"Oh, you went natural?" - Page 3

[accountclosed3]

when i told people that i want a natural (hehe--normal!) UC homebirth, they bring up the screaming for medication and i say "no, i'll be galdr chanting for meditation"

because, that's so. my DH and i are learning galdr chanting for birthing and plan on utilizing a meditation spiral (labyrinth) for labor walking. it helps put one in a focused state and helps to condition the body-mind throuhgout the birth process.

galdr chanting is very loud and has been compared to the 'incessent caw-ing of crows.' hehe. norse people!

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by zoebird

my DH and i are learning galdr chanting for birthing and plan on utilizing a meditation spiral (labyrinth) for labor walking.

How interesting, I happen to have learned harmonic singing and have found it to be helpful in meditation and was thinking it would be useful in labor as well.

[Mizelenius]

Originally Posted by NYCVeg

I made a joke about being able to have a baby without pain medication but not being able to stand getting my teeth cleaned.

OT but my dentist said it is very common to feel that way . . .she says she has many patients say that childbirth w/o meds was fine but NOT dental work!

I love the "normal" comment! I'm gonna use that (but thankfully, I have full family support about that!).

[Sonnenwende]

Originally Posted by amnda527

Why do people expect every laboring woman to get an epi? I mean, your having a BABY, It's not like you are about to get your leg chopped off!

Well, having gone through it without the benefit of pain meds, I may have wondered if that wasn't the better alternative at the time.

I have a live and let live attitude about all of this. If you don't want pain meds, knock yourself out. If you want them, knock yourself out. It is none of my business. I would say for myself, I would never want to do it without pain meds again, but that is just a judgement for myself, not for others. Other people have other births, other tolerances for pain. I can't make anykind of assessment on what they should do or what I think they will do just based on my own experience. Birth is far, far, too individual to allow for blanket statements and judgements.

[mntnmom]

I think a lot of women are casual about it because they don't realize it's a LOT of work. I've seen women on labor shows just "pop" the baby out because they're highly medicated.
With my DS the OB who delivered him kept forgetting I didn't have an epidural because I was calm and focused. I didn't do 2 yrs of yoga and meditation for nothing da*#it!! If you have a birth like that you're just "lucky". (OK, admittedly, I've never had complications, so I'm lucky on that front).

[Mizelenius]

Originally Posted by mntnmom

I think a lot of women are casual about it because they don't realize it's a LOT of work. I've seen women on labor shows just "pop" the baby out because they're highly medicated.

I dunno. I feel like I had to work to a certain extent, but not too hard until that last hour with both labors. I used to feel like I was all that until I realized I didn't have to deal with what many other women go through-- back labor, really long labors, etc. Now with my 3rd I am a bit nervous, esp. since I have an anterior placenta this time . . .maybe this time I will actually have to work REALLY hard and will find out I don't know what I am doing.

[St. Margaret]

I think perhaps she meant work ahead of time? I certainly feel this is true, as I'm getting ready to start preparing, and I'm learning it'll take a good chunk of time every day! But I'm willing to invest it... other ladies on the mainstream birth board I go sow seeds of crunchiness at look at me like I'm loco actually preparing for birth!

[Full Heart]

Originally Posted by St. Margaret

I think perhaps she meant work ahead of time? I certainly feel this is true, as I'm getting ready to start preparing, and I'm learning it'll take a good chunk of time every day! But I'm willing to invest it... other ladies on the mainstream birth board I go sow seeds of crunchiness at look at me like I'm loco actually preparing for birth!

This is certainly true. Reading books, going to classes, talking to other mommas, actually educating ourselves. That takes time and effort. Instead of just sitting around and letting someone decide for you.

Of course I have had labors that were alot of work too. Felt like I was doing heavy lifting for hours , but then other labors were super easy with no work on my part.

With precentage of births that are medicated being as high as it is I think when you hear someone say, "Oh you went natural." They are shocked because they probably haven't known anyone else who has. I was meaning to make a poll about this cause recently I have talked to 5 different women in different parts of the country and all of them said the same thing- when they gave birth naturally all the nurses commented how they wished they could have been there because they have never seen a natural birth before. That just floors me. Someone who watches babies emerge everyday hasn't seen a natural birth?! So honestly I think its shock more than anything, that they actually ran into someone who went natural.

[katarn]

stacyann21: I LOVE your siggy!!!

"birth is not an emergency, just an emergence"

[St. Margaret]

I read somewhere in the last year the statistic of 20% of women have natural births. It sounded low enough that I read it as truly natural births... but it would be interesting to find out more about this. Assuming all goes well at my birth, I'll probably sing the praises of natural birth and try to make it more known in my circles

[Emilie]

I had a lady tell me she birthed natural. Come to find out- natural means vaginal these days- she had an epidural and the works- but birthed naturally!

