Women who ENJOY labour & birth!!!!

[chocolatecatty]

Lucy, Relle and Tracey..........yeehaaa! You guys should totally dedicate a thread to enjoying birth so much......it's just what I want to hear, given I'll have my first birthing experience in 9 or so weeks. I've heard of women like yourselves and now I've discovered you (and the rest of you out there!) I would like to milk the info for all it's worth!
Were you so positive leading up to your births? Was there any fear? Besides putting a hot cloth against your twat (so *thats* what a twat is!) what other secrets do you hold?
Do tell!

[Tracey]

Chocolatcatty,
I'll try to remember what you asked...
First baby I was scared, excited, panicky & quite fearful of the whole thing...
One day I expressed my fears to my Mum (I felt like I wanted the days to last forever to prevent me from getting closer to THE day!)
Mum took me to the shops where we sat (midweek) & watched literally hundreds of women walking around pushing prams, pregnant etc... Then she said to me many of the people your looking at are pushing a pram & heavily preg again would they go back for seconds if it was so bad!!!
Then she told me of my Nan whom had biryhed 13 live babies (2 died) & the few miscarriages also in between, would anyone be crazy enough top have that many if it was THAT bad!!!
It really relaxed me...

I started to look forward to the day.
My first labour was not at all ideal, as my waters broke early Tuesday am I went back & forth to hospital as contractions were sporadic & I did get a bit worried which made me quite distressed & panicky, but on Thursday they noticed meconium in my trickling waters & so gave me Syntocin.. The contractions came on thick & fast & hard, but it's not a pain as such, more a wave of cramp that comes & peaks & then releases, but I focused on each contraction as bringing my baby closer to me & let my body go, fisghting it would take longer & so try to just let the waves of contractions let you float in & out of the ocean... It is kind of like the ebb & flow of a tide & trying to let it wave over you like that is calming & bringing bubs closer to your arms!!
The hot pad was called for & then about 5 pushes later I felt the exhilerating wet floppy fish sensation & they passed her up to my chest!


Truly the only things I can say is try to focus on letting your body do what it needs to, dont fight it & try to walk in the labour ward...

With Indah when the contractions started I was so excited I couldnt believe finally it was happening (both my girls came bang on 41wks!).
Everytime I sat down or relaxed the contractions dissipated, so I waited for my Mum to come & we walked around the block over & over again all afternoon, then Dh came home after work & was shocked that I hadnt told him, but i knew he'd panic & come home, we continued to walk & once it got darker (outside) & more intense with the contractions I kind of marched from one foot to the other leaning on Mum's kitchen bench, then my sis her hubby & kids all got back with maddy from Melb show.. We had dinner & I pigged out, they all left I went home to have a bath (our house is infront of my parents!) the bath made them even more intense so I then go out called hospital (it was 9:45pm) & they seemed to think my ability to speak meant A, I wasnt as far into labour as i had thought or B, I have a decent pain threshold ..
I decided to pack car & felt ready to go in (I prefer to be at home as long as possible) we parked at bottom of hil & I walked albeit slowly & often stopping before reaching the hospital, onve in i climbed the stairs as I needed to walk I continued to walk the contractions through til about midnight when I buzzed midwife as she was gonna check me my waters burst & at 12:31am Indah was born...

My contractions started at 9am & were dull cramps every 3 mins apart & slowly got stronger but never any closer, stayed at 3 mins & slowly built up yil I'd say at 8pm they started to really become evident, I lifted my top at one stage & you could clearly see the outline skeletal sahpe of Indah inside my tummy with each tightening...

But I embraced my contractions as it's what i carried bubs around for, for 9ish months!!!

Best wishes, but truly it's so amazing & uplifting & exhilerating!!!

[angelfish]

Hmmm I have to take issue with your statement that it's "not pain as such". Maybe not for you, but for me it definitely was pain. But, it was good pain, not scary or impossible to cope with, so yes I would say I enjoy it in a way. I did actually look forward to labour with my second baby, and if I have a third I'll probably be looking forward to that as well. I think that apart from being amazed at what our bodies can do, I also find it thrilling to be doing the same thing that millions of other women have done or are doing. I was wondering how many other women around the world were also in labour at the same time, and feeling this deep connection to them.

[DoulaRelle]

Tracey - LOL I too don't know about the contractions not been painful as such - Ummmm mine were! hehehehe

I actually found my contractions with my 1st (which was spontaneus labour) to be completely overwhelming,, but I am one of the few who actually preferred my induced Labour! I managed the induced labour with far less pain relief and was not any where near as exhausted!

I think I walked out of the delivery sweet telly my Obs that I could do that again, after swearing black and blue that I would never have another after NO 1!!!! LOL

[Tobily]

My labour was induced as well, and was very long and lots of "interventions".

Even so when she was about 1/2 hour old I looked at DH and said "I could do that again"

Her birth was the most insane, powerful, exhilarating, painful, empowering experience of my life, without question. I walked around on a high for weeks after it. I absolutely can't wait to do it again

[Lucy]

Chocolatecatty........I was terrifed for my 1st........the anti-natal 1970's birth videa totally freaked me out....we drove home from the class with me in hysterics saying "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I can't do it", LOL!

