Does 'Transition' exist in homebirth?

[Attached@TheHippie]

I read this statement from the midwife archives on gentlebirth.org and would like to hear some thoughts. This will be my first homebirth and I just found it interesting.

"Transition" as described in childbirth classes does not exist in homebirth as we practice it. The hall marks of transition with the the "Third Emotional Sign Post: Self Doubt" as labeled by Bradley just don't exist at home. "Transition" happens in a hospital because the staff starts to change their behavior, i.e.. flipping on the warmer, rolling in the instrument table, more staff in and out as they perceive the intensity in her labor. This activity registers in the brain as danger to the birthing environment causing distress to the laboring woman. As well, most childbirth education classes are very outdated in presenting that somehow a woman is in a place of self doubt because she is not able to verbalize what she wants or needs. Rather the model should be constructed that she is in the deepest part of her work. Are men in a place of self doubt because if you were to ask whether they want chicken or fish for dinner in the most intense moments before they orgasm during sex they might fumble for an answer? So I feel like we are teaching a whole lot of women that when they are in the deep mystical night so to speak of their labor, they are in the land of self doubt. How utterly disempowering!" Transition" has become a buzz word that I have to de-program out of my clients birth view.

[ColoradoMama]

Hmmm, I actually find this quite insulting. As if, I'm somehow less of a woman because I experienced self doubt during my labor. What crap. It was hard, I was tired, and yes, I doubted myself for a few minutes. Then I pushed out a beautiful, perfect, 8lb 11oz baby. I didn't find it "disempowering" at all. Actually, giving birth to my daughter at home, in spite of my moment of "weakness" (read with HUGE amount of sarcasm) was the most incredibly, empowering thing I have ever done. Got to tell you - if I met this woman face to face - we might have words! Oh well, she's entitled to her opinion - and me to mine!

[alegna]

I didn't experience a traditional "transition" at my homebirth. I was tired, so I asked a few times if I was close to finished.... but I never did the "I can't do this" thing.

-Angela

[Lynski]

Hmmm...I don't know. With my hospital birth, self doubt was exactly what led to an epidural. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle the pain, and no one around me offered anything other than "then get the epidural." I don't know that self doubt and transition are necessarily linked though. We're hoping for a home birth this time, and I'm expecting the midwife to be more supportive of my choice and not contribute to that doubt. I do firmly believe that the general hospital procedures contributed to my stress. This is exactly what's been going through my head since I decided to HB last week. But I think the problem isn't self doubt, I find it hard to believe anyone doesn't experience SOME of that. The problem is how that doubt is handled, and how the environment of the birth contributes to or alleviates that doubt.

[kerikadi]

Hmmm, I actually find this quite insulting. As if, I'm somehow less of a woman because I experienced self doubt during my labor. What crap. It was hard, I was tired, and yes, I doubted myself for a few minutes. Then I pushed out a beautiful, perfect, 8lb 11oz baby. I didn't find it "disempowering" at all. Actually, giving birth to my daughter at home, in spite of my moment of "weakness" (read with HUGE amount of sarcasm) was the most incredibly, empowering thing I have ever done. Got to tell you - if I met this woman face to face - we might have words! Oh well, she's entitled to her opinion - and me to mine!


:truedat:
Most of my friends are homebirthers and we have all experienced transition.
I do think that it can happen at a different time though, especially when nobody is saying "you're 7cm" I think most of us look back and think 'Well, this was transition because...."
With both of my home waterbirths I had moments of doubt. I distinctly remember with my first homebirth sitting in the tub thinking I had screwed myself because there was no way I was going to put on clothes and get in the car but being numb sounded so DAMN GOOD:nut About 30 seconds past and I got down to the business of my labor without even saying a word to anyone.
With #4 which was a VERY fast (45 min) labor I knew the baby was coming fast -- my labor started with transition and I told my MW that this was VERY different. She was a bit worried because she is a huge believer in women's intuition and thought different was bad but really different just meant - freight train fast:yikes:

When in transition you cry, yell, scream, curse and say things you wouldn't normally say. You are hot, cold, pukey and generally pissed off and it is a right of passage. Transition sucks but getting on the other side of it is the most empowering thing I have ever felt.:thumb

My MW has been doing homebirths for 26 years, transition is assumed and she finds it quite amusing and tends to laugh (to herself) because she knows it is GOOD and that the baby will be here soon:D

Keri

[busybusymomma]

Umm, not sure I quite agree. It just seems to me that midwives are more likely to recognize transition for what it is (an often intense experience) than say, an L&D nurse who just offers drugs. JMO though.

