Birth - Natural? Section? Pain relief?

[FebMum2Be]

I'm curious about giving birth and was wondering what everyone else had.. Some people say "take all the pain relief you can get".. But I think I would like to try and go on gas and air only.. What did you lot have? And what did you think of it? Don't spare me any details I would love to know as much as you are willing to share xx

 

[mrsH2009]

I really struggled in early labour, but found established labour fine, think it was because I was so scared in the early stages that I was fighting it. I had a shot of pethidine at 12 pm, asked for more at 3 and was told I was 6cm dilated and would have to be transferred to delivery first. Jack was born 3 hours lter just using gas and air. I'd say just go with the flow and see what you feel like at the time.

 

[Tonks]

Natural I had some gas and air for the pushing stage but it was over so quick I didn't feel anything from it.

I did read into hypnobirthing, and read the book Childbirth Without Fear. I didn't study the courses, but reading the books was enough for me to understand the process of labour a lot better, be prepared for it, and not be scared of it.

(MervsMum that reminds me I haven't sent you those pages yet! )

I loved labour, it was an amazing experience. 20mins after I had my daughter I told the MW I wanted to do it again I get jealous of PG women sometimes as I know they'll all be going through that amazing experience soon.

 

[FebMum2Be]

Aww that is lovely .. So what I see on the soaps is definitly OTT then

 

[Tonks]

For some people it is, everyone reacts differently in labour I was totally silent and kept telling me MW and OH to leave as I wanted to do it on my own.

I would recommend looking into the hypnobirthing side of things though. Even things like learning how the muscles work in labour made me feel better prepared.

 

[FebMum2Be]

Yeah and that totally makes sense, I don't think I'm actually afraid of giving birth.. I think it's the unknown that scares me, will definitly look into hypnobirthing and try to find that book thanks

 

[Mervs Mum]

#1 - induction, epidural, pethadine, G&A, forceps - the whole SHIBANG!

After that I really wanted a more natural birth. It was long, hard and like it just happened to me so I was really determined for it to be different the next time.

#2 - spontaneous labour starting with waters going. TENS for the first few hours. not really active labour but they advise you use the TENS early on to get the best from it. Pethadine (under duress - I wont let that happen this time) and G&A during active labour. G&A and the birth pool for the last hour and nothing for the last 20 mins.

#3 - intention is to use TENS again and hypnobirthing. G&A is I really feel I need it.

 

[Mervs Mum]

The hypnobirthing book makes total sense and the CD sent me to sleep in 3 mins last night!

 

[FebMum2Be]

I'm gonna have a look in my local library see what I can pick up on giving birth, my friend had a natural birth with her first and then an epidural with her second, she swore by the epidural but I don't want to say I'm having an epidural when I havn't even gave it a try naturally.. I kinda think of it as taking a painkiller before you get a headache? Or maybe I am just a weirdo lol

 

[Mervs Mum]

No believe me the 'headache' had well and truly kicked in when I got my epi!!

My thing with epi's is that you're on the bed and on a monitor once you've had it and I'm sure that's why my first labour was 16 hours and my second was 6 but if they are done right they do work wonders at the time.

 

[FebMum2Be]

Oh no I didn't mean that to come out rude sorry if it did lol what I mean is that I don't want to say I'm going to have one until I'm actually in labour then I will decide if you get me? A girl I used to work with has 5 kids, with each one she has been booked in private for an induced labour and epidural, so she is defo on team pain relief!

 

[Mervs Mum]

it didnt sounds rude in the slightest hun I knew exactly what you meant. I agree it's best to come in with an open mind but some people (Team Pain Relief!) know up front. My sister is a pain killer popper and she decided in advance she wanted an epi. I was her birth partner and I really wanted her not to but it was her labour so I went along with it. I dont think it's any coincidence she ended up with a looooong labour after the epi went up and a c-section.

 

[Katy_89]

For me, I'm hoping for just gas and air, but I'm also being kind of realistic in terms of going with flow. Like if I'm in labour for 3 days I'm thinking the epidural might start looking mighty attractive so I can get some rest. So my plan so far is not to really have a strict plan, but just get it straight in my head any things I definitely DON'T want xx

 

[Me, My Girls & I]

with katie i had g&a and pethidine, but i only really had the pethidine to take the edge off a bit so i could sleep cos by that point i'd been up for like 30+ hours!! that wore off pretty quick and for the last couple of hours i was in the pool and didnt have anything, the odd puff of g&a, but i didnt really need it. be warned tho, when they examine you afterwards, you'll bloody need it

this time i've read a bit about painrelief free birthing and stuff, and am hoping to do it with just g&a.

i was like tonks tho, i went into a world of my own, OH wasnt allowed to touch me or talk to me or anythin i was like a wild cat taking themselves off to do it in private!

 

[mrsH2009]

I was also suprising quiet I just kept talking to myself in my head. I have the hyponbirthing book but never really got past the first chapter. Think I burried my head to some extend, not just with labour but everything. Will def read it next time thou.

 

[FebMum2Be]

Everyone really is different then I'm not against the epi but feel the same if it has been a long labour I would definitly consider it.. I'm having my sister + OH in with me, and I do feel like they may aswel be in another country I think I will be completly zoned out x

 

[Mamafy]

1st - gas/air pethidine c/section by GA
2nd - pethidine/gas/air
3rd - gas/air
4th - gas/air
5th - gas/air
6th - gas/air

 

[Pompey_Princess]

mine ended up not how i imagined, but i'd still do it again in a heart beat
started labouring at 41 weeks exactly, i was happy to 'go naturally' go with the flow and try on just g & a - which, if things had be straight forward, i would have been fine
from 6pm to 11am monday morning, i was ball bouncing, using ten's and doing fine. went into hospital, said i was in labour (well i knew that lol) and i said could i go home and just see how i go, they said, yep but come back as soon as i wasn't coping, got home at 6pm monday night, by 1am tuesday morning i wasn't coping, but the horrid hospital, who now had a different shift on from during the day wouldn't let me back! finally went in at 5am, on g & a, and that was fab! but hey, i was still like 2cm's

from 5am to 12noon tues g&a was fine, but i still wasn't progressing and the contractions had been back to back, with no breaks, so i had to have a pethidine then an epi. and then her heart rate was dropping and i still wasn't progressing - 3cm after 40hours, so had a full epi block and c-section, which was fine, the recovering and my hospital wasn't, but the actually section was amazing!

as i don't think i was ever going to progress that much next time i will be heading straight for a c-section! i did the active labour bit on my own and i'm very proud of doing it all, but i don't think my body could ever have got to the pushing stage if i'm honest. she was still so high up after 40hours they couldn't reach her!

so thats my long and tmi reply which ever way they come, it's amazing and i'm always awkward

 

[Toonlass]

With my 1st i went straight in and had the epidural. I just wanted to sleep as i had been is slow labour for 24 hours before that. I was restricted to bed on a monitor and ended up with petocin (sp?) to speed things up.

Number 2 i had codiene (which are horrid and made me sick) a bath at 5cm's and gas and air at 9cm's. They took it off me for the pushing (swines lol) It hurt like hell and i remember asking someone to knock me out (lol) but i want things the same this time. It was quick and the pain i experienced made the bond with my baby so strong. You might think i am mental but experiencing the pain was way better than pain free xx

 

[Whisper]

Well i was induced, i had paracetamol when the period type pains started.

I had some pethidine after a couple of hours which really helped me relax, i LOVED that stuff!

I managed with just the above until around 6cm then i was in absolute agony and i had an epidural, ended up having a very traumatic C-section but next time i would love a natural birth and i am going to try and hold off from the epi.