Natural vs. Epidural?
What are your opinions? Which do you think is better? I want to do natural but I can't decide if I'm going to be able to handle it or not. I have a somewhat high pain tolerance but I've seen people give birth and it just doesn't seem like high pain tolerance is going to cut it. For those that have had epidurals, any problems during or afterward? I'm not scared of needles. I'm scared of needles going into my spine. I've had a spinal tap so is it similar to that? I would look it up and read about it but just seeing the pictures scares the crap out of me. Any opinions?
Comments
If you have had a spinal tap, you can handle an epidural. It is not nearly as bad. THe part that sucks is having to sit completely still and sometimes the contractions don't cooperate. That is the hardest thing. At the time, you will NOT be scared of the needle, since you might be in a bit of pain. I have had one epidural birth and two natural. This latest birth (Liam) was so awesome. He was entirely natural and I could soooo do it! It was hard, don't get me wrong. But it is empowering to choose no meds (I wanted drugs with the other natural birth, but they didn't get the doc in to give me the meds until too late). It is something that is best judged while you are there too. Be open to medication, but also be open to handling it without the meds. It is not really about a pain tolerance, more about visualizing the end and having coping mechanisms. Try envisioning a runner going up a hill during the upward part of a contraction. Then when it peaks, you get to go downhill. That is what I used with my last birth.
It sounds like you are already leaning towards medication free so why not try it and see how it goes? I swore up and down that at the first sign of pain I would be getting an epidural but it turned out that my labor went so quick there was never a chance, talk about being unprepared! So whatever you decide I strongly caution that you do pay attention in childbirth class and learn the breathing and coping methods they advise even if you do opt for meds in the end.
I have a low pain threshold and while childbirth is excruciating, you do get through it. Stop watching childbirth shows and asking for other people's experiences, you'll only scare yourself. And take the opinions of people who "had a epi with the first and went natural with the second and preferred that so much more!" with a grain of salt- second babies are almost always easier (your body is already looser). Some people describe the high you get at the end of a med free birth but I have to be honest- I just felt like I had been hit by a truck. I have a medical condition this time around that makes it inadvisable to get an epidural but if I didn't have that you can bet I'd be getting one.
Just keep your options open and see how you feel when the time actually comes.
In my own personal opinion I would say natural. My first daughter, I had an Epidural, and regret it. It hurt much worse than my contractions, and I was plauged with some back pains for a long time. The lady that administered it screwed up, and had to put the needle in my back 7 times, each more excrutiatingly painful then the last time. My second birth however, I had natural and was laughing at myself for being so silly not to do it the first time. In the movies and pictures, some are sorely over exaggerated. It hurts but I never screamed at my nurses or punched my doctor in the face or anything dramatic like that. And knowing that the pains were bringing life into the world made it all the more worth it. The goal is to not tense up and breathe and dont be scared. The more easy going you are about it and less focused on "crap this is going to hurt" the easier it is. Its not as bad as some people say, but its different for everyone. Another pro to not having the needle of spinal doom put in your back is that your baby is not drugged up when he or she comes out, and their vitals are usually in less danger. Its a very personal choice, and I hope you can figure out the right one. But as for my choice, I would most definetely the beauty of natural childbirth.
I had the chance to experience both. I have a very high pain threshold. I was able to talk myself through the pain. If you take a pre natal class, you can learn on how to relax and breathe easier during the contractions. Read as much as you can.
I also did some water aerobics/yoga as well. I really felt prepared for the birth of my daughters. I was lucky enough to have short labors 4 hours for the first(back labor) and 3 1/2 hours for the 2nd. Both were natural labors.
As for my twins boys, it was a bit different. I was forced to take an epidural as Baby B was breech and a c-section may have to be performed. I did not enjoy it at all. I couldn't feel anything, couldn't be in of control anything. I was in shock when the nurse decided to check me, and then she looked at me, turned around and said, " get the Dr. now!" Baby A's head was halfway out ! A huge door swung opened and 25 staff members came rushing in. My son was born within minutes. His twin brother followed as a breech 3 minutes later. My son was taken to the NICU for 4 days as he had swallowed blood and amniotic fluid.This birth was 2 1/2 hours.
I honestly would never have an epidural again. It may take some or all of the pain away..but not know what is going on in my own body...no thank you!
I wish you the best in making your decision, find information to read and ways to deal with your pain, you can do this. Good luck and Blessings.
Out of four pregnancies, only two did I have without pain medication. And you know what? The outcome for me was all the same deary:) Beautiful little baby and one tired mama.
