Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

Giving Birth

276 replies

Lumpy · 14/05/2001 18:29

I am due my baby 2 weeks on saturday and have started to feel a bit nervous about labour (as Im a bit of a wimp when it comes to pain) - does anyone have any advice re pain relief/best positions for childbirth - I was ok until I started reading the baby books - agghhh...HELP.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Star · 11/06/2001 20:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Star · 11/06/2001 20:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Justiner · 12/06/2001 09:06

Emmagee,
Many congrats from mumsnet team. What a fab name - it's never crossed my radar before. Good luck and take care,
Justine

Marina · 12/06/2001 09:37

Congratulations Emmagee and little Rafferty. Nice name, hope you're all doing well.

Lil · 12/06/2001 10:39

Emmagee, that's brilliant, hope you're finding time to sleep! and Rafferty what a cool name, it sounds like he'll be a real ladies man! - what does it mean?

Emmagee · 12/06/2001 10:46

Thanks for all of your messages, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the response - partly that day-three, milk coming in, weepiness!!
He was 8lb2oz. I don't know where I came across the name but we couldn't get it out of our heads.

I may be off-line for a while so I'll 'see' you all soon.

Janh · 06/07/2001 14:12

emmagee, i spotted your (belated) birth announcement in the guardian...had to come back here to check the date though. i thought there couldn't be too many raffertys, with a mum called emma, born in june!
belated congratulations anyway - and he is nearly a month old already!!!

Ali72 · 19/07/2001 11:45

What music did everyone listen to during labour? We want to make a compilation CD for the happy event, and having learned that babies remember music heard in the womb it might be nice to play some tunes to it now that it will recognise when it's born. I expect there comes a point in labour when you don't care what music is on, but up until then what sort of thing do you recommend?
(it can't all be radiohead - too slow and solemn!)

Joe · 19/07/2001 12:48

I listened to a nice CD with sea sounds in the background, just very relaxing nice background music, in fact I used these through my pregnancy, when I went to sleep etc to relax me.

Willow2 · 20/07/2001 18:22

I love my music and have been known to frequent Tower Records at midnight because I have just heard something I have to get my hands on. No surprise that I took a bundle of my favourite CD's in to hospital with me..... and I have to say that I couldn't stand to listen to any of them. Not one of them had the right beat and they just proceeded to drive me nuts. Sorry to be so little help... but I'd aim for calm rather than cool and definitely not the 1812 overture.

Eulalia · 20/07/2001 18:40

Our son was born to Miles Davis, "Sketches of Spain" - very relaxing. The music that is of course, not the birth!

Julieg · 22/07/2001 17:31

I went through 3 enya cds and they were great- but then as I had an early epidural and a piss easy birth maybe I'm not the person to ask!

Emmagee · 22/07/2001 20:51

Janh - I don't know anyone who actually reads them - we always do it to have something to stick in the album! Now you know my real name.... It was rather belated, but that is indicative of life with two children as I am discovering! He's now six weeks old and enormous, never really stops feeding but is happy and a joy to be with, his sister seems to be settling down too, anyhow must go, that small voice is squeaking for milk AGAIN!

Marina · 23/07/2001 08:50

Ali72, I really hate to sound a note of caution, but have you checked with where you are having the baby that you can have music played (or are you having a home birth, lucky things). I read a lush description, I think in a well-meaning NCT guide, about asking to have music played even if you are having an elective c-section, which I knew I'd be having.
Not all hospitals or surgeons live up to this. If a natural birth had been possible, our otherwise very right-on midwife team told us not to bring any electrical goods in, as they would have to be checked by the never-available hospital electricians' department: and even if they did get checked, they would probably also get pinched.
I wasn't asked if I'd like music played in the theatre and the only sounds that accompanied my son being born were the cheers that went up from the theatre team. Five electives that morning, five boys: the surgeon lost his bet and had to buy the whole lot lunch.
But play music to your unborn baby anyway, even if he/she doesn't hear it at birth you will both love the tunes you shared long afterwards. Sing to him/her if you can: I sang in a choir up until week 38 and he adores my singing hymns and bits from mass settings etc. He also loves the theme tune from Neighbours, but that's another story. Apparently babies in the womb enjoy anything not too loud with a mid-tempo beat, which is why Mozart and baroque music such as Bach is recommended and Dr Dre is not.

Ems · 23/07/2001 11:25

There was a tape recorder in both theatres I was in, for both my emergency and elective caesareans.

The last lot were most relieved that I had music, as they had had the same Christmas carol tape going on for days (Mid December!)

So if you're keen on music, just check whether or not they have a tape recorder.

Janh · 23/07/2001 19:08

emmagee, it's ok, i have recycled the paper and forgotten the name!!!

Pupuce · 02/08/2001 20:48

Did anyone watch last night C4 programme - the Real Birth show - ? It was on home birth which I am planning to have any day now (baby due this Monday!)... but it made me panic that I wouldn't be able to cope with the pain. This is my second labour - first one was hell - posterior baby, 24 hours labour, ended in hospital (started at home in pool).... and I can't remember how painful but I do remember saying it was HELL!...
Anyone has any suggestion on how to cope with the fear of the pain ??? I am sure that's a dumb question !

