To Epidural or Not to Epidural ad why?
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I vote no epidural! And i was able to have a successful labor without one :) my labor was so quick and easy from the time we checked into the hospital I was at 5cm and 3 and a half hours later I had my son with only 40min of pushing (apparently that’s unheard of for a first time mom). Had I had an epidural I don’t think i would have known when to push as the doctor is really reliant on the monitor to see your contractions..well the monitor I was on was delayed and wrong! There are just so many things that could go wrong with an epidural and that’s why I didn’t want it, but keep your options open. I was lucky my labor was quick, but ha do had a long active labor over 24 hours I know I would have gotten it. I do recommend looking into hiring a doula as she was a lifesaver. You can find affordable ones on doulamatch.com. Drink raspberry tea and take primrose oil in your third trimester, I believe this was what helped me stay home and labor until I reached 5cm with relatively no pain. And stay active!!! :)
I wasnt going to get an epidural because I knew it could slow labor and I didnt want to be stuck in bed. But I labored for 3 days; contractions every 3-12 minutes before I finally reached 4.5 cm and got admited. I was so tired, I had slept maybe 4 hours in that time. I got the epidural as soon as I got to my room and it was wonderful. Sometimes I do regret it though. I wonder if she would have come faster; I got the epidural at 11pm and had her at 10 am. I wonder if I wouldn't have had to push for an hour and a half; but I had a terrible nurse that kept doing computer work between pushes. I wonder if she wouldn't have had so many scares with her heart rate. And then we were both feverish after and I wonder if that would have happened if I had gone without the epidural. I'll never know but there are risks. Thankfully I have no back pain from it and my baby is very healthy!
With my first daughter I had epidural and after it was hard to bounce back from the back pain I still have it now. I needed 5 stiches but I think thats bcuz not feeling anything was hard for me to tell how much to push and how hard. With my second I didnt do the epidural and it sucked as far as pain but it wasn't to bad after no stiches. I would keep the epidural in play just in case the pain is to much just be sure to ask your doctor to tell you when would be the last chance to get it.
Just be open minded for anything! Every single birth is completely different and you could go in with an idea of how you expect it to go and things can change very quickly, if you do your research on every option then you’ll be confident to make the best decision in the moment
My sister , although a labor nurse, hates seeing me in pain. At first she supported my decision of going natural. She got scared seeing me in so much pain at home so she pushed me to go the the hospital earlier than I wanted to and convinced my bf to take me. When I got to the hospital I wasn’t dilated enough and had to go back home or they told me I could stay but I won’t be admitted. We went home. Then 2 hrs later came back and I got admitted. Again I had my sister and my bf in my ear telling me to take the epidural. that my body couldn’t do it. said my labor is too long and that if I did maybe I can be more dilated and relax. I took it. Then hrs later i was failing to progress during labor. The baby’s heart rate was going down and there was risk of baby being born with brain injury. I ended having a c -section. He is 7 weeks old and every day I think to myself if I just listened to my body maybe I would have had a better labor. Don’t let any1 tell u what to do. It’s your labor!
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That’s the worst. I’m so sorry you didn’t have the support you needed!
Epidural can slow down labour: - Gravity if you have it you’ll be in bed, during labour if you can be sitting, kneeling... will help to get things faster.. - Tailbone gains that little mobility that can give little more space for baby head - Feeling if you can feel the contraccións you can make the most of it to push on the right moment and also to avoid any tears - Also you can shower by yourself with a bit of help afterwards I was vert glad not to have had epidural but also had no complications at all. Good luck 😉
No epidural I wanted to feel the pain a mother feels trying to give life naturally. And when they grow older remember how much I went through to bring them in to this world. Had a few stitches but all good now.
I did an epidural with my first, natural with my second and if I had it to do over again I would definitely go all natural! The high after was unbelievable, like *days* of feeling like I was on a cloud... and the recovery was soooo much faster— I think the endorphins and adrenaline helped me deal with the lack of sleep and healing you need to do in those first few days. I was at a BBQ three days later and was out running inside of two weeks (although probably not the best idea...). With my second I had a TENS unit (like electric stim) on my back and that made ALL the difference. I had horrible back labor with my first and the TENS unit definitely look the edge off. Don’t get me wrong, still redefined a 10 on my pain scale, but oh so worth it to go natural. So you might want to also look into other pain management techniques— there are definitely other options beyond epidural.
