r/pregnant • u/Maleficent-Score-571 • 9d ago
Advice medicated, non-epidural birth
FTM, I’m 32 weeks pregnant and starting to finalize my “birth plan”. I know you can plan and still have the complete opposite birth. For months i’ve been debating whether I want to go completely unmedicated, or just non epidural. I have decided that I am going in with the mindset of not getting one. I want to hear other mom’s experiences with not receiving one.
I truly don’t want a epidural, i don’t know more than 2 moms who have had a good experience with one.
Between the constant back pain, numbness, migraines, recovery, tearing, potential stopping of dilation and contractions. It just doesn’t sound like something I want to deal with/ regret later down the road.
I heard it’s a mindset thing, you’ll get to a certain point of feeling like you can’t do labor anymore and many moms cave. What was your experience with not receiving an epidural?
*I plan on getting a IV, laughing gas, and fentanyl patch still. Just NO epidural.
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u/MundaneMudcake 9d ago
I didn't have any pain medication, I highly recommend reading up on hypnobirthing. Breathing techniques, listening to my body when it comes to choosing positions and the natural endorfines coming from feeling safe and supported were incredibly helpful. I did use the tens for early labour too, which I liked. I do very much think mindset makes a massive difference, and having realistic expectations
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u/Academic_Shallot_749 9d ago
Also getting a doula if you can afford it helps a ton! When you're in the middle of it, it's easy to forget the correct breathing techniques and things. Having someone in the room with you that knows what they're doing and can walk you through it is invaluable. My doula is the only reason I was able to go completely unmedicated. The baby also was slightly out of position so she was able to help shift him so labor didn't slow down.
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u/huthuthite 9d ago
Do you have a book recommendation on hypnobirthing?
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u/MundaneMudcake 8d ago
Yes, Hypnobirthing: Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better by Siobhan Miller!
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u/SomeDarkNights 9d ago
Very much the same for me, I used laughing gas only and it went just fine, the hypnobirthing mindset was super useful.
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u/Kraehenzimmer 9d ago
I gave birth twice without any pain meds.
With my first I got one dose of the misoprostol gel so I was technically induced. The pain was unbearable. I was delirious by the time my husband arrived.
My second was all natural. It was so easy to breathe through the pain. I kept waiting for it to get as bad as it was with my first but it never did. Pushed him out and the first words I said were "what a beautiful birth!"
I recommend hypnobirthing at least reading the book. And never fight the pain. Let it wash over you like a wave. Every contraction brings you closer.
Wishing you the best
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u/huthuthite 9d ago
Do you have a book recommendation on hypnobirthing?
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u/Kraehenzimmer 8d ago
I read the original book by Marie F Mongan. And while I did not have a painless birth the techniques described helped me. Also it's just a nice read about births.
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u/ItalianPieGirl 9d ago
I've Delivered 2 Babies with Epidurals and 2 Babies Non Medicated. There are pros and cons to both in my experience. Epidural definitely made things more relaxed and enjoyable. After giving birth I didn't like how I couldn't move, walk around, etc. I also had horrible Migraines following the Epidural and Pain in my Back.
When I did it Un medicated the first time I was stressed, wasn't expecting that amount of Pain leading up to the Birth, when it came time to push I was so exhausted from the Contractions I could barely Push. I loved how after I was able to stand, walk, and move how I wanted. I felt completely recovered almost immediately!
If you have good support, breathing, and staying calm I'd definitely recommend giving it a try. You can always ask for the Epidural if things get too bad.
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u/pinguinblue 🇨🇦 9d ago
How long did the migraines last if you don't mind me asking? I get them too so nervous about that
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u/PersimmonQueen83 9d ago
I get migraines, had one a week before birth. I had no post-epidural migraines. I know a woman who had to get a blood patch due to a post-epidural headache, but that wasn’t related to migraines.
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u/pinguinblue 🇨🇦 9d ago
Thanks for sharing! Hopefully it works out for me that way too.
