Natural Birth
Options
Best Tactic for Avoiding Epidural
My doula wants to know which I would want her to do if I ask for epidural (I want to avoid one if possible).
[Poll]
[Poll]
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Best Tactic for Avoiding Epidural
voted to wait ___ more minutes. Maybe 15?
However, what we are doing is a numbers scale. I found most of my life that on a scale of 1-10, I never have reached a pain level of 10. (been hosiptalized because a horse stepped on me and had internal bleeding, even that didnt rate above an 8 for me) So My DH will ask me where on the scale I am. I doubt I will hit 10.
Also, if I opt for Epi, I am asking to quit and get a RCS. My Dr said its all or nothing. Natural VBAC or RCS. I give in for an Epi, I am increasing the likelyness of stalled labor. Dr wont give me Pit.
I would say "all of the above" at different times. If you say you want an epi, have her suggest waiting a few more contractions, then if you say it again, have her suggest getting checked to see how close you are, etc.
The best tactic though would be to not think of it as an option. I imagined my labor/delivery like a roller coaster ride, and there was no getting off. I was going to complete it. There were times when I said, "Why did I DO this??", but I never once asked for pain relief. HTH and good luck!!
I voted for waiting so many minutes. I was induced and had a pain reliever(feel bad about this). I avoided the epidural by doing three things 1) Prayer...if you're religious I suggest this! 2) Remembering that epidurals can(not always) cause harm to mom and baby. I wanted my DS to enter the world as least medicated as possible. 3) I'm stubborn...I was bound and determined to have no epidural and hubby supported that.
I feel you can avoid the epidural if you have support. If you don't feel you have this then find it! My hubby is an awesome Dad/Husband but not sooo much in labor. I know this now and if we have another I'll fight for a midwife and doula.
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
How about none of the above- labor at home as long as possible? You can't get an epidural at home.
I didn't avoid the hospital just to avoid the epidural, though. I really did think I'd be more comfortable laboring at home than with a bunch of nurses coming in and out periodically. It was quite lovely for me to be at home during the majority of my labor.
A combination of the above. When I told my doula and midwife that I couldn't do it anymore, they would remind me that I was already doing it and doing it well. Also, being reminded of the reasons you are choosing no epi is very helpful. Keep them in your head as your motivation and share them with your support people. They can be very powerful in the moment when you feel like you can't sustain your techniques for dealing with the contractions. For me, it just wasn't an option in my head. I didn't let it be. My midwife also had me trying different positions every 20-30 minutes, and I felt like I'd get recharged with each new position.
Good luck!
If I ask for pain relief, regardless of what I say, my doula will encourage me to press through (i.e. one more contraction, one more minute, etc.). BUT we have a safe word. The first time I say the safe word, she will encourage me to do one more contraction (but have the nurses get some meds ready). The second time I say the safe word, it would be her job to get me the meds as fast as humanly possible.
I'm in a birth center this time around so an epi isn't an option, but last time, I never did ask for an epi or any drugs. I said, "I can't do it," several times, but that's it.
I chose the last option, which is least popular. here is why.
(PS- I labored naturally with my daughter all the way. There is like it and Im doing it again with this baby. What I tell first timers is this- natural labor is not something I would do for fun on a Saturday, but it is doable. Your body is made to do it, and you can handle it.)
Labor pains increase slowly, not suddenly. Though there is a clear difference between 2cm pain and 10 cm pain, you won't feel a difference between 2-3cm pain.. 3-4cm pain etc. Your body adjusts slowly as the pain increases. Once you hit between 6 and 7 cm pain, the threshold is no longer noticable. This is what natural birth coaches teach and for me, it was absolute truth. If you can make it to 7cm through any method possible, you can make it to the end. Those last 4-5cm are the quickest dialiting to boot, so the most intense pain period is also the shortest. Once you hit pushing stage, it feels like such a RELIEF to push you just don't care about the pain anymore.
When you've delivered naturally, you will be SO proud of yourself. It's worth every instant of pain.
Also note- I wanted an epi from day one. The docs thought I was in false labor until 9.5 cm. So I had planned pain relief, I am a wimp and didn't think I could ever do natural birth. But I did. And the experience changed me entirely.
YOU CAN DO IT.
Thanks for all the great advice!
I'm glad my hospital is right around the corner from my house because otherwise I would be worried to labor at home as long as possible. (My mom went to the hospital and they told her that she wasn't even in labor, she stayed anyway, took a short shower and literally right after I started coming out, the doctor didn't even make it in time, the nurse had to delivery me). Haha, I guess I'm scared I'd end up having the baby at home if I waited too long. I'm sure this was an unusual experience though.
I kept reminding myself that besides the obvious (the joyous end result), there will only be one day of pain. That I would not be feeling this way tomorrow. It is only one day of my life that i am sacraficing In order to have my lo. Women have been doing it this way for centuries.....it worked!
J+E ~ 08/25/2007 DD#1 ~ 05/11/2010 DD#2 ~ 09/25/2013 DD#3 ~ 06/09/2016 Baby #4 Due ~ 01/16/2023