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?

I think I found the pain not so very much worse than the (bloody awful) period pains I'd had as a teenager - not so bad in a way as they weren't continuous. I had a tens machine, and had intended to have gas and air but didn't get to that
About 6 hours and a <7lb baby probably helped.

I don't know if the tens machine helped, DH tried it on himself afterwards, at the level he'd helpfully cranked it up to till I said it was getting irritating and yanked it off...he nearly collapsed from the pain!😂

How are we still living in a day and age where women aren't being listened to and taken seriously. It really pisses me off.

A friend had some nasty side effects from her epidural and another had two failed attempts and then it only worked on one side. Plenty of other people have had successful epidurals, but it was those I remembered! Once I was in the hospital no one asked if I wanted one and I managed with gas and air. Not fun, but I found it hard work rather than agonising.

One in USA with epidural and one in UK with no pain relief at all. Epidural caused some problems and I'm glad I avoided it second time round.

The TENS and water were enough, honestly. I went into a deep place and I could just cope with it. I'd do my unmedicated birth over again before I'd do the one I had an epidural for.

Didn't need it and wasn't in a place where they had it. Probably I was not in as much pain as other women. But it was still terrible pain and I had to fight to be allowed the gas! I don't ever look down on anyone who has epidural. Every labour is different.

I have had 4 births, the last was a doddle the other 3 I demanded an epidural pretty early on.

Mine were all induced, only the last one was I chilled about it plus it was far more like a spontaneous labour - slow build up and then the pushing was incredibly quick.

The 2nd one hurt like hell even with the epidural and gas and air.

Honestly, all this stuff about "pain threshold" and it being all a matter of "framing the pain" and so on does women a real disservice.

All births are not equal. I've had one textbook waterbirth where, even though it hurt like fuck, it was manageable and I coped without any pain relief at all. If that had been my only birth I might well have been arrogant enough to think that's just what birth is like and why can't all women get through it with visualising golden threads, contextualising the pain, choosing to be "present" and all that jazz.

But then I've also had one very difficult birth where I can honestly say that the pain was so bad it was torture. Unbearable, endless, torture with no gaps between the contractions; just a whole world of indescribable agony. It was nothing like the "ordinary" labour I experienced. And it went on, and on, and on as DS just wasn't progressing.

In retrospect, I was clueless about how terrible labour can be. By most standards I have a high pain threshold - I run hilly marathons in all weathers and think it's fun - but this was a whole new level of pain and trust me, no level of breathing, warm water or standing positions even touched it. I tried!

My first birth I don't think I was offered an epidural. Either because in the 1970s they weren't common/ available or because, as was made clear to me at the time they didn't give a damn about me. I was an " unmarried mother" and had been brow beaten into saying my baby would be adopted so the assumption was I didn't care about my child and I didn't count as human.
My second birth, in the 1980s, I was offered an epidural but didn't have one because of all the horror stories of women left paralysed for life because of the injection being administered into the spine incorrectly.

2nd time around was so much easier. I was standing up throughout and didn't need an epidural. 1st was a nightmare though and I had one then

The tens machine was awful for me. Like I was being electrocuted by my DH while I was trying to give birth. I told him that if he didn't stop pressing that button I'd strangle him with the leads.

With my second I was in the water. It really did help. He was 7 hours rather than 21 the first time but I didn't get to the 'I can't do it' stage until he was on his way.

I had one with my first and it was initially a blessed relief in a slow painful labour, but later on, particularly in transition, I found it quite disorienting not really being able to feel the contractions properly. My second was too fast (9cm on arrival at hospital, birth half an hour later, the contractions had been very manageable until then) and my third was induced and took a while to get going but then 20 minutes from 2cm to birth. I have to be honest - I don't know how I'd have coped with that level of pain for hours on end. But I think I'd have wanted to try, just because of my first birth experience.

Yes this for me second and third time. Managed OK on the gas and air.

