Epidural: get one or not get one?

[MarginOfError]

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 recontacting. 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.

Those are just maternal mortality statistics--deaths related to child birth. I've never seen a break down of the cause. I have read speculation that the largest contributor is unsanitary equipment being used by those assisting the delivery. The equipment includes scalpels and knives (for episiotomy) and forceps. We could postulate that if the equipment weren't used, then those lives might be saved, but that's difficult to support since women who don't get an episiotomy are likely to tear and then they'd probably get contaminated needles sewing them back up. Forceps are also credited with saving countless lives--for years they were one of the best bets of delivering a child who came breech.

[Backroads]

In the past century, many of what hospital doctors prescribed as the best childbirth options were in fact very bad and sometimes even deadly for the mother.

[Gwen]

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

i think there is a lot of that because we have gone away from "natural" child birth. the family used to be involved, the father (in more recent yrs), the mother and mil, etc. they knew what was going to happen, how long it takes, etc. they knew the start meant the baby could still be days away. no chickens with their heads cut off. then it became something that happened in hospitals, family was put a step behind and if the woman needed help coping with the pain instead of bringing mom or some other close relationship to help her focus and talk her through it they blocked the pain with "modern medicine". there was a removal from the process. we fear things we don't understand. when mom goes into labor there is a panic, "what do we do?!?".

it's not just the ppl around mom that panic. women are removed from a process they are going through. they lose power and become just as afraid. that's part of why i say going "natural" is empowering. it wasn't till my 5th child that i actually experienced the delivery of the placenta. i had an epidural with the others, the dr did his thing. i learned more with the 5th than the other 4 combined. it's empowering.

i think a lot of dr's don't like empowered patients. they ask to many questions and want a say in the decision.

i'm not an "all natural birth" advocate. i'm all for using medical interventions, especially after consideration of all the factors you make the decision based on knowing yourself. i would never tell a woman she made the wrong decision by getting an epidural or other assistance.

what i do have an issue with is the information not being out there. i had my children the way i did because the information was not available to me. there were no birthing classes within an hour of my home (that's a long drive when prego). the dr didn't "educate" me on the options or what the full consequences of my choices could be. i read a few books, looked a few things up online, talked to my mom.... no real "education". when i look around i realize i was way more prepared than a lot of women. that's sad. we need real education, that includes the "natural" way and the "medical" way.

someone mentioned birthing clinics before. i think those would be a wonderful option but those are few and far between.

[Backroads]

Listening to my friend who has had natural childbirths... she feels that she was physically prepared for childbirth, taught how to practice for it. It was a lot more preparation than "let's stick drugs in you."

[Jenamarie]

I strongly believe that every woman should prepare for a natural childbirth. When it comes down to it, epidurals have a failure rate, and you don't always get to the hospital in time. I've read and heard too many birthstories where mom's one and only plan for dealing with the pain was an epidural, and either she was too far dialated when she got to the hospital to recieve one, the anestesiologist was too busy to get to her, or the epidural just flat out didn't work. And those women rarely had much positive to say about their birth experiences after that.

You may end up having the "epidural or natural?" decision made for you, and it's always wise to be prepared with a Plan B should you not get what you want. The last thing you want to do is have the rug pulled out from under you and suddenly have to figure out how to deal with the situation in the heat of the moment (or in the middle of a very painful contraction as the case may be).

So whether you're in the "Drug me up NOW!" camp or not, I believe it's wise to prepare for a natural birth, just in case.

[JThimm88]

Realistically, I WANT to have a natural birth, but I feel kind of in a rut because when I first found out I was pregnant, my automatic response to the grand finale was, "I am DEFINITELY getting an epidural." It wasn't until last week (where I was already 34 weeks!) that I even considered having a natural birth, and now I'm starting to favor it, but I don't know any pain management techniques for doing so.

Does pain management come naturally when you are doing a natural birth? I'm assuming that some women just do what they need to do in order to find SOME (I'm guessing not very much though, lol) relief when in labor, but are there any secrets to keeping pain somewhat under control during a natural birth that anyone would care to share?

