Natural birth or epidural

middlechild5 · May 2015

Now that I am 24 weeks I have started to think about the big day-- meeting our little miracles. Which has made me a bit nervous just thinking about it..

What is everyone thinking about their birth plans.. To go medicine free natural or oxytocin drip and epidural? I'm a FTM so I was just planning on epidural since it's so common but started reading research based articles regarding how great the natural birth with minimal medicine is best... Any other thought/concerns?

Ps Obviously c-section is optional for emergency reasons.

shaunnar053 · May 2015

I'm putting my trust in my doctors. I'm a very go with the flow type of person. If I feel I need an epidural, I'll get it. Whatever is best for baby

. No real "birth plan" here. I just hope I don't tear too badly and I'd rather not get a c-section (obviously) but, whatever is best for the health of my little man is fine by me.

>-

mrscate88 · May 2015

shaunnarose said:
I'm putting my trust in my doctors. I'm a very go with the flow type of person. If I feel I need an epidural, I'll get it. Whatever is best for baby . No real "birth plan" here. I just hope I don't tear too badly and I'd rather not get a c-section (obviously) but, whatever is best for the health of my little man is fine by me. >-

Couldn't have said it better. Exactly my thinking as a first-timer. It is my experience and I have ideas of what I would like, but I definitely like to go with the flow and just get this kid out safely!

sterjacks21 · May 2015

After doing all of my research, I want my birth to be natural. None of the doctors in the area that I just moved to seem like they will agree with my birth plan so i decided I wanted a midwife and a home birth. My boyfriend and mother are scared about doing a home birth for my first child, so I've compromised and will be having baby in a birthing center! I'm not going lie though, I'm kind of scared of doing the labor without drugs! But I know it's what's best for me and baby! Good luck with your research though! It's all about what makes you most comfortable and happy!

ellebxo26 · May 2015

I'm giving birth at a birth center so an epidural isn't even an option. I've just personally always wanted to experience a natural birth and plan to use hypnobirthing techniques to get through the pain.

blondehairblueeyeditalianbaby · May 2015

I went with the flow the first time. I wanted to try unmedicated but was open to medication. I ended up doing one dose of IV pain meds (stadol) when I was 9cm. I did not like the way it made me feel. I wished later that I had not asked for it. I don't think I realized how close I was at the time. I am going in with the same plan this time. I am hopeful to go unmedicated.

chelseajeanene · May 2015

I plan to go as natural as I can, I'm afraid of epidurals and won't get one but if I can't handle the pain, I won't be afraid to ask for some other forms of pain relief

eyewalls · May 2015

For me as natural as I can. Women have done it for all of time and I want to experience my babies arriving with my mind unmedicated. Went to prenatal class last weekend and after being presented all options I'm even more certain!

bpv101283 · May 2015

I wish we had laughing gas available here in PA or in the USA in general. I plan on having an epi as I did last time. I'm ok with medication. Just want my baby here, not really interested in how as much this time since Ive been through it.

Growingapepper · May 2015

All natural, no medication for me. After all the research I truly believe births are meant to be unmedicated, and there are no benefits to medicine (with very few exceptions, such as an emergency.) If you are having a healthy and normal labor, something as simple as an epidural can cause the snowball effect and next thing you know you're getting a c-section. Woman have been having babies since wayyy before epidurals and pitocin ever existed. I'm so thankful for what the doctors can do these days, but I strongly believe their interventions should be avoided until all other options are exhausted.

BeachBabe22 · May 2015

I did not have an epidural with my daughter and I don't plan on getting one this time.

yessirio · May 2015

I had an epidural with my two boys n now I'm doing the same thing with my baby girl... I had a good experience with it so I'm OK doing it again...

ElleMF728 · May 2015

I loved my epidural and it did not at all affect my ability to push. DS was out in about 15 minutes and my recovery was fantastic. Everyone experiences are different and this topic is so subjective based off of what you in particular want from your birth experience.

