# Does anyone have no pain relief experience



## MadamRose

My daughter was born a hospital water birth at 9lbs 12oz. I had her with just gas and air, and sometimes i think i only had that because dh keep asking if i wanted gas and air, i never asked for it.

This time i want a home water birth and i am hoping not to use gas and air either. I was just wondering if anyone had any experience of not using any pain relief and how they found it?


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## bevan88

I had my first at home, when I was in transition, or pushing they tried to get me to take gas and air, but it was more to shut me up and make me focus on my breathing lol... I never asked, I was just growling with impatiencte... this time I plan a home birth and will be using a mouth guard of some description to bite on as I actually found biting the mouth piece for the gas and air helpfull but didnt actually like the gas and air so technically I delivered without anypain relief in a standing/squatting stance, he was 7pound 1 but I am only 115 pounds and 5ft 4 so not very big myself... its deffo possible, just trust yourself.


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## MadamRose

bevan88 yes i don remember how much i took i know it was some, but it made me hallucinate and it hated it. First my bobble feel out and i thought it was a spider and then i started saying i couldn't do it and was going to loss baby that was only once i started g&a. Its something i've always wanted to do labour without pain relief. Whats this mouth guard as i have to agree on the biting on something thing.


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## Guppy051708

G&A isn't even an option here!
Ive had two unmedicated births. The second one was far easier and much faster.

When it's not an option, you find a way to cope bc you have to. Honestly, i think you could do it :)


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## Guppy051708

this thread could be helpful to you https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/home-natural-birthing/1706637-homebirth-without-gas-air.html


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## Feronia

I did it without any pain relief, but I doubt it would be too much different than having G&A. (I'm not sure, I've never had G&A but I hear that it doesn't take away the pain as much as it makes you feel better/drunkish about the pain. Is that true?) Honestly, it wasn't so bad for me at all. If there's no option for pain relief then you just learn to gradually deal with the pain and it wasn't a big deal for me.


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## aliss

I had G&A, morphine, and an epidural with my 1st. We had a lot of complications from it and I decided not to go for anything with #2 (home birth).

I found it easier, strangely enough!!? I didn't like G&A the 1st time- found it to just take me out of the right from of mind. So, I told my midwife not to even bother bringing it! For a home birth, I found just relaxing in the shower the whole time to be good enough.

If you can do it with JUST G&A, then you can do it without G&A for sure.


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## MadamRose

Thank you ladies it's reassuring to read all your positive stories about those who have done it. I didn't even know you could request for them not to bring g&a i may go with that. As then my hubby can't keep asking if i want it. 

Feronia yes i could still feel the pain. And yes i felt like it was hallucinating i hated the way the g&a made me feel like it didn't have as much control


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## fionar

I said this in the thread that Guppy051708 posted to, but G&A isn't an option here, so I had my first son at home with no pain relief except positions and water and all that.

It really wasn't so bad, but I also think I ramped it up in my head that labor was going to be SO TERRIBLE (I had a few bad dreams about it and a few crying jags at my husband, worrying and worrying that I wouldn't be able to handle it) that when it actually happened, while it wasn't comfortable, I think I made it through because I kept thinking to myself "it's going to get worse, hang in there, just let it happen, just relax" and then all of a sudden my son was born, haha.

Good luck - it's VERY doable, and I think like Feronia and Guppy051708 both said, when it's not even an option you just put your mind to it and get it done!


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## Guppy051708

Here are my unmedicated birth stories. The first one was in the hospital, but i still managed without anything, including G&A bc as i said before it's not offered here in the States. ...dont be freaked out by my first birth story. DS1 was a persistant posterior so he was born face up and thats why it was so bloody painful and long. That had EVERYTHING to do with his presentation. The second is my homebirth story. It was great :thumbup:

https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/b...-arrival-posterior-style-bradley-way-3-a.html

https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/labour-birth/884071-elliot-nehemiahs-home-water-birth.html

For me, hot water was THE BEST pain relief. I honestly dont know if i could have given birth without painrelief if it wasn't for water and being able to change positions. The water is truly natures epidural and i can never ever imagine giving birth without it.


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## aliss

Agreed with the hot water! I stayed in the shower alone for like 8 hours...! Everytime I came out & the doula wanted to massage me, I just ran back into the shower :rofl: It helps with pain but doesn't take out your mindframe (like G&A did, IMO)


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## Anthrogirl

I had no pain relief with either of my first 2, both born in hospital. The first was easy and I spent nearly all of my active phase (about 4 hours) straddling a chair in a really hot shower. She was sunny side up/back to back and the hot water and straddle position was glorious for my back. The second was brutal as they insisted on pitocin augmentation (PROM at 37+1 without contractions) and I was tethered to the bed with IFM and IV lines. I almost caved during the "oh dear god I can't do this..." phase of transition, but with a little mental grounding, the rest went by without a hitch. Number 3 will be born at home and I'm very much looking forward to it!


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## YikesBaby

I just had my DD with absolutely NO meds at all. DH and my doula said I was very much "in the zone" where I focused my energy inside myself and worked through every contraction by breathing and concentrating on the fact that it would soon be over. Certainly it hurts, but literally the second she was born... I completely forgot the pain and would do it all again. The most important thing is to trust in your body and remember that each contraction will be over as quickly as it started... it's not going to last forever. Focus on relaxing your body, your shoulders, your face, etc... and the rest will follow. :)


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## BubsMom17

I feel like such a baby... :( I did all natural in a hospital but I thought it was really hard and scary. I did all the right stuff, positions, breathing, etc, but I still found it nearly unmanageable. I dilated really quickly (water broke and he was born 6 hours later), and it was just really intense. I was really screaming and groaning, but everyone (the midwives/nurses) was very nice and no one made me feel like I needed to be quiet or anything. They were really patient and supportive with me.
I plan on doing it naturally again, and I hope I find it more manageable next time...


