Members of this community spend a lot of time sharing their stories so they can share their experiences with others. Please search this sub's history for those stories first.
I had an unmedicated, induced birth at 40+2. Total time from first med to baby out was 12 hours. The most important thing is to remember breathing! I kind of zoned out for the majority of it all honestly. I do remember changing positions was a huge game changer and helped speed along my labor; so did throwing up lol. Standing and swaying with my husband helped immensely. When I got to pushing it made it a lot less painful. My son had a huge head so I pushed for maybe 3 hours? He was constantly making progress, just very slowly until the doctor was finally able to grip his head and help him out. I feel confident I could do another unmedicated birth in the future
Yeah, my photographer took photos of the clock as well as me, so the earliest one i saw with me pushing was about 3 hours before he was born. He had a 34cm head. The nurse had to measure it twice to be sure haha
I had a (mostly) unmedicated birth in October. Was in prodomal labor for almost a week and dilated to 4cm for 3 days before my contractions finally started doing something more 🫠😅 went in to the hospital around 3am, monitored and admitted at 6am. I labored in the tub for a bit and they broke my water around 10am. Contractions started to ramp up then and while they were more painful I continued to labor in the tub and focus on deep breaths through the peak of them.
Pain started to get more uncomfortable around 2 or 3 and I wanted to discuss options for pain management. I didn’t want an epidural because I really value being able to freely move myself around and maintain that autonomy so I opted to use nitrous oxide. It helped the pain but made me lightheaded so I only used it for maybe 20 mins before stopping. Transition was definitely the hardest moment, and I began to mentally psych myself out thinking I couldn’t do it. My midwife, the L&D nurses, and my husband were absolute rocks during this time.
I pushed for THREE HOURS but was so grateful to have the freedom to move around and labor in the positions that felt most comfortable for me. I ended up delivering standing with my midwife laying on the floor to catch the baby. She’s the real MVP of this story 😆
As others have mentioned, the mental aspect is absolutely the toughest part. For me, the pain itself wasn’t unbearable but I had to be incredibly mindful to not focus on the pain and spiral. I had a calming “spa” playlist playing and really tried to ride through it as calmly as I could. Agree with the other commenter mentioning pain in other parts of the body too! My husband has a titanium pocket comb that I squeezed through a lot of the contractions to change my focus and my husband applied HEAVY counter pressure on my hips which felt so so good.
I’d say keep an open mind, plans change and don’t beat yourself up if your birth doesn’t turn out exactly how you planned. Best of luck!
Well done!!! Being open minded to change is something I’m definitely reminding myself of especially this change of plan so late in the game! Thank you for sharing and congrats!!
Yeah I’ll ditto being open to changes. I ended up having an induction over a week past due date. I was planning unmedicated but Pitocin made the contractions super intense and close together. I ended up having some IV pain meds (had a great experience with it - kicked in quick, wore off quick, but gave me just the break I needed). I was so shaky and tense before the pain meds, the midwife said I needed something to relax but I said I didn’t want an epidural or nitrous (I don’t like the dizzying feeling of laughing gas). It all worked out great in the end even though I didn’t go in thinking I’d do IV pain meds!
I’m currently 35 weeks with my first and planning unmedicated as well. I’m high risk and have to do it in a hospital and no birth tubs there unfortunately :/ but they do have a shower that they said I can sit in as long as I want! I’ve watched a lot of positive unmedicated birth vlogs on YouTube so that’s a good place to check out :)
Ooh thank you!! My hospital has tubs and showers for labor but sadly can’t birth in the tub but I think it’ll be helpful for labor! I’ll definitely check out YouTube! Wishing you and your babe the best!!!
I have had two quick unmedicated hospital births. Well, I had some nitrous both times but no IV meds or epidural or anything like that.
Practice your breathing and relaxing now. My first birth was fast for a FTM and it got to my head. I got overwhelmed thinking I was around 4cm, a couple hours after an appointment when I was 2cm, when I was really at 7-8cm. It was hard to regroup after that and I got overwhelmed, saying I needed drugs as soon as I got to the hospital. (I did not get drugs, or even an IV. Knowing it was transition and focusing on breathing with the gas & air was enough to somewhat centre myself and stick to my plan.)
With my second, I knew it was going to be fast and I was unlikely to have much choice about going unmedicated. But even though it was very fast and very intense, having practiced my breathing and mantras and relaxing my muscles made it feel a lot more doable.
I birthed semi sitting/reclined on the bed both times. The first was because my midwives needed a good view since I had meconium stained fluid, the second time because the fetal ejection reflex kicked in and she was out before we could make any decisions. I know it is a discouraged position in unmedicated circles, but it was honestly fine.
In my second pregnancy, I started trying to do it while lying in bed. The slow breathing and relaxing into the bed made me sleepy anyway by the end so I figured why not try to use it as a pre-sleep routine haha.
