Has anyone had a natural birth without an epidural recently?

I also highly recommend having a doula with you. I had a good friend of mine as my doula (let me know if you need details) and it was the best thing I could have done. My husband felt comfortable and involved and useful, and I felt much more relaxed and informed. They also say that the best form of pain relief is a doula as most women who have one don't end up requiring epidurals etc. :) Hi Dubai_Sunshine! I'm due mid November and really considering having a doula with me as it is my first pregnancy. How does it work and where can I find a good one? Thanks, Steffi

I agree, just be open minded that sometimes things can go their own way despite what you;ve planned. I just had my baby 5 weeks ago, and for 2 reasons I'm so glad I got the epidural even though I was, and am, still so pro natural delivery. I had really wanted a natural delivery, I ordered books on Bradley method and Active Birth from Magrudys, I practiced all the techniques, and throughout my pregnancy I was determined that I was not going to get the epidural. Once I was in labour though, they had to break my waters when I was 3cm dilated with the hook and for this the doc had her hand in there for what felt like an hour lol! It was super uncomfortable and quite painful, when she was done my whole body was shaking. I had such bad shivers I couldnt stop shaking, even the nurses kept checking I was okay, no matter what i did how I tried to relax I couldnt stop. So as my contractions built up and got more intense, I couldnt put any of the relaxation techniques to use because my body was just out of my control really. Every contraction I was proud of myself for getting thru it and I kept telling myself I can do this without epidural but at 5cm I just couldnt do it anymore, I felt exhausted, and I asked for the epidural. My other concern was that my baby's heart rate was low, the doc was very worried about it and they had told me when it came to the pushing stage it could get critical, so I was worried that if I was exhausted now how could I have the energy to push her out, and what if I'd be too tired to do it and had to get a c-section. After the epidural, I was able to relax, even sleep for 2 hours till I was fully dilated. Then when the pushing stage came, it was the most intense 15 mins of my life, my babys heart rate was getting lower and they had to get her out asap, we didnt have time I got her out in 4 pushes and LOTS of cutting, a major episiotomy, and my girl was out! I got lots of stitches,it took them more than half an hour to stitch me up! So at the end, I was glad I got the epidural, I feel like if I hadnt I might not have been able to deliver naturally and god knows how the episiotomy and stitches after would have felt! I do still believe in natural delivery though, but just be aware of the body and in the time of labour listen to ure heart, do whats best for you and ure baby :)

DD is now 7 months old and my only advice is plan for what you want; and have a few back up plans discussed as well. I went in to hospital wanting things to be as natural as they could (and me being as mobile I could be) for as long as possible - but with the flag to the midwives that I might ask for an epidural at some time. I just kept my options open. I did choose to have an epidural (and asked for the equivalent of a walking epidural - whilst technically they are not allowed to do those here) quite late in the stage and whilst it does remove the pain you do feel the pressure of the contractions and the baby moving down. I don't feel like I missed anything in my experience but completely understand why women chose to go the whole way without an epidural. Talk to your obgyn, DH. Someone earlier recommended watching birthing videos on the internet - BabyCentre does great ones for different situations - which really helped me understand what was likely to happen so I was completely relaxed about how things could play out on the day (or night as it was in our case). I think I was a bit different to some as this was such a long time coming (10 years+) that I was just looking forward to it from the day I found out I was pregnant - yes I know, my friends think I am odd too. If we are lucky enough to have number 2 I would do it the same way again. Enjoy the experience, it is amazing.

I had a natural delivery without epidural 3 weeks ago in City Hospital. It is my first baby so I really wanted to experience the natural birth and luckily everything went exactly the way I wanted. My dr wanted to induce labour on Saturday morning (as I was 40 +4 and she seemed quite big) and I really didn't want the induction. On Friday evening it all started naturally. :-) The midwives wanted to break my water at 4 am and 20 mins earlier it broke naturally. At 6.15 am I could hold my little daughter in my hand. :-) I don't know in which hospital you're going to deliver but the midwives in City Hospital were absolutely great. There were two South African ladies, one was called Suzanne, the other unfortunately I can't remember and they'were the most amazing, helpful and encouraging as they could possibly be. I believe the same which was written below that our body is made to handle this pain. And also, I always looked around and was thinking that all these people came to this world this way so I will I have to bear the pain as well. :-) It actually helps a lot. But as it was said earlier keep that option in mind and don't feel bad if you have to use it. for me 8-9 hours labour was bearable but I maybe 15-20 hours wouldn't have been. Good luck and let us know how it went! :-)

