Please don't take this the wrong way but.....
I don't know how anyone can go through the labor and delivery process without meds. I keep reading about all these ladies that have had drug free births and I can't imagine doing that. I have two LO's at home and had an epi with both. I was in so much pain, the epi was so nice. It allowed me to relax and rest and then my body progressed so much faster after that. Before getting the epi I could barely breath. Kudos to all of you that have had a med free birth and for those planning to have one. I don't know where you get your will power from!
I think not getting to the hospital in time for my epi is my biggest delivery fear (for all three pregnancies).
Good luck ladies! I hope you all have the labor and delivery that you imagined for yourselves! As for me I will be getting the epi : )
Re: Please don't take this the wrong way but.....
To each their own.
This is my first pregnancy & I plan on going all natural, but that is easy for me to say when I've never felt the pains of childbirth.
I've just watched enough documentaries to know how harmful & difficult painkillers can make for you & baby. I feel like me going through that pain would be worth it in the end. I know women who still have pain in their backs where they had their epidurals & their kids are almost 15 years old. No thanks.
i think the important thing to remember is that everyone's experience of labour is different.
Some people have very long exhausting labours. Some people may have greater pain, and then some people may simply experience or cope with the pain differently.
Then add in many people choose a med free birth because they feel it is best for themselves and their baby, not simply to prove a point.
I've had two natural births. I had great experiences with both, although both were very different. I never hit a point where I thought, "I can't do this give me the drugs." so obviously my labour experience was different than your own.
Honestly my second was so fast that transition was 10 minutes, I pushed for 15minutes and she was out...so really no time to even think about pain drugs.
I'm pleased you had a great labour experience that felt good for you and that you look back on and feel good about. I wish the same thing for all women.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
Going med free does not make you come out stronger, as PP suggested. Just like i am not stronger for giving birth vaginally than a woman that had a c-section and didn't have to push for 5 hours. Its just a personal decision and everyone has the right to make it.
Personally for me, i had a 4th degree tear and DS came out with one arm up like superman. i do not tolerate pain well, so i know that i will need an epi just to calm down enough to give birth this next time. Getting to the hospital in time for my epi is probably one of my biggest fears. Buts thats me.
i think every woman deserves a medal for what we go through for 9 months and during birth, no matter how it was achieved.
Ditto. I don't plan on using any medication, but if I need to, it does not make me inferior. Do what you know is right for you and that's all that counts!
The reward/goal at the end of the process is the same for all of us, no matter how we give birth (drugs or no drugs, vaginal or c-section) - a healthy new baby to love.
There is WAY too much judging on both sides of the fence. It's kind of like the SAHM v. working mom debate.
When you plan to do it naturally you learn about your body's ways of dealing with the pain naturally. Your body will actually kick in it's natural pain killers for you. There's a whole process that your body needs to go through, actual chemicals that your body starts to release, that becomes disrupted once you start medications. Meaning that, what you might have felt before you got your epi, doesn't necessarily indicate that it would have continued to feel that way the whole time you were in labor. Lot's of women actually feel quite comfortable during labor, at least during parts of it. Most people simply don't realize what they are capable of doing, because of the fear. They assume it must be horrible and excruciating but that is not always the case. Not that it isn't painful. It is, but it's pain with a purpose, and your body can handle it. And because there are a lot benefits, less risks etc. to doing it naturally, most people who want to do it that way get their motivation from that. It's not about the pain, or just conquering through it to show how tough they are, it's about the overall experience. The end result. Doing it the way they feel like they were born to do. How all other mammals on earth do it. A lot of people don't view birth as something that needs to be medicated.
The reason people don't understand natural birth, is because they are solely thinking about the pain aspect of it. Why go through the pain when you don't have to? That simply just isn't what it's about, so that wouldn't be our reason for not doing it.
FTR-
I am only explaining this because you said you didn't understand how anyone could possibly do it without meds. I am in no way trying to sound judge mental of anyone who chooses to not do it naturally without drugs. I was just explaining the mind set behind someone who is planning to do it naturally. I don't think anything makes someone "better" than anyone else.
THIS. well said. everyone has their choice to make, but for me its drug free and this is a nice explanation. the one thing that I don't think is taught enough is that birth doesnt have to be intense pain for everyone (not that it isnt for some, especially with a complication) When we fear pain we tense up and experience more pain. just like when you clench your arm before you get a shot, it hurts more. I like what my mom taught me which was if your muscles are busy controlling your breathing they don't have time to tighten up out of fear, just to control the pushing. Oh and for the superman baby post. you gave me a hilarious image in my mind and yeah one arm up would hurt like crazzzzzy, thats not the way its supposed to go so I assume I would have begged for drugs :-)
I'm in the middle. I had an epi last time, but it didn't work. So I'm going to try to go med-free for #2. Plus, I don't want to risk a c-section or other interventions by getting an epi. My friend got an epi, and couldn't feel anything... she couldn't push the baby out and got a really bad 3rd degree tear from the forceps. Ouch! So not worth it.