[grumpybear]

Originally Posted by MsElle07

I use the term "unmedicated" to refer to my drug free vaginal birth, since the current climate is to use the word natural in place of vaginal.

I can't say I was completely unmedicated because I had to get induced with Pitocin (water broke, no labor in 24hrs, yadda yadda yadda...) and opted for a penicillin drip (GBS+). Didn't have any pain relief though. So did I just go semi-natural?

[mntnmom]

Yes, I meant before hand...sorry. I imagine a well prepared woman who for some reason then got an epi, might be in the best position of all of us!
I think women who aren't prepared before hand, can't imagine having a natural birth, because they get hit unaware with labor, and then the meds kick in!! I'm sure it's a radical relieving difference. I didn't mean to imply there isn't work to labor one way or the other, But it looks a lot easier after the epi!

[ananas]

Originally Posted by stacyann21

It's even worse before you have the baby. I've had so many people tell me that I'll be "screaming for the epidural"

I agree- I'm not even planning on having children for a few years, and already people tell me that I'll be the woman begging for the epi.

[FreeThinkinMama]

I've said the same thing, usually with a look of shock and respect on my face. Wow, you went natural? "went" as in made the choice. I understand the reasons for going natural and know they have nothing to do with trendiness. I planned on doing it myself until I was induced. By 3 cm I was begging for an epi. At that point I figured if this is what labor feels like now(a knife twisting me in the back, stomach and between my legs), imagine when the baby comes out. For *me* personally I really underestimated the pain of childbirth and my tolerance level for it.

I have a live and let live attitude about all of this. If you don't want pain meds, knock yourself out. If you want them, knock yourself out. It is none of my business. I would say for myself, I would never want to do it without pain meds again, but that is just a judgement for myself, not for others. Other people have other births, other tolerances for pain. I can't make anykind of assessment on what they should do or what I think they will do just based on my own experience. Birth is far, far, too individual to allow for blanket statements and judgements.

I agree.

[Peppamint]

I think it's just because c/s are so common now that some people really don't realize moms are still giving birth... vaginally (omg, there's that word).

I had two coworkers close to my age (I was 20 then) ask me about my c/s when I returned to work p/t after dd1 was born. I proudly told them I gave birth vaginally. They just assumed that I had surgical birth- granted one of them was born via c/s as well as all her siblings because back then was the once a cesarean, always...

I consider:

natural to be as intervention-free/med-free as possible. Sometimes though, interventions help a mom achieve vaginal birth... and I would choose those interventions (at the hands of the right care provider) over a c/s unless it's necessary to save baby's life.

medicated/vaginal to be a birth that includes meds. Like my first birth- I had AROM, Nubain and episiotomy. I don't consider that natural... it sure as heck didn't feel natural.

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by St. Margaret

I read somewhere in the last year the statistic of 20% of women have natural births. It sounded low enough that I read it as truly natural births... but it would be interesting to find out more about this. Assuming all goes well at my birth, I'll probably sing the praises of natural birth and try to make it more known in my circles

I read somewhere that 99% of births in America last year or the year before were medicated.

But that sounded too high, so I doubted the stat was true...

I least I HOPE NOT!!!!

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by FreeThinkinMama

I've said the same thing, usually with a look of shock and respect on my face. Wow, you went natural? "went" as in made the choice. I understand the reasons for going natural and know they have nothing to do with trendiness. I planned on doing it myself until I was induced. By 3 cm I was begging for an epi. At that point I figured if this is what labor feels like now(a knife twisting me in the back, stomach and between my legs), imagine when the baby comes out. For *me* personally I really underestimated the pain of childbirth and my tolerance level for it.

Except that by all accounts going entirely natural is infinitely easier than having an induced labor pain-med free. From descriptions of induced labors I'm impressed by anyone who can even try going through them with out meds.

[njbeachgirl]

One of my best friends (a guy) who I have known since childhood and can talk about ANYTHING with, asked me if I was going to deliver "naturally or have a c-section?" People just hate to say the dreaded V-Word....

[rachelagain]

Originally Posted by laohaire

I read somewhere that 99% of births in America last year or the year before were medicated.

But that sounded too high, so I doubted the stat was true...

I least I HOPE NOT!!!!

The epi rate here is 80%-- that is not counting the other drugs. One gal I know said she delivered w/o drugs and the nurses said she was only the second person they had seen do that.
So-- I would say 99% is probably about right.