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How did you resist the offers of pain relief?

2007-03-27 19:06:20 · 25 answers · asked by hey lili 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting Newborn & Baby

25 answers

I have had 3 children with no pain relief. It seems that with me, by the time I can't handle it anymore, it is too late to have anything anyways. Just do the breathing like they say. Bring things with you that help make you feel relaxed. You could always ask the nurses to not offer you anything also. Out of sight,out of mind kind of thing.

2007-03-28 21:51:33 · answer #1 · answered by Christina J 4 · 0 0

Pain relief is a personal descision. It's your body and your baby. You will know when you're going through labour, if you can tolerate the pain you're experiencing. It's different for each person and health professionals can forget this and try to offer a standard service. This is not actually the case in NZ though. Pregnant women get themselves a lead maternity carer (paid for by the State), a midwife usually and a personalised pain relief plan is organised before you go to hospital (or birthing centre). They recommend that you keep pain relief to a minimum. The opposite to the States I think!

There are some risks associated with pain relief:
Pethidine (as it's known in NZ), I think it is meperidine in the US, can cause breathing difficulties in your new born baby. If however you're having a long labour and not dilating quickly, a small dose can help you sleep without affecting the baby.

Epidural when delivered in the correct dose will NOT totally relieve you of pain. It takes the edge off contractions but you need to be able to feel when to push. If you can't feel, they may tell you when to push from a monitor or might resort to c-section. Recovery from a c-section is difficult especially since you shouldn't carry any significant weight around for six weeks, ie your precious little baby, and it can also make breast-feeding more difficult.

I've had two children and I was induced with the first one and I only had gas pain relief and breathing techniques. I even managed to laugh between contractions every now and again! Everyone has a different experience. I was lucky in that I dilated quickly and my longest labour was only 6 hours in total. If I'd had a 10 hour+ labour I'm sure my advice might be different. Don't overplan your labour, your body takes over for you at some point so just go with the flow and hopefully everything will go well. Don't refuse pain relief if you need it, but don't just accept it when it's offered, if you feel like you can survive.

2007-03-27 19:49:55 · answer #2 · answered by mia_in_nz 2 · 1 0

I did, but that wasn't what I was planning! My water broke before I actually started having contractions, and I wasn't dilated enough to have an epidural when I got to the hospital. When my contractions started getting really painful, I finally asked the nurse if I was dilated enough and she said yes and called the anesthesiologist. I could have kissed the woman when she came in a told me she would be doing the epidural in a few minutes. Well, lo and behold, my contractions became very, very painful and my OB checked me out. I went from 4 centimeters to 10 in a half-hour! He told me that I had to start pushing and all I wanted to know was if I could still have the epidural!

After about a half-hour of pushing I had my beautiful baby boy and I was overjoyed. The one thought that was going through my head throughout the pushing was "This will be over soon and I will have a beautiful baby to hold".

It's entirely up to you if you want the drugs or not. Personally, for my next one I'm having the nurse check me every few minutes so I don't miss my window of opportunity for some glorious pain relief!

2007-03-28 07:23:18 · answer #3 · answered by PJ's Mom 4 · 0 0

hi i had a natural birth with no drugs due to the fact im scared of needles. i wasnt offered the because i asked my midwife not to no matter how hard it got unless my baby was in serious pain. i was in labour 36 hours id say until i got into hospital i walked had a bath and i managed when i got into hospital i went in the birthing pool and spent 2 hours in there it was heaven water really helps take away the pain. they forced me out due tomy waters not breaking and of course after that the pain got worse i then went to massage oils which my partner massaged into my lower back that also helped i couldnt tell you which oils they were but if you consider it i would ask your midwife which is best because some you are not ment to use. by the time that started wearing of it was time to push i just concentrated on the end result and after half an hour my little boy was born. i must admit it was painful in some places but i coped and im a huge wimp for pain so everyone was suprised good luck hope this helped a little xxx

2007-03-27 23:35:23 · answer #4 · answered by rachel b 3 · 1 0

I've had 3. The first time I was induced and could not tolerate the pitocin induced contractions. I had to have the epidural. The second time - it happened too fast for me to receive the epidural and the nurse midwife and several nurses stood by my side and helped me through it. The third time - no one showed up and I was in bed alone at the hospital - screaming for meds and hitting the nurse button with every contraction - then I got some pain meds but it happened too fast for an epidural. It actually happened so fast the 2nd time that the nurse midwife only showed up to say - do you feel it's time to push? - 5 mins later out came baby! Only personal support or a doula can really help you make it through completely drug free in my experience.

2007-03-27 19:13:33 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 0 0

If you are considering having natural child birth I would recommend a doula.

A doula is a birth coach. She can guide you in different breathing exercises and body positions to lesson or eliviate pain. They are wonderful. She will also keep you informed of all of your medical options and choices and help you make decisions that are best for you. Your OB or hospital should be able to put you in contact with some in your area.

