nature without drugs

[jkgeary]

who has had a baby without the epidural, or any other drugs?
how long was labor?
did drs try to push drugs on you?
what was your experience with it?

[amokarl]

The same for me my contraction are always 1 to 2 mins apart I cudnt catch my breath wen I was getting them again I was about to pass out so meds help me gain control

[amokarl]

And I loved it lol iv heard people complain about the meds in iv but it worked for me

[amokarl]

With my first 7 yrs ago I went natural no pressure labor was 7 hrs, w my 2nd 6 months ago I needed the meds I asked for meds in iv. I cudnt handle the pain labor was 4 hrs , meds only lasted 1hr I wanted more but it was time to deliver it was way different than my first, and this time around I plan on meds I'm not gona take the pain anymore ima do the same in iv

[schenner2]

I had my first naturally but did get a shot of morphine at one point.  It did nothing for pain but did calm me down during the breif seconds between contractions.  I was asking a million questions between contractions and was not conserving my energy or breathe!  I am a planner and she came 3 weeks early and i wanted to know with each push if i was doing it right! I didnt have an iv or any pitocin. I did have to have a catheter as i ended up tearing really bad and was very swollen.  This time i hope to go completely med free as i know the morphine didnt do much at all for the pain.  Hoping to be more relaxed for this one as well since i know more first hand what to expect.   However each birth is different and i am willing to accept that no matter how i get my little man here i am doing my job!

[wondermommy90]

I went natural with my first two and plan on doing the same this time around. The first time I was young, teen mom so they kept pushing me to have meds. I refused and they ended up giving me pitocin due to failure to progress. Which made the contractions so much worst but I had my daughter without any pain meds.

The second time around I was induced because I was a week overdue. They gave me pitocin and broke my water in the morning by 5 he was born. No pain meds. This experience was much better because I had all the support I could get from my husband and family. I literally helped pull out my son once he was born. I was so overwhelmed with joy, the pain was gone once he was in my arms. My husband says it was very animalistic lol but he said it was beautiful to watch.

This time around I am going to try and wait till he comes on his own. But doctor says I'm measuring big. I have my 35 week scan this week and if he is still measuring to big they may want to induce me so that he can be born normally. we shall see. But I still plan on no pain meds.

There is no right or wrong way to have a baby. Do what feels right to u. Good luck!

[Zay07]

I had a natural birth I went instead 6am walked for about 2 to 3 hours and just dealt with the contractions. I had absolutely  no medication at all I felt everything  and yes it is very painful specially  when the baby is crowning. She was born at 205pm I didn't  even get anasthesia when I got stitches. After the baby I felt great well besides the normal pain downstairs but no complications at all. I am now 34 weeks pregnant  and I am planning  to go natural again. I believe many women are just terrified of the idea of pain unfortunately now a days medication  is given to us for simple stuff if you go to the doctor they always try to push meds on you so our body can't handle any pain anymore. My way of thinking is the less stiff I put into my body the better.

[lousie_1986]

I did. I had waterbirths at home which are pretty awesome pain relief in themselves. My labour for first baby was 18 hours. I was at home, so there were no drugs to have pushed on me. But I did ask my midwife later on what would have been different if I were at hospital, there were a couple of things...

At one point I wanted to give up and said I couldn't do it anymore and my midwife told me I was doing great and I believed her and got on with it lol. But I believe at that point I would have been offered something if I were at hospital and I probably would have accepted it because they would be confirming I needed help. I was pretty vulnerable at that point (if that makes sense).

My 2nd birth was great too. It sped up and intensified quickly but then it stalled for hours. I took a nap and felt much better and then it picked up quickly again. However in hospital I think it would have been termed failure to progress and they would have intervened with pitocin, or breaking my waters, or whatever else they decided. I also would have been pressured to be put on IV antibiotics as I had tested positive to group B strep.

After baby was born (3 mins after waters broke) she didn't breathe or move for 60 seconds. She was still getting plenty of oxygen and blood through the pulsing unbilical cord and once she adjusted to being out after her very quick exit (it can take longer to breathe for babies who are born quickly), she started to breathe fine. In hospital, they would have cut her cord prematurely (therefore depriving her of much needed blood and oxygen) and rushed off to resuscitate her. Who knows what other problems that might have led to. Because I would have refused antibiotics for group B strep she would have been monitored for a few days in hospital anyway. Instead I was able to have a perfectly healthy, unstressed baby (who breastfed peacefully for the first 2 hours of her life) at home with me and monitor her obs myself with midwife's instructions (and daily home visits).

I think it could have been a much more stressful and worrying experience with unnecessary interventions if I had been at the hospital. Not guaranteed of course, but I was happy I was in my own home with my own supportive midwives who I knew and trusted.

[angeloflemons406680]

I was induced at 39+5 at 7pm with my first. Very slow progression. Started hard labor next day at noon. Took some narcotic pain killer to keep my body from wanting to push (I was only at 7cm, and pushing was going to get me an emergency C). When that wore off, I was at 9cm. Took till 830pm, but he showed up eventually. The pain was some of the worst in my life, but once you're through, the memory of it fades. (Perspective: I'm an amputee. I'm missing some fingers on my right hand. That hurt worse)