Natural Birth Prep--Veteran Birthers Please Help!

[LillyLee]

I want an all natural, non-intervention birth and am going to a midwife run birth center to do it.

My problem is that I can't afford to take a class such as Hypnobirthing or Birthing from Within. I purchased the BFW book as it was recommended to me, but honestly am having issues getting through it as it seems like it's pretty much all about drawing pictures of how I expect birth to be/things I am afraid of in labor/etc. Maybe I just haven't read far enough into it yet. I'm hesitant to purchase the Hypnobirthing book and CD now because I don't know if those things are actually going to help me.

Anyway, for all the women who have had natural births, did you NEED any of these courses and which ones? I've done the Hypno vs. BFW search and it's come up with such a range of opinions. Or have you naturally given birth without any of these self-help books/cds/courses?

Thanks for the help ladies!

 

[Lois22]

I had no courses or any preparation at all. I decided at 36 weeks to have a homebirth. Spoke to my midwife who said I could and that was that. I didn't give it another thought apart from buying the things I needed.

Went into labour and done it all without any pain relief, not even gas and air at home. I got myself through it all and after 13 hours Emilia was born . Was my first baby. People are in shock when I tell them as I'm only 23.

Tbh I think all the classes are a waste of money. I think had I leant anything I'd of not been able to think about it at the time.

Xx

 

[elohcin]

Although my first birth was a medicated hospital birth (with the best intentions of going natural, but my first mistake was....being AT the hospital, period...unfortunately...), my last two, and hopefully future births, were unassisted home births. Obviously natural. LOL But anyway, I have never taken any sort of childbirth class or program or really even read anything in the way of those kinds of books. (I did read Mind Over Labor years ago but that is it) The kind of books I DO love though are midwife texts, like "Heart & Hands" and "Birth Emergency Skills Training", because they just boost my knowledge and confidence and THAT makes me birth better, if that makes sense.

I'm C&P'ing this from another thread since I'd mostly be writing the same things, but here is my advice:

I'm an avid natural birth supporter, but my advice would still be to not be SO set on a natural birth that you feel like a failure if something doesn't work out. Definitely set your goals, and do your best (because you can TOTALLY do it!!!! We were MADE for it!!), but just remember that sometimes there are cases where medical intervention is warranted and be open to that.

Stay home as long as you can. The earlier you go in, the longer you have to deal with an environment which is not your own, and you are put on their clock. Sometimes that doesn't matter, but other times it us a huge disadvantage.

I also advise you to go into labor just listening to your body. If you feel uncomfortable in a position, move to another one. If you feel like you need to lay down or stand up or get on all fours, do it! Your body is really good at telling you where to be (or at least, where NOT to be) if you are given the chance to listen. Bear down (light pushing) if it gives you relief...we are told never to "push" until we are complete, but IMO, if the body is trying to do it and is getting relief from it, then it's what you're suppose to do, and holding back is what can do more damage!! If you are told to do something that truly doesn't feel right, make sure to tell them, because I think that's really important. They may be trained in helping deliver babies, but they can't feel what you are feeling and they don't have your instincts. If they disregard what you say, then that can absolutely be held against them later if something happens, but by all means, you are the boss in labor! Everyone else there is to assist you, and if something goes wrong and you do need medical intervention, they can do it. But for a natural, healthy delivery, you are in charge.

If you have someone who can advocate for you, I'd advise having them available while you labor. That is one reason a lot of women "cave", because they aren't in a position to advocate for themselves and usually end up getting pain relief or not laboring the way they know their body needs. This may not be nearly as much of an issue in a birth center but something worth thinking about based on the temperament of your midwives!

Best wishes! Natural birth is absolutely AMAZING.

 

[stephie_corin]

I purchased the BFW book as it was recommended to me, but honestly am having issues getting through it as it seems like it's pretty much all about drawing pictures of how I expect birth to be/things I am afraid of in labor/etc. Maybe I just haven't read far enough into it yet. I'm hesitant to purchase the Hypnobirthing book and CD now because I don't know if those things are actually going to help me.

