Home motherhood/family/parenting So, What Do You Think of Natural Childbirth?

So, What Do You Think of Natural Childbirth?

by Kelly Crawford

Here’s my big announcement…

I’m thinking of going natural with this delivery (I hear gasps from those who know me).

I know you natural girls will find this amusing, but I am an epidural-lovin’ girl..always have been. When the doctor says, “Call me when you’re on your way to the hospital“, I’m like, “Don’t worry about calling the doctor…is the anesthesiologist on stand-by?”

But, if I am anything, I am a woman who doesn’t want to make blind choices, just because someone else does something, or just because it’s considered “normal” or culturally acceptable. I question. I study. I dig. I pray. I research.

But this is one area I admit to which I haven’t given this kind of attention. So, I’ll just say I’m on a journey to learn all I can. And at the end of it, regardless of our decision, I want to be able to say that I am making a thoroughly thought-out choice that I can back up.

Daja, from Gombojav tribe has been so gracious to post a great series on natural childbirth after my challenge to her to “convince me”.

Daja is a doula and child-birth instructor, and when I was desperately wanting to induce labor with my last child, she was so sweet to give me all kinds of ideas about how to do that naturally, though I’ve never met her ! (Don’t you just love that about blog world?)

I’m open to any and all opinions you have, whether you are a natural girl or one not ashamed to say you love drugs 😉

By the way, in my state, midwives only practice “undercover” and they are few and far between. They are not covered, legally, so a home-birth is more difficult, though not impossible.

I will also add, that even though we’re considering natural childbirth, we really love our “vacation” at the hospital, as my husband calls it. Two days of television, food and being waited on…it’s hard to beat. So we’re not leaning toward the home-birth experience, just a physically natural one.

I’m also anticipating the obstacles I know I’ll face in a hospital if I do go natural…I’m already put out at all the unnecessary protocol at the hospital, and little by little, we have managed to reduce that with each birth.

So, there ya go! My friends Kathy and Robin caught wind of my thoughts (actually, I’m begging Robin to “go first”) and have decided it would be the ultimate coolness to do a virtual, live video for the blog, LOL! At least there would be no turning back, huh?

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74 comments

Christi February 17, 2009 - 11:48 pm

In my case, I couldn’t do the homebirth (high-risk pregnancy with incompetent cervix) even if I wanted to. I asked my dr for the epidural at the beginning of my 3rd trimester and he thought I was joking. With my second, I had to be induced and the little snot turned around breech 4 days before the induction so I had a c-section with him.

I will freely admit to being a giant wimp, and not really being tempted to try drug-free. I mentioned the possibility once to hubby and he laughed. I realized he was right, its really not for me.

I have a friend who went natural in the hospital and she says it wasn’t that bad. Her mom, on the other hand, remembers her not being that happy during and right after the birth.

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Alissa February 17, 2009 - 11:51 pm

I have delivered all 3 of my children naturally at the hospital. It is amazing how they try to push an epideral on a woman (I believe just so they can make more money). I will admit it was not easy and was very painful to the point of tears. But I wanted to do it for me and my children. I took lamaze classes which helped and my doula helped me become very relaxed with my first delivery, playing music and massaging me. I loved ‘experiencing’ my children’s deliverys but I certainly don’t judge any woman for going the ‘drug’ route. I would suggest getting a doula who is very comfortable with different delivery positions (squatting etc…instead of on your back).

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Phamilyof6 February 17, 2009 - 11:51 pm

I can TOTALLY relate to lovin’ the epidural. With my first two babies I was induced and had an epidural. I broke my tail bone and had 4th degree tearing. It wasn’t until my 3rd baby that I started thinking, “Hmmmmm…..maybe some of these complications are from all the hospital intervention.” 3rd baby came out completely naturally (my choice) at the hospital weighing 9 lbs. 7 ounces with hardly any tearing and my tailbone was AWESOME! And he was the biggest baby by far and I had him naturally with the least amount of complications. After that, baby #4 was born at home naturally with a midwife. I write that to tell you that I have been on both ends of the spectrum and natural was definitely, for me, a much better and wonderful experience. I don’t think you will regret it one bit. I will pray for you as you continue to journey through this. I know for me, it took a lot to get to NO epidural, but 2 babies later (and soon to be 3), I am so glad to say that I have had those wonderful experiences. I hope you can have the same.

Jess in Peru

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Phamilyof6 February 17, 2009 - 11:53 pm

I also want to mention that with the first baby I had naturally in the hospital, I was only at the hospital 15 minutes before he was born, so I didn’t have to worry about the hospital buggin’ me about things that I didn’t want. 🙂

The homebirth, which I know you aren’t looking into, was the most spiritual experience of all 4. We laughed, joked, waited, prayed, worshipped and welcomed the baby. It was incredible. I don’t think I could’ve had that in the hospital, but with God, ALL things are possible.

Jess in Peru

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Gombojav Tribe February 18, 2009 - 12:50 am

Thanks for the linky love!

And just so all the readers know, I’ll say it again, these posts were not about homebirth (although I do love my homebirths!). They are about unmedicated birth, which can take place at home, birth centers or hospitals. I have attended women in natural labor in all three.

End of disclaimer! LOL!

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Bethany Hudson February 18, 2009 - 1:18 am

I am very pro-natural birth. Let me rephrase: I am for engaging in as few interventions as possible. If you need interventions in order to save your life or that of your baby, then praise God for medical interventions and doctors who know how to perform them! I won’t go into details, but neither my mother or I would be alive today if it weren’t for caesarean sections: she NEEDED one to save both our lives when I was born.

That said, I wanted a natural childbirth with my daughter. To ease my mother’s fears, I delivered in a hospital with a midwife. I was given pitocin to start my labor for medical reasons (I had been leaking amniotic fluid but had not started labor contractions and was Group B Strep+). It’s debatable whether this was completely necessary, but that’s beside the point. BUT, this was my only intervention. Somehow, in my gut, I knew that the more interventions I submitted to, the closer and closer I would get to “needing” a c-section–and considering that I was only 23 and was praying to have a large family, that was not something I was willing to have unnecessarily, as it could endanger my life in later pregnancies.

I’ll be honest, it hurt like crazy. Having pitocin-induced contractions that START at less than five minutes a part is extremely painful. For the last two hours of labor, my monitors showed that I had continuous piggy-backing contractions with no relief. I’m not a superwoman. But, I did keep telling myself to keep in mind that this pain was not HARMING me in anyway–interventions that I might have opted for COULD have harmed in, ultimately. Even though it was painful, the choice I had made was SAFER, for me, for my daughter, and for any future children I might have.

Looking back, the pain was actually an incredible part of the birthing process that I would not trade. Does that sound masochistic? It’s not meant to. But, I can honestly say, I have never been as humbled, as close to God, as aware of my own humanity as I was during the throes of labor, and I am grateful for every contraction I experienced.

I will say that it is rather difficult to accomplish a natural birth in a hospital because of the staff. They are not used to natural births, and they WILL pressure you to have an epidural. I even had one nurse tell me that if my external monitor kept slipping, I would need a c-section. My husband promptly expelled her from the room and demanded a new nurse. Moral of the story: be prepared to fight for what you want, and make sure your husband or other birth coach is prepared, as well. It will take some effort.

This time, I am planning to delivery at a midwife-run birthing center just down the street from the hospital where I delivered my daughter. It is exactly the sort of environment that I want. I don’t think I’d be a great homebirth candidate, because I actually really enjoy the change of scene during labor. I think I would get too antsy if I had to stay home for the entire labor and delivery. I am so grateful that I live in a community where midwife birthing and natural birth are so highly esteemed and so easily available to expectant mothers. It is a great blessing.

I wish you luck as you make your decision. It is an important one. Whatever you decide, I pray that you will have another safe and healthy delivery and a healthy child.