Thanks

Joe · 03/08/2001 07:32

Pupuce - I watched it with interest. Liked Zoes reason for her cs. I would like a home birth when we decide to have our second child but my husband is not too keen incase something goes wrong and they cant get me to hospital in time.
The pain mmm, well the only thing I think you can say is that everyone who has had more than one child says no two births are the same. If you can, try looking at this as if you havnt done it before (easier said than done I know), I think thats the only thing I would do. When I had my son my contractions started 6am ish on the Friday and is wasnt born until 3.10pm on the saturday, quite a time, but all in all wasnt that bad (if you can say that), so I class myself as lucky. Im going to have to try and think the next will probably be the same otherwise I will convince myself that I am bound to have a bad one sometime.
Good luck and let us know how everything goes.

Sml · 03/08/2001 12:33

Pupuce, Someone I know had a horrendous experience the first time that left her not wanting more babies. Well, the second time she breezed through really easily. Myself I found the second one far easier because I knew what to expect and was completely psyched up for it.

Tigermoth · 03/08/2001 15:39

Pupace, my second birth was easier than my first, even though the baby was about 20 oz bigger. Just before I went into labour the second time around, I happened to read a chapter on the birth process in Penelope Leech's book, 'Baby and Child'. I'm not a great reader of baby books, but I was very moved by her insightful description of the baby's journey as as it leaves the safety of the womb. When I had contractions, I kept thinking of this, and by focussing on my baby, rather than on my pain, I found the whole process much easier and my breathing was naturally 'correct'. If you can get a copy of her book, it's definitely worth a read.

Good Luck!

Bexi · 03/08/2001 20:35

Pupuce - have you made any arrangements for pain relief? I don't know much about home births but in hospital I used a TENS machine from quite early on in labour and I thought it was really effective. Apparently they work better the earlier you use them. It was going really well until about 12 hrs later all the pad-things that were stuck on my back had rearranged themselves so one of the midwives took it off to put them back on properly and it just didn't have the same effect. Up until that point though it was marvellous.

Pupuce · 03/08/2001 22:26

Thanks for your support.
I have taken a Rescue Remedy (homeopathy) and I actually already feel less "panicky". I have acenite and camomillium for the birth (first is for anxiety, the 2nd is for pain relief). I have a birth pool and hopefully that should help... my midwife keeps telling me to take 2 paracetamols as it will take the edge off early labour.
Do you have any experience of this ?

Kmg · 04/08/2001 04:28

Pupuce - I watched the programme with interest - thought Zoe Ball was grimmacing much of the time! Why are home births, and particularly water births, perceived as "weird". I had both my boys in water, and it just seeemed the most natural and normal thing to do. In many ways I am not at all an "alternative" person, but when I tell people of my waterbirths they kind of instantly switch me into another category in their minds - it's hilarious.

Hope your labour goes well - I found things much quicker second time around. The only hard time was persuading the midwives to let me in the pool (in hospital), once I was in it was bliss. I'm sure it will be the same for you if you've chosen water, I'm sure you'll find it very relaxing.

I think the paracetamol thing is that if things start of slowly in the night, but getting a bit painful, if you take paracetamol that might allow you to get back to sleep, which would be a good thing. If you still can't sleep for the pain, then that proably means things are getting serious and you need to start filling your pool!

Good Luck!

Puffin · 05/08/2001 07:30

I had my second baby at home and although she was posterior she was delivered safely after a ten hour labour.It was hard but the homeopathic pain relief really helped me,start taking it asap,also arnica is good.( I had a birth kit with all the suitable remedies in which you can get from Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy )Aswell as this I had gas and air which was great and I lay in the bath for a long time which was very relaxing. In the end she was born in the bathroom, with me squatting over the loo.I had two midwives and a brilliant student aswell as my husband, so it was a bit crowded! You say your due date is Monday so you may even have had your baby by now, hope it all goes well if not. ps,don't forget stock up on easy food to eat for you and your midwives especially chocolate biscuits and choc. One of my last and most painful contractions was in the bath and helped by an enormous piece of Dairy Milk which I had just stuffed into my mouth. Just a personal thing..

Pupuce · 05/08/2001 14:57

Thanks Puffin,
Still no baby.
Last time with the posterior labour I refused top eat (to the discontent of the midwives - they were right of course!). I hope I won't be that stuborn this time.
I have stock up on homeopathic remedies thanks to Helios (who is based in my town... very convenient!)... so I have arnica, camomillium - which I was told to ALWAYS have in my mouth - , caullophillium, pulsatilla and aconite + rescue remedy = I hope that does the trick.
The baby has turned and is posterior again... I hope it turns again still. I am sitting up straight, sleeping on my left side, etc.... I just get very worried of a second posterior labour !