Recommended reading fro natural childbirth

[Helsbells]

Does anyone have any suggestions for recommended reading on the subject of natural childbirth, I am currently reading Ina-May's guide to childbirth which seems good so far. Also any advice generally on natural childbirth would be much appreciated.

[fifi folle]

I was going to recommend Ina May. Have you looked into Hypnobirthing? I also did pregnancy yoga and a birth workshop.
Natural Mamas forum has a pregnancy section with good threads. Baby and Bump forum also have a Home and Natural birthing board.
I unfortunately didn't get the natural birth I had hoped for. I went 15 days past my EDD was induced and had an emergency section. If you can avoid induction I would but that might just be my experience.

eta: birth without fear has positive natural birth stories

[demi]

i have this book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Birth-Prac ... 998&sr=8-1

its a home birth book, very good.

i wanted a home brith with my first but i was told i lived too far from hospital ( 20 minets by car ) so i had her in hospital.
i didnt do much reading about hosptial births, intervention and pain relief ect so i had no idea the effects medical intervention can have on natural labour. i had all the pain reilef avalible; gas and air, morphine then an epidural and ended up after 26 hours, the last 10 or so without any progress no matter how much oxitocin that gave me , it all ended with an emergancy secerian for 'failour to progress' and 'fetal distress'

the aftermath of the secerian was tramatic in that i couldn't hold my new baby, or care for her in any way without help from the midwives. i was in agony from mayjor abdominal surgery and it took me weeks to recover properly.

so when i fell pregnant with my second i was adiment that i would have him at home without any medical intervention.
i got an inflatable birth pool off e-bay, i ordered this book with was excellent and i demamded my home birth, which eventually i was allowed.
i remember when i first said i wanted a homebirth the midwife laughed and said you'll probably change your mind.
i think all this did was make me more determined!

anyway, i woke up with contractions the day after my due date. we filled the pool and called the midwives. everything was going fine. i got in the pool and had the gas and air to manage the pain. i was fully dialated and pushing for nearly 2 hours, but my waters hadnt broken and i could feel the bag pushing right out. by this point i was loosing it and didnt care if i didnt have the baby at home anymore and i started asking to go to hospital for an epidural. i dont know why the midwives didnt brake my waters for me.....maybe i didnt want them to, i dont remember. after much debate if it would be worth going into hospital or not, as i was on the brink of delivery, the paramedics were called out and i somhow managed to walk into the ambulance. i remember i couldnt lay down on the bed. they thought id deliver in the ambulance. i didnt. got to the hospital, was examined straight away and my waters broke ( not sure if they went naturally or the doctor did it?), got the epidural and peace was restored within 30 minets of getting to hospital. ahhh what bliss! and an hour later my baby boy was delivered with a little help from the vontouse, and i barly felt a thing! whole thing lasted 11 hours, less that 1/2 the time of my first.

i think if my waters had gone at home i would have delivered at home. but i did avoid another secerian, which was my main goal, and i only got the epidural right at the end for the last hour or so after id already been pushing for 2 hours. i think if id been in hospital from the start it would have gone differently. i felt i did really well this time compared to my first, even though i ended up transferiing to hospital at the end, i feel everything was going well and naturally at home.

if i have any more id go for a homebirth again. im sure it will be easier.

[Pumpkin&Piglet]

i've attempted 2 home births and have so far had none!

My first I went straight into hospital and had an epidural, my second I was at home and all was fine but no midwife came so I panicked and started on my way to the hospital, having the baby before I arrived. So although it wasn't a home birth, it was a natural one. Right down to having no one help me deliver. My husband, who was driving, didn't even know I had given birth. I only got my knickers off just in time!

If you've got time and patience and want to, then I would definitely go for hypno-birthing and also a water birth. water birth have so so many benefits and generally the mother has a better time of it. We had a pool at home but didn't have time to fill it.

The one thing I will say is that my births were enjoyable and didn't hurt as much as I expected (they certainly weren't pain-free, but they were OK) yet I panicked because of the stories from other women and because the midwives were not fab.

Some women have difficult births but you might not be one of them. Mine were short and comparably easy but I was expecting all sorts of horrors!

[welshmum]

Just thought i would share my posative home birth stories, plural.
When we were expecting our 1st we had no hot water so baby was born in a midwife only unit inhospital. I had g+e, and meptid injection which wore off on the 1st day of labour. He was born at 4pm on second day. Labour was very long, hard work but bearable. I had misdiagnosed hindwater break which resulted in several membrane sweeps which induced teh labour and hence the long (3days) labour.