~Bethany

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Lady Dorothy February 18, 2009 - 2:01 am

This is Daja’s mother. Just a point of reference. Since she mentioned me and all. 🙂

This is how I see it. I cannot tell you that I had pain-free births. But, I can tell you that I would go through anything in order to not to risk my child’s physical, mental, spiritual, or emotional well-being. In the big scope of things, how long does labor last? I can endure the pain. It won’t last forever, no matter if it does seem so at the time.

However, the negative effects of medical intervention COULD last forever. And that is not a risk I felt I could ever take. Not with a child I loved more than myself.

On a sidenote: When I had my first child at home, it WAS against the law. In fact, I sat in a courtroom full of pregnant women as a judge told us that it was against the law for our naturopathic doctor and his wife, a midwife, to attend our births. We did it anyway. The alternative at the time was not something I could risk. I meant business when it came to protecting my child.

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Gombojav Tribe February 18, 2009 - 2:47 am

Hey! We brought my mommy out of lurkedom! 🙂 She’s the best!

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sheena February 18, 2009 - 3:06 am

With our first baby, I had the standard pitocin induced long labor followed by an epidural, and an episiotomy.
For our most recent baby, I wanted to go the natural route. I read about home births and doulas and desperately wanted be one of those strong natural pain overcoming women who could refuse drugs despite ongoing tortuous pain. I wanted this because I knew it was best for our baby, because of the peacefulness of not being harassed by nurses who won’t let me sleep with my baby, and also because I get tired of following everybody in the hospital around to make sure they aren’t vaccinating my baby or doing something else to her that I don’t want done.
Despite all these valid reasons I decided that I couldn’t handle a drug free labor and that we’d do the hospital epidural thing again. When labor started we quickly dropped off our older kids and headed out the door to the hospital which was over an hour away. On the way to the hospital, however, I realized that I was in hard labor and would need an ambulence to have any chance of making it to the hospital in time. So, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and made it just in the nick of time as our baby was born shortly after arriving- completely drug free!
I KNOW there’s no way I could have resisted the drugs in a hospital. The pain was something I can’t even begin to describe: much worse than a few tears. I was crying agonizing moans- LOUDLY- and I didn’t even care who stared at me as I yelled my way through the hospital hallways on the hospital bed. The pain was gripping, overwhelming, and I wish I could say that I felt prayerful, or spiritual, or focused but unfortunately I didn’t. The only thing on my mind was PLEASE SOMEONE MAKE IT STOP.
But, my labor only lasted 2 hours start to finish with the really awful part being just over an hour. I had a tiny baby and needed a little stitching but I healed very quickly- nothing like the episiotomy that I had had with my firstborn which was by far the most painful part of labor and took over a month to heal.
If you really want to do the drug free thing but feel you can’t handle the pain, pray about it. But be careful what you pray for. 😉

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Mark and Rosalie, Joshua and Rebecca, Jennifer, Megan, Kerri, Caleb, Zachary, Jesse, Nathan, Brooke, Mikaya & Josiah February 18, 2009 - 5:59 am

For me natural childbirth is the only way to go. We had our first 7 children in the hospital, only the first with drugs (demoral). Then we switched over to a midwife and I experienced childbirth in it’s most natural form. Even though the others were without drugs, this seemed the most natural way for me to give birth. But if you are not planning on going the midwife route, I still would encourage natural childbirth in the hospital. As someone already mentioned going natural brings you closer to God. You know that without Him, this would not be possible. It really is for me an experience I would not trade for any drug. With our 11th baby I had to have an emergency c-section. When I woke up and they told me I had a baby boy it was a really weird feeling. How could I have a had a baby boy when I didn’t go through the process of childbirth. As nice as it was to go to sleep and wake up and have your baby on the outside, I felt kind of cheated. I missed the experience of ‘birthing’ him. Even though I know it is pain, it is also an amazing experience between God, my husband and myself. To me there is nothing more amazing than pushing a baby into this world. What a miracle. So as you can see I have had hospital, midwife and c-section. And the majority were without any intervention and I survived. In fact I more than survived, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My labors are long, so it’s not like I wouldn’t like relief, but I feel like it would rob me of the experience that God intended it to be. A time of absolute reliance on Him. Some of my best times with God have been through childbirth. Anyway, I could go on and on…but I won’t…or maybe I already did!

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Kim M. February 18, 2009 - 6:59 am

I think going natural definitely worth considering!

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Nicole February 18, 2009 - 7:07 am

I had my daughter “natural” – no medicine, not even tylenol!

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The nurses were impressed, seemingly surprised, at how great the baby’s heart rate was even during contractions. My nurse said she had not seen a newborn baby so alert and nursing so quickly (almost immediately) after birth. She also said I was the first person in 30 years she had seen have a natural birth.

I firmly believe that my newborn’s vitality after birth is directly related to me not being medicated, because if I had been medicated, she would have been too.

For this first time mama, my labor was short and fast and intense (contractions starting at 11:30am, she was born at 5:04pm), but the contractions weren’t exactly what I would call painful, but they were INTENSE.

The part that hurt for me was crowning, and the doctor told me that even women with epidurals often have serious pain during crowning! I had a second degree tear, so I attribute that to my intense pain at crowning!

One thing that influenced my decision to go natural was that if I couldn’t even take ADVIL during pregnancy, why did it make sense to put even STRONGER medications into my body for birth, when baby is being stressed and thrust into a new environment? Also, THOUSANDS of women before me had done it naturally and they survived.

I think it is interesting also that after the fall into sin, that pain in childbirth was part of Eve’s curse. I had a difficult time getting my head around the fact that we somehow “got control” over the curse and believe that we can remove the pain from childbirth on the anethesiologists’ power.

Now, one thing I regret is that after having that natural birth, I had a tear with stitches, and that HURT! That pain was insensible because I already had my baby here, the labor pains were for a reason – delivering my baby. So I took some pretty powerful pain relievers after that, and I know that was why my newborn was so groggy and hard to get to wake up to nurse.

bottom line – go drug free – it’s worth it for your tiny child’s health!!

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Suzanne February 18, 2009 - 7:40 am

My first thought, when I read the title of this post, was, “It hurts!” lol. I’ve only had one child, so I have limited experience. I had natural childbirth because they were late getting the epidural to me. I got it at 10 centimeters (yes, you read that right) and it only kicked in, on one side of my body, after I’d pushed for 20 minutes. My daughter was born 19 minutes later. (They did not recheck me before giving the epi, which is why I got it at all.)

I have two thoughts on it. One, I was completely, totally miserable and praying (literally) for death during labor. I would have loved some pain relief! I remember my sis in law happily talking on the phone in labor with her epi and I was there gripping the bedrails and trying to lamaze breath during mine. The brief amount of relief from the epi was worth every penny.

That said, I do think it slowed down my pushing. The pain *helps* with pushing. I was using the pain to know when to push and suddenly it was gone and I couldn’t tell when I was pushing or not.

Personally, I would ask for the epi during my next birth. I’d ask for it as soon as they checked me in! But…if you really want to do natural, it kinda gives you a feeling of empowerment. Hey, I had natural childbirth. I can handle anything. 🙂

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Mama Hen February 18, 2009 - 7:57 am

I have had four children and have had four very short labors (the longest 6 hours) so I really can’t talk about the pain for a long time. But…I had an epidural with the first three and was natural with the fourth. He was born 50 minutes after we got to the hospital and they were still trying to put the IV in when he was born. The pain is bad, I won’t lie, I felt so out of control bc it was happening so quickly, but the way I felt afterwards was the best thing for me. I didn’t feel druggy, I could walk. My husband said it was like I was high with happiness. Those maternal emotions kicked in immediatley and I felt so good. I told my husband if they could package those hormones in a pill we would have lots of happy women around. Give it a try. You can always change your mind as you get into it. You will probably surprise yourself.