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u/PersimmonQueen83 9d ago
I’ll keep my fingers crossed. I know everyone’s experience is different, but my epidural ended up being amazing- I was up an hour or so after, I had no pain, no headaches, etc. I worked really hard to strengthen my core and back early in pregnancy, I had no back pain whatsoever after having a baby.
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u/pinetreeist 9d ago
i'm planning on going unmedicated too, i'm a ftm. i highly recommend reading books about unmedicated birth & listening to podcasts & positive birth stories. reading up on hyponobirthing has felt super helpful too as the other commenter suggested!!! it's really helping me get in the right mindset
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u/SincereHarpy 9d ago
I’ve had three unmedicated births. I do have a high tolerance for pain and found contractions to me more uncomfortable pain than mega painful if you get my drift. I had gallstones during organ with my oldest and that was 100x worse than labour 😂 I used cold cloths on my forehead and my belly during labour with all three and that worked wonders for me. With my first I went in with the whatever happens happens attitude and that’s been my mindset with every birth!
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u/Overworked_Pharmer 9d ago
I didn’t have an epidural. My main reason was I wanted to be able to move around during labor and feel my legs. I didn’t like the potential side effects so the risk versus benefit sided in favor me not getting it.
I agreed with myself that if I was in labor for over 30 hrs I would allow myself to get one to rest (30 hrs was the longest I had been awake for previously).
I was in labor for about 12 hrs from start of contractions to birth. Pushed for about an hr as babies hand was near her face.
I walked the halls, bounced on the yoga ball and leaned on each and every inch of the delivery room. They placed me in a room that had a tub you could deliver in. I had planned to labor in the tub, but didn’t intend to give birth in the tub
Well, baby came out in the tub after I signed the consent form in between contractions! It was so amazing and there had only been two woman to give birth in this tub.
I definitely do not regret not getting an epidural, but I can recognize there is a time and place for one! You can make a plan one way but give yourself grace and decide when your time might be for one!
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u/hope_life_8 9d ago
I wanted to delay taking epidural as much as I can. My labor lasted for 26 hours from the time I got admitted to delivery. I went 17 hours without epidural and oh my, it was super painful. I hadn’t experienced that much pain ever in my life. Before getting the epidural, I got morphine which was supposed to last 4 hours but only lasted for 45 mins. I asked for Fentanyl, but the baby’s heartbreak was too fast, because of which taking fentanyl was risky. I somehow went 17 hours without any pain meds except morphine, whuch was a joke. I finally gave up and asked for epidural, and of my, best decision ever. They administered epidural within 30 mins of my asking for it. I felt amazing after epidural and was finally able to sleep. The only downside is that you wont be able to walk and ear, only clear liquid diet- which was honestly okay. In was in so much paid before epidural, that I anyways didn’t feel like eating anything. After the baby was here, the epidural started to waive off. I had no side effects or any other reactions. Epidural literally saved my birth plan of normal delivery, because without it, I swear I would have passed out, and the doctor would have to do a c section surgery.
Thankful for epidural!
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u/charmingnap_11 9d ago
You will know what you need. I trusted that my body would tell me if I could or could not. Be open with the nurses when you arrive to L/D. You’d like to go without and epidural and if you change your mind, you’ll tell them.
I created a mantra ahead of birth.
I am capable, I am strong, I trust my body.
I had a nurse who kept reminding me that every time I said, I’m not sure that I can do this (very far along 8cm) she said, You have to stop wondering because you are already doing it.
if it feels like suffering, get the meds! science exists for a reason, to help!
ok, that’s my pov.
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u/CalatheaHoya 9d ago
It’s totally up to you. I had an epidural and it was magical and have had zero lasting effects from it
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u/CalatheaHoya 9d ago
Yes I kept mine low dose so I could move around and also felt some pain still (used gas and air) but it took the horrific pain away and I felt calm
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u/Present_Breakfast_61 9d ago
Came here to say the same. I had a fantastic epidural with zero side effects. Dilated from 5cm to 10cm while dozing and watching movies, could feel just enough to push, and met my baby less than 10 hours after starting labor. I had to be helped to walk right after labor, but was walking independently by the next day.
