what is better to have when your waiting!?

Question

i heard that epidural works wounders! but i also know that they give you a choice, i just am not sure what else the offer you! i heard that as long as you trust your doctor then get the epidural but if you don't then don't get it! i know someone who had a random guy deliver her baby b/c her's was on vacation, and he gave her the epidural in the wrong spot causing her to bleed alot! so i was just woundering what your opinons were on it and what you thought! thanks for all your answers they are greatly appreciated!

Brandie

P.S. i am still along way away from going into labor, i'm just curious!

She was beeding from her BACK not other area's! she said the dr.'s front was covered!

Answer 1

You can try birthing classes and there is even a form of hypnosis. B/c of personl issues bfore my daughter was born I didn't do any of those and I regret it. There are many horror and good stories that go along with any type of pain relief during labour. When it cam down to it, I wasn't breathing well so my baby wasn't the oxygen she needed, Even though my doc was out of town his partner was the one who delivered my baby. They had me get an epidural and things went smoothly after that. (her breathing problems that you may see me talk about to others is genetic related and had nothing to do with the birthing process. Just remember if you wait to long they can't do one and then you are forced to go without which can be worse for the both of you!

Answer 2

some of the answers here have some strange info in them, so here it is. you can go "almost" natural with some pain management meds (like demerol) during labor to help with major pain that can very well occur. an epidural is also an option (which has nothing to do with "IV") an epidural is administered by an anesthesiologist or a certified registered nurse anesthetist. this will include a needle going between your vertebrae (in your back). once you have an epidural you will not be allowed out of bed- because it will numb you below the level of the insertion point and you will not be able to walk without falling- so this means using a bed pan to stool and urinate- in bed. so consider that. i think laboring for as long as you can without an epidural is a good idea, because the epidural can slow down the labor and a woman is not as aware of her contractions. it will also probably cause you to spend more time laying in bed- and it is better to be up walking around and letting gravity help move things along while you labor. i would try to go natural if you can, but there is nothing wrong with pain medication or epidural if you need them. either way, giving birth is a lot of work on your body and if an epidural or pain medications can help you along and help you reserve your energy for when the time comes to push the baby out then i say take advantage of them. just remember that some pain medications can cause your baby to be kind of "floppy" at birth and possibly not breath well at first- talk to your doctor about pain management questions you have and discuss your options before you are actually in labor. that way you can do some of your own research and make some informed decisions.
good luck and congratulations!

Answer 3

An epidural does work wonders but sometimes you can have a lack of sensation to the point where they have to tell you when to push. Ask your doctor or hospital if they offer a walking epidural. It is a low dose epidural that dulls the pain but you are still able to be up and about and walk. My hospital doesn't offer it because it has to be administered more frequently.

I had an epidural with my first. After 26 hours of labor I was ready. I'm opting to go natural this time. I hated being stuck in bed.

Answer 4

Other than an epidural, they can offer you two other varieties of pain relief.

One is narcotics. I was trying to delivery my baby as naturally as possible, and this is what they gave me at first. It will NOT make you numb, but it will make the pain a little bit duller and easier to take. I requested some in the evening so I could sleep for a while- it worked beautifully ,if only for a few hours.

Second is a spinal, which I think is mostly reserved for C-sections, in which case it is necessary for administering the anesthetics. It's similar to an epidural, but goes deeper into the spinal tissue and is completely numbing from about chest to knees.

You do have to be careful with epidurals and spinals. I eventually got an epidural near the end of my labor, and the anesthesiologist put it in a little too deep. I didn't bleed, but they made me leave the needle in past the time I needed it so the tissue could swell, otherwise I could have gotten a spinal headache. Not only that, but for me it hurt reallly bad while they were putting it in. It did offer immediate relief, though, so in the end I'd say it was probably worth it.

Answer 5

I had the epidural, I was so miserable before that and stressed. After I had mine I was able to relax without the pain, and I'm sure that was better for me and my baby. An anesthesiologist gave me my epidural, and that's probably the case in most hospitals. It usually wouldn't be your OB/GYN. When it's closer to your time to deliver you can call the maternity ward of your hospital and ask who gives the epidurals. You can also ask your Dr. I wasn't sure I wanted an epidural, but I wasn't expecting how painful labor really was. It turned out my baby's head was hitting my spine the whole way down, and my tail bone got cracked during the birth. Don't worry, it's rare for that to happen! Good Luck.

Answer 6

i had an epidural with my son. It slowed down my labor. I also had a "shadow" basically mine only worked on one side of my body. So one side was numb. It felt really awkward to give birth that way. Plus I spent alot of time in bed laboring when I wanted to be up and moving. This time I am choosing iv drugs until I cant take it anymore and then I will try the epidural again.

Answer 7

They can give iv drugs, cervical blocks, and of course the epidurals. Epidurals are great and offer you a lot benefits. Epidurals can be given throughout the labor process where some of the others can't. Once you reach a certain point during labor that can get it going and keep it working. Its not the ob doc that puts in the epid its the anaethesiologist.

Answer 8

I would definitely ask for the epidural!! I went to lamaze and all of that but when it came down to being in labor with my daughter I was so thankful to have it. I didn't have any problems with it, and it was wonderful not to feel the pain of hard contractions or pushing. Plus it you rip or have to get cut I would rather not feel that either. I also found having not to have to get up to go to the bathroom was helpful as well. When I do finally go into labor I will definitely be asking first thing for an epidural!!

Answer 9

Read up on the risks associated with getting an epidural. They sound great in theory but women aren't given a lot of information on them. Do your own research. They work wonderfully for some women, and then there are others with a window or other complications (I fall into that category). I will never get another epidural. Not trying to scare you, but there are other options: breathing techniques, hypnobirthing (my choice for this pregnancy), other drugs, water births, etc. Best of luck to you.

Answer 10

See if your hospital offers prenatal classes. In my class I learned about several pain relief options available. I chose an epidural, which was administered by an anesthesiologist, not by the OB. I also had Stadol before the epidural, it made me feel sorta drunk but still had pain, that's why I chose the epidural.