The only advice I will give is to please go into it with an open mind, it is so important to research and be informed but another great tool of knowledge is experience, which can only be gained through your own circumstance. Be able to adapt to changing situations and surround yourself with people you trust and who will support you.

WDDCH · May 2015

I'm a home birther so drugs aren't an option. I'll be using breathing techniques and water (birth tub, shower) to help with discomfort and pain. I've had epidurals with two, a natural hospital birth, a natural birth center birth and one home birth under my belt already. I prefer natural birth for many reasons. Business of Being Born is actually something I watched AFTER my first natural birth but if affirmed all the reasons why I chose no drugs and I do recommend that documentary.

No one can really tell you anything but what they prefer. I'd do some soul searching and really decide what aspects of birth are most important to you. This day is too important to me to not have my preferences mapped out, with backup plans for emergencies. So yes, I'm pro birth plans. It doesn't mean you are inflexible. It's just "best case scenario" with backup thoughts in case an issue arises.

KanishaT · May 2015

I would like to try my best to go natural, but I let my doctor know I'm open to pain meds and possibly an epidural if I just can't handle it. I've also been looking into pain management techniques and water labor. I'm just going to trust that I can get through the pain.

either way, I'll just be happy to have my little one in my arms afterwards.

KERJF · May 2015

Natural.
An epidural is not part of a vaginal birth for me. It went wrong with our first and I refuse to chance it again. Plus, my 2nd birth which was a natural water birth was amazing. Absolutely amazing.

WDDCH · May 2015

KERJF said:
Natural.
An epidural is not part of a vaginal birth for me. It went wrong with our first and I refuse to chance it again. Plus, my 2nd birth which was a natural water birth was amazing. Absolutely amazing.

My last (fifth baby) was my water birth and I agree. Amazing! I pushed him out into my own hand and pulled him up once he was out. I just loved that so much. I wanted a water birth so bad and finally got it last time. Hoping for another water birth this time.

shelbydd · May 2015

I won't make that decision until I'm in the moment. The way I see it is I've never been in labor so no matter how much I read and listen to other people's experiencing I won't know my own tolerance until I experience it. I'm open to pain meds but I'm not going into it with the mindset that I absolutely will or absolutely won't be able to do it with/without pain meds.

SydneyBxo · May 2015

With my son I went as long as I could without an epi & ended up getting one at 5cm. It was amazing.. I had no issues from it at all. I wasn't completely numb & could feel my legs.. it's just like they were asleep. I had the best birthing experience. No pain, no yelling, no grunting.. it was so peaceful I actually enjoyed it! I have a good friend who went med-free & she doesn't remember anything about her son's birth.. she said it was like she was in another state of mind which I'm sure you would have to be to endure the pain. But she said it was great & did it again when her daughter was born. I applaud mom's who can do that, however I am just a big ol' baby with no pain tolerance. I'd love to try & experience an all natural med-free birth this go around, but I think of the peacefulness of birthing my son & I definitely want to experience that again! To each their own.

troopersmom · May 2015

I am going to a hospital, having a medical doctor deliver, and will be using as much pain and epidural meds as possible. That's the plan.

kazmierczak0314 · May 2015

I'm planning on a water birth so meds aren't an option. I have done a lot of research into it and have talked to people that have done it. The hot water is a natural relaxing. If your hospital allows them I would look into it.

melewen · May 2015

Natural all the way! Billions of women have done it this way and their pain is reduced because they're not terrified of the natural birthing experience! Something about paralyzing my body from waist down... Oh yeah, the baby is in there! Not for me

melewen · May 2015

The irony is that many of the women who are ok with epidurals believe that a glass of wine can permanently deform their babies..

