Unmedicated birth advice

[chichu3123]

@catholic2001 You can do it!!! I had an unmedicated birth. My main motivator was wanting to be able to be up and around (which I did). I labored mostly while bouncing on a yoga ball, both at home and at the hospital. Having a doula really helps! My doula rubbed hot packs on my back and helped me get in different positions with a woven fabric. Heat helped me a ton. I used a hot tub too, I only didn’t use it more because it didn’t have a good seat to sit in. Next birth I’m bringing a plastic stool with me so I can sit in there better lol

I did use the gentle birth app after seeing other people talk about it on reddit. It has a 2 week free trial so you can see if you like it. I think it did help me stay in a positive headspace. Labor is a mental challenge. I was able to completely relax between contractions and I think breathing and the gentle birth mantras did help with this. I started using the app about 2 months before I gave birth. I didn’t religiously use it all day every day or anything but I tried to listen to the sessions that resonated with me. While pregnant, I liked that listening to the mantras felt like me “taking action”.

My last piece of advice is to try and laugh as much as you can during labor, get the oxytocin flowing! I was watching the office at home bouncing on the yoga ball for the first half of my labor (then went to the hospital and only weird HGTV house shows were on lolol).

No matter how your labor goes you are going to rock it!!! You’ve got this!

 

[chichu3123]

Also, one really big thing for unmedicated labor is avoiding an induction if your health and babys health allows it. Of course things could come up that require it and you roll with that if it happens. But going into labor spontaneously will give you the best chance at low interventions. So not getting an induction just because it’s your due date (this is a weirdly common thing now)

 

[runaway887]

@chichu3123 OTOH I had an induction for my second and had no epidural. If things are favorable for an induction it can proceed just as smoothly as a spontaneous labor. I did not feel that it made the contractions or transition more painful than my first labor, and instead of stalling out as I did with the first one with no meds, it went much faster and more smoothly.

 

[chichu3123]

@runaway887 That’s so awesome! I’m sure it depends how ready for labor each person is at the time too. People I know who got inductions didn’t have a great time but they had to be induced early for medical reasons

 

[runaway887]

@chichu3123 Yeah, I think in those cases though I would also be cautious, as you were, about making people avoidant of an induction if it might be the safest thing for parent and baby; eg I’m glad my friend chose birth with an epidural (which was a positive experience for her) over a risk of progressing to flow blown eclampsia.

I feel hesitant about a lot of the language around “cascade of interventions” because while people do sadly have negative experiences with health care around delivery for sure, in general health care providers are doing their best to achieve a healthy delivery, and there actually is not evidence that an indicated induction or an appropriately used epidural leads to worse outcomes. If anything, I would say the negative talk around pitocin almost scared me out of going med free for my induction and I’m glad that I didn’t listen to that and rejected the notion that choosing one type of intervention inevitably meant having to receive more.

 

[chichu3123]

@runaway887 It’s so hard to give “advice” about labor because each one is so unique!! For example one reason I think my labor went smoothly was my water didn’t break until right before I started pushing (the waters cushion the contractions). But I have no way to control when that happens during a labor (unless a provider breaks it earlier which thankfully my care team did not suggest). If my water broke earlier maybe my labor would have been really intense sooner and I might have taken a different path.

Healthy mom/parent and baby must be too priority always! What’s frustrating to me is it seems like inductions are pushed for more frequently because of the arrive trial, which showed no more frequency of c sections. But there’s a lot of other aspects of labor that are involved (length of time in the hospital for example, inductions can take days) that should be taken into consideration if there isn’t a medical reason.

I’m glad you shared your positive induction experience!! So much is succumbing to the labor process.

 

[peaceforher28]

@catholic2001 The best thing I did was have a doula, because I trusted her and when the pain and the contractions got so intense I started having fear, she reassured me I was ok and I could keep going. I wouldn’t have listened to my husband saying the same things in those moments, because what does he know? But she really coached me through and got me the un medicated magical birth center birth I wanted.

 

[hansoj]

@catholic2001 Ok, so I took a really laid back approach to the idea of birthing without meds. My first was an induction and my second was supposed to be, too. My second came early (literally 10 minutes after I was supposed to be induced, lol) and it was all very rapid and shocking.

