Epidural or all natural??

fireflyrebirth

I want to go in as educated as I can in regards to drug-free, induction, epidural, c-section, possibilities I don't even know about yet...

I am thinking I want to go without drugs if I can, but I've read enough birth stories (including on this very thread) to realize sometimes if you have a long, hard labor an epidural is a magical gift that can let you rest before it's time to push.  So I am definitely not ruling it out.

I just signed up for a prepared childbirth class which includes instruction in Lamaze and other natural birthing techniques.  I am going to try to get my hands on Ina May's book and some others recommended by fellow bumpies.  I think you all are the best resource!

Emerald27

Bradley Method, Hypnobabies, and Hypnobirthing are three methods of or plans for managing pain without medication during labor. I might look into those and see if one looks like it might fit my personality, and enroll in a class.

DH is somewhat anti-class, so we prepared for a Bradley birth with DS and I loved it! DS' birth was not what I had hoped, and quite a few curveballs were thrown my way, BUT we will absolutely prep for a Bradley birth again.

MrsL2B

I'm thinking I'd like to prepare for a drug-free birth, but keep my options as open as possible. I'm definitely not against the idea of having pain medication if I have to have pitocin or if I need the relief/rest. I do kind of find the idea of having a needle in my spine to be a turn off, so this is definitely on my list of things to discuss with the OBs in the coming months.

kindacrunchy

I have had two med free births and an planning for another. Like others I encourage you all to prepare to go med free even if you plan to get an epi at some point. I've heard lots of stories about epis not working and IMO it would really suck to not be prepared and then not have the epi work.

You want to be as educated as possible because you will get curve balls at some point. The more educated you are the better able you will be to handle them and the more relaxed and in control you will be, which to me is a huge factor in having a med free birth. I know a lot a women who say "I HAD to get an epi because I had to get pitocin/I had a long labor/my baby was op..." I don't judge getting an epi for any reason at all, to each her own, but again if you are prepared for these types of curve balls you will be better able to handle them and they won't necessarily make you feel like you have no choice. I had pitocin with my first labor, both of my labors were 24+hours from when my water broke, my second baby was facing my hip. I was thrown curve balls but I never felt like I was not in control, even at one point when I was hyperventilating, and that helped me to relax and to avoid getting an epi.

I went into my labors with the opinion that I would try no meds but I knew the epi was there if I wanted it. Honestly I never felt the need for it, never asked for it. I think it's important to take it one contraction at a time and to remember that when it feels like you can't do it anymore you are probably almost there. The pain with a purpose saying helped me.

Any books by Ina May Gaskin are good. The natural birth board here has some great ladies with lots of knowledge. Improvingbirth.org has a lot of information on evidence based care, very important to know what is evidence based care so you aren't frightened into something unnecessary and can make informed decisions. The Business of Being Born is a great documentary to start with, though it is a little biased but still has tons of great info. I took a general birthing class that my hospital offered and that was enough for me as far as relaxation tips but I do a lot of yoga and can easily relax myself. Other options are Bradley, Lamaze, Hypnobabies/Hypnobirthing, and there is a new one called Birth Boot Camp or something like that which is supposed to be good.

enitsirkz

I think it's best to go in with an open mind and take the drugs if you need them unless you have very strong reasons for not wanting them  

FTR I've had one epidural birth and one natural. I (unknowingly) got the epidural late for my epidural birth and only had it for the pushing phase. 

atraveller

Emerald27 said:

Bradley Method, Hypnobabies, and Hypnobirthing are three methods of or plans for managing pain without medication during labor. I might look into those and see if one looks like it might fit my personality, and enroll in a class. DH is somewhat anti-class, so we prepared for a Bradley birth with DS and I loved it! DS' birth was not what I had hoped, and quite a few curveballs were thrown my way, BUT we will absolutely prep for a Bradley birth again.

@Emerald27 - Question for you - you said above that DH is somewhat anti-class but you prepared for the Bradley method - how did you do it without classes - or did you convince DH to do the classes. I was looking at Bradley Method and it says 12 weeks of classes which means I'd have to get signed up like by middle of this month and just not sure I have time for 12 weeks of classes - also, the cost is not cheap and we're really stretching the budget these days. Did you find a way to prepare for the method without taking an official class? And to others who did natural - we have signed up for a birthing class ( 4 weeks through our hospital) but what else can we do where we don't have to necessarily take tons of classes - and pay lots of money to do it - I'm happy to read books and add on a little bit of class time, but with my work schedule and DH's lack of desire to do classes - I need to find a balance. Also DH, thinks given my toleration for pain I will probably need drugs - never been very good at meditation and yoga, etc....have trouble calming my brain and centering... used to take the last 5 minutes of yoga where we're supposed to be breathing and relaxing to prepare my morning schedule - why I don't really do yoga anymore. Would love some advice here -as I'd like to at least try to go without drugs, knowing they are there if I need them, but worried about having time/money to take lots of extra preparation classes.

kindacrunchy

atraveller said:

Emerald27 said:

Bradley Method, Hypnobabies, and Hypnobirthing are three methods of or plans for managing pain without medication during labor. I might look into those and see if one looks like it might fit my personality, and enroll in a class.

DH is somewhat anti-class, so we prepared for a Bradley birth with DS and I loved it! DS' birth was not what I had hoped, and quite a few curveballs were thrown my way, BUT we will absolutely prep for a Bradley birth again.

@Emerald27 - Question for you - you said above that DH is somewhat anti-class but you prepared for the Bradley method - how did you do it without classes - or did you convince DH to do the classes. I was looking at Bradley Method and it says 12 weeks of classes which means I'd have to get signed up like by middle of this month and just not sure I have time for 12 weeks of classes - also, the cost is not cheap and we're really stretching the budget these days. Did you find a way to prepare for the method without taking an official class?

