# Natural birth that didn't go to plan?



## jjbump

Hi all,

I've not long to go and after going to NCT antenatal classes, I am now put off medical intervention!

I plan to still go to hospital, but want to stay away from meds altogether. My question is this: How many of you prepared for a natural birth, only to find that the pain/discomfort of labour was too much so you opted for medication?

Thanks.

x


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## JellyBeann

I think I would have, if I hadn't of had a waterbirth, have you thought about that as a method of pain relief? x


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## jjbump

At my hospital there is only one room which allows for a water birth on a first come, first served basis. I'm going to opt for that or the TENS machine if the room isn't available.


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## PeanutBean

I did with my first but then I had a 35 hour labour, got transferred from home after 18 hours, put on antibiotics then syntocinon at 30 hours after which I caved and had an epi (not that it worked). I guess I gave it a fairly good innings! Of course I was also transferred for no reason at all, it turns out, so possibly much of the experience could've been avoided...

Have faith in yourself.


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## canadabear

I am also planning a natural birth but still going to a hospital.
My plan is to stay at home for as long as possible in labour. There I can control my environment more, move more freely, use the bath/shower freely, eat/drink as needed and feel more relaxed. This will also lessen the time I spend labouring in hospital and less time to feel any pressure for medical relief etc.
Thankfully, the labour/birth ward is completely midwife lead where I am and they are very pro-natural.
It might be a good idea to check out your hospital especially the policies they have in regards to labour times before interventions etc are 'necessary'.

Sorry that this doesn't actually answer your question.. just thought it might help. :flower:


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## 3011busyyear

I planned for a home birth, but due to lack of staff I had to go in. I used a tens machine which worked well, took it off to get in the birth pool....I hated it, it was cold and provided no relief what so ever! I was so disappointed as everyone says birth pools are great :shrug:
My temperature was going up and they thought I had an infection, I was stuck at 3cm or 5-6cm depending on who's opinion you went with as the doc and midwife disagreed! I had pethadine. Then they recommended an epidural as they had to do loads of internals to take blood from LO's head to check if she had any infection. Her heart rate started to dip and ended in emcs!
All sounds very dramatic but what I'm getting at is, you just don't know what will happen and it might not always be coping with pain that leads to pain relief!


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## mygirl

i wanted an all natural birth with my first, but it all went to pot when i got pre eclampsia. if you want to do it and nothing goes wrong go for it but the meds are there to help ensure a healthy delivery if there are probs, you will know when the time comes what you need to do, afterall a healthy mum and baby is the most important thing isnt it?


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## summer rain

I booked a home birth this time, but LO was like a 'banana' head down but curled round and facing left and he had been like that since 31 weeks of pregnancy. I kept getting startling but ineffective contractions and also the weather was atrocious, making our private road that we live down virtually impassable, so my midwife said for insurance reasons it would be risky for them to come if they could physically even get through the ice and snow. So we decided to go to hospital; I was offered stronger medication but the thought didn't cross my mind; I managed on just gas and air even though the pain was the most intense out of all of my labours I knew it would be over soon. xx


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## New2Bumps

3011busyyear said:


> I planned for a home birth, but due to lack of staff I had to go in. I used a tens machine which worked well, took it off to get in the birth pool....I hated it, it was cold and provided no relief what so ever! I was so disappointed as everyone says birth pools are great :shrug:
> My temperature was going up and they thought I had an infection, I was stuck at 3cm or 5-6cm depending on who's opinion you went with as the doc and midwife disagreed! I had pethadine. Then they recommended an epidural as they had to do loads of internals to take blood from LO's head to check if she had any infection. Her heart rate started to dip and ended in emcs!
> All sounds very dramatic but what I'm getting at is, _*you just don't know what will happen and it might not always be coping with pain that leads to pain relief*_!

I agree with above poster! I also planned a home water birth too. I went to the NCT classes and I have to say they were great but it does definately put you in mind for a natural birth. No worries there. Just make sure that you keep an open mind - your plan is your ideal plan and if you're prepared to alter that as you go along all the better. I ended up with an epi at 7cm as my BP was so high I was at risk of fitting, then ended up with sytocin as NCt recommended... but so what - it was actually all completeley fine and I didn't end up with a c section, the sytocin worked and I carried on dialating 1cm an hour and gave birth vaginally. The classes made me stop and question the epidural, which was great as afterwards I knew I'd made an informed and clear headed decision. I felt totally fine with what happened as I hadn't opted for pain relief = I'd had my 'drugs' for medical reasons.

My advice is rate your interventions in order of which you'd prefer to which you'd like least, then you have an idea when you're in different situations of what you'd like to do. You'll know what the right decision is at the time anyway, so try not to overplan/overthink things (as then there are more little details to regret not having done afterward!!!)