[mommyjenn]

Well, I have definite "transition signs" (right before my babies are born) and I don' think I would get a numb tounge and sound like a drunk trying to talk and tingly fingers and hot flashes because I am afraid, LOL! It is the rush of hormones near the birth that does that to me. Also, I remember contractions being more intense near the birth. As far as emotional, as a first time mom, the increased intensity and weird happenings to my body messed with me a bit and I need extra reassurance.
*edited* to add I needed extra reassurance that this would not go on forever, LOL. I think that's what happened to me is I got a little scared thinking there is no way I could go on and on like this. I do like the way the above article called it the deepest part of her work.

[OtherMother'n'Madre]

I am living proof that transition occurs with the hallmark sign post being self doubt. It was because of that that we transferred in for some pain killer.

I think that homebirths have less frantic transitions maybe. Women who plan homebirths are going to be more educated about the birth process. (Not saying planned hospital birth aren't educated just a different level is needed) They need to know what can go wrong and what to do and how to recognize it etc. That being said they are going to realize possibly sooner than others when their transition is happeneing. They'll be able to go into it a bit easier than suddenly being hit with self doubt and all the hormones and everything that make transition so tough and KNOW somewhere within them that it's transition. They won't be as taken off guard. Clear as mud? :lol

[Guest*]

I think most of us look back and think 'Well, this was transition because...."


Exactly! I had a little self-doubt, too. Ctxs were right on top of each other, I was nauseous, I was disoriented, but I still thought I was in early labor. That scared me! But then I was pushing my baby out.

Transition certainly exists in homebirth. It's probably different than a hospital-birth transition, but I can't say as I've never birthed in a hospital.

I think a lot of midwives actually gauge your progress by transition. If you start saying "I can't do this!," they know it's almost baby time for most women.

[veganf]

Ridiculous. Transition happens. Whether or not we're aware of it is another issue.
I certainly noticed transition with my first birth. I wanted to push a little, but it wasn't unbearable yet. I threw up a few times. I got clammy, sweaty, and a little shaky. It was OBVIOUSLY transition.
Second birth I think I STARTED in transition, but didn't realize it because I hadn't noticed anything labor signs until my water broke. Then it was immediately back to back debilitating contractions where it felt like I was trying to crawl out of my own skin!
Either the person who said transition doesn't exist in homebirth isn't really paying attention to the mothers she helps, or she's rather inexperienced IMO.

- krista

[PerennialMom]

Well that's fascinating and I agree with all the posters about it being a little insulting. But...what does they mean by "homebirth AS WE PRACTIVE IT." Meaning THEY don't acknowledge transition? It's something else going to full dilation? Then what? It's a physical happening that we express in very individual ways. Just because I say I can't do it anymore doesn't mean I won't. I mean, come on....where the heck am I going go that will make labor go away?

Ironically enough, I did not experience anything during transition at my first HOSPITAL (natural Bradley) birth. I experienced it with a vengeance at my homebirth. I sat on the toilet thinking I couldn't do it anymore, then verbalizing that someone had to just kill me. I left the bathroom and threw up in the garbage and was fine. I knew I was in transition during those moments. Transition actually woke me up from a restful labor sleep....gripped me like 2 large hands that I thought were going to rip me apart! Self doubt was part of that experience and I can't deny that feeling. It was quick though and I did live....and I'll be fine this time too. :lol

I just wonder about the author's language and use of "as we practice it." That might explain a little more about what they mean.

[Animama]

I just had a homebirth, and definitely perceived transition. No one else was making any changes to what they were doing, just me.

[Pariah]

When in transition you cry, yell, scream, curse and say things you wouldn't normally say. You are hot, cold, pukey and generally pissed off and it is a right of passage. Transition sucks but getting on the other side of it is the most empowering thing I have ever felt.:thumb

I agree completely. I had an amazing homebirth, and definitely had transition. I had some self-doubt during it. But what matters to me most is that I got through it! I'm still in awe that I had a homebirth (six weeks ago! :) ).

Meaning THEY don't acknowledge transition?

See, I think that would make it even worse not acknowleding it. When I hit transition and felt self-doubt, it helped me SO much when Dh and my midwife reminded me that I was feeling what I was feeling because of transition, not because I was actually incapable of having my baby. It helped me remember that transition was the shortest part of labor and that it would pass soon.

[MamaMonica]

:truedat:
When in transition you cry, yell, scream, curse and say things you wouldn't normally say. You are hot, cold, pukey and generally pissed off and it is a right of passage. Transition sucks but getting on the other side of it is the most empowering thing I have ever felt.:thumb


This was my experience. also. I had definite transitions in both my homebirths.

