[7arrows4God]

Originally Posted by klevmomma My first birth was hospital, epi, episiotomy, etc. Numbers 2 and 3 were natural, but not water births. I delivered both of them in the shower. Numbers 4 and 5 were both water births. My recover with #1 was unpleasant. I felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck the day after he was born. My recovery with the others was light years better. For some of them, I felt better after they were born than I did my last week of pregnancy. It is a shocking difference, really. Like PP said, I primarily attribute it to pushing only when my body wants to, rather than when a monitor, nurse, or whatever tells you to. Yes, you still feel pain with a water birth. But, hydrotherapy is amazing. With #2, when I got in the shower, I was shocked at the reduction in my pain. I kept asking my midwife if I was still in labor because I felt about a million times better. To me, it was better relief than the epi with #1 - I could still move and control my body, so didn't have the drawbacks of the epi, but the pain relief was just as good for me. Here's the other benefit. If you plan for a natural delivery, water birth or otherwise, you can always change your mind, right? It's not all or nothing. Go for it and try it, and if you are unhappy, you aren't going to be any worse off for having tried :-)

Amy, pm you on your pool birth vs shower births. All my home births have been pool which I love but because of living situation right now considering just the shower and if just asich relief.

Sorry do not want to completely high jack thread. Very curious.