What helped you get through labour and have a natural birth?

[Babyluv]

i noticed you're in melbourne, i did a fantastic workshop with Rhea Dempsy called transforming pain in labour. It was fantastic, more-so for DH than i. I was pretty well informed, but it really helped bring DH onto the same page and understand my desire for a drug free birth. It made him a rock solid support person.

Yes I am in Melbourne Thanks Junglemum I will google her, thankyou again for your responses today

[Cassius2]

I can also HIGHLY recommend attending a calmbirth course. DH and I have done one this pregnancy and we BOTH said how much we wished we had of done one the first time around. it explains the origins of the pain we feel in labour, what the sensations are and how we can work with the contractions, use them as our 'friend' (as opposed to something to anticipate with fear) that is helping to bring our baby into the world.

the techniques they teach you are amazing for reducing stress and maintaining healthy breathing (= oxygen = minimisation of stress = lessening of pain as muscles are open and working to full capacity itms). went to a great one here in Melb if you are interested.

simple little things that i used last time that helped me were to have 'reminders' around the room of why i was there...sometimes in the heat of the moment you can really lose focus, so i would fix my gaze on her little nightie during intense moments and on the bassinette that she would soon be lying in. this helped heaps in giving my mind something to think about while my body got on with the job and reminded me of why i was there.

if it's possible, like the others have mentioned try to labour at home for as long as possible. hospitals are very vigilant about dialation and if you can get there with good dialation (ie already in established labour) you are well on the way to getting less intervention that seeks to 'hurry' the process up.

also a good idea is to read up on optimal fetal positioning. many long labours that end up with intervention are due to bubby being in an awkward position (ie posterior). it is also something that many hospitals dont place much emphasis on in antenatal classes but is important as it can impact on the way labour progresses. for example it can make labour a more intense experience and also means that dialation is generally slower as bubby doesnt engage as 'neatly' on the cervix. also generally posterior labours (especially in first time labours) have a 'latent' phase around the time one would expect transition (so around the 7-9cm mark). this means that dialation really really slows down as the baby attempts to turn around and come out in a more traditional face down position. this is where hospitals can get a bit worried as you suddenly arent progressing at the same rate so they may offer to break your waters or, give pitocin to speed things back up again. not great when bubby is not in a good position. sometimes just being aware of what position bubby is in is enough of a helping hand to help you cope during labour. There are also some great strategies to help a posterior baby move to a LOA position before birth that i reckon are good to check out when the time comes (they recommend taking notice of posture and lying and sitting positions for this reason from 30 weeks onwards). I *think* spinning babies has some info, but google should come up with some good strategies...basically slouching back with your pelvis tilted back is a no no LOL!

sorry i have blabbered! but found this all so fascinating when i was doing my calmbirth course and attended an OFP session (i am planning a homebirth so really wanna avoid any extra hours and intense labour pains )

HTH

[Roryrory]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but having an OB as your main carer is probably the biggest thing in your way of having anatural birth. I am probably going to be shot down in flames for saying this, but I am only speaking from my experience here, and my journey has certainly been one of discovery.

When pregnant with my first, I saw an OB because I initially considered birth a life-and-death thing, and thought "If I am prepared to spend $2000 on wine in a year, then I am certainly not going to spend less on mine and my baby's life!" My DH thought I was insane - "Women have been having babies without OBs for years, we wouldn't have made it as a species if it was so dangerous", he said. But he went along with it. Then I read more and more about natural birth and got to know about the stuff on Bellybelly. And I went to a presentation by Rhea Dempsey on natural birth, and how the entire hospital system actually works against women in their quest for a natural birth. So I read and read and thought and thought and prepared myself for doing battle with the "system". At the back of my mind I was still terrified of birth and what it might bring.

My waters broke the day before my due date. My OB wanted to admit me right away with the promise of an induction in the morning. It took me saying, three times, that I wanted to labour at home, before he "let me" go home. That was a critical moment, because I am convinced if I had've stayed I would have ended up with a c-section. As it was, I laboured at home and didn't come to hospital til I was 9cm dilated (quite an achievement, in hindsight, as my son was in persistent posterior position right to the end). Luckily for me my OB was relatively hands off - after a synto drip after transition, an episiotomy and a managed third stage I pushed out my 3.9kg boy (while lying on my back!) without forceps or vaccum assistance. Sure I had stitches but I felt on top of the world - I could do anything! I dropped my private health insurance within a month - my next birth would be in a birth centre, because I could do it!

When I was pregnant with my second, I began reassessing my first birth. I distinctly recall getting quite annoyed with our own Bellbelly Kelly for daring to suggest that my first birth was not a "natural" one, but over time I came to see that it wasn't, and that there was a better way to do things. Like in the laxative ads, there is a "better kind of normal" LOL! I did a hypnobirth class and spent a lot of time delaing with my fear around birth, and my developing guilt - how could I have denied my first son good birth? How was it fair that my second child would be born in such a different way? Well, my second was born in a birth centre, with nary a vaginal exam in sight, completely au naturale. THAT was a good birth.