[pamamidwife]

I think what the post was trying to convey is that sometimes what women are taught about labor isn't always going to be their experience. I agree that constant vaginal exams leads to a voicing of "transition" to women when in fact they are in a fragile state at that time and shouldn't be rocked with readying of "instruments", etc.

[Baby Makes 4]

I definitely had "Transition" during my homebirth! It was a very intense 10 minutes or so of complete and total panic. I wanted to go the hospital, I wanted drugs, I wanted my midwife to come back and all of a sudden I wanted to push and I realized what was happening. There was no change in my outside environment at the time, my self doubt came completely from within.

The reason I didn't recognize it at the time was because I had just been checked and was only 4 cm so my midwife went to check on another Mama in labour. She just barely ran back in the door in time to catch.

[Mybabymommy]

I know that for myself (hospital births) I had a distinct transition faze, and in talking to my sisters, they seem to have the same experience.

For 'us' it seems to be a total shift in the progression of labour... from managing the contractions, to getting down to bussiness. Personally, I feel the intence desire to "go somewhere" I don't care where, I just know for a dead certainty that I am outta there LOL

[tracylhl]

I think that the problem here is how we define "transition" I know that if you are talking about the "I can't do this. I want to go home" definition, the only time I experienced that was my first birth. That said, I got out of the car at the hospital last time, felt the urge to push, felt my knees go week, felt my heart quicken, hands sweat, and turned to DH and said "Ummm... They're not sending me home this time!" I told him it was transition but I was referring to a transition in my body's behavior, not my control. As a matter of fact, the nurses kept trying to talk down to me or over my head and my dh and were quite surprised when I told them to knock it off and then started cracking jokes about myself! I think it's all in your definition and then it's a matter of self-confidence in knowing that you can do it. In my case, knowing I had done it before and was almost finished this time gave me that strength. That confidence and feeling like I, frankly, knew much more about my body and birthing my baby than the nurses or dr. did is what has led me to the confidence and decision to hb this time! I couldn't have done it my 1st time, I don't think. Not w/out transporting and an anxiety attack! I have tons of respect and honor for those of you with the strength to do it at home first time around!! :thumb

[gemelos]

I 100% disagree with that article!! I think it is very untrue. I defenitely experienced transition, the self doubt signpost, etc. I was sitting peacefully in the tub when my midwife checked me and I was complete. As she was checking me the bulging water bag broke and first baby's head began to descend. I began to shake and feel VERY strange and weird noises began coming from me. I was scared, confused and had no idea what was going on. I am so glad my midwives were there. It felt like a chemical/hormonal thing to me. I also experienced it again as baby #2 was about to be born.

[grace's voice]

Sooo interesting...
Only about 30% of women experience transition anyway. I would say I went through transition with my homebirth, but I have never thought to link it to any kind of self doubt. I got to a point where I was hanging in there, but I knew if it became any more intense it would be too much. I asked if it was going to get any worse, and was reassured it wouldn't, and I was fine with that. A few minutes later I said, "I don't want to do this anymore" and I didn't, it hurt! My doula reminded me that was a good positive sign, which I knew, and felt better once she reaffirmed it. I was having double and triple peak contractions, which were very intense. I'd call that transition! After about 15 minutes it passed and I was fully dialated and told I could start pushing when I wanted to. It was tough, but I made it through. It was a homebirth, but I've always thought I experienced transition. I know self doubt is an emotional sign post (I had a Bradley birth) but there are other signs of transition as well. I think its pretty hoaky to say it doesn't happen at home!
That said, I don't think I would have handled it anywhere NEAR as well in a hospital.

[georgia]

I get pretty annoyed anytime I read or hear blanket statements about anything, let alone anything to do with something as dear to my heart as birth :love I don't find the passage to be offensive, personally, as I understand what the author is getting at....

I didn't experience "transition" in the hospital, but that's b/c I was highly medicated and had no normal physiological responses going on other than fear (fear being a normal emotion for me in strange and scary settings). I had two subsequent homebirths, in which I experienced completely different "transitions"....but both definitely signaled something was changing to me.

[DreamsInDigital]

I definitely experienced transition during my homebirth. At 6:00am exactly my midwife checked me and I was 6cm. I had 3 really intense contractions right on top of one another, during which I cried and sobbed "I don't want to do this anymore. This sucks!"
And then I went and got in the tub and felt the urge to push. My midwife checked me at 6:09am and I was 10cm.