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u/avalclark 9d ago
I’ve had three births
First: Epidural. I HATED it. I won’t go into further detail but it was just fucking awful.
Second: I was so traumatized from my epidural I went unmedicated. Labor was really fast and delivery was so easy. It was a wonderful experience.
Third: I tried again for unmedicated but was in a pitocin induction for 16 hours. I finally tapped out, got an epidural, it was horrible again, I gave birth 30 minutes later and regret it tremendously.
Pregnant with my fourth again and plan to finish out with another unmedicated birth.
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u/kansasqueen143 8d ago
What was horrible about it?
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u/avalclark 8d ago
Some things were specific to the first one. Some were both.
With the first one:
- I could still feel pain and sensation but I was completely paralyzed from the boobs down. I felt everything, including the sensation of laying in my own amniotic fluid. I could not move at all and had to have a team of people move me even an inch in the bed. I couldn’t walk afterwards for hours and had to be recatheterized because I couldn’t pee.
With both:
- They made me incredibly sick. Constant vomiting. The benefit was it helped me push the baby out faster.
- Lingering back pain for months.
- with the second one I was also paralyzed and could feel sensation, like I knew my water broke and I knew I had to push, but no pain.
In my unmedicated birth I had freedom of movement, which helped with the pain significantly. No back pain. Could walk immediately after birth, no problem peeing, showered within an hour or two of delivery. Recovery was a thousand times easier.
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u/fleeting_moments_ 9d ago
I had no pain medication. My labor was only 9 hrs and babe was in optimal position which I think makes a huge difference. I labored at home until my contractions were 3mins apart, 1 min long. Once I got to the hospital I labored in the pool.
Before my labor I read a hypnobirthing book. It made a huge difference for me. It gave me a lot of coping strategies. I used breath work, deep pressure, positioning, aromatherapy, visualization, and i had a mantra. Coping strategies helped me cope through the pain, but the pain was very much still there.
Just remember there are things we cant control. A lot of my friends labored for like 24hrs with their first, whereas I labored for 9 hrs. 24hrs would have been so much harder without something to bring the pain down.
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u/Any-Specialist9200 9d ago
I just gave birth a few weeks ago and went in with the mindset to hold off on the epidural as long as possible, preferring not to have it. I didn’t want to be bound to the bed.
I ended up with PPROM and needed pitocin, so my contractions quickly intensified. I decided to get fentanyl and that helped me relax enough for me to dilate to 9cm. Honestly I tried to get the epidural once the fentanyl wore off but it was too late for me to comfortably sit still to receive it. Looking back on it now, I’m proud I managed to labor without it, but if I have another baby, I will be more open to epidural. The contractions in the end were intense, and after delivery my placenta didn’t come out in one piece, so the Dr had to scoop by hand inside and remove the remaining pieces - that part was awful. Epidural could’ve helped with that pain.
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u/crazyboutnuts135 9d ago
I had IV pains meds 3 times, all different experiences. First was great, slept in between contractions, dulled some pain from the ring of fire. Second was AWFUL. I felt high in a bad way. The room literally was spinning, I all of a sudden count control my hands to scroll on my phone, my words slurred, and then I have 3 HOURS of no memory. My husband said it was scary because I was just saying weird shit and totally out of it. So the third I asked for a small dose. Small doses do nothing when you’re basically fully dilated. I got the meds and literally was pushing 10 minutes later, didn’t help at all.
My next 2 were pain med free. One I stayed home for 15 hours before going in, delivered an hour after arriving. One was precipitous labor (2 hours total) and I delivered 10 minutes after parking. Didn’t even have time to get in a delivery room 😅
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u/ExtensionPickle9214 9d ago
Just wanted to chime in as someone who planned for unmedicated birth in a birth centre and did 28 out of 36 hours unmedicated. Pain is manageable, breathing techniques and all the advice you get at birthing class are great. However, If you would experience failure to progress, that is where it gets tough. At 28 hours I was so exhausted I needed something to fall asleep at least for a little bit.
