Epidural or Natural ?

Brenda - posted on 03/06/2013

I used to joke around that I wanted 2 epidurals and would listen to my friends tell me that I probably would get one because I didn't seem like I could handle pain well.. which I did not argue because I had never been in the hospital, broken bones, had stitches or gotten a tattoo! Lo and behold! Brenda gives birth to baby with no epidural! My main concern was NOT having a C-Section, the thought of having to get one angered me so I knew that I wanted to go through labor mostly at home. I did, and once I arrived at the hospital I was 7 centimeters and ready to go! Had an all natural childbirth thanks to encouragement from the doctors, nurses and most importantly spouse. It really is mind over matter and once baby is born the pain is gone. Hallelujah!

Jennifer - posted on 08/24/2011

I've done both. My first son was born in July 2009. I got to 5cm before I even went to the hospital. I was able to labour on my own without pain relief for several hours. I did use the gas to help me relax. Big mistake! As the contractions got more painful, I started sucking back the gas even harder and ended up feeling really out of it. I even passed out a couple times. The baby's heart rate kept dropping with every contraction and the nurses wouldn't let me sit up or walk around anymore. At that point I was desperate for an epidural. I felt much better after the epidural was done. A short while later I was pushing out my son. The doctor used a vacuum to assist the delivery and he was out in less than 10 minutes. I felt absolutely nothing. I tore and it took a long time to heal. I also got a wicked headache from the epidural that lasted a few days.

With my second son (born July 2011), I was sent to the hospital to be induced because his heart rate was showing decellerations when they checked me at the doctor's office. They broke my water for me to induce me and my body did the rest. I had really strong contractions for about four hours and just when I felt like I couldn't handle the pain anymore, I got the urge to push and it was too late for any sort of pain relief. Pushing him out was the most intense feeling I've ever experienced but it was over pretty quick. I actually gave birth lying on my side because that was the most comfortable way to get through my contractions when I was confined to the bed. I didn't tear at all this time and the recovery from giving birth was so much faster and easier. Having experienced both an epidural and natural childbirth, I'd chose natural if I was to have any more children. I won't lie - it was hard and it hurt. But as soon as he was out, the pain stopped and it was such a rush to know that I did it all on my own.

Samantha - posted on 08/24/2011

my first child i had the epidural hours before he was born. which i am glad i had because I was contracting really bad but he was not coming yet. he came about 9 hours later and i need sleep so i could have the strength to have him. With my daughter I asked for the epidural and my daughter was born before they finished hooking the machine up. They tried isolating the pain with drugs through an IV but it didn't help. Essentially, i gave birth with out a epidural because it did not do anything for my pain. If I had to do it again. I would not change anything with my sons birth, I would still have had the epidural, I needed it so i could get sleep. With my daughter i would have just said screw it and lets get this kid out of here, because i didn't need it i went in the hospital at 9am she was born at 2pm the same day!

Samantha - posted on 08/17/2011

my first birth i had an epidural. The epidural hurt REALLY bad, but it made the birth easier. My 2nd birth i did it natural no drugs at all. And let me tell you, it was difficult, painful and when i thought i could take no more my baby was born. I would go natural if i were you. Women have been having babies since the beginning of time and they did it natural. Your body is meant to have kids. And once you have a baby natural you feel so proud of yourself and your accomplishment. its tough and its not for the weak. But once you get to the point where you can take no more pain that is when the baby comes out. and then its over and all you can think about is your child. if i ever have another baby i will do it natural again for sure.

Steff - posted on 08/17/2011

When my daughter was born, the only needle I got was a shot of Gravol when I first got to hospital, and I was throwing up. Otherwise, all natural. My contractions were really irregular until the last hour, so the nurse had basically left me to it until she came in to check on me & realised I was already at 8cm!! From waters breaking until Rhiannon being born, 8 hours total, although no one actually knows how long I was "active " labour for.

With Ethan, things were super speedy!! He came a week early, just 2 1/2 hours between waters breaking & him popping out! Again all natural as there was no time to think about anything else! For some bizarre reason, my hubby decided to stop at the bank en route to the hospital ????????????? There I am with contractions 3 minutes apart, and he wants to get some cash out lol! Arrived 8cm dilated, and within 40 minutes was holding the little fella. Had plenty of drugs after, because the placenta didn't evn detach, let alone deliver, so got rushed in for emergency surgery & stopped just shy of needing transfusions!

and yep, delivery hurts!! Ethans hurt more, just because of the intensity & speed I think - oh yeah & the nurse out me on my side to "try it " for one contraction - hurt like hell judging by my scream, but it got those last 2cm gone in one contraction!!

