We are culturally conditioned to fear labor. I love this video. I had my daughter with no pain medication via water birth. I got tense at the very end, and once I let go and got control of my breathing and mental, my daughter was here. I didn’t even have to push. Trust. Relax. Allow. Trust your body to do what it needs to do!!
What do you mean? So, at some point in time women had completely pain free labours…before we were “conditioned” to “fear labour”. Giving birth hurts. Even when you stay calm, breath etc. It hurts and always has.
When people ask about coping with labor pains, I always explain that the greatest thing I did was accepting pain as part of the process and allowing it to rush over me. It sounds very difficult, but that pain tension fear cycle is so real. My contractions were the absolute worse when I tensing up against my contractions to "stop the pain". Relaxing into the Sensations really helps your body utilize the contractions to keep doing good, productive work. An added bonus is that relaxed muscles experiencing contractions don't feel pain the same way.
I can totally attest that this is true what Bridget expressed in this video. My baby is 6 weeks old and I had a very powerful and enjoyable labor. I breathed with the techniques Bridget gave on another video and I just stayed focused. I listened to Bridget's breathing videos while pushing and I really had a very relaxed and enjoyable delivery. The baby's heart rate fluctuated in the midst of the pushing so they put pressure on me to push harder than expressed on one of these videos and so it was a little more difficult at the end. But thank God we got a healthy happy baby out
38+5 weeks pregnant and I was freaking out about my first birth. I feel SO much better after listening to all your videos. Thank you for all the empowering information 😊
When I had my first baby 2 months ago, I reminded myself that I nurtured my baby throughout pregnancy and therefore my body is capable of birthing my baby. I was in a clear and focused mindset in labor. I mediated on my breathing and rode the waves of contractions without an epidural. In the moment, I was not in fear
@@sophsbody I had a really good birth experience. So good in fact, I'm gonna do it again late November :D 100% thanks to my husband's support and my lovely midwife. My biggest surprise was feeling cold during pushing, contrary to all the sweating mums I saw in media
I wish I saw this before I gave birth! Watched all your videos they helped me a lot. My baby came sooner at 38 weeks! I got contractions 2 days earlier but wasn’t dilated, the nurses told me I had to wait to get induced at 39 weeks. But thank God I started dilating on the 15th, I felt like I had you there spiritually telling me to breathe and relax! Thank you! Once I started pushing he was out in 30 mins. This was my fist pregnancy, all natural too!
Gave birth 3 weeks ago. Listened to your audios, they're very empowering. Thank you so much. But it was so painful i thought i was going to die. I did MOOing sound for 13 hours of labor i thought i was becoming a cow. Breathing techniques didn't worked for me neither. It's so traumatic.
Your videos have been a godsend during the Covid-19 lock down! It's such a weird time to be pregnant. I'm 35 weeks, and so thankful that I have found your content. Sending you all the love ❤️
I had reconstructive facial surgery after a drink driver hit me as a teen passenger. Waking up from that surgery was so bad, healing was so bad, my trauma was so bad that I can't imagine anything will ever hurt as badly. I just hope my body guides me through everything the way it ought to go. My body and 10,000 years of birthing surely has my back. :D 38 weeks and a day. Can't wait to meet my little bean!
I have to disagree that the sensations of labor are what you make them to be. Labor and contractions are physical. My son is not yet two weeks old and I had a completely natural, medication free delivery. I used all the breathing techniques, labored in the shower, used movement and a birthing ball, counter pressure, completely relaxed my body between contractions, and focused on the fact that my son was perfectly healthy and had no negative reactions to labor. The fact of the matter is that every woman has different pain tolerance levels. For me the pain was so incomprehensibly painful I was vomiting throughout labor. Of course, some people don't have as much pain and I absolutely believe the less medical interventions the better, but I do think it's misleading to say that a woman is in pain because she's afraid of labor or that her mental state isn't what it should be. I had a natural labor and delivery because I had set my mind to it and I committed myself to it. Now I can say I did it, but I will be getting an epidural next time.
I think maybe she means there are some women who just aren't as ready as they think they are when delivery comes. Like me! Lol. I thought I was ready, walked into the hospital like I was ready, got induced bc I had gestational diabetes but had absolutely no clue what pain was coming. I'm realizing now (due with my 2nd in 2 weeks 🙏🏼) as I watch the videos I wasn't at all prepared and am trying to prepare even more now that I've been through it. With my 1st, I thought I could handle pain but ended up getting an epidural that did nothing and I was in excruciating pain. My thought process was I guess lost bc I felt I had no idea what more to expect. But now hearing all these videos and watching the breathing videos, I feel way more prepared. I think! 🤞🏼 I was so tired. So out of it, over it bc I didn't know what to do. I listened to the nurses and all but as a 1st time mom, well I just wasn't as prepared as I thought. Praying this one goes a lot smoother! 🙌🏼
I agree. I was completely sleep deprived when my water broke and contractions started. I literally was passing out between each contraction because they had given me Ambien that night because the Dr said I needed to sleep. I didn't get any sleep. So the Ambien kicked in during labor. Obviously if I was sleeping for the three minutes before each contraction I was completely relaxed. Once the contraction would begin it was torturous. Never felt pain like it. Don't want to go through it again. Every woman is different.
@@Mrslindag I watched and utilized her breathing techniques. They worked on the lighter contractions but not with the really strong ones. With those I was screaming into my pillow. I'm not sure I could have been prepared for the sensation of having strong contractions.
Tomorrow I will be 40 weeks. I was just telling my husband yesterday that I think a lot of the fear comes from the 9 months of anticipation and preparation for such a big event that everyone refers to as being so painful. Because of family history, I think also the fear of eclampsia symptoms has been my biggest source of fear lately and I hope it doesn't transfer into labor. I feel as prepared and calm as I can be for a first labor thanks to your videos and other birthing videos.
Do you have other children? The fear comes from knowing exactly what your about to endure....I'm not afraid my second time around but I know when those pains come its gonna suck.
I was so uncomfortable with my surroundings, the people around me, and mad that I “had” to be induced when I didn’t want to the first time around. I was induced with pitocin and didn’t get an epidural (by choice, but things also went too fast so I couldn’t have one even if I had wanted one) I never knew how to describe the pain until I discussed my first birth with my midwife as we prepped for my second. I felt like I was drowning and being run over by a semi truck at the same time. The second time around I did everything different. Of course it hurt, but not in the terrifying way the first one did. I accepted the pain and worked with the pain. What a difference!!
I'm hoping my second birth will be more relaxed with the help of your videos. I've been watching and listening for a few weeks now. Currently 40 weeks 3 days. Thank you Bridget.
Read Ina May's guide to child birth it was amazing also go talk to a midwife (not a hospital midwife, an actual midwife. Even if you don't end up going with one they are a wealth of information)
Anabel RC practice your breathing, listen to hypnobirthing and just block out bad experiences. Watch good birthing experiences. Walk walk walk and around 37 weeks start doing your deep squats helps baby come down
I am 39 weeks as of yesterday. Your videos have truly been a God send. With all of this covid stuff going on I havent been able to attend birthing classes. And i dont really have anyone to talk to about giving birth. So thank you for posting these very informative videos. With them i feel very calm about giving birth. Going for natura. Thank you again.
I had both of my babies naturally and I actually loved labor. I had an induction for preeclampsia with my second baby and it was more painful but i still found the same enjoyment in it
I gave birth 1 week and 3 days ago I was doing great until 9.5 centimeters then I started to panic but my sweet husband and doula gave me all of the encouragement and I felt so strong pushing him out ! My 8lb 3oz bundle of baby boy bliss 💖💖 I love your videos they help me out a lot !!
I found your channel when I was about 6 months pregnant and watched so many of your informative videos before I gave birth. I ended up needing to be induced which was so daunting during these current circumstances but I’m sure that your videos helped me stay calm during labour. The breathing techniques I learnt saw me through my induced labour, I wanted to go as far as I could without pain relief and only went onto gas and air as my baby’s head was crowning and the severity of my contractions had become a little too much to handle unassisted. It wasn’t the active birth I had hoped for but thanks to your videos it was still an empowering experience! Thank you from the UK
The breathing techniques helped so much during contractions but my labor was incredibly fast so I didn't have time to process what my body was doing so the pain was intense. I don't remember being scared, but I do remember being in shock
The more I watch your videos, the more confidence I gain. I am really looking forward to the birth od my baby boy, due in october. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, it is priceless ♥️🍀
@@lotus_flower2000 dear Sonya, thank you for asking. my birth experience was the best. contractions woke me up at 2:30am, and I thought I could go back to sleep since it has just started, but they got stronger and really frequent... fast forward I got to hospital at 5:40am and was 9cm dialated, and gave birth at 6:52am to a healthy little baby boy. this was my first pregnancy and I had no birth partner with me. and I proved to myself that I really am built to birth 😍
I loved it!! I’m 38 weeks pregnant this gave so much self confidence even though this is my second kid I’m still afraid of the process I want a natural non medicated labor, hope I can do it with your advice!! Thank you
I watched all of her videos and still wasn't prepared for labor. I tried and tried and tried, but nope. It wasn't working for me. I tried mind over matter, breathing techniques, eliminating fear and my support person was amazing, but the pain was too strong for too long, with no improvements. After 31 hours of no improvements, I ended up getting an emergency c section due to my baby's heart rate decreasing. I was not happy with the c section , but it was all worth it
These videos are so helpful!!! Thank you Bridget. I am a first time mom, few weeks b4 I gave birth I educated myself using these videos. I’m glad I did! I felt confident and prepared enough to save a beautiful delivery
It's nothing to be afraid of. Yes it will be extremely painful, but you can always get an epidural when it gets too unbearable... The pain builds up, it doesn't just hit you like a brick wall like the movies show.. each contraction will get worse and worse so with each one you can ask yourself can I keep going without an epidural...
Same I’m so scared 😱 I had my 1st born 10 years ago and honestly it was so painful I never wanted to go through that again which is why it took me so long to get pregnant. I hope this time it’s definitely
I use to be Terrified of child birth!! After I found yr page I felt confident and excited for it... when labor started the contractions hurt.. and when they became unbearable I asked for pain meds but I was already 9cm D, but it was too late.. I was already at the end.. and I had to go natural like I wanted and she came shortly after... it's weird cuz the PAIN of the contractions turns into urges to squeeze and push and u have no control yr body literally pushes baby out... I can honestly say.. labor hurts like hell... but the birthing part was awesome!!! Not to mention the breaks in between the pushing, I had the best experience! Thank you for all yr information ❤❤❤
Thank you for this very timely, currently 33 weeks and first baby, really wondering how painful and beautiful childbirth is. Thanks Bridget, i love all your videos, you’ve been such an inspiration and big help in our pregnancy journey. Bless you. ♥️
Exactly! I'm having my 2nd and am annoyed with these kind of videos. You will feel pain regardless of how happy your thoughts are. It's just a reality and it's best to expect you'll be enduring it rather than erasing the pain without hard meds.
I didn't see any videos about back labor. I watched all your videos in the pregnancy and labor before my son's birth on June 16th, and I truly think they helped me get as far as I did without medication, but ultimately I ended up having HORRIBLE back labor that was NOT the same as my uterine surges, and was unbearably painful, despite how honestly excited I was to be in labor. Everything I've found online only speaks about back labor as a result of baby being in a bad position, primarily "sunny side up", but that wasn't the case with my son, he was in perfect position (I do however have a tipped uterus). To make matters worse, I had to endure 5 hours of excruciating tailbone pain until I was FINALLY dialated to 3 cm before I could get an epidural (after which they broke my water and between the two, I dialated from a 4 to 10 in two hours, and started pushing, which was a much more positive experience!!) There MUST be better advice for coping with back labor than what I've found.
I gave birth to my first son at 26 weeks and scared out of my mind because I did not know what to expect. I think at first it wasn’t the fear of pain, but the fear of the challenges that my child would face being born so prematurely. The pain was unbearable and had an unmedicated birth. I think this had mostly to do with the fact that I was considered high risk and not allowed to move around too much. He is thriving thank the Lord! As of now I am pregnant with my second child and still afraid, not because of the pain, but about the possibility of giving birth before time. I will be under progesterone shots on a weekly basis to prevent preterm labor and pray that this baby is able to cook full term. I love your informative and affirming videos Bridget. Thank you!
My middle daughter literally broke my tailbone and was stuck for two hrs I had a failed epidural with numb legs but no pain relief. My daughter was sunny side up and her head was too large for my pelvis. I know with every part of me hyper o birth or positive e thoughts could never have reduced the excruciating pain I experienced during her birth I literally felt like my hips were being ripped off my body like a little boy pulling g apart a barbie doll. So no there was no way I could ha e eased my pain and screaming was the o ly relief I got although the nurses constantly told me to SHUTUP I hated my hospital staff and stayed an extra 3 days after delivery be cause my hips were so bad I couldn't walk unattended to the bathroom or pick up my baby by mysel. I love my daughter but her birth was the worst experience of my life and even worse they almost gave me a cesarean but had no plans for added anesthesia as I " already had an epideral" which failed. I could feel everythignand was so terrified of being gutted like a fucking fish with no pain support. I will never ever go back to that hospital if I'm ever in an emergency in that area just let me die first. No woman should ever be told to Shutup while in labor.
Although I would imagine it’s very hard to “shut up” at a time like that and I am very sorry you had to experience that....a lot of doctors/nurses will encourage women to put that energy from screaming into effective pushes....a lot of times the baby’s heart rate /oxygen level is depending on how effectively mom is pushing them out and some baby’s heart rate/oxygen level is already not tolerating the delivery too well and the doctors/nurses are in a rush to get that baby out, this is where they may get a little more aggressive if they see you are screaming (using a lot of oxygen) and not putting that energy as much into the push. Some moms scream but the baby doesn’t move an inch so it’s like wasted energy
Almost 35 weeks and really needed this video. Thank you. I'm so excited to be having my baby soon but I am definitely nervous. I know I can handle a lot of pain so I'm not too worried but there's that nagging in my mind because soooo many women talk about how bad it is and other women are constantly saying I'm going to want an epidural...
So true.. fear increases pain.. after 24hours of contractions.. last hour I feared I might die I couldn’t explain anyone that pain.. i gave up and cried for c section.. but by gods grace my mom, husband and the Nurses didn’t give up on me.. my pushing stage lasted 10 minutes with your breathing technique.. seriously I wasn’t prepared for the contraction pain.. now I still remember the pain at the same time realise.. that fear in me caused my pain to hype.. I hope every mom to be sees your video.. your awesome ❤️😘
As someone who had a completely natural unmedicated labour, as well as an induced but otherwise unmedicated labour that ended in the most medical way of all (a Caesarian), I think we need to give women a break. Don't make women believe it's their fault and they didn't prioritise/relax/prep enough if they can't stay focused. Everyone's experience is different. Births differ, and the last thing you need is ideology and the feeling of falling short. You are just producing another human! Take what works for you, but for God's sake don't blame yourself if it doesn't work. Just go with the flow, stupid as it sounds, and allow yourself and your body to go off a track you decided on prior to birth if you have to. Both my births were painful, but felt very manageable and positive, despite the last one going wrong in many ways. And I think the only thing that made this last birth ok was that I allowed for the fact that the real experience was not what I had imagined, and not manageable with my prepared tools. Once I accepted that, I became more flexible and much less clenchy when dealing with the (intense!) pain, and even though I vomited with the best of them, it was not a negative experience (for me. My poor husband, who had to watch, is still mildly traumatized 7 months on).
Yes. When preparing for birth, I watched a lot of Hypnobirthing and natural birth videos, and everyone was saying how wonderful and empowering it was and that as long as you relaxed and breathed correctly, everything should go smoothly. But that didn’t happen for me! Contractions started 30-45 seconds 5 minutes apart and just escalated from there. I was in labor 21 hours with transition being 5 hours of that and pushing was 2 hours. I felt super defeated afterwards like I did something wrong or that I wasn’t woman enough because my labor and delivery hurt. We shouldn’t be making women feel like failures because God forbid they were in pain while delivering a human. I’m two weeks out from delivering my first beautiful baby (8.5 pounds!), and while I think I could try for another natural labor, I’m totally going to give myself the option for an epidural. No reason to beat ourselves up or allow anyone else to when we just did something so miraculous!
Your comment is a helpful addition to her video. Pain tolerances do play a big role I've been told. But it's nice that even with your pain you felt confident and flexible during birth. Like when she said that listening to you own body may mean you need medication to help. I'm just learning vomiting during labor is a thing! My mom did tell me when she was birthing me it was a lady down the hall from her screaming bloody murder, but her experience was more like a swelling of pressure and then a release of that pressure during the push. I'm 30 weeks with my first and didn't find out until I was 24 weeks so I feel like I'm frantically trying to prepare! Anyway, thanks for adding that feeling pain shouldn't make me feel bad or like I failed to mentally master birth.
@@ladonnakaliese You're welcome, and congrats on your little one coming! Also, one last note on the pain: the good thing about it is that it's not like regular pain. Regular pain tells you that something is wrong, so it's heightend by worry. Birthing pain tells you that you are coming closer to meeting your baby. Basically, it's a big sack of muscles contracting, imagining this really helped me personally. It's great if it's relatively painless, but even if it's not, there's nothing wrong. Unless you tell yourself that the pain is a sign of you doing things imperfectly (which I am convinced it's not), you can just accept it as all normal. Knowing that helped me immensely and made the pain (and the vomiting) much less problematic and quite ok to handle. I even had a good giggle in between, right before the end. My husband thought I was quite mad, but it was all a bit absurd and that made me laugh. Personally I think it's good to read as much as you can about the way a birth can go, so you won't be surprised by things, and then be open-minded when it happens. You'll have a much easier time if you understand that you can't "fail" at birthing, whether you need assistance or not.
uclmu2008 That’s my goal. To just be prepared for anything and have the mindset to go with the flow and adapt. Lol I bet that quick giggle you had was funny. Thank you thank you 🙏🏽
Im 31 weeks and Im so nervous of what is to come! I’m curious how it feels but also know it’s going to be painful! I need my delivery room peaceful and dimmed lights with nice soothing music!
I started watching your channel at 7 or 8 months the breathing really did work it helped me during my induction at 40 plus 4 I was calm walking around using my exercise ball and all until that pitocin hit 14 it was so unbearable it made me feel like given up n getting the epidural but that wasn't the only factor my water didn't break n nobody checked me to see how far I was cause they said I was too calm n I wasn't ready until I started yelling at them n told them to get a doc to break my water or get me an epidural well the nurse came in I was 7 to 8 centimeters and than 10 min later a doc came to check me n as she went to check my water broke 10 min after that I felt like I had to poop n it was my baby ready to come 3 push n I had him in the middle of the bed where my but should have been cause I put myself in a squatting position to get him out he came out 9lbs 3ozs I'll say I had a good labor but painful at the end but it was worth it the best way to describe it is I was on an adrenaline high of conquering my fear
I don't agree with all of this. I practiced hypnobirthing. For me it was possible to relax between contractions, but with contractions nothing can stop that pain! Baby came out calmly and birth was 7hours, but at one point I felt I was loosing my mind and overall it was traumatic. Also, you failed to mention that woman are built differently and therefore some woman will have much easier labours, because of their pelvic bone structure. The amount of pain each of us experience is also influenced by your personal pain tolerance and the types of blood vessels near your perineum.
Im in the end of my second trimester, and I'm so scared about giving birth. I've struggled with pelvic pain ever since i started my period and tried using a tampon. Sex has always been really painful for me. It's been slowly getting better, but I can't even imagine how painful it will be to actually birth a baby.
My labor had to be induced (hospital) I was really prepared for a homebirth,had 3 meditationsessions each day from 30 weeks to 42 that included hypnobirthing, learned how to breathe correctly and had a great mindset overall. All of the above was helpfull untill I was 6cm in my labour.. From then I asked for pain medication because I couldn't handle it anymore. I've endured heavy contractions that came every minute..I hadn't time to take a breath. My birth went very well after the medication..but I'm so sad that I couldn't take it on my own.. mind you, I was not scared.. I have a healthy babyboy that is 10 weeks today ♥️
I don't know why we all think we have to do this without help from modern medicine? I also needed the epidural - but I still felt everything when I later pushed out my baby - so it was a temporary relief, but boy oh boy did it help me.
I second some of the disagreement comments... I did all the breathing, meditation, coping, etc techniques add had 100% trust in my providers but during transition, despite telling my body to “relax and allow”, it didn’t happen and the pain was real, not a mindset. I think its misleading to tell ppl that their pain is about mental perspective.
It's well documented that pain can be made more manageable or more debilitating by mindset. It would never erase pain, but could be helpful..I think it's unhelpful going around to these videos and saying she is wrong just because your experience was different. Many here have agreed with her. No need to spread negativity
@@NadiaSeesIt It's not negativity to be honest. I found it insulting when I went through labor to have an unrealistic expectation of the pain. I felt totally unprepared when I realized all the thinking, breathing, techniques did nothing to reduce my pain. I was shocked and felt overwhelmed. I rather blunt truth. Now I know whether I should look for actual pain relief or endure the torture again. I'm not naive this time.
I'm 33 weeks tomorrow and I am trying to prepare Myself mentally this time round as I feel with my first I didn't do any preparing what so ever, which definitely made a negative impact on how I coped. Thank you for your videos they are really informative and helpful 😊
I'm 28 weeks today and had a similar experience- on the same journey. Wishing you a healthy happy outcome for both of you. mindset seems to be the key!
My mother in law had natural childbirth and was very critical of me going with an epidural. Pitocin was a rough experience. I wish all young ladies the best of success with natural childbirth. I love the memories have of my children's birth. I know have a grandchildren due in a couple of weeks!!
Look, labour hurts. I have given birth four times, each time was different but there was always pain. My third and fourth birthing experiences were calm, I was not afraid, I was strong and confident but it still bloody hurt! Labour is not enjoyable! I liked the pushing part, holding my babies for the first time and that feeling “I did it!”. But this nonsense about labour being enjoyable or orgasmic…delusional. You just get through it! It’s easy to wax lyrical about how great your labour was when you’re not in active labour.
My first labor was excruciating, I had back labor and when I got checked I was only a 2 and it discouraged me SO much. I spiraled and panicked and freaked out, ended up getting an epidural (not my original plan). My second I had a great experience! It was so manageable that I didn’t realize how far along I was and had the baby at home on accident! I’m due with my third New Years Day and I’m getting nervous...
Sorry, I don't agree. My labor wasn't scary or fearful, just painful. The contractions felt at first like a really bad constipation or food poisoning, and progressed to a feeling someone heavy is standing on my bladder and rectum, crushing them. It was horrible. I tried jumping on the ball, shower, a TENS machine... nothing really helped. I breathed as well as I could, just wishing that this pain would stop, wishing for an epidural ASAP. When it finally happened it was a huge relief.
I birthed 4 children naturally. I loved everything about my pregnancies and labor and delivery. I am an avid hiker, so I viewed my labors as climbing a mountain. With each phase and intensity, I climbed from base camp #1, then #2 etc…viewing the most intense sensations (Birth) the Top of the Mt! It is definately INTENSE but extremely powerful and the more you have control over your mind, breathing,,the more positive your experience!👍😁👶
Thank you so much. I watched your breathing techniques videos before labour and had such a smooth natural labour. Thanks. Continue what you doing to help mamas 😘
This video is the first one that has made me feel excited about birth! I’m 24 weeks and while I haven’t been fearful of labor, I’ve been unsure about what I want my birth plan to be. Thank you for this!
Aww hi Kendra, Congrats on your pregnancy! You must be 28 weeks now! How is everything going? Do you know if you are having a boy or girl or is it a surprise? Sending love! Anja xxxx
I had days of contractions (induced labour) and hypnobirthing/yoga breathing techniques helped me stay focussed on breathing and not on the pain. But after my water broke, I vomited, had diarrhoea and it was just torture, it was over. I was done and had an epidural. Otherwise I thought I would go mad from that pain and it has nothing to do with any fear. It was simply exhaustion. There is no other way for me to describe it. Anyone who says they experienced a painless labour is lying to you or to themselves. I tried hypnobirthing for three days and at some point, it was just impossible to go it alone without any kind of pain relief. But this is all circumstantial. My pain concentrated into my lower back. Some women have a fast labour and have energy reserves to get them through the pain. Thankfully, years of yoga exercises helped me to focus on breathing during contractions. If anything, I say make sure you do a lot of breathing prep before labour and try prenatal yoga or physio. Thankfully, due to that and perennial massage, I had zero tearing, but pain is pain, whether you are relaxed or not, have a positive mindset, set anchors, mood lighting or whatever. My back was really messed up after delivery, I though I had broken some bones. Labour is tough and it takes a lot of mental strength to get through it, an awesome birth partner and a midwife to cheer you on. Make sure you have those and are mentally prepared. There's no need for fear and don't force yourself to have an unmedicated birth. I can say that that epidural saved me. And what they don't tell you, is that at some point in needs to wear off if you want to push your baby out, so it's only a temporary relief. The wonderful thing about labour is that as soon as the baby is out, you really just feel that your entire body relaxes, the pain dissipates and all you see is your beautiful baby :)
I think is very important to have a suport system. Because of covid 19 I was left alone in a room for the entire labor. My mind was not powerful enoigh to manage being treated like an object and enjoy labor.
I'm so sorry you went through that alone, but well done for getting through it! That's my nightmare, a second wave of Covid here menaing that my fiance can't be with me. I'm not veyr assertive and panic easily, so I know if he isn't there to be my voice then I will struggle to get the birth I want.
@@lenamatt3387 Congrats! I'm on baby #3, due in a month. It's been 5 years since my last baby and feeling a little rusty, so I'm trying not to think about it too much 😂😂
I fear labor sooooo much!!! that’s probably the major factor besides the lifetime responsibility of having a child that is keeping me from deciding either to have kids or not.
I had a 24 hours birth with my first and it was hell and I had a great mindset going in to labor. And with my 2nd it was 1 hour and it was so nice this time although I was sooooo scared. So I would say it has nothing to to with your mindset just it depends how each birth goes.
I don't think it's about a mindset, probably about subconcious fear that have to be worked through. You might think you're not afraid but subconciously you are, and your body is tense, and you won't realize it.
Mindset is certainly not ALL of the experience, but it can absolutely tip women one way or another. I am someone who gets very visceral physical symptoms when I am very panicked or stressed. The more relaxed I can help myself be, hopefully the more I will be able to cope with labor. ♥️
Pain is something that varies for every person..I listened to a lot of different women’s stories on how their labor went. Some felt virtually no pain just pressure, some had moderate pain and others excruciating. I tried to educate myself on ways to prepare etc..and having given birth Just 3wks ago I will say that it was the single most painful experience I’ve ever had. At some points I felt I left my body. It was an indescribable pain and I wasn’t sure how I even got through it. While it’s great to learn certain coping mechanisms to put to use for the big day, you truly have no idea what to expect until you’re in it.
