What was giving birth like for you?

Question

Describe your birthing experience...

Answer 1

something ill find out when im married(:

Answer 2

I had to be induced because baby was growing too big. Went into hospital the night before - that inducing didn't work. Went on the drip the next morning, was in labour all day. Unfortunately, just before suppertime, the baby went into distress, the heartbeat went way too low, so I was whisked off for an emergency c-section, and had to be put under because there was no time to do anything else. All went well, and baby was fine - the cord had been wrapped twice around his neck.
Didn't know beforehand how different contractions from being induced were from going into labor naturally - wish I would have known.
During the labour, however, I just remember coming in and out of the pain, holding tight onto my husband's hand and arm - and him talking to me (though I don't remember about what). I remember getting mad at a nurse for not letting me take off the fetal monitor, because it hurt. Plus they wouldn't let me lie down a certain way. I wasn't nasty or anything, but apparently my husband said I did some cussin' (totally un-me) - but he STILL won't tell me what I said.
Though I was grateful the operation went well, and both baby and me were fine, it was still hard to see him only over an hour after he was born. However, luckily they were really good in the nursery, and my husband was with him, and held him practically all the time til I woke.

Answer 3

I thought it was going to be a lot worse than it was. Spent most of my time at home... got to the hospital and was 8cm. The contractions were bad at all and I thought for sure they were going to send me home. From all of the stories I had heard I thought the pain was going to be 100x's worse than it was. I had no pain meds no epidural no nothing. All natural and it wasn't bad! I arrived at the hospital around 530-6am and had my son at 7:55 a.m. GREAT first experience if you ask me. All the nurses couldn't believe it was my first child and I was laughing through contracts, everyone thought I was crazy. Throughout my labor I wasn't dead set on going natural or having an epidural. I was in the middle.. if I need pain relief I'll get it and if I can do with out then I will.

Don't listen to what other ppl tell you about how your labor will go. People had me scared after listening to their birth stories! Everyone's labor is different and I'm sure you will have your own story to tell that will be like no one elses. Read and learn all you can about the labor and delivery process, so you will have an idea and understand what your body is going through when you're in labor! Good Luck!!

Answer 4

Had my kids from 1968 to 1977. With the first one got medication . They had no epidural back then. The other 3 were all totally natural, nothing at all for pain, not even anything for epesiotomy. We used a hypnotism technique, took classes from the Dr., was for relaxation purposes. It worked if you let it. After the birth the Dr. got me up and walked me into the room to tell my husband if the baby was a boy or girl. Was not really bad at all. My labors were all at least 12 or more hrs. The pain wasn't that bad, didn't even scream out. I was exhausted pretty much which is normal. Today women don't know how easy they have it!!

Answer 5

I've had 3. Each of my labors was only 8 hours each so I'm fortunate. It was painful, more painful with each subsequent child but I think that's partly because each child was 1/2 lb. bigger than the last. It starts out like mild cramps at equal time intervals and then, like all the books tell you, they get closer and closer together and the cramping feels stronger and more painful. I'm not going to lie. The last hour hurts a lot, but it was only an hour. But worse than the pain for me is how everybody keeps BUGGING you when you're in pain!

You're ready to push this baby out in about 30 minutes and that's when all the nurses are touching you and asking you questions and hooking stuff up to your body. I just wanted them all to go away and leave me the **** alone so I could concentrate on my task, but they had a job to do I guess.

And when it comes to your partner coaching---if you don't have an emotionally close relationship with the baby's father ask a close friend, sibling, or your mom to be your coach. My ex-husband and I had a horrible emotional relationship and now, when I look back at the memories of my beautiful children being born, I wish he had not been there. I would have been better off with my mom there. His behaviors were non-supportive and awful because he was not emotionally connected to me. He never became emotionally connected to me and, obviously, that's a major reason we got a divorce.

But I do have 3 great kids. Childbirth is nothing compared to 5 to 6 years of them being teenagers! LOL!!

