Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #180 on: December 11, 2008, 04:55:24 PM » by lovetoreadmom

Now I know why they call it Gentle BIRTH! Labor was still pretty intense and was truly only about four-six hours from the time it really began. The birth, though, was amazing. From the time of feeling/being ready to push to the baby being out was ONLY TEN MINUTES. That's GREAT for me!

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #181 on: December 11, 2008, 08:03:41 PM » by JuliaofSunnyside

Congratulations! Thanks for posting the results of your using Gentle Birth!

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #182 on: December 11, 2008, 09:41:29 PM » by Kitty

Quote from: lovetoreadmom on December 11, 2008, 04:55:24 PM

Whoo hoo! Wonderful news, LTRM! I am so happy for you and baby!

Go LKS and Erin! Grin

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #183 on: December 17, 2008, 03:17:17 PM » by MrsBaumgart

I ordered my Gentle Birth yesterday! Suddenly it makes the birth seem so much more real and much closer. I have never taken either of the cohashes before, so I hope I do fine with the blue cohash in the formula. I wouldn't mind some extra BH contractions- I hardly have any, when I had a ton with my other babies.

Is anyone else currently taking GB, or about to start soon (like me)? Grin

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #184 on: December 17, 2008, 08:23:34 PM » by JuliaofSunnyside

I've been taking it for 3 weeks now! I'd be curious to know if anyone has noticed a difference while taking it. All I'd say is that I think I have fewer Braxton-Hicks (normally have a ton of them for weeks and weeks), but the ones I have are very powerful. I feel like they are going to crack a rib sometimes.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #185 on: December 17, 2008, 08:30:37 PM » by cjanderin

Haven't noticed any difference. Well ... not QUITE true ... but the only difference I've noticed has nothing to do with labour or birth!! I have noticed a different "smell" to my ummmm ... smells .... Embarrassed

... if you get my drift! Embarrassed

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #186 on: December 17, 2008, 09:49:36 PM » by MrsBaumgart

Quote from: cjanderin on December 17, 2008, 08:30:37 PM

... if you get my drift! Embarrassed

That's interesting. I wonder if the herbs make a radical change in certain body fluids?? I smell completely different everywhere while pregnant.

JuliaofSunnyside~ I would LOVE some BH! I don't know why I have had so few with this baby compared to all my others, unless it is the 3 year break between this babe and the last. Bh always make me feel like I'm being productive! Wink

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #187 on: December 17, 2008, 11:09:38 PM » by lovetoreadmom

Quote from: cjanderin on December 17, 2008, 08:30:37 PM

... if you get my drift! Embarrassed

I remember some dfferemt smells, but I never thought to attribute it to GB. Interesting !

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #188 on: December 26, 2008, 06:03:44 PM » by JuliaofSunnyside

Well, I never thought this day would come, but I finally get to post the results of using the Gentle Birth! Our son was born 5 days ago, and he was 10 days early, woohoo!

However, it's hard to say how much it really helped, since for my first three births I was in the hospital with no idea how to manage the pain and ended up with epidurals. So it's hard to say whether it helped with the pain. The pain was more painful than I personally would have preferred but I was able to stay in control despite it. My labor was 5 hours, which was the same as my last, and I only had to push through 2 contractions, which is about the same as my last two, although this baby was a pound bigger than the previous two.

I think if it helped with anything it was that I was early. My other kids were like this:
#1 child, a boy, was 2 days early,
#2, a girl, was 10 days late, induced
#3 a girl, was 8 days late,
so for this one to be early was significant. This was a big reason I tried the Gentle Birth, though (I was huge and uncomfortable and due Dec. 31st and hoping for a tax break!). I read that blue cohosh would help with making contractions more productive. I usually have tons of contractions but they don't seem to get me anywhere. So, as I posted earlier, I had fewer contractions, which i would attribute to the other herbs making my uterus happier, but some that I did have were super powerful. I think there were other factors in my being early, but the Gentle Birth was a help, too.