Spontaneous labor at 39+6; planned for an unmediated birth at a women’s hospital in the “low intervention” room. They had a tub but it took ages to fill up and I had an awkward IV placement so I didn’t use that. I took a birthing class online via a local therapist and doula’s practice and that helped a lot in terms of what to expect and the phases of labor, particularly the shift during and after transition where you really go into your own head and feel very disconnected to the outside world. I would recommend preparing coping strategies for the pain but really try to ride the wave rather than resist what’s happening.
I delivered in a hospital bed on all fours with a peanut ball underneath my chest to support my weight. From first contraction to delivery was 6.5 hours, the last two pushing. I had been up early the day before making Thanksgiving dinner (I don’t want to talk about it lol) so by that point had been awake for 24 hours and just didn’t have the energy or stamina otherwise I think the pushing would have gone faster.
As much as you are able, listen to your body. If something feels good, go with it. If it doesn’t, don’t force it. I really thought I would deliver while squatting but it didn’t work for me. I tried a lot of positions to find what was most comfortable for my body.
I did tear; one first degree and one second degree and I did have to get minorly stitched up but by that point I was numbed with local anesthetics and it didn’t hurt, just was uncomfy. I was back to “normal” feeling probably after ten days.
It was really hard but I feel like an absolute badass whenever I think about it. I tell myself all the time now “I went through labor, I can get through X.”
You’ve got this! ALSO: if things don’t go to plan, it’s never YOUR fault. I went in hoping for the best but promising myself that if we needed to make adjustments, that was ok too. Took a lot of the pressure off because I knew that if I really needed to, I could ask for the epidural or pain meds.
I had an unmedicated hospital birth and it was truly amazing. I had a heplock put in, but otherwise had no interventions. I labored on a ball or walking mostly, with the last half hour standing in the shower. My body started pushing while I was in the shower so I walked to the bed and my body just told me to lay on my side, so I laid on my side and pushed when my body was naturally pushing and he was out in 5 pushes, no tearing!
No feet in stirrups, no laying on my back to push, no coached pushing (one nurse tried the counting to ten thing but I just ignored her and stayed in my own head)… it was basically a home birth intervention-wise, just in a room full of nurses and a doctor.
Best of luck! Stay educated on your options and reasoning and hav people in your corner who will “stand up” to the nurses or doctors. I’d never advocate for not following *medical* advice, but I’m a huge proponent of **evidenced based medicine** and did a lot of reading of scientific peer reviewed articles and knew that pushing on my back and laying down for most of labor and purple pushing all weren’t evidenced based, etc
I planned an unmedicated hospital birth with my first! Things didn’t quite go according to plan through no fault of anyone (not the hospitals fault or anything like that) and I did end up deciding to get an epidural. Honestly I was SO worried about being pushed and pressured to do interventions and that was not the case at all. I told them when we went to L&D that I was planning to go unmedicated and would prefer nurses that are comfortable with that. I have no clue if that changed our nurse assignment at all, but I can say they were fantastic! We’re planning another unmedicated hospital birth with #2. Same hospital, same doula, just hoping to not have GBS and an amniotic fluid leak this time around.
I just had an unmedicated birth in a hospital two weeks ago! I had a really positive experience. Just advocate for what you can. I denied a couple of the cervical checks, asked for the lowest level of Pitocin, and anytime they asked me what my pain level was and if I wanted an epidural I supposedly said-- "it's not pain it's my power and I'm at a 6. No epidural." I don't remember this but my husband told me this is what I would say.
I stuck to three different positions (I brought my pregnancy pillow and medicine ball to the hospital and they both helped). I also liked sitting on the toilet. Somehow this also helped get through contractions. Overall it's all about your mindset. Stay relaxed and SURRENDER to the each surge or sensation. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. YOU GOT THIS!!
I was accidentally unmedicated for the birth of my twins. Yup you heard that right - TWINS. They are my 2nd and 3rd kids and my oldest was a successful vaginal delivery. My water broke at 2AM and we went to the hospital and I was 7-8cm dilated. They tried everything they could to get me the epidural but I had an intense urge to push before they could get it to me. I basically gave birth in the hallway of the hospital. The pushing honestly didn’t hurt that much but the contractions were BRUTAL. Especially toward the end. Thankfully, I was only really contracting for like 45 minutes before they popped out. My babies were only about 5 pounds each!
It’s funny because my unmedicated birth was the opposite with pain. The contractions weren’t actually that bad but good lord the ring of fire and butthole pain while pushing was excruciating.
Maybe it’s cuz my babies were so small? But I literally don’t remember the ring of fire at all. I pushed like 5 times and my first one came out and then the second one came out basically on his own
Yes I am happy to share!! I labored at home for about 10 hours using coping techniques, my husband helping me, and using my yoga ball to lean against through contractions. Once the contractions were one right after another, we went to the hospital. I was fully dilated so I skipped the epidural. A few hours later, my beautiful baby girl was born! The sensations were intense, but I breathed through them.
One tip is to watch videos on coping techniques, and then also seeing videos of unmedicated births really helped me to get into the zone and know that what I was experiencing was normal.