I mean, hey, if I have to get an epidural based on doctor recommendation for whatever reason, then I'll do it, but I'm starting to feel as though us women really are equipped to have children without pain medications/numbing body parts/etc. (which is something that I honestly hadn't thought of after having "epidural, epidural, epidural" etched into my brain by the majority of people I've talked to, whether it be family, doctors, recent mothers and so forth) ...After all, Heavenly Father created us knowing what He was doing, and He also knows what us women are capable of, in general and individually.

Soooo, with that in mind, I suppose I'm going to go into the day (which is only 5 weeks away now, yikes!) with natural birthing on the mind, but I most certainly am going to keep my mind and my options open to whatever brings itself around!

[carlimac]

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.

I know you're being sarcastic. I honestly think this is not a very common scenario. It's a Hollywood scenario but I really don't know anyone who went about it this way, except one of my YW leaders who gave birth in the car on the way. And another friend who didn't even make it out the door. In fact she didn't even have time to get undressed.

[carlimac]

i think there is a lot of that because we have gone away from "natural" child birth. the family used to be involved, the father (in more recent yrs), the mother and mil, etc. they knew what was going to happen, how long it takes, etc. they knew the start meant the baby could still be days away. no chickens with their heads cut off. then it became something that happened in hospitals, family was put a step behind and if the woman needed help coping with the pain instead of bringing mom or some other close relationship to help her focus and talk her through it they blocked the pain with "modern medicine". there was a removal from the process. we fear things we don't understand. when mom goes into labor there is a panic, "what do we do?!?".

it's not just the ppl around mom that panic. women are removed from a process they are going through. they lose power and become just as afraid. that's part of why i say going "natural" is empowering. it wasn't till my 5th child that i actually experienced the delivery of the placenta. i had an epidural with the others, the dr did his thing. i learned more with the 5th than the other 4 combined. it's empowering.

i think a lot of dr's don't like empowered patients. they ask to many questions and want a say in the decision.

i'm not an "all natural birth" advocate. i'm all for using medical interventions, especially after consideration of all the factors you make the decision based on knowing yourself. i would never tell a woman she made the wrong decision by getting an epidural or other assistance.

what i do have an issue with is the information not being out there. i had my children the way i did because the information was not available to me. there were no birthing classes within an hour of my home (that's a long drive when prego). the dr didn't "educate" me on the options or what the full consequences of my choices could be. i read a few books, looked a few things up online, talked to my mom.... no real "education". when i look around i realize i was way more prepared than a lot of women. that's sad. we need real education, that includes the "natural" way and the "medical" way.

someone mentioned birthing clinics before. i think those would be a wonderful option but those are few and far between.

Well, that's your personal experience. I think it really depends on where you're from. I lived in SLC for my first 3 births and I had excellent education and preparation. Classes, tours, books and handouts, breathing practice with my husband, etc. With my first, we went calmly to the hospital- even after being told by the doctor that I was going to deliver THAT day- like it or not because I was developing pre-eclampsia (toxemia). I was 40+ weeks so it was time to get the baby out.

There may be many women who aren't prepared because they choose not to be. ButI really believe most doctors in the US encourage women to learn all they can and attend birthing classes where available. If someone lives way out in the boonies hours from a hospital and classes, that's understandable if they can't get there. But with the internet and more literature than one could even get through, there is no excuse for being unprepared.

I think both ways of giving birth are perfectly acceptable. There are pros and cons of home births and hospital births. The real tragedy is that women tend to judge each other and think their own way is the best. Every woman should be able to decide and not feel the least bit guilty for the way she chooses to deliver, pain meds or none, home or hospital, aunts uncles and cousins in attendance or just hubby and the doctor, or whomever she wishes to be there. It should be a personal decision aided even by spiritual promtings.

Why don't we just back off each other and allow each other to be "empowered" by following our own personal intuition.

Edited February 1, 2011 by carlimac

[Backroads]

Does pain management come naturally when you are doing a natural birth? I'm assuming that some women just do what they need to do in order to find SOME (I'm guessing not very much though, lol) relief when in labor, but are there any secrets to keeping pain somewhat under control during a natural birth that anyone would care to share?

Only going off what my friend says... you should learn some. There are different kinds... different breathing exercises, even self-hypnosis.

