Home birth

[Envelope]

yeah, I didn't have an epidural either.........but I pushed for an hour.....and personally I thought it was COOL....I think I had my glasses on (I am BLIND without them.....)

sharon

[littlegal]

I wanted to watch my c-section, but they wouldn't let me.  They had a sheet blocking it.  I was told something about the risk of patients going into shock by seeing themselves cut open.  Whatever the reason, i was disappointed.  But Jeremy got to watch the first one, so he jsut gave me the play by play, haha.    The second two were at a different hospital, and they wouldn't let Jeremy watch, they made him stay up by my head. 

[myhaloisintheshop]

Clint got to watch all of my c Sections.

Sam got to take pictures of Beth's!!!

[randerzforya]

Thankfully I had an amazing doctor with Ethan, his first wish is that women do childbirth the natural way, (it seems like too many doctors push unnecessary c-sections to make the extra money), without medicine (which may slow down the delivery or cause problems). Unfortunately at the last moment I chickened out and had an epidural (I could not get a grip on my breathing, my contractions were just too intense, and I hadn't taken any breathing classes).

It was still an amazing feeling, I could concentrate soley on pushing without feeling the pain, and thankfully it didn't slow down the labor whatsoever. I went in at 11 and had him at 3:25, only 25 minutes of actual pushing.   Next time though, I do hope to have a meds-free birth.

[Envelope]

I did #1 with no epidural (although they tried, the anesthesiologist couldn't get the needle in my back due to my scloliosis).  I only had 1 shot of stadol and I did wonderful!!!!

I did #2 WITH an epidural.....my second was a much much HARDER labor!!!!!!!!!  ughhhhhhh  I completely LOSt control!!!!!  I was SOOOOO thankful for the epidural!!!!!!!!!!  I LOVED it!!!!  It was SOOOO much better to be able to concentrate on delivering hannah, rather than the pain!!!!

sharon

[littlegal]

Knowing what i know now, if I hadn't had to have c-sections, i would have never had an epidural.  I don't like not having control of half of my body.  I hated the way my legs felt being numb like that.  If i had the choice, i would definitley not have had the epidural.

[*Christi*]

I had an epidural with both of the boys.  My water broke and I had to be induced because I wasn't progressing.  There was just no way I could have gotten through a 23 hour induced labor without an epidural.  Although I must say that I waited until the very last minute (like 20 hours in) to get it with Noah!!  I wish I wouldn't have needed an epidural but there was just no way around it.

I didn't have time for an asprin, much less an epidural with Isabelle.  It was a much better birth experience.

[nicolejoy]

Knowing what i know now, if I hadn't had to have c-sections, i would have never had an epidural.  I don't like not having control of half of my body.  I hated the way my legs felt being numb like that.  If i had the choice, i would definitley not have had the epidural.

That's exactly what my Mum said - she had to have an epidural when I was being born because it was a 20 hr labour and ended up being forceps/NEARLY emergency cesarean... she really didn't like it at all!! But some women LOVE them!!

I'm gonna do what Christi did when I'm in labour and stay at home until I'm ready to push It sounds like you have a better labour that way lol (I'm just kidding, for real!!)

[*Christi*]

LOL

It was from having those stinkin epidurals!  I didn't know what "real labor" felt like... I was only ever at 3-4cm with the boys.  I have a very high pain threshold and didn't know I was so far progressed!!!  It was nice to just walk in and pop out a kid but it was really scary too!  Even know, just thinking about it, I feel sick to my stomach.  What if we hadn't gotten there in time??  Yikes!

[randerzforya]

Knowing what i know now, if I hadn't had to have c-sections, i would have never had an epidural.  I don't like not having control of half of my body.  I hated the way my legs felt being numb like that.  If i had the choice, i would definitley not have had the epidural.

If I wasn't already so freaked out by actually being in labor (lol), I probably would have felt that way.
As it was, I knew I was going to give birth but it never really sank in until I went in thinking I was in false labor and the doctor told me "you're 80% efaced (sp?) and 3 centimeters dialated, you should have the baby by 3 o'clock I think." I know my face must have looked like this: 

I very nearly had a panic attack.
It was the epidural that made me calm. I am deathly afraid of needles, and they made everyone leave when they administered it to me, so I had to literally force myself to "chill out", and once I had done that everything seemed less frightening. 

[randerzforya]

LOL

It was from having those stinkin epidurals!  I didn't know what "real labor" felt like... I was only ever at 3-4cm with the boys.  I have a very high pain threshold and didn't know I was so far progressed!!!  It was nice to just walk in and pop out a kid but it was really scary too!  Even know, just thinking about it, I feel sick to my stomach.  What if we hadn't gotten there in time??  Yikes!

LOL. That could have happened to me. I went into actual labor at 1 a.m., but I was convinced it was false labor, so I took about 3 very warm baths, walked a little, and tried to sleep. When it still hadn't stopped at 9:00 I called the doc, got ready and went in. He said that if it wasn't for the baths (which slowed my labor down drastically), that I might have not made it to the hospital in time.

(I had this picture in my head that labor was going to be this horrible gut-renching pain that would make me scream like the women you see in films, so when it felt like really bad cramps I thought for sure it was just false labor.)