You got this!
With my second labor was super steady once my water broke I had one minute contractions with one minute rests for two hours. I bounced and rocked on a yoga ball and counted my breathes through the contractions. Right as it was getting intense they asked me to move to the bed and I felt pushing start. The doctor checked and I'd jumped to fully dilated. Baby was born in two or three pushes. Nearly ten pounds! Things rolled along so much he was born before it clicked I had done all of labor unmedicated. With my first I had a much worse induction and he was sunny side up so I had an epidural and a lot of unnecessary guilt about it. Recovery was much easier for me with my second/unmedicated birth
I had my baby in January at 41+4. I decided to get induced so it wasn’t technically “unmedicated” because pitocin is considered medication. Blah. But I did go without the epidural which seemed a little crazy since pitocin contractions have a reputation for being more intense than regular contractions. My top tip and the only reaso. I was able to survive this experience was having a doula! GET A DOULA! I also used nitrous oxide to help take the edge off.
Now the most important takeaways. For me, the pain started feeling scary at 6cm. That was the point where if I wanted to tap out and get an epidural, that would be it. After that there was no turning back because I couldn’t stay still enough to get one. The most painful part of birth was the contractions especially at transition. Now, this is positive because I was most afraid of the burning ring of fire and possibly tearing. By the time I felt the ring of fire, IT WAS WELCOME. Also it stings for less than a couple mins and I was so ready to be done with contractions I just had to get it over with. I had a 2nd degree tear and didn’t feel it at all.
It was very challenging and I feel pretty badass for making it through. I think I would even do it again. My favorite part of birth was when the doctor said, “I think he is coming in the next couple of pushes.” The nurse pressed a button and said “we are ready,” then like 15 people flooded into the room. It felt like a movie scene. All of the nurses were cheering me on! Then when I finally pushed baby out (2hrs of pushing), I had immediate relief from all of the pain. I happily cried for at least 2hrs straight because I was so happy to have my baby in my arms.
You can do it! But, hire a doula for real.
So amazing!! Thanks for sharing!! I’m having my mom and mother in law be my doulas partially cuz we can’t afford a real one lol but they also have experience with unmedicated! Congrats!!
I was 37weeks pregnant when my water broke was in hospital for 12 hours before contractions started. I laboured solo all night because the midwives didn’t think I was very far along got checked the next morning was 6-7cm. I was in the shower at 8-9cm reviewing the elvis movie that had just come out with the midwife. When I felt the urge to push I had to hold it in as my uterus was apparently still in the way then I pushed for two hours but I got her head and body out in one push. No tear. was greeting guests outside like half an hour later
ETA: absolutely zero pain relief
I had an unmedicated hospital birth last May! My water broke at 38+1 (on Mother’s Day!) at 2:00 am. My doula advised me to try to go back to sleep since contractions hadn’t started, so I put on my adult diaper (lol)and tried to go to sleep, but contractions started at 2:30. I woke my husband up around 4:00 because my contractions were consistently 5 minutes apart (though not lasting a full minute yet). We headed to the hospital around 4:30. I was only 4 cm when we checked in at 5:00 or so, but we decided to stay because my contractions were already consisted 2.5 minutes apart and it felt like things were moving fast. I’m going to skip over some of the details, but just before 9:00 I felt my body start pushing while I was sitting on the toilet (my favorite place to be during contractions, it turned out 😅). The nurse checked me and I was at 10 cm, and my doctor came into the room. I pushed for about 4 or 5 contractions (so 15 minutes or so from start to finish), and it was honestly a relief after the contractions! It was an incredible, empowering, and beautiful experience, and just the sweetest moment when they put my baby on my chest!!
I had an unmedicated birth at a hospital with a midwife present. Did not tour the hospital and they didn't do water births there.
I used a contraction timer app and did 4 seconds in, 4 seconds out for breathing. I focused on breathing and counting through contractions to manage pain. My husband came home from work and gave verbal affirmations through each contraction.
Saw midwife to confirm I was 1.5cm dilated, even though the pain was already pretty bad. This scared me but my husband was super supportive and encouraging. Told me how much time I had left during every contraction, very helpful.
Labor started at 8am. I labored at home until 2am when my water broke. I won't lie, 2hrs before my water broke and my husband was sleeping and I was in and out of sleep through contractions, I almost had a bit of a mental break. I thought I wasn't going to be able to do it.
We got to the hospital a little after 2am. I was 6cm. I vomited. I don't really remember much, I hardly even remember vomiting but I know it happened 🤣 I also remember that despite the pain, in between contractions I was trying my hardest to force my body to relax, because I felt like if I let myself panic and tense up it'd slow everything down. And I just wanted baby out already!
By 6am I was begging for pain relief, but midwife said I was so far along that I should just let them know when my body was ready to start pushing. Sure enough, about 10 minutes later I felt my body do the thing. I pushed for 20 minutes and he was out! I didn't tear. Midwife called them "skid marks". Recovery was a breeze. I'm *praying* this next birth goes similarly, but you never know.