But I was also scared of something happening to her during birth etc, so I was keen to get her out of me and safe too, which most likely helped.

I listened, every day, to a Birth Relaxation CD (by Francesca Naish, you can Google it) which was WONDERFUL and perhaps gave my subconscious the confidence. I went into labour naturally at 10 days overdue, had a 7 hour labout, no pain relief, Olivia got stuck (shoulder distocia) but still managed to get out without intervention. (I had always said I didn't care how she came out, as long as she was alive and healthy, so an au natrel birth was not at the forefront of my mind, so I consider myself very lucky). I didn't tear either. Had a great OB and FANTASTIC midwife and a great support in DH.......all these things no doubt contributed.

I had a LOT of confidence boosting praise from all the hospital staff after I gave birth, which always helps your ego. Plus, I managed to BF OK, which helped my confidence in my own abilty with a new baby.

But those hormones.....OMG.......they are v.clever chemicals.......apart from the day 3 blues (where I cried like a banshee) I recovered pysically very quickly........(me and Olivia would walk round the hospital together.....I am sure that helped!) and the happy hormones kicked in well by day 4, which meant that I was able to revel in the birth experience and not be too over-whelmed when I got home.

Charlie's birth was v.similar to Olivia's, only I was induced at 38 weeks, but I still delivered vaginally without any additional pain relief or other interventions. 2 hour labour which was tough and fast and painful, but still an awesome experience and one that I am very proud of. Charlie latched on the boob immediately and from that moment on he has continued to be a baby that rocks my world.

Again, in pregnancy with him, I listened to my birth relaxation CD, which I am sure helped, and I was looking forward to the birthing experience, becacause I had such a positive experience with Olivia.

I also had a blissful "babymoon" with Charlie in hospital for a week, with no issues with BF and I didn't get the 3 day blues, just went straight for happy hormones. That week was a gift for both of us that I recollect as such a wonderful bonding cosy time.........just the 2 of us getting to know each other.......bliss.

Not sure if any of that helps you any??! Sorry, I've waffled on a bit........

[wardygirl]

Can I pull my hand up too? I loved giving birth to my son (my daughter was a 31hr labour and I was totally exhausted but that's another story).

My son's labour/birth was that much quicker. Perhaps because I was better prepared. I loved being in control with my son (ended up having an epidural with DD due to my exhaustion. I didn't want to go on with it any more!) I did a lot of visualisation throughout my contractions about my cervix opening up. I focussed on the positive as much as I could rather than the pain. Sure the pain was still there, and yes it did hurt, but it was good pain. Each contraction was one less to go thru to getting him out. And it felt so good when I had to finally push. I had total control, and I could feel him moving down the birth canal with each push. It was awesome. I couldn't believe as a woman what I was capable of doing!

And yes, I was scared leading up to the birth - after 31hrs with DD, who wouldn't be - but I decided that it would be different. I decided that I was going to take control, and the whole visualisation of opening, and also each breath in was a bright, positive white energy to my body. I know both of these two helped for sure.

[*Rae*]

I haven't yet given birth vaginally but wanted to say that it's great to read that there are other women who actually enjoy and look forward to birth.

I actually feel completely ripped off that i missed out on my vaginal birth experience as i honestly was not afraid of labour and was sooooo looking forward to it. I had attended two births prior to my own preg so i had an idea what i was in for...but those experiences only made me see the beauty and joy of birthing a baby.

When i was told that i needed to have an emerg c/s due to a severe placenta abruption i was devestated...but didn't really have time to comprehend it all as i only had a matter of minutes. Sometimes it doesn't seem fair that i was so looking forward to the birth and having my baby placed straight on my chest (rather than not even be able to see her for 16hrs after birth and not hold her for almost a week!)...but my experience has made me even more determined to push for a VBAC next time round.

Can't wait to be able to share the same wonderful experiences that u ladies have gone through

[Tracey]

I just didnt find either of them as intense a pain as I had built it into in my mind, so for me it wasnt as painful as i had imagined...

Llabouring from Tuesday til Thursday lunchtime before Maddy was born, as they placed her on my chest I said I can do that again & I cant wait to do it again....

I think every day I am on a high beacuse of the empowerment of birth...

[Lucy]

I think every day I am on a high beacuse of the empowerment of birth

Me too (and In-Liven, LOL!)......

When I can't sleep at night and want to think about something nice, I think about my births.........sends me snoozing with a smile on my face!

