Your top problems, challenges, desires about labor/birth?

[birth guru]

As a childbirth educator for 17 years, I am curious to know what your top problems are, what you think your challenges are during your pregnancy and regarding labor. What is your greatest desire regarding labor and birth? You don't even have to think too hard about it. What is the first thing(s) that come to mind?

 

[nov_mum]

A safe delivery, preferably with as little intervention as possible.

 

[fides]

greatest desire? first thing that popped up was no c-section

 

[solitaire89]

top problems/challenges: Everyone else's opinion be forced on me (i.e you can't have a home birth as a first time mother, you'll be screaming for an epi, you'll put your baby's life in danger by having a hb, etc, etc... There's too much scaremongering out there)

greatest desire: A calm, quiet, comfortable birthing experience at home with no medical "Poking"! Second greatest desire if I couldn't achieve the above, to avoid an epi like the plague

 

[Eleanor ace]

Main desire, besides the obvious healthy baby wish, is for my midwives to try to make my labouring preferences possible. I'd love to have a water birth and labour not on my back.

 

[A_K_and_K]

Main desire: To be allowed to progress through my labour and birth on my own terms, with no intervention from hospital staff unless medically necessary. I do not want to be "timed" on the hospital's clock, I do not want to be told what to do. I just want to be able to do it and experience it.

 

[ShelbyLC]

My biggest desire, besides having two healthy babies, is to have the immediate skin-to-skin contact after the birth. But with twins and pre-term labor that could easily end up causing me to deliver at any time, I am afraid that won't be able to happen as they'll want/need to take the babies away as soon as they're here.

I also want to be able to have as much control over this birth as any singleton mother normally would. I don't want to be put on a schedule or pressured just because the doctors are nervous about twins. If something is honestly, seriously wrong and intervention is needed, then I am absolutely fine with that as long as my babies get here safely. But I don't want to be "forced" into a c-section because the doctors just want things over with quickly.

 

[amjon]

Mine is delivering a live baby. I had a great birth experience for the most part with my first except for the fact she was already gone. I'm worried I may not make it to the hospital as I had just 2 hours from 2cm to delivery. I also know I will refuse an IV (though I may have a fight because I have to use an OB) and will not let them use the stirrups. (I can't imagine trying to push in that position and can see why women may have to push for hours.) I also know I want pictures and can't rely on family. Everyone refused to take any of the delivery.

 

[Betheney]

i just pray more than anything that labour wont suck as much as last time.

I didn't find it empowering, liberating or wonderful. I hated every single minute of it. It was so much more exrutiatingly painful than i ever would of imagined. I thought i was dying. I thought my entire body was going to go into shock. I couldnt' not believe that i was even concious the pain was so brutal and i can't believe i hadn't passed out. i just couldn't believe in so much pain i was so concious. I didn't want her out i wanted a general anasthetic and to be woken when she was cut out of me. I just couldn't handle even one more contraction...

My labour was straight forward with no complications... which upsets me even more... i don't have a bad positioned baby to even blame it on. Waters broke at 6am and she was born 18.5 hours later after 20 minutes of pushing. It was just utter and pure hell.

I hate when i hear people say you have to go into labour without fear as that is what impedes labour. I went into labour without an ounce of concern or fear in my body, i thought i would just know what to do. The midwives were so surprised how excited and bouncing off the walls i was when they told me i was in labour, (before the pain started).

I just can't believe i'm going to do it again. I'm terrified and really upset that i have to do it again. I don't want to do it. I just want a c-section. I have no doubt the 6 weeks of recovery from a c-sec would be hard but i can't imagine thinking at all during those 6 weeks "oh my god i'm dying" "how am i still concious" "why haven't i passed out yet" "i just want them to put me out of my misery" "i'm going to die"

 

[Leafy]

i just pray more than anything that labour wont suck as much as last time.

I didn't find it empowering, liberating or wonderful. I hated every single minute of it. It was so much more exrutiatingly painful than i ever would of imagined. I thought i was dying. I thought my entire body was going to go into shock. I couldnt' not believe that i was even concious the pain was so brutal and i can't believe i hadn't passed out. i just couldn't believe in so much pain i was so concious. I didn't want her out i wanted a general anasthetic and to be woken when she was cut out of me. I just couldn't handle even one more contraction...

My labour was straight forward with no complications... which upsets me even more... i don't have a bad positioned baby to even blame it on. Waters broke at 6am and she was born 18.5 hours later after 20 minutes of pushing. It was just utter and pure hell.

I hate when i hear people say you have to go into labour without fear as that is what impedes labour. I went into labour without an ounce of concern or fear in my body, i thought i would just know what to do. The midwives were so surprised how excited and bouncing off the walls i was when they told me i was in labour, (before the pain started).

I just can't believe i'm going to do it again. I'm terrified and really upset that i have to do it again. I don't want to do it. I just want a c-section. I have no doubt the 6 weeks of recovery from a c-sec would be hard but i can't imagine thinking at all during those 6 weeks "oh my god i'm dying" "how am i still concious" "why haven't i passed out yet" "i just want them to put me out of my misery" "i'm going to die"

Your experience is how i imagine my labour is going to be, and i am terrified, as this is my first!! Did you have any pain relief at all? xxxxxx

 

[Betheney]

I had the pethadine injection which was the most useless piece of crap! Other than that just gas and air. They spent my entire labour telling me I was only in early labour. They wanted yo send me home but seeing as I was so distressed said I can just hang out in one of the birthing suites with my hubby. I begged for an epidural but because they said I was only in early labour I couldn't have one. I begged themto do an internal but because my waters had broke they didn't want to increase the chance of infection and it was obvious to them I was in early labour. Then at midnight it had been 18hours since my waters broke so they said I have to be put on antibiotics and while they did that they might as well give me the epidural as I'm going to be stuck to the bed anyway. A quick internal and I was 10cm and after 10mins of getting the room set up I then pushed for 20mins and she was out

I often wondered if I wasn't constantly told I had a loooong way to go and if I was aware of my progress maybe I wouldn't of been so hysterical.... *shrug*

 

[Dory85]

Something that was important for me was continuity of care throughout my pregnancy and then again during labour. I feel its important to regularly see the same community midwife as often intuition plays a part when problems arise and I feel more able to raise questions with someone familiar to me.

Whilst in labour, I was lucky enough to arrive at hospital an hour after the night shift started and delivered half an hour before they finished. More than one midwife managing my delivery would worry me that something would be missed etc.

I do also think I'm hyper aware of this because of my experience as a nurse and having witnessed problems that arise from communication breakdown etc.

 

[XJessicaX]

I don't want another back to back labour. I want a natural labour with a baby in a position suitable for labouring smoothly and I want to dilate!!

 

[NoodleSnack]

Biggest challenge during pregnancy is probably the anxiety, though I probably have it better than a lot of women as I'm pretty laid back and can usually reassure myself. I think most women wouldn't mind being reminded that it's a normal part of pregnancy, so they don't feel like they are the only one.

What I want from labour and birth would be a happy and healthy baby, no intervention or complication afterward, little or no tearing.