Labor and Delivery

[belle]

For the moms,did you get n or v duringLabor and Delivery? I want to hear it all, good and bad! I am due soon and this is my biggest fear. I am aiming for an all natural L & D with no medications as I prefer the all natural route with everything. We don't even keep aspirins, pain killers, etc in the house when we have colds, flus, etc... I do hear pain medications and or epidurals can make you sick so I would like to avoid those but I do not know how I will handle the pain of child birth which I hear is the most extensive pain I will ever experience. I did tell my midwife about my phobia and that I would like anit emetics on hand and she said if I indeed did feel sick I can have them but I do not think she gets my fear and will just give them to me to keep me quiet...

[californiagirl]

Here's my input:


I gave birth 3 times, all w/no meds at all. My first labor was 7 hours, 2nd was 9 hours, and the 3rd was only 3 hours. The pain is very intense, yes. No one should lie to you about that. My focus the whole time was: "Ok, my body was made to do this, it's completely natural, and the end result of this pain is meeting my baby who's been inside me for 9 months, I finally get to see him/her--yay!!!" Unless you have complications, you will be fine. Childbirth is amazing, and you will be so in love with your new baby, that you will soon realize that it was all so worth it. Good luck, and I wish you a very safe birth and healthy baby!!

[californiagirl]

OHHH,


And I was never N* or V* during childbirth [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[swiftette]

I've had 2 children-one vaginal and the other c-section and neither time v*. With my c-sect., I warned the anethesiologist about my v* fear and he gave me an anti-emetic along with the pain killer in my i.v. bag.

[shereerenee]

I experienced a lttle bit of n* right as I started to push. It was like everytime I brought my legs towards my chest, I got a yucky feeling and had to put them back down. I told the nurse I didn't feel good and she threw one of those little pink barf trays on my chest..EEEWWW! But I got though it and I was fine. I did have an epidural. I have heard that sometimes when you go natural it is very common to v* during the last stage of labor but women who experience this don't care at all and in fact, it relieves a little bit of pain.





hope that helps! Good luck!


~sheree

[falon_17]

I was 19 when I had my son, andI wanted to do it natural, read all about it...but I ended up asking for an epidural when I was dilated to about 4 cm (that is measured in cm, right?), it was the middle of the night and the pain was just nagging and I couldn't get any sleep when I knew I'd need to rest for pushing. So the guy came and did the epidural...and it only worked on one side of my body!!! He pulled it out a little bit a couple hours later...still no relief. So by this time I was dilated to 7 cm, had been fighting it all night, no sleep in over 24 hours, and my son's father was a worthless sh*t who sat on my laptop playing poker online the ENTIRE time (I left him 2 months later) so I was MAD. My mom was mad too, she was a nurse in that labor&delivery and knew the anesthesiologist and she was so angry that he took so long to fix my epidural. So she drags him in the room and finally, 5 hours after he first put in the epidural, he got it right. As soon as I felt the slightest bit of relief, I was out like a light. I was so exhausted I don't even remember going to sleep. An hour later my mom woke me up and told me it was time to push, and my son was out in 30 minutes.


As for nausea, I did get nauseous a little bit when the pain started to get intense before I had the epidural. It may havebeenthat I was sleep-deprived...I tend to get queasy when my sleep pattern gets thrown off. I thought I was going to v* though, because my mom said she v* when she had me. She didn't have an epidural, but some kind of injection that she says made her feel drunk and did nothing for the pain. I learned in Anatomy that when a woman's in labor all unnecessary body functions shut down, including digestion, so that's why you'll v* if you have anything on your stomach.


I hope your delivery is a better experience than mine was...I was just too young to really enjoy it and realize what a miracle was happening. Plus my retarded ex didn't help any. Anyway, good luck with everything. The best advice I got when I had my baby: sleep whenever you can. Sleep when the baby sleeps. You'll need it and miss it when you can't do that anymore.

[cmatijevich]

Hey. They say avoid dairy...that is the worst to have in your tummy. Well on the day i had my daugther my back was hurting but i thought nothing of it...had some icecream....and then it got worse and it turned out i was in labor. I did v* quite a bit during labor (sorry to be the one to bring bad news= ( ) but just keep in mind when you are near your due date to avoid dairy and i think you'll be fine.

