Question for mamas with natural birth experience - Page 2

[EdnaMarie]

Welcome to MDC.

You don't have to be a marathon runner or yogi to have a drug-free, vaginal birth. Some people who are in great shape also do not have the birth they hoped for.

I personally think that as long as you're in reasonably good health, you can do it.

Mental health and a good attitude, while they do not guarantee a "natural" birth, are far more important than a few pounds or that many more yoga classes, for most women.

[Juvysen]

I know people say "labor is like a marathon" but I think that's more like because it's long and you have to sort of pace yourself mentally and expect it to be long and tiring.

I was in the worst shape of my life when i gave birth the first time. Your daily walking for transportation is almost definitely putting you in far better shape than I was in (i wasn't overweight, just pretty out of shape - hadn't gotten much exercise in about a year) for my first birth. The next day I was mildly sore around my body - arms, legs, etc. and pretty sore on my bottom (had a small episiotomy, plus pushed for 2 hours) but it was all in all better than I had expected.

My second child, I was in even worse shape, because it's not that easy to get yourself into shape with a baby, and beyond that my baby was only 9 months old when i got pregnant with the second so my abs were a MESS by the end of my second pregnancy. It was definitely easier than the first, and the next day I was shocked how I was not sore *at all*... my butt has felt worse from riding my bike when I wasn't used to it than it did from giving birth to my second child

[ears73]

A birth ball/exercise ball was great for me. I did walk lots during the entire pregnancy and think I got my legs in better shape than they were before, but the last month and a half was tough to go out. The birthing ball kept my hips loose and pelvic muscles going (i agree about the kegels!). I did yoga 1x a week and found myself in a great place for laboring... Then I had a baby who never wanted to come out and ended up being induced w/pitocin. I didn't go for pain meds though and that is where my mental state needed to be fit as well... I was in good enough shape to do the squats and laboring, but it was keeping focused on each wave without panicking about the next that helped me through. And, of course, I knew w/pitocin that the baby was coming soon and that was thrilling!!!

[jess152]

Walking is great exercise, and it's free! I have a dog and live in an apartment (so no yard) so we walk several times a day. It was the only real exercise I got, as I worked full time up to the end of my pregnancy.

One thing I'd recommend...as I'm staring down a prolapsed uterus...ugh! I would have done some Kegels religiously! I have no idea if it would have helped, as I think they are mainly for pelvic floor muscles, but my uterus is currently at the opening of my vagina and I'm off to the dr on Monday.

Aside from that, my natural birth was incredible! I would do it again in a second...it was amazing and empowering and surreal and lovely.

[tireesix]

I have 3 different experiences.

First baby wasn't natural but I went from 9 stone 5 lbs to 17 stone 5 lbs so packed on more than a few lbs and it was hard going but I was stuck to a bed etc etc etc.

Second baby went from 11 stone 5 lbsish to 18stone (so yup, again, more than just a few lbs) had a home birth, it was hard work, I mean, hard work.

Third baby, I put on 4 and a half stone, went from 9 stone 5 lbs too about 14 stone. Birth was easy peasy.

The main difference in all the births was my eating and exercising. With my third I ate well (not lots but mostly healthy).

With all births I walked a lot but with my third I also did prenatal exercise DVDs for the first 25 weeks and then moving house kinda got in the way and then I used a mini stepper, every night for 2500 steps, it was the only thing that helped my SPD.

Personally, I think both your mental and physical shape are incredibly important, your body uses loads of calories and loads of muscles when you are in labour and the best thing is to have those muscles working as efficiently as possible.

The other thing is, keeping your muscles etc fit and healthy can help with the aches and pains of being too flexible due to relaxin during pregnancy (being way to hyper mobile myself but all the time, I can vouch for this).

Another thing you want to think about is after the pregnancy, after births 1+2 I was a mess and the weight took ages to come off. At least 2 yearsish.

After birth number 3, I was much fitter and healthier and at a year postpartum I am only a half a stone over my pre-pre-pre pregnancy weight (I am 10 stone) and it has made my life a hell of a lot easier.

Obviously, this is all my personal experience. I am a big weight gainer in pregnancy and after my 3 babies I am absolutely positive that exercise made a huge difference in the 3rd pregnancy.

