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3rd Trimester
mbowersock
member
Baby 2!
Epidural or Natural
mbowersock
member
I have heard positives and negatives for both. Just curious hearing from you ladies what you are going to do or have done and why?
Baby 2!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Epidural or Natural
I went natural with my daughter. It was painful but i loved being able to feel everything and being able to get up and pee when it was all over. lol!
I will be doing it naturally this time as well. Long needles scare me and i dont want to have to deal with the pain that is possible years from now.
I am planning on a natural/un-medicated birth. I read up on all of the different techniques and ways of having a baby and I found that I was more comfortable with a natural birth. I am taking Bradley classes to help me with this and so that my Husband can play a bigger role in labor, and birth.
My hope for all women giving birth is that they educate themselves on the labor/delivery process so that they can make informed decisions.
Do whatever seems like the best option for you, it's your birth experience.
i've had two natural deliveries (one induced, one without induction)
a pro of not having an epidural is you get to move around and (at least for me) i didnt have to have an IV at all. i liked not having to be hooked up (although i had to stay on the monitor anyway)
a con is...well...it hurts. and if you have a long labor, it hurts for a long time! its exhausting.
if i ever have another child i think i'll try the epidural. =D
Just FYI from everyone I know that has experienced both everyone says passing a kidney stone is WAY more painful than giving birth. While the stone is much smaller it is also a teeny-tiny opening that is not made to stretch.
I watched that as well, which made my decision even more final than it was. Everyone keeps telling me "Oh you're going to want it trust me bla bla" but every woman is different. I know for a fact I want to be in control and know when I need to push. I keep reminding myself that the pain is only temporary and that the end result will be worth it every bit of it. I've also heard of the ill feelings afterwards...they managed fine without it years ago, so why are we spoiled now?
I do not mean to sound rude when I say this, but if this is your first child you can SAY you are going "natural", but the liklihood is not good that this will actually be reality.
I am a mom of 2 with #3 on the way... With my 1st I took experienced mom's advice and was "open" to whatever felt right. I have a strong pain tolerance and due to back labor I was begging for an epideral at 4cm dilated. It was truly like day and night. Because of the epideral I was able to have almost and enjoyable delivery with my son. With my daughter I was not progressing very quickly and ended up having to labor for about 8 hours without an epideral. It was hell. All I can say is: would you choose not to have any pain medication while getting a root canal? No!
Brayden (5 1/2) born 12.28.06
Hailey (4 1/2) born 2.25.08
Taylor (8 Months) born 12.26.11
Posting from an Android sorry for any errors
I knew going in I would want the epidural, but the fact that I had back labor confirmed it for me! Pain control? Yes please! The epidural was absolute heaven and I was able to enjoy having him (and not have to feel the stitches afterwards!). I was able to get up and walk to the bathroom about an hour after the epidural was removed. I'll definitely be planning to get one if we decide to have another child!
I think the important thing though is that you thoroughly research all options and choose what's best for YOU. Not for anyone else. GL!
Same here. I hate needles, so the idea of a giant one going in my back freaks me out. I also hate the hospital, so I'm hoping to labor at home as long as possible before going in, and once I'm there, I don't want to be stuck in bad. This is my first though so we'll see how it all pans out!
*First of all, I had a bad experience, so stop here, if you don't want to read it.*
I had an epidural with my first son while being induced, and it didn't go well for me. As soon as I got it my blood pressure dropped to a dangerously low number and they had to give me a shot of epinephrine. Then, it wore off on one side of my body, so they had me lay on the other side to get gravity to help out, and that was not very comfortable at all. Finally, I wound up with nerve damage in the spot where the epi was in my back and had some serious pain for about 8 weeks after the delivery. It went away on it's own and I was able to control it with ibuprofen, but I was breastfeeding, so I only took it when I was really in a lot of pain. I am seriously hoping for a natural birth this time with no epi.
Brayden (5 1/2) born 12.28.06
Hailey (4 1/2) born 2.25.08
Taylor (8 Months) born 12.26.11
After doing the research, and having a friend that told me his sister is now in a wheelchair because of the epidural, I realllllly did not want to risk it.
There are too many risks involved with an epidural, and I'd rather not take them.
Plus, it will be nice to move around, walk around, not have my baby come out all out of it, labor will not take as long, and a million women have done it before me, so I'm sure I can do it too. I just think I'll be happier doing it and feeling the whole birth as I'm meant to.
Some people close to me would not do it naturally and had good experiences, other than feeling out of it and having problems breast feeding because their baby was a bit out of it from the drugs, but to me, I'd rather just do it naturally. Just my opinion, and what's best for me personally. some women would not do it without an epidural and were happy that way.
There are definitely pros and cons to both. I am hoping to get an epidural.. but I know that it could potentially slow the labor process down. My plan is to try to dilate to at least 5cm without getting the epidural.. then have the anesthesiologist (God I hope I spelled that right haha) shoot me in the back with that crazy long needle that I will never even have to look at.
Obviously I would love to be able to stand up and walk around during labor.. but IMO, I would RATHER be pain-free.. or at least semi-comfortable, while having contractions. But again.. that is just my own personal feelings towards it.. everyone has their own opinions and birth plans, as they should! Everyone experiences pain differently as well.. so it is not fair to judge someone for what they choose.. I would never knock someone for going completely natural or choosing an epidural the second they are admitted lol.
