Natural childbirth vs. Epidurals or C-sections?
ByI’ve seen questions on this website where several people have said that it’s best to go through natural childbirth (though they never specify why they feel this way), rather than get an epidural or c-section. Why do people feel this way? (I am in no way trying to imply that they are wrong for feeling this way, just for the record)
Wow… after reading some of the answers I realize that C-sections are much more of a serious operation than I thought they were!
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16 Comments
April 13th, 2010 at 7:24 am
My mum says to have a natural childbirth because c-section is the easy way out of it.
But it is up too you what ever way you feel more comfortable having the baby.
April 13th, 2010 at 8:02 am
For me it was for my baby and that i didn’t want to expose my boys to any more drugs than i had to (I had to with preterm labor). Also I knew that I could do it, my mom and grandma both delivered naturally and i just felt like I needed to do it to. Sometimes people can have a horrible reaction to the drugs given and miss out on the first few hours of bonding so that was a scare too. Epidurals don’t always work and can paralyze a woman if they don’t do it right. My cousin had complications from hers and always will because they messed up.
I think there are obvious reasons why most woman don’t want a C-section. You can die, you have a harder time recovering, miss out on the first few minutes of bonding because you are getting stitched up, more risk of complications afterwards. It just is a major surgery.
April 13th, 2010 at 8:40 am
There are way too many reasons to list them all here. I chose natural childbirth (no interventions at all) because I was not comfortable with the idea of my baby being exposed to narcotics and other dangerous drugs just to enhance my comfort. I also did not like the idea of numbing the lower half of my body and not being able to move around if I wanted to/needed to. Honestly, I did not find the pain unbearable at all, if you learn natural coping mechanisms, it is very easy. It has been proven in clinical trials that women who go drug free have better recovery times. Also, there are many drugs used during labor that can make the baby sluggish (as well as mom) and this can seriously hinder breastfeeding and bonding (look it up at PubMed.com). I went through 24 hours of labor – the last 9 of which I pushed, without a single drug. I ended up having a C-section because the baby was turned in an undeliverable position. They of course had to give me drugs to perform the surgery, but they were in my system less than 10 minutes before the baby was born, and he was alert and healthy. Drugs DO interfere with the alertness of a newborn if they are in your system for hours and hours. The drugs were nice, but I would still do natural childbirth all over again. I feel I was cheated out of the experience of actually feeling the baby emerge from my body like God intended.
PS – to the person who said a C-section is an “easy way out” get your facts straight – it is a major surgery with a long recovery time. It has been 8 weeks since my c-section and I still can not lift anything over 15 pounds, I get horrible nerve pain in my abdomen, sex after the C-section is very difficult to enjoy, and the list goes on and on.
PS x2 – I can’t stand people who say that “no one is going to give you an award for doing it natural.” We are not look for AWARDS, we want the REWARDS of having the experience that our bodies are made for, for doing the right thing for our children, and there is no drug that is proven to not cause any harm or side effects to newborns – that is a fact not an opinion.
April 13th, 2010 at 9:25 am
I think its because so people dont want to introduce the medication into the baby but i believe if it wasnt safe they wouldnt do it. Also epiduruals tend to make labor last longer because it relaxes the muscles. C sections are hard to deal with the baby after birth because u cant strecth or move without being extra careful. So the safe way to go is natural.
April 13th, 2010 at 9:41 am
I’ve had prednisone epidurals for back pain, and I didn’t want my belly to be frozen and ‘not there’
for the births of my children. How can one be in control of the process when the most important parts of your body are ‘knocked out’? Seriously, birthing was hard work, but not near as painful as passing kidney stones, let me tell you
April 13th, 2010 at 10:01 am
I had a emergency c-section because my baby was turned wrong and too big to come out. It is NOT an easy way out by any means. I hurt for a little over a month afterwards and I feel completety gyped of the whole experience. I don’t see anything wrong with epidurals. It does not harm the baby at all. You wont get an award for having a medication free delivery so spare yourself the pain. This is my personal opinion.
April 13th, 2010 at 10:54 am
For me i wanted to do it naturally but when the labour pains hit me i was throwing up non-stop when nothing was left to throw up. I HAD to have an epidural to make it stop. And i am definetly pro the drugs if you want them. I didnt want a C-section because it takes longer to heal and your stomach usually isnt the same. My son is now 3 years old and my tummy looks like i never had a kid lol. Sounds silly but ya, thats my story. ~ Sheky
April 13th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Frankly, whatever goes into your body goes into baby, too. Some studies show that natural births get higher APGAR scores at birth. So some women prefer drug-less.
But I don’t entirely agree with the “all natural” way. I’m pregnant and I’m going to *try* to go unmedicated for as long as i can, but anyone who says all births are perfect is crazy. Everyone is different. I am open that maybe it will hurt too badly. I need my strength and I’d rather have the strength I need to have a shorter labor *which is usually safer*. And maybe the baby will be breech and I’ll need a C-section.
I don’t understand the C-section being considered unhealthy. Have you SEEN a baby after a C-section??? They are so healthy and pink and they haven’t been squished out so they’re so beautiful! Definitely safer to have a fully breech baby that way.
That doesn’t make me a failure as a mommy. That makes me someone able to think on my feet and realize that sometimes things don’t go as planned.
