Epidural versus Natural births, what did you do and what did you think of it...?

Question

I'm 34 weeks along and planing a natural birth in a hospital at the moment.

However the closer I get to my due date, the more scared I get about the pain.

I'm TERRIFIED of needles however. I had a miscarriage at 16 weeks and had to have a emergency D&C with an epidural.

I FAINTED when I saw the needle (I've never fainted in my life accept this once)

I don't know if I would do it again, I think I would panic and start attacking the doctors if I ever saw that needle again.

So what did you do? Pain medication? Natural birth? What was your impression? Are you happy with your decision to do what you did?

Any advice would be nice!

Answer 1

ALL natural - the reason being I had researched too much info on the dangers and possible complications of epidurals, pros & cons and didn't feel it was worth the risk for me. I had seen an Ob/Gyn (because like you, I had a miscarriage before my 1st successful pregnancy), had a D&C and thought it was who I should see. She threatened to C-section if she thought the baby was over 7 lbs (said I couldn't gain more than 30 lbs and I am not overweight by any means and I am small to average build). Well, it scared me a lot. I started seeing a certified midwife and she had a whole different approach - said I should gain a "healthy" amount of weight (30-35 lbs) and no one can tell for sure how flexible moms are. Some really big women can't have smaller babies and some smaller women can have huge babies - it's anyone's guess.
So - I had my first baby at home, no drugs, no complications, 24 hour slow but progressive labor and I only pushed for 25 mins. I also had perineal massage, so I didn't tear, I didn't have an episiotomy and I didn't need any stitches! YEAH!
My daughter was born awake, aware and nursed within the first 30-45 mins of being born. It was an awesome experience. It hurt more than I had imagined, but I had back labor and that's as bad as it can get. I didn't realize what it was at the time - my back hurt more than the contractions and I had to have my husband pushing against it as hard as he could (he was in the USMC and all muscle - well, no offense, but he was no match compared to the baby's head in my back!). Once she was crowning, the back labor was gone - babies turn as they are coming down - that's how they fit. If I can get through that - I think anyone can get through natural labor. It's not bad until you reach 6-10 cms, and going from 6-10 is usually pretty fast. Once you can push, it still hurts, but it feels like you're accomplishing something and making HUGE progress.
Epidurals can hinder your ability to push - you can't feel everything. You can't always tell how hard you're pushing, you can't push effectively if there is an emergency, like the baby is in distress and needs to come out now. This happened to my aunt (cord wrapped around baby's neck 4 times - very rare, but it can happen) - thank goodness she didn't have an epidural. Everything was fine, but when she was told, "You've got to push the baby out now!" She could!
I have had all 4 of mine without epidurals or any pain meds. It is hard work, it does hurt, but I thought the miscarriage was the worst pain I had ever felt. That felt like knives - labor wasn't "sharp" - contractions come in waves, it's not constant. I think if you try to relax - think about the contractions as bringing the baby closer to you, it helps. Think about letting your body do the work it needs to do. You were built to do this - it's not an illness.
Pain can tell you if something is wrong too. I could tell with my son that he was stuck and I needed to get on my hands and knees to get him to move over one spot in my back. Everything went faster then. It was good that I could feel it.
Overall, I would never choose medical interventions unless they were absolutely necessary - one can tend to lead to another. It's one thing if you are having a 36 hour labor and you're exhausted and you need them. It's something else just to get them so you don't feel pain.
I'm sure you will be just fine and nothing is better than knowing you did it all by yourself. I was so proud of myself and I can still use it with my husband and my kids, "If you think I went through 4 hours without drugs to have you for you to do this???" - kind of mean I know, but they're teenagers now and you wouldn't believe the results I see when I play this card! I can also say, "Honey, I think you can get that - I had all of your kids naturally, remember?"
Warn your husband not to say anything like, "Hmm... this isn't so bad!" during a contraction Mine made that mistake!
Best Wishes! You'll be great sweetie!

Answer 2

I have had 2 with epidurals, and 2 all natural. My 1st and last were with epidurals and my 2 middle natural. I hated having an epidural. That is why my middle 2 were all natural. I didn't have an IV, I wasn't hooked up to a bunch of crap, and I was able to move around get in and out of the hot tub, go to the bathroom, and eat if and when I wanted too. I loved it. I was supposed to have my last one the same way, but could not due to problems, and I hated it. I couldn't walk around, and they would not let me go pee. They put a cath in me even. I wasn't dying, I was having a baby, and there is no reason I should not have been allowed to pee. It also didn't numb anything but my left foot. That is a risk you take with the epidural, because they do not always work right anyway. I say go all natural. It will hurt, but you will have more control over yourself and the situation, and you will be amazed at what your body can do.

