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Home Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

In regards to the epidurals - I honestly believe the reason my labor was so short (only 13 hours, fast for a first time mom) was because of that epi!! I was able to relax and just chill, let my body labor and do what it''s supposed to do. I dilated 6.5 cm in one hour and I know it''s because of the epidural and the fact I was so relaxed. I only had about an hour of pitocin-induced contractions, but they were horrible. For me, I knew there was no way I was going to attempt the rest of the labor without meds.

Honestly, the pain of childbirth is something you really don''t understand until you''re in that delivery room doing it!! You can *kinda* imagine what a contraction feels like, but until you have one, it''s hard to really grasp the concept of pure, agonizing pain. Granted, everyone has a different pain threshold. Like Tacori, I suffered for years from female issues like endometriosis and pelvic adhesive disease. I''ve had cysts and even had an ectopic pregnancy 7 years ago, resulting in the loss of my right fallopian tube and right ovary. So I really thought that since I was a "tough chick"
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and had experienced years of pretty bad pain, that I would be alright with contractions. WRONG!

It is a very personal choice, but I have to admit, when I watch shows like "a baby story" and see these women choose no epidural so they can breathe through all the contractions and use yoga balls and sit in hot tubs - well, I think it''s a little silly. But to each their own!
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LOL, well, the fact that I HATED my first marathon and then went back for more should tell you what kind of person I am.
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I don''t think it''s "silly" either way. Some people want to go to through the pain of labor. Some people don''t. Some people sit on the beach for fun. Some people do Iron Man triathlons. No one is crazy. Just different.
 
Tgal, I think you will be able to do it. I wanted to do it too. My water broke 2 weeks early. Had to go to the hospital as contractions were coming on strong. Once your water breaks, they like to deliver you within 48 hours, mainly because there is a risk of infection. I had pitocin to help me along. 48 hours later, wasn''t effaced or dialated, then had an epidural before my C section. This was 18 years ago, back then the thinking was that epiduarls would slow down the labor process. After 24 hours I begged for a C section was very worn out. But my Doc said I would thank him later when I had a V delivery. It just wasn''t going to happen. Same thing happened with my son. I guess I wasn''t made to push those babies out. The second C section wasn''t bad at all, it was planned and I knew what to expect.

But bet you''ll do just fine!!!
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Wow, that sounds like it would have been scary Kaleigh!

Let me reiterate that I have not decided what I''m going to do. Still researching and making my mind up about things. Regardless of what I find, it will be an option to get an epidural and my doctor will know that.

There isn''t any conclusive evidence to me so far that your labor will go this way or that way because of it. As Irish Eyes said, she had a fast active labor. But it''s also said it may cause a prolonged second stage (pushing). I think though that if something is going to go wrong or long, I really don''t want to be feeling it!

The best way I can put it is at this point, it''s just pure curiosity. NOT a good reason to go through it, hehehe. Some people NEVER want to go through the pain of running 26.2 miles. They can''t even IMAGINE it. I was very curious. I researched, found out what I needed to do to get there, and managed to suffer through it. In the end, it was worth it...it was wild to see what my body was capable of! Before I trained for a marathon, I could not run more than two miles without dying...dizziness, shortness of breath, back pain, the works.

Again, I don''t want to give the impression that I think it''s the same thing. Just want to explain why I am feeling curious. I''m interested to see what the body does for something that''s been around since the beginning of time...and despite the pain, women have survived. (and yes, I know, they''ve died too.)
 
You''re going about this a very smart way TGal! You never know unless you try.
 
Date: 8/5/2007 11:40:21 PM
Author: Miranda
You''re going about this a very smart way TGal! You never know unless you try.
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Hehehe, well, I''ll definitely report back honestly if I end up screaming and pleading for drugs!

BTW, it seems I was incorrect suggesting that it prolongs the first stage of labor. It apparently does not. Some info says that it prolongs the second stage because of the fact you can''t feel anything...

From http://www.pregnancy-bliss.co.uk/epiduralinlabour.html

"The epidural does not reduce the strength or frequency of contractions. Therefore, it does not influence the length of the first stage of labour one way or the other.