[Gwen]

Well, that's your personal experience. I think it really depends on where you're from. I lived in SLC for my first 3 births and I had excellent education and preparation. Classes, tours, books and handouts, breathing practice with my husband, etc. With my first, we went calmly to the hospital- even after being told by the doctor that I was going to deliver THAT day- like it or not because I was developing pre-eclampsia (toxemia). I was 40+ weeks so it was time to get the baby out.

yes it's my personal experience, but i've found it's not an uncommon one. including the op who says all this time all she has heard was "epidural". i also would imagine the birth rate in SLC is well above the rate here, thus creating a market for more birthing options.

There may be many women who aren't prepared because they choose not to be. ButI really believe most doctors in the US encourage women to learn all they can and attend birthing classes where available. If someone lives way out in the boonies hours from a hospital and classes, that's understandable if they can't get there. But with the internet and more literature than one could even get through, there is no excuse for being unprepared.

i don't live in the boonies, i'm 2 blocks from the er entrance of our hospital. i could walk there, while in labor, faster than an ambulance could transport me. the issue was in our small town all the dr's and the hospital's birth plan was inductions with epidurals, so no need for classes.

when i went into the er in active labor the intake lady kept asking if i was there for an induction. i can't count the number of times i told her i was in active labor and having a baby right this min and it was still a foreign concept to her. the er nurse that took my vitals didn't grasp how close to delivery i was. it wasn't something they were used to, they didn't recognize it, it doesn't happen here. it wasn't until the nurse from the delivery floor got there with the wheelchair to take me up that someone went "this woman is having a baby!" she practically ran me to a room.

the women who chose not to use the local resources and went an hour to the larger cities didn't do it for "natural" birth. they did it because they felt the dr's were better trained, they scheduled an induction and epidural so they would not be "caught off guard" while driving an hour to their desired birthing location. intervention free birth options aren't taught, if you want them you have to go seeking them. i did a lot to prepare myself, with the information available. the reality is there is more info available that touts the phrase "why wouldn't you get an epidural?" with an obvious, this should be a really easy decision tone. i even bought a book about natural child birth, when i asked my dr about it i was told that information was "outdated". it worried me that something wasn't accurate and i trusted my dr. it wasn't about choosing to not be prepared. if you don't become a fanatic advocate for "natural" birth then it's hard to find the real facts for the other side (unfortunately those are often slanted anti-intervention so if you are a middle of the road gal you are just stuck).

I think both ways of giving birth are perfectly acceptable. There are pros and cons of home births and hospital births. The real tragedy is that women tend to judge each other and think their own way is the best. Every woman should be able to decide and not feel the least bit guilty for the way she chooses to deliver, pain meds or none, home or hospital, aunts uncles and cousins in attendance or just hubby and the doctor, or whomever she wishes to be there. It should be a personal decision aided even by spiritual promtings.

Why don't we just back off each other and allow each other to be "empowered" by following our our personal intuition.

i'm pretty sure i said this.

Realistically, I WANT to have a natural birth, but I feel kind of in a rut because when I first found out I was pregnant, my automatic response to the grand finale was, "I am DEFINITELY getting an epidural." It wasn't until last week (where I was already 34 weeks!) that I even considered having a natural birth, and now I'm starting to favor it, but I don't know any pain management techniques for doing so.

i would suggest (your final statement suggests this is where you are) you keep the idea of an epidural open, you don't know how your delivery will go. as one nurse told me as i made the decision "the only way you won't have a natural birth is if this baby comes out your nose". go in prepared the best you can at this point and if mid stream it becomes to much then take the help the dr can offer. in the end if you have done the best you can for mom and baby to be healthy then it was a job well done (some events are unavoidable no matter how prepared you are).

