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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

is childbirth without pain relief possible?

120 replies

steff1stbabysep06 · 21/06/2006 10:40

hi i live in spain and they dont provide pain relief in hospitals here, not even gas and air.this is my first baby and im so worried im not going to be able to cope....i mean obviously women have to do it but am i going to feel like im ready to die??? help!!

OP posts:
sansouci · 21/06/2006 22:24

actually, who cares? as long as baby & mum are healthy... what is this righteous, holier-than-thou deal on childbirth? get over it!

JennT · 21/06/2006 22:25

I had a home birth for my first daughter 5 months ago. I took raspberry leaf tablets from 36 weeks (much stronger than tea), did perineal massage from 34 weeks and ordered a TENS machine. I did loads of walking on the day I went into labour and did everything that Pooka did (without realising I was doing it)

I had a bath towards the end (plugging the overflow with blutack to get water over belly) and had an 8 hour labour upright and walking with only the TENS and gas and air. The TENS felt like somebody rubbing my back VIGOUROUSLY (make sure it is wired up properly) and the gas made me FLY. I had no cuts or tears and yes ENJOYED my labour.

I was constantly asking if it was too late for pethidine though just to check. I didn't really want it but it WAS there if I needed it.

hunkermunker · 21/06/2006 22:25

Sansouci, where has anyone been self-righteous or holier-than-thou?

sansouci · 21/06/2006 22:26

no, sorry, not you guys! just generally. I should retire to my boudoir as am getting stroppy due to battle fatigue. ciao.

morocco · 21/06/2006 22:31

bit harsh sansouci - I can understand exactly how steff feels (been there steff!) - it's all very well turning down pain relief out of choice but if you're worried because you feel there's non on offer (as steff is) then where's the problem in letting her know that other people have managed fine without???

morocco · 21/06/2006 22:32

sorry sansouci!! now it sounds like I'm picking on you

hunkermunker · 21/06/2006 22:32

Fair enough, Sansouci - read your post wrong, I think.

fattiemumma · 21/06/2006 22:33

when i had my son i had an epidural. the labour lasted 75 hours i had to have an episiotomy and he ended u in special babies as he was in such distress.
it was a horredous birth and it really oput me off having more children.

wheni fell opregnant with DD 4 years later i wanted to try it without pain relief. for noself rightous or holier than thou reason other than i though that the epidurla had prolonged the labour and caused both me and Ds a lot of trauma that may have been avoided.

anyway, when labour finally arrived i was screaming from the rooftops to GIVE ME A BLOODY EPIDURAL:!!.
unfortunatly within 20 minutes DD was already there...and i had nothing. not so much as an aspirin.

I can honestly say i thought my lady bits were going to explode BUT i actually felt everything...i remember everythign and i was aware of everything that was happening to both me and my baby.
If i am ever to have another chidl there is no way i would ever have pain relief...apart form the fact that i feel very proud of myself for doing it au natrel, it made the whole experiance a much less stressfull one for both myself and my child.

And i really am not at all brave, nor am i one of these hippie mums who want the birth to have flowers and whale music.

thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat · 21/06/2006 22:40

similar here fm. dd1 - horrid hospital, unsympathetic midwives, epidural, wore off, stage 2 terrifying, etc. dd2 - at home just me and dh (midwife didn;t make it in time) I went all primal - moving round the room, doing what i needed to without anyone telling me what was right/wrong/hospital protocol. yes it hurt but I was in control

Tortington · 21/06/2006 23:36

i was climbing mount everest when i gave birth to the twins - and i had my 3 year old son with me too.

i managed singlehandedly to secure ds1 in a baby harness on my back whilst making a snow shelter in the early stages of labour.

it was force 10 outside and my rations were low. i had frost bite on my vagina and was down to my last match to light the fire.

i managed to give birth without screaming or moaning becuase of fear of avalanche. i then latched both babies onto a breast each and secured them in place with papoose style wraps of skin fur.

fried the placenta for my journey ahead. then warmed up my vag on fire before pulling up my underware and continuing on as normal. i climbed and conquored the west facing wall of mount everest carrying three babies.

hunkermunker · 21/06/2006 23:37

You had fur for the papoose and a frostbitten vagina?

Luxury.

In my day, we dreamed of...no, hang on, this is going to get pervy if I continue (dreaming of frostbitten fanjos not a good thing to post, I don't think!).

channelislandmum · 22/06/2006 06:28

You poor thing. Get back to the UK quick and do a hypno-birthing course - that will see you through. I managed it with a 20 hour labout, but unfort had to have a CS - its not "hippy" stuff as my husband initially thought, it worked for me and countless others here in Jersey (yes even a small Island only 9 miles by 5). Good Luck!