So true. I did all the reading, watched videos, had an exercise ball, went in the shower. Nothing even touched the pain I felt. It was torture and I'm absolutely dreading doing it again with my 2nd. I remember being furious when I realized the pain was more than I could have ever imagined. I felt like I had been lied to by everyone and had nothing to take it away. It was torture.
I'm not so much afraid of the physical pain of labor, but my fear is based in wanting my daughter to be born healthy and alive. Lost my first at 22 weeks and 4 days unexpectedly and without known reason. Definitely traumatized. Looking forward to holding my baby in the near future.
Thank you, for this! I found this to be so true. I was shocked after the birth of my son, six weeks ago, that my miscarriage was much more painful than labor. And came to the conclusion that it was because of fear. I was induced at 38weeks for preeclampsia, and there was plenty of room for fear, let me tell you. I was, although, able to stay calm and relaxed even though I was not allowed to get up without help due to magnesium. I stayed laying on the bed from 12pm to his birth, at 6am the next morning. It was not the most comfortable.
Even if you’re calm, as I was, labour is the worst pain a woman can imagine! Let’s not gaslight women into believing anything other than the reality of birth. I haven’t met a single women who told me that natural labour was “comfortable,” so let’s not explain away women’s pain. For me, the first 30 hours of labour was increasingly more painful but still manageable, as in I didn’t need an epidural yet, but I was sucking back the gas. When I was induced because baby wasn’t coming down, my pain doubled and I needed an epidural. If you’re afraid of being in pain during labour, don’t be a hero. Ask for an epidural if you need one, and be prepared to wait a few hours to get one. Things that actually helped me cope with the pain: the gas, being in the tub or shower, deep breaths (when I was taking the gas). None of these methods will take away your pain; they will only make it easier to bear.
Just the labor pain is tolerable but when you're also on prodromal pain/ false labor for few days you're already having pain even before your actual labor is exhausting. On my actual labor, I'm already too exhausted to push. BP high cuz of pain, they thought I was going pre eclamptic. I asked for epidural but still felt contraction pains cuz I had a window on my left side or hot spot on the epidural. Pushed for 2 hrs and baby's just not budging. I did not hesitate to ask for a csection instead of pushing for another hour again and using the vacuum. Going natural is definitely not for everybody. I'd say it depends on circumstances.
18 and I never had a kid, all I wanna say is, in a future setting where I will possibly have a child, as someone who experiences menstrual pain that causes fainting, vomiting, and almost seizure-like spasms due to intense pain, how would I get out of this cycle of fear when labor and birth are so much more intense and physically complex than regular menstrual pain? I cannot imagine giving birth, especially after what I deal with every few months lol.
I had my son 3 years ago and had a natural non medicated birth. It was the best experience ever. I’m currently 33 weeks pregnant with my daughter. This time around I’m feeling more anxious I wonder if that’s normal the second time around? Also my hospital offers rooms with tubs to women who are only having an Un medicated birth do you recommend laboring in a tub?
I just had my first baby 10 weeks ago, 34 hours of labor with 3 hours of pushing. To me the labor pains weren’t too unbearable. I actually felt okay when they suggested it was time for an epidural so they could insert a catheter and break my water. But the pushing did hurt and when she was actually born was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life by far. By FAR. Granted, she was stuck because she was face up and they had to use forceps so I got a third degree tear. I definitely felt him sewing me up after too and that hurt. The recovery was/is also pretty rough. Lots of swelling and soreness everywhere. So yeah to me the labor pains and contractions and all that were a breeze comparatively lol
Two very different births, both massively uncomfortable, even with breathing, rocking, doggie pose, light yoga, etc…. I think the important thing for first time mothers to know is that the type of pain will be the same, I.e., cramping pain, and though it increases in intensity it will not shift into the kind of pain that is stabbing and searing as in appendicitis -unless something is going wrong. However, pretending that labor and delivery can be a pain free experience. But yeah, breathe, relax, know your body is doing what it’s supposed to do.
Hi I’ve been watching your videos for a while now. I’m 21 weeks and really want a natural birth! I looked at your website and I’m considering signing up for the class. Does the class have different videos compared to what you already have on RUclips? Thanks so much ! I love your encouragement!
I believe the hypnobirthing strategies I have learned will help my birth be a more comfortable and a more positive experience. I believe some women have experienced labor that was pain free or enjoyable. I believe that’s even possible for me, but I worry that this message that pain in labour is a result of the wrong mindset is going to make women who have a different experience feel as if they failed or did something wrong, and that’s not helpful. Isn’t it enough to say that these techniques will help you feel less distress than you would have otherwise and not claim that everyone should be able to have the exact same experience or else they were doing it wrong? I know you would never want to make a woman feel that way, I’m just worried that you may send that message without meaning to. Does that make sense? I still very much appreciate your videos and the way you help empower women for their birth.
As helpful as the mindset thing is, my husband is going to be on deployment while I am in labor and I dont know if I'll be in an awesome state of mind to deal with that pain. 😅 Who knows.
I volunteered at a free public rural maternity clinic in Brazil. The first day I saw two babies and a mother die. Back in the day awoman's chances of dying during childbirth were between one and two percent -for each birth. If a woman gave birth to eight or ten children, her chances of eventually dying in childbirth were pretty high. The infant mortality rate was even higher. I'm currently 7 months pregnant, and while I hope there will be no complications, I'm glad I will be at a modern hospital just in case.
We are culturally conditioned to fear labor. I love this video. I had my daughter with no pain medication via water birth. I got tense at the very end, and once I let go and got control of my breathing and mental, my daughter was here. I didn’t even have to push. Trust. Relax. Allow. Trust your body to do what it needs to do!!
so no crying or screaming whatsoever?
Well pain is just pain no matter how strong. Women are very strong
For real???
What do you mean? So, at some point in time women had completely pain free labours…before we were “conditioned” to “fear labour”. Giving birth hurts. Even when you stay calm, breath etc. It hurts and always has.
When people ask about coping with labor pains, I always explain that the greatest thing I did was accepting pain as part of the process and allowing it to rush over me. It sounds very difficult, but that pain tension fear cycle is so real. My contractions were the absolute worse when I tensing up against my contractions to "stop the pain". Relaxing into the Sensations really helps your body utilize the contractions to keep doing good, productive work. An added bonus is that relaxed muscles experiencing contractions don't feel pain the same way.
My wife used a bag of ice on her neck to distract from the labor pains. After it was over we realized she never broke a sweat.
That’s actually a really cool idea
I would not have thought of that. Clever!
Strong woman, every woman is strong!
Totally going to try that, especially if I experience a lot of pre-labor pains or it takes a long time.
I’ll try to remember this…
I had a all natural birth, all thanks to you Bridget, couldn't have done it without your videos! *All the way from South Africa*
I can totally attest that this is true what Bridget expressed in this video. My baby is 6 weeks old and I had a very powerful and enjoyable labor. I breathed with the techniques Bridget gave on another video and I just stayed focused. I listened to Bridget's breathing videos while pushing and I really had a very relaxed and enjoyable delivery. The baby's heart rate fluctuated in the midst of the pushing so they put pressure on me to push harder than expressed on one of these videos and so it was a little more difficult at the end. But thank God we got a healthy happy baby out
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience :)
@Sapna S )3#4
How can labor be enjoyable
@@ZahraAbdulTayyab it's an experience. An experience to be connected to your true inner self. Breathing helps us stay focused and in touch
38+5 weeks pregnant and I was freaking out about my first birth. I feel SO much better after listening to all your videos. Thank you for all the empowering information 😊
When I had my first baby 2 months ago, I reminded myself that I nurtured my baby throughout pregnancy and therefore my body is capable of birthing my baby. I was in a clear and focused mindset in labor. I mediated on my breathing and rode the waves of contractions without an epidural. In the moment, I was not in fear
Did it hurt😮
Watching this while in labor, never too late, right :D
How did it go? I’m scared for when I’m gonna have to give birth one day 😭
@@sophsbody I had a really good birth experience. So good in fact, I'm gonna do it again late November :D 100% thanks to my husband's support and my lovely midwife. My biggest surprise was feeling cold during pushing, contrary to all the sweating mums I saw in media
@@viktorias1963 Thank you so much! I hope everything goes well for you! :) ❤️
@@viktorias1963did you do it naturally or medicated?
I wish I saw this before I gave birth! Watched all your videos they helped me a lot. My baby came sooner at 38 weeks! I got contractions 2 days earlier but wasn’t dilated, the nurses told me I had to wait to get induced at 39 weeks. But thank God I started dilating on the 15th, I felt like I had you there spiritually telling me to breathe and relax! Thank you! Once I started pushing he was out in 30 mins. This was my fist pregnancy, all natural too!
Gave birth 3 weeks ago. Listened to your audios, they're very empowering. Thank you so much. But it was so painful i thought i was going to die. I did MOOing sound for 13 hours of labor i thought i was becoming a cow. Breathing techniques didn't worked for me neither. It's so traumatic.