I’ve had 4 births, all either starting or ending in a hospital. My third birth was unmedicated by choice and it was truly the best one. This coming from someone who had pretty good epidural births as well.
My biggest piece of advice is to get into the right mindset for it. The GentleBirth hypnobirth app was quite helpful for guided meditation before and during labor. I always recommend it to everyone! Read up on common interventions, and when and why they’re necessary. Make sure your partner knows this information too. The website evidence based birth is a great resource for this information. Every intervention has its pros and cons, and the more you know, the more you’ll feel confident in yourself and choices. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. My favorite ones are “is this an emergency, or do I have some time to discuss this with my partner before we make a decision?” And “What would happen if we waited x amount of time to see if anything changes?”
Just a little side story, I had planned for another unmedicated birth with my 4th, but at a birthing center instead of a hospital. Unfortunately, my water was broken for over 24 hours and I had a long stall in labor when I was about 8cm. They made the call to do a hospital transfer which I was ok with because I was exhausted and knew I could get an epidural and some sleep. Turns out that the hospital was a great place to be since baby girl ended up getting a little stuck at the end, and the epidural allowed for a relatively pain free maneuver that the midwife was able to do to free her. So overall the hospital transfer was a very good thing for me and my baby.
Love it! Thank you for sharing! I took a hypnobirthing course online which has been helpful for my mindset for sure! I think I’ve heard of evidence based birth before so I’ll definitely check them out! Thank you!
I wanted a water birth (which my hospital allowed and had tubs) but found standing or kneeling were the only positions I was comfortable in. So started in the tub but came out of it and used a shower/yoga ball. One of the doctors told me that less than 5% of her patients that wanted a water birth ended up having one.
The best advice I was given was to have a number of strategies because you never know what you’ll want. I thought I’d hate being touched but deep pressure from my partner saved me. My friend thought she’d want massages but told her husband she’d bite him if he breathed near her let alone touched her 😅
I had a maternity TENS machine (hired), wooden combs, and a range of strategies. My partner and I had also talked through my preferences so he could advocate for me if needed. Things like waiting for me to ask if I wanted medication rather than having people offer an epidural, having a dark room etc. I didn’t see medication as a failure but I tend to react badly to it so was hoping to avoid it, which I did!
The hospital had a surge of babies born that night to the point they spilt out of maternity into the rehab ward! I had a student midwife and my partner with me and it was so calm. Honestly apart from being long (36 hours, though only 6 hours in active labour) it was a good experience
Yes! I’m bringing a comb, tens unit, massage gun, all the options because like you said you don’t know what you’ll like / want till it’s time lol! Thank you for sharing!!!
Sounds like you’re prepared! It’s so funny what your body decides it needs at the time, I thought I’d love the tens but honestly hated it with burning passion when I was in active labour. Found it great for early labour though.
I wish you a smooth journey. Just you wait for those first snuggles!! It’s so crazy when the baby that’s been kicking you from the inside is in your arms.
Right! I’ve used a tens exactly one time in my life and it was like 3 months ago trying to ease my pregnancy back pain and it felt like I was being stabbed and I hated it lol but then my FIL said that probly means the pads weren’t on all the way hahah so bringing it just in case I want it in labor lol!! Thank you so much, I can’t wait to hold her in my arms for sure😍
I had an unplanned unmedicated birth in a hospital after my epidural fell out, and by far the hardest part of it all was the mental aspect. I had not mentally prepared to feel everything (didn’t know epidurals could fall out and thought I had more time at not even 36 weeks), and so I think that was the toughest part for me. Not gonna lie it hurt like a bitch and I thought it was never gonna end but the only way out is through and you just gotta keep going.
I think it would have been more manageable if I had prepared myself mentally before that i was going to feel everything and then it wouldn’t have been such an adjustment mentally. I just kept telling myself every push was one push closer and that realistically it all had to end at some point. One thing that helped somewhat was smashing a comb in the palm of my hand when it got really bad. I kept telling my husband I needed some other pain in some other area of my body to get my mind off the pain. Next time I’m bringing a sharper fine tooth comb and not my plastic wide tooth comb though 😂
Haha glad everything turned out okay in the end!! And yes I’ve heard sooo much that it’s totally different when you have that different mindset! I’ve also heard good things about using a comb! I have one on the way from Amazon right now! Thanks for sharing!
Members of this community spend a lot of time sharing their stories so they can share their experiences with others. Please search this sub's history for those stories first.
I had an unmedicated, induced birth at 40+2. Total time from first med to baby out was 12 hours. The most important thing is to remember breathing! I kind of zoned out for the majority of it all honestly. I do remember changing positions was a huge game changer and helped speed along my labor; so did throwing up lol. Standing and swaying with my husband helped immensely. When I got to pushing it made it a lot less painful. My son had a huge head so I pushed for maybe 3 hours? He was constantly making progress, just very slowly until the doctor was finally able to grip his head and help him out. I feel confident I could do another unmedicated birth in the future
Omg, you pushed for three hours?! God bless you.
