Epidural?

[HaYnSweetie]

So initially i wanted to get an epidural because i didnt want to feel too much pain lol, BUT after talking to my sister, a couple family members and a few of my co-workers im having second thoughts. I heard from every one of them that after they had their babies they felt no pain! Thats without the epidural. So now im debating on getting it. It'd be nice to push him out and then not feel any pain!

Any advice ladies?

[smjmekg]

I think it depends on the person. I got the epidural, and my back was sore for a day or two, but I tore in three places, so I was in a good bit of pain, plus my entire back and neck were stiff from pushing. I don't take pills, and I asked for pain meds.

[5n1]

I have had three kids with no pain meds or epidurals...I tried with my first and it didnt take and then with my second they tried again after I said no, and come to find out, I am allergic, thats why the meds dont work, and it almost paralyzed me..I had to have a transfusion of fluids in my spine...But its not like that with everyone..I know I still have pains from it in my back from time to time....

But that being said everyone is different...I had no pain pushing or after...I think once it gets to the point of needing to push, once you do, it is a relief..It takes away all the painful contractions... The worst part is the contractions honestly, if you can survive those, by the time your ready to push, you will be so relieved and happy and know there is an end in sight..

But, it also depends on your pain tolerance.....GOOD LUCK

[smjmekg]

OH! When I was pushing I didn't feel anything...it only felt like I was going to poop, lol, sorry tmi. My epidural didn't work on half of my body, so I felt all of the pain on the left side.

[alaysha]

I applaud anyone that can go without an epidural. Against my will my last pregnancy I had to go without an epidural until 20 minutes before she was born and I was already dilated to a 10. If I had to have gone even those 20 minutes more dealing with that pain I probably would have gone crazy. I have never experianced anything like the pain I felt during child birth and when I have another child I am making sure I get the epidural as soon as I feel the first contraction.

[Ashelen]

Well I'll tell you my story and see if it helps....I got an epidural with my daughter. I had worn off by the time that I had to push, so I felt 95% of everything. I don't know if you remember my story, but I tore in just about every direction and had to be transferred to the OR with the doctor kneeling between my legs on the bed sewing as we went because I was losing so much blood (the blood loss was due to something wrong with me, the tear wasn't life-threatening but for some reason I bled out and almost died...so don't worry about tearing, MOST tears aren't as dramatic as mine was, even if they are as severe)...they injected some more medicine into the epidural and were able to numb me for the procedure. So I'm glad I had it with that one, even though it didn't work for the last hour and for the 20 minutes of pushing.

With my son, I got it...and it didn't work. The anesthesiologist had such a hard time sticking me that he said after the 2nd stick if it wasn't in right that I just wasn't getting an epidural. Luckily, it went in, numbed my hips, and then wore off immediately. They ramped it up and I got a little bit of relief, but again I was able to feel almost everything. It wasn't that bad.

With my 3rd, I will be doing NO epidural. Because the first two barely affected me I have a pretty good feeling for what natural labor is like...and it's totally doable. Tough, but doable. I don't see anything wrong with getting an epidural, although there are some people who say it increases your risk for tearing..I got it the 2nd time around because my first delivery was so traumatic that I was afraid of a repeat, but if I had it to do over again I would've not gotten the epidural....the sticks were worse than the actual labor for me, but I was a VERY difficult stick.

I would say...go natural if you can. try as long as you can. if you can't, get the epidural with no guilt.

[mom2ariana]

idk about not feeling any pain? that doesn't sound right . a friend of mine didn't have the epidural and said that labor was so hard and painful that pushing was a relief when she got there. i had the epidural and labor was a breeze and i was bored, but pushing hurt like a *****.
i would still have gotten the epidural. im sure pushing hurt for her too, i think it was just relieving to be able to push. she said she felt being cut. :/

[mom2ariana]

oh and like ashelen my epidural had worn off by the time i was pushing. it continued to wear off during labor but i had it boosted 3 times. they didn't wanna boost it during pushing so id be able to feel what i was doing, but by the end i was crying and begging for a boost. so they boosted it right as her head was coming and then of course it didn't take affect until she was out.
either way i still will be doing the epidural. why not get some relief even if its minimal? theres a reason God gave us the medical advancement for things like epidurals, i believe.

[Ashelen]

Rachel: actually there's a scientific explanation for what she meant about relief when pushing. If pushing were the most painful part, babies would never get born, LOL. So our bodies release a FLOOD of endorphins and "feel good" hormones when we push, and it actually numbs the pain and gives the mother a mini sense of euphoria. Women with epidurals experience it too. But it's an actual scientific fact that our bodies release a bunch of chemicals to make pushing feel like a relief and feel good so that we're eager to do it and get the baby out. :-)

[mom2ariana]

oh im not doubting it was a relief, just saying im sure it was still painful.
but idk about the euphoria even with an epidural. there was nothing feel good about my pushing lol. i never felt a rush of anything except joy when she came out. but pushing was a *****.

