Can I really deliver my baby WITHOUT drugs in a hospital?

[Anonymous]

OP: I had a natural birth at Holy Cross. Mine was actually unplanned (I wanted the epidural! - wasn't allowed for blod clotting issues), so my experience might be different, but I found the staff there wonderful. One of the nurses coached me through each contraction, and was very supportive/empowering in her reasurrances that I could do this. Anyway, my experience there was that they tried to support me very well.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your OB will tell you that the more planning a woman puts into how she's going to deliver (hiring doulas, taking lamaze, etc), the more her chances of having a c-section increase. Chill, people.

That's just stupid.

That is pretty ignorant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:just get the epidural. you will be glad and the baby will be fine. no need to be a hero.

Yes, seriously, people like that poster who made the ridiculous claims about planning and lamaze leading to c sections (what????) and this genius above should really spare us all. These replies are so unhelpful. they come across to me like women who had epidurals and are trying to reassure themselves about their own decisions by pretending it's the only / best way. The advice I'd give to women asking is simply to educate yourself, don't rule anything out iniitially, then make the decision that's best for you while remaining flexible if complications or changes arise. That's what most people go for, so there's no need to shove your own experiences down someone's throat.

I'd like to know if OP had her childbirth yet and how it went! This original post is dated back to September. If you haven't done it yet OP, good luck! (Oh, and I hate to say it, but i second the advice about skippng the doula. We did it naturally with an OB and without a doula and I was very glad we made the choices we made. I had a long first labor and my husband knew to leave me alone for most of it and to let me concentrate. Another body in the room would have been superfluous at best and most likely a distraction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

mindbodybirths wrote:OP: The answer to your subject question is "Yes!".

The answer to whether or not it will be a shoving match in the hospital is: depends on the hospital. I am a doula and I have recently attended needle-free births (no IV, no drugs, no Pit) at INOVA-Alexandria, INOVA-Loudon, and INOVA-Fairfax (although I would not recommend Fairfax at all.) My colleagues also recommend Fair Oaks and Bethesda Naval as being friendly to natural birth.

The answer to how to make sure you get the birth you want: Hire a doula and get some good education far, far away from the hospital. (Bradley, HypnoBirthing, Birthing from Within are most worth your time and money.)

You don't need to hire a doula - save the money.

My DH and I were just fine together asking the nurses (and reminding my doc.) that I wanted a natural birth. Once I made my intentions clear then nobody bothered me about it.

-delivered at Inova

Me too!

In fact, I never even heard of a doula until I started meeting other moms (when DD was much older) - is this a new thing?

Besides, isn't 3 a crowd?

[Anonymous]

NP here. Your comments are helpful to me as I am also planning to do it naturally at a hospital and save money on a doula. Wonder if anyone also did it without extensive (and expensive!) courses, with just reading and hospital classes?

[Anonymous]

For the person who said "Besides, isn't 3 a crowd?" -- I am a doula and this is a concern I hear a lot from expectant parents. They imagine an intimate experience with their partner and feel that a third person would just be awkward. But I think what some people do not realize is that regardless of whether you bring a doula or not, it isn't going to be just you and your partner at the birth -- there will likely be lots of other people coming in and out all the time. Depending on where you are birthing, you could see multiple midwives/doctors, nurses, students, residents, techs, anesthesiologists, custodial staff, etc. Birth in the hospital is not usually an intimate affair.

Also I believe that doulas can help make birth MORE intimate, by protecting the birth space for the mother and her family and keeping people from unnecessarily distracting the mother. A doula can also help your partner feel more comfortable so that he/she can enjoy the birth and support you fully rather than worrying or freaking out, or making you worry or freak out.

So while I can understand that a doula is an added expense (though some doulas especially ones in training are willing to work for free or cheap...), I think it can be a valuable investment. Experienced doulas know things about birth settings and providers that the average person doesn't know, and they are operating with a clear head and can help you get the kind of birth you want and that is safe and healthy for you and your baby.

