I think it was quite thoughtful of whoever designed our childbirth education classes to entitle the second class "Comfort Options" as opposed to what it truly is, "Pain Endurance."
Last night Drew and I attended our 2nd of 5 classes in preparation for the bean's arrival. We went over a lot of good material including breathing exercises, massage and manipulation that the coach can do, and things the hospital offers to make the mom more comfortable (namely, DRUGS).
I'm really torn on the whole issue of whether to go for the narcotics and/or epidural or not. The thing is, I know that if I go in with the mindset of "I definitely want some" then I probably won't make it as long without any relief.
The more I'm learning about the different drugs, the less I like the idea. Obviously, I've never been in labor before and have no idea what it will be like, so I'm certainly not one to judge anyone else's decision. If you want an epidural or even general anesthesia -- go for it!
The thing that scares me are the side effects. I tend to get drowsy and disoriented from cough syrup, so when the instructor started telling us how Nubain can make you sleepy and "unaware" of how much pain there is I got nervous. The last thing I want is to be completely loopy and miss the miracle of my baby's birth.
Likewise, with an epidural you don't have any pain (yay!) but....you don't have any pain. This could be bad because the pain is what propels you to know when to push and how to push. If you can't feel anything below the chest how in the world are you suppose to push effectively??
On the other hand, I'm really not interested in making this the worst experience of my life. I want to welcome my baby with as much awareness and rest as I can, which an epidural could provide.
I'd love to hear from any Mom's who have been through it! Did you take the drugs or epidural? How did that color your birth experience?
Also, in a very small voice with my head down in shame, I need to make a confession. Remember the woman I mentioned last week who doesn't know the gender of her baby and wants a natural childbirth?
Well, she shared with us last night that she's allergic to all "-caine" drugs. You know, novocaine, benzocaine, etc. Specifically all of the drugs that do into the epidural cocktail. She still wants a drug-free birth, but can't have an epidural because she'll die if they inject all of that into her back.
Oops, sorry.
You can do it, friend! Natural all the way!
I'm not sure what I want to do...but I am definitely glad to have options.
Daffodil Weekend on Nantucket PART 2
17 hours ago
I have never been through childbirth either but hope to have a natural med-free birth. Our bodies were made to do this, it's our minds that let us down. We just have to think positively & stay motivated. It'll be hard but we can do it! And if we do need some sort of drug to get us through, then it's not the end of the world. Just remember that the most important thing is getting a healthy baby out safely! Good luck. We can do it!!
ReplyDeleteBefore I had my little girl, I wasn't sure either...wanting to do the natural, but also wanting to enjoy her birth (well...okay...enjoy is a weird word to use for such a painful experience...but you know) :). As it turned out, I ended up taking drugs...but I can attest that many of the comfort measures worked for pain relief (for me). I had over a week of non-productive labor (real contractions close together for most of the day)...and because I hadn't gone past my due date, they weren't willing to augment the contractions with pitocin (I begged...slightly humiliating when I think back on it...) I tried lots of the natural pain relief options during that time and found that hot water was DEFINITELY the most effective...I know this sounds crazy and it was just my personal experience, but I thought it was the closest thing to an epidural...hot water was an amazing pain reliever for me...I practically lived in my tub that week. At one point the gave me morphine...HORRIBLE...loopy...don't recommend it at all...they kept trying to give me that other times and I was like NO I do not want that again...I'd rather experience the pain than that. Needless to say, my water finally broke a week after the contractions started...I was EXHAUSTED...and I still was not dilating...so I told them I was interested in maybe having the epidural just so that I could rest before pushing, but that I'd like to try maybe some demerol first to see how far I could get with just that...so I think they misunderstood me...because I ended up with both in rapid succession. They gave me demerol which didn't reduce the pain, just made me not care about...it was a weird sensation...felt like the room was spinning...so anyway, while I was on that, they came in for the epidural...somewhere in my drug crazed mind, I was like, oh no...I wasn't ready for that, but I didn't object in my loopy "I don't care" state. Needless to say, thankfully, the demerol wore off fairly quickly...and the epidural was FANTASTIC. And, for me, it didn't take away all the pain and it definitely didn't take away the urge to push...I don't think anything could have stopped that urge...it's CRAZY strong. All that rambling to say, of all the things I had for pain relief, the hot water and epidural were the best. I don't like feeling loopy...and am fairly sensitive to drugs...and the epidural didn't make me feel loopy or weird at all...I was able to get a little sleep and my body was able to relax and I dilated rather quickly after getting it (doctor later told me that my contractions were so close together that my body just couldn't relax enough to dilate). Well, that's a lot of rambling...sorry to go on and on...but that's my story. Good luck and I am sure you will make the best decision for you and your baby...trust your instincts...you know what's best...and don't worry about what anyone else says or thinks. :)
ReplyDeleteHey Emily,
ReplyDeleteIt's Alicia Derr Waldrab...found your blog through your facebook and I love to read about your (growing) family.
I've been through labor twice (the kiddos are six and four now) and I was induced both times. I had an epidural both times and was very happy with it. Though it certainly diminishes the pain, you still feel pressure. When it was time to push, I told the doctor; she didn't believe that I could be dilated so quickly. She was wrong. So for me, the epidural really allowed me to be present and enjoy the experience of birth but with a diminished pain level. I didn't feel loopy, out of control, or removed from the experience. I went into the experience knowing that, should the contractions become very uncomfortable, I would request an epidural. I am glad that I did, but the bottom line is...make the decision that is best for you. There is nothing better or worse about a natural or medicated birth. It's about being present and enjoying the whole experience in the way that you want to!
Good luck