waterbirth + gas and air versus epidural - what worked for you?

[MrsPatMustard]

That's it really. Am 34 weeks with DC1 and am trying to think about birth plan etc. I'm torn between trying for a waterbirth at the midwife unit or going to the hospital maternity unit and having an epidural.

I'm basically a complete wimp when it comes to pain, so the epidural is appealing. But I'm aware there's an increased risk of slower labour/interventions etc. Plus I have low blood pressure - so I'm nervous about taking anything that could lower it further.

I like the idea of a waterbirth but I don't know if I'm strong enough to just get through with water and gas and air. Does the water really make that much of a difference to pain levels? Did any Mumsnetters out there feel that it wasn't enough?

I have low blood pressure too and its lower when I'm pg. For me just the gas and air worked fine. I know that an epidural can slow the labour down and I just thought it rather get the baby out quickly as surely that would stop the pain too!

Both of my labours did progress well though, in fact I never got the water birth with dc2 because the baby was here before the pool was full.

No one can give you an answer OP. It will depend on a million things: position of the baby, your personal pain response (where you feel the pain, how intensely), how well gas and air works for you (ranges from 'nothing' to 'high as a kite' via 'sick as a dog'), how well water works for you, length of labour...

Personally I had an awful time in my first, very long, labour and hated the epidural. It was probably necessary at the time, but I'd never do it again. My water birth was lovely. But they were also very different labours.

I'm a wimp when it comes to pain as well but just had gas and air with ds1 and nothing at all with ds2 (planned a water birth but he was too quick). However both my labours were quick and straightforward, I think if they'd been longer I would have asked for an epidural (well I did ask with ds1 but there wasn't time). I'm glad now that I didn't have one. The pain was intense but it was positive pain and with ds2 the anal examination afterwards was actually more painful

I was on the normal labour ward first time and in midwife unit second time and the midwife unit was a much nicer experience. Less 'clinical' and much more responsive to my wishes - eg they didn't cut the cord or take ds2 from me to check/weigh for at least 30mins so we had a lovely skin to skin cuddle and first bf while he was still joined to me and before he'd been held by anyone else. Ds1 they took off me pretty quickly to weigh etc and got dh to dress him etc before I was allowed him back.

So if you've got the choice of a midwife unit I would seriously consider that if your pg has been straightforward/low risk.

First time I had an epidural because I was in absolute agony and can't have pethadine for medical reasons. Couldn't have managed without it and was in immense pain when only 2cm dilated!
Second time I had a bath at the hospital (they wouldn't let me use the pool for same medical reasons) and only had g&a at almost fully dilated when doula said it was either get out now or give birth in the bath! Had hardly felt the pain.
What I'm trying to say is you just can't plan for these things. Could you aim for the waterbirth but if pain is unbearable and you're nowhere near dilated enough change your mind and go to hospital?
(medical reason was a sleep disorder btw, they thought I might fall asleep in the pool )

No one will be able to tell you how you will experience labour. The most important thing is that you feel safe, and that you have people around you that are able to respond to your needs.

I spent months constructing a birth plan that no one ended up reading. Even so, I had a lovely birth experience due to luck, a supportive clever DH, a tens machine and one paracetamol.

Good luck OP. I agree that how you experience labour will depend on the baby's position, the speed of labour, your hormone levels, relaxation, readiness, and a lot if other things.

Do read up about pregnancy and the primal brain, practice breathing and relaxation, ensure you're as strong and rested and you can be. Spend a bit of time informing yourself about possible birth options and thinking them through in advance.

I was lucky with my birth; it was fairly fast, and I didn't need any pain relief (and couldn't get in the water.) I LOVED my TENS machine though and made DH massage my lower spine. A lot. The labour started fast but I was in the zone from the early stage and used some hypno techniques. It wasn't exactly painful, but physically powerful and compulsive - I just let my body get on with it.

However my DD was at full term, in a reasonable position, and aside from one pg complication I was in good health and physically strong. So all geared up for a quick birth.

I would recommend reading up on both of your options, even writing two separate birth plans, and think about the possible consequences of both and how you'll feel if things don't go exactly to plan.

Good luck!

I didn't get any pain relief from the water. I had it in my head that it would make the birth peaceful and manageable but it was awkward and fussy, letting the water out, topping it up, too hot, too cold. My pool had some fancy light panel to turn on the taps and adjust the temperature which no-one could work properly and kept turning on the shower nozzle instead. In the end I went on to gas and air and got out of the pool. It didn't really dull the pain for me, but made me woozy and confused. I was begging for an epidural by that stage but didn't get one.

Like someone has already said, other people's experiences can't really reflect how it will be for you or how you will cope. With hindsight I wish I had followed my first instinct which was a caesarian! I am also no good with pain but found the recovery from my previous section much easier with all the pain relief I was prescribed than the pain and recovery from my natural childbirth.

Both!
Dc1 = epidural
Dc2 = water and g and a.

Epidural was great but had forceps delivery... but now after dc2 I realise I couldn't have managed dc1's birth the way I did my second. It's all so different depending on all sorts of things like presentation etc you kind of need to go with flow on day. More damage is done long term to women by having fixed ideas about how it should go and feeling crap if it doesn't go to plan.

Be educated but also flexible and above all non-judgemental about your own (and later, others') experiences.

me too on the both front. DC1 = epidural (culminating in EMCS); DC2 = gas and air and water (culminating it ventuose). Both back to back and in different hospitals. Impossible to make any causal link between epidural and EMCS - I know this hospital is much quicker to operate than the hospital I had my 2nd in, so the pain relief method might have had nothing to do with it. For me epidural worked brilliantly (I don't think it did particularly slow anything down, and I felt no pain at all), but I also found I could cope with the pain in the water, and this worked well the second time. The only bit I regretted second time round was when the consultant reached inside and manually rotated the baby, whilst I was out of the water and on gas and air. That was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. Oh, and being sewn up afterwards whilst on g and a was also really painful (especially as 1st attempt was undone and then it was redone).