OB not entirely supportive

[kfarb]

Does anyone have any tips for what to do about my OB? Like when I should trust her and not? At the beginning I told her I wanted to do it naturally. She said that was fine if I had a short birth but after five hours, she'd probably want me to take some pain relief. I really don't want pain relief. She's a really good doctor and I like her a lot. I'm sure most woman she deals with opt for the epidural. I want to avoid a c-section at all costs, only if the baby is in distress or I am. I don't know, does anyone have any advice for me? I don't think natural births are very common around here. No one I know has had one anyway.

 

[JenStar1976]

It's your body - your decision. How can she tell you now that you'll want pain relief at your birth - no one knows what your labour will be like!! I'd just switch off and not listen to her. Equally, you may end up screaming for an epidural - if that happens, then it will be your decision, not hers. x

 

[KandyKinz]

Some doctors and nurses just don't know how to "deal" with a women who is not drugged..... and sadly many find it easier to manage a women on an epidural as it gives them a reason to start up the electronic fetal monitoring as opposed to using intermittent auscultation. And frankly I think some doctors and nurses get uncomfortable with the "sounds and noise" of natural labour....

Anyways, pain medication is not necessary for the safety of you or the baby. In fact it is better for the baby and labour progress if you do things naturally. You can just say NO. One thing that I have seen before which was effective at warding off well meaning intrusive drug pushers is to put up a sign.... "NATURAL BIRTH IN PROGRESS! DO NOT OFFER ME PAIN MEDICATION! I am well aware of what is available to me and if I want it I will ask. THANK YOU!"

~~~Disclaimer~~~
And I just want to mention that there is a time and place for everything including pain meds. While I do believe that natural is the preferable method of birthing, sometimes intervetion (pain meds) are very beneficial. For instance, narcotics can be very useful in managing early (false) labour. Sometime women suffer from these early contractions that do not alter the cervix and this can occur for days and days leaving them unable to sleep making them completely exhausted... In this situation a trip to the hospital for some narcotics can work magic as it will make the woman sleep and then she will do either one of two things... Wake up and the contractions will be completely gone and she will go into real labour when her body is ready and then she can proceed to have a "natural" labour at that point or she could wake up with regular "real" contractions that are actually dilating the cervix and since she was able to get a few hours of sleep she is now better equiped to complete the labour with no additional pain meds.

Another situation when epidurals are very useful is when there are progress issues (which far exceeds 5 hours of labour.....). If you have been labouring for hours and hours and there is no change in progress despite trying position changes etc, sometimes an epidural can be just what the body needs to relieve the "tension" the mother's body is experiencing to faciliate progress and can then potentially eliminate the need for a c-section. Alternatively, the progress could be due to a baby in an not ideal position which can be worsened by an epidural... Essentially the relaxed pelvic floor will cause the baby to stay in the not ideal position and progress will continue to lag. All factors have to be considered before getting an epidural for 'progresses' sake and I would only use it as a last resort.

Then there is the gas... nitrous... It doesn't have the same negative side effects as the other pain methods but it isn't "natural".... I think if you are considering the other two options... you should look to try nitrous first as it can save you from getting an epidural..... but that's just my opinion.

 

[Rmar]

KandyKinz, that was a great response so I wont double up on everything she has said but I would like to say: 5 hours? Having pain relief in a drug form because you are exausted and feel you would do so much better with it and having it because you exeed a time limit are very different things. There are no exacts in birth. There are guides but they don't necessarily apply to everyone.

The best form of pain relief comes from within. You could have an epidural but still hold fear regarding what is to happen which would hold a negative experience. Or, you could be laboring completely natural and be perfectly healthy physically but hold doubts and fears and have a negative experience. Be prepared to voice what is coming from within you. A care provider is there to assist you to have the best and safest outcome but you are not there to assist them in making sure if goes easily for them. It is your's and your baby's birth no matter how it takes place.

 

[bklove]

I say go with what works for you in the moment and make sure your partner is ok with telling them to back off if your aren't ready for pain meds. My ob isn't fully on board, but we still plan to go in with a plan and try to stick without and make everyone else follow suit

 

[Zen_Jenn]

