I said I plan on having an epidural (and any other drug they can give me ) becasue I want to elect to have a csection but apprently up in Canada you cant just elect to have one just because :(
@mrskrumpet: Oh no! Really? That's stupid. Anyone should be allowed to do whatever they feel comfortable doing. I'm in Australia, and I think that to have an elective here you have to pay?? Any other birth doesn't cost anything (it's covered by Medicare most of the time)
I had an epi, I wanted to natural but couldn't bear the pain any longer.
@Sassygrn: EEK! Is that you're little bundle in your profile pic? Adorable :)
Not a lot of docs will do totally elective c sections anymore. It's major abdominal surgery and evidence based practice shows not having them, and especially not having them before 39-40 weeks because mom is "uncomfortable" or wants to be done being pregnant at 37 weeks is better. Of course it doesn't take much to make a doc have a c section because it makes their.life easier. I right now want natural but I'm not totally object to epidural, I just don't want a foley!! I will get a c section if it is actually medically required not because it's convenient for the doc.
@Quinlan: I had a natural birth with no pain relief. Here you can't have an elective ceasarean but I wouldn't have chosen that as an option even if I could have.
There did come a point when I asked for pain relief but I was too late. My whole labour was only 6 hours long,afterwards I was glad I managed without anything.
I wanted an epidural, but I wasn't allowed one as I was high risk.
I plan on having natural birth unless something goes terribly awry. I'm also really tired of hearing, "Oh, you'll change your mind!" when I say that I won't do an epidural. I don't want a giant needle stuck in my back, sorry. I don't even want an IV because I don't do needles.
@mrskrumpet: apprently up in Canada you cant just elect to have one just because :(
That's a good thing.
I plan on being open to pain-killers if needed, but I have no idea how my body will feel/react to labor and delivery so it's a "we'll see" thing for me. Ideally, I would love to go without any interventions, but if the pain is unbearable, there's no shame in wanting an epi or other pain relief!
I'm planning on a natural unmedicated birth. Hell, I wanted a natural home birth but DH couldn't get comfortable with the idea. I would say more but probably shouldn't...let's just say I work in OB GYN and medical staff don't necessarily always have you and your baby's best interests in mind. I'd say convenience often tops the list of priorities.
I plan on doing natural but I'm open to an epi depending on pain. I'm hoping to hold out so I don't have to get one.
As far as a c-section goes i'd like to avoid that at all possibility, but I guess we'll see how it goes.
@mrskrumpet: That's because it has a higher rate of complications. It's *good* that they don't allow for them.
I had a natural birth. I intended to in the first place, and I was only in labour for about 4 hours start to finish so no time for anything, anyway. I'd plan on a natural birth for any future pregnancies as well, but things happen, so I'm open to however it has to proceed.
I was planning onay vaginal delivery, but my baby was breech and I had a low lying placenta. The risks associated with a vaginal were not worth it. And yes I did try to push for that, but in the end it worked out for the beSt.
@kittyface: Umm, can your 4 hour laboring magic rub off on me? :) I'm scared I'll be one of those miserable contractions for days women.
First baby is due in May and I'm hoping for natural. However, things like that rarely go as planned so we shall see.
I had an elective c-section. I had to have a c-section with my first pregnancy because my daughter was breach, and it was a positive experience without any complications so I decided to go that route again with my second pregnancy.
Planning on epidural here. For me it's a wait and see approach due to my dr's suggestion. She's known women to be fine with a natural birth once they are in labor and those who choose to do one and opt out due to the pain. I'm open for anything, though but planning on meds right now.
Had a epi with the first one and will have it again with this one. I don't do pain very well and I get reallly really mean.
I am planning a natural birth in the birthing center of my hospital, but I am also aware that sometimes complications arise and am open to interventions ONLY if medically necessary. I see a nurse pracitioner who is also a midwife, and I have a doula as well so I feel as well prepared as is possible.
I prefer to avoid an epidural because I want to be able to move around freely, and labor in positions that allow gravity to help instead of hinder my progress. I want to be able to use the whirlpool tub as well, and once you are hooked up to epi, you are often hooked up to fetal monitoring as well (and the fetal monitoring equipment can't be submerged in water!) They usually do intermittent fetal monitoring via doppler to make sure baby's heart rate is still ok.
