pain management question

[MommytoTwo]

I think I have asked this before but I am not finding it.
I have no plans of any kind of class or plan or program or anything like that.
I am planning on just winging it... which is not to say that I dont worry about the pain- I remember labor with DS (on pitocin) and it was bad. But Ijust think I want to go with the flow and see what feels good.

Does that work? Does everyone do something specific (hypnobabies, Bradley, etc)? Part of the reason I am attracted to hb is that I CAN do whatever I want to feel good...Am I being naive?

[mom2mimi]

I didn't do any class or method, just read a lot. I liked birth stories because they give you ideas of what has worked for other women and it kind of gives you an arsenal of ideas. But when it came down to it, I just did what made me feel good. I did what I absolutely had to do, if that makes sense. I stood, swayed, moaned through most of it until I went into the tub and still there I moaned through most of it. It felt awesome!

[pixiewytch]

I didn't follow any specific technique either because I felt like once you are in labor your plan can all go out the window. Boy, was I right. I'm probably not the best person to talk to because the pain was hell for me and I had a difficult time managing it. All of the things I thought would work (tub, massage, rocking, candles, meditating) did next to nothing for me. Even my doula talking me through a visualization didn't help. I'm not saying this to discourage you in any way. I read so many birthing stories that I know it is different for everyone. The last poster described it as awesome and some women claim it is like ecstasy, orgasmic!!! Well it wasn't any of those things or romantic to me at all. Labor is very different for everyone and what works for one person may not work for another. I think going with the flow with some inkling of what may help you is the most authentic way to go. Putting a lot of faith or confidence in one type of pain management could set you up for disappointment.

[MotheringHeart]

I didn't take any formal class either. However, my mom used to be a lamaze teacher and is now a CNM, so I did lots of talking with her. I did find that I used lots of meditation/positive visualization before I went into labor and even during labor. I think mantras work well also. I totally believe that another HUGE part of laboring is knowing that you are going to listen to what your body is telling you and get into the position that is the most comfortable for you. It is important to let go and do what your body says is comfortable, this will help you let go and allow your body to do work.

IMHO, classes are mostly useful for letting you know the stages of labor and giving you ideas for how to cope and let go. I don't believe that women should come out of the classes with the intent of using that technique come hell or high water. Be flexible, listen to yourself, and believe that you can do it!

[Full Heart]

I didn't take any classes (aside from just basic informational ones for dh so he understand the stages of labor and what I would be going through). I did however talk to lots of women who I knew had ncb and asked them how they coped. I had lots of different techniques in my mind so when the time came I could use them and see what worked for me.

[rere]

I just went with the flow.I didn't know what labor was so how could I plan for it?That was my thinking.Now that I have done it I still can't imagine planing for it.I think for me,not planing left me more open to do what I needed.

[velcromom]

I'm not taking any classes but I am doing the hypnobabies home study course. I'm also reading Active Birth. My first labor was spent all on my side, I was reluctant to move at all and now that I know I was sectioned due to a malposition, I'm planning to be as mobile as I can this time.

I'm also more intellectually prepared since I know what it can/might feel like - it blew me out of the water & was way outside anything I expected before. It blindsided me, I had no labor support, and I panicked, but this time I have support and more understanding that it's not going to kill me even if it feels like it at the moment.

The main thing I'm doing is setting up the environment so that I feel uninhibited. I want to feel free to be noisy or messy or crazy if I feel like it and not like I'm going to "bother" anybody or worry anyone or be watched like a hawk. I want to feel free to develop my own coping rituals if I need to, no matter what they might look like from the outside. Even if I have the same level of pain I did before, the situation will be 100% supportive - the complete opposite of what it was like before.

[AmieV]

For my second even my m/w said I didn't need to do anything unless I just wanted to. I was a little nervous about going in without any "preparation" but truly, your body remembers what to do and my second labor was ridiculously easy and I should have totallly trusted her.

Especially because I took a childbirth class the first time and I used nothing from it during labor. It was good to have learned about the process of birth, but really the only coping techniques I used was breathing from yoga.