My Mum was rigged up to a heart monitor when she was in hospital expecting. As my Dad sat beside her it suddenly stopped and flatlined. Dad was about to rush for a nurse when suddenly it started again and blipped blipped away to itself 
I neglected to mention that with my first, I was in back labour, as well as being induced. Pain like a - well, like something really, really, really painful. I’m told that an induced delivery is tons worse than one that comes on naturally. I hope I’ll have the opportunity to find that out.
Maybe this one won’t be back labour. Maybe I’ll get a pony, too.
I have been watching the labour & delivery shows on Discovery Health Channel. Seems like every one gets an epidural. Why would you want to lose control of your body like that?
Also, we do NOT know if we’re having a boy or a girl. Dave didn’t want to know, and if I knew I’d probably let it slip. We do know that it’s not a puppy, though.
My mother had four days of labour with my sister. No drugs. If she could handle that and pop out 8lb-14oz baby, I’m sure I can do the same. My first was 8-14 (incidentally, so were my niece and mother) and they say that subsequent children are larger. I know this one already feels like it’s a billion pounds and seven feet tall. I’ve dropped, so at least I can eat more than a few mouthfuls at a time now.
Lamaze breathing worked great for me.
It is remarkably the same thing to when you are doing something athletic or have alot of time in the gym: exhale during the pushing/exertion.
I was really amazed on how much like training for something it is.
And it is exactly just like having a big poop, the muscles you use. Nice sentance structure, yes?
I had one of each.
For the first one, I did all the things they tell you not to do in birthing classes. I went into the hospital far too early (my contractions were regular and were making me break out in a little sweat, but I wasn’t feeling any discomfort), I hadn’t eaten anything all day, I let them put me in bed with a monitor, I let the doctor do an amniotomy, and I fell asleep right before I went into transition, meaning that I awoke in pain and was terrified by it. After about half an hour of painful contractions, I couldn’t take it any more. A nurse put in an IV and gave me Stadol, at which point I still felt just as bad but could no longer effectively communicate with anyone. A short time later, I got the epidural…and then I got to spend something like five hours pushing ineffectively because I couldn’t control my muscles all that well. The baby was finally born with the assistance of forceps, and to top it all off, I had to have an episiotomy in order to accomodate them.
The second time, three and a half years later, when I realized I was going into labor, instead of calling the doctor and going to the hospital, I went out for a light dinner with the family. After dinner, I encouraged Mr. Legend to go to bed and get some rest, although my contractions were strong (but not painful) enough that I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I called my mother to alert her that we’d probably be needing her to take the Little Myth off our hands sometime that night. At around one a.m, the contractions were coming at about seven-minute intervals and getting more intense, so I called the doctor and the grandparents, woke Mr. Legend, and we headed to the hospital. Once there, I was told I was dilated about 4 centimeters (jeez) and that it would be a while. I refused an IV and an amniotomy, and my labor progressed nicely for the next few hours. The contractions got more intense, but I was actually able to “breathe through” them without real pain. By 6:30 a.m, I was at 5 cm, although I felt more than ready to have the baby. Suddenly, I felt an intense need to have a bowel movement, and while I was sitting on the edge of the delivery table considering whether I might make it to the bathroom between contractions, the next one hit with incredible force. For the next 20 minutes or so, the contractions were indeed painful, and I discovered that screaming (perhaps “loud grunting” is a better term) through them helped immensely, although it apparently did nothing for Mr. Legend or the nurses. I was offered Stadol and declined (as I recall, I told them that they could take some themselves if they were feeling uncomfortable). At around 7 a.m, I felt like I couldn’t take it any more, and I asked for an epidural. A nurse called the anesthesiologist, and when she came back, she checked to see how much I’d dilated…
And yelled, “Don’t push! Don’t push!” She rushed out of the room, yelling for the doctor, and when he came in, he walked into a gown, got one glove on, and was pulling the other over his wrist as he caught the baby’s head. No epidural, no episiotomy, no IV, nothing. It was just fine, and I was far less exhausted than I had been after the first delivery.
If I had to give advice for the best chances of giving birth naturally, I’d say be well-rested and well-nourished well before hard labor, be prepared mentally (it helps that it’s not your first, no matter how long ago that was), practice breathing exercises, don’t submit to hospital procedures that interfere with natural labor, and take it one contraction at a time. And, in the end, if you do feel overwhelmed, get the epidural and don’t beat yourself up over it.
I’m still not quite so sure of that, though.
One thing I forgot to mention: my first child was 8 lb, 6 oz. The second one was 9 lb, 10 oz. Both of them were 90th percentile for head circumference (I don’t remember exactly, but it seems like they were both 38 cm).
Oh, you may want an epidural.
I went in, was late, they induced me.
The pain came when I went to 4 cm.
It was 1 minute of pain, 1 minute releif, which was NOT long enough.
It was so painful, I had all energy sucked out of me. I could not have pushed, I could barely speak.
They claimed they couldn’t “find” the epidural team.
Finally, after 2 hours they found them and pain all gone.
2 hours later, my son was born.
Quite a short labor.
Not usual, my neighbor had 24+ hours of painful labor.
