Were you born by twilight sleep? - Page 2

[sunnymw]

I was born with a shot of narcotic but no epi.

My GMIL, whom we lived with for several months, had 2 out of 3 of her children with TS. She said that with one of them (the second one) she woke up to nurses screaming and pushing on her stomach and then passed back out. She tore with him, the scar is well down onto her LEG. He was 10lbs and some change born at 43-44 weeks. She says she would prefer getting knocked out again to a regular birth in the hospital, which she had with her 3rd.

I can't honestly compare her 3 kids even though I know them pretty well... they all have health issues, although they were all FF'd as well from the get-go.

Sorry I'm not much help!

[texaspeach]

I was not, I was born in '82 by scheduled c-section and my mother had a spinal but was awake for it.

my brothers on the other hand, born in the late 60's (1966, 1968), I'm pretty sure were born while our mother was under twilight sleep. I know that one brother was a high forceps delivery.. not sure about the other one. She doesn't really like to talk about it much, so I don't know exactly what happened, hell, she probably doesn't even know exactly what happened

[not now]

I was born in 1980 and my mom had nitrous. She clung to that mask and was so relaxed that she wouldn't push so the doc had the nurse take the mask away from her.

My mom is very withdrawn/reserved by nature so I doubt that our relationship would have been any different if she didn't use meds.

My grandmother had all her children naturally in Mexico.

[Kidzaplenty]

I don't know how "natural" it was when I was born, but I think it was pretty plain with maybe a bit of pain relief. I know my mom was only there a short time and had her doc discharge her three hours after. So not to many drugs could have been in her system or she would have never left that soon.

[coobabysmom]

I was born in the late 60's in a small town hospital and from what my mom remembers, she was completely knocked out and woke up sometime later after the birth worried that they had killed her baby (me). yikes! All she knows is what she was told later. She was knocked out, had an episiotomy, forcepts. She was given a shot to "dry up her milk". It could possibly have been twilight sleep...

When I pg, I grilled her about her births & she is very detached from them. She talks about going into the hospitals on her due dates and then the doctors taking care of the rest... For some reason this is okay with her.

I don't think our bonding was affected. She is a very loving & affectionate person and just loves babies.

[Mama Khi]

I wasn't born with my mom in a Twilight Sleep, but my mom was. The only thing I know about my mom's birth is that my grandma told me she went to sleep and when she woke up she had a baby. She thought that was the best way to have a baby because she didn't feel much pain. I don't know about tearing or anything like that. My mom was born in 1948. As for their bonding, they seem to get along just fine. I know my grandma was sort of strict with my mom when she was growing up and I think my mom has a bit of resentment toward that, but I don't think that has anything to do with her birth.

On the other hand, my sister and I were both born naturally in a hospital, me in 1977 and my sister in 1981. My mom told me that the doctor wanted to use forceps to pull me out, but she said, "Only if you can promise me that it won't mis-shape the baby's head at all or leave any marks." Of course, he couldn't make that promise so I just came out on my own. Thanks, Mom! (It helped that my mom is a nurse and had been present at many deliveries, so she knew that there could be a problem with forceps.)

For my sister's birth, my mom told me that the doctor put some type of numbing cream on her cervix. She said that it kept her from feeling as much pressure as at my birth and was very helpful. I have never heard anyone else mention this cream. Has anyone here heard of it?

[JesseMomme]

I can't recall if my mom said she's gotten a shot of narcotic with me or my siblings, but I know she had 4 of us all vaginally (1979 and beyond), and she was proud that she did so. I was the biggest at over 9 lbs to boot! My father remembers that it was still a new thing for dads to be in the delivery room at the time. Lamaze was in vogue at the time and I think she did that, as well as helped "coach" a few of her friends in that way when they had their births.

I'm pretty certain that my grandmothers had twilight sleep births. I'd have to ask...it's weird that during all the birth conversations that came up with my grandmothers around they didn't have much in the way of details or anything general to offer about their own experiences, which I think could be telling.

[Aufilia]

No, I wasn't. My parents took a Lamaze class and I was an unmedicated vaginal hospital birth in 1976. My mother wrote her birth story afterward, as the Lamaze instructor had apparently requested the students do so, and she gave me a copy after I had DD (it's not as detailed as what you see on the forums, though!). I wouldn't have appreciated it much before being pregnant but I do love having a copy of it now!

[danotoyou2]

My mother had her oldest with twilight sleep. She was 16 and they used forceps. She always had trouble bonding with her oldest, and she blames it largely on the birth.

She then had 3 other natural births.

[thefragile7393]

No thankfully I was not....born without drugs in `79 in a hospital. My mom did Lamaze and that was enough for her....thankfully I think that hospital phased out the twilight sleep in the 60's. My mom was a homebirth in the 30's....small town and couldn't afford a hospital.

From reading some of these stories it seems that a lot of young moms (16-18) had the worst treatment....seems to go in with the stuff I've read of young mothers being punished and being treated horribly because they were young, possibly unmarried, and giving birth.

