Natural Birth?

I plan to do natural birthing this time around. Also I am not doing a lot of vaccines and I am waiting to push and cut the umbilical cord

Also I went to my obgyn about it today and they have anew thing it’s a patch birth control ask your doc next time you have an appointment

We’re planning to have a natural unmedicated birth! Like you say, it’s hard to let go of control and of course we don’t know what is actually going to happen but we’re still trying to prepare for it. I would recommend maybe looking at doulas in your area, that has been very helpful for me, knowing I’ll have someone with me who has done this before and will be able to guide us through the process and help us make informed decisions. And another thing that’s been helpful for us is reading, some of my favorites have been Made for This, Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn, and Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. Feel free to message me if you want to talk more or want more recommendations!! Remember, we’ve got this!! Our bodies are made for this 🫶🫶🫶

And also all this books are still helpful even if you’re having an epidural, they are still very informative since the early labor part is basically the same.

This is baby number two for me. I was able to labor at home for most of the time. My contractions started at 6am and I labored at home until about 11:30pm. When I got to the hospital I was 5cm dilated. Got the epidural at 3am. Baby came 8:55am. The only thing I can say is that you will know when it is time to go to the hospital. You want to do the 4-1-1 rule: contractions are occurring every 4 mins, each contraction lasts for 1 minute, and this pattern is happening consistently for at least 1 hr. I used an app to help time my contractions which helped. The way you time a contraction is the start of one until the beginning of the next. Ideally you want to be at least 5cm cause laboring at the hospital is just not as pleasant. But of course you won't know that yourself. I was stubborn and stayed home as long as possible until I felt like the contractions were starting to be a little unbearable. I called the OB on call to run through everything I was feeling and they agreed it was time to go in.

All that said: rely on the 4-1-1 rule to give you peace of mind but listen to your body on when you TRULY feel like you need to go in. Because it's your first time you can't anticipate or plan the way you want to. It's something you will know in the moment. Once you can't talk through your contractions though, it's time to go to the hospital. Also, keep in mind that it does take time to actually get the epidural. You gotta do paperwork and wait on the Anestialogist. So as soon as you feel like you gotta go to the hospital just go. If it's too early they will tell you to go home and wait a little longer before coming in. Oh and make sure you have the hospital number handy in order to call the OB on call! They're great and asking all of the questions and letting you know if it's time to come in or not.

Hey so I had to get induced with my first but am planning on going into labor naturally with this one. Just like above timing of contractions is the main thing for when to know to go in for sure. But yeah I am getting an epidural again and so I will probably go in sooner than that just to be positive I get my epidural! I have a very low pain tolerance so my guess is me going in will be sooner than another woman might. So you really just have to listen to your own body and what’s working or not working for you. Yeah not knowing what’s going to happen with birth is definitely hard and stressful when you like control. All I can say is if you have a birth plan go into it knowing that this is what I would like to happen. That way the nurses will have a general guideline to try and make happen for you. But birth is so unpredictable so just know that most likely things will have to change a little or a lot from your original birth plan and that’s okay. Only goal is healthy baby and mom!

@Anushka no problem! I'm actually currently pregnant with my second and am due end of April. Praying labor doesn't take as long for obvious reasons lol but only baby knows that 😂 I am hoping to give birth naturally without an epidural. I opted for an epidural the 1st time because I was exhausted and was afraid I wouldn't have enough energy to push and would need a c-section which was my ultimate fear. The epidural allowed me to sleep for 3 hours which was great. Giving birth naturally is just a personal goal of mine so hoping it works out this time 🙏🏽 I also forgot to mention I went into birth naturally at 41.5 weeks, I was pushing it and my doctor's were starting to put pressure on me to schedule to be induced but I refused. If I reached 42 weeks though I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have had a choice. Baby number 1 was very cozy 🥲😅

It does make it hard to plan! My husband's contract is ending the same week as my due date, so would be a lot more convenient to induce a few days early, but I prefer going into labor naturally. With my first that happened the day before the due date (born the next evening). With my second I got induced at 11 days past the due date. The opposite of what "normally" happens, but babies don't care about statistics. This was the most useful thing about a birthing class for me, but I don't recall the "rules" lol If you feel like you're having contractions, start timing. Ask your OB what the spacing is to head in to L&D - contractions for x minutes and/or x minutes apart. If your water breaks, or if you think it might have, go in. They almost sent me home and said I probably just peed (not a bit of incontinence the entire pregnancy) but thankfully they also check with a lab test for amniotic fluid. I was admitted and they recommended antibiotics at the 24 hr mark, so I was glad I knew when it had happened.

Oh and if you go in too early it's nbd, they'll send you home with directions on when to return. If you wait too long, well you risk missing the window for an epidural and possibly delivery wherever you are! But that's really rare.

This is all super helpful information thank you everyone!! Gives me some more peace of mind!

Planning my second natural undisturbed home birth 🤎 I do not want birth to be stalked due to me not being in a comfortable setting. Education is key to confidence and believing in yourself and trusting your baby.

I second reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth! It put me at ease. I’m planning a homebirth with a midwife. She told me to ignore early contractions and go on with my day. When they get more intense and a few mins apart, you’ll know.