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## nov_mum

I had a natural birth planned. Then got preeclampsia and had to be induced. In saying that, I didn't have any pain relief (except for nitrus oxide but it didn't work so I stopped using it) but did use TENs and it went fine : ) I had short but intense labours as both were PET births and once labour starts the body just evacuates the small tenant and it's belongings asap. 

If I had a long drawn out labour, I would use meds I think. It's hard to say until you are in that position. As long as you know the pro's and cons and have a game plan then it's a great starting point. If I was in hard out, established labour for a day I think I would be so sore and exhausted that I would kill for drugs. I preferred to avoid them and got my wish but I think you need to roll with the punches to a degree. A drug free birth is totally possible but when you are going on a journey that you have never been on, don't know how long it will take and what it will involve, it's a bit hard to pack. I hope that makes sense???

I thoroughly recommend the TENs though. At least you are making informed decisions and know the downsides to some interventions : )


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## calliebaby

I had an all natural birth in the hospital. I did not have a tens (not that it would have helped anyways, as all my pain was in my abdomen). My labor was short though (4.5 hours from the time my water broke). That said, it took a great amount of concentration and blocking out the noises around me. I made it clear that I didn't want meds and I had my husband relay that to the nurses when they would say last chance for an epi and such. I pushed for 14 minutes. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It felt good to push. My last hour of labor was one huuuge contraction. Never let up. Pushing was a relief. I plan on going natural my next birth as well.
I have to say though, I was open-minded to meds if I had needed them. If my labor had been really long, I probably would have opted for the epi to keep my strength up. It is hard work pushing a little one out!!!


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## Celesse

I planned a natural home birth, but at 5cm LO was found to have a high heart rate with decelerations. So I was transfered in and opted to have an epidural as I didn't want things to rapidly get worse and end up with a C section under general anesthetic. I think when it comes to birth planning, plan for the most natural you can possibly see yourself having and then be flexible and willing to adapt if things don't go to plan.


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## lynnikins

I planned a hospital waterbirth with my first and after 55 hours of labour 4 1/2 in the pool i was ready to give up and let them cut me open i couldnt have cared so got out of the pool we found out he was stuck and had vetouse assistance, 
i still managed on just gas and air with a little bit of local for the episiotomy though lol, 

with ds2 planned natural waterbirth again but ended up induced because of my spd and being 40+10days and survived using TENS and G&A again labour just a touch under 8 hours


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## lozzy21

I planned a home birth but had to go in and managed on just gas and air despite being stuck on a bed, hooked up to monitors and having a syntocin drip.


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## aliss

I attempted natural (although I was induced for waters infection), was natural the first 24 hours (which is pretty darn good on an induction I think!) but went to morphine and then epidural, both with bad consequences on the baby. I have a lot of regrets. IMO it is sort of like having formula and bottles around when you really want to BF, 'just in case', sometimes the temptation is too much and you may go for it.

Good luck :)


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## bky

I had a natural birth planned in hospital in the waterbirth suite. My DD had other ideas however and managed to get too wrapped up in her cord or something similar, leading to her dropping heart rate and an emergency c-section. I was pain relief free until they put the spinal in.
I think the best idea behind a birth plan is to plan out when and how interventions and pain relief are acceptable to you. I did this, and even though everything went pear shaped and I didn't get anything I wanted it was easier to accept because I knew the reasoning behind it. Being informed is key IMO.


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## NuKe

I had a natural water birth in hospital planned, but when my waters broke there was meconium and had to go on the monitor/get induced via drip :cry: my labour was short but i did request an epidural but it didn't do a dam thing!


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## chuck

make sure you have someone with you who knows that you do not want drugs who will support you and your choices and keep your birth space safe.

If you have someone to support you then you are less likely to request anything and they can make sure and staff dealing with you don't offer anything.


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## madasa

I had a HB with a little Gas and air at the end. Then after she was born, the placenta wouldn't come so I transferred. I still only had G&A while they got the placenta out tho, lots of cord traction.... The end was more scary than painful and would have been worse if I'd have been off my face on drugs... At this point my baby was out and the cord was cut, so at least if I HAD had anything, my baby wouldn't have been affected. This is the main drive behind a drug free birth I think.... After you've spent nine months avoiding things that might be harmful to your baby you don't want to suddenly throw that out of the window?!


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## patch2006uk

I planned as natural anbirth as possible, but my LO didn't want to make his appearance that way. I went 15 days over when they broke my waters and it was seriously meconium stained. LO's heartrate then plummeted when they tried to induce and I was whisked for an EMCS.

It took me a good couple of weeks to not talk about the birth without crying and I still can't say I gave birth to my son. He was born, but I wasn't a part of the process.


