AIBU - to be really pissed off that epidurals are being restricted?

[christmasmum]

Was just reading an article in Mother and Baby magazine saying that epidurals are classed as an 'abnormal birth' and that they should be restricted in the future to avoid women having caesareans.

What is this all about? Why should women not be free to make their own decision on pain relief, while being aware of the risks involved in every form of pain relief? And is it not the case that women having diffcult births in the first place are more likely to BOTH have an epidural AND end up having a c-section anyway??

Before giving birth to my DD I bought into all the information from the NCT, books and magazines etc and was determined to go for a 'natural' birth. I ended up being induced and despite being told by every woman I have ever spoken to who has been induced, that I should have an epidural the midwife advised me that I would not need one. After 10 hours of intense contractions and finding out I was a huge 2cm dilated I decided enough was enough and had an epidural.

I was instantly relaxed and started to actually enjoy the process, 2 1/2 hours later (despite the consultant arriving to prep me for a c-section) I found out I was fully dilated and delivered my wee girl after 5 minutes of pushing to a room that was full of people laughing and singing Christmas carols.

I obviously only have my own experience to go by but I am absolutely convinced that the relaxing effect of being out pain helped me deliver my baby naturally.

What is this pressure on women to be in pain and suffering to be 'real women'. And why is that every new Dad I've spoken to with wives who did not have pain releif seem so proud of them? Is this just another example of male oppression of women? Even subliminally??

AAGGGHHHHH. Rant over.

"The tutor stressed that pain is caused by body being tense and expecting it to be painful. By overcoming the expectation, it was more relaxed and comfortable."

I see this touted often on MN and it gets on my nerves every time.

Birthing is a painful process. Not because you expect it to be painful, because it causes the body to work, stretch, and expand in ways it is not used to. Cats give birth and they scream in pain. Not because mummy cats tell baby cats that one day they will have painful births, but because birth is a painful process.

Now, I don't doubt your birth was more manageable and the pain you perceived was less because you followed a hypnobirthing course. That is because, obviously, you were under self-hypnosis.

Hypnosis helps people have dental surgery without painkillers. Not because the pain in dental surgery is caused by expectation of pain, but because hypnosis helps alter/reduce the perception of pain.

I agree Cote that it helps to be in absolutely no doubt that the pain is caused by simple physiological reasons - as you say, your body is being stretched in ways it has never come close to. This also explains why first births are usually more painful than subsequent ones.

But I think alongside that, it's really helpful to be told that how we approach birth, can have a big impact on our ability to cope with that pain.There is clear evidence that practising how to relax, or using hypnosis techniques, and also being in surroundings you feel comfortable and empowered by, can make a real difference to how women cope with birth.

i agree this may work in some cases violet, but not all, for example i expected to be able to stay at home using my birthing ball tens machine and bath for as long as possible, i did not anticipate just how bad it was going to be, so at first i was relaxed but it just got worse and worse until i could not physically use the relaxation or breathing techniques, its made me too scared to have another!
its just so different every labour for every pregnancy can be worlds apart, and its impossible sometimes to fully understand what another person experienced good or bad.