am i being naive to think i can have a natural birth?

You are not being naive at all!! I had the same experience when I was having my DD (even my mum would roll her eyes at me and say just wait until you are in labour!!) I just went into it believing that I wouldn't need the drugs and I didn't. I think most of the pain of childbirth is in our heads, once you get past that it really isn't that bad. Now I am sitting here waiting to have my second little monkey (sex UNKNOWN!!!! we choose not to find out too) and I am actually looking forward to the whole birthing process. Just relax and believe that your body can do it and you will :)

Obs & private hospitals aren't always the worst option Jac, but statistically, you are more likely to have a c/s and intervention by a long shot if you have that care. Not always going to be that way of course, not saying it is as, nothing is 100% in labour, but it's worth stating that as fact so women know.

Gracie - I had people roll their eyes when I said I really wanted to avoid pain relief. In the end I chose who to talk about it to & who not to. I only discussed it with those who were supportive. This may sound silly, but in a way all the negatives from other people just made me more determined to prove them wrong ;)

I had another support person other than DH - so I can highly recommend getting a Doula. It just made me feel more confident that I had someone else there to help me through it.

thank you so much for all your reassurances!!! it is important for me to know that other people have done it...i was just feeling really insecure last night when i started this post. my dp is very supportive and has in fact, had an epidural himself when he had a motorbike accident and fully supports and agrees with my desire to try not to have one. he has a strong belief in the ability of my body, and reckons my instincts will kick in and take over and that i'll be great. he makes me feel heaps better. i've been doing heaps of reading- have gots lots more books to add to my 'wanted list' now (thanks mayaness!!!). i basically read the books and then summarise them and tell dp all about them (he doesn't read at all). we've been doing lots of talking- heaps of it last night actually and he is a big believer in my abilities. thank you everyone

I am also hoping for a natural birth. Unfortunately due to GD I may be induced a bit early so I am not sure how it will all fit together. DH is very willing to support me and help me get through without drugs - we know what is there if it is needed but I plan to try all other options first. My hospital doesn't have a problem with physiological third stage, provided there isn't too much bleeding.

I have not discussed pain relief with anyone other than DH. A few people have told me to go straight for the epidural, I just nod my head and let it go.

I am just hoping that I will go into labour before 39 weeks to avoid the induction pressure from the hospital.

BTW, we also don't know the gender of the baby - I am hoping the curiosity will be a bit of inspiration if I start to run out of steam during labour.

Gracie - Sounds like you have fantastic support from your husband - that's great! That is so important!

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A few people have told me to go straight for the epidural, I just nod my head and let it go.

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Great idea. That's what I ended up doing. Because if that's what they had they will feel passionately about it, which is fine, but I'd rather just do my own thing IYKWIM.

artechim- i agree about not knowing the sex providing more inspiration during labour. i'm dying to know what it is!

Artechim, I would recommend reading THIS article by Henci Goer and also you will find in the Cochrane Database, they have found that inductions for suspected fetal macrosomia (big for dates babies) result in more c/s without improving outcomes.

Also this is from my induction article, of particular interest is the midwife's story:

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Induction For Gestational Diabetes
Even where there is a medical condition involved, for example, Gestational Diabetes, it is worth researching and asking your Obstetrician and / or Midwife to see if induction is going to offer more risk than benefit. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has published a study which you can read here (which you might like to print out and show your own Ob), which concludes:

“Based on data from observational studies, labor induction for suspected fetal macrosomia (large baby) results in an increased cesarean delivery rate without improving perinatal outcomes.”

They state:

“Summary statistics for the nine observational studies showed that, compared with those whose labor was induced, women who experienced spontaneous onset of labor had a lower incidence of cesarean delivery and higher rates of spontaneous vaginal delivery. No differences were noted in rates of operative vaginal deliveries, incidence of shoulder dystocia, or abnormal Apgar scores in the analyses of the observational or randomized studies.“

Apart from this, not many Gestational Diabetes babies or other babies believed to be ‘huge’ end up being born abnormally ‘huge’. I have heard more stories of these babies being born early through recommended inductions only to arrive tiny, of average size or to have breathing problems due to unexpected pre-maturity. One midwife recalls a birth in early 2006:

“Overuse of inductions is a real concern to me. So many women coming in for induction and the reasons seem so vague sometimes. I was involved in a birth a few weeks ago where the woman was induced because of previous macrosomic (big for dates) baby. She had gestational diabetes with that pregnancy and previous shoulder dystocia (first baby, this was her 3rd). We attempted induction at 36 weeks and it failed. Induction was again attempted at 37 weeks which was successful – baby was only 2750g – hardly macrosomic! The ultrasound had estimated a baby weighing 3500g so it wasn’t even close. I think if she had that baby at the first induction attempt at 36 weeks it would have had to go into Special Care as it would have been under 2500g which is our cut off. Frightening.”

