My decision on choosing whether or not to use an epidural has nothing to do with the pros and cons of being organic and having a totally natural birth. I know that women have been having natural drug-free births for kazillions of years, but I think medical technology is where it is for a reason. Our grandmothers never had sonograms, found out the sex, or knew whether or not there were any major medical problems with their babies until birth, but we still go for monthly checkups and link our bellies up to technological devices each time, right? Plus, why suffer? I am in awe of women who do have natural births, especially at home, but it's just not for me.
However, I am actually leaning very closely towards NOT having an epidural for one reason and one reason only: I am terrified of having a c-section. I don't want to cut open my stomach, stretch my already lacking abdominal wall, and have to recover from the surgery. Plus, did you know that when the baby passes through the birth canal, it hits a gland which sends a signal to the brain to start producing the hormone which produces milk. Women who have c-sections skip this step and have a harder time breastfeeding because of it. I am so looking forward to breastfeeding and really don't want to miss out on it.
I know that epidurals have not been scientifically linked to an increase in c-sections, but I just have this fear that my muscles won't work, the labor will be slowed down, and I will have to be forced into a C-section.
Moreover, c-sections rates are high in Italy. It's a very controversial subject, but many say (including my mother-in-law who is an obstetrician in the maternity ward at a major university-hospital) that the high rates are due to over-crowding in the hospitals (and thus a slowed labor would not work in your favor) and the fact that since this is a free health care system, doctors don't get paid extra for a normal delivery, but they do get an extra stipend for a surgery.
I only want to have a c-section if I or my baby is at risk and it is deemed necessary. Also, epidurals can slow heart rate of both mom and baby, leading to a c-section for safety reasons.
What do you moms out there think? Did you have an epidural? Regrets? Is natural birth really really terrible? I keep waiting for someone to tell me it was easier than they expected, but no one ever does. My friend Tasha who is tuff as nails had a natural home birth and she says it was way, way more painful than she expected. I am so scared!
I've had 4 natural births! Email me if you want information. It is really a woman's rights issue more than anything else. If you want an epidural, then get one, but don't let the establishment make that decision for you.
ReplyDeleteClaudia - I had planned on having a completely natural delivery...no pain meds at all...just like my Mom....If she could do it, I could do it...and like you...the last thing I wanted was to have my abs muscles cut......When my water broke, we realized I had meconium staining (Daniel pooped in utero)...which means he had to come out ASAP...It was the thickest meconium my OB had ever seen in 19 yrs....Needless to say, they were ready to deliver Daniel by C-section but wanted to give me a chance to try vaginally delivering (I was adamant that I NOT deliver by C-section unless Daniel's health was in jeopardy)....Because my focus was getting Daniel out as soon as possible (my labor took only 10 hrs...relatively short for a first birth)....I ultimately chose to get the epidural.....it allowed me to focus on pushing & my husband & the experience...and I think it made a world of difference.....I did hold off getting it though....as long as I could......If I hadn't had it...I think I would have been focusing on the contractions and not on what I needed to do...get baby out!!! :)....For someone that was SOOO against it for myself....I'm now very pro-epidural.....I think that the reason why some epidurals end up in C-sections is that the Momma's don't get the urge to push as much....NOT IN MY CASE! LOL....All I wanted to do was push....and I think it made a world of difference!
ReplyDeleteI got an epidural and I have absolutely no regrets. From the beginning I wanted one so that was never an issue for me. I must give a HUGE shout out for any woman who chose to have a natural child birth. I'm a baby (no pun intended)...I could not do it. The pain prior to the epidural was worse than I thought and only increased as time went on. I don't even want to imagine how much more intense it gets as labor continues. I'd say the epidural definitely helped me gather some strength for when it came time to get her out. Even with the epidural, I still felt the need to push and Sophie was out after only 10 minutes of pushing. I realize this is pretty rare for the first child but I was determined to push as hard as I could when they told me to. My advice would be to do what's right for you. You may end up changing your mind when it comes time anyway. Don't think too much about all the scary stories...it will only make you worry. Your muscles will work and it will be a quick labor and delivery.
