Unmedicated Birth Stories?

Question

It took my husband and I quite some time to conceive our first child, a baby girl due November 17th. This will probably be our only child and I'm very determined to do this unmedicated. Please share your unmedicated natural birth stories to give me courage! Even the scary ones are encouraged!

Answer

So I have had 2 homebirths. They went wonderfully! Water is a must for me, if you can have a tub that’s soooo nice! 
My first was a little scary only cuz I had her in 8 hours start to finish. It all just moved so fast and obviously it being my first I had no idea if what I was experiencing was normal. I made it to transition before my birth team got to my house. 😳
My second we were way more prepared for. I knew what to expect and I knew I would labor fast. And I knew what was normal for birth. So the whole experience was much better and more relaxed for me! 
The pain sucks yes, but it’s totally doable. It only gets to the point where you’re like “that’s it I’m done” when you’re in transition but that’s the shortest part and you’re almost done and get to meet baby! 🙌🏻 
Contractions for me start off as gas pains, then ramp up a little where you’ll need to pause and breathe through them. Eventually they’ll start (for me anyway) to burn on the sides of your lower abdomen as they are dialating (could be where I labor so quick), those continue to gain in intensity to where you will have to stop and breathe and won’t be able to stand thru them. Then you’ll feel them change (transition) from widening your cervix to pushing down on baby and working on getting baby out. 
You’ll feel out of control at that point, like it’s a fright train and you’re just along for the ride. Its overwhelming if you’re not prepared. It helped me so much to let go with my second. I went with it instead of fighting that feeling. 
My dudes are crying RN so gotta go but feel free to ask any questions!!

Answer

I loved loved loved my unmedicated birth! I’m opting for baby #3 to also be unmedicated. It was so incredibly empowering! There are so many pain relief options like walking, shower/tub, birthing ball, breathing, etc. Find what works for you and go with it. Switch it up when it’s no longer comfortable. Counter pressure from your birthing partner is great. You spent time making a baby, 9 long months growing them, the birth ends up being such a small portion of this new chapter. In weeks time you’ll forget the pain!

Answer

I have had 2 unmedicated birth. If you search “epidural-free induction” my story should come up. My biggest suggestion is to get a doula you can. Mine was invaluable for both births. For the first she helped me so much with managing pain, knowing when to go to the hospital, and involving my husband. With my second she got me through my induction (medically necessary for cholestasis) without pitocin or an epidural. (My midwife’s initial plan called for pitocin but my doula has other suggestions and helped me to get them to work). 
I also did hypnobabies for this birth. It was more helpful for me during my pregnancy than labor I think, but I really love it and would recommend it. I think it would have been better in labor if I was allowed in the tub.

Answer

My story is not scary- I thought I would be the one asking for the epidural the moment I walked in the hospital. However, I was too worried since our girl had decided to show up a month early to even think about myself. I honestly didn't feel that much pain, maybe I have a higher threshold. Of course the contractions were painful omg!  but I was swaying on a yoga ball with my hubby placing ice on my lower back-just ride the wave of the pain and breathe, constantly hydrate too. After many hours I was ready for the epidural but by that time it was time to push and no time to get one.... and you recover better if you don't get one. good luck, you can do this!

Answer

First: induced in hospital. Cervadil only. Water broke spontaneously about 2 hrs later. Baby born 8 hours later at 2:35am.
Second: water broke spontaneously at home. 47 minutes later my husband delivered our daughter on our laundry floor- breech. Not the hospital birth I’d planned, but it went well.

Answer

You must read Ina May Gaskins Guide to Childbirth. It’s so inspiring and empowering!!

