Labor no epidural reassuring stories please

[felix555]

I was induced with a drip with no epidural (I had 2 but they both failed) ... It was back to back labour that lasted 8 hours and although I was in a lot of pain, I survived and the cliche is true that the pain goes away the second you hold your baby.

 

[Radkat]

You could look into some natural birth pain relief techniques to help you out. Mostly breathing and relaxation, but it will help a lot and make you feel more prepared.

 

[sharnw]

Heat packs is what I had for my labouring,
Lots of hard pressure massaging from your birth supporters on your lower back area if you are having back labour, lots of breathing and really try focusing on relaxing your body instead of tensing. Let the pain give you strength to bringing your baby out. Never let your mind slip away from that focus point.

Acupressure is very good for dilation.

My labour was all natural, I didn't need to be induced so I wouldn't know what it feels like to have an induced labour.

I supported my sisters birth when she was induced. Seeing her go through her labour looked very painful, she had no epidural either.
She had gas and lots of firm support from myself and her hubby.
Lots of massaging her back and not letting her mind slip away from consentrating on bringing her baby into the world.


You can do it x

 

[Anana]

I had no medication with my first. The endorphins I felt afterwards were AMAZING! No one every mentions it but I felt so awesome for about 48 hours after birth. The best advice I have is to try to relax your body through each contraction. My inclination was to tense up but when I made an effort to relax, the contractions were 10 times easier. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park but it also was not nearly as bad (for me, everyone is different) than I thought it would be. Good luck! Just remember, however your labour goes, vaginal, c section, medication or not, you are still every bit as much a mom at the end of it.

 

[rosegarden620]

I've had both. One natural no epidural one induced with epidural, both vaginal.

To me, the most brutal was the one where I was induced and my waters were broken. Epidural worked until push time and then it only half worked. I could barely tell I was pushing and afterwards I wasn't allowed to walk for a few hours so I was catheterized to pee.

Wth my second I was petrified of a similar painful experience. I went to the hospital at 37 weeks with labor pains. After a quiet night, they sent me home at 805am. On my way home the contractions picked back up. I still went home, labored there waiting for my contractions to get to the "normal" 2-3 minutes apart that would indicate "it's time". My contractions were severe but I was petrified they would even get worse as they were only 7-8minutes apart . I kept expecting the intensity to rise like my first- my waters hadn't even broken yet! After getting in a hot shower until it ran cold and doing a lot of moaning and swaying outside the shower my contractions still weren't closer but the pain was real. I was in my own world, but it was manageable with intense concentration.

Finally I told my husband to take me to the hospital where I was checked and determined to be dilated to 6cm (I left at 3cm hours earlier)
While waiting for my anesthesiologist I was in severe pain but kept expecting it all to get worse. When he finally showed up My OB was right behind him and she wouldn't allow the epidural until she had checked me. When she did my contractions were still at 7-8 minutes apart, my
Waters had not broken and I was 10cm dilated and 100% effaced.

Discharged earlier that morning at 805am and after pushing for 20 minutes she was born at 1145am.

My waters never broke on there own. My contractions never got closer together. My recovery was incredible and once I had her it literally was all over. I took a shower, I breast fed, I felt incredible- though exhausted beyond belief.

After two experiences I would pick natural ANY day of the week. I realize now the worst of it was expecting for it to get worse.

Be prepared for "the ring of fire"....but rest easy knowing that once the burn comes you are literally seconds from it all being over....

 

[Feronia]

They're going to induce you with pitocin? Why would they do that if you're healthy, have an uncomplicated pregnancy, and without a medical reason? Pitocin will make your contractions much more stronger and painful than they would otherwise be, and also increases your chance of distressing baby and mandating a c-section. If I were you, I'd decline that if your doctor is just doing it "just because."

If you wait to go naturally, it will be MUCH better compared to an induction. I loved my natural labour -- the only thing I used was hot water. It was great!

 

[Beanonorder]

I was in a similar situation to you where epidurals are not offered for natural births. I only discovered this when in labour! So that and a number of other things made my labour extremely traumatic. It was long and very painful. I also ended up with a pitocin drip and two hours of pushing. My baby was taken away immediately so I didn't get to even hold her to forget the pain or get the rush of endorphins. I'm telling you this not to scare you but to encourage you to have your mind in the right place. If I had been prepared for no pain relief and had practiced some relaxation techniques I would have been much better off. Had I known she'd be taken away I'd also have been prepared. I'm back here doing it again and am really hoping to go the no pain route once again. I'm also aware there is a very high possibility he'll be taken away too so I'm mentally ready for that too. Although this time I can actually communicate with the doctor and hopefully hold him briefly first!

 

[d_b]

When/why do they plan to induce you? Can you refuse? I had no idea Greece had such a high csection rate! Personally I'd try to labour at home as long as possible because from the few articles I read about giving birth in Greece it sounds like the doctors always try to speed up labour once you're in hospital.

