why feel pain if u dont have to?

Question

I gave birth to my baby girl 4 weeks ago and it was the most pain ive ever experienced in my life! before i had the epidural i thought i was dying! people must feel labour pains differently because if u feel how i felt and decided not to have pain relief then u must be a nutter!

Then again her being 8lb 15oz may have hd something to do with it!

Answer 1

I've had this conversation with an acquaintance. Her take on this was, "What if you were getting a tooth drilled on? You'd get pain meds then, right? Why not for birth which hurts a lot more and a lot longer?"

My answer to her was: I don't equate the birth of my child, the genetic material of my husband and I whom I nurtured in my womb for 9 months to be on the same level as a rotting hole in my molar. I wanted to be there, to participate, to birth my child. Pain is part of life, every emotion becomes enhanced by experiencing it's opposite. Meaning, you really appreciate being healthy if you've been ill for a long time. And you really appreciate the absence of pain if you've been hurting for awhile. You appreciate that baby and you feel good about yourself for the accomplish of birthing it.

That said, if the woman is freaking out, screaming, out of control and exhausted, obviously you need the epidural to have a positive birthing experience and that is the most important thing. Just take one hour at time during labor, you never know how it's going to do.

I work in a hospital that has a very high induction rate, very high c-section rate and 95% of the women are on a continuous epidural pump practically from the moment they walk in till after the baby is out. They don't turn it down for pushing which leads to a lot of swelling, tearing, ineffective pushing, vacuum deliveries, fetal distress and ultimately c-sections. Afterward, stress incontinence, inability to urinate, tears back to the rectum, painful intercourse, numbness, even weakness in the vaginal and rectal walls requiring surgery.

When I worked at a hospital with a 25% epidural rate, my patients had none of these problems, they rarely tore and healed up quickly.

Answer 2

people who dont have pain releif think they are great but that is not the solution. Like you said why have the pain if you dont need to. I to had an epidural but i would like to give you all a little advise before you do so... It is good at the time but it can cause back ache for the rest of you life (which i do have). There are other forms of pain relief out there. Also some of these mothers think if you dont use pain releif then it is a natural birth. Not true. A non natural birth is a c section, and anyway why does it matter whether or not you have a natural birth, what should matter is what comes after all those hours of pain

Answer 3

I stay take the drugs!!! But every woman is entitled to her own choice. Most woman go all natural because they want to feel more involved in the laboring process. Some woman can handle pain a lot better than some. What do you think they did before epidurals??? I am not ashamed to say I had an epidural...and if a woman doesn't want to have an epidural I don't try to push or persuade her to have one by telling her how bad it feels...because she will soon understand. Besides a lot of women go into the hospital with the intention's of not having an epidural but end up having one once the real labor kicks in!

Answer 4

For all the epi-detractors above................. I had to be induced because of pre-eclampsia. My birth plan had been to use TENS and a little gas and air. When I was only 2 cms dilated I was having contractions every 2 mins lasting for 30 secs each and knew that I had at least another 8 hours to go. That wasn't the way I had planned my labour! Yes, I had an epidural. No I don't regret it but I let it wear off so I could push her out on my own. I felt rested and relaxed and all of my memories about the whole birth experience are very positive.

Answer 5

maybe u had a long labour some people have short ones and they can handle the pain.
i was in labour for 3 days and i end up taking epidural but my second child the labour was so short and i didnt have anything.
the thing about epidural is that u will get the back pain for a very long time specially in the beginning when i had my daughter 5 years ago the first year it was hell for me to wake up in the mornings it gets easier but it will always be there and people hear about all that no one wanna have it.

Answer 6

I agree - everyone says it should be natural but i bet all those people have never given birth...after experiencing agonising labour pains for 48 hours i had an epidural and an emergency section and that epidural was good!!!

Answer 7

I had a horrible labor and delivery, but I did not have an epidural. You can't expect to give birth to a child with out some pain! I guess I just figure, it's a natural thing, so it's a "natural pain". And I don't want anybody coming at my back with a needle --- that is not natural..lol!

Answer 8

I have two children and had normal delivery. For my first pregnancy, I started contractions at 3 a.m. on a Friday morning, and had my baby Saturday night at 10 p.m. Yes it was very painful, but it was a nice experience. My second child, I started contractions on a Saturday morning around 7 a.m. and had my baby at 1 p.m. It was a wonderful experience too. I am planning on having more kids, and i know i will have them normal.

Also, there are some side affect for those women who get the epidural. They could last a lifetime. So, think about it.

Answer 9

my mother had four kids , naturally, no drugs, no gas no air, no epidural. They didnt have such things in the 60's and there was no time for nonsense. After popping me out, she got up 30 minutes later and made me a feed....

Women today are mollycoddled and spoilt. Even cavewomen could give birth sucessfully without drugs or assistance.

I would hope to give birth completely naturally, and not knock my baby out with epidural before he or she has even been born into the world.

Good luck with your little bundle of joy anyway, no matter how you delivered her. Well done.

Answer 10

I had an epidural too, i couldnt take the pain, but the people that try to go without it usually do so because they believe that it is healthier for the baby. Technically it is, but there is really not too much harm an epidural can do. Many people also want their baby to be alert when he/she is born, the epidural will make them sleepy.