Non medicated births
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vonalj
Posts: 124 Member
Who's planning on a nonmedicated birth? Has anyone ever done it before? Pros/cons?!
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I have done such extensive research on this and was going to deliver my future child at a birth center doing a "water birth". Everything I have read, all the testimonials from women who have done these say nothing but positive things. You are so emotionally and mentally prepared from your hypnobirthing classes and the water is so soothing that it helps alleviate the pain and it allows your body to stretch naturally.
Unfortunately, the only birthing center in my area is not covered under my insurance so I did some research on several of my local hospitals and have chosen one that greatly promotes unmedicated birthing in a hospital setting. The rooms come equipped with birthing balls, tubs and fetal monitors that are portable so you can get up and walk around.
I cant imagine just laying in a bed confined to a bunch of wires and being in crazy pain.
I am interested to hear other stories!!0 -
I am planning on it, but not completely against drugs...just really want to do it without. This is my first, so I'm delivering at a hospital. I am completely against getting an epiedural...just freaks me out. I'm hoping i can do it!0
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I am planning on it... I have a good friend who has 4 kids and 3 out of her 4 were non medicated births who will be a support person during labor for me along with DH.... I have bought the bradley method book and will start reading it soon... Good luck!0
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I planned for it last time but I ended up having a C-Section due to failure to progress. DS was sunny-side up which can make it difficult for them to move down the canal. I was stuck at 9cm for hours but only at "0" station.
Anyway, I did stay unmedicated for a long time. I didn't get drugs until they pulled out the Pitocin to amplify my contractions so that he would come down. I kind of got frustrated at that point because I knew the Pitocin would make the contractions worse and and figured I would be having a C-Section anyway so I might as well have the drugs!
All of that aside, I made it to 9cm unmedicated and I had bad back labor since he was facing the wrong direction. This is pretty much the worse setup for labor. Yes it hurt, it hurt bad, but I found that I could handle it. I used HypnoBabies to get me through most of it and it really helped. I was calm and I stayed relaxed most of the time. In fact, even though it was hard to do, relaxing through the contractions made them 10x more bearable. One time the doctor came in while I was in transistion and he asked the nurse how I was handling my epidural. I hadn't had an epidural at that point so I must have appeared pretty calm!
The epidural didn't hurt and it relieved the pain. The catheter that went along with the epidural was VERY uncomfortable though IMO. I felt like that was the worse part of the whole thing.
I plan to attempt a VBAC and I hope to go drug-free this time. I will use HypnoBabies again. Hopefully things will work out this time. I am not opposed to another epidural, but I don't think I will need it if labor goes like it should.0 -
I am planning on it, but not completely against drugs...just really want to do it without. This is my first, so I'm delivering at a hospital. I am completely against getting an epiedural...just freaks me out. I'm hoping i can do it!
I'm the same way!!!! I'm terrified of the epidural so I have been trying to mentally prepare myself for it!! I'm praying tht I will be able to do without. Everyone is telling me I'm crazy....not exactly the stuff I want to hear from people for support..but what can I do!0 -
I'm still trying to decide. This is my first child.
I am reading Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth (I think it's called), and it makes sense to me that if you have an epidural, you can't effectively feel what your body's doing and labor will take longer. But, there are also pros to having an epidural, so I'm just not sure yet!0 -
One thing to remember: We all leave the hospital with a baby. I am a full supporter of medicated birth and just want to say that once you get into the labor, you should reserve the right to change your mind and not be pressured from any angle. There are no winners or losers here, ladies.0
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Had an epidural with my first one. I was freaked out by it too, but after contractions for 2 hours I changed my mind. In fact I found that it made labor easier on me because I wasn't under any stress because I didn't feel anything. I usually do not tell people about my labor because I was a freak of nature
and unfortunately not everyones is the same. My labor from the time my water broke till baby was born was 6hrs. and it was the middle of the night so after I had the epidural I was able to sleep for a couple of hours reserve my energy for the pushing part. Yes you do not feel pain but you do feel pressure when you have a contraction so you know when to push. Also I was hooked up to a fetal monitor the whole time and the nurse could see on the monitor and so could I when I was having a contraction so I knew when to push that way also. I could have pushed my son out faster than the hour it took him to if I hadn't been so freaked out about the possibility of hemmorhoids. I will be having an epidural this time also if I can get there in time. Do remember they can only give the epidural up to a certain point once you exceed that you have no choice unless you have to do a C section. I think of it this way you are in quite a bit of pain after the birth and I hope your hospitals offer the ice pack pads they were a life saver. 0 -
One thing to remember: We all leave the hospital with a baby. I am a full supporter of medicated birth and just want to say that once you get into the labor, you should reserve the right to change your mind and not be pressured from any angle. There are no winners or losers here, ladies.