In reading the reviews of Gentle Birth on the MMH site I saw that a lot of the women who normally went extremely late said they were able to have the baby on their due date, but no one mentioned being early. Like I said, though, I think there were other factors like that he was getting pretty big, I got the stomach flu, I stayed pretty active.

« Last Edit: December 26, 2008, 06:13:14 PM by JuliaofSunnyside »
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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #189 on: December 26, 2008, 06:09:55 PM » by JuliaofSunnyside

Perceived benefits experienced by 100 Gentle Birth Formula Users include:
70% said they had less pain during labor and delivery
For me: Don't know

72% experienced advanced dilation before discomfort was felt
For me: Midwife didn't check me at all

83% said they had shorter and easier labor
For me: Labor was the same

87% experienced very little to moderate blood loss
For me: Moderate blood loss

85% reported a shorter recovery time
For me: I had pretty painful afterpains the first day, but they eased up completely after that. My body was pretty sore for 1-2 days after that. I'm still taking it hoping to help my uterus in shrinking back to normal and aiding in breastmilk production.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #190 on: December 27, 2008, 02:24:34 PM » by MrsBaumgart

That's awesome, and congratulations! Grin

I hope GB does the same for me. I had my 5th baby 10 days early (used EPO and castor oil), and it was fabulous. I would love to do that again.

I will start taking mine in 9 days. I'm ready for the end now- the baby is pushing her head down really hard, and she does so many big movements that hurt. I hope the next 6 weeks fly by. Undecided

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #191 on: January 03, 2009, 08:42:09 PM » by Meagan Visser

Well for anyone planning on taking 5W - I did NOT have good luck with it. My midwife suggested it and had used if with some of her other preggo mamas, but this was my first baby and I ended up being 2 weeks late and had a 42 hour labor! So it didn't make it come sooner, easier, or shorter. I'm definitley trying Gentle Birth for the next one!

Meagan

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #192 on: January 04, 2009, 05:59:07 PM » by MrsBaumgart

(((Hugs Meagan)))) Unfortunately for first time moms, it's extremely common to go over due and have long labors since it is the 1st time for your body to go through birth. My 2nd baby but 1st labor (first baby was a scheduled c-section), was 5 days overdue, and labor was a frustratingly slow 34 hours.

My labors have gotten shorter with each birth though, and I have never carried even to my due date since my one experience of being overdue. Your future birth experiences may be even better!

I'm hoping GB will help me have the best birth yet- I start taking it tomorrow- WOOHOO!

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #193 on: January 04, 2009, 07:06:21 PM » by CarlyB

Well I thought I had posted over here but I guess I forgot. I took 5W and really loved it. I also have to mention that my midwife did strip my cervix.

-Started out 3cm (I think the EPO helped with this also)

-Baby was born on my due date( very odd for me, I usually go 1-2wks with an induction).

-I know I had less pain but I think that also was due to The Bradley Method.

-Labor was much much shorter...less than 6hrs compaired to 20-40hrs

-Blood loss was also minimal. My MW and DH even commented on the lack of blood and how clean the baby was.

-Recovery was great...no pain meds at all not even a tylenol.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #194 on: January 08, 2009, 02:29:40 PM » by MrsBaumgart

Ok, I had to post about dosage. I was doing the two droppers half full as per the recommendation on Mountain Meadow Herbs website (it says one squeeze on the dropper X2 equals 1/4 tsp) , and it seemed the level of liquid in my bottle was going down way too fast. So, I got a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon out, and one half full dropper (or 1 squeeze on the dropper) is a full 1/4 of a teaspoon.