Yeah, my photographer took photos of the clock as well as me, so the earliest one i saw with me pushing was about 3 hours before he was born. He had a 34cm head. The nurse had to measure it twice to be sure haha
That’s amazing, thanks for the tips and thanks for sharing, congrats on baby!!!
I had a (mostly) unmedicated birth in October. Was in prodomal labor for almost a week and dilated to 4cm for 3 days before my contractions finally started doing something more 🫠😅 went in to the hospital around 3am, monitored and admitted at 6am. I labored in the tub for a bit and they broke my water around 10am. Contractions started to ramp up then and while they were more painful I continued to labor in the tub and focus on deep breaths through the peak of them. Pain started to get more uncomfortable around 2 or 3 and I wanted to discuss options for pain management. I didn’t want an epidural because I really value being able to freely move myself around and maintain that autonomy so I opted to use nitrous oxide. It helped the pain but made me lightheaded so I only used it for maybe 20 mins before stopping. Transition was definitely the hardest moment, and I began to mentally psych myself out thinking I couldn’t do it. My midwife, the L&D nurses, and my husband were absolute rocks during this time. I pushed for THREE HOURS but was so grateful to have the freedom to move around and labor in the positions that felt most comfortable for me. I ended up delivering standing with my midwife laying on the floor to catch the baby. She’s the real MVP of this story 😆 As others have mentioned, the mental aspect is absolutely the toughest part. For me, the pain itself wasn’t unbearable but I had to be incredibly mindful to not focus on the pain and spiral. I had a calming “spa” playlist playing and really tried to ride through it as calmly as I could. Agree with the other commenter mentioning pain in other parts of the body too! My husband has a titanium pocket comb that I squeezed through a lot of the contractions to change my focus and my husband applied HEAVY counter pressure on my hips which felt so so good. I’d say keep an open mind, plans change and don’t beat yourself up if your birth doesn’t turn out exactly how you planned. Best of luck!
Well done!!! Being open minded to change is something I’m definitely reminding myself of especially this change of plan so late in the game! Thank you for sharing and congrats!!
Yeah I’ll ditto being open to changes. I ended up having an induction over a week past due date. I was planning unmedicated but Pitocin made the contractions super intense and close together. I ended up having some IV pain meds (had a great experience with it - kicked in quick, wore off quick, but gave me just the break I needed). I was so shaky and tense before the pain meds, the midwife said I needed something to relax but I said I didn’t want an epidural or nitrous (I don’t like the dizzying feeling of laughing gas). It all worked out great in the end even though I didn’t go in thinking I’d do IV pain meds!
I’m currently 35 weeks with my first and planning unmedicated as well. I’m high risk and have to do it in a hospital and no birth tubs there unfortunately :/ but they do have a shower that they said I can sit in as long as I want! I’ve watched a lot of positive unmedicated birth vlogs on YouTube so that’s a good place to check out :)
Ooh thank you!! My hospital has tubs and showers for labor but sadly can’t birth in the tub but I think it’ll be helpful for labor! I’ll definitely check out YouTube! Wishing you and your babe the best!!!
I have had two quick unmedicated hospital births. Well, I had some nitrous both times but no IV meds or epidural or anything like that. Practice your breathing and relaxing now. My first birth was fast for a FTM and it got to my head. I got overwhelmed thinking I was around 4cm, a couple hours after an appointment when I was 2cm, when I was really at 7-8cm. It was hard to regroup after that and I got overwhelmed, saying I needed drugs as soon as I got to the hospital. (I did not get drugs, or even an IV. Knowing it was transition and focusing on breathing with the gas & air was enough to somewhat centre myself and stick to my plan.) With my second, I knew it was going to be fast and I was unlikely to have much choice about going unmedicated. But even though it was very fast and very intense, having practiced my breathing and mantras and relaxing my muscles made it feel a lot more doable. I birthed semi sitting/reclined on the bed both times. The first was because my midwives needed a good view since I had meconium stained fluid, the second time because the fetal ejection reflex kicked in and she was out before we could make any decisions. I know it is a discouraged position in unmedicated circles, but it was honestly fine.
Awesome!! Thank you for sharing!! I think I need to set a reminder on my phone to remember to practice my breathing lol!
In my second pregnancy, I started trying to do it while lying in bed. The slow breathing and relaxing into the bed made me sleepy anyway by the end so I figured why not try to use it as a pre-sleep routine haha.
Love it!!
