Denial, gas, air and pethidine! Lol :D

But seriously, I am not a believer in birth plans because you will not know what your body needs in order to help you through this mammoth task until the time comes.

I think the doula idea is a great one if hubbie isn't going to be there, especially if she is someone you trust. Personally I needed someone there to tell me to "get a grip" when I was lagging!

Good luck hun!
x

Hey..

I really don't mind what happens in my labour as long as my baby shows up.. I have no positive expectations, and try not to think about anything negative - I just think it will be the shortest part of my pregnancy, come what may

BUT

I would love to find a hypnotherapy CD that was about relaxing 'come what may' e.g. not one with a strong agenda re: intervention etc; one that's just about relaxing and letting go of the fear/managing the pain without trying to convince me that labour should be pain-free or joyous? I'd like it to be, but I don't want to be disappointed if it's really painful.. I just want strength and deternination to will myself through it! Anyone think there's anything out there that would be suitable??

to prepare myself 4 the pain i went for a Brazilian wax twice b4 my due date lol funny but true. my labor was quit quick for a 1st timer, contractions started at 7.30am n he was born by 3.32pm, could be cos the day b4 i had drank pineapple juice, raspberry leaf tea, n half a small battle of castor oil (not all at once).I found leaning 4ward on an excercise ball helped while i was having contractions at home n breathing in then breathing out for a longer time relaxed me hence making the pain less

Thanks so much for your incredibly inspiring stories - I've loved reading every single one and this thread is having an amazing impact on my resolve. Like all of you, I believe this will be a very special day (here's to keeping it within 24 hours) and I'm determined to do it my way.

I would really like a doula - I loved my NCT class teacher and I know she's also a doula. I'd like to email and ask her but I'm not sure how much she'd charge and don't want to have to say no after asking her iyswim.. I would go to 500 quid but she's experienced so may charge more than that? It would just be for the day.

I think that with the right encouragement I will definitely find my zone, but DP will be distraught if I'm in pain - he really wants me to have an elective section despite the consultant reassuring him its not a 'safer option'.

I absolutely know my body can do this!

Hi again,

Forgot to say - I got through most of the pain with a Tens machine and gas and air. Tens is great - it made a huge difference and I really noticed the lack of it when I got out of the pool and hand a contraction (I started out with tens, then got in pool, but labour slowed so I had to get out again).

I couldn't put it back on fast enough!

Will you be giving birth in hospital?

I had a home birth (first baby) and it really helped me relax - I think that makes a big difference when it comes to pain management.

It's not too late to change your mind - find out from your local hospital what community midwives you have access to. With a home birth you also get MUCH more individual attention, and you're likely to know the midwives you will have at the birth. It makes all the difference.

Another option is to hire a doula for the birth - you can find someone you click with who will rub your back and be an angel looking after you ... I had one and highly recommend them! If you're in London, try Joan www.joan-the-doula.co.uk or visit http://www.doula.org.uk/

Good luck and enjoy (even through gritted teeth) - it's the most amazing day of your life!

Hi again,

Forgot to say - I got through most of the pain with a Tens machine and gas and air. Tens is great - it made a huge difference and I really noticed the lack of it when I got out of the pool and hand a contraction (I started out with tens, then got in pool, but labour slowed so I had to get out again).

I couldn't put it back on fast enough!

Will you be giving birth in hospital?

I had a home birth (first baby) and it really helped me relax - I think that makes a big difference when it comes to pain management.

It's not too late to change your mind - find out from your local hospital what community midwives you have access to. With a home birth you also get MUCH more individual attention, and you're likely to know the midwives you will have at the birth. It makes all the difference.

Another option is to hire a doula for the birth - you can find someone you click with who will rub your back and be an angel looking after you ... I had one and highly recommend them! If you're in London, try Joan www.joan-the-doula.co.uk or visit http://www.doula.org.uk/

Good luck and enjoy (even through gritted teeth) - it's the most amazing day of your life!

Stand and Deliver by Emma Mahony was my favourite book about birth - it's hilarious in places, with good advice about preparing for birth and what to expect. But my best part was all the birth stories - from natural home birth, water birth, epidural to cesarean section. All of them positive, all inspiring you to make the most of whatever birth you have.

My little boy turns 1 in September, and it's honestly been a while since I've thought about the birth ... but i'm just in tears now, reading all your posts and remembering it!

I read a lot and listened to the Hypnobirthing CDs, and had this idea it would be a breeze ...

Ha ha. It was SO much more painful than I imagined.

Everything I did to prepare definitely helped, but I don't think I would have made it through without my midwives Jen and Monique. Sometimes you need someone else (like your husband or midwife) to believe in you when you're ready to quit.

I ended up having Alfie at home in a birth pool - just what I was hoping for, but would have ended up in hospital with an epidural if I hadn't had that support. (Well, I probably would have ended up having Alfie in the car by that stage!)

Sorry for going on and on ... !

I'll second what people have said on here about deep breathing techniques. I read the HypnoBirthing book and was all prepared to experience a pain-free labour until my own very intense labour kicked off and all but the breathing went out the window! If nothing else, focusing on breathing in and out as slowly and completely as possible gave me something else to focus on. I would also suggest you use a birth pool, if possible - this was an absolute lifesaver for me.

If you can, try not to focus on getting through the whole labour - just focus on getting through your current contraction, and relax as much as possible in between. Ask your midwives to remind you of this - you'll need it when you start having the "I can't go on!" moments, particularly at the end of the first stage!

I also found it useful that my midwife encouraged me to delay introducing other forms of pain relief for as long as possible. This meant that I got through the entire first stage and transition without using anything but the birth pool and breathing techniques, and that I had entonox (and everything else) in reserve for the final stages.

And don't knock yourself if the whole plan changes during the birth. I was planning an intervention-free home birth with minimal pain relief and ended up with an emergency assisted delivery with a spinal block in hospital when we discovered DD was breech. However, because we were consulted on every decision and this was the best option for DD and I, I still feel really positive about the birth experience.

Best of luck!

I told myself that whatever happened, the chances were that it would be over in less than a day... and that I could bear almost anything for that period of time. I had done the whole natural birth workshop thing and it scared the hell out of me (DS apparently in a not ideal position and I was apparently in for hours of hell according to 'birth guru') so I just chose to ignore the 'advice'... when DS started to arrive 2 weeks early I swore so much my religious midwife had to be replaced... But I'm sure the swearing helped as a few hours later I was eating toast as DS was being bathed and dressed. Be as calm as you can be, and the chances are that you'll work out what will help you when it happens

Another fan of Hypnobirthing. I was quite skeptical about it and certainly I didn't hypnotise myself. However, it really, really did relax me and I felt like I could manage the pain a lot better than the previous 2 births i experienced (they were horrible).

before dd3's birth i was terrified. I didn't religiously listen to the CD but in the last 2 weeks I did listen daily. Mostly fell asleep whilst listening but I do believe they helped me relax as when I did go into labour, I gave birth with just gas and air.

don't put too much pressure on yourself either and I echo what Shewillbeloved just said: you'll find something that worked for you whether breathing or epidural.

All best wishes and enjoy your baby.