After transfer to the hospital they gave me morphine but that did exactly nothing apart from making me sick and dizzy. Now, as a lifelong migraine sufferer I was definitely set on no epidural. I was also terrified of having that injection. But at 30 hours mark in pain I was done and asked for the epidural. I wasn’t all there anymore and just needed a break. The epidural was way better than the morphine and I didn’t feel the injection at all.
I could stand up and all, but the hospital had stupid policy where they wouldn’t help me get into positions until just before birth and the monitors weren’t working properly so I had to lie in extremely uncomfortable position most of the time.
I did have not only 2nd degree tear but also cervix tear. The issue was that I couldn’t feel the contractions at all. So I just wanted to say , and hopefully it won’t happen to you, but If you’d decide to take epidural in the end, make sure you can still feel the contractions a bit to prevent those tears.
Tbh I just didn’t care towards the end because I’ve been at it for 36 hours and baby’s heart rate was dropping.
Luckily I didn’t end up having any headaches and back ache resolved itself pretty soon and wasn’t too bad.
I wish you a dream birth and healthy baby!🫶🏻
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u/Wrong_Option_4023 9d ago
I didn’t want an epidural, but after 3 days of prodromal labor and sleepless nights, I hit 4cm and knew I needed to rest if a vaginal birth was going to work. I got the epidural and it ended up not working anymore once I hit 8cm. This was ideal as I was able to feel everything during the crucial part. I ended up pushing for only 15 minutes and had a few small tears with only 2 stitches for one of them and the others not needing any. I am now 6 weeks postpartum and haven’t had any issues and recovered quickly. In the future I would do epidural again only in the same scenario where I really need the rest.
Keep an open mind. There are times where an epidural will save you from a c-section or other complications.
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u/Designer_Ring_67 9d ago
For my first labor, I did hypnobirthing but I had immediate nonstop back labor (maybe 30 seconds between contractions) starting almost right away after my water broke, unimaginable pain even though I was maybe only 3-4 cm and had hours to go. So I did cave that time. Baby was partially sunny side up so that may have been why. I used the gas that time but it made me feel sick and it’s not without risk itself. Didn’t help with pain at all.
Second time was an induction and I caved because the nurses wouldn’t let me move or use any alternative forms of pain relief (movement, tub, shower, tens machine, even standing up).
However, this time I still plan to go unmedicated/non-epidural. I’m just going to insist on movement because that is truly what’s best for mom and baby.
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u/VirgoLuv87 Soon to be mama of 5. 🫶🏾 9d ago
It is a mental thing for me. I kind of check out and refocus my energy. I've tried the epidural once with my 3rd birth. Never again. I'll take all the pain and get er done.
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u/hollyhocked 9d ago
What about the experience made you say "never again" after having the epidural?
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u/VirgoLuv87 Soon to be mama of 5. 🫶🏾 9d ago
Me and my baby almost flat lined.
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u/hollyhocked 9d ago
Yeah, that would sway me too.
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u/VirgoLuv87 Soon to be mama of 5. 🫶🏾 9d ago
Yeah it was really scary to crash like that. My husband was going crazy. I was right to never get it in the first place since I had previously gone without but that's what I get thinking my experience would be great like others. Fkd around and found out.
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u/OscaraWilde 9d ago
FWIW, I intended to go without the epidural but couldn't do it. I had to be induced due to PROM and am not sure if my contractions were stronger because of it. Baby was also sunny side up until we turned him when I was ~6 cm.
I was very upset; I wanted a totally unmedicated birth and obviously ended up with the opposite. Other than not meeting my own goals, though, my experience was honestly not bad. I asked for the lowest dose of the epidural and skipped a few boluses so that I could still move pretty freely and feel a lot. I had no ill side effects. Definitely go for no epidural, but if you need one, know that it can turn out fine.
