Advice for complete newbie considering natural birth

[gk1701]

Hello everyone: I'm 5 weeks pregnant and thinking about having a natural birth. I have two questions:

1. How bad is the pain?

2. The hospital my current ob/gyn has a 30% c-section rate- will I have a real opportunity to have as natural a birth as possible there or will I be forced to have intervention?

Right now, I'd like to at least try to have a birth with as little intervention as possible- no epidural, forceps, episiotomy etc.

I am completely new to this so any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[madasa]

1. It's different for every woman. It's partly under your control. If you are mentally and physically prepared, confident and relaxed it's not that bad. If you move, trust your gut and stay off your back, this helps. It's hard work more than painful. There are ways to minimise any pain and cope with it without drugs. Hypnobirthing, water, aromatherapy, massage, visualisation, vocalisation... I'd say the thing that helped me the most was breathing slowly and deeply and focussing on each breath. That and pushing a little when I felt like it and moving if I felt like it. Crowning can feel like a sort of gradual burn-y, sting-y sensation. That can be soothed by being in water or using warm wet cloths, by staying off your back and pushing as you feel you need to.

2. You have a 1 in 3 chance of walking out of that hospital wuth a scar on your uterus which would affect all future pregnancies and births. Those are not good odds. What likely happens at that hospital is that women get all kinds of interventions leading to more interventions ending in a CS. Talk to your OB. Ask how many women are induced, for example. Induction increases the risk of CS. Ask about the epidural rate - another thing that increases the risk of CS. Ask when and why they offer these interventions.

Good luck! Knowledge is power

 

[LittleOnes]

1. It's different for every woman. It's partly under your control. If you are mentally and physically prepared, confident and relaxed it's not that bad. If you move, trust your gut and stay off your back, this helps. It's hard work more than painful. There are ways to minimise any pain and cope with it without drugs. Hypnobirthing, water, aromatherapy, massage, visualisation, vocalisation... I'd say the thing that helped me the most was breathing slowly and deeply and focussing on each breath. That and pushing a little when I felt like it and moving if I felt like it. Crowning can feel like a sort of gradual burn-y, sting-y sensation. That can be soothed by being in water or using warm wet cloths, by staying off your back and pushing as you feel you need to.

2. You have a 1 in 3 chance of walking out of that hospital wuth a scar on your uterus which would affect all future pregnancies and births. Those are not good odds. What likely happens at that hospital is that women get all kinds of interventions leading to more interventions ending in a CS. Talk to your OB. Ask how many women are induced, for example. Induction increases the risk of CS. Ask about the epidural rate - another thing that increases the risk of CS. Ask when and why they offer these interventions.

Good luck! Knowledge is power

Superb advice!! I can't speak to the pain as this is my first as well, but my intentions are to have a natural birth.

30% c section rate is pretty darn high and unfortunately very common where I am as well (US). I have personally chosen to have a midwife attended birth in a freestanding birthing center to avoid unnecessary medical intervention. Certainly that's not for everyone, but have you considered interviewing midwives and also having a midwife attend your hospital birth? Alongside your OB. She could be your advocate for staying natural and avoiding certain interventions when not needed. I would speak to your OB and see if he/she is comfortable with the idea.

 

[madasa]

This is where a doula is really useful.... they could talk you through what happens during birth, what is normal, what you might be able to expect (although it is different for each woman), what your options are, what your preferences are, how to maximise your chance of the experience you want encourage and reassure you when you are feeling low/"I can't do this", advocate for you during pregnancy and birth and help you post natally too.... I'm definitely having one next time

 

[MrsHedgehog]

I had a completely natural birth with no interventions and it was the most incredible experience. I got exactly the birth that I'd hoped for. I laboured at home from 8am until 10:30pm with contractions that weren't too painful. I thought it was false labour but my husband decided we should go to the hospital just in case. When we got there I was already 5cms dilated. I laboured in my room for another hour or so and only then did the contractions start to become quite painful. They took me into the delivery room and about an hour later my little girl was born.

I must say that the pain towards the end was the worst thing I've ever experienced but luckily for me things went quite quickly. I'm not sure I could have tolerated that level of pain if my labour had been really long. The strange thing is though that it's a good pain. I was excited to feel another contraction coming because it meant that I was another step closer to meeting my LO. At a certain point though I felt like I couldn't do it any more and I wanted it all to stop but after one more push she was out! I think when you get to the stage where you feel like you can't take any more it means you're really close to the end.

My best advice to you is to keep positive. I visualised my labour beforehand and I had complete faith in my body. I didn't let the thought of epidurals or cesareans cross my mind.

Good luck and I hope you get the birth youìre hoping for x x

 

[lovelylisa84]

Its different for every woman and pregnancy. I was induced my first two pregnancies and the potocin made my labor pains extreemly bad! It was the worst pain I have ever felt, I opted for the epidural. My 3rd labor as a gestational surrogate happened naturally by my water breaking. Labor was only 5 hours. I was already 5cm dilated before i even went into labor! Hence, the reason why it was so quick. The pain was still painful but not as bad as my induced labors. I asked for an epidural but it didnt work so i had no choice but to have it naturally. It was the worst burning pain ever!!! I mean we as women are all capable, this is what our bodies were made for. Also keep in mind that with first pregnancies, your labor is usually very long. 16 hours with 1st, 13 hours 2nd and 5 hours third. I also needed an episiotomy all times... i rather have an episiotomy than to tear...my sister tore up to her clitoris!

 

[madasa]

Cutting is *usually* worse than tearing. Tearing is usually more superficial and you only tear exactly as much as you really need to - not the case with a cut. A cut is usually "more generous", deeper and more painful. A cut also makes you more likely to tear.

As my daughter's head was being born, I put my had down there to "protect" my clitoris. I stroked her face when her head was half born. It was very comfortable, just the tiniest graze on one side which didn't need stitching . I was in water and not on my back, which probably helped

 

[NaturalMomma]

1. For *me* I didn't have pain. Most of my labor was just annoying contractions, nothing more than menstrual cramps. Then during transition it was intense and they were right on top of eachother, but I wouldn't call it painful. Pushing was an interesting feeling, not painful, had no ring of fire.

2. You should have a pretty good chance of avoiding a c-section at a 30% rate.