I gave birth to my first child in December 2010, naturally and without epidural or pain relief. Admittedly, I was lucky enough to experience "silent labour" and the pain only hit me after my waters broke 2.5 hours before I delivered. I had specified my birth preferences to my doctor (Dr Amir Nasseri of N9NE Medical at Healthcare City) and he happily worked with me to ensure I had the birth experience I wanted, as long as it was safe. He was wonderful, and even assigned a midwife to me at City Hospital who was well known for her preference of natural births (her name was Delmarie). While I know this is a very sensitive topic and that sometimes natural births are just not possible due to a wide range of reasons, it really is the best option to go without pain relief. The snowball effect caused by medical intervention is hard to beat. I would say to make it your first preference to go without the epidural, but don't beat yourself up if you end up feeling like you need relief. At the end of it all you will have your little one in your arms and you will feel on top of the world. I have a number of friends who were so adamant to have natural deliveries only to end up with emergency C-Sections, and then falling into post-natal depression because they didn't get the delivery experience of their dreams. Keep the right perspective :) I also highly recommend having a doula with you. I had a good friend of mine as my doula (let me know if you need details) and it was the best thing I could have done. My husband felt comfortable and involved and useful, and I felt much more relaxed and informed. They also say that the best form of pain relief is a doula as most women who have one don't end up requiring epidurals etc. :) All the best with your pregnancy and delivery, and congratulations! :)

Hi there, Honestly, i feel the best way is to see how you feel during your labour. Be open to any situation and giving anything a go ... ultimately the main goal of course is to get that baby out in the safest way for both bubba and mummy. I've recently had bubba number 2 and had an epidural this time - my birth was beautiful. I did have the epidural quite late I was about 8cm when it was put in and about 1 hour later (only 15 mins of pushing) my little boy was born - I got to giggle him out (litterally). My first son however (who has only just turned 2) was a different kettle of fish. Cruisest pregnancy but difficult labour. It was however reasonably fast for a first time labour ... 5 hours from the time I got to hospital at 4cm dilated (waters broken by midwife at 5cm - 2 hours after arriving at hospital). With the birth of DS1 i was open to anything and I thought i would see if i could manage without. I did not have the epidural - purely because I was expecting the labour to last a lot longer than it did and when I did ask for it because things were getting a little intense i was again 8cm but the anithesist took hr and half to get to hospital and by that time Dr was telling me I was about to start pushing and it was too late. I didn't actually need it (well so I thought)... pain wise I did do ok. DS however took over 1 hour of pushing, 3 tries of the vontuse (suction) and then an episiotomy, a few mins longer and I was probably going to be whisked away for an emergency c-section. He was also born with fluid on his lungs and spent 5 days in NICU. My recovery after no epidural and DS1 was awful. Friends who had C-Sections around the same time recovered quicker than I did. Birth for DS2 where I did have an epidural, things were calmer and recovery has been brilliant, even with a small tear - i started exercise 3 weeks post birth with my personal trainer and by 12 weeks post birth I started running again (on the treadmill). After DS1 it was about 8 months before I started on the treadmill again! be open to anything! wishing you all the best for a beautiful birth experience.

I would keep your options open until you are giving birth. I had both of my DD's without an epidural but once my waters broke with both they were born very quickly. If you are in labour for a long time an epidural can help so i would recommend keeping an open mind. Good Luck!!!

I have, twice and while it is not painfree it is totally doable. Second time around I didn't use any drugs at all first time I had some gas and air. I never considered having an epidural because the thought of a needle being stuck into my spine kind of freaked me out, also, like already said by someone earlier: one intervention often leads to more interventions. I think the key point to a good experience with a drugfree delivery is the right mindset, you have to know that you are capable of birthing the baby you are carrying, that your body is designed to deliver the baby and that you are fully able to bear the pain. Don't get me wrong, labour pain is no picknick, giving birth is probably the most intense thing a woman can experience. BUT it is not like the pain you have from a broken bone. It is a productive pain, yu can feel your body is working on something big. Also contractions come and go, so while in the beginning you will have intense pain for a minute you will feel fine for 8 minutes , then 5 and then 3, although by then it will be pretty intense but then you can already focus on meeting your baby soon Just go to any crowded place and look around at the people, all of them were born and in a lot of cases without much interventions, depending on where in the world they were born even without hospital care. If birth were impossible to handle and only doable with painrelief the human race would probably be extinct. But it's not and mothers even have more than one child Another thing that tremendiously helps is to know exactly what is going to happen. Inform yourself about birth. Read up on the different stages of labour, what your body will do to birth the baby. Or attend a antenatal class. While I was in labour being able to walk was very helpfull to manage the pain. Whatever you decide to do your baby will be born , be it with epidural or without and this is what is most important in the end. You will not receive a medal for going without drugs, so if you don't feel like doing that then that is totally fine, too. <em>edited by Lilli34 on 23/07/2012</em>

