re: Natural Labor.

Quoting Jas ♥:" I was suppose to but as the tub was filling up, Isaiah was coming out. Everything happened so fast. From start to finish, it was an hour and 45 minutes."

damn thats fast.

Quoting ☮ Phuket:" you cant have one? i lucked out and a hospital here has a natural birthing floor, with tubs and everything, ... [snip!] ... just in case and even though iv had 3 pregnancies adn births under my blet, they sare still worried something will go wrong."

I actually didn't ask. My dad's insurance doesn't cover pregnancy for dependents   so I had to get medicaid, and I'm delivering at a different hospital than my first because i absolutely hated them..

I guess I should tour the hospital and find out, or even just ask the doctor. It wasn't mentioned, so i didn't think to ask, doy   lol But, i think it would really gross SO out, and he barely wants to be in the room as it is   I'm also trying really hard to labor at home longer, so I'll probably chill in the bathtub on my own for a while lol and my mom is DEFINITELYYYYYY not being in the room. omg, she's such a stressor.

eh, screw it. do what you want. i don't see how something would go wrong, either way they'd take care of you and baby and get you to the hospital if you need it.

Quoting ☮ Phuket:" damn thats fast."

I know. My husband missed it, literally, by a second. He was walking in when Isaiah was being laid on me.

Quoting JiLLiAN.:" I actually didn't ask. My dad's insurance doesn't cover pregnancy for dependents   so I had to ... [snip!] ... don't see how something would go wrong, either way they'd take care of you and baby and get you to the hospital if you need it."

when you go you can ask if they have laboring tubs. my last hopsital didnt offer waterbirths but i could labor in a tub if a wanted.. but i never did.. they said the 1 tub they had that they bring to room to room was broken..

i tried using the shower but the shower head was all smurfed up and wouldnt stay o the wall so i had to hold it against me and that was a pain in the ass.. i was transitioning at this point, and got out of the shower and laid in the bed and the next thing i know she is telling me to push and i kept thinking i might want an epidural, but it was tooo late. im glad i did it!

goodluck to you! i delivered with just my SO and I last time and it was relaxing. this time, i have my grandparents and aunt and uncles and my parents MIGHT be here, they are visiting the last coupled weeeks of july. so its a possibilty!

Quoting Jas ♥:" I know. My husband missed it, literally, by a second. He was walking in when Isaiah was being laid on me."

woah! was he working or something? he probably figured you had hours to go still. lol! did you tear or anything from it happening so fast?

Quoting ☮ Phuket:" woah! was he working or something? he probably figured you had hours to go still. lol! did you tear or anything from it happening so fast?"

He was deploying so he was in a different city, doing some deployment related training. The city was only 45 minutes away but there was crazy traffic due to construction.

Nope, surprisingly, no tearing! I had an episiotomy with my first. I had my second in Germany and their tearing/episiotomy rates are extremely low. I don't know what magic they worked on me.

Quoting JiLLiAN.:" I had a very easy pregnancy and labor with my first. I got to the hospital at 7cm. I didn't know anything, ... [snip!] ... monitoring baby's heart when needed, etc. I think if you are in the right mindset about wanting to go natural it helps a lot."

Aaahhh the ring of fire!

I had a natural birth in the hospital with a midwife. They knew what I wanted without even having to ask. I went through the whole thing without having to see a needle (well, not until they gave me a vaccine before I left the hospital). They encouraged me to drink fluids throughout labor, to sit wherever or stand and walk around if I wanted. They even had a tub for me to labor in. The pain is manageable in the early stages of labor, but gets more and more intense. What I kept thinking about was that I was going to meet my son soon, and the pain would end. The more the pain increased, the closer I was to the end. Your instincts really do take over. Feeling everything really helps with pushing, too. Exhaustion was my biggest battle, though luckily my labor was relatively quick (8 hours total from start to finish). Keep active and your strength up during your pregnancy, it will help.

Quoting Jas ♥:" He was deploying so he was in a different city, doing some deployment related training. The city was ... [snip!] ... I had my second in Germany and their tearing/episiotomy rates are extremely low. I don't know what magic they worked on me."

well thats good! my mom delivered my brother in germany on a base, and they didnt even have epidurals there. but that was 21 years ago. lol

Quoting {{Expecting #3}}:" Aaahhh the ring of fire!"

i dont think i felt the "ring of fire" lol
I just remember it HURT when the doctor was stretching me out as he was crowning..and then he came out and i was like uhhhhh omg i just did it.

and the placenta came out and it was amazing, except when the doctors started massing my uterus, that hurt like a bitch! i kept grabbing her hand off my stomach like leave me alone

Quoting ☮ Phuket:" i dont think i felt the "ring of fire" lol I just remember it HURT when the doctor was stretching ... [snip!] ... when the doctors started massing my uterus, that hurt like a bitch! i kept grabbing her hand off my stomach like leave me alone"

i didn't like when she pushed on my tummy for the placenta. it was weird.  

i want to encapsulate my placenta this time.

Quoting JiLLiAN.:" i didn't like when she pushed on my tummy for the placenta. it was weird.   i want to encapsulate my placenta this time."

i suck so bad at taking my prenatals if i did that, i would never take them..


id rather make a placenta martini! lol ......

I have had three natural water births. All three were amazing. Yes its painful but like others have said it is manageable in the beginning . Its mostly mental and breathing. You don't need any fancy techniques just breathe normally but make sure you BREATHE not breathing will make it more painful. The last thing you want to do is tense up and fight the pain. For me excepting the pain and understanding is purpose go along way into helping to deal with it. The water was amazing. For me it helped me to relax in between the contractions so all my energy was saved up for the contractions themselves. I plan on going natural with this baby as well . I wouldn't have birth any other way for me.

Quoting Emma+Abby+Logansmommy:" I have had three natural water births. All three were amazing. Yes its painful but like others have said ... [snip!] ... for the contractions themselves. I plan on going natural with this baby as well . I wouldn't have birth any other way for me. "

i agree learning how to relax and almost go limp during contractions made them less painful then when you tense up! great tip

What stopped me from getting the epidural every time was that i was more fearful of the epidural than I was the actual birth. Starting from the day I got pregnant with my first baby, I didn't even know what an epidural was - but when I was told that it was the greatest thing - oh, and just a little prick in the spine, it turned me off to the whole thing. I ignored EVERYONE's advice and just did what my body told me to do, and trusted that since it is a biologically natural thing, my body would be capable to handle birth. I also made sure to have a doula planned out for EVERY SINGLE birth. This has been my outlook each time, although I admit I was induced in my second pregnancy with Pitocin.

Avoid pitocin at all costs. If my labor had been any longer on the pitocin, i would have gotten an epidural. It's painful as smurfing hell.