Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Mar
3
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“…No One Who Has A Natural Birth Wants To Have Another One…”
“Oh why do you torture yourself? You should have just gotten an epidural! No one who has a natural birth wants to have another one afterwards.” -OB to mother while she was pushing her baby out non-medicated.
There are 89 comments to this post.
1st birth: drugged, horrible birth
2nd birth: undrugged (induced at 42 weeks 3 days)
3rd birth: undrugged (spontaneous)
4th birth: undrugged (spontaneous)
5th birth: undrugged (spontaneous, at home)
So that’s one person out there. Anyone else? 
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Sheva Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 4:47 pm (Quote)
1st birth: drugged to the gills, induced at 38 weeks, horrible, horrible agony
2nd birth: drugged some, induced at 34 weeks 6 days, horrible pain
3rd birth: undrugged, spontaneous, painful, loved it, laughed through it all
4th birth: undrugged, spontaneous, painful, loved it, laughed, ready to do it again, but husband isn’t!
So that’s two! 
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Kat Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:50 pm (Quote)
1st birth: Pitocin epidural episiotomy combo platter. They were talking about adding a C-section to my order, but we dodged that one.
He was sleepy, it was really hard to wake him to nurse. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.
2nd birth: ~5 hours unmedicated labor. Unnecessary episiotomy.
She nursed like a champ. I felt terrific.
3rd birth: Got a stealth-demerol I didn’t want. Didn’t like it. SO glad it wore off before the birth. Almost ended up on pitocin because the demerol slowed my labor and the doc was being stupid about the timing which was at that point maybe 5 hours into an 8 hours total labor. Slight tear, one stitch. Felt fine, went home the next day.
4th: Homebirth/waterbirth. Fabulous experience, healthy momma and baby, NO tears.
5th: Homebirth Transfer. Surprise footling breech with stuck shoulders. Bad outcome, but no tearing and thankfully easy PP recovery, which made it easier to spend the next 3 days at the NICU before he passed.
6th: Hospital unmedicated waterbirth with very breech-experienced midwife. She was born 15 minutes or so after we walked in the hospital. I was home on my own couch by suppertime.
I would never choose to give birth with anesthesia or narcotics again, if I were to ever have another (which is highly unlikely, but not impossible).
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Amy W. Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:04 pm (Quote)
1st birth: hospital birth, no interventions or pain meds of any kind- helps if you arrive fully dilated
2nd birth: hospital birth, baby born 10 minutes after I convince the nurses to put me in a real room as opposed to triage- again no interventions of any kind.
Felt fabulous after both births! The worst part of it all was the stitches to repair some tearing (now that is the part I could do without next time!)
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Kat Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:09 pm (Quote)
Oh yeah and my 2 sisters?
One has had 4 unmedicated births.
The other has had 3 home births (so far).
Her first was around 24 hours of back labor, and even so she still didn’t mind having another one (easy quick labor, midwife barely made it to the house in time).
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Lee-Annt Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:26 pm (Quote)
One birth… wonderful midwife/doula/husband combo… about 27 hours from water breaking to babe in arms… about half of that crazy hard work… planned hospital birth (live in Canada so it’s covered at home or hosp w/mw)… only intervention was iv antibiotics for GBS – which I received at home every 4 hours…
Wouldn’t do it any different (except maybe stay home for the whole thing)
Would love to have another…I want to “feel” it all over again! …if our situation allows I would happily decide upon another unmedicated birth!
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Lucia Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:29 pm (Quote)
1st Induction at 41w4d, every intervention in the book, epidural, unwanted episiotomy that tore to the 4th, baby deep suctioned, baby in nicu for 3 days, took a month to get him to latch, 4 months to get off the shield.
2nd C-section for twins in bad presentation (breech/vertex) and pre-e.
3rd Unassisted transfer (25 hour labor), Spontaneous labor at 41w5d, no drugs minimal intervention, back labor (posterior baby) no tears, born under the caul, successful VBAC TOTALLY INCREDIBLE experience.
We’re done but If I ever had another I’d totally do it all again naturally. No way I’d want to medicate that feeling away.
