I guess what I was trying to get at with Part One of this post is that birth is what you make it. It can be as scary or as simple as you think it’s going to be. The more scared you are the more pain you will feel, but if you go into it with an open mind waiting to see how your own body handles it, then you’ll probably be more relaxed. Therefore, you’ll also be inclined to wait and see how you are tolerating the pain before screaming for meds like I did! LOL
I was in labor for 33.5 hours total (including pushing time). That’s a long time. That’s much longer than most women will labor. I managed to get through it with only 2 hours of pain relief. Not that there is anything wrong with pain relief, but it feels like something to be proud of when you’re forced to go natural and you make it!!
I think every woman should have a plan for labor or atleast an idea. I think it helps in the long run, but you have to be willing to change your plan and revise it in the moment. Things change sometimes. I wasn’t prepared, but thankfully I had a good outcome. The logical part of my brain took over and got through it all.
Going into labor and birth for a second time I can very honestly say that I am looking forward to it. I know now that labor is not something to be afraid of, even if it does hurt. The experience, as a whole, is so life changing, so monumentous, and so beautiful that you will never regret feeling the pain of it. Of course, I don’t think I could have realized that the first time around. Only now looking back at it can I say that I am thankful for the pains I felt. They brought with them a new found appreciation for my body and the miracle that is giving birth!
And don’t get this wrong–I’m not one of those crunchy mom’s or whatever they are calling hippies these days. But, I am really hoping that this birth for me can be a vaginal birth with no drugs at all. I know the hope of a natural birth is dwindling for me with each ultrasound, but I will be disappointed if I have to miss out on it. The idea of a c-section freaks me out MORE than the thought of labor pains did the first time I was pregnant!! LOL Either way, I’ll be happy when my new little girl gets here and I can’t wait to love her like I love Haley now.
And don’t forget–the unknown is scary. Sometimes the stories you hear from other people are more scary than the unknown! However, this will be your experience, and nobody else’s. Don’t let their bullshit get in the way of you having your own wonderful birth. If you want no meds, don’t get them. If you do want meds, then get them. Don’t let other people dictate your birth or your plan. If you do what will make you happy then you’ll have a story to smile about later when you think about it. Trust me when I say that this is one memory you don’t want clouded with regrets about the decisions you made. Do what’s right for you and your baby. That’s all that matters.
3 Comments
July 23, 2008 at 12:36 pm
WOW. What a story you have to share with Haley when she gets older.
I may have to ’steal’ your idea and get Jocelynn’s birth story out while it is still fresh in my mind….LOL (fresh in my mind after 2.5 years…LOL)
July 23, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I had what I would consider a VERY positive birth experience as a first time mom in 2004. I went into it relatively open-minded, not completely set on an epidural, but also not set on drug-free childbirth. My midwife stripped my membranes in a regular appointment because she could tell I was “ripe” and because I was so doggone uncomfortable with the swelling and the overall largeness of my pregnant self. She then told me to go home and get ready for the hospital and check in at L&D in the afternoon saying we would probably have the baby that day! My labor was entirely painless for some reason and I didn’t even realize I was contracting until I got checked in and put on the monitor. I was allowed to sit in the bathtub for about 45 minutes to an hour and by the time I got out of there I was at 5-6 cm and feeling nothing except that feeling of a baby moving around in the belly every now and again. He must have been resting on a nerve or something because I really was all good. When the midwife said she wanted to break my water then I asked for the epidural because I’d heard things get stronger and much more painful after that and I wanted pain blockage for any tearing and sewing. I hindsight I regret the epidural a little because it slowed things down, made me itch all over, and I had to have pitocin then. Everything still went fine though since I was calm. 11 hours labor/delivery–I pushed for about 2.5 hours or so and got a 2nd degree tear, pretty routine for a first timer I think. If Julian hadn’t had the cord double wrapped around his neck maybe I wouldn’t have had to hurry him out at the end and maybe would have torn less, but it all came out fine. I couldn’t agree more with Mindy that your labor experience is what you make of it. I am hoping this one goes as well for us in October! You know I’ll be blogging about it.
July 23, 2008 at 8:17 pm
I hope you can have a vaginal birth with this one, too. Speaking of which, how have you been feeling???
I keep thinking that I lived through 9 days of hell with my kidney stones. I can make it through 36 hours of labor. Will it be pleasant? No. But it will all be worth it in the end.
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