Agree with that!0 -
One thing to remember: We all leave the hospital with a baby. I am a full supporter of medicated birth and just want to say that once you get into the labor, you should reserve the right to change your mind and not be pressured from any angle. There are no winners or losers here, ladies.
Quite true! I had a way that I wanted things to go but they didn't go that way. I have a happy healthy boy now and I'm grateful for that. I hope to have an unmedicated birth this time, but if I don't...shrugs. I will NEVER let my desire for a certain birth experience trump the safety of my child. Since I'm looking at a VBAC, this is a real concern for me.0 -
One thing to remember: We all leave the hospital with a baby. I am a full supporter of medicated birth and just want to say that once you get into the labor, you should reserve the right to change your mind and not be pressured from any angle. There are no winners or losers here, ladies.
I agree! My best friend was anti-drugs, but when she was in labour with her first she decided the pain was too much and asked for an epidural.
I'm not afraid to admit I have a low pain threshold, and and 100% planning on having an epidural. I am also TERRIFIED of having a severe tear after knowing a few women who have torn so badly they required follow-up surgery. I discussed this fear with my doctor, and she feels the best way to avoid a tear is to go for the epidural. Her reason being that when you don't have drugs, the urge to push is so strong you may push the baby out too quickly, which is when the bad tears happen. If you have the epidural and push when told, you can slowly ease the baby out and allow things to stretch a little more, hopefully ending with only minimal tearing. She did advise me that this does not in any way guarantee you won't tear - in her 6 years of being an OB/GYN she's only seen a few women who didn't tear at all - but said it is what seems to work best for her patients.
Then again, like cmaxor said, we can change our minds. Who knows, maybe I'll get in there and decide it's not so bad and skip the epidural. But, I doubt it! :laugh:
:flowerforyou:0 -
I'm only 33w but last Friday went into preterm labor. I've now experienced the beginning of labor and what my hospital does. Being hooked up to the monitors, having an IV line, and a catheter, there is no way I want to repeat that by having an epidural. Even before this last week, I knew I didn't want an epidural and now I feel stronger about it. This is my first, so I reserve the right to change my mind, but I think a strong mind set of less drugs will be important for me to be able to commit to no epidural. If I wasn't on bed and pelvic rest, I would be doing things like perineal massage (to stretch things out and lessen chance of tearing) and practicing labor positions so I'm ready when it's actually time for baby to be born. I also think everyone has to make their own decisions and most important thing is of course healthy baby and mama!!0
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I hired a doula to help me through a non medicated birth (at the hospital). I'm a FTM and I had no idea what to expect but I just wanted to TRY.....I also told myself that I wouldn't get too upset if I changed my mind once things were rolling. I just felt that I could do it and my body was meant to do it so I wanted to try it. I also am scared of taking drugs and not feeling in control.
Turns out my labour came so fast and furious that I didn't have a choice anyway. My water broke at home but my contractions were so mild that I didn't go to the hospital for a few hours. By the time I got there it was too late for options, he was born within an hour of pulling up to the doors.
I do have to say that because the labour was so fast and I wasn't exhausted from labouring for hours that I'm glad thing went the way they did. I felt totally in control and super proud of myself. However.....fast and furious birth......3rd degree tears. ouch. I didn't feel it happen but they had to do some fancy repair work down there.
