Natural birthing stories...

[Ashleigh<3]

I am interested in asking my Grandma (midwife), details about her births.
She only gave birth twice but I would love to hear all about her experience as a Mother/midwife who gave birth in the 60's.
Just something that really interests me.

I know that she delivered my Dad naturally and he was 12lbs+ :eek:
Then she delivered my Aunt a few years later and she was about the same.
My Dad is a GIANT. :laughing:
And my Aunt was too.

I just think it's amazing.
Now days you hear women coming on these parenting sites discussing their fears of giving birth naturally because they are worried of ripping after attempting to deliver a huge baby.
You hear them say that the obstetricians or midwives have estimated how big the baby will be but are they always right?
I just have so many questions I can't wait to ask my Grandma.

If women from her childbirthing era can birth big babies why can't they now days?
I don't think we should be scared and I don't think our vaginas are incapable of delivering a big baby.

Anyone have any naturally birthing big baby stories to share? :)

[TwoBoysOnly]

My first was big (well what I class as big :yes: ) I was induced with him (so not natural - the whole works prostin, ARM and syntocinon) due to PIH but I did have him the 'natural' way ie vaginal. I had gas and pethidine for pain relief and he was born in 3 hours and 10 mins in a direct OP position weighing a healthy 4550g (10lb 1/2oz)! :thumbsup:

[Ashleigh<3]

My first was big (well what I class as big :yes: ) I was induced with him (so not natural - the whole works prostin, ARM and syntocinon) due to PIH but I did have him the 'natural' way ie vaginal. I had gas and pethidine for pain relief and he was born in 3 hours and 10 mins in a direct OP position weighing a healthy 4550g (10lb 1/2oz)! :thumbsup:

Good job! That is an amazing effort!

I honestly thought I'd give birth to a big baby, given my size. (I was huge).
It was all a load of bull, (the bigger you are the bigger the baby!-Load of hogwash!).

I had a little baby and a BIG placenta.
To think that I was once scared by random people, "OH MY GOD, you're massive you're gunna rip!".:cool:

[~Alicia]

To think that I was once scared by random people, "OH MY GOD, you're massive you're gunna rip!".:cool:

Just what a first time mum wants to hear :rolleyes:


I'm fully expecting a 10lb bub this time around (Lex was 9.8lb), I'm not concerned at all about getting him/her out :D

[Noah_and_Elijah]

I was scared beyond belief about having a baby come out of my little hoo-haa but let me tell you the thought of a scalpel slitting open my abdomen scared the bejeebus out of me a hell of alot more than my poor little hoo-haa!! :o

[Freya]

I don't think we should be scared and I don't think our vaginas are incapable of delivering a big baby.


We absolutely can!! And anyone who thinks we can't deserves a slap across the face from mother nature!! There is a vagina there, why not use it?

[Ashleigh<3]

We absolutely can!! And anyone who thinks we can't deserves a slap across the face from mother nature!! There is a vagina there, why not use it?

:laughing:

I do respect Mother nature but I also respect a Mothers choice.
Having options can help soothe a soon to be Mother but limiting birthing options and using scare tactics, is only going to have worse effects and I do believe that when scare tactics are used, it can effect our birthing abilities.

[Ashleigh<3]

I was scared beyond belief about having a baby come out of my little hoo-haa but let me tell you the thought of a scalpel slitting open my abdomen scared the bejeebus out of me a hell of alot more than my poor little hoo-haa!! :o

It was my biggest fear too, but I traded my fear in for positivity and I have that to thank for getting me through the birth so well.

My fears included were:


Health of my baby
Cesarean section
Episiotomy
Hemorrhaging
Prolapse

[Lastcenturymum]

I think our G'mas were TUFF!!! and bit on towels a lot:rolleyes:

My g'mother IL had 7 kids all at home (had a midwife come I think) and one was stillborn.

They didn't have a car, so her hubby had to put it in a case and get the tram to take it to the hospital:crying: That is so sad.

[Ashleigh<3]

I think our G'mas were TUFF!!! and bit on towels a lot:rolleyes:

My g'mother IL had 7 kids all at home (had a midwife come I think) and one was stillborn.

They didn't have a car, so her hubby had to put it in a case and get the tram to take it to the hospital:crying: That is so sad.

