Being medicated vs Natural births

Question

I've been watching a lot of baby shows, and was wondering what people thought about taking pain medication to reduce pain. A lot of women don't want to take it, but I was wondering why. Is it for the experience, or?

Answer 1

"Firstly you are assuming the labour is painful, which for many women it is not. Or at least not any worse than a very hard workout with some muscle aches."

Wow, I can't believe that one!  You may have an incredible pain threshold, but you're doing a disservice to the "average" woman.  Yes, women gave birth for thousands of years without hospitals or pain meds, but h**l, even the bible talks about the excrucating pain.  We used to ride horses hundreds of miles to get places too, but we advanced.  

I tried to do it naturally.  I wanted control of my labor.  After 20 hours of that, many hours of which I could barely breathe, let alone walk, climb into a tub, or do anything else to try and cope, I got the epidural.  

I was laboring at home and was walking when a contraction hit.  I ended up underneath my coffee table with a marble top and benchpressed the d**n thing.  My 6'8" husband had to bear hug me to pick me up afterwards.  

After the epi, I didn't feel any more pain.  It was such a relief!  There was some pressure, but no pain.  I was finally able to enjoy the birth of my daughter.  

I didn't interview my daughter to find out if she was tripping after the epi, but she learned to read at 4.  If I killed any of her brain cells, she had enough to spare. (Yes, I'm being flippant.)

Do what is going to give you the best experience.  Birth is hard on mommies, and imagine babies too.  But, I defy someone to look at a playground full of kids and point out whose mother had pain relief, or which were bottlefed (another hot button topic).

Mothering is not a contest.  You don't win by saying others are doing it wrong.

Answer 2

Natural will always be best. I know i wanted to go natural, unfortunately, i'm a wuss, so with the 1st strong contraction i was begging for the epi, lol.

I would've liked to deliver naturally, enjoy the whole experience, even if it's painful, it's the way God intended it to be.

I had an epidural & i am as much of a woman as any who had a natural delivery. Whatever way you deliver it's amazing & it's the best experience any woman could live through.

God Bless

Answer 3

I recommend watching the documentary "The Business of Being Born".  It has lots of explanations why women choose not to medicate.  (Some of the reasons being: wanting to experience the birth, not wanting to pass along the drugs the baby, competing medication can lead to a longer labor and more emergency c-sections)

Before I watched the movie, I was SURE that I would ask for the epidural once I felt my first contraction, but now I'm going to see what I can do on my own first without the medicine. I've never given birth before, so I don't know what my needs will be. Maybe I can do it without the medication, maybe I can't- but I'm going to try. (I'm not really keen about "experiencing" the whole thing- I want to get it over and done with as quick as possible!)

Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DgLf8hHM...

It's a very one sided movie, but it's the side that hasn't been heard too much.

Answer 4

well at first i wanted to have a natural birth just because i dont like neddles and that needle is HUGE!!!! but once that pain hit me it was like give me the drugs. i think it is great for any women who can do it with out drugs more power to you but i say GIVE ME THE DRUGS!!!

Answer 5

Well, I knew I wanted pain medication from the day I found out I was pregnant. I don't enjoy pain ..

I think some people like to announce that they had a 'natural birth' because it makes them feel more like a woman.

I think a lot of people are also under the misconception that the pain medication is going to be transferred to the baby, that surely didn't happen with my son.

My son came out wide awake and was wide awake for hours visiting with the family ..

I would never think to have a baby without pain medication.

If other women have no problem passing a human being out of their v****a and actually want to feel that, more power to them; that's just not for me.

I had the epidural and my son's birth was anything but pain-free. It's the most pain I have experienced and I never want to experience it again ..

Answer 6

I gave birth natural my first baby, and I had an epidural for my most recent one. I can tell you that there are pros and cons for both--my first baby was small, and I had a quick labor. I managed just fine without the epidural. I labored in the tub and just concentrated through every contraction. I did have an episiotomy, and it hurt worse than the contractions. I do have to tell you that I was a complete wimp when it came to needles or anything like that--I would seriously cry when getting my blood taken. After the labor, I was so out of it and exhausted after laboring--plus being a first time mom just overwhelmed me. I healed pretty quickly, despite the cut, and I thought I was going to go natural this time as well.

Well, this time was MUCH different, because my baby was HUGE. I just kept on thinking that I didn't want to have to go through the pain again and that I deserved a pain free birth--I wanted to enjoy it this time around. I decided on an epidural, and I am glad I got one--I had a nine pound baby who got stuck halfway through pushing. The pain was so much, that I felt it despite the epidural--The doctor said if I didn't have the pain meds, I would have ended up having a c-section.

In the end my baby was fine, I was up and walking within a few hours, and I didn't tear, didn't have to be cut and no hemorrhoids :)

Both experiences were special to me--I knew I could go without, but I don't feel guilty for having an epi. Every birth is different, and must be treated that way!!

