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Hi ladies!!!!!! Just had a passing thought. Not pregnant yet, but have always always wanted to do it without an epidural (I'm one of those that wanted to be a mom at the ripe age of 3). Now that I'm older, I'm thinking that may not be such a good idea. LOL.
What do you think??
Defiantely something to research. A lot of pros and cons. I had one baby with and one without and if I am blessed with a #3 I will go without.
Totally undecided. I am hoping to learn more about them in my childbirth classes before I make the decision. Also, regardless of what I decide, I want to remain open to changing my mind when the moment comes.
I am torn on the subject, not pregnant anytime soon but something I think about. If one DOESN'T have an epidural, there are many more options for positions for birthing that are better than the flat on your back in bed that one pretty much has to do if you had an epidural. And it also doesn't mean you don't get ANY kind of pain meds if you don't get an epidural. But I am also a sissy and don't do pain well. It is certainly something that when the time comes will be a hard choice for me.
I had 2 given to me and sadly neither worked =(
I'm not voting, and not pregnant, but right now I would like to do it without. But I don't know about my tolerance for pain, so I think I would want it as an option, but would want to make it clear in the beginning that I didn't want one unless I asked.
Follow up for people that did have one-- do you think it led to problems with breastfeeding? I only know a few people who have had babies recently and all had epidurals and all have trouble with breastfeeding, and half weren't able to BF. I'm not implying that a couple of people make a good case, but I'm curious.
I'm planning to be at home and won't have drugs available to me. My mother had 3 without epidurals so I know I'll survive. I'm the type who will want to move around, walk, and change positions to work through to pain. Being numb is a big fear of mine and I don't think I would like staying still in bed the whole time.
@foodnerd81: I had no problems BFing afterwards
I had a baby who got stuck and after about 18 hours, I started swearing and being a real b*tch, so the doctor ordered the epidural because of my attitude.... Glad I had it, 'cause I had to have a cesearian! HeeHee
I want to go as long as I can without it. If I end up wanting it, that's okay. But my support team knows that I want to go as long as I can without it. = )
Not pregnant yet, but I definitely do not want one when the time comes. I don't want to deliver at a hospital and if I do, it will be in my birthplan for no one to even offer it to me. My mother insists I'll change my mind but frankly, I think being forced to lie still and not feeling half of my body scares me more than the pain of labor- I'm a bit of a control freak. :/
I'm planning on not having one. (I'm a HUGE WIMP, so I hope I can handle going natural!)
I'm pregnant and plan to request one. To each their own, but I don't personally want to suffer through the pain of a natural childbirth. There is a lot of laboring and contractions that happen before an epidural is administered, so I know I'll get to experience plenty of pain before the epidural.
I didn't and I am SO GLAD that I didn't.
After the birth of my first child, I shared a room with another mother who did have an epidural. I bounced back so much quicker from the labour then what she did. I was up and walking around, showering by myself, and well on the way to teaching myself to use the toilet again (because yes you will have to do that).
I felt so bad for her though, she was hobbling around carrying a wee bag because she had a catheter in. Which made it difficult to shower herself, and even look after her baby by herself, three days after the birth and she was still very dependant on the nurses. And she was astounded how mobile and active I was.
I know everyone recovers from labour differently, but that catheter seemed to slow down her recovery, and she had to have it becuase of the epidural she had. And she hadnt planned on having one, but it ended up being necessary.
That in itself made me so relieved I didn't have to have one.
I prepared for a med-free birth with my first baby, and I ended up getting an epidural. I would like to try for a med-free birth with baby #2, but I'm open to getting an epidural again, if I want/need it in the moment.
@foodnerd81: I had no issues with breastfeeding after my epidural; in fact, breastfeeding was a breeze for us for the first couple weeks.
Ditto Mrs. spring. I'm just going to see how it goes the second time around. Am glad I ended up doing it the first time and won't be upset if I do it again. Zero impact on breastfeeding.
