When I posted Lily's birth story I did it mostly for me, so that I would have it for later. As I went back and read it, as well as some of your comments, I felt I didn't express something well and I wanted to clarify. I talked about getting an epidural with my other babies as if it were chickening out, giving in to something bad. Which really isn't necessarily the case: it was a valid choice and a blessing to have pain relief when I was having intense pain. I think my feeling was this: I have always had fairly short labor, and I think I've been going through transition each time I decided to have an epidural. Had I known this then, and that it wouldn't have been much longer, I would have held out longer and tried harder to have my babies naturally, something I valued. That's what I was aiming for this time, knowing that my labor has been short in the past and that I was almost done before I needed an epidural.
Okay, so that's me. But what about you? What about all the women who labor in intense pain for a day or more, pushing for hours? I certainly would never say that anyone other than myself was "giving in" or "chickening out" for choosing to have an epidural. There is a reason modern medicine has evolved as it has--it's a miracle and a blessing!! And for those of you who have had Cesarean sections, I am so grateful that this life-saving procedure is available, making it possible for you and your beautiful children to be here today!
That's all I wanted to say; I just wanted you to know what I meant as I wrote out our story, so you would understand why I said what I said the way I did.
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