Epidural or not?

Kjoylace36

I'm so excited. Just found out today my baby is 3 lbs and 11 oz. my first baby at 36 and first pregnancy. It's been a long rough road. I'm still praying that everything turns out fine. I'm interested in Lamaze classes for a natural birth. Has anyone opt againt epidural and went natural? And did Lamaze classes work at all? I'm now almost 31 weeks. I hope I can handle the pain of labor. I heard its like bad cramps x 100. Ughhhhh

Kjoylace36

Btw. I had a low lying anterior placenta. It's now moved up and not blocking the birth canal.

JilliansMoma

With my first DD my water broke and by the time I got to the hospital I was already 4cm. I had the epidural before I ever felt a contraction. She was my longest labor (16 hours) but I slept through most of it. With my second DD I was already at 4cm at my 39 week Dr appt. My Dr scrapped my membranes and I labored at home for an hour, went to the hospital and was at 8cm, the nurses couldn't get my iv going and all I wanted was my epidural. I am a wus! The mid wife was trying to get me to go drug free but I was so unprepared for a drug free birth and I thought I would have at least 45 minutes of pushing (like with my first) I got a spinal block. I only had to push twice and she was out. My quickest labor (3 hours) but by far the worst. I think drug free labor is great but for me I would recommend lots of reading, research and preparation. GL with your choice! It's such a personal decision and there is no wrong way to get the baby out safely. JM

lizshort96

Totally agree with PP. I personally liked my Lamaze class because it wasn't strictly Lamaze, it was more informational to prepare you for all the what-ifs and to let you know what your options are. Same as PP my water broke, baby hadn't dropped/engaged and I wasn't feeling any contractions. Because of those circumstances I was at risk for prolapsed cord and on the clock to deliver. They started pitocin so I would contract, however I wasn't allowed to move into the different positions i had leard in class to prevent the prolapsed cord. I would have tolerated the contractions but at that point who knew how long that would go on. I chose the epidural and very glad I did. It will now be the standard by which all others will now be judged. I went with pitocin for 6hrs, then pitocin+epidural for another 12hrs. Without being able to move, I don't think I would have had the mental or physical strength to deliver. Bottom line, educate yourself on all the possibilities and choices so you know what to choose when the time comes. Birth plans are nice in theory, but having a baby (aside from a scheduled c-sec) can be more like a choose-your-own-adventure book where you need to make decisions based on the developing circumstances. Knowledge is power and you'll still feel in control.

dragonfly711

I'm having a c section so I will have an epi or something like it

Even if I was going natural I still would have epi. I do not want the pain. Lol

ZooCrewMom

With my first I wanted a natural birth and I made it to 7cm without any medication. I wasn't able to get out of the bed and walk or go into the bath (which I had hoped to do) because of complications with my son. As 7cm I had an epi and within minutes they decided I needed a c-section stat. I think if I had been able to move around and get in the tub I could have made it, but just laying there was epically painful. I took a childbirth class the hospital offered that took pieces from a bunch of different methods and it was helpful. Best of luck!

springbeduk2

That's great that your placenta is no longer blocking! Hope it stays that way!

I keep meaning to post a proper birth story but have only been able to mobile-bump since LO's birth 3 weeks ago and that is too much to type with one finger while she nurses/dozes/nurses! But anyway I did not have an epi to have her and it was fine. I also did not have what seems like a typical labor though ... cervadil induction due to low amniotic fluid, after about 27 hours of that and just waiting (during second half of which the monitor showed contractions but I didn't feel them and cervix was still way back and closed) they gave me ambien to try to ensure a good nights rest since plan was pitocin in the morning . Then I went into labor like an hour later (oopsie! ) butter we didn't really realize it was labor for a while - mostly felt like I had to go to the bathroom plus back pain and when nurse checked me I was still only 1 cm. Dilated. Plus I was reallying sleepy and out of it due to the ambien. Then I dilated the rest of the way in next 4 or 5 hours pushed for 2 and she was born. The midwife was awesome so no tearing etc.
"
I did not want an epi or spinal (which they do instead at this hospital) for many reasons including irrational fear of spinal headache after (though probability is very low) plus how to hold still while they put it in? And more.
My husband put pressure on my back during contractions which helped a lot. And I could move around though did not have time or mental clarify to use tub or shower. Labored on the toilet a lot - so glamorous!

Did not take any classes. Did read books - a white one with a very generic title printed in blue - think simkin was one author - look on Amazon it was great.) And ina may's guide - semi-helpful. Trusting in the midwife and in nature helped too.


Also - to be fair - I have a wide pelvis and never had bad menstrual cramps and both probably made me have less pain in labor than some have.

