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3rd Trimester
PurpleK26
member
If you want to go epi-free
PurpleK26
member
are you planning on going completely med free, or allowing some IV meds or local anesthetic if it gets too tough?
BEFORE anyone mentions it... yes, i know there are risks with IV drugs, I'm simply asking if anyone is considering it as a last ditch effort to avoid the epi?
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Re: If you want to go epi-free
Honestly, if I need meds that much I might go for the epi before going for the narcotics. Narcotics can cross the placenta and affect baby, and there is no telling how you will respond to them. Some women complain of feeling just awful on them; that's not something I'm willing to risk. I'd rather experience pain than nausea or disconnectedness.
So, my "plan" (i.e. goal) is to go med free entirely. I'm not sure a local anesthetic would do anything, except for helping alleviate the ring of fire, which honestly, I'd rather just get through than have somebody jab with needle/
I am a runner, knitter, scientist, DE-IVF veteran, and stage III colon cancer survivor.
This is my plan almost to a tee. I know I'd hate the drugged up feeling, so it's epi or nothing, in my book.
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I do not want any pain meds because I don't like the way they make me feel in general. Also, it seems that once you get one med you end up getting a bunch more (i.e. - phenegren to counteract the nausea caused by demerol, etc).
Plus, it scares me that they can cross the placenta and affect the baby. Although I do not plan to get an epidural, I would get that before I got stadol/demerol/morphine.
I agree with some of the others. I have heard that IV Meds don't do anything but make you feel loopy. It's best to try to find ways to get through the pain drug-free if you really don't want an epidural. I'm not sure about the local anesthetics. Something to look into.
When I had my daughter I refused anything but the epidural. At least I was aware of what was going on, and everything went very smoothly. It would be nice to go natural, but I was glad the epidural was there.
My nephew came out a little sleepy and in distress when he was born - my sister took IV meds to help out with the pain. I am not positive that there is any correlation - but for this reason alone I would rather just get the epi if I need help with the pain. Just my personal opinion.
But at my birthing class the nurse said that epi have been getting better and better with very little to no side effects. Where some people op for just a pain shot, and the pain shot actually more hazardous to baby
This. I am refusing the narcs. I have never done well on pain meds, though. They make me sick to my stomach. Advil, Aleve, or Tylenol are as strong as I have ever had to go. With ds i had no narcs, and opted for the epi cause things weren't moving as fast as i would have liked. If things go faster this time seen as though it's #2, I will opt to just go natural. ::hoping::
This is exactly how I feel about it.
Narcotics only last about a half hour, and they can't be given too close to the birth because they'll affect baby too much. I don't see how getting 30 min of slight relief from pain helps that much... I think it would just break my focus from whatever I'm doing as natural pain relief.
Plus it seems like most people I've heard about having narcotics felt pretty loopy, sometimes nauseated, and sometimes still in lots of pain... that's not what I want for my birth experience.
I will not have any narcotics. I tend to get sick from them. I am using other forms of relaxation to avoid an epi.
I had a little nubain to take the edge off with my first (induction with pitocin) and it was a God send. I went 100% natural (no pitocin) with #2, so I am hoping the same for #3. I feel like if I did it twice, I can do it again without an epi.
This exactly.
This. I had Stadol with DS. I HATED it. Luckily it was early enough in my labor that it appeared to not affect DS too much bythe time he was born. The epi kept my head clear.
I won't be going med-free, but that's my two cents. If I had to choose between one and the other I'd go with the epi (if you're looking to feel less drugged, etc). Just my two cents!
THIS TO A "T"
It's not just narcotics that can affect the baby too close to birth. That's why they won't give you an epidural after you reach 8 cm. Yes, narcotics can make your child drowsy, but epidurals can cause respiratory distress and lower heart rate. Neither option is really "best" for your baby.
If I have to get anything, I'll get a smaller does of a narcotic. I'm planning on a natural birth, though. I really don't want an epidural because I don't want to cause my baby more distress, don't want internal fetal monitoring, increased possibility of c-section, etc.
My preference is no drugs at all, unless I ended up with an emergency c-section or other serious complication. Otherwise I don't want anything--no epi, no narcotics, no pitocin, no IV if possible.
I like to keep in mind that the pain is temporary, any risks to my child's health could affect the rest of her life.
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