I delivered both my son and daughter with an epidural and I’ve just always thought it was the right decision.
I’m not big on pain and I thought it’s what’s best for me and my body. Throughout this pregnancy so far, I just assumed I’d be doing the same with delivering the twins.
However, I came across an article the other day about it and the pros of it seemed really good to me. …I’ve never really done research on the subject before now.
I’m still hesitant because of pain…but it’s something I am definitely looking into now. Especially if it’s better for me and the boys.
I am aware that I may need a c-section but I plan on not doing it unless I have to. I’d really rather not.
I guess I’m looking for more information, other than just ‘facts in an article’
I will be talking to my doctor about this and seeing if he thinks it’s the best decision for me or not.
But for those who have gone through this, or even those who haven’t, any advice? I’m really stuck on this. I want to make the right decision.
I had both of mine naturally, and it was definitely the right decision for me. I mean, sure it hurt, but I wasn’t really focusing on the pain at the time; I was more concerned with focusing on getting them out lol. Also, I found the stress of the hospital experience to be worse than the pain. #2, born at home, was a great experience.
I have heard that the epidural makes it harder to know what you’re doing since you can’t feel anything. I think that would be horrible. I very much want to be in tune with my body during birth. I also don’t understand why doctors push pain medication during labor&delivery when women are instructed to be very careful about what they put into their bodies during the entire pregnancy. I have heard so many women talk about how out of it their babies were after birth plus trouble with breastfeeding etc. from the drugs in their system. And I’m not judging anyone! [name_m]Just[/name_m] wondering about anecdotal evidence.
I was the opposite of you- I was dead set on a natural birth because I’m petrified of needles and catheters! Our bodies are designed to go through childbirth and pain is really not the worst thing in the world- especially pain that you know will end once the baby’s out!
I expected childbirth to be far more painful than it was. I’m not opposed to drugs so I did have a couple local morphine injections which helped with the pain but made me very nauseous and resulted in some issues later (baby was too sleepy & didn’t nurse & then dropped temperature) since it was applied too close to delivery. I didn’t have an epidural or anything but my labour was fairly quick and my baby was only 6 lbs.
This time I’m going with a midwife led hospital delivery & hoping that if I do end up taking any medications they will be absolutely necessary and properly administered.
I delivered a breech baby naturally with no epidural or pain medications. I was most surprised that it was not as painful as I thought it would be. It wasn’t even the most painful thing I’ve felt in my life. To me, the pain of childbirth felt more like the pain of working out really hard, rather than the pain of being hurt. But, I may not have had a particularly painful labor. I’m sure the pain can vary from labor to labor.
In my opinion, mental preparation is a big part of it. If you’re expecting a lot of pain and don’t know any techniques to help deal with it, it will probably hurt a lot more than if you train yourself with coping techniques, both mental and physical. Support people are really important too.
I think delivering without the epidural was the best decision for me. Especially in the case of a breech baby when I needed to push him out FAST, it would have been really difficult to push properly if I was numbed from the epidural. [name_m]Even[/name_m] without the epidural, it took me a few contractions to figure out how to push effectively. (In the end I pushed him out in 20 minutes).
I would ask your doctor to find out what’s best for you. I don’t know anything about birthing twins. I don’t even know how they deliver them naturally. It sounds more complicated than breech to me, but again I don’t know.
I had both my kids without epidurals. It was painful and really painful right before it was time to start pushing but I was too scared of the needle the first time and delayed requesting an epidural. And once I requested it they realized it was time for me to push. I am very happy that I didn’t have one during pushing because I only pushed for a short time with both kids and know many people who got an epidural and then had trouble with pushing leading to them pushing for an hour or more. I also liked that once the birth was over there wasn’t anything in my system and both babies nursed very well from the start.
I planned on a natural birth with my first. I was totally dedicated and 110% confident, had a midwife at a birth center, took classes, did all the “right” things - and it was horrific. I could never have imagined that level of agony and exhaustion, especially since everyone told me how empowering and beautiful natural birth is. Plus, all those interventions I was set on avoiding could have really helped my labor. I’m definitely getting the epidural right away next time!
