First baby due in a few weeks... Positive birth stories??

[Toothfairy7]

Hi everyone, I am almost 34 weeks now and inevitably thinking about the impending birth of baby!!! Lots of horror stories of pain but I'm not frightened at the prospect as such, because everybody is different.... but of course very intrigued to hear some positive strategies for coping from the very beginning and positive stories of labour and birth. I want to say I don't have a very good pain threshold ( first day of periods always painful and taking painkillers ) - does this have any bearing on labour? Others say they don't have good pain thresholds either but managed well? I think being positive is important so of anybody's got anything that could be of use, please share!! Many thanks :-))

11.30pm. Pain in backside and contractions started. Pottered a bit and did a jigsaw.Sitting down hurt.
5.30am Contractions at the right interval so called hospital and went in
6.30am Suitably dilated and allowed to stay. Gas and air marvellous
11am Waters bulging and really quite annoying. Feeling spectacularly pissed on g&a. Midwife breaks waters so I can get in birthing pool.
11.15am. In water. Off head and glad to sit down
12 noon. DD born I have one or two stitches
9pm We all go home.
How's that?

Very nice giddy and applecore !
I like those birth stories! Thank you! I am hoping for the same sort of experience!! Fingers crossed then!!

I had two births with interventions up the wazoo which were the most painful thing I have ever experienced.BUT I had fab teams of professionals and excellent epidural and they were amazing. Interventions can be wonderful births too!

Good luck!

I have two children. The main thing i would say is it doesn't matter how the baby is delivered (c section, vaginal) or what pain relief you did or didn't use, or where the birth happens (home, hospital ...). People sometimes get caught up on these things and try and plan for something that is ultimately out of their control. All that matters is you have a healthy baby at the end of it.

I had two wonderful labors, first hypnobirth, second epidural.

DS1 (37+6) - 9am routine exam. Apparently was nearly 4cm dilated but felt nothing other than BH. Had sweep.
11am - felt big contraction that stopped me in my tracks. Left work to go and put my feet up.
11.03 - waters break in a gush. Contractions start every 3 minutes but still bearable.
12.00 - arrive at lovely hospital with my lovely OBGYN. Am 6cms. Doula arrives.
1pm - get into bath + visualization + moo like a cow.
3pm - decide I've had enough and I want to go to sleep. Doc examines me, am 9cm.
3.40pm - have wrestled the entinox away from DH who has been getting high off his ass in the corner and have a few sucks on it.
3.42pm - 10cm have to push, entinox gets taken away.
4.10pm - DS1 emerges absolutely furious with the injustice of being born. DH's face when he says "it's a boy" will never be forgotten.

Best day of my life. Felt utterly invincible.

DS2 (38+2) - 9pm achy contractions every 8 minutes. Not convinced its labor but go to hospital anyway on OBGYN orders. DS2 has to be monitored due to previous minor concerns about his little heart in utero.
9.30pm - Only 3cms. Crap. Get on monitor.
10.30pm - Contractions every 3 minutes, having to breath through them. 4cms. Think "fuck this for a game of soldiers, I'm having an epidural, I'm too tired to breath and visualise". Order epidural.
11.15pm - epidural arrives. Contractions every 90 seconds. Probably still 4cms.
11.30 - get comfortable. Text family back in UK to tell them baby is on his way. Text work to let them know I'm not coming in for the next 4 months. Text babysitter to tell her to sleep on the couch. Fall asleep.
5.55am - get woken up by OBGYN to tell me I'm 10cm and it's time to push. Wake DH up. Check the mirror to make sure I don't look like a hag. Watch midwives make the necessary changes to the bed.
6am - start pushing
6.05am - DS2 emerges, mews once and then lies on my chest staring at me.
I cry, DH tears up. DS2 sets up camp on my boobs and doesn't leave for 3 hours.

The other best day of my life. Felt that wonderful exhaustion of someone who's not had much sleep but has just been given the best gift ever.

I am truly lucky to have had both excellent experiences, in spite of the fact they were different birth experiences, and that's mainly down to my OBGYN and my belief that he would give me the best experience possible. I would do it all again in a heartbeat tomorrow honestly.

strokethefurrywall ..... Love it xx

Hypnobirthing all the way!
It made me feel so calm and empowered. I understood exactly what my body was doing as it went through labour, that's really important I think.

DC1 was technically induced (had my waters broken) but then everything followed naturally. He was 18 days overdue. Amazing experience. Yes there was pain but I didn't 'feel' it as that - I was just aware of each stage of labour and what was happening and just so amazed at what my body was doing. Didn't need any drugs at all, but looking back now I think that issue is personal choice and doesn't matter ultimately.

DC2 was quicker, very overdue again, but still an amazing experience.

If I wasn't in my 40's I would do it all again and again! I loved giving birth - I think our bodies are fantastic, I am so in awe of what women are capable of.

Enjoy! It is such a magical, euphoric experience.

I'll add mine - you can never have too many positive birth stories

Mild back pain in morning that increased slightly throughout the day, didn't realise this was early labour. Went to bed and woke about 3am with stronger contractions so had a bath (not helpful!) then put on my tens and listened to hypnobirthing cd for a while. Ate a microwave burger (do not recommend!) and lay down again counting contractions. Getting quite painful by 5am and then waters went. Contractions now every 3 mins so phoned MLU at 6am and arranged to go in. Of course I then spent an hour faffing around packing things while dashing back to the loo with leaking waters still. Finally got to MLU at 7.30am, offered paracetamol but didn't seem worth it. Examined straight away - fully dilated so straight in the pool to push. Water slowed everything down so took forever to push, ending in an episiotomy as heartbeat dipping. Born at 10.30am and home 12 hours later.

In hindsight I wouldn't have bothered with the pool and he would have been born much sooner. Before I left the house I was determined to have one last toilet trip to avoid pooing in labour but that was actually the baby, I hadn't even realised I was pushing.

All in all, I was lucky, it wasn't that painful and my fear of painkillers was stronger than the pain itself so just managed with nothing. Keeping calm is key I think, which is incredibly difficult!

Don't really have time to post in detail but it was a peaceful water birth with no screaming or swearing. Really looking forward to doing it again.

I'm the build up I read the birth stories in Spiritual Midwifery. Haven't rtft so apologies if already mentioned, have a look on Amazon. It's all about natural births with no pain relief and it helped move me away from fear into a very calm mind set.