Lovely post

I agree with .Kay.

Yup, it's dealing with changes and knowing how you would like to deal with those changes.

For me though, I can't understand pre-planning of drugs/surgury unless there is an existing medical condition.

Unless you try and then can't cope - how do you know? I mean being scared of birthing pain is very natural but there are lots of natural painkillers released by the body - endorphins and such.

Just look at how many women get stitched up after with "no pain relief" and don't feel a thing something is blocking out the pain that's for sure.

My gripe is that all too many people don't want to try first - it's all planned i'm going to have this drug until this time then i'm going to have that and then have an epi at ,,, - i'm like woah steady just try first and then if you can't cope or whatever then have the pain relief.

I had no idea I was in labour untill my water broke. The hosp told me to go in then and when I did they told me trey was still ppretty high up and I would have to have catheter put in and not be allowed to walk (something to do with the cord) I got to the hosp at 11pm monday night and by tuesday night at 6pm still no baby, another doc came to check me and they realized I had an extra amniotic sac that needed bursting. Finally between 6-9pm I went from 3 cm t o10 but they kept telling me no pushing because his head was in the wrong position (mind you by this time my epi's had worn off and the freaking machine broke and the anesthegiologist was in surgery) they gave me some pain stuff that made me barf. The doc told me I would snap his neck if I pushed because trey was looking out (the doc kept touching his nose when doing the internals) they tried to get him to turn it but my stubborn son was having none of it. Finally around 10 the doc asked what I wanted to do. I told him to give me a knife and i'd cut him out myself. (by this time I had been in labour about 36 hours) I asked the nurses to call my mom so I could talk to her (she lives on the other side of the country and they had to call her from the nurses station. I crie d on the phone that I was not a good mom because I could not even give birth properly. She soothed me a bit which helped. I then called my older sis because her 2 came via c-sec and she explained things to me. At 10.15 I told the doc i'd have a c-sec and at 10:30 trey was born. I felt fine after (i was reading a book when they took him in the nursery) and finally they gave me some demerol to sleep (i'm allergic to codeine) I felt kind of like a "failure as a mom" for a while but trey had such a big head (4 nurses measured it before they fianlly wrote the circumference down-lol) anyway it was not my choice but I am now happy I decided to do a c-sec with him, I have minimal scaring and no pain or numbness anymore. I do have to say recovery is probably longer with a c-sec but I was up and walking less than 12 hours after having him-the nurses were in shock cause I wanted to go home. Lol

i will ask for a vbac next time but if not possible, at least I tried. Trey is a very healthy (he's 3 feet tall and weighs 34 lbs at 17months!!) happy and smart toddler. The thing I didn ot like was that your milk takes longer to come in after a c-sec and I had major issues breastfeeding, I did it for a bt but had to switch him to exclusively formula at about 6 weeks. Kind of sucked but he's more than fine now!!!


Ok on that note I gotta go, it's my corporate christmas party tonight which I am on the social commitee and we have 400 people coming. Need to go get my stuff ready before work!!!! Lol

My point would be - you tried, and medical intervention was required for the health of you and baby. It wasn't like you just thought "ah what the heck, let's have a c-section for the fun of it"

It's nice they asked you .Jess. In the end, they're still here no matter which way they come out, right? And you did grow him inside you for 9 months!
They just told me .I needed a c-section. They didn't ask me.

Medical interventionis always *recommended*. Like an .I.V in case you dehydrate.

I know I always say I gave birth "with no medical intervention" and act all nonchalant, but believe me, I suffered.

Because I refused all medical intervention, I became extreemely dehydrated, and began to run a fever of 103. And climbing.

I wasn't allowed to hold my babay or feed her for the 1st night. Do you know how hard that was?!?!!? She couldn't even be in the same room, as there was a high risk of me infecting her.

They had me on antibiotics all through the night and would come in every hour to check my temp. I got blood tests during the night and my b/p taken every hour as well.

I took a risk by refusing *all medical intervention*. I could have easily died. But I don't regret any of it.

Next time will I accept an .I.V for hydration? Yes. I would never want to have to wait like that again to meet and bond with my baby.

I believe firmly in birthing with no pain meds though. I knew, reguardless of the pain (and there was *a lot*) I would refuse. Call me "hard headed" or "stupid", but it was *my* choice.

Sarah

Until on here, hearing the american side of it - i'd never heard this stuff about having an iv in during labour.

I see no valid reason to give a healthy woman who can walk about an iv during labour - do the sensible thing and give the girl a glass of water instead.

Medical intervention should be a last resort kind of thing, not something that is assumed.

