You gotta do what feels right for you. I know that once I went into labor with my first, all plans went out the window because he was sunny side up. It was also 9/11/01 and because of where I live the hospital was put on standby to receive victims of the attacks. It was an extremely emotional and scary time. My husband would of been in Manhattan had I not gone into labor earlier that morning. Anyway the pushing (4 1/2 hours of pushing before they finally used suction)was torture even with the epidural.
I had no issues with any side effects after each of my 3 epidurals.
My plan was no meds. I stalled out at 4cm. So I got the epidural and within 30 or 40 minutes I was fully ready to push. I’m glad I got it afterwords, because she tore me up, I needed 22 stitches. Could you imagine pushing, ripping, and getting stitches with out any pain management.
I have done both. My first I had the epidural and my second I got to the hospital and there wasn’t time for anything. It hurt I won’t lie but to be honest I preferred natural with no meds. The recovery was a lot better for me. I saw another comment about trying no meds and then if it gets to bad you can change your mind. That sounds like a good plan. I ripped with both deliveries and needed stitches.
Edit: please don’t think I’m judging at all. This is what worked for me. I’m expecting number 3 and honestly don’t know how labor will go this time. Im kind of a go with the flow type person.
I had epidural with my 1st had horrible back labor. My 2nd I had no meds the birth part is the worst part!
I had one and it was the best thing I ever did. I wasn’t in any pain and was able to fully enjoy my labor/baby’s birth. That being said there are a lot of moms who do it natural and can’t say enough good things about it. I think as a first time mom you’re just going to have to do research and really be ready to change your birth plan as needed.
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I gave birth to 5 babies, I experienced labor with and without meds. My advice is go without meds, labor is so much faster but you need to be ready to stay calm and breathe in and out all the contractions. I waited until I was five minutes apart per contractions to go to the hospital and once I got there baby came out 30 minutes later.
My second was a v-bac . Didnt get it until it was unbearable for me. At that point I was at 8 cm already
I tried to do an all natural with my first baby!I had no idea what i was getting myself into!I ended up taking demeral gravol and some laughing gass!Turns out my pain tolerance is pretty high as i slept through most of my contractions and by the time i went to the hospital it was time to push!Im just about to have my third baby(second all natural)and my advice is that if you allowyour self to you will sike yourself out!Pain is in the mind!of course childbirth is painful but it really doesnt have to be!The more you tense up and give in to the pain the more you stress your body and baby out which leads to higher chance of complications like having to get c sections ect.I would suggest researching hypnobirthing techniques and remember,women having been doing this since the beginning of time with no pain meds or help!You are strong!You can do this!Believe you can do it!Your brain is a strong tool!I had my 2 year old basically unassisted and unmedicated at home and i wouldnt change a thing!My bf was nervous about it but it was so completely stress free and so beautiful!You got this!
I had an epidural and loved it. But I also ended up with a csection, so I had a lot more numbing medication. So I didn’t recover full feeling in my legs until like the day after. This was my first baby
I was in so much pain that I vomited while laboring. I HAD the epidural, but it’s a pump, and because it was my first they decided to turn it off so I could feel where to push. I felt like my pelvis was breaking. I’ll get the epidural next time around and I’ll raise hell if they try to turn it off. It IS that bad. I wasn’t induced either. I went into labor naturally.
I had an epidural, my daughter is almost 2.5, and I get back pain almost daily.
I wanted an epidural but my contractions were to close together so I couldn’t hold still to get one and recovery wise we were good it was hard but so worth it
I had 4 epi shots and 1 natural. My natural was not only easier, but I healed faster.
I was induced and scared to have the epidural, wanted to do all natural. It was such a good experience though! Baby was born 3hrs later, only 10mins of pushing. I was still able to walk and use the washroom with the epidural. No problems after and baby is healthy.
2 babies (1 breached vaginal delivery)… 1 head was 12.25 and the other was 13 cm no epidural channel ur pain focus on the bigger picture you can do it without an epidural I felt no pain just pressure it’s possible
Getting stuck with the needle is the worst especially if you’ve waited to long and your laboring really hard.
They require you to sit still EVEN IF your contracting 
I would keep in mind if your deciding to get it do it BEFORE your MAX pain amount. Because it will take at least an hour for them to come to your room!
