which is better, c-section or natural birth with epidural?

Question

i heard that giving birth isnt as bad as you think it is? can someone please tell me how you experienced it, i know everyone's different but im a real chicken, i have a couple weeks to go

Answer 1

Every woman is different and no one can answer what is right for you but you. You know your body. But be sure to not listen to friends/relatives/every woman on the planet and take their word as like the word of God - you need to do your own research on everything and come to your own conclusions.

A great book is "A Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth"

I choose to have natural vaginal delivery, but it didn't happen the way I planned. I had a birth plan and tried to follow it but after 39 hours in labor I decided to get drugs and ended up getting an epidural and in all honesty I wish I hadn't. My baby girl popped out 2 hours later so I barely had a chance to catch my breathe before the urge to push came (took them 45 mins to find the doc to catch lol).

The epi made me very sore, and very very very itchy - I had to make my hubby go to the store for hydrocortizone cream - I was scratching myself constantly. My butt was numb til the following morning and I had a hard time relieving my back pain where the needle went for almost a month.

If I get to do it over again on the next baby - I will try to go for it and have no drugs at all. It's less healing time, and less drugs going to the baby - and I would personally never ever choose a c section. If it was an emergency and it meant my or my baby's life - then yes - but I wouldn't choose it because of fear or not knowing what birth would be like.

Women's bodies are made for this, so trust your body and your instincts to make the right decision for you.

Answer 2

giving birth is different for EVERYONE I dont agree with "its how much pain a person can handle" i think some people births are just much more painful than others. I had contractions in my stomach AND back and others only have it in their stomach.
my best friend went thru labor no meds no plm at all...
it was really painful for me i tried epidural but didnt work out
i would have it if it worked for me again but the 2 next two births i had went natrual and i was able to compare those with my 1st one with an epidural and i noticed that the ones without an epidural went LOTS LOTS faster. Just a bit more more painful. so long one mild pain or fast one with alot of pain. either way u will need to get thru it lol. I cant make any comments on any C sections because i never had one but i think i would rather give birth the natural way only because thats how our bodies were made. C sections can be risky for you as infections can happen but if the baby gets stuck and u need a c section then ofc do it. Dont worry u will be fine u can ask for pain meds thru shots in ur butt instead and have support with you in the room and it will be a wonderful thing when ur child is born and it will all be put behind you.Much luck to you!

Answer 3

I gave birth to 3 kids and i did it 3 times without any pain reliver or epidural and guess what i would do it again.It's not the best to feel the pain but after that you can say you did it and you did it great.Even though when they lay the baby on your chest you forgot all the pain right away!!! Don't be afraid to give birth-be relaxed and be glad that you can give birth soon!!! The price you pay for all this pain is your BABY!!! Good luck for you and it doesn't matter how you do it-you have to decide and even if you do it with a epidural you will be a great mom!!!

Answer 4

i think that a natural birth with an epidural is way better than a c section!! with my first baby i had natural birth with an epidural and it was a wonderful experience almost had no pain, it even seemed easy!!! a c section it's more painful, and has a longer recovery period, plus i don't think the hospital gives you an option, a c section is used mostly in emergency situations, or when the baby is too big or in a position that the baby can't deliver.good luck!!

Answer 5

With my first baby i was so scared of giving birth cause I am bad with pain and I was just scared I would be bad at it but i went with the epidural my nurse recommended it and I pushed my daughter out in less then 20 mins when it was time so I am glad that it went that way I know people who have had c-sections and the recovery time is longer. I just think c-sections should be for emergency situations not cause someone can't stand the thought of giving birth naturally thats the way God intended. Good Luck!!

Answer 6

people always make birthing seem like you might just die, which is true like 50 years ago. just to make you feel better, my best friend had her baby yesterday (with an epidural) and she weighted 9.6 lbs and was 23 inches long!! thats a huge baby. i on the other hand had a csection. i regret not being able to experince the miricle of birth. i was compleatley sedated and didnt see my baby for 3 hours after deilvery. you can get an epidural as soon as you want it. the recovery for each is diffrent for everyone. as you can imagine that my friend tore very badly from the big baby but now she has a longer recovery. i had a long recovery too, when having a baby emergencies can happen. plan for the worst case senero. i didnt expcet to have to c secton but i did. i suggest natural birth to anyone. the recovery is not as painful. good luck

Answer 7

Honestly-I was extremely scared when I was pregnant about giving birth-I was scared about the "ripping" that could occur, and then someone told me that it isn't uncommon to poo while delivering-then I had to have an emergency c-section. Believe me, having those moments of pain, and healing quickly is A LOT better than being in pain even when you cough for the next 2 weeks. It is one of those things where I don't believe anything will calm your nerves until it has happened. Then after that, you will be too consumed with the baby and realize it wasn't worth the worrying. Congrats on your baby!

Answer 8

Well, most cesareans are done because there is no other choice. Either way, you get an epidural.

I had a csection. It was tougher recovering than I anticipated, but an epidural is an epidural is an epidural.

The birth itself is what varies the type of recovery.

Best of luck to you and your baby.

Answer 9

i have had 1 of each and none is better than the other with my daughter i only had pethidine a natural birth with my son the cord was round his neck so i had an epidural then an emergancy c-section but was really sore afterwards good luck x

Answer 10

I have had 5 kids vaganially no epidural, just meds in my iv, it hurt but i lived through it, hopefully this helps, with my 2nd child I had a spinal tab and that made me sick for few days after the birth. Labor and the pain meds a woman uses has to do with how much pain she can handle.