[KASHWORTH]

Who's going through labor without pain meds? Who has done it before? Any tips for the first timers? What do you do to help you cope through the pain?

I'm not swearing away an epidural altogether but I'm definitely going to try and go without! I want to be able to walk, move around, and do what I need to do. I hate being confined to a bed, I really want to use the crouching bar that my hospital offers. And I definitely don't want to slow down labor and need a C-section!

I think I can do it, I have a very high pain tolerance. (I've been shot before, so yes I know what real pain feels like, hehe)

[Valerie.]

I am I have a wonderful midwife that will be with me the entire time which helps tremendously. I also do a lot of reading on the subject ( Ina May Gaskin has wonderful books out there ) visualisation , relaxation etc..

You can do it

[KimiB]

I'm a first timer, but I'm trying to go au natural as well! I have hired a doula, which I understand to be a major step in the right direction for those who want med-free deliveries. I also plan to labour at home for as long as possible before heading to the hospital. I will keep moving and try things like a birthing ball, a shower, a squatting bar, etc to help me deal with the pain.

[Lovemykiddos!]

Not I lol. I have a good pain tolerance. But if I can go without pain then why not? An epidural has never slowed my labor and I've always been up and walking around within an hour or so of birth.

I wish you all the luck with your goal of a med free birth!!

[MissLoki]

I want to prepare myself for both options. I'm pretty sure I'll opt for an epi but in the case I can't (get there too late or it doesn't work), I want to have some strategies to deal with the pain.

We'll see when we get there!

[KimberlyAnn327]

I had a drug free labor with my oldest dd. It was hard but I think a large part of that was due to back labor. The biggest thing that helped with the pain was being in warm water. I had a home birth with her and rented a large birthing tub. But even my other labors, I would get in the tub. There were a lot of different things that led to me not having one with my other labors. With my first one, they told me I had to have an epidural. That sucked because I felt like it was completely against my will even though I had to consent. With my 3rd, I had been in labor for 18 hours and was just too tired to keep up with the pain and contractions so I asked for one. With my 4th, I was having a relatively easy labor but my older kids were there so I got one so they wouldn't be freaked out by mommy screaming. With my last one, I was in so much pain that I was basically screaming at them to give me one. I think it differs a lot from labor to labor, too. With #4 at 5 cm, I was barely having to breathe through my contractions at all. They were relatively painless. At 5 cm with #5, I was in pure agony. I want to say it was my worst labor but dh says that my back labor with dd1 was. I think I was having back labor again. And even with all of my screaming and begging, I didn't get the epidural with her until I was 8 cm.
This time I'll be having a c-section and getting a spinal. I have absolutely no desire to go drug free with a c-section.

[MissLoki]

Originally Posted by KimberlyAnn327

I have absolutely no desire to go drug free with a c-section.

lol

Smart move!

[Trannyfromtheuk]

Originally Posted by KimberlyAnn327

I have absolutely no desire to go drug free with a c-section.

And why not? Didnt you know natural C/S's are the new craze?

Hypnobabies and things like that are supposed to be very good. I know a few ladies who have done that method... even one who ended up on pit!

[KimberlyAnn327]

I know, I'm such a wimp.

[ducky1923]

I've done 2 with no pain meds and one of those was with pitocin cause well my labor just stopped dont knwo why it just did and my water had already broken on it own so at that point I didnt care I just wanted to be done and that was the one where it was over 14 hours of all back labor.

The thing that worked for my was being able to stand and let gravity do its job. Sure it was hard I went from smileing on minute to bawling the next lol Dont laugh it also helped to sit on the toilet lol

I hope to do this one with no pain meds again.

[brandywk]

Kimberly's story's about her different births are interesting! To here that her labors of different babies were all different. I always knew it had nothing to do with someones pain tollerance! Becaues if you watch TLCs "Baby story" there are definatly some labors that seem to be more painful than others. Like those women who get checked for the first time and are at 7-8cm and are like wow that was easy. And others who get checked and are at a 1-2cm and in just agony. I watched this one episode the other day, and the gal orig wanted to go nat. But then once she got to the hospital after laboring at home and found she was at 2cm, begged for the epi. They told her she had to wait to make sure she would progress! They kept telling her she could do it, and this is what she wanted. It was so agonizing to watch her pleading for them to help her and give it to her Finally a couple hrs later they checked her and she was at 8cm, so they finaly let her have the epi. She was so mad she had to endure that pain and that no one would listen to her!!!
So make sure they don't think your plan to go nat. is set in stone. OH.. and I'm dying to know the story behind you getting shot!!!!! OMG!

[Bellasita]

Little o' me is going to ... wanting to do it natural. I wish I had the time to do classes but I'm 34 DAYS left and still no classes *sigh* I am going to see about a low cost Doula, I had one in TX, but never officially met her yet. One did contact me so here's hoping.

My sister/law says I'm crazy everytime I mention it and she keeps asking me why.. first I said it was the drugs, than the complications... finally I gave her the real answer "I have to prove it to myself."

I've always been able to switch off my chronic pain when I have to do something. I wine and moan about it when I'm sitting still, but if something must be done I'm doing it. Feet swollen and bleeding once... but I kept going another 3 hours with bleeding feet and no sleep until everything was done. In the right state of mind I think I can do this. *gulp*

[mommy2noelle]

I'll be trying natural this time. I ended up with an epi with DD because after my water broke, the nurse wouldn't let me get up (she said she saw meconium in my fluid).

