by Beverly Johnson

Created on: April 09, 2009

I wanted to have a natural child birth. I was hoping to deliver my daughter in the most natural fashion without medication or surgery. And, before going into the hospital, I assumed that I'd be given the option to have a natural childbirth, where I could walk around to assist labor or assume a variety of positions. Instead, they strapped me down to the hospital bed with a fetal heart monitor and forbid movement. This was for my babies protection due to complications with the labor induction.

And, just in case you've never endured the pain of induced labor, let me tell you, it's not pleasant. First they broke my water and administered powerful drugs internally to make me go into labor. And, when that didn't work, more drugs were administered. And, through all this, I endured the crushing pains.

These are not the same labor pains that you would have if your labor started naturally and then increased over a one or two days period of time. To the contrary, I went from zero dilation to four centimeters within a few hours and that meant triple the pain.

Then a nurse came into my hospital room and asked me if I'd like a little something for the pain. I was so happy that I almost hugged her. The bad part is, that the pain medication did little to remove the pain and instead made me groggy.

During the height of the contraction, I'd wake up with crushing pain in my abdomen and cervix. By the time, I was six centimeters dilated, I was begging for pain relief. It felt as if there were a stone up inside my body. The pain was unendurable. The nurse recommended having the epidural put in just in case I needed surgery. And, turns out, it was needed after all.

Within just a few minutes of having the epidural inserted, all the pain went away. I felt comfortably numb from my chest down to my toes. I could still feel my legs, but the pain was dulled to the point that I couldn't feel it. And, for the first time, I was able to enjoy my delivery without gritting my teeth in pain. I felt more in control and was able to speak with my doctor and hospital staff in a logical manner without screaming or putting undue demands on my partner.

Without the epidural, I can imagine the entire procedure would have been much more exhausting and painful.

Ultimately, my baby was delivered via emergency C-section, which required an additional spinal block (to block out the pain of cutting and surgery).

While there are some opponents of epidurals, there are many supporters. For me, having an epidural was the ideal solution to a super painful ordeal. And, going back in for a second baby, I'd choose the same path. With that being said, each woman should make her own choice.

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