Pregnacy/Labor pain!!!

[RMulieri]

I can tell you as an RN and a Mom, that the hospitals aren't always doing things a certain way just to be difficult or because they don't want to be inconvenienced(I had the worst delivery experience possible too) .The fact is that L&D and OBGYN are the 2 of the Most highly litigated medical fields.The insurance premiums for these Doc are thru the roof, and believe it or not, their salary does NOT reflect the insurance costs to practice.Thus, many many are choosing not to practice in these areas, or leaving them once they are in.There is a MAJOR shortage of these docs( nurses in general are also in shortage).That said they do certain things for a reason( some are just stupid nonsense though.They would not let me change position or get Out of bed...Why? because my membranes ruptured, and could lead to a nuchal cord and increased risk to the baby.Once you have an EPI, you are at an increased risk of falls and injury.If you are a high risk, they may keep you confined as well.These Docs and Nurses work very hard for their education, and it takes one small slip up,miscommunication, or perceived act of negligeance and the patient and or family is suing.So alot of them are very cautious.There are some instance that warrant a lawsuit, I know there are.I also know that sometimes as the patient you may not understand the rationale for some Drs orders or nursing orders, some have legitmate concerns and they may not want to worry you, and some are probably just BS.The best weapon is be an informed pt.ASK questions during your tour, Birth plan ...BEFORE labor day.Find out hospital policy and procedure.Things can run a lot smoother.As for the poster who said their dr was going to call security..I laugh because that happened to me, and I thought the same thing.Then after my birth my husband told me I tried to hit the Dr in the gonads, and was yelling at him.I don't remeber any of it.

 

[Booknut]

I've only had one child so far and I was blessed to have a very short labour, it was less than 2 hours start to finish. No time for pain relief really so I felt the full on contractions and delivered with no medication.

The first few contractions felt like bad period cramps. The last few contractions were unique, really felt unlike anything i've ever felt but although it was horrible it was certainly manageable.

I do believe the deep breathing helps, not so much with the pain, it did nothing for mine, but with keeping me calm because the pain felt so much worse when I started to panic and think I couldn't do it (the midwife told me I was at the start of labour and had hours to go and I knew instinctively I could not cope with this kind of pain for hours and I was right as I was already 8cms dilated when she told me this!).

As for pushing I really stopped feeling pain at this point, don't know if it was psychological because I was so relieved to be able to push or whether it really didn't hurt. I vaguely remember feeling the 'ring of pain' when she crowned but that was only for a few seconds, then it was like everything went numb.

People do say you forget the pain of childbirth after having your child but I think because my labour was so fast I was still slightly in shock for the first couple of hours after childbirth, kind of like 'what the hell was that' But that was because I went from no contractions to full on within 15 minutes so I didn't get a lot of time to get used to them.

I love my daughter so much its amazing and I'd do it again in a nanosecond but there is no way in hell you can forget labour though! But worse case scenario with no drugs like mine, it can be done and you will be strong enough to do it

PS If you can get drugs then do it, there is nothing wrong with an epidural or gas and air etc, why suffer if you don't have to? If it won't hurt the baby i'm all for making things easier on the mother!

 

[DumboPrincess]

I had no pain with my second labor. I used the HypnoBirthing Method. I really believe it is mind over matter, and if you believe it will hurt, well, then it will. I choose to believe I would have a smooth, relaxing experience and I did. Listening to the CD on headphones, breathing and visualization worked for me. Actually, singing helped, too. I had a doula (in addition to my Dr. in the hospital) and she said it was the easiest labor she's ever seen. I was in labor 6 hours/ 4 at home 2 at the hospital. I was 6 cm when they got around to checking me at the hospital. The HypnoBirthing worked so well, they didn't think I was in active labor until they hooked me up! LOL!

I had no meds during labor and it worked so well I didn't even feel the epsiotomy. MUCH better than the Epi with my first one. After second DD I walked to the nursery and watched her have her first bath. First DD I was stuck in bed, gross and wasn't allowed to shower for 24 hours. YUCK!

I also felt "normal" right away and only had 5 pounds to go when I got home. First pregnancy it took awile to feel normal again.

To each her own--but if the possibility of pain scares you google HypnoBirthing/Mongan Method. Women have babies without pain everyday!

 

[miprender]

I have never experience actual labor... my DD was delivered at 35 weeks after I was on bedrest for 6 weeks at the hospital by Csection.

Then my next two sons were elective Csections. I did not want to risk having a VBAC.

The Csection hurt like hell... everytime you moved it felt like your stomache was ripping. The funny thing is I thought after the operation it would hurt for a day and be done

But what hurts the most (not so much with your first one) is the contractions after when you uterus decides it wants to get back to its normal shape.

After my third one last December, I thought I was going to die from the pain. If that was how labor felt... well give me all the drugs you can!!!!

But definatly worth every moment just to hold that precious baby in your arms. (And repeat to yourself when they start acting up in a few years...)