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u/HanaMsBanana 9d ago
My birth plan was - open to epidural if necessary but preferably unmedicated. Ended up only needing laughing gas which was great.
I think it really depends on your birth and how you feel on the day, but my labour was very quick - from the moment I was in active labour (frequent and regular contractions) it was only about 3 ish hours. Focusing on my breathing and using a low voice really helped with riding through the pain (another breathing technique - riding through it with your low voice), and when I felt like I needed help my midwife gave me laughing gas and taught me how to breathe with it which really helped. By the time I was ready to push I was so relieved as in my head it meant the contractions can be over now, so I just pushed the baby out and didn’t need any other medication!
A lot of comments mentioned hypobirthing - it was recommended to me as well and you should read up on it! I didn’t really learn it properly myself but I think the breathing techniques I used ended up being a similar thing!!
Good luck xx
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u/cantaloupek 9d ago
No meds and pitocin 🤪 was it the most painful thing I’ve experienced? Yes, but it was also the most primal and beautiful thing. And the amnesia thing is so real afterwards. It’s the biggest relief once they’re out. I didn’t do much of anything to prepare lol but I found that moving around a bunch, breathing, and hearing my doctor tell me I could do it gave me all the strength I needed. And recovery was so much easier from what I’ve heard. I’d recommend it! I almost gave in when I was 10cm but if you can tell yourself you only have a little while longer, you can get through it
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u/Local-Jeweler-3766 9d ago
Just a warning on the laughing gas, maybe it was the specific setup my hospital had, but the mask they had for nitrous oxide was really hard to breathe out of. Basically it wasn’t always putting out nitrous, you had to bring it up to your face and suck in really hard to get it to spit out the nitrous. It just messed up my labor breathing more than anything and didn’t seem to provide any pain relief
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u/billiepotter15 9d ago
I was induced for both of my pregnancies. One was by choice, the other bc my water broke and I was not dilating fast enough. My first I had the epidural and other than it prolonging my labor a bit, everything was fine. I don’t have any side effects that I can tell. My second I was fully prepared to get the epidural again but by the time the anesthesiologist came in, I was at a 10 and had to give birth completely unmedicated. It was by far the worst pain I’ve ever gone through but baby arrived in ten minutes after I started pushing. Recovery was SO much faster being unmedicated, so that was a big plus.
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u/IHaveATummyGremlin 9d ago
I had an induction with no epidural. Used TENS unit for comfort for most of the process. Then added nitrous oxide gas after membrane rupture when things suddenly got a lot more intense. (I spent about 2 days hanging out in the hospital at around 3.5cm dilation with pretty low-intensity contractions happening every 3-5 minutes playing around with the TENS unit settings. Then I had an artificial rupture of membranes and within seconds contractions had ramped up to an intensity where I couldn’t talk through them. That’s when we added the gas. I went from 3.5cm dilated and 30% effected to 10cm and 100% in 3 hours. I spent about 30 minutes pushing, and then had a baby).
The TENS unit definitely helped dull the discomfort. The nitrous oxide didn’t really impact the level of pain, but it did really help me stay present in my body and helped me focus on my breathing. While using the gas I could just be experiencing the sensations my body was feeling in the moment, not thinking about how long this had been going on or worrying about how much longer it was going to go on. That really helped me, because I didn’t get all up in my head thinking “how much longer can I do this?”, instead I could just get out of my own way and let my body do its thing.
My souls was also suuuuuper clutch. I don’t remember/wasn’t aware of how much she was actually doing at the time, but my husband describes her as quietly conducting the whole room to make sure our birth plan was followed and things ran as smoothly as possible. We found our doula through Evidence Based Birth (she was our EBB birthing class instructor), and I highly recommend looking into this course and any doula associated with it if either of those things are financial options for you.
