(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
Welcome to the birth prep podcast. I'm Taylor, your birth bestie, who's here to support you as you plan and prepare for the unmedicated birth of your dreams. If you're ready to ditch the fear, conquer the hospital hustle, support that bump and bod, and walk into the delivery room like the HGIC you were born to be, then buckle up, babe.
This is where it all goes down. Hello, hello, and welcome back to the birth prep podcast. Today, we are spilling the ebidural tea because I'm done with the way that epidurals are marketed in the hospital.
It's the 90s, and we're watching an infomercial. That is not the vibe. They make it sound like this magical, pain-erasing, problem-solving, easy button for birth, but what they don't tell you is that pressing that button often sets off a whole chain reaction that can completely change your birth experience.
We're going to talk about it today because I don't see enough people talking about it, to be really honest with you. We're going to talk about why the epidural isn't the easy button that we're sold. We're going to talk about the cascade of interventions that often follows when you implement an epidural into your birth experience.
We're going to talk about the risks and the side effects that they downplay or just flat out don't mention. We're going to also talk about how to protect yourself from unnecessary pressure to get one. I know a lot of you have already made the decision that you do not want an epidural, but I think it's so important to really be grounded in why you don't want one to really help fuel the work that you're doing and be like, okay, I really don't want one, so I'm going to set myself up for success so that I don't get to the point where I feel the need to get one.
Because saying no to an epidural now when you're pregnant is easy. Saying no to an epidural after you've been in labor for 12 hours and the nurse is reminding you, hey, it's still an option, that takes preparation. If you're planning an unmedicated birth and you've been any type of vocal about it, you've probably gotten some phrases like, why would you do that? Why would you put yourself through all that pain for no reason? Why wouldn't you just get the epidural? Why don't you just make it easy on yourself, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
I got it all the time. I had somebody offer to pay for one because they thought that it was a money issue. There was no way on planet earth that somebody would just choose to go through birth without an epidural.
But the truth is an epidural is a tool, not a magic fix. Epidurals are marketed as this instant relief and a way to take the pain away and make birth easier. But here's the issue, easier for who? Easier for the hospital staff? Absolutely.
Easier for the system that wants you compliant and stationary? Yep. Easier for you, long-term? That's where the tea gets hot. They'll tell you that it takes the pain away, that you'll be able to relax, that you don't have to be a hero.
You're not going to get a medal for your unmedicated birth. What they're not going to tell you is that an epidural doesn't always work or only works partially sometimes. They're not going to tell you that it increases your chance of needing more interventions.
They're not going to tell you that side effects are common, but very rarely mentioned up front. So we're going to talk about what actually happens when you say yes to the epidural. Let's say you're in labor, contractions are strong and a nurse or a doctor says, let's get you an epidural so you can rest and relax.
And it sounds nice, right? But here's what often happens next. Step one, you get the epidural. Now you're numb from the waist down and you can't move freely.
Because you're stuck in bed, your contractions are probably going to slow down because the body in motion stays in motion. You don't have the opportunity to see how labor would actually go if you had actually worked with your body, started implementing movement in different labor positions and things like that. So now you're labor stalling.
So the hospital wants to fix the slow labor. Enter pitocin, a synthetic hormone that makes contractions stronger and closer together. Oxytocin's evil twin, if you will.
It gets the same result of creating contractions, but it does not process through your body the same way and it affects things much differently. So now those contractions are becoming unnaturally intense and your rest periods are very, very minimal or few and far between. But you don't feel them because of the epidural.
But your baby, however, feels everything. So now your baby's going into distress. Those stronger contractions mean less oxygen for your baby.
Your baby's heart rate starts showing non-reassuring signs. And then comes in step five. The emergency c-section conversation happens.
Okay. Doctor's saying, baby's not tolerating labor. Well, we might need to go to a c-section and you're like, wait, what? How did we get here? How did this happen? This is the cascade of interventions.
It often starts with one simple decision, but because hospitals rely on a rigid intervention, heavy system, one thing leads to another. And suddenly birth looks nothing like what you had planned. They're not going to sit down and show you the flow chart of what could happen when implementing a very common intervention.
I do that inside the birth prep course. I made a whole flow chart for that. And for inductions, because you know what you guys deserve to see what could happen.
