Natural labor or Pain meds...what did you do/plan to do

[sweetangel7]

Just curious...

[martinsbride]

Even though I'm in medical, and know the associated risks, everyone I know keeps telling me I WILL WANT an epidural.  The thought scares me to no end, but then, nothing is absolute and I'll go when it's my time, so why not?

Course this one girl the other day said she was going to get one, but they had her walking the halls and then the labor started and she never got her drugs.  Maybe that'll happen.  I'm scared about my first birth, and unsure what to do.

[Jen8950]

I was in labor for over 16 hours. They couldn't give me pain meds b/c my sons heartbeat was slightly dropping when I was having contractions. After about the 17th hour, I ended up having to have an emergency C-section. so then of course I got the epi.

[treazzure007]

i had my first naturally due to accelerated labor.  one hour i was 2 centimeters and the next check i was 9.
i had my second naturally due to the 'top anesthesiologist' not being able to make the epidural work.  i was stuck in my spine 6 times before i called mercy.  turned out to be a good thing though b/c the labor was fast and the baby was 11 lbs.  i literally needed all of my strength to push!

[heatherlynn22]

from the begining i planned on getting the epidural. i did. i'm glad i did. before i got it when my contractions started....i couldn't even walk. the worst pain i'd ever felt in my entire life. felt like someone was stabbing me repeatedly in the back over and over and over again. (i had all my contractions and labor  pains in my back) so i got the epidural. hurt like h3ll getting it put in but once it was in.....i felt great. the pain went away and i had a very easy delivery.

[Mumita]

I would like to have a natural birth, I think that I can handle it BUT if it gets way too intense then I might ask for something to take off the edge but I want to be able to feel the birth and I don't want any complications from the Epi or being induced with pitosin.  I think I will ride it out at home for as long as I can so I don't need to get induced and then when I feel like I'm close (for some reason I think that you will know) then I'll go to L&D.
My plan is once contractions start I will lay in my bathtub soaking in warm water and wobble on the exercise ball until I'm ready.

[Michele, Katy, TX]

Epidurals are wonderful if they are administered correctly.  With one of my kids, I was actually fully dialated before I got anything for pain but that's only because the stupid hospital sent me home earlier that day and I was afraid to go back because I thought they would send me home again.  Well, when my husband finally said enough is enough, I got to the hospital at an 8.  By the time the anesthesiologist got there, I was a 10.  My doc said it would be quick and that I didn't need anything at this point, but I didn't care, so the anesthesiologist gave me a local.

The pain meds are there and I don't have anything to prove to anyone.  I have felt the extreme pain of being in full blown labor and being fully dialated without pain meds and it was not enjoyable to say the least.

There are some women that give birth very quickly and don't need it, but I am not one of those people.  So for women that give birth very quickly, no wonder they don't want pain meds.  That only makes sense.  But for those of us that have to go through it for hours upon hours, yay pain meds!!