[rikiamber]

okay so all this talk about Transition is making me a bit nervious seeing as that I am due end of June with my first. I had a short stint as an apprentice midwife and was blessed enough to observe 15 birth center births and on c/s. There was never any moment that the mws said "This is transition" you just knew it. THey tried not to disturb the birth process by having everything read pretty much when the woman got to the center or setting up while she was in the tub or not really aware of their presence. I can clearly remember each woman getting to a point of "seriousness", because not all expressed doubt, three of the women labored so quietly it was kinda hard to tell what they were going through. But for the most part the woman hit a point of panic, wanting the hospital, wanting drugs, wanting to quit; and the mws just calmly talked to them (though the women dont remember) and told them that they were too close to the birth for drugs to take effect, the hospital was far enough away that they would deliver in the car, or that they were too close to the end to quit. Some women really paniced and were causing themselves and the baby distress and the mw would have to get firmer with her to get her attention, somtimes they said "Okay after two more ctrx then we can go to the hospital" knowing that the head was on the perenium and the baby would be crowning in the next two ctrx but mom didnt want to believe the mw or feel for herself she was set on going to the hospital. That birth brought me to tears they were so over joyed with the baby and glad that they didnt go to the hospital.

I believe that the "self-doubt" really comes from our culture. Not enough women get to see a natural, un-medicated births, let alone out of hospital births. I was actually suprised when the first woman I watched give birth didnt grab her husband and try to strangle him, I thought that was normal. We judge normal by what we see on TV or hear in the stories of our elders, they joke about bad birth experiences like they are normal, my mom actuall said that they dont let you eat in a hospital during labor because they dont want you to poop on your baby. I had to tell her that pratically every woman poo's a bit while giving birth, you cant help it when the baby is comeing out the pressure is too much. But this is the stories my mother was told and therefore told me and my sister (who had two c/s) mom did give birth naturally in less than a half hour after her water broke (I do hope I take a little bit more time to dialate). But the "panic" of transistion could stem from what we have precieved birth to be, just because we believe it to be beautiful and natural dosent mean that mass cultural influence dosent have a subconsious effect on us that comes out during that most intense of moments.

I would like to hope that I wont curse or beg for drugs, but I wont brow beat myself if I do. I have informed my dh and will talk to my mw and doula and tell them that I appologize now for cursing (I can get a bit outta hand when I get stressed) and that under no circumstance other than pending harm to me or the baby am I to be taken to the hospital for drugs, basically ignor me when I beg for them. I am good with dealing with pain, especally when I know it will end, so I just have to get help in remembering that I will not be in "transition" for years. But anyways that is all my observations and a few opinions. I hope it does someone good.

[renaissanceed]

Well, I must be one of the odd ones, because I didn't feel like I experienced transition as it is traditionally known. I'm sure there was transition, but some of the hallmarks of the transition phase were spread out over a period of hours. And as for self-doubt and wanting drugs, I was fortunate enough that this never occurred to me. I was so busy just experiencing the constant contractions (and then so tired during the pushing) that I never thought about drugs/hospital transfer. Oddly enough DH and the MW thought about it, because my labour was tiring and pushing was long, but I never did.

So Rikiamber, you can have a homebirth without the doubts - it justs helps to be really firm in your desire to have one. I strongly believe that my absolute faith in my body to do this as well as my strong desire to avoid the hospital allowed me to give birth without the doubts.

[grace's voice]

I never wanted drugs either... I promised myself I'd try to remember to ask myself when it got tiring, 'if drugs were availible, would I want them?' Surprisingly, I did remember to ask myself while I was transitioning, and the answer was absolutly not! I was doing fine on my own, and I was aware that what I was feeling was transition, so I knew in a few short minutes things would change, and soon I would be done.

[charmedgirlies]

Umm, not sure I quite agree. It just seems to me that midwives are more likely to recognize transition for what it is (an often intense experience) than say, an L&D nurse who just offers drugs. JMO though.


I agree with this in mymost recent birth I was laying on my bed and almost cried thinking to myself 'I can't do this without steve here this isn't fair' and almost before I was even done thinking it I was thinking 'silly mama you are almost done now you ARE doing this' I never said it outloud and it only lasted a brief moment and was gone. Like others said I think its jsut that rush of everything at once.

[violetbutterfly]

I have a really sweet transition memory with my homebirth. I was in the tub (I'm not sure how near the end I was) and I had a contraction and immediately after I just burst into tears. It wasn't because of anything I could put my finger on I just needed to cry. At that moment my husband looks at me and gets a big smile on his face and says "That's great, that means the baby's almost here!". He recognized what was going on even if I didn't and I love him for that (this was our third). That was the extent of the outward signs of transition for that birth. I think it was still about an hour before I had her. Interestingly enough, my only "Real" transition was in my shortest birth so I'm not sure if faster dialation increases the severity of transition.

