Natural childbirth. Anyone here done it?
Discussion
Yes, three times. It smarts a little !
You think you can't bear it but you can, and then it hurts a bit more ..... but you can still bear it, you keep thinking you've reached your pain threshold but then you cope with it. Then afterwards you forget immediately how difficult it was.
Most amazing experience ever - I would do it every day if I could.
You think you can't bear it but you can, and then it hurts a bit more ..... but you can still bear it, you keep thinking you've reached your pain threshold but then you cope with it. Then afterwards you forget immediately how difficult it was.
Most amazing experience ever - I would do it every day if I could.
With our eldest child my wife had an epidural due to blood pressure issues, she had no choice. With our youngest child my wife had two paracetamols (she should have had an epidural but her blood pressure was not monitored and it was too late for the epidural to be administered when it was realised it was dangerously high).
The difference was after our first my wife said staight away lets have another, after our second she said she wasn't doing that again!
However funny as it may seem I know that she would recommend it as the birth is quicker as you are more in control of the pushing. With the epidural and entinox she just giggled and couldn't push, so the birth took longer and the baby ended up distressed.
I know she is glad she did it with minimum pain relief, even though at the time she didn't exactly enjoy it!
The difference was after our first my wife said staight away lets have another, after our second she said she wasn't doing that again!
However funny as it may seem I know that she would recommend it as the birth is quicker as you are more in control of the pushing. With the epidural and entinox she just giggled and couldn't push, so the birth took longer and the baby ended up distressed.
I know she is glad she did it with minimum pain relief, even though at the time she didn't exactly enjoy it!
road_rager said:
yes we did both times, worked out well for us... we went birthing pool route at home, obviously it does hurt, but I got to drink beers and watch TV so I was pretty happy 
"Darling, will you tone the screaming down a bit, I'm trying to watch the telly! BTW can you get me another beer from the fridge, that's a love."ShadownINja said:
road_rager said:
yes we did both times, worked out well for us... we went birthing pool route at home, obviously it does hurt, but I got to drink beers and watch TV so I was pretty happy
"Darling, will you tone the screaming down a bit, I'm trying to watch the telly! BTW can you get me another beer from the fridge, that's a love."TVR Moneypit said:
My concern is that by going the natural route, is there a chance that the woman could end up in so much pain, so much disscomfort that she looses all motorvation to keep on pushing
No, I don't think that would happen. It's a natural process, your body is designed to cope with it. Yes it hurts but I don't think motivation cmoes into it. I think with one of my three I said to the midwife 'I don't think I can do this' to which she just said 'yes you can', which of course you can - its not like you can just get up and walk away. The pushing bit doesn't last that long anyway Mrs BlueCerbera said:
TVR Moneypit said:
My concern is that by going the natural route, is there a chance that the woman could end up in so much pain, so much disscomfort that she looses all motorvation to keep on pushing
No, I don't think that would happen. It's a natural process, your body is designed to cope with it. Yes it hurts but I don't think motivation cmoes into it. I think with one of my three I said to the midwife 'I don't think I can do this' to which she just said 'yes you can', which of course you can - its not like you can just get up and walk away. The pushing bit doesn't last that long anyway PS Fraser, My wife reckons it's just pretty easy, and she's had 3 kids. My mother in law must find it even easier as she's had 11 !!
I think childbirth pain is very different for each different person. Personally, there is no way I could ever have given birth without pain control and what I had didn't completely take away the pain. My daughter was positioned the wrong way round which no doubt had something to do with it. The pain was the worst I've ever experienced and it took me a further 5 years to even remotely consider having another baby. People say that you forget the pain but I didn't. It was hell on earth. Only that little wonderful person you bring into the world makes you believe it was all worthwhile. And it was.
shakotan said:
As a slight aside, it does only seem to be humans that actually experience pain when giving birth.
Most footage I've seen of other mammals giving birth, they just seem to shove them out, and don't appear to be an any particular distress, unless there are complications.
Natural selection I'd guess. We (for better or worse) use our brains to overcome the odd tricky child birth and try to save the child/mother. Other animals don't do that. So over time our species has become more reliant on others in the group helping bring the kid into the world. Animals just die if there's too much of a problem. And so we've ended up with a female design that's not actually all that great at it.Most footage I've seen of other mammals giving birth, they just seem to shove them out, and don't appear to be an any particular distress, unless there are complications.
That and you're not tuned in to what animals do when they are in pain. Facial expression doesn't really exist.
TVR Moneypit said:
convert said:
Mrs BlueCerbera said:
TVR Moneypit said:
My concern is that by going the natural route, is there a chance that the woman could end up in so much pain, so much disscomfort that she looses all motorvation to keep on pushing
No, I don't think that would happen. It's a natural process, your body is designed to cope with it. Yes it hurts but I don't think motivation cmoes into it. I think with one of my three I said to the midwife 'I don't think I can do this' to which she just said 'yes you can', which of course you can - its not like you can just get up and walk away. The pushing bit doesn't last that long anyway PS Fraser, My wife reckons it's just pretty easy, and she's had 3 kids. My mother in law must find it even easier as she's had 11 !!
My last one was born on new years eve 1995, and she came home on new years day. (I didn't make her cook lunch though)
I had built it up in my head to be agony but I was pleasantly surprised and the pain wasn't as bad as I was 'expecting'.
I had a tens machine on until I got to the hospital (at 7cm dilated). A few doses of gas and air (but got told off for chewing the mouthpiece and they took it away). I had a small local anaesthetic (I think) for a *cough* cut *cough*. Then ventouse which failed so baby was eventually whipped out via forceps.
However, after feeling very proud of myself for doing it 'naturally' (i.e. no pain relief) I then ended up having a spinal block and going to theatre for a retained placenta - if I'd known that I would have had an epidural in the first place!
That said I would do the same thing if we were to have another one, everyone is different and there is no such thing as a normal birth. Go in to hospital armed with information and an open mind. If the midwife offers you something for the pain the chances are she thinks it will help so it might be worth considering.
I had a tens machine on until I got to the hospital (at 7cm dilated). A few doses of gas and air (but got told off for chewing the mouthpiece and they took it away). I had a small local anaesthetic (I think) for a *cough* cut *cough*. Then ventouse which failed so baby was eventually whipped out via forceps.
However, after feeling very proud of myself for doing it 'naturally' (i.e. no pain relief) I then ended up having a spinal block and going to theatre for a retained placenta - if I'd known that I would have had an epidural in the first place!
That said I would do the same thing if we were to have another one, everyone is different and there is no such thing as a normal birth. Go in to hospital armed with information and an open mind. If the midwife offers you something for the pain the chances are she thinks it will help so it might be worth considering.
Edited by tvr wife on Tuesday 16th March 20:34
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