Gosh, I take my hat off to your G'Mother.
I really admire the extensive families, especially the Mother that birthed them all!
My Great Great Grandmother had ten kids.

[SassyMummy]

Hopefully, in a couple of years I'll have a nice story for you!

DD was 10lbs 4oz... I'd expect any future babies to be somewhere around the same size. Any future babies will be birthed at home as well... out of my vagina. Since I've got it, I might as well use it to do what it's designed to. :thumbsup:

DP's mother birthed him vaginally. She's a fairly petite woman... but birthed all 12lbs of him via her vagina. He was 1 month premature as well...imagine how big he may have been if he was cooked for a bit longer. :laughing:

[Ashleigh<3]

Hopefully, in a couple of years I'll have a nice story for you!

DD was 10lbs 4oz... I'd expect any future babies to be somewhere around the same size. Any future babies will be birthed at home as well... out of my vagina. Since I've got it, I might as well use it to do what it's designed to. :thumbsup:

DP's mother birthed him vaginally. She's a fairly petite woman... but birthed all 12lbs of him via her vagina. He was 1 month premature as well...imagine how big he may have been if he was cooked for a bit longer. :laughing:

WOW! And imagine if she was going to see an obstetrician who would tell her to stop eating for two otherwise she'd get too big and they'd book her for a c-sec STRAIGHT UP.
(Some OB's still do this..)

My Aunt had her first baby at the hospital- it was a horrifying experience for her (she delivered in the 80's), she is a size 6 and decided to have home births from there on out.
She had four home births.
They used a farm feeding trough and filled it with water for her to labour in. :)

[Noah_and_Elijah]

I just did some inquiring after reading this thread and my late Grandma (maternal) birthed 3 babies, all of them at home with absolutely no pain relief.

My other Grandma (paternal) birthed 5 babies, 4 of them at home and one of them in a hospital, unfortunately the baby that was born in the hospital died during complications with the birth.

*maybe this should be in the homebirth thread - hehe*

[Areca]

DD2 was 10lb 2oz born...8 hour labour, only pain relief was 10 minutes of gas and I only had one external stitch. I'm also a size 8 (5'8 and 53kg pre pg...55kg one week after pregnancy.) My birth story is written up in the birth stories section if you want to read it. We will be having a third too! Size doesn't concern me.

ETA We may be moving interstate and if we move away from the great birth centre I gave birth in I will have a homebirth.

[Ashleigh<3]

DD2 was 10lb 2oz born...8 hour labour, only pain relief was 10 minutes of gas and I only had one external stitch. I'm also a size 8 (5'8 and 53kg pre pg...55kg one week after pregnancy.) My birth story is written up in the birth stories section if you want to read it. We will be having a third too! Size doesn't concern me.

ETA We may be moving interstate and if we move away from the great birth centre I gave birth in I will have a homebirth.

:yelclap: That's awesome Carmen.
You did a great job. I'll go read your birth story (I might have already). :D


I just did some inquiring after reading this thread and my late Grandma (maternal) birthed 3 babies, all of them at home with absolutely no pain relief.

My other Grandma (paternal) birthed 5 babies, 4 of them at home and one of them in a hospital, unfortunately the baby that was born in the hospital died during complications with the birth.

*maybe this should be in the homebirth thread - hehe*

lol well you can have a natural birth at the hospital so I thought I'd put it in this section.

That's awesome that you got some stories to share about your Grandmothers. So sad about her angel baby though. :(

My other Grandma was in the room with me when I was labouring/delivering Chloe and she sat right beside the bath and was so amazed at how I was allowed to birth the way I wanted.
She told me a while after the birth that she was just pushed onto her back and had no pain releif.
:(

[Areca]

Thanks Ashleigh...my nana had three kids, first born inhospital, second and third at home. I'm not sure of their sizes but my nana has said that with her first when they told her to push again after the baby was out she didn't know why...she didn't know about the placenta! How frightening to go through that and not know what was happening.

