Natural Childbirth

I havent really made up my mind and I want to read more about everything, but Im thinking that I might want to have a natural birth for many different reasons. Today I've been watching natural births videos on YouTube and really it doesnt seem that bad. It's not like it seems fun, but the women are pretty chill and they are just so happy when they have the babies in their arms.
I've always felt like I can cope well with physical pain and to me it seems like delivering a baby naturally it's very special and rewarding. Of course delivering a baby in any way, it's very special and rewarding, but the idea of it in my mind seems extra beautiful.
I was talking to my mom and the three of us were natural births and she said it was all cool, that the only one that was painful was with my brother, because he had a huge head and was so big, but still she did it and then had me and wanted to do it the same way again.
Im gonna read more about the whole thing and if it's something that I can do because there's no complications, I think I would want to. Do any of you has any stories about it? I feel like the more I know the better

 

I don't really have any stories, I just wanted to say congrats and that I know you'll be a great mom <3


My mom had a natural birth, and I got stuck, she dealt with it without pain killers and she made it threw. My mom sucks with pain I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

Have you thought about water birthing, and hypnobirthing? Both seem more relaxed than a hospital birth. http://www.hypnobirthing.com/
They say birthing in water helps a little with the pain. But I wouldn't know from experience!

 

i also don't know yet from experience, but women who've done it naturally almost always have great things to say about it, and it's what i plan on doing... no doctors, no hospitals, no nothing.

the traditional medical positions for birthing (on back, legs in stirrups) are much more difficult on the body, so squatting, on all fours, etc. are much better for you and the baby, lessening the resistance, therefore lessening the pain as well as fewer chances of perineal tearing.

whatever you decide, i know you'll research it and be really well informed, cause that's just the kinda person you are. you're going to be an amazing mom!

 

Congratulations and all that...
My handsome son is 24 (soon to be 25) AND I was not given an option for natural or not - it was an epidural or nothing. I did Not want the epidural - way too many possible problems and complications. However, I have NEVER forgotten the length of time it took and the Pain and I would Never recommend natural if you can find an obgyn with compassion (a Hard person to locate) to aid with a bit of pain killer or something during all of that.
I begged and they Laughed at me.
I only had that one child because even though I love him more than anything else, I wasn't going through that again! 25 years later I still remember!

 

i'm sorry you had such an unpleasant experience.

when i was referring to women who went natural, i was referring mainly to women who do homebirths (or in a childbirth center) with midwives or doulas. in general, the hospital setting and the positions in which they have you lay are very stressful and painful both for yourself and for the baby. any stress the woman feels is felt by the baby, and i would assume, makes the baby more likely to "fight" the birth process.

 

I've found that massaging the belly just like massaging a regular muscle cramp helps calm the pain of contractions by a good amount.

If you went with pain killers (not counting epidural) you'd get the unpleasant surprise of finding out that they won't give you any drugs in the last hour of contractions anyway because that'd cause the kid to come out sedated...so technically even medicated childbirth is natural for the most painful part of the process.....

 

There was a woman I used to work with that I still see socially once in a while, and in the time since she quit the job she's had three kids, all without drugs (as she told me when we met). I said, wasn't that a painful experience, and she agreed that it was, in a way. But she said she went into it as prepared as anyone could be, she'd talked to women who'd been through it, and seen videos, and she knew what to expect and had a plan for how to deal with it. She said what made it bearable was that she felt as if she was in control, that what happened was happening by her choice. I can see how that might make it into a positive experience. But a lot hangs on the individual woman's outlook.

 

You really are a nice person - and will be a great mother also.

25 years ago doesn't seem like so long ago, you know, but the way I was treated (and I Had insurance!) it was like archaic or something.
If you weren't considered high-risk back then, it was sort of to hell with you. Shut up, don't ask for anything and don't be loud. (All problems of mine. lol)

 

regardless of whether or not you have insurance, birthing is an "industry." and it is a male dominated one. which makes absolutely no fucking sense. what does a man know about what's best for a woman during childbirth? it's impossible for a man to know what it's like, and therefore i highly distrust the medical "science" when it comes to childbirth... because most of it is based on what doctors have been doing for a long time... and way back then, they were all men.

if women actually were interested in working with trusting their own bodies for this very natural process, these doctors (most of them men) would be out billions of dollars. of course they want to scare you, and also keep you from asking questions that they have no answers for. it's all a scam, and it makes me sick.

i say none of this to belittle or upset anyone who has benefitted from receiving traditional medical/hospital care during their pregnancy/childbirth process, or to make people feel bad for feeling more comfortable with traditional medicine. for some, it really is the most comforting thing, and i am all for that. health, wellness, and procreation should all be a yummy, comfy thing for everyone. so i think it's great that there are many different ways for that to take place.

what i get frustrated with, and what sends me off on these rants, is that many women (and other people, when it comes to other health concerns) don't have the access to information that would help them decide what feels most comfy for them. there is a big push in this country (and others) to trust the medical establishment to know what's best for you, and if you don't trust it, and want to look for other alternative methods, that you are neglectful of yourself, and/or your children and loved ones. that is what makes me so steamed up!

 

Naked, you Got It. Now I do realize this is about childbirth; but the whole medical industry is this US makes me sick and pissed as hell, to put it mildly.

I cannot believe I did not suggest looking in acupuncture because I do receive acupuncture on a regular basis. Needless to say, I Know that - for me at least, Acupuncture is the Only thing that worked for intense back pain.

My spine looks like a sorta curvy snake - toward the top. After living a fairly active life, and Not overweight/ medium, my back went to hurting as it did when I first began a sedentary job - about 27 years ago. Anyway, back to the thread...I went to a chiropractor because of Intense, Severe upper back pain - and he used acupuncture, And It Works.