I'm not saying it's guaranteed to happen this way, but let me tell you it happens and it happens often. So an epidural doesn't just affect the pain situation. It affects the entire flow of your labor experience.
And when hospitals treat labor like a checklist, instead of a physiological process, interventions pile up fast. The fact that they don't talk about the risks and side effects to really rubs me the wrong way because they're going to tell you, Oh, you might feel some pressure. It's totally safe.
The only risk is a small headache afterwards. Y'all there are risks that come with injecting fentanyl into your spinal column. Well, I said I was bringing the tea.
So get ready, buckle up. We are going to talk about all the possible side effects and risks of getting an epidural. First, we have a drop in blood pressure or hypotension.
Epidurals cause vasodilation, which is the widening of blood vessels leading to a sudden drop in maternal blood pressure. A drop in blood pressure reduces oxygen supply to your baby, which can cause fetal distress. A study from 2018 states that hypotension occurs in up to 30 to 40% of women receiving epidurals.
This is why hospitals preload you with IV fluids before placing an epidural to try to prevent this drop. Even those IV fluids come with risks for your physiological birth experience. So when you walk in ready to refuse those IV fluids and they keep pushing them and say, well, their hospital policy, and you're like, but there's all these reasons why I shouldn't get it and why it really doesn't help my experience.
Now, you know why they're pushing that because they're planning on you getting an epidural. Looking back at my first birth, having the knowledge that I have now and being able to look at it through a much different lens, they were absolutely pushing me towards the epidural. As soon as they found out that was not in my plan, my plan was no epidural.
They started implementing all of the things that would be needed and that would create the perfect storm, if you will, for me asking for one. And I don't want you to cling to this story, but I was absolutely at the point where it would have been really easy for me to say yes to one, because it was very, very difficult. I was dead set.
So I wasn't going to say yes, but it was very, very, very difficult to continue to say no. And at one point I was so out of my body, so out of control, nearly hyperventilating that they were talking about a C-section. Had they not implemented every intervention in the book as soon as I got there, and I would bet big fat money on this because I am pretty confident in this, that would not have been the case.
I would have had a much different experience. Anyways, back to those side effects. The next one is one I hear from a lot of moms because it happens in up to 55% of women after they get an epidural is shaking and those uncontrollable tremors, not just like cute little, Oh, I'm shivering.
It's cold. Um, but like full body teeth, chattering, shaking. And when you're not informed about this, and this just starts happening to you during your experience, that can be extremely scary.
And you're going to automatically think that something is wrong. I don't know if you've seen any videos of this, but it honestly looks scary. And it's, and it's rightfully so that women are scared when this happens to them, especially when they were not informed about it beforehand.
When you have a one in two chance, this should be talked about as soon as those consent papers come out and be like, Hey, listen, just so you know, this could happen. You have a high risk of this happening today. Next one, another one that happens to a lot of mothers up to 80% of women experience this after epidural opioids is a trigger of histamine release causing intense itching.
Many women experience full body itching for hours after birth. And there's really, truly nothing that you can do about it, except wait. When you sign those consent forms for the epidural, they don't tell you that you're also possibly signing away your postpartum experience, your immediate postpartum experience, your golden hour, your first time breastfeeding your baby.
They don't tell you that you're going to be so uncomfortable and so itchy that you can't even enjoy it. When I say they sell these interventions, I mean it. That's not great for a sales pitch.
Oh, it's so wonderful. It's so amazing. There's not really any side effects.
It's safe. It's good. We do it all the time, blah, blah, whatever they're saying to you.
What about these things? What about these risks? What about the postpartum experience? What about everything that can happen because of implementing this thing that they're telling you? So great. That's what I have a problem with. I don't have a problem with epidurals.
I have a problem with the deceit that is usually involved in women getting the epidural. It's totally cool. If you're informed and you choose an epidural, if you say, Hey, I see the risks, I know the risks, and I'm going to assume the risks, I'm going to do this because I think the benefits outweigh the risks for me.
That's awesome. I am excited for you. I fully support you.
That is work that you did. And I'm proud of you for doing it. And you know why you're choosing it and all of the things.
