- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
South Florida Babies
delivery with no epi?
Anyone have a delivery with no epidural? I haven't talked to my OB yet about the delivery. I think he mentioned we'd discuss at the next appt. But, I'd like to avoid the epidural as much a possible. I'm actually more scared of it than labor pains and I'm not even scared of needles.
Since I haven't been around long enough to hear all the birth stories, I was wondering if you could share some of your experiences with or without the epidural and how that affected your decisions for the next baby's birth.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: delivery with no epi?
I had an epidural and loved it! They can actually adjust how much you get (and give you more) so you can have some feeling but not anything intense or painful. "If" we have another I would get an epidural but I'm not one of those people that think a natural birth is a "badge" per say.
You can always plan to go without and if you want to (and it's not to late) still get the epi and see how it goes. Also, I heard that if I got an epi the baby would be drugged up and for us she wasn't, she was very alert. I'm a wuss with needles and labor wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be nor was getting the epi.
With Quinn, I really wanted to go med-free. We took lamaze classes and I had my birth plan ready. I was induced at 41 weeks and still fully intended to have him without any drugs. The nurse told me to keep an open mind because Pitocin can make the contractions much worse. After my first 2 contractions under Pitocin, I went for the epi. I don't have a high tolerance for pain and was very thankful that I had the option. For a lot of women, epidurals can slow labor down, but for me, it was the opposite. It helpd me relax and I went from 2cm to 10cm in 45 min. Because of my positive experience, I plan to have an epi with this baby boy.
Definitely talk to your dr about it because there are always positives and negatives to both choices:-)
LOL Jen, I have a badge.
I had no pain medications (epidural or narcotics) during labor and birth. I thought it was a fantastic experience. If we are blessed with a second baby, then I hope to also go med free baring any complications.
There are benefits and risks to having an epidural. For some it's no problem at all and for others it can bring on a cascade of other interventions. You never know how you or your baby will react. Some people are more sensitive than others.
People don't take drugs to run a marathon or climb a mountain. Both of those are "painful" experiences. I look at childbirth the same way. The pain in labor tells you to do something like get out of the hospital bed and move. Being up right and allowing gravity to aid your uterus moving forward is much more comfortable than lying on your back so that your uterus has to work against gravity.
Having a professional doula can greatly benefit a hospital birth. Studies have shown moms that get continous labor support are less likely to receive an epidural, narcotics, c-section, or extraction tools.
From talking to labor & delivery nurses, it seems that a lot of moms that go into labor just thinking they would prefer not to have an epidural usually end up with one. If you are serious about having an unmedicated birth, then you have to prepare for it by taking natural birth classes and reading on your own. So if you truly prefer not to have one, then have a plan.
I wouldn't recommend the hospital type Lamaze classes if avoiding an epi is your intention. They can't fully teach Lamaze like many of the instructors want to because they are bound to facilitating the hospital routines and mainly focus on how to deal with labor in the time before you get the epidural.
There are many birth classes available in the area: Hypnobirthing, HypnoBabies, Birthing From Within, and Bradley. If you want a Bradley rec for Miami, let me know. There is a new instructor down there.
Good luck!
I was induced with my 1st and the contractions augmented tremendously, obviously intensifying the pain. I was not for or against the epi prior to going into labor and chose to finally get it. The contractions were so bad that I did not feel the actual procedure. Just know your options and of course the side effects of having an epi (even though it is pretty safe in the majority).
I am going into this upcoming delivery with the same mentality. I have no need to be for or against the epi; it's not going to make the delivery any more or less special. All I have to say is that I enjoyed my 1st delivery greatly as I was not in extreme pain. But I did experience a couple of unpleasant things (which in the end it was fine because pain control was much more important to me)....not being able to move my right lower extremity for hours and having a foley in place.
I simply recommend to read about your choices, talk to your Ob about your desires and remember that it is ok to change your mind!
BFP #3: 01/28/12, EDD: 09/23/12, MMC (BO), D&C 2/16/12 at 6.5 wks
BFP #4: 05/23/12, EDD: 01/31/12, Early MC at 5 wks
RPL Workup: + LPD (7DPO Prog = 7.8, Endometrial Bx = out of phase)
Elevated Alpha 2-glycoprotein IgA and antiphosphatidylserine IgM -->
Hematologist said not to worry and no need for treatment!
Dx: LPD
Cycle #1(08/2012): Clomid 50 mg CD3-7, Ovidrel CD13 + Progesterone = It worked!
BFP #5 on 09/10/12 (11 DPO). HCG #1 @ 14DPO = 131.6 HCG #2 @ 16DPO = 509
EDD: 05/23/2013
Konstantino
Maximo
FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST https://pinterest.com/raffaella1030/
I never ran a marathon, could barely run a mile....but I would much rather give birth than do that! LOL
Konstantino
Maximo
FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST https://pinterest.com/raffaella1030/
Just wanted to say that I have had a couple friends who have used a doula and delivered at a hospital with their OB. The hospital just explained to them that the doula is there for support and not to make medical decisions. I did my tour of my hospital a couple of weeks ago and some girl asked about doulas and they said the same thing to her.