Is it true that inducement makes it more painful?
It was similar to cramps, but much worse.
I went in for a check, I was 2 weeks late, and 3 cm, so thats why they admitted me.
I was glad for the tv, and watched Jay Leno, who interviewed Michael Someone from that Burt reynolds show.
After birth, I exclaimed, “I feel totally energetic!”
The dr. said that would pass.
he was so right.
For 2 weeks, I was exhausted; by the time I walked from the living room to the bathroom, I was pooped.
I also had to hold on to furniture to walk.
Every time I stood up, I peed, and had to wear depends.
I bled for 5 weeks.
Oh, dear.
I think I’m probably one of those drama queens from TLC.
Both times, I screamed quite a lot.
In my defense:
#1:
My water broke at 32 weeks on a Saturday at 3 am; yep, preterm labor. My doctor wanted me at the hospital right away to forestall infection, so I went. Big mistake. My contractions never got farther apart than 10 minutes. Saturday night and Sunday night my contractions revved up to about 1-2 minutes apart, but they still weren’t getting me dilated past a 2. The doctor informed me that they didn’t hurt until I hit a 4. He was incorrect. Nevertheless, because my daughter was so premature, I wasn’t allowed any pain medication whatsoever. By Monday morning, I still hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since Friday night, I was exhausted and the contractions were 3 minutes apart basically all day and quite painful. Long story short, they revved up big time late that afternoon. I finally got the begged-for epidural at 6:30 pm, was checked again, and immediately had to start pushing. Arwen was born at 8:15 pm and is now a healthy almost-9 year old.
#2:
In labor at 3:30 am. Contractions 2-3 minutes apart. I’d been dilated to 3 for 2 or 3 weeks. Went to the hospital: still dilated to 3. Contractions eventually slowed to every 10 to 15 min. I was at 36 weeks, 5 days, but after I did some hall-walking and and the nurse talked to the doctor, they decided to do an amniotomy about noon. It hurt but didn’t really get things going, so at 1 pm they gave me Oxytocin through an IV. I went from talking to weeping and moaning within 10 minutes. Nurse decided I am “really sensitive” to Oxytocin. Yep, I’d say so. Around 2 they tried an epidural that didn’t take; my daughter was sunny-side-up, and it was back labor all the way. Juliet was born at 4:56 pm in distress, ended up in NICU for 8 days, and I needed a 2-pint transfusion. However, she’s now a healthy, happy 5 year old.
In both cases, I was in lots and lots of pain. I asked for and received an epidural both times. I’m not ashamed of it. I’m not ashamed of screaming, either. I am mildly ashamed of the swearing I did with Daughter #1, though.
Mrs. Furthur
Question for the pro-epidural camp, why a spinal block and not just pain medication? Seems like many choose between natural or epi and forget about curtain number three, I don’t get it.
not just pain med?
Well, they did give me something, and I felt loopy for a minute. But it wore off in 10 minutes, I doubt they had a huge supply they would continually give me.
With the epidural, I felt perfect, energetic and could push just fine.
Well, they didn’t offer me anything besides Stadol and epidural. I was told that actual *pain * killers - i.e. narcotics - would be dangerous for the baby, possibly causing respiratory distress or lethargy.
What are the pain medications they can administer during labor and delivery safely? There was no mention of anything else in childbirth classes or any of the books I read.
Hmm, I just learned reading this thread that stadol was a combination of demerol and an anti-nausea thing, so obviously demerol’s considered safe enough, as is something called Nubain apparently. This page has information on various types of pain management, including inhaled analgesics, and paracervical, pudendal or caudal blocks, which use local anesthetics similarly to epidurals, but much more localized and presumably with less risk of side effects.
Epidurals scare me, even the process of holding really still in a bent over position while a contraction’s ripping you apart and someone’s trying to poke a needle into the middle of your back…ack! I expected labor to hurt but didn’t want to lose any parts of my body to cope with that, just wanted some regular pain lessening medication to help me deal with the pain. Perhaps I’ve just heard too many epi horror stories, and it’s a great option for some, but too scary for me by far.
Queen Tonya, thanks for the link. I didn’t see a whole lot of options for general labor pains, though. I guess I had forgotten the paracervical block, but I don’t think it does anything for contraction pains. The others are for c-sections or episiotomies.
Except the inhaled analgesic. I’ve never heard of that one being used for labor, but maybe it’s a newer treatment? I’ll have to ask my O.B. what he knows about them.
(And you’re right, of course. I had forgotten that Demerol and Stadol are technically narcotics. So just gimme the morphine already! )
I wsa 5 years old and had a emergency spinal tap…there is NO freaking way I will let anybody near my back with anything remotely looking like a needle. It took me until I was about 25 before I could actually let someone massage my back without having a panic attack. Moot point now as I had my tubes tied, but the plan of action was to get to roughly the due date and have them go in and cut it out with me knocked out totally. Pain of an operation I can deal with, needles anywhere near my back they can go f*ck themselves.
I delivered both my babies in military hospitals, which were not big on letting you walk around, not big on screaming and not big on drugs.
