Epidural, Medicated or Natural Labor during childbirth? Which one did you have?

@Netmoney (144)
United States
April 20, 2007 8:55am CST
When I gave birth to my first daughter, I realized the labor pain was much more than I cared to handle after a few hours. Before my labor began, I remember saying I would have a natural birthing process and avoid any medications for the sake of my baby, BUT in reality I ended up having an epidural after all and boy, was I glad. For the future, I think I may try a little harder! Did any of you have had the same experience and care to share to see what your outcome was or if you survived without medication. If you have had multiple children, did you have or avoid medication for that one?
5 people like this
15 responses
• United States
20 Apr 07
my first i had the epidural and oh my it was great. after i had her i felt wonderful and i didnt want to let her go. i didnt want to sleep and i didnt feel like i was going to die. lol. now my second one i didnt get the chance to have any meds and well lets just say it HURT!!! after i had her and checked her out i was so tired i could hardly keep my eyes opened. i remeber that after i had my first it was like the next day i was up and moving and not relly soar and she was 7lbs 9 oz and the second kid i hurt for 2 weeks and didnt get around all that well either and she was only 6lbs 1 oz so if i ever had anotehr the shot would be the first thing i was begging for. when i asked my doctor about it he said the pain and the continue of pain was because i couldnt relax my muscles at all during birth so there fore they were over worked and when i had the 1 st one i was able to relax when i wasnt pushing. so my muscles had a break and i wasnt near as stressed.
3 people like this
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
20 Apr 07
Terrible not to have the meds obviously. Now I know I will SURELY and most likely have meds again. Thanks for sharing your experience.
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
20 Apr 07
In your opinion, is it true what they say about having a harder labor the second time around?
@amydawn11 (906)
• Canada
20 Apr 07
The doctor broke my water at 7:30 pm and I had my daughter at 9:36 pm, so i wasen't in labour very long. I had about an hour hard labour and did end up getting a shot of demerol 15 minutes befor she was born, so it kicks in after the fact. If I end up having another one I am going to try to go natural but who knows when your in the situation. I have heard that pregnancys can be completely different so i might end up having a longer labour next time, i hope not and I really do give credit to the woman who have gone through a long labour.
1 person likes this
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
21 Apr 07
Thanks for sharing your experience. Every preganany is different as is every labor. I guess we have to decide when we go in to have the baby what kind of pain we can stand. I surely pray I don't have a long labor because as I mentioned earlier, I will probably not make it past 4 hours of pain!
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
21 Apr 07
How was your experience with Demerol? I hear it dulls the pain. Is that true?
• Canada
21 Apr 07
well I ended up geting cut so they had to stitch me and I still felt that, the doctor had to freeze me some more but let me tell you once I got back to my room the demerol had pretty much set in, I wasen't feeling too much pain then.Although it did make me feel a bit sick, they werern't able to give me a shower right away cause i felt so sick i couldn't stand up. I remeber people comming to visit me shortly after I got in my room and I just smiled and waved cause I had no idea who they were, next day I asked my mom and it was my cousin and her daughter, but I was so out of it I didn't even realize it...lol
@Calais (10893)
• Australia
20 Apr 07
With my first birth I only had the gas, with the second it was too late for anything so I gave birth as natural as can. It hurt like hell. But I survived. Epidural never even entered my mind, I saw it as whimping out just like voluntary c sections.
1 person likes this
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
21 Apr 07
Thanks for sharing your experience. I also thought it was whimping out too at first. Then I was glad because I got an unnessary episiotomy I was GLAD I couldn't feel at least for the first night after giving birth. Dealing with that pain was a whole other fight. How was your experience with the laughing gas?
• United States
20 Apr 07
I had epidural. And it helps tremendiously. It is advisable to have this.
1 person likes this
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
21 Apr 07
Thank you for sharing your experience. It helps, yes! That is certainly true! I think it is advisable when the mother is tired from laboring so her body gets the rest it needs for pushing the baby out. Some people cannot have them or do not have the time.
@mememama (3076)
• United States
20 Apr 07
I had an epidural because I was told I was going to have a c-section. I didn't and it was very weird pushing without feeling it. I didn't feel like I was really doing anything. I think the next time I'm going to take childbirth classes and try for natural, my labor was fast and I was handling the contractions fine before the epidural. If anything the only thing that made it worse was all the doctors and nurses coming in, they were making it so I couldn't concentrate.
1 person likes this
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
21 Apr 07
You are so right about doctors and nurses being such a distraction. The procedure is so routine to them that they try to talk to you and when they realize you're having a contraction, they stop talking, look at the machine, and start talking again as soon as it starts to subside. What's up with that?
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
21 Apr 07
Also, since I had my baby at a university hopital in Philadelphia, I remember having to tell my doctor again not to allow residents in the room because I felt like a guinea pig while I was laboring. Like they just came in to stare! Talk about distracting.
