by J.T. Livingston

Created on: July 17, 2008   Last Updated: April 11, 2009

PLEASE! Give me a break! I am totally shocked that this question is even open for debate; surely some male must have submitted it for discussion (no offense, fellas).

In my humble opinion, this is a no-brainer. Why in the world would someone willingly submit to such intense pain and discomfort? Is it simply for the bragging rights for having endured Life's "full and natural" experience? I don't think so! The more horror stories I hear about natural childbirth, the more convinced I become that natural childbirth should be reserved for animals, not humans. Give me the drugs any day, please! If you are like me and go out of your way to avoid pain and discomfort, and don't consider natural childbirth as a rite of passage for womanhood, then epidurals are most definitely the way to go.

In all fairness, though, there really is no right or wrong answer. Plain and simple, it is a very private and individual choice, one in which a woman should never be judged. It is a HUGE decision that should be researched carefully, and discussed with a woman's significant other/family. No woman should be criticized or judged for the childbirth choice she makes. I firmly believe that choosing to have an epidural makes us no less a woman, just as deciding to go natural makes us no greater a woman.

That being said, I still cannot imagine why anyone would subject herself to that level of pain? An online survey was recently conducted and tallied the responses from 584 women when asked if they would consider using an epidural during childbirth. The results were:

35% - definitely 7% - no way 4% - previously gave birth naturally 9% - previously gave birth with epidural 17% - plan on natural birth but will use epidural if needed 10% - no plans for ever having children 18% - undecided or requiring additional research

Epidurals, as with any drug, do not come risk-free. Things can go wrong and they do not always work for everyone. I've only given birth once and once was enough - why tempt fate! I remember when the time came for my own epidural, I was instructed to lie totally still; of course, they have to administer the epidural DURING a contraction, so lying still may not always be easy for some people. I was instructed to let them know if I felt "strange" in any way-dizzy, room spinning, etc. Within mere seconds of the first shot, I calmly told the nurse that I was indeed experiencing everything he had described. He immediately withdrew the needle and the room became still once again. As it happened, the needle had inadvertently been inserted into a vein-not a good thing. The second attempt went much more smoothly, and the final stage of procreation was on its way.

So yes, I had the epidural, never experienced a painful contraction, had no idea if I was pushing or not when the time came, had an easy recovery period, and guess what? I had a perfectly healthy baby - PAIN FREE!

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