Natural Birth vs. Medicated/C-section

What Worked For Me

My last 3 births have been natural/vaginal births with no epidurals.  For me, I just never wanted to use pain meds during labor.  I wanted to have a doula and my husband there for support and I wanted to be able to go through the purposeful pain of labor without a needle in my back.  I didn't want my baby to get the affects of the epidural and I didn't want to be numb during the labor.  I wanted to know when to push, how to push, and feel exactly what I was supposed to feel.  I also didn't want to be confined to a bed.  I wanted to be able to walk, use a birthing tub, eat or drink if I was hungry, I wanted the freedom to move around the room.

All 3 of my children were born early.

Julia's due date was Jan 13th, but she came naturally on Dec 31st.   Weighing 8.1 lbs

Mark's due date was June 13th, but he came naturally on May 27th.  Weighing 8.1 lbs

Micah was due March 29th, but he came naturally on March 25th. Weighing 9.2 lbs

Thankfully none of my labors had to be induced, each one just started on their own.  Julia was born within 7hours from start to finish.  She was my fastest labor.  Mark I felt minor contractions all day and headed to the hospital around 3:30 pm and had him at 10:16pm  Micah's labor was my hardest. Contractions started at 11:30 pm...I got to the hospital around midnight.  In my head I thought I would have him by 9am...he didn't come til after 2pm.  He was also my biggest baby and most painful.  And since I labored all night I never had any rest and was exhausted at the time of pushing.  I was so incredibly tired and almost positive I couldn't do it.  But I had a great team, my midwife Lee, doula Roe, and husband John encouraged and helped me to push that baby out.

The surprise of this fourth pregnancy has led me to have many fears.  

Will Amelia be a big baby like Micah?  

Will she be early like the rest of my children or come on time or be late?

Will my labor be long and painful?  

Will I be able to endure a long labor without the use of pain meds this time?

So many of my friends have had C-Sections.

They get to know when the baby will come.

They get to have pain meds.

They only have a tiny scar from their births.

They can plan their days and weeks near their scheduled due date to the T.

My friends who have had vaginal births most of them used an epidural and LOVED it.

It took the edge off of the pain of the contractions.

They were confident that they could get through their birth.

They knew right away they wanted to use one.

They still knew when to push and how to get their baby out.

So what is the best way?

It's what works for you and your family.

I'm still trying to figure out the kind of birth I want...I keep reading books and watching birth videos and honestly all I am certain of is I don't want a lot of people in my hospital room.  I don't want to be interrupted while I am having contractions.  I don't want the doctor to intervene unnecessarily.  I want my labor to start on its own and I want to labor at home longer.  I usually head to the hospital right away and I'm usually 3-5 cm dilated.  This time I want to stay home as LONG as possible so I am not constantly poked by the nurses and checked internally or monitored during contractions.  I am like a cave woman during birth I just want to go in a corner, focus on getting through each contraction, and do my best to keep moving to get the baby out!