The Epidural... dun dun dun

I had all my babies naturally for the most part. I took a Lamaze class for my first. It helps to know what to expect and to try to keep calm. Labor contractions really hurt, they feel like a tight squeezing all the way around and my thighs even felt warm. I didn't want an epidural mostly because the I dont' think I want a needle like that going into me. I know a catheter is left in place-but I don't think I could sit still. Also, my labors were relatively short once the water was broken by the Dr. Also epidurals do not work 100% of the time and I didn't want to have to deal with the side effects. That is not to say I won't ever have one. If I had a long and drawn out labor, I would reconsider. My babies were born 6 1/2 hrs, 30min., 2 1/2 hrs., 2 1/2 hrs after I got to the hospital. I knew the worst part would come after my water was broken but that it would  be short and intense! I didn't mind the crowing b/c I knew I was almost there! Transistion is the hardest phase but the shortest. GL

I have not had an epidural and I have had really good experiences with natural childbirth. I first got turned off of epidurals when my SIL had a baby when I was three months pregnant with my first. We went to the hospital shortly after he was born, and she was flat on her back with a catheter, unable to feel her legs. That freaked me out, and I started doing a lot of reading and decided I wanted to go natural. For the record, my SIL was completely happy with her birth experience--it just freaked ME out. I ended up deciding to deliver at a freestanding birth center where an epidural (or any pain meds) would not be an option. My labor was quite intense, but it was still a really beautiful experience, and I felt great as soon as the baby was out.

I had my second one at home in my bathtub (we have a good-sized jacuzzi tub), and that was even better. The water really helped and I only pushed for about ten minutes and it was less painful that time. Part of that is probably because it was my second baby, but I also think the water played a part. He was more than a pound bigger than my first, but so much easier to push out! Some people say that the water relaxes them and eases the contractions. I actually had the opposite experience. Getting in the water got things moving for me. When I got in the tub, things were moving slowly and my midwife thought I was going to be in labor all day. He was born about two hours later. So I believe the water sped things up, but it also made the birth easier. Another really neat thing about water birth is that you and the baby are all cleaned up as soon as it's over. You just get out and dry off and you're done!

I would not get an epidural at 7 cm. By the time it kicks in you might be just about ready to push, and it could interfere with your ability to push well. You might end up going through almost all of the pain of labor and then having potential side effects from the epidural without really getting much benefit from it.

You are really lucky to have the option of a birthing tub at your hospital. Not many people have that option. It sounds to me like labor might not be any worse than the periods you have experienced. And it's a lot better in a way because it is productive pain--you know that when it's over you're going to be holding your baby! Period cramps go on a lot longer and don't have any payoff at the end. 

Mom2RJ - thanks for the story, after reading it I really started to consider a home birth. I have access to a whirlpool tub but I can only labour in the tub at the hospital.. I cannot deliver in the tub. I think it might be a bit strange to labour and then get out, dry off, and hop on a bed lol. Who knows!!!!

Angel-Abby - wow!!! Im amazed at how fast your births have been. I can only wish and hope mine are as quick. I am scared of needles, I dont like seeing them, etc. I dont know if I could handle it!!!

Just for the record. My entire labor from the first contractions to the end was longer. Once I was in active labor and too cranky to stay home, I went to the hosp. Those times are just from hosp. arrival to actual birth! LOL

You can do it without an epidural...though why anyone would want to is beyond me. I had one with ds1 and that is really and truly the only labor I can say I somewhat enjoyed. No drugs with the rest of the boys, and I was sooooooooo happy that I was going to be induced with dd because that meant I could get an epi.

But, I went into labor instead, and while they did get the epi in, I didn't get all of it b/c dd was coming fast and then she was in distress (NOTHING to do with the epi at all- when they broke my water the cord became wrapped around her neck) so I had to lay on one side, so only that side was halfway numb.

I will say that the immediate recovery without an epi is quicker, meaning you can get up and around a couple hours sooner and the nurses don't come bother you quite as often, but other than that there's really not much difference recovery-wise. I had a catheter with ds1 but not with dd....but trust me, anything you're worried about right now re: them sticking anything anywhere, you won't care when the time comes. I was SOOOO modest before I had ds1. I laid awake at night worrying about catheters and people other than my dr seeing my nether regions, and I was WAY worried about having a BM while in labor........but after about 4 hours of labor, I couldn't have cared less. I even allowed 4 dr's in training to come in and stare at my hoo-ha. lmao!!

I was given an epidural and a catheter during an induction.  I was FREAKED out about the idea of the foley catheter proir to having one and it was the most glorious thing EVER!!!!!