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Oh and I definitely also recommend laboring in the water if you can... I did most of my early labor in the tub (pre TENS unit) and that also was sooooo much better.
Great idea with then TENS unit! I also had terrible back labor and will have to try that next time!
Hey lovely! I think it’s totally up to you and how you think you’ll best cope with the pain. I personally didn’t want any pain medication, I was set on the most natural birth possible. But the labor process doesn’t necessarily go according to your plan and I ended up getting one. Be flexible to anything that may occur and do what’s best for you! The goal is to get the baby out and keep momma safe and happy, if an epidural will do that for you then GO FOR IT! 🤗
I was completely up for an epidural & everyone I knew said they couldn’t image me doing it without one !! I was in slow labour for about a week all in my back .. they came on stronger the night before I was booked in to be induced as I was 11 days over !! I had no idea what my pain threshold was like at all! I told my partner to ring the ward .. they said to take a bath as it was going to be a long time !! Well about half an hour later I’m on my way to hospital and I was 9cm!!!! Clearly to late for the epidural !!! & I’m so glad it worked out that way was the most amazing experience and to feel every stage was unreal 😍!! Everyone to there own but was amazing without for me & I never thought I would feel that way !! Hope my experience helps x
do what you can tolerate. when given an epidural you can not eat and have to stay in bed. however, no epidural youre completely in control, you can walk, eat, yoga ball. I selected to have no epidural.
I did no epidural. The pain was pretty big and I have a high pain tolerance but my determination was bigger than my pain. No epidural, all back pain. I gave birth, had 30+ stitches. If you ask me if I would do it the same way, I say yes 100%. My son kinda got stuck as I was pushing him out. Thankfully since I didn’t get the epidural, I was able to feel every moment of how exactly to push him out.
You may not be able to make that decision until you’re actually in labor because you’ll have to do with how you feel. My sister just had a baby last week and at first said no epidural. Then she said the pain was unbearable and she was vomiting and turning pale, so she changed her mind. But I have friends who did not have an epidural and they say it wasn’t that bad. My friend last year had a 9lb baby home birth no meds. Everyone is different. You may go into labor and thing it’s not as bad as you thought. Just make sure you know how much time you have to decide
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Completely agree !! Only so much planing you can do .. just comes down to at the time
I don’t like extra shit in my body and desired to extend that courtesy to my baby. No epidural, here.
I didnt go in until I was already 8cm dilated. Before going into the birthing suite I told my midwife I wanted it. SO HAPPY I DID!!!! The pain went away and I enjoyed the rest of my labor and birth. I got to laugh and cry and be present, not be in pain. I was even able to help pull my baby out, it was beautiful. Had I gone all natural? I think I would have been too overcome with pain, it was already too intense. That said, with whatever you decide, it is no ones place to push you one way or the other. It is only up to you. You do what you think is best and makes you feel the best. Good luck!
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All of my contractions were in my back 😩😩 so at a 3 I got an epidural..
I got one with both my kids one was sucessful and the second one failed and Im glad it did because birth is hard but it was the best experience for me
personally I did the epidural - I have a high pain threshold but labor pains were a lot and I was being bitchy.. I felt amazing after the epidural and I laughed through pushing. I think that it was a great move for myself, but it could be different for you! do what you think is best for you & don't try to plan it out first because once you're in labor everything does a 180 and plans kind of fly out the window. just relax and go with it mama you will get through it either way!
My epidural experience was great! Doctor was awesome and hardly felt it. I was induced and experienced labor for under and hour before I got mine. Will get one for any future pregnancies!
Also, if you ever want to talk about birth, please reach out to me! I’d caution you to avoid listening to “not having a plan” and all the horror stories about how “excruciating” birth is (if you want to do it natural/unmedicated). No, everything won’t go EXACTLY as planned, but it’s good to know what YOU want. No, it’s not an easy walk in the park and yes it is hard work, but if all you’re focused on is how “painful” it is - that’s all you’re going to feel. Does that make sense? If you’re tensing up during contractions instead of relaxing your limps, breathing properly, surrending to each contraction instead of fighting them, and taking it one at a time, then it’s going to hurt more and mess with you mentally. ❤️ Having done it both ways, I’d like to think I’m unbiased haha!