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Phamilyof6 February 18, 2009 - 8:21 am

I read that someone said you can always change your mind once you get there and if the pain gets bad. I must say that if you plan on having a natural childbirth you have to be commited to the plan and have convictions as to why you won’t receive an epidural. If you go in saying I’m going to try it, but if it gets too hard I’ll take then the epidural, then you are setting yourself up to fail. You have to know that no matter what you will endure the pain. And it is painful, but a wonderful, life-giving pain. Just my thoughts. It has to be an ALL or NOTHING mentality!

Jessica

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Young Christian Woman February 18, 2009 - 8:43 am

I have only one daughter, and thus have only given birth once, and I’m probably an awful example.

I just recently wrote up my birth story, actually:
http://reconciledtogod.blogspot.com/2009/02/birth-story.html

The short version–I was in labor for two and a half hours, and they were lucky to get an IV in me and I’m not sure they ever did manage to take my blood pressure. I didn’t want drugs, but I almost certainly would have caved, so maybe that’s why God gave me a short labor. I joke it’s because of my short attention span. I was actually probably in labor every night for many weeks, and then I had afterpains for four months–just in case anyone’s jealous.

I was born three weeks late, and I was sure Hannah would be, and we prayed like crazy she would be on time (they would have induced me if I went much past). She was born nine months from our due date (two days before theirs) to within hours.

I did get an episiotomy, most likely because they wouldn’t let me move. It hurt longer than everything else (except the afterpains) and it hurt more than the rest after delivery–I could tell what kind of episiotomy it was even though I hadn’t seen it.

It also didn’t heal correctly. They didn’t seem to notice it at the follow-up but… um… well, it’s pretty obvious to me. And I did tear anyway. At the time I was just grateful to be done (it was immediate after the episiotomy) and I’d probably do it again. But next time I will at least insist on trying some movement first.

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Duckygirl February 18, 2009 - 8:47 am

This can be a hot topic! 🙂

I have 7 children. I’ve had 3 epidurals, 2 with IV drugs and 2 all natural. So, I’ve done it many ways.

My choice to go natural was with our last two. I figured that if I was going to continue having babies (ours are about 15 mos apart) I didn’t want an epidural that often. My first 3 were the epidurals and I kinda weaned myself with the next two births by only using drugs through the IV.

For me the biggest thing wasn’t knowing somehow I’m superwoman and could endure the pain, or that the drugs were bad (they make you feel great!). The best for me was the recovery. I recovered SOOO much quicker with natural birth.

There’s my $.02

-Laura

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5intow February 18, 2009 - 8:47 am

Love reading all these birth stories and opinions!

I, too, have had a variety of experiences with our five children. I was disappointed with the first that I had to have a c-section because he was breach.

Every birth after that I have had the dreaded VBAC label and have struggled to find a midwife and hospital that would take me as laws and policies have grown more restrictive.

I have had four completely natural births since then, one of which the hospital had no say in since she arrived four blocks before we arrived. 🙂 My husband delivered that one and we love having that story to tell, with a healthy baby to show for it.

While I definitely encourage people to consider natural birth for many reasons, most of which have already been mentioned. I do find that most hospital staff prefer to do things the way they are used to, and they are definitely not used to natural births. That has surprised me every time (thanks to hormone-induced forgetfulness).

I also know some women whose bodies almost shut down when the pain gets extreme, but for me I know when I get to the point in labor of thinking I can’t make it much longer, they check me and I don’t need to make it much longer.

Praying for your wisdom and peace with this decision!
Erin

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Beth M. February 18, 2009 - 9:09 am

I had contractions for 6 days straight before my daughter was born. Probably only a day or so of that was actual active labor, though it’s rather hard to identify any particular transition point. I didn’t have any drugs until about an hour before Abby was born. At that point I’d been in the hospital with no further dilation for several hours in spite of very strong and close contractions. At that point, I needed the drugs (nubain in the IV) to let me relax just a little so the contractions could be effective. Obviously, it worked since she was out just about an hour later!

This time around, I’m planning to deliver at a hospital that has jacuzzi tubs and I’m hoping that soaking in the warm water will provide enough comfort and relaxation that I won’t need any drugs. I’m also going to be much more stubborn with hospital staff and refuse an IV or too much fetal monitoring, because I think being able to move around and try different positions during labor will help me progress faster. Having tubes and wires attached to me makes me nervous and stressed – the last thing I need during labor!

So, as a mom who experienced a LONG hard labor with almost no drugs – you can do it! It’s not easy, but definitely worth it to minimize the risks to yourself and your baby.

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Mrs. Anna T February 18, 2009 - 9:18 am

Kelly, at the beginning of my pregnancy I didn’t even think about natural birth. I just assumed I would spend labor immobilised with a needle in my spine. Who wants to suffer, right? It was my husband (bless him) who raised my awareness of the dangers of medications routinely given during birth. Praise the Lord, I trusted his leadership and had the most amazing birth experience. Our baby was born wide awake and with top apgar score.

The simplest things, such as warm water and sincere prayer, were most helpful. No, it wasn’t painless, and yes, it was hard work, but I’d go through it all again in a heartbeat.

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Word Warrior February 18, 2009 - 9:39 am

Your comments have been great to read!

As I told Daja, one of the things that makes this hard is that despite what I read about epidurals being harmful to the baby, I’ve never witnessed it with any of my seven births–not that that is a reason to “risk” anything, I’m just saying. for me, I’ve had almost perfect, wonderful deliveries, no problems with epidurals, no problems with latching on/bonding, etc.

That being said, I heard something in the documentary “The Business of Being Born” that really gripped me….

A man (German doctor, maybe?) said: “There is a cocktail of hormones released when a woman gives birth naturally that creates an intense bonding–an addiction, really, with her child. If you interrupt this process, you interuppt that bonding.” (He said that interuppting animals labor has hindered their attachments.)

It made me wonder about the mass ability of women to so easily detach with their newborns these days. Hmmmm….good stuff.

QUESTION:

Does anyone have experience talking to their hospital/doctors about laying off the protocol?

Do you just submit a birth plan? Does anyone actually pay attention to it? Can I refuse fetal monitoring? (I refused the IV last time.) Can I refuse the baby warmer? I’m pretty strong about what I want (you should know that by now 😉 but it would help to know what I can and can’t do.

By the way, with one of my 9-pounders, I didn’t get my epidural until 8 cm…I wasn’t that far!

BUT, my labor has stopped with the last few at the hospital and they ended up inducing/breaking my water AFTER my epidural!!! I don’t think I even felt any pain with my last birth–yikes!

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Annette February 18, 2009 - 10:20 am

I regret that I don’t have the time to read all the comments today, but I just wanted to pop in and say that I had natural childbirth with 9 of my 11 pregnancies. The last one was a c-section; the first one I did have pit-drip and epidural and forceps…funny thing with the epidural was I couldn’t feel when to push.

The thing about pain blockers is that by the time the pain is so intense you think you need something, it will all be over very shortly. I have always had the option but did not consider it, except for the first delivery. The dr. did pressure me and I finally gave in after realizing I had a long haul ahead of me and needed some relief and rest. He consoled me by saying that very few women can actually deal with natural childbirth. But once my records showed I could do it, it was never really an issue again. I had 7 of our 11 children at a freestanding birth center where the midwives give a lot of labor support and help women through it all the time with no drugs.

You ought to give it a try. You might be surprised. Best wishes on a continued healthy pregnancy and childbirth!

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Cheri February 18, 2009 - 10:51 am

I had all 4 of mine natural childbirth. I was a young mom with my first and second, (18,20) and had no insurance, so I went with a midwife. I had never even heard of an epidural until my third (regular Dr.) tried to sell me on one. I did a little research, asked a few friends who had had one. I was told by a couple of ladies who at that time were in their 30's and had had at least 3 epidural's, that it could be the cause of their ongoing, intense back pain. I decided not to use one after hearing that. With my third, we had some problems because he was induced, and wound up being delivered "sunny side up". (face up) That was so very painful, so they gave me a shot in my right leg of something?? to take the edge off of my pain. I don't think it helped much.