GL with your birth plan.. just go with what you feel is best for you and your baby. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise :-)
Malakai - 8.3.09
Ezra - 12.1.11 ASD
There is no easy answer to this. You have to do what is right for you. No option is "better" than the other, despite what people say.
FTR I requested one with DS because I was in excruciating, panic-inducing pain. I had no plans to, one way or another, I just wanted to play it by ear. I waited as long as possible to get it, so I could keep moving around and bouncing on the birthing ball. It was fantastic. To counter some horror stories people like to tell you about epis: 1) It did NOT slow my labor. I actually progressed incredibly quickly because I think it allowed my body to relax. 2) I had no side effects,nor did my baby. I got up to pee and walk around a few minutes after they finished cleaning and stitching me up. DS was alert and took to nursing right away. I had a fast recovery. 3) I also had a fear of a needle being stuck in my spine. Guess what......after sitting through a couple of hours of horrible contractions coming every 90 seconds and making me want to pass out/vomit, suddenly the needle was really NBD.
And even though I had a great experience, I am still going into this birth with the same attitude.....just play it by ear and see how bad the pain is before I commit one way or another.
I really really REALLY want to go natural, it's something that DH and I feel very strongly about. However, I have this nagging voice in the back of my head saying "it's going to HURT, take the meds" I don't want to give in... But I know I can't ultimately make that decision until I am IN labour. I can't decide right now while I'm sitting in my chair if labour is going to hurt so bad that I need drugs.
I'm really motivated to do a natural birth, for the goodness of my baby, and also selfishly to prove all those "you're gonna beg for the drugs" people WRONG.
We'll see how it goes. But If I had to choose right now, I would say Natural for sure!!
That's not actually true and is really discouraging of you to say. Plenty of FTMs are able to go natural.
7lbs 13oz 20 inches long
um, who told you your baby will come out all "out of it" from getting an epidural? that is certainly not the case. your baby would receive much more of an effect from getting IV drugs that he/she would with an epidural. perhaps that is what you were referring to.
This - 1, 2 and 3 were exactly my experience.
Just lurking around trying to pass the time at work. ;-) I was thinking about my birth experience and thought I'd throw in my two cents.
I was terrified to give birth for the first time, but looking back on it, it really wasn't that bad, thanks to my epi. I went pretty far without one, but then the pain was so overwhelming that I needed some relief. I'm happy I did because it allowed me to relax so that I could effectively use my energy when it came time to push. Had I continued without it, I don't know if I could have pushed for the 2 hours it took me to get him out. It's exhausting work.
The big needle sounds scary, but when you are trying to breath through a terribly painful contraction, it no longer matters! I didn't care what they did to me, as long as it stopped the pain.
I felt great after the birth and was up walking almost immediately after being stitched up. And, my son wasn't out of it and latched right on.
Sorry but I do find this rude, women ought to support each other in whatever they choose for their birth. Women gave birth naturally for far longer than they have been with medications. I have watched a natural birth and it was beautiful, intense yes, but amazing. If you are determined to have a natural birth and you are educated and prepared don't listen to people who try to tell you you can't do it. Of course things could change and unforeseen circumstances could force interventions, but going natural is not an impossible feet.
Married the love of my life 7/11/09 - Our first baby, Peyton Mark, was born sleeping 10/25/11 at 33 weeks - Our second baby, BFP 2/4/12, welcome to the world Raylan! Holy Moly, BPF 2/4/14, please be safe and sound little one!
My Blog
While it is true that most women won't go natural, barring a c-section it is not a necessity and if you are committed and believe that you can do it, well you can do it. There are certainly reasons to get an epi and you have to weigh the pros and cons for yourself, but no need to be so discouraging.
Really, if you want to go natural a couple things. 1) Keep a good outlook. A lot of the pain comes from anticipating pain so if you can go in believing that it doesn't have to be like some horror movie and prepared with some coping mechanisms it will go a lot more smoothly. 2) If you're only 4 cm dilated and not progressing, go home. It's a lot easier to labor on your own turf.
~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~
Blog - No Longer on the DL ~ The Man Cave
Shawn and Larissa
LO #1 - Took 2 years and 2 IVFs ~ DX - severe MFI mild PCOS homozygous MTHFR (a1298c)
LO #2 - TTC 7 months, surprise spontaneous BFP!
First I don't know where the stories about people being paralyzed from epis comes from... I've had 2 spinal blocks and where they place those and epis is lower than where the spinal cord ends. There's no way to be paralyzed if it's placed where it should be and if an anesthesiologist doesn't know what is too high I wouldn't even want them giving me an IV!
I am not getting an epidural because I don't want to risk any adverse affects during labor. The most important day of my life isn't the time I want to learn I am one of the "few" who will experience complications. I worry about my blood pressure dropping and contractions slowing from the epi. Without an epi I also don't have to have an IV drip, constant monitoring or be confined to a bed and whatever position the nurse puts me in. I know from past surgeries lying in a bed helpless and unable to move is the most frustrating situation to be in. And epis don't always work fully or at all.
I can tell you from the spinals that the needle doesn't hurt that bad. They numb the area first which feels like a little finger stick but in your back. Then the needle feels like someone pushing on your back with their knuckle. Some women who aren't really prepared for natural birth can tense up and actually work against their bodies. With an epi the muscles have no choice but to relax and sometimes that helps the uterus contract and cervix open. Also some women are so frightened of the impending pain they do more harm than good to themselves than if they had the epi and no pain to fear.