Natural birth vs epidural... Thoughts?

parisiennemom · April 2015

Hey ladies,

I guess ill start with an intro as this is my first post..

It is a pleasure to meet you all. I'm a FTM, currently about 9 weeks- 26 years old living as an expat in Paris. I would love to get to know some of you so dont hesitate to start With any intro

Back to my topic, ive recently been leaning towards a natural birth without any meds ( Unless of course something goes wrong).

I feel like although it will certainly be painful- It is a natural pain- i was also doing research on the best birthing positions. Of course we are all aware of the "on the back" method but ive been reading that this position is best for the doctor, not necessarily for birthing a baby.

Any other moms out there, from experience or research, have any opinions on this?

Would love to hear from you!

cbolton19 · April 2015

I've been looking at that too and trying to weigh the benefits of each. I am however opting for a natural birth at a birth center. I like the calmness of the center, so that eliminates a possibility for an epidural, but I think being calm will help me get through it without the meds. I will be able to choose a water birth and that will help with relaxation and being able to manage the pain.

lulamagoo · April 2015

I had a pain med free birth with my son. I gave birth laying on my side. My plan was this; I know there are pain meds available. I will ask for them if I want them.
We had a doula and that helped too.

Pontot31 · April 2015

I second getting a doula if you want a natural child birth.
After 2 days of natural labor I ended up with a CS but I know for a fact I did everything I could because our doula was there problem solving with us at all times.

I agree that it's a natural pain. A very intense natural pain. But you get breaks in between contractions to catch your breath.

I hope to have a natural VBAC this time

DiademChi · April 2015

I had a natural birth for my daughter. It was great, and most of it was severe pressure, and not pain. I used the hypnobabies approach and it worked really well.

Sometimes using an epidural can cause stalled labor and other complications, so it should be used as a last resort. For most complication-free labors, going natural is easy to handle. Your body is designed to handle it.

I delivered at my hospital (I was Strep B positive and meconium was in my water), and I was allowed to shift into whatever position I preffered during labor. Check out your various birth centers and hospitals/OBs to find out their policies. I'm in a liberal area where the hospital delivery rooms offer birthing tubs and midwives are associated with their practice, too.

Just prepare and keep an open mind. Learn some meditation and breathing techniques and if something goes awry (30+ hour labor, back labor, etc.) you can reevaluate the epidural option.

Keep in mind that sometimes epidurals don't work, too.

TacoSarah · April 2015

My plan is to have a med free home birth. But I realise babies don't always go to plan so if I need to go to hospital I'm not going to be upset. And I'm not going to be a hero, if the pain gets too much I'll be yelling banana (Family Guy fans should get that one).

MammaMac15 · April 2015

Hi. I'm a ftm about 7w. 29 years old. Will be 30 just before our little nugget is due. TTC for two years, told we couldn't get pregnant without medical intervention and discovered our little miracle baby on Easter weekend. Had not started any fertility treatments yet.

I'd like to go as natural as possible. Probably going to hire doula. My sister did a home birth with her fourth and spend a good portion of time on her hands and knees. It helped get the baby in the right position and helped with pain management...I hope I'm even half as brave as she was lol

LSRoo · April 2015

I had a natural birth with no meds. Up until I was ready to push I used a birthing ball and walked around a lot. I pushed the baby out on my back.

Eta: I also agree that with natural birth the most painful part for me was the pressure towards the end. That was rough. And I had ALL back labor. I had very little front contractions.

Dani7237 · April 2015

Hello and first off let me say I'm jealous of your Paris experience as I sit here in Ohio. I'm 27 and this will be our third. I'm currently 10 wks. I had an epidural with my 1st and it was absolutely pain free. My second I delivered very quickly in under two hours. By the time I made it to the hospital (a 20min trip) I was 8cm. The worst thing was I was ready to deliver within the next 20min but the nurses told me to wait until the doctor got there. And stupid me thinking that the nurses couldnt deliever and something would go wrong held off. That baby and "everything" (my water never broke) sat crowning for almost 40 min. I tried to get an epidural but it never kicked in. When the doctor walked in she was delivered in one push. There can be no pain worse than that so I'm just committing to go natural this time. I also hope the nurses on duty are ready to catch because they'll get no waiting from me. I'll catch this one myself if I have to rather than have a repeat. If I had delivered when my body was ready naturally the pain wouldn't have been near as bad. At 8cm when I walked in I was filling out my own paperwork, walking and talking to the nurses. I think the golden rule to going natural is listening to your body. I'm not scared of this upcoming delivery one bit... as long as I make it to the hospital (they say it goes quicker with each birth). Best wishes.

