Reasons Women Give Birth Without Anesthesia

Giving birth is one of the most excruciating pains a woman can experience. Labor is very extensive and can last up to 14 hours and some cases 42 hours! Epidurals (a form of anesthesia) can be administered at the hospital to women to help numb the pains of contractions, making childbirth less painful and easier to endure. Epidurals are given to women through a needle inserted in an area around the spinal cord .Once the epidural settles into the body the individual's legs will lose sensation and the person might become numb from the waist down. Epidurals provide great relief for many women. According to Americanpregnancy.org, "50% of women giving birth at hospitals use epidural anesthesia." The other percentage of women flat out refuse the epidural and opt to endure hours of arduous pain and their reasons for doing so are below.

Fear of the Epidural- Although the epidural is generally safe it does come with a few risks such as nerve damage which can cause paralysis, and loss of sensation and in some rare cases death. Some women are overly cautious and do not want to risk any harm to their body

Fear of anesthesia- Some women have a fear of putting medicine into their bodies that will greatly affect their mobility. There are many forms of anesthesia that are used in medicine. Some forms of anesthesia require an individual's heart to be stopped or for them to be put to sleep, while other forms of anesthesia make a person feel euphoric or numb (as is the case with the epidural..)

Needle Phobia- Needle phobia also known as trypanophobia and is a common phobia of people. According to about.com this phobia seems to be inherited. The administration of the epidural requires the use of a needle and for women with a fear of needles this procedure is not an option.

Some Moms want a natural birth- The term natural birth is used loosely. Technically, a natural birth is the birth of the baby through the birth canal. Presently, natural birth is defined as one without the intervention of pain medication. Many moms want to have their children without the intervention of any form of medication.

Some moms want to feel the pain- Not every woman is able to conceive and carry full term and many of those who are able to want to feel the birth experience from start to finish. Women who want to feel the pain of labor are usually deemed as eccentric and extremely in tune with themselves or with nature.

Some Moms do not want to harm the baby- As with any type of anesthesia, there is potential for something to go wrong so mothers choose to remain on the safe side. However, the epidural will not cause much harm to the baby. Yes some of the medicine may reach the baby but if it does it will just make the baby feel lethargic which might make it difficult for him to position himself for delivery. The baby might also have a problem latching on when he comes out or he may even have a decreased heart beat.

Do not want to feel guilty- Many moms feel as though that they will feel guilty for relying on anesthesia to get them through something that is supposed to be done naturally.

Moms want to be in control- some moms have had the epidural but say they will not have it again as they felt as though they were not in control of their body and that the epidural prolonged the birth. Many women feel as though the body has a natural way to deal with birth and cope with pain and that epidurals are unnecessary.

Want to remember experience- The epidural can last up until it is time to start pushing the baby out. When this happens mothers miss out on feeling of the baby making its way out of the birth canal. Many moms want to remember the experience of giving birth and so they opt not to use the Anesthesia.

Want to be brave- Some moms do not want to feel as though childbirth experience is something that they can not get through. They want to be courageous and let the moment of childbirth empower them.

Do not want to feel ashamed- Some women feel as though that using Anesthesia for labor makes them less of a woman or makes them a weaker woman because they did not deliver the baby "naturally." No woman should feel like this but many do.

The use of Anesthesia is a personal choice women can make, it is a free choice. No woman should feel pressured into having an epidural nor should they feel ashamed if they do choose to use the epidural. Whether they use the epidural or not does not make them less of a woman. Childbirth is an arduous labor in its self and the mother is the victor.