E.P.I.D.U.R.A.L
I slept well last night, only getting up once about 2:30 am. I didn't wake again until quarter to six and by then it was almost time to get up. I'm trying to keep my mind as empty as possible so that I don't lay awake thinking of all the things I have yet to do. I finished up my baby shopping on Saturday. I broke down and bought the coveted Fisher Price swing and a few other things I actually needed. It felt good to finally get it all done.
When I came in to work this morning there was an email in my inbox titled "How long will your labor last?" I thought that was a very good question and opened up it. The email led me to a series of articles on labor and preparing for labor, the most disturbing of which was this one. It all sounds pretty manageable until you get down to the section where they discuss the transition from active labor to the part where you actually start pushing. Here's what they say about coping with those contractions:
Coping tips: If you're laboring without an epidural, this is when you may begin to lose faith in your ability to cope, so you'll need lots of extra encouragement and support from those around you. The good news is that if you've made it this far without medication, you can usually be coached through transition one contraction at a time with constant reminders that you're doing a great job and that the end is near.
So in other words, this is the part where you start cursing God, your husband and the fact that you didn't fake a headache nine months ago.
I had been thinking more and more about attempting an unmedicated birth ever since we attended the birthing class a few weeks ago. Up until the last few decades, women had been doing it without drugs all the time, right? The closer I get to the big day though, the more I wonder if I have the stuff to make it through without the epidural. However, there are stories of epidurals not working, only working on one side and not the other or of them being improperly administered. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
When I came in to work this morning there was an email in my inbox titled "How long will your labor last?" I thought that was a very good question and opened up it. The email led me to a series of articles on labor and preparing for labor, the most disturbing of which was this one. It all sounds pretty manageable until you get down to the section where they discuss the transition from active labor to the part where you actually start pushing. Here's what they say about coping with those contractions:
Coping tips: If you're laboring without an epidural, this is when you may begin to lose faith in your ability to cope, so you'll need lots of extra encouragement and support from those around you. The good news is that if you've made it this far without medication, you can usually be coached through transition one contraction at a time with constant reminders that you're doing a great job and that the end is near.
So in other words, this is the part where you start cursing God, your husband and the fact that you didn't fake a headache nine months ago.
I had been thinking more and more about attempting an unmedicated birth ever since we attended the birthing class a few weeks ago. Up until the last few decades, women had been doing it without drugs all the time, right? The closer I get to the big day though, the more I wonder if I have the stuff to make it through without the epidural. However, there are stories of epidurals not working, only working on one side and not the other or of them being improperly administered. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