Yup. After 3 or 2 days of labor I'm exhausted and need a nap but can't relax between contractions
Yes yes yes!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I had a 22-ish hour labor with no epidural. If I hadn’t had the laughing gas during transition, though, I would have 100% gotten the epidural as the contractions were right on top of each other without a break and I could barely even breathe. I know there’s possible medical complications and side effects that you can feel even years later, but there is also a lot of women who get them and they and their babies are just fine. Epidural, laughing gas, C-sec, water birth, drug-free - we are all moms in the end and decisions made for and in labor don’t change that. Do what feels best for you in labor. Don’t feel pressured by what anyone tells you, and do what feels right when you’re in the middle of it!
I got the epidural because I was in absolute agony. It actually sped up my labor by a lot. I was 2 cm dilated when they gave it to me and 20 mins later I was 10 cm dilated and my son’s head was at the end of the vaginal canal, ready to go 🤷🏻♀️
I got an epidural and it was a godsend. It really does depend on who the doctor is though. I didn't even feel the needle with my doctor. My thing was: if it's safe for the baby and me, why feel pain when I don't have to? It also came in clutch when my doctor was in the middle of delivering another baby and I had to wait. If I didn't have an epidural, that would have been agony. On top of that, my epidural made me able to appreciate the process of having my kid rather than just suffering through it until it was over.
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I didn’t get an epi and I didn’t feel that I suffered through the labour and delivery even after being induced medically. I was still fully aware of what was going on, and talking through it, even laughed a few times. I think this idea that its pure agony makes it feel even worse.
I'm glad you didn't feel like you suffered through giving birth and that you felt you were able to appreciate the process of giving birth without an epidural. For me, it was incredibly painful. I took a nap at 4cm and woke up at 9cm and my contractions were incredibly painful. I made jokes between contractions, but I was struggling. All I could think was, "Please, God, let this be over." After my epidural, I was personally able to appreciate the whole experience as it was hard more. My intent in sharing my experience isn't to scare anyone or misrepresent the amount of pain, only to share what worked for me
2 births with no epidural - one was spontaneous and I barely remember it, the other was induced and excruciating 😖
Depends how high is your pain tolerance. With my son I did natural and no epidural but labor was fast. With my daughter, I was induced though induced contractions hurt more than the natural ones, I still went with no epidural again. Hoping to do it again with my third baby.
I got one because I had to get induced, and medically induced contractions can often be much worse than natural ones (longer, more forceful, etc.) I labored for a while without it, but then they turned up the pitocin and I was like “nope.”
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Yes, and by the time I asked for general anesthesia it was too late. First spontaneous birth was wayyyy better than the induced one. So painful 😖
I’ve watched women labor with pitocin and I’m convinced that it is the devil. 😩
No I wouldn’t apparently it can cause mega back pain for years after having baby
I don't know how anyone can give birth without an epidural with how much pain I was in even with one.
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Natural endorphins kick in and honestly I don’t remember much!
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I had an epidural and I didn't find it was painful to have done! My pain threshold is low and my contractions were never far enough apart to go to sleep between even at the start so I was grateful for it so I could get some sleep! It must have worn off at some point for me though because I remember an awful lot of pain when I was pushing!
It didn’t hurt for me but I was really nervous it made me relax and had such a strong kick 😂but I always have problems with my back every once in awhile 😩🤦🏽♀️
No epidural. I wanted to be able to move around into different positions durring labor and I labored in the tub, on a yoga ball etc. The drug also crosses the placenta and can possibly affect the baby's ability to latch and breastfeeding was really important for me.
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Watch business of being born if you havent seen it ❤
Yep, that’s my reasoning for wanting a natural birth second time around
I plan on getting one. I’m no hero and I’m not trying to be. I already know i can’t take pain and if labor is anything like I’ve heard, they’re gonna have to stick me! Matter fact, i plan to familiarize myself with the anesthesiologist right when i go in. Lol
I had an epidural and I wanted one and I’m thankful because I was able to relax and enjoy the birth. My pain was managed well. Everyone should have the experience they want!
I wish i had i was allergic, so all three of my boys were 10lbs and i didn’t get one and i labored forever on pitocin. My biggest was 10lb4oz and 23.5 inches long 😩 i liked the squat bar though and the bouncy ball and the hot tub like bath i could get in since i didn’t get the needle!
Do you like extreme pain?
