Birthing the 'old fashioned way'

[dusty]

My FIL astounded me yesterday when he described his daughter's recent birthing of her first child as doing it the 'old fashioned way'. Thinking about it though, all his recent experiences with other SIL and his nieces is they all had C/Ss so perhaps he thinks that it is the norm these days?

I gave a funny laugh and said 'you mean birthing her child vaginally'?

Interesting perspective from a 70 year old male.

[Fleur]

Wow that is interesting. Makes you wonder... when did it go from being 'normal' to 'old-fashioned'?

[sloane]

i was watching the view last week & they had a brief segment on a birthing centre. they talked to a couple who had just had their first baby there...they made a comment about considering a 'conventional birth' but then deciding that a birth centre was the way to go. it made my head spin that birthing naturally is now considered unconventional! they also showed the reaction of one of the hosts to things like a birthing stool or birthing ball & she seemed to think they were a real novelty

i hope we don't follow the same path too far here.

[Fleur]

..they made a comment about considering a 'conventional birth' but then deciding that a birth centre was the way to go. it made my head spin that birthing naturally is now considered unconventional! they also showed the reaction of one of the hosts to things like a birthing stool or birthing ball & she seemed to think they were a real novelty
.

Wow, look at all the hippie, revolutionary alternative types here on BB!

That does my head in

[Ozziehoffy]

Love your comment back to him!! I can't believe that birthing a baby vaginally isn't considered to be normal!! How craaaaazy is that. Guess I'm a throwback and old fashioned then

[helle]

i was watching the view last week & they had a brief segment on a birthing centre. they talked to a couple who had just had their first baby there...they made a comment about considering a 'conventional birth' but then deciding that a birth centre was the way to go. it made my head spin that birthing naturally is now considered unconventional! they also showed the reaction of one of the hosts to things like a birthing stool or birthing ball & she seemed to think they were a real novelty

i hope we don't follow the same path too far here.

Jeepers, and to think we're all over here trying to avoid a c-section like it's the plague.

[Taurean]

That is hilarious! I can see why the older generation feel that way though.

I'm surprised by how many of my friends think I'm a freak for wanting to try a drug free, vaginal birth. They look at me like I'm a complete nutbag. Maybe I'll just say from now on that I'm trying the 'old fashioned way' and leave it at that!

[DANNIIM]

Weird how in different communities birthing is perceived to be! I have birthed both my babies "THE OLD FASHIONED WAY" if you like to call it and in the community amongst friends etc. it would have been out of the ordinary to have a C/S. It would be like "what is wrong with you"....we were even having a mini contest going without anyone saying so as to how long our labours were going for LOL! But then again i have lived in rural towns both times, maybe that makes a difference...somehow!

[*TripleJ*]

i had the same thing even from my DH
'why do u wanna do it the hard way with no drugs?'
isnt that how its supposed to happen? wat happened before drugs?
yes in the end i had some peth but only after the gas made me spew and panadeine forte and sleeping pills did nothing and the first middie i had wouldnt give me anything i had to beg for the pills im actually happy that happened otherwise i probably would have ended up with an epidural and maybe even c/s im glad were not like the us

[helle]

JwithJ
At the risk of sounding stupid... are you allowed to have panadeine forte during labour? Do they hook you up to monitors or anything like that after you have taken them to keep track of bub? (that's my biggest blergh with drugs, I wanna be able to moooove!)
I was given this when I was induced with Jayvan, and it really helped just to take that edge off so I could have a quick 30 min snooze.

[*TripleJ*]

Teagz
at the risk of sounding even stupider no idea i hope so the ob gave it to me but no the baby wasnt monitered at this point coz they said it was goin to be a lot longer the only monitering i had after that was during the pushing when they just checked the bubs heartrate to make sure he was ok and he was happy all the way through it same thing with the pethadine i could still get up and i was in the shower for most of it i couldnt walk or anything during my contrax all i could do was lay down or sit in the shower that was me not the drugs

[Tobily]

Telling comment isn't it.

The reality is that we ARE heading for a situation where birthing vaginally - let alone - naturally - is going to become a minority choice.

The caesarean rate in Australia has doubled in the last 10 years. Doubled. This has occured for sociological, cultural and systemic reasons - not because we suddenly can't give birth vaginally. Therefore, unless something is done to address these sociological, cultural and systemic factors we can reasonably expect the number of babies born by caesarean to continue to rise.

In Brazil, the c/section rate is over 70%. I supported a Brazillian client last year having her first baby in Australia, and her mother came over for the birth. Her mother had had four babies, not one of them vaginally and she was absolutely enthralled by the experience of watching her daughter have a drug free, normal birth. She had never experienced this herself and according to her, practically no one had drug free vaginal births in Brazil (this was borne out by fact sadly).

You might think that's sad, or an exaggeration - but if things don't change here that is the very real prospect faced by our daughters.

[smiles4u]

When i drug-free vaginal birthed my first baby at 40 i thought it was an absolute miracle no one wanted to wheel me in for a C-section as i was reminded more times than i cared to hear from the OB that i was infact ' old ', Well i showed them ... And during birth i actually had a moment where i thought women have given birth to babies under trees in the jungle for centuries and how close i felt to that !!!

[Inertia]

I must be an official card carrying neanderthal then - because I have had 5 kids "the old fashioned way" and any day now it will be 6!

[satya]

JwithJ
At the risk of sounding stupid... are you allowed to have panadeine forte during labour? Do they hook you up to monitors or anything like that after you have taken them to keep track of bub? (that's my biggest blergh with drugs, I wanna be able to moooove!)
I was given this when I was induced with Jayvan, and it really helped just to take that edge off so I could have a quick 30 min snooze.

Yes you can take panadeine forte during labour - that's what the middy suggested to me whilst I was labouring at home. Apparently it was supposed to take the edge off and allow me to sleep - it did not work. I had gas & peth at the hospital & was never put on a monitor despite my age (42) and having a long labour (6 hours at home 11 at hospital) so don't worry about monitoring. I think they only make you get monitored once you have an epidural, but I'm not sure about that.



To the OP - what charming terminology "the old fashioned way". I remember when I birthed my bub one of the first questions I got from a lot of people was "was it natural" (meaning vag not c section) and it was always seen as a victory, not something that was par for the course.

[satya]

[MantaRay]

I birthed "the old fashioned way too". Maybe it's because I'm old ROFL!

[Smoke Jaguar]

I do like a lot of things in my life to be 'vintage' (cheese, clothes, furniture...), so I guess it must just go with the territory :P
I hope your FIL said it in a nostalgic way, and not the 'why would you do that' way!