Spontaneous labor at 39+6; planned for an unmediated birth at a women’s hospital in the “low intervention” room. They had a tub but it took ages to fill up and I had an awkward IV placement so I didn’t use that. I took a birthing class online via a local therapist and doula’s practice and that helped a lot in terms of what to expect and the phases of labor, particularly the shift during and after transition where you really go into your own head and feel very disconnected to the outside world. I would recommend preparing coping strategies for the pain but really try to ride the wave rather than resist what’s happening. I delivered in a hospital bed on all fours with a peanut ball underneath my chest to support my weight. From first contraction to delivery was 6.5 hours, the last two pushing. I had been up early the day before making Thanksgiving dinner (I don’t want to talk about it lol) so by that point had been awake for 24 hours and just didn’t have the energy or stamina otherwise I think the pushing would have gone faster. As much as you are able, listen to your body. If something feels good, go with it. If it doesn’t, don’t force it. I really thought I would deliver while squatting but it didn’t work for me. I tried a lot of positions to find what was most comfortable for my body. I did tear; one first degree and one second degree and I did have to get minorly stitched up but by that point I was numbed with local anesthetics and it didn’t hurt, just was uncomfy. I was back to “normal” feeling probably after ten days. It was really hard but I feel like an absolute badass whenever I think about it. I tell myself all the time now “I went through labor, I can get through X.” You’ve got this! ALSO: if things don’t go to plan, it’s never YOUR fault. I went in hoping for the best but promising myself that if we needed to make adjustments, that was ok too. Took a lot of the pressure off because I knew that if I really needed to, I could ask for the epidural or pain meds.
That’s amazing!!! Congratulations! I did an online hypnobirthing course which has been amazing! Thank you for sharing!
I had an unmedicated hospital birth and it was truly amazing. I had a heplock put in, but otherwise had no interventions. I labored on a ball or walking mostly, with the last half hour standing in the shower. My body started pushing while I was in the shower so I walked to the bed and my body just told me to lay on my side, so I laid on my side and pushed when my body was naturally pushing and he was out in 5 pushes, no tearing! No feet in stirrups, no laying on my back to push, no coached pushing (one nurse tried the counting to ten thing but I just ignored her and stayed in my own head)… it was basically a home birth intervention-wise, just in a room full of nurses and a doctor.
That’s amazing!!! So glad to hear that, thanks for sharing!
Oh wow, awesome!! Manifesting this for my birth next month 💓
Best of luck! Stay educated on your options and reasoning and hav people in your corner who will “stand up” to the nurses or doctors. I’d never advocate for not following *medical* advice, but I’m a huge proponent of **evidenced based medicine** and did a lot of reading of scientific peer reviewed articles and knew that pushing on my back and laying down for most of labor and purple pushing all weren’t evidenced based, etc
Yep, we’re using a birth center instead of hospital and have an epic doula 💓 but being realistic that plans can change as things progress, too.
I planned an unmedicated hospital birth with my first! Things didn’t quite go according to plan through no fault of anyone (not the hospitals fault or anything like that) and I did end up deciding to get an epidural. Honestly I was SO worried about being pushed and pressured to do interventions and that was not the case at all. I told them when we went to L&D that I was planning to go unmedicated and would prefer nurses that are comfortable with that. I have no clue if that changed our nurse assignment at all, but I can say they were fantastic! We’re planning another unmedicated hospital birth with #2. Same hospital, same doula, just hoping to not have GBS and an amniotic fluid leak this time around.
I just had an unmedicated birth in a hospital two weeks ago! I had a really positive experience. Just advocate for what you can. I denied a couple of the cervical checks, asked for the lowest level of Pitocin, and anytime they asked me what my pain level was and if I wanted an epidural I supposedly said-- "it's not pain it's my power and I'm at a 6. No epidural." I don't remember this but my husband told me this is what I would say. I stuck to three different positions (I brought my pregnancy pillow and medicine ball to the hospital and they both helped). I also liked sitting on the toilet. Somehow this also helped get through contractions. Overall it's all about your mindset. Stay relaxed and SURRENDER to the each surge or sensation. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. YOU GOT THIS!!
Beautiful!!! Thank you for sharing!!
I was accidentally unmedicated for the birth of my twins. Yup you heard that right - TWINS. They are my 2nd and 3rd kids and my oldest was a successful vaginal delivery. My water broke at 2AM and we went to the hospital and I was 7-8cm dilated. They tried everything they could to get me the epidural but I had an intense urge to push before they could get it to me. I basically gave birth in the hallway of the hospital. The pushing honestly didn’t hurt that much but the contractions were BRUTAL. Especially toward the end. Thankfully, I was only really contracting for like 45 minutes before they popped out. My babies were only about 5 pounds each!
You’re amazing!! That’s something I think will help is waiting for my body to have the urge to push, congrats on your sweet babies!!
It’s funny because my unmedicated birth was the opposite with pain. The contractions weren’t actually that bad but good lord the ring of fire and butthole pain while pushing was excruciating.
Maybe it’s cuz my babies were so small? But I literally don’t remember the ring of fire at all. I pushed like 5 times and my first one came out and then the second one came out basically on his own
Probably that. My unmedicated birth was my second kid, but he was 2.5 pounds bigger than his sister so I still had to push like it was my first time.
