Birth Experiences and Questions

[fertilethoughts]

There are so many 'unknown' factors with having a baby, isn't there?
I am thinking in particular how I have absolutley NO what the birth is going
to be like. All I am doing right now is getting as much information about everyones
experiences as these experiences are all possibilities I could encounter. One thing I
am trying to understand is why there are so many women who would want a drug-
free birth? Is it because they love their babies so much that they want to 'suffer pain'
as some sort of bonding ritual? Is it something that women choose to do because of
some deep primal instinct? Is it to prove to themselves and/or others that they can
put up with pain and therefore come out of such an obstacle triumphantly? I am in
no way intending to pick on anyone who wants/or who had a drug free birth, its really
only that I am beginning to think about something I have NEVER thought about
before and I want to be sure I havn't ruled out anything because I don't understand
it. Also, I have read that epidurals make it harder to birth because you can not feel
yourself pushing. Is that true?

xx fertilethoughts

[uptheduff]

I wanted a drug free birth because most of the drugs have possible side effects which i did not want. Pethedine crosses the placenta and can make you baby sleepy, and i didn't think it was fair to use a drug that would affect my baby at all. It can also make you sick. Epidurals increase the risk of tearing (and possibly c-sections, i'm not sure), YOu're not always mobile when you have them, and it can slow your labour down. Although most people i have spoken too have told me that they could feel the contractions and knew when to push...i know that this is not always the case.

I had gas with my first pregnancy, and it made me very sick, and did nothing for the pain. I asked for something stronger, but my labour was pretty quick and there wasn't time for anything else. My second labour i was determined not to use gas again, and had a drug free birth. I hope to do the same this time.

I guess you never really know what you can handle until you try, so i find it best to go in attempting a drug free birth, but be open to taking them if you need to....You can work your way up through the drugs if you want too...it's not like you can only have one and no more iykwim!

[Grizabella]

Hi

The only reason I wanted a birth as drug free as possible was because I didn't like the thought of having a needle in or near my spine. Purely that, no other reason at all.

I used a teeny bit of gas, and had a pethadine shot. As with the pethadine shot, it is true. Brion was groggy when he was born, but they gave him some O2 and he was fine.

If you want to have drugs, then go for it. It is better to plan to have drugs. That way they are organised to be there during the birth. And if you don't need them , bonus! It also makes a lot of new mums2be feel a bit more reassured knowing that they are there if needed or wanted.

Good Luck!!!!!

[SJE]

I would just take it as it comes and be prepared for anything

I didn't plan on an epidural but ended up wanting it. It was fantastic.

[munchkin05]

while i was preg i wanted all the drug that were going to be offered to me

but once i was in labour i didnt think i needed them
i went through 26 hrs of labour before they gave me a epidural cause i needed a emergancy c section

labour is different for every woman
just have a open mind and take it as it comes
you dont know how you will react untill you start having contactions

but good luck hope iit all goes the way you want

[sugar n spice]

I would just take it as it comes and be prepared for anything

I didn't plan on an epidural but ended up wanting it. It was fantastic.

thats is what i did took it as it came, didnt want and epidural but ended up begging for it and it was the best thing i did

[Jodiee]

Hi

I have had 4 babes, peth with the first, and nothing with the others, I didnt mean to go drug free, its just that I didnt think about it, and wasnt offered it, except when I first walked in, and didnt need it, and each time the m/wife just assumed not to ask again!! lol

I am all for if you want/need it, go for it, if it makes for a better birth experience, then absolutely, go for it, we arent any lesser by taking drugs for pain, nor are any better for not having them, each to her own, and etc, we all have different experiences, and some are by pressure, eg: my sil always went on about going drug free etc, and brags about it, but I dont see why that made her labour/s any better than my pethedine one, IYKWIM....
I had peth as stated for my oldest, and she was fine, alert, got 10 for both agpars, my next daughter, no drugs, and only got 6 and 9, cause she was lethargic, labour was easy, etc, etc.
In saying this, I am always open to anything in labour, if it helps with my birthing experience!

cheers

[Kaileysmum]

I really wanted a drug free all natural birth. Don't really know why I think just to keep things as natural as possible, to avoid complications. Well I Had a 36 hour labour, 3 hours of pushing and a emerg c/s. I went without any drugs till the 28 hour mark then I had a small shot of peth so I could sleep through contractions, as I had not slept at all. Other than that I had the spinal for my c-section, thats it. I never asked for any drugs they just offered me the peth. I wish now that I had had the epidural. To be honest I was in to much pain (back labour, baby was posterior) to even think about anything else, I was out of it, didn't even speak to my partner, except for saying I want the baby out of me, and that something wasn't right, really i cant even remember him being there for the last 10 hour of it.
My baby was fine when she came out was very alert and got a 9 then a 10 on her apar. I wasn't happy about what I went through. But everyone is different, they have different labours, and want different things in labour.

Also with the epidural thing, you can have what they call a mobile epidural, which means you can still feel the contractions, just not the pain, so you can still walk around and push properly. I know this as my SIL had one last week when she was in labour. hope this helps.

[mumof5sarah]

I had a shot of Peth with my first baby, but it was a waste of effort, as it takes about 10 minutes to take effect and I had my DS 7 minutes after the shot. But I was so out of it after the shot that I don't remember much. All these things were happening and I was being told all this information but don't remember any of it. They put in a catheder, I lost over a litre of blood, they wouldn't let me have a shower or even let me stand up!!! It was terrible. So the next 4 deliveries were all natural. I felt in complete control and my head was clear and I remember everything clearly, which is what you want, you wouldn't want to go through all of that and not be able to remember every detail. As it is the most amazing thing you'll ever do.

[Kaileysmum]

As it is the most amazing thing you'll ever do.

Very true.....As much as my labour was YUK, it will be the most amazing thing Ive ever done in my life. You just need to take things as they come in labour as you never know whats going to happen, especially with your first bub.