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Ashley Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:55 pm (Quote)
Both of my babies were natural deliveries with no tears. Would and will do it again! My mother had all eight of us children naturally as well. Crazy doctors! My doc is a family doc that specializes in women’s health and I am so blessed to have her! Her beliefs about birth are much more like a midwife’s than an OB’s!
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Elizabeth Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 7:41 pm (Quote)
First- Hospital birth, spontaneous labor with pitocin added, epidural, episiotomy, vacuum extraction-completely miserable, never wanted to go through that again
Second- Unassisted homebirth, painful but being in control and actually being a participant in my birth rather than a “spectator” made it worth all the while, can’t wait to do it again once we’re stable enough for another baby!
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Lauren Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 4:59 am (Quote)
1st: Unnecesarean at 36 weeks 4 days; my daughter spent her first 12 hours healthy but STILL apart from me….I cried my eyes out and as a result of the dr and hospital experience I battled PTSD for months.
2nd: Natural VBAC at 39 weeks 6 days. It was wonderful. I planned a home UBAC but after 2 days of prodromal and 2 days of active labor that stalled, I caved and went to the hospital. I was blessed with a fantastic kind OB who trained with midwives though!! YEAH! Oh, and the only reason it turned out that I *needed* the hospital was that my cervix was scarred from the section; my evil first OB had manually dilated me….sigh.
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Knitted in the Womb Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 8:15 pm (Quote)
I’m another “No One” who has had multiple unmedicated births–5 to be precise. 
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Abbi Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 6:42 pm (Quote)
1st birth: unnecessarian for twins(and also paid for 2 beds in the NICU that we didn’t use)birth weights 7lbs. 10oz. and 8lbs. 10 oz.
2nd birth: VBAC in hospital with homebirth doctor(had Stadol to cope with pain that didn’t let up between contractions) 10 lbs 2 oz. baby girl
3rd birth: homebirth, unmedicated, 11 pound boy(shoulder dystocia)
4th birth:4 hour labor, homebirth, unmedicated,10 lbs. 4 oz. baby girl
5th birth:unmedicated homebirth-transfer-to-hospital for c/s for posterior baby who moved enough to be born in 3 pushes after DR checked position one last time before I was taken into the OR. 10 lbs. 10 oz. baby boy
6th birth: unmedicated homebirth of a whopping 12 pound baby boy (shoulder dystocia)
What do you think? Should I have any more?
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Tara Reply:
March 14th, 2010 at 7:02 pm (Quote)
Me! Me! All three unmedicated & spontaneous, 3rd at home. Now I teach and doula, too – helping other women do the same!
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Louise Reply:
June 14th, 2010 at 5:22 pm (Quote)
My parents had 5 in a row, starting with #3 [I'm #5]. Their first two homebirths were ‘unassisted’
While I don’t know about my two oldest brothers except that they didn’t like the doctor [& he didn't approve of home births]; I’m sure that the rest of our births except for maybe 1 or two were unmedicated [one for a necessary C-section and one because my mom was really sick]
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Guggie Daly had this to say,
Mar 3, 2010 @ 4:24 pm (Quote)
This is an example of a common misconception.
People think the only two options are to birth in the hospital with synthetic hormones and drugs that cross the placenta OR go without and writhe around in agonizing pain.
During my homebirth, we used a hot birth pool (oh it was wonderful!) a birthing ball, warm washcloths, massage, arnica cream and arnica tablets, bach’s remedy, transitionease, red raspberry leaf tea, nettles & peppermint, hot rice socks (amazzzzing!) dancing, affection and even distraction (aka me on the laptop telling my mamas online I was in labor hehe).
I didn’t give up pain relief. I gave up dangerous interventions. In giving up the hospital, I GAINED a ton more resources and options to help me.
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Jess Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:37 pm (Quote)
ITA! My first and third labors were very calm and I was able to use walking, birth ball, the tub, and essential oils to manage discomfort.