Just keep an open mind, things might not happen the way you think they might and yes, either way you'll be leaving the hospital with a baby. On that note, if we do have another child and I can get a midwife(they are few and far between here) I want to try for an at home water birth.0 -
I'm really hoping to go drug and epidural free but if I can't I'm not going to beat myself up over it!!0
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I had three epidural births, followed by three non-medicated births. For my next birth, I will once again choose to birth at home in the water.
A lot of my friends think that I must be "superwoman" for going without drugs...that is not the case at all. My epidurals were all three bad experiences, which is not the case for the majority of women. For me, birthing in my own environment, doing whatever I feel like doing, being in the water...all those things make it easier for me for completely relax, which greatly reduces pain. I will not say it's pain-free, but it's completely manageable. And my last labor, in the water, I got through transition without realizing it. I was surprised when I felt the sensation to push. My midwife laughed that it was the first time she almost missed a birth *while she was in the house.*
For me the benefits of going unmedicated outweigh the benefits of medicated.
But I do highly recommend the book "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" (Henci Goer) to make a better informed decision.
Also wanted to say that if it is your desire to have an unmedicated birth, prepare for it. Read, attend a childbirth class, hire a doula if you can. Approach it like you would training for a race...you wouldn't just decide that you are going to run and show up. Well, not if you want to make it to the finish line! You train for it.0 -
tristajohnson - Good call on the perineal massage. Something I'd totally forgotten about, but meant to do. Thanks for the reminder!
mpederson - It's the fast and furious part that my doctor was talking about and has me worried. My mom had a fast labour with my brother (3hrs from when her water broke to his birth), so I could end up in the same boat. Whatever will be will be!0 -
Who's planning on a nonmedicated birth? Has anyone ever done it before? Pros/cons?!
having to get induced twice i took the epidural. . 1st time basically didn't have a choice my obgyn told me i'm going to have a HUGE baby and since he was a week late I was risking complications waiting longer. (he only weighed 7.13lbs.) So getting the pitocin sucked and I couldn't bear the pain after 5 hrs on it so I gave into the epidural. But it wore off when it was time to push and I felt everything which was horrilble. I was told by everyone from family not to get it or I'll get paralyzed or something terrible will happen to me. But thank GOd I survived and had no issues after it..
2nd baby my water broke at 3am and I had 0 contractions. By 7pm at night I agreed to pitocin myself because I didn't want a c-sec. And I ended up getting the epidural. It didn't even have a chance to take effect when it was time to push.
SOo after both different experiences I really really hope I can go naturally with the 3rd. No pitocin, no inducing, no epidural. Hoping to do a water birth this time too. BUuuuttt we will see. I've learned u can't always be in control when u are in labor. things can go very differently then u plan...0 -
I had a planned natural nonmedicated home birth with my son. The birth of his placenta on the other hand required pitocin and anti-hemorrhage drugs due to a complication. I also required a local anesthetic for my perenium when it was sutured. I am definitely planning another natural birth! I loved it and it was awesome.0
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I'm hoping to be medication free. My sister had her first baby in the hospital and ended up getting and epidural, she had her next 2 at home. when i asked her why she said "I know if I had access to meds I would take them." I have my first prenatal apointment Wed and plan to make sure the doc supports my desire to not use meds. But, if something comes up and I change my mind then I won't beat myself up over it.0
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I am currently pregnant with my 3rd and plan to do a nonmedicated birth, if possible. My hx goes-
1st baby- Had planned non medicated birth, if possible. I was induced (bc I was over and had GD). I was limited to basically laying down, sitting on the edge of the bed, or standing right beside of the bed so pain management was limited as well. After ab 6 hrs I could not take it any more. I had a dose of Stadal followed by an epidural. Delivered ab 6 hrs later.
2nd baby- Again, didnt want the epidural. Labored at home untill I knew it was time to do something. Went to the hospital and was at a 6 but thats as far as I made it. I could hardly breath. It hurt so bad and I knew what was coming- the IV and the monitor = bed ridden. So I asked for the epidural. I delivered ab 5 hours later.
So now I am going to try non medicated again with the prayer labor will be quicker and manageable. But if it's not- oh well. A healthy baby in the end IS all that matters. (Prayers that all of you will be successful and have healthy babies too
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