Positive experiences of unmedicated births?

[SallySummerPop]

I am considering a non-medicated birth (if everything goes smoothly), I understand I may change my mind at the time but all the stories online are about how bad it was. Does anyone have any unmedicated birth stories to share that are positive please?

My second birth was too quick for me to have anything (I refused gas and air as I saw it as an insult). And yes it was quick, but I’d rather it had been slower with a glorious early epidural like I had with my other two. Why anyone would willingly opt to do it with maximum pain is beyond me.

I had gas and air only, mainly because I suffer from anxiety due to overthinking, and for me the thought of not being able to feel below my waist spooked me a bit. Thankfully, it was a quickish labour with no complications. I hope to have another little one and plan on going down the same route. I can't comment on afterwards, because I then needed stitches (definitely needed the gas and air for that), so I didn't particularly want to move anyway. Gas and air can make you feel a bit dizzy and sleepy, but it wears off very quickly. It was bloody painful, but I felt in control, empowering. I'd go in with your plan and if your have to divert from your plan that is ok too, you will never know until your there pushing what is best for you at that point in time. My experience was a positive one.

I had all 3 of mine without any pain relief if that’s what you mean by unmedicated.

My first was an induction - zero out of ten. Do not recommend rawdogging that 🫣🫣🫣
Before the IV induction drugs were started, the midwife told me “Usually we recommend an epidural at the same time because it’s intense”…..but the idea of an epidural made my stomach turn. In hindsight? Kinda wish I’d had one because induced contractions are a whole other level of hell compared to natural labour. I quickly found out that gas and air makes me vomit, so that was out of the window. And my labour progressed too fast for any narcotic pain relief like pethidine.

My second and third babies were both born at home, so my only option was gas & air, but I knew from the first time that it makes me vomit, so I did without.
I found the pain of natural labour so much more manageable than my induced labour though.
Don’t get me wrong: an entire human being exiting your body is inherently painful. BUT I managed much better at home without pain relief than I did during my induction.
My biggest tip is just to listen to your body and act accordingly. If you have the urge to change positions or get up and walk around or get in the bath/shower etc, do it. If it helps you, no matter how weird it might seem, then it’s a good thing! Your body just knows what it needs.
For example: I like to be upright and moving around when I’m in labour. I do not lay down. So just shy of an hour into labour with my third baby, I had a weird urge to lay down. I should have known at that point something was afoot 👀👀😂
The second my arse made contact with my sofa, my waters broke in a massive tsunami, and my DD’s head followed immediately 🫠😂 I scrambled to my hands and knees on the floor and my exH had to dive under me and catch her as she flew into the world!

Antibiotics given during labour would be a medicated birth. Interestingly, a large Finnish study shows children of mothers who are administered antibiotics during labour are more likely to develop auto-immune diseases. Almost 1 in 4 women who deliver vaginally in Finland are administered antibiotics during labour to prevent transmission of Strep B. That seems extremely high.

However, most people would use it to refer to labour specific drugs so no pain meds, no induction meds etc.

Two unmedicated home births here. Amazing experiences. I don't know how my body would have handled a medical setting for something so primal. I feel so lucky to have had the births I did.

No real pain, no drugs, lots of breathing.

I think most women would not consider antibiotics to be a choice, in the same way that epidural / G&A is. DD1 had GBS sepsis as I didn't know I was GBS+. You can be sure that I had the antibiotics in labour when giving birth to DD2 as there was no way i wanted to repeat our NICU experience again. But I wouldn't think about that in the same way as choosing pethidine / epidural / gas and air etc.

I also noticed this tragic story today in the Sunday Times about what happens when GBS isn't treated seriously. https://archive.ph/9eFAL

I had gas and air with my first. Was too late to do anything else and everything went very quick and went fine.

with my second I opted to do the same. I remember trying to change my mind mid way but they didn’t give me anything else 😂 Again it went very smoothly and I jumped straight out of bed afterwards to peer at my baby that they had taken straight to the crib.

I can’t compare it any stronger medication but I loved that I could get straight out of bed and that I didn’t have to stay in hospital overnight.

There is an Australian documentary film about more 'natural' births called Born At Home. It is a very interesting watch. Some of the women featured had more traumatic medical births in hospital settings, followed by peaceful and unmedicated home births.

Either way, do what feels best for you at the time. Good luck!

My two children are now newly minted adults so I'm speaking about a longbtime ago...

No 1 - induced- just pessary. Used water for pain relief but had to get out to deliver due to a potential low lying placenta. Completely natural, had nothing.

No 2 I had a water birth at home.

But I do believe people should do what's right for them. I just don't like the feeling of being out of it so gas and air is not for me. I'm also the weirdo that had a dislocated fractured shoulder put in with nothing (and that was more painful than childbirth in my opinion).

For me it was about being able to focus and breathing. I'm quite good at use breathing to relax.

Yes,I had two unmedicated births. I tried gas and air, but it completely screwed up my breathing. I had no complications, but I have no idea whether my births were more or less painful than other women’s. All I know is that it’s something that people don’t like you talking about on here. Horror stories are more acceptable!

