To Epidural or Not Epidural

That is the question right? When I was pregnant I had built up this idea in my head that if I could birth with no epidural that then I could do anything. As if some magical super power would erupt within me after I gave birth and all things in my life would fall into place afterwards. Maybe that sounds crazy to you or perhaps you feel or felt the same way. Regardless there has been a lot of “buzz” around the whole natural/no meds birth lately. I had a good friend tell me when I expressed this desire that there was no need to be a hero and that the epidural is actually a really wonderful thing. I had also heard stories about how an epidural free birth is such a rewarding experience. I was conflicted so I decided to find out as much info as I could and to go from there. Here are the things I discovered to help form my decision. Yours may very well be different based off of these same pieces of information and I encourage you to research and talk to people who have had different types of births to clarify your own birth plan.

Things I learned:

-once you have an epidural you cannot move. Yes, they now have “walking epidurals” that make it so you can feel a bit more and move your body BUT you cannot get out of bed (or at least this is what they told me). This is important to know because….

-The goal is to get baby down and to get yourself to 10cm dilated. This is very hard to do while laying in a hospital bed. Things move faster if you can be up walking around, on a birthing ball or even doing squats (yes squats!!)

-Having a baby is SUPER f*cking painful. Once you have an epidural you will not feel those contractions. That is wonderful.

-Nothing can save you from the ring of fire. But the epidural will make it more bearable (when you’re pushing a baby out it feels like that area is on fire – hence ring of fire).

-With a walking epidural you most likely will at least still be able to feel your natural urge to push (I did with mine).

-Know when is the last time you can have the epidural. There comes a point in every birth where you’ve come too far and they won’t give it to you. If you think you may want one ask when your last call may be so you know to squeeze it in if you want. They say with first babies your window is much larger since they are generally slower to arrive!

-Keep in mind that this is YOUR DECISION and no one else’s. If you really want it one way or another stand your ground but also be willing to go with the flow if need be. Most births don’t go as planned and that’s okay. It doesn’t make them bad. Your baby isn’t going to judge you for taking an epidural or not. The goal is always healthy and happy baby. That is all.

So what did I do? I held out on the epidural until the baby fully dropped and I had reached about 7cm. I had been induced so waiting it out and getting up and doing those previously mentioned squats and such got him down and took me from 2-7cm in an hour. Once my water broke you bet I screamed for that epidural. My contractions were so strong and close together I didn’t even feel the needle go in. I did then feel it take effect and I would equate it to a wonderful spa day. Seriously! I will say, and my husband mentioned it as well, the epidural then at this moment actually allowed me to be more present. I did the work to get him ready and then once I knew we were good to go I got the relief I so desperately wanted and he was born less than 2 hours later.

Do your due diligence and at the end of the day to what feels right to you. Every birth is different and special in it’s own way!