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Saturday, June 10, 2006
Natural Childbirth
Nancy, 31 from Nevada asks...
I've just become pregnant (12 weeks) and I'm wondering about natural childbirth. Is the pain THAT horrible? Manageable? Are there any options less invasive then the epidural? Thanks for any advice.
Stacy Says...
Personally, I was never one of those women who wanted to experience natural childbirth. I'm all about the epidural!! However, if it really terrifies you there are some drugs that they can give you intravenously to minimize the pain. BUT, these medications can make you feel extremely...loopy...for lack of a better word. I actaully haven't talked to one woman who liked these drugs. And they are short acting and don't act directly on the pain of contractions and labor.
I did not experience alot of the progression of labor naturally because I was induced. It was going extremely slow and they had to do some pretty painful procedures, they offered an epidural early and I took them up on it. I had the epidural for more than 24 hours and so at the end of the labor, during pushing, it was wearing off. I must tell you, the worst pain of my life. I cannot imagine going through the ENTIRE labor with nothing.
And I don't mean to freak you out. Actually, ALL women will tell you their horror stories in an attempt to make you feel better and you will stare at them with terror thinking, 'Why are you telling me this?' It's true. They all will. But each labor is different and each woman is different. Mine was particularly difficult because they induced me due to my diabetes. My body was not ready for labor and just fought the whole process. YOU could be totally different. If you are interested in natural labor, talk to your doctor or midwife about meditation, imagery, aromatherapy, whatever it is you need to make labor easier and where you can go to find out more information.
But since you are asking my opinion. YES labor hurts really, really, bad and NO I haven't forgotten. And there is NO WAY I would ever opt to go through it naturally, but that's just me. However, every agonizing minute was completely worth it. And so while you don't forget it, it's nothing compared to the joy afterwards. So--do your research and find what works best for you. And remember, this is YOUR labor. You have every right to do it EXACTLY the way you want and the freedom to change your mind a million times. You'll do great!
I've just become pregnant (12 weeks) and I'm wondering about natural childbirth. Is the pain THAT horrible? Manageable? Are there any options less invasive then the epidural? Thanks for any advice.
Stacy Says...
Personally, I was never one of those women who wanted to experience natural childbirth. I'm all about the epidural!! However, if it really terrifies you there are some drugs that they can give you intravenously to minimize the pain. BUT, these medications can make you feel extremely...loopy...for lack of a better word. I actaully haven't talked to one woman who liked these drugs. And they are short acting and don't act directly on the pain of contractions and labor.
I did not experience alot of the progression of labor naturally because I was induced. It was going extremely slow and they had to do some pretty painful procedures, they offered an epidural early and I took them up on it. I had the epidural for more than 24 hours and so at the end of the labor, during pushing, it was wearing off. I must tell you, the worst pain of my life. I cannot imagine going through the ENTIRE labor with nothing.
And I don't mean to freak you out. Actually, ALL women will tell you their horror stories in an attempt to make you feel better and you will stare at them with terror thinking, 'Why are you telling me this?' It's true. They all will. But each labor is different and each woman is different. Mine was particularly difficult because they induced me due to my diabetes. My body was not ready for labor and just fought the whole process. YOU could be totally different. If you are interested in natural labor, talk to your doctor or midwife about meditation, imagery, aromatherapy, whatever it is you need to make labor easier and where you can go to find out more information.
But since you are asking my opinion. YES labor hurts really, really, bad and NO I haven't forgotten. And there is NO WAY I would ever opt to go through it naturally, but that's just me. However, every agonizing minute was completely worth it. And so while you don't forget it, it's nothing compared to the joy afterwards. So--do your research and find what works best for you. And remember, this is YOUR labor. You have every right to do it EXACTLY the way you want and the freedom to change your mind a million times. You'll do great!
