Natural Birth? You can do it!

[boogs]

My sisters' due in two days and it's got me thinking about my labour with dd. OK I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet here, I just want to pass on some info and knowledge I think all women should be aware of. Talking to friends/family who've had babies, it seems that alot of them get caught up in all the 'labour aid' possibilities. There's so much these days that can help us in labour, epidurals, gas'n'air, pethidine, etc, etc, that it's almost seen as inevitable to 'take' something during labour.
After having dd, and relaying my birth story I found that people were almost suprised that I didn't take any drugs, in any form, like 'how did she do it?' During the first stage I was at home, on a lovely shagpile rug on the floor, propped up against the bed. Dh gave me honey and hot water to keep me going cause I was there for a few hours. Each time a contraction came I got up on my knees and leant forward on the bed and got my lower back rubbed by dh. i was like this for hours, and I was really comfortable, and the pain was only bad when the contractions peaked. But when they died down, it was almost pleasurable. When I got to the hospital I was 9cm, and two hours later she was born. I was only pushing for 25 minutes. The crowning was really painful, like fire, but I didn't tear thank god!
I've heard so many scare stories about women who've had an epidural early on, which has lead to other forms of 'painkillers' and ended up having c/s, because they were so drugged up and numbed that they had no strength to finish.
My point is that a natural birth is attainable for any woman, even if you have a low pain threshold. Labour is painful no matter what, and I reckon it's better to feel the pain and control it than to have some drugs control it for you.
'New Active Birth' by Janet Balaskas is a brilliant book that helped me achieve childbirth without intervention and drugs which sometimes make things harder than they have to be.
It makes me feel sad that so many women opt for ceasarians without even trying to do it naturally which is better for mother and child. I'm not putting anyone down for any intervention they decide to take on, of course it's each woman's choice but I think more women should have faith and confidence in their natural ability to give birth.
Raspberry leaf tea, perenial massage, yoga, deep breathing, back massage, upright positions (instead of lying back on the bed in a pasive position) are all natural ways of controlling the pain of labour.
I hope this doesn't sound like a lecture, but I know I've given my sister confidence to try it naturally, and wanted to give anyone who's in doubt or scared some encouragement and advice.
Good luck to everyone who's expecting, and just trust in yourself!

Um, a natural birth is NOT attainable for "any woman". A 10lb Star Gazer baby with a 37cm head is * difficult, believe me! So I needed gas and air - so what?

I'm pleased that you had such a wonderful birth experience but it is simply not possibly for all women. A natural birth is no better than a clinical, assisted one.

I agree SoupDragon, although natural may have been my 'ideal' there was no way my 9lb, 38cm head ds was going to come out naturally and I tried pushing for 2.5 hours before the kind obstetrician helped me out with a rubber cup and a pair of scissors. I don't feel like I failed because of this, I think the outcome might have been unthinkable without some help.

boogs, thanks for relating your experience, I hope it does help some people push for the natural birth they want. I do feel though there is an awful lot of pressure on people to have the perfect birth and the failure to do so makes people feel guilty and depressed. I count myself lucky with the birth of my DS, I used gas and air, I was in the "natural birthing room" (euphemism for dodgy patterned blankets and lights on a dimmer switch, did I care at that stage ) and progressed from 3 cm to delivery in 9 hours without screaming for an epidural, but am well aware that so many things could have interfered with this. I'm pregnant again and would hope for a similar (easier??) birth, but if I require more intervention this time, I hope I don't feel too guilty about it.
Agree with soupdragon, it's nice if it happens, but not always possible.

Well boogs, I can't see your little homily going down terribly well here, for the reasons mentioned by Soupdragon and keepingmum. Not everyone can do it (or wants to, quite frankly!) so please don't assume they can.

I didn't mean to offend, Soupdragon, as I said I'm not putting anyone down. Sorry if it came across like that! Yes it's difficult, and intervention is neccessary in some situations but not all. I just think women should be more aware of how to do it naturally, without 'help', instead of immediately deciding to have a c/s or epidural when there's no need.

I understand your sentiments but you did say that a natural birth is attainable for "any woman" which simply isn't true.

Well done, but every single written and oral tradition perpetrated by women does say that childbirth is incredibly painful, and it's more than a 'small minority' of mothers and/or babies which - still - die in circs where no assistance is possible. That fear is well-grounded.

Thanks for the support, beetroot! WWW (I understand the name now!) I'm not assuming everyone wants to do it naturally, it's a personal choice, but if you want to and have confidence in yourself to do it, then why not? Big heads are not impossibel to push out.
This post was intended to give encouragement to those who decided they want a natural birth, not to slate those who don't or didn't.
Apologies to those who feel offended, but it wasn't my intention!

Ok it's attainable for MOST wmoen.

My friend has a heart-shaped pelvis and will never be able to give birth naturally! So it's not really attainable for everyone. Agree with everyone here.

I had diamorphine that had worn off by the time I started pushing. I was not given any gas and air to push with either! So gave birth with no painkiller. I tore quite horrifically!!!! So I don't think pain relief played any part in my tearing. I just pushed too hard to get wee monster out!

It's wonderful that you managed it, but everyone has different body shapes, different sized babies, lying in different positions!

Why cause yourself anymore pain that you really have to?

I wasn't offended by your post Boogs, but I still don't think I would have ever got my ds out without some help. I hadn't had an epidural so could feel every contraction, I was absolutely determined to get him out myself, I think I was quite fit and wasn't exhausted by pushing for 2.5 hours, but his head was big and he was in a funny position. I had a great midwife who was very supportive, we tried all sorts of different positions, but I don't think he would have come as his (v. big) head was rammed into my pelvis and had to be rotated with the ventouse to get him out. I will try again this time, but the scans showed another big head so I think I might require help again. I used to look at some of the 6lb babies on the ward and think I probably could have managed if he was smaller but no birth is 'easy'.

