Reasons for medication-free childbirth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really am in the middle ground - for my first birth, I was *determined* to have a natural childbirth for reasons aptly captured by PPs. Then I had a child. Really quick birth, but sheesh, that's painful! I might even call it suffering.

Fast fwd to birth 2 and I was willing to consider epidural if labor went longer than first speedy birth. Still had no epidural or drugs for kids #2 and 3 BUT I bring this up since I was open to an epidural and had speedy pregnancies (and I think some pregnant women could use this info) -- apparently there's a window after which you can't get an epidural. Like when I arrived 9cm dialated with kid 2. Just sayin, I never knew there was a window, much less that it could shut!!

10:01 here. That's what scares me! I'm well aware of the window and terrified of it shutting. Do you feel like you dilly-dallied in getting to the hospital or were you really jsut that quick? Was it so quick you hardly had time to be bothered by the pain as some people keep trying to convince me???

i fully realize that since i haven't actually had the baby yet, i can't really speak with great authority on this one, but i find it extremely hard to believe that you wouldn't have time to be bothered by the pain, even if things went quickly. the pain will be there. when it's happening, i'm sure you will be bothered by it. but if it's over quickly, it seems like you'd be less exhausted by it and that its effects would wear off rather quickly. also that maybe since things are happening quickly, there are a lot of things that will distract you (and in my non-labor experience, distraction is actually a fairly good painkiller for a short period of time). but the pain will still be there when it's happening.

non-first time moms, does that sound right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:seems to me an epidural that doesn't work well is no worse than no epidural at all

Ah, but if you're not planning on an epidural, you're more likely to gather a lot of ideas with how to deal with labor and to practice those techniques. (We did some practice holding ice cubes in our hands and trying some of the different breathing and focus techniques.)

If you've planned on an epidural and it doesn't work (or you can't get one for some reason), it is possible that you'll feel more frustrated and less prepared.

[Anonymous]

Well, I was planning to go drug-free because I was really scared of the epidural (read Bradley books but didn't take a class). However, after the pitocin I couldn't take the pain and got the epidural. Wow, it was sooo much better. I guess its kind of like getting your tooth drilled without novocaine. Sure you might bite your tongue because you can't feel it, but you still get it. That being said, I still have pain (16 weeks post-partum) in my back where the epidural went in. They think the anaethesiologist bruised a vertabrae and it can take time to heal. So there really are risks involved. But, I would do it again.

[Anonymous]

10:26, I completely disagree about labor being like having a tooth drilled without novocaine - although I didn't have pitocin so I have no idea what those contractions feel like. Having a tooth drilled is painful and feels wrong. It's suffering. Contractions with pitocin might be, too. But labor without pitocin never felt wrong or like suffering to me. Painful, sure, but completely different from something like breaking a bone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i also started out my first pregnancy being sure I wanted an epidural, but over time decided that I didn't. now after two medication free births (one in hospital, one at home), i have been very happy with my choice. my main reasons for wanting to have a medication free birth have been:

(1) i was concerned about the health risks of epidurals for me and my baby. and i had learned about how epidurals can negatively impact the progress of labor and can lead to a "cascade of interventions" and wanted to avoid that happening.

(2) I knew that epidurals didn't always work or worked unevenly and I didn't want to risk that happening.

(3) i believed that labor would progress most smoothly when there was no intervention and my body could do its thing naturally.

(4). i was curious to experience birth from start to finish and to be able to feel the baby coming through me.

(5) I knew many women before me had done it thought I could too. I believed that my body would help me cope with labor via endorphins, etc.

(6) I liked the idea of using water, a doula, massage, breathing, sound, and other non medical forms of pain relief because they had no risks.

(7) I didn't like the idea of being numb and not being able to feel what was happening to my body and baby. To me, the idea of an epidural made me feel very out of control -- I didn't want to be stuck in bed unable to feel things. The idea of being able to move my body and stay mobile made me feel much more in control.

There's a very interesting great thread about epidurals on one of my favorite birth blogs this week: http://rixarixa.blogspot.com/
I learned a lot reading this and it was helpful to me to read about why women chose and liked epidurals.

These were my reasons as well, with #5 and 7 being the most important. Also as others have said, pain the really subjective, I never felt like mine was unbearable and it definately was not constant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:26, I completely disagree about labor being like having a tooth drilled without novocaine - although I didn't have pitocin so I have no idea what those contractions feel like. Having a tooth drilled is painful and feels wrong. It's suffering. Contractions with pitocin might be, too. But labor without pitocin never felt wrong or like suffering to me. Painful, sure, but completely different from something like breaking a bone.

