why??

[natasha]

Can i ask a persoanl question for those mums that went through labour and birth with no pain relief......what was your reason for doing it???? It really fascinates me! RESPECT to you all for doing it though!!:D
But yeah...any particular reasons???

[Little Gorilla]

I was heaps further along than I (or anyone else thought I was) - no time for pain relief and personally I never reached a stage that I would have asked for it - I thought the pain of child birth would be a 10/10, I would say for me it was about a 6/10.

[MamaSage]

Well, I missed the mark and ended up with an emergency section, but for me, natural birth is important for the baby's health, and I want to beable to birth naturally and let my body do the work - it is what we are designed for. I do not see the logic in abstaining from alcohol, cheese, ham certain medications all through the pregnancy only to be bombarded with drugs in labour.... I look at birth as the beginning of my chids life, I want it to be as natural and normal as possible. Thats my 2c worth anyway!

[melfunction]

No time for pain relief..I wouldn't have wanted it though either. I didn't want my baby to have any potential side effects.

[Karizma]

Personally, I didnt have any pain relief because I wanted to have natural births, and wanted wasnt 100% convinced it had no affect on the baby. Thats just me personally I am not saying any less of anyone that does. Everyone is different!

[Melo]

Because i'm stupid!!! :laughing:. I dilated very quickly, although the early stages of labour were painful I stuck them out at home. I got to the hospital at around 5pm and DS was born at 11:27pm! Next time I will be asking for an epidural as soon as I get to the hospital! (It wasnt very nice having an episiotomy with no pain relief!).

[Taddy]

Well for me its just what I wanted. Everything was going quite smoothly as it was why ruin it. I was in labour for 6 and half hours. I am quite proud of myself for going natural and giving birth to my 8pd 6ou son, Hopefully everything works out with this one aswell.

[SnoozesWithCats]

I was all set to go the drugs, but my babies were just too quick!

First time I had gas, and I was saying "I want an epidural" for about an hour, and the nurses were going yeah, yeah, doctor's coming ... then once he got there it was "oops, there's the head!" and out popped DD. That was about 2 hours labour. And I have to say I was glad I didn't get the epi, because I mostly wanted it thinking that the "pushing" bit would be the painful part - I was dead wrong, that bit was easy for me, it was the early contractions that were the killer.

Second time I had NO "established labour" at all! it was straight from "early days, early days" to "hello baby!" So I was holding off asking for gas until it got bad and it never actually GOT bad! And I'm glad about that too ;)

[lexi'smum]

I have a pretty good pain threshold so i didnt feel as though i needed it, so I just didnt ask for it, plus I didnt really know much about it all, so I wouldnt of had a clue what I was asking for or what was available, which was a good thing, otherwise i prob would of had something I didnt need!!

[drewid]

I REALLY didn't want any pain relief.....and I was thrilled to find that I never had a point during labour where I felt I needed it. It was utterly fabulous and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!!

[~EmsMum~]

I only had one shot of pethadine!!!!
woulda had more but I didn't have time :laughing:

[natasha]

So do you think you felt 'more of a mother' like proud that your body did it on its own??

[Melo]

So do you think you felt 'more of a mother' like proud that your body did it on its own??

Oh defiently not, I think that anyone who has experienced having a baby (Natural or C-Section) should be proud! Its blo*dy hard work! At the end of the day we are all mothers regardless of how our babies came into this world!

[MumofMadd]

They wouldn't give it to me. I kept asking and they kept saying just wait an hour they said it till it was to late

[tyler's mum]

Can i ask a persoanl question for those mums that went through labour and birth with no pain relief......what was your reason for doing it???? It really fascinates me! RESPECT to you all for doing it though!!:D
But yeah...any particular reasons???

i wanted a natural birth, i did end up having all the pain relief i could as i had a very bad labour,, however nothing worked much to the suprise to the doctors so i ended up to have a natural birth, but i tell ya if i EVER had another baby i will be having a C-Section but i think tyler is goin to be my one and only;)

[KarniF00l]

I had two births without any drugs whatsoever not even a panadol afterwards.. reason for this is because i felt like i didnt need anything. :D

[Rhoxie]

I read everything I could get my hands on with regards to birth options, pain relief techniques and drugs and decided that I really didn't like all the consequences of the drugs so I wrote a very concise birth plan that detailed how I wanted to handle the birth. Basically no drugs please ;)

Fast forward to my first birth... Throwing up, nausea, diareaha 8cm dilated and starting to get a bit stressed from all the throwing up. I asked if there was something to stop me throwing up. I got offered Maxolon... I thought it would come as a tablet... it didn't it came as a shot with pethadine to calm me down...

