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wow - this topic got some people shouting! i'm 19 weeks with my 1st and seeing a midwife and a gynae. planning on a home birth with no drugs but also keeping an open mind... i think people put so much pressure on you to do it the way they did - or however they think is best for you. in the end a healthy baby is what matters most. if i need to have a c sect, so be it... still, read up, get the books and speak to midwives and doulas as well as obgyns. this is your body and your baby.

I just have to comment on this one... E586467, I think you were a bit rude. Niether WP, nor ferfer1 told this "poor girl" that she needs to take drugs to have a baby. They were merely giving their stories and opinions... is that not what she was asking for in the first place? As for my own stories and opinions: 1) Not everyone's bodies are "made to give birth." If this were so, please explain why some women have to have c-sections? So many women died before modern medicine because their bodies couldn't push a baby out. 2) The epidural SAVED ME from getting a c-section. I was in labor for so long with my first child, and could not get past 3 cm until they gave me and epidural. Then I went from 3 to 10 in less than an hour, and only pushed for 12 minutes. So how was that hindering a birthing process? 3) I'm not promoting drugs, but I'm AGAINST women bashing other women for telling their own personal stories and offering advice that helped or didn't help them. Childbirth is painful. If somone wants to talk about how painful it was for them, so be it. It's not fair for you to be rude and disrespectful to them for sharing their stories. Angelhdfd, good luck to you in whatever you decide. It is YOUR decision. Just know that it is ok to have your baby natural and with the help of medicine. Like WP said, if epidurals and other "drugs" weren't safe, hospitals wouldn't offer them to you.

When I was pregnant with my first I did NOT want pain meds because of all the bad things I had read. I was going all natural. When I got to the hospital and the pain became so intense that I was shaking, I changed my mind. I got the epidural and had a wonderful painless birth. Next time I'm planning on having the epidural also.

Okay, sorry to but in, but Rachael H, I think it is just the way E talks or 'sounds' in a post. Merely her personality and she was only sharing her own thoughts and feelings on the whole experience and it seems to me that you are being rude to HER for sharing that. I don't know her from a hole in the wall and E please correct me if I'm wrong, but we ARE all here to share our experiences and I think it was just her way of supporting angels consideration for a natural birth. After all, that is what she was looking for. I read E's response and felt completely the same as I happened to have a very similar experience and share the same feelings about it. I could totally relate to her saying 'everybody feels they can't take it anymore right before they're about to push'. I could totally relate to that and found it true. I appreciated her post and the way she said it because I agree with her, and am happy there are others on here that aren't afraid to offer their honest yet supportive opinions.

alirenee86 thanks for the support. You were right I was only upset that women had to come on here & talk about drugs when angelhdfd was asking about a natural birth NOT about drugs. Rachel H OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T read all my posts because she would have read that NOT ONCE did I say that all women don't need drugs & that they do have there place in labour & birth. Rachel H our bodies ARE made to give birth, but of course some women can't & if you bothered to do some research you would know that it wasn't necessarily the birth itself that killed women in the old days rather complications that occurred afterward like hemorrhaging, infections etc. Of course not all women can give birth v____ally, I never said they could so don't put words in my mouth as you obviously didn't read all my posts. Modern medicine has saved lives but if you know anything about how our bodies work, you would also know that doctors practices of putting women on their back to labour & push out a baby, not only make it more painful for the woman but is also more likely to cause complications & end up in a c-section. In your case an epidural was the best thing, but for you to pretty much say that drugs don't hinder the birthing process is very naive & shows you have done NO research of your own.

