Questions regarding birth?

Question

I have a question that I don't feel that I can ask my dr because he's male.

I'm a first time mom and I'm am planning on having a normal birth in September. Someone said to me that its better to have a C-section from the point of view that your sex-life is never the same afterwards. Is this true for everyone who has given birth normally or only for a select few? And do you stay stretched or do you eventually return to normal?

The other question is that I am planning on asking for an epidural, but I've also been told that you will still feel the full force of the pain of when the baby comes out. I'm really a wimp when it comes to pain and I'd like to know what other women out there have experienced. I think its more the unknown than anything else that I'm scared of.

Thanks, guys.

Answer 1

Firstly CONGRATS!
My son turns 2 in Aug. I'm not a woman but I do know that the sex won't happen for at least 6 weeks after normal birth and that every thing does shrink back to normal size aswell. After delivery she had PPH caused by tearing ('twas a big new born) 'got stiched up and a couple of weeks later, everythings back as it was. Your body will be different afterwards no doubt, but the sex won't suffer. Its your hips that dislocate during labour and your brain will give off hormones and chemicals that will help with pain and relax the muscles, after labour those hormones and chemicals will wear off and the muscles and hips will return to normal. Epidural will numb you during the birth, but after the delivery they will remove the needle and you'll feel the pain you would have felt after labour anyway. What's a few hours of pain when you're geting a life time of joy ...
Goodluck & take it easy
Oh yeah, and VIRGO's RULE!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Well unfortunatly doc's won't give you the option of having a c-section. 2ndly it takes longer to heal from them. I have had 3 totally natural births and my sex life is just as good as it ever was! The doc will give you dome information on an exercise you can do to tighten up the muscle down there after having the baby. They are called kegul (don't know if I spelled that right) exercises. They really help out a lot! As far as the epidural I've heard too many bad things about them. I would do a lot of research before making any final decisions! I heard the epidural and spinals can cause some long term effects to your body and pelvic area if done wrong. Congrats on the baby and hope all goes well! You will never remember the pain after you see that beautiful baby for the first time!

Answer 3

I never heard of a persons sex life changing because of a vaginal birth. I have had 3 children and I have a wonderfully fulfilling sex life. Although, after birthing a child you can lose some of your sex drive. You become less interested I think because of being tired. However, things bounce back to normal.

As far as an epidural, I chose natural child birth. However after being in labor for my second child for 36 hours, and the doctors insisting I have the epidural, I got one. Well it was the worst decision ever. My son was born just 20 minutes after I got it. I did not feel him being born or feel him when they placed him on me afterward. I wish I would of been more insistent to no epidural. Having a baby really does hurt, but you forget about right after. It truly is worth every second of pain. Wait and see how things go before you decide what to do, there are so many options and being educated to all choices will help aid you in your decisions. Good Luck to you and Congrats on being a mommy.

**Note: Exercising during pregnancy really does help with labor pains. And have you considered Lamaze?

Answer 4

I had my first baby nine weeks ago so i'm basing my answer on that :)

I had a vaginal birth - everything went back to "normal" - i did not stay stretched. Our sex life is back and its great.

I had a friend who had her baby by C-Section (not by choice) she had a hard recovery time, it hurt for her to even just get into bed! Don't forget having a C-Section is actually major surgery! Like everything you should weigh up the pro's and con's before making any decision.

As to the epidural - i ended up having one. I tried to go "natural" with no drugs for the first 20hours at which stage i was yelling for an epi! LOL. Let me tell you it was absolutely glorious! You "feel" the pain but you are removed from it. I am also the biggest wimp but really wanted to try a non-medicated birth... i'm glad i gave it a try but i'm also glad i gave in eventually and had the epi. The only thing was that it made me very groggy and lethargic once baby was born - but i really don't think i could have taken any more pain by that stage.

I never knew what anyone meant when they said that you don't remember the pain of childbirth until i experienced it. Its very true... i remember that it "hurt" but don't remember the actual level of pain i was in.

Good luck to you and your baby!

