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’ve given birth four times, 2 with epidural two without. I would go WITH any day of the week. The only negative is you have to stay overnight with an epidural (or did at our hospital). Massively better experience IMO though.

It wasn't the plan but I had an epidural for both. It was very good pain relief with almost no side effects (slight bruise on back for a few days).

The downsides were:
not being on the more relaxed midwife unit or be able to use a birth pool
having to have continuous monitoring (but it was wireless)
having a cannula
having a catheter - mine was intermittent and I found it easier than going to the bathroom constantly
difficulty moving around (but I had a "walking epidural" second time but you trade a bit of the pain relief for the movement)
increased risk of instrumental delivery - I had ventouse and an episiotomy with both, there is supposedly no increased risk of C-section

I’ve never had an epidural - my reasons for not wanting it were because I wouldn’t be allowed home the same day and because I didn’t want a catheter! Obviously if I wasn’t coping or needed it then I would but to be honest at the peak of contractions where I thought I was going to die they were born shortly after and it was fine - I think if I was induced or something I’d consider it. You don’t get prizes either way. Aside from the baby

I wanted to enjoy my birth experience, and having a very low pain threshold I knew I wanted an epidural.

My DS was 10lbs and delivered in theatre with forceps as he got stuck, luckily I'd already had the epidural by then.

I knew again when I had my DD that I wanted all the pain relief I could get, but she was born by EMCS and luckily it was all controlled for me.

'Friends' of mine don't believe in pain relief. There is no medal at the end of labour depending on how you've delivered, I think you just need to be as comfortable and relaxed as you can be, and I knew pain relief would do this for me.