I’ll chime in. I will never take pain medication in child birth. It is simply not a risk I am prepared to take. I have litigated a number of medical malpractice suits on epidurals and have done extensive research into the ramifications and am just not comfortable incurring any risk that can be avoided, especially if the pain relief is only for my own comfort. (I’m fine with risks that have corresponding medical benefits) For my last pregnancy I was very well prepared, I took an intensive [name_u]Bradley[/name_u] Method course, followed a strict diet and exercise regime and ultimately did not take any pain relief medication. I did this despite the fact that I was induced, had a hyper-sensitive reaction to Pitocin and had one single contraction that lasted 11 hours because they could not get my uterus to release. The pain was very manageable because I was informed and prepared for it. I agree that it is not like an injury. I have pregnancy induced gall bladder disease with this pregnancy and the pain is easily 10X worse than my last (even artificially strong) labour. I also like the sports metaphor that it is like running a marathon, if you woke up one day and said out of nowhere, “I’m going to run a marathon”, you wouldn’t likely be successful but if you are prepared it is very manageable.
But I went in with an open mind, knowing that if it became too much I’d ask for drugs and not beat myself up about it. I wasn’t going to turn myself into a martyr if I really couldn’t cope but luckily I managed to pull through without needing anything. If the pain had become unmanageable I wouldn’t have opposed intervention.
I had an epidural with my daughter, not so much because of the pain - it wasn’t that horrible - but because I had a very long labor and hasn’t slept in over 48 hours as contractions were keeping me awake.
I’m VERY glad I made that choice. After a very very long early labor and active labor that moved very slowly, I got the epidural and progressed quickly (and slept!). When my water finally broke, their was meconium. I think if I had tried to stick to a natural birth, the extra few hours may have been extremely dangerous for my baby.
I don’t want to scare anyone out of a natural birth, if everything goes smoothly I think that’s the best option. But I also want to say that it’s important to know when modern medicine can be beneficial…even though I had no noticeable issues during labor, trying to hold out for a very long labor would have been the wrong choice.
I had zero side effects from the epidural, I didn’t feel it go in (although staying still through contractions was awful) and I only pushed for I think 17 minutes.
Well I got an epidural and it didn’t have any effect.
I have to say, I never understood why someone would choose to forego pain relief until I had my accidental natural birth. I was walking around a couple hours later and felt great. Yes it was a lot of pain, but I had a fast labor and I think it did help me to feel what was happening as I pushed. I wish I had planned for it so I could have prepared more as far as breathing techniques and different options for a natural delivery, but I just kind of went with it and I think next time I won’t bother seeing if the epi works since I know I can do it without.
I have had 4 babies with no medication and 2 of them required pitocin. I am terrified of a needle in my back and have some allergies to medicines, so just afraid to risk it. My last labor was my worst by far (I’m older and not at my best physical shape). My youngest child is only 19 months old and I’m maybe 8 weeks away from doing this again and this time I’m terrified of the natural child birth too!!!
@kkrvf - I’d love to hear more about the cases you’ve handled - everything I read says how harmless an epidural is; however, my [name_m]SIL[/name_m] had one for a different procedure and complains about pain near the injection site over 3 years later…
My daughter was 100% natural in the hospital. Did most of my laboring through the night, and when we woke up the next day (not that I even slept but hubby did!) it progressed VERY quickly. Went from 7-8 minutes between contractions to only 2 minutes in about a half hour. We were in the hospital for only 30 minutes before she was born. It hurt, but adrenaline does its thing and it was very manageable. [name_m]Will[/name_m] be doing natural the 2nd time around because with my family history of short labors and my own first experience, the next one should be manageable too.
I tried as hard as I possibly could to have my son naturally, but I just couldn’t do it. He was a huge baby (they said that that may have made the contractions feel more extreme) and the stress of the pain was becoming dangerous for him. [name_m]Add[/name_m] to that the fact that he hadn’t dropped AT ALL and I had to labor down for a few hours. I’m happy with my choice because if I hadn’t had an epidural, I would have ended up with a c-section. There is always the IV option if you want to keep trying but really need something for the pain.
@mjc7709 - I saw a number of cases where women had really long term consequences. For example, long term chronic pain at injection site, partial paralysis and one where the women vomited and choked and that had brain damage repercussions. Those instances are really rare but they clearly happen and actually knowing those women is what cemented for me that I would do everything humanly possible to prepare for a natural birth and would refuse an epidural. The more I read, the more it became clear that it for me, personally (and everyone’s risk threshhold is different) I couldn’t justify the risk when the only medical benefit is comfort and convenience. I knew if I was properly prepared and supported (i.e. midwife vice doctor) I could manage the process. I am exteremly strong willed and stubborn. However, I do think given the protocols in many hospitals (especially American where litigation drives a lot of the policies) and the general preparation our society makes for childbirth, lots of people will find themselves in a position like pistachio where it makes sense to get the epidural. This was the case with my best friend, who delivered in an American hospital with a conventional doctor. It was right for her in the situation, I just can’t do it.