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Lee-Ann Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:31 pm (Quote)
Guggie… you are sooooo right… just because the choice was non-pharmacological pain relief doesn’t mean there aren’t measures taken to be more comfortable… I did hot bath (which really wasn’t beneficial to me, baby was posterior and the recumbent position killed my lower back) but once I switched to rocking on a glider chair with a hot water bottle seriously…night and day…. I coped VERY well
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The Deranged Housewife Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:54 pm (Quote)
Yes, distraction worked for me also. It was the pain in the *** penicillin IV they ran for Group B strep that distracted me from the pain of labor. That hurt worse than contractions.
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1st birth: Epidural, baby born cyanotic and had latch issues for months.
2nd birth: undrugged at home
I can’t wait to have another home birth. It’s a rush!
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Lesli Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:10 pm (Quote)
My first was an epidural/amniotomy/drugged to the hilt/vacuum/episiotomy birth with latch issues that lasted for 10 weeks.
My second was a PHENOMINAL home/water birth!! I will never birth in a hospital unless there is a true medical need again. I’m now a doula, and will most likely end up a midwife after the little ones are grown.
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What a ridiculous comment. I had an epidural the first time (10 hours) and went unmedicated the second time (30 hours). The unmedicated was by far easier on me. If I can talk my husband into another one, I will be going unmedicated again.
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Aw yeah, that was mine. My best friend was giving birth. This OB was horrible. She constantly undermined her. My friend is planning on another drug free birth when she gets pregnant next time.
Oh yeah and I told the OB, “I had a drug free birth with my first and plan on another one…” and she just ignored me.
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I had a medicated birth the first time (before epidurals came along) and decided it COULDN’T be any worse to go natural. Had two amazing births (by the standards then) with no meds — waited on the local anesthetic to repair the epis the first natural birth. A world of difference!
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Just had my 7th in a row without pain meds Sunday. No IV even this time. 1st time with a midwife. Not an easy labor but I was free to move and it was btter than being restricted to the bed.
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Drug free does NOT equal torture…Why do so many OB’s out there insist that it does? Like another Mama above noted there are MANY, MANY option for pain relief that don’t require drugs *sigh*
1st baby was a “drug free” home birth.
2nd was an epidural ridden hospital birth (vaginal breech), which I truly felt bullied into (the hospital birth part)
3rd and 4th both drug free home births, with a promise from my husband that we would never set foot in another hospital unless there was a “REAL” medical emergency…
so I guess I’m another one that can be added to the list of done it once and will do it again (or did, do it again)
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Krista had this to say,
Mar 3, 2010 @ 5:05 pm (Quote)
Erin- midwife or OB or freebirth? Total curiosity. That’s really great that you’re taking care of your friend! She’s so lucky to have a friend like you!
Birth #1 – unmedicated, great!
Birth #2 – pit, epi – well, saddle block since the anes sucked balls. yes, I said balls. Lol! – horrible and depressing
Birth #3 – Freebirth, phenominal!
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Why do people say such RIDICULOUS things?? If, after having a natural birth, no woman would ever want to go through the same thing again then none of us would be here! Whatever did women do before doctors and hospitals came onto the scene to “help” everything along?
I felt SO good after both of my natural births and will God-willing do it that way every single time! I think it can be really hard for people to understand if they have not experienced it.
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Brisa had this to say,
Mar 3, 2010 @ 7:00 pm (Quote)
1st- spontaneous 12 hour labor at 41 wks 3 days with no sleep. Acynclitic and posterior and 3 tears (the stitches were worse than the birth) at home with midwife.
Planning 2nd at home in September!
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ThoughtfulBirth Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 8:50 am (Quote)
Hey Brisa, look into seaweed (the stuff that’s used for sushi rolls) for tears that aren’t a blood-loss concern (though of course I hope you just don’t tear at all in September!). A lot of the midwives in my area avoid stitching. I just got the seaweed wet and laid it along the tear, which knitted itself back together just like any normal skin does.
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1st. Unmedicated hospital birth. Labored in the water but was made to get out for the birth.
2nd. Homebirth. Labored on the toilet for three hours and got in the birth tub to push.
After both of them I felt like a million bucks. No way would I have wanted to be drugged for that.
