Labour Q's - epi & natural

kaylaakosua · March 2012

As long as I can remember I was planning on getting an epi for the pain, But over the past week I've come to realize I want to go natural. It started out " for as long as I can until I can't take the pain anymore" and now it has morphed into fully natural.

Beyond the obvious health risks and what not the main reasoning why I want to go natural is to help recovery faster. So my question is how long after birth can you generally get up, shower, bathroom, walk with baby... etc assuming no huge tears.

The epi's take longer to wear off I know that and my hospital does 1 hr of skin to skin contact immediately after birth ( Thank god ) so if I did end up getting it would it wear off that I could walk in time? ....

brooke76 · March 2012

I went natural with my second birth and plan to again with this one. As soon as my son was born I breastfed him and while that was happening, the placenta was delivered and they checked for any tearing (there was none with the natural birth). Right after he finished nursing I was able to get up and walk to the bathroom, go to the bathroom, and rinse everything off. Once I was situated into my room I was able to immediately shower. It was such a different experience from the first. Good luck to you, I can recommend a few great books that helped me prepare if you're intertested!

meganscherer · March 2012

I got an epi and was up and walking around an hour after I had given birth to my LO. I would assume everyone will have a different recovery regardless if it's medicated or not.

staceyk110 · March 2012

I had an epi, but was so exhausted after labor, I didn't want to move for a while! I think I did get up after probably two hours and was totally fine to shower and all that. My legs felt wobbly, but I really didn't feel like I was going to fall over or anything.

ksutt · March 2012

kaylaakosua:
Beyond the obvious health risks and what not the main reasoning why I want to go natural is to help recovery faster. So my question is how long after birth can you generally get up, shower, bathroom, walk with baby... etc assuming no huge tears.

To each their own and it is obviously a personal choice as to whether or not you want an epidural, but with what you have listed as your main reasons for not wanting one, I was wondering how much research you have done on the pros and cons. Here is a Good article that sums ago a lot of the research I did, in case you are interested. https://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2012/01/the_truth_about_epidurals.html

megperk72 · March 2012

I had an epi and was up walking within a few hours after giving birth, even showered before anyone could get to the hospital and before they brought her back from the nursery. Everyone is different. As far as long term recovery, I was released for sex and exercise at 4 weeks pp. I don't think the epi had any bearing on long term recovery, just the few hours right after birth. I did have the skin to skin for an hour or two after she was born, there was really no need to walk at that time. I just wanted to snuggle!

And even if you do give birth naturally in the hospital, you won't really need to be up and walking with baby. I could have, but don't think I ever did....just didn't need to. If the nurses transported her, they used the rolling bassinet and that wheeled right up next to the hospital bed.

MatteosMama · March 2012

meganscherer:
I got an epi and was up and walking around an hour after I had given birth to my LO. I would assume everyone will have a different recovery regardless if it's medicated or not.

This.

Smootchy · March 2012

I'm sure everyone is different but I had a c/s and was still up and walking around with in hours (maybe 3). It would've been sooner but everyone sorta left us alone (which I wanted) but I wasn't sure if I were aloud to get up. When the nurse came in she was like, absolutely get up as soon as you can/want to

MrsCAA · March 2012

I had an epi and i wasnt up for a few hours afterwards, mainly because I had a rough delevery (I would have regardless of the epi or not) DS was 8 lbs with a huge head - so an episimony/.tear, they had trouble stopping the bleeding so I lost more blood than you are supposed to - because of that when they tried to get my up the first time, i got very dizzy so I was told to continue to lay down for another a couple more hours.

Rosebud2587 · March 2012

I got up to use the bathroom pretty much right after getting stitched up. I had to pee so bad from all the fluids they pump into you during labor.

I was also discharged 10 hrs after giving birth.

winter-shock · March 2012

I went natural last time (will again) I had no major tears. I was up about 15 minutes after giving birth and showering. Dr. took baby to weigh her etc. and I showered then they had me walk to my new room. It was great. Walking slowly did not hurt at all. The thing that hurt the most was just initially sitting or standing. But if someone helped me I was fine!

TKx2 · March 2012

I had an epi with DD and was up and walking within 30 minutes.

davidswife06 · March 2012

I had an epi and I was up and walking as soon as they stitched me up. Like a PP said, I had to pee since they had filled me with so many fluids.

LiLTexan09 · March 2012

I had an epidural & was up walking to the bathroom about an hour after I gave birth. My legs were wobbly, but not to the point where I would have fallen down or anything. My blood pressure shot up AFTER giving birth for some reason & I was having terrible headaches, so I didn't want to get up and go anywhere. I just wanted to lie down & snuggle my new baby.

I plan on having an epidural with my next baby if I need one. I think your recovery process depends on many other factors, too...not just whether or not you went all natural.

kaylaakosua · March 2012

Thank you all, especially for the article. I just didn't want me getting the Epi and letting it hinder my ability to get up. It's not like I don't want to sit there and snuggle him forever, I just don't want to feel completely useless sitting in the bed for 3 hrs.