Maybe it wasn't like having a tooth drilled for you, but for a variety of reasons, some labors ARE more painful than others. Please don't blow off genuine suffering. -From someone who broke a tailbone giving birth

[Anonymous]

10:26 here. i guess it was just my experience. yeah, with the pitocin i had no breaks in between and baby was sunny-side up which i think causes more pain. i think everyone is different. i do know someone who worked on a powerpoint up until pushing time and no drugs.

[Anonymous]

I do think it's judgey (not a word, I realize) to constantly ask women who chose (as I did) a natural birth why they did it. You rarely ever see a natural birth mama post -- so, epidural women, why did you choose medication? We'd get bashed for agenda pushing. It's just annoying to me. I don't get why others care about why any of us make any of the decisions we do. We all have access to information, can read books, can talk to our doctors... and we all make a choice that we are comfortable with. So be it.

[Anonymous]

It's all about DCUM bragging rights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:seems to me an epidural that doesn't work well is no worse than no epidural at all

Ah, but if you're not planning on an epidural, you're more likely to gather a lot of ideas with how to deal with labor and to practice those techniques. (We did some practice holding ice cubes in our hands and trying some of the different breathing and focus techniques.)

If you've planned on an epidural and it doesn't work (or you can't get one for some reason), it is possible that you'll feel more frustrated and less prepared.

Pregnant with my first, so I'm not really qualified to say, but I think the problem with getting an epidural that doesn't work is that it puts you in a position of being in the worst of both worlds. You have to deal with pain, or at least partial pain, but you are immobile and can't walk around during labor; you wouldn't be able to try alternative birthing positions like a squat bar or all fours; you would likely have the maximum fetal/mother monitoring which some people don't want; etc.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, labor felt worse than having a tooth pulled without novacaine. The comparison is quite valid. I don't know WHY someone wouldn't choose less pain, but go right ahead and labor naturally I don't care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, labor felt worse than having a tooth pulled without novacaine. The comparison is quite valid. I don't know WHY someone wouldn't choose less pain, but go right ahead and labor naturally I don't care.

you ought to think about switching dentists if s/he is pulling your teeth out without any sort of pain killer.

[Anonymous]

I thought I wanted an epidural. Then I was a little scared of the needle and the fact that it was near my spinal cord (no one said my fears had to be rational so don't flame me). Then DH told me about a very close family friend who died from too much anesthesia. DH was terrified of my getting the epidural even though he tried to be supportive of whatever choice I wanted to make. My labor ended up being pretty easy overall. I did finally ask for the epidural in transition, but my water broke 30 seconds later so I changed my mind and delivered the baby without it.

I know there are women with a high pain tolerance but not all labor is excrutiating. Some women just get lucky, don't freak out, and don't need the epidural.

[Anonymous]

10:35, breaking your tailbone doesn't exactly count as a routine, non-medicated labor in my book. I'm sorry you suffered through that, but it's not what I was talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10:26, I completely disagree about labor being like having a tooth drilled without novocaine - although I didn't have pitocin so I have no idea what those contractions feel like. Having a tooth drilled is painful and feels wrong. It's suffering. Contractions with pitocin might be, too. But labor without pitocin never felt wrong or like suffering to me. Painful, sure, but completely different from something like breaking a bone.

Maybe it wasn't like having a tooth drilled for you, but for a variety of reasons, some labors ARE more painful than others. Please don't blow off genuine suffering. -From someone who broke a tailbone giving birth

Ditto this. I always have dental work done without medication and recently had a planned (and prepared for) natural birth. For me, I'd take having my teeth drilled without novocaine any day over the pain of childbirth. I personally thought transition without an epidural was excruciating. I'd take the dental work (heck drill every tooth at once) any day.
Every woman's experience with natural childbirth is not the same. Our pain receptors aren't the same. Our uteruses aren't the same. Some of us get debilitating monthly cramps and some of us don't get a single twinge. I think I have a pretty high tolerance for pain and MY experience with natural labor was that it hurt like nothing I have ever experienced despite having every tool in my toolbox (Bradley class, supportive spouse, midwife). It always bugs me when a few natural birth proponents come on this site and say that having a baby without an epidural was really quite manageable and such a "positive" pain and blah, blah, blah. Maybe for you but that is not necessarily going to be every woman's experience for sure.

That said, now that the natural birth is a fading memory I am very glad to have experienced it. It was incredibly empowering to know that I did it. It will go down as the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life and honestly I'm proud that I accomplished it. I certainly don't share this with anyone but secretly I'm proud. In many ways I equate it to running a marathon---you don't get any special badges or gold stars save for the internal satisfaction of knowing that you were pushed to your limit and yet survived.