And I don't have an issue with that at all. No problems. But when these things are downplayed or completely left off the table to sell their interventions, to lead to more interventions that they're just going to have to do now.
That's where I have a major problem, but I'm unfortunately not done. The next one on the list is difficulty urinating, AKA bladder dysfunction. When you have an epidural, you can't feel your bladder, which means they put in a catheter.
Guess what? Catheters increase the risk of postpartum bladder issues and UTIs. There was a study done in Scandinavia in 2020 that found that epidural usage was associated with a higher rate of urinary retention and catheter related complications. Another one that hopefully a lot of you know about, but epidurals don't always work and don't always work evenly.
Some women feel hotspots of pain where the medication didn't fully take effect. Some people only feel the numbness on one side and they can feel all the sensation on the other. It's reported that about 10 to 12% of epidurals fail or only partially work.
So I talked to a lot of moms that are just like banking on the epidural. Like, Oh, I'm just going to get the drugs. I'm just going to say, as soon as I get there, give me the drugs.
And it's like, okay, what if it doesn't work? What's your plan then? Like, what is your plan then? Seriously, truly, honestly. An epidural is not a reason to not prepare for your birth experience and to not prepare for pain. I'm just going to throw that out there.
Moving on. We already talked about this a little bit, but epidurals can relax the uterus too much causing labor to slow or stall. This often leads to pitocin augmentation, which makes contractions very unnaturally strong.
We already talked about the cascade of interventions, but this is going to increase the risk of fetal distress, creating a domino effect for those interventions. Now I haven't found a lot of good studies that support this. It's like a general consensus that it's like, it can be like up to 30 minutes longer for an epidural birth versus a no epidural birth.
But when you actually do the digging, um, a lot of the studies are funded by people that make money off of you getting epidurals and the interventions that typically come after you implement an epidural. And I have yet to find something that is comparing a physiological birth experience to an epidural birth experience. The two groups usually have a lot of things in common and then the epidural is implemented in one of the groups.
So if you're digging into this, let me know what you find. I would love to get my hands on more information as always, but I've been looking into this for a while. And honestly, the stuff that I'm finding nowadays is so different to the stuff that I found like four or five years ago.
And I'm not trying to like put on my whole tinfoil hat right now, but, um, that's suspicious. That's all I'm saying. Anywho, the next one is the increased risk of fetal distress.
We already touched on this a little bit, but pitocin in an epidural can cause hyper-stimulation of the uterus, reducing the oxygen to baby. GMA Pediatrics in 2019 did a study that found that fetal heart rate abnormalities are significantly higher in labors with epidurals and pitocin. Again, not something that they're mentioning.
That's a huge deal. Your baby is being put at risk. And I don't know if you agree with this or not, but it's not really up for debate, but a baby is a human being and that human being can feel all of that and is processing all of that.
And a lot of babies are born traumatized from experiences like that. Most of the babies that I know with colic and things like that have been born in a very traumatic way or have been circumcised or something like that, gone through a very traumatic experience already. And there is, oh, your baby's just colicky.
No, that's not a good enough answer. Babies don't cry for hours on end for no reason. They're trying to communicate something with you.
Okay, wait, I need to stay on track. I'm not going to go on this tangent, but just something to consider something to look into. Okay.
Speaking of trauma to your baby, the epidural reduces muscle control, making it harder to push. And this increases the risk of forceps or vacuum extraction. Epidurals prolong the pushing stage because you can't feel how to push effectively.
And this increases perineal tearing and episiotomies. Also the fact that you are confined to your back that increases the risk of tearing. We already know, evidence tells us that birthing on your back is the worst position that you can birth in.
If that's how you're most comfortable, that's how you want to be that day, that's totally fine. But it does come with risks. But with an epidural, you don't really get much of an option.
Sometimes you'll be able to get into a sideline position with a peanut ball between your knees or something like that. But every time I hear a mom that pushed for hours, 98% of the time they had an epidural. And I know everybody's different.
I know everyone's experience is different. And there are other things that can lead to longer pushing times too, like starting to push before your body's actually ready to push, the position that you're pushing in and how you're pushing too. Some studies have found that the epidural usage is linked to higher rates of postpartum depression.