Boobopgirl · May 2015

Natural. Med free. Hopefully a water birth (not sure if baby will be born in the water, definitely wanna labor in the water). I made it 24 hours with my first before I asked for the drugs (with TERRIBLE pitocin contractions and a transcervical foley balloon doshne TWICE because they did i wrong the first time. If you don't know what that is, be glad, it's pretty brutal) Anticipating this labor to be much shorter plus being able to relax in the birth tub and not needing pit or the stupid balloon. So pretty confident I can do it.

With K, I'm sure the epidural saved me from needing a c-section, (I've told this story here before so forgive me if you've heard it). Because I had been in labor for so many hours and hadn't rested well the night before, I was bordering on irrational. After having the epidural and having rested for a few hours, K ended up in distress and I had to be with it enough and alert enough to push as quickly and effectively as possible. Had I not been able to do that, it would have been a c-section for sure and I'm sure I couldn't have done it without an epidural.

All that to say: I believe 100% in natural birth. I believe in my body's ability to do it naturally, and I believe that that is the way it was intended to be in most cases. But I also believe there's a time and a place where it is beneficial to accept just about any medical intervention and that accepting this or that intervention or not accepting it comes down to personal choice, sound medical advice (i.e. not just: we think you should take this medicine because we want you to stop making noise), and what is best for mom and baby in that individual moment.

szarlotka · May 2015

I'm hoping to go med-free barring any severe unforeseen complications. I can be a little slow at understanding instructions when asked to do something new with my body (has been the case for snowboarding and kayaking lessons), so trying to make my body do unfamiliar things when I can't feel all of my body doesn't sound like a good idea.

adtaylor2015 · May 2015

I would highly recommend going into the whole process with an open mind. I had all intentions of declining the epidural but because my blood pressure was borderline, the doctor highly recommended that I get one. It's good to do research and have a plan but just remember that things can happen very quickly and the plan may need to change for the health of you and the baby. I just plan on going with the flow again.

babyplut · May 2015

Au natural! I made it through two 48 hour labours with laughing gas (which I guess is something lol) If I did it then I'm sure going to try it again. I feel like this is something women have been doing forever without heavy drugs so I'm going to give it my best again. My exs mother has to ride a bike by herself for 4 hours to get to a hospital while in labour so I think I have it pretty easy

jenboston22 · May 2015

melewen said:

The irony is that many of the women who are ok with epidurals believe that a glass of wine can permanently deform their babies..

Um, I just wanted to say that I plan to get an epidural and I'm also totally fine with 1/2 glass or full glass of wine...

J0C0TX · May 2015

I'm a wuss and had a fear of labor a mile wide, so the epi was always in my plan and I loved it. Then I needed a C-section and despite the emergency nature of it, that was fine too because I knew my doctor had my best interest at heart - I'd been through a lot with her already. She debated forceps before deciding on the section, but decided I didn't need trauma "down there" based on my history. I was, and continue to be, happy with her decision - one RCS down, one to go with the dude!

jenboston22 - can I just say I love your common sense responses on so many of the posts I ready. Thank you

excited2bmommy09 · May 2015

I am going into it with an open mind since I am a FTM and have no idea what to expect from myself or the process. My plan is to go natural for a few different reasons, but I'm not going to set that in stone or anything. I have always had a really high pain tolerance so I am hoping going natural will not be a problem, but you never know what will come up with these things so we will see!

bpv101283 · May 2015

jenboston22 said:

melewen said:

The irony is that many of the women who are ok with epidurals believe that a glass of wine can permanently deform their babies..

Um, I just wanted to say that I plan to get an epidural and I'm also totally fine with 1/2 glass or full glass of wine...

Also an epidural is not a narcotic so not sure why it would affect the baby.

Also, Pass me a glass of wine.

jenboston22 · May 2015

@joco aww, thanks! $:\$ ">

Boobopgirl · May 2015

I will also say that I think it is important to know what risks/benefits each option offers going in. Even if your doctor thoroughly explains them to you at the time, you might not be in the state of mind to fully grasp what it all means if you are in pain or scared. Also, some decisions may have to be made rather quickly in the moment and you want to know what you are deciding. (ex. for me: forceps assisted was better than c-section and got her out safer and faster, for one of the above posters, c-section turned out to be best over forceps because of her unique situation).