2nd child was risked 1 in 30 chance of down syndrome so chose to go back to the midwife unit. Contractions started at 3:30 mild. Proper contractions started at 5:30am. Babe was born at 7:50 only 10 minutes after arriving in hospital. No pain relief as they would not belief I was in labour! The lady in the next room was a screamer. As my hubby was sent out to get a few things I would not push. I waited for him to get back. Babe arrived soon after her daddy.

3rd child was planned homebirth. I was 9 days over and my induction had been booked for the monday. On Saturday night at 11pm my waters broke (comedy and laughing fits work great). Contractions didnt start until 2pm. Midwife arrived at 3pm. Babe was born at 5pm. I used the bath for paint relief and babe was born in the living room.

4th child was planned homebirth (with known complications). Babe was diagnosed with cleft lip and palate at 20 week scan. Contractions started at 5am. Proper contractions started at 7am. Babe was born at 8am. no pain relief.

My labours have been quick and easy by some comparisons. I think approaching birth with an expectation that yes the labour will hurt but you can do it. If you focus on each contraction and deal with them one at a time you can believe you can deal with the next one. Experiment with postitions. Pace around if you need to. Just try to be as relaxed as you can. I personally found it much easier at home. Its your place and you can behave more maturally. Plus its easier for the dads to feel useful.

[Helsbells]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. I am planning for a hospital birth because I think I will feel safer and that will help reduce my fear.
I have just started reading Childbirth without fear by Grantly Dick-Read. Reading Ina May has been very helpful too, but the best thing has been the NCT classes I have been to, I just feel like I know so much more now about the options available and how to avoid medical intervention and why.

[demi]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. I am planning for a hospital birth because I think I will feel safer and that will help reduce my fear.
I have just started reading Childbirth without fear by Grantly Dick-Read. Reading Ina May has been very helpful too, but the best thing has been the NCT classes I have been to, I just feel like I know so much more now about the options available and how to avoid medical intervention and why.

i really recommend finding out as much as possible about everything before you give birth.
if i knew what i know now when i was pregnant with my first, im positive labour would have gone smoother for me.
even though i choose to transfer to hospital last minuet while in labour with my son, i still feel it was an overall much better experiance doing it naturally than it was with my first when i had all the pain relief under the sun in the hospital and everything went pear shaped.

another BIG difference was the recovery time. haveing the secerian i was in agony for weeks afterwards and needed so much help to get arround and care for my baby.
with the natural birth i was able to get up and walk arround right away afterwards, albeit feeling very brused and swollen in the downstairs region, but it was nothing like the pain from being sliced open and having the baby ripped out of my stomach!
and the brusing quickly eased off and the stiches healed up. i still felt tender down there for a while, but i wasnt in pain.

things did feel all out of place though. it felt like ( sorry for being graphic ) the inside of my vagina wall was swollen and pressing out of the opening. when i got my first period when my son was 5 1/2 months, every time i put a tampon in it was getting pushed back out again. also it has taken months to get comfertable having sex again. we tried at 6 weeks, no chance! then again at arround 3 months, still not happening. then i think we finally managed it by about 4 months, although it was painful getting it in at first but you just have to go slowly and opnce its in its fine. at 7 months now we are going at it like bunnys again haha! its still slightly tender on the way in but the more we do it the easier it it. and now everything feels back to normal down there too, nothing feels swollen or poping out, all looks neat and tidy again and my husband has allways said it just feels the same as before. so no permanant harm done :)

sorry if this it too much information, but this is the kind of stuff i wanted to know beofre i had experianced it myself, so i though you might have some interest. sorry if you dont and iv just grossed you out!

[fifi folle]

Glad you are feeling prepared! Being informed is the best way to ensure you get the birth you want or understand the reasons why you are not able to birth the way you choose. Useful to know that you can opt for monitoring rather than induction if you go over and you're being pestered to get induced.

[kazaddress]

Would you mind if I shared my 2 home birth stories? I did LOTS of preparing for both of them, I went to pregnancy yoga classes to learn breathing techniques, and some hypno-birthing too.


Son 1.

Midnight: I started getting contractions so I called the midwife, re stocked the log burner, lit some candles and sniffed some clary sage then started running water into the birth pool. I had a nice glass of wine (pain relief) ;) and then waited for the midwife. I rocked on the birthing ball, I did yoga breathing all the way through (visualisations, I can send you some ideas if your interested). watched the Jonathan Ross show, and just relaxed.

2am. the midwife arrived and I climbed into the pool (bliss).

4:30am, I could tell i was almost ready to push, but the midwife said i had to wait until the second midwife had arrived.

