Has anyone had a completely natural birth?

[stepmummamumma]

Hi all 👋

I am half way through my first pregnancy and have been looking at my options for childbirth. I feel very strongly about induction, sweeps etc and plan to refuse any interventions. I preferably would like to do it drug free but perhaps gas and air to take the edge off.

I do know that as I haven't experienced child birth before that I haven't felt pain like it before and that might change my mind, but I would like to have as natural as possible plan, assuming things are healthy.

I would love to hear some stories from women who have managed this to help me feel like it is possible.

Thank you so so much

You really don't want PND? you're looking to avoid It? Christ OP.
No one wants that either.

I agree with apples about the pressure. I found after my 1st section I very much felt like I hadn't done it right but it was obviously right for me at the time. 2nd time around felt much more relaxed about it all as I had no real expectations.
I hope you do get the birth you want OP but if you do don't loudly be proud, do it quietly. Also be careful who you go on about the virtues of natural birth to in real life, birth is a very emotive topic and I have never forgiven the person who 2 days post partum said "shame you couldn't do it naturally, it's much better"
Good luck.

17.5 hours in labour with a bath then gas and air. Final 30 mins spinal block, episioptomy, forcep delivery PPH - was certainly not what I wanted. Obstructed labour. Traumatic in the end certainly felt I'd failed somehow. Reduced milk supply early on. Lots of anxiety postnatal.

No problem asking for epidural this time.

An induction doesn't always mean a medicated birth experience.

I was induced with my second - one pessary and 6 hours later in active labour on labour ward.

No internals and baby arrived within 3 hours of being on labour ward with some gas and air.

Some may not class it as a 'natural' labour but compared to my first it was natural

The main thing is to go in with an open mind and trust those there to support you.

OP I mean this simply to offer another perspective and mean no disrespect. But I have a dear friend who had similar reasons to you and developed horrendous PND because she felt she had failed by having to have 'unnatural' help after 3+ days in labour. What you want and what you get may be different in the day and it wont be your fault if that happens.

The other thing to remember is that every labour is different. I delivered all of mine in different positions because what had felt comfortable with no1 was excruciating with no 2 etc.

My first two I had no break at all between contractions, they just came one on top of the other. My third I had breaks between them but the contractions were still irregular in length and intensity.

First baby labour started with waters breaking, second they had to break them as they were stopping him coming out-he came within seconds once they did that. Third was born in the sac.

Third they suggested I try a natural third stage but I just couldn’t cope with the continuing discomfort whilst giving my newborn skin to skin so asked for the injection.

I’m expecting number 4 and have a completely open mind over how labour will go as each one one of mine so far has been so different to the others.

Pethidine for one and natural for the further 2, all went well tbh.

Yeah. DD2 was born when I was alone in the house with a 2 year old after a 20 minute labour. The paramedics arrived about 2 minutes after she did. I had no pain relief and no medical assistance. I wouldn’t recommend it to be honest.

I really wanted an all natural birth, but I did end up having gas & air and then pethidine (which tbh didn't change the pain for me anyway.) Looking back I wish I hadn't taken the pethidine, I'd have been fine without but I guess I have a low pain tolerance. My mum gave birth to her last two children completely naturally with no drugs (not even gas & air), so it's definitely more than possible! And also no interventions even though my little sister came back to back.

I had my son without any pain relief, I didn’t even have gas and air. Half an hour later I was eating fish and chips! I was home by teatime.

DS1 no pain relief at all, DS2 waters were broken by midwife but again quick birth and no drugs, DD same as DS1. I loved giving birth but hated being pregnant

2 natural births here OP, with no pain relief. It's not the pain that medical staff will want to intervene with, its if your baby can not breathe or is likely to suffer life limiting disability as a result of complications in labour. So recommend a drug free birth in a hospital so that baby can be pulled/cut/dragged out and resuscitated if necessary.

