I am aiming for a natural child birth....I have a really low pain tolerance...can I still do it?

Question

I want to avoid an epidural at all costs...but I have such a low pain tolerance!!! Will I be able to take the pain of labor on my own? Do you have low pain tolerance and were able to do child birthing naturally?

Answer 1

The best advice I can give you is to Keep an open mind! I never thought I could go through childbirth, but I did it twice! It is okay to say you really don't want an epidural, but I would not completely rule it out. As a Labor and Delivery Nurse, I have seen many women come in dead set against pain medication of any kind. In my experience, many of these women ended up with problems like having to have a c-section or their labor and delivery does not go as they had planned. My suggestion to you is to develop a birth plan with your support person and your doctor so that everyone is aware of what you want. Remember, there are other pain med options. Speak with your doctor and find out what is available to you. Also, you should sign up for classes in Lamaze, Natural Childbirth or Hypnobirthing. Most Maternity units at the hospital offer these. I hope this helps! Good Luck!

Answer 2

I have one child and my second due in 6 weeks. I didn't have or want an epidural with my first and have the same game plan in place for my second. When my doctor and I discussed pain relief, I made it clear that an epidural was not an option. There are different levels of pain relief, and I opted to start at the bottom and work my way up.

There are many reasons to choose either way. If you don't want one, stick to your guns, but don't feel ashamed if you end up getting one. When it's all said and done, it's not likely you'll remember the pain. If we remembered the pain, I doubt we'd keep on making babies.

Whatever you decide, in the end it won't matter. Especially, when you are holding your tiny miracle.

Answer 3

Well, you'll have to do it. There are other things they can give you besides an epidural during labor. Ask your doctor and they can tell you all of your options. Billions of women, both with high and low pain tolerances, have given birth and done fine at it. You will do fine! Try not to worry so much. Talk to the doctor and see what they suggest. Good luck!

Answer 4

Of course -- a lot of it is mental and emotional.

First of all, make sure you have a few people who can support you in labor. This means people who will be patient, stay calm, not over-react.

When you start to feel contractions, ignore them for as long as you can. If it's night time, go to bed, try to sleep. If it's day time, go about your normal activities. Keep hydrated, eat lightly.
Unless there is a medical reason or complication, stay out of the hospital as long as you can.

When you can't possibly ignore the contractions any more, work with them --- Walk, get in the shower, get on your hands & knees, lean on your partner and rock your hips back & forth. Keep moving! This helps labor to progress, and feels good to most women.

At some point you will be calling your doctor or midwife and they will want to check you. Remind them on the phone that you are hoping for an unmedicated birth -- this could influence how they manage things early on.

Check out childbirth classes in your area, and make sure that there is an emphasis on preparing for a natural birth.
Check out hypno-birthing. Search that on line and see what's offered in your area. Many women have done very well with it.
If you have the money, look into a doula.

And remember --
A lot depends on things that are not in your control, so be open to what comes, and don't feel GUILTY if things don't work out the way you hoped.
Good luck!

Answer 5

I tried this approach with my first kid and half way through I gave up and got the epidural, it was awesome! I was able to enjoy the birth instead of screaming at the pain. The epidural did hurt a bit, close to one of my small contractions but after that it was OK. I have a med-high pain tolerance do yourself a favor get the epidural you will be able to enjoy the experience of birth a lot more.

Answer 6

i cry everytime i have to get a shot.. so I do have low pain tollerance and honestly.. without the epidural i would not have made it.. the second time i had to have two epidurals b/c the first one didn't work.. and the second one didn't have time to actually start working before I needed to start pushing.... and that was horrific... i mean it can be done.. but i cried and was in constant pain I couldn't sleep i couldn't relax it was just horrible... so it is up to you... the epidural didn't hurt... i felt like a little pinch.. like when you get a shot... and it was over... i am praying the epidural works this time when i give birth to my third child.. but it is soley up to you... every labor and delivery is different.. every female is different.. you might go through it without a breeze unlike me... good luck though

Answer 7

I have had 3 children, my first I had an epidural with and my 2nd I had stadol with, my 3rd I ended up delivering naturally at home by myself because I didn't make it to the hospital....there was pain in all 3 of their births regardless of wether or not pain medication was involved, its the birth of your child and trust that you will forget the pain the moment they lay your baby in your arms, you can do I have faith, either way your going to be blessed with a beautiful babe

Answer 8

I have a very low pain tolerance. I delivered my son with an epidrual and swore I would never do it natural. I ended up having my daughter natural because they didnt give me the epi in time...and I can honestly say...my next child will be all natural...it wasnt nearly as bad as I thought. Don't get me wrong, it was painful, but bearable!

Answer 9

i have a really low pain tolerance too. really low. but, i was determined to have a natural childbirth. little did i know how much it would hurt! i guess my determination won out cause i had no medications at all. i still feel like a warrior, and hope i can do it next time around. luckily, i got to the hospital at 10 cm dilated, so i really only had 2 hours left when i got there. so, try to labor at home as long as you can. have a supportive partner, and above all, be determined. it really really hurts - more than you can imagine. oh yeah, but when the baby comes out the pain stops immediately! that is the most amazing thing. plus, it's really really cool to feel the baby slip out. that part didn't hurt a bit. i hope you can do it, so you can feel how cool it is! the little body wriggling out! :)

Answer 10

You'll want to avoid nonsense like being induced, and you'll want to look into stuff like water birth.

Note how many people here talking about pain are also talking about all manner of interventions. "The Pitocin made the cramping awful!" "My membrane sweep was horribly painful!" Etc. Avoid that sort of nonsense, look in to the alternative pain relief/control methods, and you should be fine.

I recommend "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth"
http://www.hencigoer.com/betterbirth/
without reservation.

Ask yourself how you'd go about labour and delivery if there wasn't a big pregnancy-industrial complex waiting to go at you with machines and drugs. You'd do it at your own pace in a relaxed environment, right? Trust yourself and your body, and research _everything_ doctors tell you.

All that said, there're plenty of options for pain relief besides epidurals, and few reasons to avoid them if you're in pain. Babies born with the mother making use of medication are still born "naturally."