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?

With lots of swearing. ha
When I had my first baby, I had a horrible hospital midwife who was so pushy, I ended up pushed into an epidural I didn't want. I was unable to really control my body, when it came time to push I couldn't do it properly and my baby got a bit stuck, had a ventouse delivery (pulled out by a suction cup stuck to his head that left an ENORMOUS and awful bruise on his head, and an episiotomy cut that was horrendous) so the stress of all that really was off putting.
The three babies I had after that were all unmedicated, and while I personally found the pain a LOT (one was over 10lb) I found it a lot "easier" that my body could do what it was trying to do, and felt a whole lot better after birth than I did after the first one as well.

I'd just like to say that when I said I felt like a superhero, it was just that. I don't actually believe I am one!!
I apologise that my words were triggering.

I actually had a massive tear and hemorrhage right at the end, nearly died, and had to have all the drugs going whilst in surgery anyhoo. (Which I did have a terrible reaction to so my instinct was right to avoid them at the birth)
It took years to recover from ptsd and the anemia was horrific ...didn't feel like whooping then I can tell you.

@UpOnTheHousetop I felt like a superhero too. And like an Amazon woman. Don't apologise for your own lived experience.

I had epidural twice, one was a c section for breech baby so obvs needed that but the other was a long labour, now 10 days over, baby high up, not moving down into pelvis.

The midwife left after finishing her shift said hope they don’t leave you too long ( I was booked in for another C section few days later but had gone into spontaneous labour)but when I arrived at hospital Dr said we are not having any sections tonight let’s see how you progress

Well many hours later and monitoring showed babies heart rate falling rapidly and I had to be prepped for section at long last.
The Consultant was now called in and used forceps just before taking me to theatre as he said “ we need to get this baby out now”
Thank god for epidurals.

Good quality midwife care can make a huge difference.

My first was a mismanaged birth in hospital. The quality of management and care was poor (and simply inexperienced at key points) and I ended up with an accelerated labour, tethered to the bed and ended up with an epidural. If felt like I had gone 15 rounds for days afterward and PFB ended up in SC.

I had the others at home which meant I had an experienced midwife (plus backup) and the whole process was better managed and less stressful. Despite the other babies being larger and less well placed than the first I was able to deliver with some gas and air and was up and about feeling pretty well the next morning. No problems with the babies either.

Epidurals should be available to women who feel they need or want them but what would really help women in labour is better quality maternity care for all women and real choices in pain management.

Incidentally gas and air has been withdrawn from some hospitals where women in labour have the choice of paracetamol or, um, paracetamol. That's a disgrace in a modern health care system.

Different pain threshold.

Different reactions to gas and air and other pain relief methods.

Quick/easier/different labours.

No choice.

@NowImNotDoingIt "Different pain threshold.

Different reactions to gas and air and other pain relief methods.

Quick/easier/different labours.

No choice."

Also. Different choices.

I throw up every time i have gas and air, so it was not a possibility for me.

Definitely not a wuss- I found pushing so much worse with my first when I'd had an epidural, I wasn't allowed gas and air for pushing and I still had some pain and my body wasn't helping so it just felt like really hard work and I didn't think i could do it.
With the other two my body just took over at the pushing stage (they were much bigger babies too I think the weight of them helped haha).

The whole body taking over thing feels insane doesn't it? I remember someone telling me it would be like the vomiting reflex and you just need to not fight it. It was definitely very similar! Until the head and I felt did actually have to help push. Oooh brings back memories of that hideously painful but amazing my baby is here moment!

I certainly felt absolutely amazing after labour as there was nothing interfering with the natural surge of hormones. I was on a completely different plane, I felt so alive and alert.

Same. Which is crazy because I had labored for 36 hours yet after she came out I felt amazing and remember absolutely every detail of her first hours. My midwives had to encourage me to go to sleep. I'd caught about 20 minutes sleep between early contractions but obviously that's not much. So I was essentially awake for almost 40 hours.

Oops forgot that afterbirth pain. That was worse than pushing the baby out because it felt like I should have been done by then. I begged for strong drugs (asked DH to "go to the streets" when midwife declined). Which is crazy cause I didn't have an epidural for labor or pushing but wanted something after expelling the placenta. lol. That didn't last long, however. I was told later that with second babies women hurt when uterus starts clamping down. Not sure why that is?

