# My doctor asked if I would get a root canal without anesthetic too? Can I do this???



## gk1701

So I told by OB/GYN that I would like to do a hospital delivery without an epidural. Her response was " Would you get a root canal without an anesthetic?" I replied that of course I wouldn't. Then she said that she was sure once I felt contractions I would be ready for an epidural. If there is an effective pain killer, then why not use it. That makes sense to me too. 

I'm fine with getting an epidural if I can't take the pain. But women have drug free deliveries. I'm scared of the pain but hate the side effects and complications of epidurals. Now I am really doubting my prior decision. I want to be able to move during labor but now I feel like I'm thinking about doing something ridiculous- like getting a root canal without anesthetic.

Any and all thoughts would be really welcome. My husband is sick of talking about it.


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## peanutty81

Our bodies are not naturally developed to have root canal, giving birth is a natural body process the two things are very different.

I have friends who haven't felt pains during contractions and endorphines natures natural pain killers kick in anyway. Fear will make adrenaline kick in which will stop endorphones so you want to be keeping positive. 

I have found Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan and Ina Mays book both really inspiring and empowering. Of course you can do it, good luck xxxxxx

Oh I love the 2nd video down on this link it is a beautiful drug free birth https://midwifethinking.com/videos/


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## Quackquack99

They are two different pain! When I had my contractions I thought it was the worst pain I felt. That was til I went to the dentist for a scale and polish. Your contractions will progressively build up so you will begin to get used to them. I can't believe he said that to you


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## gk1701

Thanks I think this site will really help. One question re: the video's- where's the screaming and pain???!! Just goes to show there is another way to do it.


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## gk1701

Quackquack99 said:


> They are two different pain! When I had my contractions I thought it was the worst pain I felt. That was til I went to the dentist for a scale and polish. Your contractions will progressively build up so you will begin to get used to them. I can't believe he said that to you




It was a she!!! It is too different types of pain- hadn't thought of it that way.


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## peanutty81

gk1701 said:


> Thanks I think this site will really help. One question re: the video's- where's the screaming and pain???!! Just goes to show there is another way to do it.

I know - I like to watch it if I am feeling like I need a bit more confidence xxx:thumbup:


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## chuck

Wow what an asshole!

Birth and dental work are 2 completely different games not even same ballpark.

Birth is something we are designed to do root canal not so much!

I have had 1 delivery that was very painful come the end because of the interventions given and 1 birth that gave me no pain what so ever it was flippin hard work and incredibly intense but not painful. 

So many people forget that labour is more intense than it is painful but they dont know how to interpret that very physically and mentally intense sensation so they call it pain.


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## Mervs Mum

Yes and add to all of the above that obgyns would be putting themselves out of of job by actually admitting that most women don't NEED them to give birth!! I spoke with an OB a few months ago who said just that!


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## madasa

I'm a wimp when it comes to pain, really. But I enjoyed birth a lot.

Think of it this way: birth is a little like sex in some ways. It uses the same parts, the same hormones. It works best when the people are undisturbed, with privacy and dignity. 

Sex can be a completely horrendous experience; painful, frightening, embarrassing and disempowering.

Or it can be enjoyable, orgasmic, wonderful, fulfilling, transcendent, empowering and spiritual.

Now put "birth" instead of "sex". Still true! It IS intense. But I'd have no more numbed myself for it than I would for sex with DH.

Here's a thought: some women experience "pain" in labour, but they don't "suffer" with it. They still feel POSITIVE about the experience. Other women can have an epi and be numb for the whole experience, but they will not feel positive afterwards. (Some women can also feel pain AND suffer and others get an epi and enjoy the whole thing! My point is that being pain free does not guarantee that you will enjoy it, or not find it traumatic.) Is it PAIN you want to avoid? Or suffering? :D

Some linkage for you:

https://www.drmomma.org/2010/09/truth-about-epidurals.html

https://www.pennysimkin.com/articles/When Pain Becomes Suffering(2 hour).pdf

https://thenestingplace.blog.com/2010/02/what-is-the-difference-between-pain-and-suffering/

https://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=2145

I'm worried that the doctor is so dismissive of your wishes and pushing their own agenda on you.... If this is what they are like in pregnancy, what will they be like when you are in labour (and vulnerable)? Have you considered switching to a different dr/different hospital?


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## madasa

Oh, and one more thought? Wanting to give birth WITHOUT DRUGS is not the same as giving birth WITHOUT RELIEF. There is lots of relief available that is NOT drugs :) To maximise your chances of the birth you are hoping for, maybe it would be a good idea to check whether or not your hospital is supportive of such measures. Call me a cynic and a pessimist but it sounds unlikely :(


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## NuKe

arsehole. totally different ballparks. of course u can do it!


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## Rebaby

What a horrid (and ridiculous) thing to say to you! :growlmad:

My 1st birth _was_ very painful but i wasn't able to labour naturally (confined to the bed, drugs to speed up labour, lots of interventions etc)

I had an epidural and was very worried i'd need one second time around too, but left to my own devices, able to potter around at home, and move however i wanted to i found it was a completely different experience and managed my labour with a tens machine and 2 paracetamol!

I'm a real wuss and cry if i stub my toe so if i can do it drug-free anyone can :thumbup:

I used natal hypnotherapy to prepare for the birth and read Ina May Gaskin's guide to childbirth book over and over again!

HTH :flower:


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## whirlwind

Wow. I can't believe your OBGYN said that to you. What a ridiculous thing to say.