Of course women can and do have births without pain medication in hospital settings without doulas. But there is some decent research and anecdotal evidence that bringing a doula can increase the chance of a non-interventive birth, so if having that kind of birth is something that is important to you, it's worth considering. It can be hard to have a natural birth in the hospital, and it is also common to overestimate your and your partner's ability to handle everything yourselves. Sometimes it can be nice to have another person of your choosing who you know will be by your side the whole time, to take some of the pressure off of you and your partner.

I had doulas at both my births and they were extremely helpful. Beforehand I wasn't sure what they would do or add to the experience, but having been through it now twice, I would never give birth without a doula, and my husband also says he wouldn't either, because it made the experience so much more fun and relaxing for him. I know it might seem like they are a third wheel, and probably for some people they are (depending on the quality of the doula, or the quality of the match between doula and client) but in my experience their support was priceless, especially in a hospital setting where things are geared towards mothers who are okay with medication and other interventions.

[Anonymous]

Delivered (20 hours of labor) at Sibley with an epi. Scary at the end - doc needed to use suction cup to get baby out (baby's heartrate was dropping because I developed a high fever during labor).

Delivered second time at Sibley with no drugs (starting of labor pains and delivery was under 4 hours). Didn't plan it that way. Wasn't prepared. Just that baby was coming so fast there was no time for drugs.

My take-away from this is that first time births are much longer and harder, and it's better get schooled in natural birth if you want to go that route. Subsequent births generally go much faster. Also, you don't really need all that training (and doulas, etc., don't flame me for this) - I popped my second baby out naturally with no training. The Sibley nurses and DH were great, and you just went with the flow (had to!).

My last 2 cents - if you decide not to be at a medical facility, make sure you have ready access or are otherwise prepared. I was a textbook uncomplicated pregnancy, and we had a really scary time at the end with our first.

GL.

[Anonymous]

Your post is more than 2 years old at this point and who knows if you'll see this, but I would love to find out who your doula was. I'm delivering at Sibley and looking for a doula with lots of Sibley experience. I adore my OB, and Sibley is her preferred hospital, but the nurses there made for a fairly stressful delivery experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Your comments are helpful to me as I am also planning to do it naturally at a hospital and save money on a doula. Wonder if anyone also did it without extensive (and expensive!) courses, with just reading and hospital classes?

You absolutely can do it without classes! There are books on every type of birthing technique at the library. I used several on the Bradley method and delivered naturally. I waited too long to sign up for the class, but it turned out much better when I could use the money on more baby things!

[Anonymous]

you definitely can't deliver at a hospital drug free. it has never ever happened before. you would be the first to succeed. the mean nurses and doctors and hospital administrators great you at the door with needles and pitocin. they make you get an epidural. they want to go home and get sleep. even worse, everyone in this area gets a c-section.

stop the madness.

[Anonymous]

I delivered at Alex. Hospital. No one ever offered me drugs of any kind. My first birth I spent hours in the shower(seated). My second there was no time to do anything but push. I will say both were delivered by mid wives. The book "Birth Stories" By Ina May Gastin or is it Gaskin helped me tremendously. I also took a Bradley class but I think that book helped me the most.Talking to people who had done it is very inspirational. I thought I could do it when my sil told me she never wanted an epidiral, I never wanted one either.

[Anonymous]

I had my son at GWUH after after having a natural birth in London with my first. I didn't want to go that route again, but it did make me confident and aware of my surroundings. I never felt pushed and I don't think there would have been any problem having a natural birth there. Maybe they were more hands off b/c it was my second, but if I felt this way at GWUH then I think this can be the case anywhere.

In terms of mobility this will vary. I had back labor with my first and I couldn't stand during contractions despite my best attempts. Horrible horrible horrible. and yeah, that was my non-medicated birth.

[Anonymous]

PP from 11:43 here!
Actually the phrase "stop the madness" has really helped!
Thanks everyone! will buy or borrow recommended books and off we go!

[Anonymous]

here's all i have to say...stay home as long as you can and YES you will deliver naturally because there won't be time for an epidural...even if you're begging for one like i was

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:here's all i have to say...stay home as long as you can and YES you will deliver naturally because there won't be time for an epidural...even if you're begging for one like i was

To cross the threads, this is why some people get bummed when they turn out to be B Strep positive. If I am not, I'll be at home as long as I can, with my husband and doula.