[...] to be induced on May 30, which is 2 weeks past my due date.  Considering that I’ve been hoping for natural childbirth during my entire pregnancy, I have a really hard time imagining having to go down the induction [...]

I agree with Sara- counting during, or timing, the contractions helps you remember they are temporary and going to recede soon. But I disagree about not being painful- both my drug free births were very intensely painful. Saying anything else is a lie, in my experience. My first labor actually lasted 36 hours- so it was both really long, AND really painful. But being unmedicated allowed me to keep walking, keep hopping in the tub, and keep with it long enough to successfully have a vaginal delivery. Had I had an epidural, I would not have had the mobility and endurance to give the baby enough time to rotate, descend, and come out vaginally. For my second, I knew it could be long, I knew it would hurt more than anything else in my life, I knew that my first child’s safe vaginal delivery had been because I had chosen unmedicated, and I knew I could do it again!

Alyson, there is a great natural birth story you might want to check out. Very inspirational and informative…

http://dearbabyblog.com/post/327570952/everly-vedas-birth-story-ill-start-this-story

I took a great childbirth ed class with my husband, we did all kinds of training in pain management, but in the end what really helped was something the midwife said: don’t scream. Don’t make high-pitched noises in labor, because it will sap my energy. Bring my chin to my chest and make low noises. That really changed everything. Also, the doula locking eyes with me and breathing with me. And, just…punching through it. Treat it like the most intense physical workout you’ve ever done. And don’t worry too much about all those techniques…it’s great, even essential, to have those plans in place, but ultimately, the things that help may come from left field. I thought I’d want to eat something for energy, and be in water, and be massaged, but on the day itself I actually didn’t want anyone to touch me, and I was most definitely not hungry. Oh, also, simply saying “I can do this!” and my husband repeating it, helped so much! Weird and corny, I know, but it worked! Have a great delivery, whatever way it goes. You can do it!

Alyson,

It sounds like you’ve been preparing well. I truly believe the mindset with which you go into a birth experience has a HUGE impact on how you will handle the ups and downs of labor. No one can predict what will or will not happen during the process of a baby’s birth, but believing in your ability to handle most anything that occurs (and that your body instinctively knows how to birth a baby, problem-free) will boost your chances of following through on your birth plan.

Keep us posted!

Kimmelin Hull, PA, LCCE
Community Manager-Science & Sensibility

I had both of my daughters in the water. If you have the availability to use water as a laboring tool I highly recommend. You can do it!! Focus on one contraction at at time, then before you know it, it will be time to push:) Good luck! Such a great choice for mom and baby.

I had an unmedicated delivery, and for me, it was not all that painful. No, I am not lying. I am not trying to be “bad ass” or anything. It was just my experience. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, which must have helped a lot. That being said, when the doctor was stitching me up after the delivery, THAT was when the pain set in. I don’t think the doctor had much experience stitching up women that were unmedicated, as he had WAY too much slack on the “thread” he was using to sew me up. I kept reminding him that I could feel that and it HURT :) I’m so glad to see that other women are having natural childbirths these days. I’ve been judged by so many women that choose the epidural. They think I’m crazy or just looking for attention – when all I really wanted was to enjoy the experience of child birthing the way it was intended. I don’t handle drugs of any kind well (Tylenol even knocks me out!) so when it came time to push out baby, I didn’t want anything to muck up my experience.
Try the birthing ball – it helps so much to be out of bed, takes away some of the contraction pain by engaging your core muscles in a different way, and leaves your back wide open for your husband to massage! <3 it! Big hugs to you, Alyson!

I absolutely agree with Kimmelin’s comment above.

I was a HUGE fan of Belleruth Naparstek’s Pregnancy & Childbirth Guided Imagery while I was in labor. http://www.healthjourneys.com/Product_Detail.aspx?id=15&mcid=&catid=27 I found it really comforting and just listened over and over again.

Trusting yourself is huge, being in tune with your body, and having an idea of how far along into labor you are is helpful. I remember the midwife saying, you can push whenever you are ready, and i freaked out. NOOOOO, IM NOT PUSHING UNTIL I HAVE TO, and BAM, I HAD to PUSH. I could not have NOT pushed….I felt like I had the most supportive delivery (which was probably too much for some people) but I had my mom, mother in law, aunt, cousin, husband, and midwife with me, and just at the moment where I thought I would lose it, someone would say just what I needed to hear, or make me laugh, or be breathing the breath that I needed to breath and that was hugely helpful. It hurt. I had back labor. But the pain was temporary. I thought delivering the placenta was actually worse than delivering the 7 pound baby! I was actually able to push the wheel chair from the delivery room into the mother baby unit myself.

I sort of dread childbirth again (I’m due in about 4 weeks) but having one childbirth under my belt I feel confident I can do it again…and women have done it forever…you can too!

I used Hypnobabies for my birthing time. The language was very powerful and positive and one of the most useful tools I used. I didn’t have ‘pain,’ but levels of discomfort. I thought of my pressure waves (i.e. contractions) as powerful and intense and each one bringing my baby that much closer to us meeting. Also, time ceased to exist- I focused on each breath and moment, not the hours that lay ahead. I wish you the best and hope you enjoy your birthing time!

Best plan for an unmedicated birth? Don’t plan! Chuck those expectations and assumptions out the door! Birth changes from moment to moment- know how to do what you need to in those moments without focusing on what’s next. Find the pain coping practices that work for you- explore multiple different classes if you have to- and then *live* those practices. Pain coping skills can’t just be whipped out in the middle of labor, they need to be something your body flows into when it needs them. And remember there is a HUGE difference between experiencing pain, and *suffering*. Pain happens in childbirth, suffering doesn’t have to.