That's exactly where I'm at. I would like to do it without but who knows? Every birth is different. I want to keep an open mind because who knows what will happen. Every child birth is completely different.
Oh, and I had the cath removed before I was out of the delivery room. Andchalked to the bathroom myself before getting wheeled to the regular room. Showered alone. And I had lots of tearing. So it doesn't mean recovery will go poorly.
@Firie - My sister (I'm sure she'd love to know I'm telling this story) when she tried to get up and walk around after giving birth with an epidural, ended up falling on the floor because her legs gave out, and then peeing all over the place. The nurses said it should have been wearing off and she could get up, but apparently it hadn't yet. She has no lasting effects, but she was quite embarassed about falling down in the hallway and peeing on the floor and herself.
I plan on going natural (as long as I don't have to have an early cesarean).
The thought of a shot in my back and being paralyzed down there absolutely terrifies me. My best friend could not walk for 12 hours after having her baby because of her epi, and that is just NOT AN OPTION for me. I don't care if it hurts like the dickens, I want to be able to move afterwards.
When I get pregnant and give birth I will not have one. My Mom had 4 kids with no drugs, and none at hospitals. I was born at home and my brothers were born at birthing centers. I have nothing against epidurals, I just feel what ever you put in your body you baby is getting it too. So I would rather not. A very interesting documentary about birthing with and without drugs is the business of being born. You can watch it instantly on Netflix. It was worth watching and I'm not anywhere near getting pregnant!
First time around, so my plan was always to try for natural, but have all the options researched in case I needed pain relief or interventions. Since it's twins, I'll likely have to have an epidural placed, even if I don't get the meds. Honestly, the babies will get to determine so much more of my birth experience than I will! It's getting easier to accept the further along I get :)
I didn't have one and happy that I didn't. During the labor, I wanted meds, but not an epi. My husband reminded me that the meds really suck and do nothing for the pain, so I went without. I got to leave the hospital the day after my baby was born and sleep in my own bed. Totally worth it. Plus, I could get up shower and pee by myself.
I'm pregnant and I do not want one. I plan to do it au naturale.
I had one and I loved it. The anesthesiologist made it so I could still feel pressure (so not totally gone) but no intense pain. That really helped with pushing. I did labor for about 24 hours without getting it first because I didn't want it to wear off before it came time to push. I went into labor around 7am Thursday, then went to the hospital at 11pm Thursday, got a shot of nubain around 2am Friday to help me sleep, got into the waterbath around 3am and stayed in til 6am (I actually fell asleep in the tub! oops), then an epidural at 11am Friday and started pushing at 3pm and had her at 3:30pm Friday. I loved all of my decisions and my hospital.
Not pregnant, but when DH and I do have kids, I 100% do not want an epidural unless I need a c-section. I can't wrap my mind around being stuck trying to give birth lying down when there's a perfectly useful force called gravity to help me out in other positions.
Naturally I will re-evaluate my options if there are complications putting my child in danger, but otherwise I'm pretty determined to give birth without drugs.
I have given birth to both my daughters with epidurals- and I would not have changed a thing. Both labors were (relatively) quick- 9 hrs and 6 1/2 hrs. I was also able to succesfully breastfeed both of them afterward. If I ever have another child I hope to have it happen the same way.
I won't be getting an epidural.... partly because I'm having a homebirth and mostly becuase I don't want to have any medication in my labor.
I wany my body to be able to work with my baby to do what it needs to do to birth 100% without interference. Even when we "numb" ourselves, we aren't numbing baby... baby still feels the contractions 100% AND since we're numb our body cannot respond by producing endorphines to help with the pain (for mom OR baby)
That and I would NEVER be okay with being made to birth on my back.. I want to work with my body & baby to get into the position that will work best for us.
Mom & baby are a team & for any team to work at it's best they need to be able to communicate properly & fully. Our bodies & baby will totally speak to each other to do what works best. <-- That's really important to me.