Especially if a person who is not your usual doctor ends up delivering your baby (this is always a possibility: doctors get sick too), they might NOT know what you want (ex. if you want to have more than 4 or so kids, having multiple c-sections might limit your ability to safely carry that many babies. It happened to a friend of mine.) or even everything about your history so it's good to have some kind of an idea what the different options mean.

J0C0TX · May 2015

@Boobopgirl - trust me you did not want my unique situation

seamonkey4 · May 2015

I'm a FTM, but also a nurse...the best advice...do your research and keep an open mind. Don't go in there expecting everything to go according to your birthing plan. Being flexible and adaptable to whatever unforeseen circumstances is what will best serve you and baby. Currently my plan is no meds...that with the research I've done and continue to do. But again, being flexible if they tell me my pain is causing my BP to get too high or I'm too tense and not having productive contractions, then pain meds it is.

KYmama9286 · May 2015

I'm kinda different in that I've had 3 natural births and for #4, because of some medical issues my team of doctors have strongly encouraged I get an epidural. I trust them and their opinion and plan on getting one but to be honest- I'm terrified!!

Haha I know what to expect with a natural birth, I know how my body responds, how long it takes me to push, how to push effectively, etc. The thought of an epi brings so many unknowns that I'm not really thrilled I'm going that route but I need to be realistic and do what's best for my body :-( I will say even with an epi I plan on having a birth plan!

ElleMF728 · May 2015

melewen said:

The irony is that many of the women who are ok with epidurals believe that a glass of wine can permanently deform their babies..

What I find actually ironic is being mocked by someone who once linked to Generation Rescue as a site to "inform" other moms about natural birth.

I hope that you have since learned that neither vaccines during pregnancy nor pitocin will cause your child to be autistic. Also, C-Sections do not cause asthma or leukemia.

In many cases, there exists a real need for medical intervention and comments like your are helpful to no one and perpetuate feelings of guilt and failure in women who desperately need support. I sincerely hope that you get the birth experience that you desire, honestly, but you seem to have really firm opinions and judgments about women who feel differently than you do.

ladylianne · May 2015

I love the thought of a natural child birth but being a ftm I honestly don't know how bad the pain will be and It seems to vary from person to person so I will have to wait and see. I am not ruling anything out or sticking to a strong birth plan. I will trust the hospital to help me have a safe delivery and will see how I go. Good luck ladies!

mybabynumber2 · May 2015

I had an epi with our son, I was induced and advised it was best all round for both baby and me, as I was in for the long haul of labour.

By choice, I would have liked to have just had gas and air. I had no problems with the epi going in or coming out. The only problem I did have, was that it failed several times and the anesthetist had to re-visit me before i eventually felt numb.
Who knows what's gonna happen with this little one. Just gonna go with the flow.

I truly believe that this is a personal choice and no one should be judged or frowned upon if they decide against or for it.

PrincessPiper · May 2015

I had a bad experience with my epidural, both times. But I'm having another c-section, and I really don't have too many options. My OB scheduled a consult with the anesthesiologist beforehand, so I can discuss my unique situation (acute curvature of the spine). The epi worked both times, they just had a difficult time administering it. Took 45 mins, and multiple sticks. I'm going to suck it up, and know that it will all be over soon enough, and I'll be so happy once Piper is in our arms!

Good luck to everybody, no matter what you choose!

Boobopgirl · May 2015

joco said:

@Boobopgirl - trust me you did not want my unique situation

I am sure I didn't. My unique situation was dramatic/traumatic enough. But I was using your case to illustrate the fact that in your case, a c/s was the best option for you and for me, it would have actually taken longer to get my baby out of distress that way. But they didn't tell me that. They just said "forceps or csection?" and if I hadn't known what I did about both, i might not have made the right choice.

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