pologirl wrote:
Anyhow, I don't understand the desire to feel nothing whatsoever.
Personally, I prefer to live until I die. Narcotics (analgesics)
are good for serious pain. Others here have said they don't take
the pain away. Correct! Narcotics make you *not mind* the pain.
Isn't that enough?! For me, that is the ideal. You can feel all
of it, but it does not hurt you. It's as if you are just getting
a second-hand report of the pain, and when you are bored with it,
you can just tune it out.

Well, having had a couple of doses of Stadol during my first labor, let me
assure you that the contractions *still* hurt. Trust me, during
contractions, I couldn't just "tune out" the pain. It's just that it also
made me so drowsy that I couldn't *help* relaxing between contractions--even
dozing off at times. But it also made me groggy and disoriented, which isn't
the best way to be feeling when your child enters the world (as far as I'm
concerned anyway). And for a lot of folks, narcotics just aren't a good
choice: they cause many people to hallucinate or become violently ill.

I wound up during that labor with an epidural, which had its disadvantages
(messed me up during pushing since I couldn't feel properly) but I was
definitely not in pain while still having my wits about me. On the whole, if
I were forced to choose between epidural anethesia and a narcotic for labor
pain, I'd choose an epidural. That said, the best choice of all for me is no
anesthesia/analgesia at all. I'd just rather cope with the pain with my all
wits about me, relax between contractions, and be able to feel what's
happening to my body during the entire process.
--
Be well, Barbara
Mom to Sin (Vernon, 2), Misery (Aurora, 4), and the Rising Son (Julian, 6)

Aurora (in the bathroom with her dad)--"It looks like an elephant, Daddy."
Me (later)--"You should feel flattered."

All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its
other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a
fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman