Christian women don't need epidurals

[lilith]

I dont think that Mullet has, but Kelly Bates did. Considering they may be the new gothard approved TV show Candy may want to reconsider her thinking.

Is Candy ATI? I thought she was her own brand of independent crazy.

I went into my first labor wanting minimal intervention. She was induced though, and as labour went from nothing to full on in less than an hour I quickly called for gas, them pethidine, then an epidural. Well, not quickly. Actually gradually over the course of the 28 hours, before they finally gave me an emergency C section. Which saved her life.

I wanted the whole natural birth experience so much. I tried again with my second, even though I had to convince the hospital to let me try for a VBAC less than 18 months after my first delivery. I was nearly two weeks overdue when I finally went into labour. I didn't even bother with gas and pethidine, within an hour of intense labour I was begging for an epidural. It took like an hour to get the anesthesiologist to me, and I was literally screaming in agony, which I knew wasn't normal, because labour with my daughter had hurt, but not on the same scale as this. It didn't fully work, and they knocked me out for an emergency C section. Turns out he was HUGE and was never going to pass my pubic bone. Thank you modern medicine for saving BOTH of our lives.

By number 3, I was more sensible and realistic. I realized that a healthy bub and mum is all that really mattered, and booked in for a scheduled C section. For the first time I wasn't exhausted and traumatized by the birth experience and was actually fully aware when he was born. I got to bond with him straight away, instead of spending hours in recovery while he was separated from me. It was by far my most positive birth experience.

Sorry for the rant. People who look down on medical intervention during birth, be they fundies or hippie homebirthers like my sister drive me insane. I fully support any woman's right to have her baby in any safe way she chooses, and understand that natural birth works for many. I was a home birth myself. But I wouldn't have my daughter and my son and I would both be dead without medical intervention. Women have been desperate for safety, certainty and lack of pain in childbirth for millennia. Many women around the world still are. The fact that spoiled western women who have those options not only reject them but look down on those who take advantage of them makes me furious.

Labour doesn't hurt because of some mythical sin, it hurts because it is stretching the female bodies limits to the max. While many peoplemhave lovely natural birth experiences, many more dont. Tell a woman in sub Saharan Africa that an American (or Australian) woman has the option of good prenatal care, delivery in a hospital, pain relief and the near certainty of both mother and baby surviving yet rejects it because of the bible and she will think that woman is insane.

[ilovetchotchkes]

This was my experience with my second (and last) birth. Fuck that pain and suffering shit; if these fundie women want to pay their sin-dues or think they're gonna get a gold star at the end, they can go for it.

Had this been my experience with my son's birth, I would be signed up already to get another one. once I got one, it WAS really nice to sleep for a bit but I ended up with a spinal headache. I'll take the labor pains over that. Holy hell. I've had migranes before and this made them seem like piddy shit sinus headaches. Holy fuck.

[Austin]

Had this been my experience with my son's birth, I would be signed up already to get another one. once I got one, it WAS really nice to sleep for a bit but I ended up with a spinal headache. I'll take the labor pains over that. Holy hell. I've had migranes before and this made them seem like piddy shit sinus headaches. Holy fuck.

Yeah, I should have mentioned that I had a spinal headache, too, after birth #2. But the staff quickly did a "blood patch" and all was well. Would do it again in a heartbeat even with the headache thrown in the mix. Not that that's an issue, as the baby factory is shuttered.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

Emmie, did I understand correctly that the nurses refused you pain meds to basically punish you for being a pregnant teen? What in the actual fuck.

[Beeks]

Had this been my experience with my son's birth, I would be signed up already to get another one. once I got one, it WAS really nice to sleep for a bit but I ended up with a spinal headache. I'll take the labor pains over that. Holy hell. I've had migranes before and this made them seem like piddy shit sinus headaches. Holy fuck.

I was going to say, if I could guarantee my epidural experience would be that awesome I'd sign right up. Sadly, for me, it was horrible. :( my unmedicated birth was much much better. These differences in experience are exactly why women should have the CHOICE though and not be guilted into going one way or the other.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

[Trynn]

All I can say is, if having a child is ANYTHING like having period cramps (mine are bad) I am going STRAIGHT for that epidural the minute I walk in the hospital.

[ladidah]

All I can say is, if having a child is ANYTHING like having period cramps (mine are bad) I am going STRAIGHT for that epidural the minute I walk in the hospital.

For many women, that's pretty much exactly what early labor feels like! That's how you can tell the difference between the Braxton-Hicks contractions that happen throughout the last two trimesters and contractions that actually dilate the cervix. (And if you're a first-timer and having regular contractions every few minutes, that's the magic description you give to your doctor to make her understand you know what you're talking about and you're actually in early labor. ;) )

[ilovetchotchkes]

All I can say is, if having a child is ANYTHING like having period cramps (mine are bad) I am going STRAIGHT for that epidural the minute I walk in the hospital.

My period cramps are so bad that vicodin doesn't touch them. THe only thing that works is heavy duty narcotics that NOBODY will prescribe to me, even though I'd need, TOTAL maybe 24 pills for the entire year. Nobody believes me that its that bad. Except my midwives but they can't prescribe anything stronger than a prescription strength NSAID. But if I'm on the floor dry heaving in pain every single damn month, have missed significant chunks of work because of it, I think its a problem. And no, having a baby didn't help it. Once Girl Fetus makes her debut, i'm going to get the pill and piggy back it w/ my midwive's help so i only get 3 periods a year.

Labor is AS painful but different. Contractions are like charley horses, so you get a minute or two break in between and its not like constant like period cramps are until you hit transition which in most women only lasts about 45 minutes to an hour max. I'm the exception HA, 6 hours man, 6 hours.

[Jessica]

I had a natural birth with J. I was saying up until very recently that I wanted a homebirth next time around. I really DO want the peaceful homebirth experience. But the pain? No thank you. I had back labor and my back would continue hurting even in between contractions. It hurt so bad I couldn't focus on anything else, so I would be trying to push and need a breath, so I'd breathe but then not push. Man it hurt and we almost didn't make it. Then my friend recently had a baby and she posted pictures from the hospital. She had an epidural and was calm as can be, and said the birth was easy (there are pics of her DANCING with the IV pole!). After seeing those pictures? Yep, sign me up for an epidural!

[mnb357]

Four c-sections here, in spite of walking in to my first L&D thinking I'd go natural. Yeah, right. No. You see, my awesome mother told me when I asked, "Pshaw, having kids doesn't hurt, who told you that? Good Lord, 2 hours later, I'm wheeled to my room where I'd have a cigarette and phone your father." This she did 6 times, mind you.

I always likened the admission process of my sections to a sushi bar. "Yes, I'll have the pre catheterization versed appetizer, a main course of salo-morphine spinal, with a morphine personal pain apparatus for dessert."

[emmyfair]

I had an epidural after 40 hours of labor with my first - and when I went for my emergency c section, it f*cking FAILED.

I hate epidurals for non-Gothard related reasons. A spinal block is the way to go, imho.