Any have any nice stories of giving birth??

[MidnightBreeze]

As the title says really, all I seem to read is traumatic births & il be honest it's absolutely freaking me out!!

I just want some good experiences!

Have recently had dc2 and I can honestly say I would have another child just to experience another birth like that.
It was amazing and euphoric and made me feel like the most powerful person in the world at that moment.
I did hypnobirthjng and I cannot recommend it enough. It really really gives you the self confidence to handle whatever comes at you in labour.
In my case it was a fast labour - about 2.5 hours - but with very little gap between contactions, so quite intense.
I had no drugs at all, partly there wasn't time but also it didn't need them at all.
We had one very calm midwife who knew about hypnobirthing - I gather that most do now in the hospitals. And she just let me do my thing with minimal interference.
Was totally amazing and uplifting and awesome.
(6 weeks on am still very very gushy as you can tell )

Both times I gave birth it was straightforward (like shelling peas!). With dd2 Mw didn't think I was in labour - when she checked I was 9cm, and dd arrived within half an hour.

dilligufdarling where did you learn your hypnobirth techniques? sorry to hijack thread OP.

This is why I had a c-section, I couldn't handle the unpredictability of birth and it was the best choice for me.

I told too many people in great detail about dd1's birth, it was traumatic for me, but after a couple of years it receded and dd2's birth was straightforward, and now I feel bad I must've terrified so many people - don't pay heed to the stories of people who've given birth in the last couple of years because it's alright in the end and it's cathartic for us but we're not aware of the effect - things move so quickly and giving birth in a rich country is a pretty safe thing. People always like to highlight any bits they felt were particularly bad, but it's selective representation.

I think two separate women could have the exact same birth but one could see it as a positive experience and the other could see it as negative. A lot of it is frame of mind (with a straight forward birth).

I have one ds and was in labour for 28 hours and I had no pain relief not even gas and air, I knew it would hurt and I just accepted that. I'm not one of those lucky women that barely felt it, it definitely hurt but it was a completely different sort of pain, it wasn't a "fucking hell I've broke my leg shit shit" it was a productive pain (if that makes sense).

Your body is built for this and yes it will hurt and be messy and gross but think of all that as a means to an end, it will all melt away once you hold your baby.

about 9 hours with dc2, knew what to expect so 'in the zone', when delivering midwife called for extra help, and in walked my friend's friend, we had never met but both knew our mutual friend welland with my consent my friend had described us both to each other just on theoff chance we wold meet... lookedup, gave a big grin and said 'Hello, your Bob's mate!' and she laughed and said I've heard all about you, right, let's get this baby out'... it was surreal but really nice!

She never mentioned it to my friend as per regulations but I did tell our mutual friend all about ot... was nice xx

I had a good birth in that I got a beautiful baby boy at the end of it. Giving birth hurts, there's no escaping that. But it is worth it and you will do it. It's the looking after the child afterwards which is hardest.

3 out of my 4 births were fine.
No 1 was 'traumatic' but not on paper. The reason I was traumatised was because I felt out of control and stupid.

In fact my births got 'better' as they went along. I think because I learned something every time and by the time I got to DC5 (one DC is adopted) I felt like I really knew what I was doing.

As PP demonstrate, its not always the medical facts of a birth that make it traumatic or easy. Its often how we feel about what is happening.

I did hypnobirthing for pragmatic rather than 'woo' reasons. I wanted stratagies for keeping calm, I did yoga for the same reason.

I had pain relief as well. I wasn't after a 'all natural experience'. I just wanted things to go as well as they could.

DC 4&5 were born at home with G&A.

Waters popped during the night. Told I had to deliver within 12 to 24 hours. Decided to go into hospital for 7am to avoid rush hour so DH could get to work and come back when I was in "real" labour.

First contraction in the car as we arrived at the hospital, DD2 arrived 20 minutes later! Not even undressed - no drugs. 10lb baby and I remember laughing as she was born. Absolutely lovely experience.

febmum I had a book and cd set by Maggie Howell. I just used that - I did do the cd daily from around 32 weeks though.
There are quite a few courses around, and our nhs even does a taster session I think.
For me the cd/book combo was enough though.

Me!!! 4 babies, longest labour (1st) 45 mins, no drug/gas, no stitches just textbook fast labours

I had easy births - especially the second one. No pain relief, pain entirely bearable - a completely wonderful experience.

If there was a bad side - it was that I found it very hard to come down from the euphoria and my dh thinks giving birth is a doddle.

I was induced with preeclampsia for my first. Went into labour with the gel, waters went spontaneously, 12 hours start to finish, 2nd degree tear but not terrible - not the birth I would have chosen necessarily but positive given the situation and having to be monitored etc.

