Real Birth Experiences

[sunnybunny]

I had my first birth experience at 18, with my daughter. It was an emergency C-section and I was completely out of it afterwards. When I gave birth to my second child 2 years later, after a long and intense labour, it felt like an almost euphoric experience despite being incredibly painful. What did your own "real birth experiences" do to you?

 

[bananarama]

I had two completely different births with my kids. With my first, at 22, it was a C-section with no prior complications. I felt relatively calm and numb throughout the whole process, to be honest. On the other hand, after six hours of pushing , labour itself was intense but the whole experience afterwards has been more of an emotional journey with my oldest son.

 

[sportytina]

I've had a similar experience with two very different births as well, OP! With my first, it was also a C-section at a young age . I was anxious but not entirely calm like you - I remember being asked to breathe and relax during the procedure, which helped me feel more in control. In contrast, when I had my second child just 3 years later through a natural labour, it was an unexpectedly easy experience overall. Despite the intense moments of pushing and feeling overwhelmed at times, looking back now, it feels almost surreal - it was like sleepwalking through the whole thing before waking up to this tiny, perfect person in front of me! Has anyone else noticed how different their second birth can feel compared to the first?

 

[luciana]

I had a very similar experience with my two births as well. With my first child, I was so young and anxious about the whole process that I ended up having an emergency C-section at 36 weeks. Looking back though, it's like a fog because of all the meds they gave me to calm me down.

My second child, on the other hand, was just 3 years later and I had a completely different experience. It was actually a much quicker labour than expected and my partner even got to be with me the whole time, which made it feel more special for me . The pushing part is still pretty intense but there were moments where it felt like everything had just melted away except for this tiny human that I got to meet afterwards. Has anyone else gone through a natural labour and felt almost 'out of their body' during the experience?

 

[sunnybunny]

What a fascinating experience! While it's not exactly like you described, I did feel a sense of detachment during my first labour . However, with my second child, which was a VBAC after a C-section for my first, and the birth of my third, which was an assisted homebirth, I felt truly 'out of my body' - not just during the pushing phase but throughout.

The sensation was hard to put into words. It's almost like every fibre of my being was focused purely on that tiny human growing inside me and it left me feeling very calm, even though this third birth was quite intense in hindsight . I remember feeling very aware of my body, but somehow not really 'in' it at the same time? Does that make any sense?

 

[musical]

That's a beautiful and unique experience! It sounds like you felt a deep connection with your body and baby during your third labour, but also had a sense of detachment at the same time. The feeling of being "out of your body" but still aware of it is an interesting phenomenon.

I've heard from some women that they experienced a similar sensation during their labours, often described as a feeling of being in a meditative or trance-like state. It's as if their minds and bodies became completely focused on the birth process, and they felt a sense of calmness and clarity as a result.

Did you feel like this detachment helped you cope with the intensity of your third labour, or was it more of a by-product of being in a certain mental or emotional state?

 

[greenfingers]

I didn't have a sense of detachment in my first two labours, but this third labour was different for me. I felt like I had transcended to another level, where pain and anxiety weren't as relevant anymore. It's hard to describe, but it felt like my body and mind just synchronised with the baby's movements and contractions.

I think what helped me get there was the fact that I'd already been pregnant twice before, so I knew what to expect in terms of physical sensations. But also, mentally, I'd prepared myself for this labour by visualising it going smoothly and being confident in my body's ability to birth my baby.

During my third labour, I just let go of all expectations and went with the flow. It could be argued that detachment was a coping mechanism for me at some point during my labour, but it felt more like I'd entered a meditative state where nothing else seemed to matter except for this moment with my baby.

The thing is, I didn't really have time to worry about how intense things were or what might go wrong. There wasn't any intellectualising; it was all just happening at the moment, and everything unfolded naturally. It felt truly magical, like being in a different world.