has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

i'd really like to know how you did it?

i am researching midwives and i think they encourage you to deliver completely natural but will offer if you really need it.
but from reading a few birth stories, women were begging for it- so i can only imagine the unbearable pain.

just curious about how you did it? why? what did you do to manage the pain?

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

not totally without an epi, but by the time I got one I was 9cm and probably could have done without it had I known how far along I was.....
But then again, I was desperate for it, so I might not have made it......

I took the birthing class offered by my hospital, and the breathing really helped a lot, you may want to look into that.
This, compounded with the speed and intensity in which I delivered (got to the hospital w/o any labor pains at 8AM and DS was born by 2PM), I probably could have squeaked by and had an even speedier delivery.
I had to receive a double dose of epi because the first one didn't work.
if I had been checked immediately before the epi, they probably wouldn't have even given it to me.

Good Luck and DO NOT be ashamed to say you want it.
There is no heroism or disgrace in asking for one.
You'll be hero enough, TRUST me!!!!!

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

Ive delivered all my kids without an epi...

I think the reason why Im able to get through it is b/c my labors are pretty quick and so are my deliveries...

With my last 2 births I was suppose to get one but I wound up going to 10cm in a very short amount of time and never wound up getting it...

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

My sister delivered 4 9lb boys with no epidural.

I had to have one (c-section), if I went natural, I don't think I would have gotten one since I react badly to any anisthetic(sp?)

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

I did it!

My labor was long (29hrs) and I pushed for 3 and a half hours before DS finally came out - but it was the most beautiful thing I've ever done. I knew it was going to hurt and I prepared mentally and physically for it.

I don't know if I have a high pain tolerance, but I know it helped me to keep saying, "This won't last forever." and take it one contraction at a time.

FM if you'd like more info on how I "prepared."...you can do it!

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

My epideral did not work with my second sons birth .

I have no tolerance for pain and to be completely honest i thought i was going to die. I was in so much pain and so exhausted that i could not even hold the baby until alittle while later.

For me, it was a totally different experinece than my first son's birth in which i had an epideral. But that is just my experience. Everyone is different remember.

Message edited 6/6/2008 9:08:39 AM.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

I didn't have so much as a Tylenol for the delivery (and recovery). I think I'm just a robot and have a really high tolerance for pain (if you knew what happened to my body when I delivered you'd - but I didn't even know about it b/c I didn't feel it!)
Anyway, I really did want to attempt a drug-free birth. After laboring for only a short period of time with what I thought were not much more than period cramps I got to the hospital at 9CM and DS was born about 10 minutes later.

ETS: I think, for me, it was a lot about my mindframe. I always told myself women have been having babies for a bizillion years and just recently with drugs. However, I do say, I was ready for drugs when I arrived at the hospital - I thought to myself when I got there, "if I'm only 4-5cm and this is what it feels like then sign me up for something!" - turns out I was through it all by then, but I was always open to the idea that this wasn't in my control - I didn't want drugs or a c-section but I knew that if it had to be, it had to be and I wasn't going to stress over how DC was born - so long as he was healthy.

Message edited 6/6/2008 9:40:49 AM.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

well, I was induced and didn't take the epi until 3 cm's. At that point I was begging for it. Then the epi wore off at about 7 cm's and they gave me a refill...then it wore off again at 10 cm's and I felt the entire pushing process. I was in agony. Not gonna lie. The doc. didn't want me to have more epi b/c he wanted me to feel when to push. I still want to break his arms b/c of it. But everyone's different so...I'm just telling you my view point.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

I give tons of credit to all of you mommies who went without


Me on the other hand thought I was going to die while they were making me wait for it.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

NONE, no Epi, no drugs of any sort.

I had no choice because there was no time. I was in labor for about 6 hrs and by time I got to hospital I was 10cm.
Within 10min and 6 pushes, DD was here.

Yes, it was painful and I experienced it all, the contractions, the back labor and felt it all!

I also wouldn't change that experience.

Right after the birth, I felt great!

Message edited 6/6/2008 10:05:24 AM.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

I delivered my daughter (my second child) completely naturally - I went into spontaneous labor, labored at home for a couple of hours with the assistance of a birthing doula and then got to the hospital and delivered her within 15 minutes.

If you are really set on a non-medicated delivery, I would highly recommend researching your options of using a birthing doula. A doula is someone who supports you through the labor process by offering you different strategies, massage, positioning, etc. to cope with the pain of labor. She can offer you meditative assistance, give you visual and verbal focal points, to allow your body to relax and help your labor progress, rather than halt due to fear of pain, etc.

Let me know if you want more info. I think it was a really good investment for me, b/c I was dead set against having a secondary epidural.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

my second was without an epi. They were trying to give it to me but the labor pains were so intense I couldn't sit still long enough for them to get it in.

They finally got the needle in when I had to push. So they took it out.

2 seconds later he was out.

The time I labored without the epi was horrible. I had one with my daughter and was looking forward to another one.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

No epidural here either...I did get some pain medication (Demerol, which I was not happy I got, but that's a whole other story ) I did feel great after the delivery too.

