Epidurals are scaryyy. Anyone else going for a natural birth?

Question

I am 29 weeks pregnant. Every time I share with my fam and friends my notion of going drug free for my delivery, I get laughs from them and they are like "Oh honey, you may be well-intentioned, but you're gonna get one once you're feeling the labor."

Well, maybe I don't feel like risking paralysis and drugs getting to the baby and backache for the rest of my life and a drowsy baby and who knows what else... epidurals are just not safe-sounding... messing with your spinal nerves?

I'd like to think that a day of incredible pain will end up being worth it avoiding epidural side effects for years to come...

I am freaked out though! Any encouragement from gals who've gone natural? Anyone else feeling the way I do and planning to not get drugged?

Answer 1

hun,i was adament all along with my son that i was going natural because i didnt want an epidurial nor did want pethadine or any other type of drug as they can slow the babies heartrate down can make your labour longer as they make you drowsy so you push less efficiently and so on.

When i did go into labour the pain at first was tolerable but by the time i got to the hospital i was having crippling pains so i deceided to have some gas and air to take my mind off the contraction's.

My mum and the midwife suggested other pain relief but i stuck to my guns and had my son with just gas and air as pain releif.

Im so glad i only had gas and air,as it ment i was totally in control of the labour,i listen to my body as to when to push and i was only pushing for 11mins because my concentraction was all there.The midwife told me afterwards that the reason i had such a good labour was because i stayed in controll and had no drugs to slow my reactions down.

So iwould say if you have made the decision to go natural STICK BY IT YOUR LABOUR WILL BE SO MUCH EASIER AND A WONDERFULL EXPERIENCE FOR YOU.

Although it can be painfull i really enjoyed giving birth to my son and i cant wait to give birth to this little man and im going natural again so i can enjoy every bit of my labour again.

GOOD LUCK DONT LET OTHERS TELL YOU WHAT TO DO STAY IN CONTROLL AND YOU WILL ENJOY YOUR LABOUR IM SURE OF IT.

If you want to ask me anything about labour or just anything or ever you fancy a chat feel free to email me whenever,i will always reply the same day if not the next.xx

Answer 2

I had a natural birth with my first too. It has quite an ordeal of an induction and then 2hours of pushing for a 9pd baby! Ouch!! When bub number 2 came along I started freaking out again remembering what the pain was like but it was definately much easier the second time around and I again had a natural birth. I'm glad I didn't give in to epidural but my labours were 8 and 9 hours so easier than most to begin with. I can understand if you had a 15-20 hour labour and you were just exhausted that an epidural would seem like a might fine idea! I think you need to research the effects of epidural and then decide upon its importance to you. If you find it appeals to you, you can have it straight away, or see how far you can go naturally without epidural and use it as a last resort. This was always my idea when I was in labour and i ended up not needing it and I'm very glad. Its your second time though, you have a very good idea of what you need to go through and can always have one if the going gets tough. Just do the research first because it does come with its own set of complications as does any medical intervention. Good luck

Answer 3

Well, good for you to decide to go through a natural birth and YOU are the only one who can decide if you want to use pain meds or not. I am a mom of 4 kids (13,8,5 & 4) and when I was pregnant with my first I said the same thing. I was petrified of getting an epidural. The thought of a needle and then a tube going into my spine, scared the poo out of me. But I am a women who can truly say that I became a baby when the contractions were coming every 5 min.

The only thing that I, as a women and mom, can say is an epidural is the safest way of pain managment. There are no drugs going into the baby since it is just a nerve blocker for you and you can still feel the pressure on your cervix and the pressure of the contractions enough to push. The only problem that I had from it was a spinal headache which can be pretty painful but I was able to enjoy a painfree birth. And even after 4-8 hour labor and deliveries, I don't have any other side affects. And all 4 of my babies come out screaming and their APGAR scores were all above an 8.

Once again you and only you can decide what you want to do. Your fam and friends and not even the babies daddy can tell you what to do. Just make sure that you have a written birth plan for your OB/midwife and for your labor coach. Also its a good idea to have a back up plan for an epidural if you just can't take anymore. Sometimes its nice to let it be known that when you say a "specific" word that it means you have reached your limit and now you want something. If you can get a doula in your room to be another labor coach, I have heard that they are wonderful. Good luck to you and I hope that all goes well for both you and your baby. Just remember to never, ever say that you failed in your labor if you get something for the pain. If you and your child come out great and nothing goes wrong-YOU SUCCEEDED...