Your videos have been a godsend during the Covid-19 lock down! It's such a weird time to be pregnant. I'm 35 weeks, and so thankful that I have found your content. Sending you all the love ❤️
I am late but I hope you and the baby are fine
I had reconstructive facial surgery after a drink driver hit me as a teen passenger. Waking up from that surgery was so bad, healing was so bad, my trauma was so bad that I can't imagine anything will ever hurt as badly. I just hope my body guides me through everything the way it ought to go. My body and 10,000 years of birthing surely has my back. :D 38 weeks and a day. Can't wait to meet my little bean!
I had my baby today. Transition sucks. You got this. It's all worth it.
38 weeks today and I’m truly excited to feel the sensations and experience birth!
I’m 38+1 and feel exactly the same!
Part of me feel the same way. But then there is this other part of me that wants a low-dose epidural so I can be comfortable and “rest” lol.
I had 2 c sections it made me sad because I had no choice 😔. I didn't feel ready to be honest. I hope you have a safe birth and everything goes well 😊
I’m currently 38+6 days and I feel the same way! This is my second birth and am going for a VBAC but going in with a different mind set.
37 + 5 and I feel the exact same!
40 weeks and 3 days thank you for this positive energy!
serena sisson Same here! :) Good luck!
Did you give birth as yet ?
I have to disagree that the sensations of labor are what you make them to be. Labor and contractions are physical. My son is not yet two weeks old and I had a completely natural, medication free delivery. I used all the breathing techniques, labored in the shower, used movement and a birthing ball, counter pressure, completely relaxed my body between contractions, and focused on the fact that my son was perfectly healthy and had no negative reactions to labor. The fact of the matter is that every woman has different pain tolerance levels. For me the pain was so incomprehensibly painful I was vomiting throughout labor. Of course, some people don't have as much pain and I absolutely believe the less medical interventions the better, but I do think it's misleading to say that a woman is in pain because she's afraid of labor or that her mental state isn't what it should be. I had a natural labor and delivery because I had set my mind to it and I committed myself to it. Now I can say I did it, but I will be getting an epidural next time.
I Agree 100% with this.
I think maybe she means there are some women who just aren't as ready as they think they are when delivery comes. Like me! Lol. I thought I was ready, walked into the hospital like I was ready, got induced bc I had gestational diabetes but had absolutely no clue what pain was coming. I'm realizing now (due with my 2nd in 2 weeks 🙏🏼) as I watch the videos I wasn't at all prepared and am trying to prepare even more now that I've been through it. With my 1st, I thought I could handle pain but ended up getting an epidural that did nothing and I was in excruciating pain. My thought process was I guess lost bc I felt I had no idea what more to expect. But now hearing all these videos and watching the breathing videos, I feel way more prepared. I think! 🤞🏼 I was so tired. So out of it, over it bc I didn't know what to do. I listened to the nurses and all but as a 1st time mom, well I just wasn't as prepared as I thought. Praying this one goes a lot smoother! 🙌🏼
I agree. I was completely sleep deprived when my water broke and contractions started. I literally was passing out between each contraction because they had given me Ambien that night because the Dr said I needed to sleep. I didn't get any sleep. So the Ambien kicked in during labor. Obviously if I was sleeping for the three minutes before each contraction I was completely relaxed. Once the contraction would begin it was torturous. Never felt pain like it. Don't want to go through it again. Every woman is different.
@@Mrslindag I watched and utilized her breathing techniques. They worked on the lighter contractions but not with the really strong ones. With those I was screaming into my pillow. I'm not sure I could have been prepared for the sensation of having strong contractions.
The only thing that really helped me was my husband rubbing my back through every contraction.
Tomorrow I will be 40 weeks. I was just telling my husband yesterday that I think a lot of the fear comes from the 9 months of anticipation and preparation for such a big event that everyone refers to as being so painful. Because of family history, I think also the fear of eclampsia symptoms has been my biggest source of fear lately and I hope it doesn't transfer into labor. I feel as prepared and calm as I can be for a first labor thanks to your videos and other birthing videos.
Do you have other children? The fear comes from knowing exactly what your about to endure....I'm not afraid my second time around but I know when those pains come its gonna suck.
I was so uncomfortable with my surroundings, the people around me, and mad that I “had” to be induced when I didn’t want to the first time around. I was induced with pitocin and didn’t get an epidural (by choice, but things also went too fast so I couldn’t have one even if I had wanted one) I never knew how to describe the pain until I discussed my first birth with my midwife as we prepped for my second. I felt like I was drowning and being run over by a semi truck at the same time. The second time around I did everything different. Of course it hurt, but not in the terrifying way the first one did. I accepted the pain and worked with the pain. What a difference!!
38 weeks and I am DONE. I need this baby out. Eviction notice served!
Lol but he's paying rent 😊😁
Crystal Khlaire in heartburn loll
Hehehe
Is he out?
LMDAOOSOWOWJWOW LMFAO!
You know you’re pregnant when you start balling during the last 30 seconds of this videos while she gives you words of encouragement HAHAHAH
You mean you start playing basketball?
I'm hoping my second birth will be more relaxed with the help of your videos. I've been watching and listening for a few weeks now. Currently 40 weeks 3 days. Thank you Bridget.
I had a great labor also! Even though it was back labor, I really didn’t have “pain” until pushing and that was only 20 minutes
What did you do? Where did your mind go? How did you prepare your body and mind? 28 weeks pregnant and looking for a natural back labor.
Read Ina May's guide to child birth it was amazing also go talk to a midwife (not a hospital midwife, an actual midwife. Even if you don't end up going with one they are a wealth of information)
:) Thank you! I was thinking about labor pain yesterday.. I am 34 weeks pregnant and I am trying to prepare mentally for labor.
Anabel RC practice your breathing, listen to hypnobirthing and just block out bad experiences. Watch good birthing experiences. Walk walk walk and around 37 weeks start doing your deep squats helps baby come down
I am 39 weeks as of yesterday. Your videos have truly been a God send. With all of this covid stuff going on I havent been able to attend birthing classes. And i dont really have anyone to talk to about giving birth. So thank you for posting these very informative videos. With them i feel very calm about giving birth. Going for natura. Thank you again.
I had both of my babies naturally and I actually loved labor. I had an induction for preeclampsia with my second baby and it was more painful but i still found the same enjoyment in it
Hi! How was the induction process? How long after you were induced, did you have your little one? Thank you in advance.
I get induced Tuesday June 30 @41 weeks. Staying positive... been pregnant for so long... can’t wait to hold my girl!
Best of luck 🤗
My birthday ayyyy
I gave birth 1 week and 3 days ago I was doing great until 9.5 centimeters then I started to panic but my sweet husband and doula gave me all of the encouragement and I felt so strong pushing him out ! My 8lb 3oz bundle of baby boy bliss 💖💖 I love your videos they help me out a lot !!
I have definitely heard a lot of women say they absolutely panicked right about then!
It is because of the adrenaline rush before birth. It’s normal 👍
This is great to read - thank you!!
I found your channel when I was about 6 months pregnant and watched so many of your informative videos before I gave birth. I ended up needing to be induced which was so daunting during these current circumstances but I’m sure that your videos helped me stay calm during labour. The breathing techniques I learnt saw me through my induced labour, I wanted to go as far as I could without pain relief and only went onto gas and air as my baby’s head was crowning and the severity of my contractions had become a little too much to handle unassisted. It wasn’t the active birth I had hoped for but thanks to your videos it was still an empowering experience! Thank you from the UK
thank you so much for this video! i am 16 weeks and i am trying to mentally prepare myself for a natural labor!
The breathing techniques helped so much during contractions but my labor was incredibly fast so I didn't have time to process what my body was doing so the pain was intense. I don't remember being scared, but I do remember being in shock
The more I watch your videos, the more confidence I gain. I am really looking forward to the birth od my baby boy, due in october. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, it is priceless ♥️🍀
How did things go?
@@lotus_flower2000 dear Sonya, thank you for asking. my birth experience was the best. contractions woke me up at 2:30am, and I thought I could go back to sleep since it has just started, but they got stronger and really frequent... fast forward I got to hospital at 5:40am and was 9cm dialated, and gave birth at 6:52am to a healthy little baby boy. this was my first pregnancy and I had no birth partner with me. and I proved to myself that I really am built to birth 😍
I loved it!! I’m 38 weeks pregnant this gave so much self confidence even though this is my second kid I’m still afraid of the process I want a natural non medicated labor, hope I can do it with your advice!!
Thank you
I watched all of her videos and still wasn't prepared for labor. I tried and tried and tried, but nope. It wasn't working for me. I tried mind over matter, breathing techniques, eliminating fear and my support person was amazing, but the pain was too strong for too long, with no improvements. After 31 hours of no improvements, I ended up getting an emergency c section due to my baby's heart rate decreasing. I was not happy with the c section , but it was all worth it
Same. I ended up having a c section as well. Overjoyed with the outcome which is a healthy baby girl.
These videos are so helpful!!! Thank you Bridget. I am a first time mom, few weeks b4 I gave birth I educated myself using these videos. I’m glad I did! I felt confident and prepared enough to save a beautiful delivery
Did u have natural or epidural?