So, by their instructions, I was actually getting 1/2 tsp at a time, which is a double dose. Angry

Their dropper has no markings on it to indicate amounts, so I recommend using a 1/4 tsp measure, and not their dropper to measure your doses. Otherwise, you could be getting a different dose each time! I just hope I don't run out now before I have this baby. Shocked

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #195 on: January 08, 2009, 04:31:59 PM » by Kitty

Bumping for my pal... Wink

[re: EPO and GB...]
http://www.mountainmeadowherbs.com/evening-primrose-p-411.html?osCsid=7df3fd1cd9f484e1b23fa5ec4bbbcfb1

Quote

Cautions: It is not suggested to use Evening Primrose Oil internally while pregnant if you have had more than one baby as it may cause a loose cervix and overdose may result in bad tears.

First time moms are suggested to not start using it until after 37 weeks gestation.

People with high blood pressure are discouraged from using Evening Primrose Oil internally as it may cause excessive bleeding.

Do not use Evening Primrose Oil if you are currently taking anticonvulsants, anticoagulants, anti-platelet drugs, phenothiazines or thrombolytics as it may lower seizure threshold and/or decrease effectiveness of these drugs.

We do not suggest oral use while taking our Gentle Birth Formula, especially for moms who have experienced heavy bleeding with previous births.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #196 on: January 08, 2009, 05:08:06 PM » by miamama

Just received my GB in the mail today. I'm really excited to start taking it next week. My three children have been on time, 1 week past due date, and then 3 weeks past due date. Hopefully this will help to get things in gear a little more quickly this time.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #197 on: January 08, 2009, 10:08:03 PM » by JuliaofSunnyside

Quote from: MrsBaumgart on January 08, 2009, 02:29:40 PM

I think Yooper mentioned earlier that hers ran out right before her due date. I was getting the dropper as full as I could with one squeeze, twice, and taking that as the dose 3x a day. Of course the baby came early, but I kept taking it till it was gone, and did run out a couple days earlier than my due date. I guess in my frugalness I figured I'd rather get more up front so it would benefit me more if the baby came early, and have to take a smaller dose if necessary if I was running out toward the end.

« Last Edit: January 08, 2009, 10:11:13 PM by JuliaofSunnyside »
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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #198 on: January 09, 2009, 08:21:52 AM » by MrsBaumgart

Quote from: Yooper on January 08, 2009, 04:31:59 PM

Bumping for my pal... Wink

[re: EPO and GB...]
http://www.mountainmeadowherbs.com/evening-primrose-p-411.html?osCsid=7df3fd1cd9f484e1b23fa5ec4bbbcfb1

Quote

Yooper, do they cite studies in regards to EPO, GB, and heavy bleeding, or is it just their own anecdotal surveys? I have used EPO orally and vaginally AND had lots of red raspberry for more than half my births, and NEVER experienced anything other than normal to mild bleeding. I don't take massive amounts of EPO, only enough to gently ripen the cervix in the last few weeks (otherwise my cast iron cervix does nothing until well into labor). I also wonder at their recommendation to limit RRL intake- again, I would like to see studies done with these specific herbs, not just random customer surveys. Huh

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #199 on: January 09, 2009, 09:17:06 AM » by prairiechild

My midwife says you can't drink too much RRL tea. I'm drinking the tea and taking PN6.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #200 on: January 09, 2009, 10:10:47 AM » by ndmomof6

Quote from: MrsBaumgart on January 09, 2009, 08:21:52 AM

Quote from: Yooper on January 08, 2009, 04:31:59 PM

Bumping for my pal... Wink

[re: EPO and GB...]
http://www.mountainmeadowherbs.com/evening-primrose-p-411.html?osCsid=7df3fd1cd9f484e1b23fa5ec4bbbcfb1

Quote

MrsBaumgart,

Are you taking EPO and RRL along with your GB this time?

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #201 on: January 09, 2009, 12:04:32 PM » by LKS

If you are working w/ a midwife or Dr I would do what they suggest. But since we are flying solo I feel it's better to err on the side of caution. I did a lot of reading & many things are contraindicated. I decided to just stick w/ the GB to be on the safe side. I did drink the RRL tea everyday until I started the GB.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #202 on: January 09, 2009, 12:48:43 PM » by JuliaofSunnyside

I did the same thing. Didn't have time to research it more and didn't want to deal with postpartum hemmoraging!