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## madasa

Sorry patch :( Sounds like a rough experience for both of you. Why did they induce you? (if you don't mind me asking)? Was LO or the placenta not doing OK or something? Or was it just a date-on-the-calendar-thing?


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## patch2006uk

It all went a bit weird tbh. I had a sweep at 10 days over and was already 2cm dilated. Midwife reckoned I wouldn't make it to the 11th but booked me in for induction at 14 days over just in case. On 10th, so 13 days over, I had some tightenings but no sign of labour. Went into hospital on 11th and was told I was 4cm dilated, could go to midwife led unit with pool room, all sorted. When I got to the room, I was told I was only 3cm and didn't have a labouring cervix. The midwives let me stay for an hour and gave us massage oils to try to help things go again. 

Nothing worked, so I was taken to see a consultant because of being overdue. He basically sent us home saying he expected things would get going again in the night but to come back the next day if they hadn't to be monitored. Nothing happened overnight, so I went back on 12th. Was told that since i was dilated, they would just break my waters and it'd probably go naturally and pretty quickly from then. Then they monitored and LO's heartrate was not stable, so they put me on a drip to rehydrate. They were happy with that so broke my waters. Serious meconium world. Midwife actually gasped. Not good. Still no contractions. 

After half an hour and more monitoring, was put on the syntocin. LO's heart either stopped or slowed to undetectable. Rushed for EMCS. Couldn't have skin to skin as LO was covered head to toe in poo and not breathing, didn't see or hold him for an hour and a half after his birth. Not quite the birthing pool, natural third stage, immediate skin to skin with minimal Pain relief I'd hoped for!

Not an experience I'd like to repeat really. My criticism is almost that if the doctors hadn't been so obsessed with me going naturally and had intervened sooner, I may have been able to have a normal, if not a natural, birth. 

Sorry to hijack with my incredibly long tale of woe! On the plus side, I now have a happy and healthy breastfed 4 month old. The c-section made me so determined to breastfeed-i needed to prove my body could do something right!!


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## madasa

But if the placenta was still working ok, the baby gets everything they need from that until they start breathing.... Did they check that at all before they broke the water, or did they just keep pushing your body to labour? It does sound very strange. :(


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## patch2006uk

Isaac's heartrate was all over the place and he hadn't moved much for a few hours (they still left us waiting for 2 hours to see me though!) so I think they thought he was in a fair amount of distress. They did say when he was born that everything was workin fine and other than the mec. he was a normal full term, no signs of being overdue. 

I am gonna request my hospital notes I think, if nothing else so I know whether there was an underlying problem or reason I wasn't labouring normally. 

I can't help but think that I just needed a push in the right direction. I think if they'd broken my waters the day before (so the Tuesday), it would've gone naturally, given I was dilated and they reckon he pooed overnight on the Tuesday after I'd been sent home, so that wouldn't have been a factor. 

With how heavily stained his waters were, if he'd have been born vaginally and taken a big breath, he'd have inhaled so much mec. it would have been horrid. He'd swallowed enough as it was, which affected his feeding. He had to be resuscitated and struggled to regulate his breathing. 

I think I have to believe the caesarian was required, as he didn't seem to be coming out of his own accord, and the induction drip could have killed him! I criticise the hospital a little for stickin him on a heat mat though, as my OH was there and doing skin to skin while I was being cleaned out and stitched up, and surely that is more effective than some water filled mat?!

I felt like I gave my body a decent shot at labour-walking at least 2 miles everyday, spicy food, dtd, and plenty of time - I was 15 days over officially, 18 days over by my original dates. I know people go longer, but something didn't feel right by the end. 

I'm thankful my son and I both lived to tell the tale, and since his birth we've had no further complications. I just would have preferred those few days to have gone so, so differently. I'm not sure how they could have, though.


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## madasa

But breaking the waters increased the risk of MAS, didn't it? Perhpas that is why they hesitated to do it?

Have you seen this article? https://midwifethinking.com/2010/10/09/the-curse-of-meconium-stained-liquor/


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## patch2006uk

I hadn't seen the article, thanks for that. The article makes a distinction between thick and thin mec. and I think ours was certainly thick. Isaac failed his newborn hearing screening because his ears were completely gunked up with thick poo (lovely). My waters weren't slightly tinged, they looked like an explosive diarrhoea attack! It was really quite lovely. 

I know mec. on it's own isn't reason for a c-section, and i think it was a whole host of things that were odd. The mec. was just the most visible! My community midwife was shocked things went so wrong, she was really expecting me to have a reasonably straight forward time. She swept me at 41+2 and I was already 2cm dilated, so she thought I'd last another 24/48 hours tops!


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