Gentlebirth Antenatal Package

Roxylou

Hi all
I'm pregnant on my first, 28 weeks gone. I'm terified of the labour, but even more terrified of getting an epidural :eek:. I have heard that the gentlebirth helps over come some of these fears and wondering if anyone can tell me of their experiences with this.
Also the package is expensive, so wondering if anyone knowe where I might be able to get this any cheaper or second hand?
Cheers
Roxy

lalalulu

Why the fear of getting an epidural?

Roxylou

Hi lalalulu
I'm scared of moving when the epidural is going in and I'm also scared of not being able to feel my legs and being unable to move around.
Also as a student I witnesses 2 births, one had an epidural and had an awful time, ending in forceps and then vontuse (sp) delivery. The other had no epidural and everything went well.
I know thats the only 2 births I saw, but the experience has lasted with me for almost 10 years. Dont think I'll ever forget the poor girl who had the epidural (although she didn't have any pain!)!

lalalulu

Roxylou wrote: »

Hi lalalulu
I'm scared of moving when the epidural is going in and I'm also scared of not being able to feel my legs and being unable to move around.
Also as a student I witnesses 2 births, one had an epidural and had an awful time, ending in forceps and then vontuse (sp) delivery. The other had no epidural and everything went well.
I know thats the only 2 births I saw, but the experience has lasted with me for almost 10 years. Dont think I'll ever forget the poor girl who had the epidural (although she didn't have any pain!)!

I can understand your fears roxy, especially as you have witnessed two births.
I had an epi when i had my daughter last year i did hate that once i got it i couldn't walk around but i felt it was a small price to pay for getting rid of the contractions. I couldn't handle the pain and felt i wasn't doing myself or the baby any favours by grinning and baring it. I had a vaccum birth which was tramatic for the baby so yes in that case i can see the bad side to the epi. I do think that the hospital's in this country are too eager to push pain relief on women, my doctor told me that 60% of first time mother's in sweden do not have an epi and i doubt that is because they have a higher pain threshold than irish women! I think you need to keep an open mind and just see how your contractions are and see what you can cope with.
Also the numb feeling in my legs didn't feel like i was paraylzed. It just felt like my legs were extremely heavy and it does wear off very quickly afterwards. I hope i haven't scared you in anyway as that definitely wasn't my intention.

Roxylou

Thank you for sharing your story and dont worry, you havent scared me any more than I have already scared myself! Dont get me wrong, I'm not thinking that a bit of hypnosis will ensure a completely pain free birth. If the pain gets that bad I'm sure I'll get over my fear of the epi on the day! I'd just like to mentally prepare myself in the hope that it will reduce the need for the epi.

Also all my kicks are very low down, almost as if baby is kicking my private area . I said it to the midwife and she said it sounds as if it's breech. It will probably turn as it is early days yet and I guess if it doesn't turn I'll end up with a section in which case I'll have no option but the epidural! Keeping the fingers crossed!

lalalulu

I wish i had gone down the alternative pain relief route. Maybe you could try yoga i've heard it can really help. I do think if i have another baby i will try out a few different method's before i opt for medical pain relief. Recovery time will be quicker plus i really felt drugged after the birth so the first few hours with my daughter have always been a bit of a blur Maybe that's always the case but i think it was directly related to the epi.

Best of luck with whatever you choose and let us know how you get on

SanFran07

Hi Roxy,

If your goal is to not be afraid of giving birth then GentleBirth is a great option. There are lots of different hypnobirthing programs of various prices - none guarantee a pain free birth but you'll have more tools availalbe to you to help you have the best birth possible. Most of the mums I teach never get to a point where they need an epidural. There's no panic when the sensations of labour start so they tend to labour at home really well and arrive in to hospital in good labour.

The epidural usually works well for most women but it's a good idea to have other options available to you so you feel more prepared. Feeling like you can handle whatever happens on the day is a huge advantage of learning these techniques.

I have an online group where you can talk to other Gentlebirthing mums around Ireland if you'd like to pm me your email address. There's around 370 other mums like yourself on it.

Tracy

twomaddogs

Hi Roxy

I used hypno (not gentlebirth but similar) and had a drug free labour and recovery, something like 90% of the mums who did the course I did had no drugs and an average 4 hr labour

If you want to PM me I can see if I can dig out the CD and make a copy of it for you

SanFran07

That's great to hear TwoMaddogs!! I've been teaching the techniques for about 4 years and the birth stories are almost always really positive! I wish more mums talked about their great births..... so few mums get to hear birth stories of mums who loved the experience (not just the part of meeting their babies but feeling calm and in control during the birth itself!!)

Tracy

~me~

Hi roxy,
i was exactly like you! terrified of the epi! and my baby was two weeks late and still not dropped so when i went into labour the baby had further to travel
after about 20 hours in labour using a TENS, two painkillers and then on to pethedine (sp?), i was screaming for the epidural! it was grand! i even slept for an hour or two! after 30 hours she was born and then i didnt care about moving or walking! the nurses will help you out til your legs wake up.
my only wish is that i got it earlier because by the time i got it i was exhausted.
so if you wanna go down the natural route thats great but if you do start to feel that maybe the epi is best then go for it, its not half as bad as you think!
and i had such an amazing birth once i was pain free. i was relaxed and ready to meet my baby.
good luck whatever you do, do what feels right at the time and dont be too reliant on the plan cause they go out the window!

aniascor

Hi RoxyLou,

I did the Gentlebirth course about a month ago, and can't recommend it enough for the difference it has made to my pregnancy. Regardless of what effect it has during labour now, it has been worth it for the relaxed and positive pregnancy experience I am having now.

So a big thumbs up and recommendation from me if that helps!

Roxylou

twomaddogs, thanks a million for your kind offer, i've sent you a PM.

Thanks all for the encouraging words, think I'll have to give the hypnobirthig a go!

SanFran07

Hi everyone,

I’m hosting a GentleBirth meet up next Wednesday at my home in Julianstown at 7.30pm

The meet up is open to all GentleBirth Mums, Dads (and babies!) as an opportunity to meet likeminded Mums/Dads and share practice tips, experiences etc.

Please RSVP so I make sure I have enough HobNobs.:D


I sent the directions to the online group earlier this evening - let me know if you didn't get them.


Tracy

Lyn256

Hi roxylou,

I used Gentlebirth during my labour for my daughter (first baby) last year. An epi wasn't really an option for me as I have back problems and didn;t want to aggravate them.
Now I didn;t have a fully pain free labour but I managed to a good way through my labour without stressing too much or feeling that I couldn;t manage. (Was only 2 hours in delivery suite and only used gas and air)
I'm due No 2 in jan and will definitely use it again and in fact would recommend it to all soon to be mums. There's a really good philosphy behind it and it takes a huge amount of the fear out of labour.
Also, I htink that there are some home study options that aren't as pricey
HTH

Lyn