Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I had an epidural for my first and not for my second (despite asking for one ... I was in another country where it's not always available).
The recovery difference is more because of 1st and 2nd birth, I think, not due to the epidural or not.
Also, I felt in shock with my first and more relaxed after my second, but that may have nothing to do with the epidural as well.
To me, the biggest difference between my 2 births was what happened to the baby immediately after. With the first, it was taken away for checking, then brought to me wrapped up. With my second, it was placed immediately on my belly, cord still attached to me. Somehow, that experience gave me a huge hormonal boost/high or something! I felt great! I think it's the skin on skin thing. And I think it was much more than whether I had an epidural or not.
If I had a third, I'd probably end up asking for an epidural at some stage. But I wouldn't worry if it wasn't available. But I'd insist that they place the baby on my stomach immediately, no matter what.
The research says your natural high was from the hormones your body releases to deal with pain in labor, so it was the no epidural that gave you that.
I believe it. I had unmediated births both times and, while the pain was unbelievable, the high afterward was like nothing I've ever felt before or after. The nurses (at Georgetown, where 99 percent of births include an epi) kept commenting on it. It really felt like I was on the best drug ever. And then I wouldn't put my babies down for the next two days. Like, at all.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So you don't get the "high" afterwards if you have an epidural?
I'm surprised people don't know this. One of the main points of laboring without an epidural is to let your body, and the baby's, flood with the hormones that come from labor.
For what it's worth, I had an unmedicated birth and experienced no high at all. I was pretty annoyed about that actually. False advertising!
Anonymous wrote:I had a long labor (45 hours with 4 hours of pushing) without an epidural and I don't regret it for a second. I was really committed to doing it without drugs, so never asked for them - but I honestly don't remember it hurting *that* badly except for the crowning. That pain I can't even describe, but even that was manageable because it felt so productive and I knew my baby would be out soon. My labor was exhausting and I distinctly remember silently wishing for a c-section, but it never occurred to me to ask for an epi. Moral of the story: everyone handles labor differently. But if you want to go med-free you need, in my opinion, to be 100% committed and you need to be prepared (doula, educated partner, coping mechanisms, etc.).
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I had a 30-hour unmedicated birth (planned on no epidural) and I will do it again.
I know from the research it's less risky for the baby, and the side effects of getting an epidural (and possible complications, including death like that poor woman at Sibley) were just not worth it.
Was it painful? Oh hell yes. But like PPs have commented, it's a day or so of pain total. I don't understand people who can't handle any pain at all -- how do they deal with life in general?
And yeah, the high you get after natural labor is amazing.
People feel and experience pain differently. There's been a lot of research on this.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030624090043.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-164684/Wimps-really-feel-pain.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303302504577328271568159692.html
Personally I don't understand people who don't understand their experience in life is not universal.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So you don't get the "high" afterwards if you have an epidural?
I'm surprised people don't know this. One of the main points of laboring without an epidural is to let your body, and the baby's, flood with the hormones that come from labor.
Anonymous wrote:my first was with an epi and I would not describe it as numb, it was easy and peaceful... with a midwife in a hospital
the second came to fast, no epi, nothing.... it was not easy and peaceful.... I did make it to the hospital.
It was painful and awful like one big train wreck .... but ... mine was not planned. Mine was only 10-15 minutes long from the time I arrive to the hospital till the baby was born. I could not imagine going an hour or two.
I would not chose to do it without an epi.
Anonymous wrote:So you don't get the "high" afterwards if you have an epidural?
\\Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Don't compare the woman who wanted an epi and didn't get one to the woman who didn't want an epi and prepared for a non-epi birth. I can't imagine having the pain of labor and wanting an epi but being denied one. That would be horrible. Of course those women prefered their epi births.
But if you decide not to have one and prepare for it, the physical pain is all you have; you don't have the mental strain of being denied what you want and having no control.
Natural labor hurts like a bitch, don't get me wrong. But I prefer it to the alternative. I love the high and the easy easy recovery.
Except that I do have a friend who was determined to have a "natural" birth. And she didn't do it a second time. It wasn't worth it.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Don't compare the woman who wanted an epi and didn't get one to the woman who didn't want an epi and prepared for a non-epi birth. I can't imagine having the pain of labor and wanting an epi but being denied one. That would be horrible. Of course those women prefered their epi births.
But if you decide not to have one and prepare for it, the physical pain is all you have; you don't have the mental strain of being denied what you want and having no control.
Natural labor hurts like a bitch, don't get me wrong. But I prefer it to the alternative. I love the high and the easy easy recovery.
I'm the person you are talking about - who wanted an epi but didn't get one. I never said I preferred one birth over the other, actually. They were different.