Delivering without the help of any pain medication is like a badge of honor for some moms. Any woman who has been through drug-free labor knows that it's no easy feat and takes serious commitment. (Not that labor with pain-reducing drugs is any less of an amazing accomplishment.) Some moms-to-be are willing to deal with the intense pain of labor because they're either concerned about the potential side effects of pain medication or simply want to follow in the footsteps of women who have given birth naturally for centuries. But not every mom-to-be who has a natural birth chose to go that route. In some cases, they end up having an unplanned natural delivery because they’re told that they’re past the point of pain-reducing drugs.
If you've ever wondered what natural childbirth is like or you did it yourself and are curious about what other women's experiences were like, read on.
"It was important for me to feel fully in control."
"I opted for a natural childbirth at home because it was important for me to feel fully in control. The overall experience was quite wonderful. I was lucky enough to have a relatively short first birth of 10 hours from first contraction to birth. My midwife was impressed. I was very focused on doing things that would help me during labor. I did prenatal yoga, acupuncture every week of pregnancy, a labor-stimulating massage, walked 10,000 steps nearly every day after the nausea of the first trimester lessened, and ate healthfully. My midwife thinks that my practicing yoga for 15 years really helped a lot. During labor, I meditated on the image of myself floating in the ocean. I also did some hypnotherapy. I really feel like I was able to sit back and allow my baby to do her work to enter the world. I can't think of any downsides to a natural childbirth. I have a sense of pride I carry around with me every day because of it, and I love inspiring others."
—Nikki M., 35
"I felt like a badass. Like a superhero. Like I could do anything."
"When you tell people you want to labor without drugs, you get a lot of push back—'Why would you want to do that?' and 'There are no medals for going without drugs' and 'You’re crazy.' I decided to have a natural birth with my second child because I was so frustrated with my first birth experience. I wanted to go 'natural' the first time, but I didn’t find any support for that through the docs I used or the hospital where I gave birth. When I got to the hospital I was progressing nicely and the nurses on the night shift thought I would be out of there in no time. I didn’t want the epidural, and when I said so I got some side eye and attitude. I was actually doing fine until they broke my water, which they did without asking. Once they broke my water the contractions became much more painful— and my dilation progression stalled, ironically. The whole experience was like that—I didn’t feel I had any control or voice in my own birth. I had an IV and an exterior monitor, and once they told me I would need Pitocin [to induce labor], I agreed to the epidural, which they had to do twice because the first one only numbed half of my body. I labored for 22 hours in that hospital, and by the end I had two monitors, interior and exterior, a catheter, an 103-degree fever from laboring so long without my water, an epidural that made me itch like crazy, IV antibiotics and the threat of a C-section over my head. I delivered my son vagin*lly, after pushing for two hours, but I wasn’t happy with the experience at all. I quit my doctor right after that and went to see the midwives at Pennsylvania Hospital. My second birth was completely different. I found a lot of support for laboring naturally, with the nurses cheering me on as I labored through the night. I wasn’t connected to any sort of IV or machine, and I was up and walking around in the room the entire time, doing whatever was comfortable and helped me get through the contractions. I was able to listen to my body. The midwives were very hands off and confident in the childbirth process. My body did all the work. They didn’t touch my water and only broke it when I was ready to push. They gave me great suggestions to get through the tougher parts of labor, including telling me to labor in the shower. That was the best advice I got all night, because it helped me get through transition from 7-10 centimeters. I felt completely free and in control the entire time. No one rushed me, and it took about 11 hours. My last contraction before I was ready to push was one of the worst. I could tell, though, that I was close because I had an overwhelming urge to push. He called the midwives in, and I was ready. I pushed out my son in two minutes, so it didn’t last long. After it was over, I felt like a badass. Like a superhero. Like I could do anything. I was on a high for days. It was painful, but if I did choose to have another baby, I would choose drug-free again in a heartbeat."
—Jenny R., 46
"I felt completely at the mercy of nature."
"My natural birth was a beautiful end to a very difficult pregnancy. After losing my first pregnancy well into the second trimester, my second pregnancy was stressful and far from the carefree experience I had hoped for and imagined. So when my high-risk doctor told me that my cervix was shortening and I needed a cerclage to stitch it closed, I was terrified that this new pregnancy would end like the first did. After months of rest and worry, my cerclage was removed at 37 weeks, and to my delight I stayed pregnant until nearly 41 weeks, when my water broke spontaneously while I was out to dinner. My husband and I had taken a day-long class on mindful, natural birthing and we had also hired a doula to support us through the process. Our birthing room was calm, and my laboring focused—my favorite moment was being in a hot bathtub experiencing intense contractions while my husband and doula put icy lavender-scented washcloths on my forehead and back. It seems like a contradiction, but in that moment I felt incredibly powerful and also completely at the mercy of nature. After 10 hours of intense labor and another four of pushing, my beautiful, slippery, wailing daughter was placed on my chest. Looking back on it now, I don't have any regrets, but I do marvel at just how intense the natural birthing experience is. I think there are lots of reasons to pursue a low-intervention birth, but also many good reasons that a woman might not choose to go that route. As long as birth ends in a healthy baby, it's just a brief moment in what is hopefully a long, deep, complex, and joyful relationship."
