Unmedicated birth is a fairy tale??!!

[kari_1002]

I am planning an unmedicated birth in a few months and I keep getting told there's no way and how crazy it is. One person even said it is just a fairy tale that isn't real life, that when it comes to giving birth you just scream, it's crazy and too painful to handle without an epideral.
This is my first baby and need encouragement!!
Tell me your natural birth stories please!! What helped you through labor?
UPDATE~~
Thanks ladies!! It helps so much to hear these stories! I am determined to do this or at least do what I can. Ultimate goal of course is to have a healthy baby and momma so if any intervention is completely necessary I am not going to be devastated, but as long as I keep progressing well I am confident I can do this med free!!

[tairakittie]

I just had an unmedicated, unassisted homebirth... I did make some noise, but I definitely did not scream. You can totally have an unmedicated birth, believe in yourself and dont listen to that nonsense. My unmedicated birth was way more rewarding than my two previous medicated, induced births. My first was the worse thanks to pitocin and I was in extreme pain in my spine for months after from the epidural during my second's birth.

[somuchlove4U]

Think about this. How many of those people have actually given birth without medications? They are only saying that because that's all they know. When I get to my computer I'll post some home birth videos. Also you should watch Business of being born. It's on Netflix.

[Lax5]

I had 4 non medicated births, it can be done!

[AudlyLuvly]

I screamed with an epidural, and screamed without.. I prefer birthing without medication, it's faster, and i feel i have more control.

[kari_1002]

That's what always gets me! People complain about the issues they have had with their medicated births, super long labors, back pain for a long time after epideral, etc. but act like I'm crazy for wanting to avoid the cause of the issues!!

Quoting somuchlove4U: Think about this. How many of those people have actually given birth without medications? They are only saying that because that's all they know. When I get to my computer I'll post some home birth videos. Also you should watch Business of being born. It's on Netflix.

[kari_1002]

What do you feel helped you the most? Were they hospital births?

Quoting Lax5: I had 4 non medicated births, it can be done!

[JadeTigr7]

I've never had an epidural.  I've given birth 5 times.  First two were medicated hospital births, with nubain.  The third was an induced labor, no pain meds.  My last two were homebirths, so obviously no pain meds.

I've never felt the need to have an epidural, nor have I "screamed."  Yes, I made noise, it hurts, but no, it was not overwhelming.  Breathing, and moaning helped me the most.  I'm not one for moving, but I know several other people who said that helped them.  I just don't want to be on my back. 

[somuchlove4U]

These are two of my favorite birthing videos to watch. With my last home birth there was pain and I did scream. With that said though, I'm getting ready to do it again in September. I believe what happened last time is I was trying to "run" from the pain instead of embracing it. If you aren't to far along look into taking a Bradley Method class. We are doing that this time around and it is helping me to prepare for the upcoming birth. I honestly believe in relaxing as much as you can when the time comes. That's what the Bradley method teaches. 

This is the link to the movie I told you about. http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70075502?trkid=13462100

[jupiter5]

My first I had an epidural at 8 cm. but my second came so fast I didn't have meds. Just make sure you have a partner helping with breathing and positioning, and don't stress because it hurts way more when you stress. Once I had the nurse calming me the contractions went 100X better!

[hapababies]

I gave birth to my first son in a birthing center without an epidural. I did scream because I allowed myself to get overwhelmed and lose focus. An epidural was not an option, so luckily my dh got me back to focusing.
I have birth to my second son in a hospital, without an epidural. I had nurses keep saying "tell us when you want your epi" and "are you ready for your epi now?" It made me mad because this time I wasn't losing focus and screaming. Luckily, dh was a good support system for what kind of birth I wanted.
If you want an unmedicated birth, try taking a birthing class that teaches methods for natural pain management such as breathing, massage, and pressure points.
Good luck, it's not a fairy tale :)