It isnt so bad. Im glad that I did not have the epidural. It actually felt good when she got past my cervix.
get thee into a big tub of water when it starts to hurt. but wait untill you really think you can't take it, then you'll notice a BIG difference. i went from bellowing to breathing through the xtions once i got in the water.
the only way i would get an epidural was if i had to have a c-section. other than that, not a freaking chance.
Don't say that! I was in labour 30 hours before we transferred to a hospital. Then they augmented my contractions with pitocin. If I had gone into the hospital and NOT gotten the epidural, I can assure you I would have ended up with a c-section. With the epidural, I was able to be clear-headed enough to advocate for myself. Plus, I got a bit of a nap so that when it came time to push, I had more energy. Had I not napped, I wouldn't have had any energy. So be open-minded to all options. if not, you'll find yourself so very sad when things don't go as you'd hope.
I agree with Hippyfreek. Never say never, specially if you have never experienced the hell of pitocin. Both of my births began with my water breaking, and 24-36 hours later, no labor. Therefore I had pitocin, which is HELL. Both times I waited and tried to labor without an epidural, only to get one near the end. Both times, once I got the epidural, I dilated more than 4 cm in less than an hour. I think having the epidural let my body relax enough to do what it needed to do. And the later you get the epidural, the less it works, so both times, I was able to feel everything, just dulled, and I was able to walk immediatly after birth. I think its one thing to say "I won't get an epidural at the first sign of pain and then watch TV while I labor and try to guess how to push while I can't feel anything. " A lot of people do that, and I strongly think that isn't a great idea, but epidurals can be useful.
i've done it all three ways. Baby #1, no epidural until 9cm, when i got a partial (the doc's exact words were: "You really need this, because you're very hard to work with"). It didn't really help. Baby #2, i had no pride left, and remembered how much #1 sucked, so i got the epidural at the standard 4cm. It was wonderful. My nurses were sadists, and left me alone for two hours WHILE CROWNING, to wait for my doc. Though I'd given birth before, i knew nothing about it, so i listened. Wish i hadn't, because the pain was pretty aweful, but nothing like #1. Baby #3, i thought i had this birth thing figured out, and decided as soon as i got pregnant i would have no pain meds at all. HA. In my birth fantasies i thought i'd be walking around, having an actual "natural" childbirth, but instead i was given pitocin (labor stopped at 5 cm, but i live over an hour from the hospital, so going home seemed kinda dumb) and strapped to a monitor. Total hell. Maybe it would have been ok if i could have been in a better position, but it was simply torture.
If you are going to be giving birth in the hospital, hire a doula. The only women I know in real life who had unmedicated childbirth in the hospital setting, every one of them had a doula with them. It's that important because you need to focus all your energy on labor, not on fighting the hospital staff for what you want. Have someone there to advocate for you. I chose to avoid the hospital completely with my second child because of how horrible my hospital experience was with the birth of my first, and I had absolutely no problems giving birth without any drugs or help from a doctor. The idea I might need something for pain never even crossed my mind! Get a copy of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Read it cover to cover. Take Bradley childbirth classes. And hire a doula!!
i've had 3 unmedicated births in the hospital... #1... I was weeks past my due date and just not going into labor. I went into the hospital and was given pitocin. The father of the baby decided to be a jerk and skip out so my mom was the one with me. They told her to go home and get some sleep. 3 hours later I called her up and a couple hrs after that Croix was born. The pitocin is hell with no epidural... I remember throwing up and my body was just so sick. It was a horrible experiance. They left me alone to labor. Treated me like crap because they couldn't except I might actually be telling the truth (because I was some "dumb kid") when I told them how strong the pain was and ended up delivering the baby before the doc could get there. #2... I woke up in full blown labor and never felt any signs of contractions so by the time I got there they had enough time to lay me down and catch the baby. Again, crappy nurses and no doctor. lol This one wasn't so bad, I remember walking up to the second floor, and to the maternity ward myself minutes away from birth. #3... The only wonderful hospital no medication experiance I've had... This time I switched doctors (and hospitals) in the middle of my pregnancy and found a great one. He was kind, understanding and really laid back/easy going. I got in around midnight, had my hubby, MIL and hubby's aunt with me as my support team. Around 5 am things started to pick up, the doc was in the room every hour and the nurse stuck around too, she was sweet and no one bugged me about medication and listened to me about where I thought I was in the labor. The only thing about unmedicated labor is this (I remind myself this in labor)... The contractions aren't that bad, its a quick moment of squeezing pain and its over. Once they get to the point where you can't take them that means the baby is here and it'll be over very soon. Just keep calm and concentrate on relaxing through it. I always feel like I'm in an ocean with the way the contractions roll over like waves. Visualize calmness. But like the other mamas said don't go into it expecting anything or dead set on one way. Baby #3 I went in knowing I was going to go with my body and if it got to be too much I was going to do whatever I was comfortable with. If I had a labor like hippyfreek I would have def. gotten the epidural. Women who have labors like that deserve some kind of medal for bravery, lol
no... see, I don't live in the Greater "Any City" Area. I live in a province the size of Texas with a population of less than a million people. We don't have people qualified to dole out Epidurals at every hospital in the province. It will be IMPOSSIABLE for me to get an epidural because I am purposely delivering in a hospital that does not offer them. Why? Because this hospital is in my home town, and here the doctor who will deliver my child has been my doctor since i grew tits, and she lives across the street from me. The only way I would get one is that if there was some sort of complication requiring me to get a c-section, which would cause them to transfer me, via ambulance, to a hospital 110 km (about an hour) away. This trip, by the way, would be charged to the Government (canadian medicare), so you can understand that this won't likely happen unless it's life or death. I am going to do this without pain meds, if possiable. If I need some drugs, I guess i will have some drugs. I do have a really high pain threshold though, and am trying to go into this whole thing with a "I can do it" attitude... if I go in unsure of myself then I will likely give up and take the damned pain drugs. And speaking as a former drug addict, i really, really don't want to go down that road. Kapish?
