What's the point in going med free?

[Blah11]

Why have them when you don't need them? Last birth I felt I needed diamorphine to help me relax a bit. I had had terrible back contractions for 12 hours and just needed some rest before it was time to push. They did offer the epidural but I refused and asked for morphine instead. It helped me snooze between contractions and I don't regret it it wore off by the time I was ready to push and didn't make me sick as they gave an anti-emetic at the same time.
Hopefully this one will be facing the right way round and I won't need anything other than maybe a bit of gas and air.

 

[Blah11]

There are lots of reasons why I went med-free and plan to again for future babies.

1. I believe in as little intervention as possible in life, and that includes pregnancy and birth.

2. I don't do well with medications (I have a chemcial imbalance)

3. I had Nubain and Epidural with ds1 and it sucked

4. I really wanted to feel giving birth, and it wasn't that bad, it was managable without anything

5. Birth is painful for a reason, it's to signal to your body to push baby out. It is also not painful for the entire labor, only a little bit of it and it's at the end
6. Giving birth feels amazing and you get such an onxytocin high afterwords, you won't get that with medications (maybe gas and air since it leaves your body so quickly)

7. While labor may last hours, it's really only a moment in time

Well, that's debatable, lol. I found pushing the easiest and less painful part by far. & Yes, with g&a you do still get the oxytocin high although most people don't use it to push anyway.

 

[Blah11]

Thanks everyone, that's given me lots to think about. I did actually feel empowered by my last birth. I went in knowing that above everything I didn't want an epidural and I did not want an instrumental delivery. I know that a huge part of me not having those things was due to my own determination and my wonderful husband and midwifes advocacy of my wishes.

I don't know if I'll have another baby though and I do feel I'd just like to be myself completely throughout labour - I hate it when my husband talks about the gibberish I was talking whilst I was in labour before, I hate that I genuinely can't remember what transition feels like, I hate that I can't remember how many internals I had. I don't feel angry at anyone or that I didn't get the care I wanted I just wish I could remember

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer

You may have been like that even without drugs. Its just how some people cope with the shock/pain of labour and birth. I didn't speak to anyone for about 12 hours of my labour. Literally didn't utter a word (only asking for some diamorphine). I didn't scream, I didn't talk.. nothing. I zoned out and focused on my breathing and that was my way of coping with the pain. I don't remember that much after maybe 8cm until I felt pushing urges then its clear as day

 

[Weezie123]

Not having any pain relief made me feel in control over a 12 hour labour! It also meant that when I was supposed to push it felt amazing to be able to do so. It's painful but we can all do it. I felt drugs would interfere in the natural process and make it harder not easier and would also make me less mobile. I was induced with pessaries and this made me even more determined to do the rest alone. My contractions stopped too soon so I pushed my baby out slowly with pure determination and didn't tear, if I had any pain relief I couldn't have done this safely, if at all.

 

[Cazza89]

I want to go as drug free as possible this time!

Last time I was exhausted and had pethadine (which made me sick) and an epi (which I was adamant I never wanted all through my pg) but I really do believe, well I know, that it slowed my labour down. My baby was big and got stuck...don't know if that was because of my tiny frame and him being big or if it was related to me having pain relief!? But my contractions stopped at one point, they had me on my back (which I now know is the worst position for giving birth-plus he never dropped for a long time!) They were asking me to push when I wasn't ready too.
I enjoyed being in labour, but will be doing things VERY differently this time around!

 

[pupsicle]

For me it was because I wanted to be in control and aware of what was happening. I put gas&air as a last resort on my birth plan but my labour was only 5 hours long anyway and I was pushing within 30 minutes of getting to the hospital so had nothing.