Does pain management come naturally when you are doing a natural birth? I'm assuming that some women just do what they need to do in order to find SOME (I'm guessing not very much though, lol) relief when in labor, but are there any secrets to keeping pain somewhat under control during a natural birth that anyone would care to share?

i'm not a professional by any means. but no i don't think it comes natural to most. i would start be evaluating yourself. how do you manage pain right now? how do you react to other ppl feeling pain? do you handle it well? do you have a high or low pain tolerance? do you already have an inclination toward specific pain management techniques?

the cycle of pain in child birth is fear, tension, pain. you don't know what is happening or are afraid of the pain, that fear creates tension in the body, that tension causes the pain to be more intense, the increased pain causes more fear.... and it just escalates from there.

knowing those 3 things i would start in 2 places. one learn everything you can on the birth process (if you haven't already), take the unknown fear out of it. expect some pain and don't be afraid of that. practice some relaxation techniques (whatever is natural for you) to relieve the tension. decreased tension will decrease the pain.

i used a lot of visualization and breathing (slow meditative type breathing). i also put off going to the hospital as long as i could possibly stand it. lol

something else i've read will help a lot, if your dr will support you in this, is don't let the dr rush you. with an epidural the dr will need to tell you when to push. without your body will tell you when to push. if the dr is saying to push with the next contraction but your body isn't then you aren't ready so don't. if you push when your body tells you to then it will go much smoother and not as painful and less stress on the baby. (there are a minority of women who do not feel an urge to push.) i hear on your side is the best position not on your back, if your dr will let you i'd try that (if i have another that's my plan). if you get an epidural on your back is the only position you will be able to use.

I mean, hey, if I have to get an epidural based on doctor recommendation for whatever reason, then I'll do it, but I'm starting to feel as though us women really are equipped to have children without pain medications/numbing body parts/etc. (which is something that I honestly hadn't thought of after having "epidural, epidural, epidural" etched into my brain by the majority of people I've talked to, whether it be family, doctors, recent mothers and so forth) ...After all, Heavenly Father created us knowing what He was doing, and He also knows what us women are capable of, in general and individually.

Soooo, with that in mind, I suppose I'm going to go into the day (which is only 5 weeks away now, yikes!) with natural birthing on the mind, but I most certainly am going to keep my mind and my options open to whatever brings itself around!

with my first my husband made the decision for me to get an epidural. though i did a lot of reading i just wasn't prepared. i have a hard time making on the spot decisions anyway and i hit a point when i just couldn't make a choice. so i would suggest talking to your husband about how you feel about certain things. i was very big on not wanting anything that would pass though in the blood and get in the baby's system.

every experience is a learning opportunity. you do the best you can with what you have at the time. learning on my own with little "outside" instruction/help it took me 4 to be prepared for an "all natural" birth. would i do some things different if i had to do it all over again? you bet. am i pained with regret? not in the least. i did the best i knew how. i have healthy, intelligent, beautiful kids. i can't feel bad about that.

good luck. enjoy your research and don't let all the extreme info on either side stress you. there are horror stories for every situation, don't read those this close to delivery. lol i hope you have a wonderful experience (though it won't be "easy"). for me, even with my hardest delivery, there are worse experiences than the delivery (the 9month pregnancy and getting my wisdom teeth out are at the top of my list lol).

you were made to do this. get a blessing before you go to the hospital and don't be afraid to ask for another mid stream if you want it (if your husband holds the priesthood yes he can give you a blessing all by himself in such a situation).

[Maureen]

...."the only way you won't have a natural birth is if this baby comes out your nose".

Great quote, I like it.

...with an epidural the dr will need to tell you when to push. without your body will tell you when to push. if the dr is saying to push with the next contraction but your body isn't then you aren't ready so don't. if you push when your body tells you to then it will go much smoother and not as painful and less stress on the baby. (there are a minority of women who do not feel an urge to push.)

I'm not sure about a minority but it is true that not every woman will have the urge to push, I was like that. It's true that your body knows what to do, but sometimes you don't. When I was going thru the motions of figuring out how to manage my labour contractions; at one point the nurse noticed that I was grunting, which she knew meant that I was probably fully dilated. It was just natural for that to happen, I had no idea I was grunting or what it meant. So, since this is your first time JThimm88, know that your body was made for this, and hopefully you will have a great hospital team to help you through it and you will remember it as a good experience.

M.

[Jenamarie]

when i went into the er in active labor the intake lady kept asking if i was there for an induction. i can't count the number of times i told her i was in active labor and having a baby right this min and it was still a foreign concept to her. the er nurse that took my vitals didn't grasp how close to delivery i was. it wasn't something they were used to, they didn't recognize it, it doesn't happen here. it wasn't until the nurse from the delivery floor got there with the wheelchair to take me up that someone went "this woman is having a baby!" she practically ran me to a room.