[rad]

Personally I think it does exist. I've only ever had Homebirths and I can definitely "feel" that self doubt come on. DH has seen it too and knows that means the baby is almost ready to be born. All my births have been very fast. With my first, no one made it until I was ready to push and I still felt that transistion feeling even without my birth attendants around. I could feel myself losing it and thinking that if I had several more hours of this, I couldn't make it and I'd have to head to the hospital. My last 2 births I just felt myself trying to find a way to make it happen faster. Looking for a way out, so to speak.

Like I said, my babies were usually born within 10-20 minutes of that feeling. So I completely disagree with it. I do think transition exists in homebirth.

[swebster]

This is a really interesting thread....

All this time I guess that I misunderstood what transition was. I thought that it was a physical state after full dialation, but it seems that most posters define it as an emotional state characterized by intense feelings or self-doubt.

Suddenly it all makes sense...

my labor began with my water breaking, 50 hours of contrax every 3-5 minutes, stuck at 8cm with serious anterior lip, last 3 hours contrax slowing down to 10 minutes apart and then meconium in the water, at which piont I decided to go to the hospital for some pitocin.

during this long labor I was doing everything imaginable to help baby get in a better position including a childs pose, which was excruciating. I only have fond memories of my labor and delivery, but I do remember thinking "note to self: remember this feeling as it is the most intense emotional and physical experience you have ever had" :lol It was....wow....incredible. I also remember asking my midwife if transition would be more difficult (expecting her to say yes), but instead she told me I was already in transition. I thought she was humoring me since I believed that transition only occurred right before pushing and at that point I was a good 7 hours away (didn't know that at the time of course :mischief )

So then fast forward to the hospital...after 2 hours of humoring the nurses (um...sure I'll get in the bathtub and do some walking...:irked: ) and literally 15 minutes of pitocin I hopped up on the birth stool and pushed Bea out in 30 minutes. I was shocked...where was the real transition?

So is this right? was my transition the hour I spent on hands and knees feeling extremely intense:lol seven hours before pushing?

[Persephone]

I didn't experience any self doubt in my labor. Well, not in transition anyway, unless transition can happen when you're 4 cm dilated. I did "labor math", and decided that since it took an hour to go from 3-4, that I had a LOOONG time left in my labor, and asked for medication. 4 hours later, I had a baby. :lol I recognize transition for me at 9 cm, when I started feeling pushy, and the ctx were so intense that I felt like dry heaving my insides out. (No nausea, just really intense feelings of pushing.) I actually croaked out to whoever was listening, "transition" at that moment. I had no feelings of self doubt or "i cant' do this", and I WAS in a hospital. :P

[MotheringHeart]

I definitely had some moments of panic with DS (my second) but it was a very short period of time. My labor went fairly quickly and the midwife I had was taking her time arriving. My labor seemed pretty intense to me, but because I had an epidural w/my #1DD, I had no clue what *real* labor felt like. So there I was, telling DH that I couldn't do it anymore (even though it had only been a couple of hours) and wondering where the MW was. When she arrived I said "I can't do this anymore" and she said "You are doing it, Olivia, your body is doing it." Right then I just let go and DS was born five mins later! With DD#2, my third delivery, I had some time where I was really tired and just didn't know what position I wanted to be in, what felt good, or anything. I was exhausted (I hadn't listened to my body and during the day I didn't take a nap, I just kept running around like a maniac, so by the time it was the middle of the night and I was laboring, I was exhausted) and I just couldn't see the end of the labor. Turns out that period was about 20mins before I pushed out DD#2.

I think for me, transition isn't about doubting myself or wanting medication (I have NEVER wanted to go to the hospital during a birth, I already had one hospital birth and it about broke my spirit), it is just a period of time where I'm really overwhelmed and emotional. Once I get the whining done, I can focus and get down to the business of pushing out my baby!

[phatchristy]

Well, I never felt like I got to a point that I couldn't do it...but I did get to the point where it felt so horrific I wanted it over. That was as close to trasition as I got (and I was in it, I am sure :lol ). The last time I kept on asking them the entire last hour...how much longer...and then I joked "I understand why some women ask for the epidural when they hit this stage" not that I would but I was REALLY aware of the fact that the sensations that I was feeling were probably the most intense I would ever feel my entire life. But, I knew feeling like that was normal and that it genuinely wouldn't be much longer.

