Natural birth

[Faerie]

Thank you, that's really sweet of you! I'd be very happy to hear your book suggestions. It would probably cost a lot to send stuff here xxx

It wouldn't cost much at all to send some paper and a CD over so if you would like it I am more than happy to

I listened to our CD last night when we went to bed and it was so incredibly relaxing....so much so, I fell asleep

xxx

I could do with some sleep these days!

I'll PM you x

 

[MandaAnda]

As kate.m. said, Birth Skills is a brilliant book. I think it really helped me focus when my birthing venue unexpectedly changed.

Personally, I found I coped very well (apart from what I now recognise as transition!) on mainly TENS (had a few puffs of gas and air that never did more than distract me from focussing, so I kept throwing it across the room at the peak of contractions).

 

[JenStar1976]

I had a home water birth and did the whole lot completely naturally. I went to pregnancy yoga sessions from about 12 weeks (although I hadn't decided on the home birth until 35 weeks). The sessions were fab. Even during my contractions I remembered all the breathing techniques ("if your jaw is relaxed, then your pelvis is relaxed" is one the phrases my yoga teacher always used and I remember thinking it to myself during my four pushes!!). I also used the hypnobirthing CD three weeks before the birth and just used a TENS machine for pain relief. I can honestly say that I was never scared of giving birth - I was always thought, millions of women do it so how hard can it be? I definitely think that as long as your thought processes are positive, then you will have a positive birthing experience. xx

 

[Rachiebaby24]

I had gas and air for the last hour with Maley at hspital.

With Remi, i had her at home with no pain relief at all.

I think the best thing is deep breathing and believe in yourself. Yes its hard, yes its painful but it wont last forever and you are more than capable of doing it. I breathed deeply constantly throughout and it really helped.

 

[BabyHaines]

That's great that you've found a local Doula. The help you get from her will be invaluable.
It's just an idea, but it's probably worth explaining to her that you need to de-brief. Also, maybe try asking your friend to lend an ear a few times, as you could talk to her about it?? I'd be happy to sen you some suggestions on what things to talk over etc??

You could try looking at this birth completely differently. You had a difficult time, so now you know what that's like, but it doesn't mean the same will happen again.
Knowledge is power, so if you spend time investigating what YOU want and how you want things, you stand a much higher chance of achieving it.

I feel so excited for you!! This could be such an amazing experience for you

Oooh, and there's a link in my siggy to the Doula thread. It's not particularly fast moving, as it's still
quite new, but there's some good info in there xx