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I voted that I was worried about potential side effects and aimed for a med-free birth.

Haven't given birth yet, but would like to go med-free if possible. I've had an epidural before for a surgery and it was fine, so I'm totally okay with them in theory and practice for some needs. I'd just like to avoid one if possible during birth (so I can feel pushing, hopefully avoid other interventions, etc). But we'll see when the time comes!

I never didn't want one but I also never wanted one. I wanted to see what happened before I made up my mind. When I was in labor, I actually turned down an epidural twice (at 4cm and 6cm) because I actually wasn't in that much pain (joke was on me - It was to come later). My doctor watched as I had contractions and we just decided I was handling them and breathing through them really well that it wasn't necessary to medicate me. When I got to 8-9 cm, I was begging for one though haha.

I was nervous about potential side effects and I wanted to go med-free.

I voted that I didn't want one before birth but ended up with one. But I think there are varying levels of this. Some moms really want a natural birth and train for it and all that stuff. I was open to the idea of an epidural so it wasn't a big deal when I decided to get one.

@rachiecakes: I had nooooooooo idea that this was a thing! I had back labor and just wasn't able to get an epidural, but no one ever mentioned to me how it might not even help!! Now I'm starting to wonder if I should just not bother next time around!

@Adira: @rachiecakes: Here's the thread I had about it right after the birth: http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/back-labor-and-failed-epidural

Another haven't given birth answer, but I am torn a little. I really want pain meds, but I really would like to be able to labor/give birth in whatever position feels "right" at the time. I was reading about "walking epidurals" - I guess a lighter meds version and have been wondering if that's an option.

I am TERRIFIED of needles - like, throw up and pass out TERRIFIED. But my labor was so painful and slow, none of the techniques I'd learned were working (the tub, balance ball, massage/pressure points, etc.), I'd been laboring for over 24 hours with minimal progress, my contractions were one on top of the other with no breaks, and I was just desperate for relief. Finally I got desperate enough to stop caring about the needle.

I did end up needing a c-section for reasons that were unrelated to the epidural. I'm doing a vbac in October and will totally be getting an epi. It was amazing how quickly my labor progressed once I had it and how much more relaxed I was, I believe I actually cried out of relief.

I did not want an epidural because:
- I was scared it would stall my labor and lead to a c-section
- I was scared it would mean I couldn't feel to push effectively and would result in my tearing worse than I would have if I went natural
- I wanted to be able to labor in the birthing tub, walking around, etc, and to be able to eat and drink.
- I was a little concerned with the epidural affecting my hormones/ability to breastfeed/bond with baby (just mildly-- there is no real proof of this but it does sort of make sense to me)

I had an epidural because:
- I ended up with an induction and hooked up to monitors that kept me strapped to my back in bed-- so various labor positions were off the table and back labor while laying on my back sucked
- I had very little confidence I'd make it through an induced labor med free so I didn't honestly try THAT hard to postpone my epi because it seemed inevitable once we were talking cervadil and a foley bulb and pitocin

(And I did end up with a c-section, although I do not believe it had anything to do with my epidural. I got the epidural at 2cm, 7.5 hours after starting the induction at 1cm, and in 4.5 hours I'd dilated to an 8. I did stall out and start to swell closed but it was because of LO's position).

I checked that I was afraid it would lead to a C-section (by slowing down labor, same reason I would have been apprehensive of induction), and that I didn't want one but changed my mind during.

I didn't go in PLANNING to not get an epidural though. My plan was to just see what I could handle. I didn't want to plan to have one without knowing if I could handle the pain of labor. But hello back labor- no question, I needed it! I did talk to the hospital team though to make sure I wasn't getting it too early and really made sure I understood the risks. I was afraid of the needle, but not more afraid of that than I was of feeling every bit of a baby coming out of (and ripping) my lady area.

i wanted a med free birth to avoid unnecessary interventions (was open to interventions if medically necessary!) and wanted to see if i could control that aspect by relying on my body to birth my baby. i did it med free and i really contribute my easy recovery to going without it and avoiding the things that come along with it!

@jedeve I didn't have back labor with my firsts (twins) but my epidural was too high so I couldn't feel my chest but felt most everything below my belly button! The ring of fire was brutal but I thought that's how it was for everyone. I had my daughter med free and it was less painful than with my twins and recovery was so much easier. I actually felt better than I had in weeks after I had her.

My main reasons were that I was afraid of it leading to a C-section, and that I was concerned about side effects for the baby. I did change my mind & get one & I had a C-section Who knows if the epidural contributed. The reason for my C-section was "failure to progress" although I had a uterine infection which was why they kind of wanted to move things along. I sobbed while I was getting prepped for surgery because I thought I caused it.

A lesser reason was also that I had heard it is not great for breastfeeding & I also had issues with breastfeeding.

Despite those things, I will be open to getting one again. The pain of labor was really just terrible for me & realistically I am not sure if I would be able to have an unmedicated birth.

While I was pregnant, I read a lot about epidurals and the cascade of interventions, etc, and it all made a lot of sense to me. Another thing that really jumped out at me was that, when you're in labor, your body makes endorphins that help to deal with the pain. When you get pain relief from artificial sources, your body stops responding to the pain the way it was meant to. Basically, I was afraid that I would get the epidural and it would either not work correctly or would wear off, then the labor would be SO much more painful because my body wasn't producing the endorphins to help me handle the pain naturally.

I had a long labor (over 36 hours), but I progressed through it. I'm sure if, after that amount of time, I was still at 2cm or something, I would've gotten the epi for the exhaustion. But I also think I progressed because I was able to move around, change positions, and stayed positive about my situation (so much of birth is mental, I truly believe!).

I definitely plan to go med-free with #2 because I feel like if I could do it last time, I can definitely do it this time! Hoping for a speedier delivery, though, for sure.

I didn't want an epidural because I wanted to avoid unnecessary interventions and because I wanted to be able to walk, get in the tub, and eat during labor. As it turned out, I was stuck in bed in certain positions because LO's heart rate was concerning. I was in pain, but not to the extent that I felt like I needed any pharmaceutical help coping.

At six centimeters, his heart rate got worse, and I agreed to a c-section. At that point, I was glad to get the spinal.

If I try for a VBAC next time, I'll try to go without an epidural again, as I was really doing fine.

@jedeve: @redsmarties: @Rainbow Sprinkles: @grizz: @Adira: I had back labor, and the epidural only gave me relief for the tiniest little bit. Even when they turned it up, it only succeeded in totally numbing my legs, not taking away the pain.

I voted other. I really wanted to be able to move around during labor, because sitting makes my skin crawl. I ended up begging for one, though, because I was so sick and exhausted. Next time, I would like to try for med free, if only to avoid the excess wires that come with it! Especially the catheter. Good gracious I hated that thing.