Sal - posted on 08/17/2011

i was natural, and not because i;m some earth mother wanting to do it naturally, but i am totally terrified of needles and there was no way they were going to stick one in my spine.....the dr tried to make me have one (he said that if i were his wife he'd insist, i told him polietly i wasn;t his wife and there was no way known to god he was going to get it near me, and the nurse laughted and told him i;d be crying over the drip in my hand all day and she love to see him try and give me one), and even went to get the anethisist, but she was born before he got back

Sal - posted on 08/17/2011

i was natural, and not because i;m some earth mother wanting to do it naturally, but i am totally terrified of needles and there was no way they were going to stick one in my spine.....the dr tried to make me have one (he said that if i were his wife he'd insist, i told him polietly i wasn;t his wife and there was no way known to god he was going to get it near me, and the nurse laughted and told him i;d be crying over the drip in my hand all day and she love to see him try and give me one), and even went to get the anethisist, but she was born before he got back

Jennifer - posted on 08/15/2011

i had an epidural with both of my boys with my oldest i went into preterm labor i fell asleep and when i woke up i had to push and really didnt feel anything and i had him in the am.. with my 2nd son i had the epidural but it wore off right before i had to push and i felt every bit of it and i had him at night.

Keli - posted on 08/11/2011

Thank you for the tip. i think i will look into it more. for sure!!

Delia - posted on 08/11/2011

I'd want some answers before I'd rush into potentially unnecessary major abdominal surgery. If the shoulders were "stuck", they would have pushed your legs all the way up backwards by your shoulders (Mc Roberts maneuver) or they would have flipped you over onto all fours (Gaskin maneuver). Google them and learn for the future - particularly the Gaskin maneuver. I can not understand why they wouldn't help you get up and squat if you were getting fatigued. Better yet, have you squatting with gravity assisting you along with the natural fundal pressure which occurs (pushing down on the top of the uterus) when Mom's in the squatting position BEFORE you became fatigued. Squatting can open the pelvic outlet as much as 2 cm or 15%! Very helpful!

Shoulder dystocia (stuck shoulders) is scary for the provider, but in most cases it can be handled, and considering they didn't have you changing positions during the pushing phase I'd be dubious about any judgements at being made at this point. You dilated 10 cm and you DID successfully push your baby out, albeit with the assistance of a vacuum extractor and a nasty episiotomy.Perhaps you can read up and consult with a different doctor or midwife before birthing your next baby to ensure your making an informed decision.

Keli - posted on 08/11/2011

all they said was "stuck" i definetly didnt get any answers. and they didnt have me change posistions at all. my experience was intense, i didnt know i was in labor all night my contractions were not painful they were like boarderline PMS cramps,so when i got to the hospital i was 5-6 cm dilated and half hr later 7-9 dilated so it went so fast so they were scared to fly me thinking id deliver in the air... i think they were a bit panicked.im not looking forward too a cesarean next time.but my dr said no more natural... im just thankful my baby was healthy!! if there had been a emergency situation i dont know what would havebeen done.considering our local hospital doesnt do much

Delia - posted on 08/11/2011

Keli, OUCH! Did they have you squatting as well as encouraging you to turn onto all fours? I have to think they're used to "pulling out all the stops" if you're in a small town without immediate surgery available. I wonder if baby was coming in at an angle. You must be very afraid after your last experience, but remember each baby each birth is different. Your next delivery may not result in a necessary vaccum extractior or episiotomy. Fistulas are no fun, and cesareans aren't either. I wonder if you can get some answers as to what exactly led to baby getting "stuck" for awhile.
Good luck and I wish you a beautiful/healing birth next time!

Keli - posted on 08/11/2011

Yeah that was my first time having stitches anywhere on my body and i wasnt fond of them! lol. i thought of a law suit becuase my situation was just so weird,and rare.a dr i never met before,said he was just going to "check" my area,and he began repairing while i was fully awake with NO meds so i felt ever single stitch. i was jumping off the table in pain. so when i was sent to a surgeon in the city,she commented that that dr did a horrible repair job and that he shouldnt have taken on a 4th degree internal repair job without proper care,for example,making sure i was Put out and comftorable!! the surgeon had to UnDo everything he did and re do it all.i dont wish that pain on anyone, i told my doctor id rather give birth a hundred more times then deal with the 4th degree tare business again! lol. its amazing what our bodies can go through.