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #203 on: January 10, 2009, 10:59:26 PM » by MrsBaumgart

Quote

MrsBaumgart,

Are you taking EPO and RRL along with your GB this time?

I was drinking RRL tea until I started GB, then I stopped, but I may have a big glass of it when my labor starts. As to the EPO, I fully intend to take one capsule a day orally, and insert a couple at bedtime in the last couple of weeks. That's much less than I have taken in the past, so I feel it's a good compromise with the GB.

I'm actually a little disappointed at my lack of response to GB, or so it seems. I've barely had a couple of mild BH contractions this week- especially since I started taking the correct dose. However, I was always the person in the hospital that had the anesthesiologist come back several times to give more medication, as I just seem to have a high tolerance to....everything. It's a bummer!

The midwife is coming to see me tomorrow, and I spent the day cleaning my house top to bottom. All I can say is OUCH! I sure hope I can walk tomorrow for church. Grin

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #204 on: January 11, 2009, 08:03:28 PM » by MrsBaumgart

Well, I've been losing weight AND I had sugar and protein in my urine. *sigh* I knew I wasn't eating enough, but I'm not hungry, everything tastes strange, and when I force something down it nauseates me. Time to go grocery shopping for only appetizing things. Undecided

My midwife also recommended that I start taking EPO, in addition to all the supplements and GB...and I didn't even ask her! Most of her clients use GB, so she has a lot of familiarity with it. That makes me feel good about it.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #205 on: January 15, 2009, 09:15:25 PM » by Meagan Visser

Quote from: MrsBaumgart on January 04, 2009, 05:59:07 PM

Good luck to you. I hope this labor for you goes great! I'm already speaking blessing onto myself for my next one as far as it being quick. I had TERRIBLE (at least to me it was) back labor so I'm hoping the next time isn't so bad.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #206 on: January 17, 2009, 05:00:20 PM » by LKS

I thought I would post my results w/ GB.
I am just not sure Wink

.
My labor was fairly short--7hrs, but that is normal for me.
I took 3 pushes to get him out but that is also normal for me.
Labor was intense & painful so I don't know if the GB helped there or not.
We never checked my dilation so I don't know if it helped or not.
I did have very minimal blood loss & there was none on the baby. My post partum bleeding has been quite manageable as well.
So I am afraid I'm not much of a testimonial Wink

I'm not sure if it helped or not but it certainly didn't hurt!
Grin

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #207 on: January 18, 2009, 03:53:57 PM » by cjanderin

I should probably post my experience after taking 5W and EPO (internally and inserted).
Labour was short - but that is usual for me.
Pushing was slightly harder but only because of the way I was birthing - in reality it was probably 4-5mins instead of 2-3minutes ... sure felt longer though!!
Blood loss at birth was a little less than usual but blood loss over the next 24 hours was a lot and I nearly had to have a transfusion. I also passed some enormous clots in the following 24 hours after birth.
Afterpains were unbearably terrible as usual.
BUT ... the afterpains were gone by day four ... usually they weaken but are still there for at least a week. And I stopped bleeding at around ten days... usually I bleed for around 2 weeks or more.

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #208 on: January 26, 2009, 03:57:24 PM » by MrsBaumgart

Well, I'm 38 weeks and finally starting to have a few contractions here and there. My GB looks like it will probably only last til the end of the week. Oh well, I think it is supposed to continue working for a couple weeks after you stop taking it?

I hope it helps whenever I eventually go into labor! Roll Eyes

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Re: Labor prep herbs: 5W vs. PN6 vs. Gentle Birth, etc.
« Reply #209 on: January 29, 2009, 11:09:33 AM » by kentuckymommy

A friend of mine makes a labor prep rub that she has had terrific success with. Check it out at harmonyacressoap.com

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