Honestly so many of us are pushed to wait (and then it's too late according to them) or encouraged not too, or there is noone about to do one. I lv and 3 labour's, not one epidural, begged for one with my second which was induced with oxytocin, my contractions went into hyperstimulatuon, I was screaming, only to be told not to scream and there was no aneasthetist so I couldn't have one anyway. Could've punched that midwife and I'm the softest person ever! It does make me angry how women in other countries seem to get one so much easier. Inducing labour makes it so much more painful, an epidural should be available.

With my first I was already 10cm dilated when I arrived at the hospital.
2nd I was 5cm dilated within minutes I needed to push and he was born a few pushes later.
3rd and 4th was by choice I'd given birth without pain relief and my labours where really fast so I wanted to do it without again.

I didn't want one with any of my births my back is knackered as it is so I didn't want to make it worse. First one I asked for pethidine to top the gas and air up as things got closer to giving birth. 2nd birth I was too late for pethidine baby was here before the nurse came back with it. 3rd birth if id of had pethidine when I asked baby would of needed neonatal care.

Pethadine for the first and swore I'd never use that again. Second baby was so fast (and also very small) so much less painful and what pain there was so quick and over so fast that I didn't need any pain relief. Gas and air for number three, nothing for number four (because by then I knew exactly what was happening and managed to breathe through the worst) and number five was a water birth and the pain felt very different in the water, so no pain relief there either.

But I know some people really suffer badly, so it's whatever gets you through!

First labour was 40 minutes from first contraction so no time. I remember it as painful

Second was painful and I asked for epidural but they gave me gas and air. I remember not one second of pain with gas and air and epidural never came

Third I had gas and air from third contraction and I don't remember it being painful at all.

So for me both quick and extremely effective gas and air meant I didn't need an epidural.

I had one the first birth and decided never again. My second baby was 10lb 2oz! No epidural and no tears. Not sure what that says about me…. Third baby no epidural again. Just gas and air.

I didn’t like how immobile I was and how long the recovery was afterwards.

@Bakingandcrying Gas and air is not without risk and prolonged exposure can cause nerve damage. Not a problem for the labouring woman but is for the midwives exposed routinely. Some hospitals have stopped it and others have installed better scavenging systems.

I had my three at home so no option for epidural. I was up and about until 6/cm dilated each time, then upright sitting in the pool with gas and air. If I’d been in my back in hospital I think my ability to cope with the pain would have been significantly lower. The contractions almost propelled me into movement which eased the pain. Then, by the time I was in serious labour, the gas and air and warm water helped enough. My longest labour was my first and only lasted 7ish hours of active labour.
Also, I am autistic and have since been told by a psychiatrist and other medical professionals, based on my births and other injuries and conditions, that I have a high pain threshold, which is not uncommon in autistic people. I think that’s a bit meaningless though, since we each only have our own pain perceptions to judge this on!

Gas and air.

I was high as a kite. Giving birth hurt like hell but I was away with the fairies and pretty soon after birth I couldn't really remember the feeling of the pain.

I remembered that it hurt like buggery but couldnt recall the sensation of the pain iyswim.

I didn't want an epidural because I had a terrible needle phobia. (Under control now thanks to cbt) and preferred the pain to the needle.

Also didn’t have a choice.

They didn’t believe the level of pain I was in and told me I wasn’t coping well so I could queue jump to get to delivery so they could offer me more pain relief. As I “wasn’t coping” I did ask for a epidural and was told I wouldn’t be allowed an epidural until 4cm though (they thought I was a long way off that). Got to delivery and was 8cm and was told it was too late for an epidural or pethidine. Then when I was pushing I was told if I didn’t push past the pain they would put me on the oxytocin drip.

My first labour was very long and very painful. I would have thought the same as you, were it not for my second birth. So quick I just didn’t need an epidural. Different women have different pain thresholds and different birth experiences.