I'm also afraid of slowing my labor with an epi, and having to resort to pitocin to get it going again. I'm sure with an epi I wouldn't necessarily feel the effects of pitocin-induced contractions, but the baby will and often times the baby's heart rate will reflect distress because pitocin contractions (from what I've read/heard) are strong, intense, and there are shorter & fewer breaks between contractions.
I've also heard of and read about women who ended up with hip injuries because their legs were being pulled back too hard and apart too far, but with the eipdural they didn't feel that until afterwards.
With all those risks, I still think that if labor contractions are too much to bear, or if labor drags on and on and on to the point of exhaustion, I can see where someone would want an epidural (and they'd get no judgement from me at all).
Every birth is beautiful, and every woman who can GROW a HUMAN BEING is amazing and beautiful :)
If I choose to be a mom, I'm planning to request a C-section. I have a condition called Vasovagal Syncope. Basically, it's passing out. It can occur during times of stress, severe pain, needles, etc.
So I'm hoping that once they hear this, they will knock me out and cut me open so I don't feel a darn thing!
I had an epidural, induction and an emergency c-section. I might schedule a c-section if I have another one, based on my history.. I don't want to risk the baby's health like that again. I am actually not sure I even want another...
@DaneLady: Yeah those were my reservations about an epi - I want to be able to try different positions and the tub for labor and not be confined to a bed or not be able to eat/drink!
@kittyface: 4 hour labor sounds great! Hope I can be like that :)
All the women in my family have had natural births (if they weren't forced into a c-section for the baby's sake).
I plan on this route. I would even consider at home and a water birth.
@mrskrumpet: In my area, they dont even give epidurals!! You have to travel to a city hospital to get one.
And i dont think you should be able to elect to get a c-section unless it is needed for medical reasons. They cause far more complications than natural births.
I want a natural birth, but if there are risks or the pain gets too much to the point where I can't take it then I would be ok with an epi.
@DaneLady: +1
Everything DaneLady said!
And yeah, elective c-sections are no offered in my province. The only c-sections available are those that are deemed medically necessary. Fine with me as I would always choose to avoid a c-section unless it's an emergency.
@Rubbs: I have that too! It happens most often in the grocery store for some reason...which is mortifying. But its one reason I am choosing a natural birth. My fear of interventions (epi, pitocin, c-section, one intervention leading to the next) is wayyyyyy higher than my fear of natural birthing pain. My fear of a c-section is making me woozy right now just thinking about it. It is legit my biggest fear. I've never met anyone else who had vasovagal syncope! :)
I was surprised how well my surgery went as well. I always hear all these horror stories. I was feeling pretty good soon after. 5 weeks later and my incision is not even noticeable, only my husband is able to see it and he has to squint to find the line. Its a little under 6 inches long. They did not use staples, just that tape that falls off after awhile. I have been out walking and jogging and that helped me feel a lot better as well. My body is getting back to how it was before (besides the big breasts and wider hips...) and my sex drive is out of control. Very satisified, not satisfied with the doctors before I was admitted, but the surgeon was great and the epidural procedure went great. That anesthesiologist was amazing, she explained to me the importance of being still and straight for the insertion of the needle and it did not hurt at all. Apparently I have a bit of scoliosis that she pointed out and I never knew about. Most importantly, (besides the flakey skin from being in the womb too long) my LO was healthy and so alert. I have been planning on writing some sort of letter to thank her, my nurses and those in the OR. I was miserable for a week and spent 50+ hours in pure agony with no progression and wondering where the hell my epidural was, so as you can imagine I was not happy and they were still very kind to me.
Oldtimer here (I'm over 50)... and saw the title of this post and just had to look in to see what the Poll was about.
Truthfully, I don't get the whole "Elective C-Section" thing...
(which is also probably WHY in Canada with our Government Medicare you can't just PICK to do this)
If one can go natural... with or without drugs... then that is a much safer option
Afterall... a C-Section is a MAJOR OPERATION
That can have serious complications / side effects for many women
Ask anyone who has had one?
