Hello mamas,
I'm now pregnant with my second daughter and due in less than a week. With my first, I gave birth the old fashion way, with no pain-killers. My labor involved 3.5 hours of pushing while I waited for my doctor to show up with the forcepts (I didn't realize that at the time and I have since changed doctors because of it) which left me in very bad condition and took months to recover from. I can't possibly have that bad of an experience this time around but I'm wondering...if I get the epidural, will I just wait till the baby's there and the doctor tells me to push a few times and I'm done? Or will I still end up pushing the same length of time regardless? I'm prepared to do natural childbirth again and think the second time will be a breeze compared to the first. However, if getting the epidural can leave me in better shape and with less recovery time, I'll gladly sign up for it at the door. I'll ask my doctor about this at my next appointment, but just in case I don't make it that long and go into labor tomorrow, I'd like to have some input from smart mamas who have been thru it. Thanks!
Hi :) I think it would be fine - my oldest son's wife had an epidural with each of their three and did fine. I did not have one and did fine with each of our eight. My first delivery was 3 hours of pushing and then a caesarean. Of my 5 natural births, the pushing varied from 1.5 hours to 10 minutes to 3 pushes. God bless.
To be honest with you, I went for the epidural. I asked for it when I got to the hospital! But I still pushed for 4 hours, and wound up having a cesarian. But I've also been told by every woman I know with two or more children that the second time aroung is a breeze in comparison! But every woman is different, and you should do what makes you most comfortable, no matter what anyone tells you! Good luck and congrats!!
Hi,
With my first child I was planning to deliver at a birth center naturally with a midwife, and ended up at the hospital with an epidural AND pushed for 3 hours. I was so relieved to get the epidural because I was completely exhausted, and thought I would then proceed with a painless birthing experience. Nope. Even with the epidural it still was VERY painful, and I was so upset because I wasn't expecting that at all. With my second child I planned a home birth, and got it, and pushed on and off for 2 hours, but only really intensely and actively for about 10 minutes. My recovery from my second pregnancy was much, much quicker, and way less painful. During my 3 hours of epidural labor pushing, the nurses kept having me force pushing, and I think that in itself did more of a number on my poor rear end than the more natural 2nd birth. It's exhausting to have people telling you to push for 10 seconds each and every contraction, instead of just following what your body needs. I guess as you probably already know, every birth is different. Good luck in your decision making, and I hope you have a better recovery and birth, and a healthy baby.
I am sorry you went through this, I have always heard that recovery was easier without an epidural.
My first labor was awful: 30 hours, with 5 hours of pushing, all natural. My second was a breeze. 12 hours total, with only 4 hours hard labor, 30 minutes pushing. Funny thing is, first baby was belly side up, so the pain was unbearable. With the second, since he was facing the right way, it was a joke. I was even asking the midwife what I could do to make the contractions more productive! Just listen to your body, it has done it before, and will do it without much work on your part. I did have my midwife help guide me a bit more with the pushing this time (I found it really helpful for her to have her hand in me so I could focus on a focal point).
The epidural numbs pain, it won't change the amount of time you have to push, etc. In fact, it tends to make pushing harder because you don't have the control you get without medicine.
Don't worry! The second one will be easy. Remember, pain is as much psychological as physical, so just use your breath to work through each contraction, as they come, and keep in mind how soon you will get to see your little girl!
my choice is to not have one painful yes, but it goes so much faster the natural way if no complications...... i wish you the best of luck what ever your choice maybe.... (Mel) dreamangel74
o hun i just had my 3rd child 3 1/2 weeks ago and it seems to go fast with each child in my option, i was in labor with my first for 3days and my second for about a day and my 3rd for 14 hours and with the last they couldn't get the epidural in me before she was born so if you do decide to make sure your there in time to get it don't leave to late
An epidural will almost certainly NOT make the pushing stage shorter, in fact it usually takes longer because the urge to push is not as strong. I had my first child naturally too and am due in 3 weeks and I definitely plan on going natural again. Second babies are usually much easier to push out because you've done it before and the tissues are already stretched. Be upright as much as you can during the pushing stage, as gravity will really help. Try positions other than flat on your back for pushing, which is the most inefficient way to push. Try squatting, hands and knees, kneeling, or lying on your side. You will also have a harder time recovering from the epidural because it takes time to wear off and you may not feel quite as well right after the birth, plus there's the possibility of side effects such as low blood pressure, itching, shaking, fever, and headache. I would say, since you've already done it natural and know you can do it, give it another try and I bet it will be a much easier and very rewarding experience. Congratulations in advance and I hope you have a wonderful birth!
CONGRATULATIONS, say YES to the epidural!!! I suffered excruciating back labor and due to a nursing shift change and poor staff communication I almost missed the epidural window. My Ob/GYN had 7 of us in different delivery stages. He told me I would be the last to deliver and that it would be the next day (I was HORRIFIED). As I re-demanded my epidural and the anesthesiologist arrived to administer it. It's difficult to convey the immediate dialation and relief from ALL my labor pains! Suffice it to say he hadn't reached the door and I had gone from 3 to 9cm. Three contractions, 9 pushes, under 4hrs start to finish and voile a beautiful 8lb 9oz Son. I was discharged in under 24hrs. ( I think I even offered to bare the anesthesiologists children) :D
I have 3 boys and all with no epidural. With my 3rd boy I didn't have any contractions until my water broke and if you remember the pain increases 10x when your water breaks. This was at 11 at night and I was so tired. I got a shot of something in the IV (my first IV) and that helped so much. I don't remember what it was but I had a chance to relax before I had to push. The pain was still there and so was the urge to push but it definitely helped move things along. Baby won't come out if you are stressed from the pain. Maybe that is something you can look into.