juleyaspen · April 2015

My first I was induced with pitocin at 39 weeks due to high blood pressure and a few warning signs for developing preeclampsia. I was able to make it without pain meds even with pitocin, and I totally credit being able to sit in a warm bath(at the hospital) as what kept me from having to be further medicated. I wouldn't change anything, and this time hopefully it will be completely natural and I won't have to be induced.

vomitrosa · April 2015

I also did a natural child birth, no epidural. labor is painful, but it is manageable pain and it wasn't as bad as I had prepared myself for. I will say I compared with a few of my girlfriends who have had Epidurals and they said they pushed for hours. I pushed my daughter into this world in less than 15 minutes once it came time. Just my personal experience and I plan to do the same again.

vomitrosa · April 2015

EllaStaxx said:
I had a natural birth with no meds. Up until I was ready to push I used a birthing ball and walked around a lot. I pushed the baby out on my back.

Eta: I also agree that with natural birth the most painful part for me was the pressure towards the end. That was rough. And I had ALL back labor. I had very little front contractions.

I had all back labor also! Very similar experience....the most painful part was the last 15-20 minutes when I realized it was time to push and your body starts doing it instinctively...the pressure was a very confusing feeling.

cbolton19 · April 2015

I know I didn't post the original question, but thank you ladies for the nice stories. I am pretty confident in my choice, but I am still pretty terrified about birth in general. It's really nice to hear all the good experiences.

happylife7 · April 2015

Welcome! I am 11w today and am planning to go natural. Unfortunately for me, unless I want to travel an hour to a birthing center, I will be delivering in a hospital. I do plan on having a doula and from friends who have gone natural, 2 of them delivered on their knees and said it was most comfortable for them and gravity helped baby move along. Good luck to you!

ETA: Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way was recommended to me, it's a book others may want to check out.

LydianG · April 2015

I had an epidural with my son, it was fabulous and made the birthing process pretty much pain free. I never had to get pitocin or anything either. That being said, not everyone's experience goes like that. This time around I'll be giving birth in a birth center with midwives.

I think your best option is to do the research, know the risks on both sides and go with what feels right to you.

The business of being born is a great documentary. I watched it before i had my first child and wanted to go natural but honestly I chickened out and went with an obgyn, but I don't regret it. This time I'm ready to do natural.

Laurakat81 · April 2015

I wanted to do natural. Went to 42 weeks refusing the induction my OB was so adamant about but in the end still had to be induced because of cholestasis and high blood pressure. Blah. I was bummed. Induction sucked and after a day of intense labor and almost zero progress I begged for the epi. It was then that I finally progressed and narrowly avoided a c-section. My OB literally would not let me even stand up or squat or get on my hands and knees because of my bp that day. I do plan on attempting it again though, once again hoping to avoid the Pitocin from the get go. I don't know much about birthing in Paris but if you're going to have a hospital birth in the US and think you want to go the natural route you MUST get a doula. US doctors are terrified of natural births and push, push, push for all sorts of interventions. A doula can help mediate at a time when you're already so emotional that a doctor can really run you over (I don't believe they do it on purpose but their training says intervention is ALWAYS necessary for every patient).

For the record, I did have a good epidural experience when I finally asked for it. No side effects from it. It did however wear off on just the left side of my body a couple hours later. That was frustrating but I pushed for maybe 30 minutes and I kind of think having some feeling did help with that.

Edited.

parisiennemom · April 2015

Wow your stories are amazing! This gives me even more confidence in my thoughts. Thank you all for sharing your expériences

@MamaMac15 what a spécial gift after two years. Have you told your family yet?

@cbolton19 - Im With you. Now a days It is hard to go against the "norm". Is this your first pregnancy too?

@Dani7237 , thanks. As fun as loving abroad is- It is very hard. All of my family are in thé US, on the west coast at that.

