I agree 100% with her wanting to do this… after I had my daughter.. it was a pretty um dramatic birth… I had to be induced, after 10 to 11 hrs of no drugs I ask for iv drugs and about an hour later when I Knew i was pretty well dilated I got an epi, man worst mistake! I could have done it on my own I think… after the epi I started having back labor that was so intense and my back was having so many spasms they overdosed me trying to make them stop and no amount of drug was making it stop. then after 20 hrs 10 cen. dilated. I had to have an emergency c-section… she wasn’t descending into the birth canal and showing signs of distress. so off I went and she came out just perfect… but now I am at risk if I decided to try to have a child naturally. To be safe I might have to have c -section for any other child I have and that is so unbelievably depressing to me. I listen to others experience and the their quick recoveries and I’m like omg I’m may not be able to have that experience ever… so I say go for it Chantal! I would if I could! I may even try to…

I am with Abby – ANY mother, no matter how she gives birth is to be admired! I went into labor with an open mind – I hoped to do it without drugs and I knew that my OB/GYN and the hospital were supportive. But my contractions came much faster and harder than I expected and I was not getting any breaks in between. I asked for an epidural and it worked perfectly. I was still able to move and to feel contractions and to participate fully in the birth. The feeling was amazing when my daughter was born. I had a major tear and lots of stitches (she was over nine pounds!) but my recovery was very quick. In my experience there was no downside to the epidural at all. When I look at my daughter I can’t imagine that ANYTHING could have made her birth more special. The biggest help was my husband – with or without drugs I hope every woman has someone who loves her giving her whatever she needs, even if that means leaving her alone.

With my second I was induced because of pre-ecalmpsia. The pitocin contractions were intense and I asked for another epi. This one took all feeling away and I couldn’t push so they had to use suction. I don’t remember the experience much because I was loopy.

With my third I had another induction, but knew what to expect in the way of pain. Again, I asked for an epi, but since I was handling the pain better than others (it was a full house in L&D that day) I waited for the epi doc. Turns out the baby had other plans and came before the epi.

We would like one more child, and while I won’t rule out an epi, I no longer feel that I need one right away. I have now had two non-pain meds births and two inductions. I already know the fourth will be an induction because my labors have become increasingly shorter (6 hrs, 3 hrs and 1.5 hrs). I respond well to pitocin and have no recovery problems.

I had my daughter at home, naturally. For me it was the most empowering experience of my life. Yes, it was painful, but it was so amazing. And once she was born the pain was gone. I was so glad to have a homebirth because I got to experience my daughter’s birth in the place I am most comfortable in, which helped me during the labor and birth. And another thing about birthing naturally, both my husband and I were amazed by what I had done. In the weeks after my daughter’s birth my husband looked at me in a way he had never looked at me before. I can’t really explain it, but to say it was total and complete awe. We were very close before our daughter’s birth but the experience definately brought us together in a new way.

I had both of my children without drugs or intervention. One in a hospital and one at home. Labor was work but I can not imagine missing out on any of it or wishing for it to be over with or pain-free. Maybe I am odd in that I view it as an entirely biological and natural process. To block the pain and to give control over to someone or something else is like being driven through a marathon on a golf cart by a total stranger. One could technically say that they went the course, crossed the finish line and got the prize. So much of the joy and most of the lessons in life come from the experience of -doing- rather than from just getting something done and over with as quickly as possible.

Great article. Happy Birthing Chantal!

My baby was a preemie so they were trying to keep him in as long as possible when I went into labor, but my baby decided he wanted out no matter what they did to try and stop him, so after over 72 hours of all back labor, I feel the epidural and a calming drug before that pretty much saved my life….after no sleep and extreme hard back labor for over 72 hours, the epidural actually made the birth enjoyable and I had absolutely no problems, it went very fast and smooth and for a preemie, my baby was so healthy….and I was someone who had always said I did not think I would ever want an epi and was scared to death of the thought, but was open to it as I trusted my doctors and by the time I got it, it was a life saver!
If people can plan for and handle a natural birth, more power to them, but I feel you have to have an open mind as things don’t always go how you expect.

