[misse10]

Hi guys. I've been pretty calm about birth until now but as its getting closer and I start reading more about birth I'm getting more nervous. I'm a wus with pain so m plan has always been to get an epidural, but I don't know whether that will just make it not horrific, or whether it really will remove the pain. Or will there still be lots of pain before I go to the hospital and get the Epi?
Any advice from mums much appreciated as this is #1 for me!Thanks

[Amber Spyglass]

The best thing you can do is let go of your fears. Fear makes you tense, which makes pain worse. Relax, your body is made for birthing babies, it's what you are meant to do for the species. You might even surprise yourself and have a wonderful experience.

Talk to your midwife or OB at your next hospital visit. I got shown all the options during my ante-natal classes, and learning about how they affected me made me much more confident about facing the pain (and, I know it's irrelevant to you, but my first birth experience was a 6hr, natural labour, drug free, vaginal birth).

The best thing you can do is let go of your fears. Fear makes you tense, which makes pain worse. Relax, your body is made for birthing babies, it's what you are meant to do for the species. You might even surprise yourself and have a wonderful experience.

Talk to your midwife or OB at your next hospital visit. I got shown all the options during my ante-natal classes, and learning about how they affected me made me much more confident about facing the pain (and, I know it's irrelevant to you, but my first birth experience was a 6hr, natural labour, drug free, vaginal birth).

[follies]

I am at 37 weeks and my plan is lots of gas (from the sound of it I wouldn't turn it down if I wasn't in labour) but want to avoid the epi as I have a horrible lower back and would rather have short term pain then potential long term problems.

Also epidurals prolong labour on average by 45 minutes, but ask me again after I give birth.

Also I have been convincing myself that my labour will be all rainbows and butterflies as denial is better than panic in my books.

[Charli73]

Just go in with an open mind, I am a wuss when it comes to pain too and I knew I would have the pethidine and i thought it would be great but it only did so much....

I was a bit hesitant to have an epidural but was open to it but when it got too much i couldnt wait any longer I needed it and it was heaven I was worried a little as I have a spondylolisthesis (slipped vertebrae) in my lower back but it wasnt a problem at all..

I am 25 weeks with number two and will welcome an epi again...

I went in with an idea of how I wanted things to go and it didnt but I was calm and had a flexible approach.. whatever it took to make sure bubs was healthy..

best of luck It will all be worth it

[wickle pickle]

Don't worry about it - easier said than done, I know but it's not that bad or nobody would ever do it more than once! You can't tell what it'll be like for you but if you can ask your mum what her experience was that might give you some idea of what you might be in for...

Also, the pain builds up slowly over a fair while, so you'll know when you are approaching your limit and can go to the gas or an epidural then. Also, as k how far along you are etc, because if it's a fast labour they might say you've only got another 15 minutes to go or something and then it seems quite bearable :-)

Good luck!

[lizb87]

i can honestly say out of my group of friends 7/8 who had epidurals loved them. the one person who didnt get it working well had it placed too late (she was 10cm once it was in poor thing).

im not saying have one, but all im saying is dont stress about the pain when you have an 'out' in the form of an epidural at almost any stage (just dont leave it too late!). just have the attitude of "well ill see how i go and if i am not enjoying myself ill have an epidural, lie back & enjoy!). the most painful part of my entire birth was the IV cannula in my wrist!!!

[AryaStar]

Unfortunately everyone's experience of labour is different and so are their pain thresholds so it is hard to say.

I guess my advice would be to try not to go into it with too many preconceptions or expectations because the reality will always be very different. You may cope with the pain much better than you think. Just know that you will be in an environment where there are various forms of pain relief available to you if you should require them.

I had an epidural because I had a pretty awful induction with syntocin contractions that went from zero to a thousand straight away, highly intense and in quick succession with very little break in between. There was no gradual build up of labour pain to acclimatise to and no chance for the body to start releasing some of its own natural pain relief hormones.

I am hoping for a spontaneous labour this time and actively want to avoid an epidural. Not because it failed to work as pain relief (it was heaven) but because I want the freedom to actively labour without being restricted to the bed and monitored constantly.

Epidurals are great but they do come with downsides too. It completely removed the pain but it also removed all sense of feeling.

I ended up with a ventouse delivery and serious third degree tearing and wonder if some of that could have been avoided if I was able to move around freely during labour and allow gravity to facilitate the birthing process. It also meant for me that I could not feel any contractions and the urge to push was totally absent so I had to be prompted by the midwife. Who knows?

ETA I also recommend the book Birth Skills by Juju Sundin. It describes a number of simple, common sense techniques you can use to help cope with the pain of childbirth and has helped me feel more confident as I prepare to labour for the second time around.

This post has been edited by Shady Lane: 10/04/2012, 10:25 PM

[suzy-c]

I was going to post longer, but Shady Lane said everything I was going to say! Especially the bit about being active. After getting induction stuff (I don't remember which) and after 5 successive epidurals, I had no feeling that my "pushing" was actually pushing, or me just straining my eyes.

I really want to avoid an epidural this time, but I hope there is a local for the outside bits.

Fear really does compound things, because generally, your fears are imaginative and limitless, whereas labour itself can be straightforward and positive. Personally, when it was over, I thought "Pain schmain, I have my baby! ....... can I eat and sleep now?"

[Paddlepop]

I had an induction for my daughter's birth and had an epidural. She was induced because I had pre-eclampsia.

It took hours and quite a high dose of syntocinon (drip) to get into labour properly. I was using the gas with good enough results but then the pain was too much once labour started properly and I requested an epidural. It was a great choice for me. The first epidural didn't work but the second one did. The anaethesist stayed in the room until he was satisfied with my level of pain relief.

Once the epidural was in place the midwife advised me to sleep to get some energy for the pushing that would come later. I slept for 3 hours, and so did my husband. I was monitored throughout, which can be a downside to an epidural. Initially they just used the belly monitor belt thing, then switched to a scalp electrode. This is a wire that is attached to the baby's scalp via your vagina then taped to your leg, and hooked up to a monitor. A catheter is also inserted into the urethra once an epidural is in place because you won't be able to feel when you need to pee.

Ultimately I had a forceps delivery because my blood pressure spiked dangerously and I wasn't allowed to push. Also, my baby had a large head and she took a long time to get into the right position for delivery. The Ob had to used quite a lot of force to deliver my daughter because I couldn't push and she had to pull during contractions. I didn't experience any pain but could sense the force that was being used. I did tear badly but again, I couldn't feel any pain.

My best advice for you would to be informed about the options available to you, have an idea about how you want labour and delivery to go, but be willing to adapt if the need arises based on what your health professionals advise you. And stop reading scary birth stories! You might be fortunate enough to have a birth that goes smoothly and doesn't require much pain relief or other invention.

Best wishes for your birth of your baby.

[Carmen02]

All labours are different Ive had 3 and they where all totally different, best thing is chatting to your midwife the next time you see one and truly going into the labour relaxed and ready for anything is the best way. I have quite a high pain threshold so Ive managed all drug free but dont make your mind up till you are going through it, Ive found a radio helped me heaps in my first labour took my mind off the pain! (had music but the radio was better lol) So try think of some distraction methods, my 2nd and 3rd labour werent long enough for anything lol