The maxolon worked but the peth made me an absolute space cadet.. my hubby still wishes he'd taped the birth so he could play it back for pure entertainment value. I'm glad he was ammused because the peth did absolutely nothing for my pain and it was also far too late to be administred as my baby came out sleepy and needed an anti peth shot and I ended up with a small tear as I was so off the planet when I was told not to push I think I said stuff that and did any way :eek::D

The next two births were no drugs at all and I'd like to keep it that way if I ever have any more... no drugs was much nicer than having drugs..

[onabreak]

I didn't have time, was only in labour for 20 mins. My daughter was born 11 weeks early so she was small and slipped out quite easily with 3 pushes. :yes:

[polony]

To tell you the truth, I was in too much pain to think about it. Sounds weird I know, but I also knew I could deal with it. So I never asked.
I am proud that I did it all on my own steam and was so amazed by my body and what it just did. Giving birth is hard, no matter what option you choose. But it amazing regardless!

[mumtok&z]

Because i didn't think i was in labour and didn't get to the hospital in time. For some reason i thought i just had gastro. By the time i got to Hospital i was ready to push DS2 out! My mum still thinks i am crazy for thinking i had Gastro when i was 4 days over due!!

[chloes_mum]

After 56 hours of labour i had to have an epidural. Thumbs up to those who go natural.

[Areca]

My reasons
I spent 9 months watching what I put into my body, I had no intention of drugging baby up during the birth.
The thought of a needle in my spine terrified me (and still does)
I heard so many people say that peth sucks...and it gets to the baby and they come out drugged up.
There is a ridiculously high number of women who have back pain later in life from having an epidural, I don't want to be a statistic.
My one big reason was because this was the beginning of my new life. I wanted to feel it, to experience it all and not be numbed and 'miss out.'
I loved being able to get up straight away after giving birth.
I did have gas for 2 hours, out of a 14 hour labour. Knowing more now about what my body was doing (I thought I wasn't relaxing in between contractions...I now realise I was just having long contractions) I plan on using nothing next time. Gas doesn't ease the pain, just makes you more relaxed.
I had a shot of maxalon to stop me throwing up (no peth, just maxalon) and I'd have that again.
I am proud I did it basically on my own, giving birth is hard work! It felt good to do it after having so many people tell me I would be 'screaming for the drugs.' I never screamed for drugs, I very politely asked for some gas and never even thought about anything else, they just weren't an option.
I do not think I'm anymore of a mother because of it. Everyone has the right to enjoy their birth experience and be proud. I just did what felt best for me and my baby. If having drugs gives you an enjoyable experience then go for it, just be aware of the risks so you can make an informed choise (I don't mean you personally, I mean anybody)!

[elissas]

I was determined to have a drug free birth before we even conceived. I didn't want to feel affected by anything, and wanted to have complete control and all my faculties about me. I also didn't want the baby to be affected.

I have had pethadine before (appendix op), and had horrible hallucinations that I remember to this day. Never again. Gas makes all the women in my family nauseous. And nobody was sticking a needle in my back and rendering me numb.

I also knew that the body is capapble of it without drugs, and that there are a number of reasons that women feel pain in childbirth - fear being the main reason. It is not supposed to be an intensely painful experience, we have just been conditioned to believe that it is and our subconscious fear creates pain.

We did hypnobirthing because DH is a hypnotherapist. I also used meditation techniques (I have been meditating for a number of years now). At the peak of labour I felt like I was having strong period pain (I mostly laboured in the bath, which was fantastic). Delivery was only 23 minutes (established labour 5hrs, total labour 2.5 days). At no point did it even occur to me that drugs were available.

I know exactly what was going on, I was extremely aware and conscious, but at the same time detached from any discomfort. Even after the birth, DH was all aflutter about it, I had to remind him to cut the cord (they were about to do it), and had to ask him what sex the baby was.

