Which did you have? Care to share your experience in the comments?

Question

Hey, I’m 18 and a soon to be first time mom. I have 73 days (due may 22) I don’t know how I want to deliver. If the contractions are tolerable I’d love to go natural, however I also can’t handle pain what so ever. Please share your experience below so I can try to decide what I’d want to do. Thanks in advance 💕

Answer

I’m waaaay more scared of an epidural than I am natural birth. I dunno why? The idea of a needle in my spine makes me quiver even just thinking about it lol. 
I laboured at home for 42 hours, went to hospital, was given an injection of morphine and gravol, came home to relax (only live 15 mins from hospital) and after an hour my water broke. Back to hospital, laboured another 2 hours then felt the urge to push. “Pushed” for 30 mins and he was here! 
I have a really low threshold for pain too. Like, not into experiencing pain at all and don’t get me wrong, natural birth was hard af but I’m planning on doing it all over again this time around.

Answer

With my first i had an epidural and with my other two I've had all natural. I cant handle pain at all but those labors were so fast I literally had no time to get an epidural. While im not opposed to getting an epidural with this baby im sure I won't have time so im just preparing myself to do this all natural again. I will say my recovery process with the naturals births were 100x better then with the epidural.

Answer

The epidural fear for me was a lot less than the fear of labour and I’m glad I got one because they ended up using forecepts to get baby out and I think that would have been unreal if I hadn’t had the epidural. I also had to be cut in 2 directions so again, thankful I didn’t feel it. 
Something to keep in mind with epidurals.... there’s often only one anesthesiologist working the labour floor, they are usually the only ones who can start an epidural for you. They are also the ones who must attend c sections etc. So if you say you don’t want one when they ask and then the anesthesiologist gets pulled into a few back to back c sections you could lose out on the option of getting one at all. And you can’t get one once it’s time to push. Just something to think about :)

Answer

I have always opted for the epidural mostly for the fact that it made my labor and delivery so much more relaxing and MEMORABLE. I couldn't even talk through my contractions before getting it or even really focus on what was happening in the room. After my epidural I can watch TV, chat with my husband or my phone and basically wait to push. I had my first at 19 and I HATE needles and was PETRIFIED of getting it but honestly the pain of contractions is all you are focused on that it did not hurt more than a pinch. Seriously by the time you get it you are just grateful for the relieve and within 20 or so minutes it changes your entire experience. I promise it is not as bad as you are probably imagining.

Answer

My labor was a 24 hour induction process and 45 minutes of pushing.... I didn’t get my epidural till I was 12 hours into labor and 6 cm... I wish I would have gotten my epidural earlier because I feel like my labor as a whole would have been a lot more relaxing/I would have been able to rest. The pain wasn’t a huge deal but I was uncomfortable enough that I could relax or rest. This time I will be getting my epidural as soon as I can and trying to sleep the majority of my labor.

Answer

I had an unmedicated water birth for my first birth and my recovery was amazing, never felt any blues just felt incredible post-partum. Im hoping for the same this pregnancy. I did a lot of reading and I suggest you do the same if you really want a natural birth. Try not to associate the word ‘pain’ with birth, because fear encourages cortisol to be released, which makes birth much more painful. The trick is to reduce cortisol being released, because the opposite is oxytocin, the feel good, love hormone that gets released at birth. This is disturbed if you are scared or feel like the pain is overwhelming. Use your breath, dim the lights, listen to calming music, have a great midwife and birth partner and trust that your body can birth - it’s literally made for it. Remember, the pain is the instance where it is for a good reason and it will never get too much than what your body can handle, because it is your body just doing what it needs to do to birth your little one. Have a loose birth plan, but remember birth happens in many different ways, so be open to it all. Trust in yourself and your feminine energy and strength ❤️💪

Answer

I got an epidural with my first pretty early on while my contractions were uncomfortable but not painful yet. I got an epidural because I came to the hospital to get induced and knew that that is like a tsunami of contractions. In the end my labour happened naturally and with the epidural it was a breeeezzzeee. With this one I will play it by ear, I’ll see how my contractions develop but I’m all for getting an epidural again if it becomes too much.

Answer

Wanted an all natural birth. Was induced at 39 weeks because of high bp. Was in labor for 32 hours before doctors told me I had to either get an epidural or resort to emergency csection. I didn't get any pain meds and didn't really have very much pain during the whole process. It was extremely long and tiring and I had other medical issues that the doctors hadn't mentioned to me that definitely would have changed my mind and made me get an epidural earlier. Try without but keep your options open if you decide that you can't handle the pain.

Answer

With my first pregnancy I planned to do it all natural, but I ended up being induced. And then I couldn’t get out of the bed due to complications. Personally once induced I could not endure the contractions. All the the power to to the mamas that can! I was fully dilated within a fours hours and my babe was out in a half hour of pushing. I was induced and had an epidural for my second and plan to have an epidural for my third as well.

Which did you have? Care to share your experience in the comments?

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