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1st birth: unmed, in a hospital with a midwife, labored in the birth tub. The midwife was the best part as she stood up for my 36 hour labor and 4 hours of pushing.
2nd birth: unmed, in a birth center, labored in the birth tub and birth on the stool
3rd birth: unmed, in a birth center, labor and birth in the tub
4th and 5th birth: twins, unmed, back in the hospital, when we arrived baby A was vertex and B was transverse. Baby A was born 40 minutes after arrival while standing in the OR and baby B was turned and born breech 10 minutes later. Midwife and doctor, but no tub. I educated some hospital staff that day.
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1st: homebirth transfer turned c/s. Labored at home for about 42 hours, and for nearly half of that I was fully dilated. Malpositioned baby, severe back labor. It was like going through a full day of transition. When the epidural wore off in recovery… lets just say transition with back labor was more pleasant.
2nd: Okay, I’ll admit all through pushing I was thinking about how I was never going to do it again. One of the first things I said after he was born was “I’m getting my tubes tied. tomorrow.” But the only part I really didnt like was the throwing up backwards sensation of pushing contractions. First stage of labor? Walk in the park! Oh, and I’m super stoked to do it again!!
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I can’t even IMAGINE having a hospital birth… I’ve had two home births and am planning my third this spring! To people who say I’m “brave” for having home births, no you have it all wrong…. I’m a total chicken! I’m more afraid of having my baby in a hospital than they are of having theirs at home, I promise you!
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Really? ‘Cause I sure do. And my last birth was in the hospital, with midwives, AROM at 9cm, painful stinging ABX that weren’t watered down enough w/saline, and what? NO DRUGS! My next birth, I will be passing on the abx, and AROM, and God-willing, will be meeting our new baby in our bathtub. Oh, and I wont be taking any drugs then either.
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really? because I’m raring to go for my next one. Having been in the hospital with several friends and two of my sisters after their medically mangaged births and one unnecesarean, I would never want that (being stuck in bed, feeling like shit afterward, not getting the baby to latch, not seeing the baby, etc) compared to what I had (immediate latch and nursing, small tear that didn’t require stitches, up and walking around after an hour or so and home by nightfall).
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I thinking he’s talking about natural birth in the hospital….Two all natural home births and I’d love to do it again!
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Becca Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 6:36 am (Quote)
could be. Natural birth in a hospital can be very stressful because many women feel like they’re going into battle against the staff so as to try to keep interventions down. Women definitely need a good support system if they’re going for an unmedicated birth in a hospital. It’s imperative to have someone to advocate while you’re worried about contracting and pushing.
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Jane Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 8:35 am (Quote)
Three of my unmedicated births were unmedicated hospital births. My first was a medicated hospital birth and I’d have been better off delivering in a ditch assisted by wild animals.
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Becca Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 9:10 am (Quote)
LOL..nice. My unmedicated birth was in a hospital as well and it went fine…but that is because I had my husband with me to run interference. I think that a lot of times OBs get nervous too because 1) they aren’t really familiar with unmedicated births (a shame) and 2)they’re not in control, the laboring woman is control.
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Sheva Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 9:54 am (Quote)
You know, your wild animal comment made me think about vultures circling overhead, which is what I felt like during my first birth – they kept hovering and nagging me to agree to meds and interventions, even though I kept saying no and the baby was fine. They also kept checking me without asking, but I was so drugged, I couldn’t say anything.
Give me Bambi and Thumper any day!
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I had an amazing un-medicated, intervention free birth in a hospital with my first and plan to do the same with the one I am pregnant with now. My second was a planned home birth but unfortunately he was stillborn and I chose to be induced at the hospital for various reasons. Because of our son being stillborn, my husband wants to be in the hospital for the one we are pregnant with now (and I will not push him, he has just as much right to be comfortable with the birth as I do). Luckily, I have a very pro-natural child birth OB and hospital.
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Baby #1 Induction at 37wks, no pain meds (actually, “augmentation” according to the docs, since I was at 4cm already). Fast labor, bad tears (never heard how bad), baby had feeding issues for a month.
Baby #2 Induction at 38 wks, no pain meds, great labor and birth.