[sillygirl]

cmatijevich - did you ask for any antiemetics? If so, did they help at all? I have a while to go before labor (I'm only 13 weeks) but unlike all the brave epople posting here, I plan on getting an epidural as soon as possible. I have already told my doctor about my phobia, so I plan on asking for them to give me something for n* just in case. I want to be able to enjoy the birth of my baby as much as possible, so anything to take away the unpleasantness is fine with me!

[falon_17]

I want to be able to enjoy the birth of my baby as much as possible, so anything to take away the unpleasantness is fine with me!

Very good thinking sillygirl. I agree with you all the way.

[brina85]

well dont get any pain meds for pain when your in labor cause my sister in law did and she vomited every hour or half an hour it was so bad and as for me with my daugther she was natural with epidural and i got a little nauseas but not bad at all and with my son i got the epuidural and i had the shakes and i felt like thorwing up so bad the nurse even had a bucket near me but i ended up having a c section and after i had it and woke up i felt soooooooo nauseas i told the nurse and she gave me a anti nausea in my iv and she told me i couldnt throw up cause i had just had major surgey on my stomach and my muscles and that it would be bad on the stitches and everything.

[cmatijevich]

Hey....no i didnt ask for them. I planned on it but i got the epidural and i felt awesome so i thought i'd be fine but it hit me kind of suddenly and i was time to push then so they couldnt or wouldnt give me anything else. So yeah just ask in the begining and i bet you'll be fine. If i ever have another i definately am!

[suze]

I didn't worry about v* too much with my first labour, the emet wasn't as bad then. I do remember feeling a bit sick in the early stages, but that could have been nerves! Whilst in the throes of labour, I opted for pethidine but I did ask for the anti-emetic to be given alongside it, which they were more than happy to give.As a result, I had no n* or v*.


With my second,v* was a real worry so I told the midwife who gave mea tablet every few hours to keep the stomach acid at bay. I also opted for an epidural at 5cm, which gave me a wonderful, enjoyable and virtually painless labour anddelivery, with no v* or n* whatsoever.


My advice is to go into it with an open mind, so if you decide you need a form of pain relief then you can ask for it without feeling you've let yourself down having wanted a drug-free labour - some do feel this way so just tell yourself that if you need something, then that's absolutely fine. The end result is wonderful either way and that's what you're going through this for. It's not a contest. Good luck!

[donna1216]

I have gone through it three times as well, the first time with an epidural, and I didn't feel nauseous or anything, the second time with no epidural and I didn't feel nauseous, but I had that gaggy feeling you get when you HURT so bad, but I told muself that I was in so much pain that I didn't care if I v'ed or not--amazing. THe third time I had the same epidural problem as falon, so they took it out and I had Aidan without one, too, and didn't feel sick at all!! 9 days before I had Aidan, I was in the labor room with a friend of mine, and she was v'ing every few minutes from the PAIN, she stopped v'ing when they gave her the epidural, so I do not think that epidurals are the cause of v;ing in l & d.

[dord]

Belle,


I had a C-section with my son and never felt sick. I've had NUMEROUS surgeries that I've been put under with a general and I've never gotten sick. I've taken every pain killer imaginable and never gotten sick. I have severe headaches and take fioricet and imitrex and never gotten sick. I don't know if it's theemetophobia that keeps me from feeling sick with medications or not - it could just be that I have a body that accepts medications quite easily.I'm different from most people in that when I takebenadryl I don't get sleepy - I get hyper.I had a morphine drip during one hospital stay and I was quite coherent - I've heard people say they didn't know what was going on and just slept. I would say for childbirth if you can handle it without any medications than go for it, but if you reach a point that you think you need something than take it.Best of luck and congratulations!!

[belle]

Thank you all so much for your time and story sharing! I am sure I will have mine to share soon. Hoping and praying for no n or v though [img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img]

[tayda]

I had actually planned on an epidural, but didn't get the oportunity. (I'm also REALLY afraid of sticking needles in my back)... but I heard horror stories from L&D, so I planned on it.. but I wanted to wait until I ABSOLUTELY HAD to have it.. (I figured by that time, the pain of needle wouldn't be so bad b/c I'd already be in a lot of pain)..