There is, however, irrefutable evidence that it tends to prolong the second stage of labour. Ironically, this is a direct result of its effectiveness in controlling pain.

When the cervix is fully dilated and the leading part of the baby has descended low enough to allow for pushing and delivery, with an effective epidural, the labouring woman may not actually feel the urge to push. This may cause a lengthening of this (second) stage of labour.


This is overcome by the attending midwife supervising the second stage where, by palpating the uterine activity, she can encourage the woman to push whenever there is a contraction. This works well, in most cases. However, in a few cases, the absence of the painful urges to push removes the only effective motivating factor. In such a situation, the exhortations of the midwife may not be enough to make the woman push effectively to achieve delivery. This is the situation where an instrumental delivery in the form of ventouse or forceps becomes more likely."


 
Tgal, it is so hard to know til you are in the moment, but it is always best to have more information. As long as you know your options you are in much better shape to make decisions.

My first was 6 weeks early, my water broke, and I was given labor stopping drugs til his lungs were deemed okay to breathe air. I had been flat on my back for over 5 days in the MICU, and had started to lose a lot of the fluid I had left. They were worried about infections to me and distress to him, but his lungs were not ready. The minute they were, they induced me. I did have an epidural when the time was right. They then induced me, and because I have a pelvic something disproportion, meaning the bone that the baby must navigate under head first to get was too low. It was thought (and almost was) it would be too hard for the baby''s head to get under, but he made it. I was one push from a C section, and had he been bigger it might have had to be a C. My second, again early by 3 weeks, nearly fell out of me, I had been given too much epidural and could not feel to push but finally got him out. I was determined it be before midnight (it was 11:44 pm) because the next day was a hated uncle''s birthday and there was no way I was having that association. That time, my water did not break, had to be broken in the delivery room. My third, also three weeks early, I had a weird labor. My water broke, we went to the hospital and I stall from about 11:00 pm til 9:00 am the next day. He was finally born at 2:00 pm. after I was given pitocin at about 12:00 noon. But, even with a night of contractions, I had barely dilated or effaced at all. Each experience was so different, but I had epidurals for all three. I know some people want natural and fine, do that if it works. However, as a pal pointed out, who did it naturally, it is not like anyone knows this, or that she wears a badge having gone through natural birth. In her case, she missed the window to have the epidural and so she then could not, and she managed, she is tough, but it was pretty painful nonetheless.
 
Date: 8/5/2007 11:47:09 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/5/2007 11:40:21 PM
Author: Miranda
You''re going about this a very smart way TGal! You never know unless you try.
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Hehehe, well, I''ll definitely report back honestly if I end up screaming and pleading for drugs!

BTW, it seems I was incorrect suggesting that it prolongs the first stage of labor. It apparently does not. Some info says that it prolongs the second stage because of the fact you can''t feel anything...

From http://www.pregnancy-bliss.co.uk/epiduralinlabour.html

''The epidural does not reduce the strength or frequency of contractions. Therefore, it does not influence the length of the first stage of labour one way or the other.

There is, however, irrefutable evidence that it tends to prolong the second stage of labour. Ironically, this is a direct result of its effectiveness in controlling pain.

When the cervix is fully dilated and the leading part of the baby has descended low enough to allow for pushing and delivery, with an effective epidural, the labouring woman may not actually feel the urge to push. This may cause a lengthening of this (second) stage of labour.



This is overcome by the attending midwife supervising the second stage where, by palpating the uterine activity, she can encourage the woman to push whenever there is a contraction. This works well, in most cases. However, in a few cases, the absence of the painful urges to push removes the only effective motivating factor. In such a situation, the exhortations of the midwife may not be enough to make the woman push effectively to achieve delivery. This is the situation where an instrumental delivery in the form of ventouse or forceps becomes more likely.''