I was so against one and then when they broke my water the pain was un bearable and I have a high pain tolerance and ended up getting one! Don't feel bad if you decide to get one, I give credit to mamas who chooses not too but also support mamas who do
I’m due to give birth in 3 months and it’s the questions I keep asking should I or shouldn’t I ? I plan on starting off with the Gas and see how it goes ! Everyone I talk to say labor goes faster with no epidural but I’m not a fan of pain smh I’m even scared of needles 😖
I was scared to get it, got it after being induced and 2 hours later had my baby girl! For me it helped my body relax!
I went in not wanting an epidural but ended up getting one. The pain got to me. It did slow my labor way down. Not being able to move your lower half sucks. My back got very sore from not being able to get out of bed and from where the epidural had been. However if given the chance I will probably have one for my next baby...
I chose not to have an epidural because I wanted the freedom to move around and labour in different positions. I am really glad I chose to go without because it allowed me to labour in the tub which moved things along really quickly- I went from 4-9.5 cm in an hour in the tub after 5 hours of barely any progress before the tub. It wasn’t too bad, and I plan for my future births to be unmedicated as well if it is possible!
I had the epidural early like 2-3cm my first pregnancy and after that I got some rest thankfully between them coming in and checking me. Ended up needing a csection bc I stopped dilating at 8. And she was sitting over to my left side bc she’s stubborn lol my second time(different hospital) I couldn’t get it til I was 7 cm and I had the shakes bad bc of the adrenaline from the pain of contractions. Couldn’t stop shaking. Then they gave me the epidural and broke my water. And put the catheter in. With that epidural my legs started feeling super hot like they were heating up from the inside from my feet to my hip and my legs started jerking bc of some nerve they must of hit or touched. I’m just thankful for it bc I had to have an emergency csection that time.
I had an epidural with my first because the doctors told me I had to (I had preeclampsia). Hope to have a natural birth this time around. Good luck!
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I have never heard that, did they say why?
They were worried the contractions would make my blood pressure spike even higher. Unfortunately the first epidural they gave me stopped working so I felt all the contractions. They gave me a second when I was already 10 cm dilated. So the only thing I didn’t feel was the actual birth.
Everybody is going to have a different reaction or heal differently during and after birth mama, but regardless of your choice remember that your body is doing exactly what it was designed for. Your body knew how to grow your peanut inside of you and your body will know how to bring peanut into this world! Do what you think is best for you. My peanut will be two weeks old this Thursday, I delivered him at home, drug free. It was definitely a lot of work but I felt so empowered after like me and my peanut we did that together! But no matter what you’re going to do amazing your body is going to know exactly what to do and you’ll have baby in your arms before you know it ❤️
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Epidural! You are already a rockstar for carrying the babe no need to be miserable during delivery. Labor is already bizarre and a bit ridiculous (IMO) and all of the doctors and nurses are there for a reason.
I wasn't sure what pain relief I wanted.I started with just gas and air but my boy was lying on across my back so all my contractions went straight to my back and the epidural helped so much.
I went in without making a decision as I didn’t know what it would feel like with or without and there were so many opinions. I found it very painful as my contractions were up to 3 minutes long and back to back (irregular contractions ended up causing me to need a c section). I got the epidural and am really glad I did. It was a more relaxed and enjoyable experience for sure! Totally your call though. Everyone has different pain tolerance levels and experiences. Just stick with what you think is best when you are in the moment. Once your baby comes you don’t even really remember those details (my baby was born a week ago and the struggles of delivery are hazy to me already). Good luck xo
I got one, it was fine, delayed my labor, but it all worked out. Just remember, you will be confined to your bed, you have NO feeling or control of your legs or bladder. The nurses had to hold my legs so I could push. We ended up turning it off because I couldn't feel enough to push properly. If you have strong upper body strength it helps because I was sliding downward in bed and I could pull myself up.
I think it’s easier to not have a plan and be open minded about your labour and delivery. I was like you and didn’t know if I wanted the epidural or not. Mainly because I didn’t want to be confined to a bed and be able to move (plus catheter..yuck) and I read that it sometimes takes longer to labour because you can’t feel anything. I figured I would go in there and do no epidural until I really thought I needed it even with everyone telling me that it’s something I should get right off the bat. In the end, I had to have a scheduled c-section because my son was breech and I didn’t have a choice regarding the epidural/numbing and the catheter.
Next time , god willing , it will be so different... lesson learned. And I done so much research since then.