I was attempting a natural birth but had to be induced (they couldn't get me into labor - but that's besides the point!).  After being hooked up to machines and IV's and a ton of crap and having to call the damn nurse every time I wanted to pee was the biggest pain in the ass.  I went through over 24 hours of having to pee every 3 hours and it was SOOOOO annoying.  Once I got the catheter (which was totally painless), I didn't have to get up to pee anymore!  I ended up with a c-section in the end and so the catheter got to stay in longer.  I know it sounds beyond lazy to be stoked not to get up to pee, but it was f*ing AMAZING.  Especially after having the C.  Because I was retaining an insane amount of water, I did have to call the nurses in a couple of times to empty the urine bag.

When they removed the catheter, I got WAY freaked out that it was going to hurt, especially since they had put it in while I was numb from the waist down and again, PAINLESS.  Quite honestly, I am a total wuss when it comes to pain (not sure how I thought I was going to go through a natural labor and delivery!) and I didn't even feel them take it out. 

I am pretty sure that if you have an epi, you HAVE to get a catheter because you can't get up to pee - in fact, I don't think you can even feel the urge to pee.

I also thought that getting the epi was painful, but I also wasn't in labor when it was given to me so I think the pain is relative to what you've been experiencing prior to getting one.  If you've been laboring and are at 5-7 cm, then I'm sure a little needle stick is nothing.  If you've been sitting in an uncomfortable bed for over 24 hours with no pain, then yeah, the epi is uncomfortable/painful.

I would say go for the tub and see what is does for you and if the labor pain is too much, then get the epi.  But you might surprise yourself and be able to go all natural!  Once you have the epi, you have to stay in the same position and at a very specific angle for it to take effect.  I think (though I could be wrong) that you have to stay at like, a 45-degree angle.  If you raise or lower the bed, the epi will not work effectively - if you sit up more, the epi will be numbing your feet not the contracting uterus and if you make the bed flat, then you could end up numb from the chest down. 

Good luck!  You have lots of time to obsess

 Before I got my epidural (that didn't work) I labored in the tub for awhile.  I really hated it, but I know a lot of women who loved it. I was also already 6-7 cm dilated by then, so maybe that's why?  I wanted out after only a half hour or so.  I did have a catheter with the epidural. I don't remember getting the epidural at all, so I can't say how painful it was.  I know there was a numbing shot first.  My epidural ended up really not working at all.  I was not numbed in any way and with the Pitocin I was given, felt every miserable second of my labor and delivery.  What was worse was that they wouldn't let me get up and change positions even though I could have, just because I had the epidural and had to have continuous monitoring and stay in bed.   

Southernbelle:

Pain control during labor is a personal decision.  I think that first time mom's should be open minded. 

Ditto!

I had an epidural with my first because the labour was soooo long, but with the last two things have progressed so quick that there wasn't time for one.

If I end up having a long labour again I would definately consider one. It certainly made the whole thing a much calmer experience.

I had an epi for my 1st labor (dont think i had a catheter)the damn thing didnt work one bit so i dont know what its like to go through labor without pain but i sure as hell would love to i watch birth shows like birth day and a baby story and im so jealous of those women laughing and enjoying their labor, with my last 2 being around 1hour i dont have time for one anyway but my ideal birth would be one without the pain!!

I don't have any experience with an epi.  I had all 4 of mine in a birthing tub and it was absolutely amazing!  I don't know if contractions have anything to do with period cramps but I did have bad periods like you and though the contraction pains hurt they were bearable.

 I had a very interesting experience with the epidural. I wanted to give birth naturally, so I was in labour with no pain killers for 8 hours.. I tried the tub, it only helped so much.. it wasn't a birthing tub though, just a whirlpool for pain relief.... I asked for the epidural finally after 8 hours and my midwife checked and said I was 9.5 cm and they couldn't do it now! She said she could speed things up because she could see Xander's head and thought she could just push the corners of my cervix over and it would get things started.. unfortunately my cervix wasn't dilating in one spot and she didn't notice this before trying to do this!!! My cervix ended up swelling and so the amount I was dilated went down to 8 cm and they ended up giving me and epidural because I was in so much pain at this point!! The epidural worked after about 10-15 minutes and I felt NOTHING... right away I felt pressure and they told me I was ready to go!! 15 minutes of pushing and my little man was born!! I couldn't feel the contractions to know when to push though, so I had to keep feeling my stomach to feel when it tightened so I could push.. and I watched myself give birth with a mirror and I am not so sure I could've pushed so well without being able to see the progress I was making!! 

I will say that they told me it is VERY abnormal for the epidural to speed labour like it did for me, usually it slows it. I think it was because I was panicking so much and so tired and once they gave it to me I completely relaxed. 

Let me first off say that my brother's girlfriend had an epi and everything was perfect and wonderful and I have a high pain threshold compared to most people.  So by no means do I believe that the right choices for me are right for everyone.

