Labor and delivery when overweight

[Roskow]

I'm about 6 months along with my first baby, a little girl (yay!), but I'm starting to get nervous about labor and delivery. I do not want an epidural but I'm not sure I'll be able to handle the pain of childbirth. I would like to hear everyone's stories about vaginal birth, with or without the epidural. I'm worried that being overweight will cause the staff at the hospital to encourage an epidural, c section, etc and I don't want any of that. Also, how many of you had episiotomies and how did it go? Sorry if I seem nosy, I'm just really nervous and need some encouragement!

[Bricodlak5]

Hi Roskow, my first baby was natural. not onp urpose though lol. I dilated too quickly and they didnt have time to give me the epidural. Not going to lie to you, the pain was bad, scary but it wasnt the actual delivery that was most painful for me. It was severe back pain during contractions. Once I started to push, the pain had a purpose so to speak and it was easier to handle. When I got pregnant with my second child, I did panic a little that I would go too fast again and not get the epidural but I did get it and had it with my third child as well. Plan to have it with my 4th child as well. Thats just my personal choice. I do have a high tolerance for pain but I just dont see the reason to suffer through when I dont have to. I'd rather be happy during delivery and not in terrible pain. As for the episiotomies, I had those with my first 2 births and never had problems. I wouldnt of known they were doing it unless my dr told me as he did it.
Try not to worry, remember the pain does only last so long and it is true that its a pain you forget.

[Delores]

hey dont be nervous about labor and delivery..it would be simply great for u..
be happy and enjoy the birth of baby......

[Adrienne]

Discuss all of this with your OB ahead of time. I was adamant about not wanting a c-section unless it was an emergency situation

I was high risk due to medical issues and had to be induced. As soon as those back contractions fired up, I was ready for that epidural! I had a natural tear because the OB had to rush th delivery at the end due to ds's heart decelerating. She could have rushed me to the OR but she handled it very well---having an excellent OB that you are 100% confident with made a big difference in my comfort level.

Congrats. remember that women have been doing this for centuries ;-)

[Dragonfy Fi]

I am overweight and gave birth naturally after 27 ours with just gas n air...

I think if you stay away from the speed things up meds that the will try and give you it will be a lot easier/nicer/less painful. I enjoyed giving birth, I cannot wait to do it again!

[Sarahmom]

Honestly I don't think being overweight really makes a difference in how labouring goes. I think most women go into their first birth hoping/wanting to have a natural l&d, and it's great to aspire to that...but at the same time things don't always go as planned. If you keep your mind open to just doing whatever you will need to do to have successful birth then you'll be putting a lot less pressure on yourself, and you're much less likely to be disappointed.

That said, with my first I had planned a midwife assisted homebirth. Labour was hard and strong from the get go. I started labour at 1am, at 6am I was at 9cm...at 8am I was still at 9cm and my idea of a homebirth went out the window. Being at 9cm for 2 hrs meant a 45 min trip to the hospital. My midwives believed my body was just exhausted and I just couldn't progress further without some rest. The only way for me to get rest was to have an epidural. Had I not gotten an epi I most likely would have had a c-section. I got the epi, was soon relaxed and able to rest and even nap, and in less than an hour I was at 10cm and ready to push. 3 pushes and my daughter was born and I had torn. After she was born I started hemmoraging. The ob on call took over immediately and had to manually clean out my uterus...and let me tell ya, I was SO HAPPY that I'd had that epidural for that procedure cause I couldn't imagine how excruciating it would have been otherwise. Plus, having the epi was also great for the stitches I needed afterward.

Given my experience with my first, I planned a hospital birth the 2nd time, and planned to get an epi after some progression, but was still midwife assisted (I love midwives!). This labour was longer, I was contracting mildly for about a whole day, and I was leaking amniotic fluid. When amniotic fluid is leaking labour has to either start on its own or be induced within 48 hrs because ruptured membranes pose a risk of infection to the baby. Thankfully I went into labour on my own after doing tons of walking to get it started. At the hospital I laboured for a while then they asked if I wanted them to break my water fully...I thought ok great, that'll get things progressing and I'll deal with a few contractions then get an epi. MAN let me tell ya, contractions are STRONG after having your membranes ruptured and I asked for that epi immediately after that first contraction. It took a bit for the anaesthetist to get there, but the relief was great when he did. I continued progressing and soon got to 10cm...2 pushes and he was out. (I'm an enthusiastic pusher!). I tore a bit, but not enough to need stitches, I just took it easy and I healed up just fine. I haven't had an episiotomy and I don't ever want to. Yes, tearing sucks, but I still don't think it'd be as bad as an episiotomy, since they often tear in addition to the incision.

Now I'm 8w 2d along with identical twins. I'm sad that midwifery isn't an option because of it being a "high risk" situation..so I'm in the care of an ob. I know that there's a good chance that I could need to have a cesearian, and honestly, I'm ok with that. I just want my babies to be safe and healthy, I can deal with whatever happens to me.

[SC-Sherb]

I was slightly overweight with my first son. Was induced 2 days past his due date because a routine stress test showed that his heartrate kept dropping. I laboured for 12 hrs with intense contractions and had enough. I had only dilated from 2 cms to 4 cms in all that time. I decided to take the epidural, felt so relaxed and fell asleep. 45 mins later I felt like I had to go to the bathroom and I was 9 1/2 cms. I pushed for 2 hrs before he was born. He had a huge head and I had a minor tear (no stitches) but other than that, it went pretty smoothly. I was about 200 the day he was born.

With DD I gained almost 50lbs!!!! Mostly water and I ended up with a c-section because she was breech (bum first). Dr. tried to turn her but she wouldn't budge. Recovery was a little harder but not too bad. I again had another c-section with DS#2 as my OB didn't want to try a VBAC because he was fairly big (9lbs 1oz). The 2nd c-section recovery seemed alot easier than the first. With both c-sections, I was around 240 & 230 at the time of surgery.

Everyone's body is different, no matter what size. Yes, extra weight does offer more complications but that doesn't mean that you can't have a normal delivery. I think no matter what, you just have to go into labour knowing that the end result, a healthy and happy mommy and baby are what you want, no matter what happens!

[pinkycat]

I had the same concerns when I was pregnant with my first baby. I was already overweight before I got pregnant and gained about 40 lbs. I was only suppose to gain 10 lbs. Although I did not have gestational diabetes or bp problems, my OB still treated me like a high risk pregnancy due to my weight and my advanced age (like 31 is so old). So I was scared I was going to end up with a c-section. But it turned out my excess weight didn't really make a difference as far as delivery. I've had 2 vaginal births without any complications from my weight. I was VERY scared of getting an epi. The thought of a long needle going in my spine scared me. But nothing cures that fear like some painful contractions.

I remember my doula telling me (with 2nd delivery) that it is perfectly normal for a woman to ask for an epi and not totally mean it. In hindsight, I have to say there is some truth to that. You get to a point when you hit the wall the way runners do and you get desperate for it to be over and start begging for drugs. In my experience going from 8cm to 10cm without an epi was the most painful and hardest part of labor. Yes, the actual delivery hurt too but it was pain with a purpose. And pushing does provide some relief. If anyone is seriously thinking of doing natural childbirth, I suggest you get a doula! You'll need someone with experience guiding you and your partner. Nurses and OB won't cut it. Most have never witnessed a natural childbirth. And find out how easily and readily your hospital dispenses the pitocin. If you're being "pitted," good luck trying to go without an epi. Pitocin makes contractions hurt more.

[glennyphn]

First, congrats on your baby, it is not easy to say, do not get nervous, a woman would somehow get really really nervous during child delivery.