Kind of silly question: Do you need to have a "program" for NCB?

[momtoafireteam]

I am gearing myself up for a NCB VBA2C in April. I had a vaginal delivery for my first but it was an induction and the pain was unbearable and I caved to the epi. I do NOT want to do that again.

So, here is the silly question. Do you *need* to have a NCB program to have a successful NCB? Like hypnobabies, Bradley, etc etc?Do you think it makes it easier?

Sorry if this is a plain dumb question, I am really new to this more natural approach to birthing. lol.

[AlpineMama]

I didn't and didn't have much of a problem, but I wasn't induced so I'm not sure if that made a difference. I did go into deep meditation though without really MEANING to, so maybe my background in meditation made up for the lack of hypnobirthing or another program like that...

[rixafreeze]

I think your success in having a natural birth depends a lot on your environment and the people around you, as much or more than your own personal preparation. If you put yourself in an environment that truly facilitates undisturbed birth, it will be pretty easy to do it without medications. That said, most environments that facilitate that kind of birth won't have pain meds--home & birth centers, for example.

Hypnobirthing can be a very useful tool in hospital births because it allows you go create that bubble of serenity and surrender that often naturally comes at home births.

[rmzbm]

I don't think so. I don't have one planned anyhow, just gunn'a go with the flow...

[jakesask]

Some of the childbirth education classes don't even teach a prescribed method (e.g., Birthworks), so I don't think you need a "program" to get you through. Some people find visualization really helpful for dealing with pain or maintaining concentration or staying relaxed, but visualization isn't "owned" by any method in particular, and is used for lots of non-childbirth situations, and you can learn about it in a thousand different places. Some women feel reassured or empowered by the "control" that learning a method gives them, and that can be really great and very useful, but sometimes in birth letting go of control is equally important.

Having had the opportunity to try out mental "pain relief" and breathing techniques in some severe pain situations that had nothing to do with childbirth, I'm pretty convinced they're useless to me (not useless to everyone, just to me). So I'm just going to do what comes naturally. I know I'll be okay.

I'd suggest getting something like Mongan's Hypnobirthing book from the library, or a Bradley method book, and seeing if they speak to you. If the content appeals, go for it -- follow the book, take a class, whatever works for you. If it doesn't seem useful, don't bother. Something more general, like Janet Balaskas' Active Birth book (popular in the UK and Canada but not much heard about in the US) might be good, just to give you some ideas. But I fully believe your body is capable of doing this work without instruction.

For what it's worth, I've heard that the pain of pitocin-induced labour is brutal and far beyond what your body was designed to handle. I've heard committed homebirthers and unassisted birthers say that they once had a baby in hospital and they were induced and they refused the epidural, but that they would NOT recommend that anyone else refuse the epidural because the pain was insane. When the homebirthers are recommending drugs, you know the pain must be pretty bad! A labour without induction should not be like your induced labour was.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

I doubt I'd have had a natural birth with my first (hospital birth) without the Bradley class I took. I used Hypnobabies with my 2nd and the techniques made labor noticeably more comfortable. I teach a class called Intuitive Birth that stresses tuning in to your body and figuring out what's best for you. I think childbirth education can give you lots of tools you might not think of on your own. I also think a natural birth in a hospital is very unlikely without preparation.

[Arwyn]

No, you don't, but it can (for some people) be helpful. I think what "works" (optimizes your odds of a birth you want) is to create in yourself a mindset that you CAN birth, that you WILL birth, and that you have some idea of how you would deal with the most likely possible contingencies of birth. For some people, that means following a birth program; for others, it means reading and reading and talking and learning and reading and...; for others, going in themselves, meditating and getting in touch with their own intuitions. Or some combination thereof.

I do think that attempting to birth naturally in the hospital calls for a bunch of preparation, both internally and externally (that is, learning as much as you can AND talking with the hospital/staff ahead of time).

But to answer your question: no, you do not need to have a "program" for NCB.