• United States
20 Apr 07
I have had 3 children and I have not had an epidural for any of them, all natural. Not to say that I wasn't open to the idea. I was! But I really didn't have any time to get one. Once I went into labor with all three of them, it only lasted 4 hours from start to finish, and voila I had a newborn. The pain was intense, brutal, and mind blowing, but I really didn't have a choice as the doctor wouldn't give an epidural at that late stage in the game. lol Everyone just stares at me when I say 4 hours from start to finish like I am an alien or something, but I really don't think I could have lasted much longer than that!lol
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
21 Apr 07
We have something in common - both labored 4 hours - many moms envy us! I can admit that I went bowling the night before I went into labor and I think that got things started. I woke up the next morning with terrible contractions/stomach pains and in the next few hours, it was over. I was only 30 minutes to the end of my labor before I caved in. Next time, I may just try to tough it for an entire 4 hours then get the epidural. I KNOW I can't last much longer than what I lasted before.
@starr4all (2863)
5 Jun 07
I thought I would try natural with my first but the pain was too intense so I got an epideral. My second son I went straight for the epidural. With my son I'm pregnant with now, I still will use an epidural. I feel that if I don't get the epidural I will be concentrating on the pain more than the baby being born.
• United States
21 Apr 07
All of the women in my family have natual births because we are all tall and have large hips. The only time a woman would need anything like that in my family is in a multiple birth, which is very rare.
1 person likes this
@mommyx7 (22)
• United States
20 Apr 07
I had my first 3 just being medicated cause I was terrified to get an epidural (I hate needles!). When I got pregnant with my youngest, I decided the day I found out I was pregnant to get an epidural! My hubby was really nervous about me getting it, but I was NOT going to go through hours of hell again! I got my epidural and I swear if I EVER have another child, I woudn't think twice about it! Why go through that kind of pain if you don't have to? The epidural man was my best friend when I had my youngest child and I made sure I told him so! I give tons of credit to anyone who can go through labor with nothing!
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
21 Apr 07
Getting the epidural when you found out you were pregnant!! LOL! I give a million salutes to women who have done it without med. How was the experience with just meds and not an epidural? Did you feel it? Was your baby sleepy when it was delivered?
• Philippines
21 Apr 07
i have three children and all of them are antural birth. i always go for natural birth as natural birth is a lot easier to heal than ceaserian or meidcated child birth also it is more economical. luckily i have strong body.
1 person likes this
@cynddvs (2948)
• United States
21 Apr 07
I had a natural childbirth with my daughter and it was a wonderful experience. I had her in the water and let me tell you that water really does help with the pain. When I first found out I was pregnant I was ready to sign up for the epidural right then and there. But I went to check out my local birthing center and quickly changed my mind. I decided that having birth is a very natural thing that women do all the time and I told myself I could do it and I did. I'm just glad I had that watertub to help with my pain. I'm not sure I could have done it without it. The water really helps you to relax and I think it also helped me to keep from tearing (sorry if that's too much information lol). If you want to have a natural birth with your next one I highly recommend trying out waterbirth.
1 person likes this
@KissThis (3003)
• United States
20 Apr 07
When I went into labor I insisted I was going to have my daughter natural. When the doctor on call decided in the end that I would have to have C-Section I had to get an epidural. They didn't even have time to wait for the epidural to numb me before the did the operation.
1 person likes this
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
20 Apr 07
OUCH! I hate needles. Thanks for sharing your experience.
• China
20 Apr 07
I have the Epidural.
1 person likes this
@Netmoney (144)
• United States
20 Apr 07
Thanks for sharing your experience about your epidural!
@jdonovan (24)
• United States
21 Apr 07
For my first daughter I was induced with Pitocin, so ended up BEGGING for the epidural. But with my second, we took Bradley classes and we had a natural birth with NO meds. It was extremely painful, but so much more bearable than the pitocin birth. For a long time after having my second I didn't want any more children, but the memory of the pain has faded enough that I can't wait to do it again.
1 person likes this
@SheliaLee (2736)
• United States
21 Apr 07
Hello! When I gave birth to my daughter I had her naturally. The only thing they gave me was a local anesthestic right at the end that they said they give to everybody. My labor with her was really not bad and I'm honest when I say that. When I went into labor with my son it was different. I hurt a lot worse but I had been sick with bronchitis and that was what made difference. I still wanted to have him natural but because of the bronchitis and my coughing so hard my doctor was concerned for my son's safety so I agreed to have an epidural. Mercy I hated that! The first time they gave it it did not take so they wound up having to give me a second one! The epidural did help in the final stages of labor though. My son got here safely and that was the important thing. It was worth going through that extra period of being uncomfortable just to have him come into the world safely.