Originally Posted by
marymoo86
I was induced and tethered to all the machines. Not what I had prepped for as I was also wanting to do med free. You should have enough movement to get out of bed and maneuver around on a birthing ball. I managed 14 hours of med free labor but caved for the epi b/c it was all back labor. I have had 2 back surgeries so the pain was excruciating. The epi bought me 3 hours of relief b/c the position of the baby resulted in hip labor that the epi couldn't control. If I had known that I would have just sucked it up.
I can relate, marymoo...except the back surgeries. I cannot imagine how painful back labor would be after that! My experience was real similar to yours - 24 hours of back labor (almost no progress ) and then the midwife put her foot down about the pitocin. At that point I was so wasted, I took the epi. It would have been different if the labor pains had been progressing and productive, but it was't and I was exhausted.
But... I was actually pretty pleased that I could still feel the contractions through the epi. The epi took the edge off for me but I was still aware and in control. I really disliked the thought of losing that sense of my body and the process. It was funny, I kept telling the nurses where I knew I was at in the process and they politely told me I was full of crap. But I was right! Haha.
Anyway, OP - it isn't necessarily a choice between fully unmedicated with pit and fully desensitized with an epi. For me, the sensation was an accident because my daughter was positioned wacky. But can't you choose a lower dose of epi med even with typical contractions?
I had both experiences (medicated/unmedicated) in one birth. Next time I'll confidently choose unmedicated as my first choice again but I don't regret how this first time went at all.
Often bumbling mother to baby girl "Sprog"
Born November, 2009