[USAF Wifey]

Just curious, what are the reasons for not wanting epidurals? This being my first theres so much I don't know.
I've always planned on having one, but would like to know what the reasons for not having one would be.

[*Christi*]

Exactly Miranda!!  I had taken SEVERAL warm baths that day too...

My mom and Dr told me to go to the hospital when I couldn't talk through the contractions... well that wasn't until after we dropped the kids at the sitter... probably withing 45 minutes of her being born!!  It was just "crampy"!!  I only knew I was in labor because the "cramps" were so regular!!  I also remember the point where I couldn't sit down anymore... I had been rocking indian style in my bed most of the night.  That morning, we were getting ready to go and I couldn't sit down anymore, I had to lean on the edge of a barstool while I waited for Josh.  Pretty sure that meant the baby was allllll the way down!!  LOL

Rach... the main reason being what Kimberly mentioned, not being in control.  I couldn't feel the contractions to know when to push and I couldn't feel if I was pushing properly.  I nearly had an emergency c-section because of it.  Also, the feeling of the baby coming out is SO refreshing... it's amazing!! You don't get to feel that if you have an epidural.

[Chseeads]

 

[*Christi*]

Get OUT of here Seth!!!

[nicolejoy]

Hey Seth, just think about it like being REALLY constipated, and the feeling that you get when you finally get rid of it all

[littlegal]

yuck




What i didn't like about the epidural is the entire bottom half of my body being numb.  I kept feeling like i needed to move my legs, but I couldn't. I like to be in control of my body, so  I didn't like that at all.  Most of what I don't like about it is the process of it wearing off.  The tingling as the feeling comes back, the uncontrollable chills, not being able to move when i want to.  Let's see...lol.    I didn't like the epidural, haha.

[Charlene]

The second epidural my sis in law had, the doc missed the first time. She had a rough time with headaches while she was in the hospital and still suffers from them. She came home from the hospital and had to go right back in.

[newkris]

i am not sure i can connect them, but . . .  i have had lower back (disc) problems since i had my first one - 22 years ago.  i know that i have two herniated discs, but have never investigated why i have them.  honestly, i know they are a result of my pregnancies OR epidurals.  i still would have had them, though, because i was able to stay awake the entire time and was - mostly - lucid fairly soon after delivery.  with j all the other problems i had complicated matters, but with thi it was quite easy.

with j - about 28 hours into the labor, a doc (who was eating a cracker in front of me .  ..  ) asked if i would consider drugs since the thought of a c-sec was starting to loom in the docs minds.  "um, yeah, drugs sound like a good idea . .  . "     oh my word.

[myhaloisintheshop]

I have had one epidural and three spinals.

I had a spinal headache after my first spinal.    I get more headaches now but I tend to blame that on having 4 kids

I do have lower back pain and on my lower back I can feel the spot that they inserted the tube.

[rapunzelgirl]

Just curious, what are the reasons for not wanting epidurals? This being my first theres so much I don't know.
I've always planned on having one, but would like to know what the reasons for not having one would be.

Like some of the other posters said, you can't feel if you're pushing correctly, so the labor can take longer or even lead to a c-sec.  Also, those drugs are going all through your body...and to your baby.  If the baby is lethargic and sleepy when born that greatly inhibits that breastfeeding relationship that should be started as soon after birth as possible.

[littlegal]

The anesthesioligist told me that there is a link to the spinals and back pain.  He said when it is avoidable he doesn't recommend having a spinal if you suffer from back problems.  Since i was having a c-section, i didn't have a choice, he just made me sign a paper saying i would not sue them if it caused my back problems to get worse, haha.  When i asked him if there was a difference in the epidural, he said it would make no difference.

[acjmom]

another thing is that if they give you the epidural too early (prior to 7cm dilated) it can dramatically slow your labor..... like making the difference between 13 hours or less, versus 24 hours+ with vac, forceps, or emergency c-section.     the spinal headache occurs when the tiny hole in the spinal sac caused by the needle doesn't seal itself, and spinal fluid leaks slightly.  this isn't life threatening, but i have known of people this happened to and they ended up with an incapacitating headache that lasted 5 days.    there's also the possibility of having a "window" of pain.... meaning the epidural didn't work right and you still feel everything on one side, or in one area.

and yes, the sense of relief when the baby is out after labor/delivery with no epidural is incredible!  you get this huge adrenaline rush, and just feel so overwhelmed..... it's a great sense of accomplishment 

[*Christi*]

I was only 3-4cm dialated with both of my boys when I got my epidural and had been in labor for 20 hours with Noah and 10 with Isaac and within 30 minutes was complete.  They said the epidural relaxed me and let me open up.  Also, with Noah I still had feeling on the left side of my body at first so the anesthesiologist had me turn on my left side for a bit.  It never did get completely numb though.  THAT was weird!!

I feel like a REAL woman who had accomplished so much after having 2 very medical births and then having Isabelle practically on my own.  It was awesome.

[littlegal]

My friend that just had a baby said her epidural didn't work all the way.  It only numbed her lower legs, obviously not where she needed it.