Answer 3

I had an epidural with all 3 of my deliveries, and I was very happy with it. I'm also very afraid of needles, and I thought for a long time that I wouldn't get one. But I'm glad I did. I just asked that they not let me see the needle. I actually didn't feel any pain during the procedure.

I liked that I was more calm (I panic when in pain, even pain that I'm ready for) and that I was able to enjoy the labor and delivery.

I could feel no pain, but did feel the pressure of contractions. So I knew when to push and I had no trouble pushing. The longest I pushed for a child was 40 min and the shortest was 8.

You know yourself and your body best, so I would advise that you keep an open mind about things. You might handle the natural birth just fine, you might want a little help through the IV, or you might want to try the epidural. Only you can decide what will be best for you, but I would advise considering all your options, talking to your doctor/midwife, and keeping an open mind.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I had two the natural way and one with an epidural. I would never do it the natural way again. The pain is unbearable and after being in labor so long, I was too tired to enjoy my newborn. It also took a long time to dilate to a 10 because my body could not relax enough to dilate quickly. With the epidural, I went from 4 cm to 10 cm in 20 minutes! As for fear of the needle, you can't see it because they insert it into your lower back. I did not feel a thing. They insert it as you are contracting and believe me, that pain erases any other pain you may have. Good Luck!!

Answer 5

I was induced so my contractions were coming fast and hard. I don't know what I would have done without my epidural. I'm also very freaked out by needles, I cried when they put my i.v. in, partly cause it took 4 times for them to get it right. But having my boyfriend next to me really helped me calm down and not worry too much about the needle. They poke you with a little needle to numb you first so you don't even feel the big needle, and plus you're so focused on your contractions you barely feel the little one. I am amazed by people who can do natural child birth and if that's what you want then I fully encourage you to do it, but you don't have to be a hero, there's nothing wrong with getting an epidural, and it's really not that scary. Good luck

Answer 6

There is no way to describe the pain of pregnancy. For me it was not a pleasant experience. I tried for 8 hrs to be strong and have a no drugs delivery but in the end I just couldn't take it anymore. After I had the epidural it was smooth sailing. I didn't feel any pain and I was able to relax and enjoy the process. Some people say that recovery without drugs is a lot easier but I didn't think it was that bad with drugs. I guess it all depends on your ability to endure pain. If you want to try a natural delivery then I would go with that plan but always give yourself the go ahead to change your mind if your pain gets to bad. Good luck!

Answer 7

One of the down sides to an epidural may be the wait. Basically, the birthing process stops for you to have another procedure. By that time in the whole labor process, you are really wishing for it to end. The hospital I gave birth at makes it inconvenient to get epidurals, so that was one of the reasons why I chose not to have one.

The pain of labor isn't a walk in the park, but it does end. I kept that in mind when I gave birth last year. That helped get through it. And know that the medical personnel around you are competent and helpful.

As for the needle phobia, you might want to get some help working through it. Simple self-hypnosis can help. Besides, after you give birth, you'll be able to tell yourself, "A needle? No biggee! I've made it through labor!"

Answer 8

Well you can expect pain during a natural birth, although a painful stinging will occur a few minutes later your body will naturally enter shock (within that region) and block out the general pain from your brain. With an epidural though you just don't get to subtract pain and that's that, the epidural comes with the initial needle prick and a slight uncomfortable feeling in your spin... resulting in numb bottom half of your body. I would go with your gut feeling, due to your fear of needles it might just be a more pleasant experience in a more natural state.

Answer 9

I had my 1st two with nothing and the 3rd with an epidural - I could feel NOTHING when it came time to push. I would never have an epidural again. Natural is the way to go. My first labor was 32 hours and I made it through that. However, we live in the 21st Century and if you don't want any pain there's no need. You will be able to decide when you go into labor if you want.

Answer 10

I went into labor with an open mind. If I needed an epidural, i'd get one. I was about 5 cm dilated and was having contractions that were beyond bearable. I got the epidural and was in so much pain from the contractions that I purposefully didn't look at the needle (why would you do that?!?!?!) and didn't even feel it. It made my contractions manageable and my daughter was not affected at all by the epidural. I hope my 2nd birth is as wonderful as my 1st.

Also, they had me sign a consent form BEFORE I went into labor. That way, if I wanted the epidural, I could have one. They said if I didn't sign it ahead of time, I could not opt to get one later on.