ok so who wants to get pregnant in 2011? (closed group)

[NDH]

I had no drugs either. I got water injections for my back labour and that was it. And that was with syntocinon/pitocin contractions too, and I didn't do hypnobirthing.

 

[sarahincanada]

I had no drugs either. I got water injections for my back labour and that was it. And that was with syntocinon/pitocin contractions too, and I didn't do hypnobirthing.

not sure what most of that means, but wow no drugs too! is this a choice you made? why do some people want no medications, im just curious the reasoning.

 

[sherylb]

Sometimes the medications affect breastfeeding success but it didn't affect ours.

 

[NDH]

Water injections I hadn't heard of prior to them being offered - i think its a Swedish thing. Basically 4 injections of saline into your lower back at the same time (stings like a &%#$) that causes your nerves to misfire and forget the pain for a while. Posterior (head facing up) babies can cause really bad back labour, and it was hard to focus through.
Synticinon/pitocin (same thing, different names in different countries) is a synthetic form of oxytocin, which is what makes your uterus contract. Its administered intravenously and can cause much more intense, painful labour if it hyperstimulates your uterus.
Hypnobirthing is what Huggles and Amy did.

I wasn't entirely opposed to drugs but i did want to try to do it without. But for me, I didn't want anything that would possibly cross the placenta and affect Sara, or affect my bonding with her post.birth. so morphine was out of the question for me. But i also believe in my body, that it was designed to give birth, and drugs can sometimes negatively affect the natural ways our body deals with pain. It wasn't about "winning any medals" or trying to prove I'm better than anyone else. I do believe that giving birth naturally isn't brave and anyone can do it, but you do have to be in the right head space.

Its another one of those personal choices though and i certainly don't expect everyone to feel the same way of course.

 

[Huggles]

Yeah, i did hypnobirthing. With Jarrod I had only read up on it so did the breathing and stuff for the labour, but knew nothing about how to deal with the birth - so that was pretty sore and i remember shouting ow ow ow. With him I wasn't allowed any pain meds other than epidural because they would have affected him (being so prem) and if there was any chance that he might have survived then pain meds would have interfered with that.
But my contractions were really mild with Jarrod - at first i thought it was just wind cramps (gas). I slept through most of the rest.

With Logan I was adamant i didn't want an epidural as i'm terrified of them. I had a really really really bad experience with conscious sedation when i had my wisdom teeth removed (woke up half way through - was fully conscious but could not move at all, so absolutely no control) and i was terrified something similar might happen with an epidural. My mom had one many years ago when one of us was born and it didn't work properly and she felt them cutting her (she had a c-section). So i was really scared something wouldn't work right and i'd have no control to then deal with the pain in my own way.
I wasn't overly opposed to gas & air - was keeping that as an option. Was a bit nervous about the pethidine option as i've heard that can make you feel spaced out and weird and once it's in you can't get rid of it. Whereas with gas & air if you don't like how you feel you take the mask away and the effect disappears almost immediately.
So for me i was anti-pain meds as I was terrified of not being in control.

The hypnobirthing was amazing though and made it all completely bearable and i felt in total control the whole time.

 

[flyingduster]

Yeah, what NDH said! Except posterior is when baby is head DOWN (as they should be) but with their back against yours, rather than their back in the 'hammock' of your belly. It is harder to birth them that way, but not as bad as breech (head up/feet or bum first!)

But yeah, any drugs you get will be absorbed into your blood stream, and therefore into the baby's too, though usually to a lesser extent of course! And I dunno, I'm just not keen on drugs unless they're necessary personally anyway, and that includes even simple paracetamol, but that is just a personal thing that I'm not big on drugs and chemicals and stuff.

I was open to having pain relief if I wanted it though! I had the gas & air right there ready for me if I wanted it, but I never used it at all. My labour was hard work, but quite cool. The birth was freeking awesome and totally pain free with the endorphins my body was producing!

Sometimes drugs can cause a snowball effect where one drug isn't enough, or has worn off, and so they go up to the next level, and if it escalates to an epidural it often then snowballs into a caesarian section. Not always, obviously, but that is another risk that is associated, though I'm not sure what the actual stats are!!! And when using synthetic drugs it counters the bodys ability to control the pain itself - it is a proven fact that the mind and body, is far more powerful at controlling pain than ANY drug is, and drugs do interrupt that process.


And yeah, it wasn't anything about trying to be better or anything, but it was a *personal* thing that I really wanted to have a natural birth, cos I trusted (I hoped) that my body could and would do exactly what it needed to. It was a personal goal that I wanted to do if I could. Like I said, I was still open to having drugs if I needed it, but I simply didn't need it. The KEY thing I kept telling myself when it was feeling "too hard" was that my body WILL NOT and CAN NOT do more than I can cope with, because my body IS me! It will push me to my limits, but it simply CANNOT make me/itself go beyond what can be coped with. And yes it hurt somewhat, but I can cope with 60 seconds of hurt and then rest, it's not actually hours of continuous pain, it is in surges and waves. It's very cool really.

