Epidural or No Epidural. Pros and Cons

I had my baby 11 months ago and I had a epidural with my delivery. My baby had no problems and was very awake and alert when he was born. I see nothing wrong with getting a epidural. I think people just write things like what you read to scare the mothers. Like I said my baby had no problems eating after he was born and was awake and alert from the time he was born. Also, I had no problems with the epidural at all I think that it was the most wonderful experience because it dulled the pain but I could still feel the pressure of delivering him. I was not so strong that I could not feel anything and plus I had a good anestisologist. But it is always up to you what you want to do, it is you having this child not anyone else. So if you opt not to have it and then get in there and the pain is to bad you can always say you want one and none is going to look at you in a different way. So like I said it is YOU making this decision not the doctor, nurses, your family or even you husband you are the one that is going through the pain so you have to make the decision yourself.

I agree it is a woman's right to be informed and make a choice. I personally had an epidural and was happy I did. That might not be the cool thing to say, but I can I truly believe that the side possible side effects you have heard about 1 - depend on the individual woman and child 2 - are not long lasting issues (at least from the research I did). I had a very long labor and my son came out and went right to breast. He was better prepared and ready to breast feed than me! I am so glad that woman have the ability to get information and to make informed decisions; but there are so many side to the same coin so to speak so woman have to personally evaluate what they learn, from where etc before they assume the doctors or nurse are not saying it like it is. Sometimes it is about perspective. If there are no long term side effect medically it could be seen as no- risk. Mom's need to ask more questions not take the one word answers.
thanks

I had a completely natural birth, but everything went smoothly to allow that to happen. Labor was short (certainly intense), but no major issues. The most interesting thing to me was that after my son was born and as I was being repaired my OB made a comment that sometimes he thinks they are going the wrong way about birth because of the results seen in natural labor.

Also, the nurse was plenty surprised when I was up and ready to use the bathroom as soon as the doctor was done! You're not just getting up when there's been an epidural so she hadn't seen that to often!

I agree that a woman should be informed but has a right to make the choice, for whatever reasons...not just medical, but personal: exhaustion, fear of pain, whatever...and not be judged for that (although in most circles you are probably judged worse for delivering naturally). I was in labor (or non-labor since my contractions NEVER got regular, although they were very strong almost from the start)for 65 hours and didn't accept any pain relief until the epidural when I got to 5-6 cm. I was on almost 3 days of almost no food or sleep, and at that point I was pretty altered and thee contractions were almost throwing me off the bed. My personal resources were drained and I couldn't have had a vaginal delivery (and pushed for 2.5 hours) without having an epidural and a little time to rest. I thought I had done all the research and that the epidural would have no consequences, but after delivery read about some of the side effects...regardless, I couldn't have made any other decision at the time. I do think that women can't just rely on their docs for accurate info, as sad as that is to say. I would like any link anyone has with accurate info on epidural consequences.