[Rouge]

You know whats strange I LOVED birth! And straight afterwards I said I could do that again no worries, wasn't hard at all! But now I think back and remember transition and it scares the crap out of me LOL! BUT then I have fleeting moments as I did in my moments of insomnia last night and I think hell it wasn't so bad it was actually quite easy. I think it was considering all the comments I got afterwards and the total disbelief I had over it being such a great acheivement that being a drug free vbac. But last night I finally had the realisation I had such a wonderful birth (even though I knew that before) I think it finally sunk in. Not just how amazing it was with my birth support, but at how wonderful the midwives were (except for one but Kelly gave her what for ) and how when Seth was born there was only 4 of us in the room. It wasn't sterile there was music playing I birthed him on my own I didn't have anyone holding me or yelling me or cutting me or grabbing him I did it all myself. I lifted him up off the bed and I helped him to breath he wasn't suctioned and he wasn't immediately cut from my body or the cord clamped I was able to hold him close to my chest and his cord was allowed to pulse it was beautiful truly amazing. Within minutes Paris & MIL (as was lionel LOL) was there Marc cut the cord and it was an amazing experience and I would love to do it all again. Its hard because I was sooo internal through the whole thing I had a lot of negative thoughts going through my head (probably because I still had some reservations based on my first birthing experience) but when I look at the tape of me I looked so peaceful and calm through the contractions and even afterwards. I remember being able to be calm and talk after the contractions even up until he came out. I DID IT! Me little ole me! Amazing, wonderful, beautiful, inspiring for me to want to do it again! It was wonderful even the pain even the loss of control during transition it was a text book birth and it was great!

I too am a self confessed birth junkie I want to do it again, and next time I want to have a water birth @ home if possible!

*hugs*
Cailin

[DoulaRelle]

Wardygirl - I feel like I am listening to myself when reading your post.

I too was able to focus on each contraction as being one contraction closer to seeing my baby! I was so exhausted with No 1 that thinking like that was just impossible, but that experience also helped me to take control of my birth the second time round and talk to my OBS about my fears/concerns and wants were. I also had a close girlfriend with me as well as DH because I found him to be pretty useless the first time and she knew things like I didn't want the epidural, I didn't want the forceps again etc etc. She was the one who was talking me through contractions etc and telling me I could do it!

I have already decided on my goals for No 3 (not that I am preggo yet, or at least not that I know of yet but fingers crossed) which are to use zero pain relief (unless of course I have a posterior bub or something similar) and to get through the delivery without tearing or episiotomy, but using positions to help instead and definately
taking Tracey's advice and "be putting a hot cloth against your twat"

So I guess Chocolatecatty if you had asked me if I enjoyed Labour after DS 1 the answer would have been a very strong no, but ask me now and it is a definate YES!!!! I have been converted and Labour is the most rewarding and personally satisfying event that can happen in your life!

Having said that though I think women that go through C/S are amazing as well, cause their recovery can be difficult and they still have to cope with a newborn!!!!

[Michelle71]

Girls - I just wanted to tell you how inspirational you all are. I love hearing the positive and empowering birth stories and can only dream of the same experience for myself in the future.

Thank you for sharing.

[goldilocks]

I just want to say that this thread is absolutely FABULOUS!

There is far too much negativity out there with regards to birthing. I can't stand women who try and scare the hell out of you by telling you their horror birth stories.

It is truly wonderful to read all of your stories...I have goosebumps reading them! I can almost feel how empowered you all are by giving birth and it's really inspiring to read.

Thank you so much for all the positivity, ladies

I can't wait to have a baby!!!!!

Love
Belle
-xxxooo-

[DoulaRelle]

Michelle & Belle, It is goosebump type material and really really amazing stuff!

I have been so very moved by my own birth experience, that I am looking to follow in Kelly's footsteps and become a Birth Attendant and then hopefully a midwife.

I was so positively inspired that I am having a complete change of profession: from banking to birthing!!! hehehehe

The most important thing I can say, is to find an Obs or midwife who you can really talk to and supports you in whatever decisions you make!!!!

Shannon - I totally agree the feeling of your baby actually moving down the birth Canal is amazing, the pain is completely irrelevant at that point!! And LOL at the transition and "I can't do it anymore", At this point I even started asking for my worst enemy - the forceps!!!!

[chocolatecatty]

Aaaah, I love this thread. Smiles all round
Keep 'em coming ladies.

[DoulaRelle]

Gees girls, as if I didn't want to have another bubba again already, reading this thread makes me even more desperate to do it all again! At least I know I am not alone in wanting to do the birth again!!! lol

[Tracey]

I'm the same Relle...

Reading your post Shannon about being selfish to want to experience it again is me too... I want to go through all of that agin, ofcourse I want another family member yo love, but that experience is amazing & I cant wait to feel those first few contractions & I recall my heart skipping a beat like "Woo Hoo, it's finally happening!"

Jillian, like you I find myself silent at horror birth stories & my first was far from perfect & even having an episiotomy with Indah is still far from a perfect birth, but at no point did I wish I had not done this again or regret being there!!!

One of my Aunties only has boys & so I have offered her pride of place for my next birth, as none of the boys are settling down yet & she is sad she doubts she'll ever get to see a real live birth so I am happy for her to come...
It is the only time in my life I dont care who see's my TWAT!

Goldilocks, your time will come & we will be reading all about your amazing birth story... Big hugs darlin'!!!!