My fourth was also incuced. I did a lot of walking while in labor with her, and that helped a lot. In conclusion, I would say that Yes, of course any woman can deliver naturally, with no pain meds. Yes it hurts while you are going through it, but it does not last long. Also, I chanted "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" during heavy labor with 3 & 4, and it really helped keep me strong. I also believe, having been on both sides of the "induction" fence, that God's way and timing are best. Induction hurts WAY more than natural labor. My first 2 were so easy, because I waited until my body was ready. I would say, don't try to hurry it along. Of course, these are just my experiences, and opinions. I think you will be pleasantly surprised if you go natural!

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thecurryseven February 18, 2009 - 11:10 am

I've had a variety of experiences as well…1st: Pitocin, epidural, narcatics; 2: Induced (2 weeks late) and narcatics; 3: Induced (2weeks late) and narcatics; 4: completely natural; 5: completely natural, though I agreed to a Heperin Lock because I got so tired of battling the nurses about the IV.

First can I just say that I believe Pitocin to be the spawn of the devil? When I was finally able to have a birth without it, the difference was amazing. With the natural birth, when I reached the point where I just knew I was going to ask for drugs (because they would check me and I would be at 5 or some other depressingly low number) it turns out I was in transition and had a baby to hold in less than 10 minutes. Night and day.

I have to agree with the above poster that the difference afterwards is huge. I felt great afterwards…no drugs to wear off, no IV pole to schlep around with me.

One of the biggest problems with having a natural birth is just fighting the nursing staff in the hospital…it gets tiring and they act as though you're making their life so hard by not agreeing to what they "suggest". I know a L&D nurse who actually said once that the nursing staff really hate it when a mother comes in with a birth plan. To them it's akin to coming in and saying, "I only care about me, it doesn't matter what happens to the baby." Medication and treatment of problems is what they do and can't see that there is any other way.

I'm expecting twins in June, and assuming everyone is where they are supposed to be, already planning on staying home as long as possible. I know the pressure with a singleton, but just can't imagine the pressure I will face with a "high risk" birth.

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Mommaof10 February 18, 2009 - 11:12 am

I am the oldest of 5 children and was almost 15 when my youngest brother was born. My mom had the quickest labors of anyone I know and yet she still had spinal blocks just minutes before delivering (as that is when she got to the hospital) causing headaches and other problems. So, when my brother was born, I did a research paper on the effects of anesthesia on babies during labor.

I came away from that paper absolutely committed to natural childbirth as I in no way shape or form wanted to knowingly put drugs into my newborn baby’s body unless there was an absolute medical reason that necessitated it.

Little did I know that I would birth 10 children and what I was committing to!

Our first 9 children were born in the hospital with an OB/GYN presiding. My OBs always knew up front that I wanted as natural a delivery as possible. Sometimes the OBs had to intervene with the nurses to assure that I had no intervention that wasn’t medically necessary. You and your OB must talk and understand one another before the delivery.

I was induced with a few of our children with the breaking of my water as I tended to be late in delivering. There was always a medical need before I would agree to this (no amniotic fluid, stressed baby, etc.)

If I was in labor, the breaking of the water was a help. If I was not in labor, the induction labors were much harder.

I had pitocin twice and it was torture. The only way I would agree to pitocin was if it was the only alternative available to me! Totally different than natural God-given contractions!

Our last baby was born at home with a midwife. His delivery was actually the most difficult as his head was cocked and he didn’t want to descend. Once he was dislodged, his delivery was easy as he was my smallest baby.

In the end, if my last baby, who is now 5, is the end, we had 10 babies and I never used any anesthesia. I am very thankful that I made this choice. Not from a pride standpoint, but from the perpective of my, the mom, doing everything I could possibly do to put the health of my baby above my own pain or comfort.

The anesthesia makes it so you are not aware of what your body is asking of you, thus, causing the potential for more complications. It slows down the baby’s system making it more difficult for them to overcome any difficulties.

In one of my deliveries, there was another lady ready to deliver at the same time, both of us being attended to by the same doctor. My doctor had to choose who to deliver first.

He immediately said that he would deliver me first as the delivery would go quicker since I did not have anesthesia. When one has anesthesia, she cannot feel to know how to push, thus the delivery takes longer and is more unpredictable. This causes more stress on the baby.

My OB was right. I delivered in about 15 minutes. The other lady took a couple of hours to deliver her baby.

I know there are times where anesthesia is medically necessary. But, that is not the norm and not the way God planned for babies to be born.

I guess a key question to ask is yourself is this: How did God plan for babies to be born?

Yes, there are time for interventions, but what is the normal way that God planned for the birth of children?

You CAN do it as you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.

I have much more that I could write, but this is already lengthy enough.

May the Lord guide you as you seek His path for you.

In Him,
Laralee
http://PlymouthRockRanch.com
Recording the Faithfulness and Provision of God for Future Generations

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Carmen February 18, 2009 - 11:49 am

#1 was a c-section (cord around his neck).
#2 epidural with induction…big baby, bad epidural…horrible experience
#3 natural — very painful, baby was great!
#4 natural — very painful, baby was great!
#5 natural — very painful, baby was great
#6 epidural — wonderful epidural, wonderful anesthesiologist, wonderful birth, happy baby, happy momma!
#7 epidural — horrible anesthesiologist, epidural took forever to get in, but it took and the birth was great, happy baby, happy momma.

I still occasionally have back pain in the spot where my last epi. was (baby is 9 months old now). I blame the anesthesiologist — he was very impatient and very rude to everyone. Argh! If I have any more I’m not sure if I will do an epi. again. After that fact I had a friend who told me that when she had her baby (6 years ago, times have changed a bit I believe) she ended up having a stroke from the epidural. So…I’m not sure.

As far as the bonding…for me there was no difference in bonding, nursing, etc. when you compare my babies.

Just my 2 cents.

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jonash February 18, 2009 - 11:51 am

Three babies born outside the hospital inside three years. 🙂 I don't really have time to forget much before I'm doing it all over again! lol

My 2nd – my 35-weeker was the worst. He was tiny, 4lbs & 4oz, but my body wasn't ready. Ouch.

I would highly recommend a doula in a hospital situation. To be honest, I would probably get pain meds if they were readily available but by the time I'm in transition, it would take longer to get to pain meds than to just finish up and have my baby!

I do understand what you're refering too in the Business of Being Born video. If you go into natural birth expecting that "rush" at the end there is the possibility of dissapointment. I feel more relieved that it's over; but I wonder if I went the other way with an epi if the feelings I take for granted after a birth would be glaringly absent?

I compare a natural birth to climbing Everest or a marathon. The feeling of accomplishment is so great!

The friends that have had epis have all recovered slower or with complications. One of dh's cousins once said she thinks her back pain is from her epis but she would certainly planned to get an epi next time … I can't understand that kind of reasoning. If it's already done damage to me before, why would I sign up for it again?

Pain itself won't kill you. 🙂 Though it might feel like it. When it's at it's worst, you're on the downhill side.

I have all three of my birthstories on my left sidebar for anyone interested. 🙂

Ashley
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/Jonash2004

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jonash February 18, 2009 - 11:55 am

Oh, and can I add that my 3rd was born with the cord around her neck? My dh was so proud! He’s always been told he “had” to be born in the hospital because he had the cord around his neck. So when my IL’s walked in he held her up and said “Here is proof that a baby can be born at home with a cord around their neck!” LOL

Good memories!

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Kristi February 18, 2009 - 11:57 am

Well I’ll be different and say my only completely natural birth was my worst birth yet, took me longer to recover from, and the child that I birthed during that labor is the only one with developmental disabilities!

