? for Moms and Moms to Be

Kamikaze3 · November 2009

This may be too personal so if no one responds I understand.Have anyone delivered or planning on delivering their baby naturally? I always think I want to when the time comes and then I get nervous it will be too late if I do decide I want drugs. Just wondering about others experiences. My mom delivered me with no drugs and I was 9lbs. She refuses to speak of that time.

buddhagouda · November 2009

It's my plan, but I think most people start out with that plan and change their mind an hour in.

salimoo · November 2009

Dooce has a crazy-positive/encouraging natural birth story, if you read her. I don't plan on having kids, but it even kind of convinced me that I'd give it a shot. Let me try and find the link.

jbloom · November 2009

Fitty did. You should see the picture of her in her natural-baby-delivering trance.

the_mulva · November 2009

I never planned on natural. Just wasn't important to me. And besides, my rule is that when someone offers you drugs that you can't get arrested for taking, DON"T TURN THEM DOWN. But seriously, I can see why someone might want to go the natural route. Clearly, our bodies are made to be able to do it. Just be flexible. Things can change pretty quickly.

katie.i.do · November 2009

I kind of anticipate wanting to be medicated. I think that will help me focus on the giving birth part and not on the searing horrible pain. I don't have that much faith in my pain tolerance or ability to not freak out.

buddhagouda · November 2009

I want to go no natural simply because the idea of having a needle poked into my spine freaks me out a lot more than the idea of having my vag torn in two.

salimoo · November 2009

Well, okay, this is the story of her assistant, which is also encouraging. . [url]http://dooce.com/2009/07/27/labor-story-part-two[/url] .My mom planned on a natural birth. They wound up giving her drugs after asking her to please keep her voice down, she was frightening the other mothers. So it can go both ways!

mashedpotato · November 2009

I gave birth naturally. It wasn't horrible (but that's me talking 17 years later) and although this sounds super creppy, I enjoyed feeling him be born. I know that sounds weird but whatever. I did get to a point when I asked for an epidural, the anesthesioligist took an hour to come up to my room and my dr. told me it would take 1/2 an hour for it to take effect and my son would be born by then, so he talked me out of it.

blynn03 · November 2009

My mom delivered all 4 of her kids naturally - 2 of us were over 9 pounds and the other 2 were over 10 pounds. I haven't asked her to be TOOO explicit about it, but she has told me about it when I ask. She doesn't "refuse to speak of that time" or anything.I also was in the room with my best friend when she delivered her 9 lb, 6 oz baby naturally. But she's kind of a badass and made it look easy.I plan to go natural when that time comes.

wingedbride · November 2009

See, I know me. And I know how much I suck toward other people when I am in pain. I would rather not divorce during my delivery, so I am going to say YES on the drugs.

Knottie_22382082 · November 2009

Big ole Bump-style THIS to Buddha. My mom passed out when they showed her the epidural needle in her childbirth class, so she went natural. She doesn't have any horror stories about insane amounts of pain.

lindsayll · November 2009

I'm hoping to go natural, but I'm trying to be very zen about the whole thing and realize that life is unpredictable and you play the hand you are dealt. That hand may or may not allow me to actually go fully natural. That being said, I'm taking steps to prepare mentally and have the support in place for natural: taking a multi-session childbirth class (not one of the one day deals), reading a lot of material about the process and different coping techniques, and we've hired a doula. I think we'll write out a general birth plan ahead of time and have my doctor make some notes on my chart, but we are not going to barge into the hospital and start telling the nurses how to do their jobs and making demands. Adam and the doula will be prepared to make friends and negotiate for the things that are most important to us. Disclaimer: first timer, so I speak from zero real life experience and could be talking out of my a$$ for all I know.

wingedbride · November 2009

and kamikaze, you are cuuuuuute.

prettypinkypeonies · November 2009

I had an epidural and it still hurt like a mother. My son was also early and only weighed 5lbs. I discovered I am a wimp when it comes to that kind of pain. But I also had pitocin, which I have heard makes your contractions feel even more intense. My biggest fear is that I would wait too long and couldn't get anything. Fortunately, my doctor pretty much told me that until the head is coming out, it's really never too late to get drugs. Looking back, I waited too long to get them, just because I was in intense pain for a while before I got my epidural. #1 rule- you can have this glorious plan in your head of how you want it go, but be ready for your plan to be thrown out the window at a moments notice.

