Ok im due on feb 14th and i am as scared as they get..i have read horrifying stories seen horrific movies and all and i think im losing it. I have a phobia for needles so im not sure i want the epidural and i know the natural way is painful too so this is a lose lose situation for me...im debating between natural and c section and all im scared please advice

im not a woman but the epidural is in the spine you wont see it coming.

but i will feel the pricking...

think of it as a little pain to keep the bad pain away. im not a big fan of needles either but for sure i am going to get a flue shot if the flue is coming around so that way i aint getting the flue wich is worse than the shot. mabey im not making since. idk

you make alot of sense,i know what you mean i have been having nightmares about it

I was queasy about the epidural when I was giving birth. (I was going to go natural--quickly changed my mind when the day came)

I loved the epidural! In fact, I had a c-section with just the epidural the 2nd time around. I couldn't bear to look at the needle but I remember it felt like a pinch.

Do the epidural, the needle is not that bad. And it is much better then the labor pain, especially if it is back pain. No matter what you decide to do, the reward is worth it.

Thanks all for the advice and does the epidural have those effects people talk about like back pains, not being able to walk for hours and all? Im really scared especially because my mum says she had a long labour with me what if it repeats myself..i dont think i have any pain threshold

Get the epidural. I had one with my first child felt no pain and with my second did not have one and felt a lot of pain more than you can imagine. It will be worth it when you see your baby the little bit of pain you have to go through with the needle is worth it.

I didnt even feel the needle penetrate my spine. I felt every contraction for 10 hours... the doctor didnt give me the epidural immediately because she said it will slow down the labor, and I needed to give birth in 12 hours because my water already broke. when they finally gave me the epidural I just felt them poke my back... but it was nothing compared to the labor pains i felt for 10 loooong hours.

quote:

Originally posted by Blkbeauty:
Thanks all for the advice and does the epidural have those effects people talk about like back pains, not being able to walk for hours and all? Im really scared especially because my mum says she had a long labour with me what if it repeats myself..i dont think i have any pain threshold

women react differently to the epidural and those side effects are few and far inbetween that I wouldn't worry about it too much...I didn't have any of those reactions...mind you the needle slipped out after the doctor left so I didn't get any...LOL

Congrates by the way...

the epo. they will roll you onto your side and it will just feel cold. Takes two seconds to do.

FYI...
my first was natural. I used the birthing room
at the hospital. When I began labor the bottles of champain came out and I talked with the daddy, played othelo and drank champian. My first lasted two hours. When the water broke it was all of 5 minutes till Paul arrived. My first child. It was the only time I drank during the whole pregancy. What a celabration it was.

My second birth was a 30 minute sprint and by the time I got to the hosptal [20 min] I was fully diolated and the nurse barly had time to prep me fully.


The twins were a C-section, emergancy type.
I was so doped up, that the memories are very vage now. Like a dream that one tries to remember...
12 years later.


If its your first and all is well I would suggest going natural.

The Doctor of my first, when I had these same questions, Said...

"How are your periods? The birthing paigns will be 5 time stronger than your monthly cramping."

I never had cramping then, just bloating. It was not till after the c-section with my twins.

I would not go c-section if you dont have to.

My mother was in lador for 36 hours. But not me. I did excersize though, which she never did.
I would swim, do laps. I would try to do as many as i can in a 10 min cycle, take a break [as long as needed, then try to beat that many laps again. I try to get to 500 yards in 10 mins.
Swimming will aso help with your breathing too, which is much needed for natural birthing. They do have classes for the natural.You might want to sit in on a lamaze class before you commit to a decistion.


I hope this info helps... I just had to put in another side of it.

Peace
Robin

Geesh Robin...where were you when I was pregnant to get all those great tips.

I missed out...LOL

My turn for input.
I am due in 3 weeks and this will be my fourth child. I did NOT have an epidural with any of my kids and do not plan on doing one with this baby either.
My reasons are -
1. I don't want anyone messing with my spine.
2. You won't be able to feel when its time to push.
3. You can not get out of bed once you get it.

Those are the main reasons I do not want one.
You can try other ways to deal with the pain like a birthing tub which I hope to be able to use. Or there are other drugs that they can give you to take the edge off but you will be able to know whats going on around you and you will be able to move around.

If you do a c-section you will be in hospital longer and that is major surgery. Someone cutting into my tummy is not something I would elect to do. I had to do it last year when they went in to untie my tubes and I would not recommend doing that EVER again.

Wow Jen, you got pregnant after you got your tubes untied? Did you take fertility drugs or are you highly fertile? Is it common for women to get pregnant after they untie their tubes?

I got mine done with my daughter in 2004 & I regret it.

I had 3 c-sections. The first 18 years ago & then another one 1 1/2 years later & they were terrible & painful. BUT with my daughter in 2004 it was great. Things have changed alot. I didn't want a c-section...I wanted to do it naturally but they said NO WAY. I had 2 prior sections, I got gestaional diabetes with her.(thank God it went away after I gave birth) and my age.

I commend you on not getting anything & if you've done it with all your other ones..YOU GO GIRL. It is true....everything has its side effects & it can have consequences.

One thing I can't believe is that you just had a c-section only 1 year ago & they are letting you try & have the baby naturally. I was told that there is a greater risk of your uterus bursting because of the c-section & the contractions during childbirth. I don't want to scare you but just wanted to let you know what I was told.

I am really happy for you that you were able to conceive after you untied your tubes. I was thinking about that the other day & what would happen now if I ever wanted another baby. Don't get me wrong I love bables but I don't know if I would have another one but just knowing that I had tied my tubes really made me sad. I only did it cause he was a real pain in the bu** when it came to using protection & the pill & stuff I've done in the past didn't agree with me. God forbid he would have a procedure.

GOOD LUCK & I'LL BE PRAYING FOR YOU