Know exactly what you mean, it’s such an intense and instinctive experience, I did have one of mine in hospital but a water birth in a very low tech relaxed environment

Another one here who leaned into it. Laboured on my feet or on a ball, no pain relief, quick easy births. Nowhere near as painful as I expected (or maybe that’s just time dulling the memories!)
Slow danced my way through the second with my other half. I also hate feeling out of it / drunk etc so I hypno birthed, breathed my way through it.

I've had two completely unmedicated births (not even gas and air or paracetamol - one was born at home before the midwife arrived). I also had one medicated birth - pethidine, gas and air, and then a spinal.
The unmedicated births were so much nicer - I felt more in control, more able to listen to my body, more "with it". Recovery was also far easier with the unmedicated births, and I had the benefits of experiencing all of the natural chemical releases my body made, rather than them being dulled by the medication with my other birth.

The medicated one and one of the others were both back-to-back, so not physiologically ideal, but with the unmedicated one I recognised the feeling and knew that keeping mobile was key - which I would have struggled with if I was medicated.

Keep mobile, listen to your body, hydrate, and remind yourself that when you feel like you can't do it, that means your in transition and very near the end. You can definitely do this.

I agree with the comment about above - I felt the same, they were very primal and instinctive birth experiences.

I had an amazing experience with DS. Water birth after 24 hours in labour. The water was fantastic and he was born in the tub!

I wanted the same for my second however, she stopped and started (I waited for them to both make an appearance naturally) and then by the time I was admitted, her heart rate had dropped so I had to be monitored. I was utterly exhausted so I did have some gas and air. At one point I didn’t think I could cope but then I changed positions and went on my knees and the relief was instant.

Both mine were 6lb + so not big which I think helps.

Your difficult one though was your first - please don't pretend to someone that it wasn't.
First births are more complicated - your body seems to know what to do by the second time.

NHS hospitals are not great at the moment and you and your partner need to advocate for you and your baby for a safe birth. If something isn't right - bring it up.

First was induced - I managed with a warm bath, 2 paracetamol and gas and air. Dc was 8lb 12oz. Then ended up with a spinal anaesthetic to sort out an internal bleed 🤦🏻‍♀️

Second was 7lb 11oz and we only just made it to hospital in time. I’d laboured at home with just TENS and there was no time at hospital for anything more.

I had two just with gas and air, the first was hellish and the second was a dream. Baby one was back to back and had a 98th centile head so kept crowning but not going anywhere. I think it is completely dependent on the birth and the baby so wouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself

Should probably add I was induced for both as my waters had broken but I hadn’t gone into labour. Apparently this does makes things more painful (the drip) but I haven’t known any different

Both of mine were drug free. I was in the pool and feel like this helped massively to manage the pain.

1st pregnancy I arrived at the hospital 6cm, 2nd I was 4cm.

Both births were less than 3 hours so that of course helps!

I think it really depends on your labour. I’ve had 3 and they all hurt different amounts. One of them I couldn’t get through without pain relief as was 4 days. One I was denied even gas and air because I “wasn’t in labour” half an hour before baby was out. Third was an emergency c section following induction. I will never ever have another induction I’d rather die

I had both of mine in Japan where pain relief is not routinely offered in childbirth (not even gas and air).

They were both over 9lbs and posterior/back-to-back presentation, so not straightforward. I was in labour for 24 hours and unevenly dilated for DC1; DC2 was faster.

I ended up with episiotomies both times - they do give you a jab of local anaesthetic for that, though I think it had started to wear off by the time I was being stitched up the first time.

The pain was bearable. It was much easier with DC2 when I refused instructions to stay lying flat in order to facilitate monitoring, and insisted on being upright or moving around.

Maybe I have a high pain threshold, or maybe it is just a question of managing expectations?

Had all 3 with TENS machine and gas and air.

My waters didn’t break until near the end so I think that made things more manageable.

I had one birth in hospital - unmedicated but baby was continuously monitored so I was restricted in what I could do. Two home births, no pain relief whatsoever. They were both amazing experiences although both were quite long - none of my children engaged before the actual labour and they were all back to back and turning at the last moment (during pushing), so each time, including my first I had several false alarms and laboured for 10+ hours.

Yes, the pain was intense - my last labour was very slow progressing and the contractions were not getting closer together but growing more intense for around 24h in total but I moved around, ate, slept, rested and everything felt manageable. I did a hypnobirthing course before and had the Freya app with relaxing meditations at hand but I quickly realised that listening to whales singing was totally not my thing and I spent some time dancing to Apex Twin 😅. Come to Daddy highly recommended!

I had no injuries after the home births and my recovery each time was very fast, I was up and about within an hour. I could start gentle, post-partum exercises two days after my last child was born and I’m the so-called geriatric mother (47 when I gave birth to my third) so I think unmedicated works for me.

Is there a reason why you wouldn't want any pain relief?