How on earth do women give birth without epidurals?

[Begaydocrime94]

genuine question, for those of you who have given birth without epidurals, how?? Just gave birth for the second time and was hoping for no epidural this time but caved pretty much immediately. How do women cope without? Do some women just cope better with pain etc?

...just to add, I gave birth at home, which I found empowering, and I used breathing techniques that were incredibly powerful. Both things are big factors for me, I think.

I didn’t have anything but I don’t know if I just had an easy birth and was lucky? (12 hours from first contraction) As you get told about the pain etc and while it was painful I managed ok, so I do think it’s all about the individual birth as unfortunately we lost a baby at 20 weeks and giving birth to her was actually more painful than my first.

I think anyone who goes through child birth no matter what they’ve had or way is incredible.

No choice, despite begging for hours on end. Anaesthetist was not available as had a couple of back to back emergency c-sections which took priority over my desperate requests

I don't honestly know, I just did. It quickly became too late for anything and that was that. I mean it's bloody painful isn't it? The relief is immediate when baby is out though.

I believe the pain was manageable with my second due to me being relaxed, in the privacy of my own home and extremely focussed on my breath.

My first labour was an induction and my body was completely tense, I was very stressed and uncomfortable with the people around me. The pain was torturous, and I had an epidural the minute I could.

The two experiences were worlds apart.

I have 4 natural births with only gas and air and an emergency c section. I really found gas and air effective, made me totally loopy but it really did the trick.

My first I didn’t know what was to come so went blindly in with G&A and two paracetamol.
Second I was full of confidence and had nothing but a TENS.
Third I was traumatised and begged for epidural but they said it was too late. For me it was the speed of labour. My second was a nice 24hrs start to finish so a slow ramping up of pain. Third was straight in like I had been hit by a truck. He flew out 🤣.
Im not having anymore but next time I am getting put to sleep.

Mine didn’t work, so I had no choice. Needed both ventouse then forceps, the resultant CPTSD still affects me 20 years later.

I will say the after pains were way worse with my middle child - no idea why. Worse than the labour.

Both mine were too fast....

Only realised I was in labour when I was 8cm, so too late. 20 minutes after waters broken by midwife there was dc.
Pretty much the same second time - fast and furious.
But I wouldn't have wanted an epidural in any case, as I was blissfully unaware of all the things that can happen during labour, having been reassured by a mum who'd had 3 dc and said it was just like shelling peas!
Fortunately for me she was right.

I had one with my first and it wasn't a nice experience, so didn't have one with my second or third

For the first bit, before the actual pushing, I didn't cope very well. I found it difficult to cope with not knowing how long I would be having these painful contractions before I could actually do anything about it. I resorted to perching on the edge of the bed and sort of mentally tuning out. At one point I was transfixed with tapping my toe on the floor and concentrating all my attention on doing that. Sounds weird now!!

Then when I got to the pushing stage, I don't know if this is normal, but I kept getting massive rushes of adrenaline. I would have a contraction which I can only describe as the pain equivalent of deafening white noise then in-between I would be thinking I can't believe I just experienced that much pain and I'm still alive! I honestly felt like a super hero and was loving it.
I remember thinking if I can do this I can do anything and would have been whooping and cheering if I had the energy. I could do with tuning into that feeling more often to be honest!

I had everything going ,but my labour's were both induced and very long ,
Everybody is different though
Some people have very short labour's, some people have very high pain thresholds.

The risk is small. Pain is definitely a good reason.

My labour went quickly at the end. I got to 10cm unexpectedly quickly after a very slow start. I had wanted an epidural so it was on my birth plan. Credit to them,they gave me the option but said it was likely to slow things down as I was at the pushing stage. I managed fine on gas and air. I was genuinely surprised about that. As a result, I wouldn't ask for an epidural next time.

Fantastic with the epidural thanks! I got it all, g&a, codeine, diamorphine and an epidural on top and honestly, I still felt the pressure and urge to push as her head was super low so I was literally on g&a with my epidural in just to deal with the pressure of the contractions rather than the pain of them if that makes sense 😅 I must be a wuss!

The idea of a needle in my spine freaks me out far more than pain.. dotto the idea of a c section, id never have one out of choice only necessity. I dint want my body messed about with more than I need it to be.

I looknat woman who have epidurals or selective sections and wonder how on earth theytl had the courage

We are all different

Oh grab what you can if it helps! Nothing to do with being a wuss at all. My issue with giving birth was not knowing the difference between pain and suffering, I felt so sad that I was in pain and didn’t frame it in the right way. To be fair I was 19 and absolutely terrified.

Every woman, baby and birth is different, we’ve all got to do what’s right for us

I was also worried about taking strong pain relief. I am very sensitive and often have odd reactions to medicine or, the very few, drugs or alcohol I've had so I was terrified of being off my tits and paranoid delusional whilst trying to give birth. I just couldn't risk it!

Didn't cope but had no choice on the last 3

Eldest I did .
2nd was too late and too far dilated
3rd anesthetist was elsewhere with an emergency
4th came too fast by time we actually got to the labour ward.

I wasn't offered it, had gas and air tho. It's so painful, I don't actually know how I did it.
Not much choice really tho, can't run away from your own body.

Also you don't even get a medal for going epidural free 😂

I've done two without epidurals and one with. I'd get an epidural every time I could now I've experienced it. It's fucking magic. The recovery after my third Labour with the epidural was so much easier, I was so much less tired too. Which helped me bond with baby easier. Obviously not everyone is as lucky as I was, being offered an epidural at 4cm immediately upon request though. But if you can get one I'd urge anyone to take it. Medical magic at its finest.

Two inductions. No option for an epidural either time and no pain relief at all for the 2nd (NOT my choice). I remember trying to crawl away from my own lower torso each contraction. There'd been a nurse earlier with a sharp irreverent tasteless sense of humour earlier on and I really wish she'd been able to stay, it helps me cope.

I have a pretty high pain tolerance and I was quite relaxed also don't like the thought of gas and air or an epidural. Breathed through it, water helped.

I'm also the person who had their fracture dislocated shoulder put back in the sane way (and I eould say that pain was worse than childbirth).