I ended up not being able to get a doula, but I think I'll be ok. I have to remember to let my body relax when the contractions come. Since I know I can labor at home regardless of GBS status unless/until my water breaks, I will be doing that. My friend did natural with her daughter and she said hot showers helped a lot too (if you don't wanna take the time to fill a tub). I'm using these contractions I'm having now and practicing my breathing, etc. I'm hoping to get a stability/birthing ball, but if not, I think just the freedom of being in my own space is going to help significantly.

So sorry first timers...I'm not much help either. If anything I can tell you from experience is to relax and let the contractions happen. My reflex made me tense up and I think that impeded a lot of my progress. Just let go.

[Dez]

Originally Posted by KASHWORTH

Who's going through labor without pain meds? Who has done it before? Any tips for the first timers? What do you do to help you cope through the pain?

I'm not swearing away an epidural altogether but I'm definitely going to try and go without! I want to be able to walk, move around, and do what I need to do. I hate being confined to a bed, I really want to use the crouching bar that my hospital offers. And I definitely don't want to slow down labor and need a C-section!

I think I can do it, I have a very high pain tolerance. (I've been shot before, so yes I know what real pain feels like, hehe)

This is my plan as well, with the exception of being shot. I'd like to try to do my best to go natural but I'm not going to be hardcore against an epidural if I need it.

[CAMPMOMMYAMY]

Just make sure you prepare and are ready for either option. Take a class, watch youtube, read natural birthing material... Just whatever you do don't be completely stuck on one idea and not give time or thought to other possibilities. Babies and your bodies don't always cooperate!

I totally messed up with DD I went in prepared to start with IV pain meds and then if it got bad I would go directly to epidural. EVERYONE I know had epi's and that's what I wanted. I didn't think any different would occur.

Um yeah, 3 epidurals and one misplaced spinal later I was still in pain (I got one hour pain free with one epi and one hour pain free with the spinal but I was able to move teh entire time! Other wise I was natural from like 4pm Saturday until the final spinal & c-section @ 11am Sunday) and had no backup breathing techniques or natural plans and I totally regret that. I think if I would have prepared I would have handled it much better.

[Dizzi]

With DD I ended up getting a spinal block to prepare for a c-section because I'd been in labor so long and after my body completely relaxed, out she came, in the hallway as I was being wheeled to be prepped haha I did have a lot of IV pain meds to "help" with the pain but all they did was make me higher than a kite and soooo incredibly sick. Stadol is NOT my friend.

With DS I opted to go completely pain med free and I'm happy to say I succeeded! His labor was also less than half as long as hers (13h to her 30h, hers induced, his not). I wasn't able to get up and move around as much as I'd have liked because when my water broke at home it was completely tinged with meconium and they wanted to keep me in bed as much as possible, though they did let me sit up, squat, etc. in the bed as I needed.

My biggest advice, like Nia said, remember to TRY to keep yourself as relaxed as possible for as long as possible. Tensing up is a sure-fire way to slow things down and it also causes you more pain. I never did the visual aides or "practiced" any particular breathing, I just made everyone be quiet around me so I could concentrate on how I wanted breathe .. and DH says I moaned a lot lol a lot of my breathing were long "ooohhh" and "aahhmmm" sounds lol but hey, it helped!

Good luck!! I'm a pretty firm believer that if you set your mind to it, you can do it. But don't get discouraged or feel guilty if you can't. In the end, no matter what method you end up going with, natural or medicated, you just want to be able to hold your tiny baby and know that both of you are healthy and safe!

[mommy2noelle]

I found these videos ladies. Well this is just the link to the first one. The rest are easily accessible from this one.

Natural Childbirth Scenes - Part 1, Labor - YouTube

[Fluffy Baby]

I had to be induced with DD at 42w due to low fluid. I labored for 3 days on pitocin, med free. It is painful, but you just take it one contraction at a time. I practiced hynobabies and it did not work well for me when I was in labor. I also planned a water birth, so I tried that, but the water just made my contractions worse. It can be done.

The only bad thing with med free is if you do need a crash c/s (somebodies life is in danger), you will be knocked out because there is no time for spinals. I realize everybody is different, but it was something that NEVER occured to me until my DD almost died and I was knocked out and woke up from a c/s not knowing if my DD was alive or not. I missed her birth and it still bothers me to this day.

I am 100% for med free births and believe in them, but it is good to be prepared and know what can happen in an emergency situation.

[moonshyne]

With both my kids I was induced and the contractions were out of this world...yet hours into it I was disappointed to find out I was barely progressing. I finally relented and asked for the epi both times and suddenly I dilated and was ready to push in no time! I think me, being kinda on the prone to being tense, high strung side that the contractions made me tense up and I impeded my own progress. The epi allowed me to relax and voila! Baby out in no time

Once again im taking the "see how this goes approach" This time it looks like there's a better then average chance I'll go in labor on my own. If I do and find that the labor is not as insanely painful as the induced ones were and that I am able to "let go" and go with them I might try for au natural. This labor could be different then the other 2 I had. But if I feel I want the epi, then I get one. No biggie. As long as this baby makes it here safe and sound that's all I care about.

[mamaperry]

I think it's a great idea! Every one is different. Everyone's body is different. So until you in labor it's hard to say. You could handle amazingly!! I think it's great you try. Just don't be hard on yourself if you change your mind. I know with my second child I had a emergency c section, and I was very disappointed I had one. I also was very depressed that I couldn't breast feed. So I think you should give it you best, but don't be hard on yourself if you do change your mind! Sending easy labor vibes!