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Hershey
LIF Adolescent
Member since 1/07 557 total posts
Name:
Marci
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
Posted by wannabemom
so I'm going to try to go w/o an epi... it's not to be some femme hero, it's purely for health reasons. these are my concerns:
1) Epi prevents you from walking around... gravity is no longer on your side... actually, becuase of the way the uterus is shaped, it's working slightly AGAINST labor progress (slight tilt upwards while lying down).
2) contractions sometimes get a bit weaker....
3) 1&2 lead to an increased chance of getting pictocin, which produces abnormally long and strong contractions, increasing the chance that the baby enters distress.... and therefore increasing the chance of a C-section
4) There are many things that go wrong with epis... theoretically, the needle is inserted above the spinal dura... When it isn't inserted absolutely perfectly, you either have only one side of your body numbed, or insufficient numbing... Even WORSE, you get post-partum symptoms (such as weeks of headaches or backaches)... which is cuased by the needle coming too close and nicking the dura and causing a minor spinal fluid loss.
(you may say the post-partum thing is an anomaly, but I did an unofficial poll of respondants to someone's thread about epi side effects on this board, and a whoppin 30% of the 25 of so women reported bad side effects)
I will say I have a rather abnormally high pain threshold, which increases my confidence that I MAY be able to endure labor w/o meds... I am also reasonable, and am not eliminating the epi option if labor lasts too long (and I need to sleep for a few hours) or is too intense for me....
But reasons 1-4 are pretty big, and I'll do my best to avoid it if I can.
Those are exacly the reason I don't want to get one as well. Not to be a hero but for what you stated.
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Posted 6/6/08 2:18 PM  |
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luvmyReese
Hello Kitty
Member since 1/08 7542 total posts
Name:
Catt
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
I wish you all luck and everyone is different in the pain tolerance dept. It's great to see most of you have an open mind on pain meds..
There is a certain threshold of pain for each of us and I think at that time is when woman decide on what to do.
Do whats best for you and your baby and Good luck!    
Message edited 6/6/2008 2:29:13 PM.
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| Posted 6/6/08 2:28 PM |
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christy
Mommy of 2
Member since 5/05 6787 total posts
Name:
Christy
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
I just want to chime in and say that it is hard to know if you will need it until the time really comes. I had no problem with getting one, until I was in labor. I felt great, and didn't want one. Then around 6-7 centimeters I got one (out of fear that the pain would get too hard to handle). The epi was the worst part of my experience. Now I wonder if I could have done it without the epi.
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| Posted 6/6/08 2:46 PM |
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Dulcinea
Weekend Warrior
Member since 3/08 2530 total posts
Name:
Dulcinea
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
Posted by luvmyReese
I wish you all luck and everyone is different in the pain tolerance dept. It's great to see most of you have an open mind on pain meds..
There is a certain threshold of pain for each of us and I think at that time is when woman decide on what to do.
Do whats best for you and your baby and Good luck!
I agree about the threshold for pain being different for everyone. The intensity of contractions are different for every women. Some may feel more, while others feel less. Just like menstrual cramps... I wonder if there are correlations though?
I can't tolerate pain and watching all those birth stories makes me just wanna get it over with as soon as possible so for me it's Epi all the way, right away please!
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| Posted 6/6/08 3:12 PM |
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eroxgirl
My Loves
Member since 5/05 15697 total posts
Name:
Rebecca
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
I did not have an epi but I DID have pitocin. I'm very happy with my decision not to have an epi, and I think I may go this same route the next time. The pain is manageable if you focus through it.
The truth is that my contractions were a lot worse when I was home than they were when I was in the hospital pushing. I never took a class, didn't have a midwife or anything like that. What helped me through it was the DVD that I bought where the lady said the biggest mistake people make when they have a contraction is that once the contraction ends, they get all caught up in how painful it was and that the next one is coming, instead of relaxing and enjoying your few (minutes/seconds) of relief. So that's what I did - focused on my breathing and just kept telling myself that the contraction was going to end soon. Once I started pushing the contractions didn't bother me at all (relatively speaking). Giving birth definitely hurt, but at no time was I like OMG I'm going to die from this pain.