I had an epidural with both of my kids. With my first I pushed for 1 hr before I delivered with a vacuum assist. My second daughter's birth was much easier, I pushed 2 times and on the 3rd push she was coming out and I didn't even realize it. I think the 2nd one is typically much easier.
I would go for the epidural!
I wanted natural childbirth... I didnt get it. I am sorry you had an experience with forceps, that must have been awful. Read about different pushing positions that involve opening your pelvis more efficiently. The lathotomy (or lying on your back) position while convenient for the OB doesnt open your pelvis as well as some others. The hospital may have a squatting bar or you can push on your side, or in a hands and knees position. When in those positions it opens your pelvis in the shape of more an O. In the Lithotomy position, it shapes more like a horizontal oval. 2nd children normally go faster, but really positioning during pushing is key to fast pushing. If you have an epidural, it can take away completely your options for pushing. Not to mention, while it works well for others, some (like me) it barely worked. I will be trying for a homebirth this time, as I believe completely that home is where I will get what I want out of my labor and birth experience. Good Luck mama!
Loved my epidural. First delivery was very long and difficult.....would have been way worse if I had felt the pain for 24 hours. The second was 3 hours and not a bit of pain and felt great afterward as did the baby. Had no problem pushing and had a great experience. Do what is best for you...you don't have anything to prove.
Kat
Sounds like your horrid birth experience the first go-around was because of the doctor, not a lack of having an epidural.
Only you know what you want your birth experience to be like this time around, so only you can decide. I had both my kids natural.. no drugs. I received an IV drip thinking I might decide I wanted en epidural if the pain became too bad... but the first time around, I didn't get the entire bag of fluid in time to have the epidural. It was my first baby (8lb 12 oz) and I think I pushed for close to 2 hours. It was a lot of work... but.. from everything i have read (I tried to educate myself about the options I was considering) epidurals can cause their own complications. They can slow down the delivery process, can cause a drop in heart rate in the baby, cause YOUR blood pressure to drop (which is why they give you fluids), cause full body itching, and more. Also, there is the possibility of getting the "post epidural headache" which is like a migraine any time you are sitting up and can last several days.
My 2nd child, I went natural again, and she was a little smaller (7 lb 6 oz) and was delivered in 2 pushes. Total labor (from water breaking at the hospital until birth) was about 4 hours.
Only the last 3 centimeters were really difficult to bear as far as the pain. And the last 2 cm go really quickly if you aren't receiving any drugs.
I was up using the bathroom, etc within 2 hours after delivery... no problems whatsoever.
If I had another one today, I would probably opt to go natural again.
Sometimes epidurals don't fully "take" anyway. My SIL had one that only partially worked. The one side was fine.. the other was all the more excruciating because it wasn't balanced across her body...
I hope this helps.
Congrats on the pending birth. Good luck whatever you decide...
I had an epidural, and yes -- basically I just laid in the bed until I was fully dilated and it was time to push. (I ended up with a C-section because my son wouldn't come down.)
I had an epidural that didn't take with my first. I was so mad, because I hadn't prepared for the pain at all because I knew I wanted a medicated birth. Who knew that it wouldn't work? It was a long hard labor and a really really hard recovery. With my second, the epidural worked, but I think I probably could have done without it. I was induced and everything, and was laboring for a few hours when I said "oh, the baby dropped! I need to push!" and 3 pushes later, there he was. The recovery was about a million times easier too. The long and short is that every labor and delivery is different, and your second one will likely be easier. You just need to think about what kind of experience you want to try to have (as nothing goes according to plan anyway) and try to make that happen. Only you can really answer the question. Good luck!
I think, especially after reading these, that there are so many different labors that you never know what you are gonna get. My water broke a few weeks early. My son was definitely not ready to come yet, but I guess my uterus had other ideas. He hadn't dropped and I wasn't dilated or effaced at all. I didn't even realize my water had broken. So when I went to the doctor to see what was going on 12 hours after the first leaking started, they freaked out and admitted me and started me on pitocin immediately. I got the epidural a little later, and I would have needed it even if I didn't want it, because they had to give me the max pitocin to get things going. Pitocin causes pretty strong painful contractions. I was still in labor for 14 hours after that point, and they were considering a c-section for a while. I pushed for about 2 hours solid. Like I said, I am pretty sure he just wasn't ready. But with all the pitocin and such a long labor, I was SOOO glad I had an epidural. Mine went perfectly and I was still able to move and feel, but nothing hurt.
My birthing class instructor told us that if you want natural that is fine, and if you want drugs, that if fine too. Whichever one you choose, you still get the same prize at the end of it all. :)
When I was pregnant, I knew I wanted the drugs! haha When I had my daughter, I definitely needed the epidural. I was induced, and once they broke my water, I dilated VERY quickly. By the time I got the epidural, it was like night & day. I went from almost being in tears to smiling & laughing! haha Everything was a breeze after that! Couldn't feel a thing! :) They had to tell me when it was time to push & everything.
For me, it was wonderful! Tho I'm a wimp... haha!
Dont get the epidural.