I had one all natural, 2 with epidurals (that only worked on one side) and one with an IV drug. They were all pretty awful. My labors are fast and furious, and during my third labor 1/3 of my placenta ripped off from the strength and ferocity of my contractions (what my MW said).

I would like to have a homebirth, but I start dilating around 30 weeks, and haven’t made it past 36 weeks for the last 3 births so birthing at home is not an option for me, unfortunately. I tried to get dh to agree to UC this last time, but there’s no way he would go for it since our babies tend to need a stay in the NICU.

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Sarah February 18, 2009 - 11:59 am

Well, you have flexibility. I wanted to do it without drugs this last time but just couldn’t take it, and that was ok. It was only one day of my life, baby and I are fine, and it didn’t really matter in the long run. I say, go for it (cuz you can always change your mind . . . as long as it’s not at the last minute).

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ladyofvirtue February 18, 2009 - 12:03 pm

I’ve never had an epidural in all of my 14 births. Once I had a dose of staydol, and vowed I would never do drugs again!

I love, love giving birth naturally, and have done so in all sorts of positions–my favorite being on all fours. I usually laugh and joke between contractions until the very end–then I love to push until the “ring of fire”–but I love feeling and helping the baby out with my whole body. Pushing when you really feel it is so powerful!

Of course, my first births were not as fun as my last, and not because they simply “slide out” as some people like to think, but because I am so much more relaxed and know how my body works.

Labor is still work and it’s still painful, but fear is what increases pain–trust is what decreases it.

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ladyofvirtue February 18, 2009 - 12:04 pm

I’ve never had an epidural in all of my 14 births. Once I had a dose of staydol, and vowed I would never do drugs again!

I love, love giving birth naturally, and have done so in all sorts of positions–my favorite being on all fours. I usually laugh and joke between contractions until the very end–then I love to push until the “ring of fire”–but I love feeling and helping the baby out with my whole body. Pushing when you really feel it is so powerful!

Of course, my first births were not as fun as my last, and not because they simply “slide out” as some people like to think, but because I am so much more relaxed and know how my body works.

Labor is still work and it’s still painful, but fear is what increases pain–trust is what decreases it.

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Feminine Pursuits February 18, 2009 - 12:45 pm

Kelly,
You can do it! I have had all four of mine naturally, the last three at home, and will be doing the same for the one I carry now. My last birth was my very best, here is the link to the birth story http://femininepursuits.blogspot.com/2008/03/clara-child-who-taught-me-to-give-birth.html
Ashley

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Quinn February 18, 2009 - 1:13 pm

If you do go the natural route, get your Dr. 100% behind you. I mean tell him, very firmly, not to offer you anything, not epidural, not narcotics, nothing. Because if you don’t establish this before hand, they will offer it, and you are more prone to cave, (Depending on how you behave while in labor, I personally become very compliant with what everyone around me wants) especially since this is your first time and you’re not sure if you can do it.

It would be helpful to arm yourself with scriptures to repeat over and over during contractions to keep focused such as: “I can do all things….”

In my opinion, having tried a variety of births – epidural, narcotics, natural with pitocin (I was crying at 2cm!), c-section, and all natural VBAC (at home), -I thought the last was best. When the medications get involved there are lingering side effects whereas with natural when it’s over, it’s over.

Good Luck!

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Gombojav Tribe February 18, 2009 - 1:23 pm

Kelly,

If you want to talk about birth plans and how to communicate your wishes to your birth team, email me!

And I think as a part of my childbirth series, I’ll blog about things you can do to handle birth without drugs. So, look for that!

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Daniel's Helpmeet February 18, 2009 - 1:34 pm

I have had 7 children – 5 induced, another came on her own, and 1 home birth. The home birth, with no drugs, was by FAR my least painful delivery AND recovery. My husband didn’t even believe me when I told him that the baby was coming. I wasn’t in enough pain. We’ll our now 1 yr old was born 10 minutes later as the midwife was walking through the door. No more hospital births for me unless they are medically necessary. You can read her birth story here: http://rykenclan.blogspot.com/2008/02/here-is-saras-birth-story.html

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Word Warrior February 18, 2009 - 1:39 pm

Daja,

Thanks for offering your advice!

I think I series like you mentioned would be excellent! For those of us who are new to the concept, we want to learn everything–that would be so helpful!

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Rina February 18, 2009 - 1:44 pm

I found your blog on the LAF website and have been enjoying it for a while now. I read this post and wanted to recommend a book to you that helped me SO MUCH in the birth of my fifth child. It’s called “Supernatural Childbirth” and is written by Jackie Mize. I’ve had all of my children naturally, and the last three have been homebirths, but until I read this book I was always terrified of the delivery process. I think that fear contributed a lot to the bad labor experiences I had with my first four children, but this book totally did away with my fear and birth #5 was absolutely amazing… words simply can’t describe it. If you’d be interested in having it, I’d be happy to send you a copy.

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Manda @ Lambs In His Arms February 18, 2009 - 1:47 pm

I only have two children and am pregnant with the third, but I have been blessed with great natural childbirth experiences at the hospital under the care of a midwife. I attempted waterbirth both times; during the first, I had to get out of the water for the last push, but being in the tub definitely helped ease the pain of contractions. My second labor was slow, so I waited longer to get into the birthing tub, but then pushing went quickly and my baby right in the water. Both times were an amazing experience of feeling what God created my body to do. It does hurt, but just when you think you can’t possibly take anymore, it’s transition, and soon the baby is out!

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Mrs. Taft February 18, 2009 - 2:07 pm

I had one hospital birth that, after 19 hours of labor I had an epidural and one home birth that was totally natural (7 hours of active, intense labor). It hurt like the dickens, but I would do it again. If God should bless us with more, I will definitely be going natural again.

I found that most nurses and doctors won’t read your birth plan, so it’s good to have an advocate there–whether a doula or your husband or mother, but someone who knows inside and out what you want and can help you hold the line…it’s hard to do by yourself when you’re in the throes of contractions!

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Word Warrior February 18, 2009 - 2:12 pm

Rina…

I just ordered the book you mentioned from Amazon–THANKS!! Can’t wait to read it!

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Mrs. R February 18, 2009 - 2:16 pm

GO, KELLY!!!!!!! You CAN do it naturally! I’ve had 2 hospital births using IV drugs (stadol), 3 natural hospital births (one of those being breech), and 1 homebirth. Yes, natural childbirth is hard. I always just remind myself during labor that God CREATED my body to do this. I agree with Bethany – thank God that there are medical interventions when needed. My goal has just been to NOT use those interventions unless absolutely necessary.

As far as the hospital/doctor policies re: protocol, I would talk to your OB about all of your desires. That way, if you are challenged in any way at the hospital, you can say, “Dr. Smith supports my decision to NOT do X or Y.” Also, talk to your nurse/nurses up FRONT about your needs during labor. Be specific. My experience has been that most of them are very receptive and helpful in regards to natural childbirth. They just need to know what you need from them. I specifically asked the nurses to NOT offer me pain relief of any kind during labor.

I agree with the the commenter who said that, when attempting natural childbirth, you MUST have a plan when you go to the hospital. IMO, if you are the least bit unsure of what you want/need, they will try to force interventions on you.

YOU CAN DO IT!

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Rebekah February 18, 2009 - 2:18 pm

Well,. . .all I have to say is, “I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy!” 😉

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candace February 18, 2009 - 3:01 pm

You’re right, I’m gasping! 🙂

We’ve talked about hospitals – how y’all love ’em and I can’t stand them.

I’m there because DH feels more comfortable with previous conditions in our children.

1st – 4 cm/ 50%/ 0 station at 32 weeks and given MAG.

He had to be induced at 41 weeks and the pic was horrible!

2nd – Not even sure I was in labor or not until 10:15/ 10:30. She was born at 12:30. I didn’t have time for the epi – he walked in just as they were having me push.

I did have something in an IV, though I don’t think it helped much. It just made me very dizzy!!

