Support thread, - for people that never exp. 'transition' during natural vb.

[Star1ightExpress]

So I've had two vbs and neither time can I remember what others describe as 'transition'. The second time I was specifically looking out for it too

Do I have to have a third child to try for the experience again?

Anyone else have a similar experience and stop me feeling like a lonely freak?

Trust me, you not missing something good. It turned me into a psycho, very scary indeed.

[bemused emoticon]
support thread?

elliot actually my feelings are real. I know it isn't supposed to be pleasant but I do feel like I've missed an experience.

I thought that I did with DD1 - but in retrospect I think that the scary loony thing was just me getting exhausted. It was another 4 hours until I reached the second stage and I was only 8cm so it would have been a very long transition.

DD2 - definitely didn't have any transition stage. I didn't have any contractions that I felt that I couldn't deal with, even though some were hard. I don't even know when I reached 10cm as the midwife was very hands-off. I had contractions when I didn't push, and contractions when I did, and that was about it.

Sounds like I was quite lucky (although I wasn't so lucky in the "baby actually descending" stakes ).

Well, I had it and for me it was really distressing and horrible. I wanted to run away, didn't know what to do, panicked, cried- honestly speaking I would have loved to have missed that bit out, cos the rest of my births were actually quite smooth, and I felt in control, apart from that horrible transition bit.

Can i be dense and ask what the 'transition' stage is, after having two children i feel i should know.

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I think you will just have to accept taht childbirth experiences are very personal and different from one person to another. Some will be like you read in the textbooks and others, well, they just won't. If you've survived the experience more or less intact, I'd focus on that tbh.

I'm afraid I can't understand why you're not proud of your body for having performed so brilliantly twice. Why do you want to experience something that people don't enjoy? You could try again to experience an episiotomy / tear / post partum haemorrhage / emergency section - but they would be wierd reasons to have another go. Lots of women never experience natural childbirth at all and I can understand that they feel they are missing out.

Well, it does sound a bit like going looking for something to get upset about really... Sorry to sound horrible. I can't say I experienced transition either time. I'm not sure that in my experience many women do go through the 'stages of labour' as such, and they are simply generalisations which may or may not be helpful. Sometimes transition can just mean being sick, and as we don't always know what a woman's dilatation is we can't be sure that it is 'transition'.

well put reikizen

I don't think there is a THING called 'transition' that HAPPENS to all labouring women

Some women call certain experiences at certain times of their labour 'transition'

some women feel nothing

It is sort of like saying 'I've never felt ligament stretching pain, shall I have another baby?' It is such a small part of a vast spectrum of pregnancy and birth experiences, it seems a very strange one to hanker after

Well I'm hankering less now I know there are others. I just felt a bit misunderstood, particularly in my first birth and wondered if I was just a freak.

I was lucky enough to be able to put most of my demons from the first birth to rest after the second, but there are some things that still confuse me and that whole transition thing is one of them.

Thanks for replying though!

I didn't have anything identifiable with the first birth. With the second I just had a vague sense that I didn't really want to be having a baby - which afterwards I realised was a mild version of the 'Get me out of here! I've changed my mind!' panic that some unlucky people experience.

I sort of know what you mean though Star1ight - you are presented with this list of things that WILL happen and you feel a bit odd to have had a baby without some of them. However - there are more important things to worry about

Transition is horrible.

I had it with DD1 was the worst moment of birth for me.

Didn't have any noticeable transition with DD2 and was blardy relieved not to.

I did get the 'rest and be thankful' with DD2 though. That was ace as you do really get a bit of a breather before facing the next bit.

All I remember is (with DD1) saying 'I think I'll go home now'. Wasn't sick, didn't cry, she was just born.
Didn't have it at all with DD2, but then I did have an epidural in with her - maybe that makes a difference.
I reckon missing transition can only be a blessing. I've seen other women go through it and it doesn't look like much fun!

I remember joking "I want a section now!" and my midwife nodded sagely and said "Oh that's just the transition" and I was thinking "You cheeky mare, this is just banter FFS."

I've never experienced 'transition' fwiw

One of many ridiculous laments was "how dare you put me through this, i'm just a child".
I was 29.

Thanks morningpaper:

My first birth I'd just been checked and was 8cm. The mouthpiece came off of the gas and air and I screamed 'help', then realised that since I was gripping the damn thing the quickest way to fix it was to do it myself so did.

Since I was facing away from everyone I think that it was interpreted as me being in transition coz the next thing I knew was the mw's turning me over and making me push - for 3 hours with no urge or desire to.

And if transition is about not wanting to have a baby, feeling panicky and crying well I was in transition for my entire first birth then, except the pushing bit when I was just tired and fed up!

That's pretty shitty for you starlight. I suppose transition is what you make of it. My dd1 was a waterbirth with a broken gas and air machine. I didn't do any swearing or dramatic flouncing. I did however just go very introspective and was unable to make eye contact during the last stages of dilation. I still could communicate politely when necessary. I just remember thinking how horrendous it was and that it was going to get worse and that I couldn't cope. Then I started pushing and it wasn't worse. So I suppose that was transition but it's probably a broad range of experiences that people have at that stage and classifying them as transition or not is probably not helpful.

Nope, I didnt have the transition bit either! TBH Im quite glad of it really x

So the bit where I panicked 'OMG I'm gonna rip in half coz I need to push and I can only be about 2cm, my cervix will shred!' could have been transition?

or was it the bit where the mw said 'in a minute it will sting like hell' and I thought to myself 'Good, it'll be a bit like scratching an irritating itch!'

I should know this but,,,,,,what, specifically, do you mean by transition.....?

oh i just googled it

I think it prob was.

Do you think drama queens in real life are the ones who go to town and you and I are just more rational people.

ohIdoliketobebesidethe I'd LOVE to think that, but with my first I was screaming like a banshee at 2cm.

Incidently, IF I could identify anything 'odd' during that first one it was late into labour when I was eventually a lot calmer and thought 'I'm BORED now and could really do without this!'