With #1, my water broke at 4am, we went to the hospital about 9am. During the day, your records were kept in the OB/GYN clinic, and you had to pick them up yourself. My (now ex-)husband said he didn’t know where to go to get my records so he made ME go in and stand in line (with a towel between my legs) to get my file. The lady at the desk was NOT pleased with him when I told her my water had broken and I was in labor and could she please hurry.
Once in the room, I was hooked up to the fetal monitor and chided everytime I wiggled too much and things got dislodged. I was wearing a carpal tunnel brace with a metal plate in it and apparently hurt my husband’s hand when I squeezed it during contractions, which quickly became one minute on, one minute off. But I labor poorly and wasn’t progressing, so Oxytocin came into play. There were some pain meds at one point which took the edge off, but once the oxytocin hit, it was just hard labor until she was born at 7 pm, 6lbs 4 oz and a week early.
With #2, my water broke at noon, but no labor. My husband made me wait while he ironed a uniform to wear. Since this baby was 10 days late, I just wanted painkillers and to get it over with, but no pain meds until labor starts, they said. At 6pm they gave me my first enema, and once I’d pooped, labor started right away.
But once again, I labor poorly, so when it became apparent I wasn’t progressing, they brought out the Oxytocin, and that lovely hard labor. I asked for pain killers, but they decided I had waited too long. The doctor, who had been my favorite at the clinic, had to go home (shift change!) and in walked a female doctor I despised. My 9lb 6 oz son was born at 10:45pm, despite complaints from the doctor that I was making too much noise and disturbing the other patients. After the birth, I felt the urge to push to deliver the afterbirth, but the doctor told me to wait. I didn’t, and my husband said the afterbirth shot out and nearly smacked her in the head, she was so unprepared for it. She said she had never had a mother deliver the afterbirth on her own, that she always had to “pull it out”. I wished it had hit her, she was so incompetent.
Oh, and episiotomies for both, which were extremely helpful, though healing up was uncomfortable.
My motto while I was pregnant was “Yes, yes, drugs, give me drugs” (ripped off from “Truly Madly Deeply” if anyone’s interested). So of course, I ended up with a speedy 3-hour labour (including being induced, even though I was probably in labour anyway) and by the time they found the doctor to do it it was “nup, too late, now get up there and push”
Having done it without an epi once, I’d actually consider doing it again … it was pretty painful, but at least SHORT and painful. I had gas most of the way through (on the highest setting, of course!) but I didn’t find, for me, that it did much apart from provide a distraction (not that that’s anything to be sniffed at, under the circumstances)
I think the drug-free birth was good for the BabyGirl - she came out completely alert, and looking all around her (with this incredible wide-eyed expression on her face , like “what the HELL is all THIS!!??”)
I say go for it! Good luck in the “home stretch”
I wrote this up one time before for another messageboard, so here’s what I wrote then a few days after my labour.
I knew my ds was going to be coming into the world soon on the 23rd. I was feeling cramps off and on though in no real steady pattern at the time. As I had a doctors appointment that day I went and after looking me over I was told that most likely I would go into labour within a couple days as I was about 2cm dilated.
That night I went home and off to sleep fairly late only to wake up at 8:30am initially in quite a bit of pain. I dozed off and on for the next few hours only to not be able to go back to sleep after that, though after taking a long hot shower I was so tired I fell asleep on the living room floor for another hour. When I woke up from that nap I knew it was time to head for the hospital. The pains were coming pretty close together so I got up and we went to the hospital.
At the check in they realized my pains were closer than 5 minutes apart. They weren’t really long or strong (according to the nurse!) but they were definately doing their work and I was 5cm dilated. I was then whisked off to the labour room where I was given an epidural. I had thought to try without but by that point it was way too much for me (plus I could hear the woman in the next room screaming…). Luckily the epidural worked really well. I was able to move around still and feel the contractions but not the pain, at least until about 10:30/11. Then the pain started to come back but only in my left hip and side. So after awhile of that I got topped up and shortly after began to push. This whole time the nurse and doc was a little confused as my contractions weren’t the type to really be working (supposedly) but they were working just fine for me.
Caterpie came into the world at 1:59 am on Christmas day.
Good luck Ginger, I’m sure things will go fine.
I had just pain meds with my first( 15 years ago), because I was too afraid of needles to have someone stick one in my spine. Narcotics just make you out of it and don’t really help the pain much. With my second (6 months ago), I had an epidural, and it was a much better experience. I didn’t have any problem pushing… in fact they were amazed at my pushing. (Do the kegels, it helps you push.) My baby was wide eyed and awake right after delivery-- he didn’t seem drugged at all. My personal recommendations:
- Do Kegels beforehand.
- Get the epidural.
- Don’t get the narcotics.
- Don’t get the episiotomy. I refused an episiotomy for my second-- I only needed one stitch, and recovery was so much easier than for an episiotomy. I didn’t have to live in fear of the next time I had to use the bathroom.
Good luck with everything, Ginger!
Well, that’s good to know. If you were having a puppy, you’d probably be having six or seven of them, and would have to deliver in a big box under the stairs. And you definitely wouldn’t get any drugs.