I wrote a few weeks ago about how my labor and delivery for my two kids was different. I had an epidural with Gardner and a natural birth with Caitiejane. You can read that post here, which is more focused on the comment my husband made during Caitiejane's birth, but a fun read nonetheless. There are definitely pros and cons to each of these choices and I thought I'd review how I felt about each one. Let me be clear though, I didn't choose a natural birth with Caitiejane, there just wasn't time for an epidural. My preference for delivery going forward might surprise you.
Epidural
Pros
First and most obvious point, no pain! I was a huge proponent of having the epidural when it came to my first labor. Medicine has advanced to a point that I don't have to feel the pain of labor? SIGN ME UP! Why would I want to feel pain when we have these awesome drugs? I have no regrets about my first labor being painless, I wasn't ready to endure hours upon hours of labor pains and having the epidural was great for me.
Because I wasn't in any pain during my labor I was able to rest comfortably and relax for hours while we waited for Gardner's arrival.
I was also still able to move, at least from the waist up. While I didn't have any feeling from the waist down I was still able to get comfortable over the course of 6+ hours of waiting until I had to start pushing.
Cons
I couldn't walk around, so contrary to being the pro above of being able to move, I was confined to the bed. Thank goodness for technology to pass the time!
I had to have a catheter. This wasn't really a big deal since I couldn't feel anything, but it isn't the most pleasant thing in the world.
I felt sore at the injection site of the epidural for days afterwards. It was the most uncomfortable part of having an epidural.
Pushing was more difficult. Without being able to feel anything it was hard to judge when and how hard I should be pushing. Plus, the nurses had to hold my legs for me.
Natural Birth
Pros
Knowing exactly when to push. Being able to feel everything that was going on allowed me to push through contractions for the appropriate length of time and with the appropriate force.
I believe I had a shorter labor because I was unmedicated. This could be because it was my second child, but I think that without medication things progressed more quickly.
Moving around was easy. If I was uncomfortable during labor I simply moved around, there was nothing preventing me from moving. Because I felt my legs I was able to grab them and hold them to push.
My recovery was shorter. This also might be because it was my second child and I knew what to expect, but I had very minimal soreness from delivering Caitiejane compared to Gardner.
Cons
The MAJOR negative of having a natural birth was that I definitely felt the pain. Yes, labor was painful, there's no getting around it. I believe I may have scared anyone that was also in labor that night with my yelling, but it was all fine in the end.
Conclusion
The result of both of these births was the same, I had a beautiful baby at the end of it. I don't think women can choose wrong for themselves. After all, it is a personal choice on how to deliver your baby. When I told a friend of mine that I didn't have any medication for my second birth, it was like having a badge of honor. However, given the choice between epidural and natural birth, I have to say that I would choose the natural birth for the future. Now, my second labor was very short (just under 2.5 hours total), but even still, being able to feel when to push made it worth it for me to make it my preferred method of delivery if there happens to be a baby number 3!