[holly6737]

I didn't. But I did train to be a doula while I was pregnant, so I got alot of childbirth education from that experience. What really made all of the difference in the world was my midwife and her assistant. Bradley classes might have gotten my husband more involved, though.

[alegna]

I didn't. But I birth at home where no one will mess with me.

-Angela

[cottonwood]

Originally Posted by rixafreeze

I think your success in having a natural birth depends a lot on your environment and the people around you, as much or more than your own personal preparation. If you put yourself in an environment that truly facilitates undisturbed birth, it will be pretty easy to do it without medications.

And without methods, in my experience. I wanted to allow my labors to be primal, instinctive, and spontaneous... consciously trying to employ a learned method is completely contrary to that.

[mama de dos]

My first was an induced (pit) nightmare. I also got the epidural after 12 hrs of no-med pit contractions, (water having broken 48 hrs before) lots of complications, and was still only at 3 cm. The pain was *insane* and was more than I could deal with. I had a great prep class (BirthWorks), had a doula, and was really committed to a natural birth, but there was just no getting around that level of intense pain for that long. I felt so bad that I got the epidural and I was scared to death, but it actually saved me from a c-section in that case.

Fast forward to years to the next birth. I planned it at home and was really anxious about how I could possibly deal with the pain, would I be able to do it, etc. In the processing of my first birth with an amazing therapist, she actually recommended that I NOT try to use a 'program' with any future births. I was like ???? : What?!? Then how could I possibly get through it?

She so wisely helped me think about being instinctive and trusting my body to go inward and do what *I* needed to get through that particular birth. That I had within me what I would need to birth, I just needed to be able to go inside and allow myself to access it- to get out of the way of my head, cultural conditioning, etc. It was so hard to wrap my head around that (my head was a big part of the problem! ) but oh my, was she so right.

I worry that if I had tried to use a 'method' that I would have wanted that to 'save' me or 'do' part of it for me, and I don't think you can know what you will need to do (or not do) until you're *in* that particular labor. Part of the problem with how our culture 'does' birth, IMO, is thinking that if you just do x,y,z, some external, set group of things, that it will all work and you'll have 'done it right'. But, what you -think- you will need may end up being the exact opposite of what you actually -do- need to birth.

Furthermore, if you are determined to use Bradley, or whatever, and then those techniques aren't doing it for you at some point, you're kind of set up for "OH crap, NOW what?!?" during labor, which is NOT what you need! I really believe that what you need is within you, not a method.

My midwife also talked a lot with me, encouraging me gently toward the end of the pg to visualize in my head how the labor might go, who was around me, if anyone, where I might like to be, what I might be doing, and to think about myself doing whatever I needed to do to birth normally, just as my body knew how. I talked a lot about my fears and doubts with her, to get them out of the way as much as possible before the birth. I thought I would need and want a lot of support and 'coaching' from her and her assistant during the labor, but as it turned out, since I was at home, I was able to go into that space that everyone had talked about, and just let my body do its thing. It was amazing. And when my midwife showed up and saw how I was laboring, very inwardly focused, handling things well, she just was quiet and didn't interrupt and 'coach' me like I told her I would need. She knew better. She just sat in the corner, in the dark, and let me be. Perfect.

Anyway, the pain was still considerable, but SO much different and more manageable than my 1st labor and birth. Yes there was pain, but it was OK, and I was free to work with it and figure how to deal and be with it. I did it with no problem (though with considerable work- remember those are different) and so can you. Really. It was a wonderful and transformative experience for me. What a revelation on so many levels. My 3rd birth was the same, and ended up being unassisted. SO totally amazing.

OK, so this has been crazy long and I worry I've rambled without articulating what I wanted to. The important thing to remember is that YOU, not a method or class, have what you need to birth. Remember and believe that. Stop searching on the outside and turn within- that's where what you need is. You can do it! Really.

[momtoafireteam]

Originally Posted by mama de dos

The important thing to remember is that YOU, not a method or class, have what you need to birth. Remember and believe that. Stop searching on the outside and turn within- that's where what you need is. You can do it! Really.