3rd – Induced 1 week early for medical reasons. I wasn’t sure, but we felt God leading us to follow the dr.

Good thing – he had the cord wrapped around his neck AND it had a very tight knot in it. We really felt God used that modern day dr. to spare his life – even though that route wasn’t my first choice.

That time though, I just knew something wasn’t right, and had been having fears before hand. After his birth, I knew why. God had let me know something was up.

Overall – unless I STRONGLY feel God leading me to induce again, that won’t happen.

It’s horrible once they break my water. With baby #2, they broke it just as she was coming out. The nurses told me that was all that was saving me.

With her being born at 12:30 AM, the dr. was AMAZED to see me up, dressed in my maternity jeans, and walking the hallways when he came for his morning rounds.

I hated whatever they gave me, it felt worse than the epi. But the last epi I had (at your hospital) didn’t wear off for like 6 hours.

I couldn’t move without almost falling in the floor!

Like you have time, I’m doing a lot of ‘mom to be’ info posts on my baby blog – ramping it up for my last 7 weeks.

Click over sometime and feel free to comment!!

http://www.NineMonthsorLess.com/blog

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Alecia February 18, 2009 - 3:25 pm

Of 3 births:

1 completely natural
1 very good epidural
1 very bad epidural

Of the three, I most enjoyed the birth with the GOOD epidural. However if I am ever blessed with another one, I would absolutely go natural rather that risk another bad epidural.

Natural was painful, but only for a while (maybe an hour total of the tough stuff).

My honest prayer with my natural birth was that God would let it be just as painful as it HAD to be to help me remember that I have to trust Him. He was faithful, and the moment I was overwhelmed (I was so new in Christ) and turned to Him, it was like I was still in the car, but HE was driving, and I will never forget that feeling of Him taking over the whole thing and bringing our son into the world.

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Michelle February 18, 2009 - 3:39 pm

First, I would encourage you to watch The Business of Being Born documentary – very eye-opening. Its available to rent through Netflix and occasionally I’ve been able to find the full length version online at different places, but it keeps disappearing… : )

After having my first 2 kids with Epi’s, I did my third without – all natural with gentle midwives. It was a waterbirth too.

After having both experiences, I don’t think I could ever go back to doing it with Epi’s. I hate how tied down you are, and you can’t feel your legs for a while, it was awful. Every time I’d feel like I had been run over by a freight train afterward.

When you allow them to interfere with your labor and birth with drugs, what happens is that the natural oxytocin that is released during the birthing process is inhibited and is replaced with a sorry excuse of an artificial hormone. The natural oxytocin creates feelings of bonding, creates that “birth high” that all natural birthing moms experience if they’re not traumatized in the process. Natural birthing leaves you feeling very energized!

I’m a natural birth fanatic now! Can definitely recommend it.

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Bethany Hudson February 18, 2009 - 3:53 pm

Oh, one more bit of advice: for coping during labor, I used the vocal training techniques that I had learned as an actor. More than just how to use your voice and breathing naturally, it helps with the concept of body-voice-mind integration, which is very important in labor, because each of these aspects of our selves plays off of the others. If you’d like another good resource, I’d recommend Kristin Linklater’s “Freeing the Natural Voice”. This is the best text I’ve ever come across for the vocal techniques I would recommend. Not only does it explain everything in laymen’s terms, it will give you a bevvy of wonderful excercises to use in preparation (various breathing techniques, roving body check, etc) and the exercises in the book are more extensive than what I have found in many birth preparation books.
~Bethany

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Word Warrior February 18, 2009 - 4:21 pm

Michelle–I have seen the Bus. of Being Born-twice. Very compelling and lots of good info.

The part youo mentioned about the hormones and the “high”…I loved that in the documentary, and is one of the most compelling reasons thus far I want to try natural.

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madgebaby February 18, 2009 - 5:24 pm

Natural childbirth is great, and is of course the ideal–it can also become an idol. Particularly homebirth. When mothers use it to judge other mothers, or to pat themselves on the back–it can easily become truly idolatry.

I had two c sections, the first one on an emergent basis after 22 (mostly unmedicated) hours of labor. My second was scheduled, and I got so much criticism from other mothers for not going for a vbac–he was born with his cord in a full overhand knot and most likely would not have tolerated labor.

I nursed both right after birth and have two healthy boys, and while I am proud that my body grew them I am also grateful for the skilled help I had around their birth (including a great midwife who was present both times). Had I been vain enough to refuse medical help, both could have easily died in labor.

Too many mothers I know put themselves down because they “couldn’t do it” or let others do so, but that is just plain wrong.

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Rachel February 18, 2009 - 5:54 pm

I too love the “vacation” at the hospital. My experience has not been horrible as many women have had. I have never had anyone push drugs on me. In fact all the nurses I had would encourage me in my breathing etc.

I have had epidurals with all 3, but it was at my request. All three of my children were alert, nursed immediately (at my hospital they let you do that before trying to take the baby away to “clean” them.) I had incredible highs after each birth. I was up and moving around, taking walks etc. within an hour of birth.

My babies never left my side to go to a nursery or be checked by anyone. All checkups by doctors were done in my room while I held the baby. I will be having my fourth at the hospital (God willing) and will most likely try natural, just to see what it is like.

If only they could find a way to stop the vomiting that overtakes me when I hit about 7 cm. My last baby just “slipped” out while I was throwing up. (The vomiting is not caused by the drugs, it starts before I even receive them;)

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Word Warrior February 18, 2009 - 6:07 pm

Rachel–
So ironic. You described my experiences to a tee, right down to the vomiting (what is up with that someone?) and the seventh baby “slipping out”. I also felt that euphoria, so I’m curious to see if it’s a different kind than what is described after natural birth.

Going natural is a really hard decision when one has had such a wonderful epidural experience 😉

No problems with bonding/latching on either–there again, I have nothing to compare it to.

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A child of the King February 18, 2009 - 6:34 pm

Dear Kelly, I have awarded your blog with the ‘Kreativ Blogger Award’! 🙂 (see my blog for details)

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Audrey February 18, 2009 - 6:48 pm

What a hot topic, lots of comments. I have had both experiences and one that many find “crazy” I had my first 4 in a hospital with the intention of going naturally. Problem is when you are in that much pain and the drugs can make it stop, I cave in and take them. That being said all my births in the hospital were fine, I bonded well with baby and had no problems.

My last four were born at home unassisted, on purpose. I have been blessed beyond measure to have had good pregnancies with healthy, easy deliveries and happy healthy babies.

I think both ways got the job done LOL. I pray your delivery is just as you need it to be.

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Bethany Hudson February 18, 2009 - 6:56 pm

Rachel & Kelly – Oh good, it's not just me! I vomit during transition, too. I've heard that it's from the surge of adrenaline that comes at that point; some women's systems just react to it by vomitting. Not fun.
~Bethany

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madgebaby February 18, 2009 - 7:08 pm

I think marathon runners do the same thing as they “hit the wall”. The nurses see a whole lot worse than that–for sure.

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Word Warrior February 18, 2009 - 7:09 pm

Thank you Bonnie!

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bran February 18, 2009 - 9:21 pm

wow, there are a lot of comments. Don’t have time to red them all, but of course, being a natural girl, i’d say go for it. No offence to you at all, as you have my utmost admiration… but this is one area that I would loooove some drugs, I am no hero, but knowing what I know; I can’t in good conscience do the drugs. One reason why a home birth is good for me b/c….talk about no turning back. But the last home irth ended up in the hospital and I was asking for those drugs! I am thankful they kept putting me off now (I think Ken was behind me shaking his head too???)

BTW, it’s funny your hubby likes the hospital. I certainly wouldnt mind staying but Ken thinks it’s VERY stressful having to fight them off their protocol at almost every turn.

