Epidurals vs natural birth?

Question

alright ladies. so I'm about 6 months along and I have been reading into epidurals and walking epidurals and natural birth and I'm unsure about what will be best for me.  at 6 months I'm still just about 100lbs. baby boy is growing fast and strong. How do I know what is the right birthing option for me? If I have an epidural will I be allowed to hold baby after delivery or will they hand him to father instead? how can I make my decision of wanting or not wanting the epidural? does my size play a factor? does having the epidural mean I cant move with the birthing pain and I'll be stuck in the bed at all times?

Answer

I had two unmedicated water births and am glad I did. Not interested in the needles and medications, and that high after baby comes is amazing.

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I had an epidural with both my babies & loved it. They immediately put baby skin to skin on my chest. I personally just didn't want to be in pain during delivery, it seems stressful to me. The contractions I had were intense enough, I can't imagine feeling the whole thing! I recommend going & watching natural birth videos. I think those are the best at helping you decide between epidural or not.

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I’m still on the fence. My first labor was 36 hours and I made it 24 hours before getting the epidural. I was in so much pain and stressed from not sleeping that my body wasn’t progressing. The epidural did slow things down a bit, but they gave me a low dose so I could still feel a little bit when pushing. 7 months later I am pregnant again and can’t decide what to do.... I’m scarrrrreddd😬 I think if my labor progresses faster I could potentially go natural.

Answer

You will be able to hold him afterwards but you will be stuck in the bed from the moment you have the epidural, you won’t be able to move around or walk. The nurses will have to move you from side to side. Epidurals slow down labor, and they can also fail or cause problems. I don’t do medication, so I’ve had 3 natural/unmedicated births, and honestly mine wasn’t bad, never did I feel bad pains, it was a breeze for me, and my labors and deliveries were both super fast. My youngest daughter was born within 10 mins of me getting to the hospital(I labored at home in my tub) it was the best experiences I’ve had, and after my babies were born I was able to get up and take a shower and walk around with my babies. But you’ll know what is right for you when the time comes, everyone handles pain differently, but you can actually learn some techniques to help with natural labor that’ll minimize your pain and actually take your mind off it. Just research so more!!

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I have one unmedicated birth and it is not for me. I almost passed out because I was panicking so much and it was hard to breathe properly through the pain. I also tore with my natural birth. With my second I got the epidural and things went smoothly and I did not tear, I think I didn’t tear because I was more calm with my breathing because I was in less pain and I enjoyed the process. I couldn’t hold my baby the second time because she took a poop as she was coming out and they had to make sure she was ok, after that they handed her to my husband and he brought her to me.

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For me the epidural slowed everything down and made labor longer but it does help a little with the pain. Once my contractions got to a certain point though even the epidural didn’t help. I was forced to not have an epidural with my 3rd baby due to medical complications and after that I have opted out for the epidural because for me it was pretty much the same feeling

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I had an epidural and I’m very thankful I did but I’m sure it’s not for everyone. You are restricted to the bed while you labor but that was okay with me, I got to rest and be with my husband and mother. I felt like it allowed me to be present for my birth in a way I couldn’t be without it. My baby was placed directly on my chest after birth for an hour of skin to skin time before they weighed and dressed her. 
My advice would be to be open to all possibilities, because chances are your birth won’t go exactly as you may plan. So maybe say your goal will be a vaginal unmediated birth but be open to the option of an epidural if the pain becomes something you can’t tolerate. My OB said “contractions are something you have to lean into and of it gets to a point where you are fighting against your body and the contractions then an epidural is something you can consider”. I’m glad she gave me the option and explained it in that way. I could tell when it was too much and allowed my plans to shift. My baby is a happy and healthy two year old and I had no complications. She was able to feed right after delivery.

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I think you need to be prepared for the birth to not go as you imagine/planned and go into it with a flexible mindset. I thought I was going to get an epidural, and tried to, but there wasn’t enough time. In retrospect I’m so glad I didn’t because it would have slowed everything down and I liked that I felt the urge to push.

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Epidural only lasts like 30 minutes tops.... yea. I loved it though, it gave me a break! You'll be fine, and totally recommend it.

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I had a natural birth no epidural or pain medication, I heard that if you get an epidural you can’t feel yourself pushing so you might get a more severe tear down there, but you really won’t know what you want until labor and pushing starts. 
Good luck with everything

Epidurals vs natural birth?

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