Angela - posted on 08/11/2011

oh wow and here i was freaking out because they gave me 3 stitches!

Keli - posted on 08/11/2011

I had a Episiotomy and vaccum suction. :( i had the perfect labor and pregnancy until the very end. my son's head was stuck for awhile,i was very exausted from pushing,being in a smaller town we only have one person on hand to do Anistetic for a c-cection and he was 3 hours out of town,so i had no choice but to do it here natural. then about 7 hours after my son was born i was flown a 45 minute plan ride to a city and had surgery,ranging 300 stitches,my son is 8months and im still seeing dr's over it. very crappy! but my next baby is supose to be c-cection. so i wont have too go through that again!!

Delia - posted on 08/11/2011

Kell\i, 4th degree tears are unusual. Was yours an extension of an episiotomy?

Keli - posted on 08/11/2011

ALL natural for me. it resulted in a 4th degree tare,but other than that it was a good experience. :)

Angela - posted on 08/11/2011

I had a natural labor only because they couldnt get an epidural in, they took 5 trys to get in the right place so i did my whole 55 hour labor with no pain meds! i was proud of myself, so my next baby will be natural because i know i can do it again!

Gabby - posted on 08/04/2011

I planned on going natural, and ended up going natural even though I didnt want to lol. I got to the hospital at 10:30 PM and had my daughter at 12:39am, so only a little over 2 hours at the hospital. My water broke on the way there and got extremely painful. I tryed the laughing gas but it wasn't doing anything for me other than making me feel absolutely stupid. My daughter's head was turned the wrong way and I was in back labour so I was in severe pain. I asked for the epidural, they checked how far along I was and I was 5 cm along. They had to do some blood tests before they could call the person to give me and epidural. About 20 mins later they were going to call him and they checked me again and realized I was 10cm along and it was time to push. I never got the epidural and I was in severe pain. She ended up breaking my tailbone on the way out. Lets just say I am very supportive of people who get the epidural now !

Amy - posted on 07/28/2011

I wanted to and did go natural for both of my kids. After doing loads of research I did not want to risk longer or stopped labor, baby distress, c-section, loopy feelings, or sleepiness. I would not change anything. With my first I was in hard labor for 14 hours which can make one really question pain tolerance ability. But realistically, it's at that point when you think you can't possibly handle any more that you realize you are in transition (the hardest part) and your baby is ready to meet the world. For me, after 2 hours of pushing and finally an episiotomy I was able to enjoy the instant elation that came when my baby was placed on my chest and feeling a great sense of accomplishment. I was able eat right away and I was able to go to the bathroom on my own (no bedpan or assistance needed).
I have witnessed 3 other births which used epidurals and all ended up with distressed babies, slowed labor and resulted in c-section. If I had it to do over again, I would still go natural.
Several things were helpful in making it through un-drugged. Walking helped a lot. A warm bath was helpful for a little while but then went back to walking. The birth ball was helpful as was some back rubbing. But the most important of all was the breathing. Calm, controlled, and focused long breaths were so important. Plus, having a great coach helps a lot to talk you through it. Reminders to breath slow, relax, and mini pep talks work wonders.
All I can say is do your research and have a written birth plan to follow so you will be less likely to back out when things get tough. Best wishes to all those expectant Moms.

Aimee - posted on 07/25/2011

My labour was 8 hours long, I went from 0 - 8cm dilated in under 2 hours and everything looked like it would be a really quick labour. But I was stuck on 8cm for nearly 5 hours. My daughter started getting stressed so I was given an epi to calm us both down. First one just made my left leg numb but got a 2nd, dilated the last 2cm in no time! When I was first told to push it was weird cause I couldn't feel what was going on but it wore off quickly and I finally felt that 'need' to push. I still needed an episiotomy to help her out but I don't regret a thing. After all that intense pain for so long it was such a relief to have the epi (gas made me sick). I am 25 weeks pregnant with a boy this time and I will do anything I need to to have him safely delivered!

Denise - posted on 07/25/2011

Hi Kimberly, Good for you for trying to go natural. I went completely natural for both my births and it was awesome. I didn't find the pain bad at all and really during the actually birth, I felt no pain. The most pain I felt was the contractions just before pushing. I think I am one of the lucky ones though. I just walked around during the contractions and kept calm and I found everything went smooth and fast and the pain was bareable. The whole process was about 4 hours for both boys. I do think the key is to stay calm. When you are nervous or panicked it tenses up your body and slows down the process.