@happylife7 , Congrats. I Think i Will have to give birth in a hospital too- for insurance reasons- in France I dont believe insurance covers clinics. Ill have to do my research. Im sure If We are firm in our wants they will respect it right? What do you think?

happylife7 · April 2015

parisiennemom, Thank you! Yes, they should respect all of your wishes/wants as long as there isn't any danger to the baby. Knowing your rights are important! I hear a lot of women say when I talk about skipping eye ointment, or delayed cord clamping, or delaying first bath that they wish they would have known that they have the right to refuse. You do! The hospitals follow protocol because it's easier than asking or testing each individual baby. I would encourage you to do research on what you have the right to do and not do during labor/delivery/recovery. Having a doula will DEFINITELY help because they KNOW the rights that you have and when you are having contractions/don't need to be bothered, they will be your voice to see that your wishes are granted. Also, having a birth plan. Though everything may not go according to your birth plan, having it there for nurses to know and not having to inform each new nurse as shifts change will help! Good luck to you!

LSRoo · April 2015

vomitrosa said:

EllaStaxx said:
I had a natural birth with no meds. Up until I was ready to push I used a birthing ball and walked around a lot. I pushed the baby out on my back.

Eta: I also agree that with natural birth the most painful part for me was the pressure towards the end. That was rough. And I had ALL back labor. I had very little front contractions.
I had all back labor also! Very similar experience....the most painful part was the last 15-20 minutes when I realized it was time to push and your body starts doing it instinctively...the pressure was a very confusing feeling.

That pressure was so strong but I am thankful for it! I pushed my 10 pounder out in a half hour!! My friends with epidural a all pushed for HOURRRS with their first. I think being able to feel the pressure it your best asset.

NDimanov · April 2015

So I did an epidural and they pretty much overdosed me

My legs were completely numb and I couldn't move them. The babies head was ready to come out, but I had to wait an hour until I could actually push. It sucked. Also, the space in my back where it was injected still hurts me to this day if you push on it.....my daughter is 7.

I'll do it again if they have to induce me again. My water broke and they started me on Pitocin and the contractions were too much for me to handle.

cbolton19 · April 2015

parisiennemom said:
Wow your stories are amazing! This gives me even more confidence in my thoughts. Thank you all for sharing your expériences

@MamaMac15 what a spécial gift after two years. Have you told your family yet?

@cbolton19 - Im With you. Now a days It is hard to go against the "norm". Is this your first pregnancy too?

@Dani7237 , thanks. As fun as loving abroad is- It is very hard. All of my family are in thé US, on the west coast at that.

@happylife7 , Congrats. I Think i Will have to give birth in a hospital too- for insurance reasons- in France I dont believe insurance covers clinics. Ill have to do my research. Im sure If We are firm in our wants they will respect it right? What do you think?

@parisiennemom Yes, this is my first! You? It is hard to go against the norm, but I have a tremendous amount of support from my husband and family. Especially my husband, he hates hospitals so he is really excited about the birthing center. We both felt good about it. I saw your comment about your insurance, definitely do some research. Our insurance covers the prenatal care at the birth center, but the facility fee is out of network (I think and hope that means they will cover some of it, we will just have to submit the paperwork ourselves). It will make the birthing center a little more expensive than a hospital, but within that extra amount, there are a ton of classes for both before and after delivery that the birth center offers that are covered in that fee.

cbolton19 · April 2015

EllaStaxx said:

vomitrosa said:

EllaStaxx said:
I had a natural birth with no meds. Up until I was ready to push I used a birthing ball and walked around a lot. I pushed the baby out on my back.

Eta: I also agree that with natural birth the most painful part for me was the pressure towards the end. That was rough. And I had ALL back labor. I had very little front contractions.
I had all back labor also! Very similar experience....the most painful part was the last 15-20 minutes when I realized it was time to push and your body starts doing it instinctively...the pressure was a very confusing feeling.
That pressure was so strong but I am thankful for it! I pushed my 10 pounder out in a half hour!! My friends with epidural a all pushed for HOURRRS with their first. I think being able to feel the pressure it your best asset.

