Women: How did you give birth?

In the US. Naturally (no medication) in the hospital. And, I should add, what a fantastic experience!

I Canada, also naturally and in hospital. I would absolutely take pain medication if I was having babies now. I had mine in the early 80’s and my doctor believed no medication. My first baby was face up hence back labor and my second was breech, turned herself at about 7 months so was still slightly slanted when I started the painful part of labor. I was so scared with my third and then she almost fell out after 3 pains bringing the placenta with her.

Funny how one forgets the details like excruciating pain… I had my first with no medication at all. I was 22 and going to prove that I was a real woman. Yeah, 17 hours of intense labor later I gave birth to a howler monkey. Yikes!!
I had IV demerol for child number two, Pitocin really works well people. Barely pushed two times, and his head was perfectly shaped, with nothing worse than a shot of Narcan for him and pressure bruises on both of the whites of his eyes. Number three, I had an epidural. With narcs. God yes. Why didn’t I do it this way the first and second times? I’m American, by the way. My son was actually born in Naples, Italy. He has dual citizenship.

In the USA, at home, without medication, attended by my CNM partner. I was six weeks short of my 40th birthday. She was posterior laying with her back up against my back, a position in which their head needs more room so I had back labor, more painful than the usual which is intense enough. I needed counter pressure against the small of my back during every contraction, which was my husband’s job. Poor guy was having carpal tunnel problems, so he ended up spending hours pressing the top of his head into my back. Because of her position, it took extra time and effort to push her out, about 2½ hours.

Because of the kind of work I do, I was fully prepared for a very long “elderly primip” complicated labor, but my body really did know what to do.

@MagsRags I spent the back labor with my son on my hands and knees over the bedside table. The doctor tried to check me on that position, didn’t work.

All four of mine were born in a hospital with a Dr. in attendance. The first was 32 hours of labor, nothing for pain. The second, 1½ hours of labor nothing for pain. The third was an emergency cesarean, the baby was in a frank breech position, I had general anesthetic. The fourth ( a V-back ) was face up so he took longer and I had a lot of back pain. @faye I finally got on my hands and knees too, and that really helped get him moving. That one was also without anything for pain. I was nearly 40 when I had him.
I won’t say it didn’t hurt, but it sure was worth it!
I’m in The U.S.

In a hospital in U.S. – first one was a cinch – no meds and he popped right out. Doctor met me when I was ready to push my son out. Second one – no meds again (nurse said it was too late and “the doctor is sleeping and he didn’t leave orders”) Extremely painful, and if they had said “Surprise! You had a puppy!” I would have been thrilled! It was so not fun. Again, doctor woke up just in time to catch my daughter. But that was 18 years ago and our minds and bodies are forgiving. Wouldn’t trade them for the world.

United States: I was induced in the hospital, labored eight hours, had an ER C-section because she was wrapped up in her cord. Second time I had a C-section scheduled but my water broke three weeks early, so I had another ER C-section

I am from the US: my first, I was 30, it was natural,no pain killers, doctors at side, and in a hospital, but she was born in London. 2nd birth, identical twin girls! Age 32, Also, in London, same hospital, doctors assisting, C-section (thank fully) (that would be painful!!) and 4th, I was 39, C-section and 2 weeks late, wrapped in the cord. I think that through the process of 36 months in total for my four kids, with pain, and cravings, morning sickness, and extra weight gain (especially with the twins) I think it was definitely worth the waiting!

First: Hospital, vaginally, with pain meds: both narcotics and epidural. No other assistance (they wanted to do an episiotomy and use a vacuum. I refused.)

Second: To be determined. My hope is another hospital birth, with doctor present..and epidural. Hopefully won’t need the narcotic this time.
I’m from the US.

I’m in the US, and all three of mine were born in the hospital.

For the first, I wanted an epidural but labor progressed too quickly. Our daughter was born after only a couple of hours of labor at the hospital. No meds at all. Three pushes and she was out. No episiotomy, no stitches.

With our second baby, I went to the hospital when contractions started at the advice of my doctor, who thought the labor would go quicker than the first. Once we got to the hospital, contractions stopped but I was dilated enough that they wanted me to stay. Eventually they broke my water, but still no contractions. They started me on pitocin, without telling me how much more intense the contractions would be. I’d decided against an epidural, but once the pitocin kicked in I was practically begging for drugs. They gave me staidol, which made me high as a kite but didn’t really touch the pain. Luckily, that labor was also quick with only a few pushes before our son was born. Pushing out a baby that weighs more than 9 pounds is WAY different from pushing out a 7 pounder. Yikes! I had a few stitches, but that part wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be.