DevonPow · March 2012

I had an epi and got up as soon as I went into the recovery room (maybe an hour or so? After they delivered the placenta, cleaned everything up, etc etc, then moved us). I had no issues walking at all at that point. I had a GREAT epi, though - I could move my legs but still felt zilch in terms of pain. I wanted to marry my anesthesiologist.

laurakaz13 · March 2012

meganscherer:
I got an epi and was up and walking around an hour after I had given birth to my LO. I would assume everyone will have a different recovery regardless if it's medicated or not.

This. And I didn't tear. I was also out walking 5 days PP and running 2 weeks PP.

sbost0118 · March 2012

The time I did not have an epi I lost too much blood. I lost consciousness a few minutes after the baby was born and didn't wake up until the next day.

With each of my epi's they have taken hours and hours to fully wear off. After a couple of hours in the recovery room last time, the nurse told me that I wasn't trying hard enough to move my legs and insisted that I try to stand up. Yea, I dropped to the floor.

Expecting girl 3 · March 2012

I have done both, natural the first time, epidural the second, I don't remember wanting to get up, I was exhausted afterwards, I probably waited about an hour. I did have to wait until I felt my legs which is different for everyone, depends on when they turn it off, and your weight and tolerance, but it was about an hour. They helped me to make sure I was stable and I got to take a shower and clean up. Have the nurses a chance to clean up the bed too. I loved the epidural, it allowed my body to relax enough to dihilate quickly. If you do go natural ask if there is a jacuzzi, it does help relax you. Either way it's all up to you, don't let anyone tell you one or the other is a bad decision. I'm totally planning on an epidural this time around too!

JNoelleE · March 2012

ksutt:
kaylaakosua:
Beyond the obvious health risks and what not the main reasoning why I want to go natural is to help recovery faster. So my question is how long after birth can you generally get up, shower, bathroom, walk with baby... etc assuming no huge tears.
To each their own and it is obviously a personal choice as to whether or not you want an epidural, but with what you have listed as your main reasons for not wanting one, I was wondering how much research you have done on the pros and cons. Here is a Good article that sums ago a lot of the research I did, in case you are interested. https://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2012/01/the_truth_about_epidurals.html

I think it's really rude to imply that because she wants to do it naturally, that she must not be aware of the pro's and cons. That she must have it backwards. How about If you are interested in why people opt for natural birth, you do some research on the topic? Watch the Business of being born. Or read one of the thousand books on natural birth. That article is hardly an accurate argument. It's silly to imply that someone doesn't know the actual pro's and con's just because one article says there are no cons or risks to an Epidural.. It said that the only reason there is a link between epidurals and c-section is because the women who got the epidurals happened to have more painful labors and bigger babies than ones who did not opt for an epidural... Please. That must be why the c-section rate has shot up, because labor is now harder than ever and all these babies are huge. Not because of all the unnecessary medications or interventions involved.

FroggyFarts · March 2012

kaylaakosua:
Thank you all, especially for the article. I just didn't want me getting the Epi and letting it hinder my ability to get up. It's not like I don't want to sit there and snuggle him forever, I just don't want to feel completely useless sitting in the bed for 3 hrs.

I think epidurals affect people differently. I know that my hospital has listed multiple types of "epidurals" that can be administered, including one called a walking epidural.

I had an epidural with DS. It was a self feed and I never pushed for more medicine after the initial that he gave me. I had no crippling side effects meaning I could feel the pressure of contractions and when to push (minus the pain -- glorious!), and following the birth after I had spent skin to skin time with DS, I was up and walking right away without being shaky at all.

I will note that it was a hospital policy to be wheeled to the post-partum room. I'm not sure if that was a policy for both natural and epidural mothers. But once I was in my room, I was allowed to wonder about as much as I wanted. The nurse was also required to "help" me up for the first time in the delivery room. She actually got mad at me because I didn't wait til the count of three to stand up and start walking. Oops.

Mycrimsonheart · March 2012

JNoelleE:
ksutt:
kaylaakosua:

Beyond the obvious health risks and what not the main reasoning why I want to go natural is to help recovery faster. So my question is how long after birth can you generally get up, shower, bathroom, walk with baby... etc assuming no huge tears.

To each their own and it is obviously a personal choice as to whether or not you want an epidural, but with what you have listed as your main reasons for not wanting one, I was wondering how much research you have done on the pros and cons. Here is a Good article that sums ago a lot of the research I did, in case you are interested. https://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2012/01/the_truth_about_epidurals.html

I think it's really rude to imply that because she wants to do it naturally, that she must not be aware of the pro's and cons. That she must have it backwards. How about If you are interested in why people opt for natural birth, you do some research on the topic? Watch the Business of being born. Or read one of the thousand books on natural birth. That article is hardly an accurate argument. It's silly to imply that someone doesn't know the actual pro's and con's just because one article says there are no cons or risks to an Epidural.. It said that the only reason there is a link between epidurals and c-section is because the women who got the epidurals happened to have more painful labors and bigger babies than ones who did not opt for an epidural... Please. That must be why the c-section rate has shot up, because labor is now harder than ever and all these babies are huge. Not because of all the unnecessary medications or interventions involved.

Yes

angelashly · March 2012

I am lurking, but I had an epi with my daughter and we had family there so I didn't get up right away, but the nurses asked me if I wanted to. I was able to do skin to skin and I was up within 2 hours showering etc. I had no problems with recovery.