Thinking of a birth centre birth, minimal pain relief.

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I would love to know people’s experiences with giving birth in a birth centre rather than a labour ward.
I’m aware in a birth centre that epidurals are not given.
My first baby is due in 9 weeks and I’m depending and trying to tell myself I can do this without an epidural.
My reason being that I want to be mobile and feel more in control. The thought of a needle in my spine also freaks me out.
I know all births are different but would love to hear experiences of birth centres and or non epidural births.

How old are you?

I have had 3 births and 3 epidural’s and would absolutely not do it without. I felt very in control and very relaxed. There is no trophy to be gained for putting yourself through an insane amount of pain for no reason.

I was in a birth centre, but when baby wouldn’t come out, ended up with an epidural and forceps anyway. Biggest advice is be open to anything can happen, so you’re not disappointed if it does.

I attempted a home water birth for my first. I ended up being blue lighted into the hospital and had a spinal and forceps birth. I would make the same decisions again: labour itself was not stressful at all until they decided DS wouldn't make it out on his own and the only really acute / unbearable pain I had was when they tried to make me lie down in the ambulance (they didn't in the end). I would have needed surgical intervention wherever I had laboured; labouring somewhere quiet and in water was a good experience overall.

For my second I WANTED an epidural but they didn't administer it to me in time and I had DT without any pain relief. I screamed, but it was fine.

I didn't need or want gas and air for either birth.

My view: do what feels right, but hold that plan lightly. You can plan as much as you like but birthing and babies don't always get the memo.

I had one hospital birth (with gas & air) and two home births (with no pain relief) so an epidural is absolutely not a given that you'll need one. Being upright and mobile will really help, but do be prepared for things to not go to plan. My first was induced (after planning a home births) but the midwives were brilliant and did everything they could to let me still be mobile (even with a drip and monitor strapped on) and it was absolutely fine. I still got to be upright and gave birth standing up.

One planned home birth, one accidental home birth. No pain relief either time.

For me, it was totally fine and no pain at all with the accidental one which just happened too quickly to feel anything really. The first was painful I guess, but not unbearable, just a bit like a long hard run that you know will end eventually.

I had one baby in labour ward and one in birth centre. Both fast easy births with just gas and air.

Check with your hospital on their transfer rate for the birth centre. For first time mums the rate is usually around 50% and that’s higher than for subsequent births. A good chunk of this is maternal choice (deciding they’d like an epidural). Birth centres (like home birth) midwives are experts of normal and will advise transfer as soon as something looks a bit out of the ordinary.

My birth centres are fantastic options for those who’d like a lower intervention environment or testing the waters for a future home birth.

Not a birth centre birth as I had to be induced with the drip both times but I gave birth both times with just gas and air at the very end of labour. Lots of moving, effective breathing and using a birth comb helped. Both easy uncomplicated births with minimal interventions so it can be done!

I think the less rigid you are about birth plans the better, especially as it's your first.

I would have liked a birth centre, but didn’t go with it because the hospital didn’t have a full maternity unit, meaning that in an emergency you would have had to be blue-lighted 20 odd miles to the next hospital. But I know some are simply on the next floor/next building.

FWIW, my first was back to back, and I just needed gas and air. I was offered an epidural when I first went in (13+ hours before giving birth), and to their surprise, refused. My reason was simple - my sister had had a major operation whilst I was pregnant. They had been going to do it under epidural, but in the end decided to use GA because that way, if she ended up paralysed, they’d know it wasn’t the epidural. Which was kind of off-putting. Of course, my sister’s situation was utterly different. Theoretically, I was open-minded to an epidural - but I couldn’t face it.

In the event, I loved giving birth. It hurt. A lot. But 3 out of my 4 births left me high as a kite. I mean, really high. I felt like I imagine taking class As would feel like.

To be honest, good births are luck. But if your birth centre is attached to a full maternity unit, I’d say go for it. I think often those of us lucky enough to have good births don’t talk about it, because it can seem a little boastful.

Also if you labour and deliver in a labour ward you don't have to have an epidural, but the option is there should you need it.

I had one of my kids at a midwife led unit and it was great. Bit of gas and air and 45 mins after arriving baby was in my arms. Lovely.

You just have to surrender yourself to the unknown in a way. Try it the way you want but accept that there’s a fair chance you might need to be transferred.

I had my first in a birth centre - I was abroad so I can’t speak about the UK/NHS experience. I couldn’t have been better supported and it was amazing. Had my next two at home in the UK.

I had the first baby in hospital but they didn’t believe I was actually about to give birth so had no time for pain relief (other than some paracetamol) and tore badly and was stitched up by a junior doctor which has left me with some problems today. The second was at a birth centre with gas and air and was much calmer and relaxed in the birth pool and I much preferred. If I could do it again I’d pick the birth centre every time.

Exactly.
I had to give birth on the labour ward due to a pre existing medical condition that made me "ineligible" for the midwife led unit in the same hospital.

My baby came relatively quick (I arrived at hospital already 7cm and he was born 90 mins later) and I just had gas an air, plus a TENS machine. I didnt really want an epidural as a plan A, but I would have been open if it was advised. I distinctly remember thinking "was that it?!" after he had been born as I had expected more pain and was "saving" the top couple of levels of the TENS machine for it.

Very similar, except I ended up with 2 failed epidurals and a spinal block before the forceps.