There are two things you should know: I have heard there is "belly labor" and "back labor"... mst of my pain was in my back and extended through my sides...


I had no drugs (axcept for some novicaine in the lower region).. and I lived... I was in labor for about 3 days.. w/ pitocin... but it wasn't so bad.. then they broke my water and I have yet to feel pain like that again....


after an hour of this, I requested an epidural... but I was 9 cm... so shortly thereafter I began to push... and I think I pooped myself.. but no v* or n*.... I didn't even care that I'd pooped....


Labor is VERY HARD.. but like Cali said.. our bodies are made for it... and it's iincredible... to tell you the truth.. I think I'd be jealous if men were the ones who did it...

[swiftette]

I think some people are prone to v*ing and that's probably why they v*when giving birth. Like screaming-I'm kind of a quiet person when it comes to pain, I'm like a dog wanting to be left alone to wimper when I'm in pain. Labor was the same thing for me-I did'nt scream out like some of the women that scared me while I was walking the halls in early labor. I just quietly cried and kept begging for the anesthesiologist to get my epidural.

[falon_17]

tayda- it hurt when they broke your water? I didn't know that could hurt. Mine broke when the nurses sat me up on the side of the bed to try to re-do the epidural. My mom was standing between my legs and all of a sudden I pushed her away and said "Look out!"She still got drenched (gross) but didn't mind, lol.

[tayda]

lol.. no no no.. didn't hurt when they broke the water.... but AFTER my water was broken I got the most INTENSE contractions.. they were one right after another... I mean on a scale of 1-10.. I went from about a 3-9.. almost instantly... the water being broken was wierd.. lol... felt like peeing yourself w/ a great big WOOSH... actually when my water was broken... that's how I came up w/ the friendship quote.. when I was explaining it to my friend's afterwards....

[donna1216]

Oh yeah, I was more afraid of pooping on the table than I was of v'ing during labor. All of my friends pooped!! I made it 3 times without doing that, either!!!

[suze]

Pooping!!!! Oh yes, I managed that one with my first - I was pushing for over two hours and was determined to deliver something !! LOL With my second, three pushes and she was out, so it was a poop-free birth!! Sorry, was that TMI?

[suzy.o]

Iv had 2 children, honestly, when your in the throes of labour you will not care, emet or not whether you were sick all over the midwife. Aside from that I wasnt n*nor sick with my two, one with pain relief and one without. Youll be fine.

[donna1216]

I agree--once you're in that much pain and there is no turning back, you just don't care, I kind of had the thought in the back of my mind that v'ing might give some pain relief, or something, then that thought turned to "what are you--CRAZY??!!". But the friend that I mentioned before said that while she WAS v'ing, it was making her pain a little less intense, she was mad that they gave her an antiemetic because she wasn't getting that relief any more!! And then a few hrs. later, after she delivered, she ate a huge meal!!!!

[tanyarn]

For the moms,did you get n or v duringLabor and Delivery? I want to hear it all, good and bad! I am due soon and this is my biggest fear. I am aiming for an all natural L & D with no medications as I prefer the all natural route with everything. We don't even keep aspirins, pain killers, etc in the house when we have colds, flus, etc... I do hear pain medications and or epidurals can make you sick so I would like to avoid those but I do not know how I will handle the pain of child birth which I hear is the most extensive pain I will ever experience. I did tell my midwife about my phobia and that I would like anit emetics on hand and she said if I indeed did feel sick I can have them but I do not think she gets my fear and will just give them to me to keep me quiet...

This is what I started worrying about as soon as my morning sickness was over. Thankfully I didn't v* with my m/s. Anyways, every woman is different. Me, personally, I didn't feel n* nor did I v* when I was in labor and delivered. My labor was 'au naturel' as I didn't get an epidural.The only pain pain I was given was Staydol, which took the edge off the contractions only till my water broke which is another story in itself. The staydol made mefeel a bit woozy but thats about it. Now, I've heard that at the point of transistion (from 7cm-9cm) a lot of women get sick. This would include the women who have had no epidural. I guess b/cuz the pain? Hence, I went from 7-9 in about 1 min. so I didn't even have time to feel sick. I did feel a tad n* while pushing though because I was soo exhausted.


