Epidural: get one or not get one?

[Tarnished]

Goodness gracious! I remember that! LOL!!!!

Yeah, Tarnished! Congratulations. Aren't you married to Faded? Congratulations to him too, if that's the case.

Yep I am married to Faded, we now have a little mini Faded. Thank you for the congrats!

[Seminarysnoozer]

For some time now my husband and I have been discussing whether or not to get an epidural. Well, mostly he's just been listening to be debate back and forth with myself, lol, as it doesn't really affect him.

I'm wondering if any women out there 1) decided to go with an epidural and why, or 2) decided not to get one, why you chose not to, and what method of pain management you chose instead.

A friend of mine mentioned the Bradley method, but that's generally learned within a 12 week course (at least here it is), and I'm due in 5 and a half weeks, so that's out of the question it seems.

I just don't really know what other options are out there yet (we're discussing some of them in my birthing class next week, but I get the feeling it isn't going to be as informative as I'm looking for unfortunately).

Thanks!

I've had four epidurals, I would recommend it. My third, the anesthesiologist was delayed, which confirmed my appreciation for modern medicine. The only complication I had was my leg was numb for about 12 hours with the last one. It was nice to not be so exhausted, I held my children right after and aware of everything, enjoying the whole experience. ... and I didn't want to slug my husband at any point

[Maureen]

Congrats Tarnished and Faded!! Would you be able to tell us what you named your little guy, how big, etc?

JThimm88, like others have mentioned, a great word to use to describe labour pain is intense. And hopefully your prenatal classes have mentioned that pushing can sometimes take a couple hours. Hopefully some of the posts here won't worry you too much. Good luck!

M.

[Tarnished]

Rather not share his name, but he was born Jan 20, 2011 at 7 pm, he weighed 7 lbs 11 oz, and was 20 inches long.

[MarginOfError]

[Dravin]

Thanks! My husband and I will love the gloves! Our little one already has the nickname of "Ninja legs" it would be great to have some fighting clothes to go with the nickname.

I recommend a fake beard and you can dress him up as Chuck Norris for Halloween.

[talisyn]

I had both my babies naturally and a few of my sisters have had epidurals but like others have said, leave your mind open to possibilities. One thing to remember about medicines is that there are side effects. One of my cousins got an epidural and ended up with a horrible headache that lasted for hours (medicine got into spinal fluid). I had Nubain with my first and it helped tons. I didn't have anything with my second but I spent 1 hour stuck at 7cm with a body that wanted to push so bad that I was like 'give me something NOW!!!' I never wanted to swear so much in my life. Looking back I think an epidural might have helped

[Gwen]

ok moe, we usually get along but you just lost points on that one. not funny. i do get the "humor" in it that there are some stupid ppl out there that might be like this. but the majority of "natural birth" advocates are much more intelligent. they do understand what makes it a high risk and when you need to turn to medical help. this video feels to me like it's making fun of all "natural birth" advocates as off their rocker. i just can't find that funny.

[MarginOfError]

ok moe, we usually get along but you just lost points on that one. not funny. i do get the "humor" in it that there are some stupid ppl out there that might be like this. but the majority of "natural birth" advocates are much more intelligent. they do understand what makes it a high risk and when you need to turn to medical help. this video feels to me like it's making fun of all "natural birth" advocates as off their rocker. i just can't find that funny.

Oops. Sorry, Gwen. I meant no offense.

As a peace offering, I'll offer up another one. This is actually the one that put me in good humor for watching others (and it has nothing to do with childbirth).

[Maureen]

...One of my cousins got an epidural and ended up with a horrible headache that lasted for hours (medicine got into spinal fluid)....

A headache can happen because of leaking spinal fluid from the needle puncture. They usually tell the patient to not sit up but stay horizontal for many hours until the puncture hole closes up.

M.

[Guest]

ok moe, we usually get along but you just lost points on that one. not funny. i do get the "humor" in it that there are some stupid ppl out there that might be like this. but the majority of "natural birth" advocates are much more intelligent. they do understand what makes it a high risk and when you need to turn to medical help. this video feels to me like it's making fun of all "natural birth" advocates as off their rocker. i just can't find that funny.

Whoa... good thing I didn't click on the youtube video then...

Just as a sidenote - natural birth process is very common outside of the US. You can cut down healthcare costs by a significant margin if the US culture would adopt a more holistic approach to health than the current "I don't feel well... " "... pop a pill." approach. The good news is - it's gaining traction in the USA as well. There are a lot of support groups out there now for the midwifery model of care than the traditional medical management approach to childbirth in the USA.

Ok... this thread hijack has gone on long enough... I apologize.

Edited January 28, 2011 by anatess

[Backroads]

... no one has been able to prove to me that having a midwife is necessarily more dangerous than having a doctor.

[talisyn]

A headache can happen because of leaking spinal fluid from the needle puncture. They usually tell the patient to not sit up but stay horizontal for many hours until the puncture hole closes up.

M.