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LOL! You won''t be pleading. Women in labor rarely do this. Your head will be spinning around, Exorcist style, and you will be clearly shouting, "GIVE ME THE *BLEEP* *BLEEP* *BLEEP* EPIDURAL NOWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!" HaHa...I''m just teasing. It''s not that bad! Enough scary talk from Miranda.
 
Great info Tgal. As the originator of this thread, I can't belive I can't spell dilated!!
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I could win the award for the worst speller on PS.

Another thing I wanted to mention is my cousin went into labor, got to the hospital and they said she was too far along for an epidural. She was in labor for hours and hours. If anyone wants one, make it known to your OB GYN. There are birth plans now, where all these things are discussed. Again, this was a long time ago, but wanted to put it out there for anyone that may be helped by it.
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Date: 8/5/2007 11:53:24 PM
Author: diamondfan
Tgal, it is so hard to know til you are in the moment, but it is always best to have more information. As long as you know your options you are in much better shape to make decisions.

My first was 6 weeks early, my water broke, and I was given labor stopping drugs til his lungs were deemed okay to breathe air. I had been flat on my back for over 5 days in the MICU, and had started to lose a lot of the fluid I had left. They were worried about infections to me and distress to him, but his lungs were not ready. The minute they were, they induced me. I did have an epidural when the time was right. They then induced me, and because I have a pelvic something disproportion, meaning the bone that the baby must navigate under head first to get was too low. It was thought (and almost was) it would be too hard for the baby's head to get under, but he made it. I was one push from a C section, and had he been bigger it might have had to be a C. My second, again early by 3 weeks, nearly fell out of me, I had been given too much epidural and could not feel to push but finally got him out. I was determined it be before midnight (it was 11:44 pm) because the next day was a hated uncle's birthday and there was no way I was having that association. That time, my water did not break, had to be broken in the delivery room. My third, also three weeks early, I had a weird labor. My water broke, we went to the hospital and I stall from about 11:00 pm til 9:00 am the next day. He was finally born at 2:00 pm. after I was given pitocin at about 12:00 noon. But, even with a night of contractions, I had barely dilated or effaced at all. Each experience was so different, but I had epidurals for all three. I know some people want natural and fine, do that if it works. However, as a pal pointed out, who did it naturally, it is not like anyone knows this, or that she wears a badge having gone through natural birth. In her case, she missed the window to have the epidural and so she then could not, and she managed, she is tough, but it was pretty painful nonetheless.
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Haha...my friend told me that there is no medal given after childbirth. I was like, "Wha? Really? They don't even give you a cookie?"
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Miranda, what you described sounds like the friend I just mentioned above. She went from "Oh. This isn't bad." to "Give me the f*&%ing epidural!" She said it felt like 100s of stabbing knives in her gut. I thought...whoa, I'm never having kids.

Kaleigh, it will be on my birth plan for sure. That, and hopefully do everything they can do avoid an episiotomy! Funny how the pain of labor doesn't freak me out yet, but the RECOVERY does. I've already told TGuy he'll be giving me a little massage in the weeks leading up to the delivery!

ETA, I wanted to mention that link I put up is a great site. They seem PRO epidural by the way, so it's not as if I am trying to find totally biased info the other way.
 
Tgal, you might get a cookie, but you should definitely get a "push gift", yet another reason for our men to buy us bling!

(trust me when I say a man cannot compete with birthing a child. Whenever hubby says, proudly, "I did X", well, I say, "I gave birth to your three kids". There is no topping that for sure!)
 
Irish, I know labor will be 100x worse than my cysts (even though my tolerance is higher because of them). They were very surprised I never complained about my last cyst (which was 5 cm, the same size as my uterus at the time, during my first u/s). She said my body was probably used to the pain since I have had at least 8 of them. For me it really only hurts when they erupt. Obviously that is quite painful. I cannot imagine all you have been through though. I wish I could give you a hug. You seem like you need one.

DF, I love that somehow I convinced DH that ''pushing presents'' were normal! haha! I know they are getting common but I don''t need him to know he has a choice in the matter
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I honestly don''t feel *too* guilty about it since I am giving him a child and my wedding set is the only really expensive jewelry he has given me in the 6.5 years together. Plus our wedding anni is coming up and I honestly don''t expect anything (but dinner out maybe) so I don''t feel that demanding.