Mine were Necessary and I loved them. With my son (8yo) it was amazing no pain, all the pressure, and I could feel my legs
With my daughter(1yo) they had a button you had to push to keep the meds pumping. I forgot to push said button and was in a lot of pain remember to PUSH THE BUTTON 
Good luck
I had one each way one epidural one natural no meds if i had to do it again it would be natural again i had a much quicker recovery and way easier delivery it hurt like a b*tch but it was definitely worth it
I got it with my first. Fucked me up. I was so sick I could barely hold my own head up let alone my baby. I puked and puked. Went natural with my second held and nursed him right away. Was up walking within a few hours felt great! Also I have back issues from the first one
my first i didn’t have an epidural. i was so afraid of it. i was induced and the contractions sucked lol my 2nd i was induced and needed a csection. after they started epidural i sat there and thought why the hell didn’t i do this the first time!
Lol youll want it. I didnt want to and righr when they offered it to me i was beyond ready for it. Nothing compares to labor pains. Ouch. I recovered just fine.
Epidurals are amazing! Plus with it being your first, the whole thing can go pretty slow.
Never had an epidural with either of my kids, just the gas, and I was induced with my first
I had 4 all natural the first was 8.6 lbs, second 9.5 the third 8 lbs, and the last was 9.3. I was ready to go home as soon as I was done and cleaned up. Just a lil tired.
I had one with my first and plan to with my 2nd. I’m afraid of tearing or needing an episiotomy and really don’t want to feel 100% of that pain
I say go ahead and try natural. You can always change your mind. It’s really your choice. That being said I tried epidural with my first and it did not work. It took multiple tries to even get it in. I won’t use one ever again. During recovery your mobility is a bit limited. Without you can move around and shower a lot sooner. For pain during labor I personally prefer newbayne. It is a, simple shot into your IV. It’s just enough to take the edge off and you don’t need any epidural. Do what works for you.
I had an epidural with my first & the anesthesiologist put the needle in, took it back out, & put it back in thus allowing air to get into my spinal fluid. I ended up getting what they call an epidural headache (I didn’t know that’s what I had at the time). I went back to the hospital 5 days later with excruciating head pain. They immediately knew what the problem was. In order to fix it, I had to have a “blood patch.” They put an IV in my arm & put another needle in my back to push blood through my spinal fluid to get the air out. I had IMMEDIATE relief. I, also, have back pain where the epidural was still & that was 5.5yrs ago. So because of this horrendous experience I REFUSED an epidural with my 2nd child. All natural, no meds. It felt like my vagina was burning & tearing (it wasn’t 
). But once she was out, all the pain was gone. Recovery time was easy & I bled for 2wks. If I ever have another, I will do all natural again.
Dont be nervous your body was made to do that it’s a great thing I’ve decided to go all natural and this will be my first baby ive heard too many horror stories about the epidurals. I’ve also heard that you recover quicker without the epidural
Keep an open mind and decide when you’re in labor.
I know plenty of people who have done it with no meds and had no issue. I was determined to do it naturally but it didn’t work out. I healed up fast and the epidural wasn’t too bad. My labor was just crazy. I had no contractions at all then my water broke and the contractions were instantly nonstop, only seconds between. I was given a shot that was supposed to stop or slow them and even that didn’t work so I finally got the epidural. I was 4cm when they did it. They checked me immediately after and I was ready to go. It was that fast and crazy. If you can do it naturally go for it. I would still try to do it naturally again. Everyone’s labor is different so it just depends on the situation. Just don’t be afraid to get it if you really need it. It took me throwing up and almost passing out to finally get it. I was determined but it just wasn’t in the cards for me.
Two without and last one with, I’ll NEVER do it with the epidural again ever!
Go in with the mindset that you can do it and every contraction is one less until you hold your baby. Dont ve upset if you end up opting for meds. I had an epidural with my first (I was induced) but not with my second. There should be many options you can try. I had luck laboring in the tub for my second. I was slightly upset I missed my first’s first bath bath because of the epidural but the second they let me yo to watch my first help the nurse give my second a bath
2 babies, 2 epidurals, 2 perfect recoveries with 0 problems from the epidurals
I had no choice but to go all natural. I have a blood clotting disorder so I can’t have any pain meds, especially an epidural. I’m not going to lie it was really painful but I was also induced and I heard the pain is worse that way. She was very alert the whole time and I ended up being very happy that I went natural. It’s a very empowering feeling. Good luck!
I was gonna go that route. But by the time I’d gotten back to the hospital I was already ready to push! I am so glad I did it without any meds! I remember everything from that day! And I recovered fast! I went home and did laundry the day after I had her. My first birth was cesarean and I remember very little from that day. I’m hoping to go all natural with this one too!!