I don't want an epidural, so will i be experiencing cramps?

Question

I'm just curious, because i want kids within the next 3 years..but i DO NOT want an epidural, as i can't take needles..not even in my back, which is sort of sensitive. So, is it going to feel like i'm having period cramps, just more severe? I know NOTHING about epidurals or labor..and i'd like to learn. =]

Answer 1

ooooooooooooo the pain if more than your period cramps.. but it also depends on your pain tolerance. I tried it myself.. my first child i did it naturally.. but because its the first time, i sort of am scared of the procedure... on my second child, i opt for epidural.. and i can tell u.. it really makes a world of difference... but my hubby says that it is really dangerous to go thru the epidural thing... so if you can bear with the pain.. BEAR it!!!

Answer 2

Everyone's body is different some people just slide the baby right out and are only in labor from 45 min to 5 hours or so just depending on if you move around during your pregnancy or not. However, with my first child I was in labor for 21 hours and 13 hours with my second and although I did receive an epidural with both of my children it wore off 2 hours before I delivered my first child because the Dr. was a dumbass and had me pushing for an hour and realized I was not fully dialated. Although these things happened to me my friend and sister barely made it to the hospital and went right into labor without any pain medication. Therefore, the pain can be increasingly horrible or not so horrible just depending on your body. I will tell you if you plan on having a kid though it is best to walk a lot to make it a little easier when having your child. Although you don't want an epidural you need to make that decision before going to the hospital cause once you start dialating chances are you will be too late in asking for one. Also they will have to hook you up to an IV which is a needle and they can put a pain medicine known as demarol into your IV although it does not cure the pain like the epidural it is somewhat helpful. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I have 2 children and am 33 weeks pregnant. I did not have an epidural with either of my boys and will not be having one with this one, and I also survived! :) I'm also scared of a needle going into my back. Yes, labor is painful, (very, very painful) but you can make it through it without drugs. A womans body was made for this.

Just plan to go into it with the idea of no epidural and try to last as long as you can. But also be open to the possibility that you may want or need one for some reason or another during labor and that is OK also.

And that is a bunch of bull that a woman who labors natural has no energy to hold their baby afterwards. I had my son at 2 am naturally and was so keyed up and excited about him that I didn't sleep that whole night. I finally took a nap when the sun was coming up.

Answer 4

Labor is painful plain and simple. I had back labor with my daughter and before I got the first numbing meds it hurt so bad I could barely breathe. I know this isn't what you want to hear but it is like 50X worse than menstral cramps. Plus some hospitals still use routine IV's so that you can be sure not to dehydrate and to be able to administer drugs quickly if you need an emergency c-section. Of course with the pain of labor it goes away and there is definately a purpose for it. I can understand not wanting the epidural, I didn't have one either due to the strong believe that something could go wrong and I could be in pain for life (I am paranoid I know). The time really did fly while I was in labor though, I definately was not watching the clock so it didn't seem like it lasted forever. I hope this helps and doesn't scare you too much. Just go into the delivery room expecting to feel some pain and then you won't be shocked when the contractions come and totally floor you.

Answer 5

Every pregnancy is different. Some women have hard labor pains while others can tolerate the pain much better. Most women will recommend you to take the epidural, but like you, I want to try to do it without the epidural. I also don't like needles too much and the thought of one going in my back is a little eh for me. Pregnancies don't happen every day for us, so I want to endure everything, even the pain. And if t comes to the point where I can't handle it anymore, then hey it happens. But you will be hurting. There's about a 6-7 pound baby coming out of your body. He/she will be pushing on your lower body and whatnot. It's going to hurt. My mother told me that once it reaches it's "high point" it'll just become an annoying pain.

But again, it's different for different people.

Answer 6

It will start out like cramps. Your whole stomach will tighten up. When your contractions get stronger there will be much more pain. It gets pretty intense.

With my first child, I didn't want an epidural. But I had to have one because of complications and they prepped me for surgery just in case. Second pregnancy I wanted one because I was enduced and it caused my contractions to be constant and very painful.

Don't rule out an epidural, you have a pretty big window of time to get one. When you are having pain you really can't tell when they put the needle in.

I have to admit the epidural both times really helped. It took all the pain away.

Answer 7

its unexplainable pain lol.. the needle is not going to be anything compared to labor with nothing.. especially if u have a long labor.. just picture this.. i tried to go without an epidural and was climbing up the back of my bed!!! it hurt sooo bad.. i dont even know how to explain the pain!! and then i got the epi.. which they numb the area before they do the actual epidural and i was falling asleep during active labor!! it was wonderful.. i am due this october and i definitly got an epidural lined up lol.. but if u think u can tough it out i wish all the luck to you!!

Answer 8

I wouldn't rule out anything until you know what you're dealing with. Yes, some lucky women have bad cramps and pop that baby out within a few hours. I had 13 hours of labor (4 hrs until I got the epidural) and if someone had given me a gun, I would have shot myself. Sorry, it was the worst, intense pain...and I could never describe it to someone that hasn't been there (my hubby). But...at least I didn't have to do 24-72 hours with nothing like several family members!!!

Answer 9

Let me put it to you this way..the pain you will experience during childbirth is like nothing you have ever felt in your life. It is like period cramps only that pain is amplified about a thousand times(bit exaggerated). My advice is to hold out as long as you possibly can without the epi if you really want to go that way. You may get lucky with your first labour and it may happen to fast so there wont be an opportunity to have drugs anyway. If not try different breathing techniques, have some gas, and when all else fails and you cant take it have the epi. Trust me you probably wont feel the needle if your in labour anyway because you are too busy concentrating on the contractions! (been there done that!!) Anyway I hope this helps and good luck!!

Answer 10

Ummm...lets just say labor is like period cramps times like 10,000 or more...it is so painful and my advice I am sorry is to get the drugs...I am sure when you get to the hospital with contractions all hope of not having an epidural will go out the window and you will be begging for the shot in the back!

Answer 11

For me, it started out as me thinking I was having diarrhea cramps. I felt like I had to poop a lot, and you know how you cramp sometimes when it's bad (sorry to be gross, just letting you know). Then, as they became closer together and I realized it was labor, it also started to get more period cramp-y like. It was also kinda like when you're about to get a charlie horse, and you feel your leg start to cramp/contract. But of course, there's no way to stop it, like with a charlie horse. Personally, my contractions didn't get too bad, but when the doctor went to break my water, and he had to stick his hand inside me it hurt like heck, and he said it shouldn't be hurting that much, so he wanted to give me the epidural. (I knew I not only wanted one, but had to have one due to a medical condition) It actually turned out to be a good thing that I'd had the epidural because I ended up having a C-section and it made it possible for me to have the surgery and be awake.
Oh, and also, the reason my contractions didn't get too bad, was because I was only 4cm dialated when I got the epidural. (Although the contractions were coming every 1_1/2 to 4 minutes for like 15 hours.)