How many of us have had a natural birth?

[Arimeh]

Howdy

In all my reading in preparation for my second VBAC in a few weeks time, I've realised that a LOT of births all have some medical intervention in some way. However, most of my books/reference material are American based, so I was wondering if the same type of thing is happening here in Australia? How many births are completely natural - I know home births would be, but what about hospital births?

So I guess I'm curious as to the percentage of births from BB women which can be classed as a natural birth - so no pain relief (at all), no intervention from any medical practitioner, no needle to bring on the placenta etc etc?

Is it as bad in Australia as it seems to be in America?

Obviously I've only had one natural birth - cos I lack the skills and guts to perform my own c-sections but in my 3rd pregnancy, my labour was spontaneous, no pain relief, the only time my midwife intervened was when I requested an internal to check dilation, then my waters broke on their own, and my placenta came out at its own accord.

Anyone else want to share? I'm just curious thats all and want to get to know some of our own statistics, instead of all these damn american ones! (not that there is anything wrong with america, I just don't live there thats all)

[Freya]

I have had one natural (spontaneous, intervention free, physiological third stage) birth. I have no reason to think the others wouldnt have been the same had I not developed medical complications that required induction.

[PumpkinZulu]

Yes, it's bad. Can't remember the stats, I heard Rhea Dempsey talk back in September I think, and a normal and natural (NO intervention whatsoever, drugs etc, includes things like stretch and sweeps...and even internals I think (?) although that could be wrong, I'll find my notes from that night and come back) is very rare. Will be interested in this thread

[Traveller]

I had a completely natural birth with my twins. For my other two births I had ARM (DS1) and managed 3rd stage (DS1 and DS2). With DS1 the interventions were medically indicated, with DS2 it was not.

[Aligater]

My 1st was I only had 1 internal when I 1st went in that showed I was 4 cm 1.5 hours later with no drugs I had my DD1. My 2nd was induced due to a slow leak and as I am epileptic any change can be detrimental to my health so a long labour needed to be monitered well it was 1/2 hour lol again no drugs. I got what I wanted both times with the no drugs but had to fight the 2nd time

[*LovemyKids*]

Out of four births, only my last was NATURAL!!!! I did three with out pain relief but had a drip!!!! I have to say i felt AWESOME after the "natural birth"!!!
Something you can not explain. I walked out of the ward looking at my arms saying woo hoo no drips no needles NOTHING!!!!!!!

[Traveller]

Yes, it's bad. Can't remember the stats, I heard Rhea Dempsey talk back in September I think, and a normal and natural (NO intervention whatsoever, drugs etc, includes things like stretch and sweeps...and even internals I think (?) although that could be wrong, I'll find my notes from that night and come back) is very rare. Will be interested in this thread

Having an internal does not interfere with the mechanism of birth, so having one does not mean you did not have a natural birth. However it may lead to a suggestion of an intervention, which would mean birth being no longer fully natural.

[*suz1*]

I've attempted one natural birth, a VBAC. Although I had no pharmaceutical pain relief (only heat packs, rocking, yelling and the shower, no gas, no drugs) I consented to the VBAC rules of the hospital, which were to have a cannula inserted (although no IV used) and intermittent wireless monitoring. I consented to 2 internals, a stretch and sweep and AROM. My 3rd stage was physiological. In hindsight, I should have laboured at home longer and had clary sage in my birth kit to give me more options than ARM when my labour started to stall. But even clary sage could be considered an intervention, couldn't it?

We're TTC #3 and I'm hoping for a completely natural birth.

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?

[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?

[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

[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!

[~clover~]

DD3 was pretty much natural posterior, but I accepted one internal & was given the placenta shot after it was birthed in case there was any retained (I had a small PPH after DD2).
DD1, gas, peth & VE's.
DD2, 2 internals, one suck on gas, ARM, placenta shot (can't think of name)
DS, one breath of gas, 2 internals, no placenta shot.

ETA, seriously, if you want an intervention free labour, come to my hospital! They are under strict rules regarding BMI (), but will accept you booking in JIC. MW run clinic with 2 gp/obs for back up.
When I had DD3, they'd had 2 emergency transfers to Coffs Harbour JIC, in 2 years & they ended up doing the right thing (bubs in SCN).

My wishes were their command!

[Roryrory]

I've had three births and would class only one as being "natural" - my third. The first involved augmentation and an episiotomy and during the second (in a birth centre) I was told "if you don't start pushing you'll never have this baby". So I class "directed pushing" as an intervention even though during the second birth there were no internal exams, no pain relief, natural third stage, etc. It was only Rose's birth, at home, that I consider to be a truly "natural birth". There is such a huge difference from birth in a BC and birth at home that to call them both natural doesn't sit well with me (though I know they can be classed as equal). But I know have a very high expectation/standard of "natural"

[Lisa]

Only my last 2 have been natural - one in a hospital & one at home.

[Olive]

my second was completely natural (i did have one internal)

[Santosha]

I think Rhea Dempsey quotes research that says that (forgive me if I'm wrong, it was 2 years ago I heard her talk) only 3% of hosital births in Australia are completely without intervention. Apparently the WHO estimates that intervention is medically necessary in about 10% of births. Scarey stuff.

ETA: my only birth was not natural. Had gas, epidural and then forceps. I don't believe any were necessary, though the epi may have ultimately necessitated the forceps. Of course, I very much believed that I HAD to have the epi at the time... hoping to get past that this time!

[Roryrory]

Having an internal does not interfere with the mechanism of birth, so having one does not mean you did not have a natural birth. However it may lead to a suggestion of an intervention, which would mean birth being no longer fully natural.

You're spot on there. Check out this link about internal exams.

[~Hestia~]

My Moo was a natural birth - no drugs or intervention. I almost had a vacuum delivery as he wasn't showing any signs of coming on his own after many many hours. But when my middy checked again he was still too high up. I had to push him down further myself with no urge to push whatsoever! In the end I didn't require the vacuum as I did it on my own.

The only thing I did have was the injection for the placenta as it wasn't coming out. Although I was happy to wait I had lost too much blood & the middy wasn't keen to leave it any longer. So I guess if you take that into consideration, maybe my birth wasn't natural after all