For both of my last two births it really only hurt for two hours. But, it hurt VERY badly:p . But, livable pain, I got through it! Knowing that it is normal to think and feel like that, and that it is a temporary thing...that makes such a huge difference mentally!

[orangebird]

Huh. I say BS. I sure had what I would call transition during both my homebirths. It was a definite phase. Very clearly so during labor and while looking back on the experiences. Labor shifted into a very intense and different phase. And when I finally got past it it was time to push.

I would venture to say that transition is more common in home births than hospital births since most hospital birthing mamas have epidurals where she can't even feel it, or pitocin scrambling everything up, or whatever the heck else going on making transition non-existent in the hospital (c-section with no labor being a clear and common one lol).

I got to a moment of self doubt during both my homebirths. The first one I leaned on DH's shoulder and said "I can't do this" and my MW said "you are doing it!" and asked if she could check me. I was just about 10 cm. A minute later I was pushing. At my second homebirth my MW asked if she could check me during what felt like "transition", she told me I was at 4 cm. I thought there is no way I can do this if I'm only 4. Less than 10 minutes later I was pushing him out.

[geekmediainc]

Transition absolutely exists at home and I experienced full throttle with my first unmedicated UC last October.

My labor got to the point that I told hubby that I needed to go to the hospital (self doubt) and 5 minutes later I was on my feet birthing the most beautiful little boy I had ever seen.

I think it is insulting that anyone would presume to know what labor is like for another person, and almost belittle the mother who believes that transition exists.

[lilyka]

I have never defined transition as a time of self doubt . . . It has been the part of labor where things pick up and make you feel like you will be crushed by pain. I have heard it defined as a time where the mom checks out and goes to "lala labor land". For me it was just that point where I decide I hate labor and wish someone would reach in and drag that kid out. The suddenly excrutiating, last 10-30 minutes before pushing. where i start noticing the pain and nothing helps. And i have had it all three times, one hospital, one home, one in my midwifes office (unplanned :) ) It felt the same all three times just got shorter each time. The only time I asked for drugs was the first one because they checked me and said maybe 8-24 hours. I was exhausted and hadn't slept for 4 days. I figured I had a long haul and I wanted to sleep a while if I could. There was also hope that an epi. would slow labor (they were trying to drag it out as long as possible - premature). Ifigured good grief, might as well have it now.

but where I was never made any difference and I can't say that it did for any of my friends either. even the ones who had hospital births some transitioned at home and went in pushing, I also have friends who have had homebirths, they all had transition, and there have been friends with comeplete hospital births who never "doubted themselves" they just hit that point where it hurt like hell all of a sudden and they knew the end was near (or had beter be :lol)

[lilyka]

Well, not in transition anyway, unless transition can happen when you're 4 cm dilated.

That is about where I hit transition. I have a friend who does it that way. we take our sweet time getting there and then BAM. 4-10 CM in an hour or less. for me it also includes the entire decent (for some reason my babies wait until the last monute to move down. its brutal.

[Persephone]

lilyka, REALLY??? Wow, I have done so much research on childbirth, and things about my own just keep shocking me. Cept, I had only been in labor for like, 2 or 3 hours at that point. (Of course, labor was only 6 hours long.)

[flyingspaghettimama]

I kept waiting for the magic of transition, but it just didn't happen for me. I was actually anticipating it happily - I wanted to see what it was like, unmedicated, unhospitalized...but alas, no. I did have it in my first hospital birth, for sure - it's when I begged for a c-section, anything for the misery to be over. But with the second (homebirth) I remember feeling self-doubt at the very beginning, and a little while later towards the end (when my doula said she thought my labor was progressing "slowly," - and then the MW checked me and I was at 10), but only in response to outside commentary. I did some throwing up and the doula said she thought that was transition, but it was 8 hours before he was born, so I don't think so.

I didn't have a very good doula, could you tell?

I don't know, I guess? Maybe I did but didn't realize it?

[darsmama]

At both home births, I wanted to get up and go to the hospital cause I could not live another moment with this pain. Definete transition where I felt completely out of control and just wanted to be DONE, already.

Then, I started pushing :)

[grace's voice]

Katie, I was just noticing your girls birth dates, 8/27 7/28, that's pretty cool! Or maybe I'm just more tired than I realize :lol

[muse]

For me the transiiton phase is part of what makes the birthing experience so incredible. It's also something that makes me very glad to be at home, free to experience it in my own personal way without intervention. Yes, it involves some doubts, fears, panic, but I feel that's a natural part of an incredibly transformative experience, both physically and emotionally. Similar to something a shaman may go through in a healing ceremony or a rite of passage in a tradiitonal culture. It's something that has to be overcome or moved through to enter into a new stage of consciousness.