TGal, I am sure whatever you decide is right for you. Honestly I have no birth plan and don''t intend to write one. Some of the sample ones I have read are CRAZY. There are only three things I want: 1. Doctor 2. Hospital 3. Pain meds. I am a fairly laid back person though and it wouldn''t even bother me if a stranger (and long as (s)he is a doc) delivers my baby.
 
Tacori, you ABSOLUTELY deserve it. You are giving him the most incredible gift by having his child. Sparklies defintely are in order!

What cysts do you have? Is it chronic? I am so sorry for you to be dealing with that.
 
Date: 8/3/2007 11:24:50 AM
Author: second chance
Thanks all.. It is just hitting me I am having another girl and more pinks and purples here. We have to come up with a name for her now. My other childrens names are Nathan(12), Addison(9), and Alyssa(6). We are thinking Hadley Grace(my pick), Audrey Grace(his pick), Holly(Addi''s pick), Emmerson(Lyssa''s pick that is a little girl that was in her K class last year). What does everyone think?
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I like Emmerson, you could call her Emme. But it is Teri Hatcher''s daughter''s name and stereo equipment, so just think, because those things pop into my head. I like Sutton too, and I like Charlotte. Alyssa and Nathan are lovely as is Addison, which is a bit more unusual. What do you think you are leaning towards? Grace was my grandmother''s name and I think it is a great middle name. Do you like Mikayla? That is another one that is used a lot but I like it. I also like Kara, or Cara, it means gift from God I think, and I like Kira too.
 
Irish, you are so right. I think, like marriage, there is this blissful assumption and that the minute you know you are with child you become this very zen and settled person and that the birth is a wonder, and you are in sync and feeling wonderful from the moment your baby is born. I did bond immediately with my kids, but had health issues with my oldest as well, so I was dealing with a lot and did not know all I felt I needed to. I loved them all right away, but some women struggle with that, and feel something is wrong with them. Hearing the screaming and not knowing, beyond the obvious, what is wrong, getting no sleep at all, feeling fat and exhausted and trying to be a great wife at the same time wore me out. I am not pollyanna about it, it is a wonderful but tough experience and it is always best to know that. Just like a marriage can be awesome but have tough times, being a mom is great but with it comes a lot that is not always easy. If it all comes easily, including breast feeding and such, that is great, but I know I was terrified and when I then had to deal with some very scary things it was a difficult time for me, one I would not like to relive...I am happy to be on the other side of that stuff now, with three healthy kids...
 
Date: 8/5/2007 11:14:57 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Again, I don''t want to give the impression that I think it''s the same thing. Just want to explain why I am feeling curious. I''m interested to see what the body does for something that''s been around since the beginning of time...and despite the pain, women have survived. (and yes, I know, they''ve died too.)
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Yep, they did, and we do.

I had my first two naturally, and was planning on doing the same with my 3rd, but he was a different ball of wax. I wasn''t progressing, and after several hours they wanted to put me on Pitocin. I''d heard such horror stories about how bad it made labor, that I then asked for an epi. I''m glad I did, for that situation it seemed the thing to do. But I''m also glad I had the other two naturally.

You could definitely do it if you want to.
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Tgal, in regards to the birthplans - they are a nice "guidline" to have, but just make sure you don''t get crazy with it! Like Tacori said, there are women who expect to control every aspect of their labor. These are the ones that go into the hospital with a three page plan outlining every little thing they wish for. These women then feel out of control and crazy with emotion when their carefully laid plans change - like getting a c-section or having to succumb to pain meds, etc. Labor is a very unpredictable moment for each woman. Like fingerprints, no two labors are alike. It''s impossible to know what your labor will be like until you are in the middle of it.

That being said, I think you are right to research your options and be educated about the labor process. I did the same thing - read tons of things on the internet, in pregnancy books and took the childbirth classes at my hospital. While I didn''t have a birth plan, I felt like when I was in labor, I was educated about my options. When the nursing staff talked to me about the epidural and the side effects and such, I already knew what they were saying - it'' wasn''t news to me and didn''t catch me off guard.