If I were you
a) I'd find a different doctor or midwife who supports your wishes for a natural drug-free birth. You are so early along that you have time to do this, and should.
b) Start reading lots of books on natural childbirth. Natural Hospital Birth by Cynthia Gabriel is great, so is Ina May Gaskin's book. Any book on the Bradley method is helpful too.


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## Croc-O-Dile

I was so frightened of the pain that I had an epidural with my DD, I had planned it from the start out of fear. To be quite honest, while I had a lovely birth, I don't even feel like I gave birth to her. I feel like I went to a the hospital, did some drugs, and while I was in the peak of my high someone handed me a baby and said "Here ya go!" 

The best thing you can do is not freak yourself out with all the "OMGZ! THIS IS THE WORST PAIN OF YOUR LIFE!" bull shit. It's different for every woman. I, for one, know that my contractions weren't that bad. They didn't feel nice, but I wasn't in dying agony. I didn't even feel them until I was almost 6cm! Before I got the epi I kept asking for a birthing ball and nobody gave one to me, they just ignored me and gave me morphine!

Make sure your doctors and all the staff that are in the room with you know that you want to do this without pain medication, otherwise they may offer it to you at the peak of a contraction to get you to fold.


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## madasa

Woah woah woah, they gave you morphine when you asked for a birth ball? What, are they deaf or something? Did you consent to the morphine? if not, that is horrific.


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## cranberry987

Ok. Poo analogy coming up.

You dont need an epidural to have a poo, same for childbirth. There are some situations where you get totally constipated and it REALLY hurts, and some situations where you need someone to dig the poo out ( I watch a lot of ER and the medical students seem to do this a lot). The majority of the time you just squirt out a poo tho. 

Why is your OB so bothered about you having the epi? Money I bet....


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## lovely_lady

I have never given birth so idk if I will help at all, but I am pretty certain that I want to bare through the pain and have my child naturally. I just feel that it would make the experience 100 percent amazing. Now, my sister was induced and apparently it hurt much worse and she got an epi. I just feel that birth i meant to happen when the baby is ready (i understand there are medical emergencies, dont get me wrong) but if the child comes when they are ready, your body should handle it well. You will just have to dig into your inner self and find the strength to bring that new life into this world. YES you can do it and I feel that it will be worth it.


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## StranjeGirl

That is awful of her to say!!!! And yes, you CAN get a root canal without medication if you prepare for it. Hypnosis has been used many times for major surgery with huge success, so it is possible. However, birth is one of those things where people who don't prepare still sometimes are able to do it naturally because it is a different type of pain. My mom has had three children, me being the last, and I was the only one she went natural with. She got too far along to be given any medication and she said it was the best one because she felt so much better right after than she did with the other ones. The only thing she said was that she wished she had some education on doing it naturally so she was more prepared, so that would be my only suggestion to you. I am doing the hypnobabies course. I completely plan on doing it naturally, and since I have no control over certain things, if something happens and I need an epidural then I know it is there...but my first desire is to go naturally. There are lots of natural ways to reduce the pain! Good luck!


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## gk1701

Thanks everyone! At the last visit she told me that there will be 6 people in the room. I know there are emergencies and if that's the case, of course I want what ever is necessary for everyone to be ok, but really, I feel out of control here. I kind of envisaged maybe 3 people, music playing, peaceful atmosphere.

Also, I asked her about the epidural/ root canal thing again and she said that it was because she had her first baby naturally when her epidural slipped out some how and it was the worst and most traumatic experience of her life and she would not recommend it. So there you go.


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## cranberry987

I spose she went from no pain to full on labour then. Also not being prepared for it can't help. To think that everyone is the same tho is just stupid. And 6 ppl?! What on earth for. Maybe 6 people coming in and out but surely not at the same time?

Tbh it sounds like she's trying to scare you. Don't let her! Youre stronger than her nonsense.


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## Hels_Bells

Childbirth without meds is something natural and something we are built for. There is nothing natural about a root canal. I can't believe an educated person would even compare the two.

I know birth is painful, and for some more than others, but I fully believe that women who expect to feel a lot of pain get exactly what they set themselves up for.


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## Kess

It definitely is two different types of pain. I did feel pain with my birth, but I didn't ever get to the point where contractions were too much for me - and I'm a wuss. My labour kicked in very fast, too, with little build-up: my contractions were lasting between 1 and 2 minutes and coming every 5 minutes within half an hour. I'm hoping for more of a build-up next time! Look into various non-drug methods of pain relief, and change doctors!


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## NickyNack

Tell her Epi's dont work 100% of the time anyway, who's to say yours wont slip or fail completely (like mines did with DD1)??

It's much better to slowly build up to it, than risk it slipping out, mid contraction, surely?? :shrug:

With my first labour I done 27 hours of it, and about 4 of those I was contracting every 40 seconds or so, for well over a minute and a half. And I did it without pain relief, albeit only because my epi failed....but still, I was induced and pumped full of pitocin, had my waters burst manually, and was in a whole HEAP of pain because of all the interventions, and all the pitocin ended up distressing the baby so I was c-sectioned. After that I was terrified as I thought that's what birth would be like, always! As you can see from my siggy, I am onto number 4 now and planning a drug-free, natural birth to avoid all the drama of before...I finally have the confidence that my body can cope with this, otherwise, why would I be pregnant?? You're making a great decision!! :hugs:

PS I was only a few days past my 16th bday with my first, and the biggest wuss ever!! I'm *positive *you can do this if you set your mind to it!


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## xSin

Having a doctor who is willing to listen to your wishes and respects that it is YOUR body is super important! I hear what you say that your OB/GYN had a traumatic experience herself, however it seems to have left her with a bit of a biased and skewed perspective. This is your birth, this is your baby, these are your choices.


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