6am: the second midwife arrived and I started pushing and 50mins later I delivered my son :) it was wonderful.

7am: I was sat on the sofa, with a baby feeding away, and i was drinking a nice cup of tea :)

Son 2.

I had been convinced all day that the baby was going to arrive, my sister in law had been with us all day to take care of my son in case I went into labour.
8pm: I sent my sister in law home, as i had given up thinking it would happen that day. sat down to watch doctor who.
8:10pm: BAM my waters went... called midwife and told her to come quick!
8:30pm the midwife turned up, and told me to get into the pool.
8:50pm I started pushing, (not that the midwife was noticing as she was too busy chatting to my husband about our new extension)... she glanced over and saw me pointing down). she grabbed a mirror and said "oh look at that, she is about to catch it".
8:53pm I reached down and pulled my son up, and gave him a cuddle.
9:15pm-ish I was sitting on the sofa, watching doctor who, with a cup of tea and feeding a new baby :)

After I delivered my baby, the midwife said "thank you for inviting me over to watch you deliver your baby again" (she was the same midwife that watched me deliver my first too).

remember if you "plan" a home birth, you can change your mind. With a hospital birth you have to wait until your contractions are very close together before you go in.... but with a home birth as soon as you go into labour a midwife comes out to check everything (so are more likely to notice any issues and get you into hospital sooner then if you did not have a home birth planned).

lots of good luck with what ever you choose :)

[Pumpkin&Piglet]

Oh they are fab stories and pictures. Mine should have been just like that. I wish I had had the confidence for it - and better midwife/person on end of phone at hospital!

I'm desperate to have my next like yours were - and i wouldn't be surprised if it's nearly as quick!!

Thank you for sharing x

[Helsbells]

Tahnkyou so much for sharing your birth story Kazaddress, and Demi for being so open and honest.
I really want a water birth at the hospital, but they only have one pool so it depends if it is free or not. I am certain I want to be in hospital for this first baby, but would definately consider a home birth for the next if everything went ok with the first.
I would live to hear about your ideas for visualisation techniques Kasaddress please, please let me know.

Helsx

[kazaddress]

I have taken this from the baby site i posted it on last year.... hope you find it useful

Breathing Techniques
Imagine a contraction coming, imagine a period pain really low down in your bump, with every breath the feeling moves slowly up your bump, and at the height of the contraction your whole bump is covered with the feeling. after 2 more breaths the contraction starts to ease, first the feeling eases from the top of your bump, and with each breath it moves back down to the base of your bump. once your contraction is over, its really important to relax, change position if you are not comfortable, take a sip of water and try and save all your energy for your next contraction.

the breathing exercises I will explain are for you to concentrate on while the contraction progresses, you start them when you feel the contraction starting, and you will soon learn when your at your peek of your contraction, and so can look forward to the down hill part of it.

The Needle.
There are loads I can post a whole thread on them if people want, but Last night we imagined a car "speedo" in front of us. as a contraction starts, the needle starts rising, when you take an out breath you try and blow it back down. as the contraction gets stronger the needle will push up harder during your in breath, but you try and breath it down harder in your out breath. once the contraction is subsiding the needle becomes easy to breath down again.... and then that contraction is over.

Counting
you start at 10, and with each breath you breath out you count down. Niiiiiiiiiiine.. breath in.. eiggggght breath in. seeeeven breath in...... when you reach onnnnnne. you stick a finger out (the idea is you count with your fingers how many times you count down from 10 to one in a contraction). I found that by the time I had done this 8 times I was at the peak of my contraction, so knew I have 8 more to go for it to be over. I found it really comforting to know exactly how long I had to go with each one, as I could just concentrate getting back to 0.

Feather
you imagine a feather floating in front of you. its level with your face and when breath in it starts falling down, when you breath out you try and blow it back up again. as the contraction gets stronger you have to breath out hard to blow it up again. as the contraction eases, it becomes easier again to blow it back up off the ground.

Dandilion flower
Imagine a dandelion flower seed (you know when it turns to a circle of seeds that blow in the wind). as you breath out a few seeds leave the flower, as the contraction becomes stronger you breath out stronger and more leave it. at the height of your contraction you breath them all off and the stalk bends over under the weight of your breath. as the contraction starts to ease the seeds start returning to the flower on your out breath (your blowing them back on again).

