Lol...Just be comfortable with your decision. Everyone can tolerate a different intensity of pain! You never know..You might be able to get through it w/out the use of pain meds!

You're right about the vaccinations...But we're made to give birth...Our bodies are especially designed to take control. It's all mental.

Sarah

that's right. Heck, I know I wouldn't want to live without air conditioning! Or have my teeth pulled with only whiskey as pain reliever. ;) do whatever works for you, that's all you can ever do.

I'm due in august 2006 and i'm unsure if i'm going to have one or not, I watched 20/20 a few weeks ago and this healthy woman died 2 hours after birth from the epi. I guess the doctor dident wear gloves or a mask while poking the needle in her spine and she got an infection that went from her spine right to her brain.
I really wanted to have one but now i'm really scared.
Amber

I read an article about that woman but really the odds of that happening are extremely slim. Just make sure the doc is wearing gloves and a mask! I'm not worried about it.

yeah saw it too... She died from menengitis due to unsanitary conditionins and because the Dr. Was too busy to wash his hand and infected her and because epi is in your spine is went directly to her brain and then died. But thats just one case , you can base your fears on just that one case out of the million successful ones. I am undecided whether to do it or not for other reasons but im sure ill end up taking it !

Im actually kinda terrified of them.. Benig so close to your spine and all.. I know from what i've learned in college that is totally safe and all, but that doesnt keep me from being uneasy. Im afraid they'd go too far in or something and i'd end up paralyzed.

So did you go drugfree with jacob?

lol I was asleep with him. They did an emergency c-section, and because my platelets were too low they were afraid of me bleeding internally with an epi.

Hopefully I can be awake with .Katie.

Ya see...That's exactly what i'm talking about. The problems escalate with an epidural. Drug free is sooo much easier. I'm telling yall...The pain is all in your head. You just need to learn control and breathe!!

Sarah

You can have .Alyvia for me, .Sarah :) they say she's going to be a little 6-pounder, so i'm sure you can do it! And i'll be right there with some ice chips, cheering you on! What do you say?

I'm going to wait as long as I can before I get an epi... I'm paranoid that it'll slow the labor down. I have such a low pain tolerance :( I don't know if I can handle it...

You can girl!! I know you can. Every woman on here is capapble of birthing a child drug free. It's just people choose not to feel it. Which, really, makes no sense to me. I wanted to feel what I gave life to.

I also think that it makes people take birth for granted. Like if you can't feel it, you have no respect for the pain it takes to deliver.

Post pardom is sooooo much better too! I didn't have any problems because I had felt all I needed to feel. So post pardom was a walk in the park.

Now, after giving birth drug free, I know that there is no obstacle I can't accomplish. There is nothing that I cannot do.

It's not about the pain threshold, it's about your determination and focus!!

All I can say is ...Just breathe!!! Don't think of it as never ending. You have to .K.N.O.W that it .W.I.L.L be over. People look at you with greater respect after giving birth drug free.

Sarah

There is absolutely no way i'm going without an epidural. I don't care who thinks i'm brave or not, but i'm not trying to win any medals of courage! I want it to be as painless as possible!

As long as everything goes smoothly i'm planning on delivering without any drugs.. I'm going to use the gas and air during contractions, like my sister did (she told me how amazing it was).. But apart from that I plan to do it 100% naturally =)

in the 'natural' childbirth community, the gas is considered a drug. So they wouldn't consider it '100%' natural. However, they don't consider much natural. If you have to be induced, that is not natural. If you accept a pain killer, not epidural, it is not natural, etc.

You do whatever you need to do to get a perfect little baby ;)!!

Ok, 80% naturally then =p

i'm just praying everything goes ok and I can enjoy the birth as much as possible.. To me it's a miracle =)

hehe ;) everything will be fine. And even if you don't 'enjoy' the birth, you can enjoy the baby!!

Giving birth is an amazing thing in itself whether it is drug free or not. The outcome in the end is the same...A beautiful baby. Don't let people make you feel like less of a woman if you decide on an epidural. If they need to prove something to themselves and to others, let them go right ahead. It is not a competition.

Personally I loved my epi. Although they had to do it twice because the first one didn't take at all. I did have to have a cath in though, because of my fluid levels or something like that and they needed to be drained. I've heard a ton of horror stories about the epi too, but I was in labour for 40 hours and made it 30 hours drug free. After that I couldn't take anymore. Do whatever you think is right for you hun. Good luck.