[thefragile7393]

Originally Posted by bvnms

Everytime I'm having a baby, she tells me that I'll change my mind and get one. I told her that nobody is sticking some long needle into my back.

I see you have a number of kids...you think she'd learn you're not changing your mind by now!

[fresh_water]

Originally Posted by Aufilia

No, I wasn't. My parents took a Lamaze class and I was an unmedicated vaginal hospital birth in 1976. My mother wrote her birth story afterward, as the Lamaze instructor had apparently requested the students do so, and she gave me a copy after I had DD (it's not as detailed as what you see on the forums, though!). I wouldn't have appreciated it much before being pregnant but I do love having a copy of it now!

I think that's really sweet. My mom told me some of it but she gets them confused after 8 kids lol.

[runes]

both my sister and i were born naturally. no meds, in the hospital. i was born in another country and my mom said that the doctor acted more like a midwife. my sister was born here in the us 2 years later and my mother said that she had to scream at the anesthesiologist to leave her alone. apparently, he was coming into her room every few minutes and offering her drugs. what a jerk!!

both dh and his sister were born under twilight sleep, with forceps. poor mil has dealt with pelvic organ prolapse issues possibly because of this, too.

[latinmom]

Yes, I was, back in 1961 (yikes!). Mom doesn't rmember my birth or my sisters (she was by scopolomine too-I think that's what the stuff was called). She woke up with bruises on her arms where they held her down.

Oddly enough, we never have been close-and she can't figure out why I wanted natural births!

[Shelsi]

My grandmother was definitely awake when she had my uncle. She was very over due (about 44-45 weeks according to her). She was a tiny woman and my uncle was getting so big (born at almost 12 lbs) I guess he was starting to affect some of her organs. Anyways in the hospital he started crowning but the doc wasn't there so they kept pushing him back in for over 30 mins waiting for the doc to arrive : He was born blue and not breathing. They did get him breathing but he suffered some pretty severe brain damage from the birth. He lives in a group home now and has been blind since his late 20's (a remnant from the birth), hears voices, can't take care of himself, etc. My grandparents took care of him themselves until they no longer could and he was into his 40's.

My mom had, I think, an unmedicated birth with my brother in 1975. The way she tells it she didn't have any option of pain meds?? My brother was her first and he was almost 11 lbs. She had a giant episiotomy and always talks about how horrible it was to push him out. She always tells me he should have been a c-section and refuses to listen to me when I tell her she shouldn't have been on her back. But doctors are God to my mom.

I was a for sure unmedicated almost car birth in 1980. They got to the hospital and they rushed my mom upstairs while my dad filled out paperwork and in about 15 mins I was born. The doc always told my mom that if I'd been 1/2 lb lighter that I prob would have been born in the car. She asked the doc not to tell my dad because she knew that would freak him out and she still hasn't told him! LMAO

[selena_ski]

Originally Posted by coobabysmom

She was knocked out, had an epi, forcepts. She was given a shot to "dry up her milk".

^how sad is that? could you imagine if someone did that to you.

I know neither my mom or maternal grandmother had a twilight birth, i am unsure if either used pain medication. I doubt my grandmother did, because in her telling of her births it was like, i am working and the go to hospital and had my babies within 20-45 minutes. but it would be interesting for more detail. My mom seems more of the type who would get the epi and in the 80s it was common. she never said either way.

[Full Heart]

My mil says she had twilight sleep. She has no recollection of either birth under it. I know she had epis with all her kids. The 3rd was only like 25 years ago so she didn't have twilight then (huge gap between my dh and the youngest). So my fil was there for it and it was life altering for him. He comes over after my births and immediatly wants to watch the video. I think if I let him he would be here for the birth lol.

My mother had a shot of something in her hip that was like an epidural, she couldn't walk. But didn't take any of the pain away. My mom also had the shot to dry up her milk. She really wished she could bfed me. That birth made her change alot. She never let anyone bully her around after that.

[hipmummy]

Originally Posted by SublimeBirthGirl

I was "lucky." All I got was Stadol, epidural drugs, and being dragged out by forceps. Though I was born in '75 and I don't think there was a lot of the twilight sleep at that point?

Same thing year and all.

[AlexisT]

Natural, 1977. Mom went on to have 2 more natural births.

Grandma had it though i think, that was around 1950 in NYC.

[WaitingForKiddos]

I was born in '78. Mom had an emergency c-section due to eclampsia and was unconscious for 3 days post birth. I've been told that I was alone in the nursery for that time, getting fed sugar water only (which I have a hard time believing).

I'm with you. I wonder what the birth and lack of immediate bonding did. I know it made my mom very sensitive to the idea of bonding. She can't watch The Business of Being Born because, for her, she feels like it says 'no immediate bonding = no love' Despite our start, my mom and I had a fantastic nursing relationship until I was about 3.5 yrs. So...