Is there any upside about not getting an epidural?

[georgarina]

I'm having my second baby soon.

With my first I really wanted an epidural, was always my birth plan, but there was no doctor available.

It was a positive birth experience but obviously very painful and intense.

This time I'm trying to psyche myself up for another natural birth because I know I can't count on pain relief.

I know there are a lot of people who seem to think that that's the preferable way to do it - why is that? Can anyone enlighten me on whether there are any benefits to not having pain relief? Maybe that will make me feel slightly better about it.

I had an epidural with my first labour, it didn't work well (only one side of me was numb) and then it didn't wear off for over 16 hours so I had to have a catheter. I ended up being in hospital for an extra two nights.

With my second, I didn't have time for an epidural as my labour was so quick, and the major plus side was that I west home 6 hours after the birth.

*went not west, obviously.

I hated having an epidural with my first, it is one of my worst memories of birth hearing my baby crying in the cot beside the bed & not being able to get out of the bed because my legs wouldn’t work after the epidural. Had my 2nd & 3rd at home.

Only benefit I can think of is I think pushed a lot harder without pain relief.
My 2nd got stuck at the shoulders (he was 10lb 12oz), I remember the midwife saying take that gas and air off her and a couple of pushes later he flew out lol (14 mins pushing in total).

I did not have any pain relief, not through choice but it was a very quick birth. The upside was that I was discharged immediately, but I think that was because everything had been so straightforward and I did not even need stitches. It is not a huge upside really because most people can leave pretty quickly anyway, even if they do have an epidural.

A quicker recovery immediately afterwards is a big bonus, especially if you have a straightforward second birth. DC2 was born at 10.45 and I was back home on the sofa at 4pm.

Oh yes, I couldn’t feel my contractions to push with and had to be coached through each push, am sure my haphazard straining because I couldn’t feel what was going on is why I got so many piles!

Going home the same day, showering at home and sleeping in my own bed.

The epidural tends to slow things down a bit and increases the likelihood you will need additional intervention. I’m not anti epidural, I had one, it was the right decision. But if you can do it without it, it’s much better overall.

I think you push more effectively without an epidural, you can feel the contraction build up and I think you push more intuitively. I was induced with no epidural and even though baby was still high and the midwives didn't think birth was imminent I started pushing and my son was out within a few mins. Afterwards the midwife said there's no way I would have pushed him out like that if I'd had the epidural.

Had an epidural with my first, couldn't feel a thing when they told me to push, ended up with episiotomy, ventouse, 4 nights in hospital, generally just a horrible horrible experience. Second birth I had no pain relief as there wasn't time and it was so so much better.

I had 2 with no epidural, 1 with an epidural.

The big benefit was that I could get up and about almost immediately after the births without an epidural.

There is pain relief available, other than an epidural.

At least if you don't have an epidural, you can move, walk even, are not numb and when the baby is in the birth canal you can work with it and push.

From my understanding, risks include:

• You rely on someone monitoring your contractions to tell you when to push, which can lead to an increased risk of tearing
• Some people have long term back pain after them
• You could be immobile for a while after giving birth
• Bad headaches after birth
• Potential loss of bladder control

It's all a personal choice but I never planned to have one. During both births I ended up asking for one right at the end though, when obviously it was too late : ) The midwives said it's really common that just when you think you can't take anymore, it's nearly time for the baby to be born.

Have you considered a TENS machine? Helped me massively although I started screaming in the delivery room in stage two, couldn't speak, just scream, everyone was panicking because they couldn't understand what was happening. I'd moved and accidentally shifted the machine to top whack so I felt like I was being electrocuted! All I could do was flail my arms and try and point to the machine! The rest of labour was a piece of cake after that!!

I've had 4 babies, 3 epidurals and one gas and air.

Baby one, induced 42wks, back to back, drip, didn't descend, ventoused out in theatre and left with a 3rd degree tear and episiotomy and minor pph. Hospital for 7days after. None of that was related to the epidural really.

Baby 2. Spontaneous 40+10. Had an epidural. She was born at 830am after 6hrs of active labour. I was home by teatime same day.

Baby 3. Induced at 42wks, too quick for an epidural so just gas and air. I felt amazing afterwards. Stayed in over night which was shit!

Baby 4 induced at 40wks due to size. Needed drip again and there is no way I'd have that without an epidural in. Had him after 4hrs active labour. He was born 6am and we were home after lunch.

So personally for me epidurals have not stopped me going home. I've been able to leave, and in fact encouraged to leave, straight from delivery suite.

I always have a 2nd degree tear so actually be epiduralled up for stitching is preferable to me. I felt really on edge being stitched up after DC3 just with a local. Wholly unreasonable but I've had lots of problems with locals.

If I knew I was going to have a 2hr labour like dc3 I'd probably be ok.

I have 3dc and didn't have an epidural with any of them, no one was available to do it. I didn't have to push for more than half an hour with any of them, and got out on the same day. I think if you have an epidural, then you need to stay in hospital longer, and it reduces your urge to push.

You can feel when you need to push. You don't need to be catheterised.

I recovered a lot quicker compared to the first. I was able to move about straight away and felt a lot more normal.

Only a few minutes pushing, and being able to walk/shower/etc half an hour later was the main thing for me.

I think recovery for you and baby is better with a natural birth... my first was readmitted with jaundice - which they said is really common when mum has had strong medication! Basically, baby is as dopy as you are and so isn't very keen on feeding!

I had one with and one without an epidural. For the one with, they let it wear off before the pushing phase. Both were lovely ☺️

I think one of the trickiest things about childbirth is that you can't really plan. You really don't know what you're going to get until it happens.
It is very human to want to plan and make rules.

For instance, I didn't have an epidural and I was still in hospital days later following episiotomy and forceps. So in my case not having an epidural didn't stop interventions or get me home quicker.

If you want an epidural then that's totally fine, have one.

Thanks all x

I've been trying hypnobirthing but don't have the patience so I've been back to wanting an epidural - if only I could count on having one!!

Sounds like there are upsides to being able to get up and move around though.

Less likely for intervention like forceps
No complications from injection into the spine, some women as left with chronic back issues

If you want pain relief I was ask for remifentanil definitely rather than a epidural