I am having my first with a midwife in water and no drugs. Will i be screaming for some sort of relief before its done? I dont want any drugs but I dont know if I will beable to handle the pain. anyone out there that has done this with nothing and lived through it so to speak?
I have, and I'm still alive. Trust your body...women have been giving birth naturally without pain meds or epidurals since the beginning of time. You can do it!
I have given birth to five children. The first one was with all the drugs they had available, gas for the delivery, pain killers during labor. They didn't do epidurals back then. The other four were totally natural. (They did use novacaine to sew up the stitches when I had them but that was after the baby was born. I will never go through that experience I had with my first child again. It was horrible. The drugs take away your ability to focus on the birth. (or anything at all for that matter.) It was the worst. With each of my other children, when I got to the point where I thought I couldn't take any more, it was time to push them out. Once I knew the end was in sight I did just fine without drugs. I've heard that with a water birth it is even better. You'll be just fine. And if you really need something, just ask. You may be almost at the end as well. You'll do great. Kathi
That's the truth! When mamas say they can't do it anymore, we smile because we know it's almost over! I've had all my children without pain meds, even my 10 1/2 pounder. Water realy helps with the pain. Being active and upright is a great relief, and so is being able to eat and drink. Having a good support system works much better than any drug can. Women have been having babies since time began, if you believe in evolution, you'll know that we are the selected best of the gene pool! Are you having a homebirth? Knowing that the meds are not available really makes a difference, too. If you know they're not there, you won;t be focused on wanting them (and no one will be coming in every 5 minutes to offer them to you!) How many weeks are you? Do you have time for a Birthing From Within class? I swear, the best births come from BFW. Good luck you can do it!
get a copy of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. You won't regret reading it, even if you do end up deciding that pain meds are the right decision for you. That book will help you believe in your body's ability to give birth, and the stories in it will simply amaze you! (I had my vbac at The Farm, it was every bit as wonderful an experience as the stories in Ina May's books.) If you are afraid, if you expect labor to be painful, your experience will reflect that. If you are not afraid, if you do not fear the pain of childbirth, if you embrace the contractions rather than fighting and dreading each one of them, your experience will be much more satisfying for you. If your care provider is supportive and respects your right to make your own decisions, things will go much smoother. Being allowed to move around and labor in any position your body tells you to labor in also helps tremendously. Some of the worst pain during childbirth is a result of the woman being placed flat on her back with her feet in stirrups, hooked up to monitors and not allowed to move around. Congrats and good luck to you!
Hon, from everything these fine ladies have said (and say in many other threads) you'll be fine having a natural delivery with no drugs... Just trust yourself!
IMO, if you're not in a hospital, then no worries. The WORST is not being allowed to move--your midwife will not only allow it, but encourage it. My births sucked, all three of them (they all took place in a hospital, with an OB, due to lack of options), but the best was the one with a full epidural, because it was the quickest and though not painless, definately bearable. If i were to do it again (not possible, but "if") i would take all they offered, because natural childbirth, strapped to a bed, is quite literally torture, and should be outlawed.
You will be fine. It DOES hurt. It is a very unique kind of pain; but once it is over, it's over. For me, it was like it had never happened only seconds after the pushing. Like others have said, remember, your body was MADE for this. You CAN DO IT. I had my first baby at home 8 years ago and just found out I'm expecting again! Like you, I'm scared, but I know I can handle it. My nurse-midwife has suggested waterbirth this time around, and I'm really looking forward to it. Just keep telling yourself that you are strong, your baby is depending on you, and God made your body to do just this extraordinary thing.
Okay, to answer your first question as to whether or not you will be screaming for relief, it all depends on you and your pain threshold. There will most definitly be pain, but how you will be able to handle it no one else can answer. As we all deal with pain in our own ways. Some scream, some don't. I was one of the quiet ones. I have had 5 kids. With my first child I asked for an epidural. Let me tell you it didn't do shit for me! I did not get any relief during labor. Instead I had severe throbbing back pains for weeks after delivery because of it. I'm not trying to scare women from getting it, it just didn't work for me. So I vowed never to have it again. With my second and third child the nurses gave me drugs through the I.V. That worked great for me. It took the edge off the contractions and I was able to relax up until about 10 minutes before they were born. By then the pain didn't matter as my babies were on their way. With all my first three kids, labor was induced at the hospital. I think that increases the labor pains greatly. With my fourth and fifth child, by the time I got to the hospital, there was NO time for drugs. And the pain really wasn't that bad. I really think the pain of labor is much more bearable, and for me was only about a 7 out of 10 (maybe even less), when labor has begun naturally. So I had it both ways. But like I said, the first three were induced so I had meds coming in that INCREASED labor pains/intensisty. It's all a matter of preference and comfort. While it is very true that women for centuries had babies without drugs. We are in the time where you don't always have to suffer through the pain. I don't think it makes you any less of a woman to decide you need drugs. I'm sure if they had the choice all those centuries ago, they too would have taken drugs at some point. So to make a very long post come to an end, you will survive either way. But if during your labor you decide to take some drugs, if they are even available, do not feel guilty about it. Good luck to you.
I am also expecting my first. I do not fear pain, I have resided myself to the fact it is a natural part of the process. I have a positive mind set that I will make it and I can do it. I have been practicing guided medition and also reading about Hypnobirthing as pain management. Also training my body physically so I am in fighting shape. My Midwife has been preaching the importance of being fit and in shape to make my birth experience as smooth as possible. You are more than able to do this, the women from which you came have given you the strength. Good Luck Mamma.
I wold say one thing. I tried to have my baby at home. I said pretty mch what poster above me said (It's a wonderfl mindset to have!), however, I feel like I was blindsided by jst how MCH it hrt. I think that may have cased me to have to some of the trobles I had. I wold jst say, don't feel like ya have to be sperwoman! Be aware there will be great pain. Don't be afraid to be afraid! I think if yo jst acknowledge it, yo can move past it. Does that make any sense at all?
fear makes the pain 200 times worse than it has to be. number one most important thing is to have supportive care providers, who will respect your desire to have an unmedicated childbirth. Without that, it would be best to just plan on the drugs because in an unsupportive environment, where you have to fight for everything you know you want (or don't want), you are going to experience much more pain than someone peacefully giving birth at home, without the threat of interventions, and without the hospital staff and doctor's fears of all the possible things that might go wrong. The only women I know IRL who had unmedicated births in the hospital all had hired doulas to be there with them. I do not know one single woman who gave birth without drugs in the hospital who did not have a doula. It's that important to have the right support!