Read/research pros and cons either way, ask your ob or mw lots of questions, and good luck!

moroccojade

I had an intervention-free labour, but had to have a cesarean at the final hour as my daughter was so wrapped up in her cord. 

I hope to have a completely intervention-free birth this time.

My midwives didn't have many good things to say about Lamaze, unfortunately.  They said the best outcomes were from classes like _Birthing From Within_.  (Which I took and loved.  Unfortunately the umbilical cord screwed up the grand finale!)

nikkiuk

It would be awesome if there were an easy answer to your question. Bottom line is, you just never know what will happen so while you prepare as much as you can, it can all go off in an unexpected direction. So flexibility with your plans is the key. Everyone who has ever had a baby can give you their experience but that doesn't mean squat to you yet as you're a FTM.  I would think about your pain tolerance level. Mine is very high for example, but there were aspects of the birth of my second child that were, frankly, unbearable but it was too late for an epidural anyway so I had to suck it up. Was labor like cramps? Not for me, but there are plenty who say yeah, similar. Conversely there are plenty who say no, it's not like cramps at all. When you're in full blown labor, you may have an entirely different mindset because that is when you know what labor is like. Like a PP said, birth plans are nice in theory but don't be surprised if the reality is very different. Not bad different, just different.

I planned to not plan anything with this LO and just go with the flow. As it happens, on 19th May he decided he wanted out at 31 weeks and I had an emergency CS. Had I made a plan, I would never have figured that little doozy in there! 

Good luck, it will be fine. Be flexible, be as realistic as possible (hard for a FTM) and don't ever beat yourself up if it veers off in another direction.

Klavanga74

I have had both experiences and I will choose for an epidural with this one.  I chose to have a completely natural birth with my first baby.  I took lamaze classes, which I would say don't necessarily prepare you for the pain, but give you a few tools.  There are other tools, like Bradley, that are better for pain management.  I could handle the contractions, although they were painful, and I actually had a short labor - 5 hours from the time I was really aware of being in labor.  1 1/2 hours of pushing, which was what was really hard and more painful.  She ended up being 9 lbs and I had a 4th degree tear (through muscle) which had to be stitched afterwards with no pain medication.  Add to the fact that it all took place in the middle of the night and it got us off to a rough start.  I don't think I really considered the stitching post-baby when choosing what to do.  I don't tell you this to scare you, but just to give you all sides.  I know lots of people who have had great natural birth experiences.

By contrast, I started labor with my son in the  morning and he was born that same afternoon.  I asked for an epidural right away, despite the fact that the nurses tried to talk me out of it because I was laboring fairly peacefully.  He ended up being 10 lbs and so I was glad that I made the decision that I did.  I was able to relax and rest and the epidural allowed me to still move my legs, they were just numb.  I think I could have walked if I wanted to, but I didn't feel the need.  I could definitely move around.  And I needed stitches again so I was grateful that I didn't feel that at all.

Bottom line, you need to do the research and make the best decision for you and also, as PP mentioned, not be wedded to it ahead of time.  So many circumstances can make either decision more difficult, so try not to set yourself up for disappoint.  Either way, you'll have a healthy baby in the end who won't care which way he/she was born and eventually won't want to hear about it (I have a 12-year-old who most certainly has NO interest in hearing about her birth!).

ScubaMomma

Well I watched an awful lot of "One born every minute" as well as "A baby story".  I knew that no matter what type of birth plan I presented, things could go entirely in a different direction.  Fortunately I had an incredible pregnancy and was a bit fearful of the labour/birthing part,  I was prepared for the worst.  Once the contractions started to peak, I was pleased to receive an epidural.  At this point, I could no longer feel any contractions at all.  They literally had to tell me when to push since I couldn't feel anything.
They had administered the pitocin at 8:20 am, everything happened very quickly and intensely...only three pushes and my son was out by 11:10 am. An intern was there delivering him and yes, plenty of tearing...thankfully I didn't feel any of that.
My legs remained numb for a good 30 mins after that.

I will definitely do it again with this one.
My older sister has 12 kids and has never had an epidural, she's my hero! 

brendisimma

Epidural all the way!

