,

[mrs_park]

i luv any replies from mrs park, always very clever replies. im not stalking u i promise

Aww thanks hun, I've had a really shitty day and your post made me smile! Thanks lovely!

 

[minties]

My birth was anything but natural.

I loved the first part of my labour. I spent 8 hours laying on my side with contractions ever 4 minutes. I was calm and happy.

My waters broke and it was green, so was in hospital by 6:30am.

I then spent 7 hours stuck on my back with the drip being induced and I was in total agony as the midwife kept winding it up and up. I was screaming and crying and going in and out of conciousness. I had been offered no pain relief at all.

I was finally allowed an epdural as it seemed likely that I would need a c-section. Not long after it was put in all he'll broke lose as his heartrate dipped dangerously low and took forever to come back up.

Am I proud of myself? You fucking bet I am!

 

[Blah11]

I say you did everyones defination is different though but I dont think gas&air is a proper drug. Its like having oxygen, i wouldnt say that was a drug.

I had a semi natural birth but i did have a shot of diamorphine.

This time I would like a totally natural water birth at home but will use g&a if I need.

 

[Pramaholic86]

.

 

[Olly]

I don't care how you have a baby but if you have any medical intervention, including whatever gas you're talking about, it's not entirely natural. It can't be, because natural means only using the things found in nature. I doubt you're going to find plastic tubing and needles in nature right when you're giving birth.

If it comes out your vagina, it's a vaginal birth. If you have no meds or intervention, it's a natural birth. I don't see what the big deal is, you all popped out babies one way or another. I'm 100% proud of my 100% non-natural birth lol. If I had been unassisted it's likely both of us would have died. She got stuck with her head out, shoulders not making it, and losing air for what seemed like forever, while the doc had both his hands in there trying to twist her, me still pushing, and she finally came loose but wasn't breathing. But i got her out. I did that, epidural and all. You all did it. The ladies who had c-sections had to go through the(what I can only imagine to be) horror of being cut open. i'm still on the fence about having another kid and half of that is because I'm terrified of a c-section. so kudos to you ladies too! And I'm glad for the ones who did it all by themselves. I am, because i will never have that. But I'm not gonna sit here and debate the word naturally when it's defined by itself...

nat·u·ral
   [nach-er-uhl, nach-ruhl]
–adjective
1.
existing in or formed by nature

 

[bathbabe]

If you are induced (I had to be too) I don't think you have to have pain relief, but a million punds needs to be givn to the women that can do it without! I literally went from no contractions, to regular contractions lasting 1min, every 4mins in 20mins. The first one hit like a truck and I fell over!! That was not fun!

Me too-being induced is horrendous. At least with a 'normal' birth you can get used to contractions at each stage....truck is right...wowzer! X

I had a 'normal' birth, but my contractions started with a bang, none of this building contractions upto 3 in 10mins crap, that was how my labour started and at 36weeks i was convinced i was dying!
I had a dry labour (waters broke 2weeks before )

MEGA PAINFUL

I then had to sit in the car for an hour while giving directions to the hospital to my OH. And it was nearly 8hours before i got my hands on the lovely G&A, it didnt take the pain away at all but it allowed me something to focus my breathing on.

 

[xemmax]

Olly... That definition is very strict. I don't see many inflatable birthing pools lying around in the forest, they're just as 'natural' as a needle or tube, does that mean a conventional water birth isn't natural?

There are different degrees of natural, of course there is an ultimate (like an unassisted birth in a lake or something) but I would still consider the OPs birth to be natural. I don't think there is a single definition of a natural birth.

 

[bathbabe]

For those of you who dont know 'what this gas is'

50/50 oxygen and nitrous oxide (laughing gas)

ETA: also known as Entonox

 

[iceylou]

For those of you who dont know 'what this gas is'

50/50 oxygen and nitrous oxide (laughing gas)

ETA: also known as Entonox

i could do with some of that now

 

[Rebecca_B]

Isn't there a slight difference between 'natural birth' and 'natural delivery'?

I had assisted delivery with gas and air, catheter, episiotomy, and forceps with a stuck baby first time round.

Second time i used tens machine and planned a home birth but transferred last minute as no home birth team available was 9 cms and had him 20 mins later.

I would say first was medical delivery and second a natural birth and delivery.

If a woman had gas and air or paracetamol and gave birth without the help of instruments then i would describe that as a natural delivery.

If it was a drug free labour which was more holistic eg aromathrapy, yoga, reflexology etc then i would class that as 'natural birth experience'

I dont see it as a contest though, a bit sensitive if you react that way IMO.

 

[Olly]

ooh, like dentists use here! I don't think we use that for birth here though...