 

[El&Asmom]

I wanted to address this. I have had epidural births and non Epidural birth. So I do know both sides of it so to speak. I think that where that comes in is (the part I bolded) is where you get these women who want to have a baby without a medical professional even present even when they have been advised that it is not a safe choice because of various medical reasons etc. but they insist because "women have been having babies for thousands of years!" even though they are too ignorant to realize that many women died in childbirth for many years. They want the "experience" no matter what the outcome is. Those are the women who act like they want to prove something. I used to go on a Parent type board that was kind of crunchy but not live in the woods in a hut crunchy and there was a woman who was advised that she needed to be in a monitored environment because there was some risks with her pregnancy. She didn't want that so she decided to do it at home unassisted and it had a tragic ending. She blamed every single medical professional for the tragedy when in reality it was her poor decision. She still went on and on about how she would do it again when she got pregnant again and she was happy to have "done it her way". Well yippee. A lot of good that did her. I left that board after that because I had nothing nice to say. That is not to say that everyone must give birth on a sterile hospital room but education is key and a lot (not all) of the women who act like they deserve a medal do it from ignorance. I think that whatever your decision is you should be well informed. Not just filled with opinion but have actual fact.

I'm not flaming you I just wanted to use your post to tell others that they should research everything and know what choices you are making.

I could not agree more. I am a member of a crunchy board as well, and have heard of many women that go unassisted. I try not to make blanket statements, but they are crazy. As a member of the (animal) medical community, I have enough common sense to know that women and babies can die during childbirth. I had my dd at a hospital with all of the backup of medical professionals that would be required if there were an emergency. My midwife has been delivering babies for 30 years. I felt like I was in better hands with her than I would be with some resident fresh out of school that has never witnessed anything but medicated, hospitalized births.

It is not only about the experience of the mother and what "she" wants out of a childbirth. You would hope more women would have common sense to know that if you choose to create this child, you have the responsibility to not be selfish and responsibly bring that person into the world.

I also never said that you are more likely to have a healthy baby and smooth recovery if you have an unmedicated birth. Just that that was my reward. Not the abiltity to gloat about being a superwomen. But you ARE more likely to have fewer interventions and need for assistence if you choose to have a natural childbirth. It is statistically proven, (by doctors) that induced labors are more likely to result in vacuum extractions, forceps deliveries and C sections. If you are induced, you will likely want an epidural. I know I did with my first birth.
It is also proven that babies that were born with the assistance of pitocin and an epidural are more likely to be jaundiced. Not the end of the world, but it happens more frequently.

I did not mean to start a debate about "my birth was better than yours". Just that there are options for everyone, and women should look into what will work best for them, and at the same time, realize that things may not go the way you want. My natural births hurt. Bad. I don't think that it is the only option, and it is not a "better" option than a medicated birth. Just wanted to point out that women need to be better educated about this process and understand the risks that are associated with the interventions they choose.

 

[MommyBryn]

I could not agree more. I am a member of a crunchy board as well, and have heard of many women that go unassisted. I try not to make blanket statements, but they are crazy.

Ouch. I certainly don't think highly of the "blind trust" in doctors and hospitals, but I'm not about to go calling anyone crazy for choosing that, because it's likely the birth that they believe will be best for them AND their baby. No need to be judgmental- it's not like anyone here is advocating going unassisted or anything! UC's are absolutely NOT for everyone, but just because you can't stand the thought of one doesn't mean those who choose them are "crazy" by any means. Not speaking for myself, but for the other women I've known who've chosen to UC (several midwives included), they've been the most wise and educated about childbirth (both for mom and baby) of anyone I've ever met in my life.

ETA- I do think it would be pretty "crazy" for someone to go into an unassisted birth (intentionally) with absolutely no knowledge of what to do in emergency situations (retained placenta, hemmorhage, newborn rescucitation, prolapse, etc), or even just minor situations (nuchal hand/cord, less than optimal presentation, etc).

 

[mjkacmom]

I
I had no meds during labor and it worked so well I didn't even feel the epsiotomy. MUCH better than the Epi with my first one. After second DD I walked to the nursery and watched her have her first bath. First DD I was stuck in bed, gross and wasn't allowed to shower for 24 hours. YUCK!

I also felt "normal" right away and only had 5 pounds to go when I got home. First pregnancy it took awile to feel normal again.

To each her own--but if the possibility of pain scares you google HypnoBirthing/Mongan Method. Women have babies without pain everyday!

Why wouldn't they let you out of bed or shower? I had 3 epidurals, and my first 2 babies were born in the afternoon, and I felt great! I was up and running, and we even had a romantic dinner in the room that night. My 3rd was born at 3 am, after 31 hours of labor, so I was tired, but after a nap, my body also felt great. I showered! Even with my c/s, I was made to get out of bed within 15 hours.

My labors were all induced (#1 at 42 weeks), and as soon as I got my epidurals, I went fast!