April 13th, 2010 at 11:12 am
I’ve had 7 children. My first 3 were totally natural. I mean I’m talkin Pocahontas natural. This was not by choice though. Then my 4th was a c-section and I chose a c-section for each one after that. The reason for this was because I HATED the pain of contractions because they hurt like hell and i had no control over them. At least with a c-section I could con troll the pain with how slow I moved and stuff. But it took 3 times longer to heal from the c-section. My sister in-law thinks natural is way better and my niece is epidural all the way. If I could have had an epidural I would have because labor pains are intense but the doctors always waited to long and then said it was too late to give me one. That’s why I ended up with c-sections. It’s a personal choice and I don’t think one way is any better than the other. Which ever one you choose your still not going to get any sleep for the next 3 months or longer.
April 13th, 2010 at 11:46 am
I had to be induced with my pregnancy. They induced me at midnight and I was in labor until 5pm that evening. (15 hours) My epidural did not work the entire time and when it did work, it was not working properly. The last dose I got went into my right leg because they had me laying on my right side so the medication did not go where it needed to go. I was unable to deliver my baby because of her size and had to have a c-section. My doctor cut me while I was awake not knowing my epidural was not as effective as it should have been. I felt everything he did. (Granted, I did have SOME numbness so it wasn’t as bad as not having ANYTHING.) After all that, I believe that natural childbirth is the easy way out. And people that have natural childbirths all say that you forget the pain…I will NEVER forget that pain.
Not to mention that after a c-section, you can’t walk very well and are in pain for weeks afterwards because your muscles have to heal.
April 13th, 2010 at 11:49 am
the “best” option really depends on the situation and the person in labor.
In all honesty, natural childbirth would be the best option because the baby is born alert and active which makes it easier for doctors to asses their APGAR scores. Also, the mother is alert when the child is born, which is beneficial for them both for instant bonding time.
As for the drugs, those given through the IV are less preferred at time of delivery than an epidural because the IV drugs will make both mother and child drowzy and less responsive. However, epidurals are not drugs released into the bloodstream (instead they’re injected near the muscles to numb them) therefore the effects are not passed on to the baby.
As for a c-section, that really depends on the situation. Women can suffer severe side effects and it takes longer to recover from a c-section, however there are situations where this is the best choice anyway. For instance, 8 hours into labor my doctor noticed a condition indicating that my placenta was not delivering enough oxygen to my baby and had we not done an immediate c-section my child could have been born with serious complications or he could have died in the delivery.
April 13th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
the first one i had with an epidural,,,they waited until it was almost useless. the last 3 were natural, and i did it because i wanted to be in control. i read a lamaze book and learned the breathing exercises that go along with each stage. its so much better to be able to cope with what is going on with your body, than to lay there and scream,,, not knowing what is happening. the nurses mostly just tsk tsk at you and shut the door.
id get the book,,see how the exercises work for you in practice ( dont start until about 3 – 4 weeks before you deliver, you’ll get bored) you can ALWAYS ask for an epidural if things arent working for you. good luck
8/11,,,,i just read someones post that epidurals are not harmful for a baby because they arent injected in the bloodstream and it just didnt seem right to me…so i did some research..
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/epirisks.html
this is a great site about epidurals and you will find down the page, effects on babies,,,very, VERY interesting.
April 13th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
I did a c-section with epidural 3 months ago..if people say its an easy way out of it I will laugh at their face….yes for sure the baby will be out in about 30 min …but after that …they make you walk the next day..(that is really really hard) and then you cannot eat normal food for around a week..and without mentionning that walking is extremely painful really painful I thought I would die! and they are doing all these injection everywhere…for a week or so.. this is the worst thing that happen to me…its big hurting for about 1 weeks…after that still hurting when you sit go up or down after 2 weeks normally not hurting anymore…and yeah it leave a mark….
and also the epidural hurted me alot when they put in…(some of my friend didnt feel the hurting but I did) at first I was going to a normal birth with epidural …but I finish with an epidural with a c-section…
I hope my next baby I will be able to have a natural childbirth.
April 13th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
My mom is doing it naturally. She wants to give birth naturally so I can be part of the experience and not get grosed out by csection
April 13th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
natural is the way to go and I’m not just saying this because I want it that way for myself it’s just because I believe it I heard it’s soothing and somewhat comfortable and after the baby is out all the pain is OVER have a midwife in a birth center not a hospital and you will have it in a tub of warm water it’s better in my eyes and why have a big needle stuck in your back or have yourself cut open, not to make it sound nasty, to a have a baby, HEY it was made natural good luck
April 13th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Ah, the eternal debate. Having your children “naturally” does not make you more of a woman than the next one, just like having a c-section does not make you less of a woman than the next one. A lot of women (except celebrities) do not opt for c-sections: they are usually done out of necessity of the fast delivery of the baby and for the well being of both baby and mother. I had my first child (at 17 years old) naturally. When I had my twins, my labor was induced and I was in and out of labor for three–yes, three–days. I tried like hell to go natural with them because I was scared to have a c-section. I delivered the first twin naturally but the second had to be delivered via c-section because she wasn’t getting enough oxygen. My fourth baby also had to be delivered by c-section, but this was only because most OB/GYNs do not attempt VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I would have much preferred to deliver all of mine naturally, and to those of you who think that a c-section is “taking the easy way out,” well, you may want to do a little research on the actual procedure and the after-effects, most of which have already been discussed here.