I never got a chance to feel the pain of my first labor because I was pretty sick and honestly horribly scared of everything so I was pretty drugged throughout, so I don’t have much to compare it to. But I really just kinda used the philosophy of being “comfortable in the uncomfortable.” Like, yes, this hurts, but this is so exciting too. And the hurt means it’s happening! It might’ve helped too that I just thought I was having some run of the mill non-labor contractions until I was about 1.5 hrs from giving birth.

I spent a lot of time by myself. I don’t know if that’s something that others would like, but I’m a really solitary person. I put myself in my room by myself and let my husband take care of getting our other son ready. I breathed and screamed a little and breathed. I took refuge in the spaces between contractions. And finally I said “ok, I think if we don’t get to the hospital soon, I’m gonna have the baby here or in the car, so let’s go.” (I did want to have him in the hospital)

The drive there was pretty intense, I screamed a lot, I think I said “I’m dying” a few times but my husband kept me laughing somehow the whole time.

By the time we pulled up, I said “ok, I’m gonna ask them for an epidural. It’s too much.” But when they checked me, I was at 9cm. So I started pushing and gave birth about ten minutes later.

Tl;dr: when it gets intense, remember: you CAN get pain medication. You definitely can. Do you want to? Maybe you can hold on for just a little longer? One more contraction? Those are the thoughts that helped me through it. I feel a lot stronger now as a human being for making it through, but if I would’ve gotten an epidural, I don’t think I’d feel like a failure or anything.

 

[hansoj]

Also, just to add: in light of me almost giving birth in the atrium of the hospital, so many nurses and other medical people were telling me that it’s common for second babies to come quickly. So remind yourself: this isn’t going to be like the first. This is going to be quick. Even if it ends up not being true, I think it’s helpful.

 

[myway]

@catholic2001 2 unmedicated births - First was 36 hours, pushed for 3.5 hours, 8.5lb baby, posterior, was a complete marathon of a labor. Second was 6.5 hours, pushed 3 times, just under 8lb baby, my most intense labor due to the speed.

My tips:

1 - don't tell anyone you're aiming for an unmedicated birth, you will be met with horror stories and the wonderful comments of "no one gets a medal" / "I thought the same, you will change your mind" etc etc. It will ruin your confidence. You also don't need to justify your choices

2 - invest in a doula. I promise you it is worth it for an unmedicated birth, and birth in general. There are many interventions that lead to the "need" of an epidural that can be avoided with proper birth education and a trained doula

3 - breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Give into the contraction, don't fight it. It will come like a wave, you will get gentle relief between each one.

4- water. Do not underestimate the power of water. Shower, tub, shower head on your back. Water is an amazing pain reliever

5 - position changes. Don't stay in one position too long. Squat, walk, move, rotate, bounce on a ball, use a peanut ball. Do what your body tells you even if it seems outrageous (a doula will come in GREAT here)

You got this! It is possible, you can do this!

 

[sola_scriptura]

@catholic2001 For me it was ensuring I could control my mind. Reminding myself that the contractions wouldn’t last forever and relaxing my body to ride it out. Practicing meditation and properly preparing yourself. With my second I had horrible groin pain and went to the chiropractor a few weeks before to work it out. The deep tissue work was an excellent practice run for labor lol

 

[nicholson]

@catholic2001 I’m not sure this counts as completely unmedicated but using gas and air helped me when contractions got super intense. You still feel everything but it’s like your mind is kind of floating away and you can separate yourself from the pain.

 

[duchuycali88]

@catholic2001 I don’t have any tips, but just wanted to add that my second child (and I have heard this from many moms), came so much more quickly than my first, and with less time in pain, I found that easier. With baby 1, it felt like things had been going forever, but when I got to the hospital, I was only 2cm. Enter baby 2, I didn’t want that to happen again, so waited a bit longer, felt contractions were easier to get through, and when we went to the hospital I was already at 6cm. Baby came very, very quickly after that. Anyway, wishing you the best!

 

[danoded]

@catholic2001 Hypnobirth is great. Yes to birth is also great which is the one I used.

