Nice first birth stories please!

[BorgLady]

I'm currently 31 weeks with my first baby, and to say that I am bricking it about the birth would be an understatement.

Everywhere I seem to be reading horrors about people's first births! People keep telling me that you never hear the good stories, only the bad, so in the interest of redressing the balance, please could you share your nice birth stories with me please and hopefully calm me down!

Of course, if this thread goes unanswered, I probably shan't sleep at all for the next nine weeks!

Laboured for three hours total, never had an internal exam, MW present for last 20 minutes, homebirth, no pain relief required, no stitches, baby happy and lovely.

You'll be fine

My waters broke at 11 pm at 38+5, contractions started 1 hour later at 5 mins apart. Put TENS machine on, stayed at home for a couple of hours then dh persuaded me to go in to hosp. Got there and was 9 cms dilated, had gas and air for 15 mins then started pushing. DS born 1 hr later, absolutely perfect and started bf straight away. Really lovely, not traumatic in the slightest and hoping for the same again in 7 weeks time!

Good luck, birth isn't always terrifying despite what you see on tv

I know what you mean - I only heard (or only took notice of?) traumatic stories before giving birth, but since then have been told loads of good ones - I think they kept quiet so as not to annoy those who had a tough time, and I find myself doing the same thing in group birth story discussions!

Mine was 4 1/2 hours, just had gas and air and TENS. I won't pretend it wasn't really painful at the end, but so incredibly worthwhile! Try not to worry.

Had my first in March - like you I had an awful pregnancy and was sure I never wanted to have another!

I was in established labour for 13 hours. It did hurt like hell, but the midwives and my partner were amazing. I spent about 6 hours in the pool, then got out for some pethidine (I know a lot of people don't get on with it, but it got me through). I will never forget the moment when the head came out, then the whole baby with the next push: the most incredible feeling.

I had a second degree tear (and the mw got the doctor to look at it because she thought it might be third degree) and it has healed brilliantly. I was so scared of tearing and being stitched, but it was honestly nothing and hardly hurt at all afterwards.

Having said I was only going to have one baby, I was planning the next pregnancy after just a few days!

It's absolutely true that you just have to go with the flow. Good luck!

I had a 'text book' first birth. It was 12 hrs in all. Got to hospital with 2 hrs to go, managed with just gas and air. The pushing part was 10 mins, I put that down to the raspberry leaf tea lol! I gave birth in an upright position which helped I think. I had a few stitches but that was because lo had his hand up as he came out. Had no interevention and baby was breathing, crying etc fine on arrival.

Thanks so much for starting this thread BorgLady! I'm currently 40+6 and a little nervous to say the least - though also impatient to get it over so probably less nervous than a few weeks ago...

Only negative is that I've had a very easy pregnancy til the last couple of weeks so I hope your bad pregnancy = easy birth doesn't work in reverse!

Thanks to all those who've shared their lovely stories

My first labour was great.
I was 4 days overdue, woke up about midnight, had the famous "clearout" which lasted all of 5 minutes, went to sleep, woke up just before 8am with regular contractions, went into hospital at lunchtime to find I was 5cm dialated, was told by the MW's I would have dd by teatime but they gave me pethidine and it slowed everything down so I had her after 8pm.

Apart from the Pethidine, everything went well and it wasnt horrendous like los of people like to make out.
In fact I have 3 children now and none of them have been "bad" labours. All reletively quick and problem free.

Good luck with yours!

My labour was 17 hours and ended in an episiotomy and a forceps delivery - 2 things I was desperate to avoid....but it was absolutely fine. The midwives and my DH were fabulous and you really do find strength you may not think you had. We are amazing, us women! Oh, and gas and air is wonderful stuff!

another fab birth here....(my first ds was born by cs so this was technically my first birth as it was a vbac)....

mild conntractions started in the early evening....came every few minutes from the start but they weren't so strong. Became gradually stronger and i strated to bleed a little....also tmi did the bigest poo in the world (so what the books say is true)....

Stayed at home through the night - called the midwife and was advised to take a bath - if it was false labour, the bath would stop the contractions, but if it was the real thing it would continue.....after lots of problems trying to get some hot water my dh ran me a lovely bath :-) contractions eased off but the minute I got in the bath they came back. Held on and went to the birthing unit at 10 or so in the morning...was found to be 4 cm dilated.....midwife and I decided to break the waters and ds was born at 14.44.

I was able to cope without any painrelief....the best thing for me was to breathe through the contractions this really gave me somehting to focus on and made the pain much better...

Also you have to mentally accept that you are in labour and accept it and try not to fight it...hope that makes sense and good luck :-))

Hi Borg
Best thing you can do is keep your mind open and not set yourself up for a fall... nothing worse than banking on Diptyque candles and whale music & ending up with a crash C-section!
I had a very positive first birth. Twinges at 5pm, TENS on by 8pm, midwife brought gas & air to house at 10.45pm, in hospital at 00.30am demanding epidural but was talked out of it. Few hours of G&A in birth pool, bloody agony, I won't lie to you (was banging head on side of pool trying to knock self out and begging DP to hold my head under water and drown me)but just when you think you can't take it anymore...that's when you need to push! DS1 born 5.07am. DS2 born in half the time 18 months later! Good luck x

My dd's birth was my first and went as smoothly as could be expected!

Was a week overdue and had a sweep in the afternoon. Later that evening started feeling period like pains in the base of my stomach and top of my right thigh. No real pain at this point so just pottered about at home, had a bath and tried to relax.

Started feeling more regular like pains about 9pm. By about 11pm, put the tens machine on I'd hired, but it just annoyed me rather than helped, so threw that off and took another bath. Pain was reasonably intense at this point, and have vague memories of crawling about the bed with the contractions coming every 6 or 7 minutes. In the bath, just felt that the time had come to go to the hospital, and arrived there at 2am.

Midwife examined and said I was only 2cm (), and said if I lived closer she'd send me home!! I thought if this pain is for 2cm, what on earth is 10cm going to feel like. So, took another bath in my room and after 30 mins asked for the drugs!

Used the gas and air - doesn't remove the pain but def takes your mind off it and before I knew it I felt my body pushing. It was now 4,50am and midwife said to go with my body. She broke my waters, I had 20 mins of pushing and dd arrived safely at 5.18am!

Yes it hurt. Yes I was scared, but my birth was exactly as I wanted it - natural and with just the m/w and my dh there. And dd arriving just 3.5 hours after getting to the hospital was a bonus!

Try to relax, concentrate on your breathing, take plenty of energy drinks and listen to the m/w. I am sure all will be fine, good luck

Waters broke about 5am, pottered about the house all day with period type pain (even made apple crumble, hoovered etc, honestly probably the last time I did either for months). Called midwife about 10pm as contractions started to build up. Baby was out in 4hours from first time I had to lie down and breatheeeee, on tens machine and gas and air (I say that not to wave my hardness with pain credentials about but because the pain was ok -I realise that this is luck of the draw but it does happen!). Small tear which healed by itself, fab experience. Second time whole thing over and done with in 45mins! Then of course all my smugness was wiped out by not getting help breast feeding and dissolving into soggy heap at 3 weeks but you have found mumsnet (which I hadnt) so you will be fine...

Wow, all these stories are making me cry. Its just a wonderful experience and i find that i get so emotional whenever i read birth stories now. Congratulations to all of us, after going through labour and knowing what its all like i think we need medals! X