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 didn’t have one with any of my 3 because I didn’t want one. 1st labour was 28 hours back to back but I could cope with gas and air next 2 were much quicker. Yes it was very painful but I focussed on ‘there will be an end to this’ To me it wasn’t like any other pain when you don’t know if/when its going to end.
I was offered an epidural with each labour.

I've given birth twice with no pain relief, because I had no pain other than a slight backache. I've actually been in more pain for other reasons.

Yes they should definitely be available to any woman who wants one.

I didn’t want one because my squeamishness about a needle in my spine was stronger than my need for pain relief.

All labours are different and women experience/manage pain differently. I like to think I have a higher pain threshold but maybe I was just lucky and had the pain been horrific I would have been screaming for an epidural. I never liked the idea of an epidural as I didn't like the idea of being out of control. There is no right or wrong answer, we all manage as best we can.

every birth is different. My first I coped with gas and air. My second I needed the epidural. He was back to back two weeks overdue and wouldn’t come out. Honestly if the windows had opened wider I’d have thrown myself out before I had the epidural I became just pain. So unlike me. Or my first birth.

Read Dr Jean Sutton's Optimal Foetal Positioning.
Didn't want epidural, it was fine without epidural

I had one where the pain was so intense I couldn't move at all during contractions (back to back). It literally froze me to the spot, couldn't speak or make a sound. After 2 days I got an epidural for that one then a c section at day 3 when they realised she had moved to a fairly impossible position. For the other birth the position was 'notmal' and though contractions were painful, they felt right if that makes sense, like they were supposed to happen that way. I manged with just gas an air for that one. Absolutely no way on earth with the other!

It was all too quick/stressful. Literally in hospital for about 3 mins before baby was born in the second case. Used a tens machine + parcetomol first time. I think people have different levels of pain theshold or feel it differently. It doesn't make one better than the other.

That happened to me too 🥺

My first baby was back to back and I had an epidural. Every time I was moved I threw up. It was not a pleasant experience

My second I got through it with just gas and air for the last two hours of labour. I felt that birth went much better as I knew what to expect and I was more focused and the baby was in a much better position.

It depends on the labour.
my first took forever and the epidural was amazing.
My second I barely made it to hospital. Was so quick that epidural didn’t even cross my mind, not that it wasn’t painful, but the end was so clearly in sight so quickly it was manageable.

I asked each of the 3 times I gave birth and was told I was too far progressed each time.
There’s not much choice when they say no so you just have to get on with it!

I was just determined I didn’t want one so it didn’t really cross my mind to ask for one. My second was an induction on the drip and I did that with juet gas and air. Never had pethedine or anything else either as I knew from research in pregnancy I didn’t want.

Both times I literally woke up to my waters breaking and started pushing nearly straight away. Had my 2nd in under 30 mins of waking up, i couldnt move off ghe bathroom floor, nevermind get to the hospital. The only symptom I had through the day was the shakes and I went to bed early as I had a bit of a tummy ache 🤣.
I guess everyone must labour differently, for me the pain never got that bad.

Different pain tolerance levels I guess? I've always been able to put up with a fair amount of pain, years of terrible periods helped.

I gave birth with just gas and air. I was honestly so off my head on hormones it really wasn't too bad. Only done it once though! 24 hours from start to finish.

No time with the first and not an option for the second which was a planned home birth,

I had awful pregnancies but the births themselves were OK. I am also far too squeamish for an epidural.

I stupidly put no epidural in my birthing plan as I hated the idea of a needle in my spine. Still wasn’t offered one despite a long time in active labour. The pethadine made me feel weird.

Ironically I was given no choice but to have an epidural when I had surgery to remove a miscarriage 2 years later in Switzerland. I would NOT recommend having that operation whilst awake.

I didn't have a choice.
I got told it was too late with Ds.
With ds2 I just about made it to the maternity ward before he shot out at lightning speed!

The idea of not being able to move really freaked me out. I had a spinal for my c-sections and I hated that I couldn't see or feel my legs, I was convinced the surgeon has chipped my legs off at one point!

My labours were short which helped.

The labours really hurt, especially the induced one and the back to back one but I found the gentle encouragement from the midwives really helped. And after ds1 I was fairly confident the others would be quick once I got past 5cm dilated and that really helped as well, knowing that it would be over in a couple of hours.

Ha big child bearing hips, six pound babies, quick easy deliveries, quite strong, fit, healthy and young, gas and air, very experienced older mid- wives and more staff around forty years ago. After normal deliveries, 6 nights on mat ward with first one with second. Times have changed

This is a nice sentiment, but you do realise that your hips dislocate temporarily when you give birth, your skeleton is permanently changed in size as the bones are pulled apart - and they've found that immediately after birth women have fractures in 40% of their bones due to the trauma.

I do understand that it's natural - but that doesn't mean it's not an insane ordeal for your body that very much causes real injury (some of the bone changes everlasting) that you then need time to heal from

I think if you have confidence and trust in your body and can relax then it isn't so painful. You just go with it and do what feels natural.

Some births aren't as hard as others.

My first birth was long and extremely painful. I had an epidural after being in labour for about 18 hours. It went on for many hours after as well.

My second birth was much quicker and nowhere near as painful. The pain was manageable without an epidural.

Same. I had two home births, I don't like gas and air as it makes me feel sick, and I have fast and intense births so it's over in a few hours and I can cope with that as I know it will end with a baby.

I can't say if I had a long labour whether I would have wanted to transfer and have pain relief, I don't think it matters if you do or don't. I didn't want an epidural but I didn't rule anything out.

I am generally very good with pain though. I'm autistic and experience it differently to neurotypical people. If I need pain relief it needs I'm pretty much dying.

I prefer without the epidural. I had 2 babies with no assistance for pain and got through it and the high afterwards was the best feeling ever. It didn't occur to me to ask for pain meds really.