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Having a large threshhold for pain is what I would say. I didn't go natural, but no matter what I did for myself it never worked. I held onto things and beared down. What did kinda help the pain was having someone there to rub your muscles that know where to rub. That gave me a little relief. But in the end I had to go with meds.

Dunno tk07. I am wanting to go natural too. I have decided to go to a low risk unit (I'm not sure what they would be called where you live). So that means that the only form of meds that they have to offer is gas. You do have the option of transfering to a hospital if your labour turns out to be really long and drawn out so that you can get anything you want. :-). I have been looking at all of these different things like self hypnosis and visualisation techniques. From what I have read and been told by Dr and midwife a lot of the pain can be reduced if you are able to relax your muscles and remain calm... easier said than done when you are in pain so I think that it takes some practice. I have never had a baby so I am not sure if this will all work or if I will end up crying for meds. :-) Just thought I would let you know what I am looking into. GL

I had a totally natural labor one year ago, and a gigantic baby boy, lol -- 9 lbs. 5 oz. The best advice I can give you is to have great support with you. Not just your husband, bf, but bring a friend or hire a doula. I had my husband and my mom with me, she had two easy births and was totally confident that I could have my baby naturally, too. (It also meant a LOT to my husband that she was there....) I personally believe that WANTING to have a natural birth is half the battle. Make sure your doc is on the same page, and that you have a birth plan written up. We actually told the nurses not to offer me any pain meds, that I would ask if I really needed it. For me, that made a huge difference. Stay home as long as you can and labor on your own.... the longer you are at home, the more you will dilate without the option of drugs. Take a cla__s! It'll help you understand what's going to happen and what to expect, so you can be more relaxed. I'd suggest doing some reading, too: "Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn" by Simkin is fantastic -- we actually got this book at our childbirth cla__s. Also "Gentle Birth Choices" by Harper has a lot of information in it about water births, in case that's a route you'd like to take. Good luck! If you have any other questions, please feel free to post them and I will try to answer for you. ~spam

when my baby began to decend through my pelvis i had terrible pain in my hips like they were breaking, my doula squeezed them in hard and the pain stopped, my bf had to take over though cause her arms got tired but she explained that my body was cramping to push in my hips because that would open my pelvis for my big ol baby and when she did it for me my body could rest and stop cramping. also the bathtub, i went to my hospital the last hour of labor and flipped out that there was only a shower, being submerged helped so much. oh so did yelling at times...not screaming, yelling from deep down and visualizing the pain leaving with the sound strangly helped a lot. oh and when i got tired and was tensing up which hurts much more, i was told to relax my pelvic muscles as if i was peeing and it helped, plus i dialated much faster after. doulas are great help and my nurse encouraged me to keep going when i thought i couldn't cause i was too tired. oh yeah, take a nap as soon as you feel like you have period cramps, you might be up for a while in the near future. oh and my doula filled a tube sock with rice microwaved it and held it under my belly...soooo nice. and don't be scared about pushing, thats what made the pain stop for me. and don't do the hold your breath count to 10 pushes thats aweful for both of you, push like you feel, if you can go to the bathroom you can push, i remember sometimes pushing real hard and then just a little and then really hard just by instinct and it took less than 10min. good luck you'll be great

I am hoping to have a natural birth as well as I'm completely opposed to an epidural. I don't have any problem I don' think with Demerol or something else to take the edge off a bit. Spamanda, good advice, I will keep that in mind. Sagekelli, I'm nervous about the hip pain as I seem to have no hips at all and wonder how my baby boy is going to fit through! I would think, to get through it, just keep in mind that all this is temporary and people go through it every day, everywhere. So mind over matter... Think of the end result! I hope it goes well for you, and I hope I can take my own advice!!

I have had all three of my kids natural and they were 10lbs2oz,9lbs and 8lbs 2 oz. I HATE being touched at all when in labor. I seriously think it hurts. My husband knows to stand back and only a__sist when asked. I liked him holding my hand on occa__sion but that is all. Also, I will sing a catchy song in y head over and over while having contractions.

oh the hip pain had nothing to do with small hips just a small pelvic opening or big baby. but i'm telling you as soon as she sqeezed my hips it was not even uncomfortable, unless she let go. it only lasted about 15min until my baby dropped through my pelvic bones then it was fine, just contraction pain. my friend said demerol made her feel drunk and she didn't like that and it may have made her vomit (contractions can cause vomiting too...don't worry no nausea it just happens...your stomach gets squeezed too much i guess) oxygen can help reduce pain. i try that first, then move on if you still need relief

I'm going to do a natural birth as well. I hired a doula, and I think that will really help. I've also been reading a lot of different labor books. My fave is Dr Bradley's guide to natural childbirth. The different stages are described, as well as what you emotionally go through. That way you can prepare your mind and your husband so that he knows what to expect. For example, that books says that right before you go into the last stage, a lot of women feel like they can't go on anymore...and if they get the proper re-a__surance at that point instead of an offer for an epidural, you do make it. But if someone is constantly offering you pain relief, then it's more likely you'll give up. I plan on telling the nurses to not offer me anything.

Hi, I just had a natural birth 2 weeks ago, my ds was 8lbs 8oz. I am so glad I was able to do it naturally, though it did hurt. What helped me the most was the support I had. There was the midwife, a doula, my dh, and sister all there to help. I was tense the whole time, it was hard to relax but they would breathe with me and when I would say 'ow', they would change it to saying 'ohh', and that helped me get thru each contraction. I did a lot of moaning from within. Also, the water helped me a lot. I couldn't get comfortable but between the warm water and cold cloths all over my head, shoulders, and neck would distract me. I also had someone ma__saging my back during contractions. I got nauseous and threw up alot, and they gave me a homeopathic called nux vomica under the tongue and it helped immediately. Pushing felt so good because you are able to do something about the pain. As soon as he was out though, I felt immediate relief. There is an end in sight, and the baby was so alert and calm when born it was worth it!

I had a doula with me, my husband and my mother inLaw and could not have done it without any of them. Absolutely needed husband there for sanity, needed mother inlaw there to support husband. I know htey are not ppushing but it is hard on them as well to see there wifes there in so much pain and not be able to do antyhign about it, and had the Doula there for everything else. She was absolutely wondrful and we hired her again for this labour and delivery.

I used acupressure during my labor. My husband and I were looking for a way that I could have natural childbirth without too much pain. It is safe, natural, and quick. We found a downloadable book and used the tecniques in it. My labor lasted for almost five hours. It was at maternityacupressure.com. Hope this helps you as much as it helped me

I used lamaze breathing, and relaxing my muscles helped a lot too. Try a focal point.