Kjoylace36

Thanks everyone. I'm going to do some more research. And go with the flow of things. I'm just nervous as hell. Time is winding down.

mandyreads

My epidural went to one side of my body with my first, so it still hurt. Worked like a charm with my 2nd. (Would have 30kids if I could have that kind of labor) and my last pregnancy the dr didn't make it in in time to give me one. Horrible pain. This time I want to be heavily medicated the sec I walk in there so I don't have to go thru that again.

drpayne

ScubaMomma said:

Well I watched an awful lot of "One born every minute" as well as "A baby story".  I knew that no matter what type of birth plan I presented, things could go entirely in a different direction.  Fortunately I had an incredible pregnancy and was a bit fearful of the labour/birthing part,  I was prepared for the worst.  Once the contractions started to peak, I was pleased to receive an epidural.  At this point, I could no longer feel any contractions at all.  They literally had to tell me when to push since I couldn't feel anything.
They had administered the pitocin at 8:20 am, everything happened very quickly and intensely...only three pushes and my son was out by 11:10 am. An intern was there delivering him and yes, plenty of tearing...thankfully I didn't feel any of that.
My legs remained numb for a good 30 mins after that.

I will definitely do it again with this one.
My older sister has 12 kids and has never had an epidural, she's my hero! 

Well, I don't think those are exactly "neutral" shows.  They're dramatic because that's what goes on TV.  Of course you have to be prepared for anything but I don't think people should base their decisions on TLC shows.

My first was intended to be a natural birth but I ended up at the hospital with an epi (to rest from dehydration and exhaustion after 5 hours of pushing.)  My second was a natural water birth... about as perfect as I could have imagined it.  Having experienced both, I plan to do natural again this time.  There's no right or wrong answer!

jovencita1224

I went into spontaneous labor with my first and was having terrible contractions that lasted 50 seconds with only 30-45 seconds between. I thought for sure I would be at at least 5cm when the checked me. Nope. 1 CM. The doctor debated about letting me have the epidural that soon, but my daughters heart rate was dropping during contractions so they did. And after that, I went from 1-6 in an hour and 6-10 in another hour. Less than 10 minutes of pushing too.

DD2 was induced after my water broke. I got the epidiral when they came to me even though I wasn't in pain. TBH, I just wanted to stop the feeling of constant peeing on myself that sitting there with my water broken gave me. Total time from water breaking to baby in my arms was maybe 6.5 hours? Two pushes and she was there.

I love epidurals.

fromvatobk

It is a completely personal choice and there is no wrong answer, whatever you choose.  I had a natural childbirth with my first and hope to do it again this time around.  I will not say that it was comfortable, but I liked being able to move around and I was up and walking around an hour after giving birth to an 8 lb, 9 oz boy, which was what I was hoping for (easier recovery).  I will say this--if you really want to try going natural, you should do research on it and prepare yourself as much as possible (I hired a doula to help with pain management and my midwife let me labor at home as long as possible).  I think if I had not prepared as well as I did and was not fully committed to trying to go natural, I would have ended up with an epidural at some point either because i went to the hospital earlier or because someone would have kept offering it to me.   And remember that even if you are committed to birthing in one particular way, you need to be flexible because births really are spontaneous events and things can change mid-process.  Best of luck to you in your decision.

NicoleWI

Had epidurals and LOVED them. Totally an individual choice and you have no idea how labor will feel for you or how an epidural will work for you. No way to predict.

Annie1976

Take the epidural ...

Trust me!  I had to go completely natural with my first child and it was absolutely excruciating!!  Thankfully I had a very short labour.  I went straight into the last stage and dilated completely within 1 hour of my water breaking (total process only took 1 hour 45 min).  My son was coming so fast that there was no time for any type of pain killer ... and this after I had a C-section booked!  I was completely unprepared to say the least!

"bad cramps x 100" does not even begin to describe labour pains...

My advice: TAKE THE EPIDURAL!  It doesn't make you any less of a woman ;o)  I'm now preggies with out 2nd (a little girl) and I'm definitely taking the epidural this time around ...

Good luck!

MrsDL

I "planned" a medication-free birth with my son. My husband and I took Hypnobabies to help with pain management. I had contractions at home for two days before it was time to go to the hospital. I thought I had a high tolerance for pain and I thought we'd deliver in the car based on the timing and the pain. I was a lousy 1/2 to 1 cm when we got to the hospital and they told me it could take two more days. At that point I said "F my med-free birth plan" and gladly accepted something "to take the edge off" and refused Pitocin until I had my epidural. I progressed quickly after that and had a great epidural, limited pain but I could move my legs and pushed just fine.  Everyone is different.

My advice is to keep an open mind. Plan for med-free by taking a class, but be open to an epidural if you need/want it when the time comes.  There is no shame in the epidural and dealing with unbearable pain doesn't give you a mommy of the year award (I have friends who think like this). There can be side-effects to medications - yes - but extreme pain isn't good either (for mom or baby). It causes very real physiological responses (fever, tachycardia, etc.).  I wasn't upset at all I took the epidural - I joke and say my son's birthday is national epidural day as far as I'm concerned. I was joking and told my anesthesiologist (who had no sense of humor) that I wanted to French kiss him after I had it - it was wonderful for me.