I remember being in the peak of labour, and DH thought I was asleep - he brought me out of my "state", and asked if I was still having contractions. I told him I was in the middle of one and that it wasn't long to go now - then smiled at him and closed my eyes again.

As someone else mentioned, I spent 9mths (in fact it was a year because I detoxed before conceiving) not putting anything nasty in my body - no alcohol, caffeine, I had very little processed foods. I only ever had a panadol a couple of times during the pregnancy. So after all that effort I wasn't going to pump bubs full of drugs on entry into the world.

[meshan]

With my first I thought I was all for pain relief - but when I was in labour I didn't want anyone near me or touching me - except for DH. If someone had tried to stick a needle in my back I would have flattened them! I found I felt fine with breathing and some relaxation exercises.

With no 2 I was screaming for an epidural but it all happened to fast and there was just no time.

[faery]

i spent 9 months not drugging my baby with anything (not even caffine!!) so i wasn't about to drug them on the way out!

i think it is really important for babies to come into the world drug free. no sleepy/mildly intoxicated bubba here. also better for mama IMO.

i don't think i am a better mother than anyone else for it, but i am damn proud of myself for doing it. 20 hour labour and no pain releif before or after. and I am proud that during the birth i never asked for drugs, and managed to keep my focus on it being natural.

[sethsmum79]

I had a shot of pethadine 5 hours before DS was born. Labour really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be so when i was pregnant with DD I decided I wanted to do it drug free.

Not only as an achievement for myself, but also for the fact that I was ruling out the chance of possible negative side effects on my baby.

I delivered my 9 pound princess with the use of nothing but a little bit of gas and some serious back rubs from my DH.:smiliedance: :smiliedance:

[Tracie]

This is edited from a different thread but answers the same question (too lazy to write a new one!:laughing: )

When I fell pregnant with my first bub, I was quite unsure and also a little terrified by the prospect of childbirth. I was also surrounded at the time by lots of ladies who would all suggest that I should "go for the drugs...you are crazy if you don't" but there was this weird inkling that I had, which suggested to me that drug-free was the best way for me to go......

So, I ended up doing lots of research and preparation and my inkling was confirmed.....it just became clear to me that I wanted to allow my body to do it's thing and that I didn't want any drugs or interventions to interfere with the natural process of birthing my baby. Pain relieving drugs all come with some sort of trade-off for either you or the baby and I just didn't want to compromise anything.

Also, the more I read and researched, the more my feelings were confirmed, that I had nothing to be afraid of - sure it would be hard work and painful, but the female body is highly efficient in this department and I figured that thousands of women around the world birth their babies without drugs every day (and have been doing so since day dot), so therefore I could too!

My birth plan asked my careproviders not to offer any pain relief, and at no point during either of my labours (both 21 hours total) did it even occur to me to ask for it - I think because I was prepared with some pain coping techniques and because I had good support.

And probably also because it was really only towards the end of labour that contractions got quite hard and intense and by that stage my body was so tuned in and pumped with endorphins (great stuff!!!) that I just got on with it and did it.

Anyway, can't speak highly enough of the experience - I am very glad that neither my babies nor myself had any drugs on board when they entered the world because I could feel everything and was able to be fully present in that most amazing moment, and I guess, so could my babies!

"Birth is much more than eliminating pain. It is one of life's peak experiences."
Elizabeth Bing (Co-founder Lamaze International)

[misskittyfantastico]

I really had no sense of control during my labour with DD. I was quite scared and so I just let things be "done" to me
I dilated very quickly and I had an epi inserted (three times!!) but I was already fully dilated (I wasn't checked before they started stabbing me) and so it wasn't necessary.

Next time, I'm doing it my way (no drugs) because I know what my body and my mind can do.

[tickle]

Misskitty, that sounds exactly like with my DS. I had already gone through 10 hours of an induced, posterior labour, 3 epi attempts with the last working, only to be fully dilated. I doubt I will have more, but if I do I won't be having drugs!

[Jazuli]

All i had with my first daughter was a bit of gas and afterwards i was sick and throwing up so i assumed that it was the gas, so for my second labour i went drug free. I was even more sick after the second one with severe after pains that caused me to throw up. The pain relief i recieved after labour for the afterpains was stronger then any that i would ask for in labour. For my third baby which is due in november i will be going drug free again but will be asking for the codeine before i even attempt to breastfeed for the first time after the birth.

