The debate on the use of epidural analgesia It has a difficult end because while many people defend that it is better to give birth without it, others say that it is absurd to have pain without need, because If you don't get a tooth without anesthesia, why give birth without epidural?
A phrase as used as absurd
On this subject I am quite impartial, basically because I will never have to ask myself whether I should use it or not to give birth, so when talking about the epidural analgesia I just try to defend what seems best for the woman and the baby, if there is any difference.
But when I talk about it, when people talk about it, I like to use arguments that make sense: either data that has some relevance, or logical arguments or personal decisions. Come on, I think it's a great argument, "I gave birth without an epidural because I wanted to do it that way" and "I gave birth with an epidural because I didn't dare to do it without her" or "because it hurt a lot", but I don't think so to compare a birth with the dentist.
When a woman is going to give birth she has no disease or pathology. Just go to help you have your baby in the best possible way for both of you. When someone goes to the dentist to have a tooth removed they do it because have a problem that requires a solution.
In the first case, the mother does not want anything to happen to the baby and she makes her decisions always thinking about her well-being and that of the baby. In a second, what happens to the tooth is totally indifferent. There is no interest in coming out in full, come on ... as if they shatter it before extracting it.
So no, it's not the same at all, so it's not comparable. If I have to remove a tooth that bothers me and gives me problems, to which I have no affection, let me do it without pain, if it can be. If I have to take out a baby, I love him more than anything in the world without knowing him, well better without pain, too, but if there could be any benefit in doing so without analgesia, then I will value it.
And there are benefits giving birth without epidural?
Well that seems. In 2009, Cochrane reviewed studies in this regard and concluded that, although it is effective for pain relief during childbirth, increases the risk of instrumental delivery (use of other drugs, forceps, suction cup, episiotomy, etc.).
When it came to seeing how it affected the C-section rate, it was seen that did not seem to increase with the use of epidural, just as it didn't seem to affect the baby in the immediate postpartum.
At the time of seeing the opinion of the mothers, they found that there were no differences in maternal satisfaction in relation to the birth he had had. That is, giving birth without pain did not make mothers happier with their birth than those who did without analgesia (or vice versa).
And what is better then?
The million-dollar question, which requires a somewhat ambiguous answer: It depends. If we only look at the data from the studies, it is clear that it is better to give birth without epidural analgesia, but as a woman and her baby are not a fact, but people who are going through a relatively important and painful process, it must be every woman who decides what is best for her.
There are women who have given birth without epidural and would repeat and others who would rather not have done so. Usually, when I have spoken with women who have had both types of births (my mother, for example) they usually say that without analgesia it hurts more, but they prefer it. But there are also women who say otherwise, that of the two, better the epidural.
So in the end it should be every woman who does what she considers best. And if one wants to defend the use of the epidural, please forget about the teeth and dentists. If anything, just say that "like the one that hurts is me, and I don't want it to hurt, I will do it with an epidural" and if there is insistence to continue with a "hey, when your opinion interests me, I will do it to know".
And vice versa, then the same: "It's my baby, it's my decision, and I've decided to do it without anesthesia ... when I need your opinion, I'll let you know."
Why the first is not less brave, weaker or less mother, neither is the second woman, more mother or anything like that. There are only two different options when giving birth with its benefits and disadvantages, and the decision must be made by each of the women without anyone judging for it.
How brave, strong, capable and good mother a woman looks in other aspects of life, I fear. And anyway, we don't have to go measuring ourselves in those terms with anyone either because At the end of everything, nobody will come to give us any prize (Although there are people who must believe so).
Photos | Kala Bernier on Flickr, iStock
In Babies and more | What type of delivery would you feel most satisfied with? Birth without epidural, an option for all pregnant women ?, Birth without epidural, does it hurt a lot?