Answer 6

With my first it was great....my labor was 3 hours and I only pushed 3 times.Only bad part was my epidural wore off around pushing time so I had terrible pain....not to mention the fact that I ripped! It was okay though.

My second was TERRIBLE. I had a fever the whole time I was in labor which was 17 hours! My epidural only numbed the left side so they had to put another dose in (right before pushing time) I felt nothing when it was time to get him out so they had to tell me when I was having a contraction...and then to make it all worse, I had an episiotomy.NOT COOL.haha.After the birth me and the baby both had to be on IV antibiotics for the entire hospital stay which sucked because I couldnt breastfeed him properly because they kept taking him for his antibiotics.
I hope the next time is better.
Good luck (if your pregnant) !

Answer 7

I love Amber's answer.

I, too, had epidurals with both babies. The first labor was long (15 hours), but once I got the epi it was a matter of lying around and waiting. I pushed for the last 2 hours. I didn't feel that bad but looked like death warmed over the next day and was very, very sore after the meds wore off. Stayed two nights in the hospital

The second was a piece of cake. 6 hours from start to finish, epi at about the second hour, pushed 4 times at the end. I was ready to go home the next day.

Good luck!

Answer 8

My contractions felt nothing like gas or menstral cramps. For me contractions are a dull, aching, stretching feeling. It is not a sharp pain like a cramp. With my first one I had 19 hours of labor, the first four hours were painless. The pain was maybe a 5 on a scale of 1-10. The pushing contractions were painless too. I had no pain medication, and I was allowed to eat during labor. I did have an episiotomy because of fetal distress. I actually enjoyed my births (I have had four). I used the Bradley method, which helps prevent uterine cramps.

Answer 9

Birth was scary for me too!!! It is the unknown though that frightens us.
My first child, I did the same thing - researched and researched, all of my research made me have a mid wife! I went to a mid wife that was with a regular OB/GYN office, just in case. It was a good thing - I developed toxemia during delivery. My midwife had to call my GYN to come in.
My first child I wanted to try and have natural!!! I was not doing so well so Stacy, my midwife said it is now or never for the epidural (sp?). I chose the epidural!!! I really wanted to feel her come through the birth canal and my mid wife made it happen.
She truly made such a great experience for me.....She lowered the lights, massaged me, put a mirror up so I could see my baby being born. It was amazing.
It was painful though, there was so much pressure in my lower back. She felt like she was coming out of my spine!! It was a lot of pressure.
My second child - another story, She was a party!! I knew right away I wanted an epidural - so all of my family was in the delivery room up until the mid wife came in to do an exam. My daughter was already crowning!!!! She just swam out on her own. Unfortunately, I had more medicine so I was useless trying to push!
Before you go into delivery, you have contractions minutes apart - Do not worry - You will know them, they are like clock work.
Contractions are very similar to gas pains except extremely intense and redundant!! I think the repeating of them is what we can not take - they elevate in sharpness over and over again.

Here is the good news - You will have a baby that God created with in your body with in hours to a couple of days!!!
My Blessings to you and your family.
Oh and let the nurses take care of your little one, You need rest to build your body back up so when you come home and the nurse is not available, you are up to "snuff".

Answer 10

It was...short. Much shorter than I expected. And painful! I dialated so fast, the doc that was going to give me an epidural couldn't make it fast enough.
I went into labor on Valentine's Day. I had this nice dinner planned with my husband and some other things too, but he ended up making dinner while I sat at the kitchen table having contractions. Finally, they got unbareable and we went to the hospital. My son was born at 4:51 am the next morning. It was amazing. I still can't believe I'm a mom! But he's beautiful and I love hanging out with him all day.

Answer 11

honestly.....My 1st pregnancy I laid there in pain for 14 long hours. (The hospital I went to didn't think my water really broke) so it was horrible. My second (different hospital) was a lot better on there part but my daughter was a little eager to get out. Labor was so rapid that now #3 I have to be induced on October 2nd. I hope they are right about 3rd times a charm. I've never had an epidural and would like to have one.