Baby #3 Spontaneous labor, waterbirth at home at 38wks with a fabulous midwife. Minor tears, no stitches, felt wonderful afterward.
My hospital births weren’t awful, they were just unnecessary. And I’m so grateful that pitocin doesn’t seem to affect me too badly. I love home birth!
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I think that the reason that the doc thinks the woman is torturing herself is because of the noises she’s making. The doc doesn’t hear laboring noises (music) or that cry at the moment of crowning very often, so instead of hearing them for what they are, an expression of the pain and/or pressure that she’s feeling, the doc is hearing cries of agony and torture. In my opinion it’s a lack of education about and experience with the process of natural birth.
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Kat Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 9:04 pm (Quote)
That is probably part of it.
I can get pretty vocal in labor, making low, open, moaning sounds during transition. And yeah if you talk to me I’ll sound snappy, but all my energy is engaged in the work of birth, conversation is low on the priority list.
During pushing, I grunt like a weight lifter going for the world record.
But if you ask me do I feel like it’s torture/horrific/worst pain of my life? Not even close. I could probably list off a dozen things that are higher on the list for “worst pain of my life.”
Even if birth was in my personal top ten, I still wouldn’t want drugs, because to me the side effects of the drugs were not worth it.
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Andrew Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 2:47 pm (Quote)
That is an interesting point. It makes me think of the noise (grunts, yells) that football players make during the game. No one thinks that they are “torturing” themselves or in agony, but that they are operating at the peak of their performance and should be cheered on in the process.
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Jen Reply:
June 22nd, 2010 at 6:41 am (Quote)
I think this may be a huge part of it. How many OBs ever saw even one fully unmedicated delivery during their training? It’s hard to know what to expect when you’ve never seen it. Add on to that the very surreal experience (to those that have seen more unmedicated than medicated births) of a woman with an epidural who is sleeping through labor, or on the phone chatting it up until she’s told it’s time to start pushing being the expectation, you can see where most would be very thrown off by a woman who is groaning, moaning, rocking, even screaming and swearing. Someone yelling a long, drawn out “f***!!!” each contraction is bound to solicit a jerk reaction without the person reacting always realizing that this is mama’s zero side effect method of dealing with the intensity of that contraction.
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I think he was talking about doing it in a hospital bed, on pit, without being aloud to move. Which is why homebirth is always easier (usually).
I agree with Erika, I’m a total chicken when it comes to the hospital! I hate going when I’m sick, let alone going when I’m in labor and vulnerable!
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1st birth: Unmedicated hospital birth. I asked the doctors and nurses to leave the room because they were annoying me. They asked that I let them know when I felt like pushing, and stood outside the door. I was pushing when I asked them to leave and they didn’t know it! My husband called them in after her head was halfway out.
2nd Birth: Unassisted home birth, with a 45 minute labor.
Planning on all my future births being unassisted.
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#1) Unmedicated Birth Center birth – 10 1/2 hours from active labor ’til done. Nice easy pace. No tears.
#2) Unmedicated Birth Center birth – 2 hours 25 min from active labor ’til done. Intense and fast. Small laceration. Nervous about my next birth.
#3) Unmedicated homebirth (midwife didn’t make it). 1 hour 53 min from breaking of water. Water birth. Small tear no stitches. Great amount of mental healing. Having it be just me and my husband was awesome!
Definitely planning on more – homebirths if possible.
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Well, why not chime in!!!
1st birth – Homebirth, unmedicated, persistent posterior baby who stayed posterior for the birth and was born in her sac, facing the world, 25 hours, 45min of pushing, tiny tear unnecessarily stitched.
2nd birth – Hospital Birth, unmedicated, anterior baby, 18 hour labor, 10min of pushing, tiny unrepaired tear.
Would do it again in a heartbeat – although I DO prefer anterior babies, to posterior ones (especially through transition). LOL
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1st birth – unmedicated – was told that if I chose to go that route, I’d never do it again.
2nd birth – unmedicated – had trouble because baby’s head was 95th percentile, but I succeeded.