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Lady Jen February 18, 2009 - 10:02 pm

I had epidurals with my first two and it was great during labor. I actually took a nap while waiting for transition with my first. I recovered pretty quickly but I couldn’t feel to push at all, so had some “issues” with that. The last birth we were paying out of pocket and someone told me the epi costs about $3500, so I decided to “bite the bullet”. Turns out I was very blessed. I arrived at the hospital at 5:20 and my baby was born at 6:10. There really wasn’t time for the epidural. I felt SO much better afterwards, too. I’d do it again.

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Heather February 18, 2009 - 10:49 pm

I had my first completely med-free birth after 6 previously medicated (in some way shape or form) births.

Really, truly, it was my favorite labor. It was a hospital birth and I didn’t have any issues with the staff about it. Awesome!!!

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MamaJ February 19, 2009 - 12:55 pm

Natural childbirth is awesome!! You can do it! I had an epidural with my firstborn, and the other 3 have all been natural, drug-free. I am even thinking about becoming a Bradley Method instructor so that I can help other women choose to have a natural childbirth. It’s definitely worth it!

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Gombojav Tribe February 19, 2009 - 1:19 pm

Yes, yes, MamaJ! Become a Bradley Instructor! The world needs more Bradley instructors!!!

(I’ve been one for almost 7 years.)

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Kimberly February 19, 2009 - 1:34 pm

I have had many different birth experiences with 10 babies I had 6 babies in the hospital birthing suite with a great midwife and for 5 I used no pain meds. This includes a 10lb 211/2″ posterior baby. I had an induction and an epidural with baby #6. My reason for choosing the pain meds. were based on knowing the challenges an unmedicated birth presented. Ireally enjoyed my experience once my epidural was in because my granny sat in the rocker in my room crocheting as I went through labor.
Labor is painful, it just is, but if you are mentally, physically and spiritually up to taking that on, and you have emotional support, you can face the challenges. The hospitals, I have dealt with were very supportive, I had no i.v., they would check the baby,and leave me alone.

Everything changed afterbaby#7 died at 18 weeks. I switched DR. because of a whole set of circumstances, and would have died if I wasn’t in #1 rated hosp. in our state. I spent 5 weeks in the hosp. prior to the birth of my son, the Dr. induced me and I thought the hard part was over. I am so grateful to the monitoring they had because my babies heart rate dropped with every contraction,and I was only at a 3. I knew I was in trouble when I looked, and saw my Dr. and her partner standing at my bedside. They switched meds, they rolled me around like a rag doll, and then they ran like crazy women to the OR. My son was 5 weeks early, but praise God he had no harm done from loss of oxygen. My last 2 births were planned c-sections, and if I wasn’t facing another c-section I wouldn’t worry about another pregnancy. I had no trouble with my 2 epidurals or my 2 spinals . The c-section babies took longer to nurse, but I think it is the birth not the meds.
Good Luck with your decision, it has caused so many of us to revisit our own experiences. I’ll be praying for you.

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The Whites February 19, 2009 - 2:56 pm

I'm pregnant now and we are planning an unmedicated hospital birth (our insurance won't pay for homebirths) and we are taking bradley classes… you might want to look into them (or at least reading a few of the books) because its focused mainly on natural hospital births.

When I first heard of natural childbirth, I thought these people were demented… why would anyone choose to do this to themselves!!! (my MIL had her 6 unmedicated in a hospital) But after learning all the side effects of the drugs on mom & baby (and watching "The Business of Being Born"), I was convinced.

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Laura February 19, 2009 - 3:29 pm

I have had five babies and five epidurals. 🙂 I like my “vacation” in the hospital too. I was bound and determined to have my first drug-free, but I had PROM and didn’t go into labor on my own, so I had to be induced. After 24 hours of pitocin I opted for the epidural and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. My birth canal got torn up when he came through. I needed dozens of stiches, and then had to be packed with gauze because the bleeding wouldn’t stop. Oh, and my tailbone broke too. I am SO thankful that I got the epidural!

That being said, I really think that I would like to have a natural birth. I would rather not have medication affecting my unborn baby…though I usually get my epidurals really late in labor and my babies have always been wide awake, have great apgars, nurse immediately, etc. (And there’s plenty of pain involved!) But every time I go into labor I chicken out, thinking that it’s going to be as awful as it was the first time. Which I know isn’t true, but I have a hard time convincing myself in the throes of labor! Maybe on of these days I’ll do it. In the meantime I will admire those of you who do and I’ll be thankful that I can have the pain medication if I feel that I need it!

I will say that I believe that this is an issues that I need to decide between myself, my husband, and God. I have had several women try to make me feel like a bad mother for having epidurals, which I think is utterly ridiculous. My husband is the God-ordained head of our family and both of us need to seek His direction on this and every issue. And He promises to give us wisdom. I have to constantly remind myself that that is all that matters. Not what anyone else thinks. I’m preaching to myself here. 🙂

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Herding Grasshoppers February 19, 2009 - 6:54 pm

I’m not in the medical profession, but having worked in the office of a (Christian) OB/GYN I made friends with a lot of L and D nurses :0)

I’ve had 3 children, with varying levels of intervention… from ‘natural’ to (unplanned) C-Section.

Responding to your question regarding the birth plan – all of the nurses I know try to respect the mother’s wishes, however… there’s kind of a joke around the hospital that the longer and more detailed a bp is, the more likely there will be complications in the delivery.

I don’t get the impression that they resent it when the mom has a plan (and strong feelings about it!), but when the mom believes her plan trumps the situation, you can run into trouble.

The OB/GYN I worked for delivered two of my children. Then he retired and my Family Doc was on board to deliver the third… until he got stuck, and needed a surgical delivery.

None of the doctors or nurses ever “pushed drugs” or interventions on me. Certainly there are some that do, but – on the other hand – SOME (not all!) natural childbirth advocates create a lot more conflict and resentment (towards medical professionals) than is justified. Most of them (docs and nurses) love their jobs and pour themselves out for their patients.

What makes the most sense is to birth the baby in the simplest way possible that is safe for the mom AND the baby, yes?

Trouble is, we tend to have a short ‘memory’ (collectively) about how safe labor and delivery are. We’ve been somewhat “lulled” by the excellent care and good outcomes in recent generations.

YES, God created our bodies to do this (!), but we live in a broken, sinful world, and things don’t always go well. Your google is as good as mine, but from what I’ve read, the maternal mortality in 1900 (in the USA) was about 1 in 100. Now it’s more like 10 or 11 in 100,000. That’s a difference in MAGNITUDE. Just something to keep in mind.

By all means, go natural, if you want :0) Put your husband ‘on point’ to make your wishes clear, if your hospital tries to pressure you. And you’re a wise woman, if they have good reason to suggest an intervention, at least listen to them :0) Keeping in mind – healthy mom, healthy baby.

The baby won’t remember if you had an epidural. You won’t be his hero if you stoically endured more pain. He will not be healthier or more intelligent because your labor was drug-free. (Women in a COMA have delivered babies…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1461192.stm)

I’m not against having a natural birth, I’m just saying

IT’S OVER-RATED.

It can become an idol. As has the whole issue of “bonding”.

Yes, I loved having my babies handed to me, straight from birth. THat time of cuddling and getting to know each other is very precious. But not life-determining. My third (C-Section baby) went to the nursery briefly, while I recovered from the surgery. We are just as “bonded” as I am with his brothers.

I’m not trying to be sarcastic. Certainly there are wonderful midwives out there. The best ones have good relationships with OB/GYNs, who can provide back up for them, if something ‘goes south’.

But honestly, the whole thing is blown way out of proportion.

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Gombojav Tribe February 19, 2009 - 7:26 pm

There is some disagreement about whether a child will “remember” if mother has drugs. A great documentary is “What Babies Want” that among other issues explores the issue of birth and pre-birth memories. I link to it in one of my childbirth posts.