Also, I found that even in the past 5 years or less, rates of complications due to epidural have decreased quite a bit. It’s worth looking into your specific hospital’s rates, as well.
I’m skeptical of most medical procedures and drugs, but after looking into it felt 100% comfortable getting an epidural - and I think those are much less risky than IV pain meds
I’m a huge advocate for natural birth - but also for moms to feel comfortable and empowered with whatever choice they make. The best argument I’ve ever heard was you should be prepared for any type of birth. Many women go in assuming they’re going to have an epidural and never feel an ounce of pain. Then they go into labor quickly or unexpectedly and maybe can’t get an epidural because of the speed of their birth. Other women (like me!) plan the perfect natural birth and things don’t go as expected and interventions have to be performed. There is no harm in doing all the research you can for both sides then deciding in the moment.
Most women I’ve talked to who’ve birthed naturally tell me the pain is not what you expect. No, it’s not pleasant, but the way it’s presented on TV and movies is unrealistic. I had pitocin which kicks your contractions up about, oh, 100%!!! I fought through the pain and got to 10 cm, but pushed for 2 hrs and baby didn’t move at all. I ended up having an epidural so dh and I could get some sleep (we’d been at it for 48 hrs.) And delivered with vacuum assistance. Not what I planned, but it is what it is. I “plan” on this one going a little more smoothly.
My husband and I are ttc our first, but if/when it happens we plan to have a natural home birth. I am already trying to prepare for the possibility that things won’t go as planned, but I feel that there is something really beautiful and natural about having a drug-free birth in your own home, where you can be comfortable and secure in your surroundings and have the people you want by your side with as little assistance as necessary. For some women I know that sounds super nutso, and not comfortable at all, but to me it is the perfect fit. This is without having ever delivered a baby though, so we’ll see what happens when we get there!
mweath - If you have a family doctor, you should talk to him/her about what you are planning. My doctor trained in [name_m]Dublin[/name_m] in the first ever in-room birthing hospital. Back then, they used to insist that women have their first baby in the hospital & if everything went smoothly they would be encouraged to have their subsequent babies at home since there was limited space at the hospital. He used to assist with the in-hospital births as well as the home births. He strongly recommended I have this baby at the hospital, even though my first labour went well. His reasoning: In childbirth, everything is life & death. If everything goes smoothly, great. But if something (anything) goes wrong, it’s a not a little thing, it’s a big thing, and your life & the life of your baby are threatened in a very real way - and seconds count. If something goes wrong in childbirth at the hospital, there are all kinds of machines & specialists that can be there in a minute, whereas if you are at home & something goes wrong, the extra time it takes to get to the hospital can be the difference between life & death. In his view, it seems like a silly thing to do to make that gamble just for the sake of comfort.
I know there are lots of scary documentaries out there about childbirth at hospitals, and there’s the whole holistic /alternative medicine point of view which I don’t disagree with, but which I think is being kind of romanticized lately by a lot of people.
But its just something to think about.
This time, I’ll be delivering with a midwife (and possibly a doula), hopefully with little or no drug assistance, at my local hospital. As horrible as hospital visits are, and as nice and warm and romantic as the idea of delivering safe & naturally in my own home is, once I weighed the risks & benefits I couldn’t justify my reasons for wanting a home birth.
I think you should talk to your doctor and see what he/she thinks. I personally would never have a natural birth (I’m still minimum 10 years away from a baby) but I think that medicine would be the best for me. I can tolerate pain but i would want to have an epidural and whatnot, just in case the pain was too much for me. I’d want to not feel all of that. If you feel like you should have a natural birth, all the power to you! It’s your personal choice I have a cousin who has had three natural births and is planning on a fourth with her baby on the way, and I have a cousin who had her first baby naturally, hated it, and she had an epidural for her other two deliveries.
I have a cousin who has had three natural births and is planning on a fourth with her baby on the way, and I have a cousin who had her first baby naturally, hated it, and she had an epidural for her other two deliveries.