Ahh, ty for the clarification

[marshac]

The question of Epidural or Au-Natural is a false dichotomy. There is another option (and maybe even more that i'm not aware of)- a pudendal block. It's usually done trans-vaginally (which sounds a lot worse than it is) and will numb up the more superficial parts of your womanly parts while still preserving your ability to feel, walk, etc. It's also a heck of a lot cheaper than an epidural.

[Maureen]

The question of Epidural or Au-Natural is a false dichotomy. There is another option (and maybe even more that i'm not aware of)- a pudendal block. It's usually done trans-vaginally (which sounds a lot worse than it is) and will numb up the more superficial parts of your womanly parts while still preserving your ability to feel, walk, etc. It's also a heck of a lot cheaper than an epidural.

This is interesting and something I didn't know about until now. Although I know that when I was in labour with my 1st all I could feel was the pain in the small of my back. It was so intense that I couldn't remember where my butt was when the nurse was explaining to me about pushing.

M.

[Gwen]

Whoa... good thing I didn't click on the youtube video then...

Just as a sidenote - natural birth process is very common outside of the US. You can cut down healthcare costs by a significant margin if the US culture would adopt a more holistic approach to health than the current "I don't feel well... " "... pop a pill." approach. The good news is - it's gaining traction in the USA as well. There are a lot of support groups out there now for the midwifery model of care than the traditional medical management approach to childbirth in the USA.

Ok... this thread hijack has gone on long enough... I apologize.

there are more women that want this and the "movement" is gaining traction among women. the problem with this is few dr's around here (i get the impression it's just as bad other places) will actively encourage a totally natural birth. if you want to be in total control you have to have a home birth. in many states it's against the law for a woman to practice midwifery and it's against the law for a dr (or other professional) to attend a home birth. so basically you can have the baby at home if you want to but you are on your own, the law makes it as unsafe as possible and if anything goes wrong (as pointed out in this thread http://www.lds.net/forums/general-discussion/36271-hows-christmas-miracle.html) they will take your baby away from you because you are a danger to them. until the laws change most in the usa will not see going back to mother natures way as a better or valid possibility.

i would like to see our society find a middle ground. women have given up so much power to dr's out of fear. the natural process of having a baby can teach you exactly what you are made of and to trust your instincts. both of which you will desperately need as a mother.

[marshac]

there are more women that want this and the "movement" is gaining traction among women. the problem with this is few dr's around here (i get the impression it's just as bad other places) will actively encourage a totally natural birth.

Not only is it gaining traction, but epidurals are considered the norm now. Increasingly (frighteningly) the norm is now shifting to totally unnecessary csections simply because it's more 'convenient'- you can SCHEDULE when your child is born.... IMO, if you're so incredibly busy that you need to schedule when your child arrives, then perhaps you're too busy to adequately care for all the needs of a child.

I think that one reason why some docs encourage a natural birth is because... it IS a natural process and shouldn't require massive medical intervention.

i would like to see our society find a middle ground. women have given up so much power to dr's out of fear. the natural process of having a baby can teach you exactly what you are made of and to trust your instincts. both of which you will desperately need as a mother.

There is a middle ground, but it's losing ground- birthing clinics. Personally I don't like the idea of a home birth simply because sometimes things can go wrong, and even though midwives typically bring supplies such as O2, etc, the safety net they can provide is quite small. Sure, most births are just fine, but for my wife's well-being (and my new child), I like having a bigger net. This is where birthing clinics come into play- they're a step up from the home in terms of a safety net, but they also provide many of the resources people enjoy when having a home birth (more relaxed atmosphere, a water birth if that's your thing, etc). On top of that, they're cheaper than a hospital as well..... this is why you're seeing a decline in 'clinics' of all forms- hospitals (even non-profit) are buying up clinics, and turning them into loss-leaders in order to increase traffic (revenue) at the main hospital. I hate the business model, but it's growing and patient care suffers as a result.

Also- just throwing this out, but in terms of medical ideology, you might seek out a DO rather than a MD- my wife had a DO OB for our first child and I can't say enough good things about her (the doctor). Not only was she a good birthing coach, but she used some manipulations and such to make the process easier on my wife (in addition to some lavender oil- which was kinda nice)- once the contractions began, we had our little girl three (3!!) hours later. Despite the lack of an epidural and a nearly textbook birth, the cost was ~$15k. Insane.

[carlimac]

I am speaking about infections/complications, etc. etc... as well.

Vaginal birth - is not a medical event. It becomes one when they add medical interventions - like epidural, etc. So, if you treat vaginal birth as a non-medical event, and plan it as such, then it has a completely different medical outcome than surgery.

Because, the incision itself is a medical outcome. While a normal vaginal passage is... nothing.

Am I making sense?

What exactly do you mean by "not a medical event"? Of course it's a medical event. How could it not be? Even getting a scratch that requires only a bandaid is a medical event.

Had my daughter not had intervention with her childbirth, she and her baby would most likely be dead. I was there- saw the whole thing. She pushed for three hours straight. Baby was posterior and stuck. Even with manipulation, they couldn't get him out without forceps and a major episiotomy. I think it's just pure snobbery to say that vaginal birth is nothing!