[Ashelen]

I agree Rachel that medical science exists in order to make things easier for us. The only reason I will go without an epidural is because I think that, for me finding labor not to be too overwhelmingly long or painful (i'm lucky in this respect, not all women are that lucky when it comes to time or pain tolerance), being able to get up and move and switch positions would be more beneficial than an epidural...HOWEVER...I do believe that pain relief during labor is important because a woman should enjoy her experience, no matter what birthing plan she has....so I think if you're afraid of the pain of labor, there's absolutely nothing wrong with an epidural...it DOES exist to make the experience more enjoyable and less painful, so if that's what you want by all means GET it....but for me it made such little difference that I Might as well have not gotten it and spared myself the stick in the back, haha. However with that being said...I'm still a big supporter of epidurals.

[mom2ariana]

yeah i have a very high pain tolerance as well and i still do not think pushing was at all the most painful thing ive ever experienced. i just got the epidural because i like the lazy & easy way out of things and tend to take it if i have the opportunity :P

[smjmekg]

I agree Ivy, I could have gone the whole labor and delivery without the epidural, and would have if I hadn't had such a long labor. 21 hours after only an hour nap in 36 hours...I only wanted the epidural to be able to sleep. I chose not to do IV meds because they made you sleepy, and even though I wanted the sleep I didn't want to be sleepy cause of meds and not be able to do what I needed to when the time came.

[ammanda]

I dont remember what I got was called. but unlike the epideral that u can get boosts, all i got was one simple shot in the back that lasts 2 hours.. which worked perfect for me.. I had back labor the whole time. I was in traumatic pain.. I got that shot when I was 6cm dialated.  and i got to relax and talk with DB and family for 2 hours.. then at midnight I started pushing and 20 minutes in, the pain meds were gone and i felt everything, which they say is good, cause they want u to beable to feel pushing.,. I pushed for 2 hours pain med free.. and for that i was proud of myself.. give after and hour I was ready to give up. I was in so much pain and so exhausted from being in active labor for 12 hours.  and no food... so they did end up using the Vacuum..  But its completely up to you., If you dont want to keep getting doses and just want a moment of relaxation to enjoy yourself. then ask them about what I got,, Im sure someone who reads this might know what its called.. but everyone is different!!!

[HaYnSweetie]

Thank you for responding ladies! Im gonna go in with an open mind and when the time comes, im gonna see if i can take the pain...if not i will definitely be getting an epidural. But id like to atleast try to go without the meds.

[smjmekg]

Ammanda it sounds like you had a spinal block, same thing I got when I had my c-section. No iv line in your back, just one shot and that's it. I don't think there is anything besides an epidural or spinal that they do in the back...but anyhow that's what I had, a spinal block. It lasted for a couple hours and was gone.

[HaYnSweetie]

Oh and yeah all the ladies that ive talked to that went with no epidural told me that after the baby was born they felt no pain.

Ammanda: I wonder if you got a block..?? My cousin said she didnt get an epidural she got a shot called a block. So i think maybe thats what you got too.

[ammanda]

Maybe thats what it was.. haha it slipped my mind.  that was a long day...  I didnt feel any pain after Cole was born other then the Cut for the Epidiosomy.  I actually felt alot better, as long as i was laying down lol..  and honsestly the second he came out I felt a huge relief.. for a bit, then it was time fo the placenta and stiches. so it came back lol.. but after that i went into shock from losing soo much blood.. I litterally froze and shook for 2 hours straight under a heating lamp and 8 blankets.. it was bad, especially cause I couldnt hold Cole and had to watch everyone else with my lil baby :( lol

[becca_3456]

With my first baby I had an epidural and pain meds. I was so groggy and tired when it came to pushing that I had no energy left and could not feel the urge to push at all. I pushed for 45 minutes the first time and was in pain afterward because I was so swollen down there from pushing. For my second baby I decided that I wanted to have my baby at home. I felt every contraction and while they hurt like hell I was able to manage through them. Once it got to the pushing stage my body took over and in 3 pushes which lasted about 5 minutes he was born. After he came out I I had a HUGE rush of endorphins and was on cloud nine. I felt no pain at all. It was AMAZING to give birth without drugs or an epidural. Yeah it hurt BUT I could actually feel my body doing what it was meant to do which was awesome compared to the first time when people had to tell me when it was ready and when to push. If I could hit rewind I would so go back and have my first without the epidural and pain meds.