A very short 17 months later, we were back at the hospital for the birth of our third child. My doctor had given me the option of an early induction because my previous labors had progressed so quickly and because my son was so big. The ultrasounds indicated I was on my way to having another large baby. A week and a half before my due date, we got checked in and I started on the pitocin. That time around, I was a big wimp. The memory of my other son’s birth was too fresh in my mind, so I had an epidural as soon as they’d let me. What a huge difference! The whole experience was so calm and relaxing. I had no problems with the epidural, and the delivery went well. Again, a few stitches. Our youngest son weighed 8 pounds and was very healthy.

All three of my kids took to breastfeeding easily for the most part. Our daughter had a harder time starting out, but by the time we left the hospital we were pros. The boys were born doing that “rooting” thing, I swear to God. I firmly believe nursing ASAP after delivery gets things off to a good start. I didn’t know that and waited several hours before attempting to nurse my daughter, and she just didn’t “get it” for about 24 hours.

@faye I’ve delivered quite a few babies to women who were squatting or hands and knees, but you just can’t check the cervical dilation in those positions – you can’t feel the rim of cervix that might be left.

I wanted a home birth. My baby attempted to come early…I was hospitalized and then sent home to stay in bed. The home birth was nixed by my very alternative doctor. So, when I went into labor a month early, I went to the hospital had a short (relatively) six hour labor and refused any medication ( I was determined not to take drugs) and gave birth naturally.

My mother had gone on and on about how I would NEVER be able to take the pain and how I was going to HAVE to have a cesarean like she did….blah, blah, blah.

So glad I didn’t live near her….and did it my way…she was shocked when I told her on the phone. “No drugs? NOTHING?” she asked. “None, mom.”

That silence was almost (not quite) as fantastic as the amazing girl child that came into my life that day.

Though I ended up as a single mother…...she has been an absolute dream.

Happy ending.

@MagsRags Yes, I had to lay on my back, didn’t like it!

Not fast enough

I don’t really identify as an American but I do live here in the US and I had both of my kids here in Brooklyn, NYC. I took baby classes, read books, informed myself a lot throughout my first pregnancy so I was against an interventionist approach to labor and wanted nothing to do with the whole ‘let’s give you an epirdural which will slow down your labor and then we will give you pitocin which will get you nowhere fast and then we’ll just say oh guess it’s time for a c-section now’ (the rate of c-sections in this country is rising as ever and that’s NOT okay)...well when it all came down…I went to the hospital too quickly…I didn’t dilate, they wanted to give me pitocin but I said no and left home…eventually labor picked up and we went back to the hospital..sadly by that point I haven’t slept in 3 days and agreed to the epidural (thankfully, no side effects for me)...eventually when I got to 10cm, my contractions stopped and so they had to give me pitocin against my best wishes because my uterus was not cooperating…so they gave me pitocin and I didn’t respond to it, it did nothing! the doctor’s knee jerk was c-section but I said over my dead body…I told him if there was ever a woman that delivered without contractions then I can do it as well…he thought I was crazy but agreed…after 2 and a half hours of pushing and because of sheer will power, I delivered vaginally…the second time around, I stayed home and labored naturally until I was about 8cm and then I went to the hospital…I agree to the epidural because with this baby I’ve been literally in labor for over 2 weeks – I’ve been dilated 3cm 2 weeks prior to due date…eventually when I was 10cm, I told them to switch off the epidural so I can push and he came out in 9 pushes…there was a point where my heart rate and the baby’s heart rates were too high and this gyno (different guy) wanted a c-section (that’s their answer to everything) and I said ‘get out of the room, let me calm down and it’ll all be fine’...which is how it went down…

@Simone_De_Beauvoir The OB who delivered my first was literally timing me with pushing. He said no more than 3 hours and then I get a c-section…even with no other reason, like no decels of my or the baby’s heart rate..I remember being so freaked out about that time limit. And did research (after the fact) and learned that pushing even up to 5 hours can be normal. They should have given me a break. But, at least they waited for me to say “I feel the urge” some OBs make you push as soon as you hit 10cms. I want to push when I get the urge..even with an epidural, I’d wait at least an hour before pushing without the urge.