From what I understand nitrous isn't generally used in the USA (at least around here - noone had heard of it). I asked my OB what my options were for pain relief if I didn't have an epidural, and he said jacuzzi tub and exercise ball. Anyway, we knew our OB was rather old fashioned, and hired a doula to discuss our options with us if anything happened, and help us stick to our birth plan.

The 5 hour thing is ridiculous, as long as you're progressing, and both mom and baby are doing well, there is no need for any interventions.

 

[cupcake23]

The 5 hour thing is ridiculous, as long as you're progressing, and both mom and baby are doing well, there is no need for any interventions.

Agree!

Your best bet is to stay at home as long as possible.... the moment you go in they will time progress, putting you under pressure and advising you to have unnecessary interventions.

.x.

 

[KandyKinz]

Wow, I had absolutely no idea nitrous was not available in the united states... I'm flabbergasted! While yes I completely pro natural birth I certainly don't think it's right to deprive women of available pain relief options especially if it is a pain relief option that is less harmful then the alternatives! Nitrous is much safer to use then narcotics and epidurals and those are readily available... Just makes no sense. There's been no adverse effects demonstrated on the babies of the mom's who take nitrous (unlike narcotics and epidurals), there's no adverse effects on the labour or delivery (unlike narcotics and epidurals) and if side effects do occur (primarily nausea and dizziness) they are reduced immediately when you stop breathing the nitrous and are completely eliminated within 5 minutes... it's a very short lasting drug! You can't say that about the other pain relief options. You don't like the side effects and your f*cked for hours.....

No wonder epidural rates are sky high in the states.

 

[Guppy051708]

Im from the states too, and yeah, you are right only about 3-5% of women birth their babies without drugs these days! I dont see why it would be necessary at all for you to get an epi 5 hours into labor (or ever if you dont want it!). Pain relief is up to you, its a personal decision and your doc should be on board with you on what you decide. I had an OB up until i was 29 weeks preggo...and im sorry but i had a bad experience (not that all OBs are bad, im not saying that, but the place i went to...well i wont be going back). Anyways, since we have moved from PA to NH i am seeing a MW and she is amazing! TBH, if i were i would HIGHLY consider getting a different OB or seeing a MW (as MWs are generally pro-nature). I am very happy with my choice to switch. But there are OBs out there that are super supportive of a natural birth. If thats what you want and cant get a MW, or dont want a MW, then i would be looking around for a new OB! If a doc is pushy about drugs, you probably will feel pressured to get them and its not like you need that pressure on top of being in labor! I would be switiching. If you cant trust your doc now...youre not likely to in the future.

 

[Zen_Jenn]

One more quick note, I took Bradley Method classes, where I met other women who had and were planning to have natural births. Like you, I didn't know anyone who had had one. The classes really helped me, both in learning what to expect, and how to handle pain, and they also made me realize that a natural birth was completely possiblle. Other classes would be hypnobirthing or lamaze.

 

[Guppy051708]

One more quick note, I took Bradley Method classes, where I met other women who had and were planning to have natural births. Like you, I didn't know anyone who had had one. The classes really helped me, both in learning what to expect, and how to handle pain, and they also made me realize that a natural birth was completely possiblle. Other classes would be hypnobirthing or lamaze.

I took Bradley class as well Let me say, it was amazing! Well worth it! I would HIGHLY recommend it!!! Takes a lot of fear out of the childbirth & I am confident that i will be able to have this baby 100% naturally (unless medically necessary that is). And there is a very good success rate (97% i believe). I will be the last of 5 other couples in my class to give birth, and so far everyone has given birth naturally! Fx'ed i can do the same!

 

[kfarb]

I'm taking a birth class right now, and I've read lots of books. I'm not scared. I was terrified when I first got pregnant and was totally going for drugs. But I watched natural births on the internet, read books and articles and now I know that my body was made to do this. Doing it without drugs is better for me and especially the baby.

 

[Dream.A.Dream]

No constructive advice, just at the lack of pain relief options in America! xx

 

[Zen_Jenn]

Good luck with your birth kfarb! Trust in your body to do what comes naturally, and if there are any complications your OB will be there. (p.s. laboring in the jacuzzi tub really helped me - it made the pain so much less intense)

 

[JaniceT]

Hi, natural birth is very common here. Half my friends with children had opted for it during their delivery. No epidural, no form of any pain killers. Our bodies are build to cope with natural birth, it's our choice if we chose to or not to have an epidural/c-section. So go for it if you feel it's what you really want.