I knew my pain tolerance is rather low, and before even being pregnant I knew i would get an epi for birth (especially if i was induced)...At the start of my last pregnancy i held strong to my epi plans even though others tried to convince me out of it. It wasn't until we took basic birthing classes that i heard the benefits of not having an epi (basically the ability to move around while laboring and how that could help move things along). I think started researching and preparing to have a non-medicated birth.
I made a plan with my husband that I would try to go "natural" until i couldn't bare it any more, and even then to wait 30 min after i "asked" for an epi before actually going forward to getting one. I thought this way i would have 30 minutes to assess the situation and try to continue without.
By the time i got to the hospital (and admitted/accepted that i was in labor), i realized that if this was just the beginning that i would probably want an epi. So i started asking from the moment i arrived. FYI it takes some time, they had to do blood work (twice for some odd reason...i *may* have been slightly rude to the second lady who took my blood)...Fast forward, my baby came too fast that i couldn't get the epi even if i wanted to (and oh did i want it)
The lessons i learned from this:
You have no idea what is going to happen in birth so try to be prepared for anything. Take some birthing classes or read about unmediated pain relief because even if you plan to get an epi, you may not get what you plan for.
birth is painful--totally get the epi if you can (and that is something you want).
the most important thing is that you and your baby are happy and healthy
don't compare your baby's birth to anyone elses--and probably not even to your previous births (i'll find out)
I'm planning on a med-free birth, but I'm a FTM and have zero idea how labor will be for me. I'm currently at a clinic that doesn't offer epidurals at all. So even if I wanted one during the process there wouldn't be an option. They do, however, have Nitrous Oxide. I chose the clinic specifically for its lack of drugs and for its low-intervention approach, also for its waterbirth option which I'm still considering but haven't decided on. I don't like having people all over me, I hate being hooked up to machines, and I despise hospitals (long live modern medicine, seriously, it can be awesome, but hospitals freak me the hell out).
There are a number of other personal reasons I have for choosing to try a med-free, low intervention birth experience and none of them include it being a "better" experience than birthing with an epidural. It's CHILDBIRTH. Bringing a child into this world is a freaking awesome experience no matter what. The end result is this gorgeous human being in your arms. Who cares how it happened as long as mother and baby are healthy?
Re: Anyone else not planning a natural birth?
I made a plan with my husband that I would try to go "natural" until i couldn't bare it any more, and even then to wait 30 min after i "asked" for an epi before actually going forward to getting one. I thought this way i would have 30 minutes to assess the situation and try to continue without.
By the time i got to the hospital (and admitted/accepted that i was in labor), i realized that if this was just the beginning that i would probably want an epi. So i started asking from the moment i arrived. FYI it takes some time, they had to do blood work (twice for some odd reason...i *may* have been slightly rude to the second lady who took my blood)...Fast forward, my baby came too fast that i couldn't get the epi even if i wanted to (and oh did i want it)
The lessons i learned from this:
There are a number of other personal reasons I have for choosing to try a med-free, low intervention birth experience and none of them include it being a "better" experience than birthing with an epidural. It's CHILDBIRTH. Bringing a child into this world is a freaking awesome experience no matter what. The end result is this gorgeous human being in your arms. Who cares how it happened as long as mother and baby are healthy?