I there anyone that has had natural childbirth, meaning, NO epidural?

Question

I have to take blood thinners for a protein S deficiency so I am not allowed to have an epidural. This is my first baby and I am worried about the pain. What is your experience???

Answer 1

I had one...she's was my first baby too. Not to mention she was 8lbs8ozs. It was the scariest experience that I ever had. The biggest problem was that I was so tired. I sat on the toilet alot. It seemed to help with the presser. I couldn't sit on the bed because it was very uncomfortable. I could of had an epidural but I decided to try not too but near the end I was screaming for one. Not to scare you at all. If I could do it all over again I still would of not chosen the epidural. My next one I won't have one. After you have the baby you can get up and walk around...with help of course. Just remember that you are the boss in the delivery room. You are the one having the baby everyone else is there to help you and the baby.
The pain was like really intense cramping. I wasn't lucky enough to have three minute breaks (had to have pitocin...a certain little baby was too cozy to come out by herself) in between the contractions. The birthing was easy. The pain actually let up a little for me. It still hurt but I just pushed through the pain because I knew that Helena was almost here and I was going to be the first one to hold her. I actually started joking with all the med students...yeah...i had 8 people there watching Helena come. I told them that if the janitor would make this baby come any faster then he was invited to come in too. It's a miracle experience and you will never be the same. I'm so glad that I'm a mom and that I did it natural. I felt like superwoman after everything was said and done. You're awesome and you are going to be a mommy soon. Just imagine you baby the whole time and how the pain is worth it.

Answer 2

I can't speak toward the natural child birth experience, as I delivered my son with an epidural. First and foremost... don't feel guilty about any decision that you make. Also remember that all pregnancies are different. I got my epidural after they broke my water. I wasn't dilating as fast as they had hoped, so they broke my water to increase the pressure on my cervix. The contractions got sooooo intense after that, that I could barely stand it. I got the epidural, and it made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. Mostly because I still had 9 hours of labor to go. If I had not had the epidural... I would have had to have had a C-section. There is NO way I would have had the strength to push to get my son out. My labor was over 22 hours, and the epidural allowed me to get a few hours of interrupted sleep. I have heard some people say that with the epidural they didn't feel the need to push or they weren't pushing right. Maybe my dose was low or had lost it's effectiveness, but I felt the urgency to push and I FELT the birth. It did not eliminate all of the pain. I don't know... but I would think the epidural might make the labor a little bit longer because you will get a chance to rest and your body can do some of the work on it's own. Without the epidural you would likely be pushing and doing everything in your power to move things at a faster pace. I had no problems with my delivery. I am set to be induced tomorrow... and I will be getting an epdiural again. Good Luck... it is a decision not to be taken lightly... but it is YOUR decision. No need to feel guilty or feel pressure to do as other's THINK you should. Your good friend will be a good gauge as well. Many women set out to have a natural child birth, and realize that they are more open to the epidural then they thought.

Answer 3

The pain is nothing more than you can handle. The hardest part is the transition period (7-9cm) and you can't have an epidural during this time anyway.
I had 2 natural births, Abigail 4 years ago and Jackson 1 year ago. With my first, Abigail, I labored at home with my nurse-midwife *(who was also my mom) and went into the birth center at 6cms. I did my transition in the tub (regular sized tub, not very fun squeezing in there) and actually gave birth to Abigail on the floor (my midwife had a birth stool. My husband was able to sit on the top level and the bottom level was just big enough for me to rest some of my butt on and my husband actually held me up while I birthed.) It was beautiful.
Don't get me wrong, during the really tough time I was begging my mom to knock me out with anything she saw lying around :) Thankfully I made my birth plan clear to everyone involved and they supported me during this tough time. When I was asking for drugs my husband would stroke my back and whisper in my ear about how I didn't want drugs and I was strong enough to do this without drugs.