3rd birth – unmedicated – didn’t feel a thing until time to push and baby was born quickly.
4th birth – unmedicated – I was a gestational surrogate – baby was posterior and the placenta had to be “helped” manually.
5th birth – unmedicated – I was a gestational surrogate again with TWINS! – baby A came right out, baby B was breech and the doc attempted an internal version. As traumatic as that was, I don’t regret it.
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1st- epidural & pit
2nd- nubain & spontanous
3rd- less nubain & low pit augmentation
4th- utterly med-free at home
5th- planning a repeat of #4
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Serene Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:37 am (Quote)
1st: spontaneous onset of labour @37w2d, 8lb7oz. strapped to the bed, on FHM, pethidine and gas, 4* tear. I didnt get to hold him for 6 hours because the midi overdosed me to unconsciousness.
2nd: twins (one was blastocyst) elective induction for family reasons @37w 4d, 8lb. In the shower, small labial tear, gas. She was in a humidicrib for 30mins because she didnt want to cry. Birthed sitting on the bed due to choice.
3rd: necessary induction due to thyroid condition and type 1 diabetes @36w5d, 6lb2oz. In the shower, walking, pitocin, gas, one SMALL shot of morphine for pelvic pain. Birthed reclined on the bed by choice, NO TEARING.
Id love to have a combination of 2 and 3 again. My spontaneous, non-augmented was actually the worst… THe most painful too…
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Serene Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:38 am (Quote)
oh, 19 hours, 3 hours and 10 hours respectively.
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Serene Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:41 am (Quote)
sorry I keep pressing the tab key >_<
All 3 were AROM (#1 at 7cm), #2 was twice LOL
#2 and #3 were pitocin inductions to start contractions.
#2 used prostaglandin gel, didnt work. stayed 0cm
#3 used an atards balloon. Dilated from 0-4cm with it in.
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Partlysbabe had this to say,
Mar 15, 2010 @ 8:16 am (Quote)
1st Baby, Spontaneous ROM @ 40 weeks and 4 days Pethadin Gas and Air, Midwife 8 hrs baby girl 8lbs 1oz
2nd Baby, almost 42 weeks induction AROM Pethadin, meptid, Gas and Air -with a midwife baby boy 7lbs 14oz 81/2 hrs of labour
3rd Baby, 40 weeks and 4 days, Spontaneous labour, one narcotic shot (dont remember the name) Refused to let me get up and move! not bad but my first ever IV and in lithomy position, 1st time I tore…(with an OB) Baby girl 7lbs 14 oz
9 hours of labour
4th Baby, Spontaneous Labour, once again refused to let me get up as it might cause Cord Prolapse as the had performed AROM, First Epidural, (hated it tried to place is 3 times hurt like hell!!) then he was born within 10 minutes of me getting it, without any help from me because I couldnt feel ANYTHING!!! (with an OB)baby boy 7lbs 9oz
10 hours of labour
5th Baby, Early Indcution at 38 weeks and 3 days (I didnt think he was ready) due to BP rise (that went down after admission by itself!) and Slight Protein in PP… Cervadil, Pitocin, Epidural, Hated every minute!!!12 hours of labour!!
6th Baby, Spontaneous labour, (checked @ Prenatal at 3pm 5cm and 80% already) Went home laboured till 9:30 called the MIL to watch lil ones, went to hospital @ 10:30 had him at 11:45pm! wonderful not at all painful stoof up through the whole labour, felt in control, Nuchal Hand no tears!! Would love to do it again…..
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1st birth: pitocin induction for PROM, epidural
2nd birth (3 weeks ago): unmedicated spontaneous birth using Hypnobabies, and a truly amazing and empowering experience
I am a mom who as done both, and I plan to do all future babies the second way.
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1st birth, 6-hour labor from start to finish, unmedicated in birth center, 8lbs, 2oz boy, small tear, said immediately after birth “I’d do that again in a minute”.
2nd birth, 4-hour labor, unmedicated homebirth, 9 lbs, 7 oz. baby girl. Fast and intense. If I were younger, I would have another homebirth in a minute.
