As a young(ish) mum I inevitably meet other mums and quite often conversation will turn to pregnancy and birth.  Now I have always wanted to have children and I have always been in awe of the whole process of childbirth.  Mothers everywhere have such different birth experiences and so often it is the ‘horror’ stories that seem to be told. Even in the media the usual image portrayed is that of a screaming mother writhing in pain, whilst a cocktail of pain killers is administered. 

With this in mind it is no wonder that many pregnant ladies become fixated on the birth and before the due date have already made up their minds as to what pain killing techniques they are going to have.  Indeed some opt for a C section ( Cesarean Section)  – some refer to this as the ‘Sun Roof option – without a medical need for one.  I can’t help but wonder if some of this is down to the modern ‘too posh too push’ media fuelled  obsession for a celebrity lifestyle.  I have two children and I delivered both of them totally naturally without the need for any Gas and Air, Pethidine etc etc  I did have one baby that had turned to face the wrong way which was shall we say a little more uncomfortable than I would have liked but still manageable.   My husband is still amazed that I did not resort to bad language during either birth and often laughs at the fact that as my first born was ‘crowning ‘ I muttered “oo that hurts like hell”. 

I think I was very lucky and I do not want any other mums reading this blog to feel that I am having any sort of dig at those mums that for whatever reason go the route of pain killers etc. Also I am fully aware that certain circumstances arise whereby there is no choice but to go for other methods to help save the baby or the mother any unneccesary suffering.

I just wanted to let expectant mummies out there know that there are happy, healthy deliveries as well as the ‘media / dramatic ones’.  Also I would say try and do some research. A  little bit of preparation can go a long way into making the whole process an enjoyable one. Am I sounding like a Girl Guide yet with my Be Prepared advice!?

Personally our local hospital Ante Natal classes were a bit of a joke and I am so glad I  persuaded my hubby to come along to the NCT Classes with me the first time around.  We met other new parents to be, who had a lot of the same questions  and concerns that we had and this in itself was reassuring.  I am not suggesting we all rush out and start a hippy- ish, earth mother approach to birth and the NCT is not what I think many think it will be.  Our ‘teacher’ had had children by different delivery methods and could shed a little light on what to expect and could offer her experiences for discussion – which I found both interesting and useful in my preparation.

This lengthy blog must draw to a close shortly but before I sign off I would like to impart a few pointers that helped me.

1    Remember child birth is a ‘positive’  pain – look what you get at the end of it.

2   Think about the stages involved in the delivery process (contractions First stage, transition, delivery) this way you know what happens at each stage and by being informed about what to expect you are less scared by what is happening and can prepare yourself mentally for it.

3   Remember to listen to your body….

4  try and relax ( yeah I did just write that…)

5 learn about the body and how it physiologically changes – my NCT teacher described ‘crowning’ as imagining yourself trying to put on a really tight necked roll neck jumper -  it hurts but you get there in the end!   Basically your ligaments etc contract and relax and stretch and contract and relax etc until there is enough space to push the head through.

There are other little tips and things I would like to write about- including what  no-one tells you about afterwards and ideas for what you actually do need to take into hospital in your bag of stuff. Also I have a view point on inducing labour-  but I feel this is turning into a bit of an epic blog so will keep these subjects for another time.