I know we are all diferent shapes and babies are different sizes, and I am not saying everyone should or wants to have a natural birth. It's not about causing any pain to yourself, but bearing it. And using our natural defenses to do it.
Some of these responses have really surprised me, by their negativity. I 'm afraid this discussion has had the opposite effect to what I wanted.
Does anyone want a natural birth?

boogs we all want a natural childbirth. But we're not naive enough to think it'll happen through breathing or raspberry leaf tea.

Its purely the luck of the draw. You were lucky. Be grateful, but don't doubt the validity of the more difficult childbirths than your own.

Agree with Lil. I think everyone here is just being realistic. No offense taken Boogs.

I wanted a natural birth the first time and was determined I would have it - part of my reasoning being that I am strongly advised not to have epidurals due to a back problem so was sure I could do it.
Well, after 24 hours of labour I was 2cm dilated as my dd was OP and would not turn despite hours on the floor on the birthing ball trying to get her to do so. My waters didn't break and I was in agony. I had some diamorphine which helped me to sleep a little, then back to it! When dd was finally born (after 37 hours, almost all of them upright) she was also, like Soupdragons, a nearly 10lb stargazer, and she had to be 'sucked' into the world by ventouse.
I totally did not want it that way. I was having no pain releif, no interventions and no doctors involved (except dh lol). I did a lot of the things you suggest in order to have it that way but it just didn't work out that way for me, that time.
With ds it was different, I had a little gas and air but that was all and he was born easily (partly because he was 'only' 9lb3!).
But people have different pain threholds and different labours. I think you were very very lucky to have such an 'easy' time of it with your first, and hope you can do it again with your next baby.

Keepingmum, apologies to you too. I wish you all the best for next time, with or without intervention. I know no birth is easy, mine included, and I hope someone, even one person can gain something positive from what I said.

From the responses, I realise I must have offended quite a few people, so I have to repeat that I wasn't slating anyone for having intervention, or for deciding that they want it for the future. Please don't get me wrong. We have choices now, that our foremothers didn't have, and paid the consequences. Among those choices is to not accept intervention from hospital staff or drugs.

I want to extend a HUGE SORRY! to everyone who I did offend. This experience has certainly humbled me alot, and I guess I'll just keep my big mouth shut from now on! NOT!

That last bit sounded a bit wrong.
I just mean, I won't be silenced by the backlash! I take on all the points you've made, and they are all valid because they are real.

Clearly a natrual birth is not attainable for all women. However, it is generally accepted that to choose various interventions, eg. induction, epidural, continuous fetal monitoring puts one on a slippery slope to other interventions and ultimately often more pain.

I'm sure, for example, if more women read some of the research done on inductions and epidurals they would be fighting against having them rather than opting for them.

That's exactly what I mean Judetheobscure. I'm sure MOST women who opt for interventions don't look into the history, and are therefore not making an informed decision.

I'm not even too sure about the statement "we all want a natural childbirth".
What I think we all want is a birth where at the end of it we are fine, and the baby is healthy. Some women will never be able to achieve that naturally because of size of baby, position, physiognomy, etc. Some women know that they will be mentally more able to cope if they have pain relieving options available to them, whether they choose to use them or not. Boogs, you were lucky enough to have a combination of factors (one of which being your stamina/ability to cope with pain) that meant you had a relatively easy first labour that you could manage naturally. Well done and all that, but it doesn't make you a better person than someone who didn't manage it, and it doesn't put you in a position to lecture others on what they should want/need/do. Rather an immature attitude - "well I can do it so why shouldn't everyone else".
FYI I have no particular axe to grind, am about to have my third which I'd like to do at home in a birthing pool, but if I need gas and air I shall have it, if I change my mind and have it in hospital to enable me to have an epidural I shall do so and it won't cross my mind for one second that I will have in any way have failed or had a less than optimal result if at the end of it I have a healthy baby and feel happy and that I made the choices I had to make.

PS saying that most women don't look into risks of interventions is also insulting - on what basis do you say so? And panning inductions as unnecessary equally ignorant. My second was induced after going well past term. He was very big and I felt that the risks of allowing him to become bigger and with a harder skull were not worth it. My instincts were right, as it turned out he had a congenital abnormality which, amongst other things, leads to abnormally long gestation (and all the risks of placental insufficiency etc that brings). He would never have come out without induction.
This website is for discussion and support, not for first time mothers with no experience of birthing difficulties or problems to play holier than thou.

OK Wiltshire, point taken. However, I didn't say I was a better person than anyone else, nor do I feel that I have the right to lecture anyone on how to give birth. Rather than 'I can do it why shouldn't everyone else', it was more, intended to be a piece or positive reality.
Thanks for the feedback. I wish you luck for your third!

It's not like me, but I'm gonna stick up for Boogs a little bit here!!

She obviously felt that sharing her story was a way of showing people that may not normally have opted for a natural birth coz they just assume they will NEVER be able to do it without drugs. I think she was just trying to give a little encouragement for mums-to-be to at least, if you are physically able to, to consider a totally natural birth. You may surprise yourself!

But obviously it came across at first as a bit of a smug attitude.

Boogs, you meant well, and I think everyone here knows it, you've just arose a lot of defence mechanisms in people who feel they had no choice and did the best they could for their baby and themselves.