Yes, a doula is NOT a healthcare provider. A doula is not a midwife that delivers babies. A doula is a labor support person to help a mother while she is laboring. She can be a constant companion while a nurse probably can not be because she has other patients to care for.
https://www.dona.org/mothers/index.php
I was also on the fence about the epi. When I spoke to Dr. K I told him I wanted to take it but as late as I could (as close to actual pushing, that is). And he was like "if you wanna take it go for it! Don't let the nurses convince you not to!". So I know he's for it. Anyhow, when I got there and they gave me Pitocin the contractions I got were so bad that I really couldn't handle them. I have a really high threshold for pain so that totally caught me off guard. After the 3rd contraction I said I needed the epi asap.
I think if you don't have to be induced and aren't give Pitocin the contractions are less painful. So hopefully that'll be the case for you and you'll be able to do it without the epi, if that's what you decide. But I think you should keep your options open because you won't know until you're there.
We had an unmedicated birth - no epidural, no narcotics. Hubby and I prepared by taking Bradley Method classes, watching videos online and we hired a doula to come to the house. I have a low pain threshold (I tend to faint at the site of blood), but I was determined to have a natural birth if at all possible. Lucky for us, we labored at home for 8 hrs and delivered Benjamin within 3 hours of checking into the hospital. He was out in 25 minutes. Yes, it was painful, but it wasn't anything my body couldn't handle. And we plan on going natural again with the next one if we can. It is totally doable to labor and deliver without an epi. But as pp have said, each birth is different and you have to do what is right at the time.
My full birth story is linked in my siggy if you want to read.
I loved the idea of going med free and admire the women who have done so, but never put pressure on myself to get really serious about it. I have a very low tolerance for pain and I knew there was probably a good chance that I would end up asking for an epi. I figured I would go in with an open mind and try to hold out as much as possible without one using some of the pain management techniques that were taught in my birthing class. My "plan" was to labor at home as much as possible and wait until I was several cms dilated before even considering the epi. But like someone else said, I think that's only a realistic expectation if you do some serious preparation for it, which I didn't do.
Once my contractions started, all my goals went out the window. I high-tailed it to the hospital ASAP, doing practically no laboring at home, and was begging for the epi against my doctor's suggestion as soon as I was admitted even though I was 0 cm dilated. In my defense, my water broke and my doctors instructed me to go to the hospital as soon as that happened, but I should have tried to hold out a little longer before the epi. The pain of the contractions was so much worse than I expected (again, I have a low tolerance for pain), and without the proper training going into it, the little that was covered in my birthing class about pain management was not enough to get me through the fear and anxiety I was feeling at that moment. Ultimately my labor stalled out and I never got past 5 cm and therefore ended up with a c-section, which I really regret. Did the epi have anything to do with it? Maybe. I was contracting really hard my entire labor (didn't feel it though, obviously) but the baby just wasn't in position (she was sunny side up) and ultimately couldn't get past the pelvic bone. I don't know if not having the epi would have really changed those circumstances. Anyway, I'm not really scared of needles so it wasn't too big of a deal to me to begin with, but at the point that I got it, the pain from my contractions was so bad that you could have told me that you needed to remove one of my toes to stop the pain and I would have seriously considered it. So going through the procedure of getting the epidural put in was nothing but sweet relief.
With my first daughter I was open to not getting the epi but by around 6 cm's I asked for it and was so relieved. For my second baby I asked for it at around 4 cm's cause I knew it took a while. Surprise, the nurse comes in and says I can't get one because my platelets are low and they can't risk it. So I had to go natural. It sucked while I was doing it, and I really wished I had taken the hypnobirthing class before this one instead of before the first cause I didn't remember anything. But hey, I did it and afterwards I felt much better than I did after my first. Not as an empowerment thing, just I felt like nothing had happened ten minutes after I delivered her. I got up, went to bathroom without help and felt great in general.
If you want to go natural I def recommend taking a class and practicing the techniques. Even if you don't want to go natural I recommend a class, cause you never know when you won't be able to get the epi. I know several women who couldn't get one because there was just no time and another for whom the epi only worked on one side, so it's good to be prepared.
I wanted to avoid an epidural for a number of reasons, especially since I have lower back issues already, but I wasn't totally opposed to the idea. I made an appointment with the hospital's anesthesiologist to discuss various options and was prepared to try to go natural as long as possible but to consider narcotics or an epidural if I felt that the pain was too much to handle. A friend had had a really good experience with narcotics instead of an epi and I remember thinking that I'd probably prefer that.
