Please tell me your easy birth stories...

[sirlee66]

Hi everyone! I'm 31 weeks Pregnant and a FTM.

We were trying for years to conceive and it finally happened. Over the moon. I've been taking it all one step at a time (haven't wanted to 'jinx' anything) and now all of a sudden it's finally dawned on me that actually this is happening and in a few weeks I'm going to have to give birth!!

I've read a couple of threads on MN about terrible things that have happened during people's labour. Crossed with the awful stories people tell me in RL about how horrific it is and how it's common to get PTSD after traumatic births.

I've basally got myself into a bit of a mess. I'm really really nervous now to the point where I've started to cry the past couple of days worrying about horrible midwives / someone holding me down against my wishes / being refused pain relief or knowing something is wrong but no-one checking/believing me.

Not particularly looking forward to the pain – but that comes part and parcel with giving birth so I'm fine with that.

Bit more info so I don't drip feed: I'm naturally quite an anxious worrier anyway: I've got low PAPP-A which means I have to take an aspirin a day making my blood really thin. What if I bleed so much I die! I'm also rhesus-negative so what happens if my blood and the babies blood mix and he dies! I feel like its all getting on top of me and I don't know what to do. I've not had any experience of this before (other than what I've seen in movies) and the fear of the un-known / not being in control may be making this worse.

I was wondering if anyone could share their easy, happy, relaxed birth stories where its all just straight forward and simple. No trauma.

I'm fully aware things don't always go to plan and I'm okay with that. We've waited so long for this baby that I'd happily lose both legs if it meant he's born safe. Any complications during the actual labour – I'm sure I can deal with. I just want to calm down before it all kicks off and stop being unduly worried when, at the moment, I don't need too.

Please, only post your nice, straightforward birth stories (If they even exist!) Call me a snowflake - but I just don't think I can cope with another awful birth story. I'm really struggling.

Honestly not the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I'd give birth everyday rather than have ongoing tooth ache or shin splints...

@sirlee66 I have done harder shifts at work brutally hungover then my last labour!

I was in at 9am, and out the same day back at home in time for chips and coronation street that evening.

No tearing at all (though I would suggest you listen to your midwives come the pushing stage, only push when they tell you!)

It was absolutely fine. Labour is in us all, and this hynobirthing stuff, that's in us all too naturally. It's all about breathing and being as calm as you can in the labour itself. It's what we are made to do.

And not denying yourself any pain relief you want is my advice for a good labour too, struggling on through because one doesn't want pethadine ect I think is a bit crazy, as these medications can relax you and help with a quicker, easier, more positive birth.

You will be fine! Labours so much easier then being pregnant

DS1 - red flags all over my chart for being too big and me having gestational diabetes. Consultant said scary things about baby being too big for a safe labour and put me onto the delivery suite with machines that go "ping" instead of the natural birthing suite. My mum said, "Nah, you watch. Like loaves out of a tin in our family."

She was right, he was wrong. I went from 2 cm to 10 cm wandering around the hospital grounds (scared the crap out of the staff, apparently - well they were the ones who said go for a walk because I wasn't far enough along), then 9 lb 6 oz of outraged loaf was delivered with gas and air. I love gas and air. So much so that they threatened to take it away if I didn't breathe some actual air too. I regret nothing

So easy, even my waters broke while I was sitting on the toilet in the delivery suite.

DS2 - red flags all over my chart this time too because he was quite comfortable sitting sideways, thankyouverymuch. I was told to get an ambulance if my waters broke. So when my waters broke, we got to hospital PDQ, and he came out of the sunroof instead. Job done, all good, straightforward recovery.

DH and the doctors started laughing when he came out arm first, doing a Superman. I would have liked to see that. By the time I got him, he was wrapped in a blanket like a little burrito. A very unimpressed little burrito.

Both of my birth experiences could be summed up as "Oh crap oh crap oh crap... oh. That actually went surprisingly well."

I'm a very anxious person. I was terrified of giving birth but my anxiety is mostly rooted in my appearance, being naked and vulnerable etc.

I didn't give a fuck. It was great.

Yeah it was painful but it was a wholly positive experience. Enjoyed the first day labouring at home. V slow labour so contractions 5 minutes apart for over 24 hours. They hurt a bit and made me breathless but I found it more of an interesting experience, it's not something you'll get the chance to do more than once/a few times.

Had to have some intervention at the hospital which I was scared of but it was absolutely fine. They broke my waters for me as it was taking too long and were going to put me on a drip but FINALLY DD decided to make an appearance. Slowly . Pushing was the really painful bit but it only took about 10 minutes and I was in a difference place mentally then. It gets very animalistic and I managed to just distance myself from the pain and get through it.

Best part was, after months of worrying, I didn't give a single fuck about how I had looked or who thought what of me. I've never felt so liberated.

