Natural birth with vulvodynia?

[bluemoon2468]

Has anyone out there managed to achieve a natural, vaginal birth without epidural if you have vulvodynia?

After 10 years of misdiagnosis and failure by many medical professionals, I was finally correctly diagnosed with vulvodynia in my mid-20s. I started taking amitriptyline which left me completely pain-free which was such a breakthrough, but I had to stop taking it as soon as I fell pregnant (first baby) as it could be harmful to the baby. Since then my pain has returned and I am no longer able to have sex or tolerate any penetration.

I was really hoping for a natural delivery regardless, but the obstetricians seem dead set against this. I've been told today that I have to deliver on the labour ward (rather than the midwife led unit as I was hoping). They have given me two recommendations - elective c-section or immediate epidural so that they are easily able to examine me routinely. I could cry, my dreams of a natural delivery using hypnobirthing are completely out of the window. I was really hoping that I could either opt out of routine examinations or that there would be some other solution, such as using a local anaesthetic gel or injection to numb the immediate area if an examination is essential. I feel like most of all they're pushing me into an elective c-section, which is the exact opposite of what I want. There doesn't seem to be a particularly good medical reason for this 😕

If there is anyone else on here who has vulvodynia, I would love to hear your experiences of previous deliveries/plans for your upcoming birth!

Why two threads?
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childbirth/3886062-Natural-birth-with-vulvodynia

Not vulvodynia (though for a good while I had the same symptoms alongside) but I have vaginismus. The hospital referred me to speak to someone about it and by the time my referral had come through I'd given birth (he was early)
I managed fine with the examinations because I was already using gas and air for contractions.
I know its a different condition but they do say it can worsen after childbirth, I actually found the opposite after the initial recovery.

I have no experience of this condition but I will say I'm medically trained (not prepared to out myself with further details because I'm in no way giving you medical advice) and it drives me absoutely mental when medics talk about 'allowing this or that' and telling grown adults that they are not in charge of their body or medical decisions.
You do not have to consent to a section, you do not have give birth in a ward, you do not have to have regular examinations during labour. No one has any right to force you to do any of these things and anyone who says otherwise is violating the guiding principle of informed consent thus opening themselves up to a fitness to practice hearing as well as a criminal assault charge. You sound like you're doing your own research on your options carefully. If you're not getting care from a team that talks to you like an adult and not a child, involves you in your care plan and comes to a mutually agreeable decision then I suggest you remove yourself from that environment. Change consultants, change hospital if neccesary. You always have the final say.

Thanks so much for all of your supportive messages, feel so much more confident going into my meeting. Going to push strongly to be allowed to start my labour on the MLU 💪

@NameChange30 there was some confusion when I posted and I thought it hadn't posted.