From: pburch@roc.mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Paula Burch)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Use of drugs during labor
Date: 28 Jul 1992 18:04:56 GMT
Reply-To: pburch@bcm.tmc.edu (Paula Burch)
Originator: pburch@roc.mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu


In article <2080@ncr-mpd.FtCollins.NCR.COM>, chrisw@chopin.FtCollins.NCR.com (Chris Whitley) writes:
In article <1992Jul27.195837.26820@watson.ibm.com>, lisa@watson.ibm.com (Lisa Leutenegger) writes:
|> [stuff deleted]
|> >That way they won't give you an epidural.  I can't imagine
|> > having a tube stuck in my back.  Ow!  Since my doctor (Ms.
|> > Demoral) didn't show up, I escaped that also.  I can't
|> > imagine an iv sticking in my arm either.
|> 
|> Hey, I don't care if you believe in drugs during labor or not.
|> But to suggest that the pain of inserting the epidural (which
|> in most cases ELIMINATES the pain of labor) is of any significance
|> AT ALL compared to the pain of labor is beyond my comprehension.
|> For those of you yet to deliver, do not let this issue (pain of
|> inserting/wearing epidural) deter you if you would otherwise 
|> opt for an epidural.

The epidural is an icky idea, having something stuck in your spine,
but it's quite painless. What hurt was the position I had to get
into to receive it. Hunching over "like a cat" to receive it made
my contractions several times more painful--thank goodness for my
wonderful labor nurse, Mary Ellen Winton, who held me in position 
and assured the anesthesiologist that no, I really couldn't hunch 
forward any further. It took only a short time, fortunately.

Under the circumstances, it was well worth it. In my opinion, a
drug-free childbirth would be better for me if I had a normal
labor instead of being in labor for three full days. If I had
not had a doula, however, but instead relied solely on taking 
classes, I would have wanted an epidural for pain relief for
even a normal labor. As I lasted for 62 hours before asking for 
the epidural, I feel I really know what I'm talking about.

I have a friend who managed without drugs with only the wimpy
Lamaze class sponsored by the hospital. I think having two friends 
to coach her, as well as her husband, was more helpful than the 
class. I don't think much of Lamaze, myself. Some Lamaze classes 
are probably excellant. Others are not, and probably don't deserve 
the name of Lamaze. But then, my fuzzy recollection is that Lamaze 
himself said that there were no real Lamaze classes being taught, 
that they all watered down his message so much that they were 
useless. I don't think that distraction is a very helpful technique 
of pain relief for me.

What helped me (besides getting a good doula, which everyone should 
do!) was being in a straight, vertical position--hanging with my 
arms around my husband's neck when I got too tired to stand--and 
making deep, groaning noises. It helped a lot when my husband made 
these noises, too. I never thought I'd make noises, but it's a 
valuable tool for pain relief.

When I finally got to the hospital, I was happy to sit in one place 
for the monitor and forget the showers. I'd already had plenty, and 
I was tired. I was actually grateful to have an excuse so they wouldn't 
make me go walking the hallways, as is their habit! The monitor was 
much less uncomfortable than I expected, but it's true that statistics 
show that monitors are slightly less safe than getting a good labor 
nurse to check the fetal heartbeat. Unfortunately, labor nurses aren't 
taught to do this anymore, and hospital policy requires intermittant 
monitoring at most hospitals. It's easy to unplug the leads and go walk 
around, though, and modern monitors do *not* require you to lie on your 
back, which is a bad idea in any case. The requirement of older monitors 
for such an unsuitable position may be what makes monitors looks less 
safe than heartrate checks in the studies.

Paula Burch
pburch@bcm.tmc.edu