An un-medicated birth is more than simply refusing an epidural– it also means refusing induction or augmentation of labor (including AROM). Inducing or augmenting labor with synthetic hormones (such as pitocin) fundamentally change the way in which your uterus contracts and the way your body responds to the pain– it is no longer pain with purpose– rather, it is your body telling you something is wrong. It is no wonder why so many women need an epidural. Truly un-medicated birth is something that a healthy woman’s body and brain evolved to handle– and when left to your own devices most women will move their bodies and breathe in such a way that for some they feel pain-less or even orgasmic. The moment interventions (such as interrupting labor to drive to a hospital, looking at the clock or having a vaginal exam) are introduced the labor and birth experience physiologically change. To sum it up: Do not allow any type of induction or augmentation of labor including synthetic hormones (I.V. or applied to the cervix) or ARoM—To allow them will make labor significantly more painful and they rarely make labor or birth happen faster (unless they result in a C-section).

I’ve had two natural births, one in the hospital and one in a birth center. I prepared myself, as you have, with lots of information. I also had a doula at both births. For my second birth I used Hypnobabies and there are so many things about it that helped me. First the affirmations every day get you in a totally positive state of mind. Second you learn to relax your whole body and mind which I didn’t really learn before my first birth. Be informed, stay healthy by eating well and staying active, believe in your body and in birth and then in the end surrender to your birthing time whatever it may bring…

I found the best approach was trusting my body and my baby and getting my mind out of the way so I could move and respond instictually. I learned Hypnobabies childbirth hypnosis, which is what allowed me to focus calmly on what my body and baby needed me to do instead of worrying about “coping” – with pain or anything else. Despite having some long, complicated births and one very fast, powerful birth, I experienced the sensations of all my births as pressure and intensity rather than pain. That made it so much easier to stay relaxed and in-tune with my instincts. I also found that when I was using my Hypnobabies skills, it was much easier to move and assume the positions I knew I needed to aid my baby’s descent. When I wasn’t using Hypnobabies, I was shocked by how difficult it was to simply move my body and I found myself fighting against my body when it asked me to get into a better position. Luckily, Hypnobabies had taught my husband some powerful cues that he could use to instantly relax me and bring me back to a place of calm comfort. If I began getting off-course a bit, it only took the touch of his hand and a single word to get me right back on track.

I had an amazing natural birth in a birthing center and it was my first baby. I used Hypnobabies and I experienced no discomfort and no tearing. It was an intense experience but very peaceful and pain free. I attribute 90% of my good experience to the preparation my childbirth class gave me and 90% to being in a birthing center and not a hospital. I’m not math whiz, but that’s how the numbers worked out for me…. ;) I focused on my husband, breath and being in tune with my baby. In Ina Mays Guide To Childbirth book she talks about keeping your throat open and saying lots of open mouthed “aaahhhhs” and “ooooohhs”, even mooing like a cow. She says she rarely sees tears when women have their throat open and relaxed. So I “ooooh’d” and “aahhhhh’d” the whole time and ended up pain and tear free. Hooray for Hypnobabies and Ina May! Stay active and focus on your baby and you’re going to do amazing.

i used self hypnosis for my 3rd and 4th deliveries—it was great.i used nitrous oxide with both–but no epidurals.i was “on the beach” the whole time and it was smooth

You can do it! What you said above basically sounds exactly how my thoughts on the subject evolved. I took a hypnobirthing class and read a lot of books, but it still hurt. I got through it though, and was so proud of myself after! And it’s all worth it for your beautiful little baby. My favorite position during labor was the birthing ball with my husband behind me pushing hard on my lower back. But you’ll know what to do when it comes down to it. And your midwife will help.

Your outlook is fabulous and that is half the battle. Our “perception” of pain is where the secret lies. I had 3 un-medicated births of very large babies with no formal childbirth training. Since then I have read the book Hypnobirthing, by Marie Mongan. If you haven’t read it already it is worth the read. try your local library or amazon.com It comes with a relaxation CD as well. Have an amazing birth no matter what you choose!

I just had my baby 2 weeks ago. I had also planned on a natural delivery drug-free. But I ended up being 2 weeks overdue and with little water in the placenta. So they had to induce me for 2 days prior to delivery. As I was late and with little water, I couldn’t opt for warm water bath to control the pain, and acupuncture was already too late as well. I was exhausted and in a lot of pain and with no progress, so I ended up (against all I believed before) asking for an epidural. Once I got it, I felt in full control of the situation. I found that kneeling down hugging the bed (that had being raised up for me) was a great way to deal with the waves, I found I could move my hips in circles and “8″ figures, and that helped me focus and open up. Also deep breathing (as in yoga) together with this. So, rock your hips and breathe. Epidural or not, it helped me a lot! (I also rocked my hips all the time before I got the epidural. I also found that walking was better than standing or sitting or lying down. I needed to move a lot. Good luck! It’s an incredible experience.

I hope the birth went well. I’m a doula and have had two babies, both born at home. I wanted to add to the helpful comments above that the birthing hormone Oxytocin (natural, NOT synthetic), is also the love hormone…it’s shy; it needs privacy, warmth, low light, an environment similar to that which most of us like to make love in. My second birth was so much less painful than my first…the 2nd time, my partner and I kissed lots, in our private space, a really experienced doula was there holding space, and the birth pool was wonderful, along with sips of coconut water for energy and hydration. It was delicious and very loving.