Novemberrocks · November 2009

I'm planning on drugs. I'm actually pretty freaked out about labor and delivery because I have no tolerance for pain. I did read the dooce entry about her natural childbirth and was very inspired for about 30 seconds. Then I remembered who I was and thought, 'yeah, there's no way'. I'm in awe of women who can do it without pain meds, but I know myself too well. I don't want to somehow convince myself I can handle the pain, only to be disappointed when I inevitably chicken out and get the epi.

the_mulva · November 2009

My Dr. laughs at people w/ "birth plans".

buddhagouda · November 2009

Yeah, I think the extent of my birth plan is going to be "DO not stick a big needle in my spine" and "get me out of here with a live outside baby"

Kamikaze3 · November 2009

Thanks Moo, Dooce's blog made me teary. I think I am going to plan on it (you know in like two years when we actually start ttc). I was at the doctor's today and it got me thinking. Although I have had demerol and a morphine drip in the past so Mulva's comment made me think about how nice that was. Oddly enough my biggest fear is not the baby shooting out and the contractions but rather tearing or needing an episiotomy.

noisy_penguin · November 2009

My birth plan was to try it natural, and then take drugs if I felt like I needed them. 12 hours in with no end in sight, I took drugs. Then they wore off and I gave birth. It was okay though, and I was terrified of labor.

HappyTummy613 · November 2009

Dude, wake me up when it's over and hand me my (clean) baby.

Kamikaze3 · November 2009

Thanks Winged. I was going to post a pic for Show and Tell but thought it would be huge so I put it in my sig. My great grandmother is 93 and has Alzheimer's but she still rocked out at our wedding.

Meegs10.13.06 · November 2009

My plan is to go natural, but obviously we'll see what happens. My mom delivered both myself and my brother with no drugs, and she still thinks it was the best decision.

mashedpotato · November 2009

the tearing wasn't so bad, I didn't even realize it happened, it's the sewing back up and novocaine needle that sucks.

lindsayll · November 2009

Mulva, I don't mean a novel like this, where I spell out every little detail of exactly how it will go down:http://www.childbirth.org/articles/birthplans/wrightbp.htmlBecause that's just nuts, and yeah, if I was a doctor or midwife, I'd be like "well, sounds like you don't need me at all if you've got this so under control, so I'll be on my way."Mine will probably be about 3 sentences long:Don't offer me drugs until I ask for them.I'd like to me able to move around and not be confined to the bed 100% of the time.Unless it is a genuine emergency, we'd like time to consider an intervention before it is done and try less invasive techniques first to see if we can resolve the problem naturally.

modb1rd · November 2009

oh HT I love you, even though you didn't visit me on your honeymoon

KristenBtobe · November 2009

I went into Maggie's birth with an open mind, planning on trying it naturally but knowing I wouldn't get all PPD about not having my "ideal" birth if we decided on an epi. A few things worked against us. 1-I was having some bleeding during labor and Maggie's heartrate was dipping, so I had to stay on the monitors and couldn't move around like I thought I'd want to (which I totally didn't, it was so effing painful to move). 2-Mike was so stressed out and worried about me that he couldn't take charge and lead me through the breathing properly. When he could get me to focus it did work, but I was a grunting, made up word screaming mess otherwise. 3-I was in labor overnight and was quickly running out of steam that I would need to push.They kept offering the epi, I said no twice, then at last call Mike and my mom insisted I do it. I was 7 cm, probably a little more. I was so out of it in pain that I said OK. The contraction pain was so intense that any fear I had of a needle going in my back was totally gone. That and the 5 sticks it took for them to even get my regular IV started when we arrived at the hospital. They did have to place my epi twice, first time he hit a blood vessel so that sucked. But once it was in, I was so much more with it and able to enjoy the birth experience. I was fully dilated within 1/2 hour or so. I'm totally getting one this time, and earlier. It was really hard to hold still when contractions were coming every 2 minutes and I was bearing down ready to push. I know Fitty did Bradley, if you're really committed to natural I'd recommend doing that versus what the hospital offers.

wendyld · November 2009

My doctor was camping out with Mulva's. He said he never saw a written birth plan that didn't end in a c/s for the most part. A word of caution to all of you "I don't want to feel any pain" folks: Just like there is a too late for Epi, there is also a too early. I was in pain for hours before I progressed enough to get any drugs. And those non epi drugs are effing worthless. Skip em and go straight to the epi if you can.

HappyTummy613 · November 2009

Aw, mod, I'm sorry. I promise that when I take a non-honeymoon trip to SF (which may happen next year), I'd love a visit.

tastyburger · November 2009

I am SUCH a wimp with pain and have a low pain tolerance. I know this. Even still, I would like to *try* for unmedicated and see if it's even possible. The recovery time seems to be shorter and there can be some other benefits to not having drugs. That being said, I'm a realist and will ask if I need them. I guess I'll have to learn some techniques (bradley method and whatnot) so I have a bit of a chance, but I fully realize that the actual birthing of my spawn is the most important and I don't care how I get there. in fact, right now, I just really want the chance.

KristenBtobe · November 2009

I was out of bed within an hour of having Maggie, so there wasn't much of a discernable difference in recovery time as far as I was concerned. Also she was alert and ready to nurse which was my biggest worry with the epi. The only thing I didn't think about was having to be cathed once because of all the fluids they give you, but since I was numb it didn't hurt at all.

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