“To Have or Have not” …. That is the question? Pain Medication during childbirth.

 

The personal experience that I would like to share is the birth of my first two children Robert and Nicole.

 I was so excited about giving birth to my first child, and having a natural childbirth. My OB doctor talked with me about the different options available in case of emergency, or if I wanted pain medication during birth. As I got closer to delivery, I decided to have medication. I chose to have an epidural, so that required me to sign paperwork and to be counseled about the different effects of getting the drugs and complication that may arise while getting the epidural. I felt a lot of pain during my labor, and they gave me so much medication that I could not feel my lower body. When it came time for me to push, I thought I was pushing but was not because I couldn’t feel anything.  Finally, they had to help with my delivery and used forceps to help me deliver. The forceps left a small mark in his head that you can still see today. My son Robert was born on 23 Oct 1978 I was happy that I didn’t have any pain after the medication but sad that I wasn’t able to experience natural childbirth.

When I became pregnant, three years later I was already prepared to have medication. I thought about natural childbirth and then snapped back to the reality that I wanted medication to ease the pain. When I went into labor  and came to the hospital I was they automatically prepared to I didn’t feel any pain and when it came time for delivery I had the same problem as I had when I delivered my son Robert. I could not push or feel my lower body so that had to assist with my delivery.  Nicole was born on 10 August 1981. Unfortunately, she suffered a fractured collarbone during childbirth because they had to pull her out because I was not proving any help.

I focus on these birthing experiences because it changed my thoughts about medication for pain during childbirth.  There are several types of medication that can ease pain during childbirth, but most women in the US choose epidurals. There are pro and cons to getting epidurals, and I have been on the receiving end of both spectrum's. While having an epidural made me pain free it complicated the birth and delivery of two of my children.   I decided that I would not use pain medication during my future pregnancies.  My next three children were all born naturally. Today when my children or young women ask me about childbirth I recommend natural childbirth and tell them my story.  Everyone is different and have different thresholds of pain that they can withstand. It is ultimately their decision to make.

 
There are not many studies on how pain medication used during labor affects child development. There are side effects because the drugs used enter the through the mother's bloodstream, and may pass through the placenta into the baby's circulation.

The following chart shows a few  differences between the United States and Britain on some childbirth practices and procedures including the use of medication during childbirth including the use of medication during childbirth.

United States                                                                 Britain

Epidural use during childbirth 50-70%	Epidural use during childbirth 40%
Cesarean rate 1 in 3 births	Cesarean rate 1 in 4 births
Most hospitals do not offer a blend of nitrous oxide and oxygen as pain relief	Uses a  blend of nitrous oxide and oxygen as a first resort pain relief
Expensive child birth costs	Having a baby in the U.K. is free of charge, unless you choose to go a private hospital . They have national health insurance.
Infant mortality rates. US ranks 34th	Infant mortality rates. UK ranks 25th
Infants may stay in nursery after childbirth	Infants stay in room all the time