—Maggie G., 34
"There was much less damage to my body."
"I have three children. With my first birth, I wanted a natural childbirth, but was induced and ended up getting an epidural. I also ended up with a third degree tear, which took over a month to heal. So when it came time to have my second child, I was petrified I would suffer a third degree tear again, or worse. I told myself I would try for a natural birth, but would take an epidural if I needed it—I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself, so if I did end up with an epidural I would not feel like a failure. Well, it turned out I wasn't even given the choice, because when my second came, I progressed to active labor so quickly there was no time for the epidural. Luckily, it was very quick, but it was definitely more painful. What really helped frame it for me was when the on-call ob/gyn told me I needed to 'push into the burn.' I first thought 'oh sh*t' as I realized that it would get more painful before it would feel better, but then I told myself I had to just go for it. I did, and my second was born and there was much less damage to my body. I barely had a second-degree tear and my recovery was mere days versus weeks with my first. With my third child, I did everything possible to keep it natural because I believe the natural birth did less damage to my body. I stayed out of the hospital until the very last minute, and I delivered two hours after getting there. I will admit, the intense labor was a little longer with the birth of my third, and right when I was considering the epidural, I went into active labor and there was no turning back. The baby was born about three minutes later! Again, there was much less damage down there—barely a second degree tear—and I was back to normal(ish) in a few days."
—Laura K., 40
"My daughter and I were born in the same hospital, without drugs."
"I felt that, as long as there were no medical complications with the pregnancy, my body had its own, built-in system for giving birth. I have a master of public health degree, and I felt that involving medication or pain management could potentially harm my baby and I didn't think it would ultimately make it easier for me to give birth. I went to a birthing class that was very pro-epidural, knowing I would not use an epidural, and I learned that you may not even know when to push. I gave birth in a hospital and the first nurse that was attending me asked if I had ever felt real pain before, implying I would need an epidural. I told her I was about to find out. It was very painful, of course, but knowing what I know about drugs I would not have changed my mind. The downside was my being set on natural childbirth and being in a hospital, which made it difficult because it doesn't seem to be the norm. In retrospect, I might have looked for a birthing center or somewhere that was more supportive of a less medicalized delivery, but I can say I was born in the same hospital as my daughter and we were both born without drugs or an epidural.”
—Phyra M., 38
"When you face that type of pain you have to be exceptionally committed."
"I didn't choose to have a natural birth for my second child—it just happened that way because we did not get to the hospital in time. The pain was unlike anything I can describe. However, once my son was born—3 1/2 hours from first contraction to birth—I was shocked at how quickly my body healed compared to my other two epidural births. The pain subsided almost immediately, and I was up and about with ease compared to my other births. I also appreciated the experience of having done it both ways for my own personal knowledge and growth. However, in those moments of pain if I had been able to get an epidural I likely would have. When you face that type of pain you have to be exceptionally committed to a natural birth. In my case, I didn't have a choice because I missed the epidural window."
—Tracy E., 46
"It didn't go as planned."
“The funny thing about my birth story is, like most others, it didn't go as planned. I did not intend on a natural birth. I figured I'd have a long labor and would need the epidural. My labor from start to finish turned out to be seven hours. My main concern was that I did not want to go to the hospital too early. I wanted to labor at home naturally as long as possible, and then when my contractions were in a pattern, I'd head in. I used yoga techniques and massage (thanks to my husband) to labor through each contraction. I rocked side to side through each contraction. When we decided it was time to go to the hospital, my water broke at the hospital elevator, and when I got to the labor and delivery floor I felt as though my baby was coming out. They got me in a room and out of being nervous, I asked for an epidural. They looked at me and asked, 'Can you sit still for 10 minutes?' No way was the answer. So we were doing it, without pain medicine. Three pushes and my daughter was out! I was lucky because I went so quickly and could manage the pain with my yoga and breathing techniques that I learned in birthing class. If I were ever to do it again, I'd try for natural. That being said, I don't know if I could manage a 30+ hour labor like some friends. But my overall experience was great. I felt wonderful afterwards. My daughter was super-alert and nursed immediately."
—Sara G., 41
"I really feel there are no advantages to doing it naturally."