I think it''s best to go in with a "happy medium" type of approach. You don''t want to be insane control-freak woman, but also, you don''t want to just shrug your shoulders and be like "oh, it''s just having a baby, I don''t need to know anything!". I was pretty laid back about things even though I felt very educated about my options. The whole point of labor is to produce a healthy baby and keep mom healthy. My viewpoint was - however we need to make that happen, whether it be through a vaginal delivery or a c-section, than that''s what we need to do.
 
huge fan of the epidural here. it wasn''t fear of pain for me, I just really never had any desire to go natural. one of my good friends had the epi with her first and always regretted it. she really wanted to go natural for her own sense of personal accomplishment. she did go natural with her second, said it was the worst pain and experience ever and wouldn''t do it again, but was still glad she did it once. my step mom also went natural with all 3 of hers.

Tgal, if you want to go natural go for it!! if not, don''t be shy in enjoying the sweet relief of all the wonderful drugs they can give you
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Irish,
What a story. Yes, labour and motherhood are very difficult experiences that only a mother can understand. Even though I am an athelete, the pain and sweat of training and competetion doesn''t even come close to the exertion and pain of labout. Add the no sleep phase of early motherhood and labour recovery, and life turns upsidedown. Heck, my 8 month old baby still gets up 3 times a night for milk!

Tacori,
Make sure you get plenty of fluids. Sometimes, when your body is dehydrated, the BH is stronger and more often.

Birth experience
#1. All natural. Hurts like hell. Tore very badly due to a fast labour. I was checked into the hospital at 8 am, delivered at 3pm. 3 pushes and he was out. I loved the experience and was amazed at how much pain my body could take, although it took me many weeks to fully heal from the tear.
#2. Planned to go all natural again. I checked into the hospital at noon (7 cm dilated
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)and delivered at 3:30 pm; another fast labour again. The doctor was worried I will tear again since I could not stop pushing before I was 10 cm. With that concern and the knowledge that I was having back labour, I opted for an epidural. I still could move my feet and feel the tightening but it was pain free. I had to push a lot more though but with the epidural, I could control the pushes and had minimal tearing. The recovery was better too (less stitches).
 
TG... just another perspective on the epidural thing....

I haven't had a baby yet (or even CONCEIVED a baby yet, for that matter
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), but I do understand the "wonder what it would be like to try it natural?" thing. Definitely no tree-hugger here, either... just curiosity about my body and the birth process as a whole. When I was in college, I did a lot of research into becoming a doula, because I loved the idea of women having the power to take control of the process (through methods besides OR in addition to drugs) rather than feel so helpless by all the pain.

My mom gave birth to all 3 of us naturally... and I was 9 lb 13 oz
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, next one was 10 lb 3 oz, last was 8 lb 12 oz. BIG babies, and she was barely 100 lbs herself when she first got pregnant with me. So it can be done! In retrospect, she definitely felt that choosing no drugs was the right choice for her, despite the pain... and she said passing a kidney stone a couple years later was probably even worse pain.