Answer 7

I knew from day one that I wanted an epidural.  I got one but they turned it up too high so after pushing for an hour and a half they turned it off so I could feel to push.  After 20 minutes all the pain of my contractions came roaring back.  It was like going from a zero on the pain scale to a ten!  And it still took me another hour to deliver my son.  Now after all that would I get an epidural again?  The answer is most definitely YES.  B/c what happened to me was kind of a fluke and I had a lot of trouble pushing him out b/c he was big and I have a narrow pelvis.  The pain I endured for that 1 hour was awful.  I was so tired by the time I delivered him I just flopped back on the bed.  I would have loved to have had a pain free delivery and been able to enjoy my son right afterwards.  This is just my personal experience but I can't imagine why I would ever want to go through that again if I don't have to.  More power to the moms who can do it that way but I know I am not one of them!

Answer 8

I just wanted to add - be mentally prepared for any scenario.

I went in fully planning on having an epidural, just because I didn't want to be in any great pain.  I had watched those baby shows, and could see a huge difference in the birth experience between the medicated vs. unmedicated moms.

But once my labor started, the doc told me they couldn't give me the epi, because I had a slipped disc L4/L5.  I was seriously annoyed, because my OB knew that, I asked her about it, and she never mentioned it might be a problem.  In hindsight, she admits that "maybe [I] should've gone for a consult..."

Anyways...

I was mentally unprepared for a natural birth, and my labor moved pretty fast (I labored at home all day, went to the hospital at 5pm and 5cm, and the baby was out by 11).  The whole process turned out to be much more traumatic than I had imagined.  I don't understand the women who say that it's like "flexing muscles."  It was physically more taxing and painful than anything I have ever experienced.

And I don't feel like a "super woman" for doing this.  I feel like I did what I had to do, and I "got through it."  

Answer 9

"A lot of women don't want to take it, but I was wondering why."

Many reasons.

The No.1 reason being the safety of the baby.

Pain relief/epidurals are disgustingly over used, many women think of it as black and white "I don't like pain, so I will get pain relief".

Not even considering the risks, or researching the matter.

And doctors and midwives are all to eager to let them go down that route.

Answer 10

Every drug has some side effects, that vary from person to person so by going for a natural approach you can lessen some of the risks. I had a natural birth and walked out of the delivery suite (rather than being wheeled) after 20 mins. I felt fine after about 2 hours.

Pethadine can cross the placenta and make your baby drowsy for the first couple of days and everyone I have spoken to says that it makes you feel really woozy, like you are drunk. With epidurals you can't feel your legs for a while and you have to have a catheter put in your bladder, it can also lead to back pain for the rest of your life.

No drug it completely free of side effects. If I felt like I couldn't have coped with my labour I would have been happy to ask for the drugs, but I am glad I didn't have to. I felt totally in control and it was a complete rush giving birth without any medication (don't get me wrong it hurt like h**l).

Answer 11

I knew even before I was pregnant that I did NOT want pain medication. With my first child it was all natural, with my second I got a half of a half dose just to take the edge off so I could breathe in between contractions.

Answer 12

This is a question that changes answers depending on who hears it - there is truely no correct answer.  Yes we want what is best for the child, but you also want the experience to be a good one.

I have 3 children, whith my 1st I really didn't want an epideral and almost didn't take it - looking back if I had know that i was so close than I wouldn't.  Unfortunately the nurse said that I had about 2 hours to go - she was wrong , she wasn't listening to all the symptoms.  The worst pain is at the very end, and that was what i was experiencing, and I thought I was having a bowl movement - those are 2 signs that birth is very iminante, so when she said 2 more hours I thought well I can't take that and i asked for the epideral -if I hadn't than by the time I got the shot I would have been holding my child - otherwise I had to hold the contractions while getting the epideral and than they made it too strong so it took even longer to finally give birth; Now the upside of this was that I was able enjoy - pain free holding my baby while getting stiches.

With my younger 2 I also had an epideral - the second child because the doctor broke my water and the pain was faster and harder.  

My last pregancy (hopefully) I was tired because my other 2 were sick so I also needed it.

But all of them were given towards the end.

TO be honest the pain is toberable, if you prepare yourself  mentally that you'll be fine and are not tired than you probably can go with out medication.  But it's nice to know that if you need it it's there.

Answer 13

Firstly you are assuming the labour is painful, which for many women it is not.  Or at least not any worse than a very hard workout with some muscle aches.

Secondly does it strike you as odd to take NO medications during pregnancy and NONE during breastfeeding to keep the baby safe put to take a bunch during labour?  The only safe medication to take during labour to relieve pain is tylenol.  

Also why would you want to be not be present for birth?  Most pain relief used during labour makes mom not there mentally or blocks all sensation.