Should I have an epidural or not?

a personal decision,best to wait until labour i think before fully deciding,if its your first and you have no idea of what it will be like or how you will cope with labour then wait until your in that situation,im sure you will have heard plenty of horror stories.everyone gets on differently during labour,you might just be happy with the gas and air,or hypnobirthing is supposed to be really helpful ive heard or the pain might just be too much,then you could try the pethedine which might get you through it without needing the epi. for me, ive had 3 babies, on 2 births i asked for it, the first time 13 yrs ago and i was told there was no-one to give it so that was that, i got the pethedine and gas.labour was hard but fast,7.5 hrs and i had been on the drip too. with my 2nd i was just getting it when i felt the urge to push so it was too late,i was induced and labour was 3.5 hrs. and the pushing stage was just so fast, a few pushes only. with my 3rd also an induction i decided i wouldnt bother asking,knew labour for me was fast enough,yes the contractions were painful with the induction, i had the gas,asked for the pethedine but as she went to get it my waters broke and my baby was quickly on the way,didnt even have to push,he made his own way out, personally i feel from listening to other people it can slow down labour and the pushing stage ,and the recovery is so fast, a while later i was up showering and walking round,it was brilliant, and home in the morning.

I used an epidural on my first he was induced 13 days before his due date but they broke my waters after the gel didnt work after three days, I was put on the inducing drip and I got the epidural which I found a godsend. The midwife told me that I was feeling the pain worse cause he was coming way before his time. My waters were broke at half 9 in the morning and Lorcan arrived at 6 minutes to five weighing in at 8 pound 12 ounces @ 8 days early. If it wasn't for the epidural I dont think I would have done as well as I did. Its entirely up to you weather or not you need it. Im due my second in May and if I can cope with not getting it Ill try but it wont bother me if I have to get it again, feeling no pain and just pressure when he was ready to come was brilliant :o)

The best advice I could give to any woman expecting a baby is to have a birth plan. A good birth plan can give you a feeling of control over your delivery and the confidence to ask for what you want. Included in your plan will be your choice of pain relief. On this subject there is no substitute for research - read as much about it as you can - but from reputable books and not the internet where you often come across worse case scenarios. The same can often be said for asking friends who will often recount horrendous tales of greusome births and 48 hour labours - most of which I might add are urban myths. Ultimately no one can tell you what to choose but if you are well informed you will feel more confident in making the decision yourself. I have two children, one by epidural and the other a c-section. My experience of epidural was very good. I had given the midwives a copy of my birthplan from the outset and they were in no doubt of my requirements and thank god everything turned out well. I have every respect for women who choose a more natural route however, I knew that it was not for me. I might also add that my child was in no way affected or drowsy and my recovery time was minimal. There are some wonderful books on birth that I could recommend such as 'What to expect when you are expecting' and 'Better Birth' - there is simply no arguing with the facts - better than anecdotal information any day of the week. I also found it helpful to keep a little notebook to jot down a list of pro's and cons to reduce the information overload and help me to reach a decision and stick to it once it was made. Best of luck to you no matter what you choose! :)

I've had both, a natural labour and also an epidural aided labour. My first labour was over 15 hours long so the midwife adviced I had gone through enough and the epidural would help. In my case it didn't. The epidural stopped the baby from moving downwards so we had to wait til it wore off to continue with labour My second labour was alot easier at just over 5 hours. I decided to go natural and I would chose it everytime since. The freedom of being able to move around afterwards, not worry about a catheter, have a shower and get a change of clothes just cant be beaten. The recovery time for me was so much better after the natural birth also, i didn't have the achey pain in my lower back that I had with the epi labour. This is just my case, every woman should feel free to choose whatever pain relief she wishes of course :D