Oh God I'm terrified which means it'll be painful which makes me even more scared. Bad cycle lol
Hi Nug tg, how are you? Have you been able to calm your fears a bit about giving birth? Hope you are okay! I'm Anja, hello :)
It's nothing to be afraid of. Yes it will be extremely painful, but you can always get an epidural when it gets too unbearable... The pain builds up, it doesn't just hit you like a brick wall like the movies show.. each contraction will get worse and worse so with each one you can ask yourself can I keep going without an epidural...
Same I’m so scared 😱 I had my 1st born 10 years ago and honestly it was so painful I never wanted to go through that again which is why it took me so long to get pregnant. I hope this time it’s definitely
Same. My first is 12 and the pain scarred me so much I didn't want to have another... Well I'm 8 months preg now and terrified
I am completely with you I’m 36 weeks and terrified despite educating myself.
I am 40+2 im so glad ive found these videos!
I use to be Terrified of child birth!! After I found yr page I felt confident and excited for it... when labor started the contractions hurt.. and when they became unbearable I asked for pain meds but I was already 9cm D, but it was too late.. I was already at the end.. and I had to go natural like I wanted and she came shortly after... it's weird cuz the PAIN of the contractions turns into urges to squeeze and push and u have no control yr body literally pushes baby out... I can honestly say.. labor hurts like hell... but the birthing part was awesome!!! Not to mention the breaks in between the pushing, I had the best experience! Thank you for all yr information ❤❤❤
Im scared
Thank you for this very timely, currently 33 weeks and first baby, really wondering how painful and beautiful childbirth is. Thanks Bridget, i love all your videos, you’ve been such an inspiration and big help in our pregnancy journey. Bless you. ♥️
First time moms: “thank you for the video. Can’t wait for the labor sensations!” Second time moms: “yeah ok. Pain is pain”.
😂😂
Yup!
hahaha.. u made my day.. totally agree
Exactly! I'm having my 2nd and am annoyed with these kind of videos. You will feel pain regardless of how happy your thoughts are. It's just a reality and it's best to expect you'll be enduring it rather than erasing the pain without hard meds.
I didn't see any videos about back labor. I watched all your videos in the pregnancy and labor before my son's birth on June 16th, and I truly think they helped me get as far as I did without medication, but ultimately I ended up having HORRIBLE back labor that was NOT the same as my uterine surges, and was unbearably painful, despite how honestly excited I was to be in labor. Everything I've found online only speaks about back labor as a result of baby being in a bad position, primarily "sunny side up", but that wasn't the case with my son, he was in perfect position (I do however have a tipped uterus). To make matters worse, I had to endure 5 hours of excruciating tailbone pain until I was FINALLY dialated to 3 cm before I could get an epidural (after which they broke my water and between the two, I dialated from a 4 to 10 in two hours, and started pushing, which was a much more positive experience!!)
There MUST be better advice for coping with back labor than what I've found.
I also had terrible pain due to back labour and after 3 days of contractions took the epidural :)
I gave birth to my first son at 26 weeks and scared out of my mind because I did not know what to expect. I think at first it wasn’t the fear of pain, but the fear of the challenges that my child would face being born so prematurely. The pain was unbearable and had an unmedicated birth. I think this had mostly to do with the fact that I was considered high risk and not allowed to move around too much. He is thriving thank the Lord! As of now I am pregnant with my second child and still afraid, not because of the pain, but about the possibility of giving birth before time. I will be under progesterone shots on a weekly basis to prevent preterm labor and pray that this baby is able to cook full term. I love your informative and affirming videos Bridget. Thank you!
That’s why when you are in labor you have to be in a healthy/ positive mind set
My middle daughter literally broke my tailbone and was stuck for two hrs I had a failed epidural with numb legs but no pain relief. My daughter was sunny side up and her head was too large for my pelvis. I know with every part of me hyper o birth or positive e thoughts could never have reduced the excruciating pain I experienced during her birth I literally felt like my hips were being ripped off my body like a little boy pulling g apart a barbie doll. So no there was no way I could ha e eased my pain and screaming was the o ly relief I got although the nurses constantly told me to SHUTUP I hated my hospital staff and stayed an extra 3 days after delivery be cause my hips were so bad I couldn't walk unattended to the bathroom or pick up my baby by mysel. I love my daughter but her birth was the worst experience of my life and even worse they almost gave me a cesarean but had no plans for added anesthesia as I " already had an epideral" which failed. I could feel everythignand was so terrified of being gutted like a fucking fish with no pain support. I will never ever go back to that hospital if I'm ever in an emergency in that area just let me die first. No woman should ever be told to Shutup while in labor.
Jesus that sounds traumatic as hell.
Although I would imagine it’s very hard to “shut up” at a time like that and I am very sorry you had to experience that....a lot of doctors/nurses will encourage women to put that energy from screaming into effective pushes....a lot of times the baby’s heart rate /oxygen level is depending on how effectively mom is pushing them out and some baby’s heart rate/oxygen level is already not tolerating the delivery too well and the doctors/nurses are in a rush to get that baby out, this is where they may get a little more aggressive if they see you are screaming (using a lot of oxygen) and not putting that energy as much into the push. Some moms scream but the baby doesn’t move an inch so it’s like wasted energy
You must have small hips.
Almost 35 weeks and really needed this video. Thank you. I'm so excited to be having my baby soon but I am definitely nervous. I know I can handle a lot of pain so I'm not too worried but there's that nagging in my mind because soooo many women talk about how bad it is and other women are constantly saying I'm going to want an epidural...
So true.. fear increases pain.. after 24hours of contractions.. last hour I feared I might die I couldn’t explain anyone that pain.. i gave up and cried for c section.. but by gods grace my mom, husband and the Nurses didn’t give up on me.. my pushing stage lasted 10 minutes with your breathing technique.. seriously I wasn’t prepared for the contraction pain.. now I still remember the pain at the same time realise.. that fear in me caused my pain to hype.. I hope every mom to be sees your video.. your awesome ❤️😘
This was perfect! I'll be 40 weeks on Friday!
As someone who had a completely natural unmedicated labour, as well as an induced but otherwise unmedicated labour that ended in the most medical way of all (a Caesarian), I think we need to give women a break. Don't make women believe it's their fault and they didn't prioritise/relax/prep enough if they can't stay focused. Everyone's experience is different. Births differ, and the last thing you need is ideology and the feeling of falling short. You are just producing another human! Take what works for you, but for God's sake don't blame yourself if it doesn't work. Just go with the flow, stupid as it sounds, and allow yourself and your body to go off a track you decided on prior to birth if you have to.
Both my births were painful, but felt very manageable and positive, despite the last one going wrong in many ways. And I think the only thing that made this last birth ok was that I allowed for the fact that the real experience was not what I had imagined, and not manageable with my prepared tools. Once I accepted that, I became more flexible and much less clenchy when dealing with the (intense!) pain, and even though I vomited with the best of them, it was not a negative experience (for me. My poor husband, who had to watch, is still mildly traumatized 7 months on).
Yes. When preparing for birth, I watched a lot of Hypnobirthing and natural birth videos, and everyone was saying how wonderful and empowering it was and that as long as you relaxed and breathed correctly, everything should go smoothly. But that didn’t happen for me! Contractions started 30-45 seconds 5 minutes apart and just escalated from there. I was in labor 21 hours with transition being 5 hours of that and pushing was 2 hours. I felt super defeated afterwards like I did something wrong or that I wasn’t woman enough because my labor and delivery hurt. We shouldn’t be making women feel like failures because God forbid they were in pain while delivering a human. I’m two weeks out from delivering my first beautiful baby (8.5 pounds!), and while I think I could try for another natural labor, I’m totally going to give myself the option for an epidural. No reason to beat ourselves up or allow anyone else to when we just did something so miraculous!
Your comment is a helpful addition to her video. Pain tolerances do play a big role I've been told. But it's nice that even with your pain you felt confident and flexible during birth. Like when she said that listening to you own body may mean you need medication to help. I'm just learning vomiting during labor is a thing! My mom did tell me when she was birthing me it was a lady down the hall from her screaming bloody murder, but her experience was more like a swelling of pressure and then a release of that pressure during the push. I'm 30 weeks with my first and didn't find out until I was 24 weeks so I feel like I'm frantically trying to prepare! Anyway, thanks for adding that feeling pain shouldn't make me feel bad or like I failed to mentally master birth.
@@ladonnakaliese You're welcome, and congrats on your little one coming! Also, one last note on the pain: the good thing about it is that it's not like regular pain. Regular pain tells you that something is wrong, so it's heightend by worry. Birthing pain tells you that you are coming closer to meeting your baby. Basically, it's a big sack of muscles contracting, imagining this really helped me personally. It's great if it's relatively painless, but even if it's not, there's nothing wrong. Unless you tell yourself that the pain is a sign of you doing things imperfectly (which I am convinced it's not), you can just accept it as all normal. Knowing that helped me immensely and made the pain (and the vomiting) much less problematic and quite ok to handle. I even had a good giggle in between, right before the end. My husband thought I was quite mad, but it was all a bit absurd and that made me laugh. Personally I think it's good to read as much as you can about the way a birth can go, so you won't be surprised by things, and then be open-minded when it happens. You'll have a much easier time if you understand that you can't "fail" at birthing, whether you need assistance or not.
