How many of us have had a natural birth?

[Cassius2]

first birth at the hossy was not natural (pethidine and internals and directed pushing)

second birth 100% natural no internals, no directed pushing, basically no talking, no touching...i even "caught" my own baby and brought her up to my chest (oh there was ONE quick doppler check through a contraction...i didnt notice though...) and no stitches! i had a first degree tear but we chatted about it and agreed to let it heal on its own

[*suz1*]

Mkay, mah notes from Rhea at the screening of Throwing Out The Lies With The Bathwater in possibly Sept.

WHO appropriate levels of intervention for true medical need, no more than 8%-20% of births. Our intervention rate is 32%-35%. The number of normal physiological births in Aus hospitals stands at 1%-3% of births.

Wow Those stats are scary!

[*TripleJ*]

well i havent had a natural birth according to that with DS i had the peth and IV ab's and the placenta one with DD i had no drugs but i had AROM (without it she may have been born i the caul who knows?) and the placenta one but for me it felt natural and i consented to everything besides the AB's the first time

how frustrating it is that we cant just be left alone for i think the hospital atmosphere 2nd time around made it feel natural even with intervention

[Antheia]

My last 2 babies have been natural births at home. With DS#2 the midwife didn't even have time to make it here, you can't get any more natural than that

[sneakysparkle]

DD#2 's completely natural - at the birth centre

DD#1's was no drugs, but had S&S, AROM and episiotomy.

Hoping for an all natural home birth this time

[mummajj]

I will always believe i had a natural birth. I had gas for the last hour. but that didnt in any way affect my body. i still felt every sensation. i also had 3 internals (over 3 days. early labour took forever)
But in my eyes, I gave birth naturally.

[berrme]

Just remembered that I had a stitch for my 1st degree tear (TMI it was more of a graze and apparently they wanted to stitch it to make urinating less painful for me). Is stitches for a tear an intervention?

Surely stitches afterward doesn't count? I had a serious second degree tear (which was probably due to the directed pushing, lol) so not stitching wasn't an option.

My VBAC was not natural. This time around I would like to keep off the gas as long as possible, not have AROM, and will be listening to my body, not the midwife when it comes to pushing. The needle to get the placenta out doesn't really bother me though. To those who have had the needle and a physiological 3rd stage did it really make a difference to your experience?

[raffy]

It all happened to fast for me so I didn't have a choice and by fast I mean after 20 minutes of contractions I was pushing at home and its a 1 hour drive to the hospital. My waters broke in the car 4 minutes away front the hossy and I was there for 15 minutes before ds was born. I didn't have time to discuss anything with the midwives but she suggested we let the cord stop pulsating and I deliver the placenta naturally and I thought that was a great idea. So all naturale. In a way i was glad it happened so fast, besides the shock, i love the thought of delivering naturally. Having said that afterwards i had sustained a 3rd degree tear and haemorriged (sp) so i needed to go to theatre to be sewn back up so had gas while they put in the anesthetic and had a spinal tap

[Tuesday's Child]

DD's birth was completely natural in hospital. I even tried to go without pain relief (other than a local) while my 2nd degree tear was stitched. It didn't take much convincing to get me sucking on the gas

[onthefly]

Still hoping for third time lucky
First was intervention from the get-go and totally unnecessary. Second time we needed intervention.
I think so many interventions are considered 'standard' and parents don't tend to question them. It'w probably warped our perspectives about normal (or natural) birth - many would consider any vaginal birth a natural one, for eg. Or some might consider a labour without drugs natural, regardless of circumstances.
In any case, more important than whether or not there is intervention is whether or not it is truly necessary and improves outcomes.

[CinderToriella]

Exactly right madbmadb

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[Catastrophic]

My first wasn't natural - I relented and had the gas which I threw back at the midwife because it wouldnt work and I had DD 8hours later. They did try me on the gas between when a threw it at them and when i had DD but after a few choice words didn't do it again. I had the needle for the placenta too...

My 2nd - (Apart from the swine flu drugs, AB's and some ventolin) I walked into the birthing suit and I told her straight away don't even offer me drugs I dont want any and i will tell you to bugger off. I did it all on my little ownsome except they gave me a needle for the placenta (I didn't even know). After wards the Mws were saying what a great job I did, and I confessed I was nearly at the stage of asking for some drugs, and the mw said that she was going to offer some but i was so dead against it when i first came in she didn't and glad she didnt push it either.

Sometimes as human it is hard to see people in pain, expecially when they have drugs that can help, I think thats all they are trying to do. And its something I have to remember when im a MW myself, not to try and fix things, remember that this time of pain is a positive pain, but also learn to distinguish between when its handled - and when they are not handling it.

But you know what the thread has proven - I really really want my home birth! I know I can do it, I know my body can do it, so i really want to!

[CinderToriella]

Lol silly phone u aren't that madmad

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[CinderToriella]

I give up lol

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[onthefly]

I might be

[BellyBelly]

The closest I have come to a fully natural birth is my second - an ARM and managed third stage. But that was before I was informed as I am now. If only I knew....

[Tuesday's Child]

But Kelly look at all the women you are helping to become informed now. I wouldn't have known what my body was capable of if it hadn't been for BB.

[Junglemum]

First labour- Necessary intervention due to PE

Second labour- Not natural, had ARM and managed third stage. But put in the same scenario again, i'd choose the same.

This birth i again hope for an intervention and drug free labour, but will request a managed third stage again, so i guess i will never have a natural birth, but that is my choice.

I find it slightly odd that a lot of emphasis is put on WHO statistics of natural births, but WHO themselves are not certain on their stance with the third stage of labour, at this stage they conclude that it does reduce the risk of PPH, and may be beneficial. This was once of the deciding factors for me in having a managed third stage.