What Your Doula Wants YOU to Know About Epidurals

You may think I’m going to list out all of the reasons why epidurals are bad.

You would be wrong.

Can they interfere with your orchestra of hormones created during labor? Sure. Can they make the pushing part of labor last longer? Well, they can.

But do you know what else they can do?

Help you avoid a traumatic birth, if pain turns into suffering.

So, funny story…my mom is SO supportive of me being in birthwork. She’s like, my biggest fangirl. She wanted to see where my website was ranking on Google (LOL, bless her), so she looked and was giving me feedback on my website.

She said “You know - your blogs feel a little… one-sided. Or unsupportive of moms who choose to get an epidural.”

I was immediately brought back to a time that I was at a birth with a client, and they were considering changing routes for their birth wishes (originally wanted no meds) to get an epidural. The birthing mother looked at me and said “You won’t care, will you?”

When I tell you that cut me to the CORE.

Your birth team should have no attachment to the path your birthing journey takes. They should do everything in their power to center you as the expert, and to honor the sacred nature of the rite of passage that is giving birth.

So, here is the deal.

I do not care if you get an epidural.

Like, at all.

What I care about is that you have a birth you look back at and smile. That you were honored in this amazing rite of passage.

I do not care if you get an epidural. 

I do care if you’re treated well. I do care if you walk away from your birth feeling like the decisions made were your decisions, and no one else's.

I will SUPPORT you in getting an epidural,

if you decide that’s the plan.

These tools exist, and you should feel fully empowered to use them. Every birthing journey looks different, and sometimes an epidural is the perfect tool to pull out of the toolbox.

What your doula wants YOU to know about epidurals? They exist for a reason, and there is absolutely zero shame in choosing to utilize this form of pain management.