Can't have pain meds

[nononsensemom]

With my daughter's birth five years ago I got the full work-up of pain meds and an epidural. I'm no masochist and knew when to say "when" on the pain of childbirth. It went fine and I knew I could to it again. However, within the last year I developed a serious allergy to all forms of pain medication: tylenol, ibuprofrin, asprin, you name it. Name brand or generic, all forms of pain medication cause me to break out in nasty hives all over my face, scalp, neck, arms and back. Daily pains are difficult enough, but how am I going to handle the birth of my second child in just eight weeks? I've read all about breathing, moving, bathing, and have a secure support system, but I'm honestly starting to get scared. Can any mom's out there who've done this pain med free give me a realistic idea of what to expect? Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

[Almi]

Unfortunately, every birth is different, and how it feels varies from woman to woman.  However, here is some reading you can do. :)

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/EFT.html

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/painful.html

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/waterbirth.html

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/pain.html

I have personally birthed without pain meds.  My labor was intense, and there was certainly a sensation of pain that I had - that is, until I finally just relaxed and surrendered.  My labor was also short, and I would consider it quite tolerable, and that's probably one of the reasons why it was.  Perhaps it was also because I didn't fear the birth process and I was in such a comfortable, low-stress environment (home, unassisted).  Who knows...it was my first birth!  So I don't even have anything to compare it to.

Anyway, good luck!  Read lots of birth stories, there are many out there where the woman had a painless labor and birth!

[amberskyfire]

I had a UC with my first baby who was born posterior - just about the most painful type of labor you can have. I have a MW friend who says she has never, ever seen a first time mom with a posterior baby give birth med-free and let me tell you, I am a total wimp! :) You can do it!

See, the thing I love about birth is that yes, the pain can be totally unbearable. Completely. But you can do it because all women can do it. Every woman can handle the pain. It's just for a little while and then you totally forget about it the second baby is in your arms.

I felt really lied to during my labor because I had read everything there was about pain in labor and how to cope with it and with my birth, every single one of those methods actually made the pain worse. I felt abandoned by everybody and wanted to give up. If I had been in the hospital, I would totally have been begging for pain meds.

Not having any actually made me stronger, I think. I didn't have anything that would help me. It was all me and I knew it and I think that's what made me strong. I lay there whimpering and (felt like I was, anyway!) dying and once the realization hit that no one was going to jump in and make everything okay and "save" me, it was like a switch clicked on in my head and I got up off the bed and knew I could do it because I had to. I felt so strong and powerful then and the pain wasn't a big deal anymore. That feeling of fear and abandonment is really what gave me the strength that I needed. Having the help in your face can make you weaker, I think.

It's like anything else. If you are trying to quit smoking and you carry around a pack of cigarettes in your pocket, you're going to think you can't handle it and smoke one. If you're dying to eat a pint of ice cream and there's one in the freezer, you're going to eat it. It hurts much more if you know that ice cream is sitting there. If you don't have the thing you want in your moment of weakness, you're going to suck it up and push through just fine.

You might find that when you are there, knowing there's nothing anyone can do might give you that umph you need to get up on that bed, wave everyone away and yell "STAND BACK! I'M GONNA ROCK THIS BIRTH!"

Pain-relieving methods may work for you, but if they don't, know it'll be okay. I was literally in the worst pain there is during my childbirth. The pain itself was causing me to almost black out during contractions. It was bad. But even after all that, I tell women "it's nothing to be afraid of. I've been there and done it and it hurt and it's SO TOTALLY nothing to be afraid of." In fact, I'm pregnant and excited to do it again. No reading up on pain-relieving methods this time. I don't need them. No fear at all.

You can do it!

[Almi]

Lovely post, Amber. 

[A_Random_Phrase]

I had no pain meds during my last labor. I had a female friend with me, encouraging me, telling me I could do it. It wasn't easy for me, but I was in a hospital (I didn't discover UC until my youngest was in grade school). Had I been home, my instincts would have been to spend a lot of time in very warm water. For me, that would have made all the difference.

Some people use hypnobabies or hypnobirth or something similar. I've researched this type of thing and it seems that it helps the mama relax, which helps her deal with it. I've read some amazing birth stories in regards to this.

[Just1More]

No pain meds here either.  My first birth I had one dose of nubain.  The other 3 I had nothing.  With my first, I was thankful for the slight break I got.  I was in the hosptial and wasn't allowed to eat or move around.  My blood sugar was so low from having nothing to eat, my bladder so painfully full (and the bruise took a long time to heal), and my body so sore from not being able to really even adjust my position, that something had to give.  I also know now that my desire and need to curl up on my belly was just what my posterior baby needed.  Maybe she would have flipped?  She was 8lb7oz, posterior, and still born in about 12 hours.  I'm so thankful it went well and I didn't wind up with a csec.

With the others, I was free to eat, move, and just BE like I needed.  The situations were night and day, and while there was pain, the kind of pain was so different.  I could rock and sway into it, and let it diffuse through me.  I don't fear birth either.  I have to work to stay in the right mental place, relaxed and accepting, but if I just let it be, and do what I need to do (feel I need to do in the moment), the pain is greatly reduced.  And my second was born facing to the side...even without ideal positioning, I could DO it, because *I* was allowed to do it.

[prescottchels]

I was going to suggest hypnobabies or hypnobirthing as well, though I haven't birthed yet, so I can't vouch for either of them personally.

You can do it!!