Pain management during labor and delivery?

Question

I'm due in April and I'd really like to have this baby without an epidural. This is my 3rd, so I have some ideas about how to handle pain. I was wondering if anyone was willing to share their non-epidural birthing stories. Totally natural? If you had some form of pain relief, what was it? Love to hear your story. Gory details welcome. Thanks!

Answer 1

Well, I'm not sure mine will help you, as I had some complications and wound up with a c-section.

I was planning a regular, non-medicated, non-induced birth, but they wound up inducing. First thing, don't let them induce you if there's not a good reason for it.

You need to make them let you up off the bed to walk - try to avoid the constant monitoring if it's not necessary! Walking helped the contractions come on, of course, but it also gave me something to think about besides the contractions. But every time they'd make me get back in the bed, it shifted to back labour. The thing that helped that was leaning way forward with my knees squished up against my chest, and then my mum and my husband rubbed circles on my lower back. Also, I had a little handheld foam electric fan, which we scented with a clary sage oil mixture which the herbal medicine lady made up specifically for labour. Sounds strange, but this helped a lot because it was another stimulus to concentrate on. Music, music, music and books on tape during the early labour will be most helpful.

I can't tell you anything about transition because after about 10 hours the baby was getting distressed and I hadn't dilated any more despite the contractions, so they wound up doing an emergency c-section. So, I did wind up getting an epidural for that, which I had no idea what it would feel like or anything since I skipped that class and the chapter in the book, figuring I didn't need it. They did put something in with that for pain relief, but after it wore off I was fine with acetominophen and lots of walking.

I think things would have gone better if I'd been a little more assertive, for instance telling them no on the induction and no on breaking the waters early once I was in, that sort of thing. So the biggest thing is know your plan, know your doctor, and don't let them boss you around too much. You've done this twice before, trust your body.

Answer 2

I hear warm water helps a lot. I had contractions for 2 months before I delivered and a warm bath was the only thing that gave me any relief. I swore up and down that I was going to do my best to avoid an epidural. I figured with all the contractions I had that I would be fine. I would tell you to keep all your options open...even the epidural. Once my water broke the pain was intense. Because my baby wasn't handling the contractions well unless I was on my left side I wasn't able to walk around or get in a shower or tub. Having to lay there during contractions is unbearable. I caved and got the epidural and I don't regret it one bit. I felt no pain once it took effect (it did take 3 tries and 40 minutes though). I ended up having major complications (I stopped dialating after 4 cm, the baby's heartrate kept dropping, I spiked a fever of 104 that didn't respond to medicine, and I started seizing) and needed an emergency c-section. I am happy to say that my daughter was absolutely fine and I immediately started getting better as soon as they got her out. If you can move around, get in a tub/shower, try different positions like squatting then I think you'll have success with a non-medicated birth and I wish you the best of luck. If you're stuck in bed like I was you might be able to do hypnobirthing, but from what I hear it requires a lot of studying beforehand. I know a few people who swear by it though.

Answer 3

I received an epidural after i was about 4-5 cm dilated. The pros- I had been given pitocin to start my labor up so it started it very fast. I quickly advanced to a state of excruciating pain, which would have lasted for 20 hours if I had not gotten the epidural. I think this reason right here made my labor a much better experience. 20 hours of that pain and i would not have the strength to push. However the things I did not care for about it was that I could not feel my legs and they were numb and would just flop around. The nurses had to help push my legs here and there and they have you switch sides every once in awhile so it felt odd. I was able to get up and walk around after a couple hours after delievery. Even though my legs were completely numb I could still feel the urge to push once the babies head came down. Also, not sure if it was the epidural or not but I ended up getting sick and puking 3-4 times throughout my labor (lasted a total of 26 hours)

Answer 4

I had my seven children without epidurals or other strong medication because I was too afraid of needles! And about handling pain, I am a wimp about pain. I found prevention to be a much better course. I highly recommend the book Childbirth Without Fear by Dr. Grantley Dick-Read, the father of natural childbirth. I hope it is not out of print. I found it crucial to understand that the causes of pain during contractions are connected to emotional states. When I found I could relax most of the discomfort away, it was a major break-through. I still found transition between the first and second stages of labor rather awful for about 30 minutes, probably because I have extremely short second stages of labor, like 15 minutes. About the relaxation, I will tell you I did have some background in yoga and my yoga teacher told me I was particularly adept at the progressive relaxation exercises. In a state of deep relaxation, a labor contraction will feel like the tightening of a muscle, without pain. Just about nobody I tell this to believes me, but oh well, I thought I would try again. Best of luck to you!

