Delivery advice?

I had my first baby 2 months ago. I had a natural birth in a hospital with midwives. It was amazing! I had a wicked support team and altho it was painful it wasn't as bad as I made it out in my head. My honest advice, if you are capable, doing squats helps alot and walking. My midwives told me that squats soften the cervix and I swear by it cuz my birth was not only super smooth but extremely quick! Congrats! And remember in the end it is all sooooo worth it. That moment when you see that babies face is beyond words.

I'd recommend looking into hypno birthing if your feeling so anxious, its really helped me stay calm and look forward to giving birth 😀

I’m pregnant with my first so I can’t talk about past experience, but I had the same fears. I had my first appointment with my dr who was also my gynecologist, and just didn’t feel great! The whole thing get rushed and impersonal. I also want to go the natural route and don’t want to feel pressured to do things I’m not comfortable with. I’m pursuing birth at a local birthing center with a midwife and I’m so excited!

I’m pregnant, due May 21!!! 🤗 My first child is 15 years old, and I had her natural. I had an epidural that didn’t take. And honestly, I’m planning to go all natural this time around too! We are strong. We are moms. Just breathe through your pain. There will be some times you think you can’t do it. But just keep going. I believe in you!!! I have midwives this time around, and because of my super easy first labour and birth, they tried to talk me into home birth. I am still opting for hospital. Lol

I’m pregnant with my 4th and my first 3 children have been all natural, with midwifes and the healing has been quick an easy in comparison to my friends with c section. All I can say is “we are designed to do so” this days people talk about a lot of options and there’s some exptrrme cases out there but it should be more promoted to have a natural birth. We have it in our biology, trust your instincts and prepare are yourself walking lots and squating, yoga and swimming, labor is not easy but it’s so damn empowering once it’s done. BEST WISHES✨

The first thing the realize is that things may not go as you plan, so remember to be fluid. I tried to do a vaginal delivery, went to the hospital at 8am, was induced, starting pushing around 11pm for 4 hours but no luck. I had to get a c-section. It was a hell of a day but worth every ounce of stress. Looking back, I should have picked up on the hint when the ultrasound tech asked me if I was sure about the due date because his head was so big! I’m due with number 2 on June 3rd and I’m scheduling a c-section.

YouTube some positive birthing stories xx

If possible labor for as long as possible while you are at home until the pain is unbearable. Also if possible if you can deal with the pain once at the hospital and they offer you epidural don’t take it, I did and I regret it not just for the back pain I still have but because it made pushing so difficult for me: I tore it wasn’t a bad one but it happened and it caused my son to have to do PT (physical therapy.) If you have one pack your birth plan with you and make sure you talk to all the doctors and nurses about it let them see it etc

I also intended to have a natural birth. I took a Hypnobirthing class which I found super helpful. I ended up not progressing at all and needed a c section but because I’d done research on all of my option I never felt pressured into anything. I understood what was going on and felt capable and prepared to make the best decision for myself and my baby in the moment. Best advice I can give to to research allllll of the possibilities so that no matter what happens your not hearing about some drug or some procedure for the first time while you’re in labor and not prepared to process the information. I really think that level of information beforehand allowed me to be comfortable changing the plan in the moment because I really knew it was what was best. I didn’t have any trauma associated with the change in plans the way I know a lot of women do because I felt empowered to make the right decisions for myself.

No advice from me as I am in the same boat but just wanted to stop by and say what a gorgeous bump

I wanted a natural birth and made it 95% of the way but then had some last minute complications and had to have a forceps assisted birth. Honestly though, even with my complications the build up and fear of what was going to happen was worse than the actual birth. I’d say do your research on all of the options for birth/pain relief etc. because things often don’t go to plan and you may need to make some last minute decisions. And practice those breathing techniques as early as possible, this was invaluable especially in the early stages while labouring at home. Just remember, you’re made for this! X

I knew right away I wanted all the drugs, I have a low pain tolerance so it would be needed. I got an epidural about 8 hours into my hospital stay but my daughter didn’t make her appearance for another 48 hours so by the time I had to push everything had worn off 🤦🏻‍♀️ it definitely wasn’t fun, and I ended needing to have her head vacuumed out but she’s happy and healthy! I guess long story short is, go in with an open mind. Of course it’s way easier said than done!

I planned a natural labour and ended up having morphine and an epidural, it's nice to know your options and what each thing involves but you really can't plan 100% as there are so many variables, so be as informed as you can but Def stay open minded xxx

Don’t be scared mama you’ve got this! The fear is worth it at the end. I had my son 5 months ago and was so terrified leading up to it. With thoughts such as “can I really do this?” “What if I can’t” “what if I need a c-section” and more ridiculous ones as “what if my baby gets stuck” “what if I push incorrectly”. So many things go through your mind but once it’s your time you’ll know what to do. Have a birth plan to give to your doctor and nurses. It is extremely helpful. Don’t be afraid to request a new nurse if you aren’t comfortable with the ones you have. If you plan on a 100% natural birth (no pain medication) keep an open mind of your other options. There is much more out there than just the epidural! At the end of the day you need to do what’s best for you and your baby. You’ve got this!

I had a natural birth 8 months ago in a birthing center. I prepared with meditation geared toward hypnobirthing and birth affirmations. Honestly I didn’t do it as often as I wanted to but it was still effective for me. From water breaking to baby was almost 12 hours. I was able to eat and move freely which was nice.