I agree with some previous posters…hospital birth petrifies me. The homebirth and birth center birth were peaceful, quiet (except for my moaning) and wonderful. Gotta love those natural endorphins!
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JulietsButterfly had this to say,
May 9, 2010 @ 5:16 pm (Quote)
Huh. I showed up for my first birth just after midnight between 7-8cm and had a baby girl by 3am. The hospital wouldn’t give me an epidural past 6cm and I thought they’d given me an IV pain med, but turns out I just had an IV for GBS antibiotics. She was maybe 30 mins old when I was holding her and thinking “Man, that was rough, but I could do it again. Not right away or anything, but I want more.”
Then 4 years later I was induced and had learned that they never gave me the IV pain meds. So I figured I’d skip the epidural again and save myself however much those things cost.
I would have had my kids at home if my DH were more supportive of it (he’s a wuss at stuff like birth or where there might be oozing of anything) and if it were legal in GA.
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Oh really? Then explain to me, please, why after 16 hours of painful labor, which included almost 3 hours of pushing, why I could say, the moment it was over and my baby was in my arms, “I could do that again?”
Explain to me, dear OB, why I fought for a home birth the second time around (not with my family so much as to get insurance to cover it).
And explain to me why I am going to fight even harder the next time I get pregnant to have a home birth (since we now have different insurance and I don’t think they’ll want to cover it).
And while I’m at it, maybe you, dear OB, need to be informed that generally speaking, subsequent births are generally faster and easier than first births. So much so that many times there is no time for epidurals. Or is it that so many people are just having 1 child nowadays that it’s becoming a non issue?
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#1-unnecessary induction/epidural/unnecessary c-section
#2-hospital VBAC, unmedicated
#3–home water VBAC, unmedicated
#4–home water VBAC, unmedicated
Sure seems like “nobody” includes a whole lot of women who glady sign up for repeat natural childbirth!
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Huh. It was after my medicated birth that I wasn’t sure I’d ever have another. It was the complications breastfeeding after the epidural that made me want to go without one for my second. And — I did it! Both births hurt, yeah, but the natural birth was shorter, easier to recover from, just a much better experience. If I was having another, I’d be looking into homebirth. So there!
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#1 – unmedicated hospital birth (wanted a birth center birth, but it didn’t work out). Loved the birth, hated the hospital. Joked between contractions (even during transition), talked about next baby between pushes, cried my eyes out when they took my baby away right after delivery and wouldn’t bring her back “so I could rest.”
Plan for #2- unmedicated again, but this time I’m staying home altogether.
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#1 – Hospital birth, induced w/ pitocin at 37w3d due to worsening pre-e, NO pain meds, no tears/epis
#2 – Hospital birth, went overdue, induced with cervidil (no pitocin), and no pain meds, much better labor, no tears/epis
#3 – Planning a UC in September
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both my kids were unmedicated births. baby #1 was horrifyingly painful, but i had back labor and it was less than 5 hours from first contraction till i was holding him in my arms. baby #2 was much more relaxed and happy, but took much longer to arrive. i can’t wait to do it again!
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Guggie Daly had this to say,
Jul 4, 2010 @ 4:03 pm (Quote)
1st birth was without drugs…and I can’t wait for the next one.
But then, if this poor woman was on her back on a table in a hospital, I can’t say I’d ever want that either…drugged or not! 
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Wren's Mama had this to say,
Jul 13, 2010 @ 7:47 am (Quote)
After giving birth completely naturally to my first and only child (in my kitchen, no less) in the attendance of my three midwives, my husband, my best friend (who loved my daughters birth so much she has decided if she has another, it will be homebirthed – her first was hospital, pitocin, but no pain meds – ive heard that HURTS, so i applaude her heartily!!) and my parents, my hubby and dad went and bought me PIZZA for my first after-delivery meal, and it was DELICIOUS!!!!
I WILL NEVER HAVE A PLANNED HOSPITAL BIRTH. EVER. – if we decide to have more kids – it will be midwifed again. That was the BEST experience of my life. I WAS IN CONTROL. Why would I want to give that up?????
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*headdesk*
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