I'm a somatic and movement therapist and I run private birth preparation sessions as well as running groups. Most of my people end up with positive birth outcomes, and I only work with evidence based practice.

If you can do some embodied practice along with the mental practice you'll find things a lot easier. Having your whole system be one connected unit rather than approaching it as a body/mind split gives a greater sense of ease and comfort through labour and birth. Trusting your bodies intelligence, and having a deep sense of inner awareness is going to help. Some prenatal yoga practices do this, and there are birth prep groups all over than can help. But it's important that whatever you do really works with the body as well as your thoughts and emotions.

Other things that help: be rested, well nourished, if you have access to water in labour that helps, having a mindful care team, a low stimulus birthing environment, you need to keep your nervous system from going into arousal and tightening you up.

 

[joyce955]

@catholic2001 Listening to hypnobirthing during labor & having a doula

 

[pchristian]

@catholic2001 I did unmedicated active labor for about 20 hours (ended up having emergency cesarian but thats another story). It was extreme spine pain because she was sunny side up. I stood 99% of the time because it felt better, used bath or shower water on my back, and my husband would try to do the hip squeeze thing. Research methods your birth partner or doula can help with. Getting in a deep breathing rhythm through the pain helped too. I just kept thinking the more I stand and walk, the faster it will be over

 

[blushedtweety]

@catholic2001 I had an unmedicated birth (induced w pitocin) w a sunny side up baby! Hypnobirthing, labor comb, doula and gentlebirth app! Honorable mention to my husband.

Doula was great at keeping me moving! Husband kept me hydrated. Once I hit transition, I was absolutely in my own fever dream type of world. I would occasionally hear commentary from my doula or when the nurse came in. But mostly it was me, on all 4s w my chest on the peanut ball just breathing away. One thing I vividly recall was thinking how comfortable I was in between contractions (during was a different story, but those are temporary). I honestly think that months of hypnobirthing and meditating w my gentlebirth app lead me to that moment.

I thought I wanted to be in the tub, squatting and getting back rubs. LOL. Nope! I forgot that water even existed and nobody reminded me, so I stayed on dry land. Squatting made me want to die and I didn't want any other human near me so backrubs were out. I bounced on the birthing ball a bit, sat on the toilet (which I HATED, but the doula called it the 'dilation station' and said I had to do 3 contractions at a time), they turned the bed in to a weird throne thing which was awesome. And all 4s was my absolute favorite. Or arms over the back of the bed while it was elevated and knees on the rest of the bed. Labor comb seems pointless, but it was amazing.

I will also say that I think atmosphere had a lot to do w my experience also! My husband was in charge of atmosphere and he killed it. Lights were super dim, battery operated tea lights were scattered around (w 2 skull candelabra situations from target ), we had some essential oils for me to smell and spa music on our speaker. It was just super calm and as relaxing as childbirth can be.

I had 5.5 hrs of total labor (including 11 min of pushing) from first contraction to holding my baby. 10/10 would do again.

 

[baileyf14]

@catholic2001 I was induced and then they manually broke my water after hours of ramping up pitocin. I then pushed for four hours unmedicated and let me tell you, that was too many hours for me haha. The two things that honestly saved me were my doula constantly recommending various positions and my strong visualization skills. Towards the end I was so exhausted and in so much pain that I didn’t know if I was even pushing anymore or when contractions were happening. Every time the nurse nodded at me to push I just visualized my baby moving down and out, even if it didn’t feel like I was physically pushing anymore. Don’t underestimate the power of imagining your baby move down the canal! And hopefully you don’t have to push for as long.

 

[laceymarie79]

@catholic2001 I birthed my baby unmedicated at home. Biggest tips: hot shower/tub, read a bradley method or hypnobirthing book to help with breathing, have snacks ready for afterward, and let your body do its thing.

 

[asiahkelley]

@catholic2001 I did hypno birthing breathing and gripped a wide tooth comb. I thought I'd be an active laborer and get in the tub and stuff but when the contractions got intense I just wanted to lay in bed with a peanut ball between my ankles and then between my knees.

I just concentrated on breathing, knowing that I'd have another break soon, and not tensing when contractions happened. Remaining relaxed and letting my body open.

I did not use any pain relief, epidural or otherwise.