Active Birth Experience's

[MammyShirl]

I am 32 weeks pregnant and i have decided to have an Active Birth, I am very interested to hear from anyone who gave birth this way. The idea of it sounds great but I am not sure if its realistic, would I be able to stand the pain?, The labour may go on so long that I am too tired for upright positions or there my be complications/emergency and then my birthplan goes out the window!!! Few of my friends who have children said when they gave birth they felt "so out of it" they did not know what was going on. I want to be aware and if possible somehow enjoy the birth. I am really looking forward to it and cant handle the anticipation of it all. Although I feel this little person move round all day and feel like I know them, I just cant imagine that in a couple of months I am going to meet this little person. What will they look like, what will their little voice sound like and what will the birth be like? I just hope I wont be one of those people who say "never again!".

Being OP was not your main problem jasper, by the way. i am bound of course by confidentiality and can reveal no more at this juncture

Was it the 180 pounds of excess weight I was carrying? (I knew Dh would just get in the way...)
Or was it the fact I am genetically a feartie??

Check your e-mail and see if I can reveal all. And no you certainly were not a feartie! OP labours are particularly painful. You were a star

OP labours are particularly painful - there a midwife said it! thank you, mears!

Long before I had my ds I went to visit a friend in hospital just hours after her OP labour. The baby was a beauty but her description of her labour for so horrific I was literally shaking as I left the hospital! My tip to the childless, NEVER visit anyone soon after an OP labour!

slightly off topic here but if you had an OP labour first time round (I did) are you more likely to have one again? - just thinking whether the shape of your pelvis etc influences things as I did all the right things for optimal positioning last time round (although not this time i fear)

Sorry - really stupid but what is OP?

Deegward.... I'm with you!! I've read this thread with much fascination and curiosity, but most of all.... confusion!! I've got all these weird explanations as to what an OP labour might be, but none seem credible.

Can somebody explain please??

occiput posterior

The baby's spine is against its mother's spine with its arms and legs in the bump on her tum.The labour is usually more painful because every contraction grinds the spines together - bit like if a child sits on your legs sometimes and you feel their sitting bones against your thigh bone. Imagine that for 90 seconds of a contraction every five mins or so.

The labour is usually longer because the initial contractions attempt to turn the baby into the best position to be born - occiput anterior (OA) - where its spine is in the bump of the mum's tum and pref slightly to the left.

HTH

Alibubbles - I trained with Michel Odent.
There are several courses (not just his) available on
www.doula.org.uk
I personnally would not recommend the British Doula course (ex-Top Notch)... it use to be good (when you did it ) BUT many doulas have now said it wasn't anymore... the other courses are much more recommended.

Jessi- when you have an epidural your body no longer makes endorphins (pain-killing hormones)... so you and baby aren't getting those and these have been proven to help make colostrum more "opiate" like (addictive to babies). There are studies for example that demonstrate that on average caesarean born babies do not breastfeed as long and scientists say that's because the colostrum lacks this addictive substance.
Also endorphins (and oxytocin) help with the release of prolactin (to make milk).... again if you do not have a natural release of endorphins... you do not necessarily help lactation!
As for bonding... during birth process the foetus is also increasing its own level of endorphins so that the few minutes after birth, both mother and baby are still under the effect of opiates. This is the beginning of dependency and attachment.

All of this doesn't mean that a caesarean baby won't breastfeed or bond... but as a doula I have seen babies who won't easily breatsfeed and often I can relate it to the way they were born.

Hope this makes sense

Thanks Pupuce.

I think I have had an active birth 2 times now. I do so recommend that you stand up for as long as you can as it gets everything going in the right direction and gives you control.