Answer

When I had my son, I was 36 weeks and it was a complete surprise! My water broke at 8 pm exactly and contractions started almost instantly. So I call my husband (he was my boyfriend at the time, we didn't live together) he comes flying over while I'm packing my bag with the bare essentials since water was running all down my legs and I was hurting already. We head out for the hospital and things really picked up in the car. We made it to the emergency room they wheeled me to labor and delivery and got all my info put in, checked my dilation and tested my water to make sure I was in active labor. I was 3cm so nobody was really in a hurry so they took their time getting me into a room. Got to the room they start hooking up my iv for antibiotics for GBS and I was almost screaming I was in so much pain, my mom asks how far is she so they check me and this nurses face turned white😂 it wasn't even 10 pm and I was complete. So no epidural because I didn't have time, but I had to wait on the doctor to start pushing but my body was already pushing my baby out without help but the doctor made it and I had my 7lb 12 ounce baby in 2.5 hours a month early and unmedicated. They wheeled me to my new room around midnight and I got up and walked to my bed😊 the pain was bad, but I did it and I'm pregnant with #2 and do not plan on an epidural this time either!! I never thought I could do it but I know now I was made for it and so are you!

Answer

Sorry this may be long! I really wanted to do an unmedicated birth, all natural, labor at home as long as I can, etc. Starting at 36 weeks (I think) my midwife started checking for dilation each visit. I was about 2 cm dilated each time. At my 39 week visit my blood pressure was high. It wasn’t severely high, but enough to note. They did a non stress test and an ultrasound and everything seemed good, so they let me go home with instructions to lay on my left side a lot (can’t remember how much she recommended but it was something like 1 hour out of every 3 hours I should be laying down. I monitored my blood pressure at home and it never crossed the threshold where she told me I’d need to come back in so I made it to my 40 week appointment which was the day before my due date. I had dilated up to a 3, but bp was still high so they decided to induce me. She was originally going to induce me the next morning, but the hospital was booked too full already. She didn’t want to wait any more with high blood pressure, so since my cervix was “really stretchy” already she asked the hospital to schedule me for that evening. All the inductions they had for the next morning were starting with cytotek first in the evening but I wouldn’t need that so they let me go on in. She warned me that pitocin contractions are more painful than natural ones and encouraged me to try all natural but be aware that I might need pain medicine and that was okay. They started pitocin at 6:30 pm. After 30 min to an hour of pitocin I had dilated to almost a 5 and my son had dropped low enough for her to break my water. Contractions were significantly more painful after that, but still manageable. I lost track of time, but at one point my husband stepped out to use the restroom because he wanted to go before it was really birth time. While he was in the bathroom (of course 😂) I had 2 or 3 really bad contractions close together, so bad that I was involuntarily shaking. In hindsight I think this was the start of transition. I told him when he came back out that I wasn’t sure I could make it without meds and asked him to go get the nurse to ask about IV pain medicine. For the IV meds they don’t want to give them close to birth because they can affect the baby starting to breath independently (I think). The nurse said she would check me to just make sure we still had time for the IV meds. We didn’t! I was at a 9 and by the time the second nurse came to double check I was a 10! They said “well it looks like you’ll get to be all natural after all! No time for anything!” Honestly once I knew I was complete I didn’t notice the pain as much because I knew I was so close to giving birth. I had been anticipating hours more of that intense pain which I wouldn’t have been able to handle. My son ended up being born at 9:57 pm just 3 and a half hours after they started my pitocin! 
All that to say that even if things don’t go according to plan you can still manage to do it all natural!!

Answer

I had my baby girl on July 27th, with an epidural. BUT I just wanted to comment that reading the two stories, I think if I had been more prepared with coping and breathing exercises, I would've made it without one. I got the epidural and my baby was born like an hour later. But we didn't take any birthing classes and I definitely didn't prepare myself mentally. I think that if I had been even slightly prepared with just one breathing exercise, I would've been fine. YOU CAN DO THIS!!

Answer

Search for Josephine Rose and my water birth story comes up (it’s the 3rd one down for me). 
My birth was fun, painless, and joyful. My husband didn’t even believe the baby was coming, I was so calm. I highly recommend an out of hospital birth (birth center or home) with a midwife and a doula. I used HypnoBabies and it was wonderful, mind over matter. 💪🏼
Your body was made for this!

Unmedicated Birth Stories?

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