I tried to have a home birth with my first as I have an extreme needle phobia and was desperate to avoid intervention, but after a 4 day latent phase (unknown back to back) I was exhausted and they insisted I go to hospital. I finally agreed to the epidural because I was in so much pain and stuck at 5cm. It took 6 hrs for the anesthetist to become available, while I made no progress; absolutely barbaric. Baby arrived 11hrs later even though pushing was only 12 mins.

DC2 was 24hrs start to finish. Asked for an epidural 9hrs in (desperate to avoid due to needle phobia), but back to back and stuck at 5cm, AGAIN I had to wait 6 hrs for the anesthetist, screaming in agony and making no progress. Baby arrived 9hrs after epidural, 5 mins pushing.

I’m due with DC3 tomorrow and utterly terrified, both of the epidural and of being made to wait while making no progress 😩

I have four children and every birth was different. They key thing is to make sure you get the pain relief that you want (whether that is all of it or none of it, it is your choice), and don’t act like you are some kind of superwoman if you didn’t have any. There are no medals.

@TalesOfTheGoldMonkey "don’t act like you are some kind of superwoman if you didn’t have any"

Absolutely don't act like it. But you can sure as hell feel like!

I was told the same. I asked with my first, labour was 30+ hours all in. They even took away my G&A by the end!

Baby 2 there wasn't time, not even time for G&A, not like I had a choice.

I was propped on my knees and did a lot of hula dancing. Circling my hips. I had gas and air which made me feel drunk.

You have no idea do you. Incredibly ignorant comment.
Some women are torn from vagina to anus and can be damaged for life.

If that's not a 'real injury' then I don't know what is.

Permanent faecal incontinence is not uncommon. For your indie 1:25 women suffer faecal incontinence after childbirth and for 85% of those women it is permanent.

Women can suffer prolapses, uterine ruptures, nerve damage and a host of other injuries.

God help us if women are saying what you are saying to other women.

Absolutely this!

I had a first birth with just gas and air - god it hurt like hell but because I felt empowered and supported (MLU, very non medical atmosphere, just midwife support) I felt incredible afterwards.

Following this, I had a C section with spinal anaesthesia (baby was transverse lie and no way could I deliver naturally) which was equally awesome - I couldn't believe I could be awake, no pain (though the tugging was a strange sensation) and he

Posted too soon

Both births though completely different were amazing but with the c section I felt more that the surgeon had performed an incredible thing, whereas the feeling after my first birth was oh wow what have I just done?!

We shouldn't negate any woman's feelings and it's quite normal to feel a huge sense of achievement.

I don't think it's a case of certain people having higher pain thresholds, it's just that every labour is different.

With DD1 she was back to back, it was an extremely painful labour, my contractions felt like my spine was being crushed and after 17 hours I was begging for an epidural, I actually wanted one sooner but it seemed to take an age to get it.

DD2 was born with me just using gas and air for pain relief. It was intense near the end but at no point did I feel like I couldn't cope with the pain like my first labour. I don't think I was any tougher second time round, it was just an extremely different labour experience.

I had an epidural with DS1. I was induced and the pain was absolutely unmanageable.

I didn’t need an epidural with DS2. I went into labour naturally, stayed at home most of the day and found gas and air to be enough pain relief when I finally attended hospital.

Both labours and the pain I experienced were very different.

IME it depends on the length of labour. My first was a long labour (21 hours from 5cm dilated to birth) and I don't know how I'd have coped without an epidural. DC2 and DC3 were much quicker (3 hours ish) and I didn't need any pain relief except gas and air - it's easier to bear the pain for a shorter length of time.

I think we all have different pain thresholds and also we’re all shaped a bit different perhaps? I really didn’t like the idea of an epidural so went without. The pushing part hurt of course but I really wouldn’t have an epidural unless I had no choice!

This was how I felt too - I couldn’t stand the idea of not being in control sort of thing? Gas and air made me sick with my first so I never tried it again. I suppose you just sort of do what you have to do? And then forget about it almost immediately if you’re lucky.