Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I always wonder why women chose to go this route. Besides being afraid of the epidural needle, why would one chose to go through all that pain when there are options?

Message edited 10/20/2009 11:44:12 AM.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I am going in mentally prepared to go natural because I want to experience everything..including pain...that is meant for me to experience to bring my blessing into this world.

That said....I don't know what I am going to experience and I would never put our baby through any harm so if need be I will take whatever my doctor tells me to take if it means its better for our baby...but if its just for me..then I am going to try my very best to do it a natural as possible.

NOW....that is my opinion for me..whether with or without drugs we are going to be mommies and in the end all we want is to hold our littles ones its doesn't matter how you get to that point

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

When I was giving birth, I got to about 4 or 5 cm, that is all I had to get to. I wanted to do it without drugs, but I got to the point where I was so overtired, and it got painful, I needed something to let me sleep.

I remember telling the nurse that women that do this without drugs are crazy, give me something to ease the pain...got the meds, then told my DH to make the tv stop dancing....then I passed out.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I had DS naturally for the simple reason that it is the safest way to give birth.

Of course it's not for everyone, but epidurals can have some serious complications, so if you can avoid them it's best for you and your baby.

I chose a midwife who supported natural birth and prepared using Hypnobabies -- both of these things helped alot. My labor was relatively normal (19 hours) and, although I had back labor I found it tolerable.

Everyone has a different experience and it is totally understandable that many women choose pain medication, but with a drug-free labor you are introducing fewer variables and have less chance of complications.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

God bless those of you planning to go natural!! i envy you! i hope i make it on time cause i think i may pass out without the epidural.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

There are a ton of reasons to go natural and ton to not.

For me, when I get pg that is , I kind of want to let my body do what it is meant to. Also the drugs can slow down the labor and cause c-section situations. Inductions and epis are useful and needed in certain situations but for the most part, I FEEL (don't flame me), that they are overused. There is a ton of reasearch on this and I guess you can do your own research online. I don't think that getting "too into it" is a good idea because people get offended on both sides and take things very personally. So just make sure that whatever your decision is that you research it and talk to more than one professional and make the decision that is right for you, not for some one else, including your doctor.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I gave birth without an epi. I told my doctor that I didn't want pitocin either but I eventually gave in because I was pushing forever. I would have taken the epi if I found the pain to be unbearable but it never got to where I couldn't handle it.

I was very afraid of the side effects that can occur with an epidural. The way I saw it, I could deal with the pain of labor and then be done with it or I could have an epi for the labor and run the risk of lingering pain after the fact (migraines were a big concern for me). My roommate in the hospital was sick the day after she gave birth because of the epi and had to stay in the hospital another day. And like someone else said, women have been doing this for centuries so I figured I could too. I was right.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I want to only bc I have heard some horror stories with the epi and I am scared, thats the only reason.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

DH and I are going to be taking childbirth classes but are fully prepared to go the route of meds and/or c-section if we have to.

I have already been through too much to get PG and stay PG and I FEEL I do not have anything to prove. I do not feel as if I will be missing out on anything. I do not need to feel pain - I have already had all the pain I can handle - physical and otherwise. What I need to feel is safe and frankly, if having an epidural or a c-section keeps me and my child safe, then that is how it will be.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I have zero desire to go to have to endure unnecessary pain.

I understand that there are those who want to experience every aspect of childbirth naturally.

I am not one of those people.

As long as the epi does not harm the baby (which, from what I understand, it doesn't), I want it and I want it as soon as humanly possible.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I had pain meds with both my deliveries and let me tell you that you DO feel pain. I don't want anyone to believe that taking meds is an easy way out because it's not! I think that's an unfair thing to say.

I had 2 inductions and I had a very wonderful experience with both of them. I know that some women have not, but I just want to put it out there for those who want to hear it from someone who did have a good experience.

I was also more terrified of being too exhausted from being in pain for so long that when the time came, I wouldn't be able to push my baby out..

At the end of the day, do what's best for you.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

so I have a rather high threshold for pain, but I'm not pushing away the drugs just yet....

the main drawback to insisting on natural (rather than seeing how it goes, and remaining open to the option of meds) is that you may get super-fatigued if the labor is very long before you get to push, and that could actually cause a longer delivery with much more stress to the baby....

On the flip side, if the labor progresses rapidly, there might not even be time for meds.... and mom is still strong enough to labor by herself.

so, I'm tempering my desire to go drug-free for exactly that reason..... what ever is best for Crumb.....

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I choose not to put any medications in by body that are not medically necessary. This doesn;t only apply to childbirth, but also antibiotics, cold meds, etc.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I was concerned about the medication for the baby--they say there is no risk, but I still didn't want to expose him to drugs. I was also terrified of the needle, and the risk of side effects.

But after being in labor overnight and reaching only 4 cm. by morning, I realized I needed the epi. The pain was not so terrible at that point, but I desperately needed to sleep to push my baby out later.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I am not a hero, I will take anything I can to minimize my pain. I would not get any satisfaction out of "feeling everything I should" we are not in the 18th century here. so easy way out for me

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

We are going to try our best not to have an epi or meds, though of course it is always best to be flexible. A combination of things lead to our decision:
1) I have had some reactions to anesthesia in the past and am consequently very scared
2) There is evidence that epidurals and other interventions can slow down labor and/or lead to increased need for c-section
3) The narcotic meds cross the placenta
No judgement towards anyone who is chosing anesthesia or meds. To each her own

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

I just want to throw something else in here, sometimes you HAVE to get the medicine. I was induced, so I had to have cervedil and pitocin and because of the effects, I needed drugs.

My BFF wanted a natural birth, went so far as to go with a birth center. She labored for 37+ hours naturally and got to 9.5 cms when the baby's heartrate dropped and she had to rush across the street to the hospital for an emergency c-section.

She was told afterwards that if she had been able to get pitocin earlier and possibly an epidural, then she most likely would have been able to give birth vaginally. After hearing that she is really upset that she didn't know it before hand.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

Women have been giving birth naturally for thousands of years.

Personally, there are very few situations where I would even consider using modern medicine. Unless my baby or I are at risk I will not take an epi or any other form of drugs/medication.

It has nothing to do with being a "hero" as others have referenced. And I certainly don't enjoy pain, but I do feel in the long run this is what is best for my baby and I. Epi's and other pain medications have proven to slow down labor which in turn increases your chance for a c-section. Andh in case anybody didn't realize, is a longer recuperation than a vaginal delivery because it is considered major surgery.

Doesn't it shake you up that studies have proven NY has the highest rate of cesareans in the country? (NY cesarean rate is about about 40%...10% higher than the national average)

It's all about personal preference and no one should be judged by their decision.

Just like some chose to EBF and some chose formula - natural birth vs. other methods are just that, personal choice.

Re: Giving birth naturally.. no epi, no meds... no ANYTHING.

For anyone who's worried that going natural will leave them too exhausted to push -- not likely. I was in labor for 19 hours and was able to push DS out quickly (his cord was around his neck and started to compress) when my midwife told me to get the baby out now.

There definately are situations when a woman's labor has stalled and an epidural will allow her to relax enough to dialate more. Everyone has to make that decision for themselves -- if labor has been too long and you're feeling exhausted and want an epidural, by all means get the epidural, that's the right call in your situation.

I just wish more people were educated on the health benefits of natural childbirth and I wish more doctors and hospitals were better equiped to support natural labor.