[reAllytee]

I went 75hrs without anything then had a shot of morphine & about 3hrs later had my epi because i couldnt stand after all this time so moving around etc wasnt possible anymore & after throwing up for that long i was exhausted & dehydrated so needed to rest before the big moment which ended up still being 4hrs away.
Im hoping next time that i wont have such a long labour nor be as sick so i can just do it on my own as long as im allowed ( that being the big question :rolleyes: ) otherwise c/s here we come !

[natasha]

Bloody hell Ally! Sounds like you had a really tough time!:hugs: Next time ( c section or not) I just wanna be there with you to hold your hand and give u a hug!!:hugs: Bless your heart hun!

[Notchalk]

I wanted the birth to be 'real' for me and for my baby.

I wanted all the proper hormones to be running through our bodies - no fake ones, and none dampened by pharmaceutical depressants. I wanted to enjoy the experience, and mostly, to DO IT MYSELF.

When I started labour, I sent DH to bed and sat on the birth ball by myself for a while, just bouncing through contractions. I can't recommend this highly enough!

Once the Midwife arrived and suggested to me that the birth pool should have been filled up already, I realised that I was in 'real labour' and I sort of went into my zone. All that was said after I got into the pool was "Don't wait for her to ask for water, just offer it and she'll take it if she needs it". This was to stop me from talking unecessarily, too.

At one point my knee slipped about 1cm from where it was, and everything hurt so much more! I quickly replaced it, and I was in my zone again (kneeling, leaning forward over the edge of the pool). At no point did I think I couldn't do it myself - I was just doing it. My mind's only job was to make sure my body was relaxed to let my own powers do what they had to do - get my baby out safely. And it did. There was probably only about 3 contractions that my mind thought, "I hope this bit doesn't last too long". But it helps to have in your mind that it might last for AGES. ;)

I was lucky enough to have a 7 hour labour all up, no interventions apart from the Midwife listening to my baby's heart beat a few times. I would not have had it any other way... and I'm a hospital-based Midwife :rolleyes:

Jo

[vavavanny]

I had two useless epidurals - neither of them worked, and until this day, my OB cannot explain why.
The birth was terrible.
The aftermath - even worse...

[reAllytee]

Bloody hell Ally! Sounds like you had a really tough time!:hugs: Next time ( c section or not) I just wanna be there with you to hold your hand and give u a hug!!:hugs: Bless your heart hun!


Aww Nash :hugs:
You will make me cry ya goose !

[kymmy]

I agree with some of the comments made in the posts here.
With my first it was just way too quick.
No time for any drugs.
I was open minded though.
Now I am glad that I did it without drugs 3x now.
Maybe i am stupid, maybe i am wuss (don't even like panadol).
But I also think it was the best way for my babies to be born and it was best for me.

[NZMama]

I agree with some of the comments made in the posts here.
With my first it was just way too quick.
No time for any drugs.
I was open minded though.
Now I am glad that I did it without drugs 3x now.
Maybe i am stupid, maybe i am wuss (don't even like panadol).
But I also think it was the best way for my babies to be born and it was best for me.

Ditto. For some strange reason I go from feeling nothing at the begininng (cant even feel what are supposed to be strong contractions) to it being intense and time to push....by then its too late for anything.
I tried the gas once but found it made me dizzy, nauseaus and dary mouthed....no thanks!

[brooke]

i didnt have any pain relief because i wanted it to be natural and the MAJOR FACTOR was because... (hange head) I am scared of needles! :eek: :o

so because of my fear of needles i went for 26hrs with contractions being 3mins apart from the beginning and a prosterior baby with no drugs at all! and it was the worst pain of my whole entire life... we are only having one baby but if for some reason an "un planned miricle" was to happen i would tell them give me an epi from the get go! :yes:

[spiritedfamily]

I have grown up with the idea that birth was natural and woman can do it without drugs, so my Mum has been instrumental in teaching me that my body was created to give birth naturally. I of course had lots of questions and fears...how do you manage the pain, my midwife was very encouraging and helped me understand what the pain would be like and the kinds of things I could do to cope and the idea of having a waterbirth came from there. It was a natural form of pain relief. I have had all my babies in water and have usuallly hopped in around transition time, its so comforting and stress relieving.