This is my first so I am not a veteran BUT I highly recommend sticking with BFW. I skipped over the first chapters and subsequent chapters that talked about art projects but the rest of the book is really good and very inspiring for a natural birth. There is less how to/practical info in there than I would have liked (although it is there towards the end) but in terms of getting ready emotionally, it is fantastic.

I plan on trusting and listening to my body. I am not doing any classes and (in my opinion) they aren't necessary. BFW has some really good techniques to deal with pain towards the end that I plan on using. I had a mole removed without anesthetic yesterday (I didn't want to expose my baby) and I used her techniques to deal with the pain, it was actually really good!

Best of luck! xxx

 

[Odd Socks]

i didn't do any classes. i got this cd

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Effective-...0502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346874325&sr=8-1

& listened to it a lot in the last month or so before i was due & had a wonderful natural water birth at my mlu.

good luck!

xx

 

[LillyLee]

Thanks ladies,

Think I'm going to skip ahead a bit in the Birthing from Within book, and start some prenatal yoga for the stretching and breathing exercises. Will also check out your CD and see if there's a US equivalent!

 

[zombiedaisy]

I read the hypnobirthing book, however, did not bother with the CD. I had a completely natural birth with my daughter in the hospital with a MW. I made it clear i wanted no medication, no IV's running, etc. I had a wonderful birth. The hypnobirthing book helped. I didnt necessarily follow the book how I think they intend for you to, but it did help me get my husband focused on being a support system for me. The one thing that stuck in my head from the book was when I was having a contraction, not to freak out. When you freak out and let it consume you, is when the pain becomes totally unbearable. I got up, moved around, and when I had contractions, I tried to close my eyes or focus on one object in the room and just breath slowly in through my nose and out through my mouth. Really focusing on something else (i think it was a painting they had on the wall that I kept focusing on) really helped me. I plan on reading the book again this time as Im also having another natural book, but like before, I wont be following it necessarily how its intended.

For warning, and i knew just knew this would happen to me, but when I went into transition (id have to say the most intense part of labor in my opinion) I did have a hard time focusing on anything. It was one contractions after another. My poor husband was trying everything we had gone over to get me to regain my focus and I just couldnt. I had warned him that when I got to that point I was probably transitioning and he needed to get the MW right away at that point. When i got to the point, my poor husband was so confused. I remember grabbed his shirt and just telling him to SHUT UP. Sure enough, I barely made it out of the jacuzzi to deliver our daughter.

I healed soo much fast with my natural birth compared to my first birth where I had epidurals, etc. I didnt rip and felt GREAT by 2 weeks PP.

 

[Larkspur]

I had a natural birth at a midwife-led centre and it was great. I wasn't allowed to use the pool as much as I wanted because I had a little more bleeding than the midwife was comfortable with, but I got through all right with just a bit of gas.

I did a hypnobirthing course and while it helped with the early stages of labour, once I really got into the hard contractions/transition, hypnobirthing went right out the window and nothing helped except vocalising, breathing really hard and just about breaking my poor OH's hand squeezing it. Walking around and changing positions helped, and having a hot shower helped at one stage too. Singing a bit helped. Having classical music playing helped.

One thing I didn't realise about birth beforehand is that the hard contractions come in waves, and then often you get a rest period in between. So you might have five really hard contractions, then get 10 or 15 minutes of lighter, more manageable ones that you can deal with just breathing. I think it would have helped me to know that in advance.

 

[tinytabby]

I was induced and used gas & air and diamorphine for pain relief, but I found the basic breathing I'd learned in pregnancy yoga class really helped. I only got a small tear so I'd say all that stretching was worth it too.

I bought hypnobirthing book and cd but I don't think they really helped at all.

 

[angiepie]

I've not had a baby yet, but I say no course or book or DVD or anything can every prepare you as good as your instincts can. Going into yourself and acknowledging your fears, strengths etc. Perhaps writing those down and finding solutions to them. I think that's more important than anything you can pay someone else to tell you.

 

[tinytabby]

Actually that's right - positive thinking and believing in yourself can get you quite far.