My mom has said exactly what you said. She also had mostly back labor and had all us kids with no meds and said that for her to push at the right time she had to really focus on the pressure. It makes sense too, it's your bodies way of telling you what to do.

queenwog · April 2015

First timer here so not speaking from experience, but going off of my sister's experiences and my own research, I'm planning on going without meds. My sister's first was medicated and a disaster; the classic cascade of interventions that led to a code blue, a c-section and a NICU stay for baby. Her subsequent births (one at a birth center, two at home) have been unmedicated and a million times better. Based on her experiences I'll be utilizing the same birthing center. I'm planning to labor in the water, and possibly deliver that way, too, if my midwife approves. No meds.

+littlepeanut · April 2015

I'm a nurse at an extremely busy women and children's hospital. Sometimes we do up to 600 births in a month. Unfortunately our hospital is not geared toward the natural birthing experience and about 95% of all my patients get an epidural. The recovery process for moms can be slow after delivery. Some women can't walk until the feeling comes back to their legs while others have a difficult time peeing and end up having the painful experience of having a catheter inserted to help them pee. Most moms are pain free for a while but when that epidural wears off the pain comes with a vengeance. So basically one way or another you are going to feel pain, epidural or not.

My experience with women that don't get an epidural is that they recover much faster. Which means they are able to care for baby sooner. Yes, they have postpartum pain but once you've felt the pain of childbirth you can handle pretty much anything. I've also noticed that non-epidural babies are much more alert and tend to breastfeed better than epidural babies. So my vote is to go no epidural if possible.

Now these are purely my own observations and by no means proven or medically supported, but like I said, I've taken care of many postpartum moms and babies. Hope this helps

jessilee15 · April 2015

I'm getting an epidural again. I went to 6 cm and it wasn't too bad, but I work at a hospital and have seen a lot of deliveries; there's a lot of screaming with natural deliveries. I always planned on an epi, but wanted to wait I was in established active labor. No regrets at all. It was a great experience for me!

nursemartin7 · April 2015

I am a L&D nurse at a busy inner-city hospital. We practice evidence-based medicine as much as possible. I will say epidurals can slow labor, but I have also seen them speed up the process when the woman is in so much pain she tenses all her body and can't relax into the contractions. A doula is a great resource in this situations. We do skin to skin with all babies (when medically possible), even our csections. We won't even weigh and measure the baby until it's a couple hours old. We also delay bath up to 24 hours. We do however recommend only delaying cord clamping in babies born before 34 weeks. After that gestational age research only finds increased chance of jaundice, and no benefit in waiting for cord to stop pulsing. Most of us hospital-based delivery teams aren't trying to "limit mothers' rights" but with our lawsuit rates through the roof, some doctors are very, very cautious. Everyone wants healthy mom and healthy babe. Do your research, educate yourself, but remember your OB/GYN IS a great resource with lots of education and background on this very topic.

nursemartin7 · April 2015

By the way, I have done both the epidural and natural delivery. It's amazing what you can do with the right focus (and a precip, nurse-delivered baby!)

jackie5580 · April 2015

Hello all I have 2 girls one will be 16 which with her I had an epidural with and my recovery was horrible. With my second who will be 7 I had nothing they gave me potocin and I had her in 2 hours no pain meds at all my recovery was terrific I was up and about in no time. So that is my plan with this one to go all natural good luck and best wishes to all

april172010U · April 2015

I had my first natural a 19 hour labor. It hurt and although I did it, I don't remember much aside from pain and contractions. I felt the birth was me centered. I could do it, where am I most comfortable, etc.
With my second, I had an epidural and my labor was 13 hours, and I laughed with my husband, watched in a mirror, and enjoyed the birth of our baby. I felt it was more baby centered. It did take 1 hour after birth to get strength to walk though.
With that chose what you'd like. I don't think you can go wrong if it's your choice.

AshleeM7784 · April 2015

I was planning to have a natural birth, but in the end opted for an epidural. My contractions were the worst pain I've ever experienced. I don't say this to scare anyone, only to say that I think different women experience contractions differently. I have a very high pain tolerance (broke my femur several years ago and didn't pass out from the pain, broke my arm a few weeks ago and didn't take any pain meds since I'm pregnant) and I literally could not bare the pain of labor. I don't think this is the case for everyone.

