Pain Meds or Epidural

Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:54 am

i have been watching labor and delivery videos online, and yesterday one of them just made me cry, the girl did a natural childbirth and it scared me so bad. but my question is i dont really know how to put it but i wanted to have a natural birth but idk if i will be able to take the pain b.c this is my first child but do the pain meds really work? or is the epidural better? has any of you had any problems with the epidural or after affects of the it? I jst want to know b.c i actually have to go consult somebody at the hospital before i go into labor and want one, and at first i wasnt going to but the closer i get the more i think about it, and im going to talk to somebody just in case....

Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:08 am

I had two epidurals with my DS. The doc missed the first one so he hit part of it, I couldn't feel my left side. The problem for me is that they made me lay only on my right side because that is where they could control my blood pressure. So when he missed I still felt a ton of pain in my right low back, causing them to have to re-do it. This wasn't bad, I am very afraid of needles but getting the epi wasn't bad. The worst part of the epidurals for me was that since I had two by that night I couldn't pee on my own still and they had removed the catheter after labor. They had to put a catheter back in and I felt it all, plus I tensed my vaginal muscles when they were doing it causing me more pain. After that for a few years I would have weird muscle spasms down there that were quite painful. That of course though is just my experience and probably not standard by any means.

I think overall it depends on your pain tolerance, and really the size of baby's head - which you really won't know until baby comes. I also feel like pain is temporary and I can do anything if I am determined. I am going with a midwife this time and all natural with no drugs, it's how I wanted it the first time but I let fear get in the way.

Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:48 pm

I had an epi with my DD and it was GREAT! i couldnt feel a thing and they had no problem getting it in. I did have the shakes really bad for about two hours after ( bad enough i couldnt even hold her on my own) but i was able to be up and walking with some help pretty soon after she was born. The nurse did say that my shaking was alot worse than normal too ....

I would say def talk to somebody just in case but i have faith that you can do it without any meds! i would have done it without if i didnt have other health issues. Im kinda sad i didnt at least get to try but i really did have a awesome labor good luck with whatever you choose, its a hard one to make!

Fairy tales are more than true not because they tell us that dragons exist but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten

Wed Jan 09, 2013 4:20 pm

I had a natural childbirth with my daughter and plan to do the same with our son this time around. I had left the "door" open as to whether or not I would request drugs, and told the nurse to just continue asking me every once in a while. It got to a point where she asked me and I said I was doing ok and she said well, at this point, I don't think you'll need them. So I didn't have any.

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Stephanie
Mom of Alexandra 8/3/07
Wife of Brian 2/28/04

Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:53 pm

I had the iv pain medication first trying to delay getting the epidural and I HATED them (the pain meds). I felt so doped up and hated not feeling like I was in control of my body. I could not wait for them to wear off! I had the epidural a few hours later and loved it. I could still feel some on my left side so I could tell when contractions were coming but the pain was 100 times better. I will def be getting an epi this time around.

Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:08 pm

I had just a shot in my hip of nubain(sp?) when I was at 4cm with my 1st-it took the edge off enough for me to continue without feeling like i needed an epi and that i could do it, then it wore off 4 hrs later and when they went to give me another shot i was at 9cm and couldn't have one, I delivered natural about 2 hrs after that. I had planned to get a shot of meds again with my 2nd but by the time i got to the hospital I was to far to have anything and had him natural, I was really scared that it would somehow hurt worse then my 1st did from not having anything at all, but it didn't, i got through it and once i realized i could do it with no meds I had my 3rd and 4th med free as well and i plan to have this one med free too. I wouldn't be opposed to getting a shot of something again if i absolutely felt i needed it, but after doing it before-i know what my body is capable of handling and feel i can do it again med free. I've heard alot of stories from family and friends of epi's not fully taking, only taking on one side, or really bad headaches afterwards and the risk of needing more medical intervention or a c-section goes up so i'll gladly pass and suffer though it med free-it's only for a short time, it's not forever.

David & Monica 8-28-00

Thu Jan 10, 2013 10:50 pm

I used the gas with my son. It doesn't really help a whole lot but it gives something to focus on. Things moved so quick with him that I remember saying, I WANT DRUGS only to hear the response 'you're too far to get them now, you'll deliver before then', and they were right.

Oh man, thinking about this is freaking me out.