How to succeed in giving birth without an epidural?

Do you want to succeed in giving birth without perishing? Try to free yourself from your representations of childbirth: what we see in the movies rarely looks like reality! Without an epidural, the body sets the pace: it KNOWS how to give birth. Trusting your body and feeling safe is the number 1 condition for this childbirth plan.

Giving birth without perishing: bet on preparation

During your pregnancy, optimize your chances! It goes through a balanced diet and a suitable sporting activity. “If you have a good initial health capital, it facilitates the conditions of natural birth”, explains Aurélie Surmely, perinatal coach. Eight birth preparation sessions are offered, 100% reimbursed by Social Security: haptonomy, relaxation therapy, prenatal singing, Bonapace, hypnosis, watsu… Contact liberal midwives to ask them what preparation they offer **. Mental preparation is also important. It is then interesting to boost your confidence and transform your fears into strength: positive visualizations for example will help you to carry out this intense physical effort.

Express your fears before D-Day

The ideal is to benefit from comprehensive support: a single midwife (liberal) follows you throughout your pregnancy until childbirth. Some have access to one of the hospital wards, this is called a “technical platform delivery”, others will come to their homes. You can also meet women who have given birth without an epidural, read testimonials, watch movies and videos on the Internet ***. This information will allow you to make informed and conscious choices.

Choose your maternity ward according to your project

As a couple, write a birth plan. To write it, read several. You can ask for more information and advice from your midwife. The project will be given to the hospital midwife, so that she can insert it in your file. It will be interesting to learn well upstream to find out whether certain practices are already in place in the structure or not (eg: rate of epidurals, rate of cesarean sections, etc.) If your wish is to give birth naturally, check with birth centers or level 1 maternities.

The key to successfully giving birth without the epidural: we leave as late as possible

Do you feel the first contractions coming? Delay your departure to the maternity ward as much as possible. Ask your liberal midwife to come to your home (this service is reimbursed by Social Security). Because when you get to the maternity ward, you will (maybe) feel less comfortable than at home, and that can slow down labor. However, stress acts on the hormones of childbirth and can increase the pain.

At the maternity ward, we recreate our cocoon

Once in the maternity ward, let the future daddy discuss with the medical team (for example, fill out the entrance questionnaire). You have to stay in your bubble, to let go completely. Once in your room, set up a night light, LED candles, and ask for a hot ball or bath. Also remember to take a long t-shirt and a pillowcase with your scent: this will give you a feeling of security.

Dare to say, dare to do, dare to be!

Once in the maternity ward, to be able to cope without having the epidural, you must completely relax. This means that you have to dare to wander, dance, place yourself in positions that relieve you: squatting, hanging … You have to dare to make very powerful bass sounds (very different from screams of pain). This is the most difficult part to manage. The future dad will help you, if he too has confidence and if he has been prepared. it has its place to accompany you. He will have been able to learn about different tools: massage, psychic support, haptonomy technique, relay with the team …

Childbirth: we put ourselves in the desired position

The High Authority for Health has just published recommendations on so-called “physiological” childbirth. If nothing is against it, vou give birth in the position you want: squatting, on all fours… It’s up to the team to adapt! The sensations that you will have at the level of your perineum will allow you to protect it, because you will have the capacity to influence, to a certain extent, the pressure which will be exerted there thanks to your position and your breath.

** On the website of the National Association of Liberal Midwives (ANSFL).

*** Hundreds of free videos on YouTube Aurélie Surmely, for future parents.