Now, if you Google it, it's going to say it's linked to less chance of postpartum depression. But if you really do the digging, you will find plenty of information that challenges that statement. You are at risk of a permanent nerve damage.
Although very, very rare, it is a risk. A lot of women also report long-term back pain, especially in their lower back. I have encountered plenty of women who have back pain and they didn't get the epidural.
I think that has to do with the pelvic floor and the need for repair after your birth experience. Pain is your body telling you something. If there is pain, no matter what you chose for your birth experience, that is usually an indicator that there is something wrong or something off and your body is in need of something from you.
Spinal headaches are another risk, which have been described as hell on earth. If the epidural needle punctures too deep, it can cause a spinal fluid leak, which can lead to those crippling headaches for days. These are also sometimes accompanied with neck stiffness and just overall discomfort in the body.
Epidurals are also associated with higher rates of unplanned C-sections. The cascade of intervention leads to many failure to progress diagnoses, which is the number one reason for C-sections in the United States. Hospitals are so quick to tell you about all the benefits, but are very slow to mention the risks.
Please know both sides before making a decision. Epidurals are not innately bad, but as we have just discussed at length, they have risks and side effects that can come with it. I will forever encourage you to make informed decisions for yourself and for your baby.
That is the whole reason I am here on the internet telling you guys all these things. That is at the core of everything that I do. If you are not making the decisions from an informed place, somebody else is making them for you.
And they're not going to be making them for you. They're going to be making them for them. Epidurals make things easier for the hospital and for the staff.
It gives them so much more control over your experience and you. So if you are like most of my listeners and have decided that the epidural is not for you, here's how you can protect yourself from the epidural pressure. Because it is very alive and real.
We've already talked a little bit about what we hear all the time, right? Why suffer? There's no medal for doing this naturally. You don't have to be a hero. Why would you put yourself through all of that? Why wouldn't you just take the easy way? Here are some little ideas for how you can respond to those type of statements.
I appreciate the opinion and the option, but I'll let you know if I want one. I've actually educated myself heavily on this. I am not getting one, but if I change my mind, I'll let you know.
My plan is actually to see how I progress without it and see what my body does on its own. I've actually put a lot of thought into this decision, but I'll let you know if I want to discuss it with you. I really think it's really powerful to know your why, why you are choosing not to do an epidural.
And then to have a birth support team that knows your goals and will back you up when the pressure starts rolling in. And if anybody is in your space that day that is not in support and that rolls your eyes and Oh, good luck with that. You know, like those little backhanded comments, remove them from your space.
They do not deserve to be there. Assisting you on the day of your birth experience is a privilege. And as the head girl in charge, you get to say who's in that room and who needs to go.
So to wrap this up today, epidurals are not the enemy, but they're also not the easy button that they're made out to be. If you decide to get one, make sure it's an informed choice, not one made out of pressure or fear. And if you want to go unmedicated, you are more than capable.
You don't need a hero medal. You just need preparation, support, and belief in yourself. I help you do all of that inside the birth prep course.
If you want more information about that, you can check out the show notes, but I wanted to take a moment real quick before you go. I wanted to invite you to my event that's coming up called three mistakes that can sabotage your unmedicated birth. I am going to be shedding light on three of the most common mistakes I see moms make so unknowingly sabotaging their own experience.
Plus I'm going to teach you how to avoid them. It's going to be a really fun time. It's going down on the 21st of March at 1 PM Eastern standard time.
I will have a replay if you can't make it live, but try to make it live because we're going to do Q&A. I have a special little surprise for my birth prep course, girlies. And the best part is I'm doing it for free.
Tickets are totally free. You can go to the show notes and grab yours today and then get excited because this stuff is literally game-changing and you need this information, which is why I'm doing it for free because everybody needs to know this stuff. So get excited, invite a friend or two, and I will see you there.
I'm so excited. It's been a long time since I've done a live event and I am pumped to hang out with you guys. And if you missed it, this Friday, I'm doing birth prep power hour inside my Facebook group, which is also free.
So come to that, join the Facebook group. That'll be in the show notes for you as well. Thank you so much for being here.
It is an honor to do this work with you guys and to be a part of your story truly. And honestly, I am so proud of you for doing this work as always happy prepping.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