 

[nypage1981]

I am not big on drugs or anesthesia or anything either. I had all my wisdom teeth pulled without being put under like most do. i figured I could handle no pain. I was fine for like 5-6 hours until they started pitocin because water had been broke for a while. UGH. That killed me. I walked down the hallway and got stuck because I was almost passing out from pain. it was so sudden, my body didn't work nicely into it. I needed epidural at 3 cm! Felt aweful BUT it did not take well and after a nice few hours feeling ok, I was back to feeling the pain again. i don't really remember much, except they wouldn't give me any more, they wouldn't up it, nothing because I was "close" to pushing. So, I kind of went out of my own mind and don't remember a lot of the rest. Kind of dilusional. went on for hours. But no, not the entire 15 hours was done drug free, but a lot of it was. And all the pushing was. I remember screaming out in involuntary pain when we decided on a c section while they were wheeling me down the hall way because feeling such intense contractions and no long pushing for the baby to come out was pure hell. Lol. Guess I don't handle pain as well as I thought I did!

 

[nypage1981]

Oh, also, after the 2.5 hours of pushing and we went for c section is THEN when we found out she was back to back.....posterior....or "sunny side up". Thats why she wouldn't come out. Bugger!

 

[sarahincanada]

I feel faint just thinking of the pain and being in a hospital setting everything I went for my frigging finger dressing I had to lie down as I get so nauseous in a hospital!

its funny as in my childhood my mum would never let me go under anesthetic for everything. I had a spare tooth in my mouth that was stopping another tooth from coming down, so she found a place that would do under local, I was 8.

 

[nypage1981]

You will ok! It all kind of goes quickly so that you jsut go with the flow and dont stop and have time to think hard about anything ya know?

 

[Huggles]

my wisdom teeth were growing sideways in my jaw so i had to have my gums cut open and the teeth broken in my jaw so they could get them out which is why i needed to be knocked out. But given that i woke up and was conscious while they were breaking the one tooth, but unable to move or do anything, i actually wished i'd rather had local so that I was at least in control! that's why i was adamant i wasn't having an epidural - no more not being in control!

 

[sarahincanada]

omg thats awful huggles! did you feel pain or were you just conscious?

 

[Huggles]

it was really really sore. I had my jaw cranked open so they could work and i was shouting "ow ow ow" and they just kept telling me it didn't hurt (they obviously thought the anaesthetic was working ) until i screamed really loudly as they pulled a piece out - the secretary in the waiting room heard me. I think then they realised i really could feel everything and so they gave me more meds.

With the exception of the whole Jarrod thing i can honestly say having my wisdom teeth out was the worst experience of my life and really traumatised me badly.

 

[NDH]

Omg Huggles that's horrible!

sarah, keep in mind that the pain of labour is totally unlike any other kind of pain. During labour your vital signs do the exact opposite of the usual pain response. And as Amy said, it only hurts for na little while. Sure labour may last for hours, but it only hurts for a minute at a time during contractions. And i found that it didn't even hurt the whole contraction.

Www Nikki I can totally relate to the 2.5 hours of pushing. I remember being terrified that i'd need a section to get her out since she was stuck too, but they just would have done episiotomy and ventouse. The dr was there watching for the last half hour unbeknownst to me. He'd given me 15 minutes 45 minutes before she was born and im glad I didn't know when he'd come back cause I still had that 'just 15 minutes, I can do this for 15 more minutes mantra to keep me going.

Inductions ARE more painful and frequently lead to a domino effect resulting in a c-sectio (like you experienced). They have their place of course, as all medical interventions do, but they're far too prevalent imo.

 

[sherylb]

You know -- I was all upset b/c they told me I couldn't be induced on the 10th with her. I am so glad that it was just 3 days later b/c I am already trying to figure out how we are going to celebrate her birthday every year when it's so close to Thanksgiving.

 

[NDH]

Its going to be hard here too - my birthday is 2 days after Christmas, then her birthday is two weeks later lol.

 

[sarahincanada]

Im 13 weeks today so finally put up a ticker!
I might start to believe this is actually happening soon

 

[MummyCat]

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot!!



Congrats on 13 weeks Sarah!!!!!!!!!!

 

[nypage1981]

Its super real! Your baby is developing little teeth and vocal cords. Imagine!

Is 13 weeks 2nd tri now?

 

[sarahincanada]

well im waiting to monday night to say Im 2nd tri!!!
and little teeth? I dont even feel pregnant so its all so surreal!!