Having a natural birth!?

Question

I want to have a natural birth....

Everyone is telling me I better have an epidural...and when I say I want go natural they laugh and say, trust me you will be asking for an epidural..

I mean my Mom went natural with all of us so why couldnt I do it! =/


Please share your experience with me...

Answer 1

My first was natural, my second two I had a spinal for. My first, I was in labor for 22 hours and they had to deliver him by forceps ( that's a lot of pain) I could rest with my second two. I am not going to have any more children but if I was I would be getting a spinal.

Answer 2

You are right to trust your instincts and go for a natural birth. Some people would like you to think that having an epidural has little or no consequences, but it does.
Your body was made to birth babies. You can most absolutely do it. I was told that I would need an epidural by some of my friends, and I just laughed at them. I was empowered, and made it through my 15 hours of hard back labor without anything. I'm not a martyr, I am a woman. And I had my baby the way god and nature intended. There is a reason for the sensations you feel during childbirth. There are LOTS and LOTS of great books on it, if you like to read!! Don't let anyone, ANYONE tell you how to birth your baby!!! You can have your baby any way you please. Be empowered!!

Answer 3

First, read "The American Way of Birth" by Jessica Mitford - it's a huge eye opener on birth in this country.

Babies #1 and #2 - pressured into epidural by hospital staff

Baby #3 - Natural, at home, no drugs - beautiful and powerful and highly recommended!

Baby #4 - Natural, at home, no drugs - 10 lbs. 2 oz. - even MORE beautiful and powerful b/c I stayed totally alone the whole day until I was ready to start pushing. It was a very spiritual time riding those waves of contractions. I would have missed out on an incredible experience had I had pain meds.

Answer 4

If you believe firmly in your heart that natural is right for you, I am sure you will do fine during labor. It's true that some women change their minds and get the epidural during labor. I was one who decided I wanted an epidural before labor ever began. If you want to be successful, you should prepare with Lamaze or the Bradley method. It would also help to birth at a place with a birthing pool since water helps with the pain. You could also hire a doula to support you and talk you out of epidurals.

Answer 5

I had my daughter naturally and it was beautiful. I was in labor for 18 hours, and it hurt, but the thing about the pain is that there is a point that it just doesn't get any worse. That is when most women take the epidural, because they are thinking, "I can't handle any more." My husband was my labor coach and got me through it, but I would definitely do it again with no hesitating. I think the main pain reliever for me was the shower and laboring on my side with my husband rubbing my back. I really enjoyed my daughter's birth, and I think an epidural would have ruined it for me.

Check out the website below for the benefits of a natural birth, there are a couple of different books my Dr. Bradley that I read and they really motivated me and helped me understand what my body was doing. The Bradley Method classes were a godsend.

Get a midwife!! Midwifes are used to dealing with normal, low risk pregnancies, and are less likely to push epidurals. If you don't have a labor coach, doulas are also helpful (some people in my bradley class used them along with your husband, just depends on the person!)

Above all, believe in yourself and know that your body was made for this. This is silly, but the thing that got me through it was thinking about my dog, I thought, if she can have four puppies, I can push out one!!! Good luck and congrats!

Answer 6

SUNSHINE!!!

You can do it girl friend....I did it and im the biggest baby in the world.... the natural birth is the best and safest birth there is... I wouldnt take an epidural at all 85 % of women who have epidurals RIP! they are soo frosen down there they dont feel notthing so they are not pushing at the right place... The worst part of giving birth are the contractions. This is where you need to RELAX and take DEEP Breaths TRUST ME! if you can go without it do it.. I DID and im planing on doing it again!! You can do it!!! :) Good luck Sunshine

ALSO BECAREFUL some ob/gyn's like to give drugs ( morphine ) and what not i wouldnt take any of that stuff either think about it when you are prego they tell you take Tylenol for the pain and thats all when think about it when your giving birth its the same thing....

Answer 7

I don't think that an epidural is something anyone should tell you to have (save perhaps medical staff in extreme circumstances).
More natural options, are just that. Many, or possibly most, women are able to give birth with minimum intervention, so if that is what you want: you stick with it and inform yourself. Tell those putting pressure upon you that you don't want their undermining advice, because your determination is very important.
When the contractions really start kicking in, if you are in hospital and progress seems slow, there may be pressure upon you to have inducement. I am sure that induction is more appropriate whereby you are very overdue, but (and here follows my experience-) I was not, and we fended off this pressure, instead I kept walking (which I had done throughout the pregnancy) - around the hospital grounds, and this is what brought on the final stage and labour proper.
I wanted to have a birthing pool for pain relief and elected to use -is it entonox? (gas & air) only, along with natural calming remedies that I had read-up on and prepared. This is what I did, only the surprise was, I did not want to get out of that pool. Consequently I had a water birth and have been left with a fanatastic sense of achievement. The pain at the bottom of the spine was the worst (for me) and made sense of why women tell themselves in those moments "never again!", but, it is not continuous pain, and it is pain with a purpose; that feeling of 'never again' just dissolves to nothing when that baby is placed on you for its first cuddle.
All the best wishes to you and yours.

Answer 8

I have a three month old son and my labor went very well I didn't want to get an epidural either but I left the option open if I thought that I really needed it. I ended up only using pain killers that they put in your IV but it is only supposed to last for an hour. The medicine really only worked for about half that time and I would have to wait another 30 min. to get another dose. It did help me get some rest in between my contractions though. I think that it would have been a lot easier if i would have gotten an epidural but I am very proud that I didn't!

Answer 9

i wanted to skip the epidural because i was afraid that i wouldn't be able to control myself or feel my baby being born...my nurses kept telling me that it was ok to use the epidural and i didn't need to try to be a hero...i made it to about 7cm and the contractions started to make me dry heave. i couldn't handle dry heaving and the contractions because i had no break to breath in between...so i got the epidural at the last minute (i was somewhere between 8 and 9cm) and i am so thankful i did. i could feel my baby moving through the birth canal and could control my muscles enough to push her out...

the epidural made me calm and pain free and i enjoyed the labor so much more once the meds kicked in. i was even joking with the nurse, dr, and my husband as i was giving birth to my baby! i'm sold on the epidural now, there's no reason why giving birth should be equated with such extreme discomfort anymore!

if i were you, i would decide what i prefer, and then make my choice based on the actual situation. you can request the epidural up until you're 7 or 8cm i think. after that, you would have to use an iv if you decide natural is not for you.

Answer 10

GO NATURAL! Our bodies were made to do this and you can do it!

I did it and I'm soooo thankful I did. It was a great experience and I feel like I'm king of the world for doing it!

Of course, it doesn't make you a better mother or mean that people who use meds are bad moms, but still - I did it and I plan on doing it with all the rest.

You can do it! Decide today that you're going to do it natural. Start thinking positive, learn as much as you can about the process, and stay positive until that little baby comes out and you get to hold him/her!

Good luck!

Answer 11

Define natural - are you going to squat down in a parking lot and deliver all alone, pick up the baby and walk home?
You mean prepared childbirth. GO TO a CHILDBIRTH CLASS! You will have some options about what you do and
don't do; but make a list and discuss them all with your doctor.
You can always ask for an epidural later, if you want to.
That said, I had two children with pitocin, and no meds [ one weighed 9-1 1/2 ! ]