After being asked by a woman in my office (who I don't really know more than passing in the hall) if I would be taking an epidural, she proceeded to tell me what I "really want to do." "As soon as you sit down, ask for the epidural, you don't want to wait at all. You really just want the drugs to start right away. Tell them to just get it started."
Fact 1. I am not you.
Fact 2. You are not me.
Fact 3. This is my child, not yours.
Looking at the 3 facts listed above, please do not tell me how I should or should not plan on giving birth. This is my body and my child. What worked for you and yours doesn’t mean it will work for me and my family. Please do not argue with me or try to change my mind based on your body and your birth experiences.
No, I do not plan on asking for an Epidural. And no, I do not have delusions of being Super Woman. I do however know my limits (mental and physical) better than anybody else. My body starts to freak out when I can’t move my legs more than a couple of inches. How do you think I’ll react when I can’t feel the entire lower half of my body? Not to mention that I’m not too keen on the idea of a LONG needle entering my spine. I’m not worried about the pain from the needle or the birth, it will all eventually go away. If it didn’t, our species would have ceased to exist centuries ago.
I currently have a birth plan that revolves around a calm environment, relaxation techniques, and deep breathing. It is also part of my birth plan to know that I can’t really "plan" the birth of my child. I know things happen and plans need adjusting. If we (our doctor, Chad, and myself) feel that it is in the best interest of our little Nuggette to change the plan, we will indeed change the plan. Until then, I'm sticking to my idea of how I want to bring my child into this world, and my husband fully supports my decisions.
In any case, we'll do what we can to make sure she arrives healthy and ready to take on the world.
Good for you. Bryan and I ran into the same issues. We "planned" for a med-free birth as well and I was able to labor med-free while being induced with pitocin for 2 days. I firmly believe that if all circumstances had been natural (i.e. I didn't have to be induced at 37 weeks) I would have totally been able to give birth naturally. Our society is centered around looking for the easy way out. I did end up getting an epidural after a day and a half of labor with pitocin, cooks catheter and my water broken. Again, nothing about Alex's birth was natural. I was even prepared before the induction that 95% of the time, induction at 37 weeks ends in c-section (my body wasn't ready for the labor). Here's to hoping I get my natural birth with the second one! You and Chad know what's best and as long as you communicate well during labor, everything will go great! Did you ever look into Bradley classes? Sounds like they would be a good prep for you guys.
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