Michelle,
I’ve had 2 different midwives (CNMs in practice with OB/GYNS (in 2 different cities) for my 2 hospital waterbirths. The first time I was in labor about 14 hours, and didn’t really notice that the water made much difference in the pain. The second time was only about 3 hours, and the water did help the pain. Both times, the midwives were very supportive of our birthing plans, and the staff at the hospital were all aware of them as well. My husband is a very good support and advocate, encouraging me to through the pain because I did have moments when I wanted the drugs, although I have friends who found having a doula very helpful. Apparently, when I was born (34 years ago), my mom had some problems with the epidural, so, to be honest, I was more afraid of that than the pain of giving birth! (I also have an RN license and Bachelor’s degree in nursing, so in that sense I’m a “well-educated consumer” and am very strong-willed when it comes to birthing. I only say that to mean that I may be better prepared to “stand up to the establishment” for the kind of experience I want than someone with a different background/personality, so a natural birth in the hospital worked pretty well for us.) I will not pretend that it didn’t hurt–it did, a lot–but for me, at least, it didn’t last too long, and I definitely felt empowered and “wired” after the births. We’re hoping to have a 3rd in the next year or so, and since we’re back in the same city where our first son was born, I’ll either go back to that OB/GYN practice (new midwife there, but I met her and really like her), or have a homebirth. Unfortunately, the aforementioned midwife is the only one in that particular OB/GYN practice, but she assures me that if the doctor (a male) were to be on call when I went into labor, he would be willing to deliver in the water. I’m not quite sure how I feel about that yet!

My first son was a natural birth and I hated it. I would never do it again. I tore very badly and have since learned that I do not handle pain very well at all. I was in agony the whole four hours. And I’m lucky it was only four hours long. My second son I had an epidural for and while I still had significant pain it was not as intense afterwards and I felt much better. For me personally it helped me to bond with my child better because I wasn’t still in pain after childbirth. I greatly admire women who can go all natural and feel empowered by it. In fact I admire any mother that has a child however she has it, with drugs without drugs, c-section or natural.
Unfortunately for me I will not be having more children. The birthing process is a bit too traumatizing for me.

Chattycricket, to my knowledge, the same drugs are used in every hospital for epidurals. Walking epidurals are made up of a different combinations of medications. But overall, epidurals are anesthesia, so different people will have different reactions. A spinal headache is the most common side effect, but can be fixed, and is due to spinal fluid leaking through the puncture site. It can be patched up.

Michelle, I chose a walking epidural for my birth. My doctor supported my decision, but really wanted me to go non-medicated, because that was his philosphy. He talked to me about why he felt I should try without medication, but supported me in making a different decision.

I was up and walking around in a very short period of time after giving birth and in the shower. I nursed right away, and left the hospital 24 hours later. My recovery was great!

I wonder what kind of bad experiences with “drugs” are out there? Do different hospitals use different drugs in their epidurals? Or is it just that everyone reacts differently?

With my first, my epidural only worked for 13 of my 24 hours of labor. I got the epidural early because I had to be induced and the pain from the pitocin-induced contractions was sending my body into shock. Although everything turned out fine in the end, I vowed never to end up with pitocin again if I could avoid it (unfortunately with that birth, I couldn’t).

With my second, I held off on my epidural until I was 4 cm, and then again the pain from my contractions was sending me into shock and my body temperature was falling significantly (no pitocin this time though!). I knew I wanted the epidural, so at 4 cm, I went ahead with it. My labor experience this time around was truly amazing. I was able to snooze lightly for about an hour and a half, and although the pain was greatly reduced, I could still feel everything- could even feel my baby boy coming down the birth canal.

Immediately following his birth, I felt great. I could walk to the bathroom (once I got the okay), was completely lucid and felt just amazing. I got a great night’s sleep and was up and showered bright and early the next morning! I definitely plan on having my epidural this time around too- for me the epidural allows me to be present and aware, and to feel what is going on, and my recoveries haven’t been compromised.