Denise - posted on 07/25/2011

Hi Kimberly, Good for you for trying to go natural. I went completely natural for both my births and it was awesome. I didn't find the pain bad at all and really during the actually birth, I felt no pain. The most pain I felt was the contractions just before pushing. I think I am one of the lucky ones though. I just walked around during the contractions and kept calm and I found everything went smooth and fast and the pain was bareable. The whole process was about 4 hours for both boys. I do think the key is to stay calm. When you are nervous or panicked it tenses up your body and slows down the process.

Saskia - posted on 07/25/2011

With my 1st I was induced at 9am. My waters broke at 9pm and the contractions started at 10pm he was back to back but I managed to go with no pain relief till 06.01 when my beautiful son was born. With my 2nd contractions started on a thursday morning and I had her on Saturday at 20.18 and again with no pain relief. My experience was absolutly amazing both times and I would do it again and again x

Saskia - posted on 07/25/2011

With my 1st I was induced at 9am. My waters broke at 9pm and the contractions started at 10pm he was back to back but I managed to go with no pain relief till 06.01 when my beautiful son was born. With my 2nd contractions started on a thursday morning and I had her on Saturday at 20.18 and again with no pain relief. My experience was absolutly amazing both times and I would do it again and again x

Saskia - posted on 07/25/2011

With my 1st I was induced at 9am. My waters broke at 9pm and the contractions started at 10pm he was back to back but I managed to go with no pain relief till 06.01 when my beautiful son was born. With my 2nd contractions started on a thursday morning and I had her on Saturday at 20.18 and again with no pain relief. My experience was absolutly amazing both times and I would do it again and again x

Rebecca - posted on 07/22/2011

i also wanted to go natural, and i was handeling the pain very well, but the baby was all stressed out cuz i was stressed out and things werent progressing so i cave in after 10 hrs of natural labour and got the epidural. im kinda happy i got it though cuz i was in labour for another 10 hrs, plus 2 hrs of pushing. it wouldve been even longer without the epidural.



although the epidural screwed up my back. i have spots in my back that are completely numb, i have no feeling at all. and my whole back goes all tingely from time to time.

Delia - posted on 07/22/2011

I already posted on this, but I'll just add that today is a bad day for my daughter who had an epidural with the birth of my granddaughter 6 1/2 years ago!

The residual back pain is real, lingering, and flares up time to time. She describes it as shooting pain in specific areas, like skinny little knives stabbing her in those areas which makes her freeze. It's also like when you try to breath and you get that sharp pain that doesn't allow you to inhale. Yucky! Then again, the anesthesiologist was a viper. She jabbed needles into my daughter's back repeatedly trying to get in because "Her back is hard to get into". The second anesthesiologist had no problem and got right in immediately. Be sure you have a competent anesthesiologist (ask your nurse before the doc arrives) if you choose to use an epidural!

I've had 5 undrugged births, and I'm glad I don't have to live with a life of that kind of back pain, and as a nurse I can tell you that residual back pain is not that uncommon.

Christina - posted on 07/22/2011

the first i got an epidural.. they hadnt discussed any other options with me the second i had at a birthing center not a hospital... they talked to me about other options i had my second drug free i sat in a warm bath an used a birthing ball to help with the contractions they were fine with me being up and about were with the first at the hospital they got mad if i shifted to much in the bed if u are able to do a birth at a center rather then hospital i would recommend it based of my experience or talk to ur doc about other things like the bath and ball.... good luck

Ashley - posted on 07/21/2011

I had the epidural with my first b/c the pain of the conractions kept me from resting after more than 24hours. with my second i got one but I really wish I hadn't the pain was manageable but I was terrified that the pain would get like my first, which never happened. I am pregnant with my 3rd and hope I can go natural but I am not worried about it too much. As for feeling bad don't we all have ideas and plans but the only plan you can truly have when giving birth is to make sure your baby is born healthy and you are too!

Mandy - posted on 07/20/2011

My birth was exactly the same as yours! hoping to go natural for number two, but sometimes the pain is too much, nothing to be ashamed of. Not that the epidural worked for me at all, don't know why.

Deborah - posted on 07/18/2011

i got epidural twice.it isnt that bad really if u relax.

Jackie - posted on 07/18/2011

I wanted to have an Epidural, but it was to late for any drugs. I got a fright at first, because I didn't really prepare myself to go natural all the way, but I'm still alive and my baby is as fit as a fidle!

