Did you labor in bed or did you use other methods (e.g. birthing ball) to help with contractions? Did anybody give birth other than lying down? What were your experiences? I'd like to have a med-free birth possibly using a squatting bar but realize that 1. I've never given birth so who knows how I'll tolerate it, 2. with an epidural you have to lie down and 3. anything can happen. Thank you 
You might also enjoy...
-
I have a friend who gave birth on a birthing stool! (I've never given birth so that's kind of all I've got.)
Good luck with your med-free birth! I'll be attempting one, too--and like you, have no clue what to expect.
-
I had a med free birth, actual delivery I was on my back (not really laying down, since I was pulling on my knees to push). Before I was pushing, I did a lot of pacing, bouncing on the birthing ball or laying over it and rocking, sitting in the bathtub with hot water running over my belly (at home and in the hospital). Once I was in the hospital, I thought I would want to be walking and moving around, but I was most comfortable on my hands and knees in the bed rocking through the contractions.
If you have a good midwife or nurse there, they will help you with positions and pain management.
ETA: They had me try a couple other positions while pushing and they just weren't comfortable for me-- I think on my hands and knees and maybe squatting? Laying on my back was the best for me.
-
I laboured at home on a yoga ball. I just dropped my arms over the front of it and rocked back and forth. At the hospital I basically stayed on all 4's and didn't move. I had my knees on a chair and then was leaning over the bed for the most part. ( the nurse didn't like that as it was 'unsafe' haha.) When I started to push I started in a squat position with the head of bed raised and draped my arms over the head of the bed. That was a hard position for me to push in though, so I went onto my back and ended up delivering like that. Originally I wanted to avoid pushing on my back as in my birthing class they said that goes against gravity. However, I found it the easier way to push.
It's honestly kind of a hard thing to decide on before you go into labour, you just need to find the most comfortable position at the time.
If it matters, I did not have an epidural. Good luck -
I had a med free birth. I started in bed, went to the birth ball, took a shower, labored leaning over at the counter moving my hips, walked around my yard laboring while holding DHs shoulders, during transition I used the birth pool and a birth stool and then I delivered in bed. I had a Homebirth so I was free to move and took full advantage of that.
-
I had a med free hospital birth that started with an induction (broke my water and didn't end up needing any other intervention like pitocin). I walked around the hospital and up and down the stairs at the hospital a millions times (it felt like). Laying down made contractions feels 100 times more intense. Once I was in transition I sat on a yoga ball with my arms on the bed as that was the only thing that felt comfortable, not to mention my legs were tired from all the walking and stair climbing. As I got closer to pushing I laid in the bed on my left side in the fetal position. Pushed on my back. Total labor was 6 hours and pushed for about 20 mins!
-
I had an epidural, so I did end up needing to lay down, but while I was laboring before that I was in bed and then in a rocking chair. I was a little different than most, though, because my water broke around 5 AM, and 12ish hours later I still wasn't really dilated or effaced, so they gave me cervadil. With the cervadil I wasn't allowed to get out of bed for at least an hour, and they didn't really want me walking after that because they didn't want it to fall out.
-
I tried various positions during labour (hands and knees, squatting, kind of putting the head of the bed all the way up and leaning over it, bath tub). I only had gas, so not entirely med-free I suppose. I ended up feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom, and once I sat down refused to get up for like an hour and a half, and just laboured on the toilet because I'm classy like that...
My water broke at 10pm, and I'd been up since I woke up that morning at 6:30am, and worked all day. I had to go to the hospital for monitoring to wait until labour started. Hospitals are terrible places to sleep, so by the time I started at 4am, I'd already been up almost 24 hours, so when things started getting intense, I was already starting off so tired, that I mostly just wanted to lay down and "rest".
-
I spent most of my pregnancy on an exercise ball, but when labour started, I could NOT sit down.
I did most of my 44 hours of labour standing, either in the shower or leaning over the bed. My doula 'danced' with me for a few hours (think middle school slow-dance position) and that helped. I started swelling badly, so I had to lie down on one side, but it wasn't my position of choice.
Because I ended up with an epidural due to the swelling, I gave birth on my back, but probably would have been more comfortable squatting/standing.
-
I had one epi and one med free birth. After the epi, I labored and delivered on the bed. For the med free, I labored on the birthing ball about 10 minutes and then it got WAY to intense to do anything but lay on the bed. That said, my whole med free L&D only lasted 45min, so the contractions basically didn't stop!
-
Wow - so many different stories and situations, thank you! I remember my yoga teacher mentioning getting on all fours when you're laboring so I'll hopefully (?) remember this position or relay it to DH so that he can tell me. Also swinging the hips around to get baby into position is also supposed to help. We'll see!
@Sapphiresun: My friend who is a L&D nurse also mentioned laboring on the toilet! -
I was on Pitocin but was determined to go without an epi (didn't work because I labored for 14 hours with little progress and wanted to sleep). I used the birthing ball and was in heaven. My labor was very very manageable pain wise, even on Pitocin. I got the epi so I could rest, not necessarily because the pain was too much (obviously too much to go to sleep). I recommend it!
-
I labored and birthed at home ... During my first few contractions, I bounced on a yoga ball. Soon after, I mentally checked out (deep meditation/vocalization), and decided to labor on the toilet for awhile. I spent my last contractions on all fours, and it was glorious. Gave birth in the living room on all fours.
I think you'll naturally gravitate towards what your body needs to do in order for baby to descend properly. I didn't consciously choose any of my positions, they just happened!!
You can totally do it unmedicated!!
-
I had back labor so I was mostly sitting backwards on a chair and leaning forward and also leaning over with my hands on the bed while standing. Having the gravity and letting my belly fall forward mixed with dh putting counter-pressure on my back was how I managed to get through labor. I ended up delivering on my back which I hoped not to do but lo came so fast I had no time to change positions. (It ended up been good though because it allowed for lo to be put straight on me for skin to skin and I didn't need to change positions for that or for them to deliver the placenta/clean me up)
-
I had an epi-free birth, I labored by pacing around the hospital, bouncing on the birthing ball, using a hot shower, and resting on the bed (on my side). Honestly, none of the positions helped a lot with my back labor, but it was better than lying on my back! The hot tub was my savior, helped me through transition, I would urge anyone to give it a try!
For the actual pushing, the midwife had me try on my knees and squatting, which was cool, but my knees were giving out, so I pushed on my back which I never expected! But in the moment, it felt right and that part went by relatively quickly and well!
You just have to be ready to go where labor takes you
-
My labor was semi-medicated (I had two epidurals that failed). I had horrible back labor, and the only position that was even remotely comfortable were bending over--on all fours on the bed or over the kitchen counter at home, sitting up cross-legged in the bed hunched over my belly in the hospital. Also, sitting on the toilet.
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
15 comments