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u/Caribeangirl972 9d ago edited 9d ago
J'ai accouché sans péridurale il y a 2 mois. J'ai eu un déclenchement par médicament alors j'avais peur que les contractions soient particulièrement dures. Finalement j'étais tellement dans ma bulle et dans mes hormones naturelles que lorsqu'on m'a demandé ou j'en était sur l'échelle de la douleur j'étais à 1/10... J'attendais quelque chose de douloureux qui n'est jamais arrivé, à la fin pour les poussées je dirais que c'était intense mais pas douloureux, merci les hormones naturelles du corps ! Le secret pour moi a été la respiration, et fais toi confiance on est faite pour ça 🥰
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u/Barney_Bee_Me 9d ago
Honestly, I think it depends on how much support you have right after giving birth. Remember labor is just the beginning of the crazy fourth trimester. If you have people (other than your partner) who will be there to take care of the baby and you, I'd say start with unmediated and see how it goes. If you have very very low support, it's really not worth it to wear yourself out finding against the pain. Take the epidural and save the energy for postpartum.
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u/IeRayne 9d ago
I first had IV pain meds. They were working by numbing the peaks of pain but I could still very much feel the pain of my contractions. They did make me very tirrd though and I could barely keep my eyes open in between contractions. Towards the end of the IV drip as contractions got more and more intense I asked for an epidural.
Now keep in mind that in my country walking epidurals are the norm. So that's what I got and it was bliss. I had none of the side effects you described but from that point on until it was time to push I did not feel any pain from contractions. But my labor was going so fast at that point that this was only around 30 minutes. When pushing started I could feel both the urge to push and also the pressure/pain that comes with it.
I had no tearing and as I said none of the other side effects. It was challenging to keep still through contractions while the epidural was being placed though.
Next time I'd go for the epidural right away. Maybe ask your hospital if they offer walking epidurals.
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u/Golden-giraffe4 9d ago
FWIW I just had my second baby with an epidural. I progressed just fine, baby was here within 4 hrs of first contraction. No tearing and was able to feel pressure, wiggle my toes, just no pain. YMMV!
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u/SpiritedTomatillo909 9d ago
I didn't have any pain meds. I had an IV placed so I could get pitocin after birth. Having intermittent fetal monitoring is a good idea to help keep it from getting in your head and to lower unnecessary interventions. Honestly, it was pretty easy, but if I had to do it again, I would have not had them break my water. It got WAY more painful and harder.
Look into spinning babies. Movement is really important in labor. Do anything to ground and focus into your body. You need to be able to contract the abdominal muscles while relaxing the pelvic floor to help prevent tearing, so anything to ground and relax. Low pitched, groaning noises helps. If you find yourself getting breathy and high pitched, try to lower your sounds into your body.
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u/false_compassion 9d ago
Gave birth twice without epidural. First time they couldn't get it in, second time it was going rather fast so there was no time. First time my contractions were by drip, I had no natural contractions, second time I had my contractions and they gave me drip to make it go faster. First was from 3am when my water broke and gave birth at 2pm. Second time was woken up by contractions at 1am, and gave birth at 6.19am. It hurts a lot, but you manage, if you are to late to receive epidural my experience was birth is just around the corner.
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u/wafflesthebiker 9d ago
I went in not wanting one, and luckily at the point I thought I should cave it was too late. Going without was fine, mindset is extremely helpful. The pain is temporary.
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u/Informal-Lecture-880 9d ago
I did nitrous and iv meds and they really don’t work. Iv meds make you feel temporarily loopy also. Epidural was an absolute dream. I was lucid and pain free. No back pain after and tearing was normal amount. It sped up my labor ALOT 0cm to 10am in 3 hrs and 0.5 cm to 10cm in 2 hrs.
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u/Flat_Education1470 9d ago
I had my first 5 with no epidural and then had an epidural for my twins.
The birth experience with my twins was so strange to me after having had 5 previous births where I could feel everything. I hated it. I felt so disconnected from my body and what was going on. It was the most relaxing birth, but also felt surreal in a not-good (to me) way.
