Unmedicated Birth

Hi Ladies! My DH and I will be TTC our third child within the next nine months (sooner if I can convince him! Lol) . I have had two medicated vaginal births. My first I was induced and the second I went into labor on my own and then all of the sudden it stopped and I was given pitocin. I went without an epidural until I was 6cm dilated and then asked for it. I was planning on having one the entire time but I wanted to see what it felt like instead of getting an epidural right away like I did the first time. When I got the epidural it was only on one side, very uncomfortable, and then finally it took more on the other side but I didn't feel like it was ever fully there.....

We had a rediculous amount of medical bills and a horrible experience in the hospital..... giving my baby formula, taking the baby away too soon after birth, all this uneccessary stuff that I know I wouldn't have to deal with if I could handle the pain and go to a midwife. I am a pretty liberal person and really believe in most things a midwife practices.

My problem is that I am so afraid of the pain. I'm afraid of getting there and being scared out of my mind and leaving to go to a hospital and delivering with a doctor I don't know- or just having to leave and go to the hospital period. I would love to have the natural age old experience, for the doctors and nurses to leave my baby alone and let me enjoy the beautiful experience and then take the baby home to our house and recover there. I would love to not have anyone telling me how to feed my baby and not have someone take the baby away before it can breastfeed. I would love to cut our medical bills by thousands of dollars. Again, I am afraid of being in so much pain and having a panic attack during birth because I can't get an epidural. I'm not even as afraid of getting through the contractions as I am pushing the baby out. I don't know how that truly feels and I can imagine it is extremely painful.

Anyone else switch from the induction, hospital epidural experience and go on to having a natural birth with a Midwife?

I would love to hear some encouraging but truthful words of wisdom about natural delivery and also some convincing.... I really would like to do this but i'm just so scared!

Thanks for listening!!

Meagan from Texas

Hi there!

When you went unmed as long as you did, can you let us know what you used before the epi to deal with the pain? Birthing ball, water (tub and/or shower), massage, etc? Or, were you just in the bed trying to deal without the epi? had you taken any childbirth classes to prepare (Bradley, etc)?

Did you have a doula with your second birth?

My first was an induction (no epi, but I did get Stadol not realizing I was complete and ready to push) which ended up in a c/s. My second was a home vbac, and it was incredible. The pain itself doesn't hurt or injure us. Is it hard? YES! But training for and running a marathon are also hard and painful, but people choose to do it all of the time!

Let us know more about the second birth and we'll go from there, okay?

 

What I always tell people is: Don't be scared, but be prepared. Unmedicated childbirth will be the most painful thing you will probably ever experience. Once you accept that though and recognize that many, many, many people have gone through it, lived and gone on to do it again and again, it's a little easier to grasp.

It's awesome that you're thinking about this already because it gives you plenty of time to prepare. I would suggest reading as much as you can - encouraging books and real birth stories from women who have gone natural. Go watch the Business of Being Born. Stay away from negative people and thier neverending supply of horror birth stories - a smile and a quick, interrupting "Thanks for offering your story, but I'd really rather not hear anything scary. I'm sure you understand" will put them in thier place.

It sounds like you may benefit from working with a certified nurse midwife who delivers in a hospital or even a birth center attached to a hospital. That's what I've done with both my kids and I had great experiences! Homebirth is beautiful for some people, but not for everyone. Explore your options. Maybe knowing that if you absolutely freak out and need pain relief, that it's really so close would be empowering for you and ease your mind. Being able to relax is an important part of healthy birthing so be where you feel most comfortable.

I hope some of this has been helpful. Good luck with #3! :)

 
                

 

 

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One of the best things I learned in my childbirth class was when the teacher asked "How do you NORMALLY deal with pain?".  My normal method is a combination of knowing exactly what's going on, mostly toughing it out and (during childbirth) yelling.

Knowing is a great antidote to fear. Pain still isn't a pleasant experience* but it is very comforting to know that nothing is wrong and it will end (within minutes for a break, and within a day for permanent).

*Some people really do find childbirth pleasant. That wasn't really in me, but I was successful & satisfied.

BTW, I was ready to give up on the no meds & then told "Too late". It wasn't scary or upsetting to me; I just got a bit grumpy, figured I was almost done (I wasn't really) & went back to work.

Meagan-

Welcome! I don't have any words of wisdom to share with you yet, but hopefully I'll have a GREAT story for you in a few days!

My experience with DD was similar to yours - induced, epi at 7 cm. (though mine led to c-section), baby taken away for nearly 2 hours after birth despite nearly perfect apgars, overall a not pleasant experience. This time, we're planning a home VBAC, so medication won't even be available. I've been using Hypnobabies to prepare myself and really think its going to help. I also have a doula, which I really think will help to keep me calm and focused instead of panicky (I had planned on going unmed with DD, but panicked at transition and got the epi).

Have you read any books on unmedicated birth? I'm a huge Ina May Gaskin fan ("Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" in particular). Both of her books are nearly half full with unmedicated birth stories. I found them really encouraging and confidence-building.

Good luck TTC!

 

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