what will labor and delivery feel like if i go unmedicated? (especially the pushing stage.)?

Answer 1

You will have an overwhelming feeling to push. The baby's head coming out naturally numbs down there so... You just want to push. It is incredible. And when the baby comes out.. it feels so weird to feel the umbilical cord coming out of your body.. but still attached. Amazing!!

Answer 2

I had no meds. It's extremely painful. I'm not going to lie. EXTREMELY!!! however if you are devoted, then it won't bother you. It's a mental thing. We've been doing it for years without meds. I, on the other hand, am terrified of needles, so that was my only option. Without meds, labor is much faster. When you have an epidural, it is literally numbing you from the waist down, so you don't have total control of your pushing, therefore making you much weaker in this aspect. My pushing part of the labor was 1 hour, that's it. The next child that I have, I will do the same. No doubt. Like my grandmother said, "The miracle of birth isn't that you just gave birth, but that you forget all the pain you just went through when you have your baby in your arms, and that you would do it all over again in a second." Good luck!

Answer 3

I have given birth to three beautiful girls....all natural with no medication. I think that if you have decided that this is the best method for you and you are determined to control the pain naturally, you can enjoy a wonderful labor and delivery. However, if you change your mind during labor and decide to use medication to control the pain level, there is no shame in that either. The laboring stage feels like a tightening of the abdominal muscles. There is some pain and pressure in the hip and back area as well. This is all due to the changes that are occuring to prepare for the babies delivery through the birth canal. The important thing to remember during this stage is that you simply need to take it one contraction at a time. Breathing and trying to relax so that your body can do the work it needs to do helps the labor progress easier. During the pushing stage, there is a great deal of pressure on your vaginal area. You will still be having contractions, and should wait to push with each contraction, resting and breathing deeply between pushing. If you have a really good doctor or midwife, they will massage your vaginal opening with olive oil or lubricant that will help you to stretch without tearing. It helped me a great deal to have my dr. place his hand on the area between my vagina and my anus, applying mild pressure so that I could focus my pushing...Good luck to you! I hope that it is a great experience.

Answer 4

I went with no drugs. I was able to walk around, stretch, sit on a birthing ball, take a shower, etc, to work through the contractions before the pushing stage. I kept asking how I would know when to push and the nurses kept saying "you'll know." I didn't really know - nothing felt different. I think I just got sick of walking around and told them I was ready to push!

The pushing for me was the worst part because you have to lie flat on your back. That is the least comfortable position when in labor (I think). It feels like you are going to break something you are pushing so hard, and they are holding your legs up so far to shrink the birth canal. It's just uncomfortable. But once the kid's head pops out, it's the biggest release of pressure and it's such a relief.

I would highly recommend a doula - she is basically a birthing coach. I had one and she was fantastic. She reminded me to stay hydrated, kept suggesting other positions for me to try, and she kept me aware of my surroundings and where I was in the process of giving birth. Just a real calming influence.

I would also highly recommend "The Birth Book" by Dr. William Sears. He talks about how to go natural and is a big believer in going natural. There are also tons of great stories and anecdotes from his practice in the book.

Above all, don't let the pain get ahead of you. You only have to get through the contraction you are feeling now. Do not think of the next contraction, just deal with this one. If you let the pain get ahead of you, you will feel overwhelmed and I think you can make the pain worse.

Answer 5

i've had a natural childbirth with no medicine. I had very little pain and discomfort by walking and dancing a lot and sitting an very warm water tub. I hardly stayed in bed, staying in bed with no meds is extremely painful. I also brought me a birth stool so I can rest. I told the doctors to leave me the hell alone. I will call you if I need any help. Birth is an instinct. We've been doing this for millions of years.
My grandma when she was in labor with my mom, she started walking in the woods/forest until she was ready to deliver with the midwife. She said that walking doesn't make you think about the pain. The midwife and my grandma talked like girlfriends and told stories and everything.
There was no doctors probing her vagina checking to see how much she's dilated. When grandma just felt that the baby is coming, she squatted and gave some pushes and viola, there was my mom!

Answer 6

Labor is an extremely painful process. I had my son un-medicated and it was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. The labor pains were much worse then the pushing. Labor in the beginning is not too bad, but look out when the contractions are coming one right after the other. With all the medications and things they have today why suffer (and I mean suffer) if you don't have to. Get the epidural.

Answer 7

my very first contracts felt a bit like gas. The type that sits on your belly and just aches. It progresses from there, and it does hurt. There are things that you can do to minimize the pain. I suggest bringing something with you that may help take your mind of the pain. I personally like to sing. I may not be very good at it, but it makes me happy. Therefore a Cd player, headphone, and my favorite Cd's would have worked wonders for me. Thinking about the lyrics of my favorite songs would help me concentrate on things other than pain. It does get bad, I won't lie. Labor hurts. The pushing stage, on the other hand. It really depends. One of the first answers you got, was enough to scare the crap out of anyone. For me, it was the easiest, best part of labor. You hear of women who push for hours before their babies are born, and they're exhausted from their efforts. I have to wonder how many of these women were on pain mediacation? With an epiduaral, you can't feel what you can feel without. I had my first one without pain medication. It was not fun, but I was on pitocen which, I'm told, makes the contractions worse. When it came time to push, it felt just like I had to go number two. I was trying to convince the nurses that I had to go to the bathroom. Of course they knew better. Pushing uses the exact same muscles that going to the bathroom uses. This is why some women can't help but deficate on the delievery table, which is completely normal. If you can feel what you're doing, and you listen to what your body is telling you, I believe that pushing will be a breeze. My first was born after less than 5 minutes of pushing. I pushed through 3 contractions and he was out. My second labor, I had an epiduaral. I didn't feel my body telling me what I needed t do, when it came to pushing. Luck for me, I already knew what to do, and he too was born after less than 5 minutes pushing. Perhaps it hurts for some women, but it didn't hurt me at all. It was the easiest part of the whole thing for me. I have absolutely nothing agaisnt epiduarals, I think they're wonderful. However, for a first time mom, I would suggest she ask that it be turned off, for the pushing phase. Seeing how it's administered with a cathater, it could easily be turned bac on, if she decided the pain was too much. I really think it would help the pushing phase to end quickly.

Hope this helps

Answer 8

For me the worst part was right before the pushing stage.. it hurt like hell and I could not think enough to form a complete sentence. Once you start pushing, you are doing what your body wants you to, it actually feels a little better. By the next day, you will have forgotten how bad the pain was.

Answer 9

I had all three of my children without pain medications. Take the lamaze classes they are worth every minute of time you work with it. It feels like intense cramping that peaks and decreases with each contraction. The pushing stage is easier because your body is telling you to push and when you do it responds better.

Answer 10

It feels like there is a wild animal ripping its way out of you. LOL no seriously if your a screamer tell people to wear ear plugs. You stretch and it hurts you might rip and that hurts you will be tired and want to give up but don't because once the baby is visible then the pain doesn't matter only holding your baby does.