Questioning my birth experience

ilovemybaby wrote: I got the book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" and now I'm feeling unsure.
It had a list of about ten things that should/shouldn't happen and one of them was "no pain relief" and another was "don't agree to induction unless there is a medical reason" and another was "move around during labour, don't lie on your back". 1. I had Pethidine once during labour with Abby and she latched on correctly and fed wonderfully the first time. It was after that that she wasn't latching on right. 2. I was induced because I was 42 weeks along. 3. I lay on my back the whole time.

I was completely happy with my birth experience. I won't be using the Pethidine this time but only because it did nothing for the pain. I'll probably try a warm/hot bath or shower instead.
But if I went to 42 weeks again this time I think I would still let them induce me. Should I refuse it? I know that unless the baby is running out of amniotic fluid then it's supposedly "ok" to wait a little longer with a scan being done every day or something like that.
As for lying on my back the whole time... I was happy to deliver this way. I don't think I could handle squatting or standing up. I found lying down and holding onto my legs behind my knees great. Delivery was fast and no tears or stitches needed. Why should I deliver in a different position when I wouldn't be comfortable standing up or on my hands and knees or anything else?

I feel a little confused and annoyed with the list.
I always thought it was best to do whatever mother is happy with. So if I want pain relief and I want to be induced and I want to deliver lying on my back (with head raised of course) then what's wrong with that?

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: FWIW, I had an induction and of course pain relief (epi) and Wil latched on just great! I BF fine for 8 months too. I don't believe everything I read in books. JMHO. As far as inducing after 42 weeks, my doc won't do it. He won't let me go more than 7-10 days after my EDD and I'm good with that. This is JMO, but I am terribly afraid of what could happen to the baby after two weeks overdue.

ilovemybaby replied: Good to hear.
I wouldn't want to go over 42 weeks either. My mother went to almost 44 weeks with me. That was back in 1978. I guess they didn't do inductions then? Who knows but I can't imagine going that overdue. I was rushed straight to NICU, gray and with a poor heartbeat.

b&bsmom replied: You go with what you feel is best. It is not just what is best for baby but also for you. It won't help your baby if you are in such pain that you decide you can't push. You need to do what you feel is best. I had an epi although I didn't want to but I was in labor for 34 hours with my first and I didn't get the epi till 4 hours before she was born. I did have some demoral(sp) because I was having back labor. My dd was fine. I also laid on my back. Because my pg are high risk due to my addisons I have to have an IV of my medicine during and after birth so it makes it a little harder to walk around with the iv and all. You do what you feel is best. Don't believe everything you read.

MyLuvBugs replied:
Hey!! My mom did too! lol I can't imagine going that late!

Personally, I'm not for Medical induction like pitocin and stuff, but there's other natural ways to help induce your labor. Drugs for me are always the last resort though. And yes I did have an Epi with Lorelei (not what I wanted), but only after an asthma attack that wouldn't let me relax did I decide to get it....my last case scenerio I guess.

Honestly, if you were happy with your previous labor, then do it the same way. So, long as you have a healthy happy baby, who cares.

kit_kats_mom replied: Its all about what you feel most comfortable with. I read the Dr. Sears books and I gave birth to Katherine naturally, with no drugs, because I'd heard so much about the problems that doing it unanturally could cause. However, that child was all about the boob and somehow I think that no matter what I'd done during labor, she'd have still been a boobie monster.
With Lauren, I was planning on going natural but after some complications, I had an epi...as afraid of the needle as I was, it was very relaxing.
Stick with the book for breastfeeding advice and then do what you feel best about when it comes to labor.

msoulz replied:
That makes the most sense to me. Talk over delivery with your OB! I totally trusted my doc's opinions, and by golly, he was right on the money with everything he predicted.

Bamamom replied: I totally agree with kit kats mom and msoulz. I had an epi (I am ALL ABOUT an epi - don't get me started!!! They are a gift from God. With my next child I'm having one put in at 38 weeks ) and pit and laid on my back the entire labor and Tripp had no problems latching on whatsoever. Just make sure you have 2 or 3 nurses/lc's take a look at you breastfeeding to make sure the babe is doing it right. Tripp was latching on but putting his tongue above my nip rather than below it - the first two nurses said he was doing fine - the 3rd caught it because his cheeks were sinking in. Never hurts to get several opinions. Good luck!!!!!

ilovemybaby replied:
LOL Must have been the norm back then. So glad we're in the 21st century now!