As for my mental state, I am totally bull headed these days anyway (wasn't during the first pregnancy which is why I ended up in hospital) and as long as baby and me are ok, I will be damned if I am going into hospital or being pushed into anything I don't want to do. I find the most important thing is to not fight the pain, fighting makes it worse.

[lovebug]

[mntnmom]

My first, high intervention, birth was MUCH more taxing than any of my natural births. And most of the mamas I know who've had vaginal and surgical births had a much harder recovery with the c-section.
Stay home as long as you can. You can rest, move, and eat the way you want. IME that, and good mental prep, are the best ways to keep up your energy in labor. I loved prenatal yoga. Yogic breathing and relaxation were great for me. I highly recommend a class if you can find it, a video if you can't.

[JorgieGirl]

2 years before I had my first baby I cycled Cape Breton Island. It was all hills and mountains. Every single mountain I went up I kept thinking, 'okay this is preparing me for childbirth. If I can do this, I can birth a baby!' That thought got me through til I went into labour with my DD.

Turns out, cycling up and down mountain after mountain was WAY WAY harder!!! The pain of labour is just not comparable to a big workout. Yes, it can be very physically taxing, but in such a different way than can be likened to anything else. And of course, everyone experiences it differently, too. So, it's such a subjective thing to try to explain.

I do think it's important to keep in mind you physical health, but the great majority of women do during pregnancy. Even if it's just eating basically healthy and getting your heartrate up slightly a few times a week, enough that you're comfortable with.

I agree, mental and emotional are most important. And it sounds like you're on a great path for that. Can't wait to hear your birth story!

[Lilygoose]

I was in the worst shape I'd ever been in. I gained 85 pounds in my pregnancy and felt exhausted and sick all the time, so I didn't excercise much, the very occasional yoga DVD and a mile walk everyday for the last 2 weeks b/c she was so overdue. I gave birth to my beautiful 10 lb.11 oz. DD all natural, no drugs. I think its about determination, feeling prepared, and knowledgeable. My husband and I took Bradley classes for 12 weeks before the birth. While, I wasn't good about doing my excercises or using any of the visualisations and calming techniques, the information I learned about the entire birth process made a huge difference. I wasn't scared. I felt secure. i understood what my body was going to do and did. i understood all my options and what the impact of the choices I made would be. Honestly, although it was painful, it was the most amazing and empowering experience of my life. I highly recomend it to other women. And see if the hospital has one of those special tubs-I spent a good part of my labor in one and it helped immensly.

[maryeb]

Hi there,

Congrats on your pregnancy! During my first pregnancy I walked a bit, not a whole lot, and also did pregnancy pilates. Mostly mat work and it was very helpful for visualizing my cervix, etc. We focused so much on breathwork also, which reallllly helped me relax. I did Jennifer Gianni's fusion pilates, and I'm pretty sure you can find it on netflix if you do that. Yoga was also very helpful! Good luck! Mary

[Xavismom]

I was not in as good of shape as I would have liked while preg, but I still think I did ok. PP suggested DVD for yoga at home, I'll second that, I did some, wished I would have done more. And kegals! Do them everyday.. seriously. I was lazy about that until the first time I sneezed and lost bladder control... I did them everyday after that so it wouldnt happen again.

I think the most important thing though, is a positive attitude about it, and MAJOR emotional support. DS was posterior, and my labor was much more painfull than I had anticipated, and I was so tired near the end when it was the hardest, I had a 34 hr labor. I almost broke down near the end and asked for an epi, but DH got me through it by reminding me of all we had gone through so far to acheive a natural birth for DS... he had been breech, we had done weeks of trying re-position him, and spent a few hundred dollars for a chiro.. all the weeks we spent interviewing MW's, all the practicing we had done, etc. He reminded me of why it was so important for DS to be born w/o drugs. Luckily he did this in a very calm, loving way... if he had at any point been non-supportive or dissmissive of the pain I was in while he was talking to me, I would have lost it... I was in such a raw and emotional place at the time.

It is just SO VERY important to have the right kind of emotional support, I really cant stress that enough. Compared to that, the kind of physical shape you are in, it just doesnt compare. And you get such a rush of energy when you start pushing anyways. (Pushing is SO much better than labor, ITA with PP!! ) Even after that long labor, I remember being in our room a few hours after the birth... DH was exhausted from doing counterpressure for me 11 hours straight and passed out cold, but I was so awake and energized and estatic! One of the nurses said I couldnt possibly have just given birth while she was examining DS, because I was smiling and laughing and up walking around the room with him.