I wasn't "against" or "for" the epidural before I went in, I said I'd wait & see what happened.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

wow! thank you ladies for the advice!
well, i am not looking to be a hero.
i am interested in waterbirths and midwives and i think if you choose to have an epi , they move you to a labor and delivery room...
so i am weighing out my options.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

I delivered without an epi. I had been considering a drug-free birth for months but on the way to the hospital I told DH "I'm getting DRUGS!!" just because the drive to the hospital was painful, but once I got there I was able to get a grip on the pain. I turned the anesthesiologist away twice. I was pushing for 3 hours and DD was over 9lbs at birth, but I'm glad I went the way I did.

For me it was all about focusing THROUGH the pain rather than ON the pain, and I also was drawing strength from my DH and the nurse (I needed them both to have their hands on me as I pushed. I couldn't have pushed without feeling them there). I probably would have benefited from a midwife, but I didn't have one.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

:raising hand:

Didn't have drugs with either of my children.

I wanted to give it a shot without drugs but was willing to take them if it got really bad. When I expect a lot of pain, I brace myself for it that it's usually not so bad. That's pretty much what happened. Well that & I HATE needles.

I took a Bradley course. I didn't have a midwife. I was offered drugs repeatedly throughout one of my labors by the one doctor I didn't want to deliver my baby. She's the one that laughed at me when I told her I was taking Bradley & said almost all of her patients get pain medication (she had just come back from maternity leave).

I found breathing through (and out) contractions was helpful.

In the end, it's up to you. You are the one that says yes. If you don't want them, say no. A lot of it is perserverance, but there are also nerve endings involved - which vary person to person. One of the most important things I can tell you is in the end, you are no less of a mother for having an epidural, pain medication or a c-section. Giving birth isn't a contest. It's about a healthy baby.

Message edited 6/6/2008 10:35:04 AM.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

I would have jumped out the hospital window without and epi. I had all back labor. I give anyone who does it without a lot of credit. My mom delivered all 4 of us naturally. After having a baby myself, I had a new found respect for her!

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

All three times with out an epidural. If I told you how I did it you'd think I was crazy but I'll tell you anyway.

The pain I had was understanding...I was giving birth to a human being. I knew that every contraction was my baby trying so hard to come into this world. My baby did all the work, I was kind of like the punching bag. LOL. I mentally prepared myself for labor. I knew that no one has ever died from this type of pain. Does it hurt...YES YES YES but this type of pain will not kill you. With every contraction I told myself that I wasn't being attacked by a lion and nothing bad is happening to me in fact something beautiful is happening to me. It's totally a mental process. The pain hurts but it's a natural pain. So I kept reminding myself and reassuring myself that the baby is working so hard. I tried to visualize the whole process. I blew out or away every contraction that I had. I didn't stop blowing until the contraction wa sover. I never took a class or anything. It was the natural thing to do...just blow it out.
I also let gravity play a huge part in it. I made sure I got up to go the bath room even if that meant lugging all the equipment with me. My DH held all the wires as I walked. I would walk into bathroom even if I didn't have to go. I just wanted to get up so that gravity would help the process along.

For my first 2 pg's I did most of my laboring at home so I was able to do what I wanted. With my 3rd I was induced. I had a monitor going up my va jay jay and attached to my baby's head b/c she had a heart murmer. I still made sure I got up and moved around. Liek i said not only did I have the normal stuff attached to me like the iv pole and the strap that goes around my belly to monitor the heart, I had a stick up in my va jayjay that was attached to her head. I still made sure I got up and moved, even if I could only do a 2 step, I did it! The nurses were not goign to tell me no b/c i had no drugs in me. they knew I couldn;t walk far b/c of all the wires and cords but I managed to move from the bed to the rocking chair to the bathroom and back to the bed. I made sure I was relaxing as well as getting around.

Bottom line is that it is 100% mental.

I chose natural childbirth b/c I was deathly afraid of a needle going up my spine. I also had a back operation years back and I didn't want anything touching my back. I am not organic, or wholistic. I didn't even have a midwife; I had a regular OBGYN. I am just the average girl who chose to go natural.

If I didn't have back issues, I probably would have chose to get an epidural. An epidural makes total sense. But I went this route and I have no regrets!!!!

Message edited 6/6/2008 10:43:09 AM.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

Posted by DmarieK

I give tons of credit to all of you mommies who went without


Me on the other hand thought I was going to die while they were making me wait for it.

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

Posted by Smileyd17

Posted by DmarieK

Posted by Smileyd17
Right after the birth, I felt great!

I have to agree!!! I always heard everyone say you don't remember the pain and while I was in it I though I would remember that pain for life!! The second he came out I forgot all about it. Now looking back I remember being in the worst pain of my life but I really don't remember HOW it felt...does that make sense?

YES! totally and feel the same way!

I guess seeing that baby for the 1st time takes all that memory of pain away

Re: has anyone here delivered a baby without an epidural?

I used one though I really wanted to go natural. My labor went too long though, and I really needed to sleep a bit, so I got the epidural. After 8 or 9 hours and only hitting 4 cms, I knew I couldn't skip it. If it was faster, I would have gone without.

I would research both options. You may decide you want one although you may be against it now, and at least you will understand what they are doing and the risks if you choose to have it.