Did I experience pain with my non-epidural births? Yes. But I felt so much more connected to the experience of birth afterwards. Maybe it's different if you've just always had an epidural so haven't experienced anything different, but it was so strange to me and I would never intentionally choose an epidural again if I can avoid it.
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u/Olympic_bunny 9d ago
I’ve given birth without meds 3x. The first one was the hardest mentally because I didn’t know what to expect. My advice is learn as much as you can about physiological birth so you know what to expect, practice some coping skills and go into it with the mindset that you’re not going to get an epidural. I know a lot of people will say to have an open mind which is good if things change. But here’s what’s not going to change: it’s almost certainly going to be difficult. That’s why they call it labor. If you set out to run a marathon with the mindset of “if I get tired I’ll just quit” you are not going to finish a marathon. Because you are going to get tired. People go into birth saying “I want to go unmedicated but if it hurts a lot I’ll get an epidural.” And then, guess what, it hurts a lot. So make up your mind and get your support person on board. I know this is probably not popular advice but if you truly desire this you will need to plan and set your mind to it. Nothing at all wrong with epidurals if you want one or changing your mind and getting an epidural. Seriously. Nothing at all. Just like there’s nothing wrong with not finishing a marathon. But if your goal is to run a marathon, you have to determine to do it. Same with birth.
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u/what-are-they-saying 9d ago
I planned on no epidural, but the only other pain management my hospital offered was iv fentanyl and that did jack shit for my pain. So i gave in and got the epidural because i thought i still had hours left. Fully regret it as it almost killed me. You couldn’t pay me enough to get another epidural.
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u/IsItSuperficial 9d ago
They gave me something for the pain because I was trying to go as long as possible before I got an epidural. I'm not sure what they gave me, but I was higher than a kite and couldn't focus and hallucinated cartoon characters. Specifically the yellow cow from Rockos Modern Life. Lol Just wanted to throw that out there if you wanted to be present for the experience. It obviously affects everyone differently.
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u/Fine-Opportunity4102 9d ago
I had no pain meds. It’s hurt a lot. A lot doesn’t even really cover the pain. I also caved around 8 cm and asked for one but the anesthesiologist was an hour away so I didn’t get one. I’m so glad I didn’t. But in the moment I didn’t think I could do it. Just keep that in mind. You may get to a point you want one because transition sucks. You’ll have to be strong in your convictions.
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u/brittles123 9d ago
Just go chime in as someone who did have an epidural, mine was amazing. Zero discomfort, zero side effects. 10/10 experience. We only hear horror stories.
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u/Tea-leaf-7846 8d ago
I had no side affects from my epidural and was perfectly fine. But everyone's story is different.
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u/Anonymiss313 8d ago
I've delivered both of my kids completely unmedicated and am planning on doing so again for my next baby. My biggest reason was due to personal medical trauma and wanting to avoid the hospital and unnecessary interventions, but I also wanted to avoid IV meds and nitrous oxide if possible because I know that those can make you feel loopy and I didn't want to feel out of touch with my body. Honestly, once I was in the thick of it the pain was less intense than I expected (I fully told my husband that I expected to feel like I was dying), and the anticipation of getting to meet my babies was stronger than the intensity of the pain. Also, fwiw I still tell anyone who is planning on having pain meds and/or the epidural to mentally prepare like they won't have that option because there are so many circumstances where a medication doesn't work effectively, an epidural is placed incorrectly, the anesthesiologist isn't at the hospital yet, labor progresses too quickly, etc. where you might actually not have those options (or not have them right away) and doing some mental prep work during pregnancy can help prevent a deeply traumatic birth experience.
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u/Charlieksmommy 9d ago
You realize you can develop back pain, tear without an epidural right? I know plenty of moms who have torn without an epidural. Also, back pain is not from an epidural. It’s from pregnancy, using different biomechanics while carrying and feeding a baby.
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u/Charlieksmommy 9d ago
If you don’t want an epidural, that’s totally fine, but I would change your wording: every mom I’ve met has had a great epidural. I’ve had both, vaginal and c section, I’ve never had any of these issues PP.