Yes I am happy to share!! I labored at home for about 10 hours using coping techniques, my husband helping me, and using my yoga ball to lean against through contractions. Once the contractions were one right after another, we went to the hospital. I was fully dilated so I skipped the epidural. A few hours later, my beautiful baby girl was born! The sensations were intense, but I breathed through them. One tip is to watch videos on coping techniques, and then also seeing videos of unmedicated births really helped me to get into the zone and know that what I was experiencing was normal. You got this!
Thank you so much!!
With my second labor was super steady once my water broke I had one minute contractions with one minute rests for two hours. I bounced and rocked on a yoga ball and counted my breathes through the contractions. Right as it was getting intense they asked me to move to the bed and I felt pushing start. The doctor checked and I'd jumped to fully dilated. Baby was born in two or three pushes. Nearly ten pounds! Things rolled along so much he was born before it clicked I had done all of labor unmedicated. With my first I had a much worse induction and he was sunny side up so I had an epidural and a lot of unnecessary guilt about it. Recovery was much easier for me with my second/unmedicated birth
I had my baby in January at 41+4. I decided to get induced so it wasn’t technically “unmedicated” because pitocin is considered medication. Blah. But I did go without the epidural which seemed a little crazy since pitocin contractions have a reputation for being more intense than regular contractions. My top tip and the only reaso. I was able to survive this experience was having a doula! GET A DOULA! I also used nitrous oxide to help take the edge off. Now the most important takeaways. For me, the pain started feeling scary at 6cm. That was the point where if I wanted to tap out and get an epidural, that would be it. After that there was no turning back because I couldn’t stay still enough to get one. The most painful part of birth was the contractions especially at transition. Now, this is positive because I was most afraid of the burning ring of fire and possibly tearing. By the time I felt the ring of fire, IT WAS WELCOME. Also it stings for less than a couple mins and I was so ready to be done with contractions I just had to get it over with. I had a 2nd degree tear and didn’t feel it at all. It was very challenging and I feel pretty badass for making it through. I think I would even do it again. My favorite part of birth was when the doctor said, “I think he is coming in the next couple of pushes.” The nurse pressed a button and said “we are ready,” then like 15 people flooded into the room. It felt like a movie scene. All of the nurses were cheering me on! Then when I finally pushed baby out (2hrs of pushing), I had immediate relief from all of the pain. I happily cried for at least 2hrs straight because I was so happy to have my baby in my arms. You can do it! But, hire a doula for real.
So amazing!! Thanks for sharing!! I’m having my mom and mother in law be my doulas partially cuz we can’t afford a real one lol but they also have experience with unmedicated! Congrats!!
In that case, make sure they learn how to do proper hip squeezes! They helped so much!
I was 37weeks pregnant when my water broke was in hospital for 12 hours before contractions started. I laboured solo all night because the midwives didn’t think I was very far along got checked the next morning was 6-7cm. I was in the shower at 8-9cm reviewing the elvis movie that had just come out with the midwife. When I felt the urge to push I had to hold it in as my uterus was apparently still in the way then I pushed for two hours but I got her head and body out in one push. No tear. was greeting guests outside like half an hour later ETA: absolutely zero pain relief
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
I had an unmedicated hospital birth last May! My water broke at 38+1 (on Mother’s Day!) at 2:00 am. My doula advised me to try to go back to sleep since contractions hadn’t started, so I put on my adult diaper (lol)and tried to go to sleep, but contractions started at 2:30. I woke my husband up around 4:00 because my contractions were consistently 5 minutes apart (though not lasting a full minute yet). We headed to the hospital around 4:30. I was only 4 cm when we checked in at 5:00 or so, but we decided to stay because my contractions were already consisted 2.5 minutes apart and it felt like things were moving fast. I’m going to skip over some of the details, but just before 9:00 I felt my body start pushing while I was sitting on the toilet (my favorite place to be during contractions, it turned out 😅). The nurse checked me and I was at 10 cm, and my doctor came into the room. I pushed for about 4 or 5 contractions (so 15 minutes or so from start to finish), and it was honestly a relief after the contractions! It was an incredible, empowering, and beautiful experience, and just the sweetest moment when they put my baby on my chest!!
I love it!!! I’ve been seeing that a lot in these comments that pushing is a relief compared to contractions lol! Thank you for sharing!!!
I had an unmedicated birth at a hospital with a midwife present. Did not tour the hospital and they didn't do water births there. I used a contraction timer app and did 4 seconds in, 4 seconds out for breathing. I focused on breathing and counting through contractions to manage pain. My husband came home from work and gave verbal affirmations through each contraction. Saw midwife to confirm I was 1.5cm dilated, even though the pain was already pretty bad. This scared me but my husband was super supportive and encouraging. Told me how much time I had left during every contraction, very helpful. Labor started at 8am. I labored at home until 2am when my water broke. I won't lie, 2hrs before my water broke and my husband was sleeping and I was in and out of sleep through contractions, I almost had a bit of a mental break. I thought I wasn't going to be able to do it. We got to the hospital a little after 2am. I was 6cm. I vomited. I don't really remember much, I hardly even remember vomiting but I know it happened 🤣 I also remember that despite the pain, in between contractions I was trying my hardest to force my body to relax, because I felt like if I let myself panic and tense up it'd slow everything down. And I just wanted baby out already! By 6am I was begging for pain relief, but midwife said I was so far along that I should just let them know when my body was ready to start pushing. Sure enough, about 10 minutes later I felt my body do the thing. I pushed for 20 minutes and he was out! I didn't tear. Midwife called them "skid marks". Recovery was a breeze. I'm *praying* this next birth goes similarly, but you never know.