Plus, it's more common than you would think that the epi doesn't work and then mom isn't prepared for a natural birth. That's where you get these traumatic & very painful births. If you prepare for a marathon then it's not going to be nearly as hard as you just deciding to run 26 miles one day. lol
I am planning on not having one. I want to use gravity to my benefit and being stuck on my back, doesn't seem like the best option in order to do so.
My sister had epidurals with both of her children and was up walking around shortly after birth. She showered and everything on her own as well, so I think, it's once again a situation of each woman is different. She also breast fed her children right away with no issues.
I don't want one. I also recommend watching 'The Business of Being Born." DH and I thought was interesting.
@foodnerd81: I don't think having a epidural has anything to do with BFing. I couldn't BF because 1. I have inverted nipples. 2. My son was 7 weeks early and spent time in the NICU unit. 3. My body just never really produced enough milk for him.
I've always been adamant that I will have an epidural - why go through all that pain when it's unnecessary and doesn't harm the baby (I know some people think it does but I've read enough to be confident in the medical professionals' opinion that it's perfectly safe). However, the more I read about labour, the more I like the idea of being able to try different positions and using gravity to help things out, so maybe I will end up with one, maybe I won't. I'm just not sure.
My big thing is that I want the option of being able to have one when I want. The hospital I'm due to give birth at is pretty small and has made it clear they don't like to give epidurals unless absolutely necessary. I think if I have the peace of mind that I can have one when/if the pain gets to be much, I will be much more likely to maybe not need one. If I know that I can't have one, I'm pretty sure the fear/apprehension will make things a thousand times worse for me.
Most of my friends have had epidurals and not one of them has had difficulty breastfeeding immediately after birth. One got mastitis a couple of weeks later but that had nothing to do with an epidural.
I haven't read all the comments, but I have had three children and each one was an induced labor. I chose to have an epidural once I couldn't take the contractions anymore. I wanted natural births, but in the end chose not to and I don't regret my decision.
If you really want a natural birth after you do your research, then I wholeheartedly support you in that decision. I'm sure it's a wonderful experience, but IMO mine was none less wonderful! If you do decide to have an epidural please don't let anyone make you feel bad or like less of a mother for it. All my children were happy, healthy babies and I had no complications resulting from the epidurals. There are risks with any kind of delivery you choose,
FWIW, I had no problem breastfeeding after having an epidural, but ended up switching to formula for other reasons.
I didn't originally plan to have one. But the pain was so unbearable I said " Give it to meeee now!!!" haha. Oh well, I'm glad I did anyways, just to get rid a bit of that horrendous pain. It kept falling out though, and right before the pushing stage it was completely useless. So I was able to go into all different types of positions, for the pushing. I never had any issues with breastfeeding, and I did it for a year.
I didn't originally plan to have one. But the pain was so unbearable I said " Give it to meeee now!!!" haha. Oh well, I'm glad I did anyways, just to get rid a bit of that horrendous pain. It kept falling out though, and right before the pushing stage it was completely useless. So I was able to go into all different types of positions, for the pushing. I never had any issues with breastfeeding, and I did it for a year.
Not pregnant so I didn't vote but I plan to go without....but I have no issues with changing my mind last minute if need be. I'm not trying to be a hero...giving birth is amazing enough. If I did it without the epi, it's not because I want to prove anything to myself, it's just that im scared of side effects. So, I wouldn't feel bad about myself if last minute I told them I needed the meds. DH already tells me that if it gets to the point where i'm screaming F-BOMBS at the top of my lungs-he's putting me to sleep ;)
GREAT poll! We are 3-5 years away from pushingout the first of the next gen but I have been thinking about this :D Love the experiences and personal opinions!
I'm glad to hear no one had BFing problems related to the epidural. I'm actually surprised that no one had problems BFing since all of my close friends with kids did for one reason or another-- it just made me feel like I will have a problem too. So, really good to hear.
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