I guess it'll be fun if I end up in the labour ward - if you wanna be sticking pins in me you gotta catch me and hold me down first.
I have no fear of needles - I just object to todays medical society assuming women can't cope.

my outlook is the exact same!!!!

I walked in with a gallon of water I had been drinking and they told me to stop drinking in case of an emergency. So I started scarffing ice chips.

I chose oxygen over an .Iv. I knew that oxygen could help the baby's heart rate just as well as an .I.V.

But after my experience of having a dangerous fever and being severly dehydrated, I might accept fluids.

I, though, am a needle phobe. I give *major props* to the ladies who allowed a stranger to jab you in the spine with a loong needle

that's something that I would not be able to do.

I, honestly, don't know what I would've done if a c-section was my only option. No lie, I would sh't my pants. Or ask to be under general anesthesia. I'm a coward when needles are in my presense!!!!

Sarah

Sarah, I respect you soo much for giving birth with no meds at all, but I feel its something I would not be able to do. I don't plan on taking the drugs as soon as I get in there, but when I get to the point where I feel like i'm not enjoying the experience as much as I could because of the pain, then I want an epidural, or at least some kind of pain management stuff. If that's not possible, then i'll obviously have to cope, but I would prefer to have something if I feel i'm in too much pain. <3 sophie

Sophie, we're not saying don't have meds if you feel you need them.

I (at least) am saying don't have them until you need them. Don't plan on having meds, plan on seeing how you feel and coping as far as you can without - many women are suprised by the fact that if they cope with the pain for a short time the bodys own endorphins kick in and negate the need for pain meds.

It's all in the give it a go and if you can't cope then you can't cope but at least you tried.

For me personally if I really couldn't cope i'd have to go with the least toxic, least invasive option to see if it would just take the edge off a little, rather than going straight for the heavy duty stuff.

While I haven't given birth I have had other situations in which I have dealt with my own pain management - not in the least having an 8 inch abdominal section (ruptured uterus surgury) split open on removal of staples and heal over about 4 months by secondary intention, with daily packing.
During the time in the ambulance and hospital I chose to deal with the pain over the choices of pain relief purely because, for me the pain was less distressing than the meds themsleves.

thank you.

Although I was in pain, I enjoyed every second of my birth. The feeling I had in my heart after I had accomplished my goal, was immense!!!!!

I respect all women for giving birth. Period.

Coping with the pains of labor was not easy. But I pulled through.

I got a lot of negative things said to me before giving birth. Like, "oh wait. You'll see", or," what makes you think you're gonna be stonger than me and not take drugs" or, " wait till them contractions kick in and see how much your begging for meds."

i think that is one of the *main* reason I might indulge on the fact that I went "drug free".

Nobody was supportive of my decision. Nobody. Because I am young, and it was my 1st birth, people *assumed* that I couldn't handle it....

I wanted a drug free birth not only to prove my strength to the people I know, but prove to other young women that it is possible and you are capable of birthing with no medical intervention.

I had my consiquences, but me and my child are healthy and honestly I could care less about how I had her. The fact that she'll be a year in 5 months is what stresses me!

sarah

Kia, in the us most hospitals still won't allow you to eat or drink anything in case an emergency that requires surgery occurs. I was unbelievable pissed about this because it's damn hard to do work like giving birth on an empty stomach. I consumed massive quantities of ice chips but I was still thirsty and the no namers wouldn't let me have a drink of water!! I think it's idiotic for them to do that to you, it's like asking a car to make it across the country with no d@mn gas!

Lol...I hear that!!

They told me, "put down that water, you can't have any!!!" so I sent .Baron down the hall and he got me bookooo ice chips. I tore into them bit(hes!!

I ate popeyes while laboring at home....Biiiig mistake. I had intense heartburn and thought I was gonna puke while pushing!!!

Sarah

I cheated, I let my ice chips melt and when they left the room I drank the water. I wouldn't eat popeyes or anything but some d@mn canned pears wouldn't have been too much to ask for...Or even some of their nasty hospital jello..Gatorade or something, sheesh!!!

Lol...Humbra....Hospitals are anal nowadays!!

Sarah

Aren't they though? I would have signed a waiver or something if they had just let me have a cracker or something, d@mn!

Hahahhahaha....Were they like hawks on you??? Cuz I was left alone a lot.
Maybe because I was in so much pain....But they only hounded me at the front desk with the water.

Gimmie a damn cracker bit(hes!!!

Sarah

Seriously that's what I said. My husband said I kept saying "i want to doing it eat! I'm starving, give me a cracker or soup or something" and when the nurse told me I couldn't have anything and went to the cabinet to get more pad thingies I called her a b*t(h.