[chantal21]

I delivered both of my boys with no pain meds. (but I also did not have the option either since I was at a birthing center) I do NOT have a high pain tolerance, BUT I was able to do it and survived and I am even willing to do it a third time. lol I don't feel much pain until my water breaks and I'm usually around 8-9cm by then. Had about an hour and a half of pretty bad pain but once it was pushing time, it was a major relief to push! For me, as soon as the head comes out, all of the pain is completely gone. Then the rest of the baby comes out and I felt no more pain at all! It's amazing. With my second I had him out in 4 pushes and was not in much pain at all. A support system is key! I always tell myself it won't last forever and as soon as that baby is out, no more pain. Plus, you are so in love, you forget what you just did to get that baby here. :)

[HaYnSweetie]

Thank you ladies! I love reading everyones stories! I am gonna try and go without the meds! I dont know if i have a high tolerance for pain or not lol but im gonna try!

[Clysta]

Good luck! As long as you go into it with an open mind you should be set. I had initially wanted no pain meds and a full natural labour, but I had never expected back labour and the horrible pain that came with it. With each contraction I got dizzy and things turned black for a few seconds and I was really close to getting sick with each one. I got the epidural and it was the best thing I could have done. With it I was able to get a little bit of sleep and then by the time I went to push it had wore off 15 minutes in. It's good I got to rest too cause I was pushing for an hour and a half - I couldn't get her nose out. It burned like nothing else.

[HaYnSweetie]

Yeah im gonna keep an open mind and if i cant handle it ill get the meds lol.
And my sister called that burning feeling the ring of fire LOL!

[JoyRenee]

I have a few resources to recommend to you. For a book I recommend Pushed by Jennifer Block. For a video I recommend The Business of Being Born. I wouldn't just go in with the mentality, "Well if I can handle it then I'll handle it" because for some women preparation on what to expect and ways to cope are necessary. My first two births I wanted to go natural and I ended up having epidurals, Pitocin and everything else.

I had epidurals with my first two and I was pretty much tied down to the bed, on my back (which decreases oxygen to baby, btw) and I had these tight bands around my contracting belly and an IV in my hand and blood pressure cuff on one arm constantly that would turn on every 10 minutes, a catheter and finally I had a heart monitor clip on my finger. WHY? I mean thinking back I'm just thinking, "WHY?!" Why on earth would they treat a laboring woman like she had a disease to cure and have her tied up to all these machines and things? Our bodies KNOW what to do. About 90% of the time, when a woman is left to birth without all those interventions, she will give birth without a problem. The other 10% are a low minority of premature labors, breech babies or other women who need to be treated or birthed due to problems with their personal health, accidents, etc.

You must also realize that having an epidural requires a catheter because you won't be able to get up to pee. An epidural increases the risks of needing Pitocin. Because epidural causes you to lay down it can slow down contractions so doctors will start Pitocin to speed them on so now you're having hard contractions that aren't very effective. Pitocin can also cause fetal distress if cranked up too high, too quickly.

Epidurals increase the risk of needing an episiotomy or forceps as you may not be able to feel to push. And epidurals restrict the release of a special mixture of natural hormones that are released when your baby is born that many people call a "love concoction" because the hormones give you this overwhelming feeling of love and protection for your baby.

There are pros and cons. I'm not saying pain medication is bad; just sharing the risks with you because I can bet you that your doctor WON'T even though they are required by law. Like I said my first two births I had the epidural. But my last birth? I had her in a hospital but under the direction of a midwife (would have had birth at home but Daddy was uncertain of that). I didn't have an IV at all, no BP cuff, no heart rate monitor, no bands around my belly. I was free to move, free to eat and drink, free to get in the tub. I was also free to push at my own discretion (called "mother-directed pushing) instead of holding my breath and counting to ten (called "purple pushing"). And I was also able to push in a position other than lithotomy (on your back) which is the worse position to push in; you're pushing against gravity and your pelvis isn't able to open up very well when you're on your back.

It hurt but I got into a rhythm and before I knew it I was pushing. I was even dozing between contractions. So while there was pain and loads of it I got through it using some techniques my midwife taught me. Plus my midwife was with me throughout it whereas doctors only come in when the nurse says, "She's 10 and it's time to push".

If you TRULY do not want an epidural then have a midwife, a doula or a birth coach there to help you because they'll be there to encourage you the ENTIRE time. I was begging for the epidural at one point and my midwife, so calm, told me, "Let's try this instead" and I moved my focus to something else and didn't ask for it again. Even though in the moment I wanted the epidural I am SO GLAD she didn't give in because I was speaking from a completely emotional point of the labor. Once I got over that hump I was golden. Still in pain but POWERFUL.

I think pain is a part of the process that we are very capable of dealing with and if you truly want to go natural I believe in you. ;-)

[JoyRenee]

PS If you have Blue Cross Blue Shield they have a program in some states that offer doula services to women. Just call and ask. ;-)

And I want to clarify that at my last birth, even though I didn't have a BP cuff and continual fetal monitoring (the bands around the belly) my midwife was there and used a handheld doppler to check on baby intermittently and I hardly noticed her doing it. It was great to not be TIED down!