ReplyDeleteEPIDURAL! I can't imagine not having one! I was in labor with Lucas forever...and because I was 35 weeks they wouldn't give me any meds at first until the doctor ok it the next morning. I felt the labor pains ALL NIGHT LONG. It was the most horrendous pain I've ever felt. Once I had the epidural and they broke my water it took me less than 10 minutes to push him out! The epidural really relaxed me so I could focus on pushing. I was however 2 seconds away from an emergency c-sec, my worst night-mare, but thankfully the next push got him out. You never know how your delivery will be or what will come up. I honestly do not believe getting an epidural has anything to do with a c-section...but you need to be comfortable with your choice.
ReplyDeleteWOW! SOAPBOX Time, sorry....
ReplyDeleteThat meconium story is interesting, that must have been very scary. I have had two babies born with meconium (my first and fourth) and they weren't emergencies. Most OBs go overboard and end up stressing Mom out in the process. Meconium is usually not an emergency. Claudia, if it happens to you don't be scared, sometimes they poop.
Here is the thing with interventions. Once you get the epidural, all of the choices about how your birth will be made by the doctor and/or hospital. If you are okay with that, then go for it and be ready for the potential of other interventions (pitocin, episiotomy, forceps, vacuum extraction, c-section etc), whether you "need" them or not and while epidurals are very helpful for certain Moms that may be stressed or have high BP's, they almost always slow down labor and lead to pitocin use which has been linked to potentially contributing to the increase in Autism cases and may cause contractions that are so strong they stress baby out which leads to the cascade of interventions. Just some food for thought.
This is a VERY CONTRAVERSIAL subject, but your gut instinct is correct, we are made to birth. Most of the "normal" hospital procedures were not put in place to benefit the Mom and Baby, but are there for the OB. Your MIL said that most C-sections are due to slow labors. Fact is, hospitals are not set up to wait around for Moms to give birth, they want you in and out. We have a pretty tragic maternity history in the US and sadly, some European countries (including Italy) have adopted our ways. Look at the Netherlands, something like 80% of their births are attended by midwives (both in and out of hospitals or birth centers) and less than 10% of their births are by C-section. Only high risk patients go to OBs. OBs are wonderful, skilled surgeons. They are not trained in normal birth. Rent "The Business of Being Born" from Netflix or their website. That is a great start. Good Luck my friend. LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog.
Oh, I just wanted to add something about the Netherlands, they have a MUCH better maternal/infant outcomes and lower death rates than the US and Italy so they are doing something right.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great feedback guys! I have gotten so many emails and FB messages in response to this post. It seems that all moms were ultimately happy with their decisions, with or without epidurals....
ReplyDeleteI am leaning heavily towards no epidural, but will def keep the option open.
Oh and I had one mom that had 2 births, one with, one without, and she said if she has a 3rd baby, she will do it without!
ReplyDeleteobviously i didn't have an epidural bc i had a homebirth but if i had carys in a hospital there is no doubt in my mind i would have had an epidural... the temptation would have been too much for me to say no... anyway i'm sure whatever choice you make will be the right one for you :)
ReplyDeletePS i agree w/ what Elisa said... rent Business of Being Born... you'll see that all of the medical interventions are not always put in place for a reason
ReplyDeleteI did not have an epidural to deliver McKenna. I was in labor for about 12 hours. I have to say that I was not in pain. I had a lot of pressure and tightness, but I did not experience pain. I was very relxed and gave my body over to open (like it is designed to do) and shut my mind off. I did take a HypnoBirthing class which helped tremendously. I was able to use an exercise ball and just to be able to move my hips felt good. Afterwards, I felt amazing! I wanted to walk to my postpartum room. You get such a natural high. I plan on doing it again with my next children.
ReplyDeleteAlso, babies of natural births usually are more alert after delivery. If you haven't seen a breast crawl before you need to check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auVmnvwNUOE&feature=related
I wish the best for you and your little boy! I can't believe how fast time is going by. If you want feel free to email me anytime.
Ok, so here's my two cents...
ReplyDeleteEpidurals are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. With the two babies I've had, it could not have made my experience with child birth any better. I enjoyed every minute of both of my child births and I fully equate that to the epidural. It made it easy and painless, yet I still knew what was going on. It takes the fear out of the situation. Any other kids I have, i will definitely have an epidural. I have a high tolerance to pain and that first hour or so waiting for it, was the most pain I've ever felt. (I won't go into more detail). But after I got it, I was relaxed which in turn made the babies relaxed. Go for it. It's there for a reason!