Why do people "think" that a natural mama feels superior? Just because I want to go med-free, breastfeed, cloth diaper, and make my own babyfood does NOT mean that I look down on someone who doesn't make the same choices. Especially since the people who do those natural things are NOT in the norm, and usually get ridiculed by their family/friends.
I love this visual so much. LOL!
Everyone is different. I need the drugs.
We all get a baby, no matter how it's delivered. It's uncomfortable/painful no matter what.
Amen, sister! Epidural all the way for me! I mean, good for the ladies out there who go natural, but I don't see the benefit of putting myself (and the baby) under that kind of stress, just because I know the kind of person I am and how well I can tolerate pain. Major kudos to those who can get through it without any pain meds.
Everyone has a different experience and everyone wants a different experience.
I wanted to see what it was like. Personally, I never reached a point where I felt like I couldn't go on. 17 hours of labor certainly wasn't a breeze but no matter how hard it was, I always knew I could take more.
Please dont take THIS the wrong way, but I just dont understand how someone can allow themselves to be so dead set on getting stuck with a HUGE needle in their back, a catheter in their hoo-ha, and be confined to a bed for a majority of their laboring/birthing process.
I am going in with an open mind and not dead set on one way or the other...be it natural, c-section, or intrathecal..who knows what can happen. Everyone has different experiences and pain tolerances. I know for a fact that my mother and grandmother each had easier, quicker labors than normal (lucky lucky women!), so hopefully I will be the same way...but you just don't know untill you are in the moment.
Whatever happens, I hope everything turns out good and everyone is healthy in the end!
After going through labour (delivery ended in a c-section), I actually find it easier to understand how women can go natural.
I ended up asking for an epi at about 8 cm because the pain became constant -- found out it wasn't contractions that was bothering me, it was DS hitting my pelvis and not being able to descend (previous car accident screwed up the pelvic opening).
Normal contractions (even mine which were 45 sec long, 1 min apart -- so 15 sec break the ENTIRE time) can be totally manageable. I actually got into a really good zone where I felt more like I was running a marathon than dealing with pain. It was very motivating.
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living my baby you'll be.
- Robert Munsch
Meh, everybody's got a different pain threshold. I went with the flow with DS, wanting to go med free but realizing I might need an epi, and I managed just fine without one.
That said, I wouldn't have felt bad if I DID get an epi.
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Actually, there are many benefits for not having an epidural... It's worth looking into. If you have Netflix, I can really suggest The Business of Being Born.
I have a very low pain tolerance, so I'm dreading labor, but I am going to do my best to go natural.
i've done med free twice. eh once its over its over. If i have any more i thought about trying the epi but im just afraid of the spinal headaches. at least i dont have to worry about that when you go med-free!
ETA: i dont mean med-free is better by any means. its definitely a personal choice and no choice is a wrong one!
There are a lot of factors the go into being able to deliver med free. For instance my 1st was a med free delivery. Labor was 27hrs which meant (for me) when my contractions got stronger they allowed my body to adapt befor moving up to an even stronger level. The pitocin made it very difficult once it was administered but luckily I was already at 7cm and didn't have far to go.
With my 2nd they induced (broke water and administered pit right off the bat). I was open to an epi after experiencing one med free birth (it's a pain u never forget) and at 5cm I had one administered... good thing because labor was only 6hrs and each contraction was twice as strong as the last; leaving me no time to adapt. 15minutes after having the epi my son arrived!
Make a pregnancy ticker
This. I really have no idea what to expect from labor. I won't be disappointed in myself if I can't handle a natural birth, but I'm also not dead set on having an epidural or other medication.
This is exactly how I feel! I have had many friends and family members act like I am a pretentious jerk who judges them, when in fact they are the ones who asked me about it. I'm a FTM so I don't know how labor will be at all, but I know that I am a "push through and get it done" type of person. ie I would much rather work through the night to accomplish something instead of trying to rush around the next day and I would rather bare the pain than risk labor being prolonged.
Personally, I'm with the original poster. I got an epidural within about 45 minutes or arriving at the hospital.Contractions were not absolutely unbearable, but they still hurt like hell, and I was not in any way looking forward to them getting worse, so I didn't see any point in waiting. I ended up with a c section (many hours later, because DD's heart rate kept dropping) but I am not upset at all about how things turned out. The doctor thought that a c section was probably inevitable anyway due to my extremely tight pelvis.
I've seen so many women on here post that they won't get an epidural because they are afraid of needles, but it was truly, for me anyway, no big deal in the slightest. Didn't hurt any more than a normal shot and I couldn't feel it once it was in. Seems to me like a great trade-off over experiencing agonizing pain for hours upon hours. But again, I realize everyone's experience is different.
I do wonder what percent of women (who have the option) choose to get an epidural. At my birthing class, the nurse admitted that it was upwards of 90%, at least at that hospital.