When I had my first natural birth the nurse (who was a 15 year veteran on the OB floor) who helped the OB said it was the FIRST drug-free birth she had ever attended! It really brought home to me how I need to know as much as I can for myself what can happen during childbirth. YOU are the one who has to go home with the consequences of whatever happens in that delivery room, so be as educated as you can. :)

[herbmom]

I have had 5 children and pg with my 6th. My first was over 30 hours labor. I tried at a birth center but my uterus slowed down. They sent me to the hospital and suggested the epidural and rest before delivery. I was wiped out so I agreed. I had very painful back labor. The epidural guy poked me at least 9 times to get it right. I was bruised after wards but didn't have the epidural go opposite direction or half side like some other mom's. However it did leave me with side effects. I ended up with a spot in my upper thigh that was numb for many years. I also get spasms in my back which started before the epidural but make it so that I'm not a really good candidate for them. My 2nd baby was born at home after I took bradley classes and learned better how to relax. Shorter labor and much better birth.

Get the bradly book and read up on relaxing. Relaxing is key. Also look into hypnobirthing. It also helps you relax.

I had next two natural in hospital. 5th baby was born in birthing tub at home. Awesome experience. I get back labor with all my babies. This was so much easier and less painful. I focused on relaxing. To be honest it was quite exhilarating to give birth this last time, as it should be. The midwives were only there as by standers to make sure all was well.

I would highly recommend having a doula. They help you relax and know how to push on your back or use other natural methods of relaxing to help with pain. I personally prefer home. It's more relaxing. I can move around and listen to my body. If you go to a hospital make sure they give you the option to move around. Flat on your back is not a good position to labor in. When you are not comfortable you are not relaxed. When you are not relaxed you feel pain. That is my two sense. Also I feel my babies are more alert when they aren't exposed to drugs/epidural during labor/birth.

[Maureen]

...Flat on your back is not a good position to labor in...

I agree, sometimes standing is a better position. Same with pushing, if you can get a doctor that will let you push sitting up, that makes a huge difference.

M.

[herbmom]

Don't forget squatting, hands and knees and laying on your side are all good to depending on baby's position. Hospitals limit you on your choices. Birth centers are more accommodating. Laboring mother's need to have the freedom to move.

[herbmom]

It's amazing how many medical students, Dr's and nurses have not seen natural child birth. It's a foreign concept to them. They see the worst case scenario usually at teaching hospitals.

[MichaelCraig]

I was right there when all 3 of my sons were born. I believe that the closest a person can ever come to touching Heavenly Father while we are still on this Earth, is when we kiss the cheek of our JUST born baby. Gray stuff and all. Most emotional Holy Spirit filled moment of my entire life. How any person can understand and witness having a baby, from the time the mother knows she is with child, until the baby is born and STILL not know there is a Heavenly Father...I'll never understand. It is a complete miracle in it's truest form. How the female body adapts even after the child is born, how the mothers milk formula changes with time as the baby grows having different vitamins and nutrients needed just for that particular child at that particular time. I could go on and on. It is the most amazing thing to me. Almost too much for my simple mind to grasp.

Edited February 3, 2011 by MichaelCraig

[manewell]

My daughter wanted to do all natural with her first born, but it didn't work out for her -- a psychological fear of the pain and feeling guilty if she couldn't do it natural really complicated the situation and she had to have a c-section. For her next child, she went natural with an epidural ready if she wanted it, and she did, and she had a lovely experience -- and I got to be there too. For her 3rd and 4th the same -- she had the epidural and had no problems. For the last, they didn't have to take a single stitch.

Personally, I think expecting a woman to give birth without an epidural is like expecting someone to have major surgery without anesthesia. Yes, there's some possible risk from the anesthesia, but it's cruel and inhumane, IMO, to expect a person to endure that pain. Just my opinion.

If you want to, okay -- but don't beat up on yourself if it becomes too painful or your become too tired.

I had to have c-sections. For my first, I was out cold. So I missed the whole experience. For the 2nd, I had a spinal (that's what they called it back then) and I was awake and able to experience the birth.