My son Jackson was born in a birthing tub. And I would thoroughly recommend that. It helps with the labor, alot. It isn't a painless cure to birthing, but it makes it so much easier. I think the benefit is purely that you don't have gravity working against you. I had awful back labor for my second birth (where the baby comes down the birth canal pressing on your spine the entire way). I tried the positions that I had practiced, shower, walking and sitting on a giant birthing ball. The only thing that relieved the pain was floating on my back in the tub and getting on all fours draped over the birthing ball.
So, read up on natural childbirth methods, positions, focusing tools (some use music, posters, scents, I used my mom) and practice some relaxation methods with your partner. Be prepared to want something completely different that day (such as not the tub, but walking instead..) And relax, women have been doing this for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years. You can do it too!

Answer 4

I only have one child but heres my first time experience....

8 days over my expected due date
28 hours of labour
Had 2 showers during labour to help the pain, very relaxing
used laughing gas, not sure the proper term, not much of a difference for me
I liked having my back rubbed while leaning over on the side of the bed and rocking back and forth
I was more tired than anything
the only part I found really painful was when the head was crowning...ouch
9 pound 11 ounce baby girl
you can do it....don't let other people tell you that you can't.
Keep your mind focused that after the pain you get to hold your new baby and once you are holding the baby you forget the pain, why else would people have more than one baby :)

Good luck.

Answer 5

I know this doesn't go for most women, but my experience was a lot better than I expected. Then again, I didn't really know what to expect. Before I had my baby, in the week and days before, I had some terrible pains in my back. That I think was the most painful thing I experienced. It hurt, but was more annoying than anything cuz nothing would help it. For the actual labor and delivery, I remember the contractions were very uncomfortable, but not at all painful. And I swear, honestly, the birth didn't feel like anything at all. I didn't receive any drugs that I'm aware of, so it was quite amazing. I always heard about your body feeling like it was on fire inside and being ripped apart and all that, and about it burning or stinging when the baby's head emerges, but I didn't experience any of that.

Answer 6

I have had 3 completely natural births. I think it's safe to say that, yeah, it hurts, but there are a few things you can do to make it better. It is really important to focus and concentrate on pushing the correct way. Whoever delivers your baby will help you to understand what this is like. If you try to hold back because your scared of the pain, let me tell you, the pain will be worse. Second, I would say that yes, it's painful, but to me it was more like tremendous pressure. Just remember to focus on where and how to push and think that with each good push, you are so much closer to meeting your new baby! Try to stay calm because it is so much worse when you freak out (Like I did w/ 2 & 3 and it really didn't accomplish anything!) I got to thinking with #3 that I would just stay pregnant forever and that was fine with me. But, of course, this was not possible. So, once I calmed down and concentrated on the task before me things progressed much better. I am not planning on any more children, but if I do have another baby, I would do the natural birth again. That's just me. Congratulations! You'll do great!

P.S. Please don't let other people who may have horror stories freak you out. Just because it happened to them does not mean it will happen to you.

Answer 7

Check out the Bradley method of natural childbirth. Over 90% of those who use the Bradley method do not need pain medication. I had four children naturally. The pain was perhaps 6 on a scale of 1-10. I have had leg cramps, arthritis, and other pains that were a lot worse.

Answer 8

Yes...In my small community you have to drive 4 hrs to get an epidural. So I opted to go an hour a way because they dont deliver babies here. I am not going to lie! It Hurt like hell but in the end its all worth it. You get to look at your baby and be emotional. Just hope you have an easy labor and it goes by fast. My water broke at ten in the morning, my contractions started at 11, and i had my baby at 8:55 pm that night.
well good luck and i hope i have been of some help

Answer 9

I had 3 children. All natural and the first 2 were back labor-that was the worst! I think it really depends on the individual and how high your pain threshhold is. Seriously, I found it to be easier thatn I thought it would be, but if you expect the worst, you'll find it's not so bad.

Answer 10

I didn't have an epidural with my daughter, and to be honest, it wasn't as horrible as alot of people say. It was no walk in the park, but it was bearable. You'll be fine. If I wasn't having twins this time, I wouldn't want one with this delivery, either. It's really not as bad as people try to make you think it is. And I was in labor for 34 hours.