 

[xxembobxx]

I don't know if I'll have another baby though and I do feel I'd just like to be myself completely throughout labour - I hate it when my husband talks about the gibberish I was talking whilst I was in labour before, I hate that I genuinely can't remember what transition feels like, I hate that I can't remember how many internals I had. I don't feel angry at anyone or that I didn't get the care I wanted I just wish I could remember:

You may have been like that even without drugs. Its just how some people cope with the shock/pain of labour and birth. I didn't speak to anyone for about 12 hours of my labour. Literally didn't utter a word (only asking for some diamorphine). I didn't scream, I didn't talk.. nothing. I zoned out and focused on my breathing and that was my way of coping with the pain. I don't remember that much after maybe 8cm until I felt pushing urges then its clear as day

I also zoned out a little, I think it was my way of coping, but I was definitely in control when the pushing started.
I had a baby at home without any medical care (it was a FAST labour) and since then I figured I had done it once without meds so could easily do it again. Have had 2 labours since with nothing, not even G&A (it makes me feel sick).
I have to admit though that I do have quite quick labours, if I had to endure 16+ hours of labour I don't think I'd be quite so willing to go without pain meds!
Not sure if it's the fact I went med-free or that I've had 4 babies but I felt very little discomfort after birth whereas with my first I was hobbling for about a week after! It was great to feel ok to get up and move about after and not feel pain.

 

[Linzi]

There are lots of reasons why I went med-free and plan to again for future babies.

1. I believe in as little intervention as possible in life, and that includes pregnancy and birth.

2. I don't do well with medications (I have a chemcial imbalance)

3. I had Nubain and Epidural with ds1 and it sucked

4. I really wanted to feel giving birth, and it wasn't that bad, it was managable without anything

5. Birth is painful for a reason, it's to signal to your body to push baby out. It is also not painful for the entire labor, only a little bit of it and it's at the end
6. Giving birth feels amazing and you get such an onxytocin high afterwords, you won't get that with medications (maybe gas and air since it leaves your body so quickly)

7. While labor may last hours, it's really only a moment in time

Well, that's debatable, lol. I found pushing the easiest and less painful part by far. & Yes, with g&a you do still get the oxytocin high although most people don't use it to push anyway.

I agree I didn't find the pushing stage painful at all, even when he was actually coming out i didn't feel any pain.

xxx

 

[SyllyPoohBear]

I also did it because I know it's not good for the baby. I wanted to do what was best for her and that was drug free. It was an amazing experience with power of an endurance that can't be explained just experienced. Also that the more interventions you have the more of a likely hood you have of something going wrong. There are plenty of ways to help with pain that make G&A or an epidural unnecessary. I do understand the desire for something since it is so readily available.. But if you and seriously considering it look into birth classes and having a Doula. They are amazing and terrific for natural birth and I wouldn't have made it without mine.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

For me - I was much more worried about the disadvantages of the pain relief than of the actual pain!

 

[special_kala]

Ive had a full hospital labour with drips/epidural and near enough csection and now a HB with a few paracetamol and g&a.

Definitely prefer the less medical one. I was in control of my body and it felt amazing. After my HB i was straight up and perky chatting away to MW's, making jokes and enjoying baby wheras as after my first birth i cried for the first 4 hours and cpould barely talk

 

[Ju_bubbs]

I've had 2 completely drug free labours (my last 2) and gunna do this one drug free too.

For me, it was accidental that I found out drug free is MUCH better! On my first 2, in hospital I had gas and air, I hardly remember anything about those 2 births, I was absolutely exhausted even tho they were only 6 and 3 hours long, and I felt out of it, and like I wasn't even there, kind of like I was in a dream, that I had no control over.

I did it like that again for my 2nd labour because I didn't realise it was the G&A making me feel like that, I assumed, it was just what labour was like!!

When it came to my 3rd, the labour was so quick that there wasn't time for even a paracetamol! I woke up at 3am having a massive contraction, jumped in the car, rushed to hospital and he was born at 3.20am... altho it was scary as hell, since my mum was driving me at over 100mph, while I was sat there in the car feeling my baby coming quickly down the birth canal, and desperately resisting the massive urge to push.. it showed me that it was the G&A that made my first 2 labours so awful!! and I vowed never to have it again!

So along comes my 4th labour.. which was just perfect! I now knew exactly what I wanted, and that it was my choice. So home water birth it was, using relaxation breathing techniques, and ofcourse, no pain relief. I felt completely in control of everything that was happening the whole time, it was just wonderful! My plan for this labour, is exactly the same... And for the first time, I'm really, really, really looking forward to labour, and can't wait!!

 

[L Elise]

I just want to test drive what the big man gave me before I see fit to start tampering with the whole process!

 

[chuck]

I just want to test drive what the big man gave me before I see fit to start tampering with the whole process!

LOL Brilliant