With my first homebirth I knew I was in transition because I kept throwing up and was very shaky and scared. Now I feel the fear was more to do with it being my first birth and a lack of support from the mw's. Second birth we had all the puke buckets ready (!) but never needed them. At one point I just got very emotional and teary and my mw didn't use the word transition, she just said, "This is hard but it's a stage we need to go through", and I instantly understood what she meant and was relieved to realise we were almost there and it was relatively easy. After that I shifted into a very different, much more inward and less verbal stage and got on with the important business of birthing my daughter. That turning point will always be vivid in my memory and a testament to my body's ability to do exactly what it needs to do.

[burke-a-bee]

I don't remember experiencing transition with my hospital birth but definately with my birth center birth and homebirth. As a matter of fact I went from not being in labor to transition with my last (homebirth). I only experienced "transition", nothing else with that birth.

[kalisis]

I have only gotten through first two pages, but wanted to reaffirm that it DOES happen in homebirth.

I had a fleeting moment of self doubt after having been persuaded to take a shower I didn't want and was crawling out of the shower to find a better place. I remember saying, "I just don't think I'm handling this very well at all." To which the MW said I was doing fine and that the baby would be here soon. I then sat on the toilet for less than 10 minutes and listened to her explain what transition was (she characterized it as that last centimeter, when it was the toughest, hardest part for the cervix and that's why I felt so crappy) and then she asked where I wanted to move to (b/c one of my 'things' throughout my pregnancy was this fear that I would have the baby on the toilet and he'd fall into the water...yuck) and then within about 20 minutes I had pushed out my amazing son.

It does exist, but certainly not in the same way that it does in the hospital.

[provocativa]

My hospital transition was very much like your homebirth one, so no, just being in a hospital doesn't guarantee a worse transition. I purposely didn't study others emotional maps of labor- wanted to see what I'd do. In the birth tub, secluded in dark bathroom with husband, as I wanted. No one had bugged me at all, in quite awhile- I moved to emotional transition myself, not by prompting from staff. Self doubt, talked to husband about pain relief (would he be disappointed if I needed it). Asked nurse when she came in a moment later who said something to the effect that the worst was probably over, she would check me when I decided to get out. Got out of tub, used the toilet, got on the birth bed/chair, found out I was in fact 10cm and regained confidence. Sounds just like some homebirthers describe.

[carliec76]

For me I thought of transistion was when I stated feeling contractions that were so fast and so intense it became torture. I did say things towards the end like I can't do this, I just want to die etc...but they were all empty words...It actually just made me feel better to say it. I knew I could do it but it is like when you are a kid and going to jump of the high dive...you say you can't do it but when you are finally to the top and the only way down is by jumping you just jump and on the way down you feel like oh yeah I can do it!!
What irked me about my midwife was she kept telling me not to be afraid, which I so wasn't afraid of anything, I was just in pain...so her comments really pissed me off and made me want to kick er head. She comes fromt he school that only woman who have fear in labor feel pain...poppycock...towards the end I screamed and hollered like a wild woman and it felt good and that is why I did it because it blocked the pain when I yelled. So as far as transistion I do believe in it and it had nothing to do with environmetn it had to do with how bad i hurt.

[cryspanimal]

I found this thread very interesting. One of the things that surprised me during my homebirth last January was that I didn't notice going through transition. My childbirth class had really stressed the experience of transition, and I was expecting something crazy or really difficult, and it never arrived.

I do recall thinking, "Oh boy. This is really getting to be painful. I hope it doesn't get much worse than this." But then my MW did an internal exam for the first (and only) time and I was 9.5 cm dilated and felt like pushing. I had worried that I might still be in early labor!:D

My labor felt continuous with no distinct time for which I could say "it was then that I was going through transition."

[yogamerd]

Yes, "transition"/self-doubt can be experienced in homebirth. I certainly experienced it. I wasin labor with Kendra (my first and only so far) for 66 hours; 15 hours of which was ACTIVE labor. TRUST ME, (rightly so) I was very much doubting myself after about 48 hours of unmerciful PAIN!

It was well worth it and I would do it again (probably WILL do it again someday) but it was TOUGH and I resent the fact that someone would call me weak for feeling that way!

[AnneCordelia]

I've had a hospital birth and a homebirth, in that order. I had a transition with both...but it was different.

I can see what she means by having the staff moving around, knowing that "Pushing Time" is right around the corner, can have a negative effect on a woman in transition...only to amplify the transition phase and make it more obvious that a woman is in transition.