Golden thread
Each time your contraction starts, you breath in through your nose, and as you breath out you imagine a golden thread is flowing from your mouth, to start with the thread will be fine and delicate. and as the contraction gets stronger and you breath more deeply the thread flows fast and is darker in colour.... as the contraction fades it becomes lighter and softer again

Rectangle breathing
(This is my fav) Each time your contraction starts, you breath in through your nose, and as you breath out through your mouth (make it a loud out breath) you imagine breathing out along the long edge of a rectangle, trying to make the side as long as possible. then when you breath in, you breath in along the short edge of the rectangle, then breath out along the other long edge. you can imagine going along windows or doors.... or I personally imaging a big dollop of paint on a plastic sheet, and when I breath out I blow the paint along the floor to make the rectangle... and as the contraction gets stronger I try to make the rectangle bigger and bigger by breathing out harder and faster..... as the contraction fades it becomes smaller again.


Guiding the baby
This is for the second stage, when you can feel the baby starting to move down. When your contraction starts focus on what your baby needs to do (turn its self around and twist out). almost "guide" your baby in your mind on what it needs to do to come out. focusing on this helps take your mind off of everything else, and some woman feel it helps their baby too.

Labour position
Last night i chose my fav one. I was on my knees leaning over the seat of a chair with my head resting on my arms. Iwas rocking my hips, and imagining the clary sage oil on a flannel resting on the chair in front of me so I could breeeeeeeath it in. I imagined the baby liking this position as it opens my hips and gives it lots of room to get into the right position for labour.

pregnancy yoga

I went back to the nct yoga class last night, for the first time in 2 years (pretty much to the day). I forgot how wonderful is it, and just how much I had forgotten about.
What happens?

You spend 15mins warming up and introducing yourself, when your due etc (so you know at what stage every one is, and so you can find people at a similar stage to you later on in the class)
you spend about 1 hour doing gentile yoga with pillows and birth balls, strengthening your arms / tummy and legs and all those muscles you will need during and after labour.
Then we go through some practise breathing. We pretend were in labour going through a contraction and imagining how to breath through it and what positions would be comfortable, then imagine what we would do in the breaks between contractions. (this is great as labour wasnt scary last time, as I felt I done it loads of times before in the yoga class)
Then we have a 15min relaxation session (some people fall asleep during this phase). Last night she read us a wonderful story about never looking at the hole journey ahead of you if its daunting, and just look at the next step, and enjoy it. Its a really good one for labour (never worry about the next contraction, just think about the one your going through, and once its over forget about it, that contraction will never happen again and your one step closer to seeing your baby)
The last half hour we have a warm drink, chocolate biscuits and a chat. Normally during that 30mins they get someone in to give a talk for minutes. Either a mum who attended the yoga class and has just given birth to share her experiences, or lastnight they had Claire who is the post-natal NCT leader explaining about what support is available after the birth for you and your baby.
I had a brilliant night sleep, and my spd has gone this morning

[demi]

@ kazadress: your storys are your pictures are making me want another one! im sure it would be 3rd time lucky for me and i'd eventually get the home water birth iv allways wanted!


@ helsbells: another reason for me wanting a homebirth was because with my first when i arrived at hospital there was no pool avalible which is way i opted for other medicated pain relief which untimatly led to emergancy secerian.

[PlainQB]

When you're reading about different birth options read about the good and the bad. If things don't go to plan you'll still feel better if you understand what's happening and why the midwives and doctors are suggesting things to you.

We were turned away by two hospitals because they were too full. The third hospital accepted us but by that time I'd been in labour so long since my water broke that the midwifes recomended I be induced. I accepted but it was very painful indeed, probably more so because I wasn't permitted to move, all I could do was brace my feet against the foot of the bed. Three days after my water breaking and just as I was about to enter the second phase of labour it was discovered my baby was breach. Twenty minutes later he was born by Ceasarian section.

Throughout all of this hospital number three was really good. They quickly and patiently (one was expressing grumpy feelings rather vocally by that time) explained the risks associated with a section and a vaginal birth and about 30 minutes after he was born a midwife sat with me for an hour to help me feed him. While I was recovering and unable to move the midwifes were constantly attentive and helpful. All this was great as I had no idea what to expect with a section.

He's smiling in his sleap next to me now. He is beautiful

[demi]

aaawwww babies, im getting brudy again!!!! and mine is only 7 months. i think iv gone mad!

no thats us now, 1 boy and 1 girl. we only have 3 bedrooms so if we were to have anymore they'd have to double up, oh the horror!
no 2 is just right, there are too many people in the world anyway........but babies are so cute, it almost gives you a high looking at your baby, watching him sleeping, hes so adorable.
no,no, thats incane, they cry all the time and its really stressful and exhausting and financially expencive, 2 is enough!!!