Also, be sure to let your OB know in advance that you are planning on having natural child birth - you will also need to let the hospital know.

The most important thing in natural child birth is to be positive. You need to NOT focus on the pain and focus on the tools that you are using: breathing and visualization.

There is nothing more amazing in this world than the birth of a child so you need to remember to just do what feels right to you. And if you do decide to go with pain medication, don't think of it as you failed because any way that you deliver you still get a wonderful beautiful child and that is all that matters!

Hope this helps, congrats and good luck to you!

2007-03-27 19:17:44 · answer #6 · answered by Carrie T 3 · 1 0

I have had 3 children and each labour was completely different.
My 1st was 16 hours long,and you name a drug and i had it!!
My 2nd was only 4 hours,and i did it completely drug free.
My 3rd was 6 hours,and i had the happy gas.
By far,I would say my 2nd was the easiest-It sounds strange,but in my case i think the drugs actually made it worse.The pain was more bearable,but i was so out of it I really didn't have any control.
After having a terrible time with my 1st,I decided i would try to go as long as possible without drugs with my 2nd,and by the time it got to the point of wanting something it was too late.
Talk to the midwives or your doctor about how you would like to try a drug free birth.and they will offer any advice and support you need.
I went into the delivery room with complete confidence that i could do it-but also telling myself if i couldn't,it was no big deal.
Good luck!!

2007-03-28 13:38:14 · answer #7 · answered by Jane Doe 3 · 0 0

1st baby with pain relief -
i said "NO" to pain relief , didnt want it BUT
they insisted
...i declined
they insisted
...i declined
etc
etc
WE finally compromised - they gave me a half dose.
-it messed with my performance ability.
I didn't feel in full control,
the drugz just made me groggy - it STiLL hurt like - - - -


with second baby I made conscious effort to have NO pain relief.
in theory, it should have been easier anyway, as the path had been trodden before (so to speak), also I knew better what to expect having become versed with the drill.
SO i decided i was definitely going to say NO in a bid to keep my witz about me.
jokingly asking for a rainchek on the drugz.
I delivered satisfactorily - they didn't follow through with the rainchek!

MYadvice

when you're IN labour and approaching delivery,
your pain WiLL increase -
# the more efficiently you are performing,
# the more intense will become your pain
BUT
# the sooner you will achieve your goal

opt for DRUGFREE if you have the choice,
your personal performance WiLL be more efficient,
the pain will end sooner and you'll be holding your little one safely.

my friend had an epidural, it had an effect on her arms.
She wasnt allowed to hold her baby without supervision during itz first 24hours.

hope this has helped with your plan of action!

2007-03-28 08:54:59 · answer #8 · answered by rapunzel 2 · 0 0

YES I DID!!!! Before I tell you about that, I need to tell you that I have had five babies. The first three were with an epidural being used for pain. The last two were natural with no pain killers. The epidural was nice it took away the pain but still I could feel some presser to know when I was supposed to push. The problem with it though was that I couldn't really move my legs and it causes the labor to go longer. When I was pregnant with my forth one I thought it was going to be my last one so there were two things that changed my mind about using pain killers. The first was I wondered what it was really like and if I could handle it. The second was some thing I had read from in the Bible that talked about it. It spoke of how I was meant to feel that pain. It was an experience the God had intended for us to have. I didn't want to rob my self of that experience so a bit scared I decided to go through it. When the day came I invited my pastor to come to the deleveyroom and pray for me. He knew what I was doing and why I was doing it so he came for support. He did not stay for the birth but he was a big help. When the time came for him to leave he prayed before he left but before he did that he looked at me and told me "Now you know this is going to hurt?" When I looked at him I new that it wasn't him talking to me but God through him. It made the hairs in the back of my neck stand up. I new at that moment that I was in for something I had never experienced before but that all would be well. It wasn't long after he left that I hit the heavy labor. Lol the nurses weren’t even ready. The doctor was downstairs in her office. To make an already long story short. The baby came out before any of them could get themselves ready. It happened fast. It was like a pain that I never experienced before but it was over so fast that it was OK. I got through it just fine and I was glad that I did it that way. I found out that the pain has an important role in the delivery. See it's the pain that keeps you pushing and it's the pain that helps it go so much faster. When I was pregnant with my fifth child I didn't hesitate to do it again. God knows what he is doing. He helped me through and taught me something and he can help you too.

2007-03-27 20:43:17 · answer #9 · answered by Angelfur 2 · 0 0

my friend had her baby girl last week. she planned to have the drugs, and kill all the pain of the labor and delivery, but the doctor kept sending her home (since she was in labor for 36 hours), by the time she was actually in active labor (the part where they give you the drugs) the nurse told her there was no time to get the drugs, the baby was coming out NOW.

She said it was a lot easier then she thought it would be, and she's glad she did without, even though it wasn't what she planned. And her, her husband, and new baby girl are now well and fine at home. Good luck!

2007-03-27 19:13:23 · answer #10 · answered by EYoungmom88 3 · 0 0

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