Bostondevil wrote:DevilAlumna wrote:Hey you Moms out there,
Care to provide some reassurance that chest pains at 35 weeks is normal? I assume it's because future-DA is growing upward into my diaphragm & rib cage, but it feels like someone is using the jaws of life from the inside to get out.
I keep hoping all of these promises of "lightening" (baby dropping into the pelvis) are true as well! Come on, gravity!
Yep, normal. Are you snoring like a horse? That's normal too. Do your ears feel stuffy? Surprisingly, that is also normal.
Have you done Lamaze? I think it's great for helping you mentally prepare for labor but all the talk about avoiding drugs is horseshit. Have the epidural as soon as they will let you get it. They worked so well for me I hardly needed any pain medication afterwards.
It all depends on the woman and the person administering the epidural. My wife had an epidural with the first one and ABSOLUTELY hated it. It was a COMPLETE nightmare for her. They wouldn't let her get up and walk around after she had it, so they catheterized her and ended up bruising her urethra and she was miserable for months with that. Also, the epidural didn't work as promised and only barely took off the edge of the pain. She wasn't even allowed to get up and walk around for longer afterward. Plus, she had a reaction to the medication and ended up with horrible shakes and shivers for about three months after the birth. Also, Sean was groggy for like the first week after birth. It was really hard to get him to even wake up long enough to eat. There are always risks in having a needle jabbed into your spine.
With the next two, she waited until she couldn't stand it anymore, then got a shot of Stadol. It took the edge off the pain and allowed her to relax and go the rest of the way. She and the babies had no side effects afterward, and she recovered a LOT faster. Like I said, to each her own. Epidurals are great, don't get me wrong, but they DON'T always work right and there are other options as well. You'll have to decide what you think is best.
I'll tell you one thing she did do, though. She was SO embarrassed that with all the pushing and whatnot with the first baby, she pooped when pushing him out. Apparently it's a fairly common occurrence. For the second two, she had me give her an enema and went before all the fireworks started. No such embarrassment with the last two. Like I said, to each their own. If that idea doesn't bother you, don't worry about it. That's what the ob/gyns get paid the big bucks for. Heck, you might WANT to go on him/her by that point. Maybe on Mr. DA too. ;)