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Thanks Kelly, I have read just about every googleable resource on GD and can't find any reason for induction, provided that the BSL are controlled. After questioning the doctor, she changed it from induction at 38 weeks to 39 weeks. I think it was because she didn't have any real reason except the standard 'increased risk of still-birth'. I have had a sizing scan and it showed a completely average baby. I will hold off as long as I can, to me it seems there is more risk involved in a failed induction.

bought a copy of New Active Birth on ebay -it got posted today so i'll be able to start reading it this week!

Woo hoo Gracie. That's great - I think you will find it a huge help. I know you are going to have a great birth experience - knowledge is power!!

thanks mel, i'm hoping it comes in the mail today. got it for $11. what a bargain. i can't work out why habs are so expensive on there though. there's one in the exact colour i want on there but it's $90!! ok, i'm going off topic now....hope to start reading the book tonight..

Gracie - I wanted to have a natural birth for my first, and people thought I was mad too. I didn't write a birth plan for her, but I did tell the Ob that I wanted to be left alone as much as possible. As it happened, he was only there for the last 1 1/2 hours of herbirth and the midwife and my DH supported me through my labour. I was in a private hospital too, and the midwives were fantastic. My labour was 7 1/2 hours, and the pushing was the hardest as the Ob had me lie down (NOT RECOMMENDED!!!) to deliver her. I had 6 stitches though and I think that was also due to the fact that I was laying down (so effectively pushing up hill).
For Nicholas, I wrote a birth plan, did hypnobirthing classes had the full support of my DH and my Ob for a natural labour. I stayed home as long as possible and spent time in the shower. My sister came to watch my girls, and also helped me during that first stage of labour. She thought I was mad too! By the time I got to the hospital, I was 9cms dilated. The Ob sat in the corner of the room, while the midwife and my DH supported me through the rest of my labour (which was only another 1/2 an hour!!). I delivered Nicholas standing up, with the midwife in "catching" position. It was beautiful and very peaceful, and was just short of 3 hours from start to finish.

Good luck to you, have faith in yourself and in the fact that your body was made to do this. I wish you the best of luck with your labour!
xx

Hi Gracie and Ladies!

I am expecting my first baby in 4 weeks or so and I too am quite determined to have a birth with a minimum of intervention (fingers crossed!). I read a book called 'A Labour of Love' by a Perth based doula named Gabrielle Targett - and it was fantastic! I can't recommend it enough. The book is written in such a reassuring and positive way - and made me believe that my body is perfectly capable doing what it is intended to do! :)

Best wishes!

Hey all the best Gracie and Possum!

I had a drug free birth, my body actually took over and it never occurred to me once to want drugs, the hormones in my body (and maybe the fact I had a waterbirth, which eased pain) provided all the pain relief I needed!

I had an injection to hurry the placenta out, which totally wasn't in my birth plan, but I was losing too much blood and they wanted to figure out what was up - I was pretty out of it by then, but I know my birth support partners would have said something if they'd thought it wasn't necessary. Oh, and I had gas for when I was getting stitched up, cos I tore - I didn't even realise I'd torn!

I had people go 'oh you won't be able to go drug free, you'll be begging for an epidural'. I don't know why people try to discourage other people. But there you go, not only can you go drug free - it might be heaps easier than you think because of your body's ability to birth!

Hi everyone!

I am so glad I came across this thread! Over the next few weeks, whenever I hear negative comments or am feeling a little vulnerable about what I want, I will come back to this thread and re-read everyone's positive and reassuring comments! Isn't it too bad that most people respond negatively when they hear that you want give birth without a 'cascade of intervention'?

Many thanks! :)

I had two totally natural births, both VBACs.
I think of it as an athletic endeavour, for want of a better comparison. It IS hard work, but it's work your body was perfectly designed to do. It is one of life's great experiences.
For those who might think I was lucky, I don't have a great obstetric history and I did not have especially easy labours/deliveries. Both labours were long. My first VBAC presented ROP and delivered face up. My 2nd had an elbow up by his head and it took an amazing amount of time and hip swinging for him to get the message and finally pull it down. However, I had carefully chosen my caregivers. For the first, i had a private midwife and delivered in a freestanding birth centre. . The midwife and her assistant were with me the entire time--all monitoring was done by regular auscultation--and most of all they were calmly sure that a VBAC was very straightforward. For the second, I went through the public system with a small team of midwives who cared for me, and had an underwater birth in the teaching hospital. I believe that feeling supported during labour is the best way to ensure a natural birth. You will feel on top of the world after the baby comes!!
Did I mention that DH completely supported all my ideas & plans? He is now an enthusiastic advocate of natural birth and staunchly supports it whenever it's mentioned in public.

hello again everyone! possum when is your baby due??
my friend was 10 days overdue and was booked in to get induced on monday night. yesterday i got a text message saying the induction had failed and that she was having a ceasarian...she had a little girl and both mum and bubs are doing fine..but she didn't get to hold the baby straight away..i'm not sure why i needed to tell you guys this..it's just been on my mind all night