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! :)
I delivered my baby at City Hospital in December 2010.Doctor Amir Nasseri from N9NE Medical Clinic (based at Dubai Healthcare City) was my OBGYN. Dr Amir is Iranian-American and studied and trained in the US. (He has been in the UAE for a long time, so knows the Dubai system very well).
Honestly, I cannot sing Dr Amir's praises enough! He had (and still has!) genuine, personal care for me, my husband, and of course our baby boy. He was highly professional and made it a priority that I would have the birthing experience that I was after - natural and safe. He even made sure I got the best midwife for natural deliveries! He was happy for me to have a doula and even met with us together so that we were all on the same page before I even went into labour.
Throughout my pregnancy he regularly called or SMSd me to just check up on me and see how I was doing. (My experience with other doctors was that I could never get past the busy dial tone at reception).
Dr Amir's clinic is state-of-the-art and his staff are wonderful. I never felt uneasy about having my baby away from home (Australia). His post-natal treatment and follow up was also exceptional, and I am still in contact with him today with updates on our little boy.
I highly recommend him to any couple planning on having a baby or already expecting. My only disappointment is that we are moving to Abu Dhabi next month so Dr Amir won't be able to deliver my next baby! :)
