natural birth vs. epidural?

[Katieeeedyd]

For all you mommies out there, did you have an epidural or not? And what were the pros and cons of having one or the other?

[ChasingDreams33]

The wonderful thing about an epidural for me anyway i had to get cut open didn't feel a thing didn't even feel my contractions me pushing nothing i felt her come out thou it was a warm feeling but i had no pain what so ever no matter what there will be pain in labor its gonna hurt but at least we got meds to help that thank god lol good luck with whatever choice you choose i hope you have a smooth and less painful labor as possible

[kennimae]

I ended up getting mine at 8 cm. Between pitocin and back labor and lack of sleep I  didnt care. I got it and was able to sleep for 2 hours. I could feel when I was 10 cm and I could feel when I needed to push without the pain. I had skin to skin wih my daughter right away while they stitched me up. I got to try to breastfeed her like I wanted to alhough she wouldn't.  When they took her to do all the tests and bathe her I was alreay able to gt out of bed with some help because one leg was a little numb still. I was able to pee on my own which surprised them. I had no lasting side effects or anything. Overall it was a positive experience for me the only hing I didnt like is the one leg was more numb than the other because while the one was numb I could still somewhat move it while the other I couldnt so it just felt weird.

If you can do it without of course thatd be better that is what I am shootin for this time around again but if I dont it doesnt make me feel like I missed out on anything either.

[ChasingDreams33]

All im gonna say epidural i had my first daughter last night if they didn't give me thay when they did ooohh man plus the contractions before hand hurt like hell there was another women in labor same time as me she didn't get one she was screaming begging them saying help ffin help me i felt so bad but it was too late for her to get one

[traytonsmama2010]

I had an epidural with my first I begged for it cause I was in so much pain it worked good I slept for 1.5 hours before I woke up with bad hip pains they said it was my weak spot so I woke up and started pushing I pushed for an hour before they have me a stage 3 epesiotamy cause my son had a big head but I was able to hold my son right after he was born and they had me walking around like an hour after I had him

[lilnbuttonsmom]

I'm glad you posted this I have been wondering if I can do it without an epidural this time BC with my first the epidural only made my contractions bearable an I could still feel her coming out- lol kparadis it was a ring of fire. But after we got put into a room they had me walk to the bathroom on my own so I'm not sure it even worked right

[calesha]

I plan om having an all natural water birth. Im not doing anything that can raise my risk of having a c section. Any drug you putnon your body makes that chance higher. Good luck mama.

[kparadis]

I have had three kids I'm pregnant with my fourth
I had all three of my kids with no epidural
With my first they gave me a shot of demeral in my butt haha it's supposed to take the edge off it didn't really do anything it lasted about 30 mins
And with my others to I had no drugs at all the labours were painful of coarse but all my labours were very quick!

For me labour was like the most intense period cramps youve ever had I found sitting in a hot shower with water on my back helped a lot I stayed in the shower until delivery.
And delivering (sorry for sounding gross) felt like having a HUGE bowel movement there's a slight burn I found to.. "the ring of fire" but it goes quick..

First - 9 hours of labour from beginning to holding her she was 8'6
Second- was 4 hrs and she was 9lbs
Third- 5 hours and she was 9'9

Pros I was able to walk right away shower etc
Labour's were quick

Good luck! Whatever you choose will be the right decision for you and baby..

[busymomma33]

I had an epidural w/ all 3 of mine & plan on getting it again when I go to have this 1 :) w/ my 1st I held out until I was about 8cm & then I looked at my mom & said "mom I need drugs" lol & since then I know how much better it was to be able to still push but not feel the pain & being able to hold my babies afterwards I am all for epidural!

[kori353]

I had a natural birth and would do it again in a heartbeat. So long as you expect the contractions to hurt, it's mind over matter. If childbirth is the most painful thing in the world, I can do anything. It wasn't that bad.

[Katieeeedyd]

BUMP!

[Bentleysmommy18]

Pros- no feeling during labor or delivery
Was up and walking 10 mins after giving birth which surprised everyone

Cons -
Consistent back pain that for me barely ever goes away!
Long labor, had to have two doses of epidural
Because of other pain meds that I was given during labor I don't remember almost any of my labor which really *****
No control over legs at all during labor they had to move them for me!

I personally could have 10 more kids and I wouldn't get an epidural again with any of them but every one is different I was 16 and scared of the pain when I got it!

I'm ready for it this time because I want to remember and feel every second of bringing my sweetie into this world!!:)

Hope this helps you with your decision.

[Alaina_is_coming]

i have a very high pain tolerance so i dont think i would need an epidural!!

[Sharita0427]

Of course you know everyone is different... With my 1st pregnancy I had an epidural & with the second I went natural and it was the most excruciating pain I've ever been in. My contractions were measuring off the charts. I swore if I ever got pregnant again there'd be no way on God's green earth that I go natural again.