Good luck Mama!

[Veritaserum]

I did more mental prep (Hypnobabies) than physical (aside from nutrition and pelvic tilts).

[MamaFern]

i have had three at home, totally natural births. i was never in super great shape.. but i have always eaten healthy and walked lots. i wasn't working out hardcore or anything in preparation for birth. with my first i did prenatal yoga and tai chi, but it was more for mental health i think than physical. honestly i never worried how my fitness would affect labor. i just knew my body could handle it, and it did.

[millefleur]

[kltroy]

I liken the experience to running a marathon (which I've never done, but I've done triathlons - similar I think). In fact, after I was done and had my baby, my mom asked me what I thought of the whole experience and I said "that was the hardest thing I've done in my life, and worth every minute of it". And I will admit that I pretty much *felt* like I had run a marathon and then been beaten up afterwards. Sore, exhausted, but amazingly happy.

I did have great labor support (from my mom!) but I didn't do that much mental prep. I think your expectations going into it have a large influence on how you handle it. I expected that it would not be fast, would take some concentration, and would eventually result in a baby. Beyond that, I just went with the flow and did what worked for me. There was NEVER a point at which I thought "I can't do this", though I did ask "how much longer do I need to do this" a couple times (my transition lasted like 2.5 hours - ugh). There was never a point at which I wondered whether I could do it, or whether I should ask for pain relief - it just didn't even factor into my mind (mine was a hospital VBAC).

Good luck!

[noobmom]

Originally Posted by cookie_

Thank you all for the advice and reassurance! I feel like mentally/emotionally, I'm in great shape (emotional equivalent of washboard abs, haha). I've been reading lots of Ina May and the positive birth stories on MDC and we're getting ready to choose a doula, so I feel pretty confident and excited about giving birth medication-free. I hadn't thought much about the whole physical aspect until the other day when I looked down at some birthing position illustrations in the book I was reading and thought, oh my gosh, will I be able to manage some of these when I'm huge and going through contractions?! First birth jitters, I guess.

Heh, I'm a bit (just a bit) worried about this myself and this is my second! First time around I was working out regular (not vigorously, but regularly) until I got pregnant and then did a prenatal yoga DVD throughout the pregnancy. I had a non-medicated hospital birth and it was fine--no problems at all. Labor + delivery took about 16 hours total (including time at home) and I wasn't even all that tired afterwards.

This time I haven't done anything and I haven't worked out regularly since before I had my first.

[tallulahma]

i was not in very good shape for any of my births... and my last two were natural homebirths. both natural births were quick, pushing stage 15 min or less and zero tearing.

mental fitness is way more important imho.... check out hypnobirthing... great resource.

[LionessMom]

Originally Posted by cookie_

My husband and I are expecting our first child around June 1. I'm planning (hoping!) for a natural birth with a midwife in a hospital here in NYC. From what I've read and intuit about natural birth, I'm assuming it'll be a fairly taxing physical experience! This may sound like a foolish question, but just exactly *how* taxing is it (assuming everything goes smoothly without complications)? What kind of shape were you in when you gave birth? I'm a little concerned about my physical stamina and general fitness because, wouldn't you know, I'm in the worst shape of my life right now (been unemployed for a year now, so I quit my gym membership last year). I've always been thin and since I live in the city (car-free), I walk everywhere, lugging groceries, going up and down stairs, etc. Still, I packed on a few pounds this year and have definitely lost some muscle mass. I'm hoping to start some pre-natal yoga classes soon, but at $17-20 a class, I won't be able to do more than 1 a week probably. What kind of exercise stuff did you pre-birth that you felt was really helpful during labor? Is there anything you wish you'd done to prepare?

(Sorry this is so long but since I'm the first of any of my friends/acquaintances to have a baby, I don't have anyone else to ask!)

i only read the first post but wanted to add my 2cents. lol.

i wasnt in any shape except tired. i did minimal house work as i am disabled. the only thing i did to prepare was to drink RRL tea. best birth i ever had. and my first natural birth. the other births i was in better shape but had more pain. i suggest RRL tea in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. there is a tribe around here somewhere. i didnt do yoga or anything this time. just housework and tea.