Sorry so late replying, but not really @paris824 only once, my doc gave me pills for constipation too.

@amandafikes, wow! You've had some experiences! I really want to try and do it naturally!

@paris824, I don't remember what it was called

This is my fifth pregnancy. I have four little boys already. My first son wouldn't come on his own so I was induced. I used pain medicines to try and help my two day labor. It helped but when I was fully dilated I was so numb from the epidural I couldn't push. The doctor tied my arms to a blanket from the ceiling and I pulled up. My son was born in three pull ups. Lol. My second son was a month early. I was at home mopping the floor, went to pee and felt him crowning. There wasn't time for medicine. My third son I was in labor for two hours and he was here. No medicines. My fourth son was a mess! The nurse said my water broke. I knew it didn't. She let me lay there for 11 hours without breaking my water. I was dilated to 9 and she didn't think maybe she was wrong. I couldn't take the pain. I got the IV drug. My doctor came in and was like "honey let's break that water and have us a baby!" My son was here in 18 minutes. Had the nurse listened I wouldn't have had medicine with the last one. Here's my feeling on numbing medicines. When you go to the dentist and they numb you, you leave feeling fine. You bite your lip at some point and it doesn't hurt much. Once that numbing wears off you feel that bite and it HURTS! It's the same thing with medicine when you are in labor. You don't realize what you are doing to your body until you aren't numb anymore. My recovery time for the ones with medicine was longer than the two without.

@babybluntsmommy, do they make you constipated?

Ahh I'm anemic too and have to take iron pills 😞 @paris824

@aphrodite2014, agreed!

@ashley07, so there is something you can take to help, do you know what those meds were called??

@babybluntsmommy, that's how I am. When the doctor prescribed meds for my headache and low iron I complains and refused to take them... They kept telling me they're supplements not meds. But it's a must for me to take them if I want to remain healthy enough to carry my baby because I'm anemic

@paris824, yes that's what I've hurd too and if they mess Up they could permanently paralyze you.. it's not a risk I'm willing to take.. I'll Cope with the pain

@tayek, sooooooo exciting!!! Congrats!! I have to go a month longer than you, a little jelly I am lol.

@aphrodite2014, a lot of people I know complain about how it messed their backs up 😩

A couple hours

@ashley07, how long after your shot wore off did you deliver?

I done natural and plan to do it again they gave me a shot that helped with the pain so I could rest but it only lasted and hour

I want to do natural birth too! This would be my first delivery so I will be very nervous because I don't take pain as well as I think I could, but I'll try as long as she is healthy and let's me lol. Trying to be as natural as possible so I haven't even took medicine for the problems I have been having (allergies, headaches, stuffy nose for MONTHS, etc..). I'm just trying to get used to handling anything, but I know childbirth is a whole other ball game lol.

@paris824, I encourage anyone to try it. I'll definitely be doing it again when my son is born (expected around Leap Day!) & I'm excited. My hospital has this cool looking tub, and the birthing suites look more like bedrooms than hospital rooms.

@paris824, I agree I believe our bodies where made for this and the pain will be worth it in the end.. the long term affects of the epidural are crazy and I don't want to be that 1% that it really messes up

@tayek, I want to try!

@aphrodite2014, such huge decisions! I just want the best for my son.

@paris824, one was placed in the small of my back, one in the middle, and I had a cool one at the nape of my neck.

@paris824, I've seen that it is! and honestly I don't want there to be any respiratory issues with the baby after he's born.. because if your drugged up so is baby it can suppress their respiratory drive and they need that because birth is stressful on them too

@aphrodite2014, I hear recovery from natural birth is faster and better than with meds.

@tayek, where did you place the towel? I saw a water birth and fell in love.

Girl to be honest with you, nothing was gonna calm me down during labor. Child birth is painful. there's no way around it. I just focused on my breathing during my active labor. Just so I would scream my lungs out. But once that baby is out all the pain is gone, aside from postpartum healing of course.

I plan to go naturally as long as it's safe for baby.. I've looked into side effects of pretty much all the medications that are offered at the hospital I want to go to and I'm choosing against it

@paris824, it hurts. I did a lot of breathing, sitting in the warm bath, and even sleeping to take my mind off it. I was allowed to walk around as I pleased. Basically I stayed as comfy as possible while distracting myself a good bit lol I was a nervous first time mommy too so I definitely understand. This time what I will do differently is request a heating pad--I delivered on all fours with a warm towel, but the nurses kept needing to change it. I think the heat pad will be better.

@lina_209, did you use any calming methods? How did you feel after both deliveries?

@sarahemccormick, I've been told over and over that natural is better, but so many people say once contractions start I'll want meds immediately.

@tayek, I really want to try natural, I'm just not sure what the pain intensity will be like because I'm a first time mommy.

I had my first baby with an epidural. my labor lasted an intense ,painful 4 days. on the 3rd day I couldn't take it no more so I got the epidural. I just had my 2nd baby December 21st & had her natural cuz my labor only lasted 5 hours. hurt like hell.

I am going natural. I have experienced both. I would say the epidural definitely does its job, but it leaves you groggy and if you're like me and have anxiety issues, its not a good trade off. Being paralyzed from the waist down is not cool or fun. Also, I don't want to expose my baby to any needless medication because it will crosd the placenta and the baby can be born eith breathing difficulty and etc. But it WILL relieve the pain. All in all, natural is so much better because it offers the best possible beginnjng to your baby's life and you are more coherent and the baby will be more alert.

I've experienced natural and plan to again. I just wanted the best possible start, and since I could handle the pain, I went for it. I was open to other options--I think that helped? I wasn't afraid of needing intervention, so I didn't focus on "don't get meds" & put my energy into letting my body do what it's designed to do.