Natural or Epedural?

[~Emmylou~]

You know, alot of bad things are said about epis but one thing they do have going for them - they don't mess with your head. You remain totally 100% coherent so if it's important to you that you can communicate with your son and that he doesn't see you out of it on peth or just from the pain then that is something to consider.

[Tracie]

Hi Wondermum,

I laboured with both my babies without using any pain relief (apart from nature's own...endorphins...great stuff!) and I guess I chose to do that because I personally felt that there were too many trade-offs with an epidural.....some women have a perfectly fine experience but others have found that having an epidural can be the first step in the "cascade of interventions" that we often hear about. And of course there can be issues to deal with after the labour, which can make the task of welcoming your bubs a little bit harder.

You've got some difficult questions to ask here so I don't envy you....one scenario that popped into my head was....

What if the epidural left you unable to effectively push out your bub and they had to use forceps or a vacuum? Would he be ok watching that?
Or, how would your son cope if you were suddenly whisked away to have a caesarian....who would look after him and who would look after you? How would he cope in that situation?

I know these things are also a possiblity even if you don't have drugs on board, I guess what I am trying to say is that your chances of those things happening are higher when you have an epidural.

One thing about labour pain is that it can be explained to kids so that they understand that the noise that mum is making is helping the baby to come out.

I saw the most amazing video on the weekend about Siblings at Birth and the children were so into the whole thing and the looks on their faces when the baby arrived was delightful. They all looked really proud of their mum and not at all scared. I guess the key here was that they had good support too and people who were explaining in a positive way what was happening.

Also, if your hubby is worried about you being in pain, he might find it especially hard to keep it together for BOTH of you....perhaps you could think about taking a friend or relative to be there for your son so that you know he is well looked after and doesn't get distressed or confused. If you don't have someone you can take, then consider finding a Doula.

[Tracie]

Apologies Wondermum...I misunderstood your initial question and shouldn't have assumed that you didn't already have all the other bases covered - should have asked for more info, right? (fatal bubhub boo-boo)

I hope you get your answers regarding the epidural/peth/gas side of things.

[sunshine girls]

HI wondermum,
aaaah to epi it or not.... I've had both, i was induced with my first which then resulted in a long labor including, gas, pethadine, epi and being wheeled into theatre to have a caeser as i was stuck on 9cm....THANKFULLY i did end up having a vaginal birth but my little indi was suctioned out as i COULD NOT FEEL A THING.... might sound tempting but not feeling anything also results in the doctor pulling with all his might (literally) apprently he had one foot up on the table to give hime better leverage:eek: of course i had no idea and couldnt feel anything and your body (and your baby) are doing things against there natural will.... I ended up with stitches which really caused me grief for a good 4-5 weeks after and poor Indi head a red raw cone head....how that can be good i dont know..

Birth number 2 (about 2 months ago) i went to a birthing centre because i simply didn't want to be induced and be on the hospital "schedule". I was so prepared to have a long horrible labor again, thinking i would have to be transferred to the main hospital.... I laboured for 3.5 hours before delivering naturally to a beautiful baby girl... i did try a few puffs of gas but was too far gone so it got in the way of me being vocal...:laughing: No stitches (AMAZING) and a happy bub that came out when SHE wanted to :thumbsup:
There's a great book called Hello Baby by Jenni Overend It would have to be the most realistic children's book about birth available. The story and pictures capture the whole experience of labour in a very life-like way, if your little one is going to be there it might be a way to try and prepare him. I read it every night to my 2 year old (she wasnt there but just incase something happened at home!)
Good luck!!!!!!!

[mumtok&z]

I done it both ways! During my first pregnancy i was determined not too have any pain relief ( Mum done it 6 times with out pain relief and i just wanted to be brave like her), but i didn;t know that my contractions were going to go for so long (27 hrs) before the hospital would accept that i was in labour ( i went 3 times and got sent home 3 times!). I also hadn't slept the night before giving birth ( the contractions kept me awake) and bubs heart beat dropped with every contraction. The midwife suggested i go with an epi so that i could sleep a bit and she said it was still going to be another several hours before i would be ready to push. Well the epi did allow me to doze off and get a bit of rest before all the action happened. While i was pregnant with second son i was determined to make it to hospital in time to have an epi but things didn't pan out that way. I was convinced i had gastro and by the time hubby convinced me that i was in labour i was already too far gone for any pain relief exept for gas. But i still kept asking for it! I am glad i have experienced both though.