Jenny - posted on 07/17/2011

With my first 16 yrs ago, I couldn't make up my mind... I was 17 then. I waited to long and they messed around thinking it would take me forever to progress... but the time they finished she was already crowning and it didn't kick in till after she was here.

With my 2nd, I again couldn't make up my mind since there was 10 yrs between my babies... by the time I though enough - the doc said it was to late she was ready to come out. So, she was natural.

With all 3 of my boys I was induced & epidurals can slow down the induction and cause issues with delivery, so I was asked not to get an epidural or there was more of a chance of a c-section. So, eventhough the Potassium can increase the pain of contrations, I did deliever the boys without the epidural.

I am hoping that I can deliver natural with this one & not be induced, but with how fast I progress & it usually goes fast with each one - my doc will most likely send me in to be induced again around 39 weeks. Since he is afraid that if I wait for someone to come take care of the kids or drop them off somewhere and them make my way to the hospital, I will be in labor for over an hour or close to 1 1/2 hours & I have been delivering within about 1 1/2 - 2 hrs after my water brakes... I may not make it to the hospital. So he will most likely induce, but no epidural will be used.

Louise - posted on 07/17/2011

hi delia,gas and air is something you breath in through a mouth piece when you feel a contraction coming on.It makes you feel very light headed like you have had a drink.Its a horrid feeling .It doesnt touch the pain but gives you something else to focos on instead.Naturel births are much better as you feel so much more alert after the birth dont you.And you feel more awake as you have no drugs in your system.Im from england by the way delia

Alexandria - posted on 07/16/2011

I sabatashed my birth plan by letting the doctor break my water on my due date. My husband is in the military and he would have had to go back to post 4 hours from where I was scheduled to give birth if I didn't go into labor while he was still in town. So, I let the doctor break my water and then 24 hours later I checked into the hospital to begin pitocin (breaking my water didn't start labor for me). I took no pain meds until I was 7 cm dialated. Once I let them give me the pain meds, before I knew it I was asking for the epidural, then low and behold, just as I had been warned, after getting an episiotomy as well, they sent me for c section. :( I was very disapointed. But my now 2.5 yr old is happy and healthy. Wish I could have stuck with the all natural but after experiencing all of those things, I understand why so many women give in after a good fight. Now that I've had one c section, I'll probably end up having a c section next time as well because the doctor said my tail bone was in the way of the baby coming out. Plus the risks associated with VBAC, I've pretty much screwed myself as far as every getting a chance to do a natural birth now. I guess if my tail bone was really inthe way it would have come down to c section no matter what I did. Disapointing, yes. But as I said, my daughter is happy and healthy, always has been from day one. She was jaundice but that's completely normal for newborns.

Jenny - posted on 07/16/2011

Completely natural, except for the fact I was induced. No meds or epidural for pain. But honestly the pain after the baby is born is worse than labor and delivery. I'm having my 2nd in about 11 weeks and am more worried about the pain after I have the little one in my arms than labor and delivery. The more you can get your hip, thigh, & calf muscles worked out between now & delivery the less pain you'll have afterwards.

Adriana - posted on 07/14/2011

I was in labor for 32+ hours with my first child so when I was able to get an epidural I took it with no hesitation, I hadn't slept in hours and needed that rest but I do regret having one with my second child because I wasn't in labor that long and the pain wasn't as bad as my first child birth labor, I really think I could'v handled a natural birth just was afraid of feeling the stitch up process afterwords (My children have BIG heads lol).

Michelle - posted on 07/14/2011

I went C-section, so there really wasn't much of a choice for me. Up until we found out our daughter was full frontal breech, I was planning for natural, with the whole family in the delivery room. My dad was SO relieved when he heard I would be delivering via C-section..and only my hubs would be allowed to be there...and that was with some trepidation on my ob-gyn's part.

Elizabeth - posted on 07/14/2011

I wanted a natural, drug free birth and it was going well until I took a bath.
The beginning of the bath was wonderful, the first few contractions in the hot water were so easy (and the midwife told me NOT to take a bath because it would slow down my labor, little did we know...) and then I hit transition. Before I took the bath I was 4.5 cm. After the first few easy contractions they got 10 times more painful than they were before I got in the water! Maybe it's because I had a short break that I thought they were worse, but they were horrible and the water seemed to stop helping.