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## aliss

You aren't a baby!

Some girls will say it was just intense/pressure not pain/etc... but honestly I was a shrieking banshee and it was absolute torture (home birth), it's okay to admit it!! :) We didn't all have zen labours hehe...


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## BubsMom17

aliss said:


> You aren't a baby!
> 
> Some girls will say it was just intense/pressure not pain/etc... but honestly I was a shrieking banshee and it was absolute torture (home birth), it's okay to admit it!! :) We didn't all have zen labours hehe...

My mom was honest and told me it hurt like hell (4 natural labors), but my MIL told me it was like bad period cramps (she did it natural too for all 3). I told her she just tried to BS me after I had him! She just laughed and said maybe she blocked it all out. LOL!


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## aliss

BubsMom17 said:


> aliss said:
> 
> 
> You aren't a baby!
> 
> Some girls will say it was just intense/pressure not pain/etc... but honestly I was a shrieking banshee and it was absolute torture (home birth), it's okay to admit it!! :) We didn't all have zen labours hehe...
> 
> My mom was honest and told me it hurt like hell (4 natural labors), but my MIL told me it was like bad period cramps (she did it natural too for all 3). I told her she just tried to BS me after I had him! She just laughed and said maybe she blocked it all out. LOL!Click to expand...

A period lol, I wish. But good on you, it's hard to say no to an epi at the hospital. With my first, I gave in. That's why I stayed home with #2!! :) You're tougher than you give yourself credit for!


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## MindUtopia

The only pain relief I had was a TENS machine in early labour. I got through transition and started pushing without even realising that's what was happening and before the midwives arrived. I never had that whole self-doubt/fight or flight/panic feeling some women describe in transition. I pushed in the pool for about 30 minutes but the water didn't do much for me, so I spend most of the 2nd stage and gave birth on dry land. To be honest, I never felt like I needed the gas & air, but I did use natal hypnotherapy and I really credit that with making it all so easy to cope with. I specifically stated in my birth plan that no one was to offer me gas & air and that if I wanted it, I'd ask for it. I forgot all about it actually, so I never asked and no one offered it, which I'm pleased with because labour for me was hard work and intense (the pushing part, I pushed for 4 hours!) but it wasn't immensely 'painful'. I would definitely have the gas & air available again next time just in case, but I don't think I'd need it. I can't recommend enough doing some sort of hypnotherapy practice though if your goal is to not use it, because I think that made a tremendous difference in my perception of pain and how I coped with it. Same with getting your partner on board in supporting you to labour without it if you wish to. But at the same time, it's pretty safe (relative to other forms of pain relief) and if you need it, then there's nothing wrong with that either.


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## fionar

MindUtopia said:


> I got through transition and started pushing without even realising that's what was happening and before the midwives arrived.

That was me.

Mom: Stop pushing, you can't push, you need to not be pushing.
Me: I'M NOT PUSHING!
Mom: Okay, you're not pushing. 

Didn't even know that's what was going down. I don't feel like I ever actually focused on pushing - my body just kinda did it.


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## Guppy051708

fionar said:


> MindUtopia said:
> 
> 
> I got through transition and started pushing without even realising that's what was happening and before the midwives arrived.
> 
> That was me.
> 
> Mom: Stop pushing, you can't push, you need to not be pushing.
> Me: I'M NOT PUSHING!
> Mom: Okay, you're not pushing.
> 
> Didn't even know that's what was going down. I don't feel like I ever actually focused on pushing - my body just kinda did it.Click to expand...

I hate when ppl would tell me not to do something during labor. I think if the mother is unmedicated, she should follow her bodys ques. I was told not to push during my hospital birth, but i couldn't help it, i had to. They didn't want me to bc i was "only" 8 CM. :wacko: everything turned out fine, and im sure if i would have waited like they wanted me to, it would have been even more longer than 30.5 hours of hard labor! Interestingly enough, w my home birth, i started pushing at 8CM too! The MWs didn't yell at me or anything and told me to follow my body (i was afraid i would get in trouble again, but they were great). I have since read that not all women need to get to 10CM. And some women actually need to go bigger than 10CM. So i say, if you arn't drugged or dont have a medical issue, follow your body. it knows better than any doctor


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## MadamRose

BubsMom17 don't feel like a baby we all find and cope with things differently


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## BubsMom17

Hahaha... yeah, don't push. Right. How are you supposed to ignore the bowling ball about to fall out of our booty/hoo-hah? I was trying so hard not to push but your body takes over.

And having your partner on board is tremendously helpful. I had my mom for female support in the room and hubs in the room for physical/emotional support. He helpe me stand up, squat, turn over, held me up when I needed him to, supported me in every way. He was quiet and tried not to talk for fear of saying the wrong thing except, "You are doing great babe," and "You are so strong, so much stronger than me," and "you can do this."

I definitely went into flight or fight when going into transition. I told my mom to take me home. LOL... 

And honestly, the only reason I didn't cave for the epidural is because they told me I had to sit still for like 2 minutes. I knew that was as impossible as delivering a monkey that day. No point in even trying.


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## fionar

Haha, my mom's a doula, actually, and the midwife hadn't arrived yet - I think she wanted me to not FOCUS on pushing in hopes our midwife would make it to the house in time. She said it one time and didn't repeat herself after I told her I WASN'T. I would've said the same thing in her position - she CAN help do the delivery part, but really prefers not to have that responsibility.


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