Or better yet, ask someone who didn't have a choice in the matter whatsoever... and HAD TO HAVE ONE (although they planned to go natural)... but were told by their Doctors that due to complications / baby in distress, that things were now critical.
I found the initial recovery easy from the C-Section (immediate days after) much better for me than other ladies on my ward who had natural on the same day... many of them unable to sit down comfortably due to stitches, tearing etc.
BUT on the long term, I was still having post-op issues weeks later... and quite frankly my body never did go back to looking anything like it did pre-pregnancy (a pronounced pooch where the incision was made... and a scar that although it is at the bikini line, never truly faded away... it isn't pretty)
I'm happy that medically all went well in the end for the birth of my kids... however they came into the world... but I was depressed when the natural one went to a C-Section (having a sense that I had somehow failed).
BUT in the longrun, I look back now and know that it was the best decision for all invovled (including the nurses & doctors who were taking care of me at the time).
EDIT TO ADD - I had all my babies at the Hospital... seeing first hand what can go wrong (and very quickly) I would NEVER consider an at home birth. And as for drugs, I am not one who likes to take any sort of drugs in my life even plain old over the counter stuff (cold meds, headache stuff etc)... BUT I will say that when it comes to childbirth "Drugs are my friend"... an Epi (if you can have one, catch the window of opportunity) is frickin amazing to take the edge off / numb the pain. Highly recommend that you all read up... and know what you want to do BEFORE the baby comes... because as I said there is a "window" and for some women it is a short period of time... and if you miss it, you have to do without. Thankfully, I never had to do that, but have heard from other Moms who did it both ways (caught it with one baby, missed it with another... progressing too quickly) and they said the pain was more than they ever imagined... short time frame... but excruciating !!
--- --- ---
As an aside...
In truth C-Sections are still relatively new. And part of the reason they are still a big deal I think. I was a C-Section baby in the 1950s, when when my mother had me, C-Sections were relatively new technology then ... and not to be taken for granted. My family has told me that they were all terrified for my mother's well-being as well as my own at the time (dying in childbirth wasn't common, but it certainly still did happen then)
In the end we both came thru it. But it wasn't easy on my Mom... You should see my poor mother's scar... it goes vertical from just below her ribcage to her nether regions !! And of course they knocked her out totally to do it, and she was in the Hospital for over 2 weeks.
Thank God that I didn't have to do any of that is all that I can say !!
my plan was to try to have a natural birth, but i knew i would probably end up getting the epidural unless everything was going really fast and i thought i could handle it...well it didn't, and after 22 hours of labor, i ended up only dilating 6.5cm, got a fever, had high blood pressure, and so had to have a c-section. definitely my last choice, but its all in the past now and i have a super healthy baby.
I planned on winging it and seeing how I felt. After 5cm, I was in back labor and tired of the pain. Enter the epidural gods, and I was a happy mama! And believe me, after the 4th degree tear I ended up with, I was grateful for that epi b/c I didn't feel it or the stitches for hours!
@inspiredcreations: YIKES! That's quite a tear! I have read that with an epi it's difficult to tell how & when to push, and that just bearing down with all your might can increase tearing... do you think that's how it went for you? Or did you use a mirror to see how productively you were pushing? Thank goodness you didn't feel that though!
I plan to go natural and unmedicated, but I try not to get too attached to the idea because if there are complications or I just can’t bear the pain, I don’t want to be one of those women who delivers a healthy baby yet still looks back negatively on her birth experience because things didn’t go according to plan.
@DaneLady: I'm sure it contributed, but most of my tearing happened b/c of how fast my son was born; 2 sets of pushes, period. He had the cord wrapped around his shoulders so there was some urgency involved.
@inspiredcreations: Oh, I'm glad he was ok! And 2 pushes?!?! You must be so STRONG :)
my doula was just telling me about a birth she'd assisted with where the mom had this! She was in labor for 39 hours, and had to be transferred to the hospital, but was still able to deliver without drugs or surgery. But omg, 39 hours!
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