!

Tassis, I always chortle to myself when I think of my birth plan here
BIRTH PARTNER
? Will be my husband
? I would prefer not to have students in attendance of the delivery.

LABOUR ? if possible I?d like to?

? Keep upright and active during labour.
? Have access to a birthing pool.
? I should like to use a portable stereo to play music to relax/distract me.
? I am also interested in the possibility of using aromatherapy by means of essential oils.

PAIN RELIEF

? Use a TENS machine
? Encouraged to use breathing techniques and various positions to cope with the contractions.
? Use gas and air.
? Use Diamorphine or Pethidine or similar if becomes very uncomfortable.
? I would prefer not to have Epidural. But will take advice.

THE BIRTH

? Try giving birth in the birthing pool.
? I would prefer every effort to be made to avoid having an episiotomy.
? I would prefer every effort to be made to avoid tearing.
? At intervals I should like monitoring with a hand held Sonicaid.
? I would prefer that venthouse or forceps be avoided.
? I would prefer that Ceasarian Section be performed in only exceptional
circumstances.
? My Husband would like to cut the umbilical cord
? I should like to try breast feeding the baby straightaway.

AFTER THE BIRTH

? I would like the injection of syntometrine or similar to help deliver the placenta.
? If I have to be stitched I would prefer a senior midwife or doctor to carry this out.
? If available I would like the use of a side room.

GENERAL

I would very much like it if I was attended to by either midwives blah blah from so an so Surgery or if not possible so an so at the name of Hospital ? I appreciate logistics could mean that this is not possible and therefore would like the midwife in attendance to be good with her instruction and experienced in all midwifery events so that I may take clear guidance from her to enable me to feel confident with my delivery and have as safer birth as can be expected given any unforeseen circumstances.

I hardly fulfilled any of it but it was a good plan

Because of complications I wasnt able to use the birthing pool and waved bye bye to the £90 rental.

I think that's half the problem - best laid plans and all that. I think the thing with my birth plan is it gave me some control in the build up to the birth because I was so nervous about the unknown (my 1st!!) I think the midwife paid more attention to it than me in the end. Your birth partners definitely need to know what you want.

go with the flow

its best

lol, count, it was only at the end my midwife remarked that she missed the music I had planned and bye the way where were you hiding your aromatherapy oils?

I had left it all behind on the ward!!!!!

I think my funniest memory of labour had to be both my partner and mum trying to discuss with me which CD i wanted on next just as I was about to start pushing - I think it was the only time I swore!!!

I think the biggest thing with my 2nd birth was remembering to breathe , with my first labour I held my breath and panicked when a contraction was coming, and without doubt this made it more painfull and scary. The best advice I was given by a friend was forget how stupid you look but do the deepest possible breathing when you have a contraction, really puff and blow. I made myself giddy with the amount of oxygen I was breathing in and declined gas & air in the end as I felt restricted the inwards breath each time with a mouthpiece. I walked around in between contraction then got on all fours just before one came, it was a lovely birth in the end and was only in hospital for 3 hours as used the Tens machine until about 8cms dilated.

They kept asking me do you want to push yet? for about 1/2 an hour, I didnt but I knew how much happier I'd be and baby would be once it was out so I just started pushing anyway. Then things happened and after a few pushes the "urge" to push came and helped it along. Good luck, there's no harm in writing a birth plan but some things ie lighting I thought I'd like dimmed but when they asked me I just said "oh leave it I'm not worried" the few hours afterwards imho are so special I wish I had planned those things more and told the midwives. For example, I wanted skin to skin contact asap, which they did, then they left the room for what seemed like ages. I should have written that after a short cuddle I wanted the baby cleaned, poor little mite. Anyway good luck, you sound very positive about it all which is the best birth plan you can have. xxx

thanks everyone! keep them coming

mummyplonk - you're so right about not knowing what we'll want. i made dh make up a tape of music for my first labour but when it came to the bit any noise at all just annoyed me and the tape wasn't played!

Tenalady, thanks for posting your birthplan - I love reading other peoples! Really need to write one now...

Hello. Keep an open mind when writing your plan as you never know how things will go. I also explained to dh what I wanted, as in the height of contractions I was agreeing to Pethadine despite having said initially that I did not want to have it. Luckily he was brill and helped me through it all (without the pethadine!).

DD was born naturally (with a bit of gas & air!) after 30 mins of pushing - it's true that your body takes over and tells you what to do - I remember telling the mw that I was pushing even though I felt I had no control over it. You can request as little intervention as you want - think I was checked twice - so you don't have to be on the bed, just get into a position where you feel comfortable.

Shame you haven't got a pool, but a deep bath can be just as soothing for as long as you can stay there!

Good Luck,

I had 2 wonderful 'active/natural births'.

1st one I laboured at home. Got to birth centre fully dilated. Was going to have a water birth but when it came to it I didn't want to move from holding onto the end of the bed. I had her standing up. Once the head was out I panted and the rest just slithered out and I didn't have stitches. It was fab, sorry but it was. Feel like I have to apologise but some people think it's smug, I'm not being smug, it just really was a positive, good experience. Yes it hurt but not as much as I thought it would.
There was gas and air in the room behind a cupboard but it wasn't offred and i didn't ask. Think it would have interferred and didn't want anything to get in the way of my focus. I felt in control and happy with how it was going and how I felt. I nearly panicked when it felt like the baby was going to come out of my bum but then I rememebered my mum saying that's how she felt and felt ok again. It was just me and DP and 1 midwife in the room, then as the head came out another midwife came in and then that was it. From 1st mild contraction to babe in arms was 6 hours.

2nd time - I had a planned home birth. It was a lot more painful but was a quicker birth, 4 hours start to finish, contractions never felt mild, painful from the off and DD2 was8lb 4oz and DD1 was 7lb 7oz so.....
It was more painful but still wonderful.
I had my best friend next door cuddled up in bed with DD1 and I called them both in as the head crowned so they got to see DD2 born along with DP. It was wonderful and DD1 was very happy and excited. She came in and said 'hello mummy' and sat on the end of the bed, grinning from ear to ear and did her happy hands and was very excited, it was fab. The 2nd midwife stayed downstairs. I said to the main one at one point 'it feels like I need to push what shall i do' and she said 'just do what your body tells you to do' and that was her input. I had my hands down there and helped 'catch' the baby and I cut the cord and then got into the bath with her and breastfed her.
Ohhhhhhhh, feel all emotional remembering all that. It waswonderful.

ohhh I'm all excited for you.
Hope it goes really well.
Just keep an open mind and do what you gotta do to get the baby out safely that's all that really matters.

God sorry, didn't I go on
I love to talk about my births, as if you couldn't tell
And I just type without looking up or thinking and then press post and never review and then see another essay on the screen!
Feel all embarressed that I went on so much, sorry.

don't be silly I think it's just what you need to hear when you're in the final stages. everyone around me who had recently given birth when I was nearly due had nightmare births which ended in c-sections so it's nice hearing positive stories - they give you something to aim for and encourage you

some great points here, thanks.

any of the daytime crwod want to add anything?

less intervention = active / natural birth, just let you body tell you what to do, not the midwife or the consultant, trust your instincts. Let baby come in its own time, not to the hospitals preferred times.

Toady by body was telling me to have a ceasarian in the end, in fact I was begging for it!!!! So much for me natural birth eh! ( btw managed to deliver naturally with no stitches just before the scalpal was raised)