I had two drug free births, both totally bearable. Look up some hypnobirthing breathing techniques, they were very helpful for me.

 

[prgirl_cesca]

I was induced as my waters broke but I didn't go into active labour within 24 hrs, however I was having contractions and by the time I got to the hospital I was already 3cm dilated so they just put the drop straight on and all hell broke lose!!

Contractions were on top of each other and very painful but I was very calm and focused but they kept telling me I would be there for about 12hrs....so I begged for an epidural.

The man came in to administer it and I asked to go to the toilet before he put it in and went through transition in the loo and lost my mind a bit, so the new midwife on shift asked to examine me again (I had only been there for about 2 hrs) and I was about 7-8cm dilated so she sent him away, got me to change positions and that was it...He was born in about 10 mins!

I am hoping this time I can do it without an epidural again. I never thought the pain was as bad as people warned me. The 'ring of fire' is indeed awful but it's over very quickly.

 

[smileyfaces]

I never had an epidural with either of my babies just had and air. You can do it.

 

[Eurydice]

I had a 100% natural birth and it went great! Yes, it hurt, but not for that long and when you're in the moment, it just is what it is and you go with it. Yes, I tore, but tears heal and nothing can ruin the moment in which you hold the baby--that you carried for nine months and just birthed--for the first time. I also felt a kind of baby ecstasy that lasted for weeks, but was most intense in the first few days.

Every woman is different: you never know what it's going to be like for you. Still, any kind of intervention (like the drip you mention) increases the chances of a negative experience because it interferes with what your body is trying to do naturally. Avoid the drip if you can!

 

[Larkspur]

I had two good births with just gas and air.

I agree it seems crazy to induce you with a pitocin drip if there's no medical reason to do it. It will make things go a lot faster but almost certainly hurt a lot more! I was induced just with gel pessaries for my second, and it was three times faster than my first labour. I would ask not to have the drip unless there's a specific reason your labour needs to be sped up.

 

[bumblebeexo]

My hospital doesn't have epidurals as a pain relief option, only gas and air or pethadine. A couple of hundred women give birth here every year and they all manage just fine. With my daughter I used the birthing pool and only used gas and air at the end, I managed most of my labour with nothing at all. I too was terrified of this, but kept telling myself that so many women in my area had had children without an epidural and if they could do it so could I!

 

[bumblebeexo]

Also, stay home as long as possible. I was 7cm before I went in so laboured at home for most of the time.

 

[lauzacookie]

i think the reason they induce here is there is 1 hospital on the island over an hour away... and doc only induces if he sees the womb contracting... xx

 

[HappyBump25]

With my first I had no epidural, but I did have a small amount of Demerol. With my second, I had no pain relief at all. In all honesty, the contractions are worse than the actual delivery, but by the time you get to about 8cm you're so close to the end (for me anyway) it's a lot easier because you know the end is near!

Are you required to have the drip? From everything I've read artificial oxytocin (if that's what you're talking about) makes natural labor much more difficult. I'd opt out of that, personally, if it's not medically necessary. Please don't take offense to that bit of input, I realize that's not the question you were posting about.

 

[RainbowDrop_x]

I had my DD with no pain relief at all. I really wanted the G&A but it made me feel sick and I've got a massive fear surrounding nausea and vomiting so went without.

We're currently TTC #2 and I've already decided I'll do it the same way again, no pain relief, and if possible a water birth like I did with DD. I quite enjoyed labour but had I have been bed ridden I think it would have been so much harder because it would have frustrated me so much, for me part of the pain relief was being able to move around

 

[babylove x]

I had my son naturally, my water broke out and about and when I arrived at the hospital I was 7cm, I delivered only 1.5 hours later after just 2 pushes. I believe it went sooo fast and SOO smooth because I hadn't had the epi this time around, dd (12 hours+ 1 hr pushing). The best part was the immediate 100% relief afterwards and my son, of course being sooooooo wide awake and alert. I was up and walking myself to the bathroom again 2 hours after delivery and I didn't feel like I had given birth by the next day. It was such an incredible experience and I felt so instantly bonded to my little man.

 

[luz]

I did not have any type of pain medication and labored at home/in the car ride to the hospital. Got to the hospital at 10 cm and my lo was born minutes after we arrived.


The contractions hurt. .. really really really bad. What helped me was to close my eyes and just breathe through them. I also had an app on my phone to time my contractions, and every time one started i would focus on the time that had passed, as i knew it would be over within a minute or so. Just think - every contraction gets you one step closer to having your baby. You can do this!

 

[mayacat]

Glad I found this thread. I'm willing to start naturally and go with whatever is necessary as labour progresses, but I'm feeling a lot better now about going without the epidural than before, so hoping I can suck up the pain and go with it!

This pregnancy is my first, so I don't have anything to add really, just thankful for all the positive replies