2nd birth - waters went at 6am. Took some paracetamol at 8ish, was checked by MW at 10am - no dilation. At 1.30pm I was in the bath telling DH that I was FINE and I didn't need to go back to hospital and it was ok and I'd just stay here thanks. He hustled me out and to the hospital - DD2 was born with no interventions (or pain relief, including gas and air) in the birth pool at 2.45pm. Felt like fucking superwoman for about three months afterwards. Hugely positive experience. If I could do it again like that I would genuinely consider having another baby.

Mine was amazing. I am genuinely the poster girl for water births! We had a wonderful student midwife called Jo, lovely room, candles. DD popped out and we swooshed around in the water for about 30 minutes.

We came out, i squatted over a bucket and passed the placenta (totally gross) got into bed, tea and toast, went home.

I feel I deserved a good birth as my pregnancy was dire from the moment that bloody sperm hit that egg!!

I loved giving birth. With DC2 the euphoria (which started around the time I was in transition) was crazy - it was seven years ago, and I get flushed and giddy when I think about it, and I spent the whole of the first year afterwards desperate for another baby so I could do it again. It was kind of what I imagine it feels like to take heroin - pure chemical bliss.

There's a kind of triumph in surviving the intensity which leads us to share the dramatic bits, I think.
For me, going along with it instead of trying to control it was key. I sang out my labour pains, moved around and did puzzles etc btn contractions.

My first was the nicest, a home birth.
The second was less good because I was in hospital after being induced. I did most of that one on my own overnight, and the active labour was up on a maternity bed which I found uncomfortable. I'm a hands and knees girl, it would seem!

Just relax and let your body do the work, rest and doze between contractions if you can. Your body tends to know what to do, and the midwives help with any glitches.

Ds2's birth was lovely. Woke up about 6.30 with (sorry) a bit of diarrhea, contractions started big and strong at 8am, never felt overwhelmed by pain, never felt fear or panic, stood up and started pushing at 10.41am, ds2 born (in the caul, the watees broke around him as his body was emerged) at 10.45am, baby latched on and feeding like a pro (cord still attached to undelivered placenta, always meant to look up whether that meant he was still getting 'fed' via it) by 10.50am. No tearing, no bother. He remains my calmest child!

I had a really straightforward first labour with DD, we're 9 weeks down the line and I would already quite happily do it again. A few twinges and more frequent Brixton Hicks the day after a sweep, then contractions kicked in all of a sudden in the early morning - they were regular and frequent right from the get go, but I managed with paracetamol and the bath. After an hour my husband could see that things were progressing rather rapidly, so despite some protestation from me we left for the hospital - just as well really as things really ramped up in the car and I was 8cm on arrival then pushing 5 min after that! DD arrived in less than 4 hours all together, a very small tear and no stitches, started breastfeeding within 15 min or birth, stayed in overnight (my choice) then went home the next afternoon! I wouldn't describe it as euphoric necessarily, it was bloody hard work, but felt very primal and natural and I never felt out of control or that I couldn't do it. I also had no further pain relief - gas and air was a bit useless for me - and didn't feel like I missed out or needed it.

Two babies, neither were at all traumatic despite having stitches the first time.
First was a water birth and although there was pain, it was labour pain so the pain feels right somehow. Baby born in water, awesome.
Second was your bog standard dry land birth which felt totally different but almost as good an experience and no tearing second time around. Spent a couple of lovely days in hospital with snuggly dd2 reading Jane Austin. There was pain, it was hard work but it's soon forgotten if your labour isn't traumatic. Just go into it saying pain is natural, it's how the baby comes out, my body has totally got this and all I need to do is relax and listen to what my body is telling me to do. Keep in the zone!!

If you are at all anxious check out Hypno birthing, and/ or NCT classes. And remember, your body is designed to do this.
Hope it works out beautifully for you

I had lovely births. They weren't easy but I enjoyed them. I didn't/don't talk about them much as I don't want to seem smug or just weird or showing off.
I just kept quiet about them really.

Another easy birth here - I actually quite enjoyed it!

Didn't realise I was in labour for most of it! Started having contractions around 1pm and called the midwife. She arrived and we had a nice chat, and she suggested I have a shower and take some paracetamol. I politely but firmly explained I thought the baby was coming and asked her to do a VE, which she did mostly to humour me. And then she discovered I was fully dilated and called the second midwife

DD was born a couple of hours later, I had the best shower of my entire life then we snuggled up together at home and I sent DH to get a takeaway curry!

DC2 is due in January and I've got my fingers crossed for another easy one!

Oh I have never felt more triumphant in my life than the two times I gave birth. Most amazing experience. Fucking painful, but awesome.

Agree with others who have said find out as much as you can, understand what is going to happen - knowledge is power!

As others have said, I don't really mention that it was easy for fear of sounding smug - I'm not at all, it's just luck after all! But that's maybe why you hear more horror stories...