¡mucho respecto! I know it's possible, my own mommy had 4 completely umedicated births - the first three in the hospital (my little bro was in a hurry and decided to make his entrance on the living room floor, lol!) I've only witnessed one birth in my adult life, and it was the natural birth of a dear friend of mine. Just like EarthyMama said - just as the pain got so bad she didn't think she could take it, it was over and my little nephew was with us! If you go into it sure of yourself and what you want, you can do anything! (Again, props to any momma who labors through ANY pain, with or without an ep. , especially for as long as hippyfreek did!)
Keep yourself open to anything and have lots of support. I suggest having a doula as your chances will be higher if you have support. I was not going to have an epidural, no way no how. I did get one, and ended up with a c-section. It was a terrible experience only because I had not prepared myself for all the possibilities, I just thought I'm going to do it natural and that's it. Well, things don't always turn out the way we plan and support is really the main thing (I've been with two women giving birth naturally both had women as support). Good luck!
I didn't use an epidural or pain meds for my vaginal deliveries (I had my oldest son vaginally, and my twin son vaginally, but my twin daughter had to be taken by emergency cesarean). I was given Pitocin for both of these deliveries as well due to failure to progress. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way when it came to the vaginal births and was glad that I stuck to my guns despite pressure from the medical staff. Was it painful? Well heck yes, but the way I saw it was that women have been giving birth since the beginning of time, and if they did it, so could I. And that I did, with a lot of breathing exercies, visualization, and support from my husband. Trust your body, you are more than capable, so have faith in yourself!
My mom TOLD me I am going to have my baby naturally with no pain medications. But, I think I know my body well enough. If I can do it without the epidural, I'm going to....but, if I feel I cannot, I'm getting the epidural.
Mine was like HippyFreeks birth. We tried for a home birth and after 2 days transfered. If I hadn't had the epi I would have had to have a C-section. I was so tired my eyes were crossing and I couldn't speak above a whisper! I needed the nap to gather strength to push. Not to mention the pitocin, I don't think I'd want to experience that unmedicated!
I went into Leane's birth with an open mind about the epidural. I planned to try my best without it, but when I saw a nurse inserting yet another 'tube' into my IV line, I asked what that was for. She said I was going too slow, they needed my bed so I had to have pitocin. I had only been in active labour for a few hours!!!!! I made it to 6-7 cm on my own, but once they bumped the pitocin up to 72cc, I had to get an epidral...I went from being able to build my body up with the contractions to BOOM....I couldn't handle it. I actually had more energy to get through them before I had the pitocin...it just wiped me right out. The next birth, I'm doing the same thing icedtead is doing, at a birth center where there is no option for an epidural and they don't give pitocin.
I have 3 beautiful boys...each VERY different deliveries. 1# I got toxemia and after a day and a half of no progression on pitocin, I ended up with a c-section, I was so miserable that I begged for them not to poke at me anymore, just to knock me totally out and give me the c-section. I feel bad about that still to this day. 2# Was an induced delivery since I had the complications with my first. I got an epidural, but hated the fact that I didn't have the control over my lower body that I felt I should have had. I hated the way I felt. But after I delivered an almost 9lb boy, was glad for it..LOL 3# Was born at the hospital during a snowstorm. The nurse called the anestesiologist to giv eme an epidural, because the pitocin just had me in so much pain, of course, but he never made it to my room. I dialated very fast in my last 4 cm. Baby came as the anastesiologist was walking into the room. After that delivery I felt WONDERFUL! Out of my 3 babies, that was the best delivery. I was up and walking around the halls and to the nursery shortly after they moved me from L&D. I will definitely opt for a natural delivery if we have another one. Good luck to you!!!!!
I know, eh? By that point, I'd been in labour for over 36 hours and was too exhaused to argue with her...all my engery was focoused on the contactions. Hospitals suck donkey bum.
Same thing happened to me. I didn't want an epidural, but before I went to the hospital I had not had much sleep for two nights and by the time I was only five centimeters dilated, I was almost delusional from lack of sleep. if I hadn't had the epidural, I would have been much too exhausted to start pushing.