I don't think a birthing pool really counts as essentially pools of water(lakes, rivers, streams, ponds...) CAN be found in nature. But a thing of laughing gas, or pain pills, or epidurals? Not really...I don't really count tylenol though as that's mainly a fever reducer(doesn't do anything for pain for me anyway). I mean I think it's been around for ages(maybe forever) that other people have been there when you give birth, so i'm not even counting most human assistance so long as it isn't forceps or something...

i just think it's silly to get all upset if someone says you didn't have a natural birth. Like people keep saying, not everyone can, and nobody should be upset by whatever route they CHOOSE for themselves and their child. Be proud of yourselves and accept your birth for what it is...a miracle, and a new life brought into the world by YOU.

 

[Rockell8788]

With my ds I had him at home with no pain relief at all not even a paracetamol. I was offered gas and air when the paramedics finally arrived but I was zoned put and just bit on the mouth piece rather than actually use it. So I would consider my birth a natural birth.

 

[vhal_x]

In my hospital they count gas & air as still being a natural birth, as it isn't medication, it's purely just oxygen and laughing gas... xx

ETA: I arrived at hospital 5cms dilated, was left until around 7cms, started on gas & air, wasn't using the mouthpiece properly until 8cms MW taught me to use it correctly, used it for the rest of labour, and gave birth to a 7lb 4oz back to back baby, and they still referred to it as natural as I turned down an epi, and all other types of pain relief except the G&A xx

 

[Sarah&Ady]

I had c-sec under general anaesthetic..... Im hard as nails ... not my choice but thats life!

However I had my daughter naturally.... was not allowed pain relief so that I would be fully aware of what was happening and 'deal with it' No magic 'natural high' for me though. I guess you dont get that bit when your baby has already passed away inside you.

I dont care how any babies get in to the world.. as long as they do safe and sound.

 

[Char.due.jan]

I consider my birth to have been natural, I only had G&A during my contractions while at hospital and for the stitches!! When I got to hosp I was 8cm though, so I don't remember how long I used G&A for lol!!

Every woman should be proud of their birth and if you cant dp it 'naturally' you've still brought your LO into the world! And the safety of them trumps all.

 

[Kte]

I'd love a water birth next time

Can someone explain how forceps fail please, I don't understand how?
My bubs got stuck so I had an episiotomy (does that word make anyone else cringe?!) which I didn't feel at the time but bloody did after!
Why do they do either forceps or episiotomy as they do the same thing, don't they? 'Release' a trapped baby I mean?

The episiotomy it to cut you to make more room but the forceps are to get in and move and pull baby out where hands can't get too

Sometimes foceps can't be used, either due to posistion of where it would grab baby, or the style of forceps available as iirc there are different kinds etc . . but there is another assisted option which is the ventouse but again, it all depends on babies positioning and other variables.

I was cut and my LO was forcepts delivered as she was stuck, she had twisted and once they got her head out, as its supposed to be, then they pulled her out as they normally would. I was lucky about the cut, I didn't feel a thing but that is because I had to have a spinal as there was a potential that it would end up as an emergency c-section.

I think everyone, regardless of how it went, should be immensley proud of themselves

 

[CeriB]

But I'm not gonna sit here and debate the word naturally when it's defined by itself...

nat·u·ral
   [nach-er-uhl, nach-ruhl]
–adjective
1.
existing in or formed by nature

Formed by nature We all did that with our LOs, so we are all natural!

For those of you who dont know 'what this gas is'

50/50 oxygen and nitrous oxide (laughing gas)

ETA: also known as Entonox

i could do with some of that now

Me too! I did love the stuff - was magical!! It really helped me get through the 1st stage and I didn't have anything else, until the synto drip. Floating was not the word!

 

[aliss]

I had induction, G&A, morphine, an epidural (briefly during a 3 day labour), "assisted" delivery with intentional collarbone fracture, okay, so he came out of my vagina, who cares - he's ALIVE and that's all that matters to me.

Over-interventions contributed a lot to the eventual disaster at the end, so I really hate the martyr/medal comments personally. I think more babies would be born healthier/safer if we refrained from overuse of medications/interventions, but I'll be the first to admit it's horribly painful to cope with!

 

[Char.due.jan]

I consider my birth to have been natural, I only had G&A during my contractions while at hospital and for the stitches!! When I got to hosp I was 8cm though, so I don't remember how long I used G&A for lol!!

Every woman should be proud of their birth and if you cant dp it 'naturally' you've still brought your LO into the world! And the safety of them trumps all.

 

[NuKe]

personally I don't think G&A can be called pain relief because in my experience it did absolutely nothing to blunt the pain. just spaced me out!