I wasn't trying to be a hero, I was just trying to avoid the side effects that can come with an epi. I was afraid of that more than I was afraid of the pain.
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| Posted 6/6/08 3:17 PM |
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wannabemom
look who's freshly baked!
Member since 12/07 7364 total posts
Name:
aka marriedinportjeff
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
thanks for the advice! I'll remember that when the time comes....
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| Posted 6/6/08 3:26 PM |
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momtobe08
LIF Infant
Member since 5/08 251 total posts
Name:
lisa
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
yes, thank you for everyone's input!
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| Posted 6/7/08 7:54 AM |
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Hofstra26
Love to Bake!
Member since 7/06 27915 total posts
Name:
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
Posted by newpaulsbaby
You don't get a medal for doing it without one.
I will take it as soon as they offer it.
Why have unnecessary pain?
I agree but my reasoning for not wanting an epi is usually slows down your labor. I would like to try and get through it all naturally BUT if need be I am not opposed to medical intervention. I just want to try and manage on my own first because I would like to avoid having a C-section at all costs and the whole pitocin to induce and epidural to manage pain thing usually ends in you having a C-section. I will play it by ear and we'll see how everything goes.
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| Posted 6/7/08 8:07 AM |
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Candy Girl
Candy girl- you are so sweet!
Member since 11/07 6349 total posts
Name:
erin
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
I'm already looking forward to my epidural. My sister thought she would go natural and by the time she wanted and needed an epi, it was too late. She said the pain was unbearable. She was screaming her head off.
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| Posted 6/7/08 10:12 AM |
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monkeybride
My Everything
Member since 5/05 20541 total posts
Name:
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
I did it completely natural with DD. It wasn't easy but it was SO worth it to me. I plan to do the same with this baby.
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| Posted 6/7/08 10:28 AM |
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mtnmama
Member since 5/06 4794 total posts
Name:
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Message edited 12/7/2009 10:27:05 AM.
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| Posted 6/7/08 10:58 AM |
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Goldi0218
My miracles!
Member since 12/05 23902 total posts
Name:
Leslie
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
Im going to be blunt. If the pain from labor is anything nearly as intense as the stomach aches I had last night throughout this morning just trying to go #2, then an epidural is the way to go for me.
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| Posted 6/7/08 12:06 PM |
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Porrruss
Nya nya nya
Member since 5/05 11618 total posts
Name:
Amy
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
Posted by Goldi0218
Im going to be blunt. If the pain from labor is anything nearly as intense as the stomach aches I had last night throughout this morning just trying to go #2, then an epidural is the way to go for me.
pfffffft
I wanted to kiss my anesthesiologist.
BTW- I was totally able to feel my lower body with the epi. I also never got residual pain/headaches. I will DEFINITELY do it again.
Breathing through contractions is exhausting. I couldn't imagine having to push after hours of breathing through them. With my epi- I had a nice nap before itr came time to push.
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| Posted 6/7/08 1:43 PM |
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Nic3
LIF Toddler
Member since 2/08 402 total posts
Name:
Maria
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
Posted by MrsFlatbread
I am no hero...I will take drugs if necessary.
I had a horrid experience with drugs delivering DD! They made me so unbelievably loopy, that I was not at all 'present' for the birth. (My sister is a LDR nurse - she hates it when her patients have drugs for this reason.) The policy at Mercy was that you could not have an Epi until you first had the drugs.
This is thankfully not the policy at Winthrop! I plan on the epidural, definitely, but no drugs!
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| Posted 6/7/08 1:57 PM |
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My4GirlsMyLife
My 4 girlies
Member since 2/08 9702 total posts
Name:
Valerie
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
Posted by Snickers
I'm already looking forward to my epidural. My sister thought she would go natural and by the time she wanted and needed an epi, it was too late. She said the pain was unbearable. She was screaming her head off.
This is what happened to me with #1 so when #2 came I got the epi and thank god b/c the pain was so bad right before they gave me it !
But like another poster said everyones pain tolerance is different
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| Posted 6/7/08 4:08 PM |
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MrsRivera
2 under 2...whew!!
Member since 2/07 9876 total posts
Name:
Beth
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
I love the idea of going through childbirth naturally, the way women have for many thousands of years...