Answer 5

Hi! first of all congratulations on your lil angel.. So, a c-section.... it isn't an option that you can choose from. it is surgery and used for circumstances when a baby cannot be delivered vaginally or when the baby is in danger and they need to deliver immediately. It can leave nasty scars and take a while to heal. As far as your stretching.....you will return back to normal.. (you are not supposed to have sex for 6 weeks..... definitely long enough to shrink you back down) I have 2 kids that i delivered naturally and i am as tight as......... well..... pretty tight.. Lil... my husband has never said anything about it being different and that was a concern i had also. Now the epidural... hmmmm. for my first one, it was cake! my anesthesiologist was great i didn't feel the needle going in and it took effect almost immediately and i didn't feel a thing.. only pressure when it was time to push. BUT NO PAIN!!! Now my second... I got an epidural but my anesthesiologist was a moron.. it took him 4 times to get it right and it never worked.. so i felt the entire thing.. yes it hurt, Bad. What hurt was the contractions... not the actual force of her coming out but just the contractions. (but that was just me) but when it was over, it was over. i mean OVER! and i am a wimp to pain also. but you can do it! any woman can. it's one of the perks about being a woman. we can stand more pain then most men think. SO, i would get some books and read up. and watch those discovery channel shows like birthday and labor and delivery. they are actual births with their true stories and i loved them while i was pregnant. But for the mean time, take care relax and enjoy your pregnancy.

Answer 6

First of all, from what I understand, most doctors do not give you the option of if you want a "C" section or not. They only give "C" sections when your life or your baby's life is in danger. Yes, your vaginal area will return to normal, and you can do kegel (sp?) exercises to help firm up those muscles again. Finally, epidurals are heaven on earth when in labor. TAKE IT!!! They usually have it timed so that the epidural is wearing off when its time to push anyway so you're going to feel the baby no matter what. If they don't do that, you wont be able to push the baby out. I understand being scared and I was too, but the doctors/nurses have done this hundreds of times and they really help you through all of it...good luck!!

Answer 7

Well sweetie first of all CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Labor and delivery is different for everyone! I have four kids, the first was breech(meaning upside down) and was forced to have a c- section! I do not recommend this....it is very painful recovery, and you are left with not only a scar but your stomach muscles have been cut through, and it takes alot of work to get your belly back into shape. Fortunately I was able to have my other three naturally, no drugs..... it has alot to do with your mind set, be strong stay focused and keep telling yourself & your lil one, this is one of the many sacrafices you will endure in parenthood. I felt the reward was worth the day of pain. But if you feel that you need drugs, by all means do what will make you comfortable. As far as the sex life, mine is better now than before kids, it's pretty easy to get your muscles back into shape, cuz you can exercise them anywhere anytime and no one even knows it! Also if you stay real active during intercourse (meaning do alot of the work) it will strengthen your muscles . It really depends on the individual, but I would never recommend a ceserean, nor would I ever do it again!!! p.s. Good luck!!!!

Answer 8

I had a natural birth and it has had no affect on my sex life at all.
As for your second question everyone is different. From the very beginning of my pregnancy I was adamant about the whole epidural thing. I had what I thought was a very low pain tolerance and knew I was going to need something.Well it didn't go that way to make a long story short my daughter came to fast and I didn't get anything. I was so scared I was crying to my mom telling her to make them give me something as they were breaking my water. It was tough and very painful but I made it through and was never prouder of myself.Like I said everyone is different but I'm proof that even if you think you cant handle the pain your body knows what to do and yeah it is very painful but so much more rewarding in the end. When you see that baby all of that fades,and whatever you decide in the end you will know what I'm talking about. Good luck to you and your blessing.

Answer 9

First, should you've obvious a curb within the effectiveness of your drugs on your different signs, you will have to seek advice a health care professional. They will have to be equipped to support with that. Beyond that, it does now not cut down the effectiveness of the tablet to 'bypass' a couple of intervals. You can do that via now not taking the 7 inactive drugs (or should you should not have the ones, via skipping the 7 tablet loose days). There is truthfully a company of tablet in the marketplace now that's supposed to intent the intentional skipping - for as much as four months at a time. I could permit your frame have a one million week holiday as soon as in a whilst. In phrases of being pregnant, bear in mind that drugs are a time-touchy process -- they paintings essentially the most with ease if taken whilst day-to-day. If you fluctuate the time dramatically, or become skipping drugs at some point and doubling up the following, you are not getting the safety you consider you're. Either manner, please remember the usage of a latex condom. BC Pills don't preclude the transmission of STD's, nor do a number of the different varieties of condoms. Unless you're one hundred% definite your companion does not have any std's, you will have to be giving your self this safety. It's a damaging international available in the market!

Answer 10

Hun, let me tell you - there's no pain like it BUT you will forget it as soon as it is over!!!

Make your decisions based on how things go - get loads of info on C sections, epidurals (which aren't always good) episiotomy, etc etc - and chat it over with your birth partner. If things go easy, you may only need gas and air and if things are tougher, there are loads of other options.

Above all, remember at the end of it you will have a beautiful baby. Worth every second of pain and then some. Good luck and try not to worry yourself sick.