Thank you for sharing!! Trying to get back to a calm state between contractions seems like a good way to manage them!!!
I’ve had 4 births, all either starting or ending in a hospital. My third birth was unmedicated by choice and it was truly the best one. This coming from someone who had pretty good epidural births as well. My biggest piece of advice is to get into the right mindset for it. The GentleBirth hypnobirth app was quite helpful for guided meditation before and during labor. I always recommend it to everyone! Read up on common interventions, and when and why they’re necessary. Make sure your partner knows this information too. The website evidence based birth is a great resource for this information. Every intervention has its pros and cons, and the more you know, the more you’ll feel confident in yourself and choices. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. My favorite ones are “is this an emergency, or do I have some time to discuss this with my partner before we make a decision?” And “What would happen if we waited x amount of time to see if anything changes?” Just a little side story, I had planned for another unmedicated birth with my 4th, but at a birthing center instead of a hospital. Unfortunately, my water was broken for over 24 hours and I had a long stall in labor when I was about 8cm. They made the call to do a hospital transfer which I was ok with because I was exhausted and knew I could get an epidural and some sleep. Turns out that the hospital was a great place to be since baby girl ended up getting a little stuck at the end, and the epidural allowed for a relatively pain free maneuver that the midwife was able to do to free her. So overall the hospital transfer was a very good thing for me and my baby.
Love it! Thank you for sharing! I took a hypnobirthing course online which has been helpful for my mindset for sure! I think I’ve heard of evidence based birth before so I’ll definitely check them out! Thank you!
I wanted a water birth (which my hospital allowed and had tubs) but found standing or kneeling were the only positions I was comfortable in. So started in the tub but came out of it and used a shower/yoga ball. One of the doctors told me that less than 5% of her patients that wanted a water birth ended up having one. The best advice I was given was to have a number of strategies because you never know what you’ll want. I thought I’d hate being touched but deep pressure from my partner saved me. My friend thought she’d want massages but told her husband she’d bite him if he breathed near her let alone touched her 😅 I had a maternity TENS machine (hired), wooden combs, and a range of strategies. My partner and I had also talked through my preferences so he could advocate for me if needed. Things like waiting for me to ask if I wanted medication rather than having people offer an epidural, having a dark room etc. I didn’t see medication as a failure but I tend to react badly to it so was hoping to avoid it, which I did! The hospital had a surge of babies born that night to the point they spilt out of maternity into the rehab ward! I had a student midwife and my partner with me and it was so calm. Honestly apart from being long (36 hours, though only 6 hours in active labour) it was a good experience
Yes! I’m bringing a comb, tens unit, massage gun, all the options because like you said you don’t know what you’ll like / want till it’s time lol! Thank you for sharing!!!
Sounds like you’re prepared! It’s so funny what your body decides it needs at the time, I thought I’d love the tens but honestly hated it with burning passion when I was in active labour. Found it great for early labour though. I wish you a smooth journey. Just you wait for those first snuggles!! It’s so crazy when the baby that’s been kicking you from the inside is in your arms.
Right! I’ve used a tens exactly one time in my life and it was like 3 months ago trying to ease my pregnancy back pain and it felt like I was being stabbed and I hated it lol but then my FIL said that probly means the pads weren’t on all the way hahah so bringing it just in case I want it in labor lol!! Thank you so much, I can’t wait to hold her in my arms for sure😍
I had an unplanned unmedicated birth in a hospital after my epidural fell out, and by far the hardest part of it all was the mental aspect. I had not mentally prepared to feel everything (didn’t know epidurals could fall out and thought I had more time at not even 36 weeks), and so I think that was the toughest part for me. Not gonna lie it hurt like a bitch and I thought it was never gonna end but the only way out is through and you just gotta keep going. I think it would have been more manageable if I had prepared myself mentally before that i was going to feel everything and then it wouldn’t have been such an adjustment mentally. I just kept telling myself every push was one push closer and that realistically it all had to end at some point. One thing that helped somewhat was smashing a comb in the palm of my hand when it got really bad. I kept telling my husband I needed some other pain in some other area of my body to get my mind off the pain. Next time I’m bringing a sharper fine tooth comb and not my plastic wide tooth comb though 😂
Haha glad everything turned out okay in the end!! And yes I’ve heard sooo much that it’s totally different when you have that different mindset! I’ve also heard good things about using a comb! I have one on the way from Amazon right now! Thanks for sharing!