After 22 hours of labor I couldn't take it any more and asked for an epidural. In the end it was the best decision I could have made. My son's birth was fairly complicated because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, so I had to make many decisions on potential interventions to deliver him safely. The epidural took away all of the pain and I was able to focus on making the best decisions for him. I was also able to rest for an hour or so which was really helpful when it came time to push (which only lasted a few minutes).

I am hoping to have a natural birth with baby #2 but if I feel that I need an epidural I won't feel any shame in it. The most important thing is to realize that you may change your plan once you're in labor and that is absolutely ok. An epidural wasn't my plan A but I have a beautiful healthy baby boy and I had a very easy recovery.

Emma&Shayne · April 2015

I love gas and air that stuff is awesome!!!!

Last time I was calling for the epidural but by the time they got the tap in I was ready to push so had no medication through it. Now I know once I'm at that point it's nearly over so I'm hoping it will be easier to cope this time.

I am not looking forward to the aftermath of my baby door (lol love that name for it) the pain of showering after birth having the water run over it or going to the toilet afterwards makes me shudder just remembering the feelings

sorry if that worries any first timers but atleast u can prepare yourself

LeCountess01 · April 2015

Does Paris have a nearby birth center? Im in fayetteville, north carolina and the closest birth center in a larger city about 1.5 hours away. I was concerned about the distance but the midwives told me many people travel that far without a problem. This place was epidural free but still believed in giving pain meds such as morphine if a woman was not progressing due to pain and anxiety. They also provided all the newborn screening tests.

I was so impressed and ready to start classes in order to deliver there. However my pregnancy got a bit complicated and i wont be delivering there now. Ive gone through the worse physical of my life recently (long story...basically it was ovarian torsion and a neglectful ER nurse), so mentally I dont think im ready to do a natural birth this pregnancy, as much as I wish I could.

I support a natural birth 100% and for my next child, I would love to experience it.

Kitta+1 · April 2015

I want a natural birth, but I'm disappointed in the reaction my family has given me - basically acting like since I'm a FTM what I want isn't 'valid' because of my inexperience, regardless of all the research I've done. When I told my mom I didn't want an epidural, she was just dismissive of the idea and said, "you say that now, you'll ask for by the time you get there though." It's frustrating, and makes me not want to have anyone there with me at all.

To me optimum health of the baby is more important than the pain relief. I know epidurals don't usually or even often cause irreversible damage, but it can have adverse effects and I don't like to risk it at all - especially because I am highly sensitive to drugs in the first place including narcotics.

Glad to see natural birth isn't the rarity it seems to be out here - of all my coworkers and family I've only found one woman that didn't have an epi, so support and understanding is hard to come by.

Emma&Shayne · April 2015

Kitta+1 said:
I want a natural birth, but I'm disappointed in the reaction my family has given me - basically acting like since I'm a FTM what I want isn't 'valid' because of my inexperience, regardless of all the research I've done. When I told my mom I didn't want an epidural, she was just dismissive of the idea and said, "you say that now, you'll ask for by the time you get there though." It's frustrating, and makes me not want to have anyone there with me at all.

To me optimum health of the baby is more important than the pain relief. I know epidurals don't usually or even often cause irreversible damage, but it can have adverse effects and I don't like to risk it at all - especially because I am highly sensitive to drugs in the first place including narcotics.

Glad to see natural birth isn't the rarity it seems to be out here - of all my coworkers and family I've only found one woman that didn't have an epi, so support and understanding is hard to come by.

My advice is don't rule it out completely but make a detailed birth plan with what you would prefer and have your birthing partner stand up for what you want and just remember that if you change your mind that's fine too each birth is different and so is each persons pain tolerance. I hope your mum gets on board with what your plan is even if she doesn't agree

Kanne0729 · April 2015

With my first child I had an epidural and it didn't work at all, twice. I ended up have a placental abruption after they broke my water so I needed an emergency c-section anyway, but since the epidural didn't work both times they had to put me under.

As the other ladies have said if you are planning on a natural birth then I would strongly urge you to look into getting a doula and possibly switching to a midwife if you aren't with one now. Other than that, since I've never experienced a natural or vaginal birth because my others were then repeat c-sections so I really don't have any other suggestions other than to do your research on it so that you can make the best informed decision for you.