When it's eventually my turn I'll consider both ways too... I feel no need to be "tough" just for the sake of being tough, so if it's getting unbearable.... bring on the anesthesiologist!
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Oooh, I want to chime in on the epidural thing! I went into it all with a very open mind, no birth plan. I took Lamaze classes so I knew about breathing techniques, visualization and all the "tricks" to get through an unmedicated labor and delivery. I wanted to see how long I could go without any drugs but I also knew that I didn''t really need to be a martyr or prove a point by doing it drug free. I labored at home for about 3 hours until the pain got bad enough that we decided we might want to go to the hospital. Good thing we did because my water broke right away and I was at 5 cm in NO TIME! Oh, the pain. Wow. I can''t even describe it. It just sucked and it seemed that there was no relief in sight because even when a contraction would end, I knew there was another one coming so the anticipation of the next one would cause me to tense up. They got me that epidural immediately and within 10 minutes I was human again. I felt great. I was complete really fast after that, it did not slow down my labor at all. The only thing I was concerned about was pushing because I couldn''t feel anything. I mean, I could tell when a contraction was going to start but I didn''t feel any pain or pressure but I didn''t want them to turn down the epidural! Somehow I figured it out and pushed her out in less than an hour. I was very concerned about tearing, episiotomies, hemmorroids, etc. My doctor was amazing though and did tons of perineal massage in between the pushes and I ended up with only one small first degree tear on the inside that needed a couple of stitches. Even after the drugs wore off, I didn''t have any pain, just swelling and discomfort for a little while. Within 2 weeks, I felt like I was back to normal. TGal, with all your marathon experience, I think you''ll do fine whether you chose to have an epidural or not. It is a very personal decision and perhaps one that can''t be made in advance. Leave your options open, see how you feel and do what''s best for you and your baby.
 
Everyone''s got very interesting opinions and stories!

Re: Birth Plans...I don''t even know what is involved with them. I definitely won''t have anything crazy. So far the only thing I know I''d like to put down is epidurals are OK; would prefer not to have an episiotomy. I''m going to have to check out some online and see what people put on them. I actually have no idea!

I''m more a go with the flow type person, so telling someone EXACTLY how I want to have a baby is not my thing. But I''m not a wallflower either, so I definitely intend to ask questions and voice my preferences.

One thing that I would mention to you ladies who want an epidural is to ask for a doctor to do it. Not a nurse anethist (or whatever they are called) or a resident. I got this bit of information from my friend''s husband who I mentioned in my earlier post. Not that the other two are bad, but if you could have your preference, it would be better to have a doc!

Second chance...I think Audrey Grace sounds so classic! Maybe because of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.....

Ellen, Curlygirl, Mrs S, and Chrono, thanks for sharing as well. I have a friend who has two daughters. The first natural and the second with meds. She went in for the second intending to do it natural, but as Ellen said, it was a different ball of wax. She has recommended to me to get the drugs, which I find interesting considering that she wanted to do the second natural after the first...but I guess the second was a pretty bad labor! I believe she recuperated better after the first. Oh, and I''m with you Ellen...if they have to give me pitocin, I''m asking for the epidural. If they have to give me drugs to get me going, I see no point in trying to go natural...as weird as that sounds!
 
Wow, I didn''t check in over the weekend, and there''s so much to catch up on!

Irish, what a birthing story! I think you should copy and paste that into a Word document to show Ashlyn when she''s older and starts giving you problems. "Do you know what I went through to bring you into this world, young lady?!"
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As for epidurals, to each her own, I say. But for me, I''m saying a loud YES to them. My pain threshold is minimal (I''m the type of person that cries when I stub my toe), so if I can avoid what seems to be excruciating pain by most accounts, then I''m all for that. For those of you that want to go/already went natural, more power to ya! You''re a tougher woman I am!

Question: for those of you who took childbirth classes, when did you take them? There''s a late August class when I''ll be 21 weeks, there''s a Sept. class which falls smack on our one-year anniversary (not exactly how I envisioned spending our anniversary!), and there''s an early October class, which I''m starting to think is a little too late for me. So basically the August one is the best option I think, but I''m afraid that if we take the class too early that by the time labor comes around, I''ll forget everything! Is that a valid concern, or am I being dumb?
 
I can''t help you on the classes Ella, but I''m interested to hear what ladies have to say, and what classes they took.

Oh, and Ella, I don''t think it has to do with "tough" at all. IrishEyes went to Iraq and I don''t think there''s anything tougher than that!
 
I took classes for my first baby: there was CPR, breastfeeding, labour & delivery, bathing & babycare, home safety and a couple more. They were all part of the package and very useful for first time parents. I took mine at about 7 months along (early 30 weeks, I think).
 
