Epidural and Other Pain Medications for Labor

Hi T.,
Good for you for thinking outside the box and wondering what these drugs are doing to your new baby. Sure, there are people who swear by them. I had an emergency c-section with my first and medical intervention was 100% necessary to save my baby's life. Having a baby does not need to be a medical procedure unless absolutely necessary.

I agree with the mom who suggested that you have a supportive team. My husband and I did a Bradley Birth 17 months ago and it was really an amazing experience.

Your body was made to birth a child. When a woman is administered pitocin during labor, it stops your body's natural production of oxytocin which is your natural pain management.

Prepare for your birth by being able to relax and find your "special place." Don't rush things and let your body take over. I am not anti-epidural. Its just not what we chose to do. Its a totally personal choice. If you believe that you can do this, that's 1/2 the battle. Keep believing it is the second 1/2! ;-)

Best of luck with your decision.
B.

2 moms found this helpful

Your going to get a lot of responses from people saying you MUST go natural and it's the ONLY way and how much SAFER it is for your child. I am not one of those people. Don't let the scary statistics thrown at you from these people freak you out. Just do what your doing, research it, speak with your doctors about the risks, inform yourself and do what you think is right for you and your baby. Don't just listen to people who think they know what they're talking about, me included!

But I will add my two cents. People have been using epidurals for a very long time and as with everything else in life there are risks to consider. Frankly, simply being pregnant and having a baby is chock full of a ton of different risks and at some point you need to trust that your doctors and your body know what to do and let some of that go.

I have 2 children. A three year old girl and a 9 month old boy and I opted for an epidural with both cases. Everyone's tolerance for pain is very different and everyone who has a baby probably experiences the pain of childbirth is multiple different ways so what worked for Suzie may not for you.

I have a friend who has 3 kids and each labor was 4-5 hours and no big deal. She didn't even really need the epidural because it was all so quick. Me, however, had a 27 hour labor & delivery with my daughter and went through 15 hours of labor with my son before they performed an emergency c-section. I did get the epidural with both. With my daughter it wore off and could not be re-administered so for a large part of labor and delivery I was without any kind of pain block. I was not offered any other drugs and I doubt I would have taken anything other then an epidural anyway. For me, it was very very very very painful. Did I say very? I consider myself to have a high tolerance to pain. I broke my leg and had to get screws put in but was in the middle of a party so waited until that night to go to the doctor. They didn't know how i didn't pass out from the pain. So I'm not a wuss by any means but the pain of childbirth was simply more then I could handle. I do not feel bad about it. Had I not had the epidural for at least part of that delivery I don't think I would have been any help to the doctors, nurses or my child. And ultimately you need to be able to keep somewhat calm and in control of what's going on because you have to push that baby out.

I'm not telling you to go one way or the other but if you do decide to have an epidural don't agonize over it or let people make you feel bad about it. You don't get a gold star at the end of childbirth because you suffered through it without any pain relief.

Good luck. I distincly remember how anxious you feel when your close to giving birth whether it's the first or 5th time but just stay positive and trust that everything will work out and it'll be the best day of your life.

1 mom found this helpful

I had an epidural with both of my children and the births were a piece of cake. The contractions are beyond bearable. Believe me. If you decide against an epidural I bet half way through labor,once it is too late, you will wish you had one. You can't even feel contractions with the epidural. Even if you don't have an epidural complications could arise some other way. Believe me contractions are horrible. Go epidural.

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Epidural for me was a godsend. Doesn't every prodedure have risk of complications?? Even to drain a tiny abcess, there is risk of complication. That is how they protect themselves. The rate is VERY low, and as long as an experienced anesthesiologist does it at a reputable place, then you'll be fine! This is the year 2008, not 1900!

When I got the epidural, I had no pain whatsoever! She popped out within 20 minutes of pushing. It was amazing... that I would get it again with my next child.

You can go the natural childbirth way, but from what I've heard from my friends who chose that path, they regretted it. They ALL told me that by the time they realized they wanted the epidural after all, it was TOO late. The pain was so bad and made labor difficult.

Even walking out of your house you are taking risks. Even driving you are taking risks. Being pregnant has thousands of risks, from blood clots to strokes. There is no "hero" reward for going thru labor without any meds; but lots of PAIN. It's your choice.
Anyways, just my two cents.

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Try to keep your mind open to an epidural if you choose to go natural. I know many women who were so disappointed in themselves when they "gave in" and got the epidural. That's sad. Labor is incredibly hard. Do we have to beat ourselves up that we don't do it good enough?? Personally, I chose to have the epidural right off the bat two times. My first time I didn't end up getting it until 6 minutes before my delivery and so the pain I endured prior to it was incredible because I wasn't prepared, didn't know how to breathe and had never planed for a second to do it naturally. My whole experience the first time was a big disappointment and took a while for me to get over. I actually had a tiny post traumatic stress disorder thing afterward. The second time, I read and read about delivering naturally so I would know what to do. I was fortunately able to get my epidural right away but even with it I had a good deal of pain pushing anyway. An epidural is not going to make you completely numb. You will feel it. I was really happy that I prepared for a natural birth and had an epidural. Sorry this is long winded but what I'm saying is to try to keep an open mind because much of this is unpredictable and you don't want disappointment to enter anywhere into this miracle of yours!

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Hi T.,

I just recently delivered my 2nd baby with an epidural, and I wouldn't do it any other way. It made me very comfortable, and I had no complications. Best wishes!

1 mom found this helpful

After enduring 6 hours of horrible back labor with my first, I got the epidural. Labor and delivery were fine with no complications. With the second and third, I got epidurals almost as soon as I was in the hospital. The labors were quick and painless. :D

The bottom line here is you need to do what is best and most comfortable for you. Another poster said that having labor support really makes a difference - it does!

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I have done it both ways and so have my daughters. You are NOT a better mom b/c you can endure more pain. It won't hurt your child. Don't be a marter. Sometimes a labor can go faster when you are not fighting against the pain. Good Luck!