LaDonna Fant How did you find out that you were pregnant so late?
uclmu2008 That’s my goal. To just be prepared for anything and have the mindset to go with the flow and adapt. Lol I bet that quick giggle you had was funny. Thank you thank you 🙏🏽
I have such low pain tolerance and i been crying because i dont know what to expect
Me too that’s why I’m so scared. My pain tolerance is close to 0..
@@shaylahays3611 lowkey same and my due date is today...
@@Ana-brwn how’s it going
@@sarahhamilton429 not in labor yet lol
@@Ana-brwn how’d it go
Im 31 weeks and Im so nervous of what is to come! I’m curious how it feels but also know it’s going to be painful! I need my delivery room peaceful and dimmed lights with nice soothing music!
Me too, goodluck to us
Im 30 weeks and idk i think im freaking myself out, how was it??
I started watching your channel at 7 or 8 months the breathing really did work it helped me during my induction at 40 plus 4 I was calm walking around using my exercise ball and all until that pitocin hit 14 it was so unbearable it made me feel like given up n getting the epidural but that wasn't the only factor my water didn't break n nobody checked me to see how far I was cause they said I was too calm n I wasn't ready until I started yelling at them n told them to get a doc to break my water or get me an epidural well the nurse came in I was 7 to 8 centimeters and than 10 min later a doc came to check me n as she went to check my water broke 10 min after that I felt like I had to poop n it was my baby ready to come 3 push n I had him in the middle of the bed where my but should have been cause I put myself in a squatting position to get him out he came out 9lbs 3ozs I'll say I had a good labor but painful at the end but it was worth it the best way to describe it is I was on an adrenaline high of conquering my fear
I hate that i have a fear of labor. Because i wanna be a mom but the pain scares me 🥺
Sameeeee
Ik.....
adopt
35 weeks today and I’m ANXIOUS 😭😭😭
I'm soooo scared, im 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I'm 17 and a single mum to be I really hope I can handle all of this 😫
Sending you love and support!
all the best.
@@janmanshipadhya3351 thank you so much
Do you have a support person as a birthing partner? This will give you strength during labour :)
@@brontec9769 my mum was there for me every step of the way and now I’ve been blessed with a 5 month old little boy :)
I don't agree with all of this. I practiced hypnobirthing. For me it was possible to relax between contractions, but with contractions nothing can stop that pain!
Baby came out calmly and birth was 7hours, but at one point I felt I was loosing my mind and overall it was traumatic.
Also, you failed to mention that woman are built differently and therefore some woman will have much easier labours, because of their pelvic bone structure. The amount of pain each of us experience is also influenced by your personal pain tolerance and the types of blood vessels near your perineum.
She mentions the differences between women's pain tolerance in the first 2 min of the video.
Im in the end of my second trimester, and I'm so scared about giving birth. I've struggled with pelvic pain ever since i started my period and tried using a tampon. Sex has always been really painful for me. It's been slowly getting better, but I can't even imagine how painful it will be to actually birth a baby.
My labor had to be induced (hospital) I was really prepared for a homebirth,had 3 meditationsessions each day from 30 weeks to 42 that included hypnobirthing, learned how to breathe correctly and had a great mindset overall. All of the above was helpfull untill I was 6cm in my labour.. From then I asked for pain medication because I couldn't handle it anymore. I've endured heavy contractions that came every minute..I hadn't time to take a breath. My birth went very well after the medication..but I'm so sad that I couldn't take it on my own.. mind you, I was not scared..
I have a healthy babyboy that is 10 weeks today ♥️
I don't know why we all think we have to do this without help from modern medicine? I also needed the epidural - but I still felt everything when I later pushed out my baby - so it was a temporary relief, but boy oh boy did it help me.
I second some of the disagreement comments... I did all the breathing, meditation, coping, etc techniques add had 100% trust in my providers but during transition, despite telling my body to “relax and allow”, it didn’t happen and the pain was real, not a mindset. I think its misleading to tell ppl that their pain is about mental perspective.
It's well documented that pain can be made more manageable or more debilitating by mindset. It would never erase pain, but could be helpful..I think it's unhelpful going around to these videos and saying she is wrong just because your experience was different. Many here have agreed with her. No need to spread negativity
@@NadiaSeesIt It's not negativity to be honest. I found it insulting when I went through labor to have an unrealistic expectation of the pain. I felt totally unprepared when I realized all the thinking, breathing, techniques did nothing to reduce my pain. I was shocked and felt overwhelmed. I rather blunt truth. Now I know whether I should look for actual pain relief or endure the torture again. I'm not naive this time.
I'm 33 weeks tomorrow and I am trying to prepare Myself mentally this time round as I feel with my first I didn't do any preparing what so ever, which definitely made a negative impact on how I coped. Thank you for your videos they are really informative and helpful 😊
I'm 28 weeks today and had a similar experience- on the same journey. Wishing you a healthy happy outcome for both of you. mindset seems to be the key!
I am usually a very fearful person but with birth it's more like excitement and a little nervousness until now (31 weeks). I hope it stays that way!
My mother in law had natural childbirth and was very critical of me going with an epidural. Pitocin was a rough experience. I wish all young ladies the best of success with natural childbirth. I love the memories have of my children's birth. I know have a grandchildren due in a couple of weeks!!
I gave birth today and your videos have been so helpful, thanks
Look, labour hurts. I have given birth four times, each time was different but there was always pain. My third and fourth birthing experiences were calm, I was not afraid, I was strong and confident but it still bloody hurt! Labour is not enjoyable! I liked the pushing part, holding my babies for the first time and that feeling “I did it!”. But this nonsense about labour being enjoyable or orgasmic…delusional. You just get through it! It’s easy to wax lyrical about how great your labour was when you’re not in active labour.
Got 3 minutes in and really wondered what makes you qualified to tell people about what labor is like.
My first labor was excruciating, I had back labor and when I got checked I was only a 2 and it discouraged me SO much. I spiraled and panicked and freaked out, ended up getting an epidural (not my original plan). My second I had a great experience! It was so manageable that I didn’t realize how far along I was and had the baby at home on accident! I’m due with my third New Years Day and I’m getting nervous...
Sorry, I don't agree. My labor wasn't scary or fearful, just painful. The contractions felt at first like a really bad constipation or food poisoning, and progressed to a feeling someone heavy is standing on my bladder and rectum, crushing them. It was horrible. I tried jumping on the ball, shower, a TENS machine... nothing really helped. I breathed as well as I could, just wishing that this pain would stop, wishing for an epidural ASAP. When it finally happened it was a huge relief.
I birthed 4 children naturally. I loved everything about my pregnancies and labor and delivery. I am an avid hiker, so I viewed my labors as climbing a mountain. With each phase and intensity, I climbed from base camp #1, then #2 etc…viewing the most intense sensations (Birth) the Top of the Mt! It is definately INTENSE but extremely powerful and the more you have control over your mind, breathing,,the more positive your experience!👍😁👶
Oh thank you for this information. Thanks for telling us about a possible calming birth experience. Love this .
Thank you so much. I watched your breathing techniques videos before labour and had such a smooth natural labour. Thanks. Continue what you doing to help mamas 😘
This video is the first one that has made me feel excited about birth! I’m 24 weeks and while I haven’t been fearful of labor, I’ve been unsure about what I want my birth plan to be. Thank you for this!
Aww hi Kendra, Congrats on your pregnancy! You must be 28 weeks now! How is everything going? Do you know if you are having a boy or girl or is it a surprise? Sending love! Anja xxxx
Hypnobirthing With Anja Hi! Yes currently 28+5! Everything is going great! We’re having a boy! Can’t wait
@@kendramotherwell5509 lovely! I hope that the enjoy the remainder of your pregnancy. Do you live in the US? Xxx
I love the way she says "mama"..as if she is talking to me personally
I love it too
The work you do is so meaningful 💕 Thank you for providing so much free and accessible material to help moms AND their babies, including mine 🙏
I had days of contractions (induced labour) and hypnobirthing/yoga breathing techniques helped me stay focussed on breathing and not on the pain. But after my water broke, I vomited, had diarrhoea and it was just torture, it was over. I was done and had an epidural. Otherwise I thought I would go mad from that pain and it has nothing to do with any fear. It was simply exhaustion. There is no other way for me to describe it. Anyone who says they experienced a painless labour is lying to you or to themselves. I tried hypnobirthing for three days and at some point, it was just impossible to go it alone without any kind of pain relief. But this is all circumstantial. My pain concentrated into my lower back. Some women have a fast labour and have energy reserves to get them through the pain. Thankfully, years of yoga exercises helped me to focus on breathing during contractions.
If anything, I say make sure you do a lot of breathing prep before labour and try prenatal yoga or physio. Thankfully, due to that and perennial massage, I had zero tearing, but pain is pain, whether you are relaxed or not, have a positive mindset, set anchors, mood lighting or whatever. My back was really messed up after delivery, I though I had broken some bones. Labour is tough and it takes a lot of mental strength to get through it, an awesome birth partner and a midwife to cheer you on. Make sure you have those and are mentally prepared. There's no need for fear and don't force yourself to have an unmedicated birth. I can say that that epidural saved me. And what they don't tell you, is that at some point in needs to wear off if you want to push your baby out, so it's only a temporary relief. The wonderful thing about labour is that as soon as the baby is out, you really just feel that your entire body relaxes, the pain dissipates and all you see is your beautiful baby :)
I think is very important to have a suport system. Because of covid 19 I was left alone in a room for the entire labor. My mind was not powerful enoigh to manage being treated like an object and enjoy labor.