I was the same I was so nervous from the second I found out I was pregnant about labour... but I think the best advice I can give is try not to plan too much because it may not go the way you want it too... I have a 7 month old baby girl and I didn’t think labour was as bad as what I’d made it out to be in my head x

I would just say try not to have a strict birthing plan as sometimes it goes out of the window and it leaves you feeling deflated. You really cannot say what your going to want/need until you go into labour and having such a regimental attitude isn't always a good thing. As long as that little baba arrives safely and mums fine then thats all that matters. Good luck xx

Keep in mind that first time mamas go beyond their due dates so don’t let doctors pressure you to induce unless you or baby are in risk. Inductions just leads to more interventions. Also remember that for first time moms labor can go over 24 hours so it’s best to labor at home so doctors don’t try to give you medication to quicken your labor. My first was a traumatic experience at a hospital. Doctors wanted to do intervention after intervention & it left my baby boy w a rare seizure disorder, cerebral palsy etc. My second & third pregnancy I was determined to things differently. Both were homebirths (I will never do a hospital birth again) I prepared by exercising 5 days out of the week. Yoga or walking for 30 minutes. That really helped lessen the time of my labors (1st was over 24 hours, 2nd 7hours, 3rd 5hours) I strongly suggest looking up the stages of labor. I did this w my last birth & it helped me ALOT to know what stage I was in.

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That’s great. But statistically most first time moms go at about 41 weeks

I had my son the day before his due date

When you feel like you have to push, you should. I was dumb and waited for the hospital staff. I wanted a water birth but they couldn't fill up the pool in time. I didnt push on my back, I was on the bed on my knees and the bed was pulled up like a chair so I could hold the back rest. He was out in less than 10 minutes from when I pushed thanks to gravity. Don't overdue the pushing though. I did and ended up hemorrhaging. The nurse was trying to get me to slow down and breath and I didn't listen. Most of all listen to your body and good luck

I wouldn’t spend too much of your time thinking about it and stressing yourself. You have absolutely no idea how your personal birthing experience will go. I would say keep an open mind and don’t have your heart too set on any one particular way you want to give birth. It rarely works out that way for anyone and you’ll be more stressed if your plans change when it’s time. Give yourself grace that whatever decision you make is what’s best for you and your baby. ❤️ I say all of that from experience. I had a super boring, easy pregnancy with no morning sickness, no symptoms other than a belly. I worked out 4-5x a week and even was snorkeling at 29&30 weeks. My girl decided to come early at 34 weeks 6 days and was delivered via c-section. It was definitely not on my radar nor the doctors radar lol 😂 i drove myself to the hospital with my husband out of town and did my c-section alone while he was still on his flight. Be open to however your baby comes into this world ❤️

Do your research, most of the fear comes from not knowing what to expect. You can never know how it'll turn out on the day, but you can prepare yourself by learning about the stages of labour and reading or hearing other women's birth stories. The Birth Hour podcast is great for that! Also highly recommend hypnobirthing to prepare for a natural birth, and anything by or involving Michel Odent. Spinning Babies exercises to keep baby in an optimal position. Talk to the women in your family, they might give you some clue as to how it might go. This is also a great time to be tuning into your intuition. For context, I repeatedly tried to talk to my midwife about what would happen if I went late and she kept saying, let's not worry about that until we have to. Spoiler: I went to 42 weeks. Then went into labour, we called the midwife (home birth) and she checked me and went away again because I was only 3cm... and had to come back 40 mins later because my body was pushing on it's own. I knew I needed her there.

Following. Due June 11

I was sure I wasn't having children bcoz people would try and scare me with their birth stories but I have a beautiful little boy who is 20 months and I was petrified but all turned out well, keep positive where you can. When I got to the hospital at midday on the 15th May 19... I was told I was fully dilated and ready to push which meant no pain relief for me but I was in another zone (not in a bad way) wanted to concentrate on the job in hand and 2hrs 18 mins later my boy was born, it was amazing so don't worry yourself or get yourself stressed about it. If you want to chat I'll happily do so. XxxX

This is the biggest piece of advice for a natural birth I could give. When you go into labor and are in the hospital the doctors and nurses do not TEACH you how to push. Naturally you think you need to push from where the baby is coming out. WRONG! You need to push from the other side...as if you are going #2 in the bathroom. I went through a lot of wasted stress and time on my first labor bc I was doing it incorrectly. Use your ab muscles and your butt! ;) You will be fine! Mamas are strong creatures and once you see your little ones face and hear their cry...you will literally forget all about your own body. It’s a true miracle and the greatest gift in the world!

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And if possible i recommend an epidural

I had full intentions of going natural. My water broke naturally, and I was in labor for 17 hours. Since my water broke naturally and I wasn’t dilated enough they gave me pitocin around the 14th hour. Before the pitocin labor pains were manageable. It’s all about free movement labor. The more you move the easier it is to manage the pain. Try rocking, squatting, dancing, anything like that. If you can make it without pitocin you should be fine. I tried my best, but the pitocin made it unbearable for me. I was weak and caved for the epidural. Wishing you the best!

My biggest piece of advice is to educate yourself about all your options, and know that you CAN say “no” to doctors/nurses! For example: at the hospital near me, it is “policy” for a woman to get an iv when she comes in to give birth, even if she doesn’t want any meds/pitocin; but my midwife informed me that I could just say “no” to the iv, because it’s MY body! If I changed my mind later and wanted/needed an iv, they could put one in later!

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Hay un libro (Mama Natural) que tiene todos los opciones y puede ayudarte a preparar tu plan de nacimiento

My advice is to look at your birthplan as a general guide, but be really open to change. I had a very detailed plan. Bouncing on a yoga ball and watching my fave movies while waiting for labor to progress, go natural etc. Then my water broke at work and I was already pretty much dilated by the time I got to the hospital. I chose epidural because I couldn't think or calm down. I'd say, just trust yourself in the moment. And make sure your birth partner advocates for your wishes. Good luck momma.byoure gonna do great!