Easy and Quick Labor and Birth. Any good experiences you want to share?

[senem]

Hi,
I know giving birth can be painful and difficult but also there are people who give natural birth easy and quickly. Soo anyone out there who wants to share their good experiences on natural birth? It can be really frightening reading all these problems and not hearing any problem free births.

I have had 3 fairly fast labours.

DS1 - waters broke about 3am, got contractions but not bad ones until about 6am ,had pethidine, ready to push at about 9, DS1 appeared at 10.50am after lots of pushing and gas and air (was a big baby tho, 9lb 6).

DS2 - waters broke about 4am, went to hospital, used birthing ball and this really got everything going, lots of gas and air and pethidine too, gave birth at 6.50am after about 4 pushes (bit different to the first time!)

DS3 - contractions started at 6.30am, used birthing ball and had only gas and air this time, DS3 was born at 9.45am after only a few pushes again.

With all of them the contractions were only really bad for about an hour before starting to push.

Brings it all back this, makes me want another (DS3 is only 7 months!)

Feel very lucky to have had such fast labours

I wouldn't say my labour was painless - (I recall wailing like a banshee), but it was all a means to an end and I was confident my body was up to the task in hand. Each cx was one step closer to the goal, and one less I would have to experience. Getting reassurance from the midwife that I was progressing at various stages was invaluable.

One tip that the MW gave me was to try and go through some CX sitting on the toilet. That made them really intense, and not the most pleasant, but it worked and sped things up.

mine started at 5.30am with indigestion like pains. I was getting proper contractions by 10.30am which made me catch my breath a bit, (but didn't stop me going to the pound shop for plastic mattress covers and going to pay a cheque into the halifax)

By 2pm I was in established labour with regular Cx but still able to watch telly and natter in between times.

It didn't get really full on and intense until after 7pm and then I had an hour and a half to two hours of second stage with maybe an hour of that pushing (might have been a but less actually but I can't recall clearly)

Yeah, its hard work, but by that time you know you're on the last lap. And then you get the most amazing prize in the world ever!

DD1: 5,1/2 hours, in MLBU, bounced on birthing ball and generally kept moving, gave birth squatting with DH supporting me. Painful but great, and no tearing even though she had a big head.

DD2: 4 hours, at home, sat on birthing ball during 1st stage and gave birth kneeling/ leaning forward. Followed my instincts to push/ not push and felt very empowered. Great brith and no damage for a bigish baby.

I'm convinced the keys are: going with, not against, gravity and using good birthing positions.

Had two very different births, but was very happy with both.

The first was in private hospital, quite medicalised. I was made to lie on my back with monitor (which is my only complaint in retrospect) and had pethidine and a small episiotomy. But the whole labour was only 6 hours (1 1/2 pushing), it was peaceful and controlled, I felt no pain during the pushing because it was slow, there was no crowning pain because of the episiotomy and I was on a high afterwards.

The second was in a midwife led unit. First contraction woke me at 4.30 in the morning, DD was born at 6.15, 15 minutes after we got into the room. It was the most painful 15 minutes of my life - exponentially more painful than the first birth but it was only 15 minutes.

thanks so much for posting these stories ladies. I actually spent sat night and sunday morning telling my OH (whilst sobbing) that I didn't think I could do this (i'm due in 3 weeks) and that I had changed my mind about having my first baby and wanted to run away . I have scared myself silly hearing other people's traumatic births and actually searching them out to try and prepare myself. All that i've done is given myself more things to worry about. Hearing some nice stories is great!

Please keep them coming - its really nice to have a positive thread for a change

My first birth wasn't great but ONLY because I had a mw who didn't believe I was actually in labour, the actual giving birth was fine. My labour was only 2 hrs 20 mins. With hindsight I'd have demanded a new midwife and demanded an exam so they would have known I was having a v fast labour.

This time round I'm hoping for a homebirth and have booked a doula. As part of her 2 antenatal visits she goes through the stages of labour - not in the way the nhs classes do, but talking about the hormonal and emotional side of it so that I will recognise where I am in my labour. It might be worth finding something similar on the web.

My sister gave me the best advice - she said each time you get a contraction think of it as being a step closer to meeting your baby.

liznay, you sound like a perfect candidate for a doula. BOOK ONE NOW!!

DS1 was induced 2 1/2 weeks late but I only needed one pessary and he was born 7 hours later with just gas and air. I'd laboured in the bath until I was 9cms thinking I was just having the prostin pains that I'd been warned about (while worrying that if they were prostin pains, what were "real contractions" going to be like ?!).