I found childbirth very 'tiger woman' and 'empowering' and all that shizz, because I pushed a human being out of my vagina, but I'm glad I was in a hospital so that I could take advantage of the lifesaving (free at point of need) 21st century medical intervention if it had been required

Good luck with your pregnancy and (warrior woman emoticon or similar) for the birth.

I had a natural birth with DS2. We got to the hospital at 1am and they sent us home. One hour later my waters broke and I knew we needed to be at the hospital. By the time we got there I was in a lot of pain but was too far on to have any pain relief

I should add I was home by 9am drinking tea and midwifes popping into my room said I didn't look like i had just given birth

Yes, I had a completely natural birth except for a small episiotomy which was neatly stitched and no problem.

There were drugs on hand had I needed them but it all went well without.

I do realise how fortunate I was, nothing special about me, it's just the way things worked out.

I did it no pain relief. Really wish I had. An epidural would have been nice when they got the forceps out.

DS was a totally natural birth. I was 9 days overdue and went in to spontaneous labour, no sweeps etc. Then progressed at home and he was born a few hrs later in hospital with no drugs/gas and air. Like a pp said I was lucky that it was a quick birth and it certainly was painful but manageable.

Didn't get away Scot free though - after he was born I then had an epidural as I had a third deg tear and had to go to surgery to have it repaired.

Just go with the flow though. Like you I wanted a natural birth and was lucky that it went in my favour but when it came to it I would have done whatever they told me to if it meant helping my baby.

Should have mentioned but I did hypnobirthing which I think helped immensely and basically made me able to have a natural birth.

In the nicest possible way OP you are setting yourself to feel bad about the birth you experience by being so rigid. By all means have a plan but don't feel like you have to stick rigidly too it. Baby won't have read the plan!

My first 2 were heavily medicated. 3rd though was completely natural and felt amazing. I did it, all me! After I felt great. I did hypnobirthing. Go for it but be aware first birth might not go to plan. Good luck x

Yes.
One hospital birth, zero drugs.
Then 3 homebirths, zero drugs.

Water really helped and focusing on breathing.

All wonderful experiences. I wish I could do it again!

Just remember, nobody will give you a medal for a 'natural' birth and afterwards no-one will care. Be flexible in your plans and don't be too hard on yourself. Good luck!

Yes @nuffaluff me too! High as a kite! My friebd told anyone who'd listen that she had no pain relief, turns out she had gas and air, we both did, I just got steaming from it! Looking forward to the same with this one!

1st baby - water and gas and air. Fast once it eventually got going. Best birth.

2nd baby - totally natural in that it was so fast I GAVE BIRTH AT HOME, UNAIDED, NO PAIN RELIEF. My mum ‘caught’ her as I decided to squat. Fucking horrible... she didn’t breath immediately, cord around her neck etc. (Both I’m told is quite common). Had to deliver the placenta myself (slow, painful) as the midwife hadn’t arrived by that point.

3rd baby - made it to hospital again, even faster (30 mins of contractions) so no pain relief and they literally ripped my trousers down as I was crowning. Had the injection.

My advise... don’t get hung up on a ‘natural’ birth. I would have done anything that was needed. Go with the flow. If you want drugs, have them! You don’t know what type of labour you’ll have until you’re in the midst.

I did with my dd, I was only 19 and I wasn’t in a particularly healthy relationship with her father so various things combined to mean I took a long time to get to hospital and by that time I was too late for any pain relief.

It was horrible, I honestly thought I was going to die from the pain. I was only a child really, very young for my age and completely unprepared for childbirth and the pain, which probably contributed, plus I was terrified of the baby actually being here (which also wasn’t great for pain!) However, being told you can’t have it is hard, I think choosing you don’t want it is entirely different.

This was 15 years ago nearly. When I had my son 9 years later my only instruction on my birth plan was that I wanted to be offered all the pain relief with plenty of time for it to work (although I ended up having a cs under general- can’t get more pain relief than that!)