[Bini]

My daughter wanted to do all natural with her first born, but it didn't work out for her -- a psychological fear of the pain and feeling guilty if she couldn't do it natural really complicated the situation and she had to have a c-section. For her next child, she went natural with an epidural ready if she wanted it, and she did, and she had a lovely experience -- and I got to be there too. For her 3rd and 4th the same -- she had the epidural and had no problems. For the last, they didn't have to take a single stitch.

Personally, I think expecting a woman to give birth without an epidural is like expecting someone to have major surgery without anesthesia. Yes, there's some possible risk from the anesthesia, but it's cruel and inhumane, IMO, to expect a person to endure that pain. Just my opinion.

If you want to, okay -- but don't beat up on yourself if it becomes too painful or your become too tired.

I had to have c-sections. For my first, I was out cold. So I missed the whole experience. For the 2nd, I had a spinal (that's what they called it back then) and I was awake and able to experience the birth.

I really appreciate your post.

I think having an "open mind" is of utmost importance. I want to go the natural route but I'm not going to beat myself up if my plans end up changing, and I don't believe people should judge me if that be the case.

[Guest]

I really appreciate your post.

I think having an "open mind" is of utmost importance. I want to go the natural route but I'm not going to beat myself up if my plans end up changing, and I don't believe people should judge me if that be the case.

Bini, this is a very healthy outlook, especially in childbirth. Because, everybody's experience is different. You may go to all the birthing classes, etc. etc., then you find out, whoa, this isn't working like they say it's supposed to.

That's my experience. I was all hyped on the natural birth thing... then I ended up with a c-section... Not quite what I planned on... So yeah, don't listen to those people who think you should do everything the way "they did it". Chances are - it's not quite going to work out the same for you.

The thing to keep in mind is - just try to understand what's going on with your body (even cravings have a purpose). Try to keep on top of your health and know/accept your limitations.

[carlimac]

The thing to keep in mind is - just try to understand what's going on with your body (even cravings have a purpose).

So what's the purpose of craving Fresca and A-1 sauce? LOL! Those were mine.

[Bini]

OK and what's the purpose of craving flour..? Slamjet had mentioned that one in another post. Haha.

My cravings have been pretty boring. I'm eating a lot of rice noodles, fruit loops and baked potatoes (PS. I know setup for constipation!). I have no desire to eat much else. Not even chocolate and I do enjoy myself some dark chocolate. This is a bit odd but I'm usually a really good water drinker. Lately I just haven't wanted to consume much liquid and I'm not feeling dehydrated. Still I make myself drink a glass of water throughout the day.

[Gwen]

My cravings have been pretty boring. I'm eating a lot of rice noodles, fruit loops and baked potatoes (PS. I know setup for constipation!).

don't worry about it, if you do have problems pick your favorite fruit and eat till your heat is content. it will counter the other stuff without having to worry about chemicals that could be counter productive to being pregnant. lol

[Guest]

Cravings are the body's reaction to some missing nutrient. It may sound really wierd craving flour - but there's something in that flour that your body is needing.

The thing is - that something missing may be available in something healthier or more "normal" - so you can substitute something else for A-1 sauce or something. The problem though is - we usually don't know what that something missing is...

[jayanna]

Well, commenting on the OP, it really does depend on what you feel at the time.

I do recommend having medical staff on hand for whatever might come up.

I had a heart condition I didn't know about with my 2nd and it became a huge problem all of a sudden while I was pushing. Completely unforeseeabble.

With my 1st I was so tense from the pain that I was not dilating (for 15 hours). I got an epi and I was pushing about an hour an a half later.

With my 2nd I didn't need it. I did a lot of walking, all over the place, yes, while in labor, gravity is my friend, it only lasted 3 hours total. They gave me one (epi) anyway, but it didn't take...puncture, drug, everything, no relief, weird. Demerol doesn't work on me either, I would not suggest it, as it effects the breathing of the infant, so I didn't have any for childbirth.

There are lots of other pain management methods out there. One is relaxing (which did work for others, but not me), focusing by using a certain picture or object to stare at, and another is massage by rubbing another part of the body that is not in pain (which worked for me until pushing stage when it became annoying) it was more like a brushing motion than a deep tissue massage. I learned them in birthing class.

Good luck, and congrats to Tarnished and Faded!