10-10-2007 Before the Epideral

[Earthsong99]

Just so people are aware of the truth...

All pain medications (Demerol, Stadol, epidural, spinal, etc) are caines (same drug branch as cocaine) or opiods (opium family). They reach the baby in less than 3 minutes. Watch birth vids, epidural and non-medicated, and compare the babies (alertness, breathing).

What are the long term effects of drugging our babies? One hit of cocaine in pregnancy has been shown in studies to cause brain damage, but yet drs are handing it out like candy in labor?

[Earthsong99]

And the options...

Many women have given birth without pain medication. You just need to be trained in deep relaxation. It takes practice, but it's easy and everyone can do it!

Best part is, you come away with a healthy, alert baby and the knowledge that YOU DID THIS! It's the ultimate empowerment!

There are many methods...a few are:

The Bradley Method

HypnoBirthing

and various others.

Classes offered by hospitals/doctors are not the same!

[ChiudiLaPorta]

@Earthsong99

PLEASE ! Have you ever heard a woman delivering with obstetrical manoeuvres such as kristeller or episiotomy, or spoken to a woman who underwent a 24h labour while midwives insisted with "natural" methods. Often they say they don't want children anymore. The comparison between epidural and cocaine is the same between opium and poppy plants. If I put poppy seeds in my dishes, I am adding the opium plant, am I taking drugs??? And no, the epidural DOES NOT reach the baby

[Lisa4174]

@ChiudiLaPorta I am truly shocked at your ignorance. Any first year medical student, or even a nurse for that matter, knows an epidural does indeed cross the placental membrane and will "reach the baby." You are certainly entitiled to any opinion you want, but to spout off on medical procedures you obviously know nothing about is irresponsible. And there are DOCUMENTED instances of epidurals causing damage. That is not to say they aren't overwhelmingly safe-but get your facts straight.

[ChiudiLaPorta]

@Lisa4174 I am more shocked by your ignorance. It is not by chance that you mention "FIRST YEAR" medical students and NURSES. Anaesthetists, with a 6-year-degree and 5-year-specialisation, will tell you the cocktail will not reach the placenta. Evidence show that modern epidurals have much less heavy susbtances and reach the placenta at most in form of TRACES. No damage to the baby is proved.

[Lisa4174]

@ChiudiLaPorta I don't know what anesthesiologist you have been speaking with, but the medical doctors I have spoken with have all explained that it does indeed cross the placenta, and while you claim no damage has been proven, many medical professionals beg to differ. And you are now backtracking-you now admit the epidural does cross the placental membrane, but say only in trace amounts. Again-there are doumentated cases of an epidural causing damage to the mother-look it up-rare, but true.

[ChiudiLaPorta]

@Lisa4174 I'm not backtracking: the word "traces" means the cocktail doesn't cross the placenta in an appreciable amount. Of course the are documentated cases of epidural causing damage, every medical intervention has side-effects, but a non-medicated childbirth can have too: a girl who delivered a few hours after me was wasted by pain so she stopped listening to midwives and began to push when she was only 6 cm dilatation, wearing her perineum severely.

[ChiudiLaPorta]

@Lisa4174 I am curious to know in what field were specialised the medical doctors you have spoken with. The anaesthetists I spoke with agree that epidural with continous infusion can actually invalidate the stimulus to push, but this technique has been abandoned long ago, in favor of personalised shots which are far more successful. Italian obstetricians and midwives boycot epidural on the ground of out-dated literature, and in general NO PAIN TREATMENT AT ALL is offered to the woman

[ericaj58]

@Earthsong99 Fear mongering much?

You cannot be serious with the epiduraland and brain damage. I would love to see those studies that probably do not exist. Most women DO get epidurals during the labor. This generation must have a lot of brain damaged children coming.

[nettyc35]

Lol @ it's like a party!!

[SinclairisCool]

If your below 3cm the anesthetist wont give you an epidural. is the right?

[ShewalksNbeauty]

If a medical doctor who went to school for more than six years and then went on receive specialized training as an obgyn and a certified anesthesiologist say it's safe to have an epidural, I would value those opinions more than some schmuck posting a comment on youtube.

Epidurals have repeatedly been shown to be completely safe, hence they're so commonly used now, but the only opinion that really matters is the doctors and staff taking care of the mother and baby.

[cjsur12]

@ShewalksNbeauty you are way too trusting, sounds like you have the white coat syndrome, because a doctor tells you something you think they are superman and are right about everything and Ill tell you they ARE NOT

[shamara02]

omg 10 10 dhats my b day

[Daisy72762]

hmmmm,lets see now..is an epidural NOT drugs? i think it is!!! Moron!

[Daisy72762]

i had stadol,not an epidural! Thats for wimps!!!

[lilyschey]

so you gave your baby a narcotic? after 9 months of eating right and avoiding unhealhy behaviors, you gave your baby a narcotic probably hours before he was born . yeah, you're so brave.

[SinclairisCool]

@Daisy72762

SHUT UP! an epidural is not for wimps! what an ignorent comment to make!

[JustaWyomingGirl]

@Daisy72762 Yeah cuz opiates CLEARLY are what tough guys use...... you are so ignorant!

[Ctownqt8]

getting an epidural too early in labor can stop contractions and lead to other interventions that may not have been used otherwise. most dr recommend waiting to 4-5 cms to avoid this

[crickleroad]

you don't have to be 4 cm at all. it's not at the midwife discretion either. you should be given when you ask for it. it makes sense to ask early as you don't know when it actually arrives. So don't listen to midwife that's says you have to be xx cm-it's a lie! it's more comfortable for them...

[SnortyMcFarty]

I got my epi at 2 cm... I was in more pain imaginable and the epi was a gift from the GODS.

[LESLIEskillinit]

thats the day of my b-day 10/10/95

[maritzasandrock1985]

When do they give you the epidural? Do you have to be dilated to a certain degree?

[Lisa4174]

You have to be at least 4 cm dilated and in active labor.

[CatShope]

I was. When I got to the Hospital they said I was 5 cm.