...but I also know what I can handle, and...well...let's just say, my sciatica made me cry the other day. I think that says it all right there.
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| Posted 6/7/08 6:11 PM |
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MrsBlueSash
Love my sailor
Member since 6/05 5793 total posts
Name:
Christian
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
I think you can go into it and try your best to not get one, but don't beat yourself up if you end up with one. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing but there is no 'right' way.
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| Posted 6/7/08 9:09 PM |
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Juliet
Family is Complete!
Member since 5/05 5913 total posts
Name:
Juliet
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
Posted by julz33
Posted by momtobe08
Ok well, your thoughts?
are you def. going to get an epi?
i am a big wimp when it comes to pain!!!
but lately i've been thinking about switching over to a midwife and i think they encourage you to do completely natural but you can opt for an epi if you really need it.
from reading just a few birth stories, it sounds like i will really need it.
how do women do it?!?! how can a woman deliver totally natural, with no epi, no nothing??
from what i read, pain of the contractions is just unbearable.
i think i might want to go without but i know chicken little over here is going to be begging for one in the end.
I switched to a midwife at about 22 weeks and did not feel pressured to have a natural birth from them. The mdwives are more about educating you and allowing you to make choices... instead of just assuming it will hurt andf you will need an epi they can help you with alternate ways of dealing with the pain.
I wanted a natural birth but things did not go according to plan for me. Since my baby was 12 days overdue I had to be induced. With the cervadil I made it 14 hours without medication. But once they started the pitocin I had to have the epidural. I had about 14 hours of labor with the epidural and did not feel much pain. My right side was not totally numb but it was enough that I sould get some rest. When it came time to push, I was not pushing effectively with the epi becuase I couldn't feel down there at all. This is when my midwife took me off the edipural. Once I got the feeling back it was the most horrible pain imaginable. I said to DH the only thing I can imagine being worse would be to be thrown into a fire and burnt alive. I pushed for 4 hours without the epi and even after all that I needed a c-section because my baby was transverse.
Looking back, I already "forgot" the pain and I think if I wasn't induced I could have done without it, like I originally planned. But in my situation with the pitocin, adn with being in lab or for 44 hours, I don't think I could have done without it because I needed the rest. I wanted to share my story because things don't always go as planned. Even with a midwife you may still need to be induce, and still need a c-section. At first I was disappointed but now that my baby is here none of it matters.
I had almost the same situation. I wasn't overdue but my water broke and contractions didn't start. I was GBS positive and so I had to get antibiotics started soon after the water broke. And then they wanted DD out! I got two rounds of Cervadil and then Pitocin. I went in a Thursday at 4AM and DD wasn't born until Saturday at noon. I was also using midwives (Stonybrook) and during the course of my stay there I saw almost all of them I was in the worst back labor and the contractions were coming very quickly but I was not dilating because my body was tired and needed rest to progress but I couldn't rest with the pain. I was advised to take the epi so I could have energy to push.
In my case I was able to go through with the vaginal birth but I probably would have had a C-section if I didn't get the epi.
I agree with all of the others who have posted about knowing your limits and keeping options open. The best thing I learned from my labor with DD is to be smart and make educated decisions.
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| Posted 6/7/08 11:13 PM |
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KateDevine
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Member since 6/06 24950 total posts
Name:
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Re: Epidural vs. no epidural
Posted by Blissful
I'm planning on going completely naturally. I am using a midwife and giving birth in a stand alone birthing center (I'm not in NY)I will have access to a jacuzzi and will be able to walk around, squat, eat and drink.
If my labor goes too long or if I can't tolerate the pain I can be transferred to the hospital (Accross the street) and my midwife and continue care and I can get an epidural.
I am dealthy afraid of needles and in the past have a history of having very adverse reactions to any type of anesthesia. Infact my regualr OBGYN recomended I tried a natural delivery because of this!
This sounds exactly what my BFF tried to do--and she ended up with an emergency c-section after 27 hours of natural labor.
Afterwards, she said she would have preferred to have been in the hospital because if she had been able to get the epi or other drugs, she would may have been able to avoid the section.
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| Posted 6/8/08 4:26 AM |
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