I'm so sorry you went through that alone, but well done for getting through it! That's my nightmare, a second wave of Covid here menaing that my fiance can't be with me. I'm not veyr assertive and panic easily, so I know if he isn't there to be my voice then I will struggle to get the birth I want.
I honestly forgot how painful it was. I just remember I thought I was going to die of pain....
How you can forget that pain?
@@lenamatt3387 if we didn't forget, we wouldn't do it again.
sarah blades I agree , I had a baby in June, I am thinking the same way now
@@lenamatt3387 Congrats! I'm on baby #3, due in a month. It's been 5 years since my last baby and feeling a little rusty, so I'm trying not to think about it too much 😂😂
sarah blades
Will be fine.....😀
Congrats for baby # 3
That’s nice
So glad to have found you! I am 9 weeks pregnant now and just hearing you talk already calms my thoughts. Thank you so much. ❤️
Hi! How is your pregnancy going? Is this your first baby? Bridget really does have a calming voice! I love her too! My name is Anja. Hello! xxx
I fear labor sooooo much!!! that’s probably the major factor besides the lifetime responsibility of having a child that is keeping me from deciding either to have kids or not.
Have you tried Weedborn CBD yet?
You are great, I'm in 34 weeks , calm and peacefully waiting my baby 😊
All the love from Manila, Philippines. 💙
I had a 24 hours birth with my first and it was hell and I had a great mindset going in to labor. And with my 2nd it was 1 hour and it was so nice this time although I was sooooo scared. So I would say it has nothing to to with your mindset just it depends how each birth goes.
I don't think it's about a mindset, probably about subconcious fear that have to be worked through.
You might think you're not afraid but subconciously you are, and your body is tense, and you won't realize it.
Mindset is certainly not ALL of the experience, but it can absolutely tip women one way or another. I am someone who gets very visceral physical symptoms when I am very panicked or stressed. The more relaxed I can help myself be, hopefully the more I will be able to cope with labor. ♥️
I had a very similar experience...
Pain is something that varies for every person..I listened to a lot of different women’s stories on how their labor went. Some felt virtually no pain just pressure, some had moderate pain and others excruciating. I tried to educate myself on ways to prepare etc..and having given birth Just 3wks ago I will say that it was the single most painful experience I’ve ever had. At some points I felt I left my body. It was an indescribable pain and I wasn’t sure how I even got through it. While it’s great to learn certain coping mechanisms to put to use for the big day, you truly have no idea what to expect until you’re in it.
God I'm officially scared now
@@cc4935 Don’t let other people’s experience trigger your fear. Everyone is different! You can do this !
Not super helpful for others
So true. I did all the reading, watched videos, had an exercise ball, went in the shower. Nothing even touched the pain I felt. It was torture and I'm absolutely dreading doing it again with my 2nd. I remember being furious when I realized the pain was more than I could have ever imagined. I felt like I had been lied to by everyone and had nothing to take it away. It was torture.
Love your videos, they are so helpful.
I'm not so much afraid of the physical pain of labor, but my fear is based in wanting my daughter to be born healthy and alive. Lost my first at 22 weeks and 4 days unexpectedly and without known reason. Definitely traumatized. Looking forward to holding my baby in the near future.
Praying for you and your baby
@@youareblessed247 thank you
Thanks so much for sharing, I'm so sorry you went through that trauma and I sincerely hope everything goes well next time
@Natalia thank you...holding my rainbow baby now.
Thank you, for this!
I found this to be so true. I was shocked after the birth of my son, six weeks ago, that my miscarriage was much more painful than labor. And came to the conclusion that it was because of fear.
I was induced at 38weeks for preeclampsia, and there was plenty of room for fear, let me tell you. I was, although, able to stay calm and relaxed even though I was not allowed to get up without help due to magnesium. I stayed laying on the bed from 12pm to his birth, at 6am the next morning. It was not the most comfortable.
I did labor and delivery without epidural or any pain medication, it's traumatizing but bearable, 3 weeks past and I still can reanimate the pain
I am in early labor now I’m so exited to meet my son
How was it
Even if you’re calm, as I was, labour is the worst pain a woman can imagine! Let’s not gaslight women into believing anything other than the reality of birth. I haven’t met a single women who told me that natural labour was “comfortable,” so let’s not explain away women’s pain. For me, the first 30 hours of labour was increasingly more painful but still manageable, as in I didn’t need an epidural yet, but I was sucking back the gas. When I was induced because baby wasn’t coming down, my pain doubled and I needed an epidural. If you’re afraid of being in pain during labour, don’t be a hero. Ask for an epidural if you need one, and be prepared to wait a few hours to get one. Things that actually helped me cope with the pain: the gas, being in the tub or shower, deep breaths (when I was taking the gas). None of these methods will take away your pain; they will only make it easier to bear.
Just the labor pain is tolerable but when you're also on prodromal pain/ false labor for few days you're already having pain even before your actual labor is exhausting. On my actual labor, I'm already too exhausted to push. BP high cuz of pain, they thought I was going pre eclamptic. I asked for epidural but still felt contraction pains cuz I had a window on my left side or hot spot on the epidural. Pushed for 2 hrs and baby's just not budging. I did not hesitate to ask for a csection instead of pushing for another hour again and using the vacuum. Going natural is definitely not for everybody. I'd say it depends on circumstances.
Thank you so much, your the best Digital Doula. Love and light to you ❣️❤️🧡💚💙
18 and I never had a kid, all I wanna say is, in a future setting where I will possibly have a child, as someone who experiences menstrual pain that causes fainting, vomiting, and almost seizure-like spasms due to intense pain, how would I get out of this cycle of fear when labor and birth are so much more intense and physically complex than regular menstrual pain? I cannot imagine giving birth, especially after what I deal with every few months lol.
I've been scared shitless so I guess I'll ask for that c-section because I'm NOT going through with it
I had my son 3 years ago and had a natural non medicated birth. It was the best experience ever. I’m currently 33 weeks pregnant with my daughter. This time around I’m feeling more anxious I wonder if that’s normal the second time around? Also my hospital offers rooms with tubs to women who are only having an Un medicated birth do you recommend laboring in a tub?
I just had my first baby 10 weeks ago, 34 hours of labor with 3 hours of pushing. To me the labor pains weren’t too unbearable. I actually felt okay when they suggested it was time for an epidural so they could insert a catheter and break my water. But the pushing did hurt and when she was actually born was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life by far. By FAR. Granted, she was stuck because she was face up and they had to use forceps so I got a third degree tear. I definitely felt him sewing me up after too and that hurt. The recovery was/is also pretty rough. Lots of swelling and soreness everywhere. So yeah to me the labor pains and contractions and all that were a breeze comparatively lol
Oh myyyy godddd. Hope you're okay now ❤️
39 weeks & one centimeter dilated . So excited to birth my baby ❤️
Thank you so much for this educational videos ☺️❤️ They help so much 🥰
Two very different births, both massively uncomfortable, even with breathing, rocking, doggie pose, light yoga, etc…. I think the important thing for first time mothers to know is that the type of pain will be the same, I.e., cramping pain, and though it increases in intensity it will not shift into the kind of pain that is stabbing and searing as in appendicitis -unless something is going wrong. However, pretending that labor and delivery can be a pain free experience. But yeah, breathe, relax, know your body is doing what it’s supposed to do.
Hi I’ve been watching your videos for a while now. I’m 21 weeks and really want a natural birth! I looked at your website and I’m considering signing up for the class. Does the class have different videos compared to what you already have on RUclips? Thanks so much ! I love your encouragement!
So so glad I found your channel!!
I believe the hypnobirthing strategies I have learned will help my birth be a more comfortable and a more positive experience. I believe some women have experienced labor that was pain free or enjoyable. I believe that’s even possible for me, but I worry that this message that pain in labour is a result of the wrong mindset is going to make women who have a different experience feel as if they failed or did something wrong, and that’s not helpful. Isn’t it enough to say that these techniques will help you feel less distress than you would have otherwise and not claim that everyone should be able to have the exact same experience or else they were doing it wrong? I know you would never want to make a woman feel that way, I’m just worried that you may send that message without meaning to. Does that make sense? I still very much appreciate your videos and the way you help empower women for their birth.
As helpful as the mindset thing is, my husband is going to be on deployment while I am in labor and I dont know if I'll be in an awesome state of mind to deal with that pain. 😅 Who knows.
I volunteered at a free public rural maternity clinic in Brazil. The first day I saw two babies and a mother die.
Back in the day awoman's chances of dying during childbirth were between one and two percent -for each birth. If a woman gave birth to eight or ten children, her chances of eventually dying in childbirth were pretty high. The infant mortality rate was even higher.
I'm currently 7 months pregnant, and while I hope there will be no complications, I'm glad I will be at a modern hospital just in case.