Very similar experience to Sound DS1 above. Same birthweight, I was measuring ‘a wee bit big’ all the way along but my mum had delivered two big babies naturally, I told the consultant that my sister had been 11lb 9oz and born with no intervention - her response was OK, we’ll if you’re not worried I’m not.
Did hypnobirthing, went for a sweep at 40+5, was told I was 4cm dilated (which meant nothing to me), went out to the pub for a colleagues leaving do that evening. At 8am the next day had some cramping, sent DH to work, at 11am summoned DH home, called the midwife unit and told them that I was in labour and I’d really really like the pool! They told me to wait until I had 3 contractions in 10 mins or couldn’t bear it. So we watched a silly film, went for a walk and had a bath, got the TENS on, by then it was about 5pm and I decided I needed something stronger than TENS so we called the hospital and headed in. It was shift change so they put us in the pool room and finally examined me at 7pm - my waters went spectacularly as the midwife walked in. At that point I was 6cm and was unimpressed that I’d gone only 2cm with all this effort. Still, I was allowed in the pool - at which point my whole body relaxed. The midwife popped in every 15 minutes to check the heartbeat, first time I demanded gas and air - the midwife thought it was bit early but gave it to me, the second time she said ‘that sounds a wee bit pushy’, the third time she said ‘oh a head’ and called the second midwife! He arrived at 9.06pm - according to my notes my second stage was about 20 minutes!
I cannot recommend hypnobirthing enough for relaxing you.
If DS hadn’t done a superman impression with his arm beside his head I probably wouldn’t have had the uncomfortable 2nd degree tear but that has finally healed.

Mine is very boring: laboured at home for 4 hours, drove to hospital, climbed on bed, gave a couple of pushes and out popped my beautiful boy. 15 mins from arriving at hospital to baby being born!

It happens! Wishing you all the very best!

Dd (now 15). Induced- two pessaries and then it all kicked in. Played games with dsis and dh in early labour to keep me amused. No pain relief. Mostly easy apart from when a family outside were having a fight and I lost my concentration. Lovely midwife told me to pull myself together which was just what I needed. Had dd about 1 am. Stayed in until 4 pm then went home. Only stayed in because I had a slight infection (which was there before labour but no OBE believed me - they thought it was labour pains). The hospital and midwives were great though.
Ds - home birth. Had cheer up dinner as was due to be induced the next day. Went into labour just after dinner. Gave birth in pool in sitting room just before midnight. Dd slept through whole thing and hadn't the heart to wake her up to send her to stay with bil.
Someone once told me thst the best thing about labour is that it's finite, which helped put things in perspective.

Congratulations!
Ok so I'll tell you about my favourite birth.
Firstly, I don't want to sound like smug city but I've delivered three whoppers with no stitches or complications. Two of them didn't go 'according to plan', let's say, (I won't dwell on that for the purposes of this thread) but I would point out that despite that, I didn't go on to develop PND or PTSD.

Back to my easiest labour: I started having regular contractions at about 11 at night. I was fine at home, waters didn't break (actually they didn't break until I was pushing later on), so wasn't in any rush to go to the hospital. When I did, I was examined and was fully dilated. My body took over after that, with the pushing. With every contraction, I could feel DD getting closer and closer and thinking 'these contractions are bringing my baby to me, I'll be meeting her soon!'. Each push felt oddly...satisfying?
Anyway, she was born within half an hour after arriving on the maternity ward. It couldn't have been more straightforward! But I know many friends with similar experiences, which outweigh the more difficult ones.

Mine was pretty great. I spent the first 18 hours or do st home then went to the hospital at 6.30pm. I was 5cm dilates about 45 minutes later I got into the bath then when I was 10cm dilated about 9ish I got out. She was born at 11.14pm I didn’t want any drugs and no one offered me any. They were v respectful of my birth plan.

I couldn't have been more terrified.
I did hypnobirthing but went into premature labour so couldn't have the water birth I wanted.

My waters broke, 9 hours later contractions started and 12 hours after that baby arrived. It was calm, gas and air made me a bit away with the fairies but in a good way, the midwives were amazing and my husband was fantastic at coaching me through it and keeping me calm.

You can and will be amazing!

DS birth was text book. Waters broke at 6am, went in at 10am, baby born at 13.30 in the water. DH described me as "embarrassingly calm". Only gas and air needed, one stitch afterwards. Pain was fine and completely manageable.

Best thing is to go in with an open mind with regards to pain relief, stay active and on your feet during early labour if you can. I think being relaxed and positive can impact your hormones and ability to cope with the pain. The midwives were fantastic and really kept me calm. Ultimately, they want the same thing as you, a quick, easy birth with no complications.

There are lots of things you can do to prepare, antenatal classes, aquanatal, hypnobirthing, if any if that appeals to you.

Hi OP. it's great to be informed, it's not good to be terrified. To give another dimension, I had two inductions, for different reasons. On the first, once contractions kicked in (after a few gels, I didn't then need the drip) and I realised the hyonobirthing CD had lied to me about the pain, I asked for an epidural and felt in control and pain free. For my first, the baby had the cord wrapped multiple times around the neck so a ventouse delivery and episiotomy were needed. From my hypbobirth stuff and the "natural at all costs" tone of almost every website, I thought this would be the worst thing in the world. It wasn't. It was absolutely fine, a calm competent doctor and team, and all was amazing. My second was also an induction started right away with the drip. I asked for and got my epidural as soon as I started to feel anything, so didn't even feel any pain. I pushed him out in three contractions without need for instrumental delivery. And that too was calm, in control, and utterly joyous once a healthy baby arrived.

Best wishes to you.

For me giving birth was an amazing an empowering experience. Loved it. I recognise that's not the case for everyone but you'd be surprised how many similar stories there are. 2nd dc born following induction, 3 hours from first contraction to holding her in my arms. Home later that day.

Also, yy to entinox and TENS.