Answer 5

My wife gave birth to our son without any drugs at all and it was amazing. We used a method called Hypnobirthing.

Essentially Hypnobirthing is a bunch of meditation and relaxation techniques that relax the mind, so the female body can take over to do what it has evolved over thousands of years to do -- give birth. Once you take the mind out of the equation, and with it the tendency to resist what the body is naturally trying to do, it changes the birthing experience from what you see in the movies or hear the horror stories about to something totally different.

Naturally I was not the one giving birth, but I can tell you my wife was calm and she was able to carry on a conversation throughout the entire birth. They even let her eat and drink, which is something I don't think they let you do in most Labor and Delivery wards. And when my son was born, he was alert. He looked around at everyone. He was able to start nursing right away. I think it's different with drugs because many of them are passed on to the baby, and the baby comes out disoriented and lethargic.

Try checking out www.hypnobirthing.co.uk or www.hypnobabies.com and you can read a lot more it and about other peoples' experiences.

The other thing is that we used a midwife and we had our son in a birthing center that was part of a hospital (Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan). The midwives are much more amenable to something different than the norm than the typical OB-GYN is. And a birthing center is not like the baby factories that the typical Labor and Delivery wards are where their basic goal is to deliver your baby as fast as possible so they can put some other mother-to-be in your bed and deliver hers as fast as possible.

I hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 6

With my first, I wasn't even out of my apartment when I started screaming for my epidural. We got to the hosp, and they said it would take at least an hour for the epi guy to get there. I was screaming, and crying, and demanding the epi. Let's just say he was there about 40 min after I got to the hosp. lmao

With my 2nd, I could toloerate the pain until I had to push. I wanted to get it, because I didn't know what was going to happen. I got the epi, and 30 min later my son popped out. I felt EVERYTHING!!! The only time it hurt, is when I would stop pushing. That was one of the greatest experiences of my life! To feel everything that was going on, except when they pushed on me after he came out. THAT was the most disgusting!! LOL

With my next, I think I'll be able to handle going natural. Maybe a tylenol, or ibuprofin, but other then that I think I should be ok. I have an incredibly low pain tolerance, so if I can go without one, I'm sure just about anyone else can go without one.

I'd actually recomend not getting an epi to anyone who can take pain. It's a great experience, and I think it could actually make you closer to your baby. I had one with my daughter, and almost with my son. I'm closer to my son then I am my daughter. It might have to do with daddy's girl, mamma's boy thing, but you can never tell!!

I wish you the best of luck!!

Answer 7

Well I went in I was dilated to a 6 and I was to scared to have an epidural till I got to around a 9 then I could not stand it anymore( stupid huh.) The stupid thing did not work and I delivered all natural and I tore and wasn't so bad!!!! I would do it natural again I think it speeds up the process!! I went in at 1:00 ( I just started hurting) and delivered at 4:45

Answer 8

Well here goes my novel.. lol....

I was induced... At 6:00 in the morning my water broke (not a gush of water, little bit at a time) and i started having my labour pains around 12 in the afternoon and had my son at 6:28 pm on June 14th. I decided i didnt want to have the epidural because i just wanted to deliver natural, well after wards the pain was so bad ( in my lower back mostly and a little in the lower front, below my belly button) The nurse asked me if i wanted the epidural, and i said yes, well, they couldn't find the docter then they found out that the doctor who gave the epidural was in sergery so he couldn't do it, then i was 8 CM dialated and they asked me if i still wanted the epidural and i decided whats the point now, i've already gone through the worst of it... whats the point so i can be numb AFTER i have the baby... nope!! so i delivered natural. and after when they took out the placenta, my doctor had a blood bath... yikes kinda gross for him i thought it was kinda funny, lol, at the time i thought he deserved it for making me puch the baby out LOL..Just kidding it was neet i got to see the sac the baby was in as well... So thats my story and im sticken to it!!! = )

~CHEERS!!~

Answer 9

Hi SusieMama,

I'm a mom of 2...18 months and 3 years old. Both natural births.

I just breathed through the contractions and clenched my teeth real hard...squeeze a cushion and did the primal scream! LOL...

You can try a water birth...I've been told that it's really soothing and takes the edge of labor!

Answer 10

i had nothing im a mother of 3 didnt use gas epidural or pethadine i used a hot shower.