As it turned out, my labor went much faster than I expected. By the time we got to the hospital the contractions definitely hurt enough for me to be having second thoughts about going without pain medication, but when they checked I was too far along and before I knew it it was time to push. I was very glad afterwards that I had managed without any medication, and while I would still consider it the next time around, I would probably try even harder to avoid it just because I know what I can handle now.
Since I gave birth 2 weeks ago my experience is very fresh so this may be a little long!
I actually never had the epi discussion with Dr. K or any discussion regarding L&D. My whole approached to it was very laid back and the few questions I had were ones I needed answered from personal experience so I asked friends
In my head I already knew I wanted the epi. I had no interest whatsoever in experiencing the actual delivery med-free, I wanted to try to enjoy the experience as much as possible and I'm not a nice person when I'm in pain. That being said, the plan was to not jump at the epi the first chance I got. I was going to rough it out for a little bit until I was at about 4cm and then ask it. That basically went out the window. about an hour after they broke my water the contractions were coming strong and by the end of the hour they were coming at less than a minute apart and in to the 120's. I could have handled it a little longer if they were coming a little more spaced apart but at about 45 seconds apart I couldn't catch my breath. I finally asked for the epi (thank god the anesthesiologist came FAST) and I was only 2-3cms when they gave it to me. In my case labor only sped up after the epi. I had no delay. In reality I was only in "active labor" for about an hour and 45 minutes.
As far as the epi itself it was pretty painless. The worst part was getting the contractions in between. I'll admit I was a little nervous about it since you always hear different stories but in the end it was great. The dude came in with his fantastic little epi kit and explained everything as he did it. The numbing shot is a very thin needle and although you can feel it and it may stun you a little it didn't hurt. This is coming from someone who is made fun of by the entire family because of what a big baby I am when it comes to needles. The rest of the process I didn't feel much at all. The only part that felt weird was went the catheter went in, I could feel it. SUPER weird. It took about 10-15 minutes to take full affect and then I was golden. You still feel all the pressure from the contractions just without the pain. The pressure is uncomfortable and at least for me once I was at go time it got painful. Painful but manageable. I can't imagine having to go thru that without the epi having been induced.
CP 7.19.08
Dx with PCOS 3.27.09
HSG 7.15.09 = All clear
8.09 & 9.09(re-try) IUI #1/2 - Clomid 100mg Follistim 150iu Ovidrel=cancelled due to cysts
10.09 IUI #1/2 - Clomid 100mg Follistim 150iu Ovidrel Crinone 8%=BFP!
22mm Follie / 60mil & 48mil post wash counts Beta #1 (14dpiui)= 102 Beta #2 (18dpiui)= 714 12.3.09 HB 135bpm
Our baby boy was born on 7.8.10 @ 38 weeks 2 days! 2:17pm 6lbs 8oz 20" long
HSG 2.2013 - IUI 1/2, 3/4 = BFN - Took 4 month forced break
((hugs)) I know that must have been scary!
The chance to try for a VBAC is gaining ground again because of the government's recent statement of a recommendation of a trial of labor for good VBAC canidates. So repeat c/s may not be a requirement with a supportive doctor and hospital NIH statment on VBAC
Drop in blood pressure of mom and baby and dysfunctional labor (requiring pitocin to pick up the contractions again) are side effects of an epidural that many don't hear about. Pitocin doesn't allow for the rest breaks that natural contractions give mom and baby. There is a term called "pit to distress."
If anyone is interested in researching, here is an unbiased review of the advantages and disadvantages of an epidural. Obviously women can get the epidural without any further interventions or complications. But there is a reason that once you have an epidural placed you must have intermittent blood pressure readings, constant electronic fetal monitoring and an IV placed.
https://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/epidural.html
That info was complied from very standard medical resources. It's not a natural birth site.
And that info is not to make anyone defensive of their choices in labor. If it worked for you, great! All that is important is healthy baby and mom in the end.
I just think it's good to be able to give true informed consent. And sometimes it's hard to do that without researching first.
I do have major opinions on Pitocin so I figured I'd pitch in, lol. Everyone seems to love giving pitocin and while I know sometimes it's necessary I think sometimes they do it just because it's standard. When I went in with DD2 the nurse walked in with a bag of Pitocin before the doc had even seen me. I told her I did not want it. She gave me a look like I was crazy. When the doc came in he mentioned it and I told him the only way I was taking pit was in an emergency and that I was sure I wouldn't need it. He also looked at me like I was crazy. Well I sure was smug when the delivery went so quickly without pit that the doc missed it and they had to call in his partner from next door. My doc didn't get there till I was delivering the placenta.
I understand that I might be a rare case b/c I have quick labors (DD1 water broke at 1:30 am and had her at 9:30 am, DD2 water broke at 5:40 am and had her at 10:40 am) but it seems to me that they jump to give everyone pit without even considering the individual case. I don't even want to imagine the pain I would have been in if they had given me pit without being able to get an epidural. I had DH staring at my IV to make sure no one tried to sneak it past me.
Just remember you can say NO to anything they try to do.