However.  I had an epi with my first birth and it was a nightmare.  First of all, I really wanted to go natural but I was kind of bullied into it by the nurses (this was 18 years ago) who kept threatening me saying the pain was going to get worse and worse and if I waited too long I wouldn't be able to have any pain relief at all, which is true but they were using it as a threat.  And they just acted like I was making this huge problem that they would have to deal with because sooner or later I was going to crack under the pressure, they were all sighing and rolling their eyes and just giving me the message that I would never be able to do it on my own, so I caved in and accepted the epidural.

Well, the epidural did not work.  Not only did the baby's heart rate drop - luckily it recovered when I rolled over onto my side - but it didn't take the pain away.  Rather than feeling it all over my stomach it focused all the pain into these really intense points on either side of my stomach, and it was actually worse than it was before (imagine sunlight shining through a magnifying glass.)  It was really unbearable compared to what it had been like before.  So they called the anesthesiologist back in and had him give me a huge second dose of the epi medicine, but unfortunately no one bothered to check to see how far dilated I was.  After he left they decided to check and whoops, I was dilated to 10 and ready to push but of course I was beyond numb.  I ended up having to push for over 3 hours, having to have medicine to speed the labor up and then slow it down because the baby's heart rate kept dropping, I ended up with a huge episiotomy and they were talking about a c-section but luckily the epi was wearing off by that point so I managed to push him out.

My sister had an epidural last year and for some reason it numbed her lungs so she couldn't breathe, the baby's heart rate dropped too and they called for a c-section.  She ended up being wheeled into the operating room but by the time they had signed all the consent forms and gotten her prepped, the epi had worn off enough so she could breathe again and the doctor checked her and she was at 10.  The baby's heart rate was still low, though.  So the doctor told her she had 5 minutes to get the baby out or they were going through with the c-section.  And somehow she managed to do it, but it was a terrible experience for her.

My second son was natural and a home birth, I used the exercise ball and my midwife did perineal massage and it was an absolutely magical experience.  I pushed him out on my hands and knees in 30 minutes and even though he had the cord wrapped around his neck, he was perfectly fine, I think that had everything to do with me being able to choose my own position and being so relaxed from being at home.

My third son was natural and in the hospital, I almost fainted when they were putting the IV in so I couldn't get up to use the exercise ball unfortunately because I was too woozy.  They allowed me to spend most of the labor on my stomach which helped a lot because he came fast and it was a very intense birth, I went from dilated to 3 to having the baby in my arms in an hour and a half.  I only had to push a few times and he was born.  It was a harder labor than DS 2 but still way, way better than my first experience. 

eggo is preggo:

 Does anyone know where I can get an empty birth plan that I can fill in as like a guide?

I found this one from TheBump that you can print off and fill in :  http://images.thebump.com/tools/pdfs/birth_plan.pdf

Hope this helps!! 

With DS 2 the epidural worked wonderful.  With DD1 (five weeks ago) epidural worked but at the end of labour the epidural only paralized half of my body, i felt the pain on one side of my body. Girl let me tell you something, when you at 5 cm you WILL ask for an epidural, 7 cm will be tooooo late!!!!!!!  Yes with both epidurals i had a catheter, but luckily you don't feel it, cause they give it after the epidural. It's very irritating.

with DS 2 the epidural was painless, with my girl i felt the needle and there was times i screamed!!!  But with DS 2 the side effects (after a week) was terrible, terrible head aches and back pains!!!!  With DD no head aches and no back pain.

In other words, the two epidurals i had differ night and day.  definately not the same and it will definately differ with each and every girl.

good luck with whatever you decide! 

I've only had 1 live birth, but will share my experience with the Epi. To be honest, I absolutely loved mine! I'd like to say I have a high pain tolerance, but in reality I don't so I knew I wanted some form of pain medication. I had a scheduled induction so when i got there the nurses went over all the pain meds. that were available, and I chose the epi. simply because I didn't want to be drowsy or loopy and wanted to be able to still stay awake (If I choose) and not "feel" the contractions - don't get me wrong you can still feel the pressure, like you have to use the bathroom but it's nowhere near what you'd feel if you went natural.

For me there was no question about getting the epi. - when it was administered they made everyone leave the room (including my husband) and I had to bend over on the side of the bed (like stare at the floor) and hold my breath for about 20 seconds. they first gave me a local to numb the injection site, and then waited 20 sec. and injected the epi. - the bad part is that it doesn't take effect right away and that you have to continuously switch sides to evenly distribute medicine at first (otherwise only your left/right side will be numb). I was cathiterized, BUT it was just an uncomfortable feeling rather than any pain, and It was something I was willing to live with (for the labor anyway). They also put monitors on my son'd head (inside the womb) to monitor his HB so i was constantly hooked to a monitor, thus bedridden.

I knwo not all hospital procedures are the same so perhaps before making a "final decision" you could call the MW and take a tour and ask all these important questions on their procedures.