I have found that what also helps during labour is minimal external noises, being in a quiet place and being able to shut out everything and go inward and focus on my body as it works to push the baby out.

[pickles]

I went to a birth centre for both my babies as i knew that i would possibly not be strong enough to say 'no' if i knew that an epidural was available. During my first labour there was a stage where i think i would have asked for one if it was available. However the thought of getting out of the bath to transfer to the hospital was too much.
I also wanted to do it without drugs because everyone told me i wouldnt be able to.
i had a second degree tear with both and can honestly say that i did not feel it. i made sure that they gave me gas while they put the local in to do the stiching.
if i had a trhird it would be at home.
Pickles
30
husband 33
girl 5/2/03
boy 29/3/05

[subaruforestermum]

I too wanted to be strong and thought if i can get pierced everywhere I can go through child birth, i generally have a strong pain threshold, when i felt the tearing (was quiet severe) I said i wanted the gas, but i wasnt given it until things turned bad after bubs was born healthy....

For me it was an achievement.....to overcome the pain using my own inner strength.....

[Angelmist♥]

No-one believed that I was in labour until I screamed at the mid-wives that I had to push:rolleyes: Hmm so no time at all for me to have drugs!!Since I had done it the first time with no pain relief the next 2 were easy;)

[StrawberryTheMilkshake]

I had just 2 shots of pethadine to help me sleep as my labour went through the night.

Thats all i had in 10 hours and the reason? Because i didnt think it was that bad... ok ok i know im weird but i didnt think the pain was so terrible... i just used my breathing and got thorugh it.... :)

:rolleyes:

[BecH]

I wanted to experience all of labour. My husband had been quite ill and put up with more than most should have to so I thought I could at least suffer through some labour pain. I felt it was so important that my child not be exposed to drugs that could have potential side effects for both of us, and also I wanted my body to be able to recover quickly. 30 hours of posterior labour had me asking for an epidural just before pushing but mainly because I didn't think the baby was ever coming out :). I went home just 9 hours after giving birth and bubba, hubby and I never felt nervous because we believe that pregnancy, birth and raising a child should be as natural as you can manage. Having said that a birth is a means to an end and a baby born by c-section is going to be loved, cherished and adored just as much.

[bma_one]

I'm planning on having a natural birth as all information I have read so far has been really positive about the ability of my body to be able to give birth etc. Plus I have read that by taking synthetic pain relief, your body's natural pain relief hormones are lessened somewhat.

That said, I'm really trying not to get my heart set on a natural birth cos you never know what's going to happen. I'm trying to keep an open mind - but it's hard sometimes. I think the most important thing to me is getting my birth partner (DH) on side so that he can encourage me during labour no matter what.

[shed]

When they design a decent drug that has no side effects and doesn't slow down labour then I will be first in line. I had a great birth but I cried and whinged all the way through it. My strong birth plan and amazing support people can take most of the credit for how things went.

Best just to get it over and done with IF YOU CAN.

[~Danni~]

I didn't go in planning to knock back the drugs but I ended up being 8cm dialted at my first internal and the pain never got so bad that I felt I needed any help. it was all pretty quick...

Have no idea what will happen with this one though:D

[Peaceangels]

For me, the main reason was that I had decided to used hypnotherapy, so I didn't think I would need to consider any sort of pain relief.
As it turned out with #1 I only used the gas for a short time, but after 20hours of no pain relief I had to have a spinal block for an emergency c/s.

[Rainbowbrite]

i knew that i wanted a drug free labour. I even begged & pleaded to go to my local hospital (2 minutes away) as they dont give epidurals or have pethadine on site :thumbsup: Vs going to the big hospital 45mins away as they have everything there.

In the end i had some gas for a few hours but then had nothing for the 90 mins leading up to the actual birth. Next time, i'm going drug free all the way & refusing to get out of the bath, as i want a water birth :yes:

[jarrahsmumma]

I trusted my body to birth my baby. i didnt want drugs clouding my view or the sensations I needed to guide me through labour.

