Pregnancy Info HOME

i'll take the epideral depending on if i can handle the pain or not. but i'm not going to take any other drugs at all, ie demerol...

I will take the epi as well, given my extremely low tolerance to pain :-) But I will try to stay at home as long as possible and squat to help with the gravity because I don't want to have to end up walking at the hospital... My hospital doesn't offer the "walking epidural" so....

WV - I am going natural as well. I plan on staying at home as long as I can through the labor and when I get to the hospital I hope to spend as much time in the tub as possible to help the process. Good luck to us!

The problem is that once you get an epidural the chance of you ending up with a c-section sky rockets. You take one drug (epi) that slows things down (in my case to a complete halt) then you need to take another drug ( for example picotin) to get things going. Meanwhile the baby's heart rate usually drops and then BAM!! They make you get a c-section. Some hospital have a rate of c-section over 50%!! My dd number 2 was a beautiful, natural home birth. Good luck!

hopefully i can get a room with a bathtub, heard that really makes all the difference, but im sure ill get iv pain meds, dont really want the ones that have to go in your back, the thought just freaks me out! but i am a huge weenie when it comes to pain so i may be asking for someone to knock me out all the way hahah. ill let you know what i actually decided on after hes here!! :o) good luck!!

I was just wondering, everyone talks about a C-section like it's the last thing anyone would want to do. What is so bad about it? Sorry if this is a dumb question, my doctor hasn't talked to me about the ups and downs of every type of delivery yet.

Hey Red, ladies. I am going all-natural, unless I can't handle it. I have never had my pain tested before so it's hard to know, but I would really prefer no drugs. I have researched it and the epi can lead to the use of even more drugs, and increases the chance of a c-section. Plus I don't want a big needle in my back. But I have learned to never say never either!

I still have 13 weeks but i will go with the epidural. I did with my other 2 daughters and it was great :)

Amanda, to answer your questions, most women who don't have elective c-sections prefer not to have them because there is more danger involved. Both for the mom and the baby (depending on the circ_mstances) During a c-section there are tons of things that can go wrong. The doctor has to cut through several layers of skin, muscle, fat and your uterus. Many babies have gotten knicked, and in really bad scenarios the mother's intestines, bladder and other organs have been cut. There is a high chance of hemorage, a higher chance of uterine abruption in subsequent pregnancies, a higher chance of a repeat c-section in subsequent pregnancies and many women claim to have pain/numbness or both in their incision area for up to 15 years after. (my mom's experience with my sister) So these are just some reasons why many women do not want a c-section. Other women however find it very convenient, not in the leat worrisome and recover very well without any complications for mom or baby... soooooo... its really a mattter of what you want

I took the epidural with my first. Unfortunately, I was in labor for 3 days with contractions varying between 6-8 minutes apart before they admitted me to the hospital and by then I was exhausted and in so much pain I thought I was dying. After that experience, there's no way I'd try it natural lol. But everyone is different ...

With my first, I went into labor basically undecided. I really wasn't a big fan of getting the epi (like most of you said, the whole needle in the back thing wasn't really appealing!). I was dialated 4 cm when I got to the hospital & was feeling pretty good. Once I started dialiting more, I was getting quite uncomfortable, so they gave me some pain meds through my IV (I still was saying no to the epi). When I was 8 cm my OB came in to check me (which is when I learned that I was 8 cm) & he said that if I wanted an epi it was now or never. Well, about that time another contraction came & the epi man couldn't get to my room fast enough! It was wonderful!!!! I enjoyed the birth of my son so much! Whether or not I would have enjoyed it w/o the epi, I cannot honestly say, but from how I was feeling about an hour before he was born, I can't imagine that it would have been as relaxing and enjoyable! I'm currently 29 weeks & if the same circ_mstances arrive, I will definitely do the same thing again!

well me personally im taking the epi. i have diffuculties with pregnancy and my dr rells me that by having the epi is the best for me because my body my not be able to take the pain and possibly shut down. so yeah im taking the drugs!!!!!! lol

I swore with my first pregnancy that no matter what, I would natural all the way. But when the hard labor kicked in I begged for the Epi & it was just great! All that awful pain just gone in seconds ... so this time with my second pregnancy I am getting it right away.

well i am pregnant with baby number four... i had my three previous babies all natural with no meds (not that i didn't want 'em lol) and luckily i didn't even tear! it's a miracle, i know. now with this baby i will definitely try to go natural since obviously i can do it but this baby is gonna be quite a bit larger then my others. i had two babies that were 6 lbs and one that was 8 lbs and they are guesstimating this one to be about 9 lbs... so if i can tolerate it then so be it but if not i will welcome the epi with open arms!

i think this is a question that is pretty difficult to answer until you are in the throw of labour. but i would personally say that i am hoping not to need any drugs since i have quite a high pain threshold anyway but if at the time i feel like i need some help or its in the interests of my baby's health to have a c-section etc then i will obviously let what needs to be done be done. at the end of the day i do think sometimes women put way too much pressure on themselves to get brownie points by going all natural because at the end of the day the most important thing is that the baby and mother recover well and are healthy. the reason i want to go natural is just to have a good crack at it and in a wierd way feel the pain and see how my mind and body copes with it. i think its a shame the negativity thats a__sociated with c-sections aswell because in many cases it is the safest way to get the baby out. my cousin's baby was breech from 30 weeks and her mother made a point of telling everybody how 'terrible' it was that she would have to have a c-section. i saw her the other day, a day after her baby boy was delivered, and she has a tiny scar under her bikini line and said she felt absolutely fine, whereas my other cousin had a natural birth and had haemoridged a few days later needing an emergency blood transfusion. so either way has its ups and downs.

I'm planning on going all natural at a birth center (i.e. no drugs or intervention, including epistiomy). If I feel I can't handle the pain though I am willing to take a partial dose of a narcotic (they don't use demerol but I can't remember the name of what they do use), just enough to take the edge off, or even a full dose if I feel I really need it. No epideral for me, though.