I'd rather do this labour naturally because Pethidine didn't do anything for me anyway and I am too chicken to get an Epidural. So we'll see how I go...
I tried a couple of things to try to get labour started eg sex and exercise/walking. But they didn't work. I didn't want to try the castor oil because it can be dangerous. The only thing I didn't try was getting hubby to do that nipple stimulation thing... he wasn't interested in trying and you have to do it for ages anyway.


Thanks all. I am going to do everything like last time (hopefully... if I don't have to have a C Section or forceps or ventouse). I figure the calmer I am the calmer baby is going to be anyway.

msoulz replied:
So was I. Then I talked to a friend who is a nurse anesthetist (sp?) and she reassured me that all of the awful stories I had heard and read about them were before when they first started doing them, and now the doctors can "do them in their sleep". And that she planned to have one, which says a lot.

Now, the first one 7 years ago wasn't ideal. I was totally numb (not a bad thing altogether) but couldn't feel to push, which led to foreceps and more damage to me than was necessary. The second one, last year, was perfect. It took away the stabbing pain but I still felt the pressure - a huge amount of pressure mind you, and I could push, so delivery was quite easy. Much better experience the second time due to less medication.

Overall I'd highly recommed it!

ilovemybaby replied: Ok this is probably not true but my mother told me that you have to keep completely still when they put the needle in otherwise you can be paralized. So ever since she told me that I've been like "NO WAY JOSE!" I could not keep still. I imagine myself jumping when they stick it in. And the needle is HUGE and I read that it stays in for like 20 minutes?

kit_kats_mom replied: Epi's do still have complications. A member of this board (who's been MIA lately) who is also a friend of mine had one with her first baby and had no problems. Her second however resulted in a spinal headache that lasted 3 days.

ilovemybaby replied: Yeah my mum had backache after hers. She had to have two because the stupid doctor gave the first one to her too early and it wore off. So she had bad backache for a while afterwards.

I think I'd rather just go natural. The pain wasn't unbearable. It was nasty but with my hubby there I coped. He's good for something

msoulz replied:

Well, I guess he was good for something at least twice!

Bamamom replied:
You do have to remain still while they insert the needle. That should only take about 5-10 seconds. Then they run a catheter through the needle. The needle comes out and the catheter stays in. This way they can give you more meds if they need to. It was kind of scary but I'd equate it to a shot of phenegrin (sp???) No big deal. The whole thing took less than a minute and a half - I know cause that's how quickly my contractions were coming and the doc had to get it in and out between contractions.

You have to lay flat on your back for 20 minutes so the medicine distributes evenly - so you don't end up with "hot spots" - areas that can still feel pain. After than the nurses generally prop you so that you are on one side or the other so that the baby recieves oxygen as it should.

Like I said earlier - I loved my epi and will have another with any future births and my husband and I are blessed with.

ilovemybaby replied:
I guess so!

ilovemybaby replied:
I think I'll just stick to the Pethidine if anything! I am such a big scaredy cat!

luvmykids replied: My first pg I had demerol and that didn't do the trick so I had an epi, it was great, it was hard to sit perfectly still but the nurses were great and helped a lot. Just enough to take the edge off, I still felt the pressure and pushed just fine and the twins were bf with no probs.

With 2nd pg the epi didn't work no matter what they did, and I had to tough it out but it actually wasn't near as bad as I imagined and if I'd known I could handle it I would'nt have had it the first time either. But then again, the second might have been bearable only because it was shorter, I was only in labor a total of about 5 hours start to finish with about 10 mins of pushing.

Also, my doc ruptured my membranes to get labor going, I've heard that doesn't always work but for me it did, I started contractions about 5 hours after he did it.

ilovemybaby replied: Yeah my labour with Abby was 5 hours 20 minutes and only 14 minutes of pushing. So I guess if it was a long labour I might feel differently. I only had Pethidine.

I was induced (with the gel) at about 5.30pm I think. I was having bad contractions by 10pm I think. And my waters broke at 2.30am I think. After that everything went soooo fast. I wanted more Pethidine but couldn't have it because it hadn't been long enough since the first shot. And the midwife arrived at about 4am and checked me and said she could feel babys head and there wasn't time for Pethidine! LOL So I went into the delivery room and at 4.34am Abby was here!