So I went into this pregnancy thing just assuming that I would have an epidural. I didn't know a lot about it except that it is inserted into the epidural layer of your spine and blocks out a lot of pain as a local anesthetic. I kind of thought it was just a shot-a one time dosage thing. However, when I went to childbirth class the video they showed about it said that it was continual or periodic dosage, and they leave the catheter in your back. I don't really like the idea of a little tube being taped to my back for however long it takes Baby to decide she's really coming. However, it seems to me that an epidural is the most effective pain reliver for labor.
Some others that I'm researching include pudendal blocks and spinal blocks. I've also read about natural births by just using breathing and relaxation techniques, but I think I'm too much a pansy to try those out just by themselves.
So for the seasoned mothers out there, what pain relief do you recommend? What things do you wish you had known your first time?
4 comments:
With my first I got an epidural... and the second one too (but it did't quite work). I really think it just depends on how you feel and how fast things are going. If you dialate and efface quickly, I would try to just get some good narcotics. If it seems to be taking a long time, get the epidural. It gives you a chance to sleep when you have been working so hard for so long.
I'll e-mail you my reply. It's too long for a comment. I guess I forgot to include my thoughts about this in my last e-mail.
Ready for a novel... You don't have to read it all but these posts made me excited, I loved being pregnant and labor was such an exciting time!
* I loved lamaze classes. I didn't do it right, but it helped me to focus and work through pain and this might sound funny but I found it fun. It helped distract my mind during contractions.
* So here are my thoughts on epidural... I had to be induced a few weeks early and after 9 hours I wasn't dialated past like a 4, so I got an epidural to gear up for another 10 hours. It didn't hurt going in and I couldn't feel it when I layed back down. (that might just be me, I don't know) But Luke had the cord wrapped around his neck and went into distress so they did an emergency c-section about a half hour later. And it was a good thing I got an epidural so they could put the new medicine straight into me. So needless to say my labor wasn't normal but hey who's is?
Also the epidural I got was so suppose to be a walking epidural but for me it numbered almost all my lower body.
But the great thing is you don't have to chose know. Like Sadie said a lot depends on how fast you labor is. See how much you can handle and know you have an option if you need help. And ask lots of questions to the doctor when you go into triage. "do I have time for an epideral" "After what point can I not get an epidural?" This helped me too. It seemed the more people I talked to and asked questions the better my pain was.
Also I just checked you Hospital Bag post just now,
* Make sure the clothes you bring to wear home(even if they are maternity) have room in the bust. I brought clothes I wore in my last trimester that tied under my bust to go home in and they had tons of room in the waist but my bust was so large I couldn't wear that shirt.
* Also what I wanted more than clothes was a robe. Because they encourage you to walk the baby around if you can, and I didn't want to put on pajama pants and I didn't want to walk around the hospital ward in just my gown.
* Makeup, or what ever makes you feel pretty. I know this sounds ridiculous, but after a while in the hospital and going home I just wished I could have not had the dark circles under my eyes and maybe a little mascara for pictures. I think I would have felt better if I had looked a little better.
I love you miss jillian! I am so excited for you. I loved being pregnant. You make me so happy!
I didn't think you could get a spinal block for regular births. I had one with Kaprice(c-section) and it was so much better than an epidural. I also tried to last as long as I could before I got an epidural, but for some reason I could never relax and nothing ever happened until I got one.
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