[prisonchaplain]

For some time now my husband and I have been discussing whether or not to get an epidural. Well, mostly he's just been listening to me debate back and forth with myself, lol, as it doesn't really affect him.

It does affect him...however indirectly. And...he is wise wise wise! I have no advice about the epidural (though, I think a birth is still considered natural, even with it). However, the wise counsel I would offer other husbands is what you husband did--silence, support, agreement! He oughtta be writing books and leading "Being a good husband" seminars!

[Backroads]

What exactly do you mean by "not a medical event"? Of course it's a medical event. How could it not be? Even getting a scratch that requires only a bandaid is a medical event.

Had my daughter not had intervention with her childbirth, she and her baby would most likely be dead. I was there- saw the whole thing. She pushed for three hours straight. Baby was posterior and stuck. Even with manipulation, they couldn't get him out without forceps and a major episiotomy. I think it's just pure snobbery to say that vaginal birth is nothing!

I guess my question is: Why must birth be considered a medical emergency? That isn't to say that there aren't plenty of issues that come up during birth and that there isn't some inheritant danger involved, but... women have managed to have healthy births for eons.

Is it automatic that a woman MUST go to the hospital and MUST expect all sorts of medical intervention just because she is pregnant?

[MarginOfError]

I guess my question is: Why must birth be considered a medical emergency? That isn't to say that there aren't plenty of issues that come up during birth and that there isn't some inheritant danger involved, but... women have managed to have healthy births for eons.

Is it automatic that a woman MUST go to the hospital and MUST expect all sorts of medical intervention just because she is pregnant?

Up until the mid 1900's child birth was the leading cause of death among women. In 1900, the maternal mortality rate was 1 in 100, which was hailed as a major accomplishment from the mid 1800's where it peaked at about 40 in 100. Thanks to medical intervention, the maternal mortality rate fell as low as 11 in 100,000, although it has climbed to 17 in 100,000 recently.

In the undeveloped parts of the world, child birth continues to be the leading cause of death among women. So yes, women have managed to have healthy births for eons, but they've also managed to have tragically fatal births for eons. In my opinion, there's good reason to want medical access when delivering a child.

[Backroads]

Up until the mid 1900's child birth was the leading cause of death among women. In 1900, the maternal mortality rate was 1 in 100, which was hailed as a major accomplishment from the mid 1800's where it peaked at about 40 in 100. Thanks to medical intervention, the maternal mortality rate fell as low as 11 in 100,000, although it has climbed to 17 in 100,000 recently.

In the undeveloped parts of the world, child birth continues to be the leading cause of death among women. So yes, women have managed to have healthy births for eons, but they've also managed to have tragically fatal births for eons. In my opinion, there's good reason to want medical access when delivering a child.

Yet numbers do not prove that more woman died from childbirth than not. It's one thing to want medical access, it's another thing to force it entirely. As has been said, if it is a healthly pregnancy with no threats and a couple has planned accordingly, should anyone force them to have a hospital birth when hospital births can cause medical problems in of themselves?

[Gwen]

Is it automatic that a woman MUST go to the hospital and MUST expect all sorts of medical intervention just because she is pregnant?

yes and it is automatic that she must go to the hospital as fast as humanly possible and everyone around her, especially dad, must run around and panic like chickens with their heads cut off to get her there. you must break all the road laws and drive as unsafely as possible because that baby is going to come flying out any second and the world will stop turning if you are not in the hospital, on your back, with an iv and epidural when that happens.

[Gwen]

Up until the mid 1900's child birth was the leading cause of death among women. In 1900, the maternal mortality rate was 1 in 100, which was hailed as a major accomplishment from the mid 1800's where it peaked at about 40 in 100. Thanks to medical intervention, the maternal mortality rate fell as low as 11 in 100,000, although it has climbed to 17 in 100,000 recently.

In the undeveloped parts of the world, child birth continues to be the leading cause of death among women. So yes, women have managed to have healthy births for eons, but they've also managed to have tragically fatal births for eons. In my opinion, there's good reason to want medical access when delivering a child.

do these stats just say "child birth" as the cause or do they say what went wrong to cause the death? i'm wondering because i know one cause of life threatening complication and still is today is the number of children and the spacing. the uterus loses ability to re-contract over use and if i recall correctly it was anything over 5 kids was risk of it not re-contracting. if the uterus can not re-contract a woman will bleed to death without a hysterectomy. women long ago (and in undeveloped countries) where birth control or medical resources were not available frequently had this problem. when doing family history and you see a woman that died shortly after the birth of her 12th child that's likely what happened to her. i was just wondering what happens to the numbers if you remove that specific cause of death.

Edited January 31, 2011 by Gwen

[MarginOfError]

yes and it is automatic that she must go to the hospital as fast as humanly possible and everyone around her, especially dad, must run around and panic like chickens with their heads cut off to get her there. you must break all the road laws and drive as unsafely as possible because that baby is going to come flying out any second and the world will stop turning if you are not in the hospital, on your back, with an iv and epidural when that happens.

Sadly, there's way too much of that. I think there needs to be a lot of pregnancy educational intervention in this country.