DS2, waters broke at 3am on my due date, was checked over at 8am and sent home as nothing was happening. Started getting a few twinges about lunchtime so put on the TENS machine and took DS1 to softplay (DH luckily came too). My friend noticed I was fiddling a lot with the TENS so we timed some contractions as being about 4-5 minutes apart. We decided to make a move at that point. Took DS1 to the in-laws and hot footed it to hospital where I had 3 contractions on the way from the car to the delivery suite. DS2 was born within 5 minutes of being there and I had no pain relief other than the TENS which was hanging off!

I do count myself very lucky and still can't quite beleive how quickly DS2 came!

Really don't worry Liznay, I am honestly the biggest ever coward and I got through it. Mobile epidural helped.. this time round I have booked a doula and going to try homebirth.

The funny thing is, I worried so much about the birth itself, and didn't really prepare psychologically for the actual looking after the baby part, as I assumed it would be so natural. Those first few rollercoaster months of little sleep etc. In retrospect that was all much harder than the birth itself, just the new life of motherhood and the anxiety that the baby is ok every time it makes the slightest grunt!

2 good births here
DS - 4 weeks early. Waters broke at 3am, into hospital and sat about for ages, until contractions started properly about 4/5 pm, onto labour ward about 8pm, managed fine apart from 10mins in transition, at which point I told the midwife not to leave or I'd die
Gas & air,yoga breathing and mooing like a cow all helped a LOT - ds was born just after midnight.

DD - sudden bleed at 6.15ish & into 5 min apart contraction. Into hospital and sat/wandered on general ward chatting to dh until a passing midwife noticed me looking rather bulgy-eyed during a contraction & asked if I wanted to push. I realised I did, & was pushed through the corridors with midwife shouting 'pant, pant, oh, & we need to get your pants off!' dd was bron about 10 mins later - I realised after the birth that I'd forgotten to ask for any pain relief. Felt totally in control and utterly in-body thoughout - would do it again tomorrow if it wasn't for the fact I don't want another baby!

Neither of them were half as bad as it looks on casualty

As a first timer due to give birth in seven weeks, I've found all of these stories helpful, inspiring and confidence-building.

It's a shame that mothers feel a need to stay schtum after having a straightforward labour and birth, as I feel that for 32 weeks all I've heard is horror stories.

I know my labour could also be very difficult, and am fairly prepared for that, but would rather go into it feeling positive and confident, than scared because I know every detail of the worst that could happen.

Anyway, thanks all - I'll be keeping a watch on this thread!

dd1-Born in 4 hours 30 after dilating to 5 cm without a twinge.

dd2-By the time i had a bath,made myself tea and toast and called dp dd2 was born on bathroom floor and caught by dp.
Approx 50 mins from 1st twinge

yes but haven't time to post - will see if i can tomorrow

and it was an alleged 'high risk' birth in hospital

was posting on MN 5h before

ds2 - woke just after 5 am with backache. By 5.30 when I'd just filled the bath hoping that the warmth might help my back, I had the first (huge) contraction so never did actually get into it. At which point (remember I had already done this once before) I was having this mental conversation with myself thinking "Ahh I want some pain relief ? NOW!" and telling myself "Don't be such a wimp - this is only the first contraction". Next thing I knew I could feel the head crowning and yelling for dh to wake up!

So he dashed off to call 999 as there wasn't time to get to the hospital and ds2 arrived after just 1 push at 6:10 with only 2 ambulance crews and dh in attendance. No pain relief, and only one real contraction!

great experiences both times

posted experiences on this thread lots of great stories on there as well.

I had only heard horror stories about days of painfull labour and war wounds during birth. I was totaly terified!
I had really bad sickness and the runs for 2 days,around my due date. But wasn't engaged. The next morning my waters broke at 2am, and didn't realise until 5am, when I saw a bit of blood. I was getting slight backache and mild period pain every 2 1/2 minutes. Got to hospital at 9am, and they said I was 4 cm. The contrations were getting more regular and more toe curling. As soon as I got into the birth room,10 minutes later, I said I wanted to push. Didn't have time to ask for pain relief, so tied gas and air. Could't get it to work, so just chewed on the pipe, but it got in the way,so didn't bother. Gave birth at 1:35 pm without any stiches or pain relief. He was only 7lb 8, so nice size. Loved every minute of it, and the pain wasn't as bad as people say?
I was also worried about resuming sex afterwards. We were at it like rabbits again after 3 weeks ( when I stopped bleeding)and can't wait to have another baby - lets hope I'm lucky nxt time !?