Answer 4

I say good for you. If you don't want an epidural then it doesn't matter what your family thinks. There are other pain relief options. Massage, TENS, water birth, and IV pain killers. They don't kill the pain quite like an epidural but they help take the edge off. Plenty of women around the world go without an epidural and you can too. I'm 26 weeks and I also plan to go without an epidural. I would like to try the IV pain killers and a warm bath. I figure I've had a miserable time with nausea and heartburn so labor pains are just another hurdle to see my daughter.

I will say the only time in nursing school I nearly passed out was when I saw a woman get the epidural. Open heart surgery never phased me but the epidurals just look terrible. Epidurals do carry risks and I'd rather not get a catheter. Most hospitals catheterize patients after the epidural and you usually cannot walk around. I want to be able to walk around and use gravity as my friend!

I get two thumbs down for telling you to stick with your decision and that you have options?? Go figure.

Answer 5

I totally agree with you, I am 22 weeks and feel the same. My mum had an epidural and it severly damaged her back and has been suffering ever since. (27 years!!!!)
I also don't like the idea of any other drug especially when it can effect the baby. Most of the drugs that are offered are Opium based. Women have been having babies since the beginning time and they have only used pain relief such as epidurals/penedine etc in the last several decades. At the end off the day we are only going to be in paid for at the very most 40 hours (if we are unlucky) and as soon as they are born we will forget the pain, so I dont think its worth taking anything. Let me know how you get on.

Answer 6

Natural was the only way for me ...I was up within a couple of hrs ...my baby was alert and drug free and so was I...
Having a baby isn't an illness like some women tend to make out...just so they can order people around and play up the ...oh poor me ...if you swim (it's the best.. takes the weight off your back when you get much bigger) of course it's no walk in the park...but nothing worth while is, right ?
I kept fit throughout my pregnancy, not obsessive, but in general..so by the time my baby was ready we were in sycn..
Anyway stick with it.. it's your body and your baby...all those dumb horror stories are from the gutless...
Just to add... most of the pain is in your mind cuz you are expecting it cuz of those dumb horror stories..
You think past that...you will be amazed at what you can do..
and yeah the first is the unknown so it is always a scary deal.
All the best to you and your baby...

Answer 7

I had an epidural with my first- it was a nightmare because I couldn't feel to push and it just dragged on and on, and my legs swelled, and I was uncomfortable and had headahces, etc. etc.... I had nothing with my second and yes it hurt, but I had coping techniques (no doula, and my nurse was annoyed with me for refusing drugs so she wasn't much help) and it went very quickly and I was up and walking around with no trouble at all 15 minutes after the baby was born.
It is REALLY hard to resist drugs when youre in the middle of everything and your nurse is pushing you to take something when you're at your weakest point, or she's claiming that the labor is not progressing because you are "too tense down there" and need to take something to relax so your pelvis can relax and allow your cervix to open up (a convincing argument....). You need serious preparation and back-up (a partner who will talk you out of it, a doula, etc.). My husband was a HUGE support for me. I can't give him enough credit.
You don't need total pain elimination during labor but you definitely need to be very educated about it especially with your first birth. That was my downfall, I didn't want an epidural with my first but I just had no idea what was going on even though I took a basic class. Try a hypnobirthing class.

Answer 8

I was against having an epidural because I wanted to go natural and because I was nervous about the risks of paralysis and other complications with having one - I felt this way UNTIL I was in HARD labor for 15 hours - then I was begging for one....and it helped! It prolonged my labor by a few hours but I felt no pain and was able to deliver vaginally without any complications...I would definitely recommend having an epidural because nowadays the risks of paralysis are extremely low (well that's what I was told at least)

Answer 9

I just had a natural home birth 3 months ago. It was pretty tough, but since I was at home, I had no option of an epidural so I know I had to get through it this way. For part of the time, I was in my bathtub (during labor) but i delivered on my bed. The pressure was very intense, but it was not unbearable. I learned a lot of breathing excercises, I was on a birthing ball, and my husband massaged my back, which helped a lot. My midwife was really great, and I had gone to classes that helped me prepare. If you have any questions at all, just email me.

Answer 10

I've had friends that went natural and were happy about it. Epidural is my friend. I was able to relax during labor and carry on conversations. My daughter had no side effects and neither did I. I'm pregnant again and plan on having an epidural the second they will allow me to have one. I also had a friend who wanted to be all natural and eventually had an epidural because the pain was so bad. More power to you if you can go all natural, but more power to the women who are willing to admit we are not super women and appreciate the advances in modern technology. Again, epidurals are your friend!