I will not try to persuade any woman to go with either/or and I'll tell you why......
You can have pride in tolerating the pain of childrbirth (if that is the kind of pride you have) but in all honesty, the only difference for many women is the pain. Most women don't go on to have complications directly related to spinal blocks and pain meds, and most babies who are born under pain meds are not affected the way some mothers fear. I understand that the choice made 'right now' may not be the choice you make in the delievery room. And for every woman, the decision to do it or not is up to her and this should not define her abilities as a mother.
When I gave birth to my first son, it was necessary to get an epidural, as my labor went on to last for more than one day and the pushing took more than four hours. In hindsight, this was definitely a birth that should have been a c-section, according to doctors. But nonetheless, the epidural allowed me to rest and not feel most of the pain that I would have felt if I had opted not to take it. Sometimes, for women in that situation, it is very necessary, to avoid the need of c-section and other complications due to exhaustion, blood pressure and other side effects of extreme pain.
When I had my daughter, no meds were used whatsoever, and it wasn't intended that way, but that is how it ended up because she came in less than three hours of labor, where I had her right there in the ER. Now, this pain was tolerable, as I had not been confined to a bed for the whole day and night and because the whole process of dilation and stronger contractions lasted less than three hours, pushing just three times. I'm sure it hurt, but it was very quick, and for the most part, I suffered no other complications such as tears or/episiotomy.
Mind you, I had two others, another with meds and another without. With one of these babies, I was able to reach down and feel the top of his head, then help pull him out and being pain-free is the only way I could have experienced that, so having meds certainly has its advantages, where you can actually ENJOY the experience, not just pray it gets over with.
Best of luck to you:)
Honestly, it depends on the person, alot of ppl can handle the pain somehow...I personally said I was NOT gonna have an epidural, but when contractions started getting strong I couldn't handle it so I got the epidural. I have a high pain tolerance most of the time, but I am pretty sure giving birth takes more than high pain tolerance...I am deathly afraid of needles but if I ever have kids again I WILL have another one.
I went natural with my first born and did fine. I planned on going natural with my second but stopped dilating and had really bad back labor so I decided to get the epidural, the only problem...it didn't work. It took away no pain, only made me feel worse. I couldn't do anything except lay there and had to get help every time i wanted to roll over. It wasn't because I got it too late or anything like that, it just didn't work for me. My advice is to try to go natural, it's better for the baby and easier for you after wards. But if you get there and can't handle the pain then try getting something less for the pain. There are plenty of other medications out there, the epidural is not your only option. Good luck and congratulations!! Remember to try to enjoy everything, even though its uncomfortable, tiring, and sometimes painful...its totally worth it in the end!!!
I had 2 natural childbirths (with a little demerol in transition to keep me mentally in the game - it does nothing for the pain). It's totally not about "pain threshold" - you have to be mentally prepared for it and know how to manage the pain with breathing, visualization, vocalization, movement, dissociation, relaxation etc. There are lots of good classes and approaches out there, I used "hypnobirthing" and think it is awesome.
Epidurals are great for people who need them. I'm like you, I hate needles and I did a lot of research. Epidurals do raise your risks of complications and can slow down the labor and make it take longer. It's also a lot easier to recover from a natural childbirth than from an epidural (if both were normal uncomplicated births)
For my 1st baby, I prepared for a natural birth and gave myself permission to ask for an epidural if the pain got worse than my fear of the needle. I did ask for soemthing "to take the edge off" and my midwife gave me some demerol. But I never wanted the epidural.
For my 2nd baby the pain was more intense and I was not mentally prepared. I would probably have gotten the epidural if I'd known in advance how intense it would be, but it was all so fast it never occurred to me to ask for it.
I've performed each, first typical, moment epidural, I consider it is a individual option, I did believe proud that I did deliver beginning typical and I believe that I obtained to enjoy the beginning complete tilt, with my moment (epidural) I loved the beginning extra within the feel I did not believe like I was once on the point of dying and I was once in a position to peer within the replicate him popping out, while with my daughter I could not open my eyes, I simply layed there moaning looking to maintain alive,lol. I dont seem down on folks who prefer epidural, simply folks who nonetheless ***** approximately the beginning whilst they've had one, after you may have long past typical you understand there's a gigantic change among the anguish and pain of typical vs the pain of epidural. nice success
I went natural with 2 of my 3 girls. It wasn't that bad. I won't ever get another epidural ever again. I had severe back pain for months afterwards to the point where I couldn't bend over.