[shed]

Its a homebirth for me next time. I wanted it this time but DP was too chickensh*t.

I told him I am having a home birth next time and he goes "but you won't be able to have the gas".

But that's not true. You can have the gas at a homebirth...I'm sure you can.

[stellarella]

I had my heart set on a drug free birth. I birthed at the RBWH birth centre and was sooo happy i could do it drug free with lots of support. Unfortunately after 34 hours I begged for an epidural. I can honestly say it was not the pain, I thought the pain was ok, challenging, but ok. It was the utter exhaustion, by that point i had not slept for 2 entire days and nights and i knew if i kept going without some rest i wouldnt be able to push him out. i was only 6 cms when i had the epidural.

I will try again to go without drugs, most definately. i had a bad experience with my epidural only working on one side and they are just horrible. But i dont regret having one in the situation i was in.

I just hope next time i get my dream and have a truly natural birth.

Oh to answer the question of why.
Better for mum, better for bub, fewer complications, interevntions etc. birth is a natural process and should be treated as such.

having said that, birth is a very indivdual thing and however your little bub arrives is the perfect way for you.

[Bubble*Crazy]

I went into both labours with an open mind - pretty much see how I'd do and take/do what I needed to at the time.

With DD I got through pretty well with NOTHING at all, didn't even use the gas - just breathing and hard back rubs from DP! I just didn't need anything at the time and the MW & DP were extremely encouraging.

With DS I had to give in and go for the epidural as the lower back pain was excrutiating as he was posterior - I was ready & trying to push at 7cm. I actually recovered better with this labour - could quite easily have gone home 12 hours later, but decided to lap up the 5-star accomodation and service for 3 nights!

[subaruforestermum]

So do you think you felt 'more of a mother' like proud that your body did it on its own??

No, I am proud of myself that I got through the labour, but as for pain relief, I wish I had something so I didnt feel the burning sensation as I was tearing, and have the pain afterwards.....

I went into it with the mindset that I wouldnt have drugs or need them, but ouch.....i was torn to shreds, and think things could have been different if I was on the bed with pain relief instead of in the shower.....

I am too scared after last time to go through it again without pain relief.....

[aardvark]

I am too scared after last time to go through it again without pain relief.....

I was the opposite. I had pethidine with #1, and I had a REALLY bad trip which affected me for days afterwards, and I strongly suspect pre-disposed me to PND. I have a fear of epidurals after my mother lost proper function of her right leg following an epidural for pain relief after bowel surgery.

The reality was that I was more frightened of the pain relief than I was of the pain.

The second and third babies were born without drugs, and I felt so much better for it.

[Mariposa]

all my three girls were "au naturel". wouldnt change it for the world. yes i got tears and wot nots (not too bad, lucky for me) and i survived. they were all very painful though!

BUT, im not going there again:p

[Baby Girl]

First time I didn't feel like I really needed anythng but the gas (which was turned right down to oxygen and no NO2) helped me focus on breathing.

Second time I didn't make it to the hospital until 8 minutes before she was born so no time but I probably wouldn't have asked anyway.

I have a very high pain threshold so....

[mrsd]

I thought that if women have been having babies for thousands of years without it, then big tough me could do it, too.:D

My first baby was born in a hospital where nothing was available. My second baby was born at home accidentally. After that, I thought that if I could survive it once (all 25 1/2 hrs worth), then I could do it again.

I was also worried about the effect of drugs on my babies.

[Jodiee]

Know what? It never even occured to me, stupid, I know, but with all my labours, except the last, I sort of "went into myself", and just did it on my own, unaware even of anyone elses presence until it was over, quite weird, the last, well, she was a 10lb, 3oz, occiput posterior, sholder dislocia monster, and I totally lost it during labour, I was so lucky to get my favourite midwife (Ive had 4 babies in 5 years in the same room, of a 2 room birthcentre, so by then, I knew who was who) and she just took over, and screamed at me what to do, and when, and I was lucky she knew what to do with me, as my body was trying to go into its shell, but my brain was just saying "help me, help me", and my body even forgetting to breath, and having to be told even to do that, all on top of me scraming the hospy down (funny thing is, we were joking the day before about people who scream, saying lucky I wasnt one, as she had a headache, and then in I come....lol). I have never lost cntrol before, in fact, I have never made a noise in labour before, it was very embarrassing, actually, and I apologised immensly after. Anyway, as I didnt think about drugs, which would have helped me control myself, I honestly believe.
This time round, Im going in with an open mind, my birthplan will say, if I need it, give it to me, anything, just in case its another repeat of my last one!

