I am due to give birth to my first baby in September, and this is exactly the kind of thing I've been dreading.  In fact, the amount and type of interventions that could be made against my wishes worry me far more than the possibility of being in pain.  The 'pain' is part of a normal bodily function - giving birth.  I am aware of my need to focus completely on the birth process and 'go into myself', and I do not want to have to 'do battle' by having to resist numerous unnatural interventions.  Just the thought of having to to defend myself while in labour is stressful, and stress is one of the main factors in making labour painful... which could lead to the need for intervention!  It's a vicious circle, and as someone previously said, we are not 'ill' when we are in labour.  Obviously there are women who are happy to hand themselves over to 'the experts' and are so afraid of being in pain in childbirth that they 'want every drug going!', which I can understand, but these interventions may actually make the labour process - something their body has been designed to do -  longer and more painful, with after-effects to cope with too.  Obviously, things can go wrong, which is why I will be at the hospital on the big day, but until they do, I'd just like to be able to get on with giving birth naturally, and asked for my consent to any interventions which are deemed necessary, after thay have been explained to me.  I urge all expectant mums to look into the pros and cons of pain relief and interventions before they go into labour - a little research may make any decisions easier on the day. 

See the link below for an interesting article on the 'Casade Of intervention in Childbirth.'

http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10182&ClickedLink=539&area=3 

Pain IS part of a normal bodily function yes but would we say the same of a man who has been thrown of a motorcycle and is lying at the side of the road with his femur protruding? Inferring that a woman should undergo pain in order to be more "at one" with the birthing process is frighteningly mysogynistic in it's approach. I have a friend who was forced to undergo labour without drugs because her religious FREAK of a husband did not want her to access drugs, telling her she should "feel the entire process and all it's beauty". What bullsh*t. If a woman carries a child for nine months and undergoes labour to give that child life then if she needs a little help on the way then why not. it is HER choice. To me, anyone who tries to tell a woman that she should or should not have pain relief throughout labour has either never given birth or gave birth in her sleep. Pain thresholds are relative and if a woman feels better with pain management that is her choice.

Of course it is her choice, which is surely the point of this article?  What I object to is interventions being made against the woman's wishes. If a woman feels she needs an intervention or pain relief to help her give birth I am all for it; I just think that sometimes women don't realise that certain interventions may not be helpful to them in the long run - obviously this needs to be decided individually, in an informed way.

There is a big difference between a person in pain after a motorcycle accident, with a broken femur, and a woman in labour.  Women have been giving birth for thousands of years and our bodies have been designed/have evolved accordingly.  Birth does not necessarily have to be painful - there are plenty of birth stories and videos on the internet to back this up.  Often it is painful (often, ironically, due to the anticipation and fear of pain), and if a woman decides she needs help it should be available.  However some of us feel that interventions interfere with a natural process and they should not be routinely made without consideration for an individual's feelings.

To me, it is misogynistic to force procedures on a woman in labour, and assume she has no say in the matter.  

Of course it is just as wrong to force drugs on a woman against her consent, but I was not aware that this happened? Certainly it does not seem to be as rife as women being made to feel like they are bad people because they need some help along the way. I am aware that legally a woman is entitled to pain relief if she wishes but it is not the legalities that cause the problem, it is midwives, partners and other women who will judge and make their feelings heard even though it is none of their business. Yes women have been giving birth for thousands of years but in the absense of certain procedures many of these women DIED during childbirth. We could argue the "natural" theory until the cows come home but that does not make it right for women to be judged for needing help. It is NATURAL for the baby to pass through the birth canal, but that doesnt mean that an emergency c-section should not be carried out. It is NATURAL for people to fall ill, does that mean we should deprive them of cure? Or make them feel bad for wanting it?

Pain is not necessary in childbirth! We are conditioned to expect pain as part of labour-even the word labour has negative connotations. My 1st labour was slow and painful and I took whatever pain relief was going- including epidural. During my 2nd pregnancy, I attended a number of sessions with a hypnotherapist, specifically trained to assist women prepare for childbirth and my 2nd baby's birth was so different.  While I certainly experienced discomfort, it was nothing like before. I was in hospital less than 15 minutes before my baby was born and neither I nor my baby had the effects of drugs to deal with - she scored an excellent Apgar score, and latched on the breast to feed almost straight away. I felt more in control during the whole experience. The hypnotherapist I attended was based in Letterkenny and the sessions were individual, with the birth partner involved as well. If you do decide to try it, put your inhibitions to one side (it does sound very American-ish!) and really make the effort - you have to practice at home on your own to get maximum benefit. It's not like stage show hypnotists, it's about utilising your own body's mechanisms and not fighting against what is a wonderful experience.  Good Luck and I hope all goes well!

How common is 'membrane swipe' prior to full term? Do we know its actually been done if an internal examination is been done?