And to others who did natural - we have signed up for a birthing class ( 4 weeks through our hospital) but what else can we do where we don't have to necessarily take tons of classes - and pay lots of money to do it - I'm happy to read books and add on a little bit of class time, but with my work schedule and DH's lack of desire to do classes - I need to find a balance. Also DH, thinks given my toleration for pain I will probably need drugs - never been very good at meditation and yoga, etc....have trouble calming my brain and centering... used to take the last 5 minutes of yoga where we're supposed to be breathing and relaxing to prepare my morning schedule - why I don't really do yoga anymore. Would love some advice here -as I'd like to at least try to go without drugs, knowing they are there if I need them, but worried about having time/money to take lots of extra preparation classes.


The first thing I would suggest is to get DH on board with your plan and supporting it. Him saying you will probably need drugs is not good support. And it is essential that the people around you support you. You don't want him seeing you in pain and encouraging you to get the drugs because he doesn't want to see you in pain. You will be in pain and he needs to prepare to see that and to know that you might scream, you might cry, you might throw up even and it's all normal. Whether you get drugs should be completely your call and I would tell DH specifically to not mention drugs unless you ask for them. I just did classes through my hospital like you plan to do and that was enough for me. Getting a doula might be good for you especially if you don't have a lot of free time to prepare. You can often get a doula in training for free!

IrishHoney123

I vote all natural. For me, epidurals and any of the other pain meds offered during labor aren't worth the risk and I usually get every side effect anyway. It helped me to keep in mind that the pain has purpose, and women have had babies for centuries. We are so fortunate now to have the technology and medical care to prevent and avoid a lot of maternal/baby complications, but I think we have many new challenges and risks associated with commonplace inductions, epidurals, etc. You have to do your research! 

amandacaffrey

100% Epidural for me.. and it's my first but I have no shame here... I watched a hand full of natural birth videos and epidural videos which sealed the deal. I'd be more worried about my DH than me if I tried to go unmedicated. He didn't even have to see the video- just hearing it was enough.

Eastie156

This is a personal question. I was 100% sure I was going med-free, until I got to just over 9 cm dilated and couldn't take the 3-4 minute contractions with no rest in between. I had an epidural and it was helpful. Could I have done it med-free? Honestly, I don't know. I was induced and believe it was part of the reason my contractions were so strong and the reason I didn't recover between them.

With DD, I'm staying open minded. I'd like to try med-free again, we'll see how it goes.

atraveller

kindacrunchy said:

Emerald27 said:

Bradley Method, Hypnobabies, and Hypnobirthing are three methods of or plans for managing pain without medication during labor. I might look into those and see if one looks like it might fit my personality, and enroll in a class. DH is somewhat anti-class, so we prepared for a Bradley birth with DS and I loved it! DS' birth was not what I had hoped, and quite a few curveballs were thrown my way, BUT we will absolutely prep for a Bradley birth again.

@Emerald27 - Question for you - you said above that DH is somewhat anti-class but you prepared for the Bradley method - how did you do it without classes - or did you convince DH to do the classes. I was looking at Bradley Method and it says 12 weeks of classes which means I'd have to get signed up like by middle of this month and just not sure I have time for 12 weeks of classes - also, the cost is not cheap and we're really stretching the budget these days. Did you find a way to prepare for the method without taking an official class? And to others who did natural - we have signed up for a birthing class ( 4 weeks through our hospital) but what else can we do where we don't have to necessarily take tons of classes - and pay lots of money to do it - I'm happy to read books and add on a little bit of class time, but with my work schedule and DH's lack of desire to do classes - I need to find a balance. Also DH, thinks given my toleration for pain I will probably need drugs - never been very good at meditation and yoga, etc....have trouble calming my brain and centering... used to take the last 5 minutes of yoga where we're supposed to be breathing and relaxing to prepare my morning schedule - why I don't really do yoga anymore. Would love some advice here -as I'd like to at least try to go without drugs, knowing they are there if I need them, but worried about having time/money to take lots of extra preparation classes.

The first thing I would suggest is to get DH on board with your plan and supporting it. Him saying you will probably need drugs is not good support. And it is essential that the people around you support you. You don't want him seeing you in pain and encouraging you to get the drugs because he doesn't want to see you in pain. You will be in pain and he needs to prepare to see that and to know that you might scream, you might cry, you might throw up even and it's all normal. Whether you get drugs should be completely your call and I would tell DH specifically to not mention drugs unless you ask for them. I just did classes through my hospital like you plan to do and that was enough for me. Getting a doula might be good for you especially if you don't have a lot of free time to prepare. You can often get a doula in training for free!

@kindacrunchy - you are right about DH. And he is on board with what I decide - he's actually super supportive - he just knows how I am about pain - and he's right - I'm a total wimp - not good at taking even a little pain. I think a lot may depend on if I need to be induced. When I had my miscarriage - because it was missed - they had me take a drug (don't remember the name) to basically help make me finish the miscarriage and I ended up in the emergency room as the pain got so bad I almost passed out. I ran a fever, threw up and screamed in a way that scared me and my DH.  I know from talking to people that labor won't necessarily be like that, but it could be. I was actually saying epidural all the way until reading some of the posts on here - so I'm thinking I'll do more research on natural methods and pain management and then maybe plan to try without the epidural but let my Dr. know I may want it if the pain gets unmanageable. Thanks for the advice on a Doula. I will look into possibilities and cost. I just wish the method classes weren't so expensive.