For my hospital birth, transition was aweful...I wanted drugs (but not really), I had a hard time maintaining myself. For my homebirth, I knew later that I'd entered transition when looking back. I got shakey, sick to my stomach, and nervous to be left alone. It wasn't necessarily self-doubt or a moment of weakness though...I knew I could continue with a natural birth, it was a physical thing rather than mental. Does that make sense?

~Emily

[StacyL]

I read this statement from the midwife archives on gentlebirth.org and would like to hear some thoughts. This will be my first homebirth and I just found it interesting.

"Transition" as described in childbirth classes does not exist in homebirth as we practice it.


OH MY....

that is just about the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. :lol

Yes, transition stage certainly does exist even whe you're birthing at home! It is a biological issue, not a "location" one. My transistion stage was LONG - nearly two hours - and I had all the usual "I-can't-do-this," "I-want-a-C-section," thoughts in between praying out loud to God to HAVE MERCY on me!! Then I threw up twice in a bowl, and suddenly it was over. Everything stopped, and I had the "rest and be thankful" stage fro about 20-30 minutes before my body started the pushing stage.

[Mama8]

I went straight to transition with my last baby. I was able to handle it though all on my own. My midwife was not there yet and my husband was running around and trying to set up the birthing tub. I gave birth to a 9lb 6oz girl in 1 hour 1 minute from first contraction to birth. So it was intense and fast!

[kangaroo_mom]

I felt like I was in "transition" for about 8 hours with my first baby (first homebirth) since it hurt like hell with contractions one on top of the other for that long. Second baby was born after only 2 hours of hard active labor. I remember and one point leaning on my birth ball looking up at my husband after a particularly powerful and painful contraction and asking my DH, "Am in transition?" To which he said, "Yes you are and you're doing great". To which I Thought, "Well how would YOU know?!":lol My third baby was about 2.5 hours of hard active labor and that transition was horrible. It was a surprise pregnancy, I was so tired and worn out from having a 3 year old and a 21 month old to take care of while pregnant and tons of stress which led me to fighting my labor again. I fought my first labor as well. Plus my nutrition was poor the third time around and so I was super hypersensitive to pain. So my answer is "YES! I feel transition at home!" I just may or may not recognize it. I do notice my midwife getting her instruments laid out and ready and laying out sheets and asking where the towels are. Sometimes she'll ask someone to make up a cayanne drink to have handy in case of hemorraging (I think that's what it's for). But she's pretty quiet about it all and non-intrusive.

I agree doctors like to make a huge show about everything. I mean without scaring women half to death to make them all believe they would have "DIED!" had they not been in the hospital, they'd probably be short on clients. Well, maybe not, but I think they'd definately lose a lot more than they currently do if they actually stepped back and empowered women instead of trying to take over. ;)

[Emilie]

I did not experience a transition I think- at least I was not aware of it. I feared transition- and then hey- I was complete- so I passed thru it with no knowlege.

[flapjack]

I've only felt transition physically this last time: had a rest-and-be-thankful stage, and then three huge yet painless contractions that took me from 4ish cm to fully dilated and with ROM. It's pretty cool feeling your cervix dilate that much in a single ctx;) I felt it strongly emotionally the first time, with Alex, and got the whole self-doubt thing.
With all my labours, though, transition has been my time to be on my own,and to chill out in my own space: the last little bit of me-time possible: and I tend to get really really antsy if I have company at this time.

Has anyone come across Michel Odent's views on transition? That if a woman is left alone to explore and deal with her fears, then the noradrenaline stimulates a strong fetal eviction reflex and so a quick and efficient second stage of labour? It makes sense to me that maybe transition is for something and not a design flaw.

[orangebird]

I went straight to transition with my last baby. I was able to handle it though all on my own. My midwife was not there yet and my husband was running around and trying to set up the birthing tub. I gave birth to a 9lb 6oz girl in 1 hour 1 minute from first contraction to birth. So it was intense and fast!

That's like my last birth! And my name is Kim too- and I'm in Utah too! How funny :lol

[annethcz]

I absolutely experienced what *I* considered to be transition during both of my homebirths.

During my first homebirth (second baby, but first non-medicated birth), I had a very long transition in which I fought my labor. I doubted my ability to birth my baby, and wanted everything to just stop. I also had the classic symptoms of vommitting and shaking.

During my second homebirth, I had a short transition period, but it was very intense. Although I didn't doubt my ability to birth my baby, I was ready to give up and just be done with this 'whole labor thing.'

[Emilie]

omg- i just remembered my midwife saying- this is one of the long ones- this is a tough one.... i totally forgot that.
emilie