Blandmum · 22/06/2006 06:41

Custy , you had a frost bitten fanny? I alawys knew that you could be a hard cnut on times

mummyhill · 22/06/2006 08:21

I had everything going with my DD and ended up in labour for 24hrs. With DS I had no pain relief at all except the bathtub, he was nearly born in the lift between the ward and the delivery suite, they just about remembered there was such a thing as gas and air after his head was out. I coped much beter with the second birth and my recovery time was quicker as well.

You can do it without if you need to but even a low dose epidural is better than nothing.

Find out as much as you can and start learning spanish as it will help if you can understand what the med staff are telling you.

Xavielli · 22/06/2006 08:50

Hey, I could easily been in the room next to DC!!!
I shout in labour, it is my chosen form of pain relief! I had nothing else either time, and the only part I really screamed for was transition.

Just because it doesn't seem dignified doesn't mean it isnt natural or the right thing to do for some people.

Xavielli · 22/06/2006 08:55

P.S I'm not a hippy, the only reason I didn't have pain relief is because I have a real phobia of puking.... So... How much of a wimp am I? lol

SleepyJess · 22/06/2006 08:56

In answer to original post.. Yes, if you are a macochist

QueenBeety · 22/06/2006 08:57

not read rest of thread but

the answer is yes.

I had all four of mine without pain relief. The biggest was 9 12 and was the easiest.

QueenBeety · 22/06/2006 08:58

and not if you are a masochist really. There are all sorts of reasons why you might want to try to aim for this.

SleepyJess · 22/06/2006 09:00

Yes I did cringe a little that your answer came straight after mine! I am just a wimp. I don't like pain.. and childbirth hurts! (And the pain was NOT in my head, nor was it pleasure misinterpreted )

ernest · 22/06/2006 09:15

listen, you'll be fine. It's not easy giving birth 'at home', never mind in a foreign country with limited language . Maybe it's better that this is your first, so you won't be comparing. fwiw I also gave birth abroad, and also got no pain relief of any kind, but survived and you will too. It'll be ok. Try not to panic - eisier said than done, I know. Millions of Spanish women give birth every year and live to tell the tale

milward · 22/06/2006 09:18

you wimp custardo!!

whiffy · 22/06/2006 09:53

Well, custardo I dreamt of having a fire.

Steff, you should try really hard to chill about all of this. Yes, some women can enjoy birth naturally without pain relief and recover quickly, and many others will find pain relief a really good way of refocusing and getting through everything. But if you have no choice about the matter you should try your best to empower yourself any way you can.

I would suggest you think about the following:-

  • reading up as much as you can so you will understand what is happening
  • talk in huge detail with DH about what might happen and give him a whole list of instructions (eg Do/Dont let them stitch me, do/don't let them do XYZ) and insist he learns it all - you will struggle at the time to get your wishes across even if you were giving birth in English hospital
  • think about hypnotherapy preparation and definately do yoga - get a DVD if you can;t get to classes.
  • try to remember that you will get through it regardless.

FWIW I planned water birth and the whole caboodle but after 48 hours I ended up in stirrups and had no pain relief despite screaming from the rooftops for an epidural (contractions were too strong for aneathetist to get a line in because I had been given too much oxytocin). My husband was a soldier in a past life and he said afterwards that my birth was one of the most violent things he ever saw. BUT BUT BUT it was only quite bad for an hour or two, and really really bad for about 30 minutes, and I did get through it without pain relief and even if it is all not exactly forgotten about instantly, at least it feels worthwhile at the other end of it all. It is something to prepare for and be apprehensive about, but not something to be scared of. I went through the lot despite all my plans and preparations but I really do mean it, hand on heart, when I say it isn't something to be scared of. And some bits are actually quite funny (seriously).

bundle · 22/06/2006 10:01

why would anyone want to?
(oops just seen, spanish not keen. i'd come back to the uk personally..)

hunkermunker · 22/06/2006 10:59

I'll tell you why I wanted to.

I'm allergic to plaster - very allergic, so an epidural would've given me a crusty blistered back (I have a scar from one plaster on my leg where the skin pulled off with the plaster - it is a truly vile reaction).

Gas and air made me retch the first time I tried it with DS1 (although while having stitches with DS2, I did inhale deeply and it worked well - I just didn't want to be bothered with it in labour in case it made me vomit).

I've had very bad reactions to morphine-based drugs in the past - low blood pressure, violent shivering, vomiting, clamminess, near-fainting, the works.

Childbirth was a walk in the park compared to periods I've had though, so I guess I knew I could manage it.

And like I say, I didn't rule out having pain relief. I just knew that the side effects would probably outweigh the benefits.