Dear Mahawish, Having an Epidural statistically increases the risks of a c-section and other forms of intervention such as forceps and ventouse. However, in saying that there is a big difference between pain and suffering and no woman should suffer during child birth is should be a wonderful memorable experience. I have attended many wonderful natural births here where women have used alternatively mentions of pain relief such as a TENS machine, water, Gas & Air, visualisation and hypnobirthing. From my experience I would say having a natural birth without pain relief really depends on how much you believe in yourself and your own ability to birth your baby the way you want to. I do agree that you should have birth preferences not a birth plan as plans can sometimes go wrong. Reading all the pros and cons, I'm just paranoid....and was wondering if people have acually opted for not taking epidural at all for a natural birth....and how have they fared. ...or is it wise to go for the epidural. Would taking an epidural increase the probability of a natural birth because it helps with the pain ? Any personal experiences/reassurances/advice would be welcome. Thanks First time mom-to-be in final trimester :)

Hi Mahawish, I had a natural delivery with both of my daughters. To be honest the thought of the epidural freaks me out! I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that labour doesn't hurt...it does...a lot!! The way that I see it is that women have given birth naturally for hundreds of years, nobody ever died from the pain. God made us in a way that we can handle the pain of childbirth and our bodies have the capability to deal with it. Quite frankly if we aren't physically able to handle the pain then we wouldn't be made this way. I'm not sure how far on you are, but in my experience I have found that we spend the first 8 months of pregnancy freaked out about labour, but when you get to the last two or three weeks you feel heavy, tired, and enormous! All you want is for the baby to come out, in fact you actually welcome the thought of labour because you know that you will have crossed the finish line. It's amazing how our bodies are made and how we prepare ourselves for labour. I think labour and delivery is a very personal choice. Don't feel pressured to have the epidural if you don't think that it is right for you. Also, don't feel obliged to g natural if you think you can't handle. Like somebody said, I think birthing plans are a whole load of rubbish especially with you first child. You don't know what you want until you are in the situation. My first delivery was probably the worst experience ever. The baby was back to back, I was in excrutiating pain with continuous contractions for 5 hours, I had already been in labour for 14 hours, and the midwife wouldn't allow me to push until the baby turned. Ok I know that isn't very reassuring for you, but my point is that despite the bad experience, I still chose to go natural with my second daughter (that was about 3 hours from start to finish and I had a water birth). I was able to get up straight after delivery, I could walk on my feet and I was in the shower within the hour! I didn't need any help from anyone. It is instant relief once you deliver. You feel bruised down there, and physically exhausted but that's about it. My advice is to go in with an open mind. Start off natural and see how it goes, if you can't take it anymore then ask for pethidine or the epidural.

I gave birth without anything, I trusted my body to do the right thing and I'd prepared myself not to be scared of the contractions. I was completely open to anything happening but mentally I didn't want any interventions, there was a point where I thought "hmmm perhaps a bit of pethidine!!" but I waited for the next contraction and the fear passed. I know it could have all turned out differently but the fact that I was prepared helped enormously. Watch birthing videos with your DH, talk about how you might react to the pain and how he can help (distraction techniques, my DH had me counting the tiles and bricks) and read some natural birthing books. My other tip would be to stay at home for as long as you can, the second I was in hospital the midwives were pressurizing me to have an epidural before I'd even been examined, in my experience (professional and personal) a lot of midwives here have forgotten how to help women labour naturally so do your own research! Or have a doula...

Do what you feel you want... everyone's experience is different.. my first delivery was with epidural and induced labour but was a bit difficult and took time i was also about to get caesarian done if things didn't get well .. its true they say if you take epidural you will take time to deliver cos you don't feel the pain so you do not push enough.. my second labour I asked for epidural at the beginning but my delivery was too fast to have time to get epidural and my doctor anyway told me I don't need it. and I was so happy not to take epidural my delivery went completely natural with no stitches even and I was awake and relaxed after delivery. you can inform your dr that you might take the epidural if you cant stand the pain, and keep your dr always in the picture of what you feel and what you would like to do. secondly try no to be scared while delivery this will make it easier for you. and of course best is the natural delivery an experience every mother should have.

Hi mahawish I didn't want one but in the end the Obs advised it. I was not managing my pain well enough on the gas. The epidural saved me from an emergency caesar, they actually prepped me for the caesar just in case but the epidural gave me that chance to relax and get through the last two cm. It was my first pregnancy and I wanted to experience the labour in full, but bubs was at risk because the labour was so drawn out and i stopped making progress. You might not want to do it like me, but in the end I was very ready to take the injection. Next time I would also try to go without but let Dr know that an epidural is ok if I got to the same point of lack of progress and near to fetal distress again. So actually, I had a natural birth because of the epidural. HTH! edited by sparkly on 19/07/2012 <em>edited by sparkly on 19/07/2012</em>

I personally wanted it but as I've learned from my own experiences and those of close friends is to expect the unexpected and in some cases that birth plan goes right out the window. A friend wanted an epidural but it turned out that she was lucky to even get to the hospital in time. Best suggestion is to make sure your dr is on the same page as you. And ask those what if questions. Like how long over the due date do you induce? Are they pro epidural? Are they pro natural?