Looking for positive stories/encouragement to go ahead with unmedicated labour

[Lalarosex]

hi mamas

FTM here 38 weeks. I really want to give birth in water unmedicated and have read hypnobirthing book and this is my plan. However every birth video/story that I hear makes me doubt my abilities to do it as women describe the excruciating pain of unmedicated birth or are absolutely screaming in videos. I have terrified myself

I am of course open to needing an epidural at the time but would like some encouragement and positive stories of unmedicated birth. Wishful thinking but can anyone tell me it’s not that bad haha!

Thank you 🙏🏻

I didn't have pain relief with my first one, she was induced. it wasn't on purpose, I couldn't get on with the gas and air mouthpiece. I was begging for an epidural after 48 hours of labour but they said I had left it too late.

I had gas and air with the 2nd, but it can't have made much difference because that was much more painful

I think it's just impossible to imagine how it will feel beforehand, plus everyone is different...I had an unmedicated birth (first and only time). I did most of my labour at home over two days. Lived very near the hospital so got a taxi there at the end, gave birth about an hour and a half later. My brain went into a zone. I wanted to be alone. My husband was up the wall all the second day because I was hiding in the bedroom and wouldn't let him time my contractions. The pain was bad but the thing was, it was not like regular pain. It was a horrible sensation. Every time a contraction was coming it was like the sort of feeling you get when something involuntary is going to happen, like when you have a stomach bug and you don't know if you're going to puke or have diarrhoea or faint but it's going to be bad and you've already emptied yourself 50 times and you just want to cry and for it to be over, but multiplied by about a hundred. Giving birth was a horrible experience for me tbh but it wasn't the pain, the lack of pain relief or anything like that. It was in my personality, the way I cope with things. I wasn't able to accept help, to accept support. I felt terrified and alone even though I wasn't. Everyone around me thought I was very calm and pragmatic and it was really such a straightforward birth but afterwards I felt like I had been injected with adrenaline. I was shaking for hours and didn't sleep for days even though I was exhausted. I had a weird feeling like I'd been beaten up or had an accident or something, I think it was shock. I think what I'm trying to say to you is, try to accept any help and support available in whatever form you need it, including pain relief, because there is more to it than just the feeling of physical pain. Nobody tells people it's better to set a broken limb without anaesthesia/ pain relief because it's more natural and pain is all in the mind etc.
My advice is to you is to stop trying to anticipate how it's going to be (there's no point), try to get comfortable with the notion of taking it as it comes and do whatever you need to do to make it as easy as possible.

I had 3 with gas and air and a TENS machine.

The only time I thought I needed an epidural was just before I got the urge to push do only a few minutes.

I recommend keeping your options open - know all the information beforehand and decide on the day depending on how it's going.

In all of my labours my waters didn't break until near the end so I think that kept the intensity manageable.

I had two uncomplicated births. The first was very fast and very sore. There was no time for anything but gas and air. It was very intense and no amount of hypnobirthing could have convinced me that my insides weren't going to burst out of me.

The second was still fast and I got to the hospital with minutes to spare. But I was much calmer as I knew what to expect. This time hypnobirthing really helped. It still hurt like hell but I was able to breathe through it.

I'd go easy first time. If it gets too much get pain relief. There's no shame in it. If I'd had time I would have taken every drug going first time.

I have 3 kids and have had 3 straight forward unmedicated vaginal deliveries . One in midwife unit, one was a planned home birth and the third was on labour ward. I wanted a water birth every time but first two times didn't make it into the pool for various reasons and finally got my water birth on labour ward with number 3 :) all 3 were really positive experiences, in none of them did I feel like I reached the point to need any pain relief, the gas and air was right there for the first two but I just didn't need it. Labor sure is very intense!!! But it never reached pain for me, just keep getting the oxygen in with your breath and sipping on water and let your body do its thing. Our bodies are so capable, surrender to the intensity just go with it. Def wanting baby number 4 because I want to experience labor again I loved it.