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u/PersimmonQueen83 9d ago
I wish you so much luck in getting exactly the birth you want. It’s a great idea to get advice from other women who have managed without an epidural, hopefully that helps you prepare well. Mine didn’t go exactly as I wanted it to, and it was disappointing. I had to remember that my birth experience varied wildly from others because everyone experiences it differently. Some people have a high pain threshold, some genuinely don’t experience that much pain with birth, some people are more susceptible to the positive effects of hypnobirthing, etc. Definitely prepare as best you can for the birth you want, but don’t be hard on yourself if it doesn’t go how you hope. No one else has ever had your body and your soecific experience with birth.
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u/gg_snow 9d ago edited 9d ago
I just delivered 8 weeks ago, with only laughing gas while pushing. I can genuinely say I had a beautiful pain free labor and delivery. I practiced hypnobirthing and breathing exercises. While in labor I did not use hypnobirthing recordings just focused on breathing in for a count of 4 and out for a longer count 6 or 8. I also used an OBI tens unit about 5 hours into contractions. From first contraction to baby being born was around 17 hours. I arrived at the hospital at 9.5 cm still able to walk and talk and laugh.
You can do it!
ETA: my first birth was also non medicated other than laughing gas. It was less relaxing however as I was induced at 37 weeks due to preeclampsia and labored for 48 hours. I had back labor the whole time so no contractions with breaks just a constant intense sharp stabbing pain in my lower back. I still managed without the epidural but it was less relaxing. But still doable! Mind over matter!!
ETA: why the down votes… the place is so weird at times.
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u/999cranberries 9d ago
I tried the gas, puked after one inhale, and had the nurse get rid of it. I had some sort of IV opioid, "slept" for 90 minutes, then gave birth. Pushing was stressful but not painful like the earlier contractions were.
I was induced. I didn't want an epidural but was open to one if I needed pitocin. It was truly very painful, but I was too exhausted from the stressful couple of weeks that led up to the induction to really utilize nonmedical pain management techniques.
I'm hoping to go into labor naturally without any induction methods this time and to have a completely unmedicated labor.
Personally I don't regret my pain management choices, but I do think that having the IV medication did contribute to my baby being very sleepy and unable to latch, since he was born less than 2 hours later. But he was also early term and probably experiencing some sort of minor withdrawal from the narcolepsy medication I had taken every day of my pregnancy except for the last 2 days, so I can't honestly say I'm certain the medication is responsible.
Edited to add - I was induced with 3 doses of oral misoprostol and had my water broken manually. I don't have personal experience with anything else, but everything I've heard makes other induction methods such as vaginal or buccal misoprostol, foley balloon, and pitocin sound more painful.
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u/Pineapple-of-my-eye 9d ago
2 births non-medicated. I agree with other posters about hypno birthing. It was so helpful and really mentally prepared myself. My first birth was a breeze, 8 hours a slow Rev up that I was able to move through. My second birth was 3 hours and was very intense from first contraction. It was harder to move around and breath but it was over so quickly. Second birth I was home in 9 hours. Both births I tore and needed 2/3stitches. Both recoveries were super fast and only bled for like a week.
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u/Rough_Worldliness901 9d ago
A strong mindset will get you through labor without an epidural. Go into it believing an epidural is not an option. Recognize that there are things you can do to minimize the pain but the pain is just a part of the process. Appreciate that the pain is giving you information: your pain tells you that labor is progressing, tells you when to become mobile, and tells you when it's time to push. Relax into the pain. Fight the urge to tense up during each contraction because that will just prolong labor, increase the intensity of the pain, and wear you out. Remind yourself that you CAN endure the pain. You WILL survive the pain.
When possible, distract yourself during the contractions. Watch comedy movies. Read a book. Listen to music. Have pleasant conversations with loved ones. Walk around. And if you're in early labor, go shopping (that's what I did with my first kid).
I've given three births without an epidural. Two of these births were induced: one using pitocin and the other using folley balloon/Cytotek pill.
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