Acupuncture will work with Anything, I think. Surely it will come up in researching this, so here is saying to start with - use acupuncture, if there is any possible way.

 

Nice to hear from. Cogratulation! keep up your spirit in this way.

 

When I gave birth 8 weeks ago I was keen to try it natural but it went so fast the pain just got on top of me. See, it was my first baby so I was expecting a labour like my friends (23 hours) with a minimum of maybe 14 hours. Instead it was all over in 7 hours. I was totally unprepared for it to go that fast. The epidural was wonderful though and I don't regret it. It allowed me to relax and enjoy the birth of my son without screaming the hospital down.
Basically before I went into labour I just decided that I'd take it as it came and if it got too much then I'd ask for pain relief.

 

it's hard to pass up the drugs when the labor gets intense.

i had them with my first. the belts around my middle, iv in my arm with pitocin drip, antibiotic drip and some sugar water. epidural in my back, catheter and an oxygen mask. not to mention the screw in the babies head. my husband said i looked like a car crash victim.

when i was at home laboring and going through transition the thought crossed my mind *if i were at the hospital i'd be asking for the epidural right now*. the pain is a reality and the best way to deal with it is to *relax* ... relaxing during painful labor is almost the most ridiculous thing anyone could ever suggest, except it can be done if you believe in the process.

forget lamaze breathing. from attending natural births (all were home births) and having one of my own, it's best to just breathe naturally. allow your breath, body and sounds to happen naturally. i kept telling myself, *my body is designed to do this by nature, i believe that i can do this*. not only is your body (the mother) delivering the baby but the baby is travelling through the birth canal (which is twisty and curvy) ... nobody knows and medicine rarely considers, how much the baby participates in its own birth. the epidural numbs mom and baby.

it's too tempting to take the epidural while in the hospital, especially when they continuously offer it and make suggestions like *you don't have to be in this much pain*, *there's no reason you should have to endure this pain*, etc. then they work on your husband and family *she could take something to relieve the pain*, *we have great drugs to make her more comfortable*. i know a few women who had natural hospital births and i commend them on their strength.


http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/epidural.html
How can an epidural affect my baby? As stated above, research on the effects of epidurals on newborn health is somewhat ambiguous and many factors may be contributing to newborn health at the time of birth. How much of an effect these medications will have is difficult to judge and could vary based on dosage, how long labor continues and individual babies. Dosages and medications vary, so concrete information from research is lacking. Studies reveal that some babies may initially have trouble "latching on" among other difficulties with breastfeeding. While in-utero, they may become lethargic and have trouble getting into position for delivery. These medications have been known to cause respiratory depression, and decreased fetal heart rate in newborns. Though the medication may not harm the baby, the baby may experience subtle effects like those mentioned above. "

if the baby has trouble getting into position in-utero, you will end up in a c-section.
if your baby has trouble latching on after birth they can feed your baby formula in the hospital. latching on might not seem that important, but it is extremely important for baby AND mom. when your baby begins nursing at your breast (10-30 minutes after birth) signals are sent to your brain and then to your womb, if you aren't numb you can actually feel your uterus contract .... and begin to get smaller. the uterus contractions kind of hurt, but i wanted to feel them ... i knew my body was healing naturally and properly. of course medicine may have a shot for this.

medicine takes the nature out of childbirth. doctors take the control from the birthing mother and put it in the hands of medicine and insurance. you WANT doctors to take the control when medically necessary, otherwise, nature designed it perfectly.

 

i've already proved my woman hood, i refuse to participate in the race for most badass natural mama. whatever gets your baby out healthy is good enough.
the point being, moro, don't ever apologize or feel guilty. that's just nonsense. i swear, every decision you will ever make as a woman has SOMEONE geared up to criticise you for it. fuck 'em.

 

Hell yeah man

 

To me it definitely has nothing to do with proving anything. It's a personal choice. I feel like it's something I can do and would like to do, because in my mind I see it as having the full experience. I do plan to have my baby in a hospital though, you never know what can go wrong and if it ever felt like too much pain I would definitely take the epidural or whatever drugs they want to give me, but right now is something that I dont want to do and would like to prepare myself in any way I can to have a baby naturally, but Im always open to all possibilities.

I watched yesterday this midwife talk, she's sooooo cool. Her name is Ina May Gaskin and she's pretty famous. I liked a lot of the things she said. Here is she, if anyone is interested. It's three parts. I want to get a book by her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQn_nTia7FY

 

this discussion isn't about that.

no one is criticizing you. doesn't a new mommy have a right to know about other more natural alternatives? to understand the truth and risks about medicine and childbirth should not make anyone feel guilty who chose a medical birth.

just because a woman's has a had c-section and another had a natural birth doesn't make the c-section mommy bad. a c-section is major abdominal surgery with a long recovery period. most experts would agree that avoiding c-sections is a good idea and would rather see a woman give birth naturally for her and babies sake.

imo, avoiding an epidural is a good idea also for many reasons. i've had one before, i know many women get them and many women love them. a new mother has the right to know the risks involved. i've done it both ways, natural is better and perfectly designed for mom and baby, imo.

 

i'm okay with all that, choice is a good thing, natural is awesome, if you're the sort. but choice shouldn't come with guilt when all's well that ends well. we've got a way of subliminally inflicting guilt, as is noted in moro's post. i hate seeing someone feel guilty when they didn't do anything wrong. it makes me crazy. i've seen ladies hammer away at all the different ways to have a child and what they SHOULD be doing in order to do it RIGHT, when really, the only right way is the way that ends up with living child and mother.

i'm just a bit passionate about these sorts fo things, that's all.