To be or not to be medicated...that is the question...

I had an epidural and I absolutely do not regret it, even when things went wrong. Helll because things went wrong. I was able to clear headedly make the decision to go for a csection, and was able to be conscious while they pulled him out. This ment he survived. Because even a few minutes more and he wouldn't have. It took them 4 minutes to rescusitate him as it was. I fully credit the epidural for his survival

No not weird to be scared of epideral. Im terrified of needles i cant watch go in and out so i didnt go that route. But i sure used gas and got 2 shots of fentynal. (Fentynal administered by the nurses and drs are absolutely safe)

With the first, I only got nitrous which did nothing so it was painful. Yet I still decided to use nothing the second time around. I was lucky both pregnancies happened fast though. I think if they were long labours I would've wanted the epidural.

I had no option with my first and couldn't get an epidural since I was already fully dialated. I was able to use laughing gas during contractions though. With my second, I opted for no epidural since I knew I could do ut without. Again, I used laughing gas. One thing I should say, ny longest labour was only 5.5 hours. The beginning of it wasn't bad, but as it progressed, so did the pain. Honestly, it's up to you and what you can handle. There's no harm getting pain relief

@Tagmayne im happy to hear that 💗 how did the epidural go wrong though?

@Monique i dont even know if they have gas here in Ontario? Never heard of anyone use it. Im scared of needles and it being done wrong tbh. How was your pain management? Were the nurses gentle and kind even if you made noises?? My sister said when she was yelling one nurse said something rude like not to make noise?? I found this disgusting

@Amber i should ask if this is an option here in ontario. How does the laughing gas work? And yes the pain would be worse as it becomes closer to the delivery.. but i am willing to go through that IF it's tolerable. They always rush to give the epidural here in toronto hospitals. Also is it true once the baby is born the pain fully vanishes too? And i guess another thing is.. were the nurses and drs rude when you made sudden sounds of being in pain? Yelling screaming etc? I kinda worry theyll be rude about this

I went fully unmedicated, not even ibuprofen 😂 it was amazing!! I literally felt everything and was never so close to my body. I gave birth in the water and that definitely helped 😊 I also heard from my friends that some of them still have back pain in their injection site years later, it definitely contributed to my decision to go natural :)

Also the midwives didn't mind me cussing and being loud. Not at all. They were all very quiet and let me do my thing. I will say I only grunted while pushing. And once baby was born all the pain immediately went away, I can't even remember it and wanna do it all again 😆

Laughing gas. They should, but ontario is weird. It was crap, i was constantly using the laughing gas and had 2 doses of fentynal. But i also had major back labour

Epidural both times and it was amazing. They don’t give you epidural until you are at least 6cm and the contraction just get worst and worst so when I did get the epidural, I was in heaven. I do think the epidurals are different in each hospitals. My first was on the island at Victoria General and they gave me a button to push for medication if I feel less numb. The secound time I was at Burnaby Hospital and they didn’t give me a button. The medication was dropping automatically with the flow they decided, however I felt shivers and shakes this time. So they definitely use different doses and techniques.

I couldn't click "reply" to your comment. But, I am in Ontario as well. I'm about an hour or so east of Toronto, in Oshawa. For the laughing gas, I was able to start using it once I was admitted into a room, and I felt the need to use the gas. I didn't ask for it until the contractions got worse. They said I could use it during the time of ny contractions, however I only inhaled once because I didn't like how light it made my head feel. During labour, I didn't use it much at all, but again, you can use it during every single contraction. To be honest, I used it more when she was stitching me up. If you do decide to get an epidural, make sure you let them know soon because I hear it could take a while for the doctor to come administer it Yes, once the baby was born, the pain goes away mostly, however you will feel soreness but they can give you Tylenol and advil for that. I asked for them every 8 hours while I was there to help with the soreness

Sorry, needed to make another comment since my first one maxed out haha. The doctor and nurses I had were amazing. They're used to women yelling and screaming during labour. Don't worry about that part, but make sure to focus on what they are telling you to do. You got this mama!! You are stronger than you think!