"The thought of having a needle stuck into my spine was far scarier than the thought of giving birth itself. Once my contractions started, of course, they were so intense I was begging for an epidural. However, I had gone to a midwife in New York for both of my deliveries and she said—both times—that my labor was too far advanced and had progressed too quickly to get an epidural and that I could manage without it. I did manage, but in retrospect, I am not sure whether there is a 'too late' for an epidural. I feel that the first time around, I might have benefited from some kind of pain relief because my labor was very intense and fast, and it weakened me to such an extent that pushing was very hard. With that birth, I pushed for over three hours and had burst blood vessels everywhere from the effort of pushing, even in my eyes. I had hemorrhoids and had to nurse standing up for most of the first three months, as sitting was so painful. I had ripped at a time my midwife was not expecting me to and in a very awkward way that was difficult to repair, which caused pain even six months later and left scar tissue that bothers me to this day. I had noticed that friends who gave birth with epidurals were on the phone an hour after birth, all excited and barely scarred, whereas I looked and felt as though I had been through a war. My second baby slid out in 45 minutes and I did not tear at all. I think if I had another baby, I would definitely have an epidural because I really feel there are no advantages to doing it naturally. Childbirth is very painful!”
—Savita I., 47
"I truly felt my body knew what to do."
"I knew I wanted a natural birth since the moment I became pregnant. I'm a very holistic, healthy individual. For me, it only made sense to continue my philosophy during the birth of my daughter. With that being said, since I worked out up until 39 weeks pregnant, I truly felt my body knew what to do and how to safely deliver my child into the world, so I put all my trust into my remarkable body and let it take over and do what it naturally knew what to do. It was an amazing, beautiful experience. I birthed on the bathroom floor and then was brought straight into my bed with my whole family surrounding me. It was life-changing."
—Jordan R., 41
"I have always been against any form of medication."
"I have always been against any form of medication if I had a choice. When I became pregnant, I decided I would not take an epidural and would go through the natural process. I was in labor for eight hours with my first daughter and about three hours with my second. Having said that, both my daughters were two weeks late so in the end had to succumb to drugs to get induced, but I didn't have any pain medication during labor. Thus, my labor was shorter than most people and the pain was a lot more intense. For my second daughter, I knew what to expect and still did not want an epidural, but I felt the pain was more intense than the first time. I remember screaming and asking the doctor to give me an epidural, but he was kind enough to withstand my tantrum and reminded me that I really did not want to have it. I would definitely not change anything if I were to go through labor again."
—Aarti A., 47
"I was too distracted by the pain to really focus on the baby."
"I opted for natural childbirth with my second baby because I'd had an epidural with my first baby three years previously, and there were some issues. I didn’t feel like it was doing anything for my pain and asked the nurse to check the epidural—it turned out that it wasn’t working properly. After it was 'fixed,' I still had pain and ended up with a totally numb right leg. I vividly remember my husband helping me limp/drag my leg to the nursery window to see our daughter getting checked! So, when it was time for baby number two, I thought that I’d basically gotten through childbirth without the help of the epidural the first time and that this time the pain would be roughly the same, minus the dead leg. As it turned out, that epidural must have been doing more than I thought because the pain was considerably more. Also, I needed to be repaired after the birth, and when you don’t have meds for the birth, you don’t have meds for that either. My husband told me that I really wanted nothing to do with our baby for a while after his birth. I think I was too distracted from the pain to really focus on the baby. But overall, I'm glad I did it. I was planning on going drug-free with baby number three. At a certain point during labor the pain was at my maximum, and the nurse thought I had about 30 more minutes of labor. So I went with a last-minute walking epidural, which kicked in at exactly the moment I needed to push. It was sort of the perfect compromise!"
—Kirsten A., 38
"I was that crazy person yelling, 'I can't do this!'"
"I was leaning toward natural childbirth mostly because I didn't want to deal with side effects [of medication] and needles and just wanted things to be as simple as possible. I wanted to be normal and together once I had a baby in my arms. That said, I left it open because it seemed crazy to decide before I knew how much it really hurts. I happened to have really quick deliveries: The first time, by the time I got to the hospital I was nearly dilated and had my baby just a couple hours later. My doc was great, I felt in control, and even though it hurt more than I could have imagined, it went quickly and I felt on top of it all. I was very proud and good about it. With my second child, I had another quick delivery—this time within an hour of arriving at the hospital. But I had no chance to get on top of it. I went from four centimeters to dilated so quickly I couldn't stand the pain. I was that crazy person yelling, 'I can't do this!' But the good news is I could handle it because it was so quick. It was hard, but overall, I'm glad I did it both times. It was amazing to be so present. But I never would have denied myself medication if I thought I needed it to get through safely and happily. I honestly believe you have to go with your experience. I will say that I was shocked when labor started the second time. I really had forgotten how much it hurt. We are awesome, we women."
—Sharlene B, 52
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