Birthing the 'old fashioned way'

[*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!

[dusty]

TBH my FIL was pretty chuffed at his daughter. The ILs told me how my SIL nearly made my BIL deaf with the birthing (drug free) and almost broke a couple of his fingers. I think they were proud but a little amused (in a nice way) at their daughter's experience. There are so many generational issues when talking to my MIL about birth. She talks about how when she had her 3 children, she was in hospital for 10 days and the babies were kept in a separate room and only brought for feeding - that was all she knew so it seems normal and worked for her - as far as she can remember. My FIL didn't even take one day off work.

MR don't say you are old! How about 'matured'? LOL

Tobily, I totally hear you. And I agree it is worrying.

[Roryrory]

she was in hospital for 10 days and the babies were kept in a separate room and only brought for feeding - that was all she knew so it seems normal and worked for her - as far as she can remember

Dusty my mum had the same experience with me. It wasn't until she saw me at home with my first child that she started to grieve for and think about the time she lost with me while we were in hospital after my birth. She said that she was sorry she had missed those early days with me, and thirty-odd years after the event even wept a few tears over it.

The old fashioned way, huh?