Ok, Doctor E586467, you obviously need to go back and re-read your own posts. And, FYI I did read all your posts. You said quote, "angelhdfd DON'T listen to anyone tell you that you need drugs to have a baby, because you don't." Hmm.... they didn't tell her she "needs" to take drugs... You also said, "Taking drugs can hinder the birthing process, leading to interventions & even c-section." (And, you call me naive for saying it doesn't?????) You DO some research, instead of just reading a book (New Active Birth... or whatever)... you're speaking from your own personal experience, and I think that's a little narrow-minded of you. If drugs "hindered" the birthing process, doctors wouldn't give them... and that's not rocket science. You also said (in the same post), "our bodies ARE made to give birth" and "Of course not all women can give birth v____ally" ... I think that's two different contradicting phrases, don't you think? You don't have to tell me that women died because of infections and hemorrhaging... please, I'm not that stupid. All, I said was that women died because they COULD NOT push out a baby (i.e. baby was too big, or the woman's body couldn't handle it) because NOT everyone's body can birth a baby... you do some research. And, I never put "words in your mouth" but I do believe YOU did when you were being so rude to WP and ferfer1's mouths... I think you need to do the research...

E586467, this might sound crazy, and you might think I'm a complete weirdo... but I just want to apologize and not argue with you. I posted that comment above (probably like an hour ago.. or something like that) and I know I can't take it back now, but I think we're just reall moody pregnant women, and we shouldn't be doing this. It's not going to solve anything. I hope you don't read the last comment I posted, but if you do and write back, that's ok. I totally understand. I just want to apologize now, and I hope you forgive me. I guess we all have our own opinions and we're not going to change each other's minds. I really wish I wouldn't have said anything to begin with now. So, again, I'm sorry. I just don't want to argue with anyone, because we are supposed to be supporting each other. :)

Rachel H you said 'If drugs "hindered" the birthing process, doctors wouldn't give them' do you even know ANYTHING about the drugs that are given or are you just wanting to cause an argument? It is well doc_mented that doctors give medication everyday that is later discovered as not being good for us. As for the doctor comment I have never claimed to be of medical profession but funny you should mention it because I get nearly ALL my information from medical encyclopedias (My best friend is a doctor - go figure) NOT from the book 'New Active Birth'. I only recommended that book as it is perfect reading for those who wish to have a natural birth. If you had bothered to look up the physical aspects of birth you would understand why I said our bodies are made to give birth, instead of once again jumping the gun. Of course there are certain circ_mstances why women can't give birth v____ally - narrow pelvis, very large baby, placental problems etc, but my comment was not contradictory as I was referring to the physical aspect of birth & not all the could be problems that might occur. Next time I will make sure to explain myself better for those like you who like to twist words to cause an argument. As for my comment "angelhdfd DON'T listen to anyone tell you that you need drugs to have a baby, because you don't." ok maybe I should have rephrased that a little different, but I meant 'anyone' as in friends & family, not doctors should they advise it for medical reasons. The reason I came across sooo rude to begin with was because angelhdfd was asking about 'NATURAL BIRTH' & instead the first 2 posts talked about drugs (even if it did wear off) & pain. Of course birth hurts but their posts were better suited to alot of the other posts on here asking about pain relief experiences. I don't have anything against women who use drugs during labour as each of us has our own pain threshold, but I do have something against women who make birth seem sooooo painful & scary that other women think drugs is the ONLY way to cope with the pain.

Ok Rachel H now I will apologise, I didn't refresh before I posted my response so I never saw your apology & as for the moody comment I completely agree lol. That might be part of the reason for my abruptness in the first post. Anyway thanks for the apology & I guess I should apologise to WP & ferfer1 for being a tad rude.

Ok, great... so we're all better? lol Dang pregnancy hormones! :)

Okay, okay...Rachael and E you are both cracking me up at this point...Yes, I think the pregnancy hormones can be responsible at this point, and I don't think ANY of us can argue that :) Happy hormones ladies!!