I asked my midwife if there was something just to take the edge off a little. I didn't want a narcotic or anything crazy, but I needed a little help. This was 30 minutes into the bath ( the tub wasn't even full yet! Slow ass water) She came back five minutes later when my body decided it needed to fight the contractions, I could not breathe through them anymore. She had to check me before she could give me the injection of whatever she had grabbed.
Well, it turned out I was pushing, not fighting contractions and thus was crowning. So of course I didn't get the injection at that point. I think going through transition was almost worse than pushing my lo out! I feel lucky that it went as fast as it did because I really wanted to go drug free and I almost didn't. At the same time though it was so ridiculously intense and the contractions were so painfully constant that I would not have lasted if my lo wasn't trying to get out so bad.
I ended up pushing my baby out while standing in the bathtub, they wouldn't let me have a water birth (not allowed in that hospital I guess).

Hannah - posted on 07/13/2011

When i was pregnant they asked if i would like to have drugs, i said why be in pain if i dont have to be.
When it came to actually being in labour i stayed home as long as i could because i dont like hospitals all that much.
I was 7 almost 8cm when we got to the hospital, they asked if i wanted gas and i said yes, i had about 1 puff and felt dizzy so i stopped that.
We were at the hospital for an hour and a half before my little boy came out. no stitches and i was very active feeling 5mins later...felt great, im proud of myself
I was lucky to have a quick labour and basically drug free =) i hope i can do it again with the next

Ashley - posted on 07/13/2011

I got an epidural after 15 hours of labor with my first, I was 9cm and they said it might still be a few more hours... after I heard that I decided better get an epidural. My second child I asked for an epidural right away and I was 7cm so they put it in right away but she came out mostly on her own like an hour and a half after I got to the hospital... so I with that in mind I think I might try natural next time, I mean if the hard labor part is only going to last two hours I think I can get through that... but we'll see.

Lisa - posted on 07/12/2011

I wanted natural and had drugs for all three. My first child was 9.9 and labor was two 18 hour days. I made it through the first day and half the second and couldn't take it anymore, I was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted plus she was a week overdue and I was induced.

My second child was 10.3 and I made is 10 hours but had only back labor, tried everything else but the pain was so horrible I could only focus on the pain. I was literally off the bed with every contractions trying to do anything to make the pain go away. He was also upside down with his head turned stuck in the birth canal and was 2 weeks overdue and was induced and he ended up being an emergency c-section after 18 hours of non-progressing labor and baby in distress.

My third labor was a planned c-section.

Not disappointed one bit with the fact that I had drugs or a planned c-section. I had healthy babies and that's all that matters.

Maggie - posted on 07/12/2011

Hi, i planned on a completely natural birth as women have been doing for years!!!! By 5cm I had the gas, by 8cm they took it away from me cuz I had it on the minimum and wasn't screaming...so in the end I pushed without any pain relief. However we had problems with the placenta not wanting to come out so they threatened to give me an epidural and go into surgery, well there was no way I was going through all that just to get the epidural in the end so I said no I can feel it there i'll keep pushing. Got the result I wanted. So expecting Number 2 in Jan and hoping I can go completely natural again

Lin - posted on 07/12/2011

With my first, I had an induction because of preclampsia, and I swear to you I could barely feel the contractions - my husband had to let me know when the monitor said I was having them. Before you start feeling jealous, I was on pitocin for 20 hours and only got to 3cm, then I had an emergency c-section; I was 2cm 2-3 days before. With my youngest, I had similar complications so we skipped the induction and went straight for a c-section. I had epidurals for both c-sections. The epidural only hurt when the local/numbing agent was forgotten until after the epidural itself was put in - WORST PAIN EVER (that was for my oldest - I made sure to remind people about that the second time around).

Claire - posted on 07/12/2011

with my second they did the epidural and within 30 secs i felt numb down both legs and told them to lie me down before i fell off the trolley in theatre lol never felt a thing after that

Sarah - posted on 07/12/2011

Epidural. Loved it. Will do it again with the next one. :)

April - posted on 07/12/2011

When I had my children, they were both c-sectioned. I was close to giving birth to my oldest, but his head was too big for me to give him natural, so I had a c-section done. When I had my second child, I had to schedule a c-section, because my doctor did not want to try naturally.

Katrina - posted on 07/12/2011

I have a great deal of pain on a daily basis, so I totally wimped out when I had my daughter. My blood pressure was sky high & they gave me the choice of inducing labor, or c-section...I chose the latter, and I do not regret my choice.

Teresa - posted on 07/12/2011

I wanted to go natural too but the back labor was horrendous. I truly could not endure it. It was a godsend for me and for my husband. He was beside himself because he could not stand to see me in agony. I will try a natural birth again this time but if its back labor, I will be getting the epidural.