More than one friend has told me that it's virtually impossible to deliver in a hospital and not get the epidural and that I should basically accept that. Is this true? — just get the epidural
Dear Just,
Women do have non-medicated births in hospitals. They really do. It happens. It's happened to people we know. It's happened to people we know who had hard labors, back labors, long labors, hellish inductions and lousy labor support. So it's not impossible.
But going to the hospital and not taking the epidural can be like going to a pizza place on a low-carb diet. It can be frustrating. As one woman we know put it, "the only way I won't get an epidural is to be far the f*ck away from it." This is one reason women who are adamant about avoiding medication plan to give birth at home or in birthing centers where epidurals are not available.
The epidural is the hospital's big offering when it comes to pain relief. When the agony kicks in, the resident will probably not suggest changing positions, massage your lower back and offer gentle encouragement. There probably will not be a tub. Unless you brought a birthing ball, you won't have one to rock on. And the fetal monitor will likely be strapped around you for some period of time, limiting your ability to lean or sway or rock through contractions. But you will be offered medication. Probably more than once. The hospital staff wants to help, after all. And they all see, time after time, the relief on their patients' faces when the drugs kick in.
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