Out of 8 in my maternity group, 7 planned a birth centre birth (the other was more high risk). Only 2 made it for various reasons (smell of waters, complications etc). I always joked that I felt a bit bitter as the one at our hospital looked like a hotel... But then I needed 5 days in hospital post birth due to other complications, and got a private room so I can't complain!

It's good to have preferences, but, they are just that - preferences. Don't get too hung up on things as anything can happen and you just have to go with the flow. (This applies to drugs, location, method...). The only thing that matters is a safely delivered baby and mother who can look after them.

I cant edit my post, but what I am saying is that you can have a similar experience (my labour ward also had birthing pools) on a labour ward but also keep in mind that your ideal needs to be flexible as babies dont understand the concept of "plan" during birth and beyond.

I would like to just add that I’m am completely aware that things do not always go to plan. And I am open to all options.
I was just interested in peoples experiences. I am in my mid to late 20s having a baby for the first time. Super excited and nervous. I originally wanted an epidural but my mind keeps swaying.

I did a birth centre with paracetamol and the wooden comb method as pain management for the birth then gas and air for placenta delivery and stitching up.

I don't think I'd have tried as hard to push if I was fully numbed so feel that made labour quicker than it would've been otherwise. But there's a huge middle ground in between nothing and epidurals.
Next time I'd use gas and air after transition through to the end.

Ive 3 non epidural births and 2 epidural. I went in with an open mind and asked for pain relief when I needed it. Very much go with the flow.
With my epidural I let it start to wear off when I was close to pushing so that I could feel what was happening and be more efficient pushing.

Will say the epidural labour where longer around 12 hours compared to my average 6 hours. Fastest 1 hour.
My hospital does have a birth pool and all that the midwives unit have so best of both worlds

Agree with the posters on here who’ve said stay open minded - things can go any which way when it comes to labour and there’s a huge amount of sheer dumb luck involved. Don’t get your heart set on one thing or another.
That said, it’s entirely possible to have a nice, low-intervention, birth centre birth for a first baby. I’ve had 5 babies - 4 at home (including first, all planned homebirths) and one in the birth centre. Never had any pain relief except TENS with a few of them. One tiny tear with first that didn’t even need stitches and then no tears or anything with any of the others. Staying active and feeling in control has always been the best thing for me. Out of 5 unmedicated births, the only terrible bit was when they tried to put me on my back to examine me with one of mine - the pain was unreal, I physically couldn’t do it, I threw the midwife off me and flipped myself back over like a salmon 😂 just those few seconds of trying to lay on my back was so unbearable I suddenly understood why people want epidurals! So for me, staying off my back is also a very big thing - I’ve been upright/all fours/kneeling leant forward with them all and it was much better. Never did get that examination either - one way or another I’ve never had a VE - they act like this stuff is non-negotiable but actually it doesn’t have to be. You have autonomy, you can insist on what you want - just be aware that sometimes they need to make decisions that aren’t what you’d have chosen but are in your or baby’s best interests - sometimes it all works out great and sometimes your principles end up out the window! Just stay chilled and see what happens, best of luck OP

I will caveat that I didn’t deliberately have any of them with no pain meds - I’d have bitten the midwife’s hand off for gas & air with all of them as it flipping hurts 😂 for various reasons it just worked out that way.

Oh yes I agree! Gravity is your friend. Birthing on all 4s is much easier. Being on your back was only started because men wanted to see the baby come out to ensure no switcheroos were done.

I wrote in my birth plan not to ask me to lie on my back unless there was a problem and intervention wasn't possible another way.

The problem is you wont know how you will cope until youre doing it so try to keep an open mind.

My birth centre was next to the labour ward so easy to transfer, but my original option was a birth centre in the next city over so would be a longer transfer if needed.

I only needed gas and air which was a portable tank that ran out halfway through and I didn't realise. Waters broke at home, went into hospital fully dilated, tried a water birth but I was too relaxed so it didn't progress, so they moved me but still midwife led.

I'd echo this. And try not to listen to horror stories. I used to ask people to tell me two positives for every moan they told me when it came to birth or early parenting. Really helped change the narrative. Someone can be saying 'just you wait till blah blah blah' and then you say 'I'm feeling a bit anxious about it all and so I'm asking people to tell me two things they've really loved about parenting for every 'just you wait' story, what good things do you remember' and mostly people light up, get all misty eyed and share some really special memories. Even people who may have had 'traumatic' births will often have had a moment where they held the baby for the first time or something funny happened etc, it helped me a lot. Idk why people think that someone who hasn't given birth yet is a good outlet for their own experience when it wasn't ideal. Can you imagine it happening in other scenarios? Like if you were headed to the dentist and suddenly people were sharing tales of every root canal that went wrong or excruciating filling?! People just don't do it, unless it's about labour!

I used a tens machine with one labour, gas and air with the other, water with both. I didn't think I could labour without a tens machine but the second time I didn't enjoy it at all. The first time I really hated the gas and air, took a midwife saying 'it might just be worth a go' for me to consider it with the second and it was way more palletable that time! It's hard to know till you're in it. Also for me it genuinely sincerely didn't hurt. It was at worst uncomfortable, and blooming powerful, but not painful.

Would recommend your partner researches massage for the lower spine/hips. Maybe you won't want to be touched at all, but lots of people find pressure to be a huge relief, so having someone there who knows what to do might be handy!

Think the advice to have 'birth preferences' rather than a 'plan' is the best way. Seriously why are they still using this language, sets expectations all wrong imo.