This made me get teary. Thankyou so much ladies!!

[4 in 2005]

I didn't do a method, I had 4 hospital briths and 3 were fully drug free. The one that I was given medication as nurse ratched (I hated her) was pushing the drugs in my heplock my good nurse opted to check me and annouced I was almost complete just a lip of cervix left. I thought NO wonder I caved I was in transition. : Something that still bugs me today, and why I would advise if you are going for a hospital birth try to aviod a Heplock or IV it gives them easy access if they want to get pushy.

One nurse actually tried to hook up pitocin with out my consent and wasn't going to tell me what it was with my 3rd birth. I said "You call MY OB, not her partner, MINE, and remind her I went from 3 cms to holding my baby in under 2 hours and ask her if she really wants me to have this junk. If she wants me to then I will take it but I would bet she would be ok with me declining it." This after the nurse tried to tell me I couldn't decline the pit because the OB's partner ordered it. WANT TO BET! I was ready to get dressed and labor in the parking lot and come in when I showed signs of transition. LOL!

Really the best things you need: Good solid support team. OB or midwife that knows your plans and is supportive. Someone that understands if you start to want to cave you are likley in transition and can get you over that last hump. With my last, I yelled screw the epidural knock me out general and give me a c-section. My nurse and DH laughed knowing I was almost there. Sure enough 5 minutes later she was crowning.

Jennifer

[NatureMama3]

no, you do not. Having people who support you natural birth you do need.

[ahdoula]

I think it is being educated that is most important. I think that is what most of these classes do, and it is what most new parents lack. Hospital classes are classes about interventions, we NEED programs in place that teach normalcy. that being said if you are getting you education elsewhere, then no, you don't need a program.

[Veritaserum]

Well, of course you don't need to learn a method. The baby will come out either way. The question is whether or not you'd feel more prepared and have a better experience by learning a method or taking a class. For me, the answer was a huge YES! I love Hypnobabies. In fact, I'm quite certain I would not choose unmedicated birth without hypnosis. "Pain with a purpose" simply makes no sense to me. For me, pain is suffering and I had enough of that with my first traumatic and horrible birth experience.

Originally Posted by fourlittlebirds

And without methods, in my experience. I wanted to allow my labors to be primal, instinctive, and spontaneous... consciously trying to employ a learned method is completely contrary to that.

The implication here is that a method removes instinct or that it supplants it. I strongly disagree (at least, based on the method I used). I know that my Hypnobabies training allowed me to be more in tune with my body and my baby and what positions I needed to use and what I needed to be doing at various points. The hypnosis becomes second nature. I didn't find that I even had to think about it much during labor because my practice prior to the birth simply allowed it to be there for me. I feel like it liberated me to be spontaneous and instinctive.

Pain is very disorienting for me and I don't think I would have felt as able to tune in to my labor because of the pain. I dissociate when I'm in pain or feel traumatized so when my first baby was born I had mentally checked out. I did NOT want that to happen again. Hypnobabies allowed me to be present and aware and to be fully involved mentally, spiritually, and physically with the birth of my child. It was fantastic!

[GreenRose]

I say all this having not given birth yet...
but I think you need to know yourself before you know what worked for other people.
I know I'm the type that needs ALL the knowledge I can get, and to do as much preparation as possible, if only to get myself mentally prepared.
Until I started reading childbirth books, taking Bradley, doing prenatal yoga, listening to hypnobabies, searching for natural childbirth stories .. yes, I'm a bit type A I wasn't ready to go natural. I was all set for hospital and let's hook up those drugs when I walk in the door please. But now, because of all of the above, I'm going to a birthcenter and have a lot of faith that I can go natural. I don't mind if I abandon all the knowledge and 'techniques' during labor - i don't have a birth plan or a list of things to do, in order - but all that prepwork has got me to a good mental place. The most important thing.. i think. And hope!