My sister however had a different l/d. With her first son she said it wasa miracle she didnt v*. This is while she was pushing and again she was probably extremely tired because she pushed a little over 2 hours. She also had an epidural. With her second son, she said she felt like she was going to v* after she had her epidural. I was in the room and her face turned pale white and I was about to run. The nurse gave her some anti-nausea meds. and it preTty much subsided after they administered them. Other than that she was fine.


Like I said everyone woman is different. I found myself suprised that I hadn't gotten n* while laboring because I have heard 'horror' stories. When in labor your body will let you know what it wants you to do and you'll get through it. Natural or not, its your choice and you do what you feel will make you most comfortable. Epidurals and pain meds. are great options for pain management but look at it this way, if they do make you n* there are always anti-nausea meds. that can be administered. You will be fine. You might be suprised that you may not even feel sick at all. Good luck:O)

[tanyarn]

Oh yeah, I was more afraid of pooping on the table than I was of v'ing during labor. All of my friends pooped!! I made it 3 times without doing that, either!!!

lol.. Lucky you. I felt like I wasn't giving it my all while pushing and I addressed this to the nurse and she said, " You just had a bowel movement so I would say yes, you are doing more than you think." But, I didn't even care I was in so much pain.

[swiftette]

I pooped and because of the epidural,I did'nt even know it. Untill that is my"lovely" husband told me later- laughingly. [img]smileys/smilies_09.gif[/img]I was so embaressed I cried.

[marby]

I just laughed outloud for two solid minutes over the poop comments! That's hilarious.


Belle -


I had an epidural once I got to 6 cm (no n*) and felt great up until about 30 seconds before my son was born. Even then, no n* or v* just an intense pressure and need for him to be out. Like several have said, I think everyone is different, but I wouldn't change a thing if I did it over.


It's nice that you still have awhile to think it over and make the decision that will be best for you!


Marby

[falon_17]

yep, I was afraid of pooping on myself too, so I made every last person leave the room when I was pushing except for the doc and 2 nurses. Since I was completely numb, I couldn't feel if I had or not. I even tried to go before I had him so I wouldn't poop on myself. So when my son came out, I was so excited I yelled for everyone to come back in. Later when my best friend asked me if I pooped on myself I said "no", but my son's father looked at me and said "yes you did!" I was beyond embarrassed! I wanted to cry.


Another thing maybe you moms can relate to- when you have a baby, you lose all modesty. That's what my grandma told me would happen, and she was right! I can't believe I yelled for everyone to come into the room with me lying there spread-eagle with me ppoping on myself and horrible things going on to my body! And then when I breastfed, I didn't care who saw it! My son was hungry, and everyone else eats in public! Usually I would try to go off to a corner and put a blanket over my chest, but it's hard not to flash anyone when you're holding a baby and trying to get your shirt up and your bra down...whew. We were in a pediatrician's office once and I moved to the corner, but this little kid followed me and sat there staring at my chest! I breastfedmy sonfor14 months and by the time I stopped, I think everyone in the city had seen my boobs.

[aar13]

Hi Belle!


I had my daughter in May 00' and was really worried about v*ing because of my emet. I actually felt n* for a short period of time when I was pushing but I did not v*. I had a pain med in my iv before they broke my water just to take the edge off and it helped a lot. But I did not have the epidural because I preferred to try doing it without the needle.


I am pregnant with my second child and am still scared of v*ing while in labor but hope to be ok. When are you due? I am due 5/11/06 - IT'S A BOY! I am 23 weeks today and just can't wait for this to be over.


Good Luck to you! I'm sure you will be just fine.


Alissa

[belle]

Hi Alissa, Congratulations on your pregnancy [img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]I am glad you didn't v during labor I hope and praythe same for me! We are due in 8 weeks with a girland are very excited. How do you handle when your daughter is ill (sv)? Do you catch what she has? I love meeting and chatting with other pregnant gals!