alright. this is my third pregnancy and im going to try for natural childbirth, funny though cause none of the CHILDbirth cla__ses are for women WITH children...weird. Any way to get down to the bottom of things, statistically...more complications occur WITH medication. Breastfeeding problems etc.. Examples...My first....epidural...pushed so hard due to the fact I couldnt feel c___p I tore myself a beautiful HERNIA!!! Doc I suppose was in a major hurry cause he kept yelling at me to hurry up and push...BAD idea!!! You NOT running a race to see who can pop out the baby fastest and when your numb your basing your "pushing" urge on someone else's opinion as to when you should push. Second child, was induced and had epidural, asked for a reduced dose so I could feel something...nope not c___p!!!! Guess what I got out of that? A Vaginal hematoma!!! Had to have surgery and be hospitalised for over a week. First had an episiotomy the size of texas, second one just a small snip..funny though had I been given the chance to push GRADUALLY like your supposed to I probably wouldnt have needed the snip the second time around!! Your NOT supposed to labor on your back, its not natural but where do they put you? In a bed....on your back!!! So here is my advice....try it naturally...I mean really its only a few hours of your life your going to be in pain. I've felt more pain for days for a ruptured appendix. Yes, it will hurt but really...its not all that bad. Its not constant and Transition which is where the major pain occurs only lasts about 15 mins to 1 hour...now you can do that right? Look it up. My first was too drugged up to latch properly and the second due to the lessened amount of drugs practically climbed up to my b___b!!! Breathe...Dont listen to what anyone but yourself tells you. My mother thinks I'm stupid for wanting a natural birth but after the horror of my medicated births I think I owe it to myself to try something I WANT to do rather than what everyone else keeps telling me to do. BTW Dont listen to any docs who are on the golf course when they get called or nurses who think they know it all. EDUCATE yourself so you can tell them to go you know where when they try to make you push too much or too fast. And last but not least... the dreaded "ring of fire"...well its your body's way of telling you to STOP pushing and wait a moment for the nerves to go numb. Look it up its all there!!! Dont let anyone tell you to push when you dont need to!! good luck!

Oh and one more thing...if natural childbirth was so bad dont you think women would stop having kids after they popped out the first one?

hey all... I just thought I would tell you of my experiences. I have three children and I am 35.4 weeks pregnant with baby number four. I have had all of my children naturally with no drug intervention. I, too, had a focus point whether it be a spot on the wall or I also used a mental picture in my head of a river - I know it probably sounds weird but I could tune everyone and everything out and just focus on 'this river' I had in my head and it worked! I never had to have an episotomy and my recovery was pretty darn fast. I plan on having this baby natural too but if drug intervention is necessary then so be it. So that's my two cents. Good luck to you.

disco love...were your subsequent births faster/easier for the most part? I'm pregnant with number 2. My first was 4 hours total with one push and he was out. Easy. I focused on counting through the contractions because they're all temporary and if you count, you know you're counting down until it subsides...that worked for me a lot. That was my total focus was counting on how long it was until it would be over. I want to have a natural birth in the hospital again with this one and am hoping it's even faster/easier! I reccomend natural birth if you're healthy and your pregnancy is going as it should be according to your doctor. Our bodies ARE made for this. Of course there are complications that make anything other than a natural childbirth necessary, but it's been going on since the very beginning of time and before drugs were ever invented. I'm a small narrow hipped girl that had every reason to think it wouldn't work naturally and I had the confidence to do it and did it naturally with flying colors. Good luck to you and count through your contractions...it's all temporary! Pushing for me, by the way, was the easiest part. Don't ask me why or how, but I don't remember that hurting one bit. Just wanted the baby the heck out of there.

I think its awesome that you're considering going natural. I'm 34 weeks with my first. People say I'm crazy for wanting to do it natural. I view it like a marathon or event. Its mentally and physically difficult but when you cross the finishline its pure acheivement and elation mixed with sheer exhaustion. I told my support group not to be afraid when they see me in pain. I asked them to give me encouragement and tell me things like, "You can do it. Don't give up and we're here for you!" I want the freedom to squat, kneel or move around in what ever way my body deems right for the moment. Don't be fearful because the majority of women tell you to be. It is your experience and yours alone. Make it how you want it. I believe it is a process that shouldn't be so horrible in one's mind. Pain in its various forms usually has a purpose but doesn't always denote inferiority. If you go natural have faith in yourself like the woman have for centuries. I wish you the best.