DF, I would call them chronic since I usually have one a year for the last 13 years. My first one was when I was 14 and they thought it was my apendix. That is why I was put on BC so young. I used to have horrible periods too (would miss school/ couldn''t walk/ VERY heavy). I really only know about the ones that erupt so I could have had A LOT more. Most times I just deal with the pain at home but sometimes if I am throwing up (due to pain probably) I go to the ER on the slight chance it really IS my apendix. They are common but I think not in the frequency that I get them. Obviously it had no effect on my concieving which is something I worried about (scar tissue and such). When they found my last one on the u/s she zoomed in on it before looking at the baby and I thought it was an empty uterus. I was freaked out to say the least! Even if it had erupted (it shrunk instead) the baby would have been fine but I would have been in a lot of pain so I am glad it took care of itself! It is horrible pain so I guess it takes care of any curiousity I have about child birth.


Ella, I was told the 8th month. I really need to get on that!
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I would not do them sooner than 7 months. You want all the info to be fresh in your mind. I guess (for me) when I call the hospital I am delivering at and they put me in a class (when they think it is best for me).
 
Okay I just called to set up my classes (we are talking prepared labor/childbirth which covers all the basics and breastfeeding) and she said you take them 6-4 weeks before your EDD. Of course it is probably different with twins. I would just call. She was so nice and was telling me about their birthing suites and they take photos of the babies and post them online (you need a password per baby) so friends and family can log on (which is awesome for us since I don''t know if my inlaws are coming and know our siblings are not for sure). This way they can at least see baby Tacori.
 
glad you''re doing the classes tacori. I did the labor class and the breastfeeding class before the birth of my first and it really was so helpful and I made hubby go with me. he of course felt he learned way to much about the female anatomy and said he''d never be able to look at a breast the same way again, it scared him for life
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but it really was a wonderful experience for us and really helped calm me down just knowing some of what to expect. I also had issues figuring out the nursing thing with my first and wanted to give up many, many times. but, I hung in there and it did get easier. My second was a breeze. No matter what you do, do not let those little baby gums latch on to your nipple, it will make them crack and bleed and is just sooooooo painful. you''ll learn all of that in your class, but for some reason that just didn''t sink in with me and I learned the hard way
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TGal, I had a real anesthesiologist do my epidural and he was amazing--I didn''t even feel the needle go in. All I can say is, thank god for insurance because I''ve gotten all the bills and these doctors charge ridiculous amounts!!! I think the anesthesiologist gets something like $2000 and I only had to pay $140.

Regarding classes, we took ours in March for a May delivery. ellaila, you may want to ask your doctor about that since you may go early with twins. Like Tacori said, they schedule them to end no less than 4 weeks before your due date. We did Lamaze which was a 2 hour class once a week for 5 weeks. I don''t really recommend it but as a first timer, I felt like I had to take it just to know about it. I really didn''t learn that much--the videos they showed us of natural births seemed more like advertisements for epidurals, if you know what I mean!
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We also took a childcare class where they teach you basics like bathing, swaddling, etc. I loved that class. The CPR class was booked so we arranged for the instructor to come to our house for a private lesson. That was definitely worthwhile. I skipped the breastfeeding class because I was just tooo exhausted! My hospital offered a whole package of these classes plus a tour of the L&D unit. You should check with your doctor about setting these up.
 
Date: 8/6/2007 11:41:12 AM
Author: TravelingGal

Ellen, Curlygirl, Mrs S, and Chrono, thanks for sharing as well. I have a friend who has two daughters. The first natural and the second with meds. She went in for the second intending to do it natural, but as Ellen said, it was a different ball of wax. She has recommended to me to get the drugs, which I find interesting considering that she wanted to do the second natural after the first...but I guess the second was a pretty bad labor! I believe she recuperated better after the first. Oh, and I''m with you Ellen...if they have to give me pitocin, I''m asking for the epidural. If they have to give me drugs to get me going, I see no point in trying to go natural...as weird as that sounds!
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Oh I don''t think it sounds weird, I think it sounds sane. lol

Labor without meds is painful enough. When someone says, We want to give you something that''s going to raise your pain level from ohmygodithurtslikehell to anything worse? I''m done.
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