And now on the precipice of my third birth, I am booked in to the Sunshine Hospital homebirth program. I am planning on this being the "best" in a "good, better, best" progression of births. Sure there are still fears, concerns, worries - but it is oh so different now.

So after that great long ramble, what am I trying to say? I am not saying ditch your OB and run for the hills, as some would, because I think that a woman needs to approach and accept each birth with whatever is in her heart at that moment. Learn, read, worry, fret, rejoice, and do what you can to make this birth what you want it to be. But do not fear what it will become. It may be the first of many or your one and only. It may be your perfect birth or like my first, only the start of your journey of self discovery as a mother and life-giving goddess. As someone said "birth is about more than having a baby – it is about becoming a mother."

[onthefly]

Here are my thoughts, based on my own first experience, and as I face my second birth.
My first I went private, with an OB. I was induced (unnecessarily I believe) at 42 weeks. Ended up with a forceps delivery as my DS was in distress. I was incredibly lucky to avoid a caesar.

While we cannot plan for everything, and sometimes life throws us curve balls that no amount of preparation can get us past, I do believe that the choices we make are important.
I chose an OB. I didn't need one. I agreed to an induction. I didn't need it. I didnt' get the natural birth I wanted, but I pretty much got the birth I chose because nothing really came up to force these choices. If I'd had some complication that necessitated an induction, for example, and my labour & birth had been exactly the same, I don't think I'd feel so disappointed. In fact I'd probably feel pretty good about it all!

So all I can do now is look forward and make different choices. I'm going through midwifery care this time and plannign for a homebirth. I'm choosing a natural birth this time. I know it still might not happen, but it's probably far more likely this time round.

Speaking more specifically, things that helped me during labour
-Understanding the process was critical. It helped me to understand why I didn't want drugs. Why I needed to move and stay upright. And so on.
-Hypnobirthing techniques to focus my mind and to relax between contractions.
-Moving and vocalising during contractions.
-Doula & partner on same page as me

[Tuesday's Child]

I think being informed was what helped me through my natural labour and birth the most. I recommend reading "Creating you birth plan" by Marsden Wagner. Learn about each intervention, why and how it's done and how it will affect you and the baby. Identify what is important to you and go from there. I didn't so much write a birth plan, but birth preferences. If induction was necessary, I decided under what circumstances I was happy to do so and also how I preferred it to be done. In educating myself, I made any decisions before hand rather than having to weigh up benefits and risks etc on the spot while in labour.

Birth attendants are also important. I gave birth in the delivery suite and got so lucky with the midwife I had (in the delivery suite you get whoever is on when you get there). She read my birth preferences and discussed any points of concern with me. She especially confirmed that I wished for a drug-free birth and warned me that she would hold me to it. If I asked for drugs, she was not going to go running for them straight away. I had a very quick labour (I went from 2cm to delivered in 2 hours 45 minutes) so there probably wasn't time for pain relief anyway. But everytime I said I couldn't do it, my midwife would just say 'yes you can, this is what your body is meant to do'. I kept repeating that to myself and that got me through the worst moments.

You won't know what it'll be like until it happens. Educating yourself and preparing for many possible scenarios will give you the best chance of having the birth you want. Just remember though that the aim is to walk out of hospital with your baby in your arms, not to have the 'perfect birth'.

Good luck.

[Babyluv]

Sounds like the best thing I can do is learn as much as I can, lot's of research, have my plan but also be open to changing it if an unexpected emergency arises.
Sticking to my guns when it comes to intervention if there is no medical necessity for it and having my husband well prepared also so that he can speak up during labour if i'm unable to.
I am going to do some more research on interventions, inductions etc as I really do want my body to be allowed to labour and birth naturally.
Can I be pressured by my OB or the Hospy to do something I don't want to do? Are they likely to tell you there is a risk to your baby just to get you to do something?

[Tuesday's Child]

I think "Creating you birth plan" would be a good book for you. It discusses the reasons for interventions, both real and not so real. For example, a 'big baby' is sometimes a reason for a c-section, but it is possible to give birth to a big baby naturally once you understand how birth works and positions to optimise the pelvic outlet.

I highly doubt your OB and hospital would out and out lie about risks, but if you are well informed then they can't scare you into doing something you don't want to do. Having someone like a doula who can advocate for you might be a good idea too. Husbands aren't necessarily the best people to be doing that.

Another thing I forgot to mention earlier is to not be frightened of the pain. Pain is the body's way of telling you what is going on.

[onthefly]

Unfortunately Babyluv, yes they can and do.

[HotI]

Can I be pressured by my OB or the Hospy to do something I don't want to do? Are they likely to tell you there is a risk to your baby just to get you to do something?

Yep! That is why it is important to read up and be confident in what you want, what you don't want and why you want these things, and where you are willing to compromise.