Don't be scared to talk with your doctor/midwfe on any concerns or questions that you may have, that's what they're there for. Also, don't be scared to tell them no if there is something that you don't want to do, I have known many women that have had terrible birth experiences and things didn't go the way that they wanted because they were too scared to go against the doctor and say no.

GL and just remember if things don't go exactly the way you want, you still come out with the best prize in the end of it.

rox7777 · April 2015

When I was overseas in Korea they wouldn't admit anyone until they were 5cm. I spent two days in a bathtub crying my eyes out and not sleeping.
By the time I got to the time I got to the hospital I was so exhausted the doctor didn't think I would have the energy to push so I got an epidural. I slept through the last 8 hours of labor only waking up when they broke my water. They woke me up when I hit exactly 10cm and 3 pushes later I had a baby. The nap I got beforehand really helped me to be able to immediately breastfeed and put all my energy into pushing, however, this time I'm hoping I can get admitted a little earlier and maybe not have to go through all that again.

parisiennemom · April 2015

Wow, not easy, I'm sure @rbradshaw77 ...I have a question a bit off topic... Where you living in South Korea? The hospital you were at, were they fluent in English or are you bilingual?

I ask because I'm facing this problem now. I currently leave in France and would say I'm pretty fluent enough in French for my day to day life. Understanding while I'm labor and knowledge of medical terms are a different story... I want an English speaking hospital for the reasons mentioned above but I'm certain it won't be 100% covered as I would most likely have to go to a private hospital. What was it like for you giving birth overseas?

rox7777 · April 2015

@parisiennemom We were in northern South Korea near the dmz. My husband is military, but the military hospital didn't have a nicu or the capability to stop preterm labor (which I had at 32 weeks) so I was seen mostly off base. In my experience most of the larger hospitals in the Seoul had an embassy of sorts that had English speakers that could help with insurance questions and communicate with the doctors.
There was a bit of a language barrier and I had a few difficulties but honestly the Koreans were so friendly and really cared about my safety. They made sure we were well taken care of. My one complaint is that when I wanted to leave the hospital after two shots to stop labor and 5 IV bags they wouldn't let me and it took another 24 hours to leave.
As for the raising my son over there, we had an overall great experience. There were so many kids cafes and play areas for newborns and up. It was easy to connect with other moms even with the language barrier just because my son was happy to play with anyone. I did have to keep my son in a carrier the first couple of months just because Koreans are very hands on and wanted to grab and hold. Once he was older he loved going to the older Korean ladies and getting hugs and treats. He was quite popular with his blonde hair and blue eyes. Lol.

jkerouac · April 2015

parisiennemom said:
Wow, not easy, I'm sure @rbradshaw77 ...I have a question a bit off topic... Where you living in South Korea? The hospital you were at, were they fluent in English or are you bilingual?

I ask because I'm facing this problem now. I currently leave in France and would say I'm pretty fluent enough in French for my day to day life. Understanding while I'm labor and knowledge of medical terms are a different story... I want an English speaking hospital for the reasons mentioned above but I'm certain it won't be 100% covered as I would most likely have to go to a private hospital. What was it like for you giving birth overseas?

I used to live in Paris and when I first arrived I didn't speak French very well so I used the Franco-Brittanique Hospital in Levallois Perret, some but not all doctors there are covered. If not there is an American Hospital in Neuilly but that one is quite expensive. Might be worth looking into them though, from what I remember, even private doctors in France are a lot cheaper than in the US.

babysey · April 2015

I love my doctor & she explained it well to me with my first baby. It was completely up to me. She said the most important part of labor was pushing. If I spent all my energy on contractions, then makes pushing harder & stressful. Did a "walking epidural" & had a wonderful birth experience!!

OSUJaydee · April 2015

I had epidurals with both my births, but the second time it didn't work, so it was pretty close to non-medicated. My first I was induced due to pre-e, but it was a pretty short labor and I only pushed for a half hour. My second my water broke at 36 weeks and he was born four hours later with only about 15 minutes of pushing. I did not do well with the unmedicated birth, but I think that's partly because I wasn't expecting it, and partly because it was so,incredibly fast. My H and I took Bradley method classes before my first birth, and I think those were extremely helpful in learning how to cope with the pain and understanding all that was going on during labor. I'd definitely recommend some sort of classes like that!

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