[pickles]

I was 'informed' non stop during both my pregnancies that i was going to have huge babies and i was 'silly' for thinking i could birth them vaginally and at a birth centre with no pain relief.( I work in the medical field ).

first was birthed at 38 weeks after my waters broke, 5 hours, no pain relief, 12 minutes of pushing and 3.5kg. ( 7 pound 10oz)

Second was 41 weeks, medical arm for post dates ( had to transfer out of birth centre for post dates and GDM ) 1.5 hours , gas 2minutes pushing and 4.1kg ( 9 pounds ) 37 cm head unmoulded.

i am only 159cm tall and a size 6. "narrow' external hips and apparently a small pelvic outlet. However i never went near a bed and birthed both babies upright.

my maternal grandmother had 5 babies. the last was born on the foyer floor , with the help of my grandfather ( who had never seen a birth before ), with her handbag on her arm and her stockings around her ankles.

My paternal grandmother had her first baby at 39 and second at 41. Both were over 9 pounds and each labour under 3 hours.

Birth in my extended family is considered something you do in order to have a baby. there are 13 babies in this generation - all vaginal births. All without epidurals and 1 born at home, 1 birth centre, 9 hospital births and 2 in the car. The smallest baby was 6 pounds 11 and the largest 10 pounds.

Pickles
DD 02/03
Ds 03/05

[Ashleigh<3]

I was 'informed' non stop during both my pregnancies that i was going to have huge babies and i was 'silly' for thinking i could birth them vaginally and at a birth centre with no pain relief.( I work in the medical field ).

first was birthed at 38 weeks after my waters broke, 5 hours, no pain relief, 12 minutes of pushing and 3.5kg. ( 7 pound 10oz)

Second was 41 weeks, medical arm for post dates ( had to transfer out of birth centre for post dates and GDM ) 1.5 hours , gas 2minutes pushing and 4.1kg ( 9 pounds ) 37 cm head unmoulded.

i am only 159cm tall and a size 6. "narrow' external hips and apparently a small pelvic outlet. However i never went near a bed and birthed both babies upright.

my maternal grandmother had 5 babies. the last was born on the foyer floor , with the help of my grandfather ( who had never seen a birth before ), with her handbag on her arm and her stockings around her ankles.

My paternal grandmother had her first baby at 39 and second at 41. Both were over 9 pounds and each labour under 3 hours.

Birth in my extended family is considered something you do in order to have a baby. there are 13 babies in this generation - all vaginal births. All without epidurals and 1 born at home, 1 birth centre, 9 hospital births and 2 in the car. The smallest baby was 6 pounds 11 and the largest 10 pounds.

Pickles
DD 02/03
Ds 03/05

Thank you for sharing pickles!
What a great job you and your family members did.
:yelclap:
Ahhh, I love hearing the "you're too little to give birth vaginally", stories, then they are a success and you just want to rub it all in the Doctor's face. :thumbsup::laughing:

[Areca]

I have been told in the past that I'd have to have a c-section cause I was too fit to have a baby vaginally. WTF???? That was not from anyone in the medical field btw. It was early in my pregnancy with DD2 and I just turned around and said 'well I pushed my 9lb 1oz daughter out of my vagina so i'm not too concerned.' She shut up then but the garbage people come out with to scare people is ridiculous!
If I got a dollar for everytime someone asked me if I was physically capable of giving birth cause I was so 'tiny' when I was pregnant with DD1 I'd be rich!

[Ashleigh<3]

I have been told in the past that I'd have to have a c-section cause I was too fit to have a baby vaginally. WTF???? That was not from anyone in the medical field btw. It was early in my pregnancy with DD2 and I just turned around and said 'well I pushed my 9lb 1oz daughter out of my vagina so i'm not too concerned.' She shut up then but the garbage people come out with to scare people is ridiculous!
If I got a dollar for everytime someone asked me if I was physically capable of giving birth cause I was so 'tiny' when I was pregnant with DD1 I'd be rich!

I know how you feel, I can't empathise but I can only imagine how annoying it would be.

When you think about it. It really is an offence to not only skinny women but to bigger women too. It is like they are saying child birthing is about being fat. :cool:

[erinjacob]

my 3rd was a home water birth he was 9 pounds i labored for 3 hours an i had one contraction an he fell out (every one missed it) into the water. i found it was alot easier then my 1st that was 5 hours pethidine an 8p6o and 2nd epi 7 hour labor 7p15o. i think every one can do it size is nothing your body knows what to do