Also several studies have been done that link teenage and adult drug addiction to drugs given a mother in birth. Here’s a excerpt from one of my posts on natural childbirth:

“Saying “No” to drugs begins at the beginning of life, not when our kids are teenagers. And speaking of teenagers, women who take drugs during labor and birth increase the risk that their offspring will abuse drugs and alcohol. (Epidemiology 2000; 11:715-176 and British Journal of Addiction 1992; 87, 1669-1676.) In these studies the association was the strongest when drugs were given between 4.5 and 1.5 hours before delivery. The risk of adult addiction was 1.7 times higher among those given one dose, compared with those who received no drugs. The risk increased to 4.7 times that of non-exposed children when three doses were given.”

And while, yes, our neo-natal outcomes are better since 1900, those improvements are mostly due to increased sanitation, not the introduction of childbirth drugs. Also keep in mind that the U.S. is 2nd to the worst in neo-natal outcomes among all industrialized nations. We have a c-section rate of 33%. But the W.H.O. has stated that no country is justified having a c-section rate of more than 11%.

I’m certainly not talking about making natural childbirth an idol. But no mother I know who has unmedicated birth treat it that way. They are genuinely trying to do the best thing they can for their babies. They aren’t trying to be heroic. (I certainly haven’t done so to prove any points!) They just look at the science and the statistics and are doing what they believe is right. I think calling it idolatrous is rather uncharitable.

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Lady Dorothy February 19, 2009 - 8:27 pm

Just a quick response to Julie who mentioned that the U.S. now has “only” a 11 in 100,000 maternal mortality rate.

One, that improvement is not due to epidurals, by any stretch of stating statistics.

And two, though that might be an improvement, there are 38 countries that have lower rates than we do — even with all of our modern technology. We aren’t doing that THAT great.

One of the reasons I chose the naturopathic doctor that I did was because in all the great many babies he had delivered both here in this country and in Europe, his infant and maternal mortality rates were 0 compared to our local hospital, which was very high. It would be interesting if doctors and hospitals had to publish their stats, wouldn’t it?

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Herding Grasshoppers February 19, 2009 - 10:39 pm

Ladies,

I wasn’t implying that the improvement in maternal and infant survival rates were due to drugs, but to – yes – sanitation, and advancements in knowledge and medical care.

I think the idea of having a natural birth in the hospital is the best of both worlds. Nobody is making you accept pain relief, but if anything goes wrong, you have access to medical care.

What I most object to is the mysticism/romance that has come to surround birth among those of us with the luxury to choose what kind of delivery we want. The idea that the hours surrounding the birth are so highly fraught with significance, as to undo or over-ride 9 months of gestation and a lifetime of true parenting is ludicrous. (Which is not necessarily what you’re saying…)

On the other hand, cultivating a resentment against medical professionals that may deter a woman or baby in danger from seeking help, CAN have effects that last a lifetime.

The OB/GYN I worked for had a list of midwives he had confidence in referring people to, and acted as their ‘back up’ if they needed.

He also had a much shorter list of midwives known (at the hospital) for the problems they caused. One in particular either failed to recognize or failed to inform her clients of high risk conditions (multiples, pre-eclampsia, breech position). At least two of her screw-ups resulted in babies being deprived of oxygen, resulting in lifelong conditions… like CP.

Honetly, I’m not anti-midwife! There were a lot more good ones than bad ones! The ones you want to avoid are the ones blaming the doctors for all the problems… the very same doctors that get called to the emergency room to try to save those babies.

Lady Dorothy,

You’re right – it would be interesting if individual doctor’s and hospitals’ statistics were available.

Bear in mind though, that some doctors won’t take high-risk patients and others do. The doctor I worked for considered it his Christian mission to take patients that other doctors turned away.

We saw a lot of very young patients, a lot of low-income and low-education patients with very unhealthy lifestyles, and we even had patients who were incarcerated and were brought in by deputies.

Certainly this doctor’s statistics wouldn’t look very good, so be careful about interpreting statistics.

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Darla February 21, 2009 - 7:53 pm

First, I’d like to say thank you for your blog. I truely appreciate all the encouragement.

Now about natural childbirth. I have given birth to 10, one being a stillbirth and not including two miscarriages. The most helpful book I’ve read, aside from Psalms, is a book called “Childbirth Without Fear” by Grantly Dick-Read. I especially focus on the chapter about relaxation. For the most recent birth we were in the tub. I was on my side and used the side of the tub to push on while one midwife held up my leg and the other retrieved the “blessing”! It was actually the easiest-if there is such a thing-birth up to this point.

We lived in Taiwan some time ago and had our first delivery at a hospital but with only midwives-don’t know if that might be an option. You might could just have the doctor supervise?

Nevertheless, hope all goes well!

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Kacie February 22, 2009 - 5:34 pm

You can do it! I just have one baby (2 months old!) and he was born without pain meds.

My husband and I took Bradley childbirth classes and found those incredibly helpful. I’d also recommend the book written by Bradley (Husband-Coached Childbirth) and another, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way (different author).

My son and I felt incredible for at least a week. It was awesome! And all the nurses and doctors that checked on us told us how they were surprised that we had looked so good, especially since at the 11th hour, I developed preeclampsia and had magnesium sulfate in my system.

While lying on the delivery table holding my boy, I knew that I wanted to do it naturally again in the future.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Maybe a doula can help you.

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Karen (Canadian Soldier's Wife) February 23, 2009 - 9:05 am

I put myself right in the middle – the only medication I requested for both girls was “the gas” – I think it’s nitrous oxide? Anyway – it helped immensely through the hardest part of labor, then when it’s time to actually push the baby out they take it away so you can stay focused. I liked it because I was still aware of everything, I could feel everything, but it was like I was separated from it a little bit. It hurt, but it didn’t matter. LOL

And the best part was, once it was gone, it was gone. No waiting for it to wear off, no limitations to my mobility. I appreciated that.

Good luck and blessings with whatever you choose – as long as you are friendly and not demanding, I’m sure the hospital staff will be happy to work with you 🙂

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Molly Schultz February 23, 2009 - 5:49 pm

Here’s my 2cents for what it’s worth. My first 3 were born at the hospital with an epi. #4 was born in a hospital naturally. My next 2 were born at home with a midwife. I labored in a warm pool and really felt “ready”…until transition. We are expecting again and I am looking foward to going back to the hospital for a vacation, I mean, an epi. I’ve never had any side effects from the epi. I was so tired after my last homebirth, a 10 pounder, that I didn’t relish that “new baby” time as much as I could have…you know, before all the littles come back. 🙂 Many blessings, Molly

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Brynna August 28, 2010 - 11:17 pm

I know this is an old post and I just happened to stumble across it today (and I watched the birth video! Beautiful!)…my first daughter was a typical medicated hospital birth. It was wonderful, but until I had my second daughter at home (unassisted, actually), I didn’t realize what I had missed the first time. I’ve since had my 3rd child at home (again, unassisted) and childbirth has been some of the most amazing, spiritual experiences of my life (particularly this last time, as my baby was a near 10lb’er with a 15.5″ head and I have no doubts that I would have been sectioned had I been in a hospital because I was complete for SIX hours before I even had the urge to push him out…just a big head, definitely no reason for major abdominal surgery!). God used both births to allow me to grow exponentially in my faith. A lot of people think unassisted childbirth is just downright irresponsible and don’t leave room for God. I can only hope that, even though unassisted childbirth isn’t for everyone, my beautiful, truly God-given experiences can encourage others to trust that just as God opens and closes the womb, He also creates our bodies to birth our babies, and He is with us every step of the way. During each pregnancy and birth, I was confident that God would lead me in whatever direction I needed to go. If I had doubts, I prayed. If I got anxious, I prayed. If I was excited, I prayed. And in light of Phillipians 4:6,7, I was also giving thanks to my Jesus for blessing me with the baby (regardless of how I ended up birthing) every step of the way.

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Cassey Wandless December 27, 2011 - 5:59 am

Fantastic giveaways! Thank you!

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