Jo

[3cherubs]

The midwife ignored my pleas and swearing for an epidural.(or was half deaf). When she did eventually ger ready to start prepping for it i was ready to push.
Now though i am VERY thankful to her as i am proud and almost cannot believe I did it natuarlly.

I had an epidual after 30 mins of contractions with DD1, i was induced.

[sunshine girls]

I had a totally intervened birth with Indi and almost ended up with a caeser, i just didn't want to go through that again.....i wasn't all gunhoe about doing it naturally just wanted to give it a go....stoked now i did - definitly an experience:barf:

[Zan]

I did it because I could I guess, lol. I didn't want any drugs for a few reasons, I wanted the process to be as natural as possible and to progress naturally - not to a certain schedule, I didn't want the baby to be drugged and sleepy and maybe have feeding problems, I didn't want to risk reacting to any drugs and feeling sick/out of it etc, and most importantly I didn't want any intervention. Once drugs have been administered there is a far higher chance of intervention.
Being in a relaxed environment with a m/w I trusted I didn't need any drugs (I did use a birthing pool for both births though not for the last 2 hours of dd1's birth).
Zan

[*~alegna~*]

I was very lucky in the fact that I couldn't feel my contractions until after they broke my water. Then i was lucky again bacause they were only like a severe period cramp. I could manage.

By the time I was ready for the business end of the proceedings it all happened very quick. For my first bub, active labour was only about 1.5hrs...again very very lucky!

If it were different I may have taken some sort of relief:D

[mum2bubba]

I had a quick labor and birth (3 hours all up) and I gave birth 5 minutes after arriving at the hospital. I really wanted at the time, but I am glad I went natural, we'll see what happens next time 'round.

Maybe I just have a strong pain threshold :yes:

[Seekrit]

I laboured along without relief until I was sent down to the birth suite (when a new midwife must have seen how in-pain I was) got the gas, then yelled and screamed my way through it.
Whacked husband in the face for asking for Peth for me. (at which point the midwife said "OK! No PETH!") and after what seemed to be AGES I finally cracked and cried for an epidural.
However, it had only been an hour and I managed to dilate from 4cm - 10cm in that time and was most likely in transistion when I cracked.

I have people tell me that they're "so proud" that I did it without an epi.. but I argue that it wasn't my choice... I simply asked too late

[Jamily]

I had a waterbirth (so drugs weren't really available), but I did it because I believed that it was better for my baby and for me. I had a wonderful experience and have never felt so proud of myself :)

[jessi]

DF and I are into everything natural... being hippies at heart... it was important for us to do this with no intervention... I ended up taking the gas but still managed to give birth to my angel with no serious pain killers!

[kateka]

With my first i was to young to realise when it was time to ask for some pain relief and it was never offered, with my 2nd she was 8 weeks early and i wanted to give her a better chance with no breathing difficulties etc as pain relief can make bubs a bit tired and i was told by the doctor it would be better if i didnt... in saying that after 19 hrs of contractions and synto drip i had an emergency c\s. If i wasnt to have the c\s i would have kept goin for as long as it took.:thumbsup:

[M O P]

I thought I'd already posted in this thread before but a read through reveals I haven't so here I go.

I went in to the labour with a very open mind. I wasn't going to beat myself up if I ended up with an epi or c/s.
I had great midwife and obs who pushed me to keep going further without the epi. At the initial internal I was 6 cms so they got me in the shower. When I eventually got out I had a peth shot and gas- loved the gas! When they did an internal to check before even bothering to organise an epi I was 10cms so too late. I was really happy because for me the worst pain was at the beginning, think I progressed very fast. I had my wonderful husband rubbing my back and that felt great and helped so much. When it came time to be pushing I could get in to kneeling and squatting positions.

The other thing was every day in the hospital they'd ask if I wanted painkillers (post natal), I didn't have any. I was a bit sore, 2 stitches and big hemorrhoids out my bum:eek: :D , but nothing too unbearable.

[TigerBlueBear]

With my first I had every intention of going drug free - but I was induced, had little or no support and my OB would not let me use the bath (because my waters had broken which I later found out is an invalid reason). I basically was unable to cope with the contractions and gave in having gas, then pethadine and finally an epidural.

I really believed that having a drug free labour would be better for my baby and me, but after this birth I also learned that having a drug free labour would also reduce my risk of having a caesarean.

In my 2nd birth I laboured for 26hrs with nothing but water, music and back rubs - I felt so good with this and the labour was not that bad. I did have failure to progress tho and was "stuck" at 4-5cm for 8hrs (almost unheard of for a VBAC but I had a great OB not a panic merchant). At the 26hr mark I had a mobile epidural to help me to relax my stomach muscles as I kept tensing up and this was a last ditch thing to get me to dilate before a csec would be suggested. Anyway it worked and Blue was born an hour later, and because it was a mobile epidural I still had enough sensation to be able to push him out myself without help. I specifically said no pethadine in this labour as that is supposed to be the drug that has the worst affect on the baby.

With my 3rd birth I carried none of the fears I had with my 2nd. I knew I could birth vaginally so there was nothing to stop me having a good drug free birth. I had heard of hypnobirthing by this stage and already knew the advantages of labour in water. The birth was heavenly. An intense 4.5hr labour but no real pain. I had strong squeezing sensation with each contraction but was away in my own little world supported by water. It was just wonderful and my baby was strong, healthy and alert at birth.

[Bearskin]

To be honest (don't laugh at me) I just didn't find the pain bad enough to require pain relief. I think after hearing some friends talk about their labours that I was lucky to have a quick 1st labour (8 hours) and no stitches or tearing. I stayed home until contractions were 2 minutes apart, which kept me relaxed. I was reading a book in between contractions and DH was reading The Land newspaper!

The hospital I had DD in doesn't offer epidurals anyway so when I booked in I had to be sure I could manage without an epi. That was always in the back of my mind - there was no other options. I could have had peth or gas but I just didn't need it.

I really listened to the midwives in the ante natal classes and spent most of my labour standing and walking; hurt much more on my back or lying down. Same with pushing; I really concentrated on listening when the midwife told me to push and when she told me not to so tearing could be prevented. The midwife was great; she was rapt that I didn't have any tears as they are assessed, in part, on the outcome of each delivery.

[bellapaigesmum]

i did it natural because i was scared of the drugs i have never had to have them before so i was scared that i would be allergic or have side affects. i wanted to be awake for the birth aswell but the only pain i remember is when the cut me and the anestetic to stitch me up

[QTB]

i went 34 hours with no pain relief... i asked for gas at 34 hours cos i was so tired i was ready to die! 1.5 hrs later my bubba was born (36hr labour!) if i knew then that i only had 1.5hrs to go i wouldnt have had the gas... i wanted a natural birth because 1. i hate needles. 2. i wanted to be up and moving for my babys birth 3. i wanted to enjoy the first moments of my bubbas life without being drugged, or him being drugged (which i missed out on doing properly cos i was sooo high on the gas!)

[LucyE]

I wanted as natural birth as possible and wasn't satisfied that the usual drugs offered were completely safe for bub. As others have said, I had spent the previous year (at least) watching what I put into my body, I wasn't about to fill it with drugs at the last moment. It was painful - syntocin drip, vacuum extraction, tears and episiotomy but I am glad that I only had gas while being stitched up afterwards and DS didn't start his life drugged up.

And no, I don't feel like I'm a 'better' mother for it, I just feel like it was the best choice for us.

[FinnsMama]

Pretty much what everyone else has said...didn't want drugs to lead to a cascade of interventions...didn't want my baby to enter this world with drugs in his system (which can affect breastfeeding, which was really important to me)...didn't want to feel groggy or out of control myself during the labour...big fear of needles, especially in my spine :eek:... plus I believed in my body's ability to birth